Newsletter 11th June Term 2, Week 7

Principal's Message

Catholic Identity: In 2025, we will establish pedagogical practices that improve student religious literacy and provide opportunities for encounter with Christ.

Learning: In 2025 we will establish effective and consistent pedagogical practices for all students by all teachers.

Wellbeing: In 2025 we will establish a school-wide common language in Positive Behaviour 4 Learning (PB4L) incorporating our Mercy pillars.

On Sunday we celebrated the feast of Pentecost. The main message of Pentecost, as described in the Acts of the Apostles, is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples, empowering them to preach the Gospel and begin the Christian Church.
So, it is fitting that this week our children will celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit in their lives. At this celebration of Confirmation on Thursday night, Bishop Michael will celebrate with our children the breath of God breathed into their lives as on the first Pentecost when flames of fire settled on the heads of the disciples and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. It’s the Holy Spirit that helps us always see the light and feel God’s hope.

Sail Shades at St Therese’s
As discussed in last week’s FACE meeting - I thanked the hard-working parents who worked on a fundraising ball in 2024 for sail shades at the front of our school. Since then, I have been in regular discussion, liaising with various teams in the diocese regarding the construction of this. As it stands there has been a change to the diocesan approval system and standards regarding property works, and I apologise that these sail shades have not come to fruition according to the timeline previously communicated. The school has now been advised to look at other options for the sail shade location, so at this time this is what we are doing, and I am in the process of obtaining multiple quotes for this.
To be transparent to all of you, I am hopeful that we can move ahead with the building of the sails shade, in a location of the school this year. I do need to make clear that this may not be in its original location on the cement area at the front of the Catherine McAuley Centre. I thank you for your understanding and I will keep you updated via our newsletter.

Semester One Reports
Semester One reports will be sent home through Compass from Friday 27 June. This is a report to you on your child’s achievement during Term 1 and Term 2 of 2025.
When reading your child’s report, please be sure to discuss their effort, personal and social development, and work habits with them along with their academic results (grades). Discuss their strengths and achievements and help them to set goals for the future to further develop their areas of need. Please also refer to the letter explaining the reports in further detail included with this newsletter.
As you are aware, we will again offer parents the opportunity to meet with their child’s teacher in term 3 week 6.
Mrs Kepreotes will be on leave for term 3 so 4L interviews are taking place in week 10 this term. Please see Compass to book a time to meet with her.

St Therese’s Dance Troupes
Our Kinder-Year 3 dance troupes will participate this Saturday in the NSW Finals in Dural. We wish our children (over 60 of them) good luck and once again thank you to Miss Toscano for all her work in preparing them and to the parents for their support.

Child Protection
A great way to share important information to children regarding their own safety is by sharing some quality Children’s Literature with them. There are several resources around in print and online. The school has the following resources that you can borrow to share with your family at any time. Please contact the office to borrow a copy.
‘My underpants rule’ by Kate and Rod Power
‘Let’s talk about body, boundaries, consent and respect’ by Jayneen Sanders
‘My tricky eye spy- The stranger danger awareness book’ by Kate & Rod Power
‘My body says what I say goes’ Jayneen Sanders
There is also a valuable online resource where you can find lots of information for parents and children. https://www.onlyforme.com.au/

Staffing
Hollie Booth has relinquished her role as EALD teacher. From Monday 16 June, Daniel Woods will work in the role until the end of term 3
Siobhan Lavin our Pastoral Care Woker (PCW) has needed to take extended leave in the role as her mother is very unwell in Ireland. We thank Johanna Soo who has returned to the role currently in a temporary capacity.

Choir Showcase
Our wonderful year 4 children participated last night in the Diocesan Aspire Choir Showcase at the Civic Theatre. Thank you to our Performing Arts teacher Mrs Alina Brymora for preparing them and the year 4 teachers for supporting the children in this as well as to our parents who brought their child along to this special event.

Sallyanne Stanbridge
Principal

Assistant Principal's Message

I hope you all had a lovely long weekend and kept warm.  It was a great weekend for gardening, slow cooked meals, family board games and fire pits (when the wind eased).  This week is Faith Community Week, where we take time to slow down and be more in the present, there will also be no homework this week.  At school, we have a few activities that will run across the week:

• Wednesday – Wacky Wednesday, where children wear their school uniform, but can add crazy socks, hairstyles etc.  Please note, there is no hairspray and hair colouring permitted.
• Thursday – Take a Walk Thursday.  Children are invited to “Take a Walk” around the block, to get a different perspective of our school.  We will meet at the Imaginative Play space outside KL at 11:30am.  All children are invited.

