Address: 282 Victoria Avenue, Remuera, Auckland | Telephone: (09) 520 0602
E-mail: [email protected] | web: www.victoriaave.com
Dear Parents
The teachers were all in the staffroom yesterday afternoon having a snack and a break from parent interviews. We were talking about general classroom behaviour and Nikki Boyens came out with this absolute gem of a mantra that she uses in her class:
If you muck up, own up, put it right and then let it go!
It’s about acknowledging and taking responsibility for your own behaviour. It just so happened that I had read an article by Dr Laura Markham in the latest edition of ‘Teachers Matter’ (Issue 29) entitled ‘Why Punishment Doesn’t Teach Children Accountability’.
It certainly made me think about my parenting, about the time I grounded my 15 year old – well I won’t tell you what for, suffice to say that she knew she had done wrong. She hated me, I was the worst mother in the whole world and I had ruined her social life and nobody else’s mother grounded their daughters and so it went on. At 15, they take unnecessary risks and I just wanted to her to reflect during the time she was grounded, on what she had done. I have no knowledge as to whether she ever did it again but I suspect she became a little more clever in ensuring I didn’t find out.
This is exactly what Dr Markham says in her article. She says that there is a lot of research out there that demonstrates that children who are punished are less likely to make positive moral choices because:
- Punishment focuses a child on the ‘consequences’ he or she are suffering, rather than the consequences of his or her behaviour to someone else.
- Punishment makes a child feel like they are a bad person which is a self fulfilling prophecy.
- The most salient lesson of punishment is to avoid it in future by sneaking or lying to escape detection, so punishment fosters dishonesty.
- Punishment makes a child feel wronged and creates a chip on the shoulder, making him or her less likely to make amends
This challenges thinking, I am sure that the thought going through your mind is, well what is left to us if we shouldn’t punish?
At school we use restorative conversations. We want children to think about the behaviour and the effect on others. We want them to gain an understanding of the consequences of the behaviour. It’s not just about them taking responsibility for the behaviour but also taking responsibility for avoiding that behaviour in the future. These are the questions we ask them:
- Tell the story – What happened? What were you thinking when you…..?
- Explore the harm – Who do you think has been affected? In what ways?
- Repair the harm – What needs to be done to put things right?
- Move forward – How can we make sure this does not happen again? What can I do to help?
The younger children at school get a more structured conversation:
- Tell the story – What happened?
- Explore the harm – When you ……… was that a good choice or a bad choice? How did it make …….. feel when you ………?
- Repair the harm – To fix this up you need to……?
- Move forward – At school it is not ok to….. Next time I want you to ……
Ask yourself, do you seem to be punishing your child time and again for the same thing? How is that working for you and your child?
At the heart of the matter, it’s not about being weak and avoiding confronting the behaviour, which has disastrous consequences longer term. I strongly believe that trying to explain to a young child that their behaviour hurts mummy’s feeling is a total waste of time! They need an immediate consequence for hurtful or inappropriate behaviour, not a lecture on the rights and wrongs of the behaviour.
However, for school age children and beyond, it is very important that we, as the adults in their lives, have challenged the behaviour and have ensured that he or she has taken responsibility, put it right as necessary and made amends. If you muck up, own up, put it right and then let it go!
Parent Interviews
Great to see so many of you here last night. Feedback was that the interviews went very well. Lots of positive sharing and goal setting. Looking forward to seeing more of you tonight.
Kind regards
Janice Adamson
Skate board club is back on!
- Monday lunch times 12.30 –1.30 pm on court outside hall.
- Taken by professional skateboard coach Simon Thorpe.
- Cost $50 per term, school will invoice you.
- All abilities welcome, we have plenty of complete beginners.
- Bring Helmet and Skateboard to school.
- For more information or if you would like to be on Parent help roster please contact Jude Eades 021716969 or [email protected]
Do you know of anyone who needs a cleaner, babysitter or a caregiver for the elderly. Please contact Ummu 0275 249050
DRAMA/SPEECH LESSONS: Click here for information
MUSIC LESSONS: Click here for information on Musiqhub music lessons
AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES:
FOR TERM 3 2015
Click here for details on these activities.
Also:
Click here for After School and Holiday Community Based Programmes and Activities for 2015
What’s Ahead?
