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Dear Parent and Carers,
Week 4 at Holy Name has been another full week of education for which we are grateful. We welcomed our Kinder 2022 class for their third transition visit, acknowledged World Teacher's Day and focused our attention on Thailand as part of Socktober Mission Day. Mr Pomplun organised experiences for the day so that students had time to reflect on the challenges presented for people living in different parts of our world, raise funds to meet those needs and work as part of a group to produce a soccer ball from recycled material just like children from other places might do when they can't access these resources themselves. These experiences support our students to continue to be grateful for the simple things in life and turn their minds to the needs of others. Thanks for your support of this day.
Next week, I'm sure our area and all coastal towns will experience an influx of visitors as Sydney comes out of lockdown. We have processes in place should our school community come into direct contact with a coronavirus case. This includes the careful and calm procedures to send students home if we are notified during school hours. It is a good idea for each family to discuss who can pick up the children should this message go out via Compass. It is also a good idea to have the half A3 sized family name sign ready and in the car to assist with the pick-up process. In the event that we are notified outside of school hours, all families will receive a notification via Compass of the school's closure for cleaning.
Transition to school
The school visits for Kinder 2022 have been a huge success and this is because of the dedication of our staff. I hope our K-3/4 children have been talking with you about their experiences on a Thursday morning in their different learning environments. It might be worth checking in with them to see what they think of having a different teacher instruct them in their lessons during this time. It is a big thing to have 8 classes move each Thursday morning and our teachers and support staff have been a huge support to allow this to happen. We also thank our Allied Health specialists who support students in this process of transition. I have included a flyer later in this newsletter that outlines the Successful Foundations project that drives our work in this space.
Building Work update
Both amenity blocks have now been demolished on the inside and we are expecting the refurbishment of these facilities to begin this coming week. Please remember that during the process of building, the bubblers are out of action and all students should have a drink bottle with them each day at school. We do have taps within the office or classroom spaces to provide a cup of water, however it is much better if students bring their water bottles to school.
I was notified last week that the roof replacement of Block A (along Lake Street), planned for January is going to happen before the end of the year. I have developed a plan in consultation with the staff for the movement of students to other spaces for the fortnight that this work will take place. Mr Hassett and Miss McKinnon will co-teach in the library space with Yr 3/4H and 4M and Miss Nolan will move her class to the Music room. Mrs Arrow and Miss Reynolds willl teach their Library and Music lessons in classrooms. I am looking forward to the roof replacement as this means I will be able to organsie for the internal refurbishment of these classroom spaces and the repair of damage caused earlier this year during some wild weather. As soon as I am informed of the exact dates of this work, I will let our teachers, students and parents know.
Standardised Assessments
At this time of year, our teachers implement the suite of standarised tests with students to provide another benchmark on how students are tracking against their same age peers, to measure the learning growth of individual students and to check-in against the goals we set as a school for improvement.
This term, we are also introducing a new set of assessments that are particular to the early years of learning called Acadience or Dibels. These assessments will allow us to track the growth of students in some foundational skills and knowledge for reading and therefore assist us to identify the students who require early intervention to prevent reading failure. The information gained from these assessments will be used by teachers this year and shared with teachers for next year as we plan for intervention.
COVID Intensive Learning Support
This week, I received a notification that the COVID Intensive Learning Support (CILS) project would be continuing in 2022. This is a government funded initiative to support students impacted by the pandemic and lockdown of schools during 2021. Mrs Arrow coordinated a team of support staff to deliver the intervention from Term 3 this year and we have measured huge benefits of this focused learning for students. Depending on the level of support provided by the government, we will offer a similar model for students next year.
2022 Classes
At next week's staff meeting, we will continue to work on developing the class lists for 2022. Please email admin@forster.catholic.edu.au if you have a consideration for your child you would like included in our conversation. Following the second round of interviews for staff, I am happy to inform our parents of the temporary teacher appointments for 2022.
- Miss Redding - 3 days each fortnight
- Mr Bowen - full-time
- Mrs Whitlam - 8 days each fortnight
- Mrs Russell - 2 days each fortnight (in addition to 5 permanent days)
End of Year events
With the changing guidelines we are beginning to see the easing of some restrictions that will allow some of our events to go ahead later this term. All events will have some COVID-Safe measures in place if they do go ahead. I will inform parents as I become aware of any changes and thank you for your support and ideas as we navigate to ensure our students have a happy end to the year.
