Thursday, September 11, 2014 No. 15 - 2014

THE FORTNIGHTLY NEWSLETTER OF ST. DAMIAN’S PRIMARY SCHOOL, BUNDOORA.

St. Damian’s News

FIRST EUCHARIST CELEBRATIONS

St Damian’s Learning Journey

PAGE 3

FROM THE DEPUTY PRINCIPAL Dear Parents,

News from Helen As you are aware Helen is currently on leave following the Principal‘s conference to Northern Queensland. We look forward to hearing Helen‘s further insights into Sustainability in our curriculum on her return next week.

End of Term Three It is, once again, difficult for us to believe that next week brings us to the closure of Term Three, for 2014. This term has been both an exciting and successful term and I congratulate the students, staff and parents on their achievements. Our major events this term have been our First Eucharist Celebrations, our School Performance and our Learning Journey Evening. Other special events have been our Father‘s Day Stall and the Athletic Sports. Today our school community participated in our annual ‗Footy Day.‘ Next Thursday we celebrate our St Damian's Feast Day. I thank our students and their parents for their ongoing interest, support and involvement. I also thank all staff for their dedication and continued commitment to our students. I hope that you all have a well deserved break and a relaxing holiday.

Thank you Thank you to St Damian‘s community for your support while Helen has been at the Principal‘s Conference and on Long Service Leave. I believe that ‗…it takes a village to raise a child‘. Your support has allowed this to continue in Helen‘s absence.

New Principal Appointed to St Damian’s We welcome the news that Rosanna Piccolo has been appointed as principal of St Damian‘s for 2015. She is an experienced principal and we look forward to her joining St Damian‘s learning community.

First Eucharist Celebrations On August 31 we concluded our First Eucharist celebrations for 2014. These celebrations are a very special time for both the school and parish of St Damian‘s. Our students looked very proud as they came to the Table of the Lord, for the first time and were strengthened by the Body of Christ. Our congratulations are extended to all children who were a part of these celebrations. At this time each year we are all given the time to reflect on the significance of the Eucharist which is central to our faith. The Eucharist strengthens us as we live a true Christian life. We are most appreciative of the support given to the students by their families, friends and parishioners. We especially acknowledge once again the guidance, support and warmth of Father Vincent. Father Vincent ensured that every child was given a sense of importance at the celebration and during the preparations. It was lovely to have Dario Juric our visiting seminarian involved in the Masses. We also acknowledge Sister Ignacia our Parish Pastoral Associate and Lina Parisot our Parish Secretary for their support. We express our gratitude to Aoife McCarthy our Religious Education Leader and to our Year Four teachers Maureen

Kovacevic, Tim Watson, Carmen Abdilla, Melissa Van Den Bronk, Riki Bossini, Aoife McCarthy and Angela Lombardi. We

also thank the Couples for Christ Choir and the St Damian‘s Choir and all staff who supported these celebrations.

Learning Journey Evening Last Wednesday we conducted our St Damian‘s Learning Journey Evening. All areas of our school were ‗buzzing‘ as students shared their learning with their parents. The feedback was extremely positive from our parents, our teachers and most importantly our students. I acknowledge and commend our dedicated staff for supporting and enabling our students to engage in the evening. I thank our parents and extended families for supporting this initiative. Team Planning for Term Four This week our teachers planned the learning experiences for next term. It was a pleasure to attend these sessions and

participate in the rigorous discussions related to student learning. Next term promises to be filled with engaging and rich

learning experiences.

St Damian’s Feast Day Next Thursday September 18 we celebrate St Damian‘s Feast Day which is a very special day for our school. As notified there will also be a Parish celebration on Sunday, September 21. You are also invited to attend this exciting event. We will commence our school feast day with a whole school Mass at 9.15am, celebrated by Father Vincent. Parents are warmly invited to join us for Mass. At later stages in the day all the students will participate in an Dance-a-thon

organised by the Parent‘s Committee and there will be other special activities. We will conclude the day with a whole

school assembly and parents are invited to attend this assembly.

St Damian’s Footy Day Our annual footy day was held today and was particularly enjoyed by all our football ―lovers‖. We especially thank the

Parish Events Committee who worked with our staff to ensure this event was an enjoyable day for our students. We also

acknowledge Mr Tim Watson for organising the footy parade and Barry Plant Real Estate agency for supporting this event.

Thank You to our Committees Education Board We thank our Education Board members for their ongoing support and guidance. The members of this committee provide sound advice to us and we look forward to their continued involvement. Parents’ Committee We continue to be very proud of our 2014 Parents‘ Committee and we sincerely thank them. The numbers are still increasing

this year and many successful events and activities have been organised. The traditional Father‘s Day stall was as usual,

popular with the children. The Sausage Sizzle Days were also very much enjoyed. Please support the forth coming activities

of the Parent‘s Committee, such as the Dance-a-thon and the 2015 Calenders and Diaries.

