Newsletter Term 3 Week 2 2014 - St Michael`s Primary, Blacktown

St Michael’s Primary School
Blacktown South
NEWSLETTER
Upcoming Events:
2014 - TERM 3
From the Principal
JULY
Fri
25th
Year 5—Bathurst
Excursion
Mon
28th
P & F Executive
Meeting—3.45pm
Tues
29th
ICAS—English
AUGUST
Wed
6th
Book Week Performance—Infants
9.45am & 11.30am
Thurs
7th
Year 6—Canberra
Excursion
Fri
8th
Year 6—Canberra
Excursion
Tues
12th
Blacktown Zone
Athletics Carnival
ICAS—
Mathematics
Wed
13th
Voice of Youth—
Final
P & F Meeting—
6.30pm
Fri
15th
22nd July 2014
2014 - ISSUE 10
Year 4 Excursion to
Elizabeth Farm
Kindergarten
Excursion to
Taronga Zoo
Year 3 Excursion to
Lessons Afloat
St Michael’s Church
Orwell Street
Blacktown South
MASS Times: Sat. Vigil - 6.00pm
Sun, 8am, 9.30am, 6pm
Weekdays: 8am
Wednesday Evenings - 7.30pm
1st Friday 7.30pm
Phone: 9622 9149
stmichaelsparish.com
155 Reservoir Road
Blacktown South 2148
Ph: 9622 9910
Fax: 9622 6902
Website:
www.stmichaelsblacktown.catholic.edu.au
Email:
stmichaelsblktn@parra.catholic.edu.au
Dear Parents and Friends,
Please note there will be stop work meeting tomorrow (WEDNESDAY, 23rd
July 2014) for three hours from 8.30am. We do not expect any interruption
to school attendance and supervision will be provide.
STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAY—Friday, 29th August 2014
This is a pupil free day
Last week, all members of our teaching team spent time appraising and revising 2014 Goals.
Our Implementation Plan Goals are instrumental in determining our Professional Learning in a
given year.
In Religious Education, we will continue to investigate and gain meaning from the Gospels with
special emphasis being given to the ‘Letters of St. Paul.’ This work will continue to support us
both in our own faith development and in our work with children.
In Mathematics/Numeracy we will continue to develop our understanding and skill in accurately tracking student growth. The maths block teaching sessions are one of our great strengths.
We will continue to examine warm-ups and rich learning tasks supporting student growth.
In English/Literacy our work will continue to support reading and the tracking of reading levels
for all students.
Finally, Assessment is an area requiring all our attention. Over the coming weeks we will be
inviting your thoughts and appraisal (through a survey) of our current method of reporting. In
short we know how important this issue is in ensuring tracking of all students and in building
proactive relationships with all families.
Working with Children
Recently we were required to deal with a student and their family around inappropriate internet use. In speaking to one parent their response was, “Well, who will be held accountable?” In
working with children there needs to be appropriate consequences in place ensuring that all
children grow from any mistake that might be made. The most important issue for adults as
they deal with children’s mistakes is to ‘keep it real.’
In the above case our actions were immediate and calculated. Within a half hour we contacted
all appropriate agencies, systems, and of course, all parents. The most time consuming and
important aspect of our work was ensuring our care for all students affected by this event were
supported.
In any school community children will act inappropriately at some time, they will make errors
of judgement and they will act selfishly. They are, after all, children. As adults our responsibility
will always be to work in partnership, ensuring lessons are learnt and in some cases reconciliation is made.
LOVE ONE ANOTHER
ST MICHAEL’S PRIMARY SCHOOL
Page 2
Supporting our Children
Following the events in Europe and the Middle East our support for our children’s
wellbeing during these tragic times is a priority. Our response at this morning’s prayer was
simple. Through prayer your great children prayed the ‘Peace Prayer’. We prayed our love
for all people affected by war. I encourage you to talk these events through with your
children I suppose this quote says it all:-
“”Every child you pass in the playground, learning spaces and on the
way home has a story that needs to be heard. Maybe you are the one
who is meant to hear it.”
