Term 1, Week 5, 2023
Dear Parents and Carers,
I would like to take this opportunity to say that it has been fantastic to see so many parents at events taking place at Saviour's Primary in the first five weeks of this school year. These events have included the Welcome BBQ and Disco, Parent Information Night and Parent Engagement Network (PEN) Meeting.
Parent engagement in primary school is crucial for the academic, social, and emotional development of children. Research has shown that when parents are involved in their children's education, children perform better in school, have better attendance, and have more positive attitudes towards learning.
At St Saviour's Primary, there are several ways in which parents can engage with the school. These include:
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Attending parent-teacher conferences: This is a great way for parents to meet with their child's teacher and discuss their child's progress, strengths, and areas for improvement. These will happen toward the end of Term 1.
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Volunteering: Parents can volunteer to help out in the classroom or with school events. This not only helps the school, but also shows children that their parents value education and are willing to invest time and effort into their school.
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Communicating with teachers: Regular communication with teachers can help parents stay up-to-date on what their child is learning and how they are doing in school.
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Supporting learning at home: Parents can help their children with homework, read with them, and encourage them to engage in learning activities outside of school.
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Participating in school activities: Attending school events such as performances, PEN meetings, and school fundraisers can help parents feel more connected to their child's school and community. Some events that might interest you this year include fathers'/mothers' day activities, Under 8s Day, classroom visits, sporting activities,
Overall, parent engagement in primary school is a key factor in children's academic success and well-being. By working together, parents and schools can create a positive and supportive learning environment for children.
DATA COLLECTION - Student Residential Addresses
The Australian Government is conducting the 2023 Student residential address and other information collection. This is an annual collection of student residential addresses, and the names and addresses of parents/guardians of students for non-government schools.
The data is collected to inform Commonwealth school education policy and funding and is utilised to calculate the school community’s “capacity to contribute” to the costs of schooling. The capacity to contribute methodology, based on income of parents or guardians of students at a non-government school, is used in school funding calculations. All students are included within the school and there is no opt-out arrangement by parents. Please see notice below.
Thanks for reading.
Sam Hannant
Acting Principal
Please find attached our PEN Meeting Minutes and Principal Report from our Term 1 PEN Meeting.
Week 5! Half way through the term and how quickly the weeks are going. This week has seen number of significant celebrations and liturgies which mark a very important season in the church's Liturgical calendar; Lent.
Our students have contributed to and participated in the Religious life of our school with the following events:
Project Compassion Last Sunday 19th February, our school captain and vice captains represented our school at the launch of Project Compassion, an annual initiative of Caritas. This year’s theme is “For all future generations”. We encourage our students to engage in the activities which focus on a different story each week of Lent, and to provide financial support, where they can, through the use of the Project compassion boxes which are in each classroom.
Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent starts or more commonly known as Pancake Day, which refers to the fried batter recipe traditionally eaten on this day. Thankyou to our families and school community for contributing to and supporting our pancake fundraiser which was held on Tuesday 21st February. The students’ support and enthusiasm was greatly appreciated and over $200 was raised for the Sisters of Mercy. Thankyou!
Ash Wednesday – Today is Ash Wednesday. This day marks the beginning of Lent, which lasts for six weeks. We call it Ash Wednesday because Christians around the world receive a cross of ashes on their foreheads. Ashes are a sign of sorrow and repentance. This cross of ashes tells friends and neighbours that we are not perfect, and that we know we are not perfect.
A solemn and reflective liturgy was held in the Mercy Centre on Wednesday morning this week. Fr Michael led our students from Year 3 -6 and the Year 7 students from the College, in prayer, reflections and the distribution of ashes. Each class from Prep – Year 2 were visited by Fr Michael where the ashes were distributed to these students as well.
Lent is a time of prayer, fasting and sharing what we have. Through prayer we come closer to God, helping us to live justly, as Jesus teachers us. By fasting (not eating something), we join in solidarity with people experiencing poverty, who often have no choice but to go without basic human needs. Sharing what we have (or almsgiving) is a sign of our commitment to justice and our thanks for all that God has given us.
