Newsletter 3rd July 2024 - Term 2 Week 10

Principal's Message

Dear Parent/Carer,

Thank you to all our students, staff and parents/carers for a wonderful Term 2.  As we look forward to the winter break, I wish you all a safe and happy holiday.  For those heading away, I wish you all a safe journey.  As the weather has turned cooler, many staff and students have become unwell, so hopefully the next two weeks will be a time to rest and recuperate.  We look forward to seeing you all when school resumes on Monday 22 July.  
Next term we welcome back Mrs. Brianna Newton, who has been on leave following the birth of her beautiful daughter Lottie.  Mrs. Newton will resume her role as Learning Support Teacher.  Mrs. Venables will also return to 6W next term, on Thursday and Friday.  I thank Mrs. Elise Kellaway for all her work in 6W this term. We have loved having you here.  Mrs. Shazmey Murray will continue her leave in Term 3, so Mrs. Devenish will continue in 3N on Mondays and Mrs. Karbowiak will teach 3N Tuesday – Friday.  Mrs. Anne Sturt, who is currently on leave and having a wonderful overseas holiday with her family, will also return in Term 3.

Year 6 Graduation Subcommittee

The next meeting for Year 6 parents to discuss the Year 6 graduation will be on Thursday 25 July at 5:00pm in the staffroom.  All parents/carers are welcome to attend.  I have set up a Zoom meeting for parents/carers that would like to attend online:
Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android:
    https://mncatholic.zoom.us/j/69227189981
    Password: 323149

Interrelate

The Interrelate Parent Information Evening will be held on Wednesday 14 August.  This evening is relevant to students from Years 4-6. Due to parent feedback from previous years, Interrelate will be conducted via Zoom.

Cybersafety Evening

The Cybersafety Information Evening held on Monday 24 June was a success, and we have had positive feedback from the parents/carers that attended.  A link to the presentation is below.  Thank you to Dr Rachel Buchanan (Associate Professor, University of Newcastle), Mr. Steve Newman (Education Officer – Digital Innovation and Learning CSO), Mrs. Barker, Mr. Moore and Mr. Konik for all your expertise and strategies to keep our children safe online.  We will continue to work with all children on how to be safe in the online world.

Band Performance

Thank you to Mr. Ward and our talented musicians in the school band for your performance yesterday.  It was an excellent morning, and I know all the students, staff and visitors were very impressed.

Road Safety

Parents/carers please remember road safety and be vigilant when dropping off or picking up children from school.  At afternoon dismissal, we have 588 children to get home safely, so please follow all road rules.  We continue to get numerous complaints from neighbours who are blocked in each afternoon, especially on Burke St.  Traffic wardens have been to the school on several occasions to monitor the traffic, and drivers who are not abiding by the rules have been booked.

Dates for Term 3

Please save the date for some exciting events for Term 3.

• Friday 6 September - Art Trail “It Takes a Village”
• Saturday 21 September – Inaugural St Therese’s Ball

More information regarding these amazing events will be sent out shortly.

Kaylene Maretich
Acting Principal

Assistant Principal's Message

Student Achievement in Term 2

I am lucky in my position as Acting Assistant Principal to visit all classes throughout the school. It’s always fantastic to see the hard work that is going on and I wanted to congratulate the students. Their academic and social achievement has been outstanding. I wish all families a safe and restful break.

NAPLAN Update

NESA has updated schools that NAPLAN results will become available to the beginning of Term 3. Once the school receives the hard copies we will send them home with the students.

Professional Learning with Michael McDowell

A team of teachers attended professional learning last week with Michael McDowell. Michael comes with a wealth of knowledge and experience working with schools and focuses heavily on 'Dispositional Habits' and 'Competency-Based Habits'. He was highly engaging and shared many practical strategies that can be used by teachers to increase student achievement.
The teachers that attended the learning will now share their learning with staff throughout Semester 2 and this will become a focus in our classrooms. 

Mark Konik
Acting Assistant Principal

School Community News

ICAS

ICAS Assessments are scheduled for August for students Year 3 - Year 6.  If you want your child  to do any of these assessments it's time to register. School access code is BPK274. Parent applications close on the 29th July 2024. (That means parents cannot register their child to do an ICAS Assessment after the 29th July 2024). These assessments are external to the school, while Therese Jackman provides supervision for these tests on the school premises on specific dates. The school does not have anything to do with the purchasing or registering of students for the assessments.
The 6 ICAS assessments include: Digital Technology, Writing, English, Science, Spelling Bee and Mathematics.
If a child is registered for an assessment and cannot attend it please contact Therese Jackman asap so a make-up sitting can be arranged in that week otherwise the student will not be able to sit the assessment.

Year 1 Science Day

Last Friday, Year 1 had a science day! A great day of creativity and fun!
Check out their rocket designs!

Playgroup

Playgroup is on 9.15-11 this week. We have a special last week planned- with Pajama Day, heading to the library, a little party and *weather permitting*, the jumping castle! We look forward to celebrating the end of a fabulous term with you. If you have any questions please contact Simone on 0402305446

2024 Vinnies Winter Appeal

This year we are asking families to support Vinnies through food donations, as well as holding our annual Pyjama Day on the last day of school, Friday 5^th July, where we ask children to please bring a gold coin in to donate towards the appeal.
Our 2024 Vinnies Winter Food Appeal has been a huge success with an overwhelming amount of donations brought in to school.  With our heartfelt appreciation from Year 5 Mini Vinnies team and the local chapter of the St Vincent de Paul Society.

Yr 5 Mini Vinnies

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.

School Fees

Thank you to those families that have been making payments towards their fees. Our preferred payment methods are BPay, direct debit or credit card. If you choose to use CompassPay, please double check the amount before you submit the payment. Refunds can no longer be given for incorrect amounts paid unless your account is in credit.

Awards & Achievements

Principal Awards

Congratulations and thank you, children, for upholding the values and principles of St Therese’s. The following students received a Principal’s Award at this week’s School Assembly.

Sport

Futsal

Futsal Championships were held on Thursday 20^th June. The boys displayed amazing sportsmanship toward each other and the other teams. The under 12s came 1st and the Under 10s came 2nd. Congratulations to all the boys.

Mel Helmers

Wellbeing

This next presentation from The Resilience Project is all about Empathy and Kindness.

Empathy is our ability to put ourselves in the shoes of others to feel and see what they do. We practice this through being kind and compassionate towards other people.
Brain imaging data shows that being kind to others registers in the brain as more like eating chocolate than like fulfilling an obligation to do what’s right (e.g., eating brussel sprouts)!
Research shows that practicing empathy, such as performing acts of kindness, taps into our brain’s ‘mirror neurons’, builds compassion and our behaviour becomes more social and community-based.

View Part 3 of the series here:

Part 3 - Empathy: https://theresilienceproject.com.au/2023-parent-carer-hub-inspire-hugh/

Here’s an activity to practice empathy and kindness:

1. Reflect on someone in your life who could benefit from an act of kindness today. It could be a friend who would love some affirmation about their work, your pet who deserves an extra treat, or a family member who would love a phone call or text message.
2. Make a plan for who you are going to give an act of kindness to, and what you are going to do.
3. If you want to add accountability to your plan, share it with someone else and encourage them to do the same thing.
4. Follow up with each other in a few days time, to ask how it went!

Sources: Psychology Today, UC Berkeley, Greater Good Science
For mental health resources and support information, visit The Resilience Project’s Support Page.

Melissa Pyers
Primary Coordinator

Canteen