Welcome Little Ants DIARY DATES. TERM 3 Week 3. Week 4. Monday 6th August Little Investigators Playgroup 9-11am

Transcription

1 1 Castle Street Edwardstown SA 5039 Tel: Fax: Website: No.10 Term 3 Week 2 3rd August 2018 DIARY DATES TERM 3 Week 3 Monday 6th August Little Investigators Playgroup 9-11am Wednesday 8th August Feast of St Mary MacKillop Year 4/5 Parish Mass 9.30am 4/5 Assembly 2.30pm Welcome Little Ants Thursday 9th August CROSS COUNTRY CARNIVAL 8.50am- 1pm - PAC Oval Friday 10th August Hutt Street Walk 7am Little Ants 9am-12pm Week 4 Monday 13th August PUPIL FREE DAY Tuesday 14th August Finance and Board Meeting 6.30pm Wednesday 15th August Feast of the Assumption Whole School Mass 9.30am Thursday 16th August Yr 6 Class Information Night 7pm Friday 17th August Little Ants 9am-12pm

2 Page 2 Dear families and friends, Tess Talks We ll we ve been at school two weeks and the sky has been grey for many of them, yet our school community has been bright and warming. It s been wonderful to talk with children and families about their holiday adventures and activities. I spent some time in Sydney with my brother and his family. Hugh my 9 year old nephew told me I as a good role model for him. That all hinged around me being about to help him make a mini cake entirely out of a block of chocolate. I m hopeful over time he might see some of my other strengths and life supporting behaviours, I m not sure I want to be remembered as the aunty who is good with chocolate!! You will notice Play is the Way posters appearing in the yard, they are already in classrooms. This is a Social Emotional Learning program that staff have trained in. It works on the premise that social skills and appropriate emotional responses can be taught through play you knew that, right! The five statements are simple, and as a school we are going to use these to support children to understand how life works a little more deeply, to know there are disappointments and to fill their tool kit with ways to react when things don t go their way. Life can be tough and navigating your way through takes energy and explicit lessons. Knowing the language we are using could support you in your parenting, if you want to know more don t hesitate to ask class teachers. The 5 statements are: Treat others as you would like them to treat you Pursue your personal best no matter who you work with Have reasons for the things you say and do It takes great strength to be sensible Be brave participate to progress For me my term three working world typically is frantic. Not only do I have my feet firmly planted in term three and the day to day of school life but I also have to begin planning for It is this term where we look at classes, budgets and the further development of our strategic plan. That also includes looking at our children, learning outcomes and professional learning plans for staff to support those outcomes. And of course a complication is, that we don t know our government funding, and we can t plan exactly how 2019 will be until this year is almost over. What I can confidently tell you, is that, as a staff we will continue to focus on the present and work on the future. By now you will have received a letter and link regarding my Year 2 Appraisal. A condition of my employment is that I have a 360 review this year to affirm my service, understand more deeply the community and to help me develop my goals for the year/s to come. I would encourage you to complete the survey as the more data that can be gathered the more real the report I will receive. Although it is a confronting exercise, to openly ask people to share their thoughts, concerns or dislikes I do believe, with the right information it is a great reflective tool. And ultimately develops my leadership. This is an anonymous and independently facilitated survey if you have any questions please talk with Mary Wilks. All Principals have a Principal Consultant (PC) through Catholic Education South Australia, Mark Corrigan is my PC and therefore running this process. Please do contribute to the feedback. We have two parent meetings coming up soon. Year 6 in 2019 is specifically designed for families of children going into Year 6 at St Anthony s next year. Although the majority of schools are currently Reception Year 7, having Year 6 in primary school is new to our families and we want to present to you how Year 6 can be in primary school and the preparations we are making for next year. This meeting will be on Thursday 16 August from pm. All families are welcome to join us. On Thursday 30 August there will be a parent session led by Mark Le Messurier. He is a counsellor, mentor, educator and parent coach who has exceptional knowledge and is entertaining to listen to. I have had many conversations with families over the past 18 months around children s inability to deal with disappointment, regulate their behaviours or just accept that they are a child and don t get to make all the decisions! Mark will present a session that looks at children and parenting plus how as a community we can all support one another. There s a saying that says it takes a village to raise a child, I believe that, aside from the obvious meaning of this, if we have a community where we are all on the same page or singing from the same hymn book or playing for the same team then our children live in a secure and consistent environment. This makes it easier for them to know and live our expectations. I urge all parents to attend, please see the flier for more details and contact the front office to register.

