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Dear Parents and Carers of St Kevin’s,
NAPLAN has commenced this week, and this is an opportunity for a snapshot to be taken of where our students are on their learning journey. We did have some anxious and nervous students at the start, but I would like to share some reflections from Year 3 after they had finished their 40 minutes of independent writing.
I’m nine and I’m in Year 3. At NAPLAN today I was a little scared to do NAPLAN but I had to do it. So, I faced my fears and did it. I was so happy and proud of my hard work, and I wish you all good luck. Thea.
Very, very, very happy. Georgia.
NAPLAN was stressful because we had only 40 minutes, but it was fun and I’m proud of my work. Isabel.
I felt a bit anxious and scared (it’s like you’re on stage but you don’t know what to say, but you do, or say something and the audience gives you a round of applause). That’s how I felt. Sadie.
It was hard but inspiring. Hudson
The NAPLAN test was fun, and the good thing is that we DID our best and tried to get it right and I’m very proud of everyone that tried. Adeline.
NAPLAN was ok. I don’t like writing, but that writing was the best because it was fun. Ivy.
I felt happy and proud of my work. Abigail.
NAPLAN was tricky but fun. I feel happy and proud of myself that I finished one of the tests and I am excited to do the rest. Veronique.
When the teachers first told us about NAPLAN I was scared but when we did it today, I was proud of myself. Evelyn
NAPLAN was the best. I was so excited. Gerry.
I felt a bit anxious but after I was done I felt really proud of myself. Charlie.
It was very fun, cool and a little bit hard. Oscar.
NAPLAN was good. Bella.
Incredible, amazing, grateful, happy and peaceful. Nathaniel.
I felt happy like Cat Kid. George.
Thank you, Year 3, for your positive reflections. What a great personal learning journey these students have been on and being able to self-reflect on their feelings and accomplishments. Your learning journey is in a good place.
Good luck Year 3 and 5 as you complete all the NAPLAN tests over this week and early next week.
This week also sees us continue our Lenten journey towards the most important Liturgical time of the year in the Christian calendar....Easter. Our Catholic faith is because of Easter and our belief in the fact that Jesus rose from the dead, on Easter Sunday. Father Gordon on Sunday recommended that instead of giving something up for Lent, we instead do something positive for Lent to prepare for Easter. Taking time to pray as a family, taking time to give our additional income (pocket money) to Project Compassion, or trying to make an effort to be a better friend or work colleague.
Our school motto is Caritas – caring for and loving others. May we all live by the motto as we prepare for Easter as the St Kevin’s Community.
Mary-Anne Jennings
Principal
Questions about learning and school activities
We often get asked why we don’t do more sport, creative arts, science or excursions. The school day is governed by NESA (NSW Education Standards Authority). The school day has 1425 teaching minutes. These minutes are then prioritised to meet the 7 curriculum areas covered in all primary schools. St Kevin’s has 7 curriculum areas because we are a Catholic school, and Religion is a subject that must be taught.
Below is a table that provides guidance for how much time we must contribute to each subject.
As you can see, PDHPE for example, which is Personal Development, Health and Physical Education is only allocated between 1.5 hours per week. Sport is part of the PE aspect and as such only attracts up to 1 hour per week. Staying within these guidelines is monitored and governed by NESA. This is why we are very particular about the gala days and various sporting competitions available to us, as exceeding the allocated time slot in one area will retract from the allocated time of other subjects. We try to be very creative with our teaching encompassing learning activities that cover a variety of subjects simultaneously so as to give all students the best opportunity to excel in all areas of the curriculum.
Easter Hat Parade Change of date
Apologies for the change of date for our Easter hat parade. We have had to move this fun community event to Tuesday April 8 at 9am. This is to accommodate our school athletics carnival that is booked for Thursday April 10.
Athletics Carnival April 10
Save this date in your calendar too. The carnival will again be held at the Macquarie Hills Little Athletics Park (Neegulbah Park) on April 10. We will need lots of parent and grandparent helpers. We have also listened to your feedback form last year and are hoping to make it a more of a picnic and fun event for our families. More details to follow. If you can help please send your name and contact details to Mr Vaughan and Mr Smith.
It’s official! We’re a building site!
At long last our new building works have commenced! Not sure who is more excited Mrs J, Mrs H or the students watching the excavators and trucks. We have waited a long time for this project to get off the ground, but now it is actually happening. Together with the new building, classroom renovations and playground upgrades, by the end on 2025 St Kevin’s will look very different.
