Week 5, Term 4, 2022
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome to the second half of Term 4. Amazing how quickly the year is progressing, with a lot to still look forward to.
A good time of year to bring into focus our ‘why’ and what makes our school unique or different from the countless others in Toowoomba.
During the many enrolment interviews over the last year, I enjoyed talking to parents and future students about this exact thing. My ‘pitch’ usually begins with the quote that our goal for St Saviour’s Primary students is to ‘Strive in Learning and Strive in Life’. That is, we work in partnership with students to achieve to their potential academically, but we also want to see them grow to be good young people.
Whilst the academic results are important , it is the 'plus' that St Saviour's Primary is also able to offer. The below image captures this vision.
Catholic Fatih Community: St Saviour’s Primary School, in strong partnership with Fr Michael O'Brien and the parish community of St Patrick’s Cathedral, is recognised for proudly offering a quality, inclusive Catholic Education. As the school has grown and changed, we have continued to build on the traditions established by the Sisters of Mercy. Their spirit of commitment, service, compassion and quality flows through the school community
Student Wellbeing: The importance of student wellbeing cannot be underestimated. Setting the foundation that children need of positive relationships with other children and their teacher and a genuine happiness to come to school that creates the ultimate learning environment. Whilst not replacing the positive interactions that are taking place every day between teacher and student, St Saviour’s Primary offers the Positive Education Curriculum: a research-based curriculum designed to explicitly teach students the key concepts of wellbeing so they can live healthy and fulfilling lives.
Culture of Learning: At St Saviour's Primary we aim to develop expert learners: those who know how to learn and have developed the qualities to become a lifelong learner. They understand the process of learning, who seek and act on feedback and know what they are learning, where they are at and what their next steps are.
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) has been a focus for the last five years and is taught through the Design Thinking Process. A process that helps develop key skills including problem solving, creativity, critical analysis, teamwork and independent thinking. The skills that your children will need to succeed in an ever-changing world.
STAFFING 2023
The staffing process for 2023 is well underway. Whilst the class allocation of teachers has not yet been finalised and will likely be published in the Week 7 newsletter, I would like to announce some staffing changes below:
We will farewell two staff at the end of this year. Miss Caitlin Seng is moving to Brisbane and is taking a teaching position in a kindergarten. Caitlin has been an early years teacher at St Saviour's for the last three years and has gifted our children with a love of learning and fun in her classroom.
After ten years, Mrs Natasha Biggar has decided to resign from her position as tuckshop convenor. We will miss her amazing cooking skills, efficient ways and the high standard she has set in ensuring our staff and students always have the best for morning tea and lunch. Our new tuckshop convenor will be announced in the next few weeks.
Three teachers will be taking leave for the next 12 months. Maryanne Lee has accepted a teaching position at St Eugene's Primary School, Burpengary. We wish Maryanne all the best as she moves closer to her children in Brisbane. Mrs Melinda Harkins has also decided to take leave in 2023, although she will job share with Mrs Judy Smith for Term 1 and part of Term 2. We then look forward to seeing Melinda around St Saviour's Primary in a relief teaching role. Mrs Natalie Lancuba will continue on leave in 2023 and is enjoying being a mum to baby Hugh.
We will welcome back Mrs Fiona Case who is returning from leave. Fiona will job share with Mrs Siobhan Grundon. Fiona will return to work for three days and Siobhan will continue two days a week.
There will be four new teachers joining us in 2023. We welcome Mrs Lisa Cavanagh, Miss Sarah Logan, Miss Eliza Smith and Miss Linda Ogg.
Mrs Lisa Cavanagh is an experienced classroom teacher who is currently in the role of Education Officer: Mission and Identity with Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office. Lisa is known to our staff through this role. Lisa has a high interest and experience in sharing her love for drama and musical performances with the students.
Miss Sarah Logan is an early year's teacher who has been teaching at St Agatha's Primary School, Clayfield. Sara has a background in psychology and was drawn to teaching young children three years ago after completing a research project as a psychologist.
