24 September 2020

Newsletter Articles

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK

Dear Parents,

As we head into the school holidays, let us all be grateful for our many blessings.

We continue to pray for frontline workers, for those around the world who face an uncertain financial future and those who mourn the loss of loved ones. May this holiday period be a time for reconnection, rest and renewal for us all.

Sincerely,

Jacqui Wilkinson
Principal

IMPORTANT MESSAGES FOR PARENTS

ACCESS TO DRINKING WATER AT SCHOOL

With the onset of COVID-19, directions were made by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) that all schools were to “close all communal water fountains/ bubblers”. This direction remains in place and has been cascaded through the following organisations – NSW Health, NSW Education, Catholic Schools NSW and the IEU.

The safety of our students is of primary concern and ensuring access to water is especially important as we move into the warmer months. It is imperative drinking water is always available for all students. In the first instance, it is the parent’s responsibility to ensure that a refillable bottle is brought to school by every child.

Unfortunately, there may be times when students forget or misplace their water bottles and are then potentially going without the appropriate levels of hydration.

During the warmer months of Term 4, St Patrick’s will support student access to drinking water and educate students that if for any reason they cannot get water they are to speak with a member of staff who will address the issue.

It is important we support our students with regards to staying hydrated whilst remaining vigilant to the personal hygiene practices required at this time.

It should be noted that the decision to turn bubblers back on in Term Four is currently being discussed by the Diocese, especially in light of the low numbers of transitions in the Hunter Region and the low levels of infections within our school community – further information will be provided in due course. Until the directive changes, bubblers remain out of service.

SPECIAL LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN

This term we were so disappointed to have to cancel our annual Grandparents' Day. This day is a very special one in our school calendar and is looked forward to by students, staff and family members.

We also acknowledge that many grandparents and special relatives may have become distanced from their grandchildren, as a result of COVID restrictions, lockdown measures, and safety precautions, and we fear that mental health can be impacted as a result.

In response, the children of St Patrick's will undertake a special letter writing campaign at school. This will involve letters, pictures, artworks or stories being created by the children and posted to their grandparents.

WHAT DO PARENTS NEED TO DO?

Parents are asked to send to school a self-addressed envelope, with a stamp attached.

Information for the FRONT of the envelope: Grandparents' names and address (clearly written)

Information for the BACK of the envelope: Child's name and class

If your child does not have a significant relative to send a letter to, please attach a stamp but leave the FRONT BLANK. Also include the sender's name and class on the BACK. Letters can then be sent to residents of Mount Carmel Nursing Home, who have missed the regular visits by the children in 2020.

Stamped envelopes are due to school by the end of Week 2, Term 4 (23rd October).

CLASS ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE COMING YEAR

Planning for the coming school year has already begun and the process for student class placement will commence early Term 4. One complex process involves assigning students to classes. Many factors need to be taken into consideration including:

• the student’s intellectual, social, emotional, and behavioural developmental levels & needs
• the student’s physical and social maturity
• the student’s interactions with other students
• the age of the student
• the “social dynamics” factors within the class
• clustering of children with exceptionalities
• learning support needs
• the male/female balance in each class
• the balance of leaders in each class
• the number of years the student has been with the teacher
• student friendships

If there are any special considerations or concerns that parents/carers feel the school should take into consideration, please put them in writing and send them to school no later than Friday 30th October. Letters should be addressed ‘Attention: Jacqueline Wilkinson’ and marked ‘Confidential’.

Please note, this is not the opportunity to request friendship groupings or specific teachers for your child. While all requests will be noted and discussed, final decisions on placements will be made following careful consultation with teachers. Information provided after Friday 30th October will not be considered and parents should not assume that previous requests or communication will suffice, as situations do change over time.

ENROLMENTS 2021

If you know that your child will not be returning to St Patrick’s in 2021, would you please notify the school, in writing, as we require this information to assist with our planning for the new school year.

ADVANCED NOTICE/ REMINDERS:

* DANCE CONCERT DRESS REHEARSAL

• During dance lessons (WEEK 1, TERM 4)

* DANCE CONCERT VIDEO SESSION

• Performing Arts Centre Cessnock
• THURSDAY 22nd OCTOBER (WEEK 2, TERM 4)

* STAMPED ENVELOPES DUE

• FRIDAY 23RD OCTOBER (WEEK 2, TERM 4)

* SOCKTOBER PENALTY SHOOT OUT DAY

• THURSDAY 19TH NOVEMBER (TERM 4, WEEK 6)
• OUT OF UNIFORM

* PUPIL FREE DAY

FRIDAY 20th NOVEMBER (TERM 4, WEEK 6)

Students do not come to school on this day.

