Principal's Report

The Life of the World

Dear Parents,

This coming Sunday is the Fifth Sunday of Lent, we are more than halfway through this season of the Church. Perhaps we are at the point of looking for something worthwhile to do for the next two weeks as we prepare for the great celebration of the feast of Easter.  We could look at how we participate as a member of our human family.  Lent is often a time given over to “holy” words of repentance and promises of self-reform but, “However many words you speak, what good will they do if you do not act on them?” (Buddha).

Whatever our culture, religion or language, we want food, shelter and good health.  We want to be able to get up in the morning, enthusiastically, and sleep safely at night.  We want health, safety and happiness for our loved ones. We want to know that our lives are purposeful and sometimes gracious. We want to feel part of something greater than ourselves. St Paul in his inspiring letter to the people of Philippi encouraged them to, “show an agreeable attitude to everyone”. 


Our spirituality is as personal as our breath or our fingerprint, but, as we move through the forty days of Lent, we might on occasion, surrender freely to the quiet within us, to rediscover the resources and strengths that are there. We might begin to see better and appreciate more, the value of our existence, to see ourselves with more gratitude and respect and to see others in a like manner.

Lent challenges us in many ways. It is an opportunity to challenge ourselves to see the good in situations rather than focus on the negatives. When we work with children to help them with issues, we give them strategies to use which assists them in staying positive at school. It is easy for us as adults to identify when children are creating a big issue out of something small, but do we realise when we are doing it ourselves? Researchers have also found that there is more and more evidence that optimism and positive thinking has real health benefits, including a reduction in stress which assists in developing stronger immunity.

HOLY WEEK 

SCHOOL LENTEN REFLECTIONS

During this season of Lent we have continued to share the love of God with others, pray for others and reflect on how we might have shared our faith during this time.

In the last week of the term we will be gathering in the School Hall each morning at 8.35am to reflect on the season of Lent, the message of Jesus and how we can help others by our example and by sharing the Good News.

Parents are very welcome to join us for these Lenten Prayer Reflections which will take place on Monday 3, Tuesday 4, Wednesday 5 and Friday 7 April in the School Hall at 8.35am each morning.

On Thursday 6 April we will gather to celebrate a Whole School Mass commencing at 9.00am at the Infant Jesus Church. 

Senior Swimming Carnival

The Senior Swimming Carnival will be held at the Bayswater Waves Swimming Complex tomorrow.  All students in Years 4 - 6 will be attending this school event. On this day students will need to arrive at school no later than 8.30am as the buses will be leaving the school at approximately 8.45am All students will travel to the pool by bus for the carnival which commences at approximately 9.30am.

All parents are invited and are very welcome to attend. To ensure that the carnival runs smoothly, all students need to:

• Wear their sports uniform, including a school hat.
• Bring their morning tea, lunch and enough water for the day.
• Wear and bring some sunscreen – each bay will be provided with sunscreen.
• Ensure that all clothing, towels etc are clearly labelled.
• Follow the rules for the day, eg. keep their areas tidy, use passes, eg. for the toilet.
• Be aware that this is a school event and the school expectations apply in regards to student behaviour and manners.

Students can bring mascots, to cheer with, however, these are not to be made from paper as this creates mess at the pool. Students cannot dye or colour their hair or draw on themselves with textas, pens, coloured zinc etc.  Students are not to purchase food from the kiosk or have food purchased for them by adults as this is unfair to the other children. Students will sit with their factions throughout the day. A separate area for spectators has also been organised.  Please see the attached Programme of Events for an outline of the day.  

A reminder to parents in Year 4 – Year 6 that if you are taking your child home directly from Bayswater Waves Aquatic Centre, then, you must provide your child’s class teacher with a written letter stating this. Children will not be permitted to go home with another parent. We ask all parents to support this School Policy.

We are sure the students are looking forward to this event and we congratulate them on their efforts this term. We also acknowledge and thank the many parents who have volunteered to assist with the swimming carnival and very much appreciate their co-operation and support.

Best wishes and good luck to all the factions!

​

Infant Jesus Family

Our prayers are with the Rozario family (Ava 2B) whose Uncle recently passed away in Brisbane.  Eternal rest grant unto him Oh Lord.

Prayer

Lord,

Inspire us to act justly, love tenderly and walk

humbly with you, our God.

Breathe upon us your Spirit of Peace that we may be bearers of reconciliation wherever you place us.

  May there be peace in our hearts, in our homes, in our land and between all people.

 Amen

Year 6 Ministries

Congratulations to all our Year 6 students who were presented with their Leadership Badges at this morning’s assembly. The roles and responsibilities of the various Ministries are listed below:

Environmental Care Ministry

The aim of the Environmental Care Ministry is to provide representation to the student body. Each class will hold class meetings and report necessary action to their representative from the Environmental Care Ministry.

 For example:

• care of environment
• care of playground
• care of learning areas/verandahs
• general concerns
• Student Representatives are responsible for passing relevant information to the Principal

Pastoral Care Ministry

The aim of this Ministry is to help develop the faith life of the school, to promote care and respect for all and to help people in need.

Duties include:

• lead whole school in prayer at special times
• Special Feast Day focus
• lead Christian Service Awareness
• organise Fund Raising activities for the school (e.g.  Caritas, Life Link, St Vincent de Paul, Catholic Missions)

Other Charities as appropriate and in consultation with Principal.

