St Gregory's College Newsletter

Junior School News

Religious Education in the Junior School

A very warm welcome back to you all. I trust you had a lovely break with your loved ones.

 

This year, each class will receive a prayer box which will go home with a student each week who displays the Marist spirit in the classroom.

Inside the prayer boxes are a number of items for you to set up the prayer space at home for the week.

The prayer boxes contain:

  • 4 different liturgical cloths for the different Church seasons (green for ordinary time, purple for Advent and Lent, white for Easter and Christmas and red for Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Pentecost)
  • Crucifix
  • Statue of Mary
  • LED candle
  • Book of prayers
  • Bible (appropriate for your child’s age group)
  • Prayer Journal

Inside the provided prayer journal, it would be wonderful if as a family you could create and write a prayer and if possible, place a photo of your child kneeling alongside the prayer space.

Please ensure that the prayer space is placed somewhere special at home in a spot where it will not be damaged and that it is packed away neatly for the next student to take it home the following week.

We hope to bring our families at St Gregory’s together at home to grow and share in the love for Christ.

 

Blessings,

Mrs Ashley Mazzo

Religious Education Coordinator

 

'TerraCycle used writing instruments recycling program' continues in 2020

Last year we took part in the “TerraCycle used writing instruments recycling program”. For every 1kg of accepted items we collected, our Community received $1 in donation points which will go into our Marist Solidarity Fund.

At the close of 2019 we posted in over 10kg’s of used writing equipment which will be recycled into other products which makes a huge impact on our environment! A special mention to the Engeler family for the 4kg’s they donated – outstanding contribution!

Please see the list of accepted waste below. Have a look around your home and office (especially if you work in an office environment) and send your waste into the College.

There will be collection points in both the Junior and Senior school and keep an eye on our new Kindergarten students – more to come from their clever little minds.

Kind regards, Mrs Debra Monte and Mrs Louise Limbrey

SeeSaw is a digital platform which allows students to share, reflect, create and collaborate with others.  The Junior School introduced SeeSaw in 2018 as a tool for students to document their learning and for parents to be able to experience the classroom throughout the school day.

 

SeeSaw has become a significant tool in our communication with families and has been well received by all stakeholders.  Students feel empowered by the opportunity to share their work and gain meaningful feedback from others; parents feel more connected and equipped with conversation starters around the learning which has taken place at school; and teachers are able to use Seesaw to record students’ learning and progress. If you have not signed up to SeeSaw as a parent, please contact your child’s classroom teacher and a sign up sheet will be sent home for you to access their online portfolio. As soon as you have the SeeSaw app you will be able to access your child’s online portfolio and see the learning that is taking place in the classroom.

What might you see on SeeSaw?

 

Here are some of the things your son or teacher may post:

  • Work they are proud of
  • Something they figured out
  • Something they did for the first time
  • An example of when they taught someone else
  • Something they learned
  • A reflection

Getting the most out of SeeSaw

As parents, you have an important contribution to make.  By leaving thoughtful comments and questions around the work that your child shares, you are supporting their learning, extending thinking and providing a different perspective.  Comments which positively impact on your child’s learning.  

 

Some examples of positive comments include:

Can you tell me more about…

I can relate to this because…

I am curious about…

What do you think about…

There is no doubt that SeeSaw has opened up wonderful opportunities for students to communicate their learning with a wider audience.  By engaging in SeeSaw students are also learning to become responsible uses of technology with teachers supporting their sharing of material and helping the students to reflect on their posts.

Volunteers are critical members of our College community and we warmly welcome current parents from K-12 to sign up to volunteer! Our College calendar is jam-packed with events throughout the year and we need YOU to help!

 

1. Please visit the College website, and under the ‘Current Parents’ tab you can register to become a volunteer (you will need your Working With Children Check Number) http://www.stgregs.nsw.edu.au/volunteering-at-st-gregorys

2. Once you have registered you will receive an email containing the "Expression of Interest for Volunteering in 2020 Form". This where you can ‘sign up’ to relevant events or activities across the calendar year (remember to check your junk email folder)

 

We look forward to seeing you at one of our events throughout the year!

Meditation in the Junior School

One of our strategic priorities is to create a Respectful and unified College community . Our students will work collaboratively with their peers and staff in an environment that enhances the social and emotional wellbeing of all.

 

As a staff we believe it is important to nurture the emotional wellbeing of our students and have allocated a time for meditation on most days on the class timetable, as a way of calming ourselves and being still.

Classes use a range of strategies including the Smiling Minds app, Christian Meditation and calming music.

 

These are wonderful strategies that can also be used at home to help students take time to be still, alleviate anxiety and look after their mental health.

Reflections from Year 6

Year 6’s Reflections on the start of 2020:

 

 “It has been great making friends with all the new students.” Fletcher


 

“It’s awesome to have so much area to play in, especially the proper soccer oval. A great first week at St Greg’s from my perspective.” Joshua


 

“It has been lots of fun- new teachers, new friends and new technology.” Jacob

 

“Our first round of IPSSO OzTag was great.” Ava S. 

“I have loved making new friends.” Ava B


 

“Absolutely everything is excellent, I’m so glad I’m at St Greg’s!” Max


 

“I have loved the opportunity to play a new sport and just get involved.” Ashleigh


 

“I feel great that I am learning already.” Liam


 

“I am making heaps of new friends.” Mitchell W