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Dont forget................
Winter Uniform changeover this Monday 3rd May
School Photo Day - Tuesday 11th May
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back to Term 2. We have had such a fabulous start to the term and it has been wonderful to be able to welcome parents back onto our school grounds. I was so proud to be able to walk with the students who marched in the ANZAC day march on Sunday, they were simply superb during the march and the service. Our Year 1 students also did an amazing job hosting our ANZAC day liturgy and it was fantastic to see so many families come along.
This year we have a whole school focus on writing and our staff have been identifying areas of strength and need in writing from Kinder to Year 6. One of my favourite parts of the day is when children come and show me the great work they are doing. Last week I have a visit from Axl, Eli, Amelia and Rydah to share their writing. They were just so proud of their achievements and so excited to be able to write a sentence.
Family Engagement Meeting
Last Thursday we held our Family Engagement Meeting. During the meeting we welcomed Cath Garrett-Jones to the meeting to guide us through the process of how we can move forward in this space. Today a letter has gone home detailing this process further and we will be meeting on the 25th of May at 5.30pm to formally vote as a community on the model of parent group we will follow.
Diocesan Synod
Last week Mr Buchtmann and myself attended a reflection session and mass with Bishop Bill as part of the Diocesan Synod. This is an important process for our Diocese and has provided a chance for all members of the Catholic Community to have a say in how they believe our Church should look in the future.
Covid Intensive Learning Support
Late last term we were advised that we were being allocated some funds to provide intensive learning support to our students due to the impact of COVID. This funding allows us to employ a teacher to work alongside teachers and provide extra support for our students and targeted intervention in identified areas of need. Mrs Grace Fraser will be coordinating the project and Ms Chloe Van Wyk has been appointed two days per week to work with teachers and students in the area of literacy and numeracy.
Catholic Schools Week
From the 3 – 7th of May we will celebrate Catholic Schools Week. Our Year 6 students will attend school camp from Monday to Wednesday. On Thursday we are offering a faith formation opportunity for parents called Take a Moment or Two, please see the flyer in this newsletter for more information. Also on Thursday we will be having a BBQ lunch and open classrooms from 11.30, then we will have a liturgy at 12.30pm. We look forward to seeing you there.
Mother’s Day Stall
Anna MacMillan has very kindly offered to coordinate our Mother’s Day stall this year. This stall will be held on Thursday the 6th and Friday the 7th of May from 2pm until 3pm. Students will be able to attend the stall with the class and will be given the opportunity to purchase a gift during this time. If you are able to come and help Anna with the stall, please contact Mary.
Volunteer and Contractor Guidelines
Late last term we were provided with the interim guidelines for visitors and volunteers. Those parents who utilise NDIS providers who work with their children during school hours will have received a letter last week with detailed information and the new process that is in place.
Thank you to all parents who currently volunteer in our school, we appreciate that time and support you provide to our school. If you are volunteering in the school you will be provided with the Volunteer Handbook prior to starting. Inside this handbook you will need to complete the following forms: Registration form, Volunteer Policy Declaration, Code of Conduct Declaration and the Statutory Screening Selection Tool for Volunteers. All volunteers will also undertake an induction at the school.
Enrolments now open
Our Kinder 2022 enrolments are now open, if you are planning on sending your child to Kinder next year or know someone who is interested in coming to our beautiful school please contact the office for a school tour with Mrs Hunt and an enrolment pack.
Please join me in saying a prayer of thanks for all of those who have served our country in the armed forces to provide a safe place for us to live.
God Bless
Making Jesus Real – Values of the week
Week 3 - I walk on the concrete
Week 4 - I bring nude food and keep our school clean
Prime Minister Award
‘ Being a steward of creation’, ‘trying your best’, ‘speaking with kindness’ and ‘ being a responsible learner’ are some of the qualities that teachers consider when awarding ‘Prime Minister’ at our weekly assembly. It is an acknowledgement of the student’s efforts and they have the privilege of wearing the badge with honour, of suggesting a focus the school can work on, award Gotchas to other students at lunch time as well as earning Gotchas for themselves. Congratulations to Harry Macmillan, Week 2 and Lilly Murdoch, Week 3.
MJR Awards
As part of our MJR system ,we acknowledge that the following students, Bryson Blanch has reached 100 Gotchas, Penny Van Vliet has reached 300 Gotchas and Ava Doherty has reached 400 Gotchas. Well Done!