Fr Michael asks us to stop and think about how we can make good choices and enrich the lives of others this Lenten season, which begins today. We encourage you to continue to remind/prompt your child about what you can do together as a family to help others in our community.
Sacramental Program begins this weekend. The enrolment ritual for these students will be held at the weekend Masses at St Patrick’s Cathedral on Saturday 6pm or Sunday 9am. We pray for those students who are undertaking this program, that the Holy Spirit will guide and support them and their families on their sacramental journey.
In closing, I’d like to share Tia’s prayer. Tia is a Year 3C student;
God, the creator of life
who created the day and night and has always been with us.
Help us to appreciate all who have made the Earth a better place and always be with us.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Written by Tia Ein Al Sheba in 3C using the YWDT format (all original)
A beautiful and heartfelt prayer. Thankyou Tia!
Echoing Tia’s words, may God be with you all throughout the weeks ahead as we begin our Lenten journey.
Have a great week and thanks for reading!
Ann-Maree
Dear Parents and Carers,
You may have noticed by now, I’m a very strong advocate for reading! I believe if we get reading right at school and at home, so much more learning can flow from there. In my opinion, It truly is the keystone to learning.
One of my favourite things to do with my nieces is to read a story before bedtime. Not only do I get the opportunity to lie on a comfy bed and cuddle them, we also get to have some fun, while learning at the same time! It’s a chance to take a break from a busy day and just explore and ask questions and get lost in another world.
Here are a few key benefits of reading aloud:
- Children can listen on a higher language level than they can read.
- Reading aloud makes rich and engaging books available to all readers and helps them become better readers.
- Being exposed to a wide range of stories and books allows children to see themselves as well as other people, cultures, communities, and issues in the books they read.
- Modeling encourages children to develop the habits and strategies proficient readers employ.
- Reading aloud builds vocabulary.
- Reading aloud promotes social and emotional growth.
Keep your eyes on our Facebook page for some thoughts from a few students about reading!
Warm Regards
Nicki Prentice
Middle Leader
This fortnight, classes across the school have continued to explore lessons related to kindness. Humans are born to be kind. In order for humans to have survived as a species, we needed kindness! Not only does kindness help us connect with others, research shows that it has positive effects on our wellbeing too. When we help and give to others, we feel happier, more energetic, stronger and calmer, as well as less anxious, depressed and stressed. We are wired to feel good when doing things for others – when we carry out acts of kindness, the pleasure centres of our brain light up. Kindness is its own reward!
We can foster our children’s kindness through modelling kindness ourselves, giving them responsibilities and opportunities to be caring and helpful, and exposing them to kind, inspiring people. This communicates the importance that society places on kindness and helps children recognise how connected we all are.
Try this at home: With your children, create a list of five ways you can each show kindness to others as a way to spread joy and build your positive connections. You could even make a plan to carry out all five random acts of kindness today!
Parent Information Session: Fostering Calmer Drop Offs
Have school drop offs become a challenge, and you’re not sure what to do? We are here to help! You’re invited to a parent workshop aimed at helping school drop offs become hassle free. See details & register your interest via this link.
Student Protection
It is a legislative requirement that all non-state schools have at least two nominated staff members to whom a student can report the behaviour of another staff member that the student considers inappropriate. We call these specially trained staff members School Student Protection Contacts, or SSPCs. Each SSPC has been nominated by the principal in recognition of their integrity, approachability and knowledge in the area of student protection. Whilst students are encouraged to speak up to any trusted adult in the school community, it is important that they know they can access these specific staff members at any time should they have worries, queries or concerns. You will have noticed posters throughout the school depicting our current SSPCs. The SSPCs are also published on our school website along with information about our student protection processes. In everything we do at St Saviour’s Primary School, student safety is our highest priority, therefore the SSPCs at our school are key personnel in our overall safeguarding processes. Please see the poster below depicting our current SSPC team.
