No 12. Term 3 Week 1, 13th July 2022

Principal's News

Welcome back to another term of progress and growth in learning. As a teacher, Term 3 was always my favourite term. It’s the term where we can achieve the most focussed learning and teaching. By now teachers know their students very well and the students in turn know their teacher. The classroom hums with the sound of busy learning because by term 3, the structures and routines required for optimal growth are embedded and everyone understands their role within the classroom setting. It is the term for growth and progress. 

With that in mind, I encourage families to be involved! What that means to every family will be different but by simply being interested in what your child is doing at school, you show them that you value their education. By reading this newsletter, you are demonstrating interest… why not read it with or to your children? Positive parental interest in students' learning and school life is proven to make a big difference. 


Another great way to be involved is where possible, attend school events. I am super excited to say that this week, we welcome the return of SCHOOL ASSEMBLIES in the hall! That's right, this Friday in the hall we will gather for the first time as a school to celebrate our connection to each other and our community. Now that there is no need for vaccination requirements in schools we can also welcome parents to sit in and be part of our assembly. The hall will be open from 2:30pm for a 2:40pm start. The students of 1/2 LO and 1/2 DM are very excited to be the first classes to share their learning and our Student Leaders are preparing to host. Singing our school song for the first time in a long time will be a joy to behold. We will have the air purifiers and chairs setup for you. We hope you can join us.

Also coming up this term is our first School Performance in many years. Due to the size of our school we have split the performance over two nights, with half of the school performing on each night. Make sure you save the dates below. It's going to be amazing!

God bless,

Jason Micallef,
Principal

School Performance

Notification of Student Absence

Keeping accurate records of student attendance at school is incredibly important. Therefore, if children are sick or unable to attend school for other appropriate reasons, we need parents and carers to notify us so that we know that your child is absent and the reason why.

The ways to notify us of your child's absence:

• SZAPP (The best way)
• Email us administration@skhamptonpark.catholic.edu.au
• Phone us 9709 8600

Covid-Safety Update

We are grateful to be in the position to enjoy sustained periods of face to face learning. Something we haven't been able to take for granted since 2020.

Being in the midst of winter and ongoing high rates of illness, we are maintaining a reasonable level of vigilance to reduce the likelihood of transmission of all infectious diseases within our school community.

Non-symptomatic parents / carers are permitted to enter the school and school buildings but ask that they avoid congregating in groups, especially indoors. There is no need for parents/ carers to indicate their vaccination status any longer.

Please continue to keep children at home if they are unwell or presenting flu-like symptoms (exemptions apply for students with recognised allergies).

We will be sending Rapid Antigen Test kits home with every child at least twice this term but if you need them sooner, St. Kevin's families are welcome to collect a RAT kit from the office (at no charge) if you have a child with symptoms.

Whilst at school, students enjoy the comfort of heated classrooms and we maintain adequate airflow by ensuring the air filters in every shared space and classroom in the school are operational and properly maintained. Students continue to be reminded about the need for proper hand and oral hygiene and are encouraged to wear masks when indoors.

Each week, we will continue to provide a summary report of how our school is impacted by Covid19 through the SZAPP.

Thanks for your cooperation and understanding while we continue to do our best to ensure the delivery of the highest level of learning and teaching in a healthy and safe environment.

School Fees

Accounts will be sent out to family in the first week of this term. If there are any issues or concerns regarding your fees, please contact the office. 

In the event that your family are experiencing financial hardship, please reach out to Mr Micallef for a discussion on how we can support your family to meet your financial commitments to the school. There are many options available for support and we will reach an agreement that is respectful of your circumstances in a confidential and compassionate way. 

Prep and Junior Literacy Night

Prep Mathematicians

Haroon and Penelope from Prep MG were excited to share their great learning about numbers this week. Together, they compiled this terrific chart showing that numbers do not stand alone. They always have a quantity and a name. 

Sacrament of First Eucharist Update

Please keep in your prayers Grade Four students who are currently preparing to receive the Sacrament of Eucharist for the first time. The celebration will go ahead Saturday June 23rd at the 5pm and 7pm Masses. All students, families and extended families from our school are invited to come along to show their support. 