Anzac Day Liturgy
The school held a beautiful Liturgy on Monday with members of the Wingham Returned Services League who addressed our students and made a special presentation to the school library. Thank you Mrs Belinda Bridgeman and Our Year 1 students who did a fine job in presenting the service and honouring the legend and sacrifice of the ANZACs.
Cultural Groups
In Term 1 Auntie Kylie started cultural groups and, in the Cultural Groups we focused on introducing ourselves in Gathang Language, Acknowledgement to country, the local Biripi Totem and learning animals in Gathang Language.
Introducing ourselves in Language
Guudji-yiigu (Hello)
Ngatha name (I am Savannah)
Ngatha Birrbay Mitjigan (I am a Biripi girl)
Ngatha Birrbay burray (I am a Biripi boy)
Yii Birrbay Barray (this is Biripi Country)
The girls got to play with some of the artefacts and the boys learnt the animals in Gathang Language - Lizard, Shark, Female Kangaroo, Male Kangaroo, Koala, Dog, kookaburra, witchetty grub and the snake.
Cultural Lessons - in the classroom
Term 1 Mrs Fraser and Auntie Kylie attended each classroom on a Wednesday afternoon to teach Biripi Culture. We thought it would be nice to teach the classes about our Local Biripi Totem the Grey Nurse Shark (Guyiwan).
A totem is a spiritual connection to a tribe or clan and has a scared symbol belonging to a family and is passed down from either the father or mother. A totem is an animal that has a strong connection to a tribe or clan.
Library News
As students returned for Term 2 there was something different at the library. The sign on the doors gave a clue...Time Machine... These doors may lead you to old worlds, new worlds and other worlds. Then as they preceded through the doors, they discovered the NEW WORLD of space! The cardboard rocket is the focal point of conversation, with lots of questions being asked. We explored the rocket with its lights and control panel, we discussed the importance of mission control and what the scientists do. Now you may be thinking what does this have to do with reading? ... my answer is two-fold.
- Reading is fun and it should be offered in a way that demonstrates how reading can improve our lives. Our library space at school is a community space where everyone is welcomed and everyone belongs and if those feelings can be associated with a love of reading, our kids will know that reading feels good, reading feels welcoming and safe. Once they pick up a book and read for pleasure then they discover that reading opens doors to all sorts of worlds...
- Reading events; our two main reading events this year are National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) and Book Week. NSS is on the 19th May and our school will join 1 million other kids from all over Australia and New Zealand to read the book Give Me Some Space by Phillip Bunting. The story is being read by an astronaut from the International Space Station, we are so excited! Book Week is in Term 3 and the theme this year is Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds. Stay tuned for the Old Worlds and Other Worlds to appear in the library.
May is Scholastic National Family Reading Month!
2021 marks the 25th year of National Family Reading Month which celebrates and encourages families to read more together. Take the 31 Day Family Reading Challenge–to inspire you to make reading together for at least 10 minutes every day a focus, to create positive, long lasting reading habits and lifelong readers!
We hope you enjoy exploring the universe of wonderful stories together–from different types of books across many authors and genres, and have a great time taking this challenge!
If you are interested in this challenge, go to https://www.scholastic.com.au/scholastic-in-the-community/national-family-reading-month-2021/ to sign up and join the fun!
Turtle Project
MidCoast Council, Manning Regional Art Gallery, Aussie Ark and the Manning River Turtle Group have invited our school to participate in an art project that promotes awareness of the endangered Manning River Helmeted Turtle. Year 6 joined a zoom meeting with special guests including wildlife expert Tim Faulkner, and artist Shona Wilson to learn all about the Manning River Helmeted Turtle and the art project. Did you know that The Manning River Turtle is a 55-million-year-old reptile only found in the middle and upper catchment areas of the Manning River? The Manning River Turtle id a medium sized short necked freshwater turtle. It is listed as an endangered species.
This project is part of 'withNature2020', a global initiative that actively aims to raise awareness of the extinction crisis and engage the public in the conservation and care of biodiversity.
"Students will learn about our precious turtle that's found only in the Manning, as well as things they can do to protect aquatic wildlife such as avoiding single-use plastics, putting litter in the bin and following the 'Take 3' motto to pick up rubbish around waterways," Ali Haigh, council's public programs and education engagement officer said.
Our students have been creating Manning River Helmeted Turtles using sticks, wool and a simple weaving technique. We are very excited to be a part of this project and we look forward to seeing our small turtles join the other 2500 small turtles to create one big Manning River Turtle in Taree.
