ICAS 2018

Important Dates

Speech Pathologist

HOME ACTIVITIES FOR ARTICULATION

Is your child unable to say a certain sound? Do they attend speech therapy for their articulation? Here are some home activities to give your child a chance to practice their speech sounds.

1. In the car
   Think of as many words as you can that start with the sound they are unable to say. For example, the /k/ sound has words like “cat,” “cookie” and “kite.” Take turns going back and forth until someone can’t think of another word.
2. Sidewalk chalk
   You can create your own hopscotch game with speech words, make your own life size board game with speech words, or simply draw and color speech words in the driveway. Let your kids have a great time expressing their creativity on the concrete canvas of the driveway all while practicing the sound they need work on at the same time.
3. Picture Scavenger Hunt
   Go through the house and or yard and take pictures of as many things as you can that start with your targeted sound. Whoever takes the most pictures wins. Of course in order to get the prize they have to say each word clearly. You can even make a fun book of the pictures that were taken to review later.
4. Playdough fun
   Draw a word out of a hat then shape your playdough into that word. Have the other players guess what you have created. For extra points you could have them say the word in a sentence.
5. At the playground
   Whatever your target sound is you can usually find a way to target it at the playground. For example on the slide you could practice the /p/ sound by giving a stuffed animal a “push” down the slide. You can practice the /s/ sound by saying “ssssss” all the way down the slide and then ending the word when you hit the bottom..
6. In the sand
   Make a speech activity by burying objects or laminated picture cards for them to find. When they find the objects or speech cards have them say the word as they put them in their sand bucket.
7. Flashlight Hide and Seek
   Tape your practice words around the house then turn off the lights. Hand your child a flashlight and then go find the words. Have them say each word as they find them.
8. Book time
   Choose books that are interesting to your kids and help them find pictures or words that start with the sounds they are working on. You may have them just listen as you say the words clearly for them to hear, or you may have them try saying the words as well.

Thanks http://mommyspeechtherapy.com for all the ideas, check out this blog for more speech and language activities!

