St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School 9 Drynan Street Summer Hill 213 Phone 9798 7478 Fax: 9799 6380 Email: [email protected]

Newsletter Term 1 Week 10 Edition

5th April 2017

Dear Parents and Carers, As we come to the end of an extremely busy Term I wanted to thank you all for the great support the staff and I have received throughout Term 1. I pray that every family gets some quality holiday family time together in the two week break. We look forward to welcoming the children back to school for Term 2 on Wednesday 26th April.

“Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God” Matt 5:8 UPCOMING EVENTS 6 April Holy Week Liturgy @ 2pm 7 April P & F Hot Cross Buns delivery 7 April Last Day of Term 1 24 April Pupil Free Day (Staff Development Day) 25 April ANZAC DAY 26 April First Day of Term 2 26-27 April, 1 May Life Education 28 April Athletics Carnival @ Campbell Oval, Canterbury

Mary’s joyful song of praise, The Magnificat, announces a better way of being. It is the longest text by a woman in the New Testament. In this prayer, Mary announces three revolutions, a social revolution, a moral revolution and an economic revolution. These revolutions can be found in the following text from this song of praise: he has looked down with favour on the lowliness of his servant, he has brought down the powerful from their thrones and he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. This was a completely different way of thinking and acting to what was the social, moral and economic norms of the time. Let us pray: The Magnificat My soul magnifies the Lord And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; Because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid; For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed; Because He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name; And His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear Him. He has shown might with His arm, He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and has exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty. He has given help to Israel, his servant, mindful of His mercy Even as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity forever. Holy Week Celebration Our Holy Week Liturgy will be held in the church at 2pm on Thursday, 6 April. Please join us for this special prayer service. Visit from Dr Dan White, Executive Director of Sydney Catholic Schools As I announced in the previous newsletter, Dr Dan White visited St Patrick’s on Thursday last week. Dr Dan was very pleased to visit some of the classrooms and see the children at work. He spent a significant amount of time in Year 6 where he was interviewed by the Year 6 students. He was very impressed by the quality of the questions that the students came up with and commented to me after the visit how impressed he was with the students. He also took the opportunity to visit both Kindergarten and Year 2 were he observed Kindergarten responding to a short film and Year 2 publishing their written work digitally. Below is a recount of Dr Dan’s visit, written by Ruby, Sophia and Emma in Year 6. I sent a copy of this to Dr Dan and he was very pleased to have received it.

2 May IW Cross Country

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Dr Dan’s Visit to St Patrick’s School Our school was privileged to have the Executive Director of Sydney Catholic Schools, Dr Dan White, visit us on Thursday 30 March. After meeting with Mrs Flynn and Mrs Pascoe, Dr Dan toured some of the classrooms. The Year 6 students were lucky enough to have the opportunity to be reporters for the afternoon, and interviewed Dr Dan, obtaining an insight into his role. Dr Dan explained that he sees his role as being a teacher of teachers, or the “head teacher”. He organises staff development days, and has written books about how to be a better teacher. He also works with the government to be an advocate of Sydney Catholic Schools. Dr Dan said that the absolute favourite part of his job is visiting schools, where he talks with the students and teachers, and observes first-hand the quality of the schools, and the teaching and learning that takes place. These visits also allow him to see the needs that particular schools have. Some challenges that Dr Dan has in his role are building new schools, and making our Sydney Catholic schools better. He is also focused on making our schools genuinely Catholic. When asked who the main influences in his life and career have been, Dr Dan stated that his father was the number one influence, as he provided him with a Catholic Education, and instilled a strong faith in him. He was also influenced by his Year 7 teacher, who loved teaching and loved his class/students. Dr Dan’s first principal (when he was a teacher) was also a major influence, as he encouraged him to be the best teacher he could be. Dr Dan spoke about the importance of Jesus in his life, who has helped him through bad times as well as good. He relies on the guidance of Jesus and prays to him every day. We really enjoyed Dr Dan’s visit, as he gave us an insight into his important role in Sydney Catholic Schools. Dr Dan said he also enjoyed seeing the wonderful teaching and learning that takes place at St Patrick’s school. By Ruby, Sophia and Emma.

