Week 1, Term 2, 2022

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

I think it is fair to say in Term 1 we faced a challenging term, with a delayed start for students, a period of minimal student attendance, staff absences due to covid, extreme weather events (hail storm) and the building project. I thank our staff, parents, caregivers and students for how you have rallied together to negotiate the ever-changing school landscape. The St Saviour’s Primary School Family has demonstrated admirable resilience in the face of all the challenges presented to us last term.  I have every confidence in us all that we can do it all again for Term 2.

The Easter break I pray provided an opportunity for all of us to take a breath and enjoy some downtime. 

All this hard work was worth it to see the joy on our students and staff on their return to work this week and to move into their new classrooms.   It is our hope that by Tuesday of next week, the school administration and staff facilities will also be operational from our new facilities.  As much as we have ‘enjoyed’ working so closely together in the library and staff eating alone in classrooms we can’t wait to move into our new work spaces.  Later this term, we will invite parents for a walkthrough of these new spaces in appreciation of your continued support of our master plan. 

Welcome

This week we welcome four new students and their families along with Mrs Cath Kimmorley who has replaced Natalie Lancuba as one of our Year 5 teachers whilst Natalie is on parental leave. We look forward to getting to know you all and extend a warm welcome to our school community.  

Parent Partnership Network

Over the past years at meetings, members of the Parents and Friends and School Board have discussed what is known as a Parent Partnership Network (PPN) to help promote parent engagement within our school community. A PPN is a combination of the two groups that assists the Principal as an advisory body in various school matters such as Finance, Strategic Planning, Parent Engagements, Fundraising and Events to name a few. Last night I met with the P & F Executive and School Board members to discuss the introduction of a Parent Partnership Network here at St Saviour’s Primary School instead of having both the P & F and School Board.  Later this term, all parents will be invited to attend an information night about how this network will look and operate here at St Saviour’s Primary School.  If you are keen to hear more or offer your interest in being involved please contact me via phone or email.   Watch this space for further details to come. 

Mothers' Day Stall

Thanks to members of the P & F we will be going ahead with our Mothers' Day Stall on Friday May 6^th.  This will involve each class assigned a time to visit the Mercy Centre and purchase a small gift for the ‘parents’ in their lives. 

If you can spare some time on this day/or the day before to assist with setup and serving please contact Renee Campbell (President of P &F) via mobile: 0417 797854

Uniforms

The weather is showing signs of cooling off and it is, therefore, timely to give some warning about uniforms for the upcoming winter. Students may wish to wear long pants or navy tights with the dress.  The hat remains a compulsory part of the uniform as students travel to and from the school every day. Please ensure all uniform items are clearly marked with your child’s name. Many thanks in anticipation of your support in ensuring our students are taking pride in wearing the correct uniform.  

As part of our commitment to maintaining standards, we must sweat the small stuff. It remains a priority to have high expectations regarding matters such as personal presentation and uniform. I need to be very clear in saying that students must return to school in Term 2 with a haircut that meets our expectations as outlined in the school policy. We would not expect to need to ask students to have their hair cut when they return from holidays; part of the responsibility of families is to monitor this and ensure it is attended in line with our uniform expectations.  I thank all our parents and caregivers in anticipation of your assistance with this important aspect of the presentation.

Expect the best from our learners

Whilst the end of semester might seem to be a long way off, this term will no doubt fly past like any other busy term.  We start with a series of short weeks, then move into events like Athletics Carnivals, NAPLAN, Prep 2023 interviews, Drama Festival.  These all can be a distraction to core business - academics.  I encourage all families and students especially, to work collaboratively with our highly committed staff in preparing for the end of Semester 1 so that each and every learner is given the best opportunity to make the most of their talents. Hopefully very, very few students will be looking at their school report and thinking “If only I’d …”.

A very important element in helping the learners to achieve is what we expect. Expectations exert a tremendous influence on what each learner is able to achieve. Research urges teachers and students to set their sights high – and mean it.  The result will be improved student learning.

Just about every school, teacher and parent says they hold high expectations for their children. However, what is said may not be truly believed - and it is the belief that moves the learner.

