December
Tuesday 1st - Prep Transition #3 9.15-11am
Monday 7th - School Council Final Meeting
Tuesday 8th - Prep Transition #1 9.15-12.30pm, Statewide Transition
9th  - 11th - Whole School Camp – Urban Camp, Melbourne
Saturday 12th - Romsey Christmas Carols - Evening
Tuesday 15th - Grade Six Day Out (planned date)
Thursday 17th - Last Day of Term Four - Graduation Brekky 

Wellbeing News - Stacy
This week in Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) we used a breath awareness technique that can help settle and calm us at any time, and anywhere.

Children are still learning what their feelings mean and how to handle them, so it can be useful to build a calming toolbox. When we are told to “calm down”, it can backfire because it can feel like our emotions don’t matter. Instead, we let others know their feelings are okay and that you’re there to help. This tool is called “Smell the Flower, Blow out the Candle.” Young children may not be sure how to “take a deep breath,” but they know how to smell a flower and blow out a candle as they are easy to visualise. Breathe in slowly through the nose, then blow out gently through the mouth to blow out a single candle (perhaps on a cupcake), and you’ve got a calming deep breath. We have practis ed taking three deep breaths using this technique. Once everybody is calm, then you can talk about what might have happened before the heightened feelings.

Smell the flower, blow out the candle. 

Bushfire Preventation and Response
This year's summer severe weather period has begun and is predicted to run until the end of April next year. This means that each morning and afternoon (5.30am and 4.30pm), we receive an email from the Emergency Management team at Department, with an up-to-date prediction of the week ahead's 7-day Fire Danger Rating and Fire Behaviour Index (FBI) forecast. This information informs us of predicted weather events and determines whether or not a preemptive relocation to Romsey Primary School is required. 

PLEASE NOTE: This information is relevant to our Local Government Area (LGA) and is not necessarily the same information you will have access to in the Vic Emergency App. 

Hesket Primary School is categorised as Category 2, which means that our site is considered to be at high risk from bushfire. As such Hesket Primary School:

1. is required to close on CATASTROPHIC days
2. will not operate at its normal site under EXTREME fire danger conditions for our Local Government Area (LGA). On EXTREME days, we will relocate to lower risk host school, Romsey Primary School. On these days, you will be required to drop off and pick up your child/ren from Romsey Primary School.

You will be contacted directly via SMS, Seesaw or telephone the day prior to the EXTREME and CATASTROPHIC weather days.

Responding to an Unforeseen Emergency
Our fire response plan is as follows:
ADVICE: we will be contacted by DET Emergency Controllers and the local CFA and be guided by their advice, monitoring conditions as they may change. At this stage, if safe to do so, (Romsey Road clear) you may choose to pick up your child.
WATCH AND ACT: we will be contacted by DET Emergency Controllers and the local CFA and seek advice on whether to:
- evacuate all staff and students to a safe location
- remain on site and monitor conditions
If we evacuate, it will be dependent on the safest evacuation route. You will be notified of this. We ask that you do not attend the school. 
EMERGENCY WARNING: if a warning states that it is too late to leave then we shelter in place and seek further advice. We will be contacted by DET Emergency Controllers and the local CFA to inform them we are gathering in our Shelter in Place. This is to gain the best advice and ensure emergency services are aware of our situation and are available to assist. At this stage we will be evacuating or Sheltering in Place (on advice) and ask that you do not attend the school. If you arrive at school at this stage, we will encourage you to stay with your child.

If we evacuate, we will be in communication with you via SMS, Seesaw or a phone call.

At all times, the school will endeavour to communicate our actions with families, however we ask that families do not contact the school as we only have two phone lines which need to be available to communicate with emergency services.

We also ask that families do not attend school to pick up their child, as this will dramatically increase traffic in the area. This has the potential to interfere with emergency vehicles, making access more difficult.

Hesket Cup - Thursday 12th November - Hesket Oval
We hope everyone has the new date for this year's Hesket Cup marked on their calendar.

The day will begin shortly after 9am and spectators are welcome at any time of the day. Generally families set up picnic blankets on the high side of our oval. For first time Cuppers, Hesket Cup is a sports day and there are plenty of races but many are a little bit silly, so teamwork and fun are the winners on the day!

Students have been sorted into four teams and will participate in a range of multiage events. Hesket Cup Day isn't a day for school uniform - we're hoping to see students dress in their team colours. (All students will learn their team colour with plenty of notice before the day!)