Christ Alive in Us- Compassion~ Justice~ Integrity ~Stewardship

About Catholic Schools In the previous newsletter I informed you that About Catholic Schools Magazine were at the school for our St Patrick’s Day celebrations. I am very pleased to announce that we made it into print. Please check out the article with pictures from the talent show by following the link below. https://aboutcatholicschools.wordpress.com/2017/03/17/st-patricks-day-of-talent/ Working Bee Thank You On Saturday, 25th March we held our first of two working bees. I was overwhelmed with the generous response by so many parents giving their time to make the school grounds look lovely. I am sure you will agree the revitalised playground markings, clean walkways and well trimmed gardens look wonderful. Special thanks to Mrs Georgina Camp whose coordination of the working bee ensured it ran smoothly. Thanks also to Mr Craig Watts who sourced and supplied the line marking machine and paint, an industrial strength high pressure hose and a trailer of rubbish bins which he then removed when full. Thanks to all the parents who helped out with all the tasks: Rudy and Andrea Loggenberg, Liz and Liam Nevin, Peter Flynn and Sharon Bay, Richard Zhang, Rob Nicoletti, David Wanigesekera, Dominic Wan, Maree Abbott, Bruce Farrall, Yani Zefi, Harley Keller, Kathleen and Michael Doherty, Kevin Carragher and Ramon Rosati. Please forgive me if I left anyone off this list of helpers - your efforts were appreciated. P & F News On Saturday evening the P & F held their first major fundraising event for the year - the Music Festival. This was a very successful event, with all those who attended having a wonderful time. The bands, Cashed Up, The Set List and the Junction Dolls were great, the food was fantastic and the beer and wine tasting was a great way to get to know our local produce. As with all successful events, a lot of work was put into the organisation and management which contributed to the success. Special thanks must go to the P&F executive team, Sharon Bay, Anna Ramsay and Jenny North for their sterling efforts in the weeks leading up to the event and on the night itself. Thank you Peter Flynn for your work in ensuring the audio equipment was working all night. Thanks are also due to the Keller family, Harley’s parents, Harley and Selina for the wonderful food, Dominic Calabria for the wine and Liz Nevin for organising the beer. The hall looked sensational so thank you to the decorating committee Phoebe Rofail, Kathleen Doherty, Catherine Roberts and Georgina Camp. Natalie Novak, Rob and Kylie Kapusta were great on the door and the Year 3 key contact Lorenza Foundoukakis and her team of helpers, Paula and Matt Mahony, Louise Khouri-Revell Rebecca Lebler and all the others who assisted in serving food and running the night. Thank yuo Emma and Adrian Robinson for returning the sound equipment. Thank you Sharon Bay and Vicki Maclean, Alexander and Ben for your services as barmen. Thank you finally to all of you who attended, it was so good to see you enjoying yourselves. Well done St Patrick’s community. What a great spirit there is in this community. Survey Follow-Up Thank you to those of you who completed the survey on parent workshops. In response to your feedback, we have organised a reading workshop for Monday, 19th June at 9am as this was the most requested time and 2 cyber-safety workshops with our police community liaison officer on Monday 5th June, the first at 9am and the second at 6pm. Later in the year we will hold a Mathematics workshop. Another area of interest raised in the survey was around resilience in children and friendships. We will address this area through the use of the KidsMatter framework. We will share information through this newsletter in the News from the Assistant Principal section. Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday. See you in Term 2. God Bless Jo Flynn

ENROLMENTS

Enrolment packages for Kindergarten 2018 are available to collect from the school office. Children turning 5 before the 31 July 2018 are welcome to apply. Interview process will commence in March.

