NEWSLETTER NO 37 WEEK 8 TERM 4 NOVEMBER 30 2016

VISION STATEMENT

We at St Joseph’s Primary School Queens Park

are a faith based community which strives to

recognise and respond to the image of Christ in us all, as we grow

through work and prayer.

THE ST JOSEPH’S SCHOOL COMMUNITY ACKNOWLEDGES

THAT WE COME TOGETHER ON THE ANCESTRAL LANDS OF THE

WHADJUK PEOPLE

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

ADVENT: 1st Candle – (purple) The PROPHECY Candle or Candle of HOPE – We can have

hope because God is faithful and will keep the promises made to us. Our hope comes

from God. (Romans 15:12-13)

ADVENT: Is a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the birth

of Jesus. It is the beginning of the Liturgical Year.

THANKSGIVING MASS: Our last Mass for the school year is our Thanksgiving Mass which will

be held on Wednesday 7 December at 9.00am at St Joseph's Church. All families are welcome

to join us.

ST NORBERT COLLEGE SCHOOL FEE PARTNERSHIP: Fr Peter and Annette Morey, Principal of

St Norbert College have approached me with a School Fee initiative which will support families of

children attending both schools. Currently, discounts for second and third children change once

the older child attends St Norbert College. Fr Peter and Mrs Morey have decided that the sibling

discounts will continue across both schools and that they will reimburse St Joseph's Primary

School for any loss in fee collection. There is still a bit of work to be carried out on how this will be

managed but it is such a wonderful initiative that I wanted to share with the school community as soon as

possible. Once again thank you to St Norbert College for the wonderful support we receive from them.

MINUTES OF SCHOOL BOARD ANNUAL COMMUNITY MEETING: The minutes from the 2016 Annual

Community Meeting have been attached to this newsletter.

FAMILY FUN NIGHT: It was wonderful to see so many families here joining in the fun on Friday evening. I

believe we have a great school community here and it was once again evidenced on Friday night by the

way so many families mingled and enjoyed each other’s company.

The P & F work extremely hard to make sure the evening is a success and I greatly appreciate the

contribution they make and the effort they put in for all the students attending the school.

Special thanks to Charles De Gois and his Men In Black Band for providing the music.

LEAVING STAFF: Geri Martin our Aboriginal Teacher Assistant for the past two years will be

finishing her time at St Joseph's at the end of this week. Geri has been culturally inspirational for

many of the students, staff and families and I wish her all the best with her new endeavours.

-Selena Meegan has been our Performing Arts Teacher this year and has been offered a fulltime

position at Corpus Christi College for 2017. Thank you to Selena for all her work and we wish her all the

best.

STAFFING FOR 2017: Please find attached a provisional staffing list for 2017. Please be aware that a lot can

change over the months leading to next school year and that this is only a provisional list.

NEW APPOINTMENT: I would like to welcome to the school Annemarie Hoyne into

the newly created position of Literacy Coordinator. Annemarie comes with a wealth

of experience in primary schools as an expert in literacy. Annemarie has also had

previous experience as an Assistant Principal at Catholic Primary Schools. We are

excited about the literacy initiatives that Annemarie may bring to the school.

ST JOE'S GOT TALENT: Please note that the date for 'St Joe's Got Talent' is now Wednesday

7 December commencing at 2.00pm. Not Tuesday as indicated on your calendar.

GRADUATION LITURGY: Our farewell to the Year 6 class commence this evening with

their Graduation Liturgy commencing at 7.00pm. The Year 6 students will then have

their dinner dance next Monday 5 December in the Parish Hall from 6.00pm to

9.00pm. They will hold their final assembly at 12.00noon on Friday 9 December.

PERTH SWIM ACADEMY: Bernard Mackin through Perth Swim Academy is trying to develop a number of

swim programs through St Norbert College Pool. Bernard will set up a station in the undercover

area Tuesday and Thursday between 3pm and 4pm of next week to talk to parents about the program or to

enrol students. Please see flyers around the school.

God Bless

Peter Yensch

Principal

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL RE REPORT

ST VINCENT DE PAUL HAMPERS: Thank you so much to everyone who donated items for the St Vincent de

Paul Hampers. A representative from the Society will be here on Friday to collect all the donations and he

better have a big truck. Your generous donations will ensure that some needy families in our community

have a Christmas that is a little brighter.

