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PLEASE REMEMBER TO DRESS YOUR CHILD IN FULL SUMMER UNIFORM FOR SCHOOL PHOTOS TOMORROW.
Dear Parents and Carers,
Now that we have entered the month of May we are reminded that it is traditionally the month associated with Mary, the mother of Jesus. As such, it is a very appropriate month for celebrating the great gift of all mothers. On behalf of the students and staff, I would like to wish all the mothers in the Mary Immaculate community a very happy Mothers’ Day for this coming Sunday. The special love that a mother can give is always appreciated, but not always acknowledged. To all our mothers, please be sure to relax on Sunday and allow your family to show their love and appreciation of the invaluable role you play in their lives. Our students had the opportunity to purchase fabulous gifts for mum at the Annual P & F Mothers’ Day Stall on Monday. Gratitude is extended to all the parents who were able to help to prepare the gifts and also those who assisted in selling them.
A PRAYER FOR OUR MOTHERS
Lord, thank you for all mothers.
For the new ones, who endure sleepless nights with infants in their arms.
For the busy ones, who juggle the pressures of home and family life.
For the steadfast ones, who nurture and care for our special vulnerable children.
For the patient ones, who always seek to forgive and engage with their pre-teens.
For the persistent ones, who cleverly find new ways to connect with their mini-adults.
For the mother aunts, who step in to cradle and care for nieces and nephews.
For all grandmas, who love and support their precious grandchildren.
For the foster mums that are called to gather and cover the fragile ones.
For the Sunday mums who care for our children and lead them in faith.
For the mums who give far beyond their own resources, who overcome disability to cherish and love.
Thank You Lord, for all our beautiful mothers.
Help us to support them and keep them in our prayers.
May you bless them now on this their special day. Amen.
Tina Murray
Principal
NAPLAN 2021
Next week the children in Years 3 and 5 will all sit the National Assessment Program for Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). NAPLAN is the measure through which governments, education authorities, schools, teachers and parents can determine whether or not young Australians are meeting important educational outcomes in literacy and numeracy. The assessments provide parents and schools with an understanding of how individual students are performing at the time of the tests. They also provide schools, states and territories with information about how education programs are working, and which areas need to be prioritised for improvement.
Although it is an important testing period and provides both the school and parents with a snapshot of achievement, it must be kept in mind that the NAPLAN assessments are just one aspect of the school’s assessment and reporting process, and do not replace the extensive, ongoing assessments undertaken by teachers about each student’s performance. Along with other valuable information gathered on a regular basis teachers are able to formulate and communicate to parents a more rounded view of the holistic development of each student.
The teachers have assisted the students to prepare for the NAPLAN testing by familiarising them with the format of the tests and the structure of the week. Parents are able to assist their child / ren during the testing time, as they do every day, by ensuring that your child / ren have plenty of sleep during the week, providing a hearty breakfast of ‘brainfood’ and ensure that students arrive at school before the morning bell. This will give them the best possible conditions in which to sit the assessments.
It is important to remember that NAPLAN is one day in the life of these students and is not the complete measure of their worth or that of our school. The input of schools into a student's life cannot be measured as a result of a short test on one day of the year. Much of what schools do on a daily basis - pastoral care, the extension of life opportunities through co-curricular, sporting and creative programs, the formation of values and the creation of community - cannot be quantified so easily.
The Term 2 P&F General Meeting will be held on Monday May 10 at 7:00 pm.
Please return your nomination indicating your preference to attend the General Meeting either in person at the school or via Zoom.
SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING
This term all students at Mary Immaculate will be participating in activities designed to develop their social and emotional skills. Social and emotional learning begins at birth and is first experienced in the family home. Throughout their lives children learn from you as a teacher and role model for the social and emotional skills they need in their world. Children with well-developed social and emotional skills find it easier to manage themselves, relate to others, develop resilience and a sense of self-worth, resolve conflict, engage in teamwork and feel positive about themselves and the world around them. As parents you play an important role in enhancing this learning at home.