RE NEWS

PRAYER INTENTIONS

Feast of St Vincent de Paul: Sunday 27th September

If you ever hear Vincent de Paul mentioned, you may well think of the second-hand stores where you can buy clothing cheaply, or of the Society and its charitable works throughout Australia. You will almost certainly be reminded of the Catholic commitment to people who are poor. Behind these images, however, lies a saint who would have been happy to stay hidden behind the continuing church service to people who are poor. Vincent was a 17th century French priest. He had a gift for inspiring people to join his work with the poor. Vincent de Paul did not establish the Society named after him, but his legacy inspired its formation in the early 19th century. Vincent de Paul and the groups that bear his name remain important in the Catholic Church and the wider society because they show how central to Christian faith it is to reach out publicly to people who are poor. This mission was at the heart of Jesus’ ministry and so of our following him as Catholics.

SOCKTOBER

The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) models a real choice we make in deciding how to live and treat those around us. In the parable the first two men, a Priest and Levite, do nothing; but a Samaritan, from a group disliked by the Jews because they didn’t observe the one true religion, stopped and showed great compassion. Jesus then tells the disciples to do the same, and that commandment is repeated to each one of us: go and be a neighbour to your brother or sister in difficulty or to the stranger, elderly, migrant or sick. Let us walk the path of the Good Samaritan by committing to SOCKTOBER!

CRAZY SOCKS DAY

To raise awareness for our Socktober campaign and Catholic Mission Month, students are invited to wear crazy socks on Wednesday 21st October. Full school or sport uniform must be worn along with your crazy socks. It would be great if you could bring in a small donation to go towards our Socktober tally, or ask someone to sponsor you via your online page for wearing crazy socks.

CHRISTMAS STORY ART COMPETITION

This competition has been introduced as a means for enhancing student understanding of the Christmas Story through scripture and art. It is hoped that the All Saints Cluster schools will agree to take part, with 1 finalist chosen from each class in each school. We intend to approach the Maitland Art Gallery or an alternate display space to showcase the work of the finalists/ winners.

Details

Entries for the St Patrick’s Lochinvar Christmas Story Art Competition K-6 will be received up until Friday 13thNovember. The Christmas Art Story Competition is a means for celebrating and exploring children’s creative and artistic ability in illustrating the Christmas story. Children can develop deeper appreciation for their talents and recognise the value of the arts in expressing understandings of the Catholic faith.

Students pick one of the Scripture passages provided below and complete an artwork that shows their interpretation of the passage. A written reflection is also entered explaining the use of artistic skills (e.g. specific colours and shapes to convey emotion; focal points for emphasis; chosen images or symbols) and the significance of the chosen bible verse. A winning entry will be chosen from each grade, to progress as a finalist to the ASC Competition.

Scripture passage for stimulus:

• The Annunciation. Luke 1: 26-36
  And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you." But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.
• Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem. Luke 2: 4-7
  And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David.
• The visit of the shepherds. Luke 2: 9-14
  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
• The birth of Jesus. Luke 2:7
  While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
• The Visit of the Magi. Matthew 2:11
  When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Artworks should;

• be inspired by one of the nominated scripture references
• be A3 size or created on standard art paper (textured one side/smooth on the other)
• be landscape or portrait mode
• use any medium- e.g. paint, crayon, pencil, texta, collage, ink
• be accompanied by a written reflection, including the title and brief explanation
• be completed solely by the child (at school as a class task OR alternatively at home)
• provide a reference to any specific artist or artwork if this is used as inspiration
• be identified with School name, Student full name, Grade, Age

Closing date: Friday 13thNovember

CURRICULUM NEWS

DANCE CONCERT PROCEDURES- YEARS 2-5

DRESS REHEARSAL: Week 1, Term 4- during dance lessons

• VENUE: St Patrick’s School Hall

DETAILS: A dress rehearsal will be held at school to make sure all students in Years 2-5 have the required dance clothes and can practise movement in their costumes with the use of props. Each class will have their dress rehearsal in their normal dance lesson time across the week.

Students come to school dressed in normal sports uniform. Students can take the first 10 minutes of their dance lesson time to get dressed.

PERFORMANCE SESSION: Thursday 22nd October (Week 2, Term 4)

• VENUE: Cessnock Performing Arts Centre
• STUDENTS ONLY. NO tickets will be available to parents
• DETAILS: Students will perform on stage in front of a student audience. Buses will transport the students to the Cessnock Performing Arts Centre on a rotational basis. All dance performances will be professionally videoed.

DANCE SHOWCASE: Wednesday 4th November and Thursday 5th November

• VENUE: Heddon Greta Drive-In Cinema.
• DETAILS: The videoed performance will be screened on the BIG SCREEN at a later date. Parents and friends will be able to purchase an entry ticket to the showcase performance at $30 per car.
• 2 sessions: Wednesday 4th November and Thursday 5th November
• Time: 8pm (daylight savings)

Group photographs of each class will be taken at the dress rehearsal. These photos will be sold for $5:00 each and will make a lovely keepsake of the dance performances.

