Week 7, Term 3, 2022

Dear Parents, Staff and Students,

Thanks to those who attended the leadership listening forum last Wednesday morning.  Although only a few parents were in attendance, great discussion occurred.  Points of discussion included:  

• How we can support parents with their children’s interest in social media;
• The school’s positive approach to transition to school for our younger students and transition to secondary school for our year 6 students.
• The delivery of learning support in our school.

 We will continue to offer this listening forum for parents in Term 4 once again.

2023 Student Leadership

Student Leadership roles allow our students to grasp what it means to act with the interests of others ahead of your own and how that creates a community. Last week, I spoke to our Year 5 students who are preparing their applications for the 2023 Student Leadership positions.  Our Year 5 students will hear from our current year 6 leaders and their experience of leadership over the past months in readiness for their nominations in the coming weeks. They will also attend the Year 5 Leadership camp on their return to school in Term 4.  Mid term four, our Year 4, 5, and 6 students along with the staff will vote for our 2023 school leaders.  All positions will be announced at our end of year mass in Week 8.

Staff Updates

Bill Moore, our groundsman, has decided to finish with us at the end of this term. His final day with us will be the last Friday of school in Term 3. The position has been advertised and the hope is that the new grounds person will be able to start at the end of August to shadow Bill. Bill has been a longstanding valued member of our school community and his hardwork in keeping our grounds looking their best is very much appreciated. We will farewell Bill towards the end of term and celebrate his many contributions to our school and staff. Congratulations Bill on the many years of service to our school community. 

2023 Prep Students Transition morning

ST SAVIOUR’S PRIMARY SCHOOL, TOOWOOMBA 

Orientation #1 on Wednesday - 31 August, 2022 (9.00am - 10.30am) 

Orientation #2 on Wednesday - 19 October, 2022 (9.00am - 10.30am) 

Please arrive at 9.00am and gather in the Mercy Centre where you will need to sign your child in. Parents are asked to settle your child/children, before they are taken to the Prep classrooms by a staff member.  Parents will be required to collect your child/ren from the Mercy Centre at 10.30am. We strongly encourage you to bring your child/ren to both orientation mornings as this will help to familiarise them with their new school and classmates.  During the morning, the children will be split into three groupings, and they will participate in several play-based activities.   

The School Bag is available for purchase from the Mercy Centre on these days.  This item is not a compulsory part of the school uniform.  The uniform shop will also be open. 

WHAT TO BRING TO MORNING SESSIONS: To help the children have a wonderful morning in Prep please make sure your child is in suitable play clothes, closed in shoes and that they bring a water bottle, a wide brimmed hat and a piece of fruit. 

 Parent Information Night on Wednesday - 16 November, 2022 (5.30pm - 6.30pm) 

Parents are to gather in the Mercy Centre at 5.30pm where they will need to sign in. At this session you will have an opportunity to meet the Prep teachers and learn important information regarding Prep routines, your child’s class and sports house. 

Transition Morning on Wednesday - 30 November, 2022 (8.45am - 10.30am) 

Parents and children will arrive at 8.45am and gather in the Mercy Centre where they will need to sign in. 

This morning gives the children an opportunity to spend time in their Prep classroom with their Prep teacher for the following year. This is also a great opportunity for the children to become familiar with their new classmates. Parents will be required to collect their child/ren from the Mercy Centre at 10.30am. 

Please RSVP by Wednesday 24 August, 2022 

We ask that you RSVP your availability to attend via the following link https://forms.office.com/r/rvLyQX82QW or contact the school office on 4637 1700 

We look forward to seeing you all on the day. 

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend.

Madonna

Dear Parents and Carers,

Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the survey, to give feedback as to my role as APRE at SSPS as part of my review process. As would be expected, there were commendations and recommendations, all of which I will reflect on and where appropriate, use to inform my decision making, leadership and interactions in the future. 

Grandparents' Day/ Mercy Day-- Friday October 21

We are in the process of organising our Grandparents' Day for 2022, which we are incorporating into our first ever Mercy Day, so please spread the word as we would love to have our usual high number of grandparents join us for part of the day (9:30- 12:30pm).

Some planned items are...

9:30am Mercy Mass at St Pat's Cathedral

10:30am Morning Tea in House Groups on the Primary Oval

11:15am STEM/ Class based activities. All classrooms open.

Please put in your diary!

SSPS STUDENTS (sisters) THINKING OF OTHERS !!

One recent weekend, Abby (Yr 6) and Holly (Yr 1) were super keen and decided  to create a lemonade stand in their street.

