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This afternoon, Miss Meers, Mrs Praschinger, Mr Mackay and I visited with Mary Jane and Jose Micua. It was good to see how Mary Jane is progressing physically and to share more stories of Mary Therese with them. On behalf of our community, we presented Mary Jane and Jose with a special book of memories of Mary's time at Holy Name, the place they tell us that Mary '...had a blast!' The conversation and sharing of stories, sometimes of things that didn't go well, reminded me that we should never take for granted the uniqueness of Holy Name Catholic Primary School or the power that each of us has to build a positive and vibrant culture that welcomes diversity and never takes any opportunity for granted - these are the legacies that Mary will leave with us. Mary really lived in each moment, she noticed and appreciated simple things, like it was the first time every time, and seemed to be in awe of their creation. She welcomed everyone into her games and spread love, joy and kindness wherever she went. As we teach and lead at Holy Name, we have the absolute privilege of being with your children, of supporting them during their struggles and celebrating with them in their successes. Thank you for trusting them into our care!
This week our Leadership Team and the Pedagogical Mentors presented our school improvement work to Dr Lyn Sharratt and the leaders of the Catholic Schools Office. It was great to share our journey and to see what other schools are doing in this space. For us, this work to continue to improve our teaching practice has been focused on reading and I hope that you have connected with the changes and witnessed the growth in your child's reading. For the first 4 weeks of this term, our teachers implement standardised assessments in reading comprehension, maths and spelling to measure the impact of our teaching strategies on student's learning. We've included some photos below of our Yr 2 students completing one of their tests today.
The comments made in the Zoom chat box about our school's presentation were encouraging and highlighted, that even in this challenging year, the staff of Holy Name have been focused and driven to make a difference in the education of our students. It is exciting to see the growth in student reading and to consider the impact this work will have on other areas of learning into the future.
From the Aboriginal Education Officer, Louise Campbell, "...So much energy, enthusiasm from all quarters of your school oozes through this presentation and your school moving forward to support, nurture and guide your students to be the best they can and they will be so much the wiser and informed when they enter high school..."
From the Director of Education, Mr Gerard Mowbray, "The Magnificent Seven!" and "It is fabulous to see your emphasis on collaborative leadership! You and the team are on a superb journey!"
From the Head of Teaching & Learning, Suzanne Fern, "Your comprehensive and collaborative presentation reflected your unique LLC journey. You have clearly identified the strategies that have had the strongest impact, included your focused professional learning plan, your recognition and utilisation of the strengths of all leaders as well as the structural changes you have implemented."
Lyn Sharratt herself commented on how well our school had captured the very essence of her research and were, therefore, able to incorporate more than the expected parameters in our journey.
More good things to come at Holy Name!
Year 6, end of year school functions and the P&F
This week I will email Yr 6 parents to propose an option for the YR 6 Graduation dinner and awards night. Unfortunately, we won't be able to have our normal awards day for all classes but we do have a plan for parents to zoom into our awards assembly for each grade.
We would like to do something special for our Yr 6 students and together with the planned week-long activities to replace the Canberra experience, we are sure our students will be very satisfied. Keep your eye out Yr 6 parents for a short survey so we can proceed with our plans.
The Year 5 teachers have also planned some experiences for the Yr 5 students during Week 5 to replace the Aussie Bushcamp experience. The focus will be on building their leadership capabilities and bonding as a group as they enter the final year of school at Holy Name.
Thank you to all of our parents who have supported us and been so patient with all of the changes. If you would like to share some ideas, you would be more than welcome at our P&F meeting via zoom next Tuesday night at 6pm.
Well, COVID certainly hasn’t made time slow down! We are in Week 2 of Term 4 already. I hope you had some time together as a family in the October break and everyone is feeling fresh and ready for a big term 4!
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL
WATCH THIS SPACE for exciting news about our SRC plan for 2020 and beyond.
SPORT
Carnivals
We received an update from the CSO this week regarding school sport. Carnivals will resume in 2021 with COVID – safe plans. All volunteers, as well as providing their Working with Children Check will also have to provide a COVID declaration to assist at carnivals or school sport.
