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Dear Parents and Carers,
Congratulations to our School Swimming Team who successfully competed at the Manning Region Carnival last week in Gloucester. For our younger swimmers who train at the YMCA, this was a great opportunity to race in a 50m pool. Holy Name School came away with the win overall, with many of our students making the Regional Swimming Team to compete in Newcastle at the Diocesan Carnival next week. I am looking forward to accompanying the team, along with a couple of Manning colleagues to the Lambton venue. With the teacher shortage crisis and impact of the pandemic on our staffing, it was fabulous to have a group of parents support me at last week's carnival. I really appreciate their willingness to give up a day and to volunteer their time. If you or someone you know would like to join our group of volunteers, please follow this link to register.
School Points
Forster | 518 |
Taree | 153 |
Wingham | 130 |
Gloucester | 35 |
Bulahdelah | 17 |
Although our school continues to do well at this regional level of competition, I've noticed a real decline in the number of students who enter our swimming carnival. I'm not sure whether this is because students can't swim 50m or whether they don't like competing. I hope that our families continue to prioritise swimming lessons so that our students become competent swimmers, not just so that we maintain our competitiveness at swimming events but so our children are safe in a community surrounded by water. Going to the beach or swimming in the lake are favourite pastimes of our families and I think it is important for children to learn how to keep themselves safe in the water, and to be able to save themselves should they get caught in a current. One of our parents let me know of an opportunity that parents can access through the Service NSW App, in the 'Vouchers' section. It's called 'First Lap' and provides families with $100 towards swimming lessons for children aged 3-6years. This is a great opportunity to get the children off to a great start.
Congratulations to the following students, who made the Regional Swimming team and will travel to Newcastle next week.
GRADE | GIRLS | BOYS |
Year 2 | Edie Loy | Brabham Cooper, Joshua Mathews, Noah Adamson |
Year 3 | Maddie Keegan | Bryce Quillan, Reuben Cassar |
Year 4 | Sophia Whitehouse-Miotto, Sara Uprety | Chase Brooks, Noah Portelli |
Year 5 | Lilah Gibson, Sienna Cooper, Mya McCarthy, | Hamish Carmichael, Harley Van Haren, Patrick Sky |
Year 6 | Adele Whitehouse-Miotto, Jemma Mealing, Kannika Broadbent, Tara Isbel, Isabel Allport | Levi Van Haren, Ashley Allan, Charlie Gibson, Jack Le Roux, Mac Randall |
The following students were awarded Age Champions at the Regional Carnival.
Jnr Girls | Jnr Boys |
1st Sophia Whitehouse-Miotto | 2nd Chase Brooks |
3rd Brabham Cooper & Reuben Cassar |
11yrs Girls | 11yrs Boys |
1st Lilah Gibson | 1st Hamish Carmichael |
2nd Sienna Cooper | 2nd Ashley Allan |
3rd Adele Whitehouse-Miotto |
Senior Girls | Senior Boys |
1st Kannika Broadbent | 1st Levi Van Haren |
3rd Tara Isbel | 2nd Charlie Gibson |
3rd Jack Le Roux |
Additional learning support
During 2021, and again in 2022, schools have been provided with additional funds to support the learning of students impacted by the pandemic. In our system it is called COVID Intensive Learning Support and we refer to it as CILs. Schools are required to plan the best use of the funds for a set number of students across the school and to provide evidence of the support and the outcomes for students. At Holy Name, our Teacher Librarian, Mrs Arrow, coordinates the intervention strategy. We employ additional support staff to implement programmes such as MiniLit and MacqLit under Mrs Arrow's guidance and use alternate strategies to target the individual needs of some students. We view the support provided to students as part of the whole school model of support, utilising our EALD, Aboriginal staff and Learning Support staff as part of our regular practice. During Term 1, the CILs group support focuses on Stage 2 and 3 students, with some of our younger students receiving individual support. Our focus for the group programmes will shift to the younger students as they become more settled in their new classes.
Cybersafety
In the first two weeks of every term, our teachers use the eSafety Commissioner website to teach students about the importance of keeping themselves safe online. Teachers focus on the important steps students can take and how to make decisions in different situations that are important for themselves and for others. The website has resources for parents and we encourage all of our families to visits this site and to have the conversations with your children while they are young and open to the learning. At the conclusion of the lessons, we walk students through the school's Cybersafety User Agreement. Once students understand the expectations of accessing technology at school, and in some cases how this flows over to the home environment, we ask students to sign the agreement as a way of committing to those expectations. Students also understand the consequences for them in the school environment when these expectations are not met. I have attached a copy of the Cybersafety User Agreement for parents for your information and to support you in reinforcing the importance of accessing technology safely at home and at school.
