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We offer You thanks for our learning, our health and for our families. As we come to the mid way point of the year, we pray for our safety and our families during the school holidays. May we all find rest and opportunities to deepen our relationship with self, others and most importantly, Jesus our Lord.
Amen
HI EVERYONE
We have reached the end of a very busy term, for families and schools. First of all, congratulations for your work as parents and carers in managing such extreme circumstances. We have been working together like never before and we appreciate this. To our staff, who have also worked tirelessly to move from the end of Term 1 into Blended Learning in Term 2 and now into what may be a return to more “normal” conditions in Term 3.
There will be an update emailed to you through the holidays on those things that will be different in Term 3, as I know many are waiting on what this means for volunteers, events etc. We appreciate your assistance across the term with the unknown and changes that have been necessary.
For now, please accept our best wishes for a holiday period where there is hopefully some rest for students and families.
We will return to school on Monday 20th July, having postponed our Staff Development Day to later in the year. We will give details of this as soon as possible.
A couple of reminders for next term:
APPLICATIONS FOR EXTENDED LEAVE (TRAVEL OR HOLIDAY)
A change for applying for extended leave has been given to schools, which is now in effect. These decisions are not of our school and we are required to inform you of them. Previously, parents or carers were required to complete a form for the absence due to travel or holiday from 10 or more days. Now we are required to let you know that this is 3 or more days. Here is an excerpt from the document for your information:
From time to time parents/caregivers may approach the school to seek permission for their child to travel during school term for periods of time. From the beginning of 2015, family holidays and travel are no longer considered under the Exemption from School Procedures and therefore as a general rule, Principals should not approve leave for this purpose. Parents should be advised of this and if they choose to proceed, the absence should be recorded as Unjustified Leave and a Notification of Extended Leave Form A4 should be completed when the leave is for 3 or more days. Travel outside of vacation period is now counted as an absence for statistical purposes.
ABSENCE DUE TO ILLNESS/MEDICAL
If a student is absent for more than 3 days due to illness/medical, they are requested to provide a medical certificate which states that they are unable to return to school due to an ongoing medical condition. If a student is absent for more than 3 days without a medical certificate, this will be recorded as an unjustified absence and followed up by the school in line with normal practice.
WINTER UNIFORMS
- All students will be expected to be in their full winter school uniforms to start Term 3. Please ensure all items are correct. Notes will come home in Term 3 with requests should there still be uniforms that are not correct.
We look forward to welcoming everyone back in Term 3.
Tess Koning
Principal
As Lismore Diocese Catholic Schools prepare to acknowledge NAIDOC we are invited to embrace the true history of this country – a history which dates back thousands of generations. This beautiful rendition of Geoffrey Gurrumal’s Jesu, sets the scene for our contemplation leading into NAIDOC.
* Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that this presentation may contain the voices, images and words of those that have passed.
INCITARE TEAM
A team of Year 6 students who participated in ‘Incitare’ earlier this year received certificates, prayer coins and badges to recognise the importance of their roles within our school. Incitare means to provoke action. Our Incitare Team are students who are inspired to live out the Catholic ethos within our school which includes raising awareness and responding to the need for social justice.
MINNIE VINNIES TEAM
Our Assembly this week was zoomed live for all classes to participate at the same time and was led by our students who make up our ‘Minnie Vinnies’ Team. These students were recognised today for their leadership to make a difference within our school and local community. We encourage them in their roles to make a difference, big or small, and bring a little of God’s love to our world through their action.
MASS AT CHRIST THE KING CHAPEL
If you would like to attend Mass at Christ the King Chapel (at the top of Boronia Street) during the week or on the weekend, please contact the Presbytery on 6583 1024 to register so they can record your contact details as required by the Government’s COVID guidelines.
Visit the Parish website for Mass times.
Nathan Porter
Assistant Principal Mission
THANK YOU for a very different Term 2. Your support and patience as we journeyed through this unprecedented time was much appreciated. We are very much looking forward to welcoming you all back in Term 3. It has been so exciting watching our school community come together during this time and supporting our students as they returned to full time face to face school. This week we have experienced Museum Expos, Mini Athletics, Writing Expos, Fairy Tale day, Movie celebrations, Code Breakers and Kahootz quizzes. What a way to end the term!
HOLIDAY SAFETY
When you are traveling these holidays please remember to stay safe. This week teachers have been revisiting key messages around pedestrian safety, car and bus passenger safety and safety on wheels. The following resource may be useful in revisiting these messages further with your children www.safetytown.com.au
TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT PLAN
A traffic management plan (TMP) is a tool for our school community to document and communicate the way in which students and staff can travel to and from school. Please access the below link to view the updated travel management plan which identifies safety and parking concerns, safe crossing of roads and illegal parking and stopping outside school grounds. https://sjpport.
