Week 7, Term 4 2021
Dear Parents
The school leadership team and school administration pride themselves on keeping our community informed about school events. Teachers are also kept up-to-date with event times, venues etc. and share these in their weekly communication notes with families. It is most disappointing that parents are not reading school communications and then phoning reception and venting! Please access all communication which is sent through several avenues: SENTRAL, Schoolzine and Facebook. We are always willing and happy to help you when you need. Please be respectful to the staff at all times.
With only a few weeks left of Term 4, there is much to be accomplished by the last day on Friday 3rd December. Preparations are in full swing for final year events and activities.
Upcoming events:
Week 8:
SSPS and P & F (FACE) Christmas Concert:
Saturday 20th November 3:30 p.m. onwards
Year 5 Fun Day:
Tuesday 30th November
School Board and P & F thanksgiving dinner:
Tuesday 23rd November
End of Year Mass:
Wednesday 24th November; All welcome to attend 9.00 a.m. in the Cathedral Centre: Presentation of Leader Badges to all Year 5's and elected positions announced.
Year 6 Fun Day:
Friday 26th November
Year 4 Soccer Gala Day:
Friday 26th November
Week 9:
Transition morning for current and new students:
Wednesday 1st December 8:45 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
- All students will spend this time with their 2022 class teacher and classmates.
- All new students to gather in the Mercy Centre; a member of staff will escort new students to their classes.
- Thanks to our Pastoral Care group who will have refreshments set up outside the Mercy Centre.
- Uniform Shop will be open during this time as well.
Final Assembly:
Thursday 2nd December 9.00 a.m. in the Mercy Centre
- Academic Awards, Adopt-A-Cop Awards, Cornerstone Awards, Sporting Awards, Cultural Awards and the Spirit of Catherine McAuley Award will be announced at this assembly.
Last Day of School:
Friday 3rd December: Year 6 Graduation 9.00 a.m.
- Year 6 parents/guests must use Try booking to secure seating for this event.
- Students attending on this day will be supervised by class teachers at the graduation.
- School finishes at 1.00 p.m.
- Toowoomba Catholic Care and Kindergartens (Outside School Care) is available for service from 1.00 p.m. Parents wanting to access this service must enrol for the afternoon.
Haircuts and Uniform
Could I please ask parents to be aware of both haircuts and school uniforms as we get closer to the holidays. On the whole, most children arrive at school neat and tidy each day looking great. In a few cases, some children need to get their hair cut and some uniforms need minor repairs, such as polish on shoes and buttons replaced on shirts. If you could please assist your child with these two important issues, I would really appreciate it, as we aim to finish the year strongly in every area, especially important areas like attendance and appearance.
Building Update
Demolition of the 'old' administration and staff facilities has been in full swing this week. We have adapted to the noise and dust as best we could. Final day of building and handover is January 20th, 2022, just in time for school.
Many thanks for all your time and support of the staff and children here at SSPS.
Madonna Sleba
This morning 13 incredibly confident Year 5 learners delivered a leadership speech in front of the Years 4-6 students, their teachers and parents. Over the next few days, the students and teachers will vote for the positions of School Captain, Vice Captain, House Captain and the various Councillor positions. The recipients of these leadership positions will be announced at the final Mass on Wednesday 24 November at 9am. Also at the Mass, all of the Year 5 students will receive their leader badge for 2022. We look forward to seeing as many parents as possible at this event.
Dear Parents and Carers,
Another reminder about some of the significant school events taking place in the next two weeks:
Week 8: Wednesday, 9am @ the Cathedral Centre: End of Year Mass, which will include Thanksgiving, Farewells and Leadership Presentations to current Year 5 students (note, this is NOT in the Cathedral)
Week 9: Wednesday, 9am- whole school Transition Morning
Thursday, 9am- Final Awards Assembly (Mercy Centre)
Friday, 9am- Yr 6 Graduation (Mercy Centre)
SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM for 2022
Tomorrow I will be visiting the Year 3 classrooms to hand out a letter and an Enrolment Form to those students who are Baptised and may be interested in participating in the St Patrick's Cathedral Parish Sacramental Program (Reconciliation, Eucharist and Confirmation) next year. Parents are asked to keep an eye out for these forms and to contact me via the school office if you do not receive any paperwork or you are after further information.
Please note that students from outside of SSPS are welcome to join in this Parish Program with communication shared/ gathered via the Parish Office.
MINI VINNIES' APPEAL
Year 5 Mini Vinnies' Christmas Grocery Gather is well underway. You are invited to send donations of non-perishable Christmas food items into school by Week 8. The Christmas Hampers will be presented to St Vincent de Paul Society in Week 9. Your generosity towards helping those in need is very much appreciated.
