Week 2, Term 1, 2024

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to the first newsletter for the 2024 school year!

The school newsletter is an important communication tool between school and home and we look forward to sharing these with you every second week during the school year.  This year they will go home on Thursday afternoon on even weeks.

2024 is an exciting one for St Saviour's Primary School with the launch of a new strategic plan which includes updates to the school mission, vision, values and logo.  You can view the strategic plan by clicking on the link below.

To accompany the strategic plan, the following short video has been created.  I have attached it today so that you can have a sneak peak prior to the official launch at the Parent Information Night on Wednesday 7 February.  

Our strategic plan has been developed based on feedback from the community through our School Renewal and Performance Appraisal last year, through the Shaping our Future Survey that took place during Catholic Education Week and with input from the Parent Engagement Network and relevant Toowoomba Catholic School Office representatives.  It is also based around the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Strategic Plan.

At assembly this week, the students were shown the above video and were introduced to the mission of Strive in Faith, Learning and Life.  The key words of Faith, Learning and Life will help to structure everything that we do at St Saviour's Primary School.  The new school logo also encaptulates this mission and includes the Mercy Cross (Faith), a book (Learning) and the people (Life).  We have also kept the shield and included the established year to keep the history of the school at the forefront.  

The Strategic Plan then feeds our Annual Action Plan which has 4 clear priorities for 2024.  These include:

1. Being Distinctively Catholic - Creation of scope and sequence that links the RE curriculum to the religious life of the school.  E.g. Students have a clear purpose for attending Mass.

2. A Culture of Learning - Version 9 of the Australian Curriculm will begin to be taught in English, Maths and HASS.  

3. Valuing our People - Student Wellbeing: invest in restorative practices as a whole school approach.

4. Using Resources Wisely - Completion of the school building project.

You will hear more of these four priority areas at the upcoming parent information night and also through classroom communication notes.  However, I would like to touch briefly on the building project.  McNab have been very confident that a large part of the prep play space will be available by the end of February and the library by the end of March.  This, of course, depends on the amount of rain we receive over the next few weeks.  I will keep you posted on progress. The building will delay our Welcome BBQ this year as we are very limited for space.  It is anticipated that we will have a similar event when some of the new spaces are completed.

Thank you for taking the time to read our first newsletter.  Welcome again to all new staff, students and families and welcome back to all existing families.  Thank you for trusting your child's education to us and thank-you for joining or continuing with the wonderful community that is St Saviour's Primary School where our students Strive in Faith, Learning and Life.

Sam Hannant

….experiencing FAITH in the Mercy Tradition

Happy New Year to you all and welcome to 2024! We’re excited to have our school community back together again.

The staff have been busy preparing for another busy year. Our Religion focus for the year, is bringing together the RE Curriculum and the Religious life of the school ie the events we have at school as part of the Liturgical year. The experiences we offer students need to be authentic and relevant. Clearer links between what we learn in the RE classroom and real life experiences is vital. We will continue to work together with our students and the wider school community in order to walk in Jesus’ footsteps by serving each other and putting our Mission and Vision into action through our Mercy values of Compassion, Service and Excellence.

Pastoral Care for 2024 – If you know someone who is in need in our community, please let us know how we can provide practical helping hand to them. It could be as a simple as a phone call, arranging transport or providing networks of support. Thank you for assisting us to be able to reach out to those families. Give the office a call on 46 371 700 or email me on ann-maree.ward@twb.catholic.edu.au

Sacramental Program 2024 –

Students are invited to prepare for, and celebrate, the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Confirmation and Communion in Terms 1 & 2 this year. From this year and onwards, the program will be run directly through St Patrick’s Cathedral office, not the school. If you’d like your child to enrol your child/ren in the 2024 Sacramental Program, contact the Parish office directly Ph 46 371 500 or email admin@stpats.org.au The Parent information session will be held on Thursday 15th February at 7pm in the Cathedral centre.

