Week 9, Term 2, 2022
Parent Engagement Network AGM
On Monday Night we held the first AGM for our Parent Engagement Network and I am pleased to announce, congratulate and welcome the Executive for 2022:
Chair: Mrs Hayley Hubbard
Secretary: Mrs Rachel Harlen
Ex-officio: Madonna Sleba (Principal) and Fr Michael O’Brien (Parish Administrator)
Service Interest Team Coordinator: Shauna Green
Learning Interest Team Coordinator: Kim Benvenuti and Kirsty Fitzpatrick
Community Interest Team Coordinator: Renee Kilpatrick and Katie Boyd-Pratt
Diocesan Representatives on the Catholic Schools Parents Queensland: Renee Kilpatrick
On behalf of the school community, I would like to thank the outgoing Parents and Friends Executive who worked tirelessly last year through difficult times during COVID disruptions: Mrs Renee Kilpatrick (President); Mrs Danielle Hart (Vice-President); Mrs Christine Scott (Treasurer); Mr Brendan McDonald (Secretary) and Mr Terry Sanders as the Diocesan Representative on the Catholic School Parents Qld.
I also extend thanks to our School Board Members for their dedication, expertise and wisdom over the past years: Mr Chris Black, Ms Shauna Green, Mr Peter Ramsay and Mr Adam Ottobrino.
You managed to deliver at each activity in support of the school and families.
All of these generous people will be acknowledged for their support and contribution at the end of Term Assembly on Thursday 23rd June 8:45a.m. in the Mercy Centre. All are welcome to join us at this assembly.
Uniform
It is lovely to see our students wearing their uniform with pride. A reminder that Sports Uniforms are to be worn only on your child’s designated days. Please ensure all school uniforms, lunch boxes and drink bottles are labelled clearly so that they can be returned to your child if found left around the school.
It must be that time of term.
What we do know is that happiness, fulfillment and wellbeing don’t just fall upon us by accident - we actively have to do things to feel good about ourselves and others. We have to be ‘deliberate’ in doing things to feel a sense of wellbeing.
What we are seeing around the school at this time of term - almost at the end - is that a number of students are tired, suffering/recovering from illness and occasionally making poor choices.
It is definitely a time to be mindful and ‘deliberate’ about stress, anxiety, being ‘wound up’ and therefore not being able to be truly present and perform at our best. Maybe over the next week (and beyond hopefully) we all might spend time focusing on the following ten things.
10 tips to help you stay mentally healthy (crucial for this stage of the term)
- Spend time helping someone else with something - when you help others, it makes you feel good…. Volunteer for a cause, help a neighbour or simply do something nice for a friend or stranger.
- See the funny side of life and laugh often- laughter is a wonderful “medicine”. Watch/read/listen to something that will give you a belly laugh. Not only does laughter decrease stress hormones, it also triggers the release of endorphins that help improve your overall sense of wellness.
- Think about a new skill you can learn - learning something new gives the ‘grey matter’ a workout and builds neural pathways in the brain.
- Catch up with friends- spending time with our friends and loved ones is always a guaranteed way to lift our moods. Often just spending time chatting and laughing with someone is a great mood lifter.
- Go to bed early- make it your aim to get eight hours of solid sleep every night. Sleep will help restore your body and mind. To help you get a good night’s sleep put your phone/laptop away at least an hour before bed and do something soothing and relaxing such as reading a book to help you get a good night's rest.
- Focus on your organisation- Being disorganised can build stress and anxiety at this time. Try creating an early morning routine to get yourself into the habit of being ready for school on time and an afternoon routine to complete homework and be packed and ready for the next days activities.
- Ask someone for help- Everyone’s life journey is different, and sometimes we need help to overcome the bumpy bits. It’s OK to ask for help: speak to a work colleague, teachers, a friend or a family member.
- Stay active - keeping fit and staying active can help you to sleep better, manage stress and boost your mood. Take the dog for a walk, or take the stairs when you can. Try riding your bike or find a sport or physical activity that you enjoy and make a plan to do it regularly.
- Take care of yourself - a healthy body is linked to a healthy mind. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole foods, and avoid processed foods.
- Be ‘present’ in the moment - be in the here and now. Enjoy the moment.
