22 August 2023 (Term 3 Week 6)
Principal's News
REMINDER STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAY
A reminder that Monday, Week 7, August 28, is a Pupil Free Day. This is a day when staff will be working hard on our school improvement and learning agendas. We thank parents for their understanding of the need to find alternative supervision for their children on this day.
We have officially marked the mid-point of the term and are rapidly approaching our Family Day celebrations. We hope you can join us on the day as we celebrate the transformational power of reading and those people who inspire us.
This week we also had a number of our young people receiving their First Holy Communion in the parish. We celebrate this achievement with their families and the parish community.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION
Last Sunday’s Gospel passage was Matthew 15:21-28. This can be a challenging passage, but one with a powerful message. Throughout the gospels, Jesus is challenged in battles of wit by a number of formidable opponents. Often, these challengers attempt to trap Jesus by having him say something that would either see him in trouble with the authorities, Jewish or Roman.
In this week’s passage, Jesus is seen for who is by a Canaanite woman who begs him to save her daughter from illness. In ancient times, Canaanites were seen as outsiders to the Jewish community; they were often regarded with suspicion and prejudice due to historical conflicts and differences in beliefs. Yet, this particular Canaanite woman, driven by her love for her daughter and her desperation for a cure, approached Jesus, stepping beyond the cultural barriers that separated them. In what seems like a heartless move, Jesus initially refuses to help the woman’s daughter. However, she persists and pleads with Jesus, offering a strong argument in support of her position. Jesus, seeing the depth of her faith, cures her daughter. For us today, this story is a beacon of hope and a testament to the strength found in determination and persistence. The Canaanite woman’s courage to challenge societal norms and even engage in a profound exchange with Jesus underscores that meaningful change can arise from dialogue and steadfastness, even in the face of seeming rejections.
ASSEMBLY REMINDER
This Friday is assembly week. We invite all parents and families to join us. We are planning to have some students present their Gift of the Gab performances.
PARENT FORUM
Last Tuesday, at the Parent Forum meeting, Janita Thomson and Jo Kelly, from the Catholic School’s Office Family School Partnerships Team, presented the two Parent Forum groups all schools in the diocese will need to move towards in 2024. The reason for this change is to ensure Diocesan-wide consistency and because the change in the governance model means that the current model of the Parish School Forum needs to be amended. The two models are presented in the image below. More information can be accessed about the two models by following this link. Parents and carers are invited to indicate their preference for the new model via this survey link.
The two models will be discussed further at an additional Parish School Forum evening in Term 4. The date is yet to be scheduled but will be advertised via the newsletter and Compass. We invite all interested parents to join us for this meeting.
DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER...
...see coming events for all the details!
Learning & Teaching News
Last week we held the Gift of the Gab during lunch times. We were so impressed that 25 of our students, represented across all grades, were willing to put themselves forward to present in front of their peers.
The competition was judged by Mr Crosby, Mr Challinor and Mrs Marg Gill. Mrs Gill is a local parishioner and a past teacher from St Joseph’s, and we really appreciate her support and her expertise. The Stage based place-getters will be asked to present at the upcoming assemblies, and the top two place-getters from each Stage will be invited to represent the school at the inter-school event in week 9. A huge thank you to Mrs Katherine Lamas who was a great supporter of this initiative. She helped provide students with an opportunity to rehearse their speeches and arranged for trophies to be made.
We congratulate the following students for being willing to share their unique voices.
| Kindergarten | Addison Bambrook |
| Year 1 | Ella McVey, Aiyanna Feilds, Bronte Sugden |
| Year 2 | Charlotte Dyson, Morris Green, Chloe O'Bryan, Matilda Hollows, Quinn Matley |
| Year 3 | Oscar Lamas, Rory Quinlan, Lily McVey, Maddi Layland, Damon Szeto, Mitchell Charter, Zara Towns, Lachlan Lewis-Hughes |
| Year 4 | Ava O'Bryan, Indy Vu |
| Year 5 | Hugh Woolley, James Cormick, Emma Quinlan |
| Year 6 | Peter Carroll, Toby Conlan, Ella Creighton-Kemp |
MATHS TIME!
ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION STRATEGIES
Stage 2 have recently been developing their addition and subtraction strategies. When applying additive strategies, students may manipulate numbers using their part-part-whole knowledge, renaming and partitioning of numbers (including using place value knowledge) and the inverse relationship between addition and subtraction.
Here are just some of the strategies we explored.
Compensation Strategy
Levelling and Constant Difference Strategy
Split Strategy
Using a Number Line Strategy
DICEY ADDITION GAME
This is a two-player game where students use their number sense to create equations (number sentences) where the closest to a total of 100 wins. Watch the 'Dicey addition' video to learn how to play.
You will need
• a 0-9 dice or 0-9 spinner • some paper • pencils or markers.
How to play:
- Draw a game board so each student has the same one (an example to start with: _ _ + _ _ + _ _ = ________ or choose something different).
- Each player takes a turn to spin the spinner and decide where to play that digit in their number sentence (equation).
- Students spin the spinner 6 times each.
- The person whose sum is closest to 100 is the winner!
- Share thinking with a partner and record in mathematics journal or workbook.
- Next play closet to 1000. Now just roll the die 9 times to create your addition.
Mission News
CARMELITE MONASTERY CELEBRATION
On the 15th of August 2023 the Social Justice group were lucky enough to be able to go to the Carmelite Monastery in Lismore for the Mass to celebrate Mother Maria’s 50th anniversary of being a nun. We met Mother Maria, the Prioress, who has given fifty years of her life to God; she and her fellow nuns are constantly praying for all of our school community.
We also got the opportunity to speak to Mother Maria and she told us about her journey being a nun. She started her calling as a nun at the age of 18! She also reminded us that Jesus loves us all, forever and no matter what. At the end of the morning we got to look in a little shop which had lots of memorabilia, including candles and symbols of Jesus.
By Harpa, Ngozi, Peter, Ethan & Maddi
FIRST HOLY COMMUNION
This week we celebrated a number of students joining the table of the Lord by receiving the Sacrament of Eucharist. It was lovely to see these young people eager to be fully initiated into the life of the Church. We acknowledge, too, the witness and support of their parents, who are guiding them on their spiritual journey. We welcome in communion Reuben Birkwood, Sophia Birkwood, Ethan Cox, Madeleine Egan, Max Latham, and Chloe White.
FATHER’S DAY PRAYER CELEBRATION & PHOTOS
We are looking forward to celebrating our Father’s and Father-figures with a liturgy next Friday, 1st September. Please come along and join us for this special celebration. We will be making a video reflection for this liturgy so I invite you to send me your photo/s of your fathers, grandfathers or loving adult to include. Please send these to kathryn.jones@lism.catholic.edu.au. Thank you to all those who have already sent these through.
Sport News
DIOCESAN ATHLETICS
Well done to all of our children who represented not only our school but also our Zone, at Diocesan Athletics last week. We were very proud of everyone's efforts and sportsmanship that was reported from the day. Check out their results in the finals below:
- Jordy Thompson: 6th 9yrs 100m Sprint
- Hugo McCall: 2nd 8 yrs 100m Sprint
- Jonty Allen: 1st Jnr MC Long Jump. Jonty set a new record for this event!
- Sully Mitchell: 5th 100m Sprint, 7th 200m Sprint, 2nd Long Jump
- Zeke Kubils: 1st 11yrs Discus and 1st 11yrs Shot Put
- Brenden Latham: 1st 100m Sprint
- Will Gallagher: 3rd 800m Run, 4th 1500m Run
Library News
BOOK CLUB ISSUE 6
Book Club Issue 6 catalogues went home last Friday with students. Orders close at 9am on Wednesday 30th August. Preferred ordering method is online using LOOP. Please make sure you select your child’s stage when ordering to make distribution easier. There are some great books available through Book Club, remember every sale benefits our library!
