Emu Chronicle – 7 June 2024

Student Services

3 ways for families to manage stress

Caring for ourselves and our children is a stressful job. From the number of decisions we make each day, to navigating work, health, and schooling, a parent’s to-do-list is never ending. Even though experiencing stress isn’t enjoyable, it’s important to remember that everyone experiences stress. Exploring ways to better understand and manage your stress can strengthen your connection and relationship with your child.

During adolescence, children’s brains are maturing. According to Gene Beresin, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Mass General Brigham, preteens and teenagers are in a perfect storm because they are aware of everything going on around them and more invested in different issues. For example, new strains of COVID, racism, friendships, climate change, and their family’s financial needs are all topics teenagers stress about.

With the increasing demands of families and teens in today’s society, it’s important to find ways to manage stress as a family so it doesn’t become intolerable. What causes us stress is often outside of our control, but how we manage it is something we can control. The three tips below provide a starting point and can be adapted to fit the needs of your family.

“What causes us stress is often outside of our control, but how we manage it is something we can control.”

Tip #1: Learn about stress and how it impacts us

Although you might hear phrases like, “I’m so stressed out!” from your teenager multiple times throughout the week (or day!), it’s important to take the time to check-in about stress so you can understand where the feelings of stress are coming from.

Stress is completely natural, but taking the time to connect with your child can provide you with more information about the situations, relationships, and thoughts that increase stress in your child’s life. Although it can be tempting to solve our children’s problems and remove stressors from their lives, this doesn’t provide them with the skills they need to cope.

Instead, focus on the tips below, listen deeply to your teenager, and ensure your teen knows you are there as a sounding board to help them navigate challenges. Tips for listening deeply include:

• Staying off your phone during conversations
• Practicing non-judgement
• Allowing for moments of silence
• Showing you care with your body language (e.g., facing your child, making eye contact if it’s comfortable for you and your child, etc.)
• Restating/paraphrasing your child’s words

Stress is a common human experience, but it’s important to discuss what stress is (and isn’t). Here are some key discussion points:

• Stress is a natural and normal response to everyday pressures.
• Stress can be caused by a lot of different things and essentially, it’s your body’s response (cognitive, emotional, and/or physical) to an internal need or feeling (hunger, thirst, hormonal change, etc) or to an external situation (pressure, threat, danger, etc). Stress is a natural part of life!
• When our brain detects stress, it responds by making stress hormones, which cause sensations in our bodies like a rapid heart rate or breathing, sweaty palms, shaky knees or other mildly uncomfortable sensations.
• If you or your child are experiencing chronic stress (stress that won’t go away), trauma (stress that results from deeply disturbing or distressing experiences), or anxiety (persistent worry and fear), it’s important to reach out to a mental health provider or school counsellor/social worker that can support you and direct you toward resources.
• Certain stressors, like discrimination, prejudice, and racism, need more attention and support. Reach out to people in your community like mental health providers, teachers, and advocates to learn more about ways to stay empowered while advocating for your needs.

It’s also important to learn about the impact of stress on the body and mind. Discuss the following emotional, cognitive, and physical signs with your child, and reflect on times when stress has impacted you in one of the categories. Invite your child to add additional signs that aren’t noted below. For example, you may feel warm in your neck and face when experiencing stress.

• Emotional signs: Moodiness, irritability, anger, feelings of overwhelm, nervousness, feeling on edge
• Cognitive signs: Difficulty concentrating, difficulty making decisions, struggling to remember and learn
• Physical signs: Faster heartbeat, faster breathing, sweaty hands, shaky knees, dizziness, headache, fatigue, insomnia, muscle tension, and nausea

“Although it can be tempting to solve our children’s problems and remove stressors from their lives, this doesn’t provide them with the skills they need to cope. ”

Tip #2: Create a stress bucket

When it feels comfortable and natural for your family, come together and watch this What is Stress? video. Make connections to the information you previously learned about stress and pause the video to reflect on any questions or concerns your child might have. Practice listening deeply (see tips above) and validate what they share.