Stable Core, Disrupted Edge
Stable core, disrupted edge is a term that was coined at the conference I am attending in Yeppoon this week for Queensland Catholic Primary Principals. It means that truly agile organisations, paradoxically, learn to be both stable (resilient, reliable, and efficient) and dynamic (fast, nimble, and adaptive).
It compels us to proceed with a relatively unchanging set of core elements—a fixed backbone. At the same time, we must also create looser, more dynamic elements that can be adapted quickly to new challenges and opportunities.
Our stable core- our backbone is our cornerstone values – Quality, Compassion, Service and Commitment which are linked to everything we do. At the heart of all our decisions are the Cornerstones, and the welfare of our learners. At next week's Awards Assembly on Thursday 23rd June at 8:45a.m. in the Mercy Centre we will recognise those students who demonstrate these cornerstone values in their learning and interactions here at St Saviour's Primary School.
By grounding our practice in the Cornerstones, the school knows what it stands for. It makes adaptive decisions easier. Things change quickly, things sometimes go wrong and the unexpected is never far away. The disruptive edge is always with us. St Saviour’s Primary School is able to pivot quickly with the support of Toowoomba Catholic Schools. The reason we can pivot is because our core is stable and understood by everyone.
Over the past months, this has been pivotal for me as Principal. Our stable core allowed me to operate with confidence. I was also able to rely on the many wonderful staff, students and parents/carers in our community for support, guidance and their collective effort to make St Saviour’s Primary a place boundless with opportunity each day.
As the last newsletter of Term 2, a big thank you to everyone who has supported the school this term. Wishing all a restful and safe holiday from the 26th June – 11th July.
We will welcome all students back on Tuesday 12th July on the first day of Term 3.
Thanks for reading
Madonna Sleba
Dear Parents and Carers,
As the winter chill starts to bite we, the staff are constantly reminding our students that they need to remember to put on their jumpers and jackets before they head outside. Why? Because they are very fortunate to have well heated classrooms, where they often get so comfortable that the jumpers get taken off as it is just so warm. And we want our students to be comfortable throughout their school day, so that they can focus on their learning.
It is a time though, where it is appropriate to stop and consider those in our community who are not so fortunate...who do not have the luxury of heating or even warm clothes or a warm bed. This issue was raised at assembly on Monday, where our Service Councillors helped me to launch our Winter Appeal for 2022. This has been an annual appeal at SSPS and my contacts at St Vincent de Paul and other agencies confirm that our contributions each year, do make a very real difference to many, many individuals and families.
So, for our Winter Appeal 2022, we are asking for blankets/ rugs in good condition as well as warm clothing in good condition too. Tables have been set up outside the library, where donations can be left. I told the students, that when I looked at my wardrobe, I did have a few warm jackets/ vests that I no longer needed and for them to consider the same. This appeal will continue until the end of the first week after the holidays, as some families might be doing a little "spring cleaning" in Winter, over the holidays and clean out some cupboards. Thank you in advance for your generous, and thoughtful giving.
Weekly Parish Masses: These Tuesday 9am Masses (30mins) have been very popular with students, staff and parishioners so, what we need now are PARENTS to come and join us. These will commence again in Week 2 after the holdays, with Prep first up...
Week 2: Tuesday July 19: Prep
Week 3: Catholic Education Week State Launch (so no Tuesday Parish Mass)
Week 4: Tuesday August 2:Year 6
Week 5: Tuesday August 9: Year 5
Week 6: Tuesday August 16: Year 4 and so on. Please consider coming along, the students do get to sit with parishioners/ parents in attendance.
Year 1 attended last week.
NAIDOC WEEK Assembly:
Monday 20 June, 2.40pm. All parents welcome.
RAINBOW Day:
Friday, the last day of Term 2 will be a "Free Dress Fundraiser" with a Rainbow Theme, with funds raised going to the Stroke and the Migraine Foundations. This has come about through the initiative of our Service Councillors, Paige and Charlee after Paige was with her Mum, Claire, when she presented with all the symptoms of having suffered a stroke, including paralysis. This of course was a very traumatic experience for all concerned but fortunately was eventually diagnosed as a particular type of migraine. Paige and her family would obviously benefit from more research in this area, as would many other families.
