2023 Newsletter #04 March 8
Principal News
Welcome to week 6. The weather is certainly cooling down now that we are in Autumn. The mornings are darker, making it harder to get out of bed! With the cool air, students may begin wearing their jumpers. As the afternoons are still quite warm, please ensure they are clearly labelled in case they get left lying around and can be returned easily.
Congratulations
First of all we would like to congratulate Foundation teacher Ms Giddings on her engagement to her partner Jordan over the weekend. We wish them all the best for their future together.
Beginning of Year School Picnic
This Thursday evening from 5pm-7pm St Paul’s friends and families are invited to attend the Irymple Pool for a beginning of year picnic. Please bring a picnic rug or chairs and a picnic dinner. Parents are responsible for the supervision of their own children. The kiosk will be open for families to purchase ice creams and other snacks. See the flyer for more details.
School Advisory Council
Last night we had our first School Advisory Council (SAC) Meeting. We welcomed new members Melinda Cain, Carla Fox, Kieran Cain-Hall & Thomas Stevenson along with returning members Lauren Droffelaar, Martine Silcox and Mia Kolpin. The SAC members were shown the school's Annual Action Plan along with our current COVID Safety Plan.
Student Free Day & Public Holiday
This Friday 10 March we will have a student free day. Staff will be completing their CPR training to ensure that we are compliant and can provide the best first aid care for students if the need arises. After the CPR training Shane Garner will be presenting to staff around the importance of teams. He will unpack team dynamics, individual roles within teams, distractions along with providing staff with an experiential activity.
The school will also be closed on Monday 13 March for Labour Day Public Holiday. We hope that you have a lovely time with your family over the long weekend.
Foundation Rest Days
The Foundation Students have settled in well to school life. The students have been learning syllables and how to tell the difference between a fragment and a sentence! I certainly cannot remember learning this when I was 5 years old. The Wednesday rest day has now finished. However, if your child is still requiring a ‘rest’ on a Wednesday, you are welcome to keep them home for the remainder of the term. Please let your child's teacher know if you plan on doing this.
NAPLAN
Next week grade 3 and 5 students will participate in NAPLAN. NAPLAN is a national literacy and numeracy assessment that Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. It is the only national assessment all Australian students have the opportunity to undertake. If you have any concerns, please contact Melissa Sutherland to discuss these - msutherland@spmildura.catholic.edu.au
Grade 5 Visit to St Joseph's College - Tuesday 21st March
The Grade 5 students will begin their transition to secondary school with a visit to St Joseph's on Tuesday 21st March. Students will be travel to and from the College from school by bus. They will be accompanied by 2 staff members and engage in some fun activities such as sport, science and cooking. Please ensure you give consent on SIMON Eerywhere App to enable your Gr 5 chiild to attend.
St Joseph’s will then be open that evening for Parents and Carers to attend for a tour.
Assembly
It was fantastic to see a large number of parents and carers at our last assembly where M9 presented a script. Since this assembly, students have practiced walking into and out of the hall in a respectful manner. Our next assembly is not until week 8. Ms Simms and S13 will be presenting an item to the school community.
Once again, enjoy the long weekend and we look forward to seeing you at the Irymple Pool on Thursday.
Melissa Sutherland
Acting Principal
Senior Unit News
The Senior Unit have been diligently preparing for NAPLAN during Literacy this week. The students have displayed excellent concentration and improvement in their persuasive writing. NAPLAN will take place next week on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
We have completed our science unit which was a lot of fun as we explored how mould grows on bread in different areas of the classroom. The students got a real kick out of seeing their mouldy bread!
This week, we have begun to explore Australian history from the time of Federation.
Chromebooks
A reminder that Chromebooks must be at least 80% charged and brought to school every day. We are doing much more work on Chromebooks in most subjects now, so it is important that they have enough charge to get through each day.
Leadership Lessons
An exciting initiative that we have started in the Senior Unit is running some lessons on leadership for our Grade 6 students. This is a great way to help develop our student’s character and show them that leadership is something of which everyone can be a part.
Cross Country Practise
Senior students are encouraged to wear their sports uniform on Thursday, as they will be practising for the upcoming Cross Country during the day.
