Week 3, Term 3 2021
Long Service Awards 2021
It is my privilege today on behalf of Toowoomba Catholic Schools office and our school community to acknowledge and celebrate the long service awards for the following staff: Mrs Maryanne Lee, and Mrs Anne Anderson for 20 years’ service; Mrs Lesley Jarrett and Mr Bill Moore for 25 years’ service and Mrs Melinda Harkins for 30 years of dedicated service within Catholic Education:
To each of you, We are consistently amazed by your performance.
You’re an inspiration to us all!
We’d like to congratulate and acknowledge the tremendous success you’ve achieved and for your on-going generosity towards our learners over the many years of service!
Thank you for all your hard work.
Congratulations Margaret Doljanin
Marg has given an incredible 45 years of service to our school alone. In actual fact this is her 46th year of service. I have had the pleasure of knowing Marg for the past 41 years. I first met Marg as a student of SSPS when I was in Year 4, in 1980, and I know that there are many staff here today that have a number of amazing stories that they can recall about our wonderful Margie! It is today that we get to acknowledge and thank her for the amazing gift that she is to many people associated with SSPS both past and present.
Congratulations Marg on achieving this anniversary! We know you have worked hard for this accomplishment, and we truly appreciate your dedication.
Marg was instrumental in providing sporting opportunities from the first day she began teaching here at St Saviour’s. She is known throughout our Diocese as being the pioneer of organising sporting carnivals and events for all Catholic students across our Diocese. To this day, Marg’s finesse in educating and motivating students to reach their sporting potential is phenomenal. As a past student, I recall Marg training us for netball, softball, athletics, ball games and swimming, giving up many afternoons and lunch times to ensure we were ready and at our best for all events. Marg’s generous spirit in organising trophies for every sporting event does not go unnoticed. Marg has shared her many years of experience with many young PE teachers along the way – especially Mr Hannant and Mr Luck in the past few years who are truly grateful for her insight and expertise in organisation. Add in the large amount of time she has spent taking Toowoomba and Darling Downs netball teams and organising Catholic Sporting Carnivals. Massive!! Catholic Schools across our Diocese have benefited from her skills and knowledge in the sporting arena and SSPS are so lucky to have such a dedicated teacher.
This is why this year we will be introducing the Marg Doljanin Medal for our sports person of the year which will be presented at our final assembly for the year.
Mrs Ward, also a past student of SSPS, shared with me the following: Miss Doljanin was known to be passionate about her sport and a tough but fair classroom teacher. You didn't want to disappoint Miss Doljanin because to disrespect her was worse than disrespecting the Principal!! Miss Doljanin is a legend of SSPS! Whether you were taught by her or not, you knew who she was and what high expectations she held for the students of SSPS. Miss Doljanin encompasses all the values that we hold dearly at SSPS. Her commitment to the students throughout the entire school, the level of professionalism with everyone she interacts with, compassion she shows to both staff and students is a testament to her. It has been a privilege to be working with Marg many years later. Her kind heart has always been evident through her teaching at SSP and it continues to do so now.
Marg, there is no other worthy person to receive this award. You have touched many lives over the past 46 years as a highly skilled educator, friend and confidante. Reliability is hard to come by and I THANK YOU for being someone we can always count on! I’m so grateful for all of your hard work. The entire SSPS team thanks you for everything you do, from being the first at school each day, turning heaters on, setting up the staffroom, unlocking rooms to name a few of the many ‘little’ things that you do to make each of our days run smoothly.
You are exceptional at knowing and noticing those around you who need your support and help. This is an outstanding asset to our school for both colleagues and the students in your care. Your work ethic and involvement are admirable, and we are fortunate to have someone as dedicated as you onboard!
You have been instrumental over the years in mentoring new teachers, breaking in ten Principals whilst at St Saviour’s which has helped us advance the goals of the entire SSPS team.
You always think of new and different ways of approaching a problem; your unique perspective is a tremendous asset to our team.
My words can never be enough to praise your actions; the work and talent you bring to the table always exceed my expectations. Thank you.
Madonna Sleba (your favourite past pupil!!)
Mrs Powers has worked in our school library alongside Anne Anderson our Teacher Librarian and Mary Milton ensuring that our library runs smoothly to help support and enhance the children’s learning. Recently, she was nominated for a Spirit of Catholic Education Award as a stand out in our eyes! It is with sadness for our community that we farewell Mrs Powers who has accepted a full-time job at Fairholme College and will be leaving our school community. Her last day will be Thursday 5th August. Mrs Power’s creative talents and welcoming nature have encouraged staff and children to enjoy visiting our library and exploring new and exciting things. Thank you, Janelle for your service to our school and the Catholic Education Office over your years with us.
We wish you all the best in your new job and the challenges of working in a secondary school.
All the best!
Dear Parents and Carers,
Happy Catholic Education Week!
Undoubtedly, the highlight for me so far has been our whole school Mass on Tuesday morning. Usually (pre COVID) we would have shared several Masses by now but we are learning to take nothing for granted any longer. I admit to being a little apprehensive about a few things with the Mass: how best to seat over 400 students so as to ensure a calm, engaged audience; how would the Preppies and Year Ones handle the routines and quiet reflective times in the Mass with so little "church time" under their belts; actually getting everyone into the building and seated with COVID checkins added to the pre Mass to do list.