While each class was allocated one colour of the rainbow to dress in, this is just a suggestion and students and staff are welcome to wear any of the rainbow colours...we are hoping to get a video and song happening on the day. Thanks again for your support of this initiative.
BRAINSTORM PERFORMANCE- The H TEAM- Postoned until end of next term.
Due to one of the performers testing positive to COVID, The H Team will come to SSPS in Week 10 of Term 3.
Invitation to Deacon Nathan's Ordination
LEAVE:
I will be on leave for the first two weeks of Term 3, as I attempt to get together with our three grown up sons and their partners for MY significant birthday. With two sons living in WA through the COVID pandemic, getting all eight of us together has been no easy feat, so (fingers crossed) that they all manage to sort out leave from work and get their flights! They have had plenty of notice.
So I will be back in time for Catholic Education Week (Week 3),
Best wishes for a restful holiday with lots of family time for all,
Judy
Dear Parents and Carers,
Is your family due for a digital check-up?
The following paragraph is from a short article on the Internet Safe Education Website.
School holidays are here (wait what again!) and it’s the perfect time to look at how your family and technology are working together in your household. You are working, the young ones are fighting over the INSERT TECHNOLOGY OF CHOICE HERE and your teenager hasn’t looked up from their mobile phone for hours. Family survival mode is real especially at this time of year when fatigue is high and everyone including the kids is ready for a holiday. Here are a few simple but effective ways you can work together as a family to have a happy and healthy year with technology.
If the paragraph above has piqued your interest, please click on the below link for some ideas on how to create a Family Technology Agreement that can help keep your children happy and safe online.
STAFF ON LEAVE
Over the next few weeks there are a few staff taking long service leave:
Mrs Monica Conway is on LSL for Week 10 and Week 1 of Term 3 – Mrs Jenna Taylor will be teaching 4C for most of these days.
Mrs Judy Smith is on LSL for the first 2 weeks of Term 3 to celebrate a significant birthday – Mrs Janelle Wann will take on the learning support role during this time.
Mrs Annette Murdoch is on LSL for the first 4 weeks of Term 3 – Mrs Cate Bell will replace Annette.
All of the teachers replacing these staff members are well known to the students and are regular relief teachers at St Saviour's Primary.
SEMESTER 1 REPORTING
A-E Definitions
Semester One Report Cards will be sent home next week. When you receive your child's report card you will notice that nothing has changed and we are still using A-E grades for each area of learning. These A-E results come with definitions which you will also see on the report card.
An example of the 'C' definition is below:
Evidence of the student's work typically demonstrates that the student has the targeted knowledge and
- expected conceptual understanding
- expected application of skills
- they are able to transfer the above to familiar situations
As you can see above, a 'C' result in any learning area (Maths, English, Science etc) is the expected result. Some other key terms that are included in this definition are below:
Evidence: a range of information that teachers collect including data, work samples, digital media, teacher notes, formal assessment tasks.
Typically: allows for those students who may not have displayed this during a particular assessment task, but it is evident in their work with the frequency required within this grade. No longer are grades given based on one test or one assignment.
Conceptual Understanding: connected web of knowledge. Different concepts in Maths may include angles, perimeter, area etc.
Skills: These are often the things that students need to be able to do. Some examples include creating texts, asking questions, re-reading and editing and there are many more.
Transfer: transfer is the ability of a student to take their current knowledge, skills and understandings and apply this into a new scenario and/or different context.
Of course, several students will achieve above or below a 'C' grade and the definitions do alter to take this into consideration. The three key terms of conceptual understanding, skills and the ability to transfer knowledge are in all definitions and students show these at different levels and hence the A-E grade.
If you would like any further clarification on the A-E definitions, please don't hesitate to send me an email or talk to your child's classroom teacher.
Sam Hannant
APA
Congratulations to our Weekly Award winners for Week 8 & 9.
Week 8
Week 9
Commonwealth School Data Collection:
Prep Parking:
Parents who use the Prep carpark are reminded to please drop off and exit as soon as possible both in the morning and afternoon. We have limited car parks in Prep and often parents are waiting for car parks to become available. Please be mindful of not gathering in the carpark and taking up time while other parents are waiting to park.
