Week 2 Term 3 2021
Aboriginal Acknowledgement
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 Families,
I would like to welcome everyone back to Term 3 and I trust that the holidays, (they seem so long ago!), were a happy and restful time to recharge the batteries. We were certainly blessed with beautiful weather and also some very frosty winter mornings!
What a difference two weeks make! Who would have thought that we would return to school wearing masks and with increased restrictions due to the current Covid outbreak. Unfortunately, it seems that things may get worse before they get better, however, we are very grateful that we were able to welcome our students back to school and begin face to face teaching last week. I know the thought of another term of home learning sent shivers up the spines of many parents and probably teachers as well. We pray that this situation improves for everyone and we can continue to support our students on their learning journey at school. (Please read the current Covid guidelines below.)
Whilst it has been a disrupted school holiday break for many as we navigate our way through more COVID-19 induced lockdowns and travel restrictions we are grateful for the great position Australia is in compared to many places in the world. We remember those in our communities whose health and livelihood have been adversely affected since the start of the pandemic.
We are very disappointed that we are again, unable to have parents and visitors on site as it seems not that long ago, that were were finally able to host events with parents and carers present. I know that you will understand the reasons for these restrictions and support us as we implement them at St Carthage's.
I look forward to another term of great learning
Term 2 Parent/Teacher Interviews
I would like to offer belated thanks to our parents for your support of Parent/Teacher interviews at the end of last term. This is a great way to build your relationship with your child’s teacher and also to have two way sharing of information about your child. This certainly helps the teachers to know their learners in a very special way. We really appreciate your support in this learning partnership. When you value the school and your child’s teachers, statistics prove that students do better at school and gain higher learning outcomes. Teachers value the support and insights of parents too and are always enriched by these conversations with you.
Covid Protocols
Parents and carers are discourage from entering school grounds where possible. If you need to pick up or drop off a child/children or drop off things for your child/children during school hours you must come to the office. No visitors are permitted to go to a classroom or the playground. On entering the school grounds masks must be worn and the two mandatory sign-ins must be completed. (see below)
Morning and Afternoon Drop Off and Pick Up
We will be reverting back to our pick up and drop off procedures that were in place at times, throughout last year. Our Years 1-6 parents and carers will be familiar with these, however, for our kindergarten and students new to the school these will be new.
- Students will be welcomed at the gate by a staff member (usually myself and one of our APs) and we will accompany your child/children into the school grounds. This may be difficult the first time but we ask that you trust your children to us as prolonging the goodbyes can make it more challenging for everyone.
- Where possible we ask that parents and carers remain outside the gates in the afternoon and children will come to you. If you need to come into the school grounds please maintain physical distancing and wear a mask
Mandatory Two Step QR Sign in
Under the current Public Health Order, all visitors must sign in to both the Service NSW COVID Safe Check-In AND WOL (Who’s on Location). This allows us to meet child protection and emergency management legal requirements, AND the Public Health Order requirements. Unfortunately, no one system will meet all current legal requirements. Service NSW and Who’s on Location QR codes are on the walls outside the office and in the office foyer.
Unwell students and visitors
If your child has cold or flu symptoms, please follow the health advice, get tested and stay at home while unwell. Students who are unwell and attend school will be sent home with the request to get tested. Visitors who have cold or flu symptoms will not be permitted to enter the school.
Mask requirements
NSW Health and Catholic Schools NSW, although not mandatory, have recommended that all staff wear masks. All visitors must wear masks upon entering school grounds. Due to these restrictions, we ask that you please check with the school office before coming in.
We always enjoy parents and families being welcomed into our school activities and events and are deeply disappointed that these current restrictions prevent this. However, these restrictions do not prevent us from our primary purpose, that is, the delivery of quality Catholic education to your children in a safe, caring and supportive environment.
NAIDOC Week
We will be celebrating NAIDOC at school in Week 4. This celebration occurs nationally in the July school holidays. During NAIDOC Week celebrations, our country is called to remember with respect and understanding, the long history of our Aboriginal people. Mr Craig Condie, our Indigenous Education Worker, has been busily organising activities to celebrate this event through classroom activities etc. The 2021 theme is HEAL COUNTRY.
Students are invited to wear casual clothes on Friday 6th August, where possible wearing the colours of the Aboriginal flag.
- Black is the colour of night and represents Aboriginal people.
- Red is the colour of the land or of blood.
- Yellow is the colour of the sun and sacred.
Unfortunately, due to the current restrictions Mr Condie has had to postpone some of the visitors and activities that he has planned until later in the term.
Personal Development, Health & Physical Education (PD/H/PE)
This subject prepares and supports students to lead, and contribute to, healthy, safe and meaningful lives which promote respect, responsibility, enjoyment, inclusion and social justice for self and others.
This term, all students at St Carthage’s will be learning about how they are growing and changing, reflecting upon their emotional and physical responses, how they can help everyone to feel safe and included, recognising respectful relationships and developing a safety network. Some of the content of the programs deals with sensitive issues. The school recognises this by teaching about these issues within the context of a developmentally appropriate program and by providing information to you about the program.