CONCERT CONSENT

Please see below the instructions to complete your consent in compass for the concert. If you haven’t already done this please follow the instructions to complete.

ORGANISATION & MANAGEMENT

CHRISTMAS CRAFT

Parents are asked to provide any Christmas fabric scraps or offcuts for use later in the year for Christmas craft projects.

TTFM- Survey

Parents have been invited to contribute to a community consultation survey. The survey is open from 21 September 2020 to 22 October 2020.

The survey is anonymous, voluntary and easy to use. It takes about 20 minutes to complete and covers parents’ perceptions of the school’s support for learning, positive behaviours, and the promotion of safety and inclusion.

Students in Years 4–12 will also participate in the survey during class time.

The insights we gain into parent and staff communication, activities and practices at home, and parent voice on the school’s support of learning, faith formation and behaviour will build an accurate and timely picture that schools can use for practical improvements.

This is your chance to provide valuable feedback about your school and support school planning and future direction and we welcome your participation, suggestions and comments. The school community will receive findings and proposed actions for improvement following completion of the survey process.

How to access the survey

Parents/carers can access the survey by clicking this link:

If you have any problems or queries about the survey please contact Mr Nolan.

One aspect that the survey focuses on, is the potential occurrence of bullying in schools. It is important that when answering these focus questions as part of the TTFM survey, that parents and students have an understanding of Bullying- what it is and what it is not.

BULLYING- WHAT IS IT?

Every day, we see instances of children being mean for one reason or another. We deal with students on a day to day basis that have been hurt physically or emotionally by another person, and we remember what it was like when we were children and how often this happened. It is not OK, and we guide the children to understand how their words and actions have affected others and help them to come up with ways that they can make better choices next time.

Bullying is defined by the Australian Human Rights Commission as:

"when people repeatedly and intentionally use words or actions against someone or a group of people to cause distress and risk to their wellbeing. These actions are usually done by people who have more influence or power over someone else, or who want to make someone else feel less powerful or helpless. Bullying is not the same as conflict between people (like having a fight) or disliking someone"

We need to be careful when we use the term "bullying". A fight or mean words from one child to another on two or three occasions, is not bullying, it is being mean. It is also not bullying if both children are saying mean things or both children are kicking or punching, even if it happens several times, this is arguing or fighting, and both children are responsible for poor choices in their behaviour.

If a complaint is made by a child, or a parent/carer that a child is being bullied, the school takes this very seriously and it is fully investigated. The Catholic Schools Office has a 'Bullying Action Tool' that is completed by staff when an allegation of bullying is made.

Can I ask that you please be careful in your use of language when speaking with your children? In 99% of cases, when children are fighting or causing distress to one another, it is not 'bullying'.... it is unacceptable and mean, but it is not bullying. Do not hesitate to contact the classroom teacher or Mr Nolan if you have concerns regarding the wellbeing of your child or the behaviour of others. We will always listen and we will always investigate. Please choose your words carefully, we do not want to take the seriousness of the term 'bullying' away by throwing it around every time children are having social issues with one another.

GOVERNANCE MATTERS

WHS- EARLY ARRIVALS TO SCHOOL

I am becoming increasingly concerned by the number of students who are arriving at school before the advertised time of 8:30am. This practice is in breach of our procedures and potentially places your child at risk of harm, as supervision does not formally commence until 8.30am.

Some mornings, children are being dropped off early by parents out of convenience, having no valid ‘school related’ reason. The exception is when students are instructed to arrive earlier to attend an excursion or sporting event with expressed permission from the class teacher or principal.

St Patrick’s is committed to the safety of all students. Consequently, we make arrangements to ensure that students arriving by bus are not locked outside the main gates before 8.30am or left unattended. With the increase in bus services and a complex transport schedule, in excess of 100 students arrive BY BUS between 8am and 8.30am. These students must remain seated under the COLA in view of Ms Mosman, until 8.30am when playground supervision begins.

I have been asked why this allowance is not extended to ALL parents. The simple reason is that unsupervised children on site would increase the possible risk of harm. If the gates were open to all children from 8am, large numbers would be expected and would require rostering of staff for additional duties in the morning. As a result, we would be required to close playgrounds at recess or lunch, to preserve work conditions for teachers (protected by the Independent Education Union). Our teachers arrive at school early to carry out teaching related matters, including meetings, planning and preparation.

Parents are reminded that Before and After School Care is provided at a very reasonable cost on site by St Nicholas OOSH or Tilly’s at Rutherford (who provide a shuttle bus service to St Patrick’s) to help manage the demands of earlier starts. These services should be explored by parents who have work related commitments.

Your understanding, cooperation and adherence to safety protocols is both appreciated and expected.

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