Summer Uniform Please note that traditionally we change from our winter uniform to our summer uniform at the beginning of Term Four. We are flexible if the weather continues to be cold, as is sometimes the case.

Diary Notes Please note in your diaries that the school will be closed on Monday, November 3, which is the day before Melbourne Cup Day as well as the day of the Melbourne Cup which is November 4 and is a public holiday. There is also a Professional Learning day/school closure day on Friday, Dec 5. Also please note that school finishes for the students on Wednesday December 17 at 3.15pm

School Fees and Levies May I take this opportunity to remind you to pay your school fees and levies, if you have not already done so contact the office to establish a payment plan. The end of the year is rapidly approaching.

Leave for Aoife McCarthy and Sally Schey Aoife will commence leave tomorrow September 12 and will return next term. This is a very special time for Aoife as she and Cameron are going to Ireland to spend time with her family. Sally commences long service leave next Monday and will return in week two next term. Sally will be travelling to Vietnam with her family. We wish them many happy adventures.

Congratulations We congratulate Sophie Tutin and Daniel Kerss who will celebrate their wedding in beautiful Ko Samui on September 23. Sophie will be on leave from next Monday and will return next term. We wish them good health and happiness for their future together.

Condolences Our prayers and sympathy are extended to the Spicer family. Sandra‘s father, Mario Caruso, passed away on the first of September. We also pray for Kellyann Stella and her family. Kellyann‘s aunt, Christine Stella was tragically killed last Sunday. May these families be comforted by the Lord.

Prayers We pray for all our St Damian‘s families who belong to our parish and school. As we celebrate our Feast day may we experience a sense of pride.

Jenny Rubira

PAGE 4

PAGE 5

FAITH NEWS Masses Tomorrow, Friday September 12, Year Three and Year Four will celebrate a Year Level Mass together at 9:15am. Next week, on Thursday September 18, we will gather as a whole school to celebrate a Mass in honour of St. Damian. You are most welcome to join us at either of these Masses.

Spring Prayer There is real wisdom, Lord, in the adage

'It is always Springtime in the heart that loves God.' Springtime is a season of optimism and hope

and the Christian lives a faith centered on hope. Winter, with its cold and dark days has gone

just as Good Friday has passed to Easter and beyond. We live a resurrection life

reflected in the new life springing up around us. Thank you, Lord for the hope that you bring

and the renewal that you bring both to this world and to our hearts and lives.

Amen. Aoife Mc Carthy

Religious Education Leader

SPORT NEWS

On August 27, St Damian‘s Athletics Team competed in the Bundoora District Athletics Championships. We had a huge team of 67 students representing the school at Meadowglen Athletics Track in Epping. Although we finished in sixth place, the students enjoyed their day with many students representing the school for the first time. There were also many fine individual performances on the day.

Thank you to Mrs Goodrope, Mrs Milana, Mrs Kovacevic, Mr Mathie, Miss Butler and Miss Van Den Bronk who all gave up

their time to train the students for their events.

Congratulations to the eight students who competed at the Divisional Finals on Monday. Rainier P (5/6C – 200m & High

Jump), Lachlan K (5/6M – Shot Put), Shehan F (5/6C – 1500m & 800m), Erica C (5/6T – 100m & Hurdles), Luke S (3/4KW

– 1500m), Thomas T (3/4KW – 200m), Aleksander A (3/4B – Discus) and Max M (3/4B – Shot Put).

Rainier (1st 200m, 2

nd High Jump), Shehan (1

st 1500m), Erica (2

nd Hurdles) and Max (2

nd Shot Put) have now qualified for

the Northern Metropolitan Region Finals that will be held early in Term 4. We wish them the best of luck in their

respective events.

Tim Watson

Physical Education Coordinator

PAGE 6

PARENT AND FRIENDS CORNER—SEPTEMBER Scholastic Book Club Thank you for supporting our Scholastic book club this term, as a result of your orders the school received $108.50 worth of books. Father's Day Stall Thank you to all families who supported our annual Father's Day stall. It was such a successful day with over $1500.00 raised. I want to acknowledge and thank our Father's Day Committee members: Angela C, Angela P, Clem, Connie, Debra, Loraine and Teresa who worked tirelessly from June until the final day. I also want to thank our helpers on the day; Flora, Karen, Lina, Rita, Annette, Sonya, Simone, Vicki, Lia, Guilia, Silvana, Donna, Michelle, Andrea, Wendy, Santina, Yvonne, Dilani, and Suranganie. Without them, we would not have been able to run the Father's Day Stall so smoothly. All funds raised from the Father's Day Stall will contribute towards our goal of revamping the school's library.