Bethany Hill
“Love One Another”
John Laffan
PRINCIPAL
From the Acting Assistant Principal
ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING
In 2014 one of our key goals focuses around the evaluation of our assessment and reporting practices that we currently undertake at St. Michaels. Our belief is that we would like to make this practice better and more effective. To do this we are
seeking your feedback. Accompanying this newsletter is a short survey that we would like all families to fill in about Assessment and Reporting. Your feedback will assist us in making decisions and planning future directions around this important
area of school life. It is vital that we get your thoughts around this area. Could you please return this survey by Monday 28 th
July.
POLICE LIAISON OFFICER
We welcomed Constable Nathan McDonald from the Blacktown Police Station. Constable McDonald is the Youth Liaison
officer. He came to St. Michael’s today to talk to our Primary students about Cyber Safety.
ICAS TESTS
The International Competitions and Assessments for schools( ICAS) are independent skills-based assessments. These assessments comprise Computer Skills, Science, English, Maths, Spelling and Writing tests.
Congratulations to the following children who have received Merits, Credits, Distinctions and High Distinctions in the Computer Skills and Science tests for 2014.
COMPUTERS
CREDIT
Year 3
Noah Osbourne
Kimberley Quai Hoi
Year 6
Ryan Santa- Maria
MERIT
Year 4
Gerard Abadines
Shanelle Raj
DISTINCTION
Year 3
Cindy Zhao
Year 4
Joshua Pinto
Year 5
Natasha Khan
Tushar Puthran
HIGH DISTINCTION
Year 4
Anthony Emmanuel Siderides
Pavithran Sai Visakeswaran
LOVE ONE ANOTHER
ST MICHAEL’S PRIMARY SCHOOL
Page 3
SCIENCE
CREDIT
Year 3
Briana Mareschi
Gabriel Matocinos
Noah Osbourne
Cindy Zhao
Year 4
Matthias Barrett
Pavithran Sai Visakeswaran
DISTINCTION
Year 4
Joshua Pinto
Anthony Emmanuel Siderides
Best wishes
Tom Crowley
ACTING ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
RE News
The Gospels we have heard and will hear over the next few weeks, contain parables. Jesus told stories about vineyards,
wheat fields, building houses, planting seeds and reaping harvests. The stories Jesus told were about the everyday realities of
peoples’ lives. The imagery He used was drawn from the lived experience of those He taught. Jesus used a style of storytelling
that was popular at the time: parable. A parable is a story with a moral or a lesson. A parable usually involves an extended
metaphor and, at its heart, is teaching the listener about how to live or how to behave.
Another feature of parables is that they can be understood at different levels. At one level, there is the literal meaning of a
parable – what it says is what it is about. At another level, parables have a metaphoric meaning. Jesus makes it clear that only
some people are open to understanding the depth of the message contained within His parables. Some people will only ever
hear the story and never hear the message.
We ask for prayers for the children and their families who have received and who will receive the Eucharist for the first time
over the next few weeks.
Anne Easton
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION COORDINATOR
Sport
Last Friday was our annual Primary Athletics Carnival at Blacktown Sportspark. It was a wonderful day with staff, parents and
students working together to create a great atmosphere of competition for our children. The level of support, encouragement and sportsmanship was outstanding and lead to impressive levels of participation. Results are still being finalized and
will be updated on the schools facebook page over the coming week. A huge thank you to everyone involved on the day. It is
days such as this that remind us of how special the St Michael’s community is.
We would like to congratulate Tobey Lewis on being selected in the MacKillop Touch Football team. What a wonderful
achievement.
Elliott McKimm, Jeff Phillips & Joseph Eid
PE/SPORTS TEACHERS
Office News
Term 3 School Fees
Term Three school fee invoices have been issued and payment is due by 19th August.
If you have not received your invoice please contact the school office.
