Term 1 Week 8 2024

From the Principal

Dear Families,

Over the next two weeks teachers will be holding parent teacher interviews. These interviews are a valuable opportunity for parents and teachers to work together in the best interest of students, fostering a partnership that supports the child's academic and personal development. If you haven’t yet booked your interview time, I encourage you to do so. Interview bookings will close on Monday at 8am.

We invite all of our families to join us for our Holy Week Celebrations in Week 10. From Tuesday to Thursday we will be presenting the story of Holy Week. This week is a time of reflection and observance for Catholics worldwide, commemorating the final week of Jesus’s life on Earth, his crucifixion and resurrection. Our classes will lead us through Holy Week from Palm Sunday to Good Friday at 9am in the Samaritan Centre. We invite all of our families to join us in remembering this important week in our faith. 

Our Prep to Year 2 students will begin with Palm Sunday which commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. According to the Gospels, crowds greeted Jesus by waving palm branches and laying them on the road as he entered the city. This event marks the beginning of Jesus' final journey towards his crucifixion.

Holy Thursday will be presented by Year 3 and 4. Here we remember the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples, where he instituted the sacrament of Holy Communion or the Eucharist. It is also associated with the washing of the disciples' feet by Jesus, demonstrating humility and service.

Good Friday will be hosted by Year 5 and 6. Good Friday is the most solemn day of Holy Week. It commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. Many Christians observe this day with fasting, prayer, and solemn services, reflecting on the sacrifice of Jesus for the redemption of humanity.

I look forward to seeing you all at the St Patrick's Day Disco tonight. Don't forget to bring along cash to purchase numbers in our Number Boards. There are some great prizes up for grabs!

Have a wonderful week.

Take care and God Bless

Amanda

Religious Life of the School

As we move closer to Easter we continue to raise money for Project Compassion. I would like to thank everyone for their support so far. Remember to get orders in for hot cross buns next Tuesday. Choose from chocolate, fruit or fruitless and butter and jam will be provided. Buns are $1.50 each and will be available for collection at second play.

Our Easter Raffle continues, so remember to send money in for tickets which are 50c each and gives you the opportunity to win one of three baskets filled with chocolate, cuddly bunnies and Easter activities. Raffle will be drawn in Week 10.

St. Joseph

On Tuesday, March 19th, we acknowledge the Feast of St. Joseph. St Joseph is a figure in Catholic tradition who is known as the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the earthly father of Jesus. He is considered a model of fatherhood, humility, and obedience. Though not much is mentioned about him in the Bible, he is believed to have been a carpenter by trade and played a crucial role in the upbringing of Jesus. St. Joseph is also recognised as the patron saint of workers, fathers, and a protector of the Church. To help celebrate St. Joseph we will participate in a Whole School Christian Meditation at 8:45 am in the hall, everyone is welcome to be a part of this beautiful experience.

Project Compassion

Partnership in action 

The work of Caritas Australia is only possible with the dedication, passion and tenacity of our local partners who implement the programs. They are the heroes on the ground, working tirelessly behind-the-scenes every day to create a better future for their communities.

Caritas Australia partners with the Faithful Companions of Jesus (FCJ) to support communities living in urban slums in the Philippines. FCJ runs a number of programs that include house renovating, food processing, basic literacy skills, urban gardening, upcycling and income generating activities. They also have a clinic visited weekly by a doctor and community nurse.

Caritas Australia partners with Caritas Samoa to assist communities to have increased access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene to ensure human health and well-being by providing water tanks and sanitation facilities.

Caritas Australia partners with the Catholic Development Commission in Malawi through the A+ program. Since 2016, the A+ program has helped 7,397 families across Malawi improve their food security, access to basic water and sanitation, boost women’s income generation and strengthen child protection. 

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

Guidance Counsellor

In this edition of SchoolTV - HAPPINESS & GRATITUDE

Happiness is a term that captures a huge variety of positive emotions such as humour, serenity, optimism, joy, pride, inspiration, love and hope. Happiness means different things, to different people and is essential to your understanding of emotional literacy. Throughout history, philosophers, religious writers and poets have pondered on the meaning of happiness and how it might be achieved. In the last few decades, scientists and psychologists have researched this further by studying a field of science called positive psychology.

The result of this research suggests there is a strong correlation between gratitude and greater happiness. Practising gratitude helps you shift your focus to positive memories or experiences, noticing the good in your life. Over time, this will re-wire your brain to create new neural pathways, increase your state of happiness and overall wellbeing.

In this edition of SchoolTV, parents and caregivers will learn how to achieve happiness and the benefits of practising gratitude.