Whole school Mass – Wednesday 7^th February 9am You are invited to join us at St Patrick’s Cathedral for our first Mass for the school year. The theme is “Be the Hands and Feet of Christ Today” where we are reminded that we are all unique, made in the image of God, and we all have unique talents to share as we work and learn together throughout the year.

Weekly class/parish Masses have begun this week. Year 6 and the senior Religion class at St Saviour’s College came together to celebrate Mass on Tuesday. This will continue throughout the term with a different year level joining in each week. Parents/friends/community members are welcome to this Tuesday morning Mass at the Cathedral beginning at 9am. Please check your child’s class communication note for exact dates.

Date claimers

Tuesday 13th February – Shrove Tuesday

Wednesday 14th February – Ash Wednesday – Years 4,5 & 6 will gather in the Mercy Centre for this Liturgy and to receive ashes.

Project Compassion - Four weeks of Lent starting on Ash Wednesday February 14 through to Holy Saturday March 30 – details for our online fundraiser to come. Thank you for your support.

Have a great week and thanks for reading!

Ann-Maree

I thought I would begin my first newsletter article by introducing myself to you. I began my teaching career in 1998, which feels like a long time ago now!  Being a teacher was always a goal I had even from a young age, as I loved the idea of working with children.  Building relationships with students and extending a child’s capacity for learning is something that I continue to delight in after all my years in education.

Most of my classroom teaching experience occurred in the lower years of school, having graduated with a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education.  I have taught in many schools, from country settings to urban schools across the state.  I returned to my hometown of Toowoomba with my husband and young family in the early 2000s after spending time in Central Queensland and began working at St Thomas More’s Primary School. Early years education and teaching children to read was a passion of mine which led me to taking on the role of Education Officer for the Reading Improvement Strategy with the Toowoomba Catholic School’s Office in 2018. During this time, I was privileged to be able to support teachers in their teaching of reading and I was able to visit and work in all but two primary schools in the Diocese!  

As rewarding as this work was, I did miss the sense of community found in a school setting and in 2020 I took on the role of Assistant Principal Religious Education and Middle Leader at St Anthony’s Primary School.  Being able to work in a team to contribute to a distinctly Catholic community that strives for academic excellence was a privilege.  This brings me to today, beginning a new role as Assistant Principal Administration at St Saviour’s. 

At the heart of the Catholic faith lies the recognition that every individual is created in the image and likeness of God, bestowing upon each person an inherent dignity that demands respect and love. At St Saviour’s the Mercy values of compassion, service and excellence will be my guideposts as we strive to be a community where each member is valued, supported, and cherished. Contributing to a a dynamic learning environment that offers students the opportunity to develop both as learners and as people will be an experience that I am very much looking forward to.  

Katie Hauser

STEM

Science – Technology – Engineering- Maths – Is a focus in our classrooms at SSPS.  By incorporating STEM into our classroom we are working towards students becoming active participants in a digital world that is ever changing and evolving.  We provide many opportunities to develop skills with digital tools, educate students on the importance of being safe online and how to become critical users of technology.  Our teachers incorporate STEM into everyday activities in the classrooms, following the design thinking process which allows students to plan, design, create, think, reflect and evaluate.    This year our Junior and Senior STEM Clubs will commence in Term 2 due to the building works reducing the space needed for STEM club to be successful. At the end of Term 1, information will be sent out for students to register for STEM Club, ready to begin in Term 2.

Learner Qualities

It has been so wonderful welcoming all students back to our learning spaces over the past two weeks and we look forward to our new learning spaces being completed in the future.  This year we continue to embrace our St Saviour’s learner qualities in all we do and these have been prevalent already in our first two weeks of schools.  We encourage you to talk to your child about these learner qualities at home.  Here are some ideas on how you might encourage your child to be determined:

• Having a go at their homework before asking for help. You might encourage them to do the parts they can and then think about specific questions they might need to ask you or their teacher to seek clarification on the task.
• Getting dressed by themselves, packing their own bags and completing jobs without being asked or with minimal assistance.

