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Dear Parents / Caregivers,
The Lenten readings during the last week or so have centered firmly on the concepts of forgiveness, compassion and mercy. Compassion is one of our school values and has been the focus of the liturgies we have shared with the students during our Lenten journey. The following quote from last week’s Second reading from the letter of St Paul to the Ephesians resonated strongly with me.
"We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the good life as from the beginning he had meant us to live it."
Our school community is truly amazing and abundantly blessed. We are comprised of energetic and spirit filled members who daily go above and beyond the call of duty, with little regard for accolades. Despite the ideal described by St Paul, as human beings living within a community, we must all acknowledge that despite our best efforts or intentions we can sometimes get things wrong or fail to please all those with a vested interest. Please be assured that whenever difficulties arise the staff of Mary Immaculate will do their very best to reach a mutually agreeable resolution. Please rest assured that we are always on the ‘same team’ and whenever a problem arises the best way forward to finding a solution is always by accessing the collective wisdom available through respectful interactions.
It is only within the context of community that value systems can be established and become a lived reality. Each day we have an opportunity through our everyday interactions to experience and glimpse the possibility of the abundance of God’s love. Our community aspires to be a place where mistakes can be made without fear and with the real expectation of true compassion and forgiveness. This can only become a reality however, if we are mindful to respond rather than react, especially during difficult situations.
Thank you in advance for contributing to making our community a place where Christ’s way is reflected in our way and life and where Christ can be experienced by all.
Tina Murray
Principal
NAPLAN
Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 participate in the annual NAPLAN tests in reading, writing, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.
Students in Years 3 and 5 will participate in the NAPLAN assessments during 11 - 15 May 2021. Important information related to the NAPLAN assessments can be accessed using the links below. A NAPLAN Online – information for parents and carers information sheet is included with the newsletter.
Online trial tests can be accessed via the following link
MORNING SUPERVISION
Parents are reminded that student supervision commences each morning at 8.00am.
The Emerald Drive gates for students to enter the school will not be open until approximately 7.50 am.
Although we understand many parents have work commitments it is important to note that although a few staff may be on the premises early there is no student supervision before 8:00 am.
Students remain the responsibility of parents if they arrive prior to 8:00 am.
All students arriving prior to supervision commencing at 8:00 am are asked to sit quietly under the covered walkway until supervision begins. Arrangements have been made for the Aquamarine Drive gates to be opened at 8.00am each day.
If you require Before or After School Care please contact Oosh Zone on 0409 960 803.
DIOCESAN SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY
Parents are reminded that entering into the contract of enrolment at Mary Immaculate is an obligation to support the implementation of consistent and comprehensive practices that guide the operations of all schools within the Diocese of Wollongong.
In April 2019, the Diocesan Social Media Policy was released to support CEDoW, schools and staff minimise the reputational risk of individuals, schools and / or CEDoW. It also ensures that schools meet their compliance requirements with the New South Wales Education Standards Authority (NESA) and the Australian Education Act 2013.
It is an expectation that all members of the school community will take all reasonable measures to comply with this Policy.
All schools are required to ensure parents are aware of the following expectations
- parents / carers are required to seek permission from the Principal to establish a social media presence that is in any way associated with the school
- not to post content on social media of other students without the express consent of their parents / carers
- promptly notify the school of inappropriate use of, or content on any social media, that may negatively impact on CEO or any of its school communities
Parents are encouraged to access the Diocesan Social Media Policy to familiarise themselves with the context and obligations of this policy via the following link:
PHOTOGRAPHIC PERMISSION
Please ensure the annual Diocesan photographic permission form has been completed and returned. This information is vital in ensuring that staff are able to confirm student involvement in digital projects designed to share learning and achievements within the school and wider community.
One of the most important things your child can do to achieve academic success is also one of the most basic: going to school every day.
In fact, research has shown that your child's attendance record may be the biggest factor influencing their academic success.
By making your child's school attendance a priority, you will be taking an important step in supporting your child's present and future school success as well as setting a good example of the positive habit of punctuality.
Please ensure your child is at school prior to the first bell each day as this will set them up for success for a day of learning. The following infographic contains interesting information about the importance of school attendance. Please do not hesitate to contact the school should you need help or advice related to maintaining the regular attendance of your child.
VALUES AWARDS – WEEK 6
3 GREEN
Samuel B - Faith – For his reverence during Christian meditation
Riley G – Faith – For his reverence during Christian meditation
3 GOLD
Nyadeng D – Stewardship – For her willingness to care for our environment
Ivory O - Compassion – For the love and kindness that she shows to all people
4 GREEN
Talione U – Compassion – For showing care and kindness toward her peers
Palak S – Leadership – For demonstrating a mature attitude when answering questions and sharing her ideas with others
4 GOLD
Jeremiah T – Faith – For showing reverence and respect during class prayer and meditation
Jailan V – Leadership – For displaying great leadership when working in small groups and following the class rules
4 BLUE
Noah G - Faith - for displaying reverence during Christian meditation
Gabrael G - Compassion - for displaying genuine concern for others
5 BLUE
Ema R – Faith – For displaying utmost reverence in leading class meditation
Steven M – Leadership – For helping others navigate and learn iPad skills
5 GOLD
Sophie C – Doing Your Best – For always trying her best in all Key Learning Areas
Joshua C - Leadership – For being a great role model to his Kinder buddy
5 GREEN
Harper V – Justice – For always treating others fairly and following the model of Christ
Mitchell S – Doing Your Best – For always completing work to a Year 5 standard of excellence
6 GOLD
Olivia A – Justice – For devising a check in / out roster to ensure the school handballs are returned after use each day
Hunter B – Compassion – For his ability to work co-operatively and respectfully with all members of Year 6
6 GREEN
Christian T – Leadership - For setting a great example as a member of the Breakfast Club
Sophie R – Compassion – For consistently showing kindness and respect to her friends and teachers
CATCH YOUR CHILD BEING GOODI recently read an article which contained helpful ideas on how you can transform your child's negative self-talk into self-love.
