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Dear Parents and Carers of St Kevin’s,
Thank you for reading this newsletter!!! Our fortnightly newsletters are vital in the communication channel between school and home. We always endeavor to ensure that all relevant information and upcoming events are addressed in the newsletters and linked to our school calendar. At our P&F meeting parents shared that they have come to realize the importance and relevance of the fortnightly newsletter and how they rely on it for current and future events and information.
So, without further ado I present the newsletter for Week Term 4 2022!!!
Mary-Anne Jennings
Principal
Staffing 2023
We are finalizing staffing for 2023 with interviews concluded and appointments approved by HR. Teacher/class allocations will be released with the Semester 2 results on Friday December 9.
Uniforms
The last day for “click and collect” of summer uniforms for the beginning of the 2023 school year is Monday December 12, 2022. The uniform shop will not be open again until February 6, 2023. Please order any new uniforms for the start of the 2023 school year as soon as possible.
School shoes and joggers
As you prepare for the 2023 school year, please remember to follow the St Kevin’s Uniform Policy and requirements as set out by the P&F and school leadership team. School shoes must be black and polishable. They can be Velcro, lace ups or buckle shoes.
Sports shoes are WHITE joggers only.
Congratulations
We are a learning community that celebrates the success of our students academically, socially, in the sporting field and in cultural events. We celebrate the faith journey of our students as they learn each day about the love of God and following the light of Christ.
We congratulate Susan on receiving her St Stephen medal as a fully trained and active altar server here at St Kevin’s Mass Centre. It is great to attend Mass and see Susan up there on a Sunday helping Father Joseph.
We congratulate Matilda on her entry into the 2023 ASPIRE Dance Troupe. We look forward to attending ASPIRE in 2023 and supporting one of our own students.
Here's what Matilda wrote about her experience of auditioning.
When I went to the ASPIRE audition on the morning the audition was set, I was SO nervous when I walked in the room. My nerves soon passed as we got into the warmup. I saw everyone was nervous - but I think that I was probably the youngest there. We helped choreograph the dance and we got to improvise. Around 4 weeks later I found out that I got in – I was so excited!
We congratulate Jonathan on his selection to try out for the Diocesan Cricket Team. Maybe
he will wear a Baggy Green Cap one day and will remember us here at St Kevin’s.
Ticks
It is tick season! Please regularly check your child’s head and behind the ears and other places as ticks are currently very active.
News from the Assistant Principal
December Colour Run Advice # 2
Date: Thursday 15th December, 2022
Time: 9 am - 2:15pm.
Transport: Students will be transported to and from Wilkinson Park by seatbelted coach. Parents may elect to pick their child(ren) up from Wilkinson Park at 2pm. Students returning to school by coach must bring a towel, change of clothes and a bag to place wet clothes in.
Food: The P& F will be running a BBQ on the day. There will also be a cake stall, drinks and lolly stall. As students will be picnicking throughout the day, please pack nutritious snacks and plenty of water.
Dress: Students are encouraged to wear a white or light-coloured T-Shirt on the day. Please be advised that whilst the Colour Run company advise that colour does wash out of clothes, we recommend that students wear old clothes that possibly hard to remove stains will not cause an issue. Students must wear socks and closed in shoes. Students must wear their school hat.
Sunsafety: Students must bring their OWN sunscreen in their bag and insect repellent. The school is unable to provide sunscreen because of possible allergic reactions. Students will be asked to apply their own sunscreen every 2 hours under the direct supervision of classroom teachers. Students who do not bring sunscreen will unfortunately have to remain at school under supervision.
Volunteers: In order to successfully run this day, we need plenty of volunteers to assist. If you are able to assist on Colour Run stations (no pre-school aged children sorry), BBQ helper, baking, Stall helper or on Thursday 15/12/22 at around 7am to transport equipment to Wilkinson Park please email kim.hogan@mn.catholic.edu.au
Swimming Advice #4
Just a reminder regarding our Intensive Swimming Program. All students are expected to attend. Infant students will leave the school at 9:30 am for a commencement time in the pool at 10am. Infants will return at approximately 12noon for afternoon lessons. Primary student will leave the school at 11am for a commencement time in the pool at 11:30am. Primary students will return to school by approximately 1pm for afternoon lessons. Students' swimming competence will be assessed by accredited instructors in our first session.
I understand that there has been some confusion over Compass events. We are unable to assign a cost in the Compass portal under strict CSO guidelines. We are only allowed to advise cost in the Additional details section. The cost for this 10 day intensive swimming program (including transport) is $45. The school is supplementing the cost of this program, in 2022 only, at 50%. Please ensure that you have consented to this excursion and make arrangements to pay by credit card either at the office or by phone or by sending cash into the office in a clearly marked envelope (Swimming/Your Child’s name).
Your child’s swim bag should include
- Swim shirt – rash shirt is ideal.
- Swim goggles (optional)
- Underwear
- Towel
- Water bottle
- Sunscreen
- Thongs for wearing around the pool and in the change rooms
- Brush or comb
All items (including students’ shoes and school clothes) should be LABELLED.
