School Newsletter Term 3, Week 2, 23rd July 2021
- Principals Letter
- Happy Birthday to...
- Cyber Safety
- Andrew Fuller- Getting Your Child's Mojo Back
- Attendance
- Parents & Friends
- Child Safety
- Supervision of Students Information for Parents
- ENROLMENT
- STAR Students
- School Fees and Payment Information
- Canteen
- Uniform Shop
- Parish News
- PAM - Parent Access Module
- COVID Guidlines
- Student Illness & Absence
- Book Club
- Community Notices
- Parking & Road Safety
- Bus Travel
- Advanced dates for your diary
Principals Letter
Dear St Augustine's families,
NAIDOC CELEBRATIONS
Last week, the Term 2 Class Captains, Mrs Lovel and myself were fortunate to be able to join in the NAIDOC Week celebrations held at the Goldfields Reservoir. This year's NAIDOC Week theme is, 'Heal Country.' Pope Francis has called us to continue to seek greater protections for our lands, our waters, our sacred sites and our cultural heritage from exploitation, desecration and destruction.
Upon arrival, we walked around the Res, then we were treated to a cleansing and smoking ceremony by local elder, Uncle Rick.
Welcomes have become strong features of contemporary Australian life and are often held at the beginning of meetings or events and may include song and dance. It is important that those who are on traditional land are of right-mind with no ill intent and are cleansed. With this in mind, we acknowledge the Dja Dja Wurrung people, traditional owners of the land our school is on and their connection to land, culture and community.
The children then enjoyed speaking with local indigenous community members who shared story, relics and art works. The children were very excited by this opportunity and had a lovely time.
REMOTE LEARNING
The move back to flexible and remote learning has been challenging for everyone. It is a difficult period for teachers, students and families as we have yet again all adjusted to new ways of learning and teaching.
The transition has been well received so I wanted to take this opportunity on behalf of St. Augustine's Primary School and in particular our teaching staff, to offer my thanks for the support all of our families have provided during this transition.
I have been inspired by the commitment and energy shown by parents and teachers in educating our children, and this is reflected in the innovative and creative ways we have come together to ensure continuity of education.
Our school and our staff are here for you and, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact us as we are available to help during this challenging period.
God of all Creation, We pause to listen deeply to the wisdom of this land and those who belong to it,We ask that the Spirit accompany us on our journey of healing on land, seas and waterways.We also ask the Spirit of peace to be with all those who are living in fear, dispossession, and distress,We make this prayer in the name of Jesus our friend.
Many blessings,
Mrs Sonia Turner
Principal
My New Gallery
Happy Birthday to...
Jayden H - Year 5 Daniel L - Year 3 Acacia B - Year 6
Leni T - Foundation Sophie L - Year 1 Sebastian B - Year 5 Bronte F - Year 4
Cyber Safety
The link below is eSafety Information for Families that has some very good reminders about being safe on the Internet. It is from the Western Australian Government, but it is relevant to all. Of particular note is the second page with minimum sign-up ages for popular Social Media platforms.
Mr Hawkins - Digital Technologies
Andrew Fuller- Getting Your Child's Mojo Back
Andrew Fuller hosted a free webinar for parents and carers this week which focused on ways to alleviate some of the stress of lockdown and home based education. Below are some important key points from the webinar.
'Getting Your Child’s Learning Mojo Back'
* Remember you are important teachers of your children you are not supposed to hold the mantle of learning -use this as quality time with your family.
* Cultures of cooperation- increase individual requests - ‘Would you mind helping me out….’
Requesting not commanding pays off. 'In our family, we help each other out.'
* Social skills are limited- time to upgrade manners, family rituals, requests build cooperation, model what you want to see.
Rituals are a key success to mental health - go for a walk, Sunday lunch, movie and popcorn, dance party, storytime.
* All learning is SCIENCE - in science experiments don’t always work out. Plan, have a go, reflect and try again. This is learning- “Here everyone gets smart.”
