23 March 2017

Newsletter Articles

From the Principal

During Catholic Education week this week the focus has been on celebrating and recognising the achievements and strengths of Catholic Schools and all who participate and contribute to the success of our educational communities.

The Gospel Reading today at the combined Mass to celebrate Catholic Education Week was Luke 1: 26 – 38 as a lead into the theme ‘love God with all your heart’. It often is said that good things come in small packages. This passage adds a twist to that theme. For the announcement of Jesus' birth shows that wonderful things come in surprising packages. God does not always do things the way we would do them.

Young Mary, mother of Jesus is a truly great example of the extent of love for God. The fulfilment of God’s promise came to earth in an unadorned small package of human innocence, into a very humble family, with a mother prepared to trust God with her life and that of her child. She was a true believer. Mary is honored for her model of faithfulness and openness to serve God – a person we can identify with and emulate. The angel in this passage states the basic premise "Nothing is impossible with God." Mary simply responds in humble acceptance, "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said”. May we go forth loving God with all of our hearts – a great and important challenge for all of us in order to bring about God’s Kingdom.

St Joseph’s Feast Day

On Monday we acknowledged the Feast of St Joseph (Sunday 19 March) by giving our best wishes and flowers to Sister Margaret and Sister Jenny. As the Order that founded our school we give them immense thanks and pray for their continued presence within our school. We truly appreciate our direct connections with the Sisters of St Joseph.

Sr Margaret receiving flowers on St Joseph’s Feast Day

Junior Joeys

At Assembly on Monday our 2017 Junior Joeys were commissioned for the year and made their commitment. We have 50 active students for 2017 who are committed to “acting like Jesus” in our school.

The Junior Joey’s Mission Pledge is:

• We aspire to be people of joy and integrity; doing what is right.
• We will help other – when we see a need, we will do something about it.
• We will learn more about our Josephite heritage and teach other children in our school about Mary MacKillop, Julian Tenison Woods and the Sisters of St Joseph.

Ex Students

On Monday 13 March several ex students visited St Thomas More’s for a tour down memory lane- they were students celebrating 50 years since they had left STM as 16 year old students. There were a great many stories to share.

Margaret Cousins, Ann Morris (Baxter), Ann Piper (Kelly), Helen Wild (Morgan), Jenny Donnelly (Reid), Tess Cox (Teresa Olech), Kay Thompson (Nelson), Therese Green (Foley), Ann Rouse (Coster) & Wanda Mantach (Wroblewski)

Thank You

Thank you to all parents for your informative contributions last week at the Parent – Teacher meetings. Your sharing of your invaluable knowledge of your child is greatly appreciated by all staff.

WWVP Card

Parents, Grandparents and Caregivers are reminded that if they wish to do Parent Help with their children they must have a current WWVP card which has been copied and held on file at the office.

How to apply for a WWVP Check & Number

1. Complete the online application form:
2. Print the “Application Receipt” which is generated when the application has been completed in full.
3. Take the “Application Receipt” (and your 100 point check to confirm identity) to a Service Tas Shop and pay the fee.
4. Take your WWVP card to the school office where your number will be recorded. If you are not recorded in the office you will not be able to do parent help, camp, etc.

Professional Learning

Student Free Day coming up: Focus – Spelling PL and Team Teach. This PL provides training in positive handling strategies for responding to and managing challenging behaviours.

- CCEL Meeting

At the Combined Catholic Educational Leaders Conference last week I had the opportunity to work alongside fellow Principals, the Director of Catholic Education, Archbishop Julian Porteous and Catholic Education Office Staff as we explored the next Strategic Plan for Catholic Education. We looked to the Archbishop’s Charter for direction and alignment within the system and considered a range of national educational concerns. It was a very fruitful two days.

- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Conference

Cassie O’Neill and I were privileged to attend the ATSI conference in the NW last week.