Please respond via the following link for your attendance
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=_f1LV0RCBUK3EBaPWwxYDRI2Ah-FwMBBn5w4uLXeb9pUQzBLQjlJNU9VN1NLNkFIMjRNWU5XWVhQOC4u
More information on Powerhouse Programs can be found here: https://powerhouseprograms.com.au/programs/raising-teenage-boys-parent-evenings/
Junior Swimming Carnival 2023 (Prep - Year 2)
DATE: 27th March 2023
TIME: Prep - 9am – 10am
Year 1 – 10:15am – 11:15am
Year 2 – 11:30am – 12:30am
VENUE: Glennie Aquatic Centre
WHO FOR: Students in Prep – Year 2
TRANSPORT: The Prep students will catch a bus from St Saviour’s to Glennie at 8:45am, Year One at 10am and Year Two at 11:15am. Children can then be picked up at the normal time of 3pm.
PLEASE BRING: togs (Prep students to wear to school under uniform), towel, goggles, swimming cap (from Glennie swimming lessons, supplied by Glennie), swimming bag and water.
COST: The cost of the swimming carnival has been covered by your child’s school fees.
PERMISSION: Permission has already been granted through ‘Physical Education Activities/Carnivals 2023’ on Parent Portal.
UNIFORM: The children can wear their sport uniform. Thongs are fine to wear to and from the pool. No zinc, face paint or hairspray is allowed in the pool.
EVENTS: Your child’s events are listed below (All events are subject to time)
Prep – Year 2
- 25m Freestyle/Pool Noodle
- 25m Backstroke/Kick Board
- 25m Pool Noodle Horse Ride
*** Race distances and events may change depending on students swimming abilities which will be assessed at your child/ren swimming lessons in Week 8 ***
PURPOSE: No ribbons will be awarded at this carnival as this is purely a non-competitive carnival to encourage fun in the water. As this is the first year we have had the Junior Swimming Carnival, we ask that parent be mindful that there may need to be adjustments made during the carnival.
Extra Information: I understand that all students are at different levels and this carnival has been designed to accommodate that. Each lane will have a swimming instructor in it to assist the students as needed. All students will also have access to a flotation device (kick board or pool noodle) if needed. Students do not have to use these if they can swim and are welcome to do freestyle or backstroke in the pool noodle/kickboard events. We encourage all students to attend regardless of their swimming ability. Having an instructor with the students and novelty races ensure that this is a memorable day, whilst building confidence in the water prior to joining the more competitive races at the Year Three to Year Six swimming carnival in years to come.
Parents and Grandparents are more than welcome to attend.
Thanks very much and if you have any questions, please feel free to email me at brendan.luck@twb.catholic.edu.au.
Catholic Schools Swimming Carnival
On Friday the 10th of February, St Saviour’s Primary students competed in the Catholic Schools Swimming Carnival at Glennie Aquatic Centre. These students are to be commended for the way they represented their school in swimming and behaviour on the day. Students swam their hearts out and many students placed in the top four in their heats and relays (pictures attached). Students who attended listed below.
- Indi Brookman
- Nina Lucas
- Emily Bignell
- Emily Carrigan
- William Prust
- Liam McHugh
- Lily Brookman
- Rose Stead
- Sophie Enders
- Phoebe Neenan
- Cooper Dunlop
- Levi Holden
- Joseph Humphreys
- Hugo Watson
- Finnegan Hannam
- Mia Casagrande
- Lucy Hardy
- Zoe Giles
- Eve Phillips
- Lacey Sanders
- Charlize Rogers
Central Zone Swimming Carnival
On Wednesday the 15th of February, students from St Saviour’s Primary competed in the Central Zone Swimming Carnival at Glennie Aquatic Centre. They competed against other schools to try and qualify for the Darling Downs carnival which will be held in Gatton on the 28th of February (pictures attached). Three students made it through to the next level and will be representing the Central Zone Team in Gatton.
Students who attended listed below.
- Liam McHugh
- Emily Bignell
- Emily Carrigan
- Cooper Dunlop
- Joseph Humphreys
- Finnegan Hannam
- Hugo Watson
- Lily Brookman
- Rose Stead
- Sophie Enders
- Phoebe Neenan
- Mia Casagrande
- Lucy Hardy
- Zoe Giles
- Charlize Rogers
- Eve Phillips
Students competing at the Darling Downs Trials.