TRICKY TIMES:
You do not have to show up to every argument you are invited to.
Seek understanding- what’s going on in the family, identify misbehavior as abnormal, not the normal.
What’s going on for you? You are not normally like this?
Are you (HALTS)- hungry, angry, lonely, tired, stressed?
How can I help? What can I do?
RESOURCES:
https://andrewfuller.com.au/
Find your child’s learning strengths
mylearningstrengths.com
Attached is RESOLVE - helping with tricky times.
Free Webinar for Parents and Carers
The webinar 'The A to Z of Feelings' will be held next Tuesday 27th July 2021, 1-2 pm AEST.
If you would like to register please follow this link
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/the-a-to-z-of-feelings-with-andrew-fuller-by-popular-demand-tickets-163597539645
Attendance
Parents & Friends
PIE Drive order collection will go ahead Wednesday 28th July. Orders can be collected from the Parish Hall in Burns Street (back of the school) between 2-3.30pm. COVID protocols will be in place. Check in with QR code, wear a mask, hand sanitise, one entry and exit point.
Child Safety
St. Augustine's Primary School Maryborough demonstrates a strong commitment to the care, safety and wellbeing of all students at our school.
Each fortnight we will be sharing information around child safety and the obligations that we have as a school, staff and community. All of our Child Safe policies and procedures are accessible on our website at samaryborough.catholic.edu.au.
Supervision of Students Information for Parents
ENROLMENT
This term we will be conducting enrolment interviews for 2022 enrolments. If your family is not returning to St. Augustine's next year please advise us via email to admin@samaryborough.catholic.edu.au.
Likewise, if you have another child or know of someone who has a school age child for 2022, please contact the school asap.
An 'Application for Enrolment' form, as per link below, needs to be completed and emailed to admin@samaryborough.catholic.edu.au.
Alternatively, forms are also available in the school office.
We will be contacting families in Term 3 when we commence the enrolment interview process.
STAR Students
At St Augustine's we are a SWPBIS school (School Wide Positive Behaviour in School) and we have a STAR culture. STAR stands for:
S - stay safe
T - take pride
A - act justly
R - respond positively
Just like children are explicitly taught academics, acceptable behaviour is also explicitly taught. STAR awards are given at Assembly each fortnight, exceptional STARs are sent a postcard which qualifies them to morning tea with the Principal at the end of the term.
STAR lessons are taught around a nominated behaviour blitz. Children are taught how to be a STAR in all places they go and what the acceptable behaviour looks like. Examples of a lessons: how to stay safe in class, in the library, the toilet, at the bus stop, on the playground or when walking to the swimming pool.
School Fees and Payment Information
DIRECT DEPOSIT FEE PAYMENT REMINDER
If you pay via direct deposit into our school account, please use your four digit account number as the reference. This is located on your fee statement at the top right. If you are unsure of your account number, please don't hesitate to contact the school office.
Canteen
CANTEEN will remain closed until further advice is received from the Catholic Education Office post lockdown.
Uniform Shop
The Uniform Shop will remain closed until further advice is received from the Catholic Education Office post lockdown.
Parish News
St. Augustines Church 1897
NO SERVICES CURRENTLY BEING HELD DUE TO LOCKDOWN.
Please see link below for the latest Parish Bulletin and The Living Word.
PAM - Parent Access Module
We require families to complete and update their child/ren’s medical details and contact information through PAM as changes occur. This information is mandatory and vital in the case of an emergency. It is important that if you have any change to your contact numbers, including work place, mobile, home number, that these be updated through PAM.
To complete your child/rens medical profile including contact information, go to PAM, click on your child/rens name, go to 'Medical Profile' and click 'Edit Details'. Complete details then click in the box at the bottom of the page to confirm the details are correct and click ‘Update Details’.
If you have any questions or require your login details, please contact the school office.
COVID Guidlines
Following the Premier’s announcement Tuesday 20th July 2021, the current lockdown has been extended until 11.59pm, Tuesday 27 July.
