Around The Primary

Dear Parents

A sincere and heartfelt thank you to all the wonderful Dads, special Grandfathers or significant others for making the time to come to our Mass dedicated to Fathers this morning.

There is really nothing better than having you all at the College at the same time!  Looking out over a sea of smiling faces in the gym, enjoying their children’s company was simply magical!

To all those that could not join us, we thought of you and prayed for you too.

Special thanks to Mrs Edwards, Mrs Distante, Ms Allen, Mrs Lumley and Mrs Haydon for organising the lovely liturgy and for ensuring the Year 2’s were so well prepared.  I also take this opportunity to thank visiting Priest, Father Nino Vinciguerra for sharing his time and special words – it was a delightful way to start the day.

A big thank you to Miss Kathryn Casey and the Year 11 and 12 Hospitality students who generously cooked, served and cleaned up – all with a smile.

Many thanks to the Pre Primary Dads who got into the swing of the tabloid sports – bravo!

We hope all families have a lovely day on Sunday and that this day provides parents with some time to reflect on the special role you play in the lives of your children.

Happy Father’s Day!

Kind regards,

Antoinette De Pinto

Head of Primary

Dates to Remember

Counsellor's Corner

Happy Father’s Day

Wishing all our Fathers a wonderful Fathers Day. I hope you have a moment this Sunday to be recognised for the important contribution you make to your children’s lives. Attached is an article from Parenting Ideas, written by parenting expert Michael Grose, in support of Fathers on this special day.

Anne Murphy

Primary Counsellor

Book Week

We have had an amazing two weeks celebrating Book Week and learning about how ‘Reading is Our Secret Power’.  Last Wednesday the Primary School students and staff came to school with a cape and/or mask and enjoyed shared reading out on the front lawn with comfy bean bags and a great selection of books. There was also a huge LOVE 2 READ sign with lights at the front of the school. In the Library at lunchtime on Wednesday and Thursday the Year 12 Drama students performed plays and read stories to the Primary students. There were also giant board games for the students to play.

Last week the Year 3, 4 and 5 students were entertained on their trip to the Nedlands Library to meet authors Kelly Canby and Norman Jorgensen. This week Kindy, Pre Primary, Year 1 and 2 enjoyed the wonderful talents of storyteller, Rebecca Flanagan from Musical Experiences For Children.

The entries for the BOOKFACE competition have been so creative, funny and clever! Come and have a look at the display of photos in the front office or Library and I am sure you will be impressed with the amount of effort everyone put into their photos. Congratulations to every student who entered the competition! Prizes will be given to the following students for their winning photos. Well done to Pre Primary and Year 1 who had the most entries!

Book Week 2019 has been so much fun!

Sasha Cattapan

Primary Library/Performing Arts

Star Swamp

In Year 4 we have been learning about ecosystems in our environment. This week we went on an exciting excursion to Star Swamp in North Beach, to discover more ecosystems and study new animals and plants that exist in our local environment.

To reach the swamp we walked through the bushland reserve. On the walk we discovered interesting birds living in the bushland, such as, yellow belly birds and some we already knew including parrots and kookaburras. I recorded the birds we saw, whilst Campbell took photos on his iPad to help us identify these birds when we arrived back at class.  We kept on going until we found some shelter and shade and the guides told us about different tiny animals in the environment.

To begin with, we explored different parts of the swamp and ticked of the birds that we saw in the murky water. After that, we were introduced to tiny macro invertebrates.  We were given some tools to take a look at these creatures including a magnifying glass to look closer at the invertebrates and to check their species. Then, we walked back on the Heritage trail to an undercover area to enjoy some lunch.

After lunch we returned to the swamp to complete our final activity, testing the water quality of the swamp. To test the water quality we measured the temperature, pH, salt and turbidity.  We started by testing a tap water sample so we could compare it to the swamp water. After testing the tap water, we took some water from the swamp and did the same process that we did with tap water. To make sure our results were accurate we also did a second sample from the water.

Finally, after we did our third activity, we started to walk back to the undercover area where we quickly got our bags and left to go on the bus. Year 4 loved the Star Swamp excursion and I loved looking closely at different macro-invertebrates in the swamp. 

Joshua Standen 4G

We currently learning about ecosystems. To help us learn more about this topic, we visited Star Swamp in North Beach. When we arrived at the Henderson Education Centre, we were greeted by two wonderful guides called Hannah and Naomi who guided us through the day’s activities.

