2024 Week 5 Newsletter - Term 1

WEEKLY FOCUS - Working Together Wednesdays

From the Principal - A useful list to ponder

Dear families

You may have heard your child talking about Working Together Wednesday Assemblies.  If not, see what they say when you ask.

One of our key words for our 2024 School Goals is Collaboration and our Working Together Wednesday Assemblies are a chance to discuss and practise whole school messages with the students and learn some lessons in a fun way.  While we do this, their teachers are working together also to learn and deepen their knowledge in collaboration.

This assembly is for students only as it is actually whole school learning time.  We ask parents to say a quick goodbye so your child can be ready to move and learn with us straight away.  Teachers are also busy with the learning tasks they have been set so Wednesdays are not a morning to try to meet with them please.

How has your Lent begun?

If you are a bit slower in deciding what your commitment to growth is this Lent, then the following reading from Corinthians might give you some ideas.  We explored it during our Bishop’s Inservice Day last Friday and it really hit me – no matter how many times I hear it, it still has a powerful message.

This Lent we are called to love more completely like Jesus showed us:

Be patient

Be kind

Be less jealous

Be less boastful and proud

Be less rude

Be less selfish

Control your temper

Don’t keep a record of the wrongs that others do.

Rejoice in the truth, but not in evil.

Always be supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting.

Don’t give up on you or others.

Have a wonderful week everyone!
God bless you.

Jennett Mullane
Principal
jennett_omullane@rok.catholic.edu.au

From Our APRE

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, which is a time to prepare for Easter.

It is a time to stop and reflect. It’s a time to think about the people we are becoming and how we can make a difference to the people around us. It’s a time for us to pray, to do good deeds and to give to others in need. Lent is like a journey.....as we journey through Lent we want to focus on how we can become better people, how we can make a difference to those around us, how we can be more fair and just so that everyone has a future.

God Bless

Kellie Richardson

Assistant Principal: Religious Education

kellie_richardson@rok.catholic.edu.au

Project Compassion

‘God guides me in the right path; God teaches the Lord’s way to the poor.’

This year, through Project Compassion, Caritas Australia will ask us to consider several stories of vulnerability and hope in action.

Over the coming weeks, we will meet a number of extraordinary women: Ronita from the Philippines, Leaia from Samoa and Memory from Malawi. They remind us that in many situations around the world, women are the heart of the community and the drivers of change.

In each case, a partnership involving Caritas Australia and local agencies has led to new opportunities not just for an individual but for families and communities.

The kingdom of God is, indeed, closer than we think. Together with Ronita, Leaia and Memory, our decisions help to bring it to reality around the globe. Perhaps we might spend time with the words of today’s Psalm: 

In Our Prayers

From the APC

All students in Years Prep – Year 4 have a subscription to a 3P Learning Product called ABC Reading Eggs.  This program is a highly engaging and personalised reading resource that makes learning to read fun.  Each student has a personal login and every year level uses this program in their own unique way as the resources are endless. 

The program has three components that students work through.   Prep will start their journey later in the year but all other students are set up now.

Fast Phonics is designed for students who are learning to read using systematic synthetic phonics as the key strategy, helping them to sound out words. Children explore peaks, full of fun activities and decodable reading books, along with the yeti and friends.

Reading Eggs makes learning to read interesting and engaging for kids, with great online reading games and activities. Children love the games, songs, golden eggs and other rewards which, along with feeling proud of their reading, really motivate children to keep exploring and learning.

Reading Eggspress is designed for the older readers and provides them with a unique and effective learning environment where they can improve their English language and comprehension skills in a way that is both exciting and relevant.

Login with your child at home to see what they are learning and to show your interest in their reading / spelling journey.

Have a great week.

Anthony King

Assistant to the Principal - Curriculum 

anthony_king@rok.catholic.edu.au

Capricornia Trials

Congratulations to the following students who have been selected to participate in the Capricornia trials to be held next month.

