2020 prep enrolments family passover/thanksgiving meal

NEWSLETTER NO .14

FRIDAY , 17 T H MAY 2019

Centred By Faith

In Partnership with Community

We Provide Excellence in Learning

Dear Parents, Students and Friends,

Family Passover/Thanksgiving Meal Last night, families preparing their children for

the Sacrament of the Eucharist gathered to

share a Seder Meal. The purpose of this meal

was to deepen the knowledge of both parent

and child as to the links between the Passover

Meal that Jesus celebrated with his disciples

and that of the Eucharist we celebrate today.

We hope that through this experience, our

families, in partnership with parish and school,

can provide our children with a greater

understanding of the meaning of the rituals that

they participate in and experience the richness

that our faith offers in our daily living.

Thank you to all the families that came out in

the cold last night and a special thanks to Kate

Warne for preparing a very delicious soup. We

knew that the food offered as part of the Seder

meal just wouldn’t go far enough.

Next week (Wednesday 22nd May @ 7.00pm) we

have the wonderful opportunity to work with

Paul Spense. Paul has a wealth of experience

and knowledge so I encourage you to think

about any questions you would like to explore

further.

2020 Prep Enrolments If you are a current parent who is seeking

enrolment for your child for the 2020 school year

and have as yet not picked up an application

form, could you please contact Justine in the

office as we are currently sorting out enrolment

numbers for next year.

Absentee Explanatory Notes If your child is away from school for any reason,

please contact the school office to inform the

school of your child’s absence. When your child

returns to school, please ensure that a written

note of explanation is provided to your child's

teacher. Schools are required by law to ensure

that a written explanation of a child’s absence

has been provided.

Notes are also required for part absences, i.e., if

they are absent for part of the day. All notes

regarding absenteeism are kept as official

records.

NAPLAN This week I received a great email from one of

our parents seeking clarification about the lack

of formal communication around NAPLAN

testing this week. It gives me the opportunity to

explain why we don’t add to the hype that

already surrounds this test, it’s purpose and how

we at St Ambrose see testing as another facet

in the process of learning. The following is my

response.

I must agree with your email and sincerely apologise that the minimal information has caused you concern.

We try to play down all the hype that is generated through the media regarding this test, given that it is one of many tests that our students undertake throughout the year.

In particular, our students undertake ARCOTS and PAT testing twice a year to inform our learning and teaching programs.

The format and staging of such tests are very similar to that of NAPLAN.

The timing of these tests is generally not published as we want students to understand and experience testing as a general practice of engaging in learning and a source of feedback that informs us of progress and areas for improvement.

We did, however, publish the days and focus of the testing for this week's NAPLAN testing in last week’s newsletter so that parents are aware that it is taking place. We are not permitted to release or publish the contents of the tests. There are very strict guidelines to this due to some schools in the past taking the opportunity to "teach to the test".

At St Ambrose, we teach the child. The test only verifies and informs us of the learning that has been achieved so far.

We definitely do not want our students nor staff to see NAPLAN or any test as the aim of their learning and teaching program.

The data collected by NAPLAN is mostly used by governments and education systems to monitor longitudinal progress, whereas ARCOTS and PAT data provide us with immediate information that informs our learning and teaching program.

Personally, I can appreciate NAPLAN and the need for such a test to occur so that school achievement and focus, in regard to student learning, can be monitored to ensure improvement.

When we receive NAPLAN data, which is usually months after the testing has occured, we triangulate it with our own data so as to validate or challenge teaching initiatives and pedagogy.

On a different note, you may have seen reports in the news of schools having difficulty with doing the NAPLAN via computers.

As a school, we decided not to go down this path following trials we undertook in partnership with the government last year that informed us of problems that could occur.

It was a good decision in light of what has been published this week and that the hype surrounding this one test along with computer issues would have not been conducive to students doing their best .

I will endeavour to provide an overview of your email in this week's newsletter as your concerns may also reflect the concerns of others. With kindest regards and appreciation for bringing this matter to my attention.