This means we will begin 2021 with our Swimming Carnival at the YMCA. The pool is booked for Thursday, February 4th, 2021. I know lots of our keen sportspeople will be keen to resume their training and competition. If you would like to volunteer for this carnival, I recommend you organise your WWCC and contact our office to complete the paperwork for our Diocese before the end of this year.
Cricket
Last week, our cricket nets were officially opened by Mrs Stephens and Mrs Duggan (CSO Education Officer PDHPE). They cut the official ribbon and then some of our Year 6 children bowled down the pitch. This area is a great addition to Holy Name School and was supported by a grant from the Federal Government through our member Dr David Gillespie.
There are many keen cricket players amongst our students and staff so I am sure the nets will be used regularly. Yr 6 will be participating in a sports program this week through Cricket NSW - how good is that! Check out the opportunity for 30 local children too!
ROAD SAFETY
Last week, I was lucky to be able to work with Bernadette Duggan (CSO Education Officer PDHPE) on a Road Safety plan for Holy Name School. One of the big things to come from our work was the use of the Kiss and Ride Zone in Carawa Street. This is a safe and timely way to drop your children at school each morning. With COVID, the zone has not been used so efficiently in the afternoons and we will be working with MidCoast Council and Transport NSW to develop a more efficient pick-up and drop off procedure and zones around the school.
TIP: Please park in the car spaces provided around Carawa, Maneela and Lake Street. The area to the right of the Lake street gate is a bus zone from 8.30-9.30 and 2.30–3.30 and the grounds of the Baptist Church in Carawa Street are not a designated parking area.
GARDEN PROJECT
Our garden beds continue to thrive and we are supplying lots of lovely fresh produce to our Parish Community Kitchen. Mrs Redding collects the produce each Wednesday morning as she heads over to the Community Kitchen. We will plant some tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini next week to keep us going until the Summer break.
Hopefully, in 2021, we will be able to be more interactive with the Community Kitchen program as part of our Social Justice and Well Being groups.
Chooks
We are after some laying chooks. If anyone can help us out here we would be most appreciative. We are also looking to rehouse our dear old rescue chook if anyone would like a friend.
It was so good to hear this week that St Clare's will hold an Orientation Day for our students now that the restrictions have eased slightly. We had to negotiate a day between all of the Manning Schools that would work but it looks like it will be Tuesday 17th November. Mr Nicholls will send out the details to all of the families who have enrolled and will begin to connect with the staff at St Clare's to support the smooth transition of students to this new campus. Students generally catch the buses from Forster to St Clare's on this day but I'm sure this information will be included in the letter from Mr Nicholls. You can check out their newsletter using this link.
St Vincent de Paul Liturgy
Welcome back to Term 4! Yr 2 were busy preparing for their liturgy in Week 1. The children were learning about the work of St Vincent de Paul and the St Vincent de Paul Society. In our community, the St Vincent de Paul Society is there for people in need with food, clothing and housing. Yr 2 in the Liturgy were reminded that their actions alone can make a difference to family and friends. Fr Greg asked Yr 2 to think about one thing that they could go back to school or home and do that would make a difference to someone. Yr 2 donated Christmas Hamper items that will be used to give to families in need this Christmas. Thank you Yr 2 for your generous giving.
Community Kitchen
Miller Jurss and Zarah Clark from Yr 1 with Mrs Amato harvested produce from our school garden on Wednesday. This was collected by a representative from the Community Kitchen and used to feed people in need in our community this week. Great job Holy Name!
This week I've included some information about the Nationally Consistent Collection of data process for students with disability.
What is the NCCD?
Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992This link will open in a new window (DDA) and the Disability Standards for Education 2005This link will open in a new window (the Standards), Australian students with disability must be able to access and participate in education on the same basis as their peers. To ensure this, students with disability may receive adjustments to access education, based on the professional judgement of teachers, in consultation with the student and/or their parents, guardians or carers.
The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) gives Australian schools, parents, guardians and carers, education authorities and the community information about the number of students with disability in schools and the adjustments they receive. The Australian Education Regulation 2013 requires all schools to report the data collected for the NCCD to the Australian Government on an annual basis.
What is the purpose of the NCCD?