Having high expectations is not all that is needed for students to succeed. Teaching and learning are very complex. But high expectations, from the adults in their lives, are the launching pad, the base from which students can aim for the stars and, using their own abilities and efforts, achieve their learning mission.

Hopefully, we will be able to emphasise to our learners the importance of having high expectations of themselves, especially in the ways in which we demonstrate our own expectations of ourselves.

As adults, whatever we want our learners to be, we have to demonstrate it to them and be successful role models for them, so they can see the benefits of what it is we are leading them to be. If we abdicate leadership, we deprive our learners of guidance and create opportunities for perhaps less desirable influences to enter their lives; all the more reason for us to be upfront leaders and role models.

If we are adults who lead, we can create opportunities for our learners to thrive. We should never be apologetic about demanding high standards. Our students need us to set standards and clearly define boundaries where there is freedom for them to make positive choices about their intended achievements and their social responsibilities. We assume leadership in this area, because we are more experienced, knowledgeable and wise. To be successful in this area, we need to be relaxed, warm and accepting whilst still being firm and insistent.

Many blessings for the week ahead.

Madonna Sleba

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we commence the new term, I extend a particularly warm welcome to our new students and families, Evie (6L), Madison (5C), Indiana (3H),and Maja (2F). We certainly hope that you all settle in quickly and find "a home" here at SSPS.

This Friday (April 22), we are very pleased to be able to invite parents and families to join us at our Easter Mass (9am at the Cathedral) and/or our ANZAC Day Assembly (2:30pm in our Mercy Centre). While we are still being mindful of COVID we are excited to finally be able to bring our school community together, under the one roof! This has not happened so far this year.

Adults are reminded to practise appropriate social distancing and hand-sanitising.

Term One AWARD Winners: Please see photos and the list of award recipients. Cornerstone Value Awards and Academic Encouragement Awards were presented at our final assembly for Term One. 

2022_AWARD_LIST_of_Names_Term_One.pdf

2022_AWARD_LIST_of_Names_Term_One _pdf 88.44 KB

Project Compassion: Thank you to everyone who was able to contribute to our Project Compassion Appeal, which was held throughout LENT last term. Approximately $700 was raised in total, which was wonderful, with a special mention to be made of Cooper H in 5L who personally contributed $52, Prep T -$95 and 3K- $110. 

Every little bit helps!

Sacramental Program: Parents (mainly Year 4) are reminded that the St Pat's Sacramental Program recommences next Tuesday evening (7pm) with a Parent Information Session in the Cathedral Centre. The "face to face" version of the program will be explained and the books distributed. We look forward to seeing you there.

Congratulations Mrs Hogan:  As you would be aware, our Prep teacher, Luci Adams became Mrs Hogan towards the end of last term. While she was busy getting married, the relief teacher in for the two weeks, Ms Deb Tully discussed, planned and helped the Prep A students get a special gift ready for thier much loved teacher! 

Thank you Ms Tully for the special effort you went to, to ensure our Prep A students felt a part of Luci's and Lachy's special day. The art work will take pride of place in their home at Highfields! 

Thanks for reading!

Regards,

Judy

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to Term 2!

One of the major events taking place this term is NAPLAN.  As you may be aware NAPLAN takes place in primary schools for students in Years 3 and 5.  

NAPLAN is a point-in-time assessment that allows parents and carers to see how your child is progressing in literacy and numeracy against the national standard and compared with peers throughout Australia. At the classroom level, NAPLAN provides additional information to support teachers’ professional judgement about student progress and also helps to inform furture learning.

In 2022, NAPLAN will take place in Week 4 of Term 2.  Please see the exact dates below:

Catch-up tests will take place in the following week for those students who are away on these dates.

All tests will take place online, apart from Year 3 writing which will be paper based.  Year 3 students will use iPads supplied by the school and Year 5 students will use their personal Surface Go device.  It is important that all students have their own headphones (as per the booklist) available to them on these days.

For more information on NAPLAN online, please visit the following webiste https://nap.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/naplan-information-brochure-for-parents-and-carers.pdf 

All students in Years 3 & 5 have completed a practice test which helps them to understand how the NAPLAN platform works and how questions can be answered.  If you would like to have a go with your child at home, some sample questions are provided on the following website https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site 

If you have any further questions regarding NAPLAN or you are considering withdrawing your child, feel free to contact your child's teacher or myself for advice.