PARENT-TEACHER COMMUNICATION As a school, we strongly encourage parent

engagement in your child’s learning and the

development of positive parent / teacher

relationships that enhance the learning and

development of your child. If at any time you

need to speak to your child’s teacher, it is

important that you contact the school and let

your child’s teacher know what’s on your

mind. In turn, we continually promote to the

staff the need to communicate with parents

regarding the growth and challenges of their

students to their parents so the learning, social

development and personal growth is done in a

collaborative way that promotes our vision of

working in partnership with the community.

Other Important Information for Teachers The class teacher must be informed if a child:

Has a medical appointment during

school hours

Has had a change in medication or

dosage. (Communicate in writing)

Is attending any medical specialists, eg.

Speech or occupational therapy

Has to wear glasses

Has a hearing aid

Is under medical treatment or has a

health problem that may affect their

learning

Has any food allergies

Is to be absent for an extended period

of time

Needs to leave school early

Has recently experienced a major upset

(eg. Family break-up, death in the

family, moving house, etc.)

Is being collected by a parent or

authorised friend from within the school

grounds

DONATIONS NEEDED!

As part of our Inquiry unit for Term 2, the

Grade 3/4s will be designing and

constructing scarecrows for our School’s

edible garden.

In order to achieve this, we are seeking

donations of any of the following items;

● old clothes

● accessories - hats, beanies, scarves,

glasses, belts

● burlap sacks

● pillow cases

● old stockings

● straw, newspapers, plastic bags (for

stuffing)

● twine, string, wool

● rope

● garden stakes,sticks/wood, brooms or

mops (for poles and arms)

Donations can be dropped off to the 3/4PB

or 3/4M classrooms ready for the start of

Week 7 (Monday 3rd June).

Thanking you,

Grade 3/4 Students

Dates for the Diary

Week 5 Monday: 20.05

o Staff Prayer & Briefing: 8.15am

Tuesday: 21.05

o Staff Meeting – 3.45pm: SIF

Wednesday: 22.05

o Class Mass – 9.30am: Grade 5/6M

o ESO Meeting 2.30pm (Learning Intervention

Focus)

o Eucharist Family Conversations – Paul

Spense

o Canteen Day

Thursday: 23.05

o Staff Professional Learning – 3.45pm:

Intervention Framework 4.

o PLT Focus: (Snr) SIF

Friday: 24.05

o Canteen Day

o PLT Focus: (Jnr) SIF

o Religious Education Network

Saturday: 25.05

o Class Family Mass Gr 1/2T & 1/2R

Sunday: 26.05

o 6th Sunday of Easter

o National Sorry Day



o School Assembly: 2.55pm

Tuesday: 28.05

o VRQA School Compliance Review

o Staff Meeting – 3.45pm: SIF

Wednesday: 29.05

o Class Mass – 9.30am: Grade 5/6P


Focus)

o Parent & Friends Committee Meeting 7.00pm

o Canteen Day

Thursday: 30.05

o Staff Professional Learning – 3.45pm:

Intervention Framework 5.

o PLT Focus: (Snr) SIF

o Staff Meeting – 3.45pm to 5.00pm

Friday: 31.05

o PLT Focus: (Jnr) SIF

o Canteen Day

Saturday: 01.06

o First Communion Mass 6.00pm

Sunday: 02.06

o Solemnity Of The Lord



Tuesday: 04.06

o Regional Cross Country – St Arnauds

Wednesday: 05.06

o Canteen Day

o Class Mass – 9.30am: Grade 3/4M


Focus)

o Class Mass – 9.30am Grade Prep M

o Division Soccer

Thursday: 06.06

o Staff Meeting – 3.45pm

o Division Volleyball

o PLT Focus: Maths Moderation-Jane Hubbard

(Snr)

Friday: 07.06

o PLT Focus: Maths Moderation-Jane Hubbard

(Jnr)

o Deputy Principals Network Meeting

o Canteen Day

Saturday: 08.06

o Woodend Winter Arts Festival

Sunday: 09.06

o Pentecost Sunday

o Woodend Winter Arts Festival


o Queen’s Birthday Public Holiday

Tuesday: 11.06


o School Assembly

Wednesday: 12.06

o Northern Zone Principals Briefing Meeting

12.30pm to 5.30pm


Focus)

o Canteen Day

Thursday: 13.06

o Staff Meeting – 3.45pm (Normal)