We experienced a trip around Woolnorth to see the significant sights of Aboriginal History and hear of the clash with European culture at that time. We visited a midden sight and discovered many tools and implements used by the Aboriginal Culture many years ago. We heard about many incorrect facts that have been taught over the years with regard to Aboriginal History and culture. On the 2nd day we spent time at Highfield House learning of how the two cultures interacted, often ending in violence. We were able to hold many ancient aboriginal tools that showed evidence of a highly sophisticated, adaptable and flexible culture.

We worked with other teachers from across the north of our state to discuss how schools with differing numbers of Indigenous students are accommodating for those students and the opportunities people are providing. We certainly learned the important role science plays in discovering an un-recorded history, particularly geology. It was great to hear from the speaker from reconciliation.org confirm for us how important it is to have a shared understandings/school ethos to underpin our reconciliation plans as a school.

Carol Seagar

Project Compassion 2017

Caritas Australia’s annual fundraising and awareness-raising appeal, brings thousands of Australians together in solidarity with the world's poor to help end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity.

In Project Compassion 2016, over $11 million was raised to help the world's poorest communities.

The theme for Project Compassion 2017 is “Love Your Neighbour”.

As Pope Francis said, “Love of God and love of our neighbour is one and the same thing.”

By supporting Project Compassion you will be helping to empower our world’s most vulnerable neighbours to grow stronger.

You may remember having a Project Compassion box at home when you were a child. You can now share this tradition with your children, helping them to learn that they can make a positive difference in the lives of others.

Please keep your box at home until Holy Week when we will ask for its return.

MyTern

Post 1
MYTERN 2017

(Take Emotional Responsibility Now)

MYTERN is a powerful communal language that helps students, staff, parents, carers and grandparents handle the daily stressors of life. The effect of minor stressors such as an argument with a friend, a nasty look or nasty word, lower test results than anticipated, not looking good, or not being chosen for a team, can easily go unnoticed, resulting in the development of more serious problems.

We cannot eradicate the daily stressors of life. Therefore, MYTERN, combined with other strategies that we already have in place, will strengthen our community’s ability to handle these everyday stressors.

MYTERN focuses on creating emotional intelligence, health and resilience, helping all of us deal with everyday situations (be they positive or negative) in a realistic and practical manner. Like reading and writing, this skill is acquired through daily practice, and is just as essential a skill to master as literacy and numeracy.

That is why it is so important that the language of MYTERN is practised both at school and at home. To help us facilitate this at home, we recommend that you also download the MYTERN App. This will not only help embed the language into your vocab but also assist in applying the skill daily, as the app delivers a message from Monday to Friday at random times within the hours of your choice.

We will also again be providing a fortnightly post, educating our community on what MYTERN is and how we can embed the language in our everyday experiences.

This year we are continuing to build on the language and concepts of MYTERN. In focusing on student Emotional Intelligence we are developing language and strategies for students to use in adjusting and regulating their emotional reactions.

Emotions influence childrens’:

• physical health
• mental health
• social competence
• school readiness.

Some strategies we use at school are:

• walking and drink plenty of water
• stretch – Yoga
• quiet meditation/mindfulness
• progressive muscle relaxation
• positive self-talk.

Family Activity: Have each member of your family discuss the everyday stressors that may leave them feeling sad, tired, angry, or frustrated. There are no wrong or right answers. Can you remove any or all of them or are they just a part of life?

Fees

It is a requirement on the Fee form signed by parents that:

• Monthly payments are to be made in 9 instalments due:
• at the end of each month March to November; and
• by the end of Term 4, a final payment settling the account in full.

Annual payments received by the school before 31 March attract a 5% discount on tuition fees (but not the capital levy or tuition levies). Annual payments cannot be made by direct debit”.

If you require assistance with meeting this commitment please see the Principal.

Medical Information

Can parents of students with medical needs please ensure all medical plans are updated with your doctor and returned to us in the next two weeks. We use these plans (for example anaphylaxis and asthma) as direct instruction when your child needs medical assistance from the staff.

