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- General Information
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- School Banking Update
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- Changes to School Bus Numbers
- What's On Next Week ...
- Advance Dates for Your Diary
- This Week's Notes
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With only two weeks to go of school for 2021, we are so proud of the way in which our students continue to do their best and extend their learning. I had the great pleasure this week of some visits from Year 1 and Year 4 students whose teachers were so proud of the work they were producing, that they couldn’t wait to share it with me! Also with only two weeks to go, our students are reminded of our school expectations to see us all through to the end of the year, knowing that they are getting tired.
P&F Colour Explosion
You will have received this week the information for our planned Colour Explosion next week. We thank our P&F Committee and the other parent helpers who have made this possible and look forward to the enjoyment and excitement next week. Please ensure you have read the note so that your child is prepared for the day.
Sport Captains 2022 Announcement
Over the past few weeks, we have been working through our School Leaders process for 2022. Last week, our candidates nominated for Sports Captains were able to speak to their Sports Colour Houses and votes were completed, in the same way as our SRC previously.
We are pleased to be able to announce our Sports Captains for 2022 are:
Hastings: Rocco Robinson and Isabella Hawkins
Oxley: Maddyx Gray and Mia Basanovic
Macquarie: Billy Stapleton and Isabelle Moane
Mitchell: Baxter Matthews and Amelie Obeid
We thank Mr Lynch and Mrs Stephens for their work in the process of leadership positions, and families who supported their children to step up and take this opportunity. This is a good time to also remind students that they will all be leaders in various ways across Year 6, and we know they will support each other and their school.
Blessing of Memorial Garden
This afternoon we will be having a Blessing Ceremony for our Memorial Garden, remembering in a special way Mrs Saunders. We are not able to have our school community join us at this time, but will welcome her family and close friends for this occasion. We will share next week with you the finished garden and look forward to inviting families in to spend time in this special space when restrictions ease in 2022.
Star of the Year Award
Our ‘Star of the Year’ award in honour of Mrs Saunders will be given for the first time next week in our Thanksgiving Prayer Service. One child from each class will receive this award and we look forward to sharing this great news with you next week. Once again, we hope that next year will bring our community back into the school to share in these wonderful celebrations.
Celebrating Our Faith
Prayer
Advent
We have entered the season of Advent, which is a time of waiting and preparing for Christmas and the coming of Jesus. One of the beautiful symbols of this is the Advent Wreath. Here is a handy explanation of this tradition of our Church. You may like to do this at home.
Learning Together
MAI Interviews
MAI - Maths Assessment Interview - What is it?
The Maths Assessment Interview (MAI) is an assessment which is undertaken by each individual student prior to the commencement of Term 1 and focuses on four main areas of Mathematics- Counting, Place Value, Addition/Subtraction and Multiplication/Division. It is designed to provide the teacher with valuable data which is then used to guide our teaching. This information is entered into a database which allows us to track the progress of each student and target learning experiences at their point of need.
Our aim is to provide engaging learning experiences which help students develop a conceptual understanding of numbers ie. understanding that each ‘number’ consists of a numeral/symbol (eg.7), a name (eg. seven) and a quantity (eg. ///////). Many children learn to count rote (just like learning the words to a song). The problem with this is that they may not develop an understanding of the number concepts. They will often not be able to give the number before or after, or understand the concepts of ‘more/less than’, and will experience difficulty grasping addition, subtraction, multiplication and division skills without this foundational knowledge.
Please remember to book your MAI Interview for your child using the following link www.schoolinterviews.com.au and entering Event Code 4hhdw by Wednesday 15th December 2021.
Road Safety During the Holidays
During the school holidays remind your children of key road safety messages. Help them to regularly practice their road safety skills whenever you are out and about. Check out these learning resources on Safety Town.
KBC | Eliza Steadman | Nicholas Latimore | Nakuya Gatonye |
KSC | Ayla Pipes | Isabella Hoang | Malakai Enriquez |
1R | Emerence Young | Lexie Lynch | Harvey Porter |
3H | Sunny Stapleton | Jack Slater | Makayla Johnson |
4MG | Cooper Bell | Blake Herbert | Liam Jones |
5S | Matilda Beresford | Miley Ashcroft | Joseph Hunt |
6B | Jhett Moore | Ivy Basanovic | Tiarna Flack |
Eva Francis |
Student Absences
Currently we are experiencing issues with the school not receiving SMS replies relating to student absences. To assist with this problem, please record a student absence by submitting it either via the school website, Schoolzine App (SZapp), phoning the school on 6583 3848 or sending an email to sjpport@lism.catholic.edu.au before 9:00am.
