APA News
Welcome Back!
I hope all families were able to have a refreshing holiday in September. I heard Term 4 referred to as ‘fast and furious’ by a teacher last week, and I think it feels pretty fitting! There is a lot of teaching and learning to be done in a short window of time, as well as a number of significant community events that we will celebrate. There can be a danger in the business of ticking off our ‘to do list’ that we lose sight of the wonder and awe of the here and now. My wish for this term is for our community to spend as much time enjoying the everyday glimmers that light up our lives as we do tick off our lists in the countdown to the end of the year.
Report Card Changes
When you receive your child’s report card in Week 9 there will be some noticeable changes to the structure. In accordance with the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Teaching and Learning Framework we are adjusting how we present information. Teachers will be reporting as normal with assigned grades for key learning areas. They will have a general comment at the conclusion of the report that will provide a wholistic snapshot of how the student is going at school. The difference will be that teachers will no longer provide a comment attached to Maths or English.
Toowoomba Catholic Schools Teaching and Learning Framework
Parent Engagement Meting Term 4
For our final parent engagement meeting this year we will be offering a session designed to inform and engage parents. This meeting will be on Thursday the 30th of October at 5pm. During the presentation we will discuss our school regulation strategies and our approach to restorative practices.
Anne Woodcroft-Brown, our School Counsellor, will be presenting our school approach to supporting students in developing self-regulation—the ability to understand and manage their emotions, thoughts, and behaviours. This is a vital life skill that helps children stay focused, make positive choices, and build healthy relationships. In the classroom, we use a range of regulation strategies such as calm corners, breathing techniques, movement breaks, and visual supports to help students recognise when they need to reset and refocus. By teaching and modelling these strategies, we empower students to take ownership of their emotional wellbeing and create a more settled and supportive learning environment for everyone.
We will also spend some time explaining our Restorative approach to supporting positive behaviour. Our restorative approach focuses on building strong relationships, repairing harm, and restoring a sense of community when things go wrong. Instead of simply assigning consequences, restorative conversations help students reflect on their actions, understand how others were affected, and work together to make things right. This not only supports positive behaviour but also helps students develop empathy, responsibility, and conflict-resolution skills that will benefit them throughout life.
Looking forward to seeing many parents and families over the next few weeks at our upcoming events.
Katie Hauser