Sam Hannant

APA

 Dear Parents and Guardians, 

A very warm welcome back to Term 2! We enjoyed an inservice and workshop with reading as our core focus for our pupil free day on Tuesday. We revisited many effective strategies to support teachers to ensure how we teach reading leads to greater success for our students!

Allowing daily opportunities at home for your children to read is one of the best ways you can support your children to be successful in learning and in life! Please see the examples below to show just what a difference daily reading can make over time!

Happy reading!

Warm Regards

Nicki Prentice

We are anticipating having our library open and functioning for student loans very soon! In the meantime, please encourage your students to use our subscription sites for information, stories and reading online. The following sites are available from the Online Resources Dashboard in AccessIT found at

http://au.accessit.online/STS02!#dashboard

Stoybox Library - Story Box Library | Home

Username: ssps password: stories

Britannica School - Britannica School (eb.com.au)

Username: stsaviour password:sspsqld

ClickView - Sign In - ClickView

Sign in with school email and password

Wheelers e-Platform - Resource Centre - Diocese of Toowoomba (wheelers.co)

Sign in with school username and password

Assistance Needed with Book Covering

Please see the library staff if you can help with this task, any assistance is appreciated.

Anne Anderson

Teacher Librarian

St Saviour's Primary Swimming Carnival 2022 

St Saviour’s Primary Swimming Carnival was held on March 30 at Glennie Aquatic Centre. Students from Year Three to Year Six were involved in freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly in both 50m and 25m events. The carnival concluded with a Year Six relay involving the four houses. All students put in a mammoth effort in both the swimming and the cheering on the day. It was a tough competition, but Goretti was the overall winning house with Xavier winning the relay.

Age Champions for the day are listed below. 

• 9-Year-Old Girls – Deborah Thomas 
• 10-Year-Old Girls – Sophie Enders, Lacey Dull (Runner-up) 
• 11-Year-Old Girls – Mia Casagrande, Sophia Hooper (Runner-up) 
• 12-Year-Old Girls – Erin Ward, Elaina Webb (Runner-up) 
• 9-Year-Old Boys – Liam McHugh, Harry Weeden (Runner-up) 
• 10-Year-Old Boys – Sam Currie, Cooper Dunlop (Runner-up) 
• 11-Year-Old Boys – Taylor Wann, Casey Weeden (Runner-up) 
• 12-Year-Old Boys – Murdoc Thompson 

St Saviour’s Primary Cross Country 2022 

On April 1 2022, St Saviour’s Primary Cross Country was held. It was a fantastic day with many students competing, earning points for their house. Goretti were the overall winner on the day taking out the shield. Listed below are the top three places in each age group.  

