Week 7, Term 2 2021

NATIONAL RECONCILIATION WEEK

Lord, open up our hearts

so that we may hear the message you teach of

...a world in which the wrongs of the past are recognised;

...a world in which a reconciled people walk and talk together sharing stories;

...a world in which all burn with the desire to have your peace and justice reign.

We ask this in Jesus’ name.

Dear SSPS Community,                      

Monday 24^th May, our Diocesan Schools celebrated alongside all Catholic Schools across the nation to mark 200years of Catholic Education. In honour of this special milestone, we came together and celebrated mass led by Bishop Robert McGuckin.  This was an opportunity for all Catholic Schools to come together as a community with a great sense of gratitude and appreciation of this milestone in Catholic Education.

How do you capture 200 years of Catholic Education?  The truth is you cannot. It is too big a story. But, where we can capture the essence of our story is in those stories of the individuals who have been a part of our community since 1821.

The stories of one of the 700 000 students. Of every student who has ever worn that uniform; who has sat in those classrooms; who has slept in the dorms; who has bloodied their knees and elbows on the school playground.

The stories of their Mums and their Dads; their sacrifice to send their children to a Catholic School and their generosity to support the local Catholic School.

The stories of the Sisters of Mercy, the Josephites, the Good Samaritans, the Christian Brothers,   and those of every principal, and teacher, who has followed in their footsteps and lived their vocation as an educator.

The stories of every support staff member. Anonymous men and women. Some who have worked for years in the library, classrooms, the finance office or on the grounds.

Their stories are the Catholic story. Stories of connection, belonging and of being a part of something bigger than themselves. A community. A sister or brother hood. Connected by a spirit. Something unique to our place - Catholic Spirit. A spirit that we find hard to put into words but something that we experience both within ourselves and between each other.

As quoted by Pope Francis; “Teaching is a beautiful job as it allows you to see the growth day by day of the people entrusted to your care.  It is a little like being parents, at least spiritually.  It is a great responsibility.”

As a Catholic educator, this great responsibility is not taken lightly.  Congratulations everyone on continuing to nurture the spirit of Catholic Education throughout our schools by challenging, empowering and enriching young learners to embrace and transform the world!

Catholic spirit is integral to that legacy.  It is our responsibility, as the Catholic community of 2021, to nurture that legacy and that spirit. We do that by continuing to be just, inclusive, courageous, grateful and authentic. It is a legacy that calls each of us to be responsive and inclusive to all who enter our Catholic communities.  

Our Catholic schools across the Toowoomba Diocese deliver high-quality, faith-based, affordable education and are open to enrolments from all families.

STUDENT AND STAFF WELL-BEING

It’s a crazy time of term. What the science tells us is that happiness and well-being don’t just fall out of the sky and hit us; we actively have to do things to feel good about ourselves and others. We have to be ‘on-purpose’ in doing things to feel a sense of well-being. 

What is clear in the school at this time of term - just over half way through - is that lots of people are tired and stressed (students, staff and parents).

It is definitely time to be purposely mindful about stress, anxiety, being ‘wound up’ and, therefore, not being able to be truly present and perform at our best. Maybe over the next week (and beyond hopefully) we all might spend time focusing on the below ten things.

10 tips to help you stay mentally healthy (crucial for this stage of the term)

