No 18. Term 3 Week 8, 2nd September 2020
Principal's News
Dear families,
"Connectedness is about the quality of our relationships, not simply about our proximity to another person."
This week I would like to share with you a document which has been added to our Catholic education framework, known as Horizons of Hope. This document titled 'Families as Partners', strongly reinforces a message of how important family connectedness to school is. An aspect of school life that I hope families would agree is something the staff and I tirelessly nurture. Especially this year.
Some of the greatest themes we are prompted to reflect upon in Families as Partners is how learning becomes a collaboration between all in the community. Community becomes central to pedagogy, or the ways we teach. We all know that old saying it takes a village to raise a child, well here we are living and breathing this in pure reality (and doing a great job of it I might add). The document elaborates on what we already understand at St Kevin's as vital. That is, knowing our families and their needs and acknowledging and supporting their changing needs and circumstances.
Our hope is that we are living this understanding right now as we walk with you through the hardest time we have ever known. I feel very confident that as a school who prioritise family engagement and connectedness, that as our families and our community change and experience change, we respond - Always. We seek new ways to build and strengthen our relationship with you.
I am continually proud of our teaching staff for their creativity, their care, their understanding of the changing needs of their families, for their active pursuit of all learners especially those who are not engaging and for constantly seeking new ways to engage. For the way they are able to differentiate their curriculum and pedagogy based on the knowledge of what their students need and for maintaining the ongoing conversations on a daily basis with all children and parents.
Right now what we need more than ever is connection. We are being told to separate but we so want to connect - it is a paradox; apart but together.
Jason Micallef,
Principal
School Maintenance
With so few people physically at school right now, we have taken the opportunity to undertake some essential maintenance and perform some vital upgrades to some of our facilities and resources. here are just a few of those:
- Internal painting of the 3/4 building
- Replacement of old heating and cooling unit in 3/4DM and 3/4FO Learning Space
- Upgrade to school security system in the library
- Repaired various water leaks in the hall and toilet blocks
- General grounds maintenance including gutter cleaning, weeding and rubbish removal
A few more projects are in the works which we hope to have completed by the time children are back in their classrooms. For example: A new hand rail constructed for the wooden platform outside Prep AT and Prep CA; installation of OHS compliant hanging wire in each learning space for displaying student work; upgrading the access to light controls in the 3/4 building.
Bedtime Stories
Don't forget! Every Tuesday and Thursday evening at 7pm on our Facebook Page. You can tune in and listen to our favourite bedtime stories as told by our incredible staff. Who will be our next reader?
Prep 2021
Despite the difficulties with running school tours and restrictions imposed upon us all, we are thrilled to say that we have four almost full Prep classes for 2021. This is largely thanks to the great reputation our school enjoys and because our current families so happily and willingly vouch for the high quality education that their children are a part of. For this, we must obviously say both thank you and well done!
Our 2021 Prep classes will be unique, in that post-Covid classes will be aimed at supporting our littlest learners who may have missed a lot in their kinder year. So we now excitedly begin the planning phase and building the excitement as we work toward supporting a smooth and effective transition into school life for the children and their families. The first major event in this process will be the all important Information Night scheduled for October 29th. This and the following Orientation Days will be informative and connecting experiences that take into account the current climate of restrictions. We will know more about what we are permitted to do in the coming weeks.
If you are a parent reading this who is still considering options for your child or you may know someone who is, then be encouraged that there is still time, but enrolment enquiries are still being taken each week, so it won't be long before we are full. Of course, all of our current families have places for next year but if somehow it has escaped your attention and you have a child who is ready to start school next year, you need to get in touch with us as soon as possible.
Every Day Counts
Congratulations to the vast majority of families who are ensuring their children are engaging in the Remote Learning Program every day. This is a tremendous achievement in spite of the challenging conditions impacting everyone's motivation levels.
Logging into the remote learning program everyday to learn is so crucial throughout this extended lockdown. Whilst we maintain and respect the need for parents to make decisions that protect their children's (and their own) wellbeing, we must maintain our awareness that students cannot learn effectively if they have a significant number of days off, or even if they are regular late comers.
TO MAKE THE MOST OF THEIR POTENTIAL NO CHILD SHOULD MISS MORE THAN 2-3 DAYS OF SCHOOL PER TERM IF IT CAN BE HELPED.
Many days absent from school does impact on student learning and programs designed to support students. Please note that prolonged absences without notification will be followed up.
You can notify the school of all absences via the SZapp or by email to your child's teacher on the day of absence.
Kids Helpline -Any time, any reason
The Kids Helpline has an online help domain now. Children who are not comfortable to call the 1800 number can go to the website (see the link above) and enter the age appropriate link to get Mental Health and Wellbeing support.
Chaplain Chats
Each week, Maureen Flanagan our school's chaplain provides us with valuable advice and suggestions on how to manage a range of challenging situations families may be experiencing during this extended lockdown period. In her most recent videos, Maureen has been looking at ways to keep children and ourselves motivated during this extended lockdown.
If you missed the first two videos or would like to see them again, have a look below.
With more useful tips to come, be sure to watch our Chaplain's Chats each Monday, where they will be posted to Facebook. Don't forget to leave a comment too, to let Maureen know what you think of her chats or provide suggestions on what topics to cover.
Almost Sold Out!