Version 9 Curriculum

You may be aware there is an updated version of the Australian Curriculum that is beginning to be rolled out in schools.  This year SSPS teachers are using Version 9 for English, Maths and Hass, as well as becoming familiaried with Version 9 Science and Technology.  In Version 9 of the curriculum there are some year levels that had only minor changes in areas and some that have had big changes in terms of when concepts are being taught.  Our teachers will begin to communicate these changes with you at parent information nights and through communication notes, as well as further information being published in our school newsletters. Version 9 of the curriculum is not expected to be fully implemented until 2027 and we are continually upskilling our staff.

Bec Thomas

Welcome to Term 1 2024

The office is open each day from 8.00 am - 4.00 pm.  Phone lines are open each day from 8.00 am - 4.00 pm.  

REMINDERS 

Messages:

We understand that at times, messages need to be delivered to students and we aim to always deliver these messages to the classrooms before going home time. To help ensure that all messages are delivered before 3.00 pm we ask that you please allow enough time for the office staff to do this. Often classes are outside or at PE and if messsages are phoned through at 2.55 pm is almost impossible to deliver these messages on time.  We ask that you contact the school no later than 2:45 pm to ensure your child/children receive the message. 

Late Arrivals:

If your child is late to school - it is very important that they are signed in at the office as presenting late, before going up to their classroom.  School commences at 8.30 am each day.  Roll Marking is done between 8.30 am - 8.45 am.  All children who are late, must take a Late Slip up to their classroom teacher.  Students can sign in on their own if late, however they must report to the office before going to class.

Early Departures:

Children who leave school throughout the school day, must be signed out by a parent or guardian in the office.  Children are not permitted to walk out of the school grounds without a parent/guardian during school hours.  They must also be signed back in once they return to school. 

Late Pick Up:

If you are late to pick up your child from school, the children are supervised on Lawrence and Perth Street until 3.30 pm.  After 3.30 pm they will be returned to the office, and a parent will be rung about collection.  

Absentees:

Please remember to nofity the school office by 9.00 am each day if your child is absent from school.  You can do this a number of ways.  You can phone and leave a message on the voicemail (before 8am), you can ring and speak to one of the office ladies peraonally or you can submit an an absence form via the parent portal.  For any absences that are unexplained you will receive an sms notification from the school about this absence. If emailing your child's teacher regarding an absence, please make sure you also inform the office also as often teachers do not get to check emails once class starts for the day.  If your child is away for a long period at a time, we do require you to fill out paperwork from the office.  

Sickness:

If your child presents to sick bay and is too unwell to stay at school, the office staff will phone a parent/guardian to come and collect.  It is important to remember that if your child is unwell, we do ask that you keep them home until they are feeling better to return to school. 

Parent Portal and School Calendar:

All notifications will be sent home via the Parent Portal.  This includes permission notes for class excursions and school sports carnivals.  Semester 1 and Semester 2 Report Cards are also uploaded to the Portal.  The school calendar is also updated regularly, so please if you are unsure of any dates, check the calendar. If you are having accessing the Parent Portal at any time please contact the office.  

Medication at school:

Medication at school can be administered by the office staff, however it is very important to note that any medication administered must be prescribed from the doctor with a doctor's label printed on the medication.  We are unable to administer any kind of panadol or paracetamol unless it is labelled from a pharmacy with your child's name.  Parents will be rung immediately if a child presents with high temperatures. A medication form must be completed by a parent prior to any medication bing given to a student at school.  

Asthma Medication:

Children who are asthmatic are requried to have their puffer, spacer and asthma medication plan at school.  This includes children who do suffer from seasonal asthma.  All asthma medication is kept in the classroom with the teacher.  If you are yet to send in your child's asthma medication and current plan, we do strongly advise you to do this as soon as possible. 