The truth is when things are super busy we fall into a trap of noticing only what our children do wrong.
We might say things like, "C'mon, why are you so slow? We're running late!"
And when things are going as expected (your child dresses on time for school), we usually don't give it proper attention.
It's incredibly important, however, that we notice our children being good.
Positive reinforcement from us directly contributes to our children's positive self-talk.
It doesn't mean extensive praise. The right kind of praise contributes to a growth mindset and intrinsic motivation.
Positive reinforcement can take different forms:
- Giving them a wink, a nod, a hug, a high five, or a warm smile;
- Saying, "Thank you for doing your best";
- Simply saying, "You did it!"
When we give positive reinforcement, it's important to put attention on 'being' and 'doing' rather than a final outcome:
"You are being helpful today. Thank you."
Another powerful technique is to simply narrate what you see in a positive, loving tone.
Our children want to be SEEN and this is how this technique makes them feel:
"You found a new way to get this done."
"You got dressed quickly today and we're on time."
Mrs Lillian Del Giudice
Assistant Principal
Happy Birthday to the following children who will be celebrating their birthday this week:
Catholic Schools Week: Faith in the Future
Last week, we celebrated Catholic Schools Week at Mary Immaculate. This was an extremely special celebration as we joined with Catholic Schools across Australia to commemorate 200 years of Catholic schooling.
We celebrated this event with several liturgies; shared a glimpse into our classrooms with our online clips and set up a display that documented the history of our School.
Please make sure you view our clips on the following Link:
This Link will be available for 2 weeks.
Project Compassion
“Aspire not to have more, but to be more” St Oscar Romero
This year our Project Compassion theme is to ‘Be More’. Our students continue to ‘Be More’ through their acts of kindness, the importance they place on keeping our school clean and through prayer.
Feast of St Joseph: 19 March
To mark the 150th Anniversary of the declaration of Saint Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church, Pope Francis has proclaimed a “Year of St Joseph”, running from 8 December 2020 to 8 December 2021.
Next week our school will be celebrating the Feast of St Joseph. This money will be donated to our Project Compassion Lenten Program to support important initiatives overseas.
Our Year 6 Religious Education team is currently organising a special prayer and range of activities to celebrate this special day.
Sadly still no more classes earning a Gold Star, we need to try to remember our Library bags each fortnight. Please keep in mind that we need Library Bags on Sport day– a good clue!
This week:
Thursday – Year 2
Friday – Year 4
NEXT WEEK:
Tuesday – Year 6
Wednesday – Kinder
Thursday – Year 1
Digital Citizenship and Cyber Safety - All classes are learning about these important topics in our Library lessons, it is important for parents to continue discussions at home. The Australian Government has a website worth exploring:
https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents
Premiers' Reading Challenge - User names and passwords for login will be sent out as soon as we get them – please be patient, we will get to it as soon as we can. While you are waiting you can still be reading the required books, and keep a list of the books read. Just remember to look online or for the correctly-marked books either in our Library or in the Eagle Vale or Campbelltown libraries. If the students are reading books from home, you can check to see if those titles are on the list. If not, each participant is allowed five free-choice books.
https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/booklist/home.html
Scholastic Book Club - The brochure is going home this week for Issue 2, orders will close on Friday 19 March, which gives you plenty of time to browse the catalogue to find the reading bargains! Remember all ordering is done online through LOOP – check the back of the brochure for details. The school receives reward points for all items sold, which enables us to buy more books for the Library, so we thank you for your support.
Daily reading - Don’t forget to try to make time to read with your children for at least ten minutes a day – 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."
Jacqueline Kennedy
Happy reading!
Mrs Susan Bryant - Teacher Librarian
WEST REGION SWIMMING CARNIVAL
On Wednesday 3 March the school’s swim team travelled to the Gordon Fetterplace pool at Bradbury to compete in the CEDow Primary West Region Swimming Carnival. Our school had 16 competitors swimming in events from the under 9s through to the opens. All our students competed with enthusiasm and spirit in representing Mary Immaculate. We all should be very proud of their efforts. Special mentions go to the Girl’s Senior Relay Team consisting of Sophie R, Leila C, Caitin R and Summer B who qualified for the Wollongong Diocesan Swim Trials. Leila, Caitlin, Summer and Jack also qualified for individual events. Congratulations to Leila for winning 3rd place Champion Girl Senior Division and Jack for winning 2nd Place Champion Boy Senior Division.
Mary Immaculate Swim Team
Ryan S, Denzel T, Lillian J, Akansha C, Noah G, Lincoln T, Lily R, Eve S, Petar S, Joseph I, Summer B, Caitlin R, Jack B, Brayden D, Leila C, Sophie R
Wollongong Diocesan Swimming Trials 8 March
Congratulations to Jack B for making the Wollongong Swim Team in the 50m Backstroke event. Jack will now represent Wollongong at the MacKillop Swim Trials at Homebush on 22 March. Good Luck Jack !