Term 3, Week 2, 2024
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome to the first newsletter for Term 3. We have had a fantastic first two weeks at St Saviour's Primary school and look forward to Catholic Education Week next week.
There are many significant events taking place next week including a whole school Mass, netball and touch carnivals for years 5 & 6 students and Bishop's Inservice Day for staff on Friday. Whilst these are all significant events, I would like to make special mention of two staff members who will be attending the Toowoomba Catholic Schools' Excellence Awards on Thursday night at Picnic Point.
Brendan Luck has been nominated and is a finalist in the primary expert teacher category for his contribution as the HPE teacher at St Saviour's Primary. See below for some key points from his nomination. I'm sure you would agree that Brendan deserves this nomination.
Becoming a fulltime Health and Physical Education teacher has been Brendan’s dream. His greatest strength is forming relationships with his students where he shows genuine care and concern for their lives in and outside the classroom.
Brendan has had success at St Saviour’s by extending the students’ learning by offering them a multitude of different experiences, including athletics, football, t-ball, tennis, juggling and most recently American football.
Brendan has put SSPS on the map with regards to student representation in Sports across School, District and State. He has helped the most unlikely or disinterested student love sport by creating a safe environment for students and a culture of encouragement and inclusiveness.
Secondly, Mr Warren Farquharson is a finalist in the category of education support. Warren is our groundsperson and has been for around 18 months. During this time Warren has become an invaluable member of our school staff as you will read below:
Warren, or “Mr Warren”as he is respectfully known by the students, has consistently provided high quality support in the area of grounds beautification and maintenance. Warren is always looking for new ideas and solutions to improve our grounds so they are accessible, student friendly, attractive and beautiful spaces to be in. He cares about how our school looks and is perceived.
He is organised, thoughtful, considerate, forward thinking, flexible and professional. The school has received many compliments about how neat and well-presented the grounds are from both staff and the wider community. The attention to detail demonstrated by Warren is nothing short of exemplary.
Congratulations to Brendan and Warren. We wish you all the best at the ceremony next Thursday night. Whilst these two members have been singled out, I would also like to recognise the excellent work that is undertaken by all members of staff at St Saviour's Primary School. The dedication of these professionals is exemplary.
Two other points to mention:
1. Congratulations to Rose Stead on being selected in the QLD Team for Cross Country. Rose finished fifth in the state for her age group and will now travel to Victoria for the National Cross Country. Well done Rose!
2. All parents are invited to the Parent Engagement Network Meeting on Thursday 1 August at 5pm. Please keep an eye on social media pages for a link to register your attendance either in person or online.
Sam Hannant
….experiencing FAITH in the Mercy Tradition
Welcome back to Term 3! I hope you had the opportunity to rest and recuperate over the break and are ready for another busy and fulfilling term.
Last week, the Yr 4/5/6 students and staff took part in the NAIDOC Week Liturgy at St Saviour’s College. We were welcomed with the smoking ceremony, a welcome to country, a traditional dance from Dauan Island, and a talk from Paul Carmody, lecturer in First Nations studies at Uni SQ. We all learnt so much about the strong connections to Country and how connected our First Australians are. It was such a valuable learning opportunity. Thank you to the staff of SSC for giving us the opportunity.
Next week, we begin a week-long celebration of Catholic Education in Queensland for 2024. Celebrated annually in week 3 of term 3, Catholic Education Week is an opportunity for all 312 Catholic schools in Queensland to celebrate and promote their distinctive mission and ethos.
Catholic education strives to make a difference in the lives of those in our schools and in the wider community by challenging young people to live out the message of Jesus and to reach their full potential as compassionate, contributing, life-giving members of society.
The theme this year is Communities of Faith, Hope & Love, and as part of our school celebrations, we are coming together to celebrate Mass on Wednesday 24th July 9am at St Patrick’s Cathedral. Our theme is “Celebrating diversity through love” where we will acknowledge our culturally diverse community and that we are all one community loved by God. You are all welcome to join us.
