Week 9, Term 4 2020
Dear Parents, Staff, Students and Community members
What a year it has been. Unexpected, unprecedented, unrelenting, unusual, uncertain… but not in the least, underwhelming. I draw your attention to the list of achievements for 2020 even with the challenges of the COVID-19 Pandemic:
Sacramental Program
Class masses and liturgies
Socktober Catholic Mission Fundraiser
October - the month of the Rosary
Service Projects- outreach to the community
2020 Swimming Champions - GORETTI
2020 Athletics Champions - GORETTI
Year 6 Leadership Program
On-line learning
On-line whole school assemblies
Remembrance Day Assembly
Year 5 Camp – Cooby Dam
Year 6 Camp – Currimundi, Sunshine Coast
Year 4 Sport Gala Days
Buddies Program
Surviving COVID lockdown
Launch of new school website
After school sport activities: Orienteering, Soccer, Cricket, Golf, AFL, NRL
Mini Vinnie’s
Brain waves - USQ
Book Week – Wild creatures, Wild Minds
Book Fair
School Drama Festival (Term 2)
Record breaking tuckshop orders for Term 4!
P & F: Colour Run, Pizza Treat Days
STEM showcase – attended by Principals, visiting schools and parents
Visual Art displays
Chess Club
PREP Transition Mornings (Term 3 & 4)
School Open Day (Term 1)
Year 6 2021 Leadership Positions
We will all remember the year of 2020 when we all battled a global pandemic, which threatened to shut down schools, but nevertheless, we embraced on-line learning. And if there are any words that have been imprinted in our minds this year… it would be Social-Distancing…hand-sanitiser and 30 second handwashing and let’s not forget that question: have you signed in?
Reports
Having recently read all student reports for this semester, I extend congratulations to the students for their commitment to their learning and producing such fine results across the learning areas. I am extremely grateful to the teachers and school officers who teach, guide and support the students in their learning. Thank you staff for your time and commitment in providing these informative reports to parents and students. It is clear to me that the teachers really know and understand the children they have been teaching and learning alongside 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 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 2020. The role of the teacher should never be underestimated, and the fruits of their labour are sometimes not evident until years down the track.
Colour Run
Big shout out to our P & F for providing some much-needed fun at the end of the year – an afternoon filled with fun, laughter and a rainbow of colour – enjoyed by all in attendance. We hope we can continue to shine all colours of our spectrum into the new year.
Final Message to Year 6 2020
Your life is now. Seize it and make it amazing.
Find your voice. Discover your passion and pursue it.
Be honest, generous and kind. Surround yourself with love, laughter and truth.
Let your heart be your guide.
Make a difference. Be brave and wild at heart.
Take chances, ask questions. Be fearless, make a difference.
This is your time.
Go well Class of 2020 and God bless. Author Unknown
Finally, Thank you to the staff, students and families for your contributions, and for all the moments, big and small. Stay safe and I look forward to continuing the journey next year. Every blessing for you all over the Christmas Holiday.
Thanks for reading.
Madonna
Dear Parents and Carers,
We have made it to the end of another year- and what a year 2020 has been! Madonna has highlighted many of the successes we have had along the way, though she left this one to me to share. Just in the last 2 weeks the school has, through the efforts of the Guy family, become the sponsors of a whale shark, which is happily swimming off the WA coast. How did this come about, you may well ask?
During Term 2, when many of the borders were locked down and travel was severely limited, Anessa Guy and children Catherine (Yr 5), Addison (Yr 4) and Oliver (Yr 1) opted to head to the Pilbera Region of WA to keep dad company. While there, one of their amazing experiences was to go for a whale shark swim as part of the ECOCEAN project. This is the whale shark that they spent most time with.
Matt Guy contacted Dr. Brad Norman (AM) who is the Lead Scientist at ECOCEAN, and Adjunct Professor at University of Western Australia about assisting with whale shark research as the children had such an amazing experience with them. The kids had an idea of a naming competition so the school could adopt their own whale shark which means they will receive alerts when a new sighting is logged.
Finally, after much interest and communication between Qld and WA, the school has settled on the name 'Gujawari' which means whale shark in the language of the local Baiyungu People (Traditional Owners of the “Nyinggulu” (Ningaloo) Coast). In the new year, we will share the tracking details of "Gujawari" so that the students can become more involved and learn more about these amazing creatures.
On behalf of the school, we offer a huge "Thank You" to the Guy family for including SSPS in their WA adventures.
Mayoral Medal:
AWARDS ASSEMBLY today: This morning we had a final opportunity to gather as a whole school to remember, to celebrate and to acknowledge members of our school community.
AWARD Recipients are listed above. Congratulations!
We said farewell to:
Ms Jen Moore (1M teacher who is heading to the Sunshine Coast)
Mrs Cate Bell who finished her contract with 3H.
