Around The Primary

Dear Parents

Thank you for your ongoing support during these uncertain and challenging times.

As part of our preparation for the possibility that schools may close, all students from Year 4-6 will be bringing home their iPads each day. At the time of a school closure, all students from Year 1-3 will be provided with a school iPad.

This week the staff have been working hard to prepare a Resource Pack for each student (Kindy – Year 6). The teachers have also spent some time talking to the students about what their learning program at home might look like. They discussed all the wonderful learning activities currently being planned and showed students a sample of a ‘Weekly Grid Overview’ and ‘Wellbeing Grid’ which will outline activities across the core learning areas.

In the event of closure, parents will be provided with guidelines to assist their children’s learning at home. (Further details will follow.) I encourage all parents to read the attached article by Michael Grose as it provides some useful ideas about how to inform, reassure and keep children safe during this unprecedented time.

The Coronavirus presents many practical challenges to us all and it is during these difficult times we need to look-out for each other and be mindful of the common good in everything we do. The College will continue to provide updates to families. Thank you for your understanding and if you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kind regards

Antoinette De Pinto

Head of Primary

Do you have a child due to start Kindy in 2022?

If so, please make sure that our Enrolments’ Manager, Elizabeth Schollum, has the enrolment form so that your child can be included on our 2022 sibling Kindy list.  Please phone 9383 0449 for enrolment enquiries.

NAPLAN Update

This year’s NAPLAN tests have ben cancelled for Years 3, 5, 7 and 9.

Cancelled Events

As the College continues to work closely with Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA) and health authorities to monitor the Coronavirus situation, the following Primary events have been cancelled:

Please check the College Website to note all the important Primary school event updates  http://www.johnxxiii.edu.au/view/for-parents/calendars

Celebrations of Mass

In alignment with government guidelines relating to novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), the Archbishop has temporarily suspended, until 1 April, all public celebrations of Mass. The Archbishop states:

All public Masses at all churches and chapels across the Archdiocese of Perth will be temporarily suspended from receipt of these directives on Wednesday 18 March 2020. This temporary suspension of public Masses within the Archdiocese of Perth is in place for an initial period of two weeks between Wednesday 18 March 2020 and Wednesday 1 April 2020. Subsequent revisions and advice will be given prior to Wednesday 1 April 2020 in relation to this temporary suspension.

During these two weeks the College will make available to the community a PowerPoint presentation of a short Liturgy of the Word, to take the place of our Friday Community Liturgy.

Sacramental Update

Do you have a child currently in Year 3, 4 or 6? The students in these classes will continue to be prepared to celebrate in their parishes the sacrament of Reconciliation, First Communion and the sacrament of Confirmation, however parish celebrations of sacraments are to be postponed.

Due to current circumstances, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe has released a statement outlining temporary changes to the Preparation and Celebration of Sacraments for School Aged Children in the Archdiocese of Perth in relation to Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The Archbishop advises:

Celebrations of the Sacraments of Confirmation, Eucharist and Penance for the first time are by their very nature events which bring the faith community together in their local parish…

I commit the Archdiocese of Perth to the support of, and compliance with … government directives and the associated and instructive public health advice.

Given the risks associated with the spread of COVID-19, it is necessary to put in place measures that will protect the health and safety of the community.

I therefore direct that all celebrations of the Sacraments that were planned for 2020 be temporarily suspended. This temporary suspension will also apply to gatherings associated with these celebrations such as parent evenings and workshops.

At the end of the Sacrament Program units of work in Years 3, 4 and 6, students will receive from the College a certificate of completion.  Parishes will require the certificate in order for the students to participate in parish celebrations of sacraments, once they have resumed. 

Further information is available from the website of the Perth Archdiocese: http://www.perthcatholic.org.au/Home.htm

Alternatively, contact Mary-Anne Lumley: mary-anne.lumley@cewa.edu.au

Counsellor's Corner

The last few weeks have been a challenging landscape for parents. The following resources have been collated which I hope will be useful to help children and parents navigate the current uncertainty: 

• Emerging minds, https://emergingminds.com.au/resources/helping-children-cope-with-stress-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak/ has released resources to help children cope with stress during the corona virus including a video about how to talk to children about challenging world events and worries for the future. https://vimeo.com/394049129
• Headspace also has some useful tips. https://headspace.org.au/young-people/how-to-cope-with-stress-related-to-covid-19/
• Attached is the Australian Psychological Society tips for coping with anxiety about the coronavirus.

• Parenting Ideas one of Australia’s most trusted source of parent education has blogs books and webinars offering sensible practical parenting advice. Attached is some advice on how to help children during the coronavirus crisis.
• The following webinars can be accessed for free using the following codes:

            Managing your child’s anxiety :Voucher code: ANXIETY

             Brave parenting in a Culture Riddled with Worry: Voucher code BRAVE

             Future Proofing your child; Voucher Code: FUTURE

             Understanding Techno Tantrums; Voucher code: TECHNO

             Parenting like a cat and dog. Voucher code: METAPHOR

• Urstrong; respected experts in children’s friendship skills has offered free lifetime access to their URSTRONG Family membership to our school community. This includes their Language of Friendship Video series as well as the Parent Resource Centre which has extensive activities, articles and videos for parents to share with their kids. To access this complimentary membership visit here and use the coupon code URSTRONG.

If I can be of any assistance please don’t hesitate to email me; anne.murphy@cewa.edu.au or

9383 0469.

Anne Murphy

Primary Counsellor 

Sports Update

We had a very successful day at the West Coast Futsal Championship last Friday.  The level of competition was very high and both our under 11 and under 12 teams performed extremely well.  Our under 11’s made it to the grand final after scoring in golden goal extra time in the semi-final.  They finished runners up to a very skillful team from Lake Joondalup Baptist College.  Well done to all the players for their excellent team work.

Let’s remember to stay active to maintain our health and fitness.

Mr Steve Williams

Primary Sport Coordinator