Miss Eliza Smith is moving from the Ballarat Diocese in Victoria and has been in the role of Year 6 teacher and Mathematics Curriculum Leader at St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, Gordon. She is a committed teacher who strives to cater for all students' diverse learning and well-being needs. Eliza is looking forward to moving to Toowoomba.
Miss Linda Ogg will join the St Saviour's Community after teaching experience in North Queensland in the Townsville Diocese and has taught at St Joseph's Catholic School, Mt Isa and St Patrick's Catholic School, Winton. Linda's energetic nature and passion for providing the very best educational opportunities for all students have been evident each time I have met with her.
As previously notified, we also welcome Mrs Ann-Maree Ward into the position of acting APRE this term and officially as the St Saviour's Primary APRE from the start of 2023.
The teachers for each year level will be published in the Week 7 newsletter in the lead up to the whole school Transition Morning on Wednesday 30th November.
Sam Hannant
Acting Principal
Hello St Saviour’s Community!
I’m so excited to be writing this, my first newsletter article, as Acting APRE for the remainder of the school year and I look forward to working in this role fulltime as of 2023. After spending quality and VERY FUN time on Year 6 camp, it’s certainly a change of pace being in the office! It was an absolute pleasure to be with our wonderful school leaders for their final camp of primary school.
A busy few weeks ahead as we see Term 4 come to a close. I’ll be working across both roles (Year 6 Teacher and A/APRE) and working closely with staff to make arrangements for our final whole school Farewell/ Leadership Mass in Week 8 (Wednesday 23rd November) and the Year 6 Graduation in Week 9 (Friday 2nd December).
Thank you for your support with our fundraiser for Catholic Missions. A total of $490 was raised and will be donated to Catholic Missions to support those who are in most need.
Invitation to our Grandparents
On Tuesday, November 22, our students (except for Year 5s) will be having a run through of their Christmas Concert items in preparation for the actual Christmas Concert on Thursday. Year 5s have their Leadership/ Movie outing so will be away from school. Our plan is that:
Year 5 Grandparents are invited to the Leadership Mass which is Wednesday Nov 23 at 9am in the Cathedral Centre and of course are welcome at the Thursday evening Christmas Concert.
All other Grandparents are invited to the day time “rehearsal” (11:15am-12:45pm) in the Mercy Centre on Tuesday November 22.
Please RSVP by Friday Nov 18.
https://forms.office.com/r/TxjdVycviM
Thanks for reading! Have a great week!
Mrs Ann-Maree Ward
Dear Parents and Carers,
A new week, a different office and some new areas of responsibility! A sincere welcome to Annie Ward who has taken on the role of APRE (once she recovers from Year 6 Camp). I look forward to assisting her with her transition into the APRE position.
Day for Daniel:
Message from one of the organisers of the Day for Daniel event (Walk) which our Year 6 students attended at Queens Park.
" Thank you, Henry, Ann-Maree and the year 6 students for their participation in this year’s Day for Daniel event. The kids were fantastic! They were very well behaved, respectful and provided great energy to the day. They represented themselves and the school extremely well, the whole school can be proud."
Thanks again for your generous support with $400 raised.
World Teachers' Day
Last Friday our PEN Community Coordinators (Renee and Katie) provided a scrumptious lunch for our wonderful teachers to acknowledge World Teachers' Day. Many parents very thoughtfully sent in gifts for the classroom teachers, which I know was very much appreciated. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this special celebration.
Congratulations Madonna!!
Thanks for reading
Judy
Good Afternoon Parents and Carers,
What a privilege it was to go and spend 3 days with the Year 6 students at Camp at Currimundi this week! As I lay my weary body on the couch yesterday, I thought about how camps like these remind me of why I love belonging to such an amazing community like SSPS.