Also reminder that the Prep carpark is strictly for Prep parents. If you do not have a Prep child, please do not park in Prep.
Thank you.
Final day of Term 2:
Next Friday, June 24 is the final day of Term 2.
First day of Term 3:
The first day for Term 3, is Tuesday 12 July.
Monday 11 July is a Pupil Free Day.
Final Awards Assembly:
Our final Assembly for Term 3 is on Thursday 23 June at 8.45am in the Mercy Centre. Parents are welcome to attend our last Assembly for Term 2.
Free Dress Day:
FRIDAY 24 JUNE - Rainbow Day Fundraiser (see APRE news for more information)
Term Fees:
Any families with outstanding school fees for Term 2 are asked to please finalise their school fees before the end of Term. Thankyou.
Sentral Portal:
Handy Tips for Sentral
- Make sure to download the “Sentral for Parents” app from the app store – this app can be set up so that a notification is sent, like a text message, whenever the school sends something through for your attention.
- Save time and log your child’s absentee through the app! Just click on the Absentee tile, enter the details and submit.
- Have a look at the Calendar tile which is available on the app. This Calendar has all of the term dates, pupil free days and general events like parish masses, pizza treat day, etc listed here.
- Don’t forget to complete your Permission forms through Sentral. Permission forms are sent via the app to be completed by the parents. Please make sure to respond to these in a timely manner when you see them as there are cut-off dates for receiving responses to help organise staff and transport, etc. If you are having an issue responding to a Permission Form please visit the office BEFORE the cut-off date so that they can assist you in setting it up correctly. ALL PERMISSIONS are required to be completed through the Sentral Parent Portal.
- If you do not currently have access to the Parent Portal please contact the office so they can assist by providing an access key.
- Report Cards will be sent out via the Parent Portal and a notification will be sent out when these are available for parents to access.
- Also make sure to check out the Links tile available through the app. In this area you will find quick links to access the school website, Flexischools website for tuckshop and even the form for Administering Medication at School.
Office Hours (Holidays):
The office will be open throughout the holidays from 9am - 3pm.
Uniform Shop:
The Uniform Shop will be closed throughout the school holidays and only open by appointment only. Please contact Dan Eagleson 0481 318 398 to arrange a time. Ordering can be done on line via the Skool Dayz website. www.skooldayz.com.au
Pizza Treat Day:
Thank you to everyone who supported Pizza Treat Day today. Today was one of the biggest days we've had for Pizza Treat! We also would like to thank Monty at Pizza Hut, Wilsonton for preparing all our Pizzas. Over 300 individual pizzas were prepared for our childen today, delivered hot and fresh to the Mercy Centre in time to lunch. Please support Monty at Pizza Hut Wilsonton if you are looking to order pizzas.
Special thanks to Cathy Condon and Renee Kilpatrick for helping deliver the pizzas to all our hungry children. It is always a highlight of the Term for everyone!!
Farewell Brooke:
Tomorrow we say farewell to Brooke Chittenden, Coordinator of St Saviour's Primary School Before and After School Care. On behalf of everyone at St Saviour's, we wish Brooke all the best for her future as she and her husband relocate to Brisbane.
St Saviour’s Primary School Athletics Carnival 2022
Students have had a great time at the St Saviour’s Primary Athletics Carnival this week. Students have dressed up in house colours competing against each other, gaining points for their house. In Week 10 your child will bring a letter home if they have qualified for the Catholic or ZONE Athletics Carnivals. If your child does make the Catholic Carnival, it does not guarantee they will make the ZONE Carnival as the ZONE Carnival does have qualifying ages, distances, heights, and times. All the results for the carnival will be published in the Week One newsletter in Term Three.
Toowoomba Mountaineers
Congratulations to Heidi Stockwell, Claire Ward and Akeer Adol who trialled and successfully made the Toowoomba Mountaineers team for Basketball. Great effort girls.
Zone and Darling Downs Trials
All Zone and Darling Downs trials will be placed on Parent Portal. Please check Parent Portal regularly or set up notifications on your phone if you wish for your child to be eligible to trial for Zone and Darling Downs sporting teams as you will be required to obtain paperwork from myself. I am unable to nominate students after the closing date so please make sure you do keep an eye on Parent Portal. Any questions, please contact me at brendan.luck@twb.catholic.edu.au.
