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School resumes Wednesday 22nd July
Dear Parents and Carers,
We are grateful for a term of regular classroom teaching and for the focus on teaching and learning this opportunity has provided. Although we miss the sporting pathways and the regular connection with our families and the wider community, we also see the positives that a lack of disruption to the school day and week provides.
Last week I received a reminder about the importance of maintaining a strong focus on the health and hygiene practices that have been introduced as part of the COVID journey. I ask that parents support these practices by reminding their children to bring a drink bottle to school and to use the hand sanitiser and soap provided to wash their hands prior to entering and leaving the classrooms. It is also important for students to remain at home if they are unwell, to be tested if they have COVID symptoms and for parents to continue to support our morning and afternoon drop-off and pick-up procedures. By limiting the number of people on the school grounds we are supporting the decrease in contamination and impact of a potential outbreak should it occur.
Principal Awards
The following students should be congratulated for receiving Principal Awards today:
- Jeremy Thornton
- Imogen Baker
- Ashley Allan
- Sophie Scislo
- Gypsy Janjic
- Nakyha Smith
- Isabelle Moore
- Jemma Mealing
- Jade Thacker
- Stuart Drysdale
- Sasha Dempsey
- Ebony Clarke
- Albert Lawson
- Shyah Anson
Silver Badge Award
Congratulations to Sophie Scislo for receiving her Silver School Badge today. This acknowledges the consistent effort and achievement of Sophie in achieving 3 Principal Awards.
SPORT in 2020
Many parents and carers would be aware that all pathway/representative sports have been cancelled for this year. This is due to the impact of not running events during Term 2 that would lead to future events, the rolling impact of trying to fit new dates into an already cluttered calendar and the obvious exposure and health risks associated with large gatherings. Our school made a decision to try to hold as many events and opportunities as we could so that our talented sports students had the opportunity to shine and also to provide a more equitable balance of points to contribute to the Sports Championships awarded each year. If you have any thoughts around this topic I am would appreciate hearing from you via email, brooke.stephens@mn.catholic.edu.au.
Just in case you missed the fabulous photos taken by Mr Cooper, here they are again!
Student Representative Council (SRC)
Following a recent survey for parents and conversations with our current SRC and senior students, we've made a decision to maintain our current SRC for Semester 2. The current team will lead the process for transition to a new model of student leadership at Holy Name School. From Yr 5, all students will join one of four leadership groups, including Behaviour, Sport, Social Justice and Environment. Each group will elect 2 leaders and these leaders will maintain their positions for the year. Mrs Loring will lead this process and guide students through the new roles and responsibilities. Please read Mrs Loring report for more information.
I wish you all a safe and happy holiday break. Please remember that Monday and Tuesday, the 20th and 21st July are Pupil Free Days and school will recommence on Wednesday 22nd July. Thursday 23rd July at 9:30am we welcome families and Learning Centres to our HNS Playgroup in Mackillop Hall.
Take care,
Brooke Stephens
This week's newsletter showcases examples of work from different subjects - art seems to be a theme across the Diocese at the moment. It is also great to see some of our Holy Name students receiving awards for their studies at St Clare's. You can check out St Clare's Newsletter here.
Student Representative Council
2020 has been a very interesting year so far…
Due to the Covid pandemic, we have decided to keep our current SRC members for the remainder of 2020. The children had limited time together before Covid broke out in Australia in March and we feel it is just for the current team to have a chance to work on some projects.
Thank You to all the parents that took the time to fill out the Student Leadership Survey. We have been looking at changing the current model and the input from families is certainly valued. At Holy Name we want to move to a Young Catholic model of Service to others based on our charism of Mary MacKillop. Responses to the survey indicated that:
- The majority of people would like to move to a Leadership model that begins in Year 5 and moves through to year 6.
- One set of leaders to be elected for the Year that would lead teams made up of the year 5 and 6 children depending on what team interests them. Possible teams would be Environment, Social Justice, Behaviour and Sport.
- The nomination process for leaders will become much tighter. Children will have to complete a nomination form that would ensure a commitment to their role and children who have a poor behaviour or attendance record will not be considered.
- Staff will have a vote in the process.
We will use Semester 2 to work with the current student leaders to form an implement the new model for student leadership. We will vote in Term 4 for the Leaders for 2021. Children from Years 3 and 4 will not be on the SRC as such but will be elected as class leaders from 2021 onwards.
The Leadership Team will work with the student leaders regularly (once a fortnight) from Semester 2 and beyond. The children will be responsible for leading different areas, running assemblies, working in community, fundraising, garden project etc.
