Week 6 Term 1 2021
Aboriginal Acknowledgement
As we come to gather we acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We commit ourselves to actively working alongside Aboriginal people for reconciliation and justice.
Dear Parents and Carers,
Thank you to our many families who joined us yesterday afternoon for our welcome barbeque and disco. It was fantastic to be able to celebrate together again as a school community after a year of disconnect that caused all of us our share of challenges. I remain so thankful that we live in a country where the pandemic is controlled and our lives remain relatively normal and we are able to get back to doing the things that bind us together as a school community!
We were overwhelmed by the number of families who joined with us and I hope you had an opportunity to meet or reconnect (at a safe distance) with other families. The joy on the students faces as they celebrated with their friends and peers was priceless. We look forward to many more of these occasions throughout this year.
Please look at the School Dojo story for photos.
Latest Covid Updates
Please read the latest Covid updates from Catholic Schools NSW;
Catholic Schools NSW has continued to work with NSW Health to revise the current advice to schools. NSW Health has agreed to the following activities resuming across all schools in NSW effective 8 March 2021:
● Parents and carers are able to enter school grounds but should continue to follow
COVID safe practices, including social distancing between adults of 1.5 metres.
● Parents and carers can attend school sporting events. School sporting events should align with requirements for community sporting competitions and training activities in NSW.
● Parents, carers and special guests may be invited to assemblies however must comply with social distancing and personal hygiene requirements at all times.
Some level of restrictions and guidelines will remain in place for schools for some time. It is also important that schools continue to be prepared to move to learning from home at short notice, if required.
New Sign In Procedure- Who’s On Location
We have begun to use our new sign in procedure. The Catholic Schools Office has provided all school’s with the Who’s On Location sign in. It is compulsory that all visitors to our site must sign in on arrival and sign out on departure. This new procedure gives all those signing into school a few options:
- Sign in using the provided QR code. This will be displayed in the office foyer for ease of access. At this stage, upon completion, you still need to also take a name tag.
-Sign in using the ipad provided in the office. Grab a name tag and proceed into the area of school you are booked for. If you cannot manage this sign in on your own, please ask for the office staff to assist you.
- There is also a facility to sign in people prior to their arrival if they have a booking e.g. parent meeting, regular attendee at Canteen, etc.
We hope that our new system will make the sign in procedure more efficient for everyone.
Cybersafety
We live in a world that is reliant on technology and for some, social media to live our daily lives. There are plenty of good things about social media — but also many risks and things children should avoid. They don't always make good choices when they post something to a site, and this can lead to problems. So it's important to talk with your kids about how to use social media wisely.
Teachers are working hard to achieve the best possible outcomes for their students and to hear that there are negative comments being posted on social media sites is both disappointing and inappropriate. We are aware that there are many children involved in online discussion forums and group chats after school. Unfortunately due to the unregulated nature of these virtual spaces, behaviour and language can be contrary to the expectations of the community. We are also experiencing an increasing number of situations where social media has been the vehicle for inappropriate behaviour. I encourage all parents to get involved in actively discussing this with their children - it is not snooping or breaching their privacy, it is giving them the skills to manage the online world. If there is an example of poor online behaviour, screenshot, report, block and refer to the relevant authorities if needed.
St Patrick’s Day
On Wednesday, 17th March we will celebrate the Feast day of St. Patrick, Patron Saint of both our Lismore Diocese and our nation, Australia. The students are encouraged to wear green on this day and bring a gold coin donation. There is a legend of how St. Patrick, when preaching, was shown a sacred standing stone marked with a circle which was symbolic of the moon goddess. Patrick made the mark of a Latin cross through the circle and blessed the stone, making the first Celtic cross. The circle of the Celtic cross is a symbol of eternity which emphasises the endlessness of God’s love as shown through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. The Crucifixion is important and not just an event at a certain point in time. The circle symbolises the unending mystery of how, through the Crucifixion and Resurrection, Christ continues to offer the hope of salvation to all. During this season of Lent, we can ask ourselves - do I trust in the presence of God’s spirit as I am sent out on the mission of peace?
