Newsletter #36 December 1
Principal News
Dear St Paul's families,
Welcome to our weekly update. Today is the first day of Summer and in typical Sunraysia fashion, it is going to be warm.
AGM: Last night our Annual General Meeting was held in an online format. Thank you to those parents who attended. It was a very brief meeting. An updated pdf copy will be made available on SIMON Daily messages next week for families to read at their own leisure.
FOUNDATION 2022 ORIENTATION: Today is the final transition visit for the Foundation 2022 children. The children will meet their class teacher for next year as a part of this transition program. Thank you to all the parents who attended the information session last week as we unpacked all the finer details regarding the start of the school year for the children.
SCHOOL NORMS: As we near the end of the year with just over a couple of weeks left, it is important that we continue to maintain our routines and structures. The children have been reminded about the expectations of following our school norms. It is important that you as parents reinforce those with them at home.
YEAR 6 ORIENTATION DAY: Next Tuesday 7th December all Year 6 students will be participating in their orientation day program. Parents are to drop their child off to the relevant enrolled Secondary School including St Joseph's College. For more information please contact the Secondary School your child is attending.
YEAR 1&2 CAMPS AND EXCURSION PROGRAM: Don't forget next Tuesday 7th December is also the "Camps" day activities for the Year 1 and 2 students. Please check the Junior unit section of the newsletter for more details.
ST JOSEPH'S COLLEGE: For 2022 Year 7 students there will be an information evening at the Mercy Theatre on Tuesday 7th December at 7.30pm
Congratulations to this week's milestone winners on following our school norms.
BEE MILESTONE AWARDS: Chi Vong, Cooper Wilkens, April Simmons, Ariah Tickle, Holliee Tickle, Candice Treweek, Owen Vo, Levi Morton, Jack O'Callaghan, Sophia Panagopoulos, Jackson Puleio, Taylor Burns, Bridie Cranston,
HIVE MILESTONE AWARDS: Addison Welsh, Ari Williams, Chi Vong, April Simmons, Sofia Tardio, Poppy Thannhauser, Owen Vo, Minh-Ky Le, Lexie McMahon, Paityn Miller, Lilly O'Meara-Quayle, Konna Peters, Hayden Rowe, Mia Aranas, Ariani Arden, Hannah Davies, Amber Echanes, Abbie Freeth, Khloe Garland, Nicholas Horne, Denim Humphrey
Please check the calendar for important dates an events for the remainder of the school year.
As always
Keep the Faith!
Vince Muscatello
SENIOR NEWS
GRADE 6 GRADUATION UPDATE
Sunday 12 December
COVID Restrictions Update - we have been advised by Catholic Education Ballarat that our year 6 primary school children will be able to attend the graduation Mass and ceremony regardless of their vaccination status. All other attendees 12 years old and up must be fully vaccinated and will need to QR code and provide proof of vaccination status. We will also be able to have ALL students attend the Pizza Cafe regardless of vaccination status.
Program of Events
5pm - Graduation Mass at Sacred Heart Church
6pm - Graduation Ceremony at Sacred Heart Church
6.45pm-8pm - Parents to drop students at Pizza Cafe for dinner. Please ensure your child is picked up promptly at 8pm.
Grade 6 Pool Day
The Grade 6 students enjoyed thier "traditional" pool day and Graduation Mass Practice on Tuesday. It's hard to believe there is only a few days left with this amazing bunch of kids!
Coming Up - DECEMBER
Tuesday 7th - Grade 6 students attend their 2022 Secondary Schools
Sunday 12th - Grade 6 Graduation
Monday 13th - Senior Camp Day 1 - Wentworth
Tuesday 14th - Grade 5 - transition to new classes for 2022
Wednesday 15th - Senior Camp Day 2 - Cinema, lunch and Online Science Workshop
Thursday 16th - Final day for Students including end of year assembly
SRC News
The members of the Student Representive Council will again be selling Zooper Dooper icy poles tomorrow, Thursday 9th December at afternoon recess break. Zooper Dooper's will cost 50 cents each and will be sold near the canteen. Any profits made will go towards purchasing some new Passive Play equipment.
