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- Messages from the Principal
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- Mini Vinnies Ice Moneys
- Creative Play and Problem Solving
- Grandparents Day Invitation
- Canteen News
- Year 6 Graduation Mass Invitation
- Sydney Shopping Trip
- P& F General Meeting Invitation
- Good for Kids
- Healthy Lunch Box and Party Food Tips
Dear Parents and Friends of St Kevin’s,
I write this newsletter watching the smoke roll in, surrounding the Jacaranda trees in a shroud, creating an eerie feeling blocking out the rays of sunshine and brilliant blue sky. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people in communities right around Australia, who are continuing to battle the threat of fire or adjust to a very different life following the fires. Times of disaster make us all stop and reflect on what is truly important to us, and how we live our lives as members of a community. The Mini Vinnies Christmas appeal this year will be even more important as it may well help someone in our community who has been touched by the fires or ill health as a result of the smoke we are currently experiencing. As adults you may like to make a cash donation to St Vincent De Paul Society, knowing that they will be called on to assist in many varied ways this Christmas due to the fires. Cash donations can be made online by searching Saint Vincent De Paul, or if you would like to send cash to school, we will ensure it gets to our local group and receipts can be issued for you.
Today saw the final transition morning for our 24 kindergarten students for 2020. They were all very excited, with many proudly wearing their “I’m off to Big School at St Kevin’s next year!” shirts. Our new kindergarten students and their parents also got to meet their Year 5/6 buddies for next year. Treat bags were shared and lots of fun was had by all. After visiting the uniform shop, one new kindergarten student blended in beautifully with our current kinders and was very happy and proud of her new uniform! I don’t think even Mrs Albury noticed she had 1 extra student!!! Our transition programme finishes tonight with an information evening for parents from 6pm in the school library.
At this time of year staffing for 2020 is also being finalised. Some changes that I can notify you of at this stage is that Mr Taylor is stepping down as Religious Education Coordinator and has made the decision to reduce his teaching days to 1 day per week. He will continue as our Aboriginal Education Teacher in 2020. Mrs Kim Hogan has been appointed as our Religious Education Coordinator, and we congratulate Mrs Hogan on this promotion as part of the School Executive Team. 2020 class allocations and extra staff have not yet been finalised.
Enjoy the weekend with your beautiful children …..is it too early to put up the Christmas Tree??
Mary-Anne Jennings
Principal
Messages from the Assistant Principal
A focus on Learning, Collaboration & Improving Student Outcomes
The Neuroscience of the Early Learner
New Zealand Neuroscience Educator Nathan Wallis presented 'The Developing Brain' to teachers and leaders across our Catholic schools last week. Mrs Jennings, Mrs Albury, Ms Huens and myself had the privilege of listening to him speak.
How the brain grows and learns is obviously central to success and well-being. There are ways we can help our children to develop by simply having an understanding of the brain. Nathan guided teachers through the stages of brain development that occur through childhood and explained that children specifically up to the age of 8 flourish in a free-play, child-led environment, where parents and teachers are responsive to the child’s creativity. (Source: CSO Directors Bulletin 35)
Our school is a Successful foundation school from 2020. This means we will be extending our playbased learning philosophy with structured play around key learning areas.
“Play is the work of children, here they learn social skills, problem solving and develop creativity.”
Cyber Safety – a fun story to read for young learners.
This week the library purchased a wonderful new book by Nick Bland (author of the Cranky Bear Series). The fabulous friend machine is a short picture book about the ”pretend world of friendships” in social media. A great stocking filler if you are looking for Christmas gifts.
Have a great week.
With every best wish,
Nikki Norley (Assistant Principal)
Fee Reminder and Family Discount Form
Overdue 2019 school fees - Your prompt attention to these would be appreciated. Any families having financial difficulties please contact the office for an appointment with Mrs Jennings.
Family Discount Form
Thank you to those who have returned their 2020 Family Discount Form. Another copy has been sent home with the eldest child this week. For those families who will have a child attending St Kevin’s in 2020 it is important that you complete this form and return it to the office. ALL families need to complete this form. For those families who do not return the form, the correct family discount may not be received. Please indicate at the bottom of the form whether you would like to pay the voluntary DPC. If you have a current Health Care Card for 2020 please bring that into the office to have it applied to your 2020 fees. Contact the office on 4954 0036 with any queries.
As the season of Advent begins on 1st December, we will be learning about this in all classes.
What is Advent really all about? This is a little clip which explains Advent very simply and succinctly. It goes for about 3 minutes but is entertaining and informative as well. Advent in a nutshell. Enjoy!
Advent is the season of mercy, hope and expectation. The Advent wreath originated in Europe. It is a symbol of life in a world in the grip of a frozen winter. The evergreen reminded people that signs of life were still to be found.
The lighting of extra candles as midwinter and the shortest period of daylight approached was a reminder of God’s light in the darkness. In our Australian summer it can be difficult to imagine a time of such darkness. The Southern Cross as it lights the night sky is a pointer of direction and its Cross is a symbol of Christ as both the light and the way.
Week 1: The first candle (The Prophet’s Candle) and the first star:
The first candle reminds us of the Prophets – those special people who spoke God’s words to everyone during the hundreds of years before Jesus was born. The prophets had a special role, to speak with integrity and to shine light on the actions of the people of the time, so as to move into the future with their eyes on God.
We look to the stars in wonder – they call us as silent prophets, sentinels through time and space, reminders of the incredible moment of all creation, of our place in an integral ecology that links us to the health of every organism and challenges us to enter into the heart of what it is to be truly human.