On Friday 26th July, all staff in Toowoomba Catholic Schools will come together for a professional day of learning at St Mary’s College. This Bishop’s Inservice day is an opportunity to hear from Bishop Ken, our guest speaker and to celebrate Mass together (approx. 1000 people). It’s always a very worthwhile day as we all come together to celebrate the “why we work in Catholic schools”.
It is during this week that, as a whole staff, we take the time to reflect on our role within Catholic Education. A child recently said to me, “You’ve got a good life, hey? As a teacher you get to work and hang out with kids each day. That’s cool. And you also get to do the work of Jesus... That’s a good life.” My reply, “Yes, it certainly is” and I’m very blessed to be working and living my faith each day. I am where I’m meant to be and that’s worth celebrating.
SSPS Pastoral Care – 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 simple as a accessing warm uniforms, 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
Date claimers:
Week 2 Friday 19th July – Wear your Pyjamas to school for the day to fundraise for the Pyjama Foundation. Gold coin donation please.
Week 3 Wednesday 24th July – 9am Whole school Mass; Friday 26th July – Student free day,
Enjoy a great week and thanks for reading.
Ann-Maree
It was lovely to see everyone back bright and eager to start the term. It has certainly been a cold start!
On the Pupil Free Day at the beginning of term staff continued to build our knowledge around student wellbeing. One important domain within the framework we are developing is the importance of the environment, and how that contributes to creating a context for students’ wellbeing to flourish. As the building project continues to change the landscape of the school setting, it is foremost in our planning to consider how the areas we create are welcoming, inviting and engaging for our students and offer choice.
Due to the hard-working building team this term sees the opening of spaces in the school that enable a number of changes for the students. The completion of the lower years building work has enabled the college oval to be cleared as a work site and the children now are able to use a much larger area play space. This has created a shift in the playground times, access to new areas and a longer uninterrupted play of 30 minutes during second break. Years 4-6 now play on the college oval together at break times. The Years 2 and 3s now have access to the primary oval and the Year 1s now spend their breaks in the Junior Years Playground with the Prep students. The students appear to be enjoying the change, in particular the Year 1 students who now have access to the sandpits, cubby houses and new playground in the Prep area.
The new Learning Support area in the lower classrooms has enabled a larger area for the Wellbeing Room which is located in this space. Opening Mon, Wed and Thurs, this area offers another choice for students who may need some quiet, down time during break time.
The new library space continues to evolve due to the hard work of Mrs Anderson and Mrs Milton. This is also a space students can access during second break on Mondays and Tuesdays.
The builders are now very busy working on the final spaces on the primary oval and the Stop, Drop and Go. It is very apparent the extra space that has been afforded to the oval with the replacing of the retaining walls along Ruthven St on which the fence will lie. We will be considering in the future how we regenerate the green space that lies below the fence line. The other exciting changes currently under way include the rebuilding of the peace garden with an Indigenous yarning circle.
Thank you for the flexibility all the school community has shown with the Stop, Drop and Go. The temporary waiting area in front of the College Boarding School while the builders work on our more permanent waiting space on the oval has meant changes for where students wait, and where they can meet their cars. Just a reminder in the morning to please be mindful of the zebra crossing that fronts the walkway. When it is unattended by an adult that may ask cars to stop, normal rules of giving way to pedestrians apply. Another reminder that would benefit your child is that when using the Stop, Drop and Go they need to walk on the inside of the dotted lines beside the building and not in the lanes.
Stay warm!!
Katie Hauser
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Welcome back to another semester of learning, growth and opportunities for your child. We are excited to work with all the students at SSPS to strive in faith, learning and life.
Firstly, I would like to acknowledge and congratulate some award winners from last term. It was wonderful to witness the academic achievement and growth of so many of our students before the holidays. I had the privilege, along with other members of leadership, to deliver certificates to students in the school who had achieved mostly A’s and B’s on their report cards. The amount of students who were recognised with a certificate was outstanding and a testament to the hard work and commitment these students put in, along side their parents and teachers.
At our last assembly we also recognised some of our students who made significant progress in one or more learning areas throughout Semester One. These students are also to be congratulated for their commitment to learning and we look forward to this continuing in Semester 2
As always if you would like feedback on your child’s learning or progress at any point, please make contact with your child’s teacher.