- The resilience of our kids
There was very little downtime the entire camp. Most days the kids would have walked over 20 000 steps, let alone the energy expended during the activities themselves. They were absolutely shattered, yet we barely heard a child complain! When they were tired, we saw them leaning on each other, supporting their peers to get through it. Walking home from activities with wet board shorts was a new experience for some of our youngsters, who quickly learnt of the ‘Currimundi Shuffle’ – a style of walking with your legs as far apart as they can go to avoid the dreaded leg chafe. Again, very few complained, as chafe cream was shared around for those who forgot it!
- The dedication of our staff
What a bunch of incredible educators!
Henry Logan’s (AKA ranger Logan) first time and you’d have thought he was a seasoned camper – always up for a chat with the kids, more compeititve than most of the students, the king of the plate scraping and ready to help out where there was a need.
Bee King – definitely not her first camp! Back to back body boarding for 3 days with 3 groups. Picking up the kids towels so they don’t get wet in the storm at 2.45am. Leading a flash mob during our free time. There really is no end to her talents!
Annie Ward (AKA medication queen) ran a beautiful night liturgy on the beach for the students, where we all shared what we were grateful for. She kept spirits high each day and was always looking out for each and every student. She got amongst it in every way.
Maddy Robinson was new to our team, daughter of the famous Mrs Robinson in the office! What a breath of fresh air she was. So great at kayaking she went three times. We appreciated her energy and enthusiasm and giving up her time to help us out!
Tash Klemm came along to camp too and was such an awesome help! She was responsible for choosing the best behaved table to eat first – so she was very well liked by our students. We appreciated her giving up her own work commitments to come and enjoy some sunshine and torrential rain!
- The joy within a united team
I think what stood out the most amongst the whole experience was the joy we all shared. Whether you were a teacher, parent or student, we all shared in this joy together and experienced it as a team. There were so many special times shared and memories made that will last a lifetime. Thank goodness we were able to experience camp again this year!
Enjoy the photos!
Warm Regards
Nicki Prentice
Middle Leader
Life in the Library during Term 4 is fast and furious with a focus on as much free choice reading as possible. Please support this important reading practice at home.
Year 4 and 5 students have been giving impromptu book talks to share what they have been reading with their classmates. They are always enthusiastic about their book!
Prep and Year 1 classes are working on finding the ways that book creators make us like their fictional bird characters!
Student Borrowing - Browse and Borrow Sessions and Summer Reading
Week 6 is the last class browse and borrow time with all student loans due by the end of Week 7. Returning students with no outstanding loans are invited to borrow books for the Summer break on Thursday and Friday of Week 8.
To date, staff and students from Prep to Year 6 have borrowed 5 227 Non-Fiction books and 11 076 Fiction books this year! This does not include home readers in Prep to Year 3 classes and the restrictions due to the building delay in Term 1 so our students are certainly huge library users. Well done everyone but remember to make time to read the books while they are in your home.
Happy Reading this week
Anne Anderson
Teacher Librarian
Headspace in Schools Visit
Headspace will be visiting our Grade 6 classes on November 15th 2022 to deliver a workshop aimed at helping students understand how the transition to high school may impact their mental health. It will explore how they can manage stress from change, build resilience and healthy coping skills, as well as strengthen their sense of connection and belonging.
A parent and carer session will also be offered on November 15th at 5:00pm at St Saviour’s Primary School. The parent workshop will upskill on how to connect and communicate with your young person, increase knowledge about how to support them during this transition period, and where to access professional support.
If you’d like to attend the Parent and Carer workshop, please indicate your interest via the following form: https://forms.office.com/r/n5SBCNC8hR
Be You Family Survey
Mental health and wellbeing is an important part of our school culture. To enhance our understanding of mental health and wellbeing in our community, we are seeking feedback from families. To ensure we are meeting the needs of our school community, we invite you to complete the following survey:
https://beyou.syd1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8BrqyFHxHoJ4DXv?survey_id=11914250758
The survey takes approximately 15 minutes and includes 27 statements. The anonymous information gathered will help highlight strengths to build on and areas for improvement within our learning community in 2023. Teachers and students will also be invited to share their voice to support the betterment of our wellbeing approaches.