The NCCD collects data about school students with disability who are receiving adjustments across Australia in a consistent, reliable and systematic way. It enables schools, education authorities and governments to better understand the needs of students with disability and how they can be best supported at school.
From 2018, the student with disability loading provided by the Australian Government is based on the NCCD; schools will continue to manage their total resources to meet the learning needs of their students.
How is the data used?
Data from the NCCD is used:
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as an evidence base, to give teachers, schools and sectors information about students with disability and the level of educational adjustment being provided
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to inform policy development and future planning to better equip schools and education authorities to support students with disability
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to improve understanding of the requirements and responsibilities of school teams and the broader community under the DDA and the Standards
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to capture the work of schools under the obligations of the DDA and the Standards, allowing students with disability to access and participate in education on the same basis as other students
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to highlight the individual needs of each student with disability by focusing on the level of educational support provided to them at school.
High level, de-identified information from the NCCD is used in national reporting to inform policy and program planning to support students with disability.
Student information provided to the Australian Government Department of Education and Training for the NCCD does not explicitly identify individual students. For example, student names or student identifiers are not provided.
How does the NCCD assist schools?
The NCCD prompts schools to identify students with disability and to review their processes and practices. It records the adjustments already undertaken in schools to support students with disability to access and participate in education on the same basis as their peers.
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Reviewing learning and support systems: The NCCD allows schools to better understand the functional needs of their students with disability. It captures the work of schools in providing personalised learning and support for students with disability who require adjustments due to the functional impact of their disability.
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Providing greater understanding: The NCCD helps schools gain a greater understanding of their students with disability and identify areas of need for both students and staff.
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Developing professional judgement: The professional learning available to support the NCCD process helps build the professional judgement of school teams who are required to provide educational adjustments for students with disability without relying on a medical or clinical diagnosis alone.
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Recognising support and adjustments provided: The NCCD helps to formally and consistently recognise the support and adjustments provided to students with disability as defined in the DDA.
For more information, check out the flyer below or if you have any questions about the NCCD, please don't hesitate to contact me at simone.maloney@mn.catholic.edu.au
Warm regards
An enormous thank you to all the wonderful families who have continued to support our 5c Friday and beeswax wrap initiatives. Father Greg also shared our fundraiser with our parish community and they have sent us lots of spare change as well. We reached a grand total of just over $800 in 6 weeks. We have donated $200 to each of the following charities:
The Ruben Centre is a non-profit, faith-based organization striving for an empowered and just Mukuru community by providing quality education, health, financial and social services to children and families in the area. Run by the Christian Brothers African Province, it is one of eight Christian Brothers project sites across Africa, and offers a vital source of community development programmes to the residents of one of the largest slums in Nairobi.
The Wilia Foundation seeks to raise awareness of statelessness and offer support to stateless, orphan girls in Thailand and Myanmar. The establishment of the Wilai Foundation Ltd. was inspired by Wilai (a Thai name that means “perfectly beautiful”), a young girl who was both an orphan and stateless, living in Thailand.
Umbrella Hearts originated from a trip to the Philippines to work with carers and teachers in an orphanage helping them to understand the trauma experienced by children when they’ve been rescued from the streets, been abandoned, involved in child trafficking. Having considerable experience in the education role within child welfare in Australia their founder recognised that the message is the same around the world and hence the Umbrella Hearts Ribbon campaign was launched in Australia and the Philippines.
LaValla School is the only registered primary school in Cambodia for students with a physical disability. Founded in 1998 in a small house in Phnom Penh, it moved to a city on the edge of the capital called Takhmao 16 years ago to a purpose built school. The school was financed by many generous Australian donors and the original Marists were Australian Brothers Terry Heinrich and Daryl Slater. Today the school has 86 students and most are residential because their families have recognized that in their rural regions their children do not have access to education. Even in 2018 some entering Year 1 primary are 16 years old. The education program provides an accelerated curriculum of six years primary being completed in three years.
We appreciate all of our families supporting these wonderful charities.
Kristie Banham
Pastoral Care Worker
All parents are invited to attend our P&F meeting next Tuesday evening at 6pm. The meeting will be held via Zoom and a link can be obtained by registering your interest with our school office.