ICAS for Year 2 - 6
ICAS is again happening this Term at St Saviour’s Primary. You have the opportunity for your child to participate in ICAS 2024! By nominating for your child to complete the ICAS testing, you are giving your child the chance to shine in the internationally-recognised gold standard academic competition that inspires, celebrates and challenges 10 million+ students across the world. ICAS tests are also evidence of your child’s academic achievements to support scholarships and new school applications. ICAS provides you with an objective ranking of your child’s performance.
Learn more: icasassessments.com/icas.
If you wish for your child to complete the Maths and English ICAS testing in Term 3, please log in and use the following code:
Shop//icasassessments.com/pages.pps
Code: DRA657
If you require any further information regarding ICAS, please feel free to contact me via email – Rebecca.thomas@twb.catholic.edu.au
Have a great weekend,
Bec Thomas
Middle Leader
PE (P-2) Term Three
Students in Prep to Year Two will engage in a Touch Football unit. Students will start by focusing on the basics of catching and throwing a touch football, making a touch, scoring a try and playing the ball. Students will then use these newly acquired skills to play modified games of touch football. Students will also engage in station activities where six stations are set up and they rotate between them throughout the lesson. These activities involve passing, catching, kicking, dribbling with feet, hands and hockey sticks, shooting hoops, scooter boards, skipping, goal shooting, ups and downs with tennis rachets, hopping, jumping, skipping, side stepping, animal crawling and balancing.
PE (3-6) Term Three
Students in Year Three to Year Six will also be participating in a touch football unit. Students will learn to pass and catch a touch football, play the ball, defend, perform a dump and split, perform a wrap, three-person ruck and draw and pass. Students will then put these skills in to game-based situations playing in teams against members of their class.
Health (Year 3) Term Three
Students will be exploring the concept of sustainable practice and the ways that they can contribute to the sustainability of the environment in their home, classroom, and school. They will also investigate the concepts of physical activity and sedentary behaviours while exploring the recommendations of physical activity for five- to 12-Year-Olds. They will examine the benefits of physical activity, investigating ways to increase physical activity in their lives.
Health (Year 4) Term Three
Students will identify health messages and the methods used to influence decisions looking at how health messages change over time. They will then apply decision-making skills to different health scenarios examining and interpreting health information about cybersafety, cyberbullying and online protocols. With this knowledge they will describe and apply strategies that can be used in online situations that make them feel uncomfortable or unsafe. Finally, they will explore the importance of demonstrating respect and empathy in online relationships reflecting on young people's use of digital technologies.
Health (Year 5) Term Three
Students will gain an understanding of multiculturalism by examining the changing nature of Australia's cultural identity. They will examine how sharing traditional foods and physical activities from different cultures can support community wellbeing and cultural understanding. Students will also explore developmental changes and transitions that occur as they grow older, investigating strategies available to assist them with the transition.
Health (Year 6) Term Three
Students will explore drink products that contribute to health and wellbeing, focusing on investigating a variety of drink options, including soft drinks, energy drinks, fruit juice, and the effects they have on the body. They will examine available alternatives to various drink options. Students will also look at the feelings, challenges and issues associated with making the transition to secondary school, devising strategies to assist them in making a smooth transition.
Catholic Schools Athletics Carnival
On Friday, 12th of July, St Saviour’s students represented their school at the Catholic Schools Athletics Carnival. They ran, jumped, and threw with two to three students in each event. St Saviour’s did extremely well with many students placing in the top three for their events. All students are to be commended on the way they represented their school and the sportsmanship they showed on the day. This carnival is designed for students to have a go against other school and prepare the older students for the Central Zone Carnival in Week Five. Congratulations to everyone on a fantastic carnival.
School Sport
Georgie Hedge and Rose Stead competed in the State Cross Country with both girls doing extremely well. Rose placed 5th for the 12-year-old girls qualifying for the QLD team. Rose will now compete at the Nationals for Cross Country later in the year. Mammoth effort girls and we are all cheering for you.
