SCHOOL NEWS

Learning

YEAR THREE NEWS

Welcome to Term Two! The children are eager to begin exploring the location of Australian states, territories, capital cities and major regional centres of Western Australia. They will discover how different cultural groups and events have played in the development and characteristics of our communities.  

In Religion, we will begin the term focusing on moral choices and how, like Jesus, we can choose what is right.  We then focus upon Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit to strengthen His followers. The unit introduces the children to the power of the Holy Spirit and how Catholics today receive this special strength of the Holy Spirit through the Sacrament of Confirmation. We also explore the human experience of belonging to a community. This leads children to wonder about God, who gave us our communities. As we wonder at the power of communities, we begin to understand the community in God – the three Persons in One God (Trinity).  

During English, the children will develop their reading skills of comprehension, accuracy, fluency and vocabulary. We will continue to use comprehension strategies, focusing on connecting, skimming, scanning and inferential questioning. They will be exposed to a variety of text types in particular recounts and information reports. The children will complete an assignment about a ‘special place’ in Australia which they will present to the class. We will continue to study the patterns in words and learn new sounds to assist in our spelling.

In Mathematics, the children will investigate the relationship between addition and subtraction and use this understanding to solve everyday problems that they encounter. The children will also investigate fractions in their lives and create written, pictorial and physical representations of halves, thirds, quarters, and fifths. Time will be a large focus of our learning and we encourage every child to be exposed to analogue clocks at home. The children will learn how to read analogue clocks to the minute and the relationship between common units of time. We will discover angles in our classroom and classify them according to size. The language of chance will also be developed and we will be encouraging children to use these words regularly in their daily vocabulary. The children will continue to play games, chant, write and sing their times tables to develop fluency.

Our Integrated Studies programme will focus on understanding the location of the states, territories, capital cities and other major locations of Australia. The children will discover the major attractions of our country and develop an awareness of our continent. They will look at how each capital city is unique and how different cultural groups have shaped our nation.

Technology plays a large part in the Year Three curriculum. It is important that along with developing technological skills, the children develop a respect and understanding of the Internet. We are continuing to teach the children about digital citizenship but we encourage you to keep an open communication with your child about using technology responsibly. STEAM with Miss Phoebe will continue to take place every Thursday afternoon.

PERFORMING ARTS 

This will be another exciting Term for our budding musicians at Infant Jesus. The Choir, Concert Band, Ensembles and Soloists shall all turn their attention towards finessing the finer details of Performance in readiness of the Catholic Performing Arts Festival.

With the Festival fast approaching, just a reminder that  entries close on 8 May. If you are interested in your child participating in the Festival please contact me boddy.nicole@cewa.edu.au.

Please note no child will be eligible to enter after this date, so please if considering contact me immediately. 

Nicole Boddy

Book Club Announcement

The best gift any parent/carer can give their child is the love of learning and the joy and benefits of quality literature. Children who read at home, or are read to, have a head start on reading success in school.

Please support our School by ordering Scholastic Book Club. Each order helps earn free books and teaching materials for our school. A Book Club catalogue will come home with your child twice a term during the school year. It contains a vast selection of books offered including a wide range of reading levels and interests. You’ll find award-winning books, as well as old and new favourites.

Every catalogue now contains gold coin books which are only $1 or $2, making it even more affordable to participate. It is easy to order. Just look over the catalogue with your child,  select the books you want, mark them on the order form on the back of the catalogue and either:

• 1. Return the order form to the office with payment of cash by the due date.
• 2. Log onto a computer and sign into the Loop website and pay by credit
• 3. Download the App and order on your phone/tablet. https://mybookclubs.scholastic.com.au

Our first catalogue will be sent home with your child tomorrow and orders must be completed by Friday 12 May.  If you have any problems please contact Jenny in the library.

Thank you for your support.

Jenny Houwen Library Officer

Engagement

P&F News

LOOSE CHANGE CHALLENGE

This challenge is NOW ON! The rules are simple - there will be a change jar in every class for two weeks.  The class who raises the most wins!  The winners will receive a pizza lunch, juice, a longer lunch break AND a secret surprise!  

At 9am this morning, the tally board sits :

1st - 5W

2nd - 3W

3rd - 1W

4th - 4W

5th - 2B

6th - 2W

7th - PPB

8th - 3B

9th - PPW

10th - 5B

11th - 4B

12th - 6B

13th - 6W

14th - KW

15th - KB 

16th - 1B

The results are very close!  All the kids are excited about this one, so please send in your change!

P&F MEETING

The next P&F Meeting is being held Tuesday 16 May.  If you wish to add an agenda item please email through to Marisa Gulluni on cgulluni@bigpond.net.au or president.pafc@gmail.com

All agenda items must be received by Monday May.

