Term 1 Week 5 2024

Religious Life of the School

Yesterday, 22nd February, was the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter. This feast day celebrates the papacy and St. Peter as the first bishop of Rome. St. Peter's original name was Simon. He was married with children and was living and working in Capernaum as a fisherman when Jesus called him to be one of the Twelve Apostles. 

For the Catholic Church, the Chair of St. Peter is a very sacred relic. According to some stories, he used to sit on this very chair during his sermons.

The Chair of St. Peter at St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City, was designed by enveloping the original oak chair of the Bishop with a bronze covering. Italian artist Bernini was the mastermind behind St. Peter's Chair. The ornate design of Bernini matches with the baroque-style architecture famed in Rome. It took Bernini six years to complete the grand sculpture.

The Chair of St. Peter serves as a powerful symbol of unity for the Catholic Church, connecting believers to the apostolic origins of their faith and the ongoing guidance of the Pope in matters of doctrine and spiritual leadership.

Ash Wednesday

Thank you to 5A for hosting our Ash Wednesday liturgy last week. During the liturgy it was explained how during the season of Lent, the word ‘Alleluia’ is not used. Our hope is that we will grow through this season of Lent and sing ‘Alleluia, Christ is risen’ at Easter once more.

5A buried seeds as a symbol of the ‘Alleluia’ in the hope they will sprout, grow and become something new and glorious at Easter.

Assembly

4A led our first assembly for the year on Monday. They taught us about cyber safety and how to stay safe online by displaying slides they had made with rules we should follow and a very catchy song. Raising awareness of cyber safety leads to a safer and better internet for all, especially for children and young people. Thank you 4A.

Project Compassion

Ronita is 22. She lives with her husband and two children in a barangay (local district) in Quezon City, which is situated in Metro Manila in the Philippines. 

Ronita left school when she became pregnant as a teenager. This could have had a life-long impact on her ability to find work and provide for her family but, thankfully, she heard about the Alternative Learning System (ALS) program run by the Faithful Companions of Jesus (FCJ), Caritas Australia’s local partner in the Philippines.

Through the FCJ, Ronita was able to re-enrol in her studies and continue learning in a safe and flexible environment – even with the arrival of her second child.

After completing her ALS classes, Ronita went on to earn her Grade 12 Senior High School Diploma. With her new diploma, Ronita has now secured a job at a call centre and is looking to a brighter future for her whole family. 

“I have now graduated senior school and I am so proud of myself,” she said. “I feel hopeful for the future… Now it’s not impossible for me to achieve my dream… Thank you.” 

Watch Ronita’s Story

Please donate to Project Compassion.

Together, we can help vulnerable communities face their challenges today and build a better tomorrow for all future generations.

You can donate through Project Compassion donation boxes, online by visiting caritas.org.au/project-compassion or by calling 1800 024 413.

Have a wonderful week

God bless

Nicole

UR STRONG

Podcast Interview: Friendship Fires with Dana Kerford

Growing up, were you taught friendship skills?

Educators and parents today have become more aware of how important it is to teach children friendship skills. With the onslaught of social media and technology, friendships have considerably evolved; but in other ways, they remain the same as when you were young: we all want to get along and belong.

In this heartfelt conversation, Meg speaks with friendship expert and founder of URSTRONG, Dana Kerford. With a global reach of over 1 million, URSTRONG teaches schools and educators how to empower kids with friendship and relationship skills that will benefit them for their entire lives. In this conversation, you’ll learn what is friendship and why learning friendship and relationship skills is essential at a young age. You’ll also walk away with actionable tips you can bring to the classroom to promote wellbeing for all.

In this conversation we discuss:

• The importance of friendship skills
• Why being friends with everyone is bad advice
• How to put a Friendship Fire out
• And so much more…

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW

Learning Corner

Just Imagine if ‘near enough’ was ‘good enough’.

 What would happen if:

The barista half-filled your cup.

The bricklayer didn’t check the levels for each layer of bricks.

The electricians didn’t check the colours of the wires they were connecting.

The plumber didn’t check that the roof screws were tightened.

The doctor glanced at, instead of closely examining, test results when making a diagnosis.

Aiming for excellence is about not accepting a ‘near enough’ effort. ‘Near Enough’ is an attitude adults help develop in children when they accept less than what a child is able to achieve in the tasks and responsibilities they give them around the house. Too often we hear parents say, ‘It is just quicker if I do it!’

The lesson the child is learning is that if they wait, someone will step in and do it for them and if the expectation is enforced then it will be a near enough response.

 A lesson can be learnt from the parents of children with a disability who have achieved success. They expected them to attempt tasks. They showed their children how to complete tasks and then practised with them until they mastered that task and throughout the process, they expected and believed their child could succeed.

This ‘near enough’ or it’s done’ attitude is a challenge teachers face in the classroom on a daily basis. It is one of the largest barriers to achieving excellence.

Many thanks to parents who check and do not accept just an ‘it’s done’ response to homework.

NAPLAN

NAPLAN TEST ADJUSTMENTS 

Children who receive adjustments for assessments in class can access the same adjustments when participating in NAPLAN. Your child’s teachers will contact you if your child is eligible for any adjustments.

NAPLAN Participation

We encourage all students in years 3 and 5 to participate in NAPLAN, but participation is a parent's choice.  If you do not want your child to complete NAPLAN testing, please contact the school office to request a ‘Parent Withdrawal’ form.

Rita Cranitch

APPL (Assistant Principal Pedagogy and Learning-Acting)

Inclusive Practices Teacher

Class in the Spotlight - 1/2B

1/2B have been super busy with their learning this week! From conducting science experiments, participating in various literacy rotations, learning about the elements of Art and creating our very own “Picasso” masterpieces (which look phenomenal)... to some much needed Christian Meditation time after lunch breaks. 

We have also started our second concept in maths which is measuring length with informal units of measurement. The students have been very engaged with the hands-on learning approach and have enjoyed measuring each other along with other items in the classroom. 

In Religion we have been thinking about the way Jesus taught us about prayer and how it helps people feel close to God. We also started work on forgiveness and the special prayers that help us to say sorry to God.  1/2B Technology has been all about software and hardware this week. Music with Mrs Julyan was fun and we are looking forward to the eisteddfod. We have had lots of rain which has meant play and lunch inside.  Movies are great but we miss the sunshine and playground. 

We have had a great week in 1/2B and look forward to many more. 

1/2B

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