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Dear Parents and Friends of St Kevin’s,
This small word is one we often forget to say and it is part of our Making Jesus Real way here at St Kevin’s.
I would like to say THANK YOU to the parent body for their support this year – and it’s not over yet! 2020 has been a tumultuous year with guidelines and restrictions changing week by week. Planning is difficult with plans being changed quickly due to circumstances beyond our control. School life has changed, with many of the community engagements that make St Kevin’s so special, put on the back burner. Yet you as parents, are continuing to be positive, ensuring your children come to school each and every day, ready to learn and be active, responsible members of their class. This positive approach to learning and attending school is the most important thing for your children at the moment. So, thank you for supporting St Kevin’s through your positive interaction with your children, understanding when we suddenly change routines or plans and for accommodating our variations in school life such as before and after school drop off/pick-up, no canteen, no sport carnivals, no Masses or Liturgies and no parents on site.
Together we will get to the other side of COVID and resume activities we used to take for granted. Meanwhile stay safe, stay connected to St Kevin’s through Facebook and our Website, and stay in touch with your faith and Make Jesus Real every day.
Mary-Anne Jennings
Principal
Messages from the Assistant Principal
Dear Parents,
Over the last weeks the leadership team and myself met with Education Officers from the Teaching and Learning Team. Together we participated in a Learning Walk and Talk. As you would know, this year we have had a whole school focus on improving writing amongst our students. During our learning walks we asked our students the 5 key questions:
1.What are you learning and why?
2.How are you doing?
3.How do you know?
4.How can you improve?
5. Where do you go for help?
We filmed student responses to discuss at our follow-up discussion. In all our classrooms we found evidence of success criteria for a good piece of writing that had been collaboratively developed by teachers and students.
For example, in Year 4 students understood their learning intention: "to write a text to persuade an audience."
To see these evidence-based teaching practices embedded in our school culture can only lead to one thing..improved student outcomes!
We have been advised that there are to be no onsite transition programmes this year. That is very sad and rather unfortunate for our new families as they don’t get to see firsthand how awesome St Kevin’s is. We will however be assisting with transition through our K2U Facebook page, personal letters and emails and ZOOM meetings. If you as an experienced parent would like to assist in this transition for our new families, please contact Mrs Jennings so we could set up a buddy system, whereby new families can contact their buddy family with questions and queries about “Big School” and what to expect from a parent perspective. This way we hope to establish personal links that otherwise might be lost or overlooked due to COVID.
We have had to reschedule this event frequently due to COVID, but we currently have October 19 pencilled in for school photos (fingers crossed we do not have to change or cancel again). This year we can only have class and individual photos. There will be no family photo or staff photo opportunity. We apologise for this change, but it is a regulation we must abide by. Envelopes and information will be sent home in Week 10 of this Term. Children will be in full summer uniform for the photos this year.
ICAS will be held in Term 4 this year. UNSW has adapted to the new norms and allocated a variety of dates and online opportunities for these competitions this year and we thank them for their creative approach to ensuring students can still participate in these tests. The testing week will be held between 12th-23rd October. Students can participate in the ICAS Assessments for Science, Digital Technology, English, Maths, and Spelling. To accommodate all students and adhere to COVID-19 policy interested students will sit these tests at 8:10am on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Mrs Norley will send out further advice and expression of interest forms next week.
We are still currently advised not to permit external providers on site to conduct individual sessions with students in areas such as physiotherapy, speech, OT and guitar lessons. Parents are encouraged to explore appointments outside school hours to access these specialists.
Summer uniforms may be worn from now on as the weather warms up. Please ensure that your child has their hat each and every day. NO HAT NO PLAYING IN THE SUN. New summer uniforms must be ordered by September 17 to ensure supply. This includes new summer uniforms for 2021 due to limitations on supplies from our manufacturers due to COVID.