I should have learnt from past experience and trusted that it would all come together on the day. And it did! Fr Michael of course is a very calming influence and is not concerned about " a little" extra noise from excited children entering the church. He "had" the Preps and Year Ones focused and engrossed once he mentioned his roosters that they had seen and heard on the way into the Cathedral. Of course he used them as an example of how we should greet each morning, "with spirit" expertly leading the conversation onto the theme for this year's Catholic Education Week, "A Spirited Tomorrow"!
BISHOP'S INSERVICE DAY: The annual Bishop’s Inservice Days are held in the Toowoomba Catholic schools and colleges of the far west, mid-west and in the city of Toowoomba to remind us that while we are part of a local Catholic school and community, we are also part of our local Church, the Diocese of Toowoomba, led by Bishop Robert McGuckin. Tomorrow, around 40 SSPS staff members including library and office, will gather together for a time of dialogue and reflection on how we " Live Within the Catholic Story".
Two hundred years ago the first official Catholic school opened in Australia. Catholic schools have long held that education should be directed not just towards personal enrichment for the individual student but also to community contribution.
In his recent encyclical, Fratelli Tutti: On Fraternity and Social Friendship, Pope Francis commented that schooling is a right for all children and that a good education can make an enormous difference in the lives of young people, setting them up for life (para.109 & 130). Among other things, Catholic schools and universities should offer an education in human solidarity and Christian fraternity (para.103, 114, 151 & 167) and make it possible “for each human being to shape his or her own future” (para.187).
This then calls for all involved in Catholic education to a spirited tomorrow and in the words of Pope Francis to “be conscious that our responsibility extends also to the moral, spiritual and social aspects of life and that the values of freedom, mutual respect and solidarity can be handed on from a tender age” (para.114).
We at SSPS, appreciate BID as special time we have been given together, to pause and reflect on our work and how we are called to be part of this distinctively Catholic community in which we work and live.
THE MAGIC WORDS: ‘The Magic Words’ performance that our students (P-6) watched today was created and linked to the student wellbeing curriculum and has been developed by teachers and psychologists. This exciting live theatre experience inspires students to face life’s challenges with a calm mind, a kind heart and respectful actions.
Brainstorm Productions is one of Australia’s largest and most respected theatre in education companies, performing to over 360,000 students every year. They offer a range of programs to help schools build healthy and harmonious environments, addressing issues such as cyber safety, bullying, resilience, social skills, diversity and inclusion.
If you would like to know more about Brainstorm Productions, you can visit their website: brainstormproductions.edu.au, or their Facebook page: facebook.com/Brainstorm.Productions.
Sunday School/ Parish Mass returns: 9am Sunday Mass, September 12 has been identified as our first Children's Mass for 2021. Assuming that COVID restrictions stay as they are here in Toowoomba, we are planning on incorporating lots of students as readers and choir members into this Mass. Please keep this day/ time free and further information will be distributed in the coming weeks.
Enjoy the rest of your week,
Judy
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:
At last week's staff meeting, the teaching staff took part in professional development around our disposition of 'Be Collaborative'. Working collaboratively is an important skill for learners to have as it teaches them to be a good team player, to listen carefully to others, to disagree and give feedback and suggestions respectfully and to know when to hold back and listen, and not get carried away with their own brilliant idea.
At St Saviour's Primary our definition of being collaborative as a learner is, 'I work well will others to achieve a goal'. Our learners can do this by participating and contributing, constructive sharing and empathising with others' opinions.
Every class teacher in the school has set some success criteria around what collaboration will look like, sound like and feel like in their classroom in the next four to five weeks. Some examples are below.
In our classrooms, collaborative learners will be able to:
- Understand the benefits of collaboration and what successful collaboration looks like
- work collaboratively to develop communication skills and respect for other ideas.
- clarify, build on and develop their learning by discussing ideas with their peers.
- ask their learning buddies meaningful questions to ensure they understand.
- listen to their buddies, retrieve that information and explain what they have said
ICAS Assessments
This year St Saviour’s Primary will be participating in the world-renowned ICAS AssessmentsTM.
ICAS is designed to target students’ higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Writing, Spelling Bee and Digital Technologies. This year St Saviour’s Primary students in Years 3 – 6 have the optional opportunity to participate in the English and Mathematics tests only.
For more information on the tests and the registration process, please see the below link.
The St Saviour's Primary and St Patrick's Cathedral Race Day will take place on Saturday the 30th October 2021.
As per attachments to this newsletter, tickets are now on sale. Please direct deposit into the bank account and your tickets can be sent home with your child. Family and friends are warmly invited to attend as well.
We are still on the look out for a few more sponsors. If you own a business or would like to contribute toward the Race Day by sponsoring, please send me an email via sam.hannant@twb.catholic.edu.au
Sam Hannant
APA
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Firstly, Happy Catholic Education Week! Below are some ideas about collaboration, creativity, STEM, and how I came to realise how easily the design thinking process can be incorporated into any project, even for children under 6!
