Term 3, Week 5 Friday 23rd August 2024

2025 Class Planning
Our staff are commencing the process of class placements for 2025.  Later in the term, students will also have a chance to provide input into this process. Each year teachers spend a great deal of time looking at class placements for the following year.  This process takes many things into account.  First and foremost, we take into consideration the learning needs of all students.   We aim to ensure classes are ‘balanced’, by also taking into consideration a balance of gender, progress and levels of children’s learning, children with specific needs (social/emotional, learning and physical), relationships and family considerations.

If there is a consideration that you feel we need to be made aware of, please email me before Friday 20^th September (kelly.campbell@smms.catholic.edu.au).

At this time of the year, we have not finalised staffing and class structures, and we have teachers who will be changing year levels, as well as new teachers to our community.  Requests for specific teachers are not a part of our process, as classes are determined before teachers are allocated to that class or year level.

Once the process is finished, it is extremely difficult to consider further input from parents because the movement of one child will affect many other children in the class and the balance that we work hard to achieve. In previous years, if you have put something in writing, please email me again, if you would still like this to be considered.

Your child’s best support may be someone they have not yet met!

Tournament of Minds
Our Tournament of Minds team is busily preparing for the South Australian competition on Sunday 8^th September.  They are preparing a ‘set’ challenge in language literacy.  Mr Parker has been coaching them through the preparation. They need to prepare the response to the challenge without adult intervention, so we are all looking forward to seeing their results in a couple of weeks’ time!  During the competition, they also must respond to a spontaneous challenge, unassisted. 

Our Tournament of Minds Team 2024: Jayne-Louiz, Nira, Arin, Alex, Rahmah, Nancy, Savannah.

We are proud of their confidence and commitment to the challenges ahead.

Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum
Last Monday all teaching staff updated our training and professional understanding of Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum.

The Department for Education Child protection in schools, early childhood education and care services policy states that ‘all children and young people in the department’s preschools and schools will access the approved child protection curriculum’.

The KS:CPC teaches children and young people to recognise abuse, tell a trusted adult, understand what is appropriate and inappropriate touching and ways of keeping themselves safe. 

Themes
The curriculum is based on two main themes which are presented through topics and activities.

• Theme 1: We all have the right to be safe
• Theme 2: We can help ourselves to be safe by talking to people we trust.

Focus Areas
The two themes are explored through four Focus Areas, which are examined in growing complexity in accordance with the age of the learners.

1. The right to be safe
2. Relationships
3. Recognising and reporting abuse
4. Protective strategies.

More information can be found on the KS:CPC website: http://kscpc.2.vu/DE_ParentsCarers.

Thank you for your continued support,

Kelly Campbell

BOOK WEEK DRESS UP PARADE
We enjoyed a fantastic Book Week Parade yesterday. There was so much joy and excitement amongst the children as they dressed up in the Book Week theme, ‘Reading is Magic’ and participated in the parade. We had princesses, fairies, witches, magicians, bananas, superheroes, Harry Potter, unicorns and many other wonderful book characters join us. Many thanks to our staff and families who supported the parade and dress up. Special thanks to our ESO Librarian Katherine McCullough, Bec Braidwood our MC extraordinaire and the other members of the book week committee. Pictures of the parade are included in this Newsletter.

FATHER’S DAY GIFT STALL
Next Thursday 29 August we will hold a Father’s Day Gift Stall. Each class will visit the stall with their teacher and the children will be invited to purchase a gift for their dad. Gifts are between $2-$5 with the majority of the gifts being $5. Please send the money to school with your child on Thursday. If we have gifts left over, they will be for sale on Friday 30 August. I will communicate this with families via Seesaw.

We wish all of the dads, grandads and special male figures in our community a very Happy Father’s Day on Sunday 1 September. We hope you enjoy your special day.

I wish you all the best for the week ahead.

Thank you for your on-going support.

Belinda

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

We have had plenty of rain and sunshine over the past few weeks, and as such, our Winter garden beds are growing nicely! Thank you to everyone who has been donating clothing in our Vinnies clothing bins over the Winter months. Your clothing donations will be loved again and go towards raising money for those most in need. By the end of next week, Friday 30 August, the Vinnies bins will be collected to be shared with other communities.  Thank you again for your ongoing generosity and acts of kindness.

Journey to Emmaus
On Friday 23 August, our Year 6 students gathered together as part of the parish Journey to Emmaus Leadership Program. Throughout the day, the students collaboratively work through challenges, reflected on our school values and the impact that their combined leadership has had on our school and community. Our leaders also looked to the future, they engaged in a process of planning upcoming events and reflected on the many gifts they will carry into their Secondary Years from their experiences at St Margaret Mary’s school.

Confirmation Ceremony
Tonight, Friday 23 August, we also celebrate the first of our three Confirmation ceremonies with Archbishop Patrick O’Reagan.  We offer our prayers and congratulations to Patrick, Alessandra, Tarja, Aryan, Phi Khoa, Thomas, Raymond, Lani, Hannah, Kalista, Ngan and Tammy as they prepare to confirm their Baptismal promises.  On these special occasions, we also extend our prayers to Antony and Victoria as past students and to all the young people in the Croydon Park Parish who have been preparing with their families to receive this sacrament.

All families are warmly welcome to join us for the following Confirmation ceremonies:

Have a good weekend everyone.

Matthew Harrison

Grazie Mille to Mrs Osborne for taking all Italian lessons while Signora Armiento has been on long service leave.