Our assemblies are now held fortnightly in each classroom with awards being given out in the areas of exceptional work ethic, resilience, academic achievement or MJR. Here are the Week 6 award recipients. Congratulations on your efforts and achievements.
Congratulations to Aryan and Arabella on your ability to focus and persevere as you learn guitar!
Taking the Next Step
As we grow we are always taking the next step – crawl, walk, run, our learning to talk, read, spell and be numerate. We have only to think back to our early years to see how far we have come in our development. Coaches always urge their players to take the next step.
We learn explicitly but we also learn by watching those around us- friends, family and role models. Social media platforms very definitely have their good qualities, keeping us connected to family and friends but they also have truly negative qualities. Unfortunately, we are witnessing children imitating very poor role models. As parents and grandparents, we need to be very vigilant in monitoring what our children are learning and who they are imitating. Do our children’s role models have the values that we espouse, the values that we want them to live by?
Our church teaches us to value human life and the dignity of each person. At the heart of everything is Jesus Christ. Therefore, we are called to build and maintain respectful relations with each other. At our children’s Baptism we committed to model our lives on the person of Jesus.
What is the next step for your child? How are you going to help them achieve it?
Yaama,
Indigenous Literacy Day. Wednesday 2nd September
Children in all grades at St Kevin’s tuned in to the live broadcast at 2.00pm last Wednesday to view a very special Indigenous Literacy Day celebration presented in collaboration with the Sydney Opera House.
Children listened to a catchy melody sung by Australia’s favourite pop star, Jessica Mauboy - in two Indigenous languages, Tiwi, Mangarrayi, and English. We heard a book reading of Yu Sabi Densdensbad? (Can you Dance?) in Kriol, by Cheryl Lardy and in English by Justine Clarke. This event gave the children a celebratory experience of Indigenous language and literacy. Jessica Mauboy also performed My Island Home, a song about the love she has for her country and its natural beauty.
The children thoroughly enjoyed the broadcast and learned about the importance of celebrating Indigenous languages and the need to keep these alive as they are integral to the cultural identity of our Indigenous people.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Our Aboriginal students read and discussed this Dreaming narrative which tells the story of Jampijinpa Blue Tongue, who deceives his two sons, and who is in turn deceived by them, with unfortunate consequences.
This narrative offers an important explanation for the presence of the flame-like anthills that can be found in the Warlukurlangu region. Warlukurlangu, a tract of land near Yuendemu in the Northern Territory, has hundreds of anthills that are shaped like the flames of a fire.
The anthills are a permanent reminder of the fire that raged out of control and swept through the country during the Dreaming.
The important message in this Dreaming narrative is that we can cause hurt and distress when we deceive others. Best to stay in respectful relationship with others and good things will follow.
(Illustration: Giesela) (Illustration: Conor)
Phil Taylor
Aboriginal Education Teacher
School fees are now due. If you did not receive your fee statement or need another copy emailed, please contact the office and another copy will be forwarded to you. If you are experiencing financial difficulty please contact the Principal, Mary-Anne Jennings on 4954 0036 or email admin@cardiff.catholic.edu.au.
Book week is coming soon!
Curious Creatures, Wild Minds
Book fair, costumes and fun, fun, fun!
Save the date: Term 4, Week 2
(More information headed your way in the coming weeks)
Who’s ready for our Premiers Reading Challenge Years 3-6 reward day?!
Our reading champions will be receiving a golden ticket and a note outlining our reward day which will be held next Wednesday 16th September.
Library Borrowing is every Friday.
New to the library
Wine Time - St Kevin's P & F Fundraiser
It is Wine time…. St. Kevin’s P&F are hosting a wine fundraiser in conjunction with Tamburlaine Organic Winery.
All wines are 100% organic and hand crafted in the Hunter Valley. All orders are to be emailed or phoned through directly to Tamburlaine Winery. Orders will be delivered to your home.
What a great time to stock up on delicious wines and get started on your Christmas wine stock!