They remained out in the cold for 2 hours and managed to raise $16.50 of which they have decided to donate to Mini Vinnies.

Well done girls!  

Relationships and Sexuality Education

Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) lessons will be presented across all year levels, in two weeks time, which is Child Protection Week (Week 9). These lessons will form a part of a larger unit of work and are part of the Australian Health and Physical Education (HPE) Curriculum of this school and all schools across this diocese.

Parents will be sent a letter next week, which outlines the content of these lessons.

Parish Masses: Year 2s will be attending next week (August 30) and Year 1s the following week. These masses are at 9am in the cathedral and take about 30mins. All families are invited to join in.

Enjoy the rest of your week,

Judy

Dear Parents and Carers,

Parent/Teacher Interviews

During Week 9 (week beginning 5 September), parent/teacher interviews will take place at St Saviour's Primary School.  

These interviews provide an opportunity for teachers to communicate information to parents and/or carers on what their child knows, understands and can do at this point in time.   This feedback may also include recommendations for future learning.

Additionally, reporting via parent/teacher interviews allows opportunities for parents and teachers to engage about the learning journey of the child and opportunites to report on the education of the whole child.  Attending an interview also indicates to your child that you are interested in their learning needs and what's happening to them at school.

Bookings for interviews are now OPEN via the Sentral Application.  

This year, Tuesday afternoon (6 September) will be an afternoon where all teachers are available in the Mercy Centre commencing at 1pm until at least 6pm.  This will allow parents some more flexibility in booking times over lunch breaks, straight after school or later in the afternoon.  Alternate times will also be available with each teacher during the week if this afternoon does not suit.

National Child Protection Week (4-10 September 2022)

In 2022, National Child Protection Week will continue to embrace the overarching message that ‘Every child, in every community, needs a fair go’. In particular, this year we will be shining a light on children growing up safe and supported.

At St Saviour's students will be participating in Australia's Biggest Child Safety Lesson which is presented by the Daniel Morcombe Foundation.

As mentioned in Mrs Smith's section, Relationships and Sexuality Education Lessons will also take place during this week.  

Child Protection will also be the focus of our whole school assembly on Monday 4 September.

As a regular practice, teachers are constantly revisiting protective behaviours and messages around child safety.

For more information, please visit the National Child Protection Week website at https://www.napcan.org.au/get-involved-2022/ 

Years 5 & 6 Camps

Year 5 Camp will take place at Emu Gully on Thursday 13th and Friday 14th October 2022.  Further information will be sent home regarding this camp in the very near future.  This camp is a very integral part of selecting 2023 leadership positions, with further information about these positions and the selection process available soon.

Year 6 Camp will take place at the Sunshine Coast Recreation Centre from 31 October to 2nd November 2022.  Please keep these dates in mind and further information will be sent home to parents prior to the September holidays.

Sam Hannant

APA

Dear Parents and Guardians, 

Every student will soon recieve a coloured printout of our Learner Qualities at school for them to hang in their study or homework space!

Here are a few ways you can encourage your children to use the Learner Qualities:

• If your child has to solve a challenging Maths problem - encourage them to be determined. They might need to attempt the task a few times before they get the right answer. 
• If your child asks an interesting question you could encourage curiosity by researching the answer together. eg. Why don't emu's fly? 
• Use 'Be a Thinker' when your child is stuck on reading a tricky word - what strategies could you try? eg. Stretchy Snake.

Enjoy your week!

Warm Regards

Nicki Prentice 

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. 

https://forms.office.com/r/Hb5y7Zj6Pu

The following opportunity has been placed on the Toowoomba Catholic Schools website.

Our Book Week Parade

The photos of our 2022 Book Week dress-up parade tell the story of a wonderful celebration, with all the fun and excitment that stories can inspire! Take the time to enjoy the collage of class photos and others taken across the day. Thanks to our amazing office staff for being the expert photographers, to Mrs McLachlan, Mrs Smith, Amelia and Riley, (Year 6 technology councillors) for their assistance during the parade. A huge thank you to our families and staff for all the behind the scenes planning and preparation which makes this event so enjoyable.

One highlight for me was the number of students who dressed as their future self in the caring professions, performing arts, agriculture and sporting fields. May they keep their dreams alive with open eyes on the opportunities available here at St Saviour's Primary and into their future.

Winners of our Book Week Colouring Competition

Issac Ragh, Xavier Adams and Noah Ragh entered colourful, well executed entries. Thank you boys for your enthusiasm and effort.