Middle Unit News
Thank you to all the parents who took the opportunity to have a Meet the Teacher Interview last week. It was wonderful to discuss your child’s learning with you.
Last week students finished their learning about Biological Science where they explored living and non-living things, and how to describe and group animals and plants by their observable features. The students have created the most magnificent scientific drawings which are on display in our rooms. Here is a sample of the wonderful work but we would love for you to pop in and see them all!
Next week the Grade 3 students will participate in NAPLAN. NAPLAN is completed in Grade 3, 5, 7 and 9. The students have been working hard over the last few weeks to feel confident and prepared for the process. Although NAPLAN is just one data point it is a great way to monitor students' progress over time and against National Standards. If you have any concerns, please speak to your child’s teacher or Mrs Sutherland this week.
Just a reminder that there is no school for students this Friday (staff professional learning) and Monday due to the public holiday. We wish you all a relaxing and restful mid-term break.
MIDDLE UNIT KEY DATES:
5 May- M1 Assembly
19 May - M2 Assembly
Junior Unit News
We designed a zoo!
The Junior Unit students are proud to share their amazing work completed in Inquisitive. Our focus topic for Inquisitive has been ‘Living Things’ and the students have thoroughly enjoyed learning about many different animals and plants. We began our learning by exploring the external features of living things before diving into all the different habitats. Following our exploration of the Perth zoo, the students were challenged to design their own zoo in small groups. They did a fantastic job and are so proud to share their creations!
The Beginning of the Year Picnic is this Thursday. We look forward to seeing many of you at the Irymple Swimming Pool! For more information, please check the SIMON app.
Reminder: Friday 10th March is a student-free day and Monday 13th March is a public holiday. We hope you all enjoy your long weekend and look forward to seeing you back on Tuesday 14th March!
Foundation Unit News
This week is the beginning of Foundation students attending school 5 days a week. This means that the sport days will change slightly.
F16 - will have sport on Wednesday and Friday (sport clothes to be worn on these days)
F17 - will have sport on Tuesday and Friday (sport clothes to be worn on these days)
We would like to say well done to the children who are learning their "Rainbow Words". We appreciate the time and effort parents are putting in to help their children with these words. We would like to emphasize that it is very exciting when the children get their name on the Rainbow but we don't want it to become a competition or cause stress to anyone. We would like to acknowledge all children for trying hard regardless of whether their name is on the Rainbow. If your child is trying really hard at home but doesn't have their name up yet, let your child's teacher know and they can reward their efforts with a "GOTCHA" for trying hard. (It is not an expectation that all children need to know the whole rainbow by the end of foundation, it is meant to be a fun activity to motivate them to learn some high frequency words to assist their reading)
Last week in Maths we were having fun with making patterns in many different ways. One example was using the Beebots from Technology and programmed some patterns into them. The children loved watching them move. It was a lot of fun.
In Religion we are still talking about the concept of "Belonging". We are discussing that we belong to a Catholic School and what this means. We went on a walk to the Chapel on Friday to look inside it and discuss when it is used. We have also been discussing how Catholics pray and where they can pray. Today we talked about the different ways we can see the presence of God eg. in the ways people treat each other with respect, in the beautiful things we see in nature. The children drew some beautiful images to show this.
Enhancing Catholic Identity Survey
The Enhancing Catholic School Identity (ECSI) is a survey that we invite parents, staff and senior students to complete. The survey invites schools to reflect deeply on their Catholic identity and the means by which it might be enhanced.
We ask that parents complete this anonymous survey following the instructions below. Once you have completed the survey please email msutherland@spmildura.catholic.edu.au where you will go in the draw to win a prize! Survey's will close on Thursday 6th April.
The survey access code is - m3AHjJ
To find out more about the ECSI Survey and the theology that underpins it, visit the Enhancing Catholic School Identity (ECSI) – An introduction to ECSI website.
SRC Project Compassion
Each Lent, thousands of Australian schools, parishes and supporters come together to raise funds for people living in some of the most vulnerable communities across the world. Lent is a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, whereby Project Compassion ties in perfectly. Together we can make a difference now and for all future generations.