ENTERTAINMENT BOOK FUNDRAISING

Infant Jesus School is raising funds. Here's how you can help...

We are raising as much as we can to support our technology and innovation room, and we need your help! Order your NEW 2017/2018 Entertainment Book or Entertainment Digital Membership now. You'll receive hundreds of valuable offers for everything you love to do, and help our fundraising at the same time!

"The Entertainment Book is such a great way to try new restaurants. It’s also a great opportunity to help community organisations."

A Sample Book and Order Forms are available in the School Front Office if you wish to have a look. 

Nicola Cecchele - P&F President

INFANT  JESUS FAMILY CAMP  2017

A big hello to all the families.  At this stage we have confirmed the date for the 2017 Family Camp. This will be during  the middle weekend of September/October school holidays, being Friday 29 September, and concluding Sunday 1 October.

We have reduced it by one night, but extended the last day until the afternoon. This will not be the long weekend, giving families  the option  to still make use of the  Queen's Birthday long weekend.

Family Camp  has been going for over 40 years, and we need to keep this tradition going, as it has made some of the best school memories for both the parents  and the kids  of those who have ever attended. 

Linda Prestianni 0433 925 857

Ardrian Gonsalves 0403 439 888

YEAR 6 LUNCH

Year 6 Lunch at Our Table, Grand Prom, Bedford from 11.30am

RSVP: by Tuesday 9 May to Ida: 040-9977-524, Liselle: 0409 297 193 or Connie: 0412 036 072

Canteen Roster

TERM 2

Friday 5 May

Mina Pillera, Marisa Gulluni, Carol Penwald

Monday 8 May

Belinda Poat, Louise Staltari, Wanita Gentile

Wednesday 10 May

Jenny Allpike, Louise Murace, Emily Dayan

Please see the attached Canteen Winter Menu for Term 2 and 3.

Accountability

DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP

Digital citizenship is about confident and positive engagement with digital technology. A digital citizen is a person with the skills and knowledge to effectively use digital technologies to participate in society, communicate with others and create and consume digital content (Australian Government).

Children today have access to the internet, which when used correctly is a wonderful resource. It is important that children are taught how to access this valuable resource. Just like we wouldn’t let the children explore a public library alone, it is important that they are supervised on the internet. As parents we need to become familiar with technology so that we are aware of what our children are doing.

Communication

Many apps allow children to socialise and communicate with their friends and family, but these apps also allow users from the outside world to communicate with our children. Many apps that have a “chat” feature can have this turned off through the settings. It is important for parents to have an open communication with their child about what to do if somebody that they do not know is talking to them, and what details they should be sharing online.

If you are unsure what features an app your child uses and if it is appropriate, Commonsensemedia (https://www.commonsensemedia.org/) reviews apps and gives them an age recommendation. Apps that give out location information should have this feature turned off. This can be done through settings- general- privacy- location settings.

Children also need to be aware of how they speak to others online. In some cases cyberbullying has become a criminal offence that tarnishes a child’s reputation for life. If it is not thoughtful, helpful, inspiring, necessary or kind they should not be saying it as it could be on line forever.

Uploads

As children grow up in this digital world and become more tech savvy, they begin to engage and create content. It is important that parents have guidelines and rules in place for what children can and cannot upload to the wider community.

Instagram, and many other sites, is a 13+ site that allows users to upload images/videos. Whilst these can be private accounts, sometimes children accept friend requests from strangers or people they think they know. Children should be educated to know not to upload revealing photos, pictures which give their location or personal details away or images of other people.

It is important that parents always have access to their child’s device and account and remain aware of what their child is uploading. Many of the things your child uploads now will be around for their entire lifetime and seen by future employees and the wider community. It is important that we protect them now for their future.

Supervision

It is important that children have adequate supervision when playing or engaging with the internet. Just like you wouldn’t leave them at the beach unsupervised children should not be left unsupervised online. Rules such as no devices in bedrooms/bathrooms, no devices at sleepovers, all devices are charged overnight in a communal spot or devices are only used in a communal place help ensure that your child is aware that they are being monitored when online. Parents should also have access to all devices at any time, access to all passwords and know of all accounts your child has in their name.

Youtube Unlisted Videos

As our students and teachers progress with our integration of technology into our learning areas, we have seen the children use many creative ways to demonstrate their learning. One way that has allowed us to capture the children’s understanding in a creative, engaging way is through the creation of movies. When sharing these learnings with our peers and parents we sometimes need to upload them to a third party site to allow them to be viewed at home or on parents phones, computers or tablets. YouTube Unlisted allows us to do this in a safe manner. Making a video unlisted means that only people who know the link to the video can view it. Unlisted videos do not appear in YouTube search results, your child’s channel, on the browse page, or on google search results.