Head Lice:

At times we do have cases of Head Lice present at school. Please see attached flyer from Qld Health outlining the correct steps in treating head lice.  If Head Lice are detected on your child whilst at school, a parent will be rung and you will be asked to come and collect immediately and commence treatment at home.

Volunteer Declaration Form (must be filled in before commencing volunteer duties at St Saviour's Primary.  Hard copies also available from the office.  Once completed please return to the office or your child's teacher.

School Photo Day:

School Photo Day will be held this year on Tuesday March 5.  

Envelopes for ordering have been sent home today with each child. Ordering can be done on line via the website www.advancedlife.com.au or you can provide cash in the envelope that is provided.  Please ensure that all photo envelopes are returned to the office before photo day for processing. 

All orders will require our school code:  23P 7VF 7V2

Sibling Photos:

Parents who wish to have a sibling photo taken will need to collect a Sibling Photo envelope from the school office.  Sibling photos are taken before the start of the school day. 

Welcome to 2024 in the library!

We have started our class browse and borrow sessions so please check your student’s book choices and share them at home. Thanks also for reminding students to bring their library loans and bags each week. 

Library lunch-time activities are limited due to lack of space this term. The library will be open for 20 minutes each Monday and Wednesday at the following times; 

Year 1, 2, 5 and 6 12.45pm - 1.05pm each Monday  

Year 3 and 4 1.05pm - 1.25pm each Wednesday 

Students are welcome to come into the library to read, have a quick game of Connect 4 or Snakes and Ladders or do puzzles. 

Most Important Library Link 

School families can find resources from home via our Library Database – AccessIT  

St Saviours Primary School Toowoomba (accessit.online) 

Britannica School, ClickView, Storybox Library and Wheelers e-platform are available via the ONLIINE RESOURCE dashboard in AccessIT. Use the blue single sign on button to find these resources and their log in details. 

Some Important Library Dates in February 

Wednesday 7th February is World Read-aloud Day  

World Read Aloud Day — LitWorld® 

“Reading aloud at home and at school is one of the best ways to help children develop literacy skills. According to research by the University of Melbourne, daily reading aloud to children puts them almost a year ahead of children who do not receive daily read-alouds, regardless of income, education level or cultural background. Reading aloud is an incredibly accessible and powerful way to help listeners of all ages build essential literacy skills.” 

We will be celebrating this day with classroom read-alouds for the sheer joy of sharing a story! 

Monday 12th - Friday 16th is Queensland School Libraries Week 

We will be marking this week with reflections around the importance of story and what we can learn from characters we meet in stories. Students can enter artwork for judging, details will be available from the library and online at Qld School Library Week — Queensland School Library Association (qsla.org.au) 

Wednesday 21st is the First Family Book Club Gathering – We will be chatting about The Island of Dr Libris on Wednesday 21st February (week 5) in Ms Harlen’s classroom around 3.20pm. There is a copy of the book available from the library if any family wishes to read it together at home over the next few weeks. We are a small group with only 2 families at present and we would love you to join us, even if you haven’t read the book! We will choose a new book on the 21st to read over the term and Easter holidays.  

Library Learning 

Prep – Year 2 Lessons 

Students are learning to listen to and share what they enjoy about a story. We have some fun moments as we explore the book together and tell others what we thought about it. Students will create an illustration of their favourite character from the shared books in Week 4 as part of our School Libraries Week celebrations. 

Great Opportunity at The Lighthouse for anyone aged 8-12 who is interested in illustration! 

Beyond Illustration and Art Basics 

The Lighthouse Toowoomba | Youth Writers Centre | Childrens Workshops | Gallery | Creatives 

This workshop develops art skills with the use of colour, design and perspective. Illustrating characters, designing background and settings, using a variety of art media will assist in developing individual style in illustration, drawing and painting for many applications. 

Workshops start on Tuesday 6 February 2024 3:45-5:15pm and run for 7 weeks until Tuesday 19 March 2024. Registration is via the website. 