1. Spend time helping someone else with something - when you help others, it makes you feel good. Volunteer for a cause, help a neighbour or simply do something nice for a friend or stranger.
2. See the funny side of life and laugh often - laughter is a wonderful medicine.  Watch/read/listen to something that will give you a belly laugh. Not only does laughter decrease stress hormones, it also triggers the release of endorphins which help improve your overall sense of wellness.
3. Think about a new skill you can learn - learning something new gives the ‘grey matter’ a workout and builds neural pathways in the brain.
4. Catch up with friends - spending time with our friends and loved ones is always a guaranteed way to lift our moods.  Often just spending time chatting and laughing with someone is a great mood lifter.
5. Go to bed early - make it your aim to get eight hours of solid sleep every night. Sleep will help restore your body and mind. To help you get a good night's rest, put your phone away at least an hour before bed and do something soothing and relaxing such as reading a book to help you get a good night's rest.
6. Focus on your organisation - with upcoming deadlines and assessments, it is easy to get overwhelmed by study/work commitments.  Being disorganised can build stress and anxiety at this time. For our older students, try creating a study routine to get yourself into the habit of studying. Put all your assessment and deadlines on a calendar and plan your time effectively to ensure you give yourself ample time to complete big projects and prepare yourself for an exam. 
7. Ask someone for help - Everyone’s life journey is different, and sometimes we need help to overcome the really bumpy bits. It's okay to ask for help: speak to a work colleague, teachers, a friend or a family member.
8. Stay Active - keeping fit and staying active can help you to sleep better, manage stress and boost your mood.  Take the dog for a walk, or take the stairs when you can.  Try riding your bike or find a sport or physical activity that you enjoy and make a plan to do it regularly.
9. Take care of yourself - a healthy body is linked to a healthy mind.  Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole foods, and avoid processed foods.
10. Be ‘present’ in the moment - be in the here and now. Enjoy the moment.

School Counsellor Update

Last week we farwelled Anne Woodcroft-Brown whilst she takes leave to have her baby and we eagerly await the happy news!  I am pleased to announce that Mrs Christina Peak will be our new school counsellor during Anne's leave.  Christina is an experienced teacher and counsellor who most recently has been working for Catholic Care in Toowoomba.  Christina is looking forward to joining the SSPS team and working in a school environment. She will begin her role here at SSPS from the 21st June, 2021.  We look forward to welcoming her and introducing staff, parents and students. 

Thanks for reading,

Madonna Sleba

SSPS Principal

IGNITE LEARNING 

At St Saviour's Primary we want our learners to STRIVE at LEARNING and at LIFE and they can do that through the following learning dispositions:

For those of you have read my last two newsletter articles, I have written of some different ideas that you can try at home to promote the dispositions of being curious and being determined. This week, I would like to introduce the disposition of being adventurous.

Adventurous learners are willing to take a risk, have a go, try something new, and rise to the challenge, without the fear of being thought stupid, ignorant or babyish if they don't get it right the first time.  

It can often be hard to promote risk-taking behaviours and might be something that you have not even thought about with regards to learning.  However, many learners are self-conscious about trying new approaches in case someone is watching or criticising their efforts. 

Research suggests that significant learning takes place when mistakes are made.  When you are at home with your child completing learning activites (it might be homework or they might be learning something new), take the time to recognise the fact that your child has taken a risk and had a go, rather than not trying at all.  It is easy for them to say things like, 'it's too hard' or 'I'm not good at that'.  However, the real learning power comes when they do have a go, even if they know they might not get it correct.   If they do happen to make a mistake along the way, acknowledge that mistake as a learning opportunity and discuss what they could do differently next time. 

Source: Claxton, G. (2018).  The Learning Power Approach: Teaching learners to teach themselves.  California, USA: Corwin.

If you would like to provide any feedback or a story of your child being adventurous at home, please feel free to email me.  sam.hannant@twb.catholic.edu.au 

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Firstly, I want to thank you for all of the positivity surrounding the introduction of Daisy the Therapy Dog! Staff, students and parents seem to have taken quite a liking to our four-legged friend. When I’ve visited classrooms with Daisy, I’ve often explained to the students that she is my dog at home, but all of ours at school! It has been such a privilege to see the connections that many students (and adults) have begun to form with Daisy, which I hope will continue to develop as she begins to become ‘part of the furniture’ on her Thursday visits.

What does Daisy Do All Day?

A question I often get asked is, “What does Daisy do all day?” It can sometimes be a little tricky to answer this question because it is so different each day! We spend some time in classrooms, working with small groups or individual students on their learning. If a student is hurt or sad, Daisy and I will try to cheer them up. We visit the playground and children are able to pat Daisy, walk her around, try and do some tricks with her or even create their own game involving her. Sometimes she acts as a reward when children have worked well. Often, it is just her being here that makes the most difference. It is the smile she puts on everyone’s faces. It is the calmness she creates!

