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* ASSEMBLY THIS FRIDAY - 1:45 p.m.
* STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAY
- MONDAY 28 OCTOBER
From the Principal
Last Sunday’s Gospel…
The two brother James and John wanted to be seated by Jesus. What they were saying was that they should have a special position being His apostles. Jesus explained that all of us are called to serve, not to be held up as worthy of praise. Even Jesus came to serve. It is a hard message to hear but service to others, even without recognition is what we are called to do. And to do for everyone, friend and stranger alike.
News…
School Photos
I want to extend my warmest gratitude to you for the way you presented your children for school photos. They were a credit to you and our school. The photographers even commented that they hadn’t seen a ‘green’ school look so nice. Uniform can seem like a small thing but it is about consistency of expectations and indicating something is important rather than the uniform itself. So thank you!
Christmas Art Competition
I enjoyed a lovely evening at Wollongong Art Gallery last Wednesday for the opening of the Christmas Art Exhibition where our Year 5 student, Naea, was a wonderful representative of our school. Her artwork depicting Mary after the Annunciation was on display. It was a great honour to have her work chosen as one of the final 48 from over 2000 entries from across the diocese. Congratulations Naea.
Assembly
Following Friday assembly, please wait for the usual bells before collecting your students from the classrooms. We have had a couple of mix ups with pick up processes and really need the time to make sure any messages about alternate pick up arrangements have been delivered to classrooms and teachers have the chance to organise everyone and get the bus students out on time. Teachers will open the doors for you and welcome you in on the second bell as usual. Thank you for your help!
Celebration Sing Out
Remember to purchase your tickets for this special event. It is this coming Sunday afternoon. I look forward to seeing many of you there! There is a lot of research about the benefit of singing together and matches in very well with the well being through music program we have been doing with the xylophones and drums. We are also singing as a school combining hymn practice with secular songs too on non assembly weeks. The feedback from students so far has been very positive though we are not quite as good as our amazing choir yet!
World Teacher’s Day
This coming Friday is World Teacher’s Day. I will be putting on a special morning tea for them which they will like but nothing beats a little appreciation shown by their students. If you are able to do a little extra ‘homework’ with your children and make a card, draw a picture or write a little note or do something more creative and bring it to school on Friday, I know it will mean a great deal to them!
Pupil Free Days
I anticipate being able to give you all Pupil Free dates for 2025 at the beginning of the 2025 school year, or as soon as we receive the Diocesan calendar for 2025 so we can ensure we don’t have any date clashes for significant events. I do appreciate you having to make special arrangements for your children on these days so aim to give you as much notice as possible.
Please remember the Staff Development Day coming up on Monday 28 October as previously advised. All staff will be engaged in professional learning about the Berry Street Education Model which among other things focuses on Trauma Informed Practice. The second day will be on Wednesday 18 December so the last day for students will be Tuesday 17 December. I realise this means you need to make alternative arrangement for your children on these days and appreciate the effort you go to in doing so. OOSH will be operating on these days so please check in with them if you need to access their service.
Classes 2025
I have had some emails from you about requests to separate your children from another student – thank you. Please remember to send them to me by the end of Week four. I will remind you again next newsletter. I have all the requests safe as well as sharing them with teachers so we don’t miss anything. Please don’t trust to our memories. If you want your child separated for any reason please ensure you put that in writing – email or a note to the office. I will respond so you know I have it. Please do not make requests about teachers. It is not practical to comply with those nor can we put students with a requested student. Teachers make every effort to ensure students are with at least one person from their friendship group.
God Bless,
Michelle Rolfe
Principal
How are you keeping our students safe?
As we begin a new Term, we would like to remind all our families about how you can do your part to keep all students safe on and around the roads of our school. Many parents and teachers have expressed safety concerns about drivers and parents walking and the potential for an incident. Afternoon dismissal is particularly busy as all students leave at the same time.
There are many issues specifically related to the afternoon, these include:
- Parents parking in our Kiss and Drop Parent Pick- Up zone
- Parents parking or lining up across resident driveways
- Parents reverse parking into the restricted zone of the Children’s Crossing
- Parents walking their child/children between cars to cross over the road, risking their and other's safety.
The Kiss and Drop Parent Pick-Up zone is meant to be a moving line that starts at approximately 2:38 pm. This means that parents should not be arriving a significant amount of time before the bell. Parents are encouraged to stagger their arrival time as often by 2:45, there are very few cars left making pick-up much faster and smoother. I have been advised that any vehicle that is stationary in the one designated drive-through area for longer than approximately two minutes may be fined.
The road rules are enforced by NSW Police and Campbelltown City Council Rangers. The enforcement of rules has nothing to do with the school. We are not informed of the Ranger or Police Officer's presence. My understanding is that both the Police and Campbelltown City Council are stepping up patrols due to the number of complaints.
Lastly, our school gates open at 8:00 am. Towards the end of the term and again at the start of this term staff have noticed an extremely large number of children arriving before 8:00 am. Please keep in mind that students are not supervised by teachers until 8:00 am and dropping them before this can present different risks for students. Parents have informed us that students have been walking around from one gate to another or playing up and down the street. This is clearly unsafe. Please discuss with your child the expectations if, on the rare occasion, you need to drop them off early, before 8 am.
For more information about keeping our students safe visit the Campbelltown City Council School Road Safety page.
School Hats
As the weather continues to surprise us with rain one day and a very warm day the next, students must have their hats with them at all times and wear them. Please check in with your child that they have their hat in their bag packed each day. It is part of our school uniform and should be worn whenever they are outside of the classroom.
Any student who does not have their hat on during playtime will be sent to the under croft for play.