Thank you for your continued support in keeping our students safe during drop off and pick up times.
Jeannine Ucdereli
Assistant Principal Learning and Teaching
FAIRY TALES COME ALIVE
Once upon a time there were some clever Year 2 students who immersed themselves in fairy tale stories. They dressed up as their favourite fairy tale characters and built incredible fairy tale castles out of recyclable materials. They enjoyed playing fairy tale trivia, as well as reading and sharing their fairy tale writing with their Year 4 friends. What a magical day and they all lived happily ever after.
Leah Toole and Ro Saunders
Year 2 Teachers
NEW LEADER OF SPORT
Mrs Leah Toole will be taking over as our Leader of Sport for Terms 3 and 4 while Ms Hatherly is on maternity leave. Please welcome Mrs Toole to this role as we look forward to working with her on all things sport for the remainder of the year.
MINI ATHLETICS FUN AFTERNOON
Kinder and Year 1 had a spectacular time on Thursday with their Mini Athletics afternoon led by the Year 6 House Captains. Students competed in ball games, sack races, relays, egg and spoon and 100m sprints while being cheered on by their teammates.
ATHLETICS SELECTION RESULTS
Congratulations to Years 2-6 who competed in a very different Athletics event last week. We will announce the winning house plus age champions next term once the 800m and 1500m races are able to be held at Dixie Park.
Yours in Sport
Laura Hatherly
Mindfulness seems to be a bit of a trend word that we see and hear a lot in relation to the current COVID19 pandemic and how we can help our emotional wellbeing. What is it exactly? How do I do it? Does it work?
Mindfulness is the process in which we are fully present in a moment in time and engaged in what we are doing.
We still our minds and we notice how we are feeling without any judgement - just acknowledgment.
There are many ways that mindfulness can be practiced by both kids and adults.
- At the beach you might stop, sit and feel the sand in between your toes - notice if it is damp or dry; fine or coarse; sticking to your skin or easy to fall off; darker grains or lighter ones. Can you feel the pieces of shell that make up the sand?
- At home you can do some mindful colouring. The focus needed for children and adults alike to stay between the lines, colour in the same direction and choose the perfect shade is huge - and a wonderful way to be mindful - present in the moment and pay attention only to colouring.
- Eating mindfully might be a good way to help the kids slow down when they are ingesting a whole punnet of strawberries in one sitting. Notice the colours of the strawberry - as it has varying shades of red; feel the strawberry - it can be furry, smooth or bumpy; the smell and finally the taste. Really take your time to notice these things and when you have finished eating it - get the kids to tell you what they felt, smelled and tasted.
- A simple thing can even be to get the kids to play their favourite song (headphones could be needed here) and tell them to really pay attention to the words or even a particular instrument. I recently tried this with one of my favourite Powderfinger songs (Already Gone) and noticed how much the drums actually feature.
- Mindfulness meditation can also be practiced using the Smiling Mind app which can be catered to particular age groups.
The benefits of mindfulness are being studied all the time and so far they include:
- Lower stress levels
- Better concentration in all activities
- Improvement in academic performance
- Improved decision making
- Greater feeling of connecting with others
Raising Children Website Mindfulness
Wishing you all a calm and relaxing break.
Kelly Russell
School Counsellor
Lifeline - 131114 - 24 hour crisis line
Mental Health Access Line - 1800 011 511 - 24 hour triage line from NSW Health - available for carers as well as people with a mental health issue to access the best service for them.
Kids Helpline - 1800 55 1800 - free, private and confidential 24 hour phone and online counselling service for young people aged 5 to 25.
As the school holidays approach, it is important to remember the following road safety guidelines:
For further information please click on the following links:
https://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/stayingsafe/children/index.html
Have a safe holiday break.
Mrs Laura Stapleton
Road Safety Teacher
The girls were all given a cup and some potting mix and propagated their own little succulent gardens.
The girls showed lots of interest in not only caring for their succulents when they went home, but also about the design of their little garden, the types of succulents we had in the school and the pattern they wanted to place on their pots.
It was great to see so many smiles and so much engagement in the garden club.
Looking forward to seeing you all again next term.
MENU
A new canteen menu will be available early in Term 3.
LUNCH ORDERS
The canteen is operating as usual and lunch orders can be placed via Flexischools or by dropping them in the basket on the counter each morning.