Welcome BBQ and Open Night
Oh What a Night!!! Oh What a Feeling!!! (Got those songs in your head now??)
Our Welcome BBQ and Open Night was a huge success. We had many new families come for a visit and a tour. Our current families enjoyed a chance to catch up with friends over a delicious sausage sandwich and engage in some fun activities with their children and teachers. Thank you to the amazing staff who stayed behind well after work hours to provide food, games and information for all visiting our school. A huge thank you to Mrs Hogan for her creative drive in organising this event and of course, no St Kevin’s catering would not be the same without Mrs Hogan’s scones! Our new families were welcomed with a Devonshire tea kit to enjoy at home which included some of Mrs H’s scones. Yum yum.
Key Dates Information
Pupil Free Day – Monday 28th April, 2025 has been moved to Monday 21st July, 2025. This is because the Diocese has encouraged schools to collaborate in professional learning and we have been given the opportunity to work together with 3 other primary schools (Glendale, Edgeworth and Shortland).
Soccer Gala Day – Wednesday 2nd April, 2025. This morning, we were advised that we have been granted registration in a Soccer Gala Day being hosted by Northern NSW Football. We are still working out composition of our 7 teams. An event will be created tomorrow once we receive more information from the organiser.
Combined ANZAC Commemoration Service Tuesday 1st April– we registered weeks ago, but are still awaiting confirmation of this event. Conversation with the organiser has us into the event but I need official confirmation before I can create this event. The only cost for this event is a loaded Opal Card for travel by train and tram into the Civic Theatre. This event is for all Year 5 and Year 6 students.
NB I will update our Key Dates Information and distribute this with Week 8 at a Glance.
Friday Lunches
Next week’s lunch special is from Cardiff Bakehouse. Once again ordering is through the qkr app and orders close absolutely @ 9am Thursday morning. Please do not ask for late ordering.
Party Pies $2.50 (NB please note these are not frozen supermarket sizing)
Party Sausage Rolls $1.90
Rice Paper Rolls $3 ( chicken / pork / vegetarian ) - gluten free option.
God Bless
Kim Hogan
Co-Principal / Assistant Principal
PARISH MASS
We warmly welcome all families to join us to celebrate our first parish mass on Sunday 30th March with Fr Joseph, at St Kevin Parish. Mass begins at 9:30am and we will have a shared morning tea afterwards with the parishioners. If you can assist with any ministries, please let me know via email with the subject Parish Ministry Volunteer. Please take the time to read the attached flyer.
LENTEN REFLECTION
LENT ~ 'a time for renewing faith, hope & love' (Pope Francis)
The desert plays a significant part in Scripture: it is a place of both discovery and of getting lost. You may recall that Moses encountered God in the wilderness when he hears a voice from the burning bush.
He discovered something vital to us all that day: God points us in a direction we may not choose for ourselves. Later, however, Moses and his people are lost in the desert for 40 years. We read the finale of that story in today’s first reading.
First Australians have also had an intimate connection with the desert. Many Indigenous cultures danced in time with the desert for countless generations. When the so-called Pintupi Nine made ‘first contact’ after emerging from the Gibson Desert in 1984, they were in excellent health. The same desert could kill Europeans in thirty-six hours or less.
In today’s Gospel, we learn that the Spirit led Jesus to a lonely place. Up to this point in Luke’s Gospel, we have seen Jesus as a member of his family and community. We have met Mary and Joseph and Elizabeth and Simeon and Anna and John the Baptist. Now Jesus must stand on his own and decide what really matters in life. Is he going to rely on material things? Is he going to want power at any price? Is he going to put himself rather than God at the heart of his decision making? These are the temptations of the devil.
Lent presents us with the same choice. Are we going to find our direction or just be lost in the swirling confusion of choices with which life presents us? Project Compassion helps us to find direction by offering us the opportunity to Unite Against Poverty. Are we content for the world to become more and more fragmented. Or would we prefer to stand up against voices of opportunism and exploitation? Every year, Caritas Australia is overwhelmed and grateful that our Catholic communities are so clearly on the side of justice and life.
Prayer
We pray for greater respect for the environment. May we care deeply for Earth, the place that God has entrusted to our care. May we celebrate the Year of Jubilee year as pilgrims of hope, ready to find the direction towards peace and justice that God wants for us. May we Unite Against Poverty as we grow in respect for all life.