PARKING - Admin

Please do not pick up or drop off students in the Admin Carpark. This Carpark is for office business and visitors to the school only. It is not a safe area for students to be at anytime due to the amount of traffic and delivery trucks using the space. Please use the designated pick up and drop of areas.

VOLUNTEER WORKSHOP AND CODE OF CONDUCT 

To assist with school based events, please ensure that both of these have been completed. 

1. Complete the Volunteer Workshop 

2. Read and Sign the Code of Conduct which is new in 2017.  

It is a requirement that not only the Parent Volunteer Workshop has been completed, but the school based Code of Conduct has been signed and returned to the office.  

Copies of the Code of Conduct are available from the front office or online. 

Discipleship

ST JOSEPH THE WORKER - Feastday 1 May

Joseph understood the importance of work. He was a carpenter—a builder—and probably taught Jesus his trade. Through his work, Joseph honored the Father in heaven and continued the act of creation. He lived in dignity.

To give workers a patron, the Church turned to Joseph, who had been made the Patron of the Universal Church by Pope Pius IX in 1870 and the model for fathers of families. Joseph was named protector of workers by Pope Benedict XV, and in 1955, the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker on May 1 was proclaimed by Pius the XII.

Let us pray to Saint Joseph for his help in all our work and for those many people who want and need jobs but cannot find them.

We can only build the future by standing together - Pope Francis

Pope Francis' TED Talk was recorded in Rome and broadcast on Tuesday at the TED 2017 conference in Vancouver, Canada.

In his talk, which lasted 18 minutes, Francis offered a response to today’s challenges, focusing on how to maintain an attitude of hope through solidarity with one another.

Referencing his 80 years of life, the Pope opened his talk saying that “quite a few years of life have strengthened my conviction that each and everyone's existence is deeply tied to that of others: life is not time merely passing by, life is about interactions.”

“We all need each other, none of us is an island, an autonomous and independent ‘I,’ separated from the other,” he said.

“We can only build the future by standing together, including everyone,” the Pope continued, adding that while we might not think about it often, “everything is connected, and we need to restore our connections to a healthy state.”

“Even the harsh judgment I hold in my heart against my brother or my sister, the open wound that was never cured, the offense that was never forgiven, the rancour that is only going to hurt me, are all instances of a fight that I carry within me.”

This “flare” embedded deep within our hearts “needs to be extinguished before it goes up in flames, leaving only ashes behind.”

TED is an international media organisation that posts brief talks online that are for free distribution and run under the slogan “ideas worth spreading”.

The talks are typically between 10-20 minutes, and are given by influential speakers who are experts in various fields such as business, science and technology, among others. Subtitles are available in more than 100 languages.

Pope Francis is the first pontiff to give a TED Talk, however, just days before announcing his resignation in 2013 Benedict XVI was given the “Charter of Compassion” by the organisation’s European director, Bruno Giussani.  (news@cathnews.com)

Parish News

SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM

Many thanks to all the parents who attended the Confirmation-Parents’ Information Night last Monday 1 May. 

We had a great number of attendees and it was wonderful to see everyone.

A kind reminder to all the parents who missed the Parents Information Night, that a rerun meeting will be held on Saturday, 6 of May, 9.00am at the Parish Library. This meeting is part of your child’s Confirmation program, everyone is encouraged to attend. The meeting will only run for an hour.

Important Reminders

Parents’ Information Re-run Meeting:

·         Saturday, 6 May 9.00am at the Parish Library

Parents and Child Workshop:

·         Monday, 22 May 7.00pm at Infant Jesus Parish Centre

Please remind your children to bring their pencil case.            

Confirmation Retreat, Formal Visitation and Mass Practice:

·         Friday, 9 June starts at 9:00am at Infant Jesus Parish Centre

Confirmation Mass:

·         Saturday, 10 June at 12.00pm and at 3.00pm

(For your child’s allocated Mass time, please check your enrolment confirmation email)

SAINT NAME & SPONSOR NAME: We are now finalizing the certificates of all the children, please submit your child’s Confirmation-Saint and Sponsor Name Card as soon as possible.

SASH: Each child will receive a plain white sash on the day of Confirmation, but if you would like to have it decorated/embroidered, you may collect your child’s sash early from the parish office starting on Wednesday 3rd of May during office hours. Monday-Thursday 9.30am to 12.30pm

Please note that sash decoration is optional only.

Yours in Christ,

Faith Rico - Sacramental Co-ordinator

 MORLEY YOUTH GROUP

Infant Jesus Parish 24:7 Morley Youth Group

All youth in Years 6-12 are invited

Join us this Friday night, 6-8pm in the Parish Hall

For more info call Roger 0434 988 711 or Elizabeth 0410 554 393