Next, spend some time creating your own stress buckets:

• Think about what stressors might fill your stress bucket. Journal and/or draw pictures to show examples of the stressors.
  • Example stressors include (but are not limited to):
    • Academic stress – time management, getting good grades, getting into college, pleasing teachers and caregivers
    • Social Stress – peer pressure, friendships, bullying, people pleasing, feeling safe in your identity
    • Family Stress – financial hardships, strained sibling relationships, marital problems, illness, unrealistic expectations, disconnection
    • World Events – climate change, politics, natural disasters, war, school shootings, scary news, systems of oppression (e.g., racism, ableism, classism, etc.)
  • Compare and contrast your buckets and discuss how different people in every family experience different stressors depending on their age, responsibilities, past experiences, family history, culture, and individual coping styles.
  • Reiterate that we all feel stress, and that it is a normal part of life. Elaborate again that even though we can’t control the stressors in our lives, we can control how we manage them.

Tip #3: Explore coping skills

Coping skills help us navigate our emotions and feel less overwhelmed and more balanced. When we utilize coping skills, we “empty” some of the stress in our stress buckets, helping us become more present with the world around us. We all have moments of feeling overwhelmed, or dysregulated, by intense emotions and but we don’t need to cope alone. It’s important to remind yourself (and your child) that you can always reach out for support if the stress is increasing or interrupting your daily activities.

The five categories below are just some examples of coping skills. Depending on your background, culture, and prior experiences, you might find other types of coping skills helpful. If there is an additional category of coping skills that you think would be helpful for your child, add it in. Invite your child to think of other examples to add in each category.

• Understand: Think through and better understand your thoughts, emotions, and feelings in difficult moments. Examples include: talking to someone you trust, writing your worries down then throwing them away, and journaling. The Circles of Control tool can also be used to cultivate problem solving skills and help your child manage challenges.
• Distract: Choose to take a healthy break from whatever is causing you worry, sadness, or another difficult emotion. Examples include: watching a funny TV show, making art, or hanging out with friends.
• Move: Move your body to reduce the intensity of an emotion. Examples include: playing a sport, going for a jog, walk, or bike ride, or dancing and participating in yoga.
• Ground: Use your five senses to help you feel more present. Examples include: taking a shower or bath, splashing cold water on your face, or doing a deep breathing exercise.
• Connect: Tap into your support systems and spend time in community with others. Examples include: calling a friend, spending time with family, or connecting with a faith-based or spiritual community.

by April Brown, M.Ed.

VET and Career Pathways

Careers and VET Pathways Quicklinks

I love meeting with parents and students to discuss pathways and support students as they explore exciting career opportunities they wish to pursue. The following links are available through the students’ Quicklinks tab in Daymap. You can find this by clicking on the “My Daymap” option in the menu.

To make an appointment with me to discuss Careers and VET Pathway options, please click here: https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/CareersandVETPathways@peregian.onmicrosoft.com/bookings/ I will confirm our appointment and this will appear as a calendar invitation in your Outlook calendar. Appointments will take place in L3 in the library.

For students: To apply for a Certificate course, Distance Ed subject or Uni Headstart course, please click here and complete the form: https://forms.office.com/r/38p1HrFkFM. The form is quite comprehensive, which ensures that you have considered all requirements of the course and of your expected commitment to the additional/alternative course you wish to undertake. This information will be sent to me, and I will contact you about where we go from here.

Traineeship in Hospitality
This week, I had the pleasure of accompanying George G to the local Thai restaurant, Coconut Kulture, for the sign on for his Hospitality Traineeship, with Tony Quinn from MEGT, and restaurant owner Kamal and the manager, Vanessa. George commenced work there last fortnight and is excited about this pathway to success. Congratulations, George – you should be proud!

In our next fortnight’s newsletter, we look forward to sharing with you the news of our latest success story of one of our Year 12 students, who is signing up for his Tiling Apprenticeship! Stay tuned!

“Empower your journey, explore your potential, and pave your path to success! Keep striving, keep learning, and keep reaching for your dreams. Your future awaits!”

Mrs Heather Hagemann
Careers & VET Pathways Coordinator
Year 11/12 Advisor

Prep – Year 3 Athletics Carnival

The recent PBC P-3 Athletics Carnival was a tremendous success, showcasing the passion and athletic skills of our students. The day featured a wide range of events, with participants displaying excellent sportsmanship and effort. We were lucky to have great weather, which added to the enjoyment of the day. A big thank you to all the staff, families, and participants who played a crucial role in making the carnival a memorable and successful event.

