Dear Parents,
A warm welcome back to school. I trust you all had a wonderful Easter and Eid, hoping that you enjoyed this special time with your children.
Children Helping Children
Our Children Helping Children initiative for this term we will be partnering once again with the Hout Bay Community Cook up. CCU started in 2017 in response to a National Disaster when fires ravaged Imizamo Yethu, leaving many residents in desperate need of support. Various projects were initiated to assist the vulnerable community such as The Friday Cook Up which we collected for last year.
This year we will be helping Shining Stars Daycare to set up a resource library at the school for both the children and teachers to access. They are in desperate need of the following items (new or used):
Books
Stationery – crayons, pencils, kohki’s, paper
Educational games, particulary ones that teach the basics such as colours, shapes, numbers etc
There will be a box outside the entrance gate from Monday, 8th May for you to place your donations into and we will collect items for the entire term.
The teachers will be explaining to the children more about this initiative during morning ring so that they can understand more about helping their community and those less fortunate than us.
If you as a family or perhaps a business would like to get involved on a different level, please visit their website www.cookup.org.za .
Dates To Diarise
It is almost time for our annual Fun Walk on Saturday, 6 May. I would like to say thank to those parents who have donated prizes for our raffle – we have such a wonderful assortment including award winning wines, family board games, outdoor camera, gift vouchers, baking kits and more. The Committee moms and staff are working incredibly hard to ensure the day is a success and more importantly enjoyed by the children.
We will be celebrating all our special Moms with a “pamper “ day at school for Mother’s Day on Friday, 12 May, and Dads we hope that you can all join us on Saturday, 10 June for a special day of fun at school. The reason behind doing 2 different events is so that the children get a unique experience with each of their parents. We know the moms’ love getting a chance to come into the classroom and see their little one interacting with their teacher and friends. And for the dad’s we wanted to do something geared towards a more sporty and social morning at school and would like to involve the wonderful Soccerstarz team, so hence a Saturday worked best.
We do understand that certain circumstances may mean that a parent cannot attend one of the events, but your child is more than welcome to bring along another special person in their life.
We are thrilled to be doing a school concert this year, which will take place in the 3rd term on Saturday, 16 September. We have aligned our dates to have Grandparents Day in the same week so that should any Granny’s or Grandpa’s live out of town then they have the pleasure of coming for both activities. So, book those air tickets now!
The importance of structure and routine
We always give the children (and parents) time to settle into their new routine and structure in the first term. Structure and routine are an integral part of our daily planning at CPS. The predictability and familiarity that comes with routine offers the perfect ‘safe space’ that children need and is fundamental in the development of good habits. Now that the 2nd term is well under way, please make sure you arrive at school on time. Your child has a busy programme and late arrivals really do miss out on whatever activities have started.
Punctuality is a lesson taught from you the parent so make sure your child has the opportunity to always be on time, now and for the rest of their lives. A child who arrives early for school in a calm manner will always have a head start.
In developing your own family routine and providing structure to your child’s day, you create consistency and security for your child, as well as set good habits for life. Routine teaches and creates boundaries because the habits that emerge teach children that there are consequences to their behaviour. One activity can only follow the next once it is completed. For example, we cannot watch TV until supper is finished.
How to set a daily routine for your child
Step 1: Establish the important times such as mealtimes, snack times, nap times and bedtime, as these affect how your child able to sleep and function.
Step 2 : Practice patience. It may be hard at first, but your child will become accustomed to it if you remain calm and do not show your frustration.
Step 3: Add ‘ helpful’ elements to each part of the routine. For example, to help your child wind down you can include a reading and snuggle time before they climb into bed or before they tidy up their toys, they can have a run around the garden.
Step 4: Work toward consistency and make room for flexibility. It is important to remain flexible, leaving room for free unscheduled time. This will help your child learn how to deal with unpredictability and change.
Step 5: Establish special times with your child. Walking the dog together each day or a regular trip to Granny on a day creates expectations of family time and the importance thereof.
Step 6: Adjust as needed. A routine is there to help the family not hinder it so make sure that the routine you put in place is a healthy and positive one for both your child and other family members.
The most important aspect in creating a routine is to make sure that it works for you and your family.
When you include meaningful and important elements into your family routine, you are letting your child know what is important as a family. While establishing and maintaining a routine has a wealth of benefits; spontaneity and creativity are important factors in a child’s life. Sometimes the dishes might need to wait in favour of watching a beautiful sunset. When a routine becomes too strict the benefits fall away and children begin to feel controlled and uncomfortable. Always remember there is no perfect routine because each family is different. Our ultimate goal through establishing a family routine is to make the constantly changing nature of growing up as wonderful for your child as possible and to make our lives, as parents, just a little easier too.
I hope you all enjoy the long weekend with your family.
Warmest regards,
Lara