Kind regards,
Brooke Stephens
Dear Parents and Carers,
We have invited teachers, students and parents to provide feedback on their experience of our school using an online survey. The surveys are an important part of our whole school evaluation and planning process.
We would like to invite you to complete the Tell Them From Me (TTFM) Partners in Learning survey. As we value the role of parents and carers within our school community we would greatly appreciate your feedback. The information you provide will be used to maintain our commitment to working together in partnership to further improve student learning and wellbeing at Holy Name Primary School.
The survey is anonymous and will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. You are able to access the parent survey on your computer or mobile device by using the URL below:
Regards,
Holy Name Primary School
Positive Behaviour Learning (PBL)
Listen to Others is the positive behaviour skill Holy Name students are focusing their attention on improving. Listening to a teacher, parent, family member or friend is the fisrt step to valuing what that person is saying to you. Being a good listener builds relationships, helps you to be a better learner and enables you to be an more independent self-confident person and team member. Teachers give 6 surfboards a day to students dmeonstrating the focused skill. Teachers collate student scores and when they recieve their first 5 surboards, students can choose from:
*Free Time-10 minutes free time at the end of the day
*Hair day Pass- wear a hair accessory of your choice to school for one day
*Chair Prize- you may sit on a chair for a day when the class is on the floor.
Teachers have commented that giving surfboards out on playground duty means you are giving out surfboards to children across the school, not just your class. This is having a greater effect on social skill engagement.
Garden Harvest
This week the garden club and SRC Environment Group pulled up the snowpea, sweetpea and broad bean plants as they are no longer producing crops. Over the past 2 weeks we have harvested a fresh crop of rainboe shard and cos lettuce, along with the last of the broad beans.The carrots, capiscan and sweet corn are slowly growing and the children are looking forward to harvesting them next month. Lacey Hadenham, Isabelle Moore and Ellie Goodin are diligent each morning to collect our eggs, feed the chickens and clean the coop. These three ladies are to be congratulated for their commitment to the care of our school chickens. They know that the eggs collected are given to the Catholic Community Kitchen to use to prepare meals. Holy Name's Garden Club and Environment Team are actively serving the community each day, living out our school vision 'Belonging, Learning and Serving, in His Holy Name.'
Any donations of vegetable seedlings are always welcomed by the Environment Team.
SRC
Captains Report- Listening to others
Hi, it’s Stevie and Nash and we are the Holy Name School Captains for 2021. ‘Listening to others’ is this week’s social skill. Students should listen to others, so they treat others with courtesy, it’s polite and teachers encourage students to listen to the speaker. There are 5 tips to help listening to others.
5 tips
- Fully focus on the speaker
- Take notes
- Avoid distractions
- Show your interest
- Set up your environment
The 5 tips will really help you to listen to others, we thank you for listening to us share our Captains Report on why students should listen to others.
Thank you,
Nash Syron and Stevie Anderson.
Our SRC have meet twice in this last fortnight, to create and distribute "Listen to Others" Posters to every class and place in prominent places around the school. The IT Team have nearly finished preparing resource boxes for Stage 2 to begin using. The whole school took part in a emu bob thanks to the organisation of the Environment Team. The team ensured the school followed COVID procedures and class groups picked up rubbish is separate parts of the school. Mrs Stephens has repiled to the Sport Team who requested to run a tabliod day for the school, more on when this is happening will be in our next newletter. Large white planter pots were painted by the Environment Team this week to freshen them up. The words: Belonging, Learning, Serving, In His Holy Name will be painted on them in the coming weeks. The team has also started a compost bin in the garden space. Each week vegetable scraps from the Catholic Community Kitchen are added to the compost bin, every couple of days it is turned and watered. Soon we will have lovely rich soil to add to the garden beds.
