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This week it was wonderful to have all our students back on site. Our students have come back together Ready to Learn and ready to reconnect with each other. Now the students are back to school they will be working on re-establishing strong routines for learning. This will include opportunities for Religious Education, English, Mathematics while embedding social emotional learning.
Watching the students walk through the gate it is obvious that they have certainly grown taller, but we have noted in just a few days how much they have grown in other ways as well. Many students have grown in confidence and maturity. They have returned with a readiness to bounce back from the many necessary changes to our school routines. Another big change is the opportunity to be in the company of one another again.
This highlights our very basic need, human need to live in community. What a wonderful community they are a part of here, at Mary Immaculate! The energy of having all our students and staff back at our school site is palpable. We are so grateful to everyone return. This energy feeds into our whole school community bringing meaning and purpose to our work.
I am reminded of a quote by theologian, Fr Ronald Rolheiser: "The fuel we need to resource ourselves for our journey in life does not lie in the strength of our own willpower, but in grace and community. We access that through prayer. We are mature to the degree that we open our own helplessness and invite in God’s strength and to the degree that we pray with others that the whole world will do the same thing. The classical definition simply defines prayer as “lifting mind and heart to God”."
As I lift my mind and heart to God, my prayer is that our collective recovery as a school community is one where we strive to see the strengths in others, acknowledge the commitment and success of us all during lock down and where we may take comfort in knowing how important it is to remain connected with each other.
Let us continue to strive to make Christ’s way and life present within our community.
Tina Murray
Principal
WORLD TEACHERS' DAY
Australia will celebrate and thank the teaching profession on World Teachers’ Day on Friday 29 October 2021. Teachers (with support from parents and carers) have ensured education has been able to continue across the country this year, despite major challenges. It’s reinforced the significant role teachers play in the lives of children and students, their families, and communities. There are a few ways you can join in saying ‘Thanks’ to our teachers.
VIRTUAL APPLE THANK YOU
Join with your child to share a million virtual apples with teachers to let them know they’re appreciated. Visit worldteachersday.edu.au and play a virtual game of catching as many apples as you can to add some virtual apples to the collection as a super easy way to say thanks.
THANK YOU CARD
Print off a Thank You card and ask your child to write a special message to their teacher onto the card. Your child can bring the card along to give to his / her teacher on Friday 29 October. (Templates are below.)
CANTEEN UPDATE
We are pleased to announce that the canteen will re-open next week for ONLINE ORDERS ONLY. Parents will be able to place orders for both Lunch 1 and Lunch 2 using the online portal QuickCliq.
The Canteen Prices can be viewed on QuickCliq when you login.
QuickCliq Registration, Set Up, Login Instructions can be viewed below. If you have trouble Registering or Logging in please ring the QuickCliq call centre on 1300 11 66 37.
Orders must be placed by 8:30 am SHARP.
Please ensure you choose the options for LUNCH 1 or LUNCH 2.
UNIFORM EXPECTATIONS UPDATE
Due to the shortened term and the stock issues at Lowes during Term 4, parents are not expected to buy new uniforms for such a short period of time until the end of the year. Students are able to wear either their full Sport or Summer Uniform based on what fits your child and what can be managed throughout the school week.
Let’s make the end of the year as seamless and stress free as possible!
Thank you to all our parents who have ensured that their children are wearing the correct uniform even with this leniency. It is very much appreciated!
A reminder about Sports days:
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Students wear Sport Uniform on the following days |
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Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
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Year 3 / Year 6 |
Year 5 / Kinder |
Year 2 / Year 1 |
Year 4 / Year 6 |
A reminder that hairstyles should be neat and tidy and appropriate for school. They should not draw attention either because of the style or colour.
We will return to full school uniform expectations at the beginning of the 2022 school year.
HEADING BACK TO SCHOOL - STUDENT ATTENDANCE
As we follow the road map together to a full recovery, the consistent attendance of students at school is crucial to the ongoing academic and social success of our students.
From an early age, if children are taught that they need to 'show up' for school and make a commitment, this positive mentality aids academic and career success and brings benefits in adulthood.
This week we have seen some positive attendance trends in all grades with X% of students attending. Thank you to all our parents for the positive approach taken in supporting the regular attendance of your child.
MEDICAL PLANS - UPDATE
Due to the extended period of remote learning a number of Action Plans have lapsed.
If your child is on an Asthma or Anaphylaxis Action Plan please make sure that the school has an updated copy of their plan.
Copies can be scanned and emailed through to the school email - info@mievdow.catholic.edu.au
BIRTHDAY TREATS
As a school we believe it is important to recognise student birthdays. We do this by honouring students celebrating birthdays in classrooms each day. We also believe it is important to reinforce practices that promote positive student health and learning. We request that parents consider the following information so that learning time, hygiene and well being are not impacted.
We request that parents do not send in whole cakes, instead individual pre-packaged cupcakes or an individually wrapped lollipop that can be easily distributed at the end of the day and taken home for consumption is preferred.