@M ths News Making Maths Matter!Making Maths Matter!Making Maths Matter!Making Maths Matter!

Mrs De Silva is always willing to lend a helping hand to any parents and students

that need any assistance regarding students Mangahigh or Mathletics accounts. She is available in the Maths room (located between 3G and 3B) on Mondays and Wednesdays 3.15pm – 3.30pm.

Mathletics Gold Certificate WinnersMathletics Gold Certificate WinnersMathletics Gold Certificate WinnersMathletics Gold Certificate Winners Congratulations to the following students who were presented with gold certificates at Monday’s assembly in acknowledgement for all their hard work on Mathletics - Shania M, Ishaan A, Levi C, Nandakishor B, Jia C, Liam E, Aadit J, Jeremy P, Vy An.

Student passwords for Mangahigh / MathleticsStudent passwords for Mangahigh / MathleticsStudent passwords for Mangahigh / MathleticsStudent passwords for Mangahigh / Mathletics

This will be the last Maths News for the school year. Students will still be able to access their Mangahigh and Mathletics accounts over the Christmas break. Any student who requires their log in details, please come and see Mrs De Silva prior to the holidays.

Week 7Week 7Week 7Week 7 Term 3 Puzzle WinnersTerm 3 Puzzle WinnersTerm 3 Puzzle WinnersTerm 3 Puzzle Winners

SENIOR – Emily B 5G JUNIOR – Vy An 2B

Being the final Maths News for the school year there will be no junior or senior puzzle. Instead we have included a Christmas puzzle the whole family can enjoy working out together.

The word "Eve" is a palindrome, it reads the same forwards as backwards Here is the beginning of the sequence of palindromic numbers

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 22, 33, 44 How many palindromic numbers are less than 100?

Now see how many palindromic numbers are less than 1000?

How many palindromic numbers are less than 10000?

Is there a pattern?

ST. JOSEPH’S PRIMARY SCHOOL, QUEENS PARK

SCHOOL BOARD

Minutes of Annual Community Meeting held on November 21 2016

1. Opening of Meeting:

Meeting opened at 7pm with a prayer led by Kaye Savage Morton.

2. Present:

45 attendees as per attendance register.

3. Apologies:

Terri Herrington, Anna Tarle, Tania Valenti, Bruna Fiorentina, John Smith.

4. Confirmation of Minutes of last ACM Meeting on 23rd November 2015:

Minutes were circulated to attendees prior to the meeting commencing.

Accepted: Laura Giovinazzo Seconded: Mike Saunders

5. Chairpersons Report

Good evening everyone, my name is Marisa Dawson and I once again have the honour of being the Chair of the School

Board. On behalf of the School Board, I would like to thank you all for attending the 2016 Annual Community Meeting

of St Joseph’s, and for showing your continued support of this wonderful school.

The role of the School Board is a diverse one but its main role is to ensure the sound management of our school’s

finances and to support the Principal, Mr. Peter Yensch and our teachers with the best possible resources for the

spiritual, academic, emotional and physical development of our students.

2016 has been yet another successful year for St Joseph’s. The board has approved several projects which will, and

already have, impacted our students, staff and parents in a positive manner.

The introduction of the new and improved School Sport Uniform for 2017 has thus far been received with great

enthusiasm and positive feedback. A great deal of planning and discussion went into the design of the tracksuit, and

we believe we ended up with a design which is representative of our new school and the students. As with the

introduction of the new Inter-School T-shirts, (donated by our P&F), which the children have worn with pride, we

believe that the children will enjoy wearing the new sport uniform.

The nature playground is another project approved by the board. We began this process last year and this year we

were able to see the final product which has been particularly enjoyed by the pre-primary and Kindy students.

With Ronan Kelly leading the way, we have taken a step forward in taking St Joseph’s to the next level in regards to

the purchase of IT and the integration of IT into the curriculum. The board has approved an injection of funds into

purchasing and upgrading many resources both for the students to use and to assist staff with implementing programs

in the class. We look forward to continuing this process throughout the coming years as we understand the importance

of IT for the future of education.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Ronan Kelly. You have settled into St Joseph’s with ease and the

children have really enjoyed having you. The staff and parents speak very highly of you. You have been a great addition

into St Joseph’s and your continued initiative and support, particularly in IT has been a wonderful asset to the school.