PARISH NEWS St Damian’s Feast Day, September 21 —Donations We are requesting donations of gifts for door prizes to the value of $5 - $10. Examples, pot plants, boxes of chocolates, bottles of wine, story books, etc. Could you please drop off at the Church, Parish or School Offices. St Damian’s Fete 2014 —November 9th ‗Trash n Treasure’: Please start collecting any trash or treasure you have at home for this years fete. The dropping off of items to the school will only be on Friday 7th Nov. 4.00pm- 9.00pm and Saturday 8th Nov. 9.00am—6.00pm prior to the fete. Book Stall: Start getting any books ready for donations to our stalls. Donations can be dropped off at the School or Parish Office. Thank you. Attention Gardeners As we enter into Spring, now is a good time to prepare and pot seedlings and cuttings. It would be appreciated if gardeners keep the fete in mind as you organise your spring gardens. Why not prepare a few extra cuttings or seedlings for the fete: Vegetables, flowers, herbs, shrubs, ground cover, etc.. Donations of empty pots and decorative pots, potting mix or seedlings welcome.

St Damian’s

FAMILY DISCO

Friday Night - 17th October

7.00pm to 10.00pm

Family Ticket $10

(2 adults, 2 children/ 1 adult, 3children)

Additional tickets $3.00 each (purchased with family ticket)

Tickets go on sale 1st week of term 4

St Damian’s Feast Day, Dance-A-Thon Thursday September 18

(Facilitated by ‘Dance Street’)

The Dance-A-Thon is a major fundraising event. It will take place following our school Mass. Sponsorship forms have been sent home and are due back by Monday September 15. Each child who returns a sponsorship form will receive a raffle ticket. The raffle will be drawn at the Dance-A-Thon assembly. Parent helpers are required on the day, please let us know if you can help out by returning the form given out last week. Children may wear their sports uniform on the day. All assistance is warmly welcomed. Parents and Friends Committee

PAGE 7

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Term 3

September 2014 Fri 12th Three/Four Year level mass, 9:15am Mon 15th Year Five/Six Excursion 9:00am—3:15pm Tue 16th Education Board Meeting 7:30pm—9:00pm Wed 17th Year Six Primary Secondary Transition Link at Loyola, 8:30am—11:00am Wed 17th Year Three/Four visit from Santa Maria College, 11:30am—12:00pm Thur 18th St Damian‘s Feast Day, Whole School Mass, 9:15am Thur 18th Dance - a -Thon Fri 19th Last day of Term Three, students dismissed at 1:30

Term 4 October 2014 Mon 6th First day of Term Four Fri 31st World Teachers Day

Happy Birthday List

The following children will celebrate their birthday in the coming weeks:

Happy Birthday List

The following children will celebrate their birthday in the coming weeks:

September

12th Joshua 5/6M

14th Sara PrepC

Talia 3/4A

Cristina 3/4V

15th Will 1/2CW

16th Leah 5/6T

Liana 1/2R

17th Monique 1/2B

18th Celia 5/6C

20th Tayana 1/2M

Dakota 1/2R

22nd Jack 1/2R

Zoe 1/2R

Jordan 1/2D

24th Nadia 5/6G

25th Sabine PrepC

25th Joshua 5/6G

27th Elizabeth 1/2R

28th Luca 3/4KW

29th Reehal 3/4V

Aden 1/2CW

30th Matthew 3/4LM

October

1st Mikayla 5/6T

5th Daniel 1/2R

Andrew 3/4A

6th Thomas PrepD

Rianna PrepD

Chris 3/4KW

7th Rafael 1/2B

Bianca 1/2B

8th Mila 5/6G

9th Isabelle 1/2M

PAGE 9

Nominations are now open for the City of Whittlesea

Australia Day Awards for 2015 Please got to the following website for information

regarding the awards:

https://www.whittlesea.vic.gov.au/your-council/

awards-and-competitions/australia-day-awards

We encourage staff, students, parents and friends of your

school to submit a nomination.

'A program for everyone "

NORRIS BANK TENNIS CLUB

OPEN DAY

Tennis Programs Victoria has recently been appointed the new coaching provider at Norris Bank Tennis Club with former top 200 ranked touring professional, Paul Mick. As you can see below are the coaching programs run by TPV Junior Coaching Private Lessons Night Competition Junior Competition Squad Coaching Holiday Programs ANZ Hot Shots Cardio Tennis Ladies and Veterans Program

St Peter’s Hall, Alma Rd Bundoora

All Ages –

toddlers to

adults

Dance, Hip Hop, Unison (performance singing), Tap,

Adult Dance Fitness, Adult Tap & Social Ballroom

&

ADULT DANCE FITNESS

Visit www.dancestreet.com.au for full timetable

RACHEL DUNNE FUGA (D.F.T.A) –

Principal Former Australian Champion

Over 22 years of teaching expertise

0432 949 499

Come and join the dStreet Performers in 2014

ADULT TAP

WEDNESDAYS!