Newsletter Term 1, 2024 Week 10

Principal's Update

Dear Parents and Carers, 

I hope you enjoyed your Easter break and now coming up are the school holidays commencing Monday, 15^th April.  Our first day back to school in Term 2 is Tuesday, 30^th April.  Our staff across the Broken Bay Diocese will be engaged in another Curriculum Reform day on Tuesday, 30^th April therefore this is a pupil free day.  Our vacation care is available on this day for those who require support. 

Winter uniforms must be worn for school photos please – school photos are Friday of Week 1.  If you choose to send your children back to school in Term 2 in their Winter uniform, that’s fine.  Depending on the weather, by the start of Week 3, all children must be wearing their full Winter uniform please (13^th May). 

Fantastic support from all our classes to raise money and awareness for Caritas Missions during our Walk for Water on Tuesday!  The classes who raised the most money had the “pleasure” of tipping a bucket/tub of cold water on myself, Mrs Fletcher and Miss Foskett!  Well done everyone for carrying your buckets of water, working as a team and raising money for a worthwhile cause. 

Congratulations to the following children who broke school records in 2024: 

Athletics: 

100m 

8 year boys – Oliver T 

9 year boys Aston  

10 year boys – Kingston W 

10 year girls – Alexia G 

11Year girls – Rain R 

200m 

8 year girls – Lara W 

10 year boys Kingston W 

11 year girls – Rain R 

800m 

Junior boy – Kingston W 

11 year girls – Rain R 

12 year girls – Charlotte Mc 

Long jump 

Junior boy – Aston R 

11 year girl – Rain R 

12 year girl – Annabella F 

Shot Put 

Junior boy – Aston R 

11 year boys – Jack L/Elliott R 

11 year boy – Blye H 

Discus 

Junior boy – Aston R 

Junior girl – Alexia G 

11 year girl – Rain R

Swimming Records broken 2024: 

Freestyle 100m – 11 year girls – Samantha Mc 

Freestyle 50m – 9 year girls – Kiarni W 

Breastroke 50m – 10 year boys – Logan B 

Backstroke 50m – 9 year girls – Kiarni W 

Butterfly 50m – 9 year girls – Kiarni W 

Butterfly 50m – 11 Year girls – Samantha Mc 

Individual Medley – 11 year girls – Samantha Mc 

Congratulations to our age champions: 

ATHLETICS:

Junior Girl: 1st Alexia G, 2nd Lara W

Junior Boy: 1st Aston R, 2nd Kingston W

11 Year Girl: 1st Rain R, 2nd Samantha M

11 Year Boy: 1st Jack L, 2nd Elliot R

12 Year Girls: 1st Anabella Ford, 2nd Chelsea R

12 Year Boys: 1st Zavier H, 2nd Oliver M

 SWIMMING

Junior Girl: 1st Kiarni W, 2nd Rahnie S

Junior Boy: 1st Logan B, 2nd Oliver M

11 Year Girl: 1st Samantha M, 2nd Anabella M

11 Year Boy: 1st Harry P, 2nd Jack L

12 Year Girls: 1st Charlotte M, 2nd Matilda E

12 Year Boys: 1st Valli F, 2nd Saxon L

.

Congratulations to our Polding trial children swimmers – Rhoden, Logan, Kiani and Samantha swam at Homebush last Wednesday.  What a great experience for you all.  We are very proud of you! 

Thank you to Mrs Nicole Anderson, our PEC (Parent Engagement Coordinator), for engaging with our school community and parish in 2023/24.  Nicole has been a visible person who organised our playgroup, attending our family masses and a prominent member of our parish.  Nicole is leaving our school and St Mary’s to pursue other ventures in the educational setting.  We wish you well Nicole.  This role will hopefully be filled with an equally enthusiastic person in Term 2. 

Thank you to Mrs Victoria Price, our School Marketing Officer, who has worked tirelessly during Mrs Gemma Murphy’s maternity leave.  Victoria has done an amazing job organising our social media, marketing and being present for our many school events.  We will miss your smiling face and friendly welcomes and wish you all the best. 

Congratulations to our staff members who have welcomed new babies into their families in the last six months including Mr Chandler,  Mrs Martin, Mrs O’Brien, Mrs Anderson, Mrs Murphy, Mrs Mind and Mrs DesBrulais.  SBLM could have our own little mixed netball team of 7! 

We will be welcoming Mrs Lily Anderson back next term who will be job sharing during Mr Murphy’s paternity leave.  Mrs Mind is also returning to SBLM as a casual teacher before returning to us in Term 3. 

Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) is an Australian Government Initiative occurring every three years. It is a national progress measure of early child development.  It involves the kindergarten teachers of your children completing questions using the Australian version of the Early Development Instrument collecting data relating to five key areas of early childhood development including: 

·        Physical health and wellbeing 

·        Social competence 

·        Emotional maturity 

·        Language and cognitive skills  

·        Communication skills and general knowledge. 

Results for individual children are not published, and children cannot be identified in any AEDC reports.  Publicly available data is reported for groups of children at community, state/territory and national levels, and can be accessed on the AEDC website. 

Data collection will commence from 1^st May, 2024 until 5^th July, 2024. 

An individual child report is not produced. No reporting will be given to families.  You may opt out if you wish.  If you want to opt out please notify myself (Charlene.reid1@dbb.catholic.edu.au)   

Congratulation to our Stage 2 (Years 3 and 4) boys and girls who attended their soccer gala day at Adcock Park on Wednesday this week.  I have only heard positive comments from staff, parents and children.  Thank you for following our SBLM expectations outside of school also!  I would like to share a snippet of an email I received from a parent helper below.  I would encourage more parents to help out at days like this so you too can experience the joy of being making a difference in the lives of others: 

We are ending our term with our bike and scooter day for our end of term reward day!  Thank you again to The Rocky Mountain Trail for organising our most enjoyable day!  I wish you well on your move to the South Coast and hope to see you back next year! 

We are joining the ANZAC day march on 25^th April at The Doylo.  We would love to see you all attend.  If you are coming, your children are invited to wear their school Summer uniform and meet in Wentworth Avenue at 8.15am ready to march at 8.30am.  We will also hold an ANZAC prayer on our first day back at morning assembly. 

Term 2 is very busy with many important dates including: 

April 

29^th Pupil Free day 

30^th First day back (Winter uniform optional) 

May 

1^st AEDC Kinder data collection commences 

3^rd School Photos (Winter uniform compulsory for photos) 

7^th 8.30am Mother’s Day stall 

9^th (Thursday) Mother’s Day breakfast (7am) and mass (9am) 

10^th CCC cross country carnival 

14^th-30^th Life Education – Welcome Healthy Harold van 

14^th Year 2 excursion 

16^th St Brendan’s Feast Day 

17^th Year 1 assembly item 1.45pm award assembly commences 

20^th Pupil Free Day 

21^st Parent talk (Mrs Fletcher) 8.45am 

24^th Year 2 grade assembly award assembly commences at 1.45pm 

God bless and happy holidays, 

Charlene Reid 

Principal 

Parent Charter

As we approach the end of another busy school term, we kindly ask parents to be mindful of the following guidelines for effective partnership:

• Stay Informed: Stay informed about your child's progress by attending parent-teacher conferences, reading newsletters, and checking COMPASS.
• Initiate Contact: Don't hesitate to reach out to the appropriate staff member if you have concerns or questions about your child's progress, behaviour, or any other aspect of their education. Initial communications should always be with the appropriate school personnel, e.g., the classroom teacher or Year Coordinator. If further support is required, please contact our school leaders.
• Be Respectful: Approach conversations with staff in a respectful and professional manner, as they are dedicated to helping your child succeed.
• Respect Response Time: Recognise that staff have multiple students and responsibilities. Allow them time to respond to your inquiries and respect their working hours. Staff will usually respond within 48 hours.

Effective communication between parents and school staff is the key to a successful educational journey for your child. We value your input and are committed to working together to ensure that our school remains a collaborative, safe, and supportive environment.

Collaborative Coaching for Newsletter:

We have continued our Collaborative Coaching Sessions with all class teachers this term with a focus on improving student achievement in writing.  There has been an overall focus on writing simple sentences with correct grammar and punctuation.  I have shared some of our data reflecting student growth with you below.  Grade data has been deidentified for confidentiality.  In some instances where a student may not have shown growth, they have been away during assessment periods. 

This term Kindergarten have been focusing on:

• Writing their name using correct letter formation
• Spelling their name correctly with appropriate use of a beginning capital letter
• Writing using a capital letter, applying finger spaces and full stops.

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Hours of Supervision

In the past few weeks, we have had students arrive on school grounds from between 7:15 - 7:30 am. Whilst there may be teachers onsite at this time, we have no active supervision.  We understand that at times parents and carers need to be at work early, however ask that students are onsite from 7:50 am.  Please reach out to Outside of Hours School Care on  0408 789 189 if you need to organise . 