As the use of Technologies and social media continue to grow both within and outside the school, the board believed

Cyber Safety to be of high importance. We have discussed this issue in depth and have organized Paul Litherland from

Surf Online Safe to address the issue of Cyber safety with parents, staff and students in Term 1 of 2017. Paul has come

highly recommended and the Board will endeavour to encourage significant attendance at this very worthwhile event.

The promotion of the Canteen has been another issue that has been addressed by the board. Many board discussions

and the results of the school survey, led to the ideas of naming the canteen, addressing the menu and the introduction

of new products to promote the use of the canteen. The naming of the The Mercy Café has been a positive step

forward and we look forward to implementing many other great ideas that have been suggested for 2017.

Other items that are ongoing and still being discussed are:

1. The issue of parking and safety

2. The potential use of the Coolock Centre these items will remain on the agenda for 2017 and will continue to

be addressed.

Other items which have been addressed this year are:

• In 2016 Before and After School Care saw Communicare cease their service, however, there was a smooth

transition to OSCHClub.

• 3 members of the board attended and gave feedback to the Cyclic Review

• A parent Code of Conduct for sporting events was introduced

Once again I would like to thank the P&F for always putting the interest and well-being of all the students and staff as

a priority. I thank you all for your time, effort and commitment to fundraising and making our school a better place.

Dan Nancarrow continued as President for 2016 and I would like to thank him for his continued support and

commitment to the P&F.

I would like to thank the Members of our School Board who have been a great support to Peter and myself. Your

School Board Members are Elisa Rangitoheriri (Secretary), Mike Saunders (Treasurer), Scott Shepherd, Marion Vargg,

Lucy Sawkins, and Marit Collingwood our P&F representative, Laura Giovanzo and Father Peter, our parish

representatives.

This ACM is the last for two of our current Board members and I would like to thank Marion Vagg and Lucy Sawkins

for their contribution over the years. Marion has served on the Board for 4 years, and Lucy for 2 years. On behalf of

the Board and the school we would like to thank you for your contribution over the years. Please come forward to

accept this small token of appreciation. Thanks ladies.

On behalf of the School Board, I would like to thank all the staff of St Joseph’s Primary. I am moved, as are many

other parents are of the ‘above and beyond’ effort you all go to for the benefit of our children. We recognize not only

the countless hours you put in toward teaching our children, but also the many before and after school hours for

extracurricular activities. It has been said over and over again, how there is something special about the St Joseph’s

community and your effort, support and commitment to the school are second to none.

As another school year rapidly approaches the end, I would like to wish you all a safe, happy and relaxing holiday.

Thank you.

Marisa Dawson

Chair- St Joseph’s School Board

6. Principals Report:

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT 2016

Introduction In 2016 the Pope declared that it was to be a Year of Mercy which coincided with our founders, The

Sisters of Mercy, celebrating 170 years since their arrival in Western Australia. It was pleasing that seven of our Year

6 students volunteered to give up the first day of their holidays, to accompany Mrs Morton and I, to celebrate this

anniversary by attending Mass at the Cathedral on 29 September.

This year we also participated in a Cyclic Review conducted by Catholic Education Office. The panel interviewed a

large number of members of the school community and believed strongly that we were meeting our improvement

agenda. They also wanted to ensure that new staff to the school carried on the qualities and culture developed by

long serving staff members.

The departure of one of the longest serving staff members took place in June with Kate Byrne retiring after working

at the school for 40 years. Kate would be the first to admit she wasn’t the perfect teacher but she was extremely

self-giving and loved supporting those who most needed help. These are attributes that we can hope existing staff

can continue.

Over the past twelve months we have welcomed a number of new staff. Our new Assistant Principal and six early

career staff. I’m enthused and genuinely excited by the new ideas and energy that they have brought to the school

and now that they have got through their first tenure at the school I can see that 2017 will be a great year for them

and in turn for the students.