Winter Uniform Changeover
Uniform Changeover next Monday 3rd May. All uniform items e.g. tunics, shorts, shirts, pants, polo shirts, jumpers and jackets are to be purchased from the school. Order forms are available from the school office and phone orders are accepted.
There are also pre-loved items available from the clothing pool. If you have any outgrown uniform items that you are able to donate, these will be gratefully accepted at the office. Please note boys trousers must not have cargo pockets and fleecy trackpants are not allowed. Please see the following excerpt from our school uniform policy outlining requirements.
Girls Winter Uniform: Tartan pinafore OR Navy Gabardine slacks. A long-sleeved “Midford Blue” school shirt (stand-up collar) is worn under the pinafore. Navy V-neck school jumper with microfibre jacket (each with school logo) for cold weather.
Black leather, traditional style school shoes that can be polished, with short (above the ankle) grey socks or grey tights.
Boys Winter Uniform: “Midford Blue” long sleeved school shirt (stand-up collar). Grey Midford permanent-press trousers. Navy V-neck school jumper with microfibre jacket (each with school logo) for cold weather.
Black, leather, traditional-style shoes that can be polished, with short (above the ankle) grey socks.
Sport Uniform: Navy blue microfibre tracksuit (Midford) can be worn over the top of sports uniform during Winter. Navy blue polo shirt with gold trim (with school logo). Navy Midford shorts(boys) or tailored shorts (girls). Sport shoes with short (above the ankle - not anklets) white socks.
Parents are requested to provide a note of explanation should a child be unable to wear part of the uniform.
Dio Cross Country
Congratulations to Lewis Downie, Riley Knoke and Eleanor Healy who represented our school at the Diocesan Cross Country on Tuesday. We are so proud of them and are so glad that they had a great day.
Complaints and Grievances Policy
St Joseph’s Primary School Wingham is committed to providing an education based on Gospel values, particularly those of justice and respect in the area of complaints and grievance resolution. A professional response to complaints, allegations and grievances promotes fairness, leads to improvements and creates confidence in the outcome in accordance with the CSO Complaints and Grievances Resolution Policy (2013).
The following Key Steps should be followed according to the CSO Complaints and Grievances Resolution Policy.
- Complaints and Grievances should be raised at the earliest possible time. Class based complaints and grievances should be raised with the student’s class teacher. All other complaints and grievances should be directed to the Principal and/or their delegate.
- Where the class based complaint and grievance is not resolved by the teacher this should also be directed to the Principal and/or delegate.
Where a complaint or grievance is not resolved by the Principal after all efforts have been made to do so, or the complaint or grievance is about the Principal, the parent/carer should refer the concern to the Catholic Schools Office via the Parent Liaison and Resource Officer or the Executive Assistant to the Director of
- Schools. The Parent Liaison and Resource Officer will refer the matter to the relevant Assistant Director for resolution.
- Where the complaint or grievance remains unresolved the Parent/Carer or the Assistant Director may refer the matter to the Director of Schools for review. A formal avenue of appeal is available in accordance with the Diocesan Pastoral Care Policy. All such appeals should be made to the Director of Schools in writing and in a timely manner.
- If, ultimately, the Parent/Carer is not happy with the way their complaint or grievance has been dealt with by the school or the Catholic Schools Office, they may wish to go to an external agency or legal advocate for advice and assistance.
For your convenience, the Primary Complaints and Resolutions Pathway document is available on the school website and a brochure outlining the process is available in the school office.
Week 3 - CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK Mon 3 May - Wed 5 May |
Year 6 Camp to Coffs Adventure Centre |
Week 4 Tues 11 May |
School Photo Day |
Week 6 Fri 28 May |
School Athletics Carnival - Central Park |
Week 9 Thurs 17 June |
Regional Athletics Carnival - Tuncurry |
Sienna Lapi-an turned 7; Riley Pattison turns 9; Maharlia Minns turned 11; Joseph Hillenburg turns 10; Lacey Hillman and Nayte Foley turn 12.
St Clare’s Open Afternoon -Year 7, 2022 Enrolments
St Clare’s High School will be holding an Open Afternoon on 5 May from 4.00pm to 5.30pm. The afternoon begins with a meeting in the Learning Centre followed by a tour of school facilities and then an opportunity to meet with members of staff.
Parents/guardians along with their child/ren are invited to visit the school on this afternoon.