Heath Cahalan
Health & Physical Education Teacher

PREP

Math Investigation: Hopscotch. 

Our preppies had fun exploring 2D shapes and number sequences by playing hopscotch. They used mini boards to test designs with different combinations of shapes and used critical thinking skills to explain which hopscotch designs worked best, which were problematic and why. Afterwards, prep students got busy planning, designing and making their hopscotch course. There was great excitement when they each received a ‘mini preppie’ to play on their hopscotch grid!

Rhyme Crime!

Once upon a time, a thief committed a crime. Everything he stole was replaced with a RHYME! Prep’s favourite story book was swapped for a hook and our very special glitter pen was swapped for a hen. Prep worked hard to find who committed the crime and are so sad to say…..it was Mr Dupuy!!

Year 4

Year 4 Excursion – Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve, Maleny

On Monday the 3^rd of June, the Year 4 students went on an excursion to the ‘Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve’ in Maleny.

The Reserve covers 55 hectares of subtropical rainforest with views overlooking the Glass House Mountains, named by Captain James Cook in 1770. This trip offered Year 4 students a fantastic opportunity to understand the effects of colonisation on the Indigenous Peoples of the region. Additionally, it provided a scientific perspective on how millions of years of erosion have shaped the breathtaking beauty of the mountains we see today.

During the excursion, students went on a rainforest walk to observe various living organisms and their habitats whilst learning about their survival needs. They also experienced a walk through the discovery centre where they listened to different bird calls, saw many types of butterflies, looked at bugs through microscopes and saw the many different types of fungi in the forest.

Fun facts the Year 4 students learnt:

• There are 141 bird species in the rainforest.
• Fungi break down dead wood.
• Pademelons are small mammals that look like wallabies.
• Many vines strangle trees, taking away their access to sunlight and water, which causes them to die and become hollow inside.
• The forest contains many trapdoor spiders.

Alaina Nealand & Sharon Hemmings

Year 5

On Tuesday 28th May the Year 5 cohort went on an adventure to Brisbane where we got to attend an education show at the Planetarium’s Star-dome and wander the beautiful Botanical Gardens. 

It was a wonderful way to celebrate all our hard work this semester. As always, our students represented PBC well with great behaviour, appreciation and positivity. 

Students quotes to sum up the excursion:

 ‘The best part was the bus ride in and back because I got to do some drawing with Caeden.’ Fletcher 

 ‘I made a new friend because I got to spend time with kids from the other class.’ Carter 

 ‘Seeing all of the cool facts as I walked into the Planetarium.’ Amy 

 ‘When we were in the Sky Dome and all the colours changed and moved I got all dizzy and loved that feeling!’ Collins 

 ‘My favourite was the bus because we all just got to hang out, play Uno, chat and laugh with everyone.’ Maya 

 ‘My favourite was the astronaut! I learnt so many facts about space travel and I thought it was cool!’ Lucinda 

 ‘I loved how we got to play a huge game of bullrush at the amphitheatre and the fake bats were awesome!’ Evie 

 ‘Chase made me laugh every second of the bus ride.’ Harry 

 ‘I really enjoyed looking at the cool artefacts in the Planetaruim’ Reuben K 

 ‘Leaving school for the day and getting to go somewhere else was exciting.’ Heidi 

Celebrating Indigenous Culture at PBC

HEATH CAHALAN

This week, PBC proudly celebrated Indigenous Round alongside the NRL, AFL, and Netball communities. This celebration aligns with our Term 2 Primary School Health focus on ‘Culture’.

On Monday, we were honoured to welcome Gubbi Gubbi artist, Aunty Bianca, to our school. Aunty Bianca shared her knowledge of Indigenous symbols and their meanings, guiding our students on how to tell stories using these symbols.

Inspired by her teachings, our students were given the exciting challenge by Mr C to design their own Indigenous Polo shirt for PBC. The creativity and enthusiasm shown by our students were outstanding.

The event not only enriched our students’ understanding of Indigenous culture but also connected them more deeply to the school community and our values.

Years 7/8 Readers Cup Challenge!

