Week 3, Term 3, 2022
Are your child/children’s circumstances changing in 2023?
The school’s financial planning for the delivery of services in 2023 is approaching completion and as such, we draw your attention to the processes relating to withdrawing a student.
Parents I ask that you complete the Microsoft form indicating a change in enrolment for 2023 by Friday 12th August 5p.m.
Dear Parents, Staff and Students,
Catholic Education Week has been celebrated in Catholic schools in Queensland this week from 24 – 30 July 2022.
This annual event is held to promote the special ethos of Catholic schools and to highlight the great things that take place in Catholic schools every day. We gathered together on Monday afternoon to mark this occasion as a school and on Tuesday some of our Year 6 Leaders attended the Catholic Education Week State Launch.
The theme for this year’s celebrations is: Communities of Faith, Hope and Love.
St Saviour’s Primary School community and parish is testament to being a place of faith, hope and love.
Faith: At St Saviour’s we pride ourselves on living and sharing Jesus’ story of showing ‘love’ to all each day.
Hope: Our hope at St Saviour’s is for everyone to ‘strive for goodness’ in all that we do.
Love: For all members of our community to know Jesus and flourish in his love for all.
Congratulations to all our Year 5 and Year 6 students who played in the spirit of Catholic Education at the Netball and Touch Carnivals today. Thanks also to the staff who commit each day to sharing their love of teaching and learning and walking beside each of our learners as role models of faith, hope and love.
Reminder that tomorrow
(Friday 29th July)
is a student free day.
School Culture
Culture is a word we often hear used to describe people's ideas, customs, and social behaviour in our community. It is the feeling you get when you enter our grounds and refers to the capacity of the school. It also includes all those within it to build robust and resilient learning relationships within supportive environments that inspire our learners to grow in knowledge, skills and character. It ensures our learners are equipped, empowered and enabled to assume responsibility for positively contributing to the world during their time here and long after leaving.
The culture of our school is made up of the character each of us brings to the school each day. Character is defined by what you do when nobody's watching. This is not only a true testament of an individual’s character, but an accurate indication of what culture, or as we frequently hear at SSPS, our learner qualities really are.
From the time the children arrive at the school, we tell them, “Kind actions, kind words”. This is the rule that really counts. It sets the foundation for our culture and learner qualities, which means to be kind to yourself and all others: to be kind to your body, mind and spirit. We teach the children that if you are always kind, you must be kind under all circumstances. You must be compassionate, loving and thoughtful. It doesn't matter who the people are; we must embrace them just the way they are. We must also offer forgiveness. Even when people make mistakes, we must recognise that everyone is doing the best they can now. When they grow and know more, they will do better.
A positive culture, made up by the character of each person at SSPS, needs to be evident at this time of the year. Without it, you cannot achieve the things you want. As we start a new semester, we all need to reset and focus on the new term. It is now, more than ever, that each of us needs to support the other and remain positive.
A former principal I worked with always said at this time of the year, “make no one sad.” These are wise words for us all to live by and words I would encourage all our staff, learners and parents to heed as we enter the new term and the pressure of a busy calendar places pressure on each of them.
I encourage all of us to enjoy the semester ahead and all it brings into our learning and lives.
Plenary Council
Many of you will have watched with great interest the second and final assembly of the Catholic Church’s Fifth Plenary Council of Australia earlier this month, ending a four-year process. The last Plenary Council meeting occurred more than 80 years ago, so there was much to be discussed to achieve the shared goal of renewing the life and mission of the Church in Australia. Pleasingly, it was eventually agreed that the role of women in the church should be promoted, however this did not happen easily. A defining moment played out as dozens of Plenary Council members walked to the edge of the assembly floor in silent protest after two motions related to the role of women in the Church failed to gain the required majority in the vote of the Bishops. The plenary agenda was halted, emergency meetings convened, and motions redrafted, which were eventually passed decisively. The changes commit to women being appropriately represented in Church decision-making structures as well as being admitted as Church deacons, provided the Pope agrees when the decrees are sent to the Holy See. So many friends and colleagues I have spoken with expressed how affirming this outcome is as a result of the work of the Plenary Council and we look forward to following how these decisions will be enacted in new ways for women to lead within the Catholic Church.
School Photo Day
Monday 1st August is our annual school photo day which will take place in the Mercy Centre from 7:30a.m. to approximately 2p.m. Photo orders have now closed. Sibling photos will take place from 7.30am in the Mercy Centre.
All students Year 1 to 6 are to wear their formal uniform with navy blue socks/navy stockings for their photos. Prep students to wear their normal uniform. Please ensure your child/children's uniform and hair is in accordance with our school expectations on this day. SSP043_Uniform_Requirements_flyer_JUN2021_screen.pdf
Staff Updates
Mrs Rachel Harlen will be taking personal leave beginning Wednesday 3rd August till the 19th August. Mrs Janelle Wann who is familiar with the school processes and students of 5H will be the class teacher during this time. We wish Rachel all the best.
Many blessings for the week ahead.
Madonna Sleba
All are welcome to attend our PEN meeting this coming Tuesday 2nd August, 5:30pm in the conference room in the new administration.