Paige & James (pictured below) from Hall-Thorpe After School Care who will be working at Middle Ridge State School.
Dennis Horne (retiring from the Board)
Spirit of Catherine McAuley Award: Gemma Smith
Congratulations to all our AWARD recipients. Well deserved!
LEADERS for 2021: At the Leadership Liturgy last week, all our Year 5s received their Leader Badge and the Captains, Vice-Captains, Councillors and House Captains for next year were announced. Congratulations to the whole cohort- we look forward to having you all lead SSPS next year.
SERVICE to our Parish Community: This morning, after the final assembly, our Year 4 students and teachers joined Frs Michael, Tom, Nandana & Hal and the older members of the parish for the annual Care and Concern Anointing Mass. The Year 4s were there to lead the singing and to share a smile and a quick chat with the parishioners, many of whom do not get out and about very often.
The benefits went both ways, as the young ones enjoyed sharing their singing talents as well as the iceblock they received afterwards. Thanks to the Year 4 teachers for "volunteering" to provide this service to the community. Well done!
Christmas Blessing
Whenever we gaze into a crib this Christmas season
May new hope and joy flood our spirit
Whenever we watch babies and young children playing
May a new energy delight our hearts
Whenever we are tantalised by the aroma of a BBQ
May we unwind, relax and enjoy time off
Whenever the crush of family and friends, overwhelms us
May the hospitality of our hearts expand
Whenever we provide a meal or a bed over the holidays
May we experience love and appreciation
Whenever we spy our reflection in the mirror or pool
May we find ourselves to be the images of God
Whenever we feel our distance from each other around the world
May the Christ child draw us into unity. Amen
(adapted from Catholic Mission card)
Thank you for your support throughout 2020,
I wish you and your family a joyful Christmas and a happy and healthy new year.
See you in 2021,
Judy
Semester 2 Report Cards and Academic Awards
On Tuesday you would have received your child's Semester Two report card. As Ms Sleba has mentioned previously, there were some fantastic achievements that should, and have been celebrated.
I have been lucky enough this week to visit all classrooms and present numerous students with an Academic Excellence Award. These are the students who have achieved outstanding academic performance in all learning areas (more specifically, all A, B and one C result). When visiting the classrooms it was fantastic to see how proud the students were who received the awards. At the same time, there were some students who were obviously disappointed. I made sure to remind these students that there are numerous parts to a report card. Two important parts are the achievement marks for their learning area (e.g. English) and also the effort marks. I did spend time on the importance of the effort mark and the fact it is always important to persist with their learning and to try their hardest at all times.
Four students this semester received an academic medal for gaining an A in all 9 Learning Areas. They are Abigail Allan (Year 4), Dominic Marsh (Year 6), Cameron Dennis (Year 6) and Grace Taylor (Year 6). A special congratulations to these students.
Adopt-A-Cop Awards
Academic Encouragment Award Winners:
Corner Stone Value Awards - Semester 2:
Academic Medallists:
Year 6 St Patrick's Cathedral School Captains Award 2020
Term 4 Basketball
This term we have had several students participating in basketball on a Tuesday night. I would like to take this opportunity to formally thank our expert basketball coach, Mrs Monica Conway. Mrs Conway is extremely experienced in coaching basketball and it is no surprise that the students improved so much this season.
Representative Sport Awards
This morning at the final assembly, St Saviour's Primary formally acknowledged the students who have been selected in representative school sport teams for 2020. We are very proud of all of them, their determination, effort and skills are to be commended. Congratulations:
Conor Ward (Darling Downs Cricket)
Lachlan Ottobrino (Darling Downs Cricket)
Peighton Lorraway (South West Cricket)
Evie King (Darling Downs Softball)
Emma Barram (Darling Downs Swimming)
Book Fair
Thank you sincerely for your support of the fair under difficult conditions. The outcome was $800.00 worth of new books and teaching resources for the library collection. These new items will provide a great injection of popular titles to excite our students when they return to weekly borrowing in 2021.
Highlights from the library in 2020
*Year 6 morning tea book chats in Semester 2. What a bunch of enthusiastic readers and sharers! It was a privilege to listen in.
*A full term of celebrating "Curious Creatures Wild Minds" our 2020 Book Week theme. Students had many opportunities to engage in critical and creative thinking around the theme and how it connected to their reading. We enjoyed the notable and short-listed books and we had the best Book Week parade ever!
*Narrator visit from Stig Wymss who entertained us and introduced us to the wonderful audio books available from Borrow Box via the Toowoomba Regional Library
*High quality book reviews written by Year 5 students and shared in AccessIt for future library users.
*Weekly or fornightly (almost) visits to the library to choose books for free choice reading at home. Research shows that free-choice reading and being read to boosts students' literacy levels dramatically.