SUSE MACNICOL

Readers Cup is organised by the Qld Branch of the Children’s Book Council of Australia. It is a state-wide competition for young readers.

On Thursday 30^th of May, PBC participated with a team made up of 5 readers from year 7. The team worked together to read a set of books, in preparation for the big quiz night held at Good Samaritan Catholic School.

Readers Cup challenges students to read widely, work collaboratively and continue developing a love of reading. It allows readers to compete at a regional and state level similar to sporting competitions and to meet other students with an equal passion for books.

 Congratulations to our passionate readers, Ms Mac and the PBC community is super proud of you!. Jaycie M, Mya A, Emily M, Morgan S and Isla H.

Japanese News

I am thrilled to share some wonderful news about the outstanding achievements of our students in recent cultural and linguistic contests. This term, our talented students participated in the Years 3-4 Japanese Poster Competition and the Yrs. 5- 8 Japanese Speech Contest, and their performances have filled us with immense pride.

First, let’s applaud the creative minds behind the breathtaking posters. The Japanese Poster Competition showcased the artistic skills and cultural understanding of our students. Each poster was a beautiful blend of creativity, traditional Japanese art styles, and insightful themes. The judge, Kiyo Ono from Lexis English, was deeply impressed by the originality and attention to detail demonstrated by our participants. Our heartfelt congratulations in Year 3 go to James W, Inka B, and Tessa W. Louis N, Stevie M and Ava H in Year 4. Your artwork not only displayed your artistic talent but also your deep appreciation and respect for Japanese culture. Well done!

Equally impressive were the students who participated in the Japanese Speech Contest. Public speaking in any language is a challenge, and delivering a speech in a second language requires even greater courage, preparation, and skill. Our students rose to the occasion magnificently. They spoke with clarity, confidence, and passion, impressing the judge with their proficiency in Japanese and their ability to convey their thoughts and emotions effectively. Special congratulations to, Bodhi W, Maya L, and Marlo B in Year 5.  Eli W, Noah B, and Elon T in Year 6.  Mya A, Morgan S and Jaycie M in Year 7.  And Eli M, Mia C and Georgia O in Year 8,  for their outstanding speeches. Your hard work, dedication, and eloquence are truly commendable.  Year 7 and 8 awards will be presented next Friday.

To all our students, whether you participated or cheered on your peers, thank you for embodying the spirit of camaraderie and respect that makes our school special.

Let us continue to celebrate our diverse talents and the cultural richness that activities like these bring to our school. Once again, congratulations to all our winners and participants. We are incredibly proud of you!

Sensei Williams

Japanese Teacher Yr 3-8

Sporting Academy – Basketball

Congratulations to Zeke O. & Duante M. on their 4^th place finish at the recent Open Boys State Basketball Carnival. A special mentioned to Duante who also placed 2^nd in the overall MVP voting for the tournament.

Sporting Achievements

We are excited to share more outstanding achievements from our talented students in various sports competitions. Their dedication and hard work continue to bring pride to our school.

Firstly, let’s congratulate Ellie G. for her incredible performance in the 1k open water event at Swim Noosa last weekend, which also happened to be her 13th birthday. Ellie not only won the 13-15 year old age group but also finished 28th overall out of 235 male and female competitors and 6th overall among the females. What a fantastic birthday celebration and an amazing achievement!

A big shoutout to Mitch G. for making the Qld White Open Boys Football team at the recent State Carnival. As a Year 12 student, this is Mitch’s first State team selection. Mitch’s journey shows that hard work pays off and it’s never too late to reach your goals in your schooling career. Congratulations, Mitch!

We also want to acknowledge Angus O. for his incredible determination and grit. Despite having a broken finger, Angus competed in the Under 12 State AFL Carnival. His willingness to push through and compete for his mates is truly inspiring. Well done, Angus!

In addition to the above success stories, Samson B competed in the QBJJC Sunshine Coast Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition last weekend and earned double gold in his division.  Samson is going to compete in the NSW State Championships this coming weekend, good luck Samson!

These accomplishments highlight the exceptional spirit and perseverance of our students. We are incredibly proud of Ellie, Mitch, and Angus for their remarkable achievements. Keep up the fantastic work, and we look forward to celebrating more of your successes.