Principal News
Welcome to the final newsletter for the year.
Our community festivities for the end of year are coming to an end with our Leaders celebrating their graduation tomorrow morning. A special acknowledgment must be extended to the parents for your incredible support of the school during your time with us. To all those who have journeyed and created memories with the children leaving us this year, on behalf of all involved, I thank you. These faces of the future will continue to create their own stories and we are blessed to have spent time with you. Best wishes for the adventures ahead.
It is full credit to our senior students for the way in which they consistently conduct themselves in a most commendable manner. They have served our community well this year by being exemplary leaders and positive role models to all students.
I extend further acknowledgement of others who leave the St Saviour’s Primary community to take up residence in new schools and new places. To the longstanding families who leave us with their youngest moving on, I say thank you for your support and engagement in the life of our school.
ADVENT
As we head into the beginning of Advent. This is a time to prepare for the coming of Jesus at Christmas. It is through the Gospel stories of Jesus’ life that we find our greatest role-model. It is through Jesus’ life and teachings that we learn the values of love, forgiveness and thankfulness. Taking time throughout Advent to reflect on our own actions and comparing them to Jesus’ example allows us to challenge ourselves to become better Christians.
When we think of New Year's celebrations, we usually think of party time. It's time to let the old year go. We anticipate the new year by making resolutions and promising changes in behaviour. As Christians, we celebrate the arrival of a new liturgical year differently. The new year that begins on the first Sunday of Advent is a quiet one. In the readings for the four Sundays of Advent, we remember the time when people waited in anticipation for the coming of the Messiah. And while we know that the Messiah has come in Jesus Christ, and we have remembered his life, Death, Resurrection and Ascension many times, we can still reflect on and celebrate the newness of his coming once again.
What is great about celebrating the coming of Jesus with children is that they help us approach the season with fresh eyes and insight. They present us with a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge they present is the way they soak up the values of the culture that has had them anticipating Christmas since the beginning of November. The opportunity they present is that we can introduce them to the timeless rituals celebrating the coming of the Messiah that will add depth to their spiritual lives.
Source: ‘Celebrating Advent with Your Family’ by James P. Campbell, D.Min from
One such ritual to celebrate the coming of the Messiah is to use an Advent Calendar. Advent Calendars help us to focus on the true meaning of Christmas as it encourages us to wait and hope for what is to come. Many of the store-bought calendars are filled with treats to consume. The following example is one that encourages us to give of ourselves to others. This can be printed out and put on the fridge as a reminder of how to be servants to others as we wait for the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ at Christmas.
https://www.loyolapress.com/our-catholic-faith/liturgical-year/advent/calendars/childrens-advent-calendar
Student Leaders for 2019
Congratulations to all the upcoming Year 6 students for 2019 as they prepare to become the leaders of our school. Our leaders of position are as follows:
2019 School Captains
School Captains: Paris Orr & William Smith
Vice-School Captains: Lily Maher & Logan Sanders
2019 House Captains
Goretti Captains: Lainey Currie and Michael Foley
Coolock Captains: Charlotte Condon and Harriet Sullivan-Johnson
McAuley Captains: Bridget STaines and Khai Greenhalgh
Xavier Captains: Milly-Rose Allan and Blaze Luck
2019 Councillors
Technology: Mia Ballard and Lindsay Rodrigues
Library: Charlotte Ballard and Lara Anderson
Service: Pascal Harboe-Green and Amelia King
Wellbeing: Chloe Barram and Digby McGregor
Reports
Having recently read all of the student reports for this semester, I am extremely grateful to the teachers for their time and commitment to providing quality reports to parents. It is clearly evident to me that the teachers really know and understand the children they have been working with throughout the year and have succinctly and effectively communicated each child’s achievements and potential areas for future focus. It is an enormous task to bring together all of the information, assessment, observations and notes that teachers collect on an ongoing basis, to then collate this and report it to you in its current format. I hope in your own special way, you will have the opportunity to say thanks to your child’s class teacher, not just for the report card, but for being that very influential person in your child’s life during 2016. The role of the teacher should never be underestimated and the fruits of their labour are sometimes not evident until years down the track.
Starting Dates for next year
Please note the following dates for the beginning of the school year:
- Teachers return Monday 21st January.
- Year 1- Year 6 children return Tuesday 29th January 2019.
- Prep 2019 children will commence in small groups for the first two days starting Tuesday 29th January. Separate information was included in the Prep Package handed to parents at the Information evening indicating which day each child should come to school for the first time.
Finally, I would like to thank you all for your generous support, open conversations, and precious time throughout 2018. It is hard to imagine that we are almost at the end of the school year. As I reflect on this past year, I am extremely proud of all we have achieved as a community. It has been a very rewarding and challenging year in several areas. I am blessed to work with wonderful staff, supportive parents and the children every day make me smile. I look forward with hope to the New Year ahead at St Saviour’s Primary School. May this season of Christmas be a time spent celebrating the birth of Jesus and the joy of life with those closest to you. Stay safe and we look forward to continuing the journey next year. Every blessing for you all over the Christmas Holiday.
Thanks for reading.