VOLUNTEER NOTICE
We are still unable to have volunteers in the canteen at this stage until further notice.
Don't forget you can order online by 8:30am- it's so easy!!
- 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
Kim Goldie
Canteen Coordinator
Virtual Joey's Got Talent
Our students and teachers have voted and we have two winners in Primary and two winners in Infants.
Congratulations to:
Matilda Beresford (4B) and Maya Marshall (3D) - Primary
Tyler Mat (1B) and Braxton Beresford (KM) - Infants
Yours in Creative and Performing Arts
Leah Toole
Saints Youth Drama with Mrs Sandra Thompson will resume in Term 3 in the Hall.
Kindergarten-Year 3 classes are Tuesdays (3:15pm - 5:00pm)
Year 4-6 classes are Wednesdays
(3:15pm - 5:00pm)
Students who are already enrolled for 2020 will still have their place in the class. If you would like further information or you wish to enrol your child, please call Sandra on 0408 810 705.
Don't forget bank day is Tuesday!
School Banking Co-ordinator
PBS: POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR SCHOOL
Our focus this week is, ‘I am a Learner’. This means being school-ready to maximise our learning. Our goal for each day is:
- A healthy amount of sleep
- Making healthy choices in diet
- Being organised with our belongings and uniform
- Being ready for school in mind, body and spirit
- Being in a calm state that is ready for learning
REWARD PLAY
Our school is made up of students who make positive behavioural choices every minute of every day no matter the situation thrown at them. Our SRC Team and the teachers have introduced reward play as a way to acknowledge students who continually make positive choices and demonstrate exemplary behaviour.
KM | Evie Ervine | Grace Gluckstern-Hill | Elijah Van den Boom |
KS | Kathleen Yewdall | Oscar McHugh | Oliver Godwin |
1B | Isla Grant | Brayden Johnson | Marco Grech |
1R | Toby Hamilton | Flynn Watts | Bronte Woods |
2S | Rhys Cutler | Lenny Dixon | Jack Slater |
2T | Jazmine Taylor | Layla Porter | Jack Armitage |
3BH | Blake Herbert | Dakota Simpson | Emmett Van Den Boom |
3D | Misty-Lee Bennett | Maya Marshall | Ryder Monckton |
4B | Mia Howell | Samuel Cummins | Mia Basanovic |
4F | Asia Stienhour | Jaskaran Saini | Millahni Moore |
Chelsea Meehan | |||
5G | Matthew Kelly | Jhett Moore | Whole Class |
5H | Charlee Webber | Isaac Angland | Cooper Preston |
6H | Noah Davey | Grace Chuwen | Jack Banks |
6MH | Ella Everingham | Kiara Tattersall | Cruz Rebecchi |
Week 1 - Term 3 2020 |
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IMPORTANT UPDATE TO STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAYS 2020
The Staff Development Day that was scheduled for Monday 20th July (Term 3, Week 1) has been cancelled and will be rescheduled at a later date to be advised. Students are to attend school as usual on this day.
Our other planned Staff Development Day (pupil free) is:
- Monday 12th October (Term 4, Week 1)
Due to circumstances around COVID-19, this date may change.
Limited child minding places will be available and we will advise on how to register closer to the date if you require it.
Week 2 - Term 3 2020 |
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Monday |
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Tuesday |
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Wednesday |
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Thursday |
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Friday |
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Week 3 - Term 3 2020 |
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Monday |
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Tuesday |
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Wednesday |
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Thursday |
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Friday |
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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 school term dates are located on our website. Click on the words “TERM DATES” on the home page.
Kinder Holiday Reading Challenge
Parent_Teacher interviews
School_Photo_Day.pdf
Staffing Changes for Term 3 - Parent Note
Year 5 2020 PDH Sensitive Issues_Growth and Development
FAB FUN DAYS with SOUL SURFING!
Running all our usual surf lessons in our stunning waters these holidays (yes warm wetsuits are included). Adding in some special days for just the kids (and they come home chilled and smiling).
Fab Fun Days 9am-3pm Wednesday 8th July and Friday 10th July.
$65 p/child for the day.
Includes surf lessons, creative play, projects, activities and games.
For more info or to book your child's place, contact Corey on 0428480266 or email corey@soulsurfing.com.au
July Holiday Program Is Back!
The Program will run from the 6th – 17th July (excluding weekends)
Times: 8.30am-5:00pm
Cost: $30 per child
For all other information and requirements please go to our webpage www.portstadium.com.au where you can find the registration form.
Alternatively you can click on the link below.