Special Needs Coordinator

Parenting Strategies for Kids with behavioural challenges

1. Stay calm.
   “Once the parent is out of control, the child’s anger becomes even more escalated, assuring that the interaction will result in a non-productive outcome.” So pay attention to yourself if you have a tendency toward behaviours like reactivity. Arguing with your child won’t get you anywhere. Take homework time, for instance—an activity that can feel like a tug-of-war. Arguing simply creates “a diversion that delays homework even longer,” Instead, “Diffuse, don’t engage.” Instead suggest the following: “Say, ‘I understand this is no fun for you,’ followed by silence, positive expectancy and a loving touch on the shoulder. The wrong move here would be saying, ‘Stop complaining. You’re dawdling over nothing.’”
2. Set limits on your own behaviour.
   “If you’re inclined to be a worried, rescuing parent, remind yourself that the more you do for your child, the less he does for himself,” The key is to “Support, but don’t get into the driver’s seat.” For example, during a homework session, it’s fine to ask “Do you need more of those papers with the lines and boxes on them to finish these long division problems?” she says. But taking your child’s pencil and saying you’ll both work on that long division can be problematic. If you’d still like to keep an eye on your child, “sit close by, but bring your own work to the table—pay your bills, do emails.”
3. Set structure—but make it pressure-free.
   Here structure involves “star charts for young children, calendars and planners for older ones, and clear rules and sensible routines, especially at bedtime.” Structure helps reduce disorganization and distractibility, For example, “set a consistent time to do homework, with certain privileges only available to the child after” they’ve successfully completed their assignments, he says. Above all, it’s best to avoid imposing pressure. So what does pressure-free structure look like? It includes “not using threats or unreasonable deadlines and punishments that contribute to hostility, fear or drama”.
4. Give your kids the chance to make wise choices.
   To help teach kids self-control, “Parents must provide ample opportunities for children to be faced with choices of how to respond.” Experts suggests using a technique called “structured choice,” which gives your child two choices that steer him or her in the right direction. For example, parents might ask, “Do you want to do your math or your science assignment next?” or “Before we can go, your room needs to be picked up. Do you want to start with the clothes on the bed or clear the top of your desk?”
5. Use reasonable consequences for rule-breaking.
   Experts suggest parents ask their child what the consequences should be if he or she breaks a rule. Tis helps kids create commitments that they can actually own. In addition, create and consistently enforce positive consequences for positive behaviours and negative consequences for negative behaviours, Kapalka says. This helps your child “recognize that positive behaviours result in positive consequences, and negative behaviours result in negative ones.”
6. Expect rule-breaking, and don’t take it personally.
   It’s in your child’s “job description” to occasionally break the rules. When your child breaks the rules, “…correct him the way a police officer gives you a ticket. He doesn’t take it personally or groan or yell, ‘I can’t believe you did that again! Why do you do this to me?’ Like the officer, be respectful, consistent, and matter-of-fact.”
7. Advocate for your child when appropriate.
   Certain accommodations might be necessary for your child because of his or her behaviour challenges. However, you still want to encourage kids to cultivate their abilities. For example: “… stand up for his right for an accommodation like talking books, but encourage and expect him to learn to read fluently, giving him time, attention, a tutor, and most especially, your belief that he can.”
8. Avoid muting a headstrong child.
   There is no point in “Trying to turn a spirited, wilful child into one that never questions authority and accepts all that is said ‘just because I said so’ as a parent.” Instead, experts suggest that parents “accept that some children will protest and talk back, and parents must set a limit that on the one hand realizes that children need at least some way to express their frustration, while still enforcing reasonable standards and rules.”
9. Be persistent.
   Kids with BEHAVOIUR CHALLENGES may “require more trials and exposure to consistent consequences in order to learn from that experience.” Trying a technique one or two times with no results doesn’t mean that it’s completely ineffective. You just might have to keep trying.
10. Tackle one issue at a time.
    Every concern can’t be fixed at once. So it’s important for parents “to prioritize what situations seem most important, and start with those, temporarily letting go of the less important problems,” he says.
11. Focus on your child’s strengths.
    Instead of harping on what your child can’t do, hone in on what they can. Keep reminding yourself about your child’s “resourcefulness, creativity and individuality. The same self-determination and intractability that drives you nuts today will empower your child tomorrow. Picture him as a tireless entrepreneur, attorney, or doing any work he feels passionate about.” It’s best for parents to try to strike a balance. “Don’t deny his special needs, and don’t define him by them, either,” she says.

Finally, cut yourself some slack. Raising a child with a disorder whose symptoms include impulsivity, defiance and “limited self-control is one of the most challenging tasks any person will ever attempt,” Kapalka says. So acknowledge that you’re working hard, and “Do not feel like a failure. You did not cause your child to behave this way, but you can make a difference,” he says.

Reference: http://nests.net.au/free-resources/http://nests.net.au/free-resources/

School Concert Notice

Mark the Date!

Exciting times are ahead for the Sirius College community with concert dates and themes being finalized by Mrs Sozer’s hardworking Events Team. There will be two separate events run on two different nights for our lower and upper concerts. The venue for both events has been booked at Plenty Ranges Convention Centre in South Morang. Having worked with the venue on previous occasions, we are anticipating they will once again please us with their services. The themes have been confirmed as ‘A BLAST FROM THE PAST’ for our Foundation- Grade 2 students and ‘A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM’ for our Grade 3- 5 Concert. Information on ticket purchasing will be available at a later date. The Grade 6 Graduation will be held on Thursday, 15th of November.

Overview of Event Information:

Foundation - Grade 2 Concert

Venue: Plenty Ranges Convention Centre in South Morang.
Date: Friday, 9th of November
Theme: ‘A BLAST FROM THE PAST’
We will lead you back to the past to the 50’s, 60’s, 70’ and 80’s.

Grade 3 - 5 Concert

Venue: Plenty Ranges Convention Centre in South Morang.
Date: Wednesday, 31st of October
Theme: ‘A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM’
This will be a history based concert!