How creating a fairy garden became an ‘at home’ design thinking project!
- Ideate: On a blusteringly cold morning in my sister’s backyard, my nieces and I had an idea. We wanted to create a fairy garden to encourage the magical creatures to their backyard. First, we had to collaborate and agree on an idea. This proved to be the biggest obstacle of the whole task – with the children needing to learn to compromise and work together for a common goal. After both girls pitched their suggestions and justifyied their design ideas, we agreed on a plan of attack and got to work.
- Create: Next, we cleared a corner of the backyard and thought about what materials we needed. The ideas flowed freely from the girls and pretty soon I was just there to help them expand their thoughts and sort the occasional argument! They started to think much more creatively and with each new idea, they grew more confident to share their ideas and talk about how things would work. The biggest question I found myself asking was ‘What do the Fairies need?’ – which helped the girls learn to empathize with their user. They created a water station, a slide for the fairies to enter in on, as well as houses made from firewood with leaves for the roof.
- Reflection (Polly, 4 years old): Do you think the fairies will like the garden? Yes, because of the sparkles we added and their houses. If you could change something about the garden what would you change? The plant, oh no, I’ll change the powerlines and make them more beautiful.
The following article has some more ideas to get your creativity flowing! https://medium.com/@NitashaM/how-design-thinking-can-transform-your-child-s-creativity-46700b3ee70c
I hope you can enjoy some creative time with your children over the weekend!
Warm Regards
Nicki Prentice
OLD WORLDS, NEW WORLDS, OTHER WORLDS
Rugby League (Sporting Schools)
Rugby League Queensland has been organised through sporting schools to deliver rugby league sessions on Tuesday afternoons from 3:15pm – 4:00pm from the 10th of August 2021 to the 31st of August 2021 (four weeks). There are only 9 spots left for this opportunity for your child to come and try rugby league in a fun and safe environment. The first 9 parents to email myself will secure the spots for this afternoon activity. Please email brendan.luck@twb.catholic.edu.au. Please note that no teacher will be at these sessions, and they will be run from by a representative from Rugby League Queensland.
Interschool Sport
Your child will be required to wear particular clothing and/or protective gear for their sport (listed below).
Netball – sport uniform (not leader shirt), joggers.
Soccer - sport uniform (not leader shirt), long formal socks, shin pads, joggers.
Football - sport uniform (not leader shirt), long formal socks, mouth guard, football boots, head gear (optional).
Please ensure your child wears/brings the required items to school on Fridays for their nominated sport.
Netball Carnival
Addy Jackson represented the Toowoomba team in a netball carnival held in Roma over the weekend. The carnival consisted of around twenty teams from around the region. Her team played four games on the day, winning all four games helping her team to securer the top position on the ladder. We look forward to hearing about her team as the competition progresses (picture below).
Zone and Darling Downs Trials
All Zone and Darling Downs trials will be placed on SchoolZine. Please check Skoolzine 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. Any questions, please contact me at brendan.luck@twb.catholic.edu.au.
Congratulations Emma:
Cheers
Brendan Luck
PE Teacher
Term Fees:
Term 3 School Fees have been emailed home last week. Please contact the office if you have not received your invoice. The due date for payment is 13th August, 2021. Please note that this is the final account for the year.
Camp Payments:- Camp Payments have been invoiced separately to school fees. If you currently direct debit, please note that your direct debit payments will not cover camp invoice.
Pyjama Day:
Thank you to everyone who supported our recent Pyjama Day. In total we raised $554.55 for the Pyjama Foundation, which raises much needed funds for children in Foster Care. Some photos below from the day.
Pupil Free Day - FRIDAY 30th July:
The Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment (the department) would like to advise all parents and guardians that it collects certain information about your child's school, its staff, and student body.
Why is this information collected?
This information is collected by the department in accordance with the Australian Education Act 2013 (the Act) and the Australian Education Regulation 2013 (the Regulation). The Act and the Regulation require the legal entity responsible for the administration of the school (the Approved Authority) to provide certain information to the department. The department collects this information to:
* Ensure the provision of Australian Government funding to schools is properly calculated and appropriately managed.
* Conduct research, statistical analysis and develop school education policy for the Australian Government.
* Meet national and international reporting obligations on school students in Australia.
* Publish and provide information about schools to the public.
For further information please read the attached document.
Parent_Privacy_Notice.pdf
RADII Survey:
IMPORTANT INFORMATION - Survey
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.The RADII survey has been sent via email to all parents 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.
Trivia Night:
Tickets are now available to purchase for the St Saviour's Primary Trivia Night to be held on Saturday 28 August, 2021.
Please click on the link below to purchase your tickets.
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/trivia-night-st-saviours-primary-school-tickets-164099731715
Father's Day:
Tickets are now on sale for our 2021 RACE DAY!!
This year promises to be bigger and better, with 5 major sponsors now on board. Don't forget to SAVE THE DATE Saturday 30 October, 2021.
Thank you to our latest sponsor, LAND TRANSPORT for their sponsorship donation. Please see information on flyer below on how to purchase your tickets.