Did you know? Our Year 6 students are radio stars. They were interviewed by ABC radio to ascertain their knowledge and ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL - FREDA PASCOE understanding of grammar. Follow the link below to listen to what they have to say. http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/earshot/language-and-its-problems/8276212

Christ Alive in Us- Compassion~ Justice~ Integrity ~Stewardship

SPBL FOCUS Week 9 & 10: I am respectful - assembly I have my eyes on the speaker. I sit on my bottom with my legs crossed. I respond appropriately I am active listener.

KIDSMATTER - PARENT SURVEYS Thank you to all of the parents who completed the KidsMatter surveys over the last couple of weeks. Your feedback is highly valued and we appreciate you taking the time to answer our questions and give suggestions on future directions. The results affirmed all of the wonderful things that make our school community great but also highlighted areas that we can focused on. The Wellbeing Team will now look at the data we have gathered from parents, students and teachers and devise an action plan as a way of addressing the needs and focus areas for our school. Some areas that we will intend to support parents with include child development, cybersafety, building resilience in our students and dealing with bullying. KIDSMATTER - PARENT CORNER It’s a fact that children can be taught how to cope with their emotions, to bounce back from problems, and to develop positive relationships – this is called ‘social and emotional learning’. It’s also a fact that a child’s family is the first and biggest influence on their mental health. Basically, families can teach children these skills as early as possible in life – even from when they’re babies! KidsMatter provides families with a range of information to help them support children’s mental health and wellbeing, and to recognise if and when professional help is needed. They contain practical information, tips, and strategies across a range of common childhood issues, and were prepared by professionals experienced in the area of children’s mental health and development. Each newsletter we will include information from the KidsMatter website (www.kidsmatter.edu.au) Scaffolding Children’s Learning “This is just too hard. I can’t do it!” nine-year old Emmet says as he tears the page from his notebook and scrunches it up in frustration. “Mum, can you help?” As parents and carers, it is hard to see children struggle with their learning, especially when they are frustrated or upset. Sometimes, and often before you know it, you become caught up in trying to help them and you wind up doing their schoolwork for them. How do you find the right balance between telling them, “You just have to do it!” and giving them all the answers? And what if you don’t even have the answers? Helping children with schoolwork Helping children with schoolwork (eg homework assignments or projects) is sometimes a challenge for families as well as for children. However, it can also be an opportunity for parents and carers to get to know what children are learning at school and to support their learning. Children learn better when they have opportunities to share and practise at home what they are learning at school. It is not necessary for parents or carers to have all the answers when children have difficulties with their schoolwork. If adults simply provide children with the answers, children miss out on the chance to learn and think for themselves. Parents and carers can help children by guiding their learning and thinking and supporting them to try for themselves. Helping to build children’s learning In just the same way that scaffolding provides temporary support to a building, parents and carers can also ‘scaffold’ children’s learning. For some things, children may need lots of support. This is especially the case when they are learning new things. As children’s abilities develop, they gradually become more independent in their learning and parents and carers can start to reduce their ‘scaffolding’.

Christ Alive in Us- Compassion~ Justice~ Integrity ~Stewardship

How parents and carers can help Parents and carers scaffold children’s learning by leading and coaching them towards coming up with their own answers. This shows children how to learn, and makes it more likely that they will succeed. The next time your child asks for help, you might try some of the following ways to scaffold thinking and learning. Prompt children to extend their thinking   

Ask them to think about something relevant: “Why do you think…?" Ask them to think through alternatives: “That would be one way, what’s another way we could try?" Provide support for thinking through difficult tasks: “Let’s have a think about this together."

Ask them to explain the steps  

Help children to plan their approach: “What is it that we need to do?" Ask them to review their steps so far: “Tell me more about what you have already tried?"

Demonstrate 

Show an example and talk it through: “First, I will …, and then I will …, and then I can… "

Break it into steps    

Help children who are stuck by breaking the task into smaller steps. It’s a good idea to ensure the first step involves something that children can already do. This way they will experience success early which helps their confidence. Be sure to provide praise for completing each step as they work through a task. Guide children step-by-step to build their skills so they can eventually complete the whole task on their own.