The Cyclic Review Panel was very impressed by the facilities at the school and also acknowledged the strong links

between St Joseph’s and the Parish and St Joseph’s and St Norbert’s College. The rapport between to the two

schools is excellent and they suggested this could be used as a model for many other Catholic Primary and Secondary

Schools. We are extremely appreciative of support that the Principal, Annette Morey and the staff of St Norbert’s

offer St Joseph’s. Central to this sense of cooperation, and the overseer of the collaboration between the schools, is

Fr Peter who continually strives to ensure that the students at the schools get the best, as he believes they deserve

the best.

The panel highlighted that there existed amongst the staff an outstanding understanding of what needed to be done

and when, however, for new staff there needed to be written clarity so that new staff understood these

requirements. Consequently teams were formed and substantial work has been completed on documenting clarity.

In 2016 there were many opportunities that we can be proud of but for me our liturgies and sacramental

celebrations are a highlight. In recent years we have had visiting priests in Fr Peter’s absence. These priests are

amazed by the singing and the reverence our children show. I think the Archbishop is also impressed by St Norbert’s

and St Joseph’s as it was a genuine highlight for us when the Archbishop invited Cardinal Maradiego to visit our

schools.

Our sporting performances also show how far the school has come over the years by winning both the Interschool

Swimming Carnival and Athletics Carnival for the second year in a row. It was pleasing to see so many children trying

out for a spot in our interschool athletics squad and over 80 children representing the school. We also won our first

soccer shield which was a great highlight.

Our year 6 children also showed their versatility by receiving an honourable mention for their creative dance and our

choir also received an honourable mention as did our bible readers and solo singers and musicians.

2015 and 2016 Annual School Improvement Plan.

In recent years it has been a requirement of Catholic Education that schools develop Annual School Improvement

Plans and report on progress of current and future goals. The goals are set under the LEAD Framework of Learning,

Engagement, Accountability and Discipleship.

Learning

In 2016 we continued to reinforce the numeracy practices that had been established over previous years by our hard

working numeracy team. Numeracy results across all year levels and in NAPLAN results have continued to improve

due to the support initiatives like Mangahigh Maths, Mathletics, Have Sum Fun Maths and the Australian Maths

Competition. Acknowledgement by MAWA of a silver award for being a Maths Activ School is testimony to the hard

work by the maths team.

Our NAPLAN scores show that we are above the National Average in all ten assessment areas. Literacy results

continue to be strong and we have continued our focus on the explicit teaching model and questioning techniques.

Writing, Spelling and Grammar and Punctuation all show improvement. Although reading results are above the

National Average we still need to ensure current practices are consolidated and new initiatives are imbedded.

NAPLAN 2016

Year 3 School 2016 School 2015 Australian

Reading 432.1 439.5 425.7

Writing 442.5 428.1 420.5

Spelling 443.5 419.9 420.1

Grammar and

Punctuation

462.2 439 436.3

Numeracy 420.9 413.9 402.2

Year 5 School 2016 School 2015 Australian

Reading 503.2 512.1 501.7

Writing 513.9 485.6 475.4

Spelling 561.0 535.1 492.9

Grammar and

Punctuation

576.6 531.2 505.0

Numeracy 543.2 496.3 492.9

Bishops’ Literacy

Once again our Year 5 students did extremely well in the Bishops’ Literacy Assessment with the All Schools’ Average

being 60.4% and our students achieving an average score of 73.4%.

In 2017 we want to ensure current good practices are continued and at the same time ensure that clear direction is

given to our new teachers through documented policies and plans and classroom observation and feedback.

The use of Information Technology in schools is an ever changing landscape and the impact of the Leading Lights

Project coordinated by CEWA is not clearly understood. What we do understand is that we have a team of very good

IT people at the school who will be able to make the necessary changes to accommodate this initiative and move to

the forefront of ICT Education.

Engagement

Our engagement goals for 2016 were based on trying to develop student engagement by improving our staff

capacity to enhance student enjoyment and ability in reading. With this in mind staff attended two days of

professional development on comprehension and in turn, classroom comprehension skills were explicitly taught,

reading running records were carried out, reading books were purchased and the reading resource room continued

to be developed.

Although we have spent time on developing teaching practices in reading, we still have a number of areas that need

consolidation. It is for this reason that student reading fluencyand comprehension remains a major goal for 2017.

We are in the fortunate position to be able to employ an experienced literacy coordinator for 2017 who will align

school beliefs, analyse data, demonstrate practice and coach new staff in successful strategies. This is a really

exciting opportunity and we have attracted applications from high quality and experienced teachers.