If you have any concerns regarding payment of school fees please contact Robyn Hoogenvest to make an arrangement.
LOVE ONE ANOTHER
ST MICHAEL’S PRIMARY SCHOOL
Page 4
Library News
Premier’s Reading Challenge
There have been a lot of problems accessing reading records while the organisers updated their website. It seems to be
working for most students now. You will just find a different entry page.
If there is anyone who still cannot login, please let me know, and I will try to reset your passwords.
Congratulations to the following students who have told me they have completed their challenges.
Youanna Mekhail 1R
Aimee Gatt
3C
Damian Lloyd
3C
Moriah Urmeneta 3S
Joachim Tabone
3K
Olivia Fletcher
4D
Ashleigh Southam 5A
Nicholas Ward
5S
Sharon Nogueiro
5S
Book Club
Book Club brochures will go home this week.
Closing date will be Wednesday 30th July.
Please try to pay online (see details on the back of the brochure) and include the receipt number, as this really saves us a lot
of time, and avoids the chance of lost money.
Chess
Last term, two teams participated in the Inter School Chess Competition on Friday afternoons.
Our A Team came first, scoring 23.5 points out of a possible 28, leading the second placed team by 4 points. Well done to Andrew, Eric, Ryan, Lucas and Shaun.
Our B Team came 3rd, scoring 17.5 out of 28 points. While we had some new players in this team, all players did well and
showed improvement over the term. They were only 5.5 points behind the winners. Well done to Caitlyn, Susannah, Ante,
Joshua, Kyle and Jarrod.
Our school competition will take place as usual in Term 4.
Book Week
We will be holding our Book Week celebrations in Week 7 of this Term. The theme for this year is “Connect to Reading”.
There will be a Book Fair from Tuesday 26th til Thursday 28th August.
There will be a Book Character dress-up day on Thursday 28th August.
Leading up to our celebrations, Infants will attend a musical/drama performance on Wednesday 6th August related the Book
Week award books.
More details to follow in the next Newsletter.
Judy Buhagiar
LIBRARIAN
Uniform Shop
Stock Update: We now have stock of the following:
* size 8 and 10 boys long sleeve shirts * size 8 girls long sleeve blouses * Socks—boys and girls * stockings * bomber jackets
The Shop is open Wednesdays from 8:15 until 11 am but orders can be placed on any day, via the office or your child’s
teacher.
Canteen News
Welcome back for Term 3. We are unable to reheat any food sent from home due to WHS Rules.
Please make sure that you put the amount of money on the lunch orders.
We will have ice cream buckets for Term 3 only—$1.20. A new price list will be included in the next newsletter.
Jan Crawford
CANTEEN MANAGER
P & F News
We are now in Term 3 which means the Spring Fair is fast approaching, 12 weeks actually. Thank you to all who donated grocery items for the Spring Fair. Some items donated, used by dates, would have expired by Spring Fair, therefore these items
were donated to St Hedwig’s and St Vincent de Paul. Another big thankyou goes to Storage King who donated 26 large boxes,
which are being used to store the food items.
LOVE ONE ANOTHER
ST MICHAEL’S PRIMARY SCHOOL
Page 5
Coming up: Wednesday, 13th August is the General Meeting for Term 3—ALL are welcome
Remember to add these dates to your diaries if you haven’t already done so.
Father’s Day Stall – Wednesday, 3rd September
Spring Fair – Sunday, 19th October
Cake Stall – A Huge Success
The P&F cake stall on Sat 12th July at Bunnings Seven Hills was a huge success raising $545 for the school. We would like to
thank the following people who so kindly gave up their time to make something for us to sell on the day:
Kristen Gardoll (thanks also for your help on the day)
Liz Fenech (thanks also for your help on the day)
Elizabeth Haim
Maxine Allen
Amanda Williams
Kylie Mazzitelli
Christine Ciccone
Kirrily Wright
Pam Newsome
Patricia Cooper
Joanne O'Callaghan
Susan Perry
P&F President
Catholic Education Office
Terra Sancta College to become St John Paul II Catholic College from Term 1, 2015
In response to feedback from the school community and particularly the Year 12 Students, the timeline for Terra Sancta College for the name change to St John Paul II Catholic College, Nirimba and Schofields will now be Term 1, 2015.
