Principals Message

Last week, Week 9, was an extraordinarily busy week in our school community, followed by yet another busy week this week, Week 10

Grooving to the Groups

This event was an outstanding performance showcasing learning at St Philomena’s School and on this occasion in the strand of Dance. Dance sits in both the K-6 PDHPE (Personal Development, Health and Physical Education) and Creative Arts syllabuses. In the 7-10 curriculum, Dance sits in the Personal Development, Health and Physical Education syllabus and can be studied as an elective subject in some schools from Years 9-12. The staff dance took everyone by surprise on Wednesday night, and like all the others, was exceptional entertainment!

Grandparents' Day

The school buzzed with the presence of these wise folk, who for some had travelled long distances to spend time with their children and grandchildren. They enjoyed our school performance, public speaking finals, an experience around learning in the 21st century, a community ballet concert and our spectacular fair. Please thank, on our behalf, these wise and wonderful folk.

Spring Fair Success

After months of planning and despite drought conditions, the annual Spring Fair can be considered to be a major financial success and a day that brought joy to many. Thank you to the Parents and Friends Association, Karoliina McGregor (2019 Spring Fair Coordinator), parents, grandparents, staff and students who were part of this most successful event. Generous donations from sponsors and our parent community flowed into our school. The Spring Fair is a massive undertaking. Congratulations to Karoliina and her team on the success of 2019!

Primary Public Speaking Finals

Public speaking across Years 3-6 forms part of the learning experience in the English curriculum. Congratulations to the students who presented their speeches. Well done to those who were awarded winner and runner up in their groups. Using explicit criteria, external judges award the winner and runner up titles. Every year the judging panel offer compliments around the high standard of our young speakers. Further into our newsletter will inform who the winners and runners up are.

Zine Poetry

Yesterday Year 7 showcased the culmination of learning around their Zine poetry to the school and parent community. Thanks to those who were able to attend and view the student poetry.

Year 10 Students Work Experience

Our students are this week out and about in the community gaining an experience in the real world of work. This experience is designed as a taste of working life, in an area of interest or in some cases, one they will continue beyond the gates of the school.

New Canteen Menu Launch

Week 1 of Term 4 will see the launch of our new canteen menu! Much work has gone into the planning and testing of this new menu which sits successfully beside the measures of healthy canteen guidelines. As with many other places with financial handling needs, the canteen is working towards being a predominantly cashless facility via the use of our QKR! App. Thanks to the parent committee who have worked with the canteen staff to bring this new menu to fruition.

Year 6 Excursion

The students, staff and parent volunteers are having a great time at Lake Keepit Recreation Centre! A very early departure on Monday morning, gives four days of fun and skill development, linked to the strands of Active Lifestyle and Games and Sport of the K-6 PDHPE curriculum. While water activities are light on, there is a never ending stream of fabulous land activities to be challenged by.

NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy)

Individual Student Reports for NAPLAN have now been distributed. Should you not have received your child’s report at this stage, please contact the school. NAPLAN tests the sorts of skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life, such as reading, writing, spelling, grammar and numeracy. It is important to remember that NAPLAN is not about passing or failing, but about assessing learning progress. At classroom and whole school level, NAPLAN is one of a number of important tools used by teachers to measure student progress. Schools have access to extensive individual school based data and use this in strategic ways to support learning. The following website has useful information for parent use https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/parent-carer-support/

Operational Changes to School Access prior to 8:25am

St Philomena's School is committed to providing a safe environment for all our students when they are in the duty of care of the school.

At St Philomena’s School the inclusive period of supervision (duty of care) for a regular school day is between the operational hours of:

8:25am - 3:20pm or until the last bus leaves for secondary students

8:30am - 3:20pm or until the last bus leaves for primary students

Parents and guardians have responsibility for their children

travelling to and from school

supervising before and after the operational hours of the school

Due to the increased amount of students arriving to the school grounds from as early as 7:45am significant concern from staff for the safety and welfare of unsupervised students is present.

As of Monday 14 October 2019, school entry points will not be open for student access until 8:25am.

Planning for 2020

Our 2020 planning needs information from our parent community. OTHER THAN students in Year 6 and Year 10, if you know that your child/children will not be returning to St Philomena’s in 2020, please complete the form below. We appreciate your early notification.

https://forms.gle/8yxoscqjJCXeq7yR8

DROUGHT RELIEF

At this time of drought which is affecting so many in our community, the school and The Catholic Schools Office are aware that some families may be suffering hardship. Families whose income has been affected by the current drought are asked to contact the Principal to discuss any assistance that the school may be able to offer.

Parents & Friends Association News