COLLEGE
NEWS

We start the series of Chapels for the Senior School this week that integrates peace and patience.   This will be an inspiring service where our students have the opportunity to think about and integrate what they think they need to engage with more to bring life satisfaction in these two areas.

As I was playing around with the reflection that I have been doing over the past few days, I have been working out that it is actually patience that quite often brings about peace.

This week, I have had the pleasure of accompanying the Year 9s on their Community Service Program to City Mission at Youngtown, and I was surprised to hear that one of the volunteers said she volunteered there because it brings her peace.  Isn’t that a beautiful thing?  The joy of volunteering brings her peace.  A beautiful reconciliation in her soul for the goodness she brings to our community.

It will be a joy to hear what the Senior School thinks about what brings them both of these aspects of a spiritual life with meaning, focus and purpose.

On both Wednesday and Thursday evenings this week, as Chaplain, I have been celebrating National Boarders Week with several of our boarding students, reflecting on what they give and who they are as human beings, and developing and sharing their growth in our community as boarders.

I trust it has been a fulfilling week for you, and I wish you all a joyful and peaceful weekend.

Rev Grace
College Chaplain

We are pleased to provide a community news section in our news highlighting events in the wider Launceston community that may be of interest to families. Included this week:

• free try orienteering events

How important is sleep for children’s learning and wellbeing?

Sleep is especially important for children and young people because it helps with mental, physical, social and emotional development. Sleep helps our brains to remember, memorise and analyse important information. All of this improves engagement and performance at school.

Children in the 6-12 age groups who get less than nine hours of sleep per night have significant differences in brain regions responsible for attention, memory, intelligence, inhibition control and well-being compared to those who get the recommended 9-11 hours of sleep per night, according to a new study at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (Ze Wang et al, 2022 and ongoing). Brain imaging at the start of the study and two years later showed differences in brain structure and function in the insufficient sleep group compared to the sufficient sleep group. The findings suggest that sleep affects learning and behaviour through specific brain changes.

Numerous other studies have similarly found significant differences between children who have sufficient sleep and those who don’t. For the latter group, impulsivity, stress, depression, anxiety and aggressive behaviour together with impaired cognitive functions such as decision-making, conflict-solving, working memory, creative thinking and learning are frequently mentioned in research findings.

‘Sufficient sleep’ is commonly seen to be 10-13 hours per night for children aged 3-5 and 9-11 hours for ages 6-12. Queensland Health (https://www.childrens.health.qld.gov.au/fact-sheet-healthy-sleep-children) is one of many sources highlighting some key habits (routines) to support children in getting the necessary sleep:

• Have a regular sleep pattern. Your child should keep regular times for going to bed and waking up. These times should be the same or similar on weekends and holidays. The 24-hour body clock that controls sleepiness and wakefulness works best if there is a regular sleep routine.
• Have a consistent pre-bedtime routine. This will help your child settle and prepare for sleep. It may include reading quietly, a warm bath or a warm milk drink. Avoid exercise or stimulating play in the hour before bedtime.
• Limit access to electronic devices (including TV, smart-phones, tablets and computer games) and bright light exposure in the one to two hours prior to bedtime. Exposure to bright light or the LED light from electronic devices can reduce the evening levels of the sleep promoting hormone, melatonin, making it more difficult to fall asleep. Electronic devices should remain out of the bedroom where possible.
• Ensure the sleeping environment is quiet, dark and comfortable. Children should sleep in their own bed. If a night light is required, a red light is preferred. If background sound is required, soothing, gentle music is preferred. The bedroom should be used for sleep only and not study or play if possible.
• Daytime exercise and natural light exposure may improve sleep at night. Children who are inactive through the day and/or are not exposed to natural sunlight, particularly early in the morning, may have difficulty falling asleep at night.
• Limit caffeine intake. Caffeine is a stimulant that prevents sleep. Caffeine is present in tea, coffee, chocolate, energy drinks and some soft drinks. Caffeine is best avoided in children and certainly should be avoided after midday to avoid interfering with sleep.