12-Year-Old Boys – Jamie Lowe 

12-Year-Old Girls – Erin Ward, Addison Guy, Maddison Kratzke 

11-Year-Old Boys – Taylor Wann, Casey Weeden, Ashton McHugh 

11-Year-Old Girls – Mia Casagrande, Ayen Gakeer, Sophia Hooper 

10-Year-Old Boys – Finnegan Hannam, Grayson Nissen, Levi Holden 

10-Year-Old Girls – Rose Stead, Aya Doherty, Mahaylie Weribone 

9-Year-Old Boys – Oliver Guy, Lachlan Giuffrida, Liam McHugh 

9-Year-Old Girls – Nyigok Gakeer, Deborah Thomas, Benite Mwamikazi 

8-Year-Old Boys – Lachlan Scott, Richie Warner, Eli Schulze 

8-Year-Old Girls – Myley Bengston, Emma Killen, Emily Callaghan 

7-Year-Old Boys – Albie Zenke, Jagger Witt, Cormac Hannam 

7-Year-Old Girls – Jemma McHugh, Chelsea Ray, Arok Gakeer 

6-Year-Old Boys – Akuach Majak, Ewan Phillips, Nathan Elder 

6-Year-Old Girls – Annabell Johnson, Mackenzie Child, Kaiya Jeffrey 

5-Year-Old Boys – Aiden Carrigan, Knox Witt, Archie Neumann 

5-Year-Old Girls – Nariah Monagle, Mila Welsh, Amelia Bell 

School Sport 

Congratulations to Sophia Hooper and Ariana Jeffery who made the Zone Team for Netball. Both girls will now trial for the Darling Downs team. Evie Phillips, Lucy Hardy and Claire Wilson also made the Zone Team for Hockey and will attend DD Trials to earn a spot on the Darling Downs team. Fantastic effort and we are all cheering for you. Taylor Wann also competed at the 2022 Queensland School Sport Swimming Championships representing the Darling Downs team. He had an awesome day achieving some personal bests. Awesome work Taylor. 

Interschool Equestrian 

Chelsea Baker has been selected to represent St Saviour’s Primary in the Interschool Equestrian Program. She competed at West Moreton Anglican Interschool dressage and placed 6th. Her next Interschool events are show jumping at Scotts College and then off to Darling Downs regionals in May. This is an awesome achievement, and we are super excited to hear about it over the year (pictures attached).  

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. 

Upcoming Events (Term Two) 

• Zone Cross Country – Friday, 29th April 2022 
• Athletics Carnival (9-Year-Old – 12-Year-Od) Thursday, 16th June 2022 
• Athletics Carnival (Prep – Year 6) Friday, 17th June 2022 

Cheers 

Brendan Luck 

HPE Teacher 

Reminder!!

Year 5 & 6 Students' Choir is on Wednesday mornings at 7.45am in the new ARTS room (Music).  Please ensure that permission has been provided via Sentral.

Regards

Mrs Whip 

Term Fees:

Term 2 Fees will be emailed home next week.  Payments can be made via direct deposit into the school bank account (details below) or via cash/eftpos.

• Account Name: St Saviour’s Primary Account
• BSB: 064-786
• Account Number: 100025243
• Bank: Commonwealth Bank of Australia
• Branch: ADF

Skool Dayz Uniform Shop:

Uniform Shop Hours for Term 2 are as follows:

Monday 2.30 pm - 4.00 pm 

Friday 2.30 pm - 4.00 pm 

All enquiries please contact Dan Eagleson 0481 318 398.

Office Hours:

The office is open from 8.00 am - 4.00 pm Monday - Friday.  The phone lines are open from 8.00 am - 4.00 pm.  

If you are running late to collect your child from school, please advise the office accordingly.  Teachers are on duty both in Lawrence and Perth Street until 3.30 pm.  Any children not collected by 3.30 pm will be returned to the office and a parent will be contacted.  

Public Holiday reminders:

Anzac Day Holiday:

Monday 25th April (Week 2)

Labour Day Holiday:

Monday 2nd May (Week 3)

Outside School Hours Care:

For information on how to enrol your child in before and after school care, please visit their website www.tckc.qld.edu.au or email: enquiries@tckc.qld.edu.a

Parent Portal:

Just a reminder to always check notifications on the Parent Portal. 

All permission notes, class communication notes, reminders and notifications are sent via the Portal.  If you are unable to log in to the Portal please contact the office and we will be happy to assist you with this.  We do recommend downloading the app (Sentral for Parents) for use on all smartphones.  

Please note that the old SZAPP is no longer recognised here at St Saviour's for any form of communication.  This includes absentee notifications.  Please use the Parent Portal to submit absentee notifications.  Thank you.

Prep 2023:

Prep 2023 interviews are taking place now.  If you are interested in enrolling for 2023 please contact the office to receive an enrolment package or enrol via our website:-  www.sspstwb.catholic.edu.au

Places are limited and filling fast.

Thank you to everyone who supported our Purple Day last term for Epilepsy.  We had a wonderful day with lots of purple being worn and in total rasied just over $400.00 

All funds raised will go towards helping those living with Epilepsy by way of support, education and research.  Thank you to everyone who supported this day.

Dear Parents/Carers 

Welcome to Term 2.

Some children may be feeling anxious about returning to school.  This article from Kids Helpline maybe be helpful to know what anxiety is and how parents can support their child. 

