20 March 2026

Welcome to week 7 - 2026!

“Be brave, jump in, and see how far you can go!”

IN THIS EDITION:

• Supporting Children to Thrive in a Fast-Paced World
• Food for thought 
• Harmony Day 
• CPS Sustainability 
• Meet the Teacher
• Upcoming events and promotions

KEY DATES     

                          📅 Good Friday Public Holiday: 2 April
                          🌊 School Holiday Swimming Fun: 3–17 April

                         🎖️ ANZAC Day Assembly: 24 April
                         📅 ANZAC Day Public Holiday: 27 April

NOTES

🛡️ Safe Departure:
Please ensure that your child leaves the school in a safe environment, as there will be many cars departing at the end of the school day.

🎒 Sun Protection Reminder:
Parents are reminded to ensure that children bring their own hat and apply sunscreen before coming to school. Sunscreen is also available in all classrooms.

Supporting Children to
Thrive in a Fast-Paced World

In today’s fast paced, highly connected world, raising children is both an extraordinary privilege and a complex challenge. As families and educators, we naturally want to provide our young people with every opportunity for success through structure, support, and care. Yet, some of the most powerful learning happens when children are trusted to explore, imagine, and experience a little uncertainty.

Research and reflection show that children develop strong problem-solving skills, resilience, and emotional independence through unstructured play and self-directed experiences. They learn to navigate boredom, take measured risks, and regulate their emotions without constant intervention. These qualities remain essential for our students today.

At our school, we are committed to nurturing the whole child. Alongside high-quality academic learning, we intentionally create space for:
• Student agency, encouraging children to make choices and take ownership of their learning
• Resilience building, supporting students to face challenges and learn from mistakes
• Balanced development, valuing creativity, play, and wellbeing alongside achievement

For modern families, this balance can feel challenging. Schedules are busy, expectations are high, and the digital world is ever present. Small, intentional shifts, such as allowing time for unstructured play, encouraging independence, and supporting children to work through their emotions, can have a lasting impact.

Our goal is not to turn back time, but to carry forward what we know matters most. Children thrive when they are both supported and trusted. By giving them opportunities to think, try, and try again, we help them build the skills they need for an uncertain and rapidly changing future.

Thank you for your continued partnership in nurturing confident, capable, and compassionate young people.
 

Food for Thought

Allowing children to face small challenges helps them develop resilience. Instead of stepping in immediately, guide them with questions or strategies and then let them try. Each success and even each failure teaches them to keep going and trust themselves.

Harmony Day

At our school, Harmony Day is always celebrated in a way that reflects our unique community and supports the needs of our students. As we did in 2025, we have chosen to celebrate Harmony Day at a time that allows all students to fully engage and enjoy the experience.

Holding Harmony Day this week would have been challenging due to a very busy schedule, including the Year 6 Camp, NAPLAN, and Swimming Lessons. We know this can be a tiring time for students and asking them to dress up and participate in additional activities may not have allowed them to get the most out of the day. We also recognise the extra effort involved for families in preparing costumes during such a busy period, and we want to be mindful of this.

Swimming lessons are scheduled by the Department, so we are unable to adjust these dates. With all of this in mind, we believe it is best to celebrate Harmony Day at a more suitable time when students can participate meaningfully. We have also gathered valuable input from both students and teachers about what Harmony Day means to them, and we look forward to incorporating their ideas into our celebration. Thank you for your understanding and ongoing support.

What We Learned from Our Harmony Day Surveys

Thank you to all students and staff who took part in our recent Harmony Day surveys. The results showed that while our students enjoy learning about different cultures and feel positive and included during Harmony Day, many are not fully aware of what the day represents. Staff also shared that they value celebrating our diverse community but would like Harmony Day to include deeper learning experiences rather than being just a one‑day event.

As a school, we will be refreshing our approach by strengthening classroom learning about multicultural Australia, sharing real stories and student experiences, and finding ways to celebrate cultural diversity throughout the year not only on Harmony Day. Our aim is to help every child feel proud of who they are while building understanding and respect across our whole school community.

CPS Sustainability 

Ride to School Day! A brilliant effort by all those who used active transport to get to school today!  The bike racks are packed, and it was fantastic to see families of all ages enjoying the morning.  On a regular day we have around 40 scooters and riders, and today we had a huge bump with over 50 riders and 15 scooters. 

Thank you to Danie from COSCA for providing riders with a juice box, snack and a piece of fruit on arrival. Thanks also to our Year 4 YourMove Leaders who got out the hi-vis to hand out stickers, stamps and tattoos to all participants.  They captured some ‘Hands-Up’ data that we will compare to the baseline data we recorded earlier in the year.

Meet the teacher 

Carmelina Zeiser - Italian 

Carmelina Zeiser is a Senior Teacher and an experienced Italian Specialist teacher who has been teaching at Coolbinia for over 25 years. She graduated with a BA in Languages (Italian and French) and completed a degree with a bachelor's in education. She teaches classes from Pre-primary to Year 6 Wednesday to Friday. Lesson durations are between 30 minutes for PP/Year 1 and 60 minutes for Year2-6. Lessons take place in the Kwobadarn.

She provides a comprehensive language program covering in depth Language structure, content and culture aligned with the Western Australian Curriculum. Students value, appreciate and love learning Italian through the diverse mediums in which it is presented. Students learn to communicate both orally and written, understanding concepts of how the language works and comparing this to how the English language works. In doing so this improves student understanding of the systems of the English language. Carmelina is very passionate about teaching students to love culture and the Italian Language.

There are approximately 2 to 3 outside community associations running competitions in the language sector (depending on the year level of the child) this will be promoted, and students will be informed and can choose to participate on a non-compulsory level. We have had many consecutive years of winners in all competitions! Carmelina’s aim is to instil in the student’s education an appreciation of different cultures and communities in our multicultural society.  She hopes students come home showing their passion, knowledge and enthusiasm by sharing and communicating their learning with their parents/guardians.

“One Language sets you in the corridor of life. Two Languages opens every door along the way.” (Frank Smith)

Upcoming events and promotions