Week 2: The Bethlehem Candle / star.
You tube: What is Advent? – all about waiting.
This is a great clip about waiting, something that we don’t always enjoy, and really difficult in our extremely busy lives, but is really important sometimes so that we can reflect on what really matters in life. Like the birth of Jesus.
The second candle brings more light because Christmas is drawing nearer, and so are we closer to the hope, mercy, peace and love. It reminds us of the time when Jesus came among us as a baby in a little town called Bethlehem. That he was a refugee from his home, vulnerable and alone. It also reminds us that we live in hope that he will come again.
In the birth and death of the stars, the building blocks of the universe are formed and spread through creation. In Jesus creation is made new and gifted with the life of God, life which does not die.
PRAYER FOR THOSE AFFECTED BY BUSH FIRES
God of life and death, our prayers are where our hearts and minds have been during these last days and where they have so often been this season; with those whose lives have been touched in differing ways by the bushfires.
We pray for those who have lost their lives and their families and all who have been affected. We pray for those who have been injured and survived: for physical and emotional trauma; for the fear and hopelessness experienced; for the anger and frustration at the injustice of unavoidable disaster.
Let there be peace. Let there be hope. Let there be life.
We pray for those who have lost their home and property or are facing such loss: for those who have been forced to leave their memories and belongings; for the fear and disorientation of all involved; heal them from their nightmare memories.
Let there be peace. Let there be hope. Let there be life.
We pray for all involved in fighting the fire: for the Rural Fire Service and their leadership and all those we know and those we do not know; we pray for courage in a place of fear; for new strength in the face of exhaustion; for people who have travelled distances in order to resource those who experience fatigue.
Let there be peace. Let there be hope. Let there be life.
We pray for all who offer support and care at this time: for the various agencies, churches and community groups; for disaster response chaplains; for government services as they are activated; for friends and neighbours, known and unknown; for aiding recovery and providing a shoulder to cry on; we give thanks too, for the generosity of many, in small and large ways, for those who are struggling.
Let there be peace. Let there be hope. Let there be life.
We are mindful of the days, weeks and months ahead, for many dangerous days yet to come, for seasons of recovery and rebuilding, of homes, farms, lives and communities; we pray for strength, courage, patience and hope as grieving continues, as frustrations rise and the inevitable new changes occur.
Let there be peace. Let there be hope. Let there be life.
Keep us faithful and alert in our praying and our action.
Amen.
Source: Gather Proclaim Break Send via GPBS Facebook page. 11 Nov 2019
Yaama!
One of the books we’ve read recently is The Lizard Gang, written by Kirra Somerville and illustrated by Grace Fielding. Kirra Somerville was 9 years old when she wrote this story. She is from the Martu people in Western Australia.
The Lizard Gang is about a group of monitor lizards called Boo, Zoro, Eliza and Zed. They sometimes argued about who was the best. One said he was the best because he was the strongest, another because he could jump high, another because he was the fastest. One day the floodwaters came and they all had to find dry ground. They found that they helped each other to cross the swollen river using their particular gifts. In this way they all helped each other to survive. An important life lesson.
The children enjoyed this story and were at first amazed that it was written by a 9 year old. We discussed how they too could write a really good picture book and even submit it for consideration by a publisher for others to read and enjoy.
Phil Taylor
Religious Education Co-ordinator
Aboriginal Education Teacher
THANK YOU!
We here at St Kevin’s are extremely lucky to have such an amazing community. Our fantastic P&F have generously purchased a school subscription for Australian Standing Orders. This means that every month, we will receive a selection of the latest and greatest books that have hit the shelves! We are so excited and extremely thankful for this purchase and look forward to reading all our wonderful new texts. These new books will assist in fostering a love of reading and creating life-long readers. We can’t wait!
Lunch Club
Each Tuesday and Wednesday at lunch time, our amazing library is open to all students to come and have some fun. We regularly get between 15 to 20 students- sometimes even more! Students love to draw, colour, build, play some board games, practice their tech skills and, of course, explore our collection of books! It’s such a lively and social time enjoyed by all.
Mini Vinnies Christmas Project
CHRISTMAS PROJECT
THANKS! THANKS! THANKS!
Food items are starting to flood in for our Mini Vinnies “Help a hungry family in our community celebrate Christmas” Our goal is for 1000 items!! Please help support our local community by adding just 1 food item to your trolley this week.
So far we have brought in soft drinks, chips and nuts, lollies and chocolates and tinned fruit. Next week we are hoping to have Xmas desert type items like long life custard ( no fresh items thanks they are too hard to store), then we move on to cakes and cookies (wk8), pudding cakes and biscuits (wk9) and tinned ham and tinned meats (wk 10)
Many thanks
Mini Vinnies
With your help we hope we can make a difference this Christmas! Donating to needy families in our community
Due to popular demand Mini Vinnies will now be selling Ice Moneys every Monday and Tuesday to raise funds for those less fortunate than ourselves. The expected price is $1
For Mini Vinnie’s
Maddy and Avalon
Creative Play and Problem Solving
Over the last few weeks, Mrs Cullen has topped up a supply of large loose parts for the students to engage with on the playground, and create experiences known as "risky play". The children have been experimenting in a child-led environment, that fosters creativity and problem solving, to investigate forces such as levers. Research suggests that when children engage with loose parts of all different forms, they develop better critical thinking skills, become more creative and are more physically active. Here at St Kevin's, we are already seeing the benefits of loose parts play on the playground.
Soccer