All programs will be implemented in a manner that supports the role of parents and caregivers and reflects the ethos of the school community.
For more information on PDHPE go to https://syllabus.nesa.nsw.edu.au/pdhpe/. The school program aims to encourage students to make informed decisions about their lifestyle taking into account the values of the family, culture and religion to which they belong.
The following table is an overview of the units being taught in all grade levels this term.
Year Level | Unit Name | Overview |
Kindergarten | Following The Rules | Students will explore ways to care for and include others, recognise their emotional responses to situations and will begin to develop a network of trusted people, including parents, whom they can go to when they are not feeling safe. |
Year One | Changing and Growing | Students will explore the parts of the body, using correct anatomical terminology, and will recognise that each person changes both emotionally and physically at different times. They will explore ways to recognise what is safe and unsafe physical contact and will develop strategies to assist them when they are feeling unsafe. |
Year Two | Relationships Rock | Students will explore the rights of the child, and investigate how their relationships and reactions change as they grow. They will be exploring ways to gain skills to regulate their emotions, along with empathy for how others are feeling. |
Year Three | Changes | Students will explore how their bodies are growing and changing as a result of puberty. They will examine both the physical, social and emotional changes that can occur and develop strategies for managing those changes, which includes developing a network of where or to whom they can go, to get the correct information about what is happening to their bodies. |
Year Four | Empathetic Relationships | Students are exploring positive relationships. Through the unit they will be developing skills and strategies to become more self aware of their actions and emotional responses to a variety of situations, investigate ways to build empathy to assist in the development and sustaining of positive relationships with others. They will develop ways to manage their emotional responses and gain an understanding for why empathy, respect and inclusion are important in their relationships. |
Year Five | Time's a Changing | This unit allows our Stage Three students to investigate the changes that occur through puberty and times of transition. They will explore their personal strengths and how this assists with maintaining respectful relationships. Students will develop health literacy, through the recognition and careful consideration of community organisations that are available to help and will become more aware of the factors that influence how they interact with others and the choices they make. |
Year Six | Ch...Ch...Changing | This unit allows our Stage Three students to investigate the changes that occur through puberty and times of transition. They will explore their personal strengths and how this assists with maintaining respectful relationships. Students will develop health literacy, through the recognition and careful consideration of community organisations that are available to help and will become more aware of the factors that influence how they interact with others and the choices they make. |
Should you require further information in relation to the PDHPE units your child/children will be engaging with this term, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher, who will be more than happy to discuss these units with you.
ICAS Timetable
Our ICAS assessments are starting in a few weeks time. Please see the timetable below for assessment times. If your child is away for their assessment they have the whole of that week to catch up on the assessment. If they happen to be away for the whole week their is a second testing window later in the year.
Date | Assessment |
Monday 9th August | Writing |
Tuesday 10th August | Digital Technologies |
Tuesday 17th August | English |
Monday 23rd August | Science |
Tuesday 24th August | Spelling Bee |
Monday 30th August | Mathematics |
I’d like to say a very sincere "thank you" for the messages of ‘welcome back’ I received upon my return to St Carthage’s. I undertook treatment for cancer over the past two Terms and enormously grateful to be back!
During my time away I gained so much strength from the support of everyone, especially support given to me by the leadership and staff of St Carthage's school.
The Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist
Thank you to Mr Tickle and Fr Bing who recently held a zoom meeting with parents and carers of students preparing for the Sacraments of Reconciliation (Tuesday 27 July) and Eucharist (August). We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday!
All Yr 4 students also experienced a time of reflecting upon their learnings about this Sacrament and how they can act as peacemakers at home and at school. Thanks so much to Mr Tickle and class teachers who guided the students through this experience.
Please pray for these students, their families and their teachers as they prepare for these important steps (not only for the students but also for the whole family!)
A model for Peacemaking at school - We ask students to Sit and think!
At St Carthage's, we encourage students to reflect calmly upon inappropriate actions. We ask them to:
- Write or draw what happened
- How did this make the other person feel?
- How can I make things right?
- What will I do next time?
A reflection upon the act of forgiveness
In Mark's Gospel, Jesus taught us to love our neighbour as ourselves. It is not for us to decide which neighbour we will reach out to in love, we are asked to love and to treat everyone as our neighbour because as Pope Francis said, "In the face of every person, especially the smallest, the most vulnerable, defenceless and needy is the unique image of God."
Dates
Thursday 22 July - St Mary Magdalene Feast Day
"Mary, go and find the brothers and tell them"
It’s been five years since a Vatican decree declared the liturgical celebration honouring St Mary Magdalene a ‘feast’, putting her on par with the apostles. Saints are honoured with either a ‘memorial’, a ‘feast’ or a ‘solemnity’, with solemnities ranked the highest, followed by feasts and then memorials. St Mary Magdalene’s celebration was increased from a memorial to a feast because she had the honour of being the first witness to the Lord’s resurrection.
