NEWS & ADMINISTRATION

Dear Parents,

This week, I have joined the Year 5/6 students and teachers as we embark on our first camp for the year.  While I am sure the children will have a wonderful time, this is extra time that the staff give up.  New EBA rules around teaching staff and extra time means that I need to pay back the teachers for all the extra time that they give up. This includes the overnight period where they will receive 50% of this time as time in lieu. For example, on this camp the classroom teachers begin to accrue TIL from 4:30pm Wednesday (because they normally have a meeting) until 11:00pm (at 100% pay back) from 11:00pm -7:30am (50% pay back if they do not attend to children). This then happens the next night as well.  Just from this camp, I owe every staff member that goes approx. 22 hours payback. 

A normal school day is only 5 hours therefore this equates to a little over 4 days off work. To help with this, there will be no school for all Year 5/6 children on Tuesday 12th March. 

For all other students from Prep to 4, Tuesday is a normal school day.

This week we also started school tours for Prep 2025.  We had a wonderful first tour with seven families in attendance, all were excited and interested.  If you or someone you know is looking for a place for 2025 at Holy Name, please be sure to collect an enrolment pack from the office.

CAR SHOW

Our car show committee is working hard behind the scenes to get it all ready. Thank you to this committee and our wonderful sponsors. This promises to be a wonderful twilight event which we hope that you will support. There will be a gold coin donation for those older than 12 entering through the gate. 

There is going to be a wonderful assortment of food to choose from, such as the Holy Name sausage sizzle, choc tops, Chef Calamari Food Truck, Bam street food and a Vietnamese Banh Mi food truck, something to cater for everyone's tastebuds.  Come along to our auction (we have some amazing items up for grabs) or visit one of the  stalls that will be set up, such as a matchbox stall, car caricature drawings, Benzina Stables and others. There is still time if you or someone you know, would like to set up a stall. 

Our choir will be singing and we will be holding time trials for our sling shot cars at 5:30pm. There will be temporary tattoos for the children, along with arcade games, playstation racing game on the big screen and a jumping castle for the young ones. The kids corner will be set up in the hall and the quiet area. Be sure to come and visit our remote control car track and try your luck.

Yesterday, we sent raffle tickets home. Each family received a book of 10 raffle tickets. Each ticket is $2.  If you would like more books of raffle tickets, please see Leanne at the office.

We are still looking for volunteers to help at the event and we ask you to share our advertisements when you see them on social media. Please share them with your family and friends and come along and join us on the day.

Grade 5/6 Camp

Yesterday, we had sixty four students depart for Camp at Phillip Island Adventure Resort. The students had a wonderful and busy first day of beach activities and surfing before heading to see the penguins at the Penguin Parade in the evening. Today, they have a full day of activities where they will have to use the dispositions of risk taking, collaboration, persistence, creativeness, inquisitiveness and reflectiveness. We wish them all a wonderful time as they get to know their teachers and each other further and hopefully they all can get some sleep.

Naplan Years 3 and 5

We are once again preparing for Naplan 2024.  Like last year, most of this will be conducted online with the exception of Year 3 writing. The Naplan tests are designed to either move themselves up or down according to the answers that the children submit. So children will not necessarily be doing the same tests. Parents of Years 3 and 5 should read the above attachment.

Parent Teacher Interviews

Parent teacher interviews are a way of keeping in touch with your child's progress.  In 2024 we will be having two face to face interviews and be providing two written reports.

Face to face interviews will be held in Term 1 and 3. The first of these will take place on

21st March 1:30-8:00 (On this day the children will finish school at 1:00pm). You will be able to book an interview through the school interview site or by using the link below or the QR code below. Please note that after school care will be available from 1:00 for anyone requiring this service.

https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/code/mm3t7

In Term 2 and 4 families will be provided with written reports.

Book Club- Issue 2 out now!

Please note that orders will close on Tuesday 12th March.

Italian Day

Cari Genitori/ Dear Parents,

The children have settled in very well into their Italian classes and we are enjoying learning Italian through lots of singing, action related talk and movement, conversation time and a variety of other learning activities.

The Preps are amazing with how beautifully they are settling in and being introduced to a new language! They are great at singing ‘Ciao Buongiorno’ with actions!

The other year levels are learning how to discuss and write about the six Holy Name Learning Dispositions, using the Italian Language, at their particular levels. This enhances the learning that is happening in their own classrooms to strengthen each disposition. They are particularly enjoying learning and singing the ‘Posso essere….’ song with actions, for each disposition. In fact they sing the Italian parts even better than the English! I’m sure they would be happy to sing it for you at home.

This year, our Italian Day celebrations will be on Wednesday 12th June, which is in Term 2. We will celebrate it with a ‘Carnevale Theme’. Every alternate year, we celebrate Carnevale Day, but this year, Carnevale fell a bit too early in the school year for us to celebrate at the authentic time when it is celebrated in Italy, which is just before the start of Lent, which was in early February.

Because the children enjoy celebrating Carnevale and getting dressed up in colourful clothes and making and wearing their own mask, we decided to celebrate it anyway, even if it is not at the authentic time. Just like some people celebrate ‘Christmas in July’, we will celebrate ‘Carnevale in June’! The children will be aware of this cultural event and its significance and also that we are celebrating it at a different time to the Italian celebrations.

Each child will be making their own mask to wear on the day, during their Art sessions in Term 2.  Although it is still a long way to go, you could be having some fun thinking about what Carnevale costume your child/children would like to wear on the day. 

We will be having all the traditional events on the day, such as a Parade of costumes first thing in the morning, which parents and families are most welcome to attend - and come dressed up too if you wish! Then during the day, we will be enjoying an Italian lunch, watching an Italian interactive incursion, having our traditional soccer tournament and other fun activities in our House Colour groups.

Look out for more details closer to the time. Looking forward to celebrating the learning of Italian at our school with our Italian Day with a Carnevale theme!

Grazie mille! Many thanks!

Ciao from Signora Bregu

M.A.D TEAM

On Wednesday evening, our M.A.D. (Maintenance and Development) team dads had their first social event for the year. It was a well attended event and a great social night of table tennis and pizza. Special thanks to Mark and Adrian for organising the event.

Classroom Reps

Each year we put out a call for classroom reps. A classroom rep's role is to acts as a conjuit between the school and the parents. They are also the point of call for new parents that may join Holy Name and they organise one or two outings for the either the whole group (children and parents) or just parents. Now that everyone has had a chance to settle for 2025, we asking for class reps. Please let Leanne know if this is something you are interested in.

Canteen

Just a reminder that if you place a lunch order in advance and your child is unwell, you need to cancel it prior to 8.30am on the day.