Another way our parents could support our focus on Cybersafety is to adhere to the Age Restrictions of Apps that we commonly find students have access to prior to the age they should. Students are exposed to content and situations online that are not appropriate when they are accessing Apps at a younger age than what they should. For example:
- TikTok - 13yrs
- Snapchat - 12+
- Instagram - 13+
- Facebook - 13+
- Minecraft - 10+
- Roblox - 8+
- Fortnite - 13+
- Call of Duty - 15+
Parent Information Sessions
Thank you for supporting our teachers and attending the Parent Information Sessions provided last Tuesday. The feedback from teachers is that it was great. They understood that not all parents could attend and that is why they provide a hard copy of the information home for families. If you couldn't make it and would like to chat with your child's teacher, please email them directly or contact the school office to make an appointment.
Wishing you a fabulous fortnight ahead,
Brooke Stephens
It was great to see the happy, smiling faces of our 2021 Yr 6 students in the St Clare's Newsletter, all grown up and in Year 7! It was also nice to read about how well the graduating class of 2021 performed in the HSC, winning Diocesan Awards for their successes. There is a real depth to the experiences and opportunities the students of St Clare's have during their high school years. We are so lucky to have such a positive and progressive educational setting for the graduating students of Holy Name. You can check out their latest newsletter here.
Student Leadership
2022 Student Representative Council
Today members of the Student Representative Council (SRC) were commissioned as Holy Name's leaders for 2022. We congratulate these students and look forward to seeing them grow as leaders this year.
2022 SRC Leaders
SRC Position |
FEMALE |
MALE |
Captains |
Marley Hodges |
Charlie Gibson |
Vice Captains |
Isabel Allport |
Dermott Tancred |
SRC |
Jade Thacker Tara Isbel Jasmine Mahoney |
Isaac Adamson Mac Randall Storm Cooke |
Sport Captains |
|
|
Stingrays / Biluun |
Adele Whitehouse- Miotto |
Ashley Allan |
Sharks / Dinuni |
Macey Millington |
Aston Hodges |
Whales / Gaan |
Lacey Hadenham |
Hudson Duckett |
Dolphins / Guparr |
Bonnie Dempsey |
Ethan Cullen |
Positive Behaviour Learning
The Positive Behaviour Learning focus for Week 3 and 4 sits under the RESPONSIBITITY pillar and is: Care for the Environment and Care for our Classroom Environment. In classrooms, our teachers are unpacking what that looks like for infants and primary students and rewarding them with surfboards when they can see students modelling the positive behaviour. With the help of our SRC Year 6 Cohoart, this message will be put into action over the next few weeks. Please read below to see how our Yr 6 are helping us with this postive behaviour.
What Action Looks Like on the Holy Name SRC
The Year 6 children work in their groups on different projects to promote:
RESPECT- RESPONSIBILITY-RESILENCE
Our Term 1 SRC Focus is around changing what Holy Name puts in their lunch boxes.
"LESS RECYCLABLE PLASTICS IN OUR SCHOOL BINS"
Below are actions the groups over the next few weeks wish to achieve:
Captains Report- Write a Welcome back to 2022 Report (see below) to share Holy Name’s Vision Statement. They will explain the 3 pillars: Respect, Responsibility and Resilience. The Captains will invite you to join our new school initiative to Pack an eco-friendly lunch box" each day. At Holy Name we want to be packing food in reusable containers and discontinuing the use of one-use plastic bags, water bottles, food wrappings and straws. We want to ban the bag.
Term 1, Week 4 Captains Report - We can change the world!
Dear Parents/Carers,
In Term 1 this year, Holy Name is focusing on an eco-friendly environment. Our vision as a school is to cut down on plastic waste and to recycle as much as possible. This vision aligns with our three pillars: respect, responsibility and resilience. Respecting our environment by picking up rubbish, have responsibility to recycle and reduce plastic waste, and we show resilience to people who don’t care for the environment.
This year we would love for you to take a good look in your lunch boxes. Things like chip packets, straws and plastic water bottles are the things that harm our environment. This year we want you and your parents to switch out all plastic waste to reusable containers. If you don’t want a lot of containers going into your lunchbox, bento boxes are a great alternative. Bento boxes have little compartments to keep your food separated and secure when carrying around your lunch box.
Thank you for reading this week's newsletter.
From Charlie and Marley.
Environment Group
Working to weed and prepare garden beds, plus turn the compost. To email Mrs Stephens to plan an emu bob, to pick up rubbish on our playground this week. They are to contact Mr Peninton to get some additional bins for the collection of single use water bottles and straws.These will be given to the Creative Arts team to use to make a collage out of our school rubbish.
Technology Group
This group are reading from "You Can Change the World" in particular the article on plastic water bottles. The group will record themselves explaining how to can make a difference by each student bringing a resuable water bottle to school each day. This group have emailed Mrs Stephens asking for an opportunity to promote the use of reusable drink bottles in the school by creating a short film. Mrs Banham has agreed to assist the action group on Tuesday in Week 5 of our SRC timeslot to create the clip. It will involve the help and action of all Holy Name students. Look out for this in the coming weeks!