At St Paul’s we are going to come together on Wednesday 29th March (week 9) and host a CRAZY HAIR DAY. Students are asked to come to school in school uniform but with their crazy and creative hair. We kindly ask each student to make a gold coin donation which will go towards our Project Compassion Fundraising.
Religious Education News
Sacrament of Confirmation
This year, children in Year 3 and above are invited to celebrate their Sacrament of Confirmation (provided they have already celebrated their Sacrament of First Reconciliation). Registration forms were handed out to students earlier this week and we ask that you please complete the form and return it, along with payment, to the Parish Office by Wednesday 22nd March 2023. If your child did not receive a form or it has been misplaced, please see a digital copy attached below.
A parent information session will be held on Wednesday 22nd March at 7pm at the Sacred Heart Church, whereby the program will be explained and all resources will be handed to parents.
If you have any further questions regarding the Sacrament of Confirmation, please don't hesitate to contact Carmel at the Parish Office on 5021 2872.
Project Compassion
Each Lent, thousands of Australian schools, parishes and supporters come together to raise funds for people living in some of the most vulnerable communities across the world. Lent is a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, whereby Project Compassion ties in perfectly. Together we can make a difference now and for all future generations.
Yesterday, each family will have received their own Project Compassion and it is greatly appreciated if families are able to make and / or seek donations from those in their family and extended community. No donation is too small, every cent makes a difference!
In addition to this, we as a school, raise awareness through immersing ourselves into the lives of those most in need and the impact that Project Compassion has had on them. Furthermore, we as a school are hoping to engage in further fundraising activities during the latter part of Term 1.
This week, I would like to introduce you to Laxmi from Nepal. After losing her father at a young age, Laxmi was at risk of falling further into extreme poverty. But with the support of Caritas Nepal and Project Compassion, Laxmi joined a child's club, became a leader in her school and is now a mentor to other girls in her village. Please take a time to view Laxmi's story on the video below. Let's reach out and give life!
Laxmi's Story
Sacred Heart Parish News
Hands Up Mallee
National Ride 2 School Day is being held on FRIDAY 24th MARCH 2023. We encourage as many students to ride/scoot to school on this day - either for the whole journey or part of it.
Any student who rides/scoots to school on this day will be able to use their bikes/scooters during lunch and recess time. The basketball courts will be available along with a circuit around the John Hill Oval. Teachers will be supervising during these times. To reduce incidents occurring, the John Hill Oval will only be open to students with bikes/scooters.
Hands Up Mallee is very proud to be able to provide our school community with free access for all at our Beginning of year school picnic tomorrow night. We are looking forward to seeing lots of families connecting together and making new friends. See you at the Irymple Pool between 5pm and 7pm. Don't forget your picnic blanket and food. The kiosk will also be available.
Technology News
The first half of term 1 has been huge in the Technology Room.
In grade 1 & 2, we have been exploring using our Chromebooks and learning how to use the trackpad to drag and drop using the programs Typetastic and Boom Cards.
The Middle Unit have been learning about Cybersafety and have just learnt about a new program in Google called Applied Digital Skills. This program can show us how to do almost anything on the chromebooks that we use at school from making a poster, creating quizzes, building a book report in Google Slides, making resumes (when they are older); the possibilities are endless!
In the Senior Unit we have been using our creative skills to develop a webpage with Google Sites using instructions from the Applied Digital Skills site! The students have been able to select their own topics and they are all coming along wonderfully.
Parent Noticeboard
Marriage Encounter
MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER Weekend
“Live Your Best Life in Love”
Every relationship is a journey and the grind of everyday life can cause you to lose touch with your spouse.
This experience gives married couples the tools to keep your passion alive in a gentle, nurturing environment, away from pressures and distractions of daily living.
The weekend is based around Catholic values and couples of all faiths are welcome.
Please check our website for more details.
28-30 April 2023 in Melbourne
(Book early to avoid disappointment)
Information/Bookings: Phone Mercy & James 0409 183 676 or
Email: vicbookings@wwme.org.au Website: wwme.org.au