School News
Upcoming Dates, RE News, Library News & Important Updates
SCHOOL CALENDAR
Please click here to access our school calendar to view all important upcoming dates. St Edward's Parent Calendar can also be accessed via your Compass Portal. From the Compass app you can access the calendar from the calendar symbol at the bottom of the screen. If you are accessing Compass via a browser the calendar symbol is on the top left.
R.E. NEWS
Opening School Mass
Students from Years 1- 6 will attend Mass at Mary Help of Christians Church next Tuesday 7th February at 10.00am. All parents are welcome to celebrate the beginning of a new school year. The School Leaders will have their badges blessed by Father Paul and receive them in a special ceremony during the Mass (parents of the leaders should have received an invite to the Mass this week). We hope to see you there!
First Confession Enrolment Mass and Information Session
First Confession for our Year 2 candidates is fast approaching. The First Confession (Reconciliation) Enrolment Mass and Information Session will be held at Mary Help of Christians Church on Saturday 11th February at 3.00pm. It is a parish requirement that all candidates wishing to receive the Sacrament of Confession attend an Enrolment Mass. Classroom teachers will be at the Mass to collect the enrolment cards and to mark your child’s attendance.
The date for First Confession is Tuesday 28th March at 4.00pm
Sacramental Dates 2023
First Eucharist:
Enrolment Mass & Information Session: Saturday 29th April at 5.00pm - Information session, followed by Mass at 5.30pm.
Sacrament: Sunday 18th June 9.00am
Confirmation:
Enrolment Mass & Information Session: Saturday 29th April at 5.00pm - Information session, followed by Mass at 5.30pm.
Sacrament: Sunday 17th September
(TBC depending on Bishop Kennedy's schedule)
Advanced Notice - Family Mass: Years K, 3 & 6
Our first Family Mass is on Sunday 19th February at 9.00am. Please come along to gather as a School and Parish community. The students from Kinder, Years 3 & 6 will be involved in the Mass as readers, the offertory procession and by serving morning tea after the Mass. Families from Kinder, Years 3 & 6 are asked to bring a plate of food to share. Everyone is welcome to attend.
LIBRARY NEWS
Welcome to the Library 2023.
Included in this newsletter are:
*Library days for each class
*NSW Premier's Reading Challenge invitation and instructions
*Library Clubs and opening days on each campus, so please keep reading.
Our library schedule will get off and running properly next week, Week 3.
Please note that EVERY student is expected to have a library bag on their library day and this was a part of the school supply lists. Anything that gives the library books some protection on their way between home and school, and is practical for school, is fine. Even an old, clean pillowcase is good to use.
We have many library events lined up for this year so it will be another exciting year for our students. Information will be shared as the weeks go by but we can get started straight way.
Class Library Days - starting next week
Cycle A - ODD weeks
Monday: 3R and 3C
Tuesday: 3P
Wednesday: All Yr 4 (except next week is Tuesday 14 February)
Thursday: All Year 1 and all Year 2 - every week
Friday: All Kindergarten - every week
Cycle B - EVEN weeks
Monday: All Year 5
Tuesday:
Wednesday: All Year 6
Thursday: All Year 1 and all Year 2 - every week
Friday: All Kindergarten - every week
NSW Premier's Reading Challenge
We are very excited to give the students at St Edward’s Primary School the opportunity to participate in the 2023 NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge. This is a proud tradition at St Edward’s and every student is invited wholeheartedly to participate.
The Challenge aims to encourage in students a love of reading for leisure and pleasure, and to enable students to experience quality literature. It is not a competition but a challenge for each student to read, to read more and to read more widely. There is an age appropriate list of books that participants can choose from to read (also be read to) and if they experience the required amount of books they will receive a special Premier’s Reading Challenge certificate.
The Challenge begins on Monday 27 February and runs until Friday 18 August, 2022.
PLEASE NOTE!! Any books on the list that your child has read (or you have read to your child for K-2) over the summer holidays can be counted for this year’s challenge.
Further information can be obtained from the following website:
https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/home.html
If you are interested in registering your child / children for the challenge, please complete the online form by Monday 27 February. We will then send home any further information necessary to log in and get started. Replies later than this date are not a problem as you can start any time but the closing date remains the same.
St Edward's Library Clubs
The clubs include:
Early Bird Reading Club: from 8.15am every day when each campus is open.
Monday: Lego Club - Primary
Tuesday: Games Club - Primary
Wednesday: Lego Club or Craft Club - Primary
Born to Buzz About Books - fortnightly at Primary
Thursday: Lego Club - Infants
Friday: Games and Lego Club - Infants
Encourage your child to be a part of our busy, happy, vibrant library community by occasionally joining in with any or all of these activities.
What day is the library open on each campus?
Primary: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday every week.
Infants: Thursday and Friday every week.
Both campuses are open:
From 8.15am for Early Bird reading and sticker collecting; and Recess and Lunch in playtime for reading, drawing and various clubs.
See you in the Library,
Mrs Annie Madden
K-6 Teacher Librarian
School Facebook Page
Social media has become an integral part of many people's daily lives, and it can be a valuable tool for schools to use as well. By utilizing platforms such as Facebook, schools can easily and quickly share information, updates, and events with parents, students, and the wider community. Additionally, social media can be used to promote the school, showcase its educational offerings, and celebrate student achievements.
Our school has a Facebook page that we actively use to engage with our community and share important information. We use the page to promote upcoming events, share news and updates, and showcase the educational opportunities available to students.
Additionally, we use the page to celebrate student achievements, whether it be through sharing photos of class projects, highlighting individual student accomplishments, or showcasing school-wide successes.
It is important to note that any interaction on our school's Facebook page should adhere to our code of conduct and be respectful of other users. Anyone who does not interact with the page in an appropriate manner will be reported accordingly. To ensure that you are interacting with our official school page, please ensure that the page is named "St Edward's Primary Tamworth" and features our school logo and a photo of the front of the school.
We also encourage parents and members of the community to exercise caution when interacting with unofficial school pages or forums on social media as they may not align with our official messages or policies. By interacting with our official school page, you can be sure that you are receiving accurate and up-to-date information directly from the school. Your class teacher is best placed to answer your questions.
Parents Supporting Children & Technology
In today’s digitally connected world, parents have to manage their own relationship with the internet and mobile devices, along with managing their children’s use of and exposure to the same technology. This brings with it a host of both benefits and challenges. To help, parents and carers are encouraged to join one of the free webinars to learn the latest strategies for helping their children with using technology at home. Please peruse the website for more information and timing of the webinars.
SCHOOL TV
Today parents face a multitude of modern day challenges in raising happy, well and resilient young people. Whilst there is a great deal of information available, this can often be confusing and overwhelming for parents looking for guidance.
SchoolTV addresses this as an online resource designed to empower you as parents with credible and sound information with realistic, practical ongoing support strategies.
Check out the resources on our school website