This new date will allow the current Year 12 Students to graduate under the name Terra Sancta College and allow the school
community to prepare for the transition that will see the college maintain its fine heritage and tradition as a basis for 2015
and beyond.
The NSW Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards (BOSTES) has been advised of the new commencement date
and a formal renaming ceremony will be celebrated by Bishop Anthony in first term next year.
Catholic Early Learning Centre
PARKING
Parents are not permitted to park in the reserved CELC parking spaced as they are strictly for the CELC families. Regulations
for the CELC are that they provide a specific number of spaced for the CELC parents or they risk a hefty financial penalty.
SMOKING
Please be advised that there is NO SMOKING alongside the CELC building or in any vicinity of the Catholic Early Learning Centre or School precinct.
ENROLMENTS
The CELC is now taking enrolments for 2015. For further information please visit www.celcblacktownsth.catholic.edu.au
LOVE ONE ANOTHER
ST MICHAEL’S PRIMARY SCHOOL
Page 6
CatholicCare Social Services
CatholicCare Social Services - Diocese of Parramatta (CCSS) aims to serve the community of the Catholic
Diocese of Parramatta by overseeing the provision of high-quality social services operating according to
the principles of Catholic Social Teaching.
SEMINAR – UNDERSTANDING FAMILY LAW
The Solo Parent Ministry will be running our next Seminar on “Understanding Family Law” which will cover information on
how the Family Law act applies to issues related to living arrangements for children and property settlements post separation
or divorce amongst other topics. Date: Tuesday 22nd July, 7.30pm, Venue: Blacktown Cost: $5.00. Bookings essential: Ph: 9933
0205 or Email: soloparentministry@ccss.org.au
SEASONS FOR GROWTH – BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT PROGRAM
CCSS Solo Parent Ministry is running its next Seasons for Growth Program for adults commencing on Tuesday 5th August
2014. This small group Program runs for five consecutive Tuesdays and is open to anyone grieving the death of their spouse
or partner. See Notice Board for Flyer.Venue: CCSS Centre 51-59 Allawah St Blacktown. Date/Time: 5 Tuesdays from
05th August -10.00am – 1.00pm. Cost: $80.00. Information and Registration- Ph. 9933 0205 or
email: soloparentministry@ccss.org.au
Keeping Kids In Mind
A post separation parenting group for parents whose children are experiencing entrenched conflict. Parents attend separate
groups.
Dates
Wednesday Nights
6th Aug - 3rd Sept 2014
6:00pm - 8:30pm
Location
CCSS Parramatta
2A Villiers St Parramatta
Fee
$100 for 5 wk program
consessions available
Dates
Thursday Nights
23rd Oct - 20th Nov 2014
6:00pm - 8:30pm
Location
CCSS Blacktown
51-59 Allawah St, Blacktown
Fee
$100 for 5 wk program
consessions available
You must register for this program, contact 1800 55 46 46 or email enquiries@ccss.org.au
Rollercoasters
For kids whose families are changing. Group activities for children aged 6-11yrs who are experiencing & struggling with Family
separation/parents’ divorce/family changes.
Date
Six consecutive Tuesdays
5th Aug 2014 - 9th Sept 2014
4:00pm - 5:15pm
Location
All Saints Africa Centre
63 Allawah St., Blacktown
Fee
$10.00 Per Session
Date
Six consecutive Tuesdays
22nd October 2014 - 26th Nov 2014
4:00pm - 5:15pm
Location
CatholicCare Parramatta
2A Villiers St., Parramatta
Fee
$10.00 Per Session
You must register for this program, contact Allan on 02 9933 0222 or
email mailto:karolyn.ellis@ccss.org.au
LOVE ONE ANOTHER