What are the benefits of a therapy dog?

Dogs in the classroom provide both physical and emotional health benefits for students. According to one study published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), having a dog present in the classroom promotes a positive mood and provides significant anti-stress effects on the body. In fact, the simple act of petting a dog has the effect of lowering blood pressure and heart rate. In other words, just being in contact with a therapy dog calms kids down when they’re upset and helps keep their anxiety at bay. And reducing feelings of anxiety and depression enables them to focus on learning. Perhaps the greatest benefit of therapy dogs in the classroom is the effect on students’ social-emotional development. Loving and lovable, dogs are friendly companions and good listeners who make no judgements. Children bond easily with these gentle creatures, helping them feel more connected and confident.

What’s the difference between a therapy dog and a service dog?

There is a distinct difference between service dogs and therapy dogs. Service dogs help individuals with specific disabilities, such as visual impairment or seizure disorders. Therapy dogs provide comfort and support to all students within the school community. They are trained to use their social instincts and learned social skills to provide health, social-emotional, and cognitive benefits. 

Some information taken from https://www.weareteachers.com/dogs-in-the-classroom/#:~:text=Therapy%20dogs%20not%20only%20have,even%20optimizes%20executive%2Dfunctioning%20skills.

Have a wonderful week!

Warm Regards

Nicki Prentice

 BILBY AWARDS – Books I Love Best Yearly 

https://qld.cbca.org.au/voting-for-the-bilby 

The Bilby Awards are the children’s Choice Awards organised by the Queensland branch of The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA). This award is a wonderful opportunity for young people to exercise their voice about what they read, it is their very own book award. Students and teachers have been reading and sharing the CBCA Notable books and in Week 9 and 10 they will be voting for their favourite book. 

Darling Downs Regional Readers Cup  

Our dedicated Year 6 readers have mostly completed their first reading of the 5 set novels and are busy quizzing each other to recall the stories in readiness for the competition in Week 9. Keep up the great effort team! 

Year 5/6 Book Chat

Motivated readers gathered to talk about what they are reading last Monday morning. Their enthusiasm and ability to explain what they reading is impressive. The next morning tea chat will be held on Wednesday 16th June and all Year 5 and 6 students are welcome.

Happy reading everyone!

Anne Anderson

Athletics Carnival Information 2021

St Saviour’s Primary Athletics Carnival 2021

As you might be aware the 2021 Athletics Carnival will take place on Thursday the 17^th and Friday 18^th of June 2021.  Please see information below.

DATE:             

17^th June 2021 (200m heats and 800m finals – Students born 2012 – 2009)

18^th June 2021 (Shotput, Discus, High Jump, Long Jump, Sprints, Relays, 2016 - 2013 activities – Prep to Year 6 Students).                  

TIME:                          

17^th June 2021, 9am – 12pm (Transport Provided)

18^th June 2021, 8:30am – 3pm (Students will need to be dropped off and picked up)

VENUE:                       

Glynis Nunn-Cearns Oval, 16 - 44 O’Quinn Street, Toowoomba.

WHO FOR:                

Children born in 2016 (turning 5 this year) to children born 2009

(turning 12 this year).

TRANSPORT:              

17^th June 2021 (Students born 2012 – 2009) - The children will catch a bus from St Saviour’s Primary to Glynis Nunn-Cearns Oval at 8.40am and return to school after the carnival.

18^th June 2021 (Students born 2016 – 2009) – Students will need to make their own way to Glynis Nunn-Cearns Oval between 8:30am and 9am and be picked up at 3pm.

 FOOD:                        

The children will need to bring their own morning tea, lunch, and water. There will also be a canteen operating on Friday the 18^th of June 2021.

