14 February 2019

Newsletter Articles

Principals Report

Dear Parents and Guardians

We have all settled in well to the start of Term 1 2019. Students and staff are very comfortable in their learning spaces and I thank all our staff for the work they have done in preparing for the school year. In the letter sent home to families last week I formally welcomed our school community for 2019 including our new staff and Kindergarten students. We also welcome to our school community the following new students

Hamilton and Ibrahim (Prep)
Indiana (Grade 1)
Matilda (Grade 2)
Cameron, Violet and Conor (Grade 4)
Mahnoor (Grade 5)

In the coming weeks as the reality of full-time schooling sets in, your child may be anxious after returning back to school. If so, one way of helping them is to talk through their fears:

• Set aside time to talk about school and take an interest in what they have been doing
• Listen carefully to any worries your child might have but build on their positive experiences
• Find out about what happens at school during the day so you have a realistic picture
• Keep a regular routine at home to keep stress to a minimum
• Use the Seesaw App, Schoolzine App and Website, and information sent home to make sure your child knows what is happening and is informed and prepared about any changes to their routine

Listed below are some questions that are good to use for discussion starters with your child.

What made you smile today?
Can you tell me an example of kindness you saw or showed?
Tell me something you know today that you didn’t know yesterday?
If you could change one thing about your day. What would it be?
What made your teacher smile?
What was the hardest thing you had to do today?

It is important for us to work in partnership for the best outcomes for our students. We recognise the important role that both parents and teachers play in developing positive attitudes towards learning and education for children, building their motivation and confidence as learners, and fostering their enjoyment of learning.

“Together may we give our children the roots to grow and the wings to fly”

Kind Regards

Bernadette Brooks
Principal

Reflection

Prayer for the Start of the School Year

God of wisdom and might,
we praise you for the wonder of our being,
for mind, body and spirit.
Be with our children as they begin
a new school year.
Bless them and our staff and our community.
Give them strength and grace as their bodies grow;
wisdom and knowledge to their minds as they search for understanding;
and peace and zeal to their hearts.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

School Uniform

It has been so wonderful to see our students return to school wearing their uniform with such pride and correctly. I know every year there are some questions and concerns in relation to uniform and listed below is an attempt to explain these to parents;

• Students from Grade 1 to 6 must wear black formal school shoes with the formal uniform to and from school. Skate shoes, black sports shoes or shoes with a white sole are not suitable. Students may change into sports shoes during the day for morning tea and lunch.
• The new rugby top is available but there is no expectation that parents purchase this until 2020. We will have a two year change over to the new rugby top.
• Students may wear either the blue hat or the new maroon hat.
• Each year the idea of a summer dress is discussed. It is worth parents being aware that a good quality summer dress will be approximately $95.00 and this is a cost that many families in our community would find to be a significant imposition.
• All Kindergarten and Prep students will be in the sports uniform each day.
• Students from Grade 1 to 6 are only to be in sports uniform on designated Sports Days. If for any reason a student needs to wear the incorrect uniform a note must be provided by parents to the class teacher. Students in the upper grades who continue to wear the incorrect uniform will be issued with minor level slips.

Commencement & Commissioning Liturgy

Welcome BBQ

Parent Teacher Student Goal Setting – 4th to 7th March

From the 4th to 7th March we will be holding Student/Parent Goal Setting Interviews with the class teacher. Each student must accompany their parent/guardian to these 10 to 15 minute interviews and work together to set goals for the 2019 school year. The process of setting goals allows students to choose where they want to go in school and what they want to achieve. By knowing what they want to achieve, they know what they have to concentrate on and improve. Goal setting gives students long-term vision and short-term motivation. Having sharp, clearly defined goals, which students can measure, will allow them to take pride in accomplishing those goals. They can see clear forward progress in what might have seemed a long drawn out process. By setting goals students can: improve their academic performance, increase their motivation to achieve, increase pride and satisfaction in performance and improve their self-confidence. Further information will be sent home shortly.