Tips for scaffolding children’s learning      

Provide a challenge that is just beyond what your child can already do easily by him or herself. Give prompts. Ask questions. Model the steps involved. Praise your child for attempting the task, not just for succeeding. Watch to see if your child is struggling or becoming frustrated, as these may be signs that the task is too hard.

SKOOLBAG APP Have you downloaded the Skoolbag app for your iPhone or Android phone? Did you know that you are able to send notes for your child’s absence through the app? Once the office receives your notification they will forward it to your child’s classroom teacher. The school also uses the app in conjunction with the newsletter and school website to send information and reminders out to our parent community. If you do not have the app you can download it for free from the App Store. TERM 2 CHILD PROTECTION WORKSHOPS Save the dates! If you are interested in helping out in your child’s classroom, at athletics and swimming carnivals or on class excursions then you must attend a parent induction and child protection workshop. I will be running two sessions in Term 2. The second session is a repeat of the first so you are only required to attend one of the sessions. The sessions will run for approximately 30 minutes. Session 1: Term 2 Week 6 Monday 29th May @ 8:45am in the Library Session 2: Term 2 Week 6 Friday 2nd June @ 2pm TERM 2 LUNCH CLUBS During lunch time we offer a range of activities that students can join in. In Term 2 we will have the following activities available. Please keep in mind that due to circumstances out of our control there may be times when lunch clubs do not occur.

Christ Alive in Us- Compassion~ Justice~ Integrity ~Stewardship

Monday: Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Friday:

Choir with Miss Sulas Garden Club with Miss Hogan Maths/Art Club with Mrs Spiteri Homework Club with Mrs Farrell Mini Vinnies with Ms Jago Drama Club with Year 6 (Supervised by Mrs Pascoe)

TERM 2 UNIFORMS For the first few weeks of Term 2 parents may choose to send their children to school in either winter or summer uniform. The weather is so unpredictable that we will leave this decision up to you; however, children must wear full winter or full summer uniform NOT a combination. All children will be expected to be in FULL WINTER uniform by MONDAY 15 MAY 2016. LIFE EDUCATION Life Education Australia will be visiting our school from Wednesday 26 April, Thursday 27 April and Monday 1 May. Each class will be visiting the van and participating in a range of programs which are designed to support and compliment the NSW PDHPE (Personal Development, Health and Physical Education) curriculum. Life Education Australia provides positive programs that develop the social skills and knowledge necessary for effective decision-making, communication, negotiation, peer resistance and refusal in drug-related situations. Mrs Cathy Logue, the Life Education educator from the South East Sydney Region, will conduct the lessons at school in the mobile learning centre. Please return any outstanding permission notes to the office. The timetable is as follows: Session

Wednesday 26/4

9.10 – -10.40 11.20 – 12.50 2.00 – 3.00

Year 4 Year 5 Kindy

Thursday 27/4 Year 3 Year 6 Year1

Monday 1/5 9.10 – 9.50 Parent Session Year 2 ---

SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION Congratulations to our Year 3 students who received the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Tuesday March 28th.

WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING IN CLASSROOMS THIS WEEK Year 6 Religion

Christ Alive in Us- Compassion~ Justice~ Integrity ~Stewardship

stage 3 Science

Christ Alive in Us- Compassion~ Justice~ Integrity ~Stewardship

MUSIC NEWS

Year 2-6 and choir students will be using google classroom to access music needed each week for class music and choir. Please ensure your child has google classroom downloaded onto their Ipad. In google classroom we have the ability to add parents/guardian into our google classroom. If you are a parent/guardian and would like to be added to the choir google classroom page, please click on the link below and fill out the google form.

https://goo.gl/forms/lJbq6tfp4Vj50Cnj2

Google Classroom app

This term technology will be integrated into music lessons. Students from Year 1-6 will be using Kahoot and Garageband this term in music lessons. If your child has an iPad please ensure your child has these apps downloaded onto their Ipad.

Kahoot app

Garageband app

Christ Alive in Us- Compassion~ Justice~ Integrity ~Stewardship

Christ Alive in Us- Compassion~ Justice~ Integrity ~Stewardship