ICAS Testing
We wish the following children good luck as they will be participating in the ICAS Maths Test next Tuesday:Yr 6-Byron Donegan, Riley Kinkade, Nash Syron, Mia Hamilton; Yr5- Levi Van Haren, Aston Hodges, Tara Isbel, Macey Millington, Ellie Goodin, Kim Zavion, Koby Pither, Isaac Adamson, Jade Thacker; Yr4- Marley Donegan, Joshua Matta, Myra Gupta, Shayd Maisey, Madeline Todd, Matthew Goodin, Christian Botros, Grace Zarate' Yr3- Marcus Kim, Max Isobel, Anna Omar, Zia Singh; Yr2- Eamonn Donegan, Simarpreet Singh Dhaliwal, Mackenzie Quilter, Aubrie Jimenez, Nanma Joy, Harrison Naughton, Makayla Bowie.
Children received their Digital Technologies Certificates this week. Seventeen students participated and were awarded 2 Distinction, 3 Credit, 2 Merit and 10 Participation Certificates.
Genevieve Williamson
Acting Assistant Principal
It is a very busy time in the liturgical life of our school with Socktober Day occurring on Friday of Week 4, as well as All Saints Day and All Souls Day occurring in Week 5.
Socktober is a wonderful time for our school community to actively live out our school motto and show ‘Concern for Others’. It has been amazing to witness the energy throughout the school, as students have been collecting their materials to use to create their ‘Sockballs’. The conversations that students have been contributing to in the classrooms about issues, such as poverty, in the lead up to the day, have been extremely powerful learning opportunities and have allowed the students the opportunity to connect with and reflect on social justice issues.
Next week, our Church community will celebrate the Feast of All Saints Day on Monday and the Feast of All Souls Day on Tuesday. With the current restrictions in place, classes will hold a class liturgy for All Saints Day, which will be led by their teachers. This liturgy will allow children the opportunity to reflect on the people who show us how to live the way God wants us to live. These people show us how to be everyday saints ourselves. On Tuesday, our Year 5 and 6 students will celebrate All Souls Day in a liturgy led by Father Peter. This celebration will honour all people who have died, and we will pray that their souls may rest in peace until they are united with God.
We also have a number of students who are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Over the next fortnight the following students will receive the Eucharist for the first time: Lincoln Atkinson, Jayden Bowie, Chase Brooks, Oliver Cooper, Airlia Coulton-Donnelly, Hudson Duckett, Lilah Gibson, Max Isbel, Tara Isbel, Artemisa Laurie, Mac Randall, Nakoda Ryan, Harley Van Haren, Levi Van Haren, Caleb Younani and Grace Zarate. As a school community, we congratulate each of these children for receiving this Sacrament!
Mr Gary Pomplun
Acting Religious Education Coordinator
Kindergarten 2022 Transition Visits
We have commenced our Transition visits for our 2022 students and we are happy to report there have been lots of smiles and plenty of fun times! Each new Kinder student received a transition shirt that is labeled, ‘I’m going to big school at Holy Name’ and a library bag filled with activities to help them get excited about starting school. The students really enjoy exploring the Kindergarten classroom and engaging with the play provocations with their new friends.
Last week, we were lucky enough to have our Aboriginal Education Teacher, Mrs Townsend read a story to the children called, ‘Eric the Echidna has lost his spikes’ by Deborah Pacholke. The students were then invited to create their own echidna using clay, sticks and gumnuts. Check out the photos to see how clever our new Kinders are at moulding their own Echidna!
We are looking forward to see our 2022 Kinders this week for their 3rd transition visit.
Children’s Week 2021
Children’s Week 2021 runs from 23rd October – 31st October. The theme this year is based around empowering children to understand that they have the right to choose their own friends and how they safely connect with others.
The theme is very powerful and the states “We learn and grow when we: set up and join groups, plan our activities and come together to have our say. It also reminds children that having adults who help them connect safely also helps them to learn and grow. Check out our school Facebook Page for videos of Holy Name students explain ways that they learn and grow.
Children’s Week celebrates the right of children to enjoy their childhood and have their voices heard. It is a time for students to be reminded that they should be proud of their talents, skills and interests. Here at Holy Name, we value students’ ideas and encourage them to speak up and have their say. We are proud of each and every one of our kind, generous and clever students.
Happy Universal Children’s Day!