Thank you for all your support throughout the year.
I look forward to seeing many of you on Saturday! Mrs Spalding and Mrs McVeigh are delighted with how the preparation is going for the Christmas Concert.
See you Saturday!
Judy
IGNITE LEARNING - Learning Dispositions
During the Year 5 Teaching and Learning Meeting this week, the teachers discussed with the leadership team the importance of the St Saviour’s Primary Learning Disposition of Be Determined. It was described as the hardest one for the teachers to teach and for our learners to grasp.
At the beginning of 2021, a parent survey was conducted around the following question: What are the barriers that you see in your child’s learning when they are faced with a challenge at home?
Some of the responses included:
"He gets sidetracked and needs encouragement to continue "
“Lacks confidence to try first before asking for help, feels overwhelmed with new tasks”
“Waiting for adult help and not knowing where else to go for help”
“ becomes overwhelmed when certain things become challenging and finds it difficult to “keep going” when he can’t do something the first time”
As educators and parents it is important for us to reassure our learners that struggle, frustration and confusion are a normal part of the learning journey. In fact, the best learning often occurs when stepping out of our comfort zone. Many people are often hesitant to take this important step due to fear of failure, making mistakes or revealing weakness.
At St Saviour’s Primary, many teachers are using the concept of a Learning Pit to encourage and reassure learners that taking risks, asking questions, and trying new things can help them develop their abilities and deepen their understanding.
Certainly, the St Saviour’s Learning Disposition of ‘Be Determined’ can help learners exit ‘the pit’ and achieve success. I would also argue that our other dispositions (and many more) can also help our learners achieve success in learning and life.
If you can relate to some of the quotes from parents above, why not turn to the St Saviour’s Primary dispositions of Be Determined, Be Adventurous, Be Collaborative, Be Curious, Be a Communicator and Be Creative and help your child (your learner) realise that struggle and confusion is how we learn.
Source: https://www.challenginglearning.com/learning-pit/#introduction
SEMESTER 2 REPORTING
As previously mentioned the Semester Two report cards will be sent home in the last week of school via the Parent Portal in Sentral. The only reports that will be printed will be for students who are leaving the school and not attending another Toowoomba Catholic School and for the Year 6 students.
EALD Comment in the Report Card
If your child has an EALD comment on their report card, here is a brief description as to why.
EALD stands for English and Additional Language or Dialect.
EALD learners generally speak languages other than Standard Australian English (SAE) as their first language or they speak another language within their household. They are able to bring rich and diverse languages and cultural knowledge to the classroom to share with their peers. EALD learners may require additional time and support to assist them with their classroom learning and access to the curriculum.
At St Saviour’s this support is either within the classroom setting or in small or individual groups. The content of the support, for the most part, is the same as the classroom teacher is teaching however, the EALD learner may need some assistance with time needed to complete the task, pre-teaching of vocabulary or subject matter or comprehension of skills.
The Bandscale levels provide a map of the EALD learners progress in learning within the school environment. They enable the classroom teachers to assess appropriate language and if learning support is necessary to assist EALD learners to access the curriculum.
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
It is hard to believe we are coming to the pointy end of the year! With only 2 weeks left of school, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for warmly welcoming me into this school community. The way I have been invited in so warmly has made the transition to St Saviour’s Primary School such a positive one. I truly feel blessed to belong to such an exceptional school community. I have enjoyed getting to know the students, staff and parents. I look forward to continuing to share in learning and fun with everyone in 2022.
I thought I’d share with you a few ideas about how you continue to foster a love learning over the school holidays - it doesn’t need to be dull! Some ideas have been taken from 5 Ways to Keep Kids Learning During the School Holidays (melbournechildpsychology.com.au)
- Go to museums
Cobb and Co have some incredible holiday activities! Cobb+Co Museum (qm.qld.gov.au). If you are up for a bigger day of learning, the science centre in Brisbane is a great place for some hands on activities. | SparkLab (qm.qld.gov.au)
- Let them be bored!
Give children time to escape the hustle bustle of the world and just be! Allow them time to use their imagination and make their own fun. Often getting outdoors can be great to help with this. Remove all technology and see what happens.
- Read Read Read
Make reading part of the daily routine. A book before bed. Read a section of the paper together in the morning. Read some Christmas cards together. Gift your children books for Christmas every year. Reading is one of the best forms of learning for ALL children – which includes reading to them too.
- Have fun and play some games
Set aside some time to play board games with the kids. Monopoly will help with mental maths. The game ‘Sequence’ will help them with some strategic thinking. Reading the rules of games will help children develop their comprehension skills. Lastly, participating in games will help develop their social skills.