Bookmarks

Students have received a hand-made bookmark to celebrate Book Week. These bookmarks were made by the very creative and generous team of Tarsha Scotts, Merryl Nunn and Andrea Nunn who made over 350 bookmarks to share the joy of reading with our students. Thank you Tarsha, Merryl and Andrea.

Parent/Child Book Club

Let's have some shared reading enjoyment and discussion around a novel in Term 4! Parents, or other significant family member, who are keen to read a quality fiction book alongside their Year 5 or 6 student and come together towards the end of term to share their thoughts and reactions can email me at anne.anderson@twb.catholic.edu.au and we will make a time to choose our book and set a meeting date in early November.

Something for Young Creators

https://www.thelighthousetoowoomba.org/projects-6

The Lighthouse offers opportunities to meet with authors and illustrators and join in creative activities. Take a look at this local initiative using the link above. 

Happy reading everyone

Anne Anderson

Prep T

Central Zone Carnival

St Saviour’s students represented their school at the Central Zone Athletics Carnival. They ran, jumped, and threw with two to three students in each event. St Saviour’s did extremely well with many students placing in the top three for their events. All students are to be commended on the way they represented their school and the sportsmanship they showed on the day. The following students made the Central Zone Team and will compete at the Darling Downs Carnival this week.

• Samuel Abot (Sprint, 200m)
• Joseph Black (Sprint, Long Jump, Discus, 200m, Combine, 1500m)
• Finnegan Hannam (High Jump)
• Addyson Jackson (Sprint, 200m)
• William Prust (High Jump, Long Jump)
• Ava Orr (Long Jump, Shot Put, Discus)
• Rose Stead (Sprint, 800m, 200m)
• Deborah Thomas (Sprint, 200m)
• Taylor Wann (200m)

Congratulations to everyone on a fantastic carnival (see picture below).

Gymnastics Star

Xander McGorm went to Brisbane over the weekend competing in the Darling Downs Junior Regionals Gymnastics Championships. Xander placed second overall with one gold for rings and five silver for floor, vault, high bar, parallel bars and pommel. Awesome effort Xander (photo below). Congratulations to all of our gymnastic superstars at St Saviour's! We are proud of you all. 

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.

Darling Downs Carnival

Congratulations to our Central Zone students who participated in the Darling Downs Carnival on Wednesday.  Special mention to Joseph Black who competed in the 1500m event placing 3rd, securing his spot on the Darling Downs Team.  Well done Joseph!!

Cheers

Brendan Luck

HPE Teacher

Congratulations:

Congratulations to Amanda Connors on receiving her Doctorate of Education from the Melbourne University on Tuesday 16 August. Amanda started at St Saviour’s Primary in 1977 and completed her high school years at the College.

On the sporting field she achieved many successes, but her main love has always been the field of nursing. She started her nursing career at the Base Hospital and continued to add to her expertise in this area. We’re proud to hear of your success in your chosen vocation.

Congratulations Doctor Amanda Connors! 

School Fee Reminder:

Reminder that Term 3 School Fees are due Tuesday 30 August.  This is the final school fees for the school year.  

Pupil Free Day:

Next Friday 2 September is a Pupil Free Day.  Staff across the diocese will be accessing Professional Development on this day.  

Pizza Treat Day:

Reminder that Pizza Treat Day is being held on Thursday, September 8.  Ordering is now available via Flexischools.  No late orders can be accepted.

Uniform Shop:

Opening Hours:

Monday 2.30pm - 4.00pm

Friday 2.30pm - 4.00pm 

Please contact Dan Eagleson for all enquiries:

0481 318 398

School Photos:

We are still waiting for school photos to arrive back to us here at the office.  As soon as they arrive, we will send home with your child.  We anticipate they will arrive within the next couple of week's.

Congratulations to our Weekly Award Winners for Week 7.

Here are some road safety tips for all drivers around our school:

Parking

Schools are busy areas, where there are often lots of children—who do not always understand the danger of roads and vehicles. Make sure to take extra care when parking on school grounds and on the roads and streets around the school and follow the signed parking rules at all times.

Parking safety tips

Some schools offer the safety of parking on school grounds. However, these parks can fill up quickly. If you choose to park on the roads or streets around your children’s school:

• say goodbye to your children on the school side of the road—never get them to cross the road to their school’s entrance alone
• walk across the road and meet your children after school (never call out to them from the other side)
• try to leave home early to avoid arriving at the busiest times
• follow the directions of all signs
• park a safe distance from all crossings
• always single park (double parking causes accidents and traffic jams)
• try parking a few streets away from the school and walking with your children
• organise a car pool with other parents—to reduce the number of cars trying to park around your children’s school.