One of our goals is to encourage parents to recognise the importance of students to develop an interest in reading

and assist them in developing good practices at home. Parent information sessions will be run in 2017. Whilst

reading development remains a focus for 2017 the key goal for staff will be the introduction of the Brightpath

writing assessment initiative. This a tool, that has been developed by UWA for the education department, can now

be accessed by Catholic schools. The tool allows teachers to make consistent judgements about writing samples by

grading them against a large computerised sample in a number of writing genres. Students can then see what they

need to do to move upward along the scale.

Accountability

The accountability requirements continue to grow each year and this year we developed school teams to ensure

many accountability requirements were being addressed in the school. Occupational Health and Safety, school use

of SEQTA, Students at Academic and Emotional Risk, Implementation of the Western Australian Curriculum and

National Quality Standards are all areas that we have spent time on and continued to address over the past six

months. Every staff member from the teacher assistants, the cleaners, the administration staff and the teachers

were involved in working on the teams. Many staff worked extra hours in these teams. The teams will continue to

consolidate their work in 2017 for the next school audit in 2018.

We have been recently advised that CEWA has engaged the Assurance Advisory Group to help manage and provide

guidance on managing risks within school environments. This will support our Occupational, Health and Safety Team.

One important area to be addressed by all within the school community in 2017 will be a clear understanding of our

new policy on the Code of Conduct. Some of statements in the Code of Conduct will impact directly on what have

been current practices in schools. It will impact on all forms of contact and relationships with students and provide

very explicit guidelines.

Discipleship

In 2016 we continued to make Christ central to our school with staff, students and parents provided with many

opportunities to support the poor and marginalised in our community and abroad. The welcoming of all cultures to

our school by the students is a genuine strength of this community and a reflection of the Christian values that they

bring from home and are enhanced in their classroom. A sense of social justice and cultural tolerance is something

that we can all be proud of. One of our goals was to Make Jesus Real and I do see Jesus real every day in our school.

It is essential for all who work in our school to remember that children, learn far more about Christian life not by

what is taught but by what they witness.

In 2017 in honour of our founders, The Mercy Sisters, we have decided that we need to acknowledge children who

show significant acts of Mercy by awarding the Catherine McCauley Award. This award will be presented on limited

occasions when staff witness a genuine act of Mercy over the school year.

Staff will also attend professional development on Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter on sustainability “Laudato Si”.

School Community

I feel honored and privileged to work with good people. People that put the children in our care at the forefront of

their daily activities. I continue to be inspired on a daily basis by staff who show care and compassion to the students

at the school and continue the Mercy values.

Many of these people are the elder statesmen of the school and there is a genuine challenge to the new staff,

Samantha, Celeste, Liana, Georgia, Kathlyn, Marilyn and Ronan to keep this culture of self-giving strong. We have

once again had some excellent achievements this year and it doesn’t come easily. It comes from hard work and

teamwork. I hope this work ethic continues next year.

There are a number of people that epitomise this culture. People like Maureen Carter. After twenty plus years you

would think that Maureen may be tiring of some of her commitments but this year she continued to give up many

lunch times to train her children for athletics, gave up after school to help guide Samantha through her first year,

gave up Thursday lunch times to work with one of the leadership groups, sold books during book week helped coach

the Cross Country Team not to mention the great job she does of teaching her 30 year 1 students. However one of

Maureen’s strongest assets is that she is always one of the first to acknowledge others who may be going through

personal struggles with a kind gesture or thought.

This year we unfortunately farewell Selena Meegan, our 2016 Performing Arts Teacher. Selena has been offered

fulltime work at Corpus Christi College. Selena is a talented young teacher who will be missed and we wish her all the

best for the future.

I would like to echo the sentiments of Marisa by thanking the School Board Members for their ongoing support of

the school and myself with regards to school finances and resources. I would like to add my thanks to Marjion and

Lucy for their commitment to the Board over recent years.

I think the P & F is one of those thankless jobs within a school community and I’m always amazed at the energy and

effort that this group of parents put in. I used to think that the lifespan of a P & F Member was about two years but

this group of parents have continued to run events and provide valuable funds for the school for a number of years

with many returning next year. I would particularly like to thank Marit and Deb for the outstanding contribution they

have made.

