Term 3, Week 10, 2024
Dear Parents,
The end of Term 3 is always an important break for students as we come to the three quarter mark of the school year. I do hope your child/ren is/are looking forward to the holidays and spending time refreshing themselves for Term 4.
Today, I would like to provide an update on the 2024 school priorities:
Version 9 Australian Curriculum: Teachers and Middle Leaders have worked extensively in this space during 2024. Teachers are confident in using strategies and resources such as daily review in the classroom, decodable readers and explicit instruction and we are looking forward to contniuing to monitor the impact of these changes into 2025.
Wellbeing Framework: Outstanding progress is being made in this space with this document expected to be released at the beginning of 2025. This will include goals for student wellbeing that are linked to our Mercy Values and school vision as well as an updated behaviour support plan and processes.
Building Works: The final building works on the oval are expected to be finished over the holidays. We are expecting everything to be open on day 1, Term 4 which will be our first time without builders for over 12 months. New turf will be laid in the last week of the break and there will be some areas that are roped off for protection, however we look forward to using all of the new equipment on the oval.
A few notable mentions as we head into the break:
Traffic - A reminder to not arrive at stop/drop/go prior to 3pm as it will be closed. This is to prevent traffic congestion before 3pm. Additionally, a reminder to not park across school crossings or in no standing zones, nor to attempt to turn right into the driveway if entering via Ruthven and Lawrence Streets.
Lost Property - There is a large amount of lost property in a tub outside the office. Please only take your property that is named and do not take another item.
Hair Cuts - Ensure your child's hair is neat and presentable for the return to school in Term 4. The general rule is that your child's hair should not draw attention (E.g. mullets or tracks).
Thank you to all families for your engagement with your child's learning this term and I do hope you all have a fantastic break!
Sam Hannant
National Parent Survey
The Catholic School Parents Australia (CSPA) 2024 Parent Survey on Student Wellbeing and Learning is seeking your perspective as parents/carers of children who attend a Catholic School in Australia.
You are invited to share your views on existing and emerging affirmations and/or challenges in relation to your child/children’s wellbeing and learning. Please consider completing this anonymous, confidential, and completely voluntary online survey.
More information about the study, how to participate, and how to have questions answered, can be found here.
Thank you for your interest.
Sam Hannant
….experiencing FAITH in the Mercy Tradition
Dear families
At this time of year in Toowoomba, the Spring vibe is in the air! It’s such a beautiful time in our city, with many community events occurring and many opportunities to celebrate with mother nature as she showers us with beautiful and colourful blooms along with the gorgeous scents. As part of the Church’s Liturgical year, we also celebrate the Season of Creation! This year’s theme, “To hope and act with Creation”, gives us the opportunity to work with the new season by spending time with friends and family in nature, getting grounded with the land and taking in the fresh, clean environment we are so very lucky to be able to inhabit. I hope you get the chance to enjoy this time of year in our city over the holidays. It’s a time to reset, have a spring clean and get ready for a very busy Term 4!
The St Patrick’s Cathedral community welcome you to visit the Church this weekend 13th – 15th October to see the fabulous Carnival display. It’s always super impressive and so much work goes into it. A HUGE thank you to our Yr 4 teacher, Mrs Nicole Cooper for coordinating/arranging and presenting our school display. All of the classes were invited to pop over this week to see our school display. Be sure to take a look for yourself this weekend. It’s always smells incredible! Fresh flowers are the best!
A change in job title for me - from Assistant Principal: Religious Education to Assistant Principal: Mission & Identity. This change reflects the role I have to lead and support our students, teachers, school officers, leadership, groundsmen and administration, and acknowledges the changing nature of how we are living witnesses to Christ's message, as expressed in the Gospels here at St Saviour's Primary school.
Our Term 3 Mercy Value award winners and those who have been recognised for their consistent efforts throughout the term with an Encouragement award. Congratulations!
In October, we will celebrate World mission month and during the last couple of weeks, students from our Yr 6 Service Learning group have been participating in the launch of Catholic Missions’ awareness and fundraising program as part of World mission month, called “Socktober’.
We encourage everyone to celebrate World Mission Month! Together, we have the power to create change and build a more just world for people everywhere. By supporting missionaries in their work, we can create life-changing opportunities for countless children, families, and communities worldwide. Join us in making a difference for our sisters and brothers.