Friday: 14.06

o ONWZ Principals Network Meeting

o CDSSA Winter Sports

o Canteen Day

Saturday: 15.06


Sunday: 16.06

o Trinity Sunday



o Art Expo Week

Tuesday: 18.06

o School Review Visitation Day 1:

Wednesday: 19.06

o Canteen Day

o School Review Visitation Day 2:

Thursday: 20.06

o Staff Meeting 3.45pm:

o Learning Diversity Network

o PLT Focus: Forward Planning Term 3

Friday: 21.06

o PLT Focus: Forward Planning Term 3

o Canteen Day

Saturday: 22.06


Sunday: 23.06

o Corpus Christi



o School Assembly 2.55pm

Tuesday: 25.06

o Parent Teacher Interviews 3.45 – 7.45pm

Wednesday: 26.06

o ESO Meeting 2.30pm

o Canteen Day

Thursday: 27.06

o End of Term Mass of Thanksgiving: 9.30am

o Parent Teacher Interviews 3.45 – 7.45pm

o End of Term Dismissal Time: 3.30pm

Friday: 28.06

o School Closure – Staff planning

Innovation Arcade

In the past two weeks Grade 5/6M and 5/6P participated in two excellent immersion activities; Lily's Chair and Bridges. I was unfortunately absent for Lily’s chair and only did half the Bridge activity, so this explanation will be short. For the bit of the bridge activity I was here for, I will explain. Firstly we were given 3 materials, (1) 12 pieces of paper (2) 40 cm of tape (3) two bibles.

My team decided to build a Beam Bridge, which is one of 4 type of bridges. The names of the other bridges are Suspension Bridge, Cantilever bridge and lucky last an Arch Bridge. We had 30 intense minutes of extreme concentration to build and make sure our bridge didn’t topple over. When the timer finished, everyone was exhausted but we completed the construction in the nick of time. Our hearts were racing like a formula one car. We walked into 5/6M class and waited for one of the teachers to put weights onto our bridge to test its stability. Our hearts were racing, the teacher walked over to our bridge and we were nerves and excited

Mr Portelli put weights on our bridge, little by little it started sliding off the Bibles. Our palms were sweaty, then our hard work, blood sweat and tears, our pride and joy collapsed! We crumbled, it was so sad that our construction had just fallen right in front of our eyes.

I started thinking what could of possibly gone wrong, what could we of done better, but suddenly I started hearing cheering. I saw our classmates and my friends were all there cheering us on. A big smile hit my face and I felt a feeling of proudness in my self. I thought, we tried our best and everyone could see this. It’s all I could ask for, we didn't need to win, all we needed was the satisfaction of giving it our best. My group looked at our construction and they grabbed it and gave it to me. I looked at it and just scrunched it, not in anger, but in hope that one day we will do something like this again, but do it with a different and better design.

The world needs new things, not the old! So I put the bridge in the bin and just went back to my group and smiled. We were so happy for that whole day so the moral of this story is not to give up and be a grump, but to try again and appreciate the things we have in life. So that is the story of my immersion activity.

Prep E Joel W For amazing descriptive writing about your Mum! Prep E Ethan C For using his Writing Checklist to produce a great piece of writing! Prep M Sascha H For independently recording the sounds that she hears when writing. Prep M Jack B For independently writing his name! Well don Jack! 1/2R Gus H For a fantastic effort with the content and presentation of his Anzac Day report. 1/2R Lachlan M For his informative and beautifully presented report about Anzac Day. 1/2TW Zara C For being a positive support to a classmate. 1/2TW Paddy L For demonstrating determination when reading and achieving great results! 2T Nicholas M For his determination to improve his reading! Well done! 2T India-Belle C For her wonderful answers in her comprehension activity book! 3/4M Archer C For his outstanding use of figurative language in his Mother’s Day reflection. 3/4M Hayden J For his persistence and determination in Literacy. Keep it up! 3/4PB Safara K For her inspiring growth mindset in Math. Persistence and maturity beyond her years. 3/4PB Riley J For creating an impressive roller coaster model using his knowledge of angles. 3/4PB Miranda B For writing a well thought out persuasive txt about our edible garden. 4/5F Rex H For showing a willingness to engage himself further in his learning! 4/5F Hattie B For always giving 100% to all areas of her learning! 5/6M Aaron J For his information review of the immersion activity – Bridges.