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 Three)
- Aussie Hoops (Wednesday 17th July – 28th August, 12:45-1:30)
- SWQ Touch Trial (24th July 2024)
- Touch Football/Netball Gala Day (Year 5 & 6) (25th July 2024)
- AFL AusKick (Thursday 25th July – 29th August, 3:15-4:15)
- Zone 1500m (Wednesday 31st July 2024, 3:45-5:00)
- Friday Sport (Friday 2nd August – 23rd August, 11 – 1:45)
- Zone Athletics Carnival (7th August 2024, 8 – 2:15)
- DD Athletics Cranival – (20th August 2024, 8 – 2:15)
- Touch Football Gala Day (Year 4) (Tuesday 10th September 2024)
Cheers
Brendan Luck
HPE Teacher
Welcome to Term 3 when we celebrate all things books and reading with the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) theme;
“Reading is Magic”
Once we have the skills to decode the words on the page, reading can indeed be magical as it opens our eyes to the amazing world around us and fires up our imagination. Reading sets us on a path of learning and success as we grow and take our place in the world. It is the sort of magic that never ends, it does not trick or disappoint us, it only enriches our lives!
Over the next few weeks, students will reflect on how reading is magic for them and may choose to enter a colouring and writing competition (details available in the library). Library lessons for Prep to Year 2 will focus on the CBCA short-listed books in the Early Childhood category so they can vote for their favourite books during Book Week (19th-23rd August). Our whole school dress-up parade will be held during this week (Week 7), date to be confirmed.
Our Family Book Club book “The Lost Library” has touches of magic in the story. The library has one copy if you and your children would like to read it together and come along to our chat on Monday 5th August in Week 5.
I hope you can experience a little magic around reading this term! Thanks for encouraging and enabling reading magic in your homes always!
Anne Anderson
Teacher Librarian
Our Tuckshop can only operate successfully for our children with your help!
To this end, our convenor Renee Kilpatrick is asking you, our families, to please check your schedules for some spare time to volunteer across the following dates and times (year levels are suggested):
Week 2 - Friday 19 July - Prep families - 8.30am-11am, or 11am - 1pm;
Week 3 - Friday 26 July - PUPIL FREE DAY;
Week 4 - Friday 2 August - Year 1 - 8.30am-11am, or 11am-1pm;
Week 5 - Friday 9 August - Year 2 - 8.30am-11am, or 11am-1pm;
Week 6 - Friday 16 August - Year 3 - 8.30am-11am, or 11am-1pm;
Week 7 - Friday 17 August - Year 4 - 8.30am-11am, or 11am-1pm;
Week 8 - Friday 30 August - PUPIL FREE DAY;
Week 9 - Friday 6 September - Year 5 - 8.30am-11am, or 11am-1pm;
Week 10 - Friday 13 September - Year 6 - 8.30am-11am, or 11am-1pm.
Please contact Renee Kilpatrick on 0417 797 854 if you are available, especially on a Friday. Your assistance is greatly appreciated. Thank-you!
The Primary School Nurse Health Readiness Program is coming to your school.
We are a Queensland Government service that offers Free Vision Screening to all children enrolled in Prep.
If your child is in Prep and you would like their vision screened, please complete a consent form using the below link or QR code on the poster (see link).
The following video explains the benefits of having your Prep child’s vision screened – “What is Prep Vision Screening?”
St Saviour's Primary School's screening commencement date: Monday, 12 August, 2024
Link and QR code will close on Sunday, 4 August, 2024
SCHOOL CROSSING AWARENESS
A gentle reminder that parents and caregivers collecting children via our Stop/Drop/Go system must not block the school crossing zones with their cars. Crossing supervisors require clear visibility and access to the crossings at all times that they are on duty. Thank-you for remaining courteous and mindful of the need for safety in these situations.
On Sunday night last week, three students from both St. Saviour's Primary School and St. Saviour's College took part in the Tarzan Musical Show- truly a remarkable event. These students only had 11 days to rehearse over the school holiday break yet still managed to showcase their immense talent and dedication throughout the entire performance. From the captivating songs to the breathtaking choreography, every aspect of the show was executed with precision and enthusiasm.
Huge congratulations to Alessandra Ocampo, Sophie Moore and Penny Sanders.
