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PUPIL FREE DAY - Monday 12th July
Term 3 starts Tuesday 13th July
Dear Parents and Carers,
I can’t believe that we are half way through the year! We have had a fabulous term and the teachers and students have certainly earned their break.
This week we looked at our reading and fluency growth. I am so impressed with the whole school improvement in our reading and fluency levels. The focus on this area as a whole school as well as daily reading at home for all students, is a major factor to our whole school improvement in this area. Reading and fluency is such an important aspect of education and a key for our students to achieve their learning goals.
Mrs Hunt’s Punctuation Competition
Over the past two weeks I challenged the children to correct my punctuation. All children from Years 2 to 6 were invited to enter the competition. The children that completed a correct entry were put into a hat and a winner was drawn out. Congratulations to Savannah from Year 2, Adena from Year 5 and Ella from Year 6 who all won a $2 canteen voucher.
Regional Athletics
Last week Mrs Cleaver, Mrs Downie and myself took our school team to the Regional Athletics in Forster. Our students were so well behaved and their sportsmanship was outstanding. They should all be so proud of their efforts. Congratulations to Jake Guppy, Angus Abbot, Nic Pereira and Jaxon Osgood who have all been selected to represent our Regional Team at the Diocesan Athletics Carnival next term.
Semester 1 School Reports
Our Semester 1 school reports are now available on Compass. I would like to thank the teachers for the time and effort they take to prepare these reports. If you do need to discuss your child’s reports, please contact Mary in the office to make a time to see your child’s teacher.
Pupil Free Day
Don’t forget that Monday the 12th of July is a Pupil Free Day. Our teachers will be joining other schools in the Diocese for a Formation Day.
Have a wonderful break with your families and I hope that you enjoy a restful two weeks.
Please join me in saying a prayer that all members of our school community remain happy and healthy over the holidays.
God Bless
COVID-19 Update
As you would be aware we are currently facing a new wave of COVID-19 cases in NSW along with a number of government restrictions being put into place. Please keep an eye on these restrictions as they continue to unfold and follow all government guidelines so you are able to keep your family safe over the holidays.
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 Tyceon Xuereb Week 9 and Eleanor Healy Week 10.
Mary Mackillop Award
This award is presented to one student each term that consistently goes above and beyond to put the needs of others first. This award is founded on one of the most motivating and known sayings of Saint Mary MacKillop “never see a need without doing something about it” (1871). We present this award to someone who follows in Saint Mary’s footsteps by reaching out to the most needy and vulnerable in our school community. Congratulations goes to Lacey Hillman for Term 2.
MJR Awards
As part of our MJR system ,we acknowledge that the following students, Susannah Healy has reached 50 Gotchas, Zander Knowles, Macey O'Neile and Bentley Minns have reached 100 Gotchas, and Oliver Barry has reached 200 Gotchas, Well Done!
Welcome Lewis Knoke..........
Congratulations to Mark and Tammy Knoke on the safe arrival of "Lewis" born on the 11th June. A little brother for Addison, Tyler and Riley (Yr 4).
Children's University Excursion
Children's University is all about learning new things and having new experiences. On Thursday, 33 excited students boarded a bus destined for the University of Newcastle, Taree Campus. Throughout the day we moved around the campus, exploring the rooms and meeting new people. The students became project construction managers, having to build a structure in 10mins that could withstand wind (a hairdryer) and weight (tested with rocks). We explored the university hospital room and met Rob the physiotherapist who showed us how to use the sports tape. We meet volunteers from the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, and we learnt about Biodiversity from the Local Land Services Department. Ali Haigh from the Art Gallery was there making craft bugs, so you can see it was an amazing, fun filled day and as always, our students represented our school in such a positive manner it made me proud to take them. A big thank you to our parents, grandparents and carers who joined us on the day. The kids loved having you there to share the experience and I appreciated your help and smiling faces! Kate Monkley
The Children’s University Excursion – Highlights from Year 4
The best part was learning about physiotherapy and learning about koalas. Lilly
My favourite part was when I got to build a tower and the special physio tape and the koalas. Penny
My favourite part was learning about recycling the old parts of buildings when they are building new things. Reuby
My favourite part of the university excursion was that everyone got to work together and learn new things. Phoenix
My favourite part of the day was when the physio gave us tape. Bryson
My favourite part was the physio. Parker
My favourite part of the excursion was the rock tape and the koalas. Scarlet
The best part of the day was learning about the koala hospital. Ella
Learning Support News
Thank you Mrs Downie
Mrs Downie is the Learning Support Teacher and the Pastoral Care Worker at our school. Her role is such an integral part of our school and she provides support for many of our students and families in both of her roles. Mrs Downie runs our breakfast club every morning and this is fast becoming a favourite place for our students to sit and socialise in the morning while enjoying a piece of toast and a drink. I would like to thank Mrs Downie for the care she provides for our students and their families.
It's been a very busy and productive term in Learning Support. Our wonderful Learning Support Assistants have been very busy delivering programs like MiniLit and MultiLit to support our students who need a little bit of extra help with reading. Lots of help is given in the classroom to support guided reading, and to help students grow their sight word recognition and reading fluency through daily oral reading. Our Learning Support Assistants continue to support teachers and students in our flexible learning maths groups from Wednesday to Friday, and these groups continue to be successful. Year 4 has been enjoying learning the Ukulele with the help of Jane and will be sad to see her move onto another class next term. Mrs Downie has been very busy with the NCCD, and gathering the information she needs to make sure that our amazing LSAs can continue to provide as much support to our teachers and students as possible. Christie Downie Learning Support Teacher
Matilda Ryan turns 8; Zaybien Jordan and WIllow Eijkman turn 9 and Destiny Mastop turns 11.