P & F ASSOCIATION
Please see the attachment below regarding the Term 4 P & F General Meeting being held on Tuesday 9 November 2021 at 7:00 pm via ZOOM.
Please use the link below to register your attendance for the Zoom meeting and to add any General Business agenda items.
https://forms.gle/G3qPGKjZKD3uL9ax7
STUDENT WELLBEING
WELLBEING ACTIVITIES AND CONVERSATION STARTERS FOR PARENTS OF PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN
As mentioned in last week’s newsletter, I will be including a range of activities over the next few weeks, that will help build and maintain your child’s wellbeing. These activities are based on the Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships teaching and learning materials.
This week’s activities cover the first two key elements that are important to wellbeing – Understanding Emotions and Personal Strengths.
UNDERSTANDING EMOTIONS
KINDERGARTEN
- With your child, name the different emotions that characters in your favourite TV show or story book are feeling. How many can you name? Ask: How can we work out what emotions other people are feeling?
YEARS 1 AND 2
- Play emotional charades with members of your family. Each person acts out an emotion and family members guess the emotion/ feeling.
- Your child asks a family member how they would feel if: They were starting a new school or job, their friend had told everyone a secret they shared with them, they had won a prize.
YEARS 3 AND 4
- Name and describe the emotions of a character in your favourite TV show. Take turns in doing this with your child.
- Name three positive and three negative emotions you experienced today. Ask your child to name three positive and three negative emotions they experienced. Ask: How did it look, sound and feel?
YEARS 5 AND 6
- Go around the dinner table and have each person share three emotions that they felt that day and why.
- Encourage your child to tell a person in your family about their day. The listener tries to guess what emotions your child would have felt during their day.
PERSONAL STRENGTHS
KINDERGARTEN
- With your child, take turns at drawing a portrait of each other. Around the portrait write all the things you think each other is good at.
YEARS 1 AND 2
- With your child, discuss what each of your character strengths are. Draw a picture of yourselves using one of these strengths at home.
- With your child, watch a TV show or read a story book together and identify how a character showed any of these strengths (honesty, fairness, patience). What would the opposite of these look like?
YEARS 3 AND 4
- Personal strengths are our positive qualities. Ask your child: What are your personal strengths? What do you think are my personal strengths? Swap!
- Kindness is a personal strength. Being kind means you do things for others without expecting anything in return. Encourage your child to do something helpful for a family member. Ask them to share their acts of kindness with your family.
YEARS 5 AND 6
- Encourage your child do something to make life easier for someone else at home.
- With your child, plan to do something kind for a neighbour, friend or family member.
HINT: You might like to:
- Check to see if an elderly neighbour needs help with grocery shopping.
- Call a family member you don’t live with such as an uncle, aunt or grandparents to say hello.
- Write a letter or send an email to a friend and post it to them.
MRS LILLIAN DEL GIUDICE
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
Congratulations to all the students who have remembered to return their books already this week – thank you! There are still over 700 outstanding loans from students, so we ask that as soon as possible all those books can be returned. We need to sanitise the books before they can be returned to the shelves ready for next year. Thank you.
It is wonderful to have everyone back at school! Year 6 have started looking at the skills of Debating, learning that a debate is a structured argument where speakers present organised thoughts supported by facts Debating is an excellent way to improve speaking skills and learn to develop a convincing argument, learning that there are always two sides to any argument. Year 5 will begin to learn more about the Poetry techniques of simile and metaphor, which help to make the poems we read so much more interesting.
Scholastic Book Club: Issue 7 brochures will be going home this week. Orders are online only, no orders or money will be accepted at school. Orders will close on Wednesday 10 November. Thank you for your support of this programme, you might like to do some Christmas shopping. Books make great gifts!
Daily Reading: Don’t forget to try to make time in your busy days to read with your children for at least ten minutes – maybe after dinner or just before bedtime.
"There are many little ways to enlarge your child's world.
Love of books is the best of all."
Happy reading!
Mrs Susan Bryant
Teacher Librarian
Every year the Diocese of Wollongong conducts trials for a variety of sports. Students who are successful during these trials represent the Diocese of Wollongong at MacKillop Level (against elite students from Wagga, Canberra / Goulburn, Sydney & Parramatta) and if selected may represent at the NSWPSSA State level as a member of the MacKillop team.
Some trials will be conducted at the end of this year and others at the beginning of next year.
Students are required to be experienced players and extremely talented at their chosen sport. These trials are not gala days or school - based carnivals. They have not been designed for students “to come and try or for the experience.” They are for students who are elite at their sport and expect to make it to the next level.
If you would like to nominate your child in ANY of the below sports, please contact Mr Astill so that a nomination form can be sent home, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
School - based decisions about nominations will be made when they are received to determine if students will be nominated.
These nominations need to be returned by Wednesday 3 November.
- Softball (Boys and Girls) - Cricket (Boys and Girls) - Basketball (Boys and Girls)
- Tennis (Boys and Girls) - Touch (Boys and Girls) - AFL (Boys and Girls)
- Netball - Rugby Union - Hockey (Boys and Girls)
Mr Andrew Astill