- Mia Casagrande
- Lucy Hardy
- Lily Brookman
Fitness Club
Fitness club is a fun way for your child to work on their fitness with their peers in preparation for the SSPS Cross Country in the last week of Term One. These sessions are offered to students in Year Three to Year Six. Fitness club runs every Tuesday and Thursday morning from 7:15am - 8am running till Thursday 23rd of March 2023. Your child is welcome to attend all sessions, once a week or whatever suits your family schedule. Thank you to Mrs McHugh, Mrs Wagner, and Mr Logan for helping with running these sessions. If you have any questions, please email me via Brendan.luck@twb.catholic.edu.au.
School Sport
Congratulations to Aya Doherty, Lily Brookman and Mahaylie Weribone who made the Zone Team for Touch Football. All three girls will now trial for the Darling Downs team. Fantastic effort and we are all cheering for you.
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 One)
- Regional Swimming Carnival – 28/02/2023
- Swimming Lessons (Prep – 2) – 13-17/03/2023
- Junior Swimming Carnival (Prep – 2) 27/03/2023
- SSPS Cross Country – 30/03/2023
Cheers
Brendan Luck
HPE Teacher
brendan.luck@twb.catholic.edu.au
Student responses to the Queensland School Libraries Week theme showed an understanding and appreciation of what our library allows them to enjoy and achieve. Year level responses have been collated and are on display in the library. They will also be posted to the AccessIt homepage.
QSLW Art Competition
Prep classes have created a piece of art work and we have a few amazing interpretations of the theme from students in Year 6. Please bring your art work to the library no later than next Monday morning 27th February for the judging before they go on display for all to view.
Year 5/6 Student and Adult Book Club
We are reading "The Book of Wonderous Possibilities" by Deb Abela and will meet after 3pm on Wednesday29th March (Week 10) in the library to discuss the story and choose our next read. All Year 5 and 6 students along with a family member are invited to obtain a copy (Big W currently have copies for $10) and read the book at home before we come together in Week 10. Read about the book here; https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-book-of-wondrous-possibilities-deborah-abela/book/9781761044021.html
Lunchtime in the Library
School Photo Day:
Term 1 School Fees:
Term 1 School Fees are due tomorrow. Please arrange for payment of your Term 1 account if you have not already done so.
Bookclub:
Bookclub orders have been delivered home this week. Thankyou to everyone who supported our first Scholastic Bookclub for the year. Catalogues will be sent home in Term 2.
Prep Vision Screenings:
Please see information below that has been sent to all Prep families regarding Prep Vision Screenings.
The Primary School Nurse Health Readiness Program will be screening at St Saviour's Primary commencing on Monday 6th March 2023.
We are a Queensland Government service that offers Free Vision Screening to all children enrolled in Prep. If your child is in Prep and you would like their vision screened, you will need to complete a consent form.
The following video explains the benefits of having your Prep child’s vision screened- “What is Prep Vision Screening?”
Please click on the following link to access the Online Consent Form and Parent Information Letter: https://visionscreening.health.qld.gov.au/ParentalConsent/3011kUIN
Peak 2 Park:
St Saviour's Primary is participating in Peak 2 Park which is being held on Sunday 4 March. If you would like your child to participate, registration forms are available from the office. Child entry is $10. Families entry $45. St Saviour's Primary children will be participating in the 4k event. Please note that tomorrow will be the final day for registrations.
Skool Dayz Uniform Shop
The School Uniform Shop is now located at the top of the service driveway as you enter off Neil Street. The shop is located on the bottom floor of the old convent building. The Uniform Shop is open the following times throughout the Term every Monday afternoon from 2.30pm - 4.00pm and every Friday afternnoon from 3.00pm - 5.30pm. If these times do not suit, please contact Dan Eagleson 0481 318 398 to arrange an alternate time or email directly on info@skooldayz.com.au or log on to the skooldayz website for further information. https://www.skooldayz.com.au
Parking:
This is a reminder that the driveway off Neil Street is not be used for pick up and drop offs. This is strictly an access driveway and is only to be used for St Saviour's Primary Administration, deliveries and disabled use. Thank you for your understanding.
Thank you to everyone who attended the Welcome BBQ and Disco last Thursday evening. Special thank you to our PEN committee for organising the BBQ and to all the volunteers who helped with the preparation of the BBQ and drinks on the night.