We are really looking forward to working with our leaders throughout next Semester as planning our new model for the future.
Garden Project
Our Garden beds are all planted out and each class is caring for their little piece of the Garden. It won't be long and we will be able to start providing our Community Kitchen with some wonderful fresh vegetables and herbs. The children are enjoying watching their plants grow and are gaining valuable insights into the needs of those less fortunate in our local community, our country and our world.
Curriculum
This Semester we have been working on consistent pedagogy within our English block. Some teachers have been trialling a new way of planning for English using a model from the Broken Bay Diocese. We will continue on this journey during Term 3 and make some changes to our policy and procedures after this time. Our Pedagogical Mentors and Leadership Team have continued our work based on the book "Clarity" by leading educational researcher and practitioner, Dr. Lynn Sharratt.
One of the tools Lynn writes about is the "Bump It Up Wall." Most classes have now got a "Bump it up Wall" or two in their classrooms. These display walls give children a visual scaffold of expected practices and the explicit next steps to improve. Children's work samples and exemplars are displayed and the students work with the teacher to construct the explicit Success Criteria to achieve at each level. The children are not meant to stay at the level they begin on. The idea is for the students to look at the Success Criteria and decide what they need to do in order to bump themselves up to the next level.
The staff have also developed a whole school Data Wall around Reading comprehension. This is the starting point for Learning Walks to occur. Learning Walks involve members of the Leadership Team and/or the Pedagogical Mentors, Gifted Ed Mentor or our Aboriginal Education Teacher moving through classrooms regularly and asking the students the 5 learning questions:
- What are you learning? Why?
- How are you doing?
- How do you know?
- How can you improve?
- Where do you go to for help?
This allows us to develop consistency of practice and assessment across the school and plan for support structures when necessary. A great thing about asking the children the 5 questions is that they need to be really focused on the Learning Intention and success criteria during each lesson and the students understanding exactly what is required of them during learning and assessment experiences.
Finally I would like to thank the amazing staff at Holy Name School. Throughout the trials of Covid they jumped straight on board to design online leaning experiences for your children as well as continuing to assess and plan as usual. They have continued on the important work of Professional Learning Team meetings, staff meetings and our work with the "Clarity" resource which come together to make the learning experiences at Holy Name School positive and real so that we can improve student outcomes for all.
ICAS
Early next term I will send information out regarding the 2020 ICAS tests. These tests are offered by the University of NSW and are offered to students around the country and overseas. Parents will be able to enter and pay for their children online in 2020 for tests in English, Spelling, Maths, Science and Digital Technologies at a cost of $15.95 each.
Enjoy a lovely mid year break with your kids with a lot less restrictions than 3 months ago!
As with all events this year, the Aspire Team have had to adapt to the new way of educating and working with students. Once again, we have a student participating in this wonderful Creative Arts opportunity and I encourage families to check out the latest Apire Newsletter. Who knows, your child might like to audition for next year's production!!
Students from across our diocese have contributed to a new shared creative space - the Maitland Newcastle Virtual Art Gallery.
This gallery, developed with the assistance of Marc Hattam (Education Officer - Digital Innovation and Learning) is a showcase for the artistic talent of our students who were encouraged to reflect on the people who mean the most to them and the experiences that have shaped their lives. Many students responded to the opportunities provided in the visual arts project resources that were shared on the Continuity of Learning site.
Through their art, students have shared their thoughts and feelings using a variety of techniques and styles. Some of their thought-provoking works reflect the beauty and fragility of their natural surroundings.
Many thanks to the school staff who have encouraged the students and provided them with this opportunity.
Take the time to explore the Virtual Art Gallery. It is a rich, creative outlet for our students and provides an insight into their lives, and perhaps encourages us to reflect on ours. Hopefully, it will brighten your day.
SALLY BROCK
EDUCATION OFFICER (GIFTED EDUCATION), CATHOLIC SCHOOLS OFFICE
St Nicholas OOSH Vacation Care
Our school’s OOSH provider, St Nicholas OOSH, has vacation care available for those of you who require additional care these school holidays. You can view their program and make a booking at stnicholasoosh.org.au/forster or email vacationcare@stnicholasoosh.org.au for any enquiries.
Great Lakes Cheerleading Holiday Workshop - $50 per day!
We accept Active and Creative Kids Vouchers through our website here https://docs.google.com/…/1FAIpQLSdwZgLJ9_hPsY5zbC…/viewform
Perfect for 5-12 year olds, we will have a range of games and activities everyday.
Click the link to book in!
https://dancestudio-pro.com/online/index.php…
*if you do not have an account it’s free to create one, no registration fee for holiday workshops*