The Australian Curriculum outlines these social and emotional skills as Personal and Social Capabilities which are to be taught in every school across Australia. Social and emotional learning is the process of developing and practising important social and emotional understandings and skills. These understandings and skills can be grouped into five key areas. This term our focus will be on teaching Self-Awareness Skills.
1. Self-awareness skills help us to recognise and understand our feelings, while valuing our strengths and abilities. This involves:
- being able to understand what we are feeling
- understanding why we might feel a certain way
- recognising and having confidence to use our strengths and abilities
2. Self-management skills enable us to handle and direct our emotions in appropriate ways. This involves:
- managing our emotions so they don’t stop us from effectively dealing with situations and pursuing our goals
- striving to achieve our goals despite difficulties
3. Social-awareness skills help us to be aware and respectful of the feelings and perspectives of others. This involves:
- recognising what others may be feeling
- trying to understand a situation from another’s point of view
- accepting and valuing people who are different from ourselves
4. Relationship skills help us to deal positively with relationship problems and other social conflicts. These skills include:
- making friends and maintaining healthy relationships
- dealing effectively with negative social influences and conflicts
- seeking help if we are not able to solve a social problem ourselves
5. Social decision-making skills help us to consider the consequences of our actions for ourselves and others, and make thoughtful, effective decisions. This involves:
- understanding how a situation makes us feel
- considering the different choices we have and the positive and negative consequences of each of these choices when making a decision
- making positive choices, while considering how these choices may affect ourselves and others.
MRS LILLIAN DEL GUDICE
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
Happy Birthday to the following children who will be celebrating their birthday this week:Mothers' Day Prayer
Kindergarten, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 parents please join us in prayer on Friday 7 May, 8.45 am in the hall, to celebrate our mothers and those in our lives who are like mothers to us. Kindergarten will be presenting a song praising our mothers. Due to wet weather and COVID Restrictions Kindergarten, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 will only be attending the Mothers' Day Prayer in the Hall.
Mrs Kirsty Simpson
Religious Education Co-Ordinator
Again no Gold Stars last week but let’s hope more remember to bring their Library bags this week. There are so many wonderful books we can borrow! Just a reminder again about Library days:
Thursday 6 May– Year 2
Friday 7 May – Year 4
Next week:
Tuesday 11 May – Year 6
Wednesday 12 May – Kindergarten
Thursday 13 May – Year 1
**Friday 14 May – Year 4 (instead of 21 May)
Please remind your children to bring their Library Bags on the day of their lesson – encourage them to have it in their bags the night before! During the week please also encourage the children to read the books they borrow. Even if they have many books at home it is good for them to read the books they have chosen. They learn to discern what they like and what is appropriate for themselves.
Premiers' Reading Challenge: Remember to keep reading books from the lists, and keep a record of books read. Login and register the books completed:
https://products.schools.nsw.edu.au/prc/booklist/home.html
Don’t forget to check our Oliver Library catalogue which will let you know what books from the lists are available in our Library. Go to; oliver.dow.catholic.edu.au/miev and type ‘premier’ in the search box. Then select the level required and the search results will indicate available titles.
Scholastic Book Club - All orders must be placed and paid for online. No orders or money will be accepted at school. The items you order will be delivered to school, and will be distributed to the students once they arrive. The current catalogue closes on Friday 14 May. Please have your orders in by then please. Thank you.
Daily Reading - As parents you are your child's most influential teacher with an important part to play in helping your child to learn to read. There is more to being a good reader than just being able to read the words accurately. Just as important is being able to understand what has been read. Always talk to your child about the book; about the pictures, the characters, how they think the story will end, their favourite part. You will then be able to see how well they have understood and you will help them to develop good comprehension skills. Take time not only to hear them read but to read aloud to them too – they love hearing you read to them!
“Read aloud every day because you just love being with your child, not because it's the right thing to do. This is as important for fathers as it is for mothers!.”
Mem Fox
Happy reading!
Mrs Susan Bryant - Teacher Librarian