3 Page 23 Tess Talks (contd) I m not really a football follower and don t get too caught up in who is on top of the ladder but I am aware that we are getting nearer the end of the season. I do hope your team is making you proud or at the very least giving you some +entertainment and something to talk about! I m more of a coffee fan myself and there s nothing better than going to a café on a Saturday afternoon and being able to get a seat and read the paper in peace! Keep smiling, Tess SECOND YEAR APPRAISAL FOR TESS HARFORD All families are invited to complete an online questionnaire which is also available via the below link: Please take a moment to complete the questionnaire as your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

4 Page 54 What is God s Dream for our World? Religious Identity And Mission This term classes will be exploring the wondering question What is God s Dream for the World? and then they will be invited to consider how they can contribute to this dream. Christians believe the best way we have of understanding God s dream is to look at the life and teachings of Jesus revealed in Scripture and through the example of those who follow him in our time and place. In our Catholic community we look to Jesus life of love for all people, his concern for those most in need, his offer of friendship to those on the margins, his healing presence brought about by love and his limitless forgiveness to those who made mistakes. Jesus challenged the religious hierarchy in his time and place who used power and prestige to burden people. Jesus stood in solidarity and love with those who were lonely, frightened, sad, sick and abused. He worked for justice to ensure all people had what they needed to live a full life. Parents are encouraged to talk with their children about what kind of world you want your children to grow up in perhaps the world we want for our children is the world God desires for us? Social Justice in Term 3 Jesus said Whatever you do for the least of my brothers and sisters, you do for me! As a Catholic school, our commitment to social justice causes comes out of a firm conviction that the love of God is most fully expressed when we love and care for people in need. This term we will the money raised through recess canteen sales will go to one of the organisations supported by Catholic Charities in the Adelaide diocese. The Social Justice leaders will decide today that they would like to support Catherine House a service that helps women who find themselves in difficult situations. You might like to have a look yourself with your children at this and the other groups that are supported by Catholic Charities. Thank you to our Social Justice leaders (Kimi, Ivy, Elena, India and Jorja) and a number of other students who are helping us to build that world that God desires. Made in The Image of God Programme At St Anthony s we believe that humans are made in the image of God and are deserving of the utmost dignity and honour. We uphold the belief that human sexuality, integral to the human person, is a gift from God through which we can live out our vocation to love. We recognise that parents have a right and responsibility to educate their children in human sexuality and that it is the role of the school to support parents in this area. We highly value our partnerships with parents and are committed to strengthening and enriching these partnerships. MITIOG (Made in The Image of God) is the official program for Human Sexuality education in South Australian Catholic Schools. It incorporates a sequential curriculum based on Catholic moral teaching. The curriculum is organised into four strands, which explore essential aspects of the human person. The Being Human, Being Connected and Being Moral strands of this programme are woven into the RE programme offered across the year. Later this term all classes will participate in the Being Sexual strand. Your child s classroom teacher will advise in a letter of the weeks it will be taught. An outline of the key outcomes and experiences offered for your child s year level will be attached to this letter. You can find more information about the program at this link: Parents with any questions or concerns about the program are encouraged to discuss these with the class teacher, Sam Baxter (MITIOG Key Teacher), Tess or myself

5 Page 5 Religious Identity And Mission (Contd) Special People - Special Days This term there are a number of special feast days celebrated in the Catholic Church community. Feast days are the way that the Church remembers special people, who in various ways throughout history, have revealed something of what it means to follow Jesus and to live a life of love. As always families are welcome to attend the following Masses: Week 3: Wed Aug 8th Feast of St Mary MacKillop of the Cross 9:30am Yr 4/5 will attend Parish Mass We will also have a Community Prayer during assembly to remember Australia s first saint. Week 4: Wed Aug 15th Feast of the Assumption of Mary 9:30 Whole School Parish Mass Week 7: -Wed Sept 5th - Feast of St Teresa of Calcutta 9:30 Yr 4/5 will attend Parish Mass A Father s Day Community Prayer will be held on Fri Aug 31st at 9am (more info to follow) Sacrament Celebrations If your child/children have celebrated, or are preparing to celebrate Confirmation and First Communion in the Faith Communities and Parishes with which your family is connected please let us know!!! We would love to highlight this important event in their lives in classrooms, at liturgies and/or assemblies. Robyn Mercer Assistant Principal Religious Identity and Mission Congratulations to Sienna M and Elena P for sitting their piano exams during the school holidays at the Adelaide University. They both played bravely and beautifully to achieve their certificates. Samara Gill (Piano Tutor)

6 Page 56 PUPIL FREE DAY Monday 13th August If any families require OSHC for the day please book in via the front office. They will be having a Monday Mania Movies and Dominos Pizza Lunch Day!

7 Page 57 Save the date Monday 3rd September for our Amazing School Concert "Big screen, Small screen" The children are working hard, singing and dancing in preparation for the glittering night. BOOK WEEK CASUAL DAY This year due to the upcoming School Concert we will not be holding a Dress Up Parade during Book Week. The 2018 Theme is Find your Treasure we will instead be having a Casual Day & bring a Treasure to school. More details to come.

8 Page 58 Music Tuition Semester 2 enrolments are now open for guitar, bass guitar and ukulele lessons at St. Anthony's. For further enquiries ask at the front desk or contact Simon at sh462@iinet.net.au.

9 Page 9