Class Information Handbooks

This year our Grade level handbooks will be combined with our annual Parent Handbook and will be sent home within the next week. In addition our school website at the website below has copies of all relevant information for 2019.

Safety for Children

Please note that parking within the school grounds is for staff only and those with a disabled parking permit. There are some diagonal parking spaces opposite the EYC but all other parking is on the Church Car Park or behind the shops. Parents should not be driving through the carpark during school times. We do not apologise for putting student safety first and it is therefore important that parents remember to use the Car Park and Kiss and Drop appropriately.

Naturally at the start of any school year there is an increase of traffic when picking up students. We thank all families for their continued patience during this time.

Volunteers

We welcome all parent help and volunteers to assist us with learning experiences for students. All volunteers are required to have a Working with Vulnerable Persons Check to assist at school. This process can take a few weeks to be completed, so we urge parents, grandparents and family who wish to act as parent help, take part in excursions, and coach sporting teams to complete this process. The cost is under $20.00 and a Working with Vulnerable Persons Check will last for 3 years. For families who were the first to complete this process three years ago, please be aware your renewal will be fast approaching. For further details please visit:

In accordance with Tasmanian State Government legislation, ie, Registration to Work with Vulnerable People Act 2013, all persons who work or volunteer in Non-Government schools must have Working with Vulnerable Children Registration. Information regarding the legislation and online registration is available at

Once your card has been received, please present it at the School Office for verification, prior to volunteering.

Bushfire Update

Our prayers continue to be with all in our communities who have been affected by the recent bushfires. While these continue to burn our thoughts are with all community members and firefighters who are actively involved in these regions.

The Department of Health and Human Services have advised that bushfire smoke will continue to affect Tasmania during February. The smoke will vary - it may be light or heavy and may last from several hours to days. Smoke may affect places that are far away from fire. People anywhere in the state can expect to experience smoke at times during February.

Parts of southern Tasmania experienced extremely high and potentially harmful levels of smoke in late January, and more smoke in this region is expected through February. Most school age children can cope with periods of moderately poor air quality but may experience itchy eyes and throat irritation. Some children of school age or younger are more at risk of health harms from smoke. These more vulnerable children include those aged less than 5 years and those of any age with asthma or other chronic medical conditions. It is most important that children with conditions such as asthma have a current action plan from their GP and it is shared with their school.

Exposure to smoke will be managed by:

• Keeping classrooms as free of smoke as possible by closing windows and doors;
• Setting air-conditioning to recycle; and
• Not running outdoor activities when it is smokey.

Real-time data on air quality at over 30 sites in Tasmania is provided by the Environment Protection Authority. This is regularly monitored at school and can be accessed at:

More information about smoke and health is available at:

The Village – Birth to 5 Program

Uniform Shop

Families have been provided with a brochure in their information packs for house sports uniform items, if you wish to receive your house order in time for the swimming carnival in March please return the payment slip with details by 28 February 2019.

If you wish to have a logo placed on a school jumper or vest please send to the office, clearly named, with $7.00 by 22 February 2019.

Community Information

Run the Bridge

Sunday 17th February. Please see the attached flyer.

Elements of Strength

Additive Free Lifestyle
Thursday 28th February @ 7:30pm to 8:30pm

PCYC Teen Gym

Tuesdays and Thursdays @ 4pm

PCYC Toddler Ballet

Ages 18 months to 5 Years

Community Gardening at Chigwell House

Thursdays 9:30am to 11:30am

Claremont Girl Guides Car Boot Sale

Please come along and support Guiding in Claremont. There are vacancies for girls 5 – 18 years.

For any queries please contact Karen on 0407 491 199 or Robyn on 0437 075 623.

Sacred Concert with David Parkes

David Parkes direct from Dublin.

Tuesday 26th February at 7pm in the Parish Hall

Term 1 2019 Assemblies and Liturgies

Parents and Friends are most welcome and kindly invited to join us for our School Assemblies which are held at 1:45pm and our Liturgies which are held at 12:00 noon on the following dates in the School Hall or St Bernard’s Church unless noted differently.

Term 1 2019 Upcoming Events