Student Medical Appointments and Early Departure
We strongly encourage parents to organise medical appointments outside of school hours (Start 8:55am and Finish 3:10pm) but are conscious that this is not always possible. For your convenience if you have to make a medical appointment for your child during school time please be aware of our breaks for your planning as there will be a delay in getting your child to the office if they are out at lunch play:
Lunch 1 is at 11:00am - 11:40am
Lunch 2 is at 1:40pm - 2:10pm
Hometime messages
If there is a change to your child's hometime travel arrangements please let your child know before they leave the house or write a note to your child's teacher. Some parents also write a "H" (homelines) or a "B" (buslines) on their child's hand. We understand that plans may change during the day and ask that you phone the office Aunties on 6583 3848 between the hours of 8:30am and 2:30pm. This enables us to ensure that your child gets the message in a timely manner. Please DO NOT email the school or message your child's teacher directly as it may not be seen in the timeframe you require. If an emergency occurs or there is a late change to your child's home time plan we will do everything we can to get the message to your child after 2:30pm. Please be aware that a warning school bell sounds at 3:00pm for classes to prepare to leave the class for hometime at 3:10pm which makes it difficult to guarantee that a message will get to your child.
New uniform items will be available for sale from when the Uniform Store opens for January trading on 4th January 2022.
- Lay-by is available prior to that time:
- Sizing can be gauged using the existing uniform items.
- The lay-by will be set up and a deposit taken.
- Progress payments can be made.
- Lay-by can be collected in January.
- Sizing will be checked at the time of collection and adjusted if required.
The last day for School Banking is next Tuesday 7th December.
Due to recent decisions by some state and territory governments and because of a review by the corporate regulator, Banks are unable to provide programs in schools any longer. This means that we are unable to continue providing School Banking to our students.
Even though the CommBank School Banking program will not be returning, you can continue to make deposits into your child’s Youthsaver account through online transfers or at any Commonwealth bank branch. Thank you to all the students that have participated in this program.
VOLUNTEERS FOR 2022
At this stage it looks like it will be possible to have volunteers back in the Canteen on a more permanent basis from the beginning of next year. I am looking forward to welcoming new helpers and seeing those of you who have been in to help before again, it has been too long!
If you would like to come in to help, could you please fill in the form below and I will be in touch with you soon to organise a roster for next year. The children love seeing your familiar faces behind the counter of the Canteen too.
The jobs you would be helping with are simple tasks and I will always be here to help you. If you would like to help with another parent/carer who you are friendly with, please let me know that in the comments. The more the merrier!
Click here for Volunteers Form
End of year orders
As we get closer to the end of the year, I will be running down stock levels on some items. You may find that when you go to place your order in Flexischools that some items will be unavailable but I do update the Flexi system daily so it is the best way to know what you can choose from and what is available to order.
I have also placed limits on some items on Fridays as it is my busiest day and I simply can not fit any more items in the ovens. This might mean that if you leave ordering to the last minute that you miss out on your first preference and will need to select a different item so please order early to avoid disappointment.
LUNCH ORDERS
Canteen lunch orders can be placed via Flexischools or by dropping them in the basket on the counter each morning.
Flexischools is our preferred method for submitting lunch orders.
Reminder - Cutoff time for online orders is 8:30am
- Download the Flexischools app from the App Store or from Google Play.
Note: for iPhone and iPad please select ‘Allow’ notification - Click “Register Now” to create account
- Top-up your balance
- Start ordering immediately
- Alternatively Go to www.flexischools.com.au or you can find the link on the school website.
Don’t forget you can place your online orders days or even weeks in advance, making the morning rush even easier!
Kim Goldie
Canteen Coodinator
For those children who catch school buses to or from school, from 30th November 2021 all school buses will have new route numbers to become part of a state-wide standardised program. These changes include bus routes for Port Macquarie, Laurieton, Wauchope and Kempsey regions.
New school bus route numbers will start with ‘S’ (for school bus), followed by a three-digit route number. For example, S100.
To find the new route number of your school bus:
- see the attached list of bus route number changes;
- check the Busways website at busways.com.au/portmacquarie; or
- contact Busways on 02 6583 2499.
For more information on school bus services, visit transportnsw.info.
Week 10 - Term 4 2021 |
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Week 11 - Term 4 2021 |
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Week 1 - Term 1 2022 |
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Week 2 - Term 1 2022 |
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Please note these dates can change from time to time due to unforeseen circumstances and we will endeavour to advise you of any changes at the earliest possible opportunity. Our school Google calendar can be accessed via this link for additional advanced dates -
For your convenience 2021 school term dates are listed below. They are also located on our website. Click on the words “TERM DATES” on the home page.
TERM 4
Kindergarten to Year 6 last day of classes from Term 4 - Wednesday 15th December 2021
Other Holidays in 2021
Christmas Day - Saturday 25th December 2021
Boxing Day - Sunday 26th December 2021
Student Semester 2 School Reports Published
Year 5 Leadership Retreat 2021 - Reminders
Use of Digital Technologies Policy and Agreements - Parent letter and agreements
Seesaw for Schools (Kinder to Year 2 2022) - acknowledgement, agreement and permission
School Stoney Aqua Park and Action Park Waiver Final
Event Day Details and Program - Colour Explosion Fun Run 2021
Graduation Practice and Year 6 End of Year Fun Day
2022 MAI online interview booking information (Kinder - Year 5)
Year 4 PG Permission Note 2021