Here is the link to the Happiness & Gratitude edition of SchoolTV
https://sfatsv.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/happiness-gratitude

UR STRONG

High-Conflict Friendships

Tips on Supporting Children in Fiery Friendships

One of our favourite tools for talking to kids about how they’re feeling in their friendships is The Friend-o-Meter. Although it’s normal to have a friendship dip into the Red-Zone now and again (Friendship Fact #1: No friendship – or relationship – is perfect!), what happens when a friendship is up and down A LOT?

While many kids will admit they’ve experienced this type of friendship, a friendship that goes from the Green-Zone to the Red-Zone regularly can feel very challenging. Words that children use to describe these high-conflict friendships include: unpredictable, hard, and exhausting.

These friendships can feel especially confusing for parents, as their child oscillates between “Best Friends” and “They’re not invited to my birthday party!” For teachers, these students can sometimes cause a lot of drama for classmates who sometimes find themselves caught in the middle (what we call in our Friendology friendship skills curriculum, a Friendship Sandwich! It’s sticky and messy in there!).

So, what can we do to support a child in this type of everyday-is-different friendship?

First, identify if they are suffering. Are they upset about it? Is it deeply affecting them? Are they really struggling (*here are some signs to look for)? If the answer is no, and the child seems to be handling it quite well, then this might be a case of them simply ‘ironing out the wrinkles’. Whether it’s a new friendship or the dynamic of the friendship has changed, it sometimes takes time to get to know each other and learn how to get along.

‘Fiery Friendships’ are especially common for children with strong personalities who form friendships with kids similar to them. While they might click at first, they’ll naturally begin to butt heads. For these kids, the highs are high and the lows are low!

But, as parents and educators, we can rest easy if (1) the good times outweigh the bad times AND (2) they’re putting out their Friendship Fires® by working their way around the Friend-o-Cycle. If these two factors are present, then it sounds like they are figuring it out and it might just be a lifelong friendship in the making.

However, if a child is coming home in tears every day and really seem torn up about it, here are a few strategies to try as you coach them from the sidelines (Note: Log-in to your free family membership to access the activities):

• “How can you spend less time in this friendship?”: Sometimes these volatile friendships are simply a product of spending too much time together. Help your child come up with a plan to decrease their daily dose of this friendship. Give this activity a try: Spending Less Time
• “It’s time to get strategic in this friendship!”: Help your child get clear on what works and what doesn’t work in their friendship. When are they getting along? When are Friendship Fires igniting? Then, help them come up with a plan. Watch this video: Feel-Good Friendships
• “Are they Friendship Fires or is it Mean-on-Purpose?”: It’s important that your child understands the difference between normal conflict (Friendship Fires®) versus intentionally rude, cruel, malicious behavior. Try this interactive tool: Friendship Fire or Mean-on-Purpose Advice
• “Did you Talk-it-Out until the Fire-is-Out?”: Has your child truly talked to their friend to tell them how they’re feeling? Are they being honest with their friend or do they keep sweeping the issues under the rug? For parents, this might be an opportunity to plan a playdate or sleepover to create that one-on-one time with their friend. Role-play with them, so they can practise what they’ll say. School is a busy place and sometimes it’s hard for kids to find time to Talk-it-Out with a friend. Watch this video: Be a Friendship Ninja
• “What colour friendships do you deserve?”: Ask them, “Let’s think about a friendship that goes from green to red, green to red, green to red on The Friend-o-Meter. What colour does that friendship average out at?” Help your child identify that friendship would average out in the Yellow-Zone. Remind them they deserve Green-Zone friendships in their lives! Try this activity: The Friend-o-Meter: Time to Chat!

While it’s normal for a friendship to have the occasional Friendship Fire®, a healthy friendship has been proven by Dr John Gottman’s research to have at least 5 positive (green) interactions for every 1 negative (red) interaction. These tricky friendships are a great opportunity for children to master their conflict-resolution skills and learn to foster healthy, feel-good friendships.

One thing we say to kids all the time is: “You teach people how to treat you!” When kids deal with their Friendship Fires® in a kind and respectful way, it deepens friendships creating closer & stronger connections.

Written by: Dana Kerford
Founder & Friendship Expert

Class in the Spotlight - PA

What a busy week we had in Prep A! We learned about capacity and compared different containers of water to see which holds more or less. We used sand to practise writing letters and blending tools to develop our phonological skills. We walked around the school to identify things God has made, and we made windsocks to learn how wind works. We also visited the library, where Mrs. Felesina helped us choose some great books to borrow. Our furry friends helped us learn about some tricky situations with sharing in our Friendology lesson.

Prep A

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Library

Long sleeved shirts for sale

School Photo Day

School photo envelopes coming home today.  Sibling photos will be taken at 8am.  Envelopes for sibling photos are available from the school office.

Community