School Photos's

We will be having our whole school photos on Friday 3, May 2024.  This year our students need to wear their winter uniform for the school photos.  Can you please ensure your child has a complete winter uniform that fits. If needed, please reach out to our Clothing Pool to place an order for any items required.

School Updates

April Vacation Care - Enrolments now open

Please be advised that enrolments are now open for CatholicCare’s April Vacation Care Program.

To register: https://catholiccaredbb.org.au/vacation-care/

Our Vacation Care programs offer a wide range of activities catering to children of different ages, interests and needs. We also head out and about on a range of local excursions. The environment that we provide is stimulating and enjoyable with activities that harness the children’s interests and strengths, while respecting their need for leisure.

Vacation Care

CatholicCare is an accredited provider of vacation care during school holidays for children aged 5 to 12 years.

Tuning into Teens Course

Catholic Care is running a FREE Tuning into Teens Parenting Course, commencing May 22 in San Remo.  This is an excellent 6-week program designed to help parents understand the development needs of teenagers and supports parents to meet their teens emotional needs.  Please see the flyer below for more information.

School Holiday: FREE full day Cricket Blast program

We are excited to announce FREE full day Cricket Blast programs at Lake Munmorah and Western Lake Macquarie during the April School Holidays as part of the NSW Department of Education “Share Our Space” initiative. These programs are aimed at children ages 5-10 years of age. No experience is required and experienced Cricket Blast participants are also encouraged to attend. All equipment will be provided. Children can register for more than one program.

• 16 April: Lake Munmorah High School, 9.30am-3.30pm

Register for Lake Munmorah program via this link: https://www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/register/5c05d5

• 15 April: Toronto Public School, 9.30am-3.30pm
• 19 April: Cooranbong Public School, 9.30am-3.30pm

Register for one or both of the Western Lake Macquarie programs via this link: https://www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/register/5a4236

Children do not have to be students at these schools to attend and ALL children ages 5-10 are welcome.

Services for the Kids

Our tweens, teens or young adults need a bit of help too sometimes. Finding a suitable person who listens and is trusted is not always easy. Creating a safe space for conversation, when they are ready, is a great way to start.

The following is a short list of ways that we can help or support our young people.

1. Chat to your child’s teacher: make an appointment with your child’s teacher to discuss or make them aware of your concerns. They may be able to assist you in supporting your child.

1. Chat to specialised school staff: Our Pastoral Care Worker, Ms Mizzi (with Vic, the school support dog), Sister Josie, the PEC, or a member of the Executive Team, Mrs Reid, Mrs Fletcher or Miss Foskett. Any of these people can listen to your concerns and/or assist you by providing the details of services to contact.

1. School Counsellor: Students at all schools can access their school counsellor/s through a referral process. To do this, make an appointment with the school principal or school counsellor to discuss your concerns.

1. GP: Sometimes, this is the first and best place to start. Make an appointment to discuss any of your concerns, they may be able to write a referral or organise a health care plan.

1. Kids Helpline: kidshelpline.com.au P: 1800 55 1800. Australia’s only free, private and confidential, phone counselling service specifically for young people between 5 and 25 years of age. Information for parents/carers is available on the website also.

1. Headspace: headspace.org.au. Next to Metro Cinemas, Lake Haven P: 4394 9100. A one-stop-shop for young people who need help with mental health, physical health (including sexual health), alcohol and other drugs or word and study support.

1. Lifeline: lifeline.org.au 24/7 Crisis Support P:13 11 14 or Text 0411 13 11 14 (24/7). Provides 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention services.

This is a snapshot of the many valuable resources available to support your child.

Nicole Anderson

Parent Engagement Coordinator (PEC)

Awards

SBLM AWARDS

Week 9

Week 10

Community News

GO4FUN

Go4Fun is a 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲, 10-week healthy lifestyle program for children between 7–13 years old to enjoy along with their families.

 Group activities and games

 Feel good about eating healthily

 Reduce screen time and make new friends

 Rewards and prizes for the kids

 Positive health changes for the whole family

Term 2 programs will take place at:

 Lake Haven Recreation Centre, Tuesdays 4–6pm, starting 30^th April (Aboriginal program for everyone run by Bungree Aboriginal Association)

 The Entrance Community Centre, Wednesdays 4–6pm, starting 1^st May

 Gosford Olympic Pool, Thursdays 4–6pm, starting 2^nd May

 Go4Fun online

To find out more information or register, visit go4fun.com.au or call 1800 780 900. Places are limited, so get registering now!

Compass Calendar