Amen
We are encouraged to put our compassion into action this Lent through prayer, fasting and almsgiving by supporting Project Compassion. Each class received a Project Compassion box, and students are encouraged to give generously to help others in need. One way we can do this as a Catholic Community is by supporting Project Compassion run by CARITAS Australia.
Kaayi (Hello – Awabakal)
Yaama Ngindaay (Hello everyone - Gamilaraay)
Nungamanladi (Hello - Bardi)
Monday 17th - Sunday 23rd March 2025
Harmony Week is the celebration that recognises our diversity and brings together Australians from all different backgrounds.
It’s about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone.
Our celebration of Harmony Week will be on Harmony Day, Friday 21 March. This is the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
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On Friday 21st March children may wear something orange to school Or Wear traditional clothing from one of their countries of origin
Harmony Week Prayer Service at 2.15pm in the Hall Followed by Assembly |
Why orange?
Orange has been the Harmony Week colour since the first event was held in 1999.
Traditionally, orange signifies social communication and meaningful conversations.
By wearing orange, people show their support for all cultures that make up Australia. Harmony Day celebrates this diversity, aiming to foster inclusiveness, mutual respect and the idea that people of all different cultures can make a valuable contribution to society.
Thank you for your wonderful ongoing support as we work together to uphold our Catholic values and lead by example for our children to see and emulate.
Nginowa (Goodbye, see you later – in Awabakal)
Yaluu (Later – in Gamilaraay)
Fee accounts have been added to Compass and your first statement was emailed last week. If you have not received it, please check your "Junk Folder".
School Fees are billed annually, regular payments are expected and should have commenced to ensure fees are finalised in full by 30 November. Non-payment of schools fees after 1 April, will be considered in arrears, unless a current payment arrangement has been agreed with the school.
If you nominate to pay your account annually (as a lump sum amount), please ensure payment is received prior to 30 June, non-payment after the 30 June will be considered in arrears.
Holders of health care cards / pension cards, please complete the attached form and return it with a copy of your card (front and back) to be considered for discount of your child's Tuition Fee.
There are a number of fee payment options. These are:
* Bpay - easily set up and managed through your own internet banking using the Biller Code and Reference number on your statement.
* Direct Debit - complete a Direct Debit Request form via the Catholic Community Fund. Any changes must be made via forms available at the school office.
* Cash or Credit Card - over the counter or phone.
* Centrepay - Payments can be taken out of Centrelink Family Benefit payments. Please contact the school office for more information.
* CompassPay -via credit card attached to Compass. This method is not a preferred payment method of the Catholic Schools as they charge additional fees for this service.
I would strongly encourage all families to review your school fees, check that any current regular payment arrangements that you have set up (weekly, fortnightly or monthly) are enough to cover your fees, and make any necessary adjustments now, so that you are not left with additional payments to be made at the end of the year. The school office can assist you with working out your re-payment amounts.
Any family experiencing genuine financial hardship, are encouraged to contact the school on admin@cardiff.catholic.edu.au or phone 4954 0036 to make a confidential meeting with the Principal to discuss a mutually agreeable payment arrangement.
Kirrily Corbett
Senior Finance Officer
A Special Report: Social Media & Comparison Culture
Young people today are growing up in a world where exposure to other people's lives is constant. Through social media and other platforms, they are regularly presented with curated highlights - from flawless holiday photos and academic milestones to the latest fashion trends and fitness achievements. This continuous stream of idealised content fuels what is known as comparison culture, where self-worth is often measured by how someone stacks up against others.
For children and adolescents, who are still figuring out who they are, this culture can be particularly damaging. Constantly comparing their appearance, achievements, or social standing to friends, influencers, and even strangers can lead to unrealistic expectations and a skewed sense of self-worth. This relentless need to measure up can contribute to feelings of inadequacy, self-doubt, and anxiety - undermining both confidence and emotional wellbeing.
It's vital that parents and caregivers understand how deeply comparison culture can influence a child's self-perception and sense of value. Left unchecked, it can foster perfectionism and a dependence on external validation, where a 'like' or comment becomes the measure of their worth.
The good news is, families have a powerful role to play in helping young people navigate these challenges. This Special Report will help you empower your child to build the resilience and confidence needed to navigate today's comparison-driven world and embrace their own unique path.
We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.
If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.
Here is the link to your special report:
https://cardiff.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-social-media-comparison-culture-au