If your child feeling anxious is an ongoing challenge and is disruptive to them or your family it is important to seek professional psychological support. 

What is anxiety? 

Some level of anxiety is a normal part of life and growing up. But if it stays for long periods of time then it could be a problem. 

• Everyone experiences anxiety sometimes, especially when faced with new, stressful or dangerous situations 
• If high levels of anxiety continue over time, this can mean constant physical feelings of panic and avoidance of anything that might trigger it 
• An anxiety disorder should not be ignored and it usually won’t get better on its own 

“Anxiety can happen as a response to changes or life events and usually passes on its own. If it persists, it’s important not to ignore it and get help” 

As a parent, there are many things you can do to support your kids through it: 

Find out more about anxiety – read books and talk to experts 

Let them know you can work together to overcome anxiety 

Teach them about anxiety – its role is to protect us from threats 

Talk about their anxiety – sketch where on their body they feel it 

Help them manage their anxiety – set daily goals 

Reassure them that shaking, sweating and a racing heart can be a part of anxiety 

Avoid telling them to ‘stop worrying’ – often they can’t control it 

Encourage a healthy lifestyle – eat well, exercise, sleep 

Keen for more help?  

Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800

Anytime. Any reason.

Parentline 1300 30 1300

A confidential telephone service providing professional counselling and support in Queensland. Phones are open every day 8am-10pm 7 days a week. WebChat is available every day from 8am-9pm 7 days a week.

Our phones are open every day from 8am – 10pm, while WebChat is available every day from 8am – 9pm.

oneplace

An online community service directory for Queensland parents, families and professionals looking to find support. oneplace lists everything you need from parenting groups to domestic and family violence support services.

Parent Group Chat with School Counsellor about Anxiety 

Thursday 28th April 

2:30pm 

In the Learning Support Room 

All Welcome 

Please email me at christina.peak@twb.catholic.edu.au to register ? 

Autism Queensland provides a range of autism-related topics and designed for audiences including therapists, educators, teacher aides, school officers, lifestyle support workers, OHSC and vacation care staff, disability employment consultants, parents/carers/family members and others working with or supporting people on the spectrum. 

Workshops are face-to-face in Toowoomba. 

Webinars are online. 

Follow this link to find out more 

https://autismqld.com.au/services/workshops/ 

Online safety for our children is an issue that impacts children and families every day. You can learn how to protect your children at home. The eSafety Commissioner provides FREE online webinars and articles to support parents. 

Webinars for parents and carers | eSafety Commissioner 

Mini Vinnies Easter Egg Raffle Winners

Congratulations to the following children who were the lucky winners of the Mini Vinnies Easter Egg Raffle.

In the Prep Egg Guess, there were 53 eggs in the jar. Two students shared the first prize, guessing 53 eggs exactly. The lucky students were: Mila and Luke in Prep T.  Because of generous donations of chocolate eggs, Year 5 were also able to organise runners-up prizes for Prep students who were very close in their guesses.

Runners-up students were Owen in Prep H who guessed 54 eggs.  Pailin in Prep H and Philipa in Prep A both guessed 52 eggs.

Congratulations to all the Prep students who raised $45.70 for Mini Vinnies.

In the Year 1-6 raffle, the massive jar held a total of 358 eggs. Two students shared First prize guessing very close to the correct amount. Lacey in 5C and Finn in 5L both guessed 360 eggs. Runners-up prizes were again possible. Mia in 5C guessed 361 eggs. While Claire Ward and Abby Coffison were the next two closest guesses with both students guessing 352 eggs.

Congratulations to all the Year 1-6 students who raised a total of $106.50 That brings our total to $152.20 raised for Mini Vinnies.

Thank you to everyone for supporing our Easter Egg Raffle.

Reminders for Tuckshop in Term 2:

• Please remember to order your child's Tuckshop via Flexischools before the cut off time of 9.30 am
• If you forget to order Tuckshop and an order is filled for your child on the day, payment must be made directly to the Tuckshop the following day.  
• Tuckshop volunteers are still needed throughout the Term.  Please contact Tash in the Tuckshop if you are able to help out in any small way.  Tuckshop can only operate through the help of volunteers.