Netball (10-11 Years):   Mi-Kayla T

AFL (10-12 Years):   Harrison G and Mackenzie J

Basketball (10-12 Years):   Hamish M

Touch Football (10-12 Years):   Mason M

School Pick UP

Parents using the Stop, Drop and Go space for students are asked to please display their family name sign as they come into the area.  This allows students to be ready at the designated area and helps to keep the traffic flowing as smoothly as possible. We also ask that all students enter and leave the car from the fence side, students should not be entering the driver’s side of the car.

If you would like a sign for your car, please email and let us know.  We will provide you with as many signs as needed.  For example, one for Mum’s car, one for Dad’s car and one for Grandma’s car if necessary.

This space is the preferred pick-up area for students, and we ask you not to use the Herbert Street entrance car park as a pickup or drop off space as it is not safe for students to be walking through the carpark without adult supervision.

In the event of wet weather, students will be waiting in the covered area and we ask parents to come down to collect them for pick up please – we do not have enough covered area in the pick up space to shelter all children unfortunately.

Please do not use the 2 designated disabled carparks for your convenience, they are for specific use only.  Parking in the NO PARKING area behind these carparks also makes access difficult.

Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.  We want to keep everyone safe.

Board Information Session

Don’t forget our Board Information Session which takes place tonight, Tuesday 20th February at 5:15pm in the Staffroom.  It should only take half an hour and is a great chance to find out about the work of the Board and whether this is a fit for you.   Please also feel free to talk to myself or our Board Chair, Marty Ross, with any queries you may have.

Cross Country 2024

Cross Country this year will be held on site at Star of the Sea. The course will be a mix of terrain, with some gentle inclines to add to the fun. Cross Country will be held in Week 10 on Tuesday 26^th March.

As always, we will be asking for parent help, so if you will be available to help on the morning, please send Mrs Hooley an email (kim_hooley@rok.catholic.edu.au). With the event being held at school, training and walk throughs of the course will occur in PE, so students will be very familiar with the course.

In preparation for the Cross Country, Mrs Hooley has started a fitness club on Tuesday mornings, which commences at 7:50am in the top shed. Students will need to wear comfortable clothing – that isn’t their uniform, and comfortable running shoes (these can be school shoes if they are suitable).  Please remind students to bring their school uniform to change into following training.  This training will be available from students in Year 3 – 6 and will focus on building running stamina.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Mrs Hooley at the email above.

2024 Caulfield Team

Caulfield is the long standing, successful annual P&F fundraising event for Star of the Sea that the Caulfield Committee takes pride in organising on behalf of our Parents and Friends Association. There are many different ways that you can come on board - big and small, and we’d love your support of this event! 

If you would like to join the organising committee for 2024 or find out how you could help support the event this year, we will be having our first meeting at Kirkwood McDonalds on Sunday, 3 March 2024 at 3pm. 

Notification of council works in Apex Park

IMPORTANT: Please Update Your Media/ Information Sharing Details

Dear Parents

We are asking your assistance in updating media/information sharing consent for your child/ren.  Our system has been updated with more options that give us clarity with the myriad different ways your child's details can possibly be used.  

This is important information that affects our ability to collect data and obtain funding for our students.

This is a very quick task completed through Parent Lounge and below are some instructions to guide you with this task.  You will need to complete this task for each child you have at Star of the Sea please.

We appreciate your help in ensuring we have the correct information for your child/ren.

Student Absentee Line

If your child is not attending school, you can call us, 24/7, to leave a message to report the absence. The  phone number is 4994 8301.  

This designated phone line gives you the opportunity to call the school at a time that is convenient to you.

As always, absences can be reported using Parent Lounge or by emailing your child’s classroom teacher  and                                                                                                                SOSG_Absentee@rok.catholic.edu.au).

St Joseph's Cathedral Appeal

Caulfield 2023 Sponsors