Wellness Ministry

The aim of this Ministry is to promote a healthy life style. Their duties are to:

• Support the PE teacher with sport equipment
• Support the school carnivals as necessary
• Organise special games at lunch time
• Care of playground
• Promote a healthy lifestyle

Student Representative Ministry

The aim of the Assembly Ministry is to promote active public speaking and organisation skills.

Their duties are to:

• present at the whole school assembly
• lead & assist with the school prayer at the assembly
• lead & assist with the running of the school assembly
• liaise with class teachers in regard to special needs for class presentations and prayer

Parish Fun Run

The Infant Jesus School Fun Run has become an annual event supporting people in need. The Fun Run has typically been an event focusing on global events of natural disaster.

This year our school has committed to supporting the Infant Jesus Parish to purchase and upgrade the sound system. The close partnership between the parish and the school is highlighted by the words of Pope Francis. Pope Francis explains that the relationship between the family and the Church is so important. He said that the connection between the two is natural, because the Church is a "spiritual family” and the family is a small church. He added that "families and parishes are the two places where we encounter, in every age, that communion of love which has its ultimate source in God.”

The ‘Parish Fun Run,’ will be held next Friday 7 April at various times throughout the day. The children in Years 1-3 will run the event during their normal daily fitness times and Years 4-6 will run the event during the normal sport sessions on Friday afternoon. Pre-Primary children will run the event at a time convenient to them.  Three-Year-Old Kindy and Kindy children will have a collection box for donations in their classroom. Children can run, jog, walk, skip etc around the track. Each child will receive a card to record the number of ‘laps’. 

In preparation for this event, each student will receive a sponsor sheet that ha been sent home. Please collect as many sponsors and/or donations as possible. Children can be sponsored per lap – or for a general donation. We hope that you are passionate and continue to support this worthy event.  We hope you have been collecting!!! 

We ask that parents be aware of who and where their children are going to collect sponsors and donations. Relatives and friends are the safest people to ask.

Parent and Teacher Meetings

Last week, parents had the chance to catch up with class teachers and discuss individual student progress in the year so far.  This is viewed as an important opportunity which supports the education partnership that we believe to be a vital component to student success. 

Once again, where parents and carers were unable to avail themselves over the time scheduled, I would encourage you to organise a more mutually convenient time with your child/ren’s class teacher/s.

NAPLAN 2017

Every year, all Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 students across Australia participate in NAPLAN.  These assessments provide class teachers, the school, the system, the State and the country with valuable information about student ability and needs and are used in conjunction with other assessment data to inform decisions across all levels.

This year NAPLAN will take place from Tuesday 9  May to Thursday 11 May.  If you have any queries or concerns in regards to NAPLAN, please visit the official website at http://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/parent-carer-support/parent-carer-support. You can also speak with your child's classroom teacher or Clare Moffat (Support Coordinator) at the school.

NAPLAN is not something that needs to be or can be ‘studied’ for. Rather it is an assessment based on content and skills taught from the Australian Curriculum. Teachers will ensure that students are comfortable with the style of assessment and alignment with the Australian Curriculum.

NAPLAN is not a pass or fail type test, and is designated to illustrate the range of student performance across the country. It is not expected that students will be able to answer all questions correctly.

Parents will be provided with a NAPLAN report for their child in mid-September. Individual student performance is shown on a national achievement scale for each test. The performance of individual students can be compared to the average performance of all students in Australia.

Mother's Day

On Tuesday, 9 May we will be taking time, as a school, to celebrate some very special women in our lives, our mothers. A whole school Mass will be celebrated in the School Hall commencing at 9:00am, followed by a morning tea, just for mums. 

Mums, please put this date in your calendar.

Term Two Pupil

Free Days

Monday 24 April will be a Pupil Free Day where staff will be participating in a Professional development day on our whole school focus of Mathematics. Tuesday 25 April is ANZAC Day and Public Holiday.

School resumes for students on Wednesday 26th April

Lead your Family

Well

From My Readings This Week…

Lead your family well with these three tips from Michael Grose:


Great parents are family leaders, not just managers of children and their behaviours and anxieties.  Look at any parent who sees herself or himself as a leader and you'll notice they have these three behaviours in common:

1. They absorb children’s fears, insecurities and anxieties, and instil a sense of confidence that these can be overcome. Using a mixture of coaxing, coaching and cajoling they somehow find a way to instil in their children a sense of courage to put themselves in new or potentially awkward social situations; to have a go at activities where failure is a real option; and to contribute to the well-being of others which reduces anxiousness and fear.
2. They accept that life is sometimes confusing for children and teenagers but they manage to convince them that they can cope and life will get better. This certainty provides hope, the antidote to confusion.
3. They mobilise their family to support each other; persuading often self-centred individuals to act for the common good. They inspire generosity not selfishness; giving rather than taking; and action (such as volunteering) that creates better futures.

Parenting, as an industry, has changed. It used to be focused on child management. That is the focus for many ‘experts’ and newbies to the scene, who don’t see the bigger picture.

 But great parenting is more about family leadership than merely focusing on child management. Great leaders offer confidence, certainty and direction. 

That’s exactly what parents who are leaders offer their children too!

Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision...It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.

Andrew Carnegie

Have a GREAT Week - #ExpectGreatThings!

Paul Hille 

Principal