Tuesday, 27 July - Sacrament of Reconciliation evening in the Cathedral
Week 4 - 2 August - Celebrating NAIDOC week
Friday, 6 August - Feast Day – Transfiguration of the Lord
Sunday, 8 August - Australia's Saint - St Mary MacKillop – (St Mary of the Cross) Feast Day
Monday, 9 August - International Day of the world’s indigenous peoples
Diocesan Parent Conference
The Lismore Catholic Schools Parent Assembly is an important body of people keen to support parents and carers who have children enrolled at Catholic Schools in the Lismore Diocese. They will be hosting three regional parent gatherings this term in place of the Diocesan Parent Conference. Currently, these events are still scheduled to proceed, however, they will be postponed if forthcoming NSW Health Guidelines change. You can register using the methods indicated on the event flyer.
Sound Waves Spelling
Spotlight on ....... Year Four!
Bump-it-up Walls
Year Four students have been using Bump-it-up Walls to develop their writing skills. This scaffold is used to make the learning visible to the students. It provides examples of texts at a variety of levels with associated criteria.
Through self-assessment and conferencing with the teacher, students are able to identify what they are doing well in their writing and set goals to improve.
What students like about the Bump-it-up Wall -
Pomodoro Writing
Colour House Competition
During Term 3, Year 5 and 6 will participate in a six week colour house competition. The students will verse students from other colour houses in Oz-tag, T-ball, netball, soccer, tennis and cricket. Thank you to the Year 5 and 6 teachers for allowing their students to participate in this competition. Regardless of which house comes out victorious, we wish you all the best of luck!
COVID - Sport
Due to the current COVID restrictions, students are unable to travel outside their local government area to participate in school sport.
Unfortunately, this limits the opportunities for students to participate in representative sport. It also leaves a cloud of uncertainty surrounding the events that have been planned for Term 3 and 4. We will endeavour to provide our students with opportunities to participate in representative sport, while maintaining the safety of our students and staff.
As we receive more information from the Catholic Schools Office we will ensure that you are informed. Thank you for your understanding.
Brendan Tickle - St Carthage's Primary School
Phone: 0266215529
brendan.tickle@lism.catholic.edu.au
Zara Hellyar McKenzie Olivieri Liam Wells Indy Lacson Sebastian Scott William Curnock Audrey Mills Chiara Doherty Hannah Newbold Archie Matthews Brydie Beston Ava King Maddison Sloane Hayden Ellem Joel Tulk Nate Collins Eden Flood Holly Ellem Clancy Healy Jack Collins-Bray Ruby Edmonds Rose Mills Kaitlin O'Brien Maude Webster Ruby Allen |
Lachlan Allen Layla Macfarlane Lucia Nilon Marissa Ho Cooper Brett Benjamin Wicks Madison Gale Josh Bryant Jesse Allan Elissa Hills Callum Yates Mimi Bolam Veiko Lovell Ellie McKay Stella Jones Taj Vantaggiato Oliver Kelly Eden Kelly Callie Leu Lilly Sibthorpe Ashton Collins Ciara McNall Jack McCarthy Billy McCarthy Mikayla Evely |
Khiarla Sheridan-Gordon Evie Collings Makinley Darragh Logan Kyle Isabelle Nanscawen Ryan Pearce Maya Volpato Theah Kelly Xian Muller Owen Sauer Jason Dimmick Toni McRae Kathryn Ireland Adele Nelson Abbie Matthews Janelle Heffernan Maree Morrissey Haley Rogusz Brendan Matthews Anastasia Elliott John Gordon Kathleen Driver |
Lismore Preschool
Lismore City Council - Disability Inclusion Action Plan
Help us create a more inclusive Lismore
Lismore City Council is developing its new Disability Inclusion Action Plan and seeks your feedback.
The plan outlines actions that Council will take to make Lismore a more accessible and inclusive community.
There are 3 ways you can be involved and provide your feedback;
- Attend a workshop
We are holding five community workshops in July and August 2021
- 9:00am until 11:00am on Tuesday 20July at Council Chambers located at 43 Oliver Avenue, Goonellabah.
- 5:00pm until 7:00pm on Wednesday 21July at Lismore Regional Gallery located at 1 Rural Street, Lismore
- 9:00am until 11:00am on Tuesday 27July at Lismore Regional Gallery 1 Rural St, Lismore
- An online workshop from 9:00am until 10:30am on Friday 30July using zoom. Password 524610
- 5:00pm until 7:00pm on Wednesday 4 August at Nimbin Bush Theatre Café located at 2 Blue Knob Rd, Nimbin
Please register at www.yoursay.lismore.nsw.gov.au or contact us directly.
- Complete our online survey
Please complete our online survey by visiting www.yoursay.lismore.nsw.gov.au
The survey will be open until the 30th June 2021.
- Talk to us in person
- If you prefer to talk to us in person, please contact Flora Zigterman on 6625 0497 or via email zigterman@lismore.nsw.gov.au
- If you need an interpreter you can contact us through the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450
If you use Auslan? FaceTime or video message 0408484822