Child Protection Policy
A reminder that our school’s Child Protection Policy is available on our school website. The Child Protection Policy identifies child protection processes including mandatory reporting.
2021 Student Residential Address & Other Information Collection Notice
You were recently emailed a letter outlining this Collection notice. This collection is routinely used to inform Commonwealth school education policy, and to help ensure that Commonwealth funding arrangements for non-government schools are based on need, and are fair and transparent. Parents/caregivers are not required to do anything. The school is responsible for providing the requested details to the department.
Professional Development Days
Our first Professional Development Day for 2021 will be on the first day of Term 2, Monday, 19th April. Wednesday the 5th May is also a Professional Development day for all schools in the Lismore Diocese.
We thank you in anticipation of your support. Active Kids Care will be available on these days.
Naplan
The online practice for NAPLAN is drawing close - Thursday, 25 March. If you have a child in Years 3 or 5, they will be participating in this trial. The trial is NOT a test. It is run just to see if our school can manage the online tests with the number of
computers required, safely managing student log-ons and giving students an opportunity to see how the test runs later in the year.
Please do not stress your children about this practice.
ClassDojo
ClassDojo is a communication app for the classroom, which aims to connect staff, parents/caregivers and students through the ability to share photos, videos and messages.
Teachers use ClassDojo to work as a team, share in the classroom experience, and to make connections between home and school. Each class teacher at St Carthage’s will utilise various aspects of ClassDojo to support the home/school connection and communicate with parents/caregivers of children in their class.
What ClassDojo may be used for:
- Communication to parents during work hours (8:30am to 5pm).
- Private message a photo of a child or a work sample.
- To send reminders or whole class announcements as one form of communication.
- As the start of the communication process. Where needed, parents/caregivers will be contacted via phone to follow up on any issues and concerns.
- Homework queries and general inquiries. E.g. Is any parent able to assist with…?
- What students are working on in class.
What ClassDojo is not used for:
- Early pick up or change of arrangements requests. These still go through the office.
- A replacement for parent-teacher interviews.
- Inquiries about incidents. These should be dealt with via a phone call or an interview.
- Complaints: These should be dealt with personally via a phone call to the teacher or office.
- Daily or extensive information or updates relating to a child’s progress. Any communication relating to this should be done either face to face or by a phone interview.
- Instant return messaging of questions from parents. If there is a question that requires an immediate reply, parents are asked to contact the school office.
- The only means of communication between teachers and parents/caregivers.
- Messaging during class time. Our teachers’ main priority is teaching their classes so they will not be checking messages during class times.
Our staff work hard to provide an excellent education for our students here at St Carthage’s and care deeply about the children in their care. It is important for our staff to also have their own time to relax, particularly on weekends or in the evenings so that they can spend quality time with their families and take care of their own wellbeing. Therefore, we ask that you understand that our teachers are not expected to instantly respond to ClassDojo messages and can set ‘quiet times’ where they will not be alerted if there is a message. Please be understanding if a staff member does not immediately respond to you.
Let’s together use this amazing tool to build partnerships for the best interests of our students.
Final School Photo Reminder
Our school photos will take place on Monday 8th and Tuesday 9th March 2021. Envelopes need to be returned to school by Monday 8th March.
On Monday 8th March we ask that all students wear their full school uniform. Year Three will not wear their Sports uniform on this day as per usual.
NAPLAN Practise
The NAPLAN practise will be on Thursday 25th March. All students will require their own headphones for this practise. If these could be sent into school prior to this date it would be much appreciated.
Choir
Mrs Craig will begin choir next week. Choir days are as follows:
- Tuesday - Years 3-6
- Wednesday - Years 1-2
Choir will take place at lunch time (after eating).
School Zones
Slow down for children
40km/h school zones help protect children on their way to and from schools at the times and places where they are often in high numbers. This lower speed limit reduces the risk and potential severity of a crash. School zone signs, dragon’s teeth road markings and flashing lights improve the visibility of school zones.