Middle Unit News
Last Friday we were very fortunate to celebrate together with Father Matt during our Middle Unit Liturgy. It was a lovely celebration to end our unit on Identity and how we participate in our community and how our community influences the people that we are the people that we become.
This week we were lucky to have Toby from Mildura Police come and speak to us about our digital footprint and online safety. He reinforced the importance of when we post things online the information and photos are then owned by the platform that we post this on. He discussed with us that everything we do online is stored and doesn't go away. He talked about the importance of privacy and the risks of being online. It would be great if you can discuss this information at home.
Junior Unit News
On Monday the Junior Unit came together for a Liturgy to celebrate the first week of Advent. Together we have begun learning about Advent as it is an important part of the Christian calendar. It means 'coming' and it's the time before Christmas in which Christians spend time preparing for the coming of Christ into our world.
The students were overjoyed this morning as we had a very special visitor from the North Pole. We have been joined by Elfie the elf who is here to help remind us to be our best, be safe and be respectful!
Junior Unit Camp Day Reminder
Next Tuesday (the 7th of December) the children will be attending our Grade 1/2 Camp Day. Please note, the children will need to be dropped off and picked up as per a normal school day. We will be engaging in activities on site at school.
Just a reminder, students can wear casual clothes but they must wear sun safe clothing and appropriate running shoes. As we are engaging in some water play games in the afternoon, the students will need to bring a towel, a swimming top (please ensure this is sun safe and covers their shoulders) and appropriate shorts they can change into after recess. If your child is coming to school in clothes you/they are happy to get wet, they will not need an extra set to change into. Please pack these items in a bag inside their school bag to make it easier for your child to change quickly.
Your child will need to bring brainfood and their water bottles. They will be provided pizza for lunch and an afternoon snack before recess play. If your child is concerned about the choice of food, they can bring their own packed lunch as per normal.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact your child's classroom teacher.
Foundation Unit News
What a busy week we have had! Last Friday the Foundation Unit had a wonderful early morning at school where they had a yummy breakfast in the hall. At the end of the day they show cased some of their learning at assembly by singing some counting songs and the days of the week song.
Yesterday we had a fabulous day. The morning was spent at Benetook Farms. The children got to feed the chooks, run in the maze, explore the tram, pick some strawberries, ride the bikes or get a ride on the bikes from their teachers and LSO's, play on the playground, jump on the jumping pillow, see the birds. It was such a fun morning! They then spent a couple of hours with their buddies back at school; taking part in some fun activities. They made cheerio bracelets, decorated biscuits, played with lego, magnets and felt, completed a colouring in activity about Benetook Farms and read some stories. They were exhausted by the end of the day.
On Friday at 9:15am the Foundation Unit will be celebrating a Liturgy in the Foundation Unit.
Technology News
Last week, students in the Junior Unit explored how digital files are stored and created.
To be successful students had to:
- locate files stored in Google Drive.
- create a new Google Doc.
- type and edit text in a Google Doc.
Students first located Google Drive on their Chromebooks, then created a new Google Doc. After creating their Google Doc, students named the file before typing 'silly sentences' and edited the text by changing the font style, size and colour.
Foundation students were very excited last week to experiment with the new Osmo coding equipment. They experimented using block codes to create a sequence of steps that would move the character, Awbie, around a map collecting items.
Until next week remember, although computers and digital gadgets have become everyday items, they don't have to be a part of every moment of every day!
Mrs Narelle Simms
Hands Up Mallee
Thank you to all the students that joined in on Walk to School Month, just a reminder that even though it is now over, that doesn't mean that you can't keep on walking to school (even if only for a part of the way)! As soon as I hear the results about the prizes, I will let you know.
The sun's UV rays are extremely high at the moment and therefore it is vital for your child's health that they wear a clearly named school hat every day.
A reminder that we still have brain food every morning at 10:00am and that you need to send your child to school with a piece of fruit to eat. We do have some fruit available at the front office for those who don't have any but we cannot provide fruit for everyone.
Arts News