Miss Anne
Student Counsellor
2022 Aquathon
On Friday the 28th of October, Thomas Prust, Mia Casagrande and Taylor Wann competed at the Aquathon held in Dalby. The Aquathon consisted of a 1km run, 200m swim and then another 1km run. All three students did extremely well with Taylor Wann coming third in his race and second for his age group. Taylor has been selected for the Darling Downs team and will compete in Hervey Bay in February (photo 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.
Cheers
Brendan Luck
HPE Teacher
Direct Debit Forms 2023:
Please return your 2023 Direct Debit forms by Friday 11 November for processing.
Device Agreement Forms:
Please remember to return the Year 4 2023 Device Agreement Forms as soon as possible.
Piano Lessons 2023:
Denise Smith will be continuing with piano lessons on a Friday afternoon next year. There are limited spaces. Please contact her on 0414 843 339 or denise_m_smith@yahoo.com if you need further information.
Pizza Treat Day:
Pizza Treat Day the last one for the year, is being held on Thursday, November 24. Ordering will be via Flexischools. Orders need to be placed by 11am, Wednesday, 23 November. Ordering is now available via Flexischools.
Last Day of Term:
The final day of Term 4, 2022 is Friday 2 December. School will finish at 1pm on this day. St Saviour's Primary OSHC will be providing care from 1pm if requried. Bookings are essential. More information is included in today's Newsletter under OSHC News.
Prep 2024:
Applications are now being taken for Prep 2024. If you have a son or daughter who is eligible to attend Prep in 2024, please fill in your application as soon as possible. Interviews for Prep 2024 will be taking place, in Term 1, 2023. Applications are available on the school website or by clicking the following link.
Enrolment Application | St Saviour’s Primary School Toowoomba (twb.catholic.edu.au)
Prep 2023:
Prep 2023 Parent Information Night is being held on Wednesday November 16 from 5.30pm - 6.30pm. This night is for parents only and is being held in the Mercy Centre.
Booklists 2024:
2024 Booklists have been sent home. If you wish to download a copy the following link will alllow you to do so.
https://www.brownsstationery.com.au/?ItemNo=1002
Licence Plate Recognition Vehicle - School Patrols:
Council has recently acquired a Licence Plate Recognition (LPR) vehicle. This vehicle is equipped to take high quality images of vehicles that have parked unlawfully simply by driving past the location. The LPR vehicle will enable council to penalise non-compliant parking by posting infringement notices. The LPR is often only detected by offending drivers when an infringement is received in the mail. Regular routine patrols will commence imminently.
Service Road Entry:
Please note that the service entry driveway (entry from Neil Street) has strictly no access due to a major water leak. We ask parents to not drive down the driveway as continous traffic is not helping the current situation. Staff only are only permitted to use this entry.
Congratulations to our Week 4 & Week 5 Award Winners:
Year 5 Mini Vinnies Christmas Appeal
Every year St Vincent De Paul help hundreds of families throughout the Christmas period. This appeal provides food hampers and financial support for families doing it tough at Christmas.
To help with the Christmas Appeal, Year 5 will be running a SSPS Christmas Appeal from Week 4 until Week 8.
They are asking for donations of Christmas food, pantry supplies and non-perishable food items that will be used to make much needed food hampers.
Donation boxes have been distributed to each year level and you can drop off your grocery items each morning. Posters are up around the school to remind you of the items we will be collecting.
It would be wonderful if we could bring a little Christmas cheer to families who need it. Please donate to our Mini Vinnies Christmas Appeal.
Volunteers:
Please consider helping out in the Tuckshop if you can spare a few hours. We still have a number of spots that need to be filled on the Tuckshop Roster. If you can help out in anyway, please contact Tash in the Tuckshop or via the office. We only have a few weeks left of term, so please consider helping out.
Outstanding Invoices:
Please note all outstanding Invoices from the Tuckshop do need to be finalised by the end of Week 7. Please send your payment in via the office or directly to the Tuckshop.
Day for Daniel:
Thank you to everyone who supported Day for Daniel. Special treat days are always a highlight for the children.