Agenda items:
- Communication to the school community from PEN
- Learn more about our LEARNING QUALITIES supporting our learners.
- Seeking parent input on our online student well-being program for Years 4 - 6.
Upcoming events:
Save the date:
Father's Day BBQ 31st August on the school oval from 5.00pm (see details below) Please RSVP by completing the microsoft form below.
https://forms.office.com/r/ZDYRNnmY6F
Pizza Treat Day: Thursday 8th September
Have a great week everyone!
Hayley Hubbard (Chair)
Dear Parents and Carers,
This week is Catholic Education Week and will be celebrated in Catholic schools across Queensland. This annual event is held to promote the special ethos of Catholic schools and to highlight the great things that take place in Catholic schools every day.
The theme for this year’s celebrations is: Communities of Faith, Hope and Love.
The fruit of Silence is Prayer
The fruit of Prayer is Faith
The fruit of Faith is Love
The fruit of Love is Service
The fruit of Service is Peace
Hope sees the invisible,
Feels the intangible,
And achieves the impossible.
(St Teresa of Calcutta)
Catholic Education strives to make a difference in the lives of those in our schools and in the wider community by challenging young people to live out the message of Jesus and to reach their full potential as compassionate, contributing, life-giving members of society.
There are 313 Catholic schools in Queensland that educate around 154,000 students and employ more than 22,000 teachers and staff, and most will celebrate Catholic Education Week in some way.
Our school is planning a number of activities during the week including:
- Monday 2:15pm whole school Liturgy in the Mercy Centre. Long service awards and our teachers nominated for Excellence Awards were acknowledged
- Tuesday 10am State Launch of CEW- limited numbers of staff and Year 6 students involved
- Thursday- Interschool Touch/ Netball Carnival- Yrs 5 & 6 attending
- Friday - Pupil Free Day- Bishop's Inservice Day for all staff
WINTER APPEAL THANK YOU!
As we finalise our collection of blankets & warm clothing items, we have received a message of thanks from Julie Inskip (St V d P)
Many thanks to the St Saviour's Primary School community for your wonderful donations of blankets and warm clothes to our Family Assistance Centre.
Each day people are coming in for help and your blankets have been well distributed to those in need.
This winter has been particularly cold and with many more families experiencing homelessness the need for warm clothing has been more than other year so your support is greatly valued.
May God richly bless you for caring for those in need.
Julie Inskip
Youth Engagement & Development Officer
julie.inskip@svdpqld.org.au
Thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of the week!
Regards,
Judy
Dear Parents and Carers,
As a nominated Student Protection Contact at St Saviour's Primary, I was invited to participate recently in a Student Protection Conference run by the Queensland Catholic Education Commission. The importance of student protection in schools can never be underestimated, particulary in today's technological world.
Several resources were shared on the day for schools and also parents. One fantastic site that is accessible to all parents is that of the E-Safety Commissioner which can be located at https://www.esafety.gov.au/
This website offers many resources for parents including:
- Free webinars for parents and carers to learn the latest strategies for keeping children safe online
- Information on the 'Big Issues' including cyberbullying, pornography, time online, online gaming and unwanted contact by strangers
- The E-Safety Guide - Want to know about the latest apps, games and social media that your child is using? The eSafety Guide includes important advice about their safety features, including how to use the settings to report online abuse and protect personal information
- Skills and advice around online safety, good habits, hard to have conversations, privacy and creating a family tech agreement
- Several parent videos and information sheets on topics such as app checklists for parents, getting started with parental controls and helping kids thrive online
Another tip for parents is to remind your child that they always need to have 5 trusted adults that they can talk to if they feel unsafe when online or otherwise. This is also known as their Safety Network and can be represented by their hand. The idea is that if they feel the first person in their network did not listen or act or is unavailable, they move to the next person and the next person, until someone listens.
Students at St Saviour's Primary may like to include their teacher and/or a designated Student Protection Contact in their safety network. A reminder of the School Student Protection contacts is included below.
Please feel free to contact me via email on sam.hannant@twb.catholic.edu.au or by phoning the school if you have any questions regarding student protection at St Saviour's Primary.
Sam Hannant
APA
Dear Parents and Guardians,
A New Learner Quality: Be a Thinker
A popular buzz word in Education is ‘Metacognition’. I’ve always defined it as ‘Thinking about your thinking’. The more formal definition is an ‘awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes.’ We encourage our students to use metacognitive strategies and directly teach them in our classrooms.
In Reading, we have the students ask questions to monitor their understanding, like “Does this make sense?” and “What do I think the author is trying to tell me here?”
In Maths, we teach different strategies to problem solve. We often ask the question, how did you get that answer? We constantly encourage students to explain how they got an answer and learn from their peers to hear other ways to solve problems.
In Science, students might keep a learning journal where they record their initial thoughts about a concept. As their thinking grows, they make new entries to their learning journal and by the end of the unit they can see how their thinking has grown across the unit.