It was fun to walk through and explore the swamp and complete experiments in groups about the swamp environment. We saw many fascinating creatures and learned many interesting facts. We observed our surroundings and then ticked off our sightings of creatures, such as rainbow lorikeets, cockatoos and blue tongue lizards in our study booklets. In one investigation on macro-invertebrates, we got a tray and spoons to scoop out and study bugs from the swamp water. In another activity, we tested and compared the quality of swamp water and freshwater. I found the turbidity test very interesting as you had to look through into a water sample down a long tube to view 3 squiggly lines.

We had a wonderful time and experience at Star Swamp with the teachers and parent helpers. I liked working with my group of Ali, Amelia, Angie and myself. We have learnt to encourage people to do the right thing for our environment by protecting this ecosystem and other ones too.

Eliza Owen 4B

Our First Excursion

This week the Pre Primary classes visited Floreat Forum to explore first hand everything they have been learning about communities and where our food comes from.

The students bought stamps from the Post Office and posted their own letter, they can’t wait until it arrives at home! At the Market the children learnt where the food was grown and how it is delivered to the shop, then they bought their own fruit for morning tea. They had great fun decorating their own finger bun at Bakers Delight and learnt how bread is made.  They couldn’t believe how big the mix master was and how many ovens they had! The butcher allowed the children to come behind the scenes and watch how they prepare mince and the children watched with intrigue at the big saw cutting the bones.

Michael from Just Cuts Hairdressing went out of his way to explain everything there is to know about hair and hairdressing.  Some children were lucky enough to sit in the big chair and have their hair blow waved. Source Bulk Food store allowed the children to make healthy butter which was delicious!

Finally the staff at V Burger taught the children all about making the perfect burger and chips, which the children then enjoyed their lunch, so yummy. A special surprise while the children were walking around the shopping centre was bumping into Miss De Pinto who was having a coffee and a sandwich!! To finish the excursion we visited the Library and we listened to a story before we returned to school on the bus.

The excursion was so much fun and the children learnt so much about their local community.

Mrs Alison Dillon & Mrs Chiara Bennett

Pre Primary Teachers

Talented Choirs 

The Primary school choirs, Primary Singers and Wanju Voices, directed by Mrs Catherine Haydon, have performed at the Catholic Performing Arts Festival over the past fortnight.  Both choirs sang in the Sacred Choral Primary Section at St Benedict’s Church, Applecross and the Primary Choral Section at the Vasto Club, Balcatta. 

The students were fine representatives of the College, singing beautifully and with great joy. The adjudicator particularly commented on their fantastic energy, and both positive and helpful feedback was provided. For most students, this was the first time singing in a choral festival session, and it was a great experience for the students to not only perform, but to see other choirs and hear some of the wonderful music being taught across Perth.  

As a result of their hard work and outstanding performance, both choirs achieved special Awards of Excellence in the Sacred Choral Primary Section. Congratulations! These awards will be presented to the College at the conclusion of the Festival.

Special thanks to Mr Johnston for his brilliant piano accompaniment and assistance during rehearsals, and to Mrs Kojundzich, Ms Cattapan, Miss Joyce, Ms Allen and Miss  De Pinto for accompanying the choirs at these events. A big thank you also to all the parents who attended the performances to support the students, your presence was much appreciated!

Sports News

Congratulations to our House Captains for Semester Two.

Steve Williams

Primary Sport Coordinator

Inspire Parent Education

Turning Anxiety to Resilience at Home

Our kids are suffering from anxiety in record numbers. One in fourteen young Australians (6.9%) aged 4-17 experienced an anxiety disorder in 2015. This is equivalent to approximately 278,000 young people. When we look at mental ill-health more generally, the numbers double to about one in seven primary school kids and one in four adolescents. Resilience levels decline as our kids get older. Fears and worries become a dead weight our kids can’t lift. Our children are enduring panic attacks, stress, and we are watching their confidence levels drop. Parents want, so badly, to help. But they often don’t know how. And sometimes their well intended attempts to help only hurt.

This presentation is suitable for parents of children of all ages.  It is designed as a specific talk for parents about what anxiety looks like, and provides simple strategies for parents to implement at home that are empirically and clinically proven, but don’t require a PhD in psychology to practice.

Can you help?

The Secondary Religious Education Department are collecting the inner tubes from glad wrap, foil and the like (no toilet rolls please).  The Year 8’s are going to make Aboriginal rain sticks as part of their curriculum.

Please hand these in to Mrs Petsos at Main Administration.