This same site lists a number of resources to support parents in ensuring their child(ren) are regularly following sound sleep patterns to maximise their opportunities for success at school and in all daily activities. ‘Sleep is essential for growth, immunity, learning and memory and is important for helping a child heal and recover.’

Mothers’ Day

Today’s Mothers’ Day Breakfast was attended by more than 300 people. Thank you to all who were able to attend as well as to the parent volunteers, Staff and overall coordinator Justin Clarke along with the Year 2 Choir who brought the event together. Best wishes to all Mother’s for a special day this Sunday.

School Photographs

All families should now have received (and returned) details of the school photograph arrangements for all EL -Year 5 students on May 18 and 19. If any further information is needed please contact Junior School Reception.

Inter-House Cross Country

All Years 2-5 students will represent their House at the Cross Country carnival at Scotch Oakburn Park on Thursday 25 May from 12:15 pm to 2:45 pm. Spectators are most welcome.

National Road Safety Week May 14-21

Road Safety Week is an opportunity for us all – school as well as parents – to keep road safety issues front and centre for all students. This is road safety for pedestrians as well as bike and scooter riders, bus students and vehicle drivers. All of the above are especially important in and around the Elphin Campus during the busy daily drop-off and pickup times.

On Friday 19 May the Term 2 Walk Safely to School Day has been timed to coincide with Road Safety Week. All Junior School students are invited to join the walk to school starting at 7:30 am from Princes Square (St John St-Elizabeth St corner) and arriving at the Elphin Campus between 8:20 am to 8:30 am. Parents are most welcome to join the walk and a number of Staff will accompany the group. Younger students may opt to join in at the RACT corner or the Aquatic Centre corner along the way.

Lachie Wright
Head of Junior School

Student Achievement

Year 6 student, Audrey Green, was thrilled to win two Adjudicators Choice Awards at the Launceston Competitions announced on Thursday 11 May:

• Most outstanding item for her humorous recital: ‘Rindercella’
• Dorothy Armstrong Memorial Trophy for the Most Promising Competitor.

Audrey’s passion for the performing arts is inspirational to all those who know her whether it be dance, singing, drama, instrumental or public speaking.  A big thank you to all the Arts teachers for their hard work and support of our talented students.  Take a bow, Audrey! Excellent work!

Katie Lester
Person-in-Charge of Public Speaking

Tasmanian Hanyuqiao Chinese Speech and Performance Competition

This week, three of our Year 11 students, Matilda Legro, Stephanie Dunphy and Xavier Nesbit participated in the Tasmania Hanyuqiao(Bridge) Chinese Speech and Performance Competition in Hobart. All three of our students presented great Chinese speaking skills and showcased well-prepared cultural performances.

Xavier impressed the judges with his excellent Chinese speech and beautiful Chinese piano song. His confident public speaking manner and Chinese performance made him stand out and achieved first place. He is now invited to represent Tasmania and participate in Australia’s National Hanyuqiao Chinese Competition in Brisbane in June. Xavier will also have a chance to compete in the worldwide competition in China.

This is the first time Scotch Oakburn College entered this competition and certainly the first winner from Northern Tasmania. We congratulate Xavier on his achievement in this highly recognised competition in the language learning community. We wish him the best in the national competition that is coming soon.

The trip to Hobart also had a dual purpose of cultural experience for the Chinese TCE class. The students had a great time visiting a bubble tea shop, a modern Chinese food restaurant and a Chinese supermarket. Our students certainly surprised a few shops with their Chinese speaking and understanding ability. It was great to see language taught in school being used outside the classroom.

Lutong Cordell
Teacher of Chinese

Year 10 Dinner

This Term began with the Year 10 Formal Dinner held Friday 28 April. Students arrived at the Tailrace for a shared dinner with friends and staff. Attire was smart or glamorous; with plenty of opportunities to photograph the moments.  Thank you to the organising committee and MCs on the night.

Fiona Taylor
Year 9 and 10 Coordinator