8 March 2018

Newsletter Articles

From the Principal

Dear Parents and Friends of our School,

Each Lenten season we are asked to support Project Compassion. This year Project Compassion support will empower young people to build a just future for themselves, their families and their communities. Although poverty exists in our community, we are blessed that we have avenues to support those affected, however some people live in communities where they are oppressed through no fault of their own. I have personally witnessed some of the struggles people face, like one of my teachers in Indonesia who spent some of her childhood living in a box under a freeway with her family, and her parents only earning enough to buy rice flavoured with salt, or another businesswoman I met who at 13 left home to avoid an arranged married as her family were too poor to support her. Both of these women, through the generous support of others, have become successes in their communities and now are helping others. I encourage you to give to Project Compassion as your help will empower others.

Our school will be participating in the Bullying No Way National Day of Action on 16 March. Bullying becomes a serious problem if not addressed and can have severe consequences, however we all can help. Firstly, we must understand what is bullying. The National definition for Australian schools is:

Bullying is an ongoing misuse of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical and/or social behaviour that causes physical and/or psychological harm. It can involve an individual or a group misusing their power over one or more persons. Bullying can happen in person or online, and it can be obvious (overt) or hidden (covert).

Bullying of any form or for any reason can have long-term effects on those involved, including bystanders.

Single incidents and conflict or fights between equals, whether in person or online, are not defined as bullying.

For me the important thing is not a playground disagreement, it is an ongoing misuse of power that causes physical or psychological harm. In my experience I have helped many students resolve bullying issues and to work on restoring relationships where possible. I have often found that the child being bullied didn’t have the language to express their feelings to the bully, and often the bully is insecure within themselves. It is important that we continue to teach both the child being bullied and the bully the appropriate behaviours to ensure they can all feel safe. For information please visit the link below.

As parents we often forget that we are all teachers and that every day our children are watching us to learn how to behave in different situations. Children often model their parents’ behaviours and unfortunately, they are more likely to repeat our actions, rather than follow what we say. So, if you get angry in traffic, or think that it’s okay to drop litter on the ground, you might see your child repeating that behaviour. On a positive note your child will also mimic your positive behaviours, so if you are going to do something you would not want your child to do, you might want to rethink it.

I wish our swimming team all the best at the NIJSSA Swimming Carnival next Thursday.

A big thank you to our P&F, our new playground is now opened. It is an example of the wonderful efforts our P&F have put into our school and the children love playing there! The P&F needs everyone’s support so that they can continue to have further successes so if you can help in any way I encourage you to help.

On Wednesday 21 March, Archbishop Julian Porteous will be celebrating Mass for Catholic Education Week at Sacred Heart Church, Newstead. You are most welcome to join us for this occasion.

God Bless,

Mr Shayne Kidd
Principal

IMPORTANT: Closing Gates

It is vitally important that all boundary gates are properly closed when entering and exiting the school as we have a number of younger students that are known to exit these gates if they are not closed.

We also ask that Parents and Students not use the staff gate coming in from the car park on Campbell St.

Thank you in advance for your assistance in this matter.

Parents & Friends

Positions Vacant

Fair Co-Ordinator/Co Co-Ordinator

• Send out Donation requests
• Book food vans/stall holders
• Apply for relevant permits/applications
• Co-ordinate stalls with teachers
• Distribution of fair notices to school community
• Raffle book collation, distribution and collection

The role is performed in close consultation with the P & F and is well supported by the school community.

Tasmanian Catholic School Parents Council Representative

“The Council is a collaborative and representative organisation dedicated to promoting and supporting accessible, quality education for all children in Catholic school communities.”

Duties;

• Attend 3 meetings a year (Launceston & Hobart held on Sat/Sun)
• Provide a report for the P & F

For more information refer to the TCSPC website.

Should you be interested in either of the above positions please contact Shayne Kidd or president of the P & F - Jacqui Cross.

Need for Foster Carers

Key Assets is a non-governmental, not for profit, fostering agency. We are looking for foster carers who are able to provide short term, long term, respite care or emergency care. There is a real need for foster carers across Tasmania at the moment with almost 1200 children in Tasmania who are currently living away from their parents due to abuse and neglect.

Any support that you could provide to increase awareness of the need for foster carers would be really appreciated. This could be as simple as putting up a poster (attached) on your notice boards or could involve us working with you to publish a story in your school newsletter.

Please feel free to contact me via the contact details below if you have any questions or suggestions/ideas. Thank you for taking the time to consider our request and I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards

Demi Lambert - Foster Care Recruitment Officer
T: 03 63236666
M: 0409 797 298

Community Care Meal Roster

Student Medical Detail Changes

If medical information has changed for your child and this hasn’t yet been passed on to the school office, can you please ensure this happens at your earliest convenience? Also, if you have previously supplied an epi-pen; other medication; or similar…. which may have since expired, so a replacement is required, please contact the school.

School Uniform Donations

Donations of outgrown school uniforms can be left at the office to be shared with families in our community. Any families needing uniform items please contact Jacquie Wood: jacquie.wood@catholic.tas.edu.au.

2018 Schoolzine Calendar

All of the known dates for 2018 have been put into the calendar on Schoolzine. More dates will be added as they become available.

Lego Competition

STM Techspot

A lot of parents have asked how they go about ensuring that their home networks are safe for their child/ren to use. The ease with which inappropriate content can be accessed these days is scary, but at the same time we don’t want to stop our child/ren from using this valuable learning tool. The below website is a link to a blog post by the Cyber Safety Lady regarding what you can do to keep your home network safe, so that you can still access the internet, but without most of the nasties.

One of the key ideas she gives in this blog post is to set up a home filtering system. This can be done for free, but of course the best solutions have some cost associated with them. We have popped a link to a website with one of the better filter offers below (there should also be a link at the top of the website to get 10% off). This particular system gives you full control of what is being accessed through your home wifi. We can’t urge you strongly enough to ensure that your home network has this, or some other filtering system in place.

Coles Sport For Schools

A reminder to place your Coles Sport For Schools Vouchers into the box at the front office.

Fees

Thank you to all parents who continue to pay fees regularly through direct debit. Please be aware that at enrolment the signatories on the enrolment form continue to be responsible for fees even if family situations change.

RWVP Card

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

How to apply for a RWVP Check & Number

1. Complete the online application form in the link below.
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 RWVP 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.

UPCOMING EVENTS

THURSDAY 15 MAR – NIJSSA SWIMMING CARNIVAL
WEDNESDAY 21 MAR – CATHOLIC ED WEEK MASS

PLEASE SEE THE SCHOOLZINE CALENDAR FOR SACRAMENTAL DATES & INFO

2018 Term Dates

Gallery

Swimming Carnival

New Playground

Our new playground opening was a big hit!

Once again, a huge thank you to the P&F for all their hard work in helping to provide such a wonderful space for our students.

Outside School Notices

Life Centre Music

2018 Early Childhood Music and Movement, Piano/Keyboard Lessons

Life Centre Music offers an educationally sound, high quality, fun program for babies through to 9 year olds.

Our parent/child baby and toddler music classes, and our classes for pre-schoolers offer a perfect introduction to the wonderful world of music. We sing, use instruments, move to music and engage in a variety of fun, interactive activities designed to enhance childhood development and instil a love of music.

Our keyboard classes are suitable for children aged between 5 and 9, and offer a great introduction to learning an instrument.

All award winning classes are taught by a fully qualified, registered teacher.

For more information contact Natalie on 0448 517719, email nataliehillier@gmail.com or visit our website in the link below.