Have a wonderful time learning with your children over the Christmas break!
Warm Regards
Nicki Prentice
Parents, thank you for overseeing the return of all library loans by this Friday.
Students with leased Surface Go devices will be notified of the return procedure to follow. Parental assistance with these task is appreciated by the Library Team.
Regards
Mrs Anderson
Teacher Librarian
Seasons for Growth offers children and young people a safe space to come together, and share their experiences of change and loss.
The Children and Young People’s Program has a safe and engaging curriculum structure that incorporates a wide range of age-appropriate activities involving drawing, role-play, stories, discussion, playdough, music and journal activities.
There are four different levels of the program. Each level includes eight weekly sessions, a final celebration session and two subsequent reconnector sessions (that range from 40 minutes to an hour depending on age). Each weekly session explores a concept theme such as, Life is like the Seasons, Change is Part of Life, ‘Valuing My Story, Caring for my Feelings, Making Good Choices.
All four levels of the program have flexibility to cater for participants with different learning needs or preferences. The learning processes reflect a deep respect for children’s capacity to cope, problem-solve, make good choices, set realistic goals and connect with others. Such learning develops best in supportive social contexts with peers and a caring, skilled adult ‘Companion’. Children’s learning is documented in a personal ‘Seasons for Growth’ journal so that participants can re-visit their insights in the future.
Seasons for Growth groups will begin in Term 1 2022 to support a small number of students who have experienced change and loss – which may include divorce, family breakdown, death or illness in their families and/or their life.
Please let me know if you feel your child may benefit from these groups via email at christina.peak@twb.catholic.edu.au and I will begin to compile lists.
Find out more at Seasons for Growth Children and Young People's Program | Good Grief
If your child has been accessing support from the School Counsellor and you haven't received any emails, please check your junk mail as it appears this is where some of the emails are ending up. Please also don't hesitate to let me know if you have concerns or just want to check in with how counselling is going.
Swimming Stars
Over the weekend Mia, Emma, Harper and Sophia competed at the Toowoomba Open Swimming Carnival at Milne Bay Aquatic Centre in Toowoomba. The girls had a great day with many achievements. Emma received seven medals on the day for 3rd in 100m breaststroke 1st in 100m freestyle, 1st in 100m butterfly, 1st in 50m butterfly, 1st in 200m IM, 2nd in 50 backstroke and 1st in100m backstroke.
Emma also took out age champion for the 11-year-old girls. Harper placed 3rd in 400m freestyle, 1st in 200m backstroke, and 3rd in 50m backstroke and achieved 12 years and under long distance champion.
Mia placed 2nd in 100 backstroke and Sophia came 1st in 50m breaststroke, 3rd in 50m butterfly, 3rd in 50m backstroke and 3rd in 50m freestyle. All four girls said they had a lot of fun and there was decent competition on the day (Picture Below).
Indigenous Games
Over the last four weeks of term students in Year 3 to Year 6 will be participating in traditional Indigenous games. Students will not only have a lot of fun in these games but also learn about Indigenous culture. Last week students started with a hunting game called ‘Gorri’ where they hunted for different Australian animals using tennis balls as spears. Next, they played a game of ‘Thepan’ which is a sword play game where students needed to hit their opponent in the legs to get them out (Picture Attached).
Lastly, students participated in ‘Tha,an’ which consisted of students working in groups of three. Students would be on either end of a pole and would need to push their opponent out of the marked area, similar to tug of war but pushing instead of pulling. Students had a blast playing these games and are looking forward to playing and learning more traditional games over the remainder of Term Four.
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. Any questions, please contact me at brendan.luck@twb.catholic.edu.au.
Cheers
Brendan Luck
PE Teacher
Last day of Term 4:
The last day of Term 4 is Friday, December 3. School will finish at 1.00 pm on this day. If you require care through OSHC please see information on how to book below.
The following link is now open for bookings to the Year 6 Graduation ceremony for Year 6 students. Please click on the link below to secure your seats via try booking.
- Please refrain from parking on the footpaths in Perth Street.
- Please cross at the pedestrian crossing to cross safely with your children in Perth Street and Lawrence Street
- Please do not park or block residents' driveways in Perth Street
- No parking in the bus zones (Neil Street and Perth Street)
- Prep carpark is out of bounds
Ice-Blocks:
Please note that during renovations we are unable to store ice-blocks as the office does not have a fridge/freezer. We appreciate your understanding through these last few weeks of Term.
Congratulations to our Week 6 and Week 7 Award Winners.