We have a great school here but what is even better is the great kids. If you had the opportunity to see how our year

6 children support and interact with each other you would know what I’m talking about.

Finally I would like to wish you a great end to the year and a wonderful Christmas.

7. Confirmation of Board Membership:

With the resignation of two board members, Marion Vagg and Lucy Sawkins, and terms expiring for Elisa

Rangitoheriri and Mike Saunders, four positions were available.

Elisa Rangitoheriri and Mike Saunders re-nominated for their positions and nominations for the remaining

two positions were received from Yohan Vales de Menezes and Jacob Delfos.

THE 2017 ST JOSEPH’S SCHOOL BOARD CONSISTS OF:

Marissa Dawson - Continuing from 2015

Elisa Rangitoheriri - Voted in for a further 2 year term

Michael Saunders - Voted in for a further 2 year term

Scott Shepherd - Continuing from 2015

Yohan Vales de Menezes - Voted in for his first 2 year term

Jacob Delfos - Voted in for his first 2 year term

Ex Officio Members:

Fr Peter Joseph - Parish Priest

Peter Yensch - Principal

Daniel Nancarrow - P&F Representative

Laura Giovinazzo - Parish Representative

Congratulations to all of our 2016 Board Members.

8. Close of meeting:

8.00pm.

P & F NEWS: We would like to thank everyone for attending the Family Night last Friday. We trust you all

enjoyed the night and the children had fun.

Congratulations to everyone who was lucky enough to win one of the amazing raffle prizes.

The St Joseph’s P and F would once again like to thank the following businesses for donating some money

towards the Family Fun Night this year.

The donated money helped to subsidise the costs of the bouncy castle, light towers and generator hire.

If you are in need of any of the services these businesses provide, please keep them in mind.

* Mobcube Mobile Phone and Tablet Repair

* Quality Air-Conditioning and Heating

* Watch Zone

* Wilkinson Air

* Belle Bomboniere

* Jim's Test and Tag Mt Lawley

* Rangi Plumbing and Gas

* C Knight and Son Concreting

* SCAFFKiT

* Central Lending Solutions

* Loan Market Cannington

* Royalty Plumbing, Gas and Electrical

* Queens Park Physiotherapy

* Bozzy Shade Blinds

* Green Fingers World of Hydroponics

* Theresa Catalano - ENJO

The P & F have had another fantastic year and we would like to thank everyone who has volunteered

throughout the year at various events. Your continued support is much appreciated.

STAFF LIST 201STAFF LIST 201STAFF LIST 201STAFF LIST 2017777

Principal Mr Peter Yensch Assistant Principal RE Mrs Kaye Savage-Morton Assistant Principal Admin Mr Ronan Kelly Pre-Kindy Miss Celeste Della Posta (Tue,Thu) Teacher Assistant Mrs Jenny Tesch (Tue,Thu) Kindergarten BLUE Mrs Helen Petch (Mon,Tue,Thu) Kindergarten GOLD Ms Rebecca Bowen (Mon,Wed,Fri) Teacher Assistants Mrs Carmen Garcia Miss Kathlyn Tay Pre-Primary BLUE Mrs Andrea Lewis Teacher Assistant Ms Peta Eldridge

Pre-Primary GOLD Mrs Katrina Malcolm Teacher Assistant Ms Sandra Rouse

Year 1BLUE Miss Melissa Stamp Year 1GOLD Mrs Maureen Carter (LSL) Miss Samantha Inkster Teacher Assistant Mrs Pauline Cvejic (Tue-Wed)

Year 2BLUE Mrs Gemma Tsang (Mon-Wed)/Mrs Anna Tarle (Thu-Fri) Year 2GOLD Miss Liana Ottobrino

Year 3BLUE Miss Georgia Laird Year 3GOLD Mrs Tania Valenti Year 4BLUE Mrs Fran Drummond-Hay Year 4GOLD Mrs Aoife Cooksley (Mon-Thu) Mrs Rose McGrath (Fri) Year 5BLUE Mr John Smith Year 5GOLD Mrs Judyline Vales de Menezes

Year 6BLUE Mrs Kaye Savage-Morton/Mrs Tennille Eoannidis Year 6GOLD Mr Vladimir Alonzo