PB4L
For the next two weeks, we will be focusing on demonstrating respect by allowing others to learn.  In the classroom, we will be working with children to learn “right time, right place”.  This means knowing when it is right time to learn and when it is the right time to talk/interact with peers.  We will also work with the children on being respectful of how others like to learn and creating positive learning environments in our classes by using inside voices, encouraging our peers when they are trying their best and avoid distracting others.

SchoolTV
Many families may have been directly affected by the recent floods or and recovery may have friends and family that have been affected.  This can cause worry and anxiety in our young people.  SchoolTV has released a special edition about flood support and recovery, that families might find useful, in addressing questions your child/ren may have, the link is below:

https://newlambton.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-flood-support-recovery

Kaylene Maretich
Assistant Principal

Catholic Identity & Curriculum

Faith Formation: The excerpt below is a reflection from Dianne Bergant in response to Sunday’s scripture – Pentecost Sunday – and the coming of the Holy Spirit:
We have been in the in-between time since the Ascension of the Lord. Today we celebrate the dramatic inbreaking of the time of fulfilment. We celebrate the fullness of the Spirit and the great gathering of nations. The feast also brings the Easter season to its conclusion. Today’s readings recapitulate many themes that appeared throughout the Easter season: Christology, Trinitarian theology, reign of God, repentance, salvation, mission, universality. All are brought together as we are brought together into the body of Christ.
The plan of salvation has been brought to its conclusion. Christ is exalted next to God and has sent his Spirit to fill the earth with God's power. The world is charged with divine energy; it needs but a spark to ignite it with life and with excitement. This vitality explodes into the extraordinary: tongues are loosed and speech overflows its linguistic constraints; charismatic gifts flood the valleys of human habitation; barred doors are burst open and frightened hearts are calmed. The Spirit of the Lord fills the whole world.
We gather together to discover that God has gathered us for another. Strangers assemble to fulfil personal obligations and they experience a phenomenon that bonds them together for life. Individual religious devotion is swept up into communal divine revelation. Through the Spirit of God, we are reconciled to each other and then together we spend ourselves for the common good. The world is renewed; the community is revitalised; we come to know the mysterious yet all pervasive peace of Christ.

Religious Education
This week’s focus in RE is on Year 6:
As Year 6 are still working under the old RE curriculum, they are studying two units this term, ‘Christian Scriptures' and ‘Beliefs’- In the first unit, students will learn about the content, structure and meaning of different types of stories found in the Christian Scriptures. In the second unit, students will understand the foundations of Catholic belief as expressed in the Creed and the Catechism.

Prayer, Celebration & Mission
The Sacrament of Confirmation – Please pray for the 31 students who will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation this Thursday evening (12^th June at 6pm).

Social Justice Team & Vinnies Winter Appeal – Our Yr 6 Social Justice Team have displayed great initiative and dedication towards improving our school’s contribution towards this year’s St Vincent de Paul, ‘Winter Appeal’. The students have decided to start a lunch club for those students willing to contribute their time effort and resources in knitting and /or crocheting items to sell at the fundraising stall on Mission Day (4^th July - the last day of term). If this sounds like something your child is capable of and interested in, please send them along with the appropriate materials. This will occur on the days listed below on the flyer and Mrs Barker has generously offered the library as a space to undertake this task. She will also provide tubs for the resources to be stored safely and securely. If this is something you yourself have a talent and interest in, please contact me and feel free to send in any contributions you may be able to make.

A big ‘Thank You’ to Mrs Anne Sturt for her generous contribution towards this through donating wool for the knitting club and financial assistance for the Hot Chocolate Days.

The students have also come up with the idea of hosting Hot Chocolate Days – these will occur on the final 3 Fridays of term (20^th & 27^th June and 4^th July). In the name of environmental awareness and sustainability, staff, parents and students are invited to bring their own safe and sealable, re-usable mug from home to the kitchen in the main hall before school (8:45am – 9:10am) to buy a delicious cup of hot chocolate. More details and reminders to come, closer to the days.

