Principal’s Report

Today I write my piece for the newsletter from Canberra. It is such a privilege to be with the Grade 6 students during this time. The staff on these experiences watch our students grow and develop with perseverance and positivity. Thanks to the staff who give their time to attend these camps and thank you to our parents for giving us their children to treasure during this time.

During these days students will be given the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage and democracy.

School Swimming Carnival

What a wonderful day we all had last Thursday for the School Swimming Carnival, a beautiful day of fun and competition. Special thanks to Alana Vaughan for the preparation and success of the day. Congratulations to goes to Backhaus house on their win for the day.

What is Harmony Week?

It is a time to celebrate Australian multiculturalism and the successful integration of migrants into our community. Australia is one of the most successful multicultural countries in the world and we should celebrate this and work to maintain it. Harmony Week is about inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background, united by a set of core Australian values.

Harmony Week is celebrated during the week which includes 21 March, which is the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Our classrooms are undertaking some different activities to acknowledge this week.

Caritas Ks

Thursday 28th of March we look forward to running the annual Caritas K’s event beginning at 9:00 am. All parents are welcome to come down and enjoy the walk/run with the students. We will encourage no dogs during the event due to child safety. Whilst the students enjoy the opportunity to walk and run around Lake Weeroona, the Caritas Ks is an opportunity to fundraise and educate people at our school, and the wider community in social justice, with the aim of inspiring them to "be more" and "be a voice" for the poorest in our world.

Final Liturgy & End of Term

School term finishes Thursday 28th of March at 2:30 pm. Preceeding the end of term our students will participate in a final liturgy in the hall at 2 pm.

School Cross Country

Wednesday 17th April - see next week’s newsletter for further details.

Winter Uniform

Students continue to wear their summer school uniform for the remainder of Term 1 and transition into winter uniform commencing with the start of Term 2. Our school based uniform shop sells all items via QKR app. Please note hats are to be worn until the 30th of April. See our school website for details.

NAPLAN

Over the next two weeks our Year 3 and Year 5 students engage in the National Assessment Program of Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). NAPLAN assesses skills important for every child to progress through school and life, such as reading, writing, spelling, grammar and numeracy. It is essential to remember that NAPLAN is not about passing or failing, but about assessing learning progress. It is also important to remember that NAPLAN does not assess all the ways that your child is a learner and a contributor to life. Every day we celebrate the learning growth your child is making; during NAPLAN our Government agencies use a standardised assessment to measure growth. It gives some important information about how we are travelling as a school community and how our students perform in standardised testing scenarios. I thank Miss Holmes and Mrs Whiteacre for the support they have provided to teachers and students in setting up for NAPLAN. Your efforts are much appreciated. If you have any questions about NAPLAN please don’t hesitate to ask your child’s teacher or Mrs Whiteacre.

School Photos

School Photo Day will be held on Tuesday 26th March from 9 am. On this day students need to wear full summer uniform - no sports uniform to be worn. Further information is found in this newsletter.

Volunteers and Working With Children Checks

At St Kilian's Primary School, we value the support of volunteers. Our volunteers are integral to the school experience for our students and they provide an important link to the community. We welcome your interest in volunteering and hope you will find the experience rewarding. Catholic Education Sandhurst Ltd and St Kilian's Primary School's priority is the health, safety and wellbeing of staff and children. For this reason, we follow all measures, advice and orders that support this. The school requires that any adult who wishes to volunteer at St Kilian’s School, in any capacity, requires a current Working with Children Check (WWCC). Parents who are teachers do not need a check but need to provide a current VIT registration. Parents who are Police officers are exempt from needing a WWCC. Attaining a volunteers WWCC is free and easy. Simply click on the following link for more information: http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/home/ If you already have a WWCC please email a copy to office@skbendigo.catholic.edu.au

Upcoming events

Week 8

21st March: Mass- Gr 1 & 2
21st March: National Close the Gap Day
21st March: Harmony Day
22nd March: Gr 4 guest author Glenda Millard
24th March: Palm Sunday

Week 9

26th March: School Photo Day
28th March: Caritas Ks
28th March: Holy Week Liturgy
28th March: Early Dismissal Final Day of Term 1

God Bless

Kimberley McSweeney

Principal

General School Information