School zone days
40km/h school zones are in force on all days which are not a weekend, a public holiday or a publicly notified school holiday for schools.
School zone times
Most school zones operate from 8 to 9.30am and from 2.30 to 4pm. However, there are a small number of non-standard school zone times in NSW, which are identified by red/orange school zone signs showing the times when school zone flashing lights operate.
Protecting our children
Motorists must drive no faster than 40 km/h through school zones. Increased fines and demerit points apply for certain school zone offences, with illegal use of mobile phones and speeding among those included in double demerit periods. Transport for NSW has more information on fines and demerit point offences.
School zone flashing lights
The video animation explains the 40km/h speed limit in school zones.
Children’s crossings and pedestrian crossings
This animation highlights the difference between children’s crossings and pedestrian crossings, and what motorists need to do on approach to each type of crossing.
Source: https://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/stayingsafe/schools/flashinglights/index.html
CARITAS Project Compassion Lenten Appeal
The CARITAS Lenten Appeal commenced on Ash Wednesday. The theme this year is "Be More". This is inspired by the quote from St Oscar Romero, “Aspire not to have more, but to be more.” Rather than thinking about themselves, students are encouraged to think about how they can help people on a local, national and global level. Each week, a new person is introduced to the students in their Religious Education lessons. These people share their story about how CARITAS has helped them.
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Each class has been given a project compassion box. Students are invited to place money in the box to assist those in need.
Throughout the first two weeks of the Lenten Appeal the students of St Carthage's have managed to raise an astounding $312.95. We ask that students think about an of service that they can complete to earn money or what they can go without (icecream, lollies or a treat at the shops). By placing this money in the project compassion box, students are able to develop a better understanding of St Oscar Romero's quote, “Aspire not to have more, but to be more.”
Your support is very much appreciated!
Session Two: We watched Britain's Got Talent about two boys who showed courage. They got onto the stage and rapped about anti-bullying because when they were younger they got bullied. Then we talked about how we can show courage and when we have shown courage in our everyday life. We then did a dramatisation on how we can do the right thing. There were groups who did littering, bullying and being a bad sport. We presented it in front of everyone.
Session Three: When we came back inside we did our own liturgy where some groups did a play on Pentecost, some people decorated and some wrote and read some prayers of the faithful. After that we got to collect a flame badge, a coin and a book mark. The day was really fun and we all learnt something new and we all met a new friend.
Georgia Herman and Theo Rogusz
Sound Waves Spelling
The focus sounds for the following two weeks are:
Mathematics
Teachers in high performing Mathematics classrooms place the learner at the centre of their instructional and pedagogical practice. They work hard at developing trusting classroom communities with a strong mathematical focus and have high set realistic expectations about what their students can achieve.
There are three components of the Mathematics Block
Warm Up - Activates prior knowledge, skills and understandings, make connections and use number language.
Rich Task - Students investigate a range of possible answers using a variety of strategies. Rich tasks are well grounded in mathematical concepts and are directly connected with the content of the syllabus.
Reflection - Time to notice and explore the mathematics that has been experienced and cannot be totally pre-planned. It is important that there is a balance of teacher talk, student talk, partner talk and quiet reflective moments.
The following link outlines these three components
Supporting your child/ren at home
Student reflections on Koalas
Upcoming Dates
Lismore Diocesan Winter Sports Trials - Friday 12th March
NSWCPS Swimming Championships - Monday 22nd March
Polding AFL Trials - Wednesday 24th March
St Carthage's Cross Country - Friday 26th March
Lismore Diocesan AFL Trials
On Friday 19th February Zachary Cohen, Eli Connolly and Jonah Hudson-Sheaffe travelled to Grafton to participate in the Lismore Diocesan AFL Trials. Over 30 students from across the Diocese were present, making for tough competition. All 3 boys thoroughly enjoyed the experience and were outstanding representatives of our school community. Congratulations to Zachary Cohen who was selected in the Lismore Diocesan AFL Team. Zachary will travel to Newcastle on Wednesday 24th March to participate in the Polding AFL Trials. We wish you the best of luck Zach!
