Dear Parents and Friends,

I hope you are all well. It's been a very busy time over the last couple of weeks and students have participated in numerous events detailed below.

Welcome BBQ

It was wonderful to see many of you attend the Welcome BBQ last Friday after school. Hopefully our students enjoyed the food and drinks as well as playing with their friends. This event also provided parents and friends with an opportunity to catch up with others in the school community. Thanks to our Parents' Association for organising and running this event.

Camp

On Monday our students in Years 5/6 left for camp at The Ranch on the Mornington Peninsula. While students primarily participate in outdoor activities, the camp also had a real focus on building self esteem and teamwork. All of the students had a wonderful time and participated enthusiastically. They were very well behaved and great ambassadors for St. Christopher's. Thanks to Mrs De Filippis and Mrs Giblett for organsing the camp and for looking after our students so well. A special thanks to Fr Ralph for visiting and celebrating a mass with our group. Fr Ralph followed mass with a fun singalong. Our 5/6 students will share Camp details at our assembly on Friday.

Teaching for Improvement in Mathematics (TIM)

Recently the teachers from Prep - Year 2 and myself, undertook professional learning in the area of Mathematics instruction. The Teaching for Impact in Mathematics (TIM) Series provides professional learning support and resources to teachers and leaders to get the most from the new teaching resources. Working from a robust research and evidence base, the TIM Series supports teachers and leaders to build more high-impact instruction into their classrooms and schools, to accelerate learning for all students. The new resources and knowledge will be implemented over coming months in our junior classrooms. The program will eventually be made available to all learning levels. Further information will be shared throughout the year.

Cyber Safety

On Monday 18th March the Year 4 and 6 students will be participating in a cybersafety education program called 'ThinkUKnow' run by Senior Constable Heath Williams from Victoria Police.

ThinkUKnow is a cybersafety education program delivered in partnership by the Australian Federal Police, Microsoft Australia, Datacom and the Commonwealth Bank, and in collaboration with state and territory police agencies.

The in-school presentation aims to build positive engagement between children, young people and police, while equipping students with the knowledge and skills to be able to take actionable steps to maintain their safety at all times.

For more information visit: https://www.thinkuknow.org.au/

Wedding Wishes

Last Friday during our assembly, each class presented Miss Calafiore with special messages and wishes. These included marriage advice and date ideas! Miss Calafiore will be getting married this coming Saturday. We wish her and fiance Michael all the best for a long, happy and loving life together.

Naplan

NAPLAN testing will commence next week. It is a national literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. Naplan allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national standards and over time. NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process. It doesn’t replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance, but it can provide teachers with additional information about students’ educational progress. Please read the article below regarding Dr Justin Coulson's review of NAPLAN.

Welcome Mass

Last Friday all students attended the Welcome Back to school mass. During his homily Father Ralph highlighted the importance of being kind and nice to everyone, even those people we sometimes don't always get along well with.

Assembly

Our assembly will take place tomorrow in the hall at 3pm. Our 5/6 students will share some details about their camp at The Ranch. It will also include our students of the week. All welcome.

Easter Raffle

It's on again. Our famous Easter Raffle! Please see the details on the 'Easter Raffle, Parents Association' page.

If you have any concerns regarding your child's learning or wellbeing, please contact their teacher or myself. Enjoy the long weekend.

Regards

Shane Davoren

Students of the week