Sacrament of Confirmation Update

We welcome our Year 6 students who will be pledging their commitment to receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation on August 12th. We pray that the Holy Spirit guides and strengthens them on their faith journey and that they use the gifts of the spirit to be the face of God in the world. As part of their preparation they will participate in a Confirmation Reflection day (August 5th). Bishop Anthony J. Ireland for the Southern Region will come and meet with the children on the day dedicated to them reflecting inwards on their faith and choice to confirm their commitment to the Catholic faith. 

New Playground is Open!

Thanks to a shortage of resources and skilled labour it has taken some time but we are almost there. We still have some play equipment to be installed including slides and monkey bars, but the playground is open for exploration and creative fun. We think it's amazing and so do the students. 

Senior Camp

Our Year 5/6s began the term with their annual 3 day camp. This year camp was focused on providing the students with a valuable City Experience, along with visiting and exploring many of the great attractions in the CBD of Melbourne. Despite the sometimes wet weather, they had a terrific time making memories and strengthening friendships. They even learnt a thing or two about being independent and responsible. A huge thank you to our families for entrusting us with the care of your children to provide them with this valuable learning opportunity.  

We thank the parents that kindly offered their time to assist our 5/6 camp and we also thank the parents that offered but due to numbers we were not able to have everyone attend.  

I thank on behalf of you all as I am sure, to our staff members that took time away from their families to be with your children in the Melbourne CBD. Countless hours go into an event such as Camp and we would like to thank Ms Buttigieg for ensuring that your children/our students would have an amazing time.  

We look forward to listening to the many stories our students can share with us about their experiences, I hope you enjoy them as much as we will.

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Scholastic Book Offer

BOOK CLUB OFFERS ACCESS, CHOICE AND GREAT VALUE TO HELP YOU RAISE INDEPENDENT READERS

Our school partners with Scholastic with the shared mission to seed in children a lifelong love of reading and learning. Through reading, children develop their brain and advance their social and communication skills.

To help your child read independently, start by reading aloud to them and discussing the stories they share. By experiencing the joys of reading in this way, children gain confidence to learn to read for themselves and ultimately to choose their own reading preferences. Once they can choose the books that interest them, they are more likely to become lifelong independent readers. Numerous studies have consistently shown that 10 minutes exposure to reading materials each day is all it takes to positively shape your child’s future.

Book Club helps you raise independent readers by providing ACCESS to a wide variety of reading material, allowing children to CHOOSE the books that interest them and they are excited to read, and giving families great quality and VALUE at affordable prices.

ACCESS TO BOOKS

Finding the perfect book isn’t always an easy task. With 74% of children saying that they would read more if they could find more books that they like, it’s clear that occasional guidance is needed when it comes to reading time. Book Club is an easy way to help your child find books that spark their interest and create a sense of excitement around reading. Results demonstrated that children whose parents use Book Club as a tool to encourage reading for pleasure are more likely to enjoy reading—especially for fun—and to think that reading is important. The same results were found for children whose parents ensure easy, regular access to print books and a variety of reading materials. 

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CHOICE

Did you know that, according to the Australian Kids and Family Reading Report, an overwhelming majority of kids aged 6–17 agree that their favourite books—and the ones they are most likely to finish—are the ones they pick out themselves. Nearly all of the participants agreed that they feel pride and a sense of accomplishment when they finish reading a book. This simple act of selecting and reading a book for pleasure has been proven to play an integral role in a child’s success during both their schooling and adult life.

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VALUE
Every child deserves access to quality and affordable books, so on each issue of Book Club there are Value Books and special promotions like the FREE BOOKS offer on Issue 5.

Value Books are carefully selected and levelled by Scholastic editors for their quality and affordability. The Value Books match the reading ages and interests of children from Early Years to Upper Primary, and that these books cover a range of genres to cater to the widest audience possible. Parents can use Value Books to kick-start their child’s reading journey, and children can use their pocket money to buy a Value Book to build their own home library.

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