If students learn to be good thinkers, they’ll be able to:
- Pose questions
- Self-monitor
- Plan, organize, evaluate and reflect
- Articulate their next steps and set goals
- Recall what they know, how they feel, believe and have experienced
- Describe the strategies they use when they get stuck
If you would like to know more about our Learner Qualities or have some input into how they are used in our community, please come along to our PEN meeting next week.
Have a wonderful week!
Warm Regards
Nicki Prentice
Term 3 School Fees:
Term Fees are due Tuesday 30th August. Payment can be made via direct deposit (details below) or in person at the school office via cash/eftpos.
- Account Name: St Saviour’s Primary Account
- BSB: 064-786
- Account Number: 100025243
- Bank: Commonwealth Bank of Australia
- Branch: ADF
Skooldayz Uniform Shop:
The Uniform shop will be open tomorrow afternoon from 2.30pm - 4.00pm for anyone needing to purchase new uniforms.
Regular opening hours:
Monday 2.30pm - 4.00pm and Friday 2.30pm - 4.00pm
All uniform stock has arrived. Including hats.
There are also formal short navy and red stripe socks available to purchase for boys and girls.
Please contact Dan Eagleson 0481 318 398 if these times do not suit you and an alternate time will be arranged.
Parking:
The entrance to the College and Primary School Service Driveway (off Neil Street) is strictly for Administration staff and deliveries. The parks reserved at the top of the driveway are for College staff - not school families to use. We have had reports that some parents are using these parks for drop off and pick up. These parks are not to be used as a pick up or drop off zone. Please be considerate of our College community.
Parent Portal:
Please remember to check your news feed regularly for information and notifications. Permission slips are sent via the Portal and need to be actioned prior to your child attending a school or sporting event. The notifications sent do have an expiry date, so it is important to action these responses as soon as possible to avoid being closed off. Thank you.
School Photo Day:
Reminder to please order your school photos prior to school photo day. Infomation on how to order is outlined on your child's photo envelope. Photo day is MONDAY 1 AUGUST. Please note that all sibling photos are being taken from 7.30 am on Monday. Please take your children directly to the Mercy Centre to have their photo taken.
Congratulations Roya!!!
Congratulations to our IT support Roya Esmaeilani who recently became an Australian citizen. Roya's country of birth is Iran and we at St Saviour's Primary are so pleased to have her become an Aussie!! Roya and her husband are both now Australian citizens. The staff recently hosted an Australian themed morning tea for Roya to celebrate her citizenship.
Congratulations to our Weekly Award Winners for Week 2
School Sport
Mia Casagrande competed at the Qld Schools Orienteering Championships held at Ipswich over the weekend, coming away with 4th place in the Distance Event, 6th place in the Sprints and 10th place in the Hagby Event (photo attached). Awesome effort Mia.
Rose Stead also had a big couple of days competing in the Darling Downs Team for Cross Country. She came 10th in her individual run and the U10 Girls Relay Team came third overall (photo attached). Mammoth effort Rose.
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.
Congratulations Evie
Congratulations to Evie Phillips in Year 6, who was received a Sports Darling Downs Incentive Award for Hockey at the Sports Darling Downs Awards recently. We are very proud of you Evie!!
Staff vs Students Touch Football match as part of Catholic Education Week
Cheers
Brendan Luck
HPE Teacher
DRAMA
In Drama this semester each year level is concentrating on different skills.
PREP students are looking at emotions and the first stages of improvisation.
YEAR 1/2 students will be exploring skills involved in mime and storytelling.
YEAR 3/4 students will be looking at characterisation skills and how these are developed.
YEAR 5/6 students will be exploring improvisation skills and how to work in a group utilizing these skills.
DANCE
All classes will learn a dance in preparation for the Christmas carol nights.
MUSIC
In Music this semester each year level will be concentrating on composition and listening.
PREP students will be further developing their aural skills by exploring and imitating sounds, pitch, and rhythm. As well as creating compositions and performing them.
YEAR ONE students will be choosing and combining sounds to create compositions, for example, combining high and low sounds as well as known rhythm patterns.
YEAR TWO students will also be choosing and combining sounds to compose their own canons using known rhythms and rests.
YEAR THREE students will be exploring given rhythm and pitch patterns, structures, and instrumental timbres to improvise and create compositions.
YEAR FOUR students will be exploring given rhythm and pitch patterns to create a melodic composition based on the pentatonic scale.
YEAR FIVE students will be organising, developing, and refining their ideas to create compositions, as well as experimenting with known rhythm and pitch.
YEAR SIX students will be improvising and experimenting with combinations of sounds and technologies to create compositions.
Mrs Whip & Mrs McVeigh
We will celebrate this Book Week theme all term with wonderful fiction and non-fiction books, competitions and student displays.
The main event in Book Week will be our dress-up parade on Tuesday 23rd August at 9 am in the Mercy Centre. Students are encouraged to dream themselves into a story, a real life adventure or their ideal future and come dressed to show us their dream.
Colouring Competitions
All students are invited to enter the Book Week colouring competition by collecting the template from the library and returning it by Monday 15th August (Week 6). Here are your choices, you might like to attempt both. We will be rewarding the 5 most colourful, careful works with a small prize and all entries will be on display.