Please help us in being Sun Safe.
Reminder - Personalised Parent Meetings- Bookings closing soon!
Please remember to book your Personalised Parent meeting soon. The bookings can be found on your Compass portal and are open for families of children who have a Personalised Plan (PP). If this does not appear on your dashboard, then there is no need for you to contact the office. Bookings are available for face-to-face or via a phone call during weeks 3 and 4 of this term. Please ensure that you book before the end of this week.
School Fun Run Prizes
Just a quick update to let you know that our Fun Run prize order should be arriving late next week. The children have done so well to help our school community and I know they have been very patient in waiting for these to arrive. Large/ bulky or expensive prizes will be held onto and a phone call home will be made to see how best to collect these. Thank you again to our amazing MIEV community.
Christmas Art Competition
Last week, Mrs Rolfe and the Ioane family travelled down to Wollongong for the launch of the Christmas Art Competition and opening night. Savaiinaea Rose in Year 5, had her work selected to participate in the final round of the Christmas Art competition along with 40 other entrants across the Diocese. Naea’s artwork is being currently displayed in the Wollongong Art Gallery alongside the other entrants and finalists. We are extremely proud of the quality of her work and reflection!
Tears of Joy
Matthew 1:18-25 “Do not Be Afraid” inspired me, it was Joseph’s moment of revelation to put his trust in God. Joseph's dream highlights the extraordinary nature of Mary’s role and responsibility God entrusted to him. Mary clothed in blue, with a golden halo bathed in light, emphasises her special status and divine role in the story of Jesus' birth.
Joseph embraces his role as Jesus' earthly father, despite his initial doubts, reflects my own journey of moving from a place of uncertainty to one of sincere and open communication with God. Like Joseph, who listened to his heart and trusted in divine guidance, I’ve found a way to speak to God directly from my heart. My prayers become a sort of dream. Joseph dreamt about the importance of his wife, Mary. I contemplate the importance of my relationship with God. So, putting myself in Joseph’s perspective feels…special.
I was inspired to compose an artwork around Mary from Joseph’s perspective. The tears of Mary are inspired by a prayer called The Seven Sorrows. I see Mary as a wonderful Mother to our world but seeing imagery of Mary crying in agony didn’t resonate with me therefore, Tears of Joy was created.
Mini Vinnies
Mission Week Fundraising & Crazy Sock Day
This year our students proudly raised $420.00 for Mission Week. I would like to thank all of the families who were willing to give a gold coin donation to support the Catholic Missions.
This year our children learned about the story of a young boy ‘Otgonbayar’ who was left in the harsh winter of Mongolia when he was only 7 days of age. He was taken in by the Don Bosco centre and at 6 years of age is now able to attend school, is cared for and has hope. They investigated what ‘service’ means to them and how they can help and support others in our school community.
This Friday a child from each grade will be sharing their personal reflections during assembly.
This term we have three special Liturgies / Masses that we will be celebrating:
We will be celebrating our Saints; the holy men and women who are models for us of Faith!
Liturgy: All Saints Liturgy
Date: Friday 1 November 2024
Time: 11 am
Place: Church
This is a very special occasion where we celebrate our patron Saint Mary Immaculate with our Grandparents.
Liturgy: Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception
Date:Wednesday 4 December 2024
Time: 9 am
Place: School Shelter
Finally, we say farewell to our Year 6 during our End of Year Mass celebration
Mass: End of Year Mass
Date: Friday 13 December 2024
Time: 10 am
Place: School Shelter
MASS TIMES
WEEKENDS
Saturday Vigil 5:30pm
Sunday 8:30am | 10:00am | 5:30pm.
WEEKDAYS:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday - 9:00am
Wednesday 7:30pm
Saturday 9:30am
SPANISH MASS - Saturday 7:00pm
FILIPINO MASS – 2nd Sunday- 4:00pm
Devotional Times
ROSARY: BEFORE weekday Mass.
DIVINE MERCY
Chaplet- Fridays after 9am Mass
Chaplet & Benediction - First Fridays.
Divine Mercy Prayer Group: 4th Friday at 6.30pm (in crying room)
HOLY HOUR led by Filipino Group: First Saturday of the month 11am
Advent and Christmas Daily Reflections 2024
Embark on a spiritual journey of illumination this Advent and Christmas with a comprehensive 88-page book of daily reflections. It is designed to deepen your spiritual journey from the beginning of Advent (1 December 2024) through to the Baptism of the Lord (12
January 2025). Offering profound insights, it invite you to explore the depths of your faith and anticipate the joy of God’s presence in the world.
The Light is more than just a guide. Whether you are looking to deepen your understanding, find spiritual solace, or celebrate the essence of the seasons, this book is an invaluable companion for your spiritual path.If you would like to pre - order a copy / copies please put your name, contact number and number of copies you require on the clipboard in the foyer of the Church.
Payment is not required until the books come in early October.
Advent and Christmas Reflections book for 2024 Cost $5.00
On Wednesday 25 September, Maia T, Kauri T, Ceazar F, Jax W and Hina V attended the MacKillop Athletics Championships held at Sydney Olympic Park as part of the Wollongong representative team. Our students gave it their all, competing with enthusiasm and cheering each other on, all the while having a great time.
Please do not send Noodle Cups for the canteen to add hot water for your child or containers with food to be heated by the canteen.
The Canteen Staff, School Teachers or School Support Officers are not allowed to heat up food for your child's lunch or add hot water for Noodle Cups.
Children can purchase Noodle Cups and Hot Food from the School Canteen where the temperature is monitored and the food approved by the NSW Healthy Canteens Association.