*Visible growth in skills and confidence to use the library database to independently locate books
*Weekly assistance from our Year 6 rostered helpers. The library service needed your help more than ever this year! Thank you for cheerfully stepping up to take on the trolley loads of shelving and other various, repetitive tasks each week.
*Some Statistics
- 68,293 items were circulated from the library
- 1, 199 items were entered into the library database
As always, a busy and productive year in the library!
Thank you for ensuring all student loans have been returned to the library. The library will be open tomorrow or items may be left at the office
Unreturned items from earlier in Term 4 will be invoiced during December.
Summer Reading@Home
Enjoy sharing the books borrowed this week and please ensure they are cared for by storing them in the provided bag. These books will be due back in Week 1 of Term 1 2021.
Holiday Reading -Some online options
*E-books and audio books can be borrowed from the Diocese of Toowoomba Resource Centre Wheelers platform using student’s school login details
Story Box Library – Great Australian stories read aloud while the text displays on the screen
https://storyboxlibrary.com.au
Log in with;
Username – ssp
Password - stories
Storyline Online
https://www.storylineonline.net/
Professional actors read the books, includes close-ups of the book pages and displayed text
Audible
https://stories.audible.com/discovery
A collection of free online audiobooks for children through to teens
Kidiit TV
A tv show about story makers that includes “Read Out Loud” story time and children’s literature podcasts for kids
“Ready, Set, Draw” guides students through drawing a picture book character
Thank you Volunteers
Our school community is blessed with generous people who give their time to support our library. We thank Kerrie Rowlings, Claire Zull and Merryl Nunn for their dedication to library tasks across the year. Special thanks goes to Michelle Standing for her role as Book Club Co-ordinator. The way in which you all go quietly about your work provides a wonderful example of service and quality for our staff and students.
Sincere thanks on behalf of our school community
Christmas blessings and a very happy holiday everyone!
Anne Anderson
Teacher Librarian
Final reminders for end of year:
Direct Debit Forms 2021:
All completed direct debit forms for 2021 should now be handed into the office.
Office Hours:
The office will be open the following dates over the xmas period:
DECEMBER:
Office closes on FRIDAY 17TH DECEMBER.
JANUARY:
Office reopens on MONDAY 18TH JANUARY.
UNIFORM SHOP HOURS:
School Administration and Financial System Update:
The Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office are transitioning from our old financial program to a new schools financial program. Please be patient with us as we learn the new system and navigate our way in providing the best service to you. We are currently experiencing some issues and have limited access to the old program during the transition period. It is our hope that all will be up and running fully in the new year. Thank you to Jodie McLaclan and Julie Robinson for their hard work in managing this transition. We are truly lucky to have such efficient and giving people in our front office.
School Bags:
School Bags are currently on back order. They will be available to purchase in January when the office reopens.
Library Bags:
Library Bags are on sale in the office for $10.
Farewell Crossing Supervisors Mal and Emma:
Farewell to our two Crossing Supervisors Mal and Emma. Mal and Emma have worked on the school crossings over many years at St Saviour's. We thank them for all their dedication and committment to our school and for keeping our children safe on the crossings.
Congratulations to all our Award Winners.
Week 8 Weekly Awards
Thank you to everyone who donated to the Mini-Vinnies Christmas Appeal. We were overwhelmed with the support of donations received this year. Special thanks to Miss Kynoch and the Year 5 classes for organising the appeal.
Thank You!!!
The Colour Run was a great afternoon. It was great to see all the children having fun and enjoying themselves. In total, the children raised an amazing $9,048.84, with Grace Connole being our champion fundraiser raiser, raising a total of $552.92. Grace received her medal today at the final assembly. Prep H was the class that raised the most, their total being $1447. We would like to thank all the volunteers that helped throughout the afternoon. We couldn't have done it without you, so thank you very much.
The P&F would like to thank all the parents and guardians of the school children. It has been a tough year. We would like to thank you all for the efforts volunteering and contributing to fundraising, it has been appreciated. Through this we have managed to donate money back to the school to help purchase Reading Eggs subscriptions during Covid-19 and much needed new shade covers for the school with the house colours and names on them. With this donation the school was able to use them for the Colour Run.
We look forward to a new year in 2021 and looking forward to seeing many more faces at our P&F meetings. Thank you everyone.
Merry Christmas and have a happy and safe new year. we look forward to seeing everyone who is returning next year.
Our Year 6 Captains Grace and Lachlan pictured with Mrs Hart and Mrs Campbell from our P&F. Grace Connolle is also pictured - Grace was the highest raising fundraiser for SSPS.
PREP H - Highest Fundraising Class for 2020 Colour Run
Colur Run 2020 - Prizes packed and ready for distribution