Andrew Watt – Principal

Many within our School community are following the situation in Israel with great concern. Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected and we hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to the conflict.

The importance of a good night’s sleep

With students arriving late to school after sleeping in, or sleeping through study periods, or visiting the clinic with ‘run down’ symptoms, it is clear that accumulated sleep deprivation is a growing issue that will need to be addressed.

The findings from the Growing Up in Australia Longitudinal Study (2019) show that large numbers of Australian adolescents slept less than the recommended minimum for healthy growth, learning and development. The research revealed that around a quarter of 12 to15 year-olds and half of 16 to17 year-olds are not getting enough sleep on school nights to meet national sleep guidelines. According to the Better Health Channel, sleep research suggests that adolescents need between 8 and 10 hours of sleep every night. This is more than the amount a child or an adult needs. Yet, most adolescents only get about 6.5 to 7.5 hours sleep per night, and some get less. 

The Sleep Foundation advises that the teenage years are a formative period. The brain and body experience significant development, and the transition to adulthood brings important changes that affect emotions, personality, social and family life, and academics. Sleep is essential during this time, working behind the scenes to allow adolescents to be at their best. Regularly not getting enough sleep leads to chronic sleep deprivation. This can have dramatic effects, impacting mental wellbeing, increasing the risk of depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. It can also affect academic performance at school. Mental health disorders like anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder have routinely been linked to poor sleep and sleep deprivation in teens can increase the risk of suicide. Improving sleep in adolescents may play a role in preventing mental health disorders or reducing their symptoms.

The most common reason for sleep deprivation relates to the use of screen-based devices, such as smart phones and iPads. Light emanating from these devices cues the brain to stay awake and can prevent adequate production of melatonin, the neurotransmitter responsible for sleep. The lure of stimulating entertainment, such as computer gaming or communicating on social media, can keep a teenager awake until early hours of the morning, if not monitored. This can commence a vicious circle, where insufficient sleep causes a teenager’s brain to become more active. An over-aroused brain is less able to fall asleep.

What can parents do?

Setting guidelines and consistently applying them will not prove to be popular! Being a parent is not, however, a popularity contest. Some suggestions include:

• Perhaps most importantly, setting boundaries for online/mobile communications and keeping devices charged overnight, outside the bedroom.
• Encouraging your child to sleep in on the weekends, where practicable
• Establishing a routine of an early night every Sunday. A late night on Sunday followed by an early Monday morning will make your child drowsy for the start of the school week.
• Deciding together on appropriate time limits for any ‘stimulating’ activity such as homework or screen time. Encouraging restful activities during the evening, such as reading.
• Avoiding early morning appointments, classes, or training sessions for your child if possible.
• Help your teenager to better schedule their after-school commitments to free up time for rest and sleep.
• Assessing your teenager’s weekly schedule together and see if they are overcommitted. Help them to trim activities if they are.
• Encouraging your teenager to take an afternoon nap after school to help recharge their battery, if they have time.
• Working together to adjust your teenager’s body clock. You may like to consult with your doctor first.

Shavuot

Thank you to the Jewish Life Department for the wonderful Shavuot celebrations last week. Enjoy these highlights that were captured across the School.

Mazal tov

Our students who took part in the da Vinci Decathlon achieved outstanding results. 

Primary School 

Year 5
4^th in Art and Poetry
6^th in Cartography

Year 6
5^th in Mathematics

High School 

Year 8
3^rd in Art & Poetry
3^rd in English
Although this was a team effort, particular congratulations go to Jessica Linker and Liberty Waldner who were mostly working on the tasks in those disciplines.

Year 11
2^nd in Code Breaking

Quote of the week

“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.”
– Stephen Hawking, English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author