No 15. Term 3 Week 7, 26th August 2022

Principal's News

Hello wonderful families of St. Kevin's!

Did you know there is a growing body of research which shows there are psychological benefits to being grateful?

It's true. Being grateful has been shown to include feeling happier and lowering stress, depression and anxiety. And of course, feeling good about helping others feels good too! Not only that, there is also scientific evidence that expressing genuine gratitude on a daily basis can improve physical health as well by improving quality of sleep, cardiovascular (heart) health and immune function. Imagine that … something as simple as how we think about our lives and the people in them actually has a profound impact on our health!

So clearly a spirit of gratitude and appreciation is an essential skill for everyone – young and old – to foster and develop!

Gratitude promotes optimism and helps us to develop a more positive outlook. It lets us pause for a moment to reflect on something we have in our life right now instead of always striving for more … the next goal, the new dress, the new toy, the new car, or the house renovation… Gratitude is simply cultivating a genuine appreciation for what we already have.

In his classic book, How to win friends and influence people, Dale Carnegie wrote about the value of smiling at people and helping others to feel important and valued. He suggested that you should show people how much you appreciate them and be grateful for what they do and for the contributions they make. Let’s face it, smiling is such a simple way of expressing to someone in the street that you value and acknowledge their presence as a fellow traveller.

So, as I write this for you the community of St. Kevin's, here I am smiling at you and being grateful for all this school has given me so far in my time as principal.

Like…

• Having a positive work environment with students I value and feel empowered to help
  
• Having amazing, professional and passionate staff working with me on a daily basis
• Being greeted with a smile as parents and children walk into school each morning
• Having supportive and trusting parents who value the importance of partnership

Thank you, St. Kevin’s. You are awesome!

Jason Micallef,
Principal

Newsletter Publication

As families would know, the Newsletter is published fortnightly on a Wednesday. In recent weeks this has been difficult due to the amount of information that typically needs to go into the publication and has hit your mailboxes on a Thursday or Friday. For this reason we have decided that we will now share the newsletter every second Friday to give us some extra time to gather content and curate. The next edition of the Newsletter will be made available on Friday September 9.

Congratulations Mrs Brobyn

We wish to extend a warm congratulations to Mrs Brobyn and her husband who have announced that they are expecting the arrival of their second child in early 2023. This is wonderful news and we wish them God's blessings as they prepare for their family to grow.

Mrs Brobyn will be with us until the end of the year in her role as classroom teacher and Religious Education Leader before taking some much needed and deserved time off in 2023.

Book Fair

District Athletics Champions!

In amazing style, our school athletics team have triumphed at the VPSSA District Athletics Carnival this week! Congratulations to all our wonderful students who represented St Kevin’s with pride and sportsmanship. THANKYOU to Ms Donald and Mrs Langdon for their hard work supporting training in the lead up to this event. Another wonderful achievement for us to celebrate!!

School Improvement Surveys

In 2022, students, families and staff are invited to participate in MACSSIS surveys via our secure and purpose-built online platform. The MACSSIS survey platform is operated by an independent supplier, ORIMA Research Pty Ltd. The platform meets with the high security and privacy standards for handling student and school data. 

Our community’s opinions are critical to understanding how our school is performing – MACSSIS is a key data source for guiding the ongoing work to improve our school. 

All participation is invited, welcomed and 100 per cent voluntary. Check your emails on Monday August 29 for details of how to access the survey.

The surveys are not a test; they are an inclusive way to support the work we are already doing to improve our school. Please help us collect valuable information about our school by participating in MACSSIS 2022.

Father's Day

Father's Day is approaching! So it's that time of year where we encourage all the dads, step-dads,  grandfathers and other special men in our lives to be honoured and celebrated. One way students can do this is to buy their special guy a gift at the Parents & Friends Gift Stall this Monday August 29. There will be lots of items on offer for only $5.

We also invite and grant permission to our special men to share their favourite Dad Jokes! We would love to put together a compilation video of our men sharing their favourite joke with our community. Just record yourself using your phone and send it to Mr Micallef, who loves a good dad joke by email (principal@skhamptonpark.catholic.edu.au). Hopefully, we will have enough to put together a video to share at the school assembly and have a laugh, or groan, before starting the Father's Day weekend.

School Performance

It's not long now and we know families have lots of questons about when, where and how things are going to happen. We are very grateful for your patience as we continue to make arrangements. Below is a link to a comprehensive document that will provide you with all the informaton you need about...

• Ticket sales

• Costumes

• Make-up

• Rehearsals 

• Arrangements for the night

ISS Friday 12th August

Did you know that on Friday 12th August, was the first time St. Kevin's have ever hosted  Interschool Sport!

Working with our sister school St. Francis de Sales, who are currently under renovations, we split the hosting. Tennis and European Handball at St. Kevin's, AFL, basketball and Kickball at SFS. Well done to everyone!

Outstanding School Fees

Thank you to the families who have paid their fees in full or have a payment plan arrangement in place. If you have not paid school fees please do so as soon as possible. If you have any concerns please come and speak with Mr Micallef.  Thank you.

Pandemic Update

Rapid Antigent Test Kits

As we are still following governmental guidelines regarding COVID measures and the school continues to receive RAT kits, we will continue sending them home when we reeive them. The next batch of RATS has been delivered and will be sent home by the end of the week.  Please check student bags next week for your next delivery.

When to notify the school of a positive case?

If a member of your household tests positive for Covid19, the school needs to be notified as soon as possible. Please don't wait until the end of the weekend or even the next morning. Send us an email or give us a call. We are required to track household contacts as well as students who test positive.

Can househod contacts attend school?

Yes! As long as...

• The household contact has no cold or flu like symptoms. 
• They take a RAT every school day of the 7 day period and receive a negative result.
• They wear a mask whenever indoors at school.

Parents and Friends Association

Our Parents and Friends Association have been very busy preparing lots of second-hand uniform items ready for sale. Keep an eye out for our bright new yellow flag at the front of the office on our opening times: Monday and Tuesday afternoons 3:00-3:30 as well as Wednesday and Friday mornings 8:45-9:15. Many thanks to our volunteers for supporting this.

Our Father's Day stall will also be held on Monday morning next week from 9-11am with each class being rostered on to purchase something for the special male in their lives.

The launch of our Colour Fun Run is also happening very soon. Monday October 10 has been locked in so save the date for what promises to be a very colourful and fun afternoon.

If you'd like to join in the fun that this awesome group of parents has and support the work they are doing, please feel free to join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/stkevinspfa by answering a few short questions (just to ensure we only have current St Kevin's parents as members!) or email Rebecca Gage rgage@skhamptonpark.catholic.edu.au 

Congratulations to the Newly Confirmed

Congratulations to all our students who were sealed with the fruits and gifts of the Spirit through the Sacrament of Confirmation on Friday 12th of August. The ceremony presided over by Bishop Anthony J. Ireland for the Southern Region, was a sacred and joyful occasion. Bishop Tony was impressed with the knowledge our students expressed in relation to Confirmation. Our hope for our students is that they may continue to be inspired by their chosen Saints and pray that the Holy Spirit's guidance  be recognised by them throughout the faith journey toward adulthood. 

Thank you also to the families of the candidates, who continue to nurture and guide them on their faith and life journey. We wish you all the best in the years ahead, helping your child to learn to lean on their faith often and to go into the world ready to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Excursion to the National Gallery of Victoria

Earlier this week our senior students visited the National Gallery of Victoria for a tour of the Picasso Exhibition. While there they gained a unique insight into the life and legacy of one of the twentieth century’s most influential and celebrated artists.

Community News