No 10. Term 2 Week 9, 22nd June 2023
Principal News
Here we are at the end of term 2 and I would like to take a moment to celebrate the tremendous achievements we have accomplished together over the last nine weeks. I am immensely proud of our school community, and I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to each and every one of you who has contributed to our accomplishments.
Before we embark on a well-deserved holiday break, I would like to take this opportunity to bid a fond farewell to two wonderful educators who have been an integral part of our school. Miss Northcott and Miss Poxon have decided to explore new opportunities and will be leaving St. Kevin's to embrace fresh challenges in different schools. We extend our sincere gratitude to them for their commitment, passion, and hard work in shaping the lives of our students. They have left an indelible mark on our school community, and we wish them all the best in their future endeavours.
I would also like to express my gratitude for the immense support we received from our staff, students and parents throughout the School Review, which concluded last week. Your input and collaboration have been invaluable in shaping the future of our school. I eagerly anticipate sharing the results of the review with the community in early term 3. Together, we will continue to cultivate an environment of academic excellence and holistic development for our students.
As we enjoy this holiday break, it is essential to stay warm and safe during the winter season. Take this time to relax, rejuvenate, and create cherished memories with your loved ones. Engage in activities that bring you joy and allow your mind and body to recharge. The break will provide an opportunity for our students to explore new interests and embark on new adventures.
Please note that we will resume classes on Tuesday, July 11, after a day of closure on Monday, July 10. This closure is necessary to allow our dedicated staff to engage in professional development, enhancing their skills and expertise to benefit our students and enrich their educational experience.
In closing, I extend my warmest wishes to each and every one of you for a delightful holiday break. May it be filled with joy, laughter, and rejuvenation. Cherish these moments and return to us with renewed energy in term 3. Thank you once again for being an invaluable part of the St. Kevin's community. Together, we accomplish great things.
God bless,
Jason Micallef,
Principal
Don't forget, term 3 starts for all students on
Tuesday, July 11
and finishes on
Thursday, September 14
School Advisory Comittee
The School Advisory Committee meets roughly twice per term to consider various aspects of school life and serve as an invaluable conduit for communication and collaboration with school leadership. Our last meeting took place on Wednesday, June 14 where we discussed ideas for how we can ensure children's safety in the carpark during peak times. We also looked at the implications of ongoing teacher shortages and how we have worked around the challenges of replacing two outgoing teachers. Finally, we welcomed Fr. Fabian who was able to introduce himself to the team and talk a little bit about how he can support students in their sacramental journey.
The next SAC Meeting will take place on Wednesday, July 26 and we welcome any suggestions, queries or feedback that our parent community might like to bring to the attention of the group. To do this, we encourage families to reach out to the SAC using this email address: sac@skhamptonpark.catholic.edu.au.
Education in Faith
Feast of the Sacred Heart
Last Friday it was the Feast of the Sacred Heart. While the Year 3-6 students attended Mass, the 1/2 students had a Liturgy followed by a few activities. We also collected non-perishable foods to donate to the St Vincent de Paul Centre for the less fortunate. We thank all the families that were generous in their donations. May you be richly blessed for thinking of others.
Changes to the Sacramental Program from 2024
Fr Fabian, our Parish Priest has provided some insights into how he would like Sacraments to be celebrated in our parish from next year, with the main difference being a lowering of the age to receive Reconciliation and Eucharist. Naturally, we will need to phase in these changes as there will be more than one year level making their Sacrament next year.
A rough guide is as follows:
- Year 2 - Reconciliation in Term 4
- Year 3 - Reconciliation as normal. Time of the year TBA but likely to be in term 1.
- Year 3 - First Eucharist at the end of May or the start of June.
- Year 4 - First Eucharist as normal and will likely be celebrated at the same time as year 3s.
- Year 6 - Confirmation. Time of year TBA but likely toward the end of term 3.
Further details will be shared with families later this year.
First Eucharist Dates
Date | Time | Class/Group |
Saturday 15th July | 5:00pm | SO, NA, RO |
Saturday 15th July | 7:00pm | DC, FO, DA |
Prep Cultural Day
This term, the Preps have been learning all about their family and cultural backgrounds. On Monday, the Preps wore their traditional cultural dress or flag colours and engaged in some rotational activities that reflect the backgrounds of their teachers. They made pizza with Miss Hazlett, learnt Greek dancing with Mrs Kydas, created an Indian chalk pattern (Kolam) with Miss Mendes and explored the Australian National Anthem and flag with Mrs Talia. They had so much fun!
Interschool Lightning Premiership
Congratulations to all our senior students who participated in the Summer Lightning Championship earlier this week. Facing off against all other schools in our District, we competed in a number of sports like cricket, soccer, volleyball, netball and t-ball.
Notable achievements included several of our teams winning their respective grand finals to see St. Kevin's adding a few more pendants to our 2023 collection. Well done to the boy's soccer team, girl's cricket team, T-ball A team and the boy's volleystars who all emerged as premiers of their competitions. We also congratulate the mixed netball team who came second and the girl's soccer team and the boy's cricket team who came third.
As always, we are incredibly proud of our students who give their all for their school and more importantly in their display of outstanding sportsmanship. Go St. Kevin's!
Year 1 & 2 Gymnastics
We are bursting with pride for our incredible 1/2's who participated in the Gymnastics program recently! They had two lessons and were performing forward rolls and cartwheels, using the bars and doing partner balance activities. There was a lot of fun with many children enjoying this activity for the first time! Their strength, agility and determination were truly inspiring.
STEM Grade 5/6
In STEM, Grade 5 and 6 students have been exploring how to use Makey Makey technology as an interactive interface. They explored different conductive materials and learned how to wire up their device to work as a game controller and a piano. This is preparing students for an exciting project that they will be working on in Term 3. What a fun way to end the term!
Chess
We're delighted to share that our Grade 3/4 students have reached the halfway mark in their chess lessons! We recently celebrated their progress by awarding Midpoint Chess Certificates to all participants. Additionally, we recognized the top three boys and girls in each session with well-deserved medals. Congratulations to all the Grade 3/4 students who have been working hard and demonstrating great concentration to improve their chess skills. Their dedication and enthusiasm are truly inspiring. We encourage families to continue supporting their children on this chess-learning journey. Keep up the fantastic work!
Community News