COVID-19:                  

We encourage as many parents as possible to come and support your child/ren at the St Saviour’s Primary Athletics Carnival. All spectators will need to adhere to social distancing at the event and are encouraged to maintain good hand hygiene.

COST:                         

$5 will be added to your child’s school fees for all children (2012 – 2009) who attend Glunis Nunn-Cearns Oval on the 17^th of June to cover the cost of the bus.

UNIFORM: 

The children are welcome to dress up and can wear clothing of their house colour. Hair spray and zinc is also allowed. If your child/ren does not wish to wear their house colours, can they please attend in their sports uniform. Please ensure your child wears shoes suitable for running and has either the sports hat or school broad brimmed hat.  No caps please.

NOMINATIONS:         

All students will run in either a 60m, 80m or 100m race and year level relay. Students born between 2016 and 2013 will participate in modified athletics activities to gain points for their house. Students born between 2012 and 2009 will also compete in 200m and 800m races. The qualifying eight from June the 4^th will compete in shotput, discus, high jump and long jump (please see attached timetable).

PERMISSION:  

Please fill out the permission for you child/ren via Student and Parent Portal by 14^th of June 2021.

If you have any questions or concern, please feel free to contact me (brendan.luck@twb.catholic.edu.au).

Zone and Darling Downs Trials

All Zone and Darling Downs trials will be placed on SchoolZine. Please check SchoolZine 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 me. Any questions, please contact me at brendan.luck@twb.catholic.edu.au.

Toowoomba Rugby League

Taylor Wann played for the Under 10 Toowoomba Rugby League team over the weekend.  They played against Laidley winning 9-2 with Taylor himself scoring two tries on the day.  Congratulations Taylor.  

Upcoming Events (Term Two)

• SSPS Athletics Carnival – 17th June 2021 (9am – 12pm) and 18th June 2021 (8:30pm – 3pm)

Kind Regards

Brendan Luck

PE Teacher

Free Dress Day:

Next Wednesday 9th June is a FREE DRESS DAY to coincide with Game 1 of State of Origin.  Children can come dressed in their favourite footy colours and support their team - QLD or NSW.  The Tuckshop will be selling special State of Origin Treats for morning tea and lunch.  Please remember to wear closed in shoes and no caps.

Term 2 School Fees:

Term 2 School Fees are now overdue.  Please make sure you contact the office to finalise your term fees, if you have not already done so.  Thank you.

Parent Portal:

Information was emailed home earlier this week to parents about the roll out of the St Saviour's Primary Parent Portal.

Thank you to all of the parents who have uploaded the parent portal to their devices. We really appreciate your support as we transition to this new platform. Initially we will be using the Sentral Parent Portal for permission forms and Absentee notifications. As the year progresses we hope to add further features to the app for parents to access.

We have been advised that there are some issues with the Android version of the app and an update is on the way to correct this. We will send an alert out via SZapp to advise parents once this update has been released to the Google Play store.

If you are not using an Android phone and having any issues with setting up the app please contact the office for assistance.  

School Improvement Survey:

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

This year our school will be participating in a School Review and Improvement survey managed by Research Australia Development and Innovation Institute (RADII). As well as school staff and students from Years 5 - 12, all parents are invited to participate in the survey. The survey provides valuable feedback for the future directions of our school. It would be appreciated if parents could update their contact details prior 25 June 2021. This will ensure delivery to the correct parent email addresses are available.

On Monday 26 July 2021, RADII will send all parents a personalised invitation to complete the survey online. If both parents' email addresses are on file at the school, the invitation will be sent to both parents. However, the survey will close once the first person has completed it. If you do not wish to complete the survey, simply delete it. The survey will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. You can complete the survey from anywhere you have access to the internet. The survey will close on Sunday, 08 August 2021. We encourage you to be very honest in your responses to the surveys. All responses go directly to RADII so they are confidential and anonymous. When the surveys are completed, and responses aggregated by RADII, overall data is sent to us so that we can then share the findings with you.

