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Dear Parents and Carers,
This year our school is having a major focus on writing and in particular our sentence structure. Part of this focus includes our students setting writing goals from learning intentions and success criteria and working to achieve these goals and improve their writing. Each newsletter I would like to share some images of this learning in the classroom. This week we welcomed Mr Gerard Mowbray, our Director of Schools to Wingham. He was very impressed with the learning that was happening in Year 6 and the ability of the students to discuss their learning in detail.
Stranger Danger
This week we have had a focus in our classrooms around keeping ourselves safe and what to do if approached by a stranger. Health Direct have some great tips for helping our children stay safe around strangers.
Staying safe with strangers
Here are some tips you can give to young children to help them stay safe from strangers:
Strangers are people you don’t know. Most strangers are good people. But you don’t have to always trust or believe an adult.
- If a stranger wants to talk to you, always check with your parents first.
- Strangers may make up stories or offer treats to make you go with them. Never go with a stranger — no matter what they say. Never, ever, get in a car with a stranger.
- If you are on your own, always stay somewhere busy and well-lit where other people can see you.
- Make sure your parents or carers always know where you are.
- Sometimes you might need to talk to a stranger for help, for example if you are lost. Look for a mum with children or go into a shop, police station, service station, library, or school.
- If someone is following you or grabs you, scream for help as loud as you can. Shout ‘Go away, I don’t know you’ so other people will understand.
Click on the link below for some great online resources for parents on lots of different child safety topics.
Resources for Parents/Carers/Teacher (padlet.com)
Catholic Schools Week Happenings
Last week we celebrated Catholic Schools Week. We had many wonderful activities to celebrate the week including our students telling us what makes our school great, National Simultaneous Story Time, a Sorry Day Liturgy and Parent Reading. Thank you to all the teachers and students for their efforts to make our Catholic Schools Week wonderful. Please click on the link below to watch "Our School is Special" video.
School Fee Statements
June School Fee Statements will be emailed to you today. Please note that;
- If paying fees by instalment, your payment should have commenced and is to be paid in full by 30 November 2022.
- If paying fees in full in one payment please finalise prior to 30 June 2022.
If no payment has been made to date, you will be contacted shortly to discuss your payment arrangement.
New Student Information System coming......
Our finance system will be replaced and centralised within the Maitland-Newcastle Catholic Diocese at the end of this Term. This will require a new platform for Compass and the Finance System. What does this mean?
- No changes to existing functions of Compass
- New Compass Billing System
- Online consent for student excursions and events
To prepare for this change, it is time to ensure that all your information is up to date. If any of your personal details have changed, it is important that you notify us before we go over to the new system. A form will come home next week for you to review and update if necessary.
Reconciliation Week
The National Reconciliation Week 2022 theme, “Be Brave. Make Change.” is a challenge to all Australians— individuals, families, communities, organisations, and government—to Be Brave and tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation so we can Make Change for the benefit of all Australians.
Last year Reconciliation Australia encouraged all Australians to take action, not just in National Reconciliation Week but every week of the year.
We saw unprecedented response to our suggested actions for everyday and for braver action.
This year we are asking everyone to make change beginning with brave actions in their daily lives – where they live, work, play and socialise.
National Reconciliation Week—27 May to 3 June—is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.
Find out more about National Reconciliation Week
#NRW2022 #BeBraveMakeChange
Please join me in saying a prayer that we as a school community continue to Be Brave and Make Change for those in our community who need us.
God Bless
Making Jesus Real - Values of the Week
Week 7: I do my best work
Week 8: I do the right thing
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 Bella Doan (Week 7).
MJR Awards
As part of our MJR system ,we acknowledge that the following student, Isak Van Der Der Merwe has reached 100 Gotchas. Well Done!
Library News - National Simultaneous Storytime
What a week to return to school; Catholic Schools Week and Australian Library & Information Association Week, in which we celebrate National Simultaneous Storytime 2022.
ALIA had 2,186,347 registered participants, from over 59,038 locations read “Family Tree” by Josh Pyke. Participants joined from our biggest range of countries ever across Australia and New Zealand to the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Tunisia, UAE, UK, USA, Vanuatu, Bangladesh, Canada, China, Fiji, Hong King, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mongolia and the Netherlands!
We then talked about belonging to our school family, our roots beginning with the Biripi people but also incorporating our beliefs in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The students were able to draw on a eucalyptus leaf outline their favourite thing to do with their school family. Making connections between books and their lives is an important comprehension strategy that children use to help make sense of their world.
We have made some changes to the library timetable, please note the library lesson day incorporates borrowing, however if students forget their book on their day, they can bring it on any other day to return and re-borrow. A reminder that students from K-3 need to use a library bag to protect the books when taking them home.
Monday: Year 2
Tuesday: Year 3, Year 4
Wednesday: Year 6, Year 1
Thursday: Year 5
Friday: Kinder
Kate Monkley - Librarian
Sorry Day Liturgy
Last Thursday we acknowledged and paid respect to National Sorry Day. Thank you Aunty Kylie for preparing and presenting a beautiful Liturgy.
Diocesan Representative
On Friday 29 April Year 5's Charlie Crittenden represented the Newcastle/Maitland Diocesan at the Rugby League U11's Polding trials at Bathurst. Competition at this level is fierce and competitive and the quality of Rugby League high. Congratulations to Charlie for this achievement.
What's happening in Year 1
Year One students have been enjoying listening to and learning about Dreamtime stories. They have been re-creating the stories on felt boards and as a class working on modifying the stories to make them their own.
What's happening in Year 2
Year Two are having a busy second term. In English we have been learning all about persuasive writing and how to structure this text type. In Science we have been learning all about food and where it comes from. We have planted some snow peas and will grow them over the Winter. The students are in the process of creating a green presentation that we hope to share with families soon. Our focus in Maths has been addition and subtraction and problem solving and in Religion we are learning about the New Testament and the story of Jesus. The students are enjoying Music in Creative Arts and have been learning some classic tunes on the glockenspiel such as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Ode to Joy and Hedwig's Theme.
WEEK | DATE | EVENT |
8 | 13th June | Queens Birthday Public Holiday |
14th June | Regional Athletics Carnival - Tuncurry | |
15th June | CPR Program - Years 5 and 6 | |
10 | 29th June | Children's University on Campus Discovery Day - Taree |
10 | 30th June | Junkyard Beats at the MEC - Whole School |
10 | 1st July | PUPIL FREE DAY |
Aria O'Neile and Oliver Hurtrel turn 6; Mackenzie Wilmen and Tyla Eakin turn 9; Breanna Swierczynski turns 10; Tye Galea and Jakayla Minns turn 12.