What is Socktober? (Term 4 Mission month)
Socktober for Mission Month cultivates the passion of students to rise up, engage their local community, and take action against poverty through the world game of soccer. It provides young people in Australia with the opportunity to lead in mission, encouraging them to think not only of what they will do to help, but why they will do it.
Each class will design and create a soccer ball by only using socks, plastic bags and string. It is a simple and creative way to bring people together through sport by sharing a simple item that represents a soccer ball. Classes will test the durability of their “sock balls” during our Mercy Day/Grandparent’s day on Thursday 10th October.
Date claimers
Term 4
Week 2 Thursday 10th October – 9.30am (NB Note the later start time) Whole school Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral to celebrate Mercy day and Grandparent’s Day with open classrooms
Week 4 Friday 25th October – Day for Daniel fundraiser – gold coin donation and wear red
Enjoy a great break from the school routine over the Spring holidays and thanks for reading.
Ann-Maree Ward
Assistant Principal – Mission & Identity
It is always surprising to me when the end of term rolls around as things tend to move so quickly in the school environment. One indicatation of the approaching end of term is the obvious shift in resilience of the student body as fatigue sets in and the holiday approaches. Over the last couple of weeks, we have had many opportunities to support students with social problem solving as their frustration tolerance decreases. Supporting students to learn positive ways to deal with negative emotions is crucial for their social and emotional growth. It is natural and normal for children to have emotional responses to the environment around them and things that happen in that environment. Part of our wellbeing work is to reassure students that feelings ( particularly ‘big’ feelings) are experienced by everyone and can, and will pass. The key to ensuring that the actions that result from these feelings are not detrimental to others or themselves is fundamental work for all students, and dare I say all humans. I know myself that that when I am unable to self-regulate my emotions, I am more likely to make decisions that have a negative effect on others.
This work around identifying signs of emotional dysregulation, labelling emotions and problem-solving strategies to self-regulate, is work that sits alongside our restorative practices. When conflicts arise, we encourage open and honest communication, allowing everyone involved to express their feelings and perspectives. This process helps students understand the impact of their actions and work towards making amends. By using restorative practices, we aim to create a safe environment where students learn to resolve conflicts constructively and develop empathy for others. We also are encouraging a sense that if my actions harm others or a relationship, we have a part to play in making things right.
One misconception that sometimes people can have is that restorative practices are just lots of ‘talking’, however there is always consequences for actions in school, and in life. Natural consequences can very from spending time cooling down away from a game, to spending time out of the playground to give some space to others, reflecting on how to interact safely and appropriately. Sometimes a simple acknowledgement of actions and an apology is all that is needed when students listen to each other’s perspectives and understand the role they each played in what occurred. At the other end of the spectrum at times, in the interest of community safety, there may need to be some time away from school to reflect and reasses. Discussing plans and strategies for how future interactions will proceed and how we might respond should it not go well is always the final step in the process. As we are a learning environment dealing with children, there is no guarantee that further work won’t be needed, however I would suggest that purely punishing students without any reflection or owning of actions does not necessarily guarantee a change either. By developing the ability for students to 'Fess Up' ( be honest and own their actions) 'Face Up' ( hear how their actions may have impacted others), 'Fix Up' ( make things right) and 'Finish Up' ( plan for the future and move on) we are instilling skills that students will need well into adulthood.
Another indicator of the approaching end of third term are the beautiful spring flowers that bloom at this time of year. We are blessed to live in the 'Garden City' and enjoy the Carnival of Flowers during September school holidays. From this Friday the 13th to Monday the 16th the community is invited to St Patrick's Cathedral to view the beautiful floral displays. Our school has a display that all students have contributed to, coordinated by our talented Year 4 teacher Mrs Nicole Cooper. The display is open 9am to 5pm daily across the weekend.
Once again, thank you to all members of the school community for a successful term. We have certainly strived in faith, learning and life.
Emjoy the break from routine over the next couple of weeks.
Katie Hauser
Year Four Touch Football Gala Day
Year Four students competed against other Catholic schools in Touch Football this week. All students are to be commended on their sportsmanship and the way they represented St Saviour’s Primary on the day. Everyone played with spirit and determination, with lots of fun had by all teams.
Friday Sport
Friday sport wrapped up for the term and what a successful term of sport it was. Students participated in either Netball, Soccer or Rugby League with many students playing these sports for the first time. Feedback from the students has been extremely positive with students having an awesome time playing against other schools, working as a team and forging new friendships.
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.
Cheers
Brendan Luck
HPE Teacher
brendan.luck@twb.catholic.edu.au