Non-State School Bus Assistance Programme:

Pizza Treat Day:

Pizza Treat Day is being held on Thursday 17th June. Ordering is now up and running via Flexischools. The last day for placing orders will be Wednesday 16th June at 11.00 am. No late orders will be accepted.  Thank you to our P&F for organising - it is a highlight of the Term for our children. 

Last Day of Term:

The last day of Term 3 is Friday 25th June.  

Parking:

Parents who are using the driveway off Neil Street beside the College to drop off children of a morning and collect of an afternoon, please be advised that this access is strictly for service vehicles, disabled vehicles and adminstration staff/leadership of the Primary School only.   It is not to be used for dropping off and picking up of children.  Parents can use this access when picking up children from After School Care of an afternoon after 3.30 pm.

Prep Carpark:

Parents please remember that the Prep carpark is only for Prep parents.  Several families are using this carpark daily to drop off and pick up children who do not attend Prep.  We ask you to be considerate of our Prep families and find alternate parks around the school.  

Congratulations to our Weekly Award Winners for Week 6 & 7

Pie Drive:

The St Saviour's Primary School Homestyle fundraiser is now open for orders. Delivery will be to the School on Tuesday 15 June 2021.  Please support our fundraiser to help raise funds for our School.  The school will receive $2 per every item sold.  Orders and payments can be placed directly with Homestyle Bake via their online ordering system as per the instructions below. 

Online orders must be placed before 2.30 pm on Monday 7 June 2021.

HOW TO ORDER

Go to http://www.homestylebake.com.au

⁃          Click on ORDER ONLINE

⁃          Click on “Register“ (UNLESS you have previously created an account in which you would just need to go to our Website and login)

⁃          Fill out registration form (using your name and address)

⁃          Check your email for registration confirmation

⁃          Click link in email

⁃          Check email for a 2nd welcome email that contains your unique USER ID ( you are welcome to use the USER ID provided or login using your email address instead)

⁃          Go back to the website and login

⁃          Use Fundraising code: FSTSAVIOURS150621 & click on GO (MUST USE THIS CODE TO ENSURE THE FUNDS GO TO OUR SCHOOL AND THE CORRECT MENU IS DISPLAYED)

⁃          Do not enter a delivery date, it will automatically be set (15/06/21)

⁃          Place order by typing a number in the quantity box for how many you want for each item *(you do not have to place “0” for items you do not want)

⁃          When finished ordering, click UPDATE CART for a final price

⁃          When you are ready to pay, click CHECKOUT to take you to the payment screen

⁃          Enter child’s name and/or room/class (number) in the CUSTOMER ORDER NUMBER FIELD, choose payment method and follow prompts through to click on CONFIRM ORDER (If purchasing for friends or family you can do separate orders under your name and put their name  in the CUSTOMER ORDER NUMBER FIELD (this means their orders will be packed separately from yours)

⁃          Check email for order confirmation and if payment is successful you will receive a second email.

If you are having difficulties, you can watch this YouTube video on how to order:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA7LtG6L6r4&feature=youtu.be

You are also able to collect orders from your friends, family and work colleagues and place these orders under your name on your order.  This is preferred over giving out the Online Fundraising Code.  If you give out this code we would then have people outside of our School community coming onto the School grounds to pick up their orders on delivery day.

Please see the attached menu for products available and prices.

Thanks so much for your support.

SSPS P&F (FACE)

Race Day Sponsorship:

Please consider being a sponsor for our 2021 Race Day.  Information below.

Tickets on sale soon!!! 

St_Saviour_s_St_Patrick_s_Sponsorship_Letter.pdf

St_Saviour_s_St_Patrick_s_Sponsorship_Letter _pdf 3.87 MB

State of Origin Game 1:

Special treats on sale in the Tuckshop for Game 1 (Wednesday)

Morning Tea :-

Red or Blue Donuts

Red or Blue Fruit Kebabs (red grapes/blueberries)

Lunch :-

Dagwod Dogs

Layered blue and red jelly tubs

Regards

Tash Biggar

Tuckshop Convenor