Library Mrs Terri Herrington (Mon-Thu) Library Assistant Mrs Pauline Cvejic (Mon,Thu) Information Technology Mr Ronan Kelly/Mrs Liz Rowles (Tue/Thu) Performing Arts Miss Celeste Della Posta (Mon,Wed,Fri) Italian Mrs Bruna Fiorentino (Mon,Tue) Sport Mrs Tennille Eoannidis (Wed-Fri) Numeracy Support T/Assistant Mrs Michelle De Silva Numeracy Assistant Mrs Marilyn Burman (Tue & Thur) Literacy Support Mrs Viv Ward (Mon,Tue,Thur & Fri) Literacy Coordinator Mrs Annemarie Hoyne Ed Support Teacher Assistants Mrs Lynda Beadle Mrs Jacqui Spurgeon (Mon-Wed)

Mrs Jenny Palermo (Thur-Fri) Mrs Jenny Tesch

Miss Amy Williums (Tue,Thur) Miss Demi Allen

Aboriginal Teacher Assistant TBA Social Worker Mrs Christine Pittman (Tue,Wed,Fri) School Chaplain Miss Olivia Palermo Administration Mrs Andrea Handcock Ms Georgia Dragon

Groundsman Mr Peter Vagg Assistant Groundsman Mr Peiter Vagg Jr Canteen Mrs Maria Ieraci (Mon, Wed-Fri)/Mrs Yuli Parkin (Tue) Uniform Shop Mrs Robyn Kelly (Tue,Thu) Cleaners Mr Irsan Midjaja/Mrs Ong Hok Sin

SOCIAL WORKDER NEWS:

GOODBYE PRIMARY SCHOOL, HELLO SECONDARY SCHOOL

The end of primary school is a significant milestone in children’s lives. They’ve spent half their lives in primary school, in many cases in the same school, which is significant. Developmentally they’ve come such a long way from those shy little kids who lined up for class on the first day holding a parent’s or carer’s hand. Changing from primary to secondary brings a mixture of emotions in kids such as excitement, apprehension, pride and, in many cases, sadness about leaving friends and familiar surrounds behind. Parents often go through the same range of emotions as children at this time so we need to acknowledge those feelings in ourselves, just as we should in our children. Looking back This is a time for kids to celebrate their achievements; show appreciation to their teachers and enjoy the friendships that they’ve formed. Here are three ideas: 1. Let’s celebrate Primary school graduation ceremonies play an important part in the primary school life, as they mark the end of an era and the start of a new part of their lives. 2. Show gratitude Make sure your kids take the time to thank their final year teacher and as well as seek out to thank other teachers who contributed to their education over their primary school journey. 3. Enjoy friendships Encourage your kids to be open and friendly at this time of the year, and steer clear of cliques and fellow students who want to exclude others from their groups. The end of primary school can be tricky to navigate, particularly when early maturers stick together and ostracise certain classmates. This is the time for friendly behaviour and inclusiveness. Looking ahead When primary school is finished and the holidays are coming to an end it’s time to focus on the new experiences of secondary school. Some kids take secondary school in their stride but it is natural to experience some difficulty. If your eldest is starting, then secondary school will be a relatively new experience for you too. It will take some time for you to adjust to the school’s culture and communication methods. Your attitude as a parent can help your child quickly adjust. Here are three ideas for you to help kids make a smooth adjustment: 1. Promote friendships The quicker kids form new friendships the sooner they’ll feel comfortable in their secondary school surroundings. Encourage your young person to be open to forming friendships with all sorts of kids; to be accepting of others who may be different to them; to take social risks by joining in activities even though they may feel uncomfortable; and to be friendly, approachable and positive!

2. Be ready to listen Patience and understanding in the early weeks next year is essential. Brush up on your listening skills as you help your young person adjust. Talk to your young person about change and reassure them that it’s normal to feel unsure or nervous in new circumstances. Let them know that many difficulties they face will be temporary.

3. Keep your attitude positive Confidence is catching so make sure you see this transition time as an exciting challenge that your child can handle rather than an event to be feared. Ask them about the new subjects or interesting activities they are doing, and try to shift their focus to the positive aspects of school. Discuss settling in issues with the appropriate person such as a year level coordinator, but give your young person time to handle them on their own before seeking help.

www.parentingideas.com.au