Cost - $175 and includes 7 full comprehensive 1.5hr workshops and ALL materials. 

Happy Reading Everyone

Anne Anderson

Teacher Librarian

St Saviour's Primary Swimming Carnival 2024

St Saviour’s Primary Swimming Carnival was held on the 30^th of January at Glennie Aquatic Centre.

Students from Year Three to Year Six competed in freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly in both 50m and 25m events. The carnival concluded with a Year Six relay involving the four houses. All students put in a mammoth effort in both swimming and cheering on the day. It was a tough competition, but Xavier was the overall winning house, with McAuley winning the relay. Age champions for the day are listed below. Congratulations to those students who are representing St Saviour’s Primary at the Catholic and Central Zone swimming carnivals.

• 9-Year-Old Girls – Jemma McHugh, Chelsea Ray (Runner Up)
• 9-Year-Old Boys – Cooper Skuse, Xavier Adams (Runner Up)
• 10-Year-Old Girls – Nina Lucas, Indi Brookman (Runner Up)
• 10-Year-Old Boys – Lachlan Scott, Drew Densley (Runner Up)
• 11-Year-Old Girls – Emily Bignell, Georgie Hedge (Runner Up)
• 11-Year-Old Boys – Liam McHugh, Rafferty Dwan (Runner Up)
• 12-Year-Old Girls – Sophie Enders, Isabelle Thomas (Runner Up)
• 12-Year-Old-Boys – Joe Black, Jaxon Jessep (Runner Up)

Fitness Club

Fitness club is a fun way for your child to work on their fitness with their peers in preparation for the SSPS Cross Country in the last week of Term One. These sessions are offered to students in Year Three to Year Six. Fitness club will run every Tuesday and Thursday morning from 7:15am - 8am starting on Tuesday the 6^th of February 2024 and running till Thursday 21^st of March 2024. Your child is welcome to attend all sessions, once a week or whatever suits your family schedule. These sessions will be run by Mrs McHugh, Mrs Wagner, Mr Logan and myself. If you have any questions, please email me via Brendan.luck@twb.catholic.edu.au.

Permission (Prep – Year Two)

I have sent out a notification via Parent Portal which requires you to give permission to sporting events for 2024. I have streamlined to process to make it much more manageable for all involved. This means that you will only need to complete one permission form for all sporting event your child is involved in for 2024. The permission form outlines all sporting events/activities. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me Brendan.luck@twb.catholic.edu.au.

Zone and Darling Downs Trials

All Zone and Darling Downs trials will be placed on Parent Portal. Please check Parent Portal regularly or set up notifications on your phone if you wish for your child to be eligible to trial for Zone and Darling Downs sporting teams as you will be required to obtain paperwork from myself. I am unable to nominate students after the closing date so please make sure you do keep an eye on Parent Portal. Any questions, please contact me at brendan.luck@twb.catholic.edu.au. 

Upcoming Events (Term One)

• Catholic Swimming Carnival – Friday 9^th
• Swimming Lessons (Year 3 – Year 6) 19 – 23^rd
• Swimming Lessons (Prep – Year 2) 11 – 15^th
• SSPS Junior Swimming Carnival (Prep – Year 2) Monday, 25^th March (9am – 12:30pm).
• T-Ball Gala Day (Year Four) Tuesday 26^th
• SSPS Cross Country (Prep – Year 6) Thursday, 28^th
• Fitness Club – 6^th February to 21^st March (every Tuesday and Thursday).

Cheers

Brendan Luck

HPE Teacher

brendan.luck@twb.catholic.edu.au

What a great time of the year! Welcome to families old and new. As your School Counsellor, I work to ensure the wellbeing of all students in the school. I offer individual counselling, group counselling, psychometric testing, class guidance lessons, and support the co-ordination of whole school wellbeing initiatives.