Wellbeing News
SAFE TECHNOLOGY USAGE SERIES
We continue to share some important information to support parents and carers to help keep their children safe when using technology. This information has been compiled by those with expertise in the Catholic Schools Office. The third in this series discusses how we as parents can put in place parental controls with technology to keep your children safe.
The Benefits of Parental Controls
While no parental control tool is perfect, it's equally important to teach your child good online safety habits. The internet-connected devices in your home offer numerous benefits, but it's crucial to understand the associated risks and protect your family.
eSafety provides a helpful guide for parents to understand parental controls and their role in keeping children safe online. They offer a short video introducing various parental control options and recommend settings that suit your family's needs.
Streaming Services
Streaming services like Netflix, Disney, Stan, and Amazon Prime offer parental controls to prevent children from accessing inappropriate content. YouTube Kids provides family-friendly content with features to set time limits on apps and disable search functionality. Among catch-up TV platforms, ABC iView stands out by offering parental filters and controls, along with a dedicated platform for younger viewers called ABC KIDS iView.
Apple Devices
For Apple devices like iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches, you can utilise Apple's parental controls. With Content & Privacy Restrictions in Screen Time, you can block or limit specific apps and features on your child's device. You can also restrict explicit content, purchases, downloads, and privacy settings.
Android Tablets and Smartphones
For Android tablets and smartphones, you can set up parental controls through Google Play to restrict the content your child can download or purchase.
Finding the right balance with parental controls is key. It starts with open conversations and setting clear expectations about monitoring online activities and modelling healthy behaviour. It's about protecting your child while allowing them the freedom to explore and learn online. Gradually introducing age-appropriate freedoms is important. Collaborating with other parents and teaching your child essential online safety skills together can be beneficial. Ultimately, being a responsible and caring parent means prioritising your child's online wellbeing.
Parent Resources
Canteen News
ORDERING LUNCHES
All lunch orders need to be placed via the Compass platform, and no longer purchased with cash. A reminder that cut-off time for ordering lunch, for staff and students, from the canteen is at 8.30am via Compass. If you need to cancel a lunch order, the cut-off time for doing so is also 8.30am. Thank you for your support of our canteen processes.
Parish News
PARISH MASS TIMES
Saturday Vigil Mass - 6.00 pm
Sunday Mass Alstonville - 8.30 am
Sunday Mass Wardell - 5:00 pm
Celebrations
Coming Events
DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER...
...try our Lucky Dip instead! Hundreds of books available, most priced around $2-$3.
Take a chance on a new read, and help support Year 6 fundraising for their gift to the school.
Our Book Stall will be open:
- Friday 25th August at school (including just before assembly for parents who want to make a purchase)
- Saturday 26th August at the Alstonville Plaza.
If you’re in Year 6 and want to help out with our Stall, contact Kate Webber on 0424 293 243.
FATHERS DAY LITURGY - FRIDAY 1 SEPTEMBER
Save the date for our Father’s Day Liturgy this year. This will be held in McCarthy hall at 2:20 on Friday September 1st. All are welcome!
FATHERS DAY STALL - THURSDAY 31 AUGUST
The Fathers Day stall will be held in McCarthy Hall on Thursday, 31st August 2023. Cards, gift bags and a variety of awesome gifts for dad are available from 50c to $7. Each student who purchases a gift will go in the draw to win a special gift bag for Dad. See below for the gifts are on offer this year and their prices.
We will also need some volunteer parents to assist on the day. Please contact Kellie Wilks (kelwilksy75@gmail.com) or the school office if you can spare any time. Set up will be from 11 am and the stall will be open from lunch for each stage.
A huge thank you to Kellie Wilks for her amazing work in putting this together.
Community News