If you are still contemplating whether or not to order one of our school branded re-usable masks for your children, then you will need to be quick. We only have a small amount left and given the demand for masks around the country, it might be some time before another shipment becomes available. You can purchase yours by filling in the Operoo (CareMonkey) form which came out a couple of weeks ago. The price is $7.50 including postage and there is a limit of one per student.
To those that have already ordered, we thank you for your patience in receiving your mask. As you know Australia Post is experiencing significant delays with mail delivery. Be assured though, every order placed before last Friday has been posted, with the next batch due to be posted by the end of this week.
Please note: It is not compulsory for children under the age of 12 to wear masks. Nor will students be expecetd to wear a mask to school unless directed to by the Chief Health Officer. However, if parents would like their child to wear a mask upon returning to school, this will be permitted.
BIRTHDAYS GALORE TO CELEBRATE !!
JUNE
Jewels 16th 3/4 DM Syd 16th 5/6 ME
Orion 17th PKK Edwina 18th 5/6 AD
Amelia 19th PDE Danial 19th 1/2 RO
Abigail 19th 1/2 MA Taylen 20th 1/2 MA
Willis 20th 1/2 AL Annamaria 22nd 5/6 MB
Hazel 23rd 1/2 FE Diya 23rd 3/4 BR
Haya 23rd 3/4 TI Aiden 23rd 3/4 TI
Maxwell 24th 5/6 AD Evelyn 25th 1/2 SC
Seth 25th 1/2 HE Mason 26th 1/2 RO
Keeratjot 28th 3/4 DM Delwin 28th 3/4 MG
Juliana 29th PCA Owen 30th 3/4 TI
Kiara 30th 3/4 BR Tyrese 30th 3/4 BR
JULY
Samuel 2nd 3/4 FO Beatrice 2nd PCA
Shayne 4th 1/2 HE Amellia 5th PDE
Kenan 5th 5/6 DA John-Benson 5th 3/4 PE
Jasmine 6th PKK Keith 7th 1/2 LO
Charles 7th 3/4 MG Avah 7th 1/2 MA
Macey 8th PCA Aaliyah 9th PKK
Louvic 10th 5/6 DA Brandon 10th 5/6 DA
Aaron 12th 1/2 SC Akila 12th 5/6 MB
Sirena 15th 1/2 LO Chol 16th 1/2 FE
Chanelle 16th 3/4 FO Seiona 16th 3/4 TI
Mario 17th 1/2 AL Chiman 18th PAT
Jay 19th 5/6 BU Raiden 20th 3/4 DM
Sophia 20th 1/2 MA Jordon 21st 3/4 TI
Jordan 21st 1/2 RO Simon 22nd 1/2 RO
Jayashree 22nd 1/2 SC Tomas 22nd 3/4 TI
Sheran 23rd 1/2 RO Kellan 23rd 3/4 MG
Roetishana 23rd PKK Tanushika 23rd 1/2 SC
Nothashi 23rd 5/6 ME Shania 24th 5/6 AD
Ejay 24th 5/6 BU Sherini 24th PDE
Cielle 25th 1/2 FE Henry 25th PDE
Kristian 25th 5/6 MB Aarohi 27th 1/2 AL
Kaitlyn 28th 1/2 AL Arian 29th 3/4 PE
Jaydean 30th PKK Kuot 31st PAT
Shevon 31st 3/4 FO
AUGUST
Leonie 1st 3/4 DM Abuk 2nd 3/4 PE
Kuch 2nd PDE Elissa 2nd 3/4 PE
Aarav 4th 3/4 DM Samantha 4th 3/4 BR
Rajveer 5th PKK Chenara 5th 5/6 BU
Nigel 6th 1/2 RO Amelia 7th 1/2 MA
Laura 7th 5/6 DA Raini 7th 3/4 PE
Damian 7th 5/6 ME Vivek 10th 1/2 FE
Emmanuel 11th 5/6 MB Christopher 11th 3/4 MG
Trenay 12th 1/2 RO Jaden 13th 1/2 HE
Tahlia 14th 1/2 LO Erin 14th 1/2 HE
Srija 15th 3/4 MG Hannah 16th 1/2 MA
Madison 17th 3/4 BR Nathan 18th PKK
Aaron 18th 1/2 HE Kiyan 18th 1/2 SC
Muthuka 18th 1/2 AL Eryn 19th 1/2 LO
Bradley 19th 3/4 MG Shane 21st 5/6 ME
Ryu 21st 1/2 FE Angeline 21st PAT
Eloa 22nd 1/2 SC Vera 22nd 3/4 MG
Kirby 23rd 5/6 GA Lamiyah 23rd 5/6 AD
Mischa 24th PDE Aaron 24th 3/4 DM
Daniel 25th PKK Sebastian 27th 3/4 TI
Huvindu 27th 3/4 PE Tamika 27th 5/6 DA
Brayden 28th 1/2 AL Harrish 29th 5/6 BU
Kerry 29th 3/4 FO Shannon 29th 5/6 ME
Malakye 30th 5/6 ME Noah 30th 5/6 BU
Agamjot 31st 1/2 AL Jayden 31st 1/2 AL
Fiona 31st 3/4 FO Aaron 31st 5/6 BU
SEPTEMBER
Jordan 1st 3/4 DM Henry 1st 5/6 MA
Aria 1st 5/6 MB Camille 1st 5/6 ME
Justin 2nd 5/6 ME Jovan 2nd 5/6 GA
Leah 4th 3/4 MG Jacob 4th 5/6 AD
Jasmine 5th 5/6 DA
Kiara 6th PDE
Did someone say Dad jokes?
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