Creative Arts Group
They are creating posters around school suggesting ways to reduce our plastic rubbish waste, all the while reinforcing our positive behaviour skill "Care for our school environment and Care for our classroom environment". Along with creating posters to put on bins to discourage littering, the group in the coming weeks will create a collage of the collected single use water bottles and straws.
Social Justice Group
The Social Justice group will speak at an upcoming Monday Assembly to promote the posters the Creative Arts Team have made and distribute them to all classes. By cutting down recyclable plastics, we are caring for God's creation.
Sport Group
Checking the sports equipment is labelled and equipment is in infants and primary boxes is a weekly task for the group along with tidying the sport shed. The team will also create a roster for collecting sports equipment left out on playgound. At Monday's assembly the group want to remind students about caring for sports equipment and putting any away after each lunch break. The Sports Team also want to visit classes to give them feedback on how they are going with this.
Genevieve Williamson
Acting Assistant Principal
Welcome and Commissioning Mass
Over the past couple of years we have really missed being able to gather as a community and celebrate Masses and Liturgies as we used to. It was with great delight and enthusiasm that we were able to hold our Welcome and Commissioning Mass today on the school grounds, under the shade of the Kirkangina.
This is one of the most powerful Masses for our students during the year. Our Year 6 students took their Kindergarten buddies by hand and welcomed them, leading and settling them for their first school Mass.
Father Peter blessed both the badges of our new student leaders and representatives, and the students themselves. They then made a commitment and pledge to serve and lead in their new roles. From what these students have shown so far this year, I have absolutely no doubt that they will fulfil these promises with excellence.
We were also able to sing as a community for the first time in what seems like far too long a time. Each term our student body is going to learn a new song. This term we are learning ‘One in Your Holy Name’ by Andrew Chinn, which is available to anyone who has access to Spotify. We’d love to hear our student’s voices grow as they practice - get your children to teach you the actions!
Fin MacKay
Acting Religious Education Coordinator
Year 6 and Kindergarten Buddy Program
Here at Holy Name, the tradition of Year 6 students being linked with kinder students to support their first year at school is still going strong. School can be a loud and overwhelming place for Kindy students in their first weeks of learning. Having experienced buddies on hand to help them navigate the 'transition' to big school. Our Buddy program is a great initiative to welcome students into the school community, build condidence and provide regular opportunities for collaboration between younger and older students.
Our current Year 6 cohort met their Kinder buddy during the transition visits in term 4. Due to covid restrictions at the end of last year, we had to be creative with how our then Year 5 students communicated with their soon to be Kinder buddies, so cards, letters and photos were sent in the post to help build a connection. This was definitely successful as our Kinder students were delighted to see their buddies on their first day and were excited to be able to spend time together on the playground.
Over the past two weeks our Year 6 students have been an incredible help to the Kinder teachers by waiting at the gates in the morning to walk new Kinder students in and help they put their bags away. For lots of Kinder students this has helped reduce the anxiety of leaving their parents and helped put parents minds at ease. We have had lots of nice feedback from Kinder parents about the positive impact the relationship with Year 6 buddy has had on their child.
The week our Kinder students were excited to make a special Love Monster card for their Year 6 buddies to celebrate Valentines Day. The smiles from both the Kinders and the Year 6’s were wide and bright when the cards were presented. We are looking forward to continuing to make special memories with our buddies.
Mrs Suzie Monks
Primary Coordinator & Kindergarten Teacher
Mini Vinnies 2022 has begun! We had 23 super keen Year 5 students come along last week for an action meeting. After listening and learning about Mahatma Gandhi these students then chatted about what the Ghandi quote ‘you must be the change you wish to see in the world’ means and began creating posters for our school and wider community. We look forward to seeing what change they will bring over the course of 2022.
Lots of these children have been showing their commitment to their new roles by showing up to Breakfast Club each Monday morning. There is always lots of Milo, toast, and wonderful chit chat to be had. Breakfast Club is open every Monday from 8.15am, all students are welcome.
We are so blessed at Holy Name to work with Mrs. Loretta Heffernan, the Catholic Ministries Coordinator for our region. Loretta is a wonderful support for our school. From supporting our Playground to welcome morning teas and companioning our Seasons for Growth participants, to lending a hand on Mission Day, helping in Art Club and supporting MIni Vinnies initiatives, Loretta is a gift to us who we value and appreciate.
Art Club has been a hive of guided drawing this past fortnight from toucans to rabbits, yeti’s to rainbows, unicorns and boats. The students have enjoyed crayons and water colours. Art Club is an alternative play option at first lunch in the infant's playground.
Kristie Banham
Do you recognise this towel or key? The towel was left behind at school after our School Swimming Carnival and the key found in the school foyer on the ground at the front desk on February 14.