Vinnies Winter Appeal Collection – Please send your child/ren over the remaining weeks of the term with 1-2 food items each that will be collected on Wednesday and Friday each week by the members of Yr 5 Mini Vinnies up until Friday Week 10 Term 2 “Pyjama Day.” Grade items are listed below:

Kinder - Baked beans, spaghetti, tinned snacks
Year 1 - Pasta, Pasta sauce, noodles, tinned soup
Year 2 - Tinned vegetables, tinned fruit, instant pudding
Year 3 - Toothpaste, soap, shampoo
Year 4 - Cereal, Porridge, biscuits
Year 5 - Spreads – vegemite, jam, honey etc Sauces – bbq, tomato etc
Year 6 - Coffee, tea, milo, drinking chocolate

Coming Events– The dates below indicate some of the Faith Life and Mission events coming up for the remainder of Term 2:

• Thursday 12^th June at 6pm - Sacrament of Confirmation
• Thursday 19^th June - Infants Stage Mass (12.30pm in the church) *Please note change of time - now 12.30pm!
• Sunday 22nd June - Family/School parish Mass (9:15am)
• Thursday 26^th June - Stage 3 Mass (9:30am in the church)
• Thursday 3^rd July - Stage 2 Mass (9:30am in the church)
• Friday 4^th July – Mission Day: Vinnies Winter Appeal (pyjama day)

Luke Smith
Religious Education Coordinator

School Community News

CogAT Testing Term 2
In Term 2, students in Years 2 and Year 4 will participate in the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT). This test evaluates students' reasoning abilities in three key areas essential for success in school:

1. Verbal Battery: Assesses students' ability to reason with words and concepts, crucial for reading comprehension, critical thinking, writing, and verbal learning tasks.
2. Quantitative Battery: Measures students' ability to reason with quantitative symbols and concepts, which are vital for problem-solving in mathematics and other disciplines.
3. Nonverbal Battery: Evaluates students' ability to reason with geometric shapes and figures, requiring them to implement strategies for solving novel problems.

These batteries provide a comprehensive view of each student's learned reasoning abilities, identifying both strengths and areas for improvement. CogAT aims to support differentiated practice in education by helping teachers adapt instruction to meet the unique needs and abilities of each student.
It's important to note that CogAT scores are not integrated into report grades or other conventional measures of school achievement. The focus is on tailoring instruction and fostering a supportive, inclusive learning environment based on each child's ability.
If you have any concerns or questions about CogAT testing, you can contact our Gifted Education Mentor, Patricia McNeil (patricia.mcneil@mn.catholic.edu.au) or Leader of High Potential and Gifted Education, Maree Karaka (maree.karaka@mn.catholic.edu.au), for further assistance.
Thank you for your continued support in ensuring the best educational outcomes for our students.

Volunteering
Throughout the year, we welcome all parents/carers to volunteer at the school. To volunteer, you must complete the volunteer's induction. This process can take up to 6 weeks, so you are encouraged to complete this early.

Wellbeing

Imperfects Podcast

The Imperfects Podcast - The Resilience Project

This month, Hugh, Josh and Ryan spoke with Lauren Zonfrillo about how she navigated the loss of her husband and Dr Emily shared strategies to support yourself and others through grief. Monty Dimond also joined the boys to chat about her experience with chronic illness and losing her mum, as well Dr Louise Newman to delve into the world of hormones, PMS, PMDD and post-natal depression. 

Classroom Spotlight-Year 1
1N
Year One have previously explored some strategies we can use to turn our mood around. We learnt tools such as breathing, mindfulness colouring and laughing. Now we progress onto focusing on what brings us joy. Rather than the simplicity of possessions we are considering small moments, irreplaceable people or special experiences that can bring a smile to our faces each day!

Maia:
In the Resilience Project, we have been learning about our own strengths. I chose "helpful" because I always help my friends and I’m kind to them.
Finn:
In the Resilience Project, we’ve been learning about feelings and what we’re good at. My strengths are being artistic and showing perseverance because I always try my best and I love art.

1L
This week, 1L have been showing gratitude for their strengths and qualities.

Melissa Pyers
Primary Coordinator

Sport

Sport Days
Term 2 sport days are:

• Kindergarten - Friday
• Year 1 - Friday
• Year 2 - Wednesday
• Year 3 - Wednesday (Week 5-10)
• Year 4 - Friday (Weeks 5-10)
• Year 5 - Tuesday (Weeks 5-10)
• 6N - Tuesday
• 6W - Wednesday
• 6L- Friday

Canteen

Important Dates

16 Jun - Pupil Free Day - Staff Professional Development
17 Jun  -  Stage 3 boys AFL Gala Day
19 Jun  -  Infants Mass 12.30pm in  Church
24 Jun - Central Regional Athletics Carnival
26 Jun  -  Stage 3 Mass 9.30 Church
26 Jun - School Photos
27 Jun - School Photos
30 Jun - Band Performance  10am Main Hall
30 Jun  - School Assembly 2.30pm, Stage 3
03 Jul  -  Year 5 Taronga Zoo Excursion
03 Jul  -  Stage 2 Mass 9.30am Church
04 Jul  -  Mission Day -  Pyjama Day, gold coin donation
21 Jul  -  First Day of Term 3