Whole School News
St Philomena's School
Open Day
Tuesday 8th March 2016
School tours will be conducted with staff at 11.30am, 12.00noon and 12.30pm.
Open Day is a wonderful opportunity to experience a day in the life of St Philomena’s School Moree. St Philomena’s School provides students with a Catholic education in a caring, disciplined environment where striving for excellence and respect for others are promoted.
Open Day will be held during Catholic Schools Week. The theme for 2016 is “I Belong. You Belong. We Belong.” Come and see our vibrant school community and consider St Philomena’s School as your school of choice.
Application forms for enrolment for 2017 are now available at the School Office.
Visit our school website at www.stphilomenasmoree.nsw.edu.au
Learning Centre / Library News
Belinda Bremner
Just a reminder that the Premier’s Reading Challenge begins this Monday 7th March. To register your child/ren please use the link below.
NSW Premier's Reading Challenge
Below is a brief outline of what the NSW premier’s Reading Challenge is and what it involves. For further information please go to
https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/home.html
where you should be able to find the answers to any questions you may have.
The Challenge opens on Monday 7th March 2016. You must complete your online Student Reading Record by Friday 19th August 2016 (11:59 pm) to complete the The NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge. It aims to encourage a love of reading for enjoyment and enrichment in students, and enable them to experience quality literature. It is not a competition but a challenge to each student - to read, to read more and to read more widely.
The Challenge involves over 300,000 students from Kindergarten to Year 9 and more than 2100 government, non-government and home schools. The NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge booklists opens doors to a rich collection of children’s literature representing a range of books including fiction, non-fiction, picture books, poetry and drama, and include a wide variety of Australian authors.
It is a fabulous way to encourage students to read. It can also be part of their Home Reading program as we have many of the books in our library.
Scholastic Book Club
What is LOOP?
LOOP, our Linked Online Ordering & Payment platform, allows parents to order and pay for their child's Book Club requirements in one simple online process.
LOOP orders are linked to your school and your Book Club Ordering Group. Orders sit pending until you submit the final school order to us.
If parents want to pay by credit card for online Book Club orders, LOOP makes it easy! Orders will be submitted safely and soundly to schools, eliminating the need for paper order forms.
Please see the attached PDF for further information.
2016 International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS)
Students across Year 2 to Year 10 have an opportunity to enter in the 2016 International Competitions and Assessment for Schools (ICAS).
The aims of the competitions are to monitor individual progress, recognise and reveal achievement and provide a comprehensive analysis of student performance. These competitions allow an opportunity for students to gain a measure of their own achievement in an external situation.
All entries and payment will need to be returned to the office no later than Wednesday 30th March 2016. These items are available for payment on the Qkr app. Contact the office for further information if you do not yet have access and are interested in paying this way.
Please note - the permission form still needs to be signed and returned to school.
Technology News
CYBER SAFETY - Senior Constable Ron Halliday
On Monday 29th February, Senior Constable Ron Halliday presented sessions on Cyber Safety to students from Stage 2, 3 and 4. Students learn what to do about unacceptable online behaviour and how to develop good safe online practices to discourage bullying and invasions of privacy.
Ron also presented a session to parents at our combined Cyber Safety and Google Parent Information Night.
Although our students are taught about Internet safety as they progress through our school, it is also important that parents and carers are fully aware of the how their child uses the internet.
Follow these tips for ensuring your child's safety when using the internet:
> Talk to your child about what they’re up to online. Be a part of their online life; involve the whole family and show an interest.
> Watch cyber safety films and cartoons with your child. The Thinkuknow site is one resource that has films, games and advice for children from five all the way to 16.
> Encourage your child to go online and explore! Encourage them to use sites which are fun, educational and that will help them to develop online skills.
> Set boundaries in the online world just as you would in the real world. Think about what they might see, what they share, who they talk to and how long they spend online. It is important to discuss boundaries at a young age to develop the tools and skills children need to enjoy their time online.
> Keep all equipment that connects to the internet in a family space. It is important to keep internet use in family areas so you can see the sites your child is using and be there for them if they stumble across something they don’t want to see.
> Know what connects to the internet and how. Nowadays even the TV connects to the internet. Make sure you’re aware of which devices that your child uses connect to the internet, such as their phone or games console. Also, find out how they are accessing the internet – is it your connection, or a neighbour’s wifi? This will affect whether the safety setting you set are being applied.
> Use parental controls on devices that link to the internet, such as the TV, laptops, computers, games consoles and mobile phones. Parental controls are not just about locking and blocking, they are a tool to help you set appropriate boundaries as your child grows and develops. They are not the answer to your child’s online safety, but they are a good start.
GOOGLE APPS FOR EDUCATION - Mike Reading Visit
On Monday 29th February and Tuesday 1st March, Mike Reading from Using Technology Better, conducted both staff and student sessions to upskill us in the use of Google Apps for Education.
In conjunction with Ron Halliday, Mike also presented a session at our Cyber Safety and Google Parent Information Night, informing parents of how our students are using Google Apps in the classroom, as well as providing some tips on ways these tools are useful for everyone.
We would like to thank the St Philomena’s P&F for sponsoring Mike Reading’s session and making this possible.
Here are some useful links for parents on Cyber Safety:
ThinkUKnow - http://www.thinkuknow.org.au/
Office of the Children’s Safety Commissioner - https://esafety.gov.au/
SchoolAtoZ -http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/technology/cybersafety
Netsmartz - http://www.netsmartz.org/Parents
Moree Show
Moree Junior Art Section 2016
Open to all ages
Entry fee: 50 cents.
You may only enter once.
Each age group may enter a ‘free-choice’ themed artwork or check out the different categories for each age group.
Presentation of artwork
(Individual artwork) The artwork must be presented on paper no smaller than 30 x 25cm.
Due date
Artworks must be delivered to the art room by Friday 1st April. Each entry must have your name, age, school year and school name on the back.
Harmony Day Poster Competition
The Harmony Day Poster Competition is an annual initiative open to all primary and secondary students across NSW and ACT. Students are encouraged to visually articulate their interpretation of the 2016 theme – “STOP, THINK AND CONSIDER OTHERS”.
Entries should reflect one or more of the following principles:
> Our society is made up of different people from different backgrounds.
>While we are unique, we all share the goal of wanting to live together in harmony, peace and understanding.
> We must respect others religion, gender and race.
> We must not accept hate, violence or unfair treatment of any person or group.
> We must strive to give all Australians equal opportunities and assist those who are less fortunate than ourselves.
> We are proud to be Australian.
Prizes
Prizes will be awarded to those students whose posters best illustrate an innovative approach to the “Stop, Think and Consider Others“ theme. All entrants will receive a Certificate of Participation.
State winner is $500 and Regional winner is $150 for both Primary and Secondary.
Due date for this entry is Thursday 24th March 2016. They are to be delivered to the artroom with entry form filled out and attached to the back.
See Miss Gardiner for more information.