Parking:

Please ensure that you continue to abide by road safety requirements around St Thomas More's Catholic Primary School. No parking on yellow lines or driveways. Abiding by 5 minute zones for pick up and drop off. A brochure has been emailed outlining these guidelines.

2017 Sacramental Calendar –

Executive Functioning

EFD is going to be the challenge of 21st Century education. It impacts organisational skills, planning, remembering sequences, inhibition and impulse control, emotional regulation, monitoring, time management, understanding, problem solving. EFD has in the past been misdiagnosed in Early Childhood as lazy, unmotivated, stubborn etc. It becomes more apparent in Primary/High School. Students with EFD have good local connections in the brain but not global - have difficulty going from one hemisphere of the brain to the other. Their understanding is situationally variable - they may be able to do something in one situation/context but not another. They see the start and finish but not the process in between, so need to be process focused and they need lots of visuals and scaffolding. Many have dysgraphia and a weighted pencil can help with this. If you have any questions or would like more information contact Mrs Julie Nailer.

P & F

This year’s committee members are: President – Jacqui Cross; Finance Officer – Kylie Smart; Secretary – Kirsty Pedder.

Vacancy: Fair Coordinator; coordinate the team, facilitate meetings and purchasing and help with sponsorship. If anyone has these skills please contact a P&F member.

Dates of meetings: Wed 5 April; Thurs 1 June; Wed 5 July; Wed 16 Aug; Wed 13 Sept; Tues 17 Oct; Wed 15 Nov.

Birth to 4 Program at St Thomas More’s

Starting 21st February in the Josephite Hall 9 -10:30 every Tuesday during term time. All parent and children 4 and under are most welcome. Looking forward to seeing you.

Important Health Request

Dear Parents

You may be aware that Pippa Harmey, a student in Kinder this year, Is receiving treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (a type of cancer) which puts her at risk if she is exposed to Chicken Pox, Shingles or Measles. Please inform the school office as soon as possible if you or your children or friends come into contact or become ill with any of the above.

Pippa's parents, Yvette and Dave have asked for our help in this very important matter.

This is especially important for all families in our school.

This is a simple but very important way we can help Pippa on her journey towards wellness.

Thank you in anticipation of your support.

Community Announcements

NOTICE OF ANNUAL FUEL REDUCTION BURN PROGRAM ADVICE FOR SCHOOLS

The City of Launceston wishes to advise that fuel reduction burning will be carried out this autumn at:

Cataract Gorge Trevallyn Interface,
Cataract Gorge Hardwicke Street Interface,
Carr Villa Flora Reserve and Memorial Park,
Youngtown Regional Park,
Havelock Street Reserve, and
Punchbowl Reserve

Fuel reduction burns are part of Council's Bushfire Management Strategy, which is available on. The aim of fuel reduction burning is to reduce existing fire hazard, protect property and other assets, protect flora and fauna and their habitats, and assist in the regeneration of degraded bushland and control weeds.

Burn operations are expected to be completed in one day, during this time public access to these area will be restricted. The public are asked to remain well out of the burn area while the burn is taking place and for the following days until safety checks have been made along tracks and trails. Please comply with directions from staff or any signs if you are in the area.

Whilst fire intensity is expected to be low, it will generate flames, smoke and ash. People with medical conditions, particularly children and the elderly, are advised to have a personal plan for avoiding smoke from the burn. Advice is available from the Department of Health and Human Services website or the links below.

The burn will only be carried out on days when weather conditions are considered suitable meaning the decision to burn is made on a day to day basis. Notifications of scheduled burns will be updated daily on Council's website only.

If you require further information, please do not hesitate to contact Barry Pickett on 6323 3612 during office hours.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Miss Lauren Peters and her fiancé Gabriel are getting married at the end of March.

We wish the happy couple all the best for this special sacramental day and for the future together.

Mrs Andrea Hanson will be the relief teacher on class during this period.

GALLERY

Lentern prayer time in the classroom

Gardening with Robyn Eltringham