This year SSPS is working towards further embedding Wellbeing into our school culture. We have had the privilege of welcoming Sue Chandler, from Transformative Schools to deliver professional development to all staff on restorative practices, and we look forward to continuing to work with Ms Chandler this term to grow our capabilities in this space, continuing to place mental health and wellbeing as a priority for our students.  

As a school, we are continuing to offer weekly Positive Education Enhanced Curriculum (PEEC) lessons. PEEC is research-based explicit curriculum that was designed in consultation with world-renowned researchers in the field of positive psychology. We look forward to using concepts and skills learned through PEEC to continue fostering our wonderful SSPS community.

All families also have access to SSP Wellbeing Hub. Here you will find a variety of social and emotional resources for caregivers and students alike on a range of topics, including external service providers and support. This is where you will also find our Bullying Reporting Form (for Grades 4-6) – a digital and confidential way for students and families to report any bullying concerns.

Lastly, I’d like to warmly welcome Ms Constance Bailey! Ms Constance will be joining SSPS in 2024 as a Wellbeing Officer, providing support to students on the playground in the classroom to ensure they feel happy, safe and included at school. Ms Constance and I will be working closely together on a variety of initiatives and look forward to sharing more information about these with you in the near future.

If you have any concerns regarding your child’s wellbeing or adjustment to the new school year, please speak with your child’s class teacher. Alternatively, if you have a general enquiry about the School Counselling service, PEEC, or other wellbeing initiatives, please don’t hesitate to contact me at anne.woodcroft-brown@twb.catholic.edu.au

Wishing you all a fantastic start to the 2024 school year.

Anne Woodcroft-Brown

Congratulations to three new students who have started in Year 6 at St Saviour's Primary this year.

All three girls were presented with their Leadership Badges last week. 

Welcome to St Saviour's, Amalie, Isabelle and Georgie

We also congratulate Chevy in Year 6 who was absent last year when our Year 5 cohort were presented with their leadership badges. 

Welcome back to Tuckshop Term 1, 2024.

My name is Renee Kilpatrick. I am a qualified chef with 20+ year experience in the hospitality industry. I am also a mum to 2 girls here at St Saviour's in Year 4 and Year 2. I am excited to be our school tuckshop convenor for another year and look forward to meeting everyone and anyone who would like to volunteer to help in Tuckshop this year. Tuckshop volunteer duties include making sandwiches, burgers, wraps, hotdogs, counting and bagging nuggets, placing label on bags, bagging orders and other basic food prep.  It is a fun way to get involved in your child's school and meet fantastic other parents/volunteers.  Tuckshop is run every Monday and Friday throughout the school Term.

I do rely on volunteers to help me to fill the orders for the day. Friday is the busiest day for Tuckshop and at times I can receive over 370 orders.  You don’t need hospitality experience to volunteer. You will be given directions and instructions - it is not at all hard and we always have fun.

I have made a roster for the Term dedicating a Friday to each year level so people that would like to volunteer can plan ahead. If you are able to volunteer further the day or even a few hours it would be much appreciated.

W2-  Fri 2nd Feb - Prep

W3 - Fri 9th Feb - yr 1

W4 - Fri 16th Feb - yr 2

W5 - Fri 23rd Feb - yr 3

W6 - Fri 1st March - yr 4

W7 - Fri 8th March - yr 5

W8 - Fri 15th March - yr 6

W9 - Friday 22 March - anyone

W10 - Friday 29th Good Friday- tuckshop closed.

Ordering for Tuckshop is done via Flexishools.  Download the app for more easier access and orders are to be place before 9:00am Monday and Friday.

PLEASE NOTE NEW CUT OFF TIME FOR 2024.

To volunteer contact me on:

Mobile - 0417 797 854

Email - Renee.kilpatrick@twb.catholic.edu.au

or

ssptuckshop@twb.catholic.edu.au

Renne Kilpatrick 

REGULAR OPENING TIMES FOR TERM 1

MONDAY 7.30am - 10.00am

THURSDAY 2.00pm - 4.30pm