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR ONLINE CALENDAR
IMPORTANT DATES AND TIMES
School Times
School starts: 8.50am
Interval: 10.30-10.50am
Lunch: 12.30-1.25pm
School finishes: 3.00pm
Term Dates for 2015
Term 3: Mon 20 Jul to Fri 25 Sept ’15
Term 4: Mon 12 Oct to 16 Dec ’15
~ Labour Day Mon 26 October ’15
Term Dates for 2016
Term 1: Wednesday 3 Feb to Friday 15 April ’16
~ Waitangi Day Mon 8 Feb and Easter Holiday Friday 25 March – Tuesday 29 March’16 (During school term)
Term 2: Monday 2 May to Friday 8 July ’16
~ Anzac Day Mon 25 April and Queen’s Birthday Monday 6 June ’16
Term 3: Monday 25 July to Friday 23 Sept ’16
Term 4: Monday 10 October to Friday 16 December ’16
~ Labour Day Mon 24 October ’16
Stationery Sales
Tuesdays and Thursdays: 8.30-8.45am
Uniform Shop
– half way up dragon drive in the old dental clinic
OPEN FRIDAYS only: 8.15-8.45am
Orders and payments for uniform can be made online on our website ~ Click here
Lunch Orders for 2015
1. ezLUNCH: Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays
Join ezlunch today to take advantage of this promotion. and Place an order
2. Subway: Wed and Fri
Register to order online at www.subwayrialto.co.nz
3. Sushi on Thursdays
Click Here for order forms/instructions
School Dental Service
8b Ngaio St Orakei Ph5200603.
The dental team will be posting letters to all new entrants to our school as required.
LATEST SCHOOL VIDEOS
on the SENIORVAS Channel
Produced and directed by our senior students – CLICK HERE to check it out
ENVIRONMENT BLOG – this blog is continually updated :
Please check out our new VAS
Environment News Site CLICK HERE
Remember to ‘like’ Victoria Avenue School on Facebook.
VICTORIA AVENUE SCHOOL GIFTED AND TALENTED
PROGRAMME
At Victoria Avenue School we offer a range of programmes for our gifted and talented students. You can now see some of these programmes on our new Gifted and Talented blog at… http://gatevas.blogspot.co.nz/
NIT NIGHT TONIGHT!!
PLEASE, PLEASE CHECK FOR NITS – a number of classes have reported nits and if your infected child is not treated then many others will be!
Here is a link from NZ Health for info and treatment.
http://www.health.govt.nz/your-health/conditions-and-treatments/diseases-and-illnesses/head-lice
Reminder school Banking is on every Wednesday
To join go to the ASB display/banking box in the foyer.
SCOOTER OWNERS ~
If you own a SILVER RAZOR could you please check underneath your scooter for “MAX HILL 021633366” If you fnd this please return it to the school office. You will find your silver razor waiting there for you.
Thanks to all who joined in the fun at the KidsCan Mufti Day last term.
They have received a fantastic donation from us of $730:00
PUPILS OF THE WEEK
Isobel Pennington, Daisy Molloy and Sam Jancys
- Room 1: Ji Woo Shin
Room 1: Giacomo Church Barnao
Room 2: Timothy Ravi
Room 3: David Lust
Room 4: Zac Riley
Room 5: Yasemin Kalkan
Room 5: Grace Brazendale
Room 6: Zak Weston
Room 6: Dan Brooks
Room 7: Olivia Maire
Room 8: Joshua Want
Room 9: Nicholas Dryden
Room 10: Nicholas Weston
- Room 11: Alona Kotsar
Room 12: William King
Room 13: Sophie Gibb
Room 14: Qian Ti Ooi
Room 15: Solomon Cooper
Room 16: Samuel Spath
Room 17: Anita Burt-Sudrajat
Room 17: Michael Wang
Room 18: Isla Hebblethwaite
Room 18: Violet Richardson
Room 19: Ava Newton
Room 20: Bryn Somervell
Room 21: Poppy Loutit
Congratulations to the Grammar Juniors Under 9 Rugby Team
Congratulations to the Grammar Juniors Under 9 rugby team for winning the annual Ron Williams Invitational Tournament held on the North Shore last weekend.
Grammar won their pool games easily, and managed to keep the other teams scoreless. They then went on to play Takapuna in a tough final. Grammar were down 4 tries to 1 with only a few minutes remaining in the game. However they demonstrated the power of never giving up and managed to come back to tie at 4 all at full time. They then went into extra time to take the win. A great effort!
The team includes the following Victoria Ave boys: Jonty Mackintosh, Sam Jancys, Fred Gilbert and Morgan Tapper.
Two new table tennis tables were recently donated by the Lion Foundation via the Auckland Table Tennis Association due to VAS`s interest and love of the game. Thanks Shane and Ebi for their support on the application.
Tables are worth $647 each with nets and clamps up to $200 each.
Table Tennis Club is open to children from Years 3-6 on Tuesdays at 12.40 through out the winter months and Yr 4-6 during the summer. All levels welcome.
Senior sport also makes use of this facility on Tuesdays. Table Tennis has been a regular sport through the winter months for the last 3 years.
Julie McCabe