Accordingly, schools will continue to provide a remote learning program for students through to and including Tuesday 27 July, or until otherwise advised.
Visitors to school grounds must comply with physical distancing and face mask requirements set, and practise good hand hygiene. Only essential visits to the school are permitted at this time.
Student Illness & Absence
If your child is unwell please keep them at home.
This includes coughs, colds, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea and any other contagious illnesses.
Coughs & Colds
Children can return to school once symptoms have eased and they are not actively coughing or blowing their nose.
Vomitting & Diarrhea
Children can return to school 48 hours after the last episode.
We will send children home if they present with any of these symptoms whilst at school.
Notifying Absences
All absentee notifications should be recorded either through the Parent Access Module (PAM) or directly to the school office by phone or email to admin@samaryborough.catholic.edu.au prior to 9.30am on the day of the absence. Please do not send notes of absence through to classroom teachers on Class Dojo as they may be absent or unable to check messages prior to commencement of class.
If a student is absent and we have not received any form of notification by 9.30am, a text message will be sent to parents asking them to call the office or send a reply text.
Book Club
Online orders due in by 30th July through LOOP.
Community Notices
Parking & Road Safety
There are three minute parking bays in Burke Street outside the school entrance. Your co-operation in only parking in this area for the specified time would be appreciated. These parking bays are for quick pick up and drop off for students leaving early due to appointments and illness.
Likewise we also ask parents to respect the parking restriction on the disabled parking area.
Thank you for your co-operation.
Please observe road rules around our school for the safety of all of our children.
* Schools have 40km zone.
* Parking behind the church & tennis courts is STAFF ONLY parking.
* Please use the children's crossing on Burns, Kars St and Burke St.
* For safety purposes, please avoid letting your children exit or enter a car whilst on the road or stopped at the crossings.
Bus Travel
Bus travel on the country buses is available for students at St Augustine’s School and arrangements are made through the bus co-ordinator, Stephen Broad, at the Maryborough Education Centre on 5461 7900. Parents of the student/s must organise the pass through MEC at least two days prior to travel. Students cannot travel on the country buses without a pass. The town bus does not require a pass but costs 50cents a trip, payable on the day of travel. Please advise the office if your child will be travelling on any of the buses so we can update our bus rolls.
IMPORTANT
All bus travel requires parents/guardians to complete a Public Transport Victoria (PTV) Application for Permission to Travel form prior to any bus travel. This form can be emailed direct to Stephen Broad at MEC, Stephen.Broad@education.vic.edu.au. It is important that this form is completed as these details will be used in the event of an emergency.
Advanced dates for your diary
2021 School Closure Days
Monday 16th August - Religious Education, Staff Personal Development Day
Tuesday 17th August - Literacy, Staff Personal Development Day 1
Monday 4th October - Visible Learning, Staff Curriculum Day
Wednesday 17th November - Literacy, Staff Personal Development Day 2
Children do not attend school on the above days.
2022 Dates - Term 1
Friday Jan 28th – Staff Day. STUDENTS DO NOT COME TO SCHOOL.
Mon Jan 31st - School Closure Day – Staff PD, Visible Learning. STUDENTS DO NOT COME TO SCHOOL.
Tuesday Feb 1st - Classes commence for all students
Wednesday Feb 2nd - Foundation rest day
Wednesday Feb 9th - Foundation rest day
Wednesday Feb 16th - Foundation rest day
Wednesday Feb 23rd - Foundation rest day
Wednesday March 2nd - Foundation rest day
Wednesday March 9th - Foundation rest day
Monday March 14th - Labour Day Public Holiday. STUDENTS DO NOT COME TO SCHOOL.
WEDNESDAY 16TH MARCH - NO REST DAY DUE TO THE HOLIDAY FOR LABOUR DAY. All students attend school.
Wednesday March 23rd - Foundation rest day
Wednesday March 30th - Foundation rest day
Wednesday April 6th - Foundation rest day
Friday 8th April – Last day of Term 1, 2.30pm finish