Lismore Diocesan Swimming Carnival
On Friday 26th February William Bullpitt, Macy Field, Reggie Field, Jessica Holmes, Ellie McKay and Isabella Mullington travelled to Murwillumbah to compete in the Lismore Diocesan Swimming Carnival.
It was a successful day at the carnival for students from all across the diocese, with numerous records, fierce competition and great sportsmanship. Congratulations to our students from St Carthage's, we are extremely proud of you.
Congratulations to William Bullpitt who gained selection in the Lismore Diocesan Swimming Team for the Senior Boys Breaststroke and the Senior Boys 200 Individual. William will attend the NSWCPS Swimming Championships in Sydney on Monday 22nd March. We wish you the best of luck Will!
Richmond Zone Winter Sports Trials
After being postponed due to weather conditions, the Winter Sports Trials were held this Wednesday. 48 students from Year 5 and 6 attended the trials. They displayed maturity, determination and good sportsmanship. We are proud of our students for the way that they represented themselves and our school.
Thank you to Mr John Gordon, Mr Jack Sheridan, Mr Tate Bailey, Mrs June Blunn, Mr Collings and Mrs McRae for attending the trials. These trials would not be possible without you volunteering your time to assist.
The Lismore Diocesan Winter Sports Trials will be held on Friday 12th March in Grafton. Congratulations and good luck to the following students in their respective sports:
Boys Football - Archie Matthews
Girls Football - Brydie Beston and Maude Webster
Boys Hockey - Oliver Kelly, Akony Maciek, Hugh Marshall and Lachlan O'Brien
Girls Hockey - Ellie Brady, Eden Kelly, Kaitlin O'Brien, Isobel Rose, Gigi Zorzo and Mila Zorzo
Netball - Emily Thorneycroft
Rugby Leauge Opens - Sam Conlan, Jessie Cooper, Harper Rowe, Ethan Welman
Rugby League U11's - Jimmy field and Lenny McDonald
Rugby Union - Nate Collins, Jonah Hudson-Sheaffe, Bailey Hughes, Case McQuilty and Joel Tolk
St Carthage's Cross Country
The St Carthage's Cross Country will be held on Friday 26th March. This will take place on the Parish ovals and surrounding grounds. Due to easing restrictions we are excited to invite parents to attend our cross country. It is important that all spectators adhere to social distancing and COVID protocols while in attendance.
Mr Collings will send out a note in the near future asking for assistance from parents. It will also provide important information regarding times, distances, student requirements etc.
Brendan Tickle - St Carthage's Primary School
Phone: 0266215529
brendan.tickle@lism.catholic.edu.au
Olivia McLean Will Graydon Thomas Vinall Kaitlyn Dunn Louie Ware Bonnie McCluskie Hunter Waring Oliver Collings Darcy Drooger |
Hugh Marshall Dominick Muller Mila woolston James Stapleton Cooper Andrews Tyler Pearce Thomas Cootes Louis McIntyre-Foucherand |
Max McCabe Ebony Andrews Madeleine Evans Pearson Towers Nicole Drew Megan Yates Tracey Llewellyn Warren Whitney |
The Big Vegie Crunch
What is The Big Vegie Crunch?
Did you know that only around 6% of Australian children eat enough vegetables? To help our community do their bit to improve this number, our school will be taking part in The Big Vegie Crunch (part of Vegetable Week) at 10am on Thursday 18 March.
Primary schools across NSW will be joining together to break the record for the most students crunching vegetables:
- 50,260 students crunching simultaneously (2018 record)
- 14,991 students crunching at other times over Vegetable Week (2019 record)
What can you do to help?
- Pack a container of vegetables (not fruit this time) for your child to eat on Thursday 18 March
- Remember to keep serving up the vegetables at home and in your children’s lunchboxes. Check out the UP THE VEG at Home resource for ideas