5/6M Alex G For digital technology skills to create a review about Ascot Holiday Park. 5/6P Laura G For her excellent Mother’s Day poem. 5/6P Xavier M For his beautiful message to Mum for Mother’s Day.

ART AWARDS Alessio L (2T) For helping out during Art without being asked to. Scarlet M (5/6M) For being very helpful during clean-up time in Art.

SPORT AWARDS Lucy K (4/5F) For 100% effort and determination in Physical Education activities! Cosette D (Prep M) For two super soccer goals!

6 May Madeline D (Prep E) 7 May Will F (4/5F) Liam M (5/6M) 9 May Sarah F (5/6M) 11 May Will B (2T) 14 May Samuel C (5/6P) 18 May Evie M (Prep M) 18 May Jack M (5/6M)

Lacrosse Program Thanks to the government’s Sporting Schools program we were able to book a two week Lacrosse program to run during Grade 3-6 PE lessons and buy a Lacrosse kit. Jayden coached the children on scooping, catching and throwing with a Lacrosse stick and ball and they will be learning the rules and playing a Lacrosse game. The children showed great enthusiasm & enjoyment of these lessons. Kristy Cavric - PE Specialist

Student Attendance Teachers will be on playground duty in

the school from 8:30am. Please make

sure your child gets to school before the

school bell at 8:50am as students are

required to be present in the classroom

at 8.55am with formal tuition beginning

at 9.00am.

Please do not drop your child off prior

to 8.15am in the morning. There is no

supervision at this time.

It is important that you work your child's

schedule to fit in with the school hours.

Children need plenty of time to eat

breakfast and prepare for school.

Children arriving at school after 9.00am

must be accompanied by the parent to

be signed in. A late pass will be provided

which must be presented to the

classroom teacher before commencing

lessons.

MINI VINNIES WINTER APPEAL

Dear St Ambrose Families,

This year, as the cold weather creeps in,

our thoughts go towards those in our

community that are in need. More than

40% of those experiencing homelessness in

Australia are under 25 years of age! This is

an alarming number and the St Ambrose

Social Justice Team / Mini Vinnies need

your help to ‘make a difference’ and

inspire change.

From now until the end of Term 2 the Mini

Vinnies (Social Justice Team) will be

partnering with the St Vincent de Paul

Society to run a ‘Winter Appeal’.

This year the St Vincent de Paul Society are

in desperate need of warm, life-saving

clothing and blankets for our ‘homeless’.

This term we are asking our families to

donate warm, winter blankets, sleeping

bags or clothing in new or in very good

condition in both adult and children sizes.

The donations need to be washed and not

stained!

Items could include:

Gloves, beanies, scarves, coats,

earmuffs, socks (new) or

blankets/sleeping bags.

Layers of Love!!!

We have also on display a ‘No-Sew

Blanket’ that Mrs. Geisler made over the

holidays! Under the blanket is a plastic

pocket with the instructions of how to

make a ‘No-Sew Blanket’. For all those

clever, creative families in our school

community, you can also make a new

‘No-Sew Blanket’ in either a small or larger

size which will be given by the St Vincent

de Paul Society to new mums and their

babies who cannot afford such lovely

things!!! The Mini Vinnies are going to

make one too!

Donations can be placed in the basket

provided (near the staffroom) or given to

your classroom teachers.

Just one donation per family can make a

big difference to families in our community

who are doing it hard this winter!

Thank you in anticipation of your generous

and thoughtful donations

Every day ask yourself, ‘What can I do to make

the world a better place?’

Mini Vinnies/Social Justice Team

(Heidi, Isabelle, Nash, Zac, Archie, Mia, Lucy

and Georgia)

This week, students are learning to say Akai maru (Red circle), Midori no maru (Green circle) and Midori no Hitsuji (Green sheep) in Japanese. We will also learn how to say 'Where is the green sheep?' in Japanese in coming weeks!!

Akai maru

あかいまる

Red circle

Midori no maru

みどりのまる

Green circle

Midori no hitsuji

みどりのひつじ

Green sheep

2020 prep enrolments family passover/thanksgiving meal

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