Dear families,
As we move into our final week of term, there are just a few important reminders and pieces of information that you need to be aware of.
25th June: Reports sent home
Mid-year reports will be provided online for families this year. Reports will be uploaded next Thursday and then parents will receive an email with instructions explaining how to access them.
26th June: End of term dismissal times
Preps and their siblings: 1.10 pm
Years 1/2 and their siblings: 1.20 pm
Years 3/4 and 5/6: 1.30 pm
13th July: Term 3 commences
We are unsure at this stage if staggered dismissal times will remain in place and if parents will be able to come onto the school playground areas. You will be notified about this as soon as we receive clarification from Catholic Education Melbourne.
20th July (1.45 pm - 8.00 pm) & 21st July (3.45 pm - 5.00 pm): 3 way student conferences
As mentioned in last week’s eNews student / parent / teacher conferences will be conducted remotely early in Term 3. Further details about how to book and access these meetings will be sent home shortly.
My thanks to families who have paid their school fees, and a reminder to others to please ensure that payments are made as soon as possible. I have had a couple of queries from parents in regards to charges for excursions, school camps and Sacraments. At this stage it is hoped that restrictions will be lifted and Years 4 and 6 will be attending their camps and therefore these costs remain in place. I know that parents were notified that the Year 6 camp has been postponed until the end of Term 3.
As for excursions, staff are planning to incorporate a number of these within their next units of work and therefore this money will be expended.
The charge for the Sacrament of Confirmation will be credited against family accounts as we are uncertain as to whether this will be able to occur. This is due both to the In the event that this Sacrament can be celebrated, families will be invoiced accordingly. If parents have already paid their account in full, and this included the cost for Confirmation, you can either maintain a credit balance moving into 2021 or request a refund via email to Katrina Chavarria at bursar@smaltona.catholic.edu.au
At this stage we have not credited accounts for the Sacrament of Reconciliation as it is likely that this will be able to be celebrated later in the year. We will provide you with further information as soon as we are notified of changes in restrictions.
It has been fantastic to see so many children walking and riding to school over the past couple of weeks, and we certainly encourage families to do this.
I do have some concerns, however, that some students are not doing this as safely as they should. Students have been seen riding the wrong way on the road in Railway Street, riding down the middle of the road in surrounding streets and generally not following the appropriate road rules to keep themselves and others safe.
I ask that you talk to your children about the importance of being responsible when riding for their own safety and in consideration of others. No-one wants to see a child be hurt or injured, or someone put in the position of injuring a child through any form of accident.
Regards
Kerin Thorneloe
Already this term in Religious Education so far, we have celebrated Grandparents Day linked to the Feast of Sts Anne and Joachim. The Prep & Yr 1/2 children spent time exploring how special these people are to them. Here are some examples of some of the work submitted by our Year 1/2 classes.
In the middle school, the Year 3/4 students have been exploring how important signs and symbols are as an expression of our Faith. Miss Barnes has provided them with some great activities linking art to Scripture and presenting a detailed Loom video so that all students saw a friendly face during remote learning.
Many of the classes have also been learning about St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, in the lead up to her Feast Day next weekend. The Preps did some wonderful work learning about Mary’s family and the Year 5/6 students went further to create a multigenerational family tree for Mary. Our senior students have also collected a wide array of information about the key dates and events in Mary’s life and used these to create timelines.
We are so very proud of all the work our teachers do to maintain our Faith links during this difficult time. We are also extremely appreciative of all the efforts of our students and families in sharing back many examples of the great work and beautiful experiences they have had as a part of their Education in Faith this term.
Yours in Faith
Matthew Taylor
Religious Education Leader
Rarely - it means that something doesn’t happen often
Adverb
Synonyms: seldom, infrequently, hardly
In the desert, we rarely saw any live plants.
My brother and I rarely played Monopoly together.
What are WOWs?
WOWS, or Words of the Week, are words that will appear every week both in the newsletter and in the display cabinets around the Prep/1 building as a way to help the students at St Mary’s Primary School build their vocabulary.
What we know from research about the importance of a large vocabulary is as follows:
What can we do with the Word of the Week?
It is important to talk about the words of the week with your child. Initially, discuss what the word means and put it in a sentence. Use the word frequently throughout the week – at set times like in the car after school or at the dinner table but also incidentally throughout general conversation where appropriate. When the child has a solid understanding of the word, you can think about other ways to build upon this knowledge and further increase vocabulary by thinking about other words that mean the same thing (synonyms) and words that mean the opposite (antonyms) to the WOW.
Two Tuning in to Teens courses will be running in term 4:
Registrations essential. Learn more over on our webpage: www.hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au/teens