Cheers
Brendan Luck
HPE Teacher
Our Readers' Cup Team
Abigail, Piper, Amelia and Lucy worked as a team to answer 50 questions from the 5 set books in 5 rounds during the Regional Readers' Cup Competition on Tuesday afternoon. Thank you girls for your dedication to the preparation for this event and for being such enthusiastic readers!
Library Learning this Term
Using information in its various forms to deepen understanding of content in history and geography has been the focus for library lessons with the Year 3 - 5 classes. We have used Clickview videos, articles from Britannica Encyclopaedia, books,maps and websites to locate information that answered our questions and allowed us to build on our understanding.
Year 6 students have had the opportunity to examine topics within the area of digital literacy; what makes a good digital citizen, how to guard against fake news and digital drama, copyright responsibilities and creative commons guidelines.
Thank you Mrs Milton - Amazing Library Officer
Thank you Ms Rowlings, Mrs Nunn and Mrs Scotts - Amazing Library Volunteers
A huge thank you to these generous women who volunteer their time to the functioning of our library service. Mrs Scotts, Mrs Nunn and Mrs Milton together have covered over 700 items this year, mostly small readers for use in the early years classrooms. If you are interested in learning from the experts, let me know and we will arrange a covering session in the library.
Ms Rowlings gives 3 hours each week to the important areas of circulation, shelving, library maintenance and preparation of new items. This assistance is so valuable and is gratefully received by library staff.
Holidays are Coming!
BORROW, BORROW, BORROW and READ,READ,READ
Check out these events;
Spy: Espionage in Australia - Cobb+Co Museum (qm.qld.gov.au)
Something for the Holidays@The Lighthouse!
The Lighthouse Toowoomba | Youth Writers Centre | Childrens Workshops | Gallery | Creatives
See the website or Facebook page for more information
HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!
2022 Drama Festival
Congratulations to all our students who have performed in the Drama Festival 2022. I am so proud of their commitment and for those who managed to get in the semi-finals this week. Children who are our finalists will compete next week in front of our judge Mrs Sandra Neal. We wish them all the best and all finalists will receive a medallion.
The PREP students will also join the finals for Year 1 and 2 to perform their poems and a song for the audience.
All parents, family and friends are welcome to join us on this day and the times for each year level are stipulated below.
PREP performances and Year 1 and 2 Finals
DATE: Wednesday June 22
TIME: 9.00 am – 10:30 am
VENUE: Mercy Centre
Year 3 – 6 Finals
DATE: Wednesday June 22
TIME: 11:20 am – 12:45 pm
VENUE: Mercy Centre
Anita McVeigh
Drama Teacher
2022 Finalists -DRAMA FESTIVAL
YEAR 1
Holly Coffison, Thea Arun, Penny Lucas, Lucas Callaghan
YEAR 2
Oliver Pavao, Chelsea Ray, Lachlan Scott, Jaishan Francis
YEAR 3
Bailey Wunsch, Nyigok Gakeer, Akuok Geu
Highly commended
Makaya Teske, Madeline Franklin, Sam Jones
YEAR 4
Scarlett Wright and Estelle Harlen
Liam McHugh and Lachlan Giuffrida
Cassie Soriano and Alessandra Ocampo
Joseph Black and Lily Brookman
YEAR 5
Jimi King and Isaac Ragh
Mae Kearney and Abiar Geu
Angelina Ones and Ava Orr
YEAR 6
Ayla Allen
Lucy Warner
Riley Woods
Maddison Kratzke
Evie Phillips
NO TUCKSHOP FRIDAY (TOMORROW)
Due to the Athletics Carnival tomorrow (Friday 17th June) there will be NO TUCKSHOP. Any orders that were placed have been cancelled and funds will be credited back to you.
OUTSTANDING ACCOUNTS:
All outstanding Tuckshop accounts need to be finalised by the end of Term please.
We are happy to provide Tuckshop to children, if there is a situation where lunch is either forgotten or not ordered, however, we do rely on payment for these orders being made. Thank you.