Mrs Suzie Monks
Primary Coordinator
Our Mini Vinnies team received a couple of lovely surprises recently. We happily accepted a framed photo and a number of handwritten cards from the beautiful residents at Sunrise Village after they had been gifted a box of our kindness treasures. We have also received a beautiful email from one of the volunteers at Catholic Care in response to our kindness treasures.
“I would like to thank you and the students involved in making the gifts for the volunteers and the diners. It is acts of kindness such as that that makes our day. Michelle and Sue tell us of the involvement of the students from Holy Name in the Community Kitchen at Forster. It is wonderful to see such participation as it gives our future volunteers, the students, an experience and opportunity to understand that not everyone is as lucky as we are. Thank you for your caring concern as I am a believer in teaching students the value of each person no matter who they are is an important part of children's education.”
Our 5c Friday initiative has raised just over $300! A huge thank you to every single person who helped us raise those funds. A special mention to the lovely Parishioners who have continued to support our efforts. We also have some students who are crafting up a storm, selling their crafts and donating the money as well. One of our students even donated their own savings to help others. What a beautiful community we belong too.
Over the past two weeks the students and I have embarked on a ‘secret mission’ to make a special clip to share with the staff at Holy Name as a way to say Thank You for all of their tireless work during the COVID-19 Pandemic. We shared this with the staff this week, you can see it as well if you head to our Facebook page. The students were so excited to help bring this to fruition.
Breakfast Club has been a constant hive of smiles, toast and milo. It really is a beautiful way to start our week, everyone is always welcome. We have around 8 -10 Mini Vinnies helpers who show up to serve toast and milo and help clean up every Monday. I love hearing the chit chat from all the students catching up. Breakfast Club commences at 8.20am every Monday morning.
Attached is a flyer for an up coming webinar with Justin Coulson. Dr Justin Coulson is the co-host and parenting expert on Channel 9's "Parental Guidance", the founder of happyfamiles.com.au, and one of Australia’s most trusted parenting experts. Over the past decade he has helped innumerable families with his 6 books about raising children, his hundreds of media appearances and two viral videos that have been viewed a combined 80 million times!
Justin earned his PhD in Psychology from the University of Wollongong. He and his wife Kylie have been married since the late 1990’s and are the parents of 6 daughters. I have attended a couple of Justin’s webinars and they are always interesting and packed full of helpful hints and strategies.
Kristie Banham
PCW
Personalised Plan meetings
Term 4 Personalised Plan (PP) meetings will take place on Thursday 11th November via phone call, due to the current NSW Health guidelines relating to parents, visitors and volunteers not being allowed on school grounds. These meetings are organised for students with additional needs who are currently on a Personalised Plan for specific supports and adjustments.
The meetings will be conducted with Classroom teacher and Learning Support teacher over the phone to discuss and update your child’s PP. I will be in contact next week with those families to inform you of the time we will call. I will also email a copy of the PP to families before the meeting takes place.
I look forward to meeting with those families to further support your child.
Council of Catholic School Parents (CCSP)
Do you have a child with diverse or additional learning needs?
Would you like to learn from other parents and carers who have “Been there and done that?”
The Council of Catholic School Parents (CCSP) has collaborated to produce a “Guide for Parents by Parents” to support children and young people with diverse learning needs enrolled in Catholic schools.
You can view or download the complete guide from the link below:
https://ccsp.catholic.edu.au/students-with-diverse-learning-needs
In this guide you will find useful information to assist you and your child with the following:
- Your child’s right to an education
- Spiritual development
- Preparing the school for your child
- Positive experiences at Primary school (Kindergarten to Year 6)
- Success at Secondary school (Years 7-12)
The guide provides information on managing routines, staying organised, building positive relationships with school and a range of resources in the appendices to support this process.
If you have any concerns about the wellbeing or support needs of your child, please speak with the classroom teacher who can refer to the Learning Support Team.
Thank you for all your support.
Damian Kelso
Learning Support Teacher
Listening to children and young people
Our Diocese provides resources to our schools to support us in raising the profile of Child Protection in our communities. The follwoing two brochures have some good tips about the importance of listening to children and young adults. We thought this information might be good for our parents too.