Grandparents’ Day / Infant Nativity Week 10 Advice #2
As previously advised, on Monday 12th December we are celebrating Grandparents’ Day. On this day children to come to school in Christmas T-shirts / clothes. Please find below an outline for the day.
9am – 11am: Christmas Craft (no cost or materials needed)
11:00 am – 11:45am: Lunch
11:45 am – 12:15 pm: Classroom cleanup
12:15pm – 1:30pm: Classroom Dance Performances in the Hall (all welcome)
1:30pm – 2:00 pm: Shared picnic lunch with Grandparents (please bring own chairs / lunch / picnic blanket)
2:00pm – 3:00pm: Infants’ Nativity (all welcome)
Liturgies and Prayer services
We only have a few liturgies and prayer services left until the end of the school year:
- Kindergarten liturgy - Friday 18th November at St Kevin’s church at 2:15pm
- Year 2 Advent liturgy – Friday 2nd December at St Kevin’s church at 2:15pm
- Infant’s nativity prayer service – Monday 12th December at 2pm
- End of year liturgy and awards – Wednesday 14th December at 1pm
Josephite Charisms
In term 3 staff attended a Faith Formation Retreat in North Sydney at Mary MacKillop Place. We spent time learning about Mary MacKillop and the Sisters of St. Joseph, visited the Museum and Mary's Tomb. A significant amount of the day involved us exploring the Josephite Charisms; how we would like to make them meaningful to St. Kevin's, how we will make them visible to those who enter our school and how we will embed them into our daily lives as staff and students. From 2023 we will no longer be known as a MJR school but rather a Josephite School. We would like to share with you the seven charisms:
- Courage
- Gratitude
- Resilience
- Simplicity
- Inclusion
- Service
- Faith
Mini Vinnies Christmas Appeal (reminder 6)
From now until 30th November the Mini Vinnies will be running our Christmas Appeal to assist our local St Vincent de Paul chapter in making Christmas hampers which they will distribute to those in need. The St Vincent de Paul have expressed their appreciation for the items donated so far as part of our Mini Vinnies Christmas Appeal. Thank you to the families and staff who have already brought in donations. The St Vincent de Paul Society are hoping to make 25 hampers for families in need. If you can add any of items on the list below to your shopping it would be very appreciated. There are baskets in each classroom for children to pop their items into.
- Bottles of soft drink
- Christmas/fancy sweet biscuits
- Savoury crackers/biscuits
- Chips
- Christmas lollies
- Christmas cake
- Christmas pudding
- Long life custard
The Season of Advent
The time of Advent is the four-week period of preparation for the season of Christmas. Advent begins the cycle of the Liturgical Year and focuses on the coming of the Lord. The first weeks offer a vision of the future, looking to the end of time when Christ will come again. The final weeks point more specifically to the birth of Christ. Christ, the promised one, is awaited with joyful expectation. The First Sunday of Advent follows the final Sunday of Ordinary Time and the season concludes on Christmas Eve.
Colour: Violet
Duration: 4 weeks
Start: First Sunday of Advent (Sunday 27th November, 2022)
Finish: 24th December
Themes: preparation, waiting, anticipation, joy.
Acknowledgements
© https://www.liturgyhelp.com/calendar/season/advent
Year 6 Graduation Mass (reminder 3)
Please join us in celebrating the Year 6 Graduation Mass on Sunday 11th December 2022 in the St Kevin’s church at 9:30am with morning tea to follow. We are looking forward to being able to return to previous methods of celebrating together as a school and a parish.
As advised in the last Newsletter, Patrick in Year 6 has been awarded a NAIDOC Medal of Excellence for his entry in this year’s NAIDOC Week School Initiatives Poetry Writing Competition. The topic for the Poetry Writing Competition was Respecting Culture. Here is Patrick’s poem.
Respecting Culture
Up in the Dreamtime their culture lies
We look up towards the stars and there
We learn about their amazing life
To see what it's like to have a flight
Through the bushes and into the plains
We look at the tribes and there on lit flames
We look forward on the plains and we want to inform you
We had a nice flight to learn more about the Aboriginal land
That we love and respect with all our hands and heart
Thank you, thank you
For this land, we live and love with all our care.
Patrick, Year 6
2022 NAIDOC Week Colouring and Poetry Writing Competition
Thank you to all children who entered this year’s competition. Kinder to Year 2 entered the colouring competition and Years 3-6 children entered the poetry writing section. I was very impressed with the high quality of entries from our school. The writing entries showed the depth of understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, history and cultures and the importance of respecting these cultures.
Thank you also to our teachers for their commitment to this cross-curriculum priority in the Australian Curriculum in their lessons across all areas of learning.
Gaba nginda (Gamilaraay/Yuwaalaraay: ‘Good you; thank you’)
Phil Taylor
Aboriginal Education Teacher
Week 7 is the last week for borrowing library books. All library books need to be returned by Friday 2nd December (week 8). Please check at home for any additional books you may have forgotten to return by this date. Overdue notes will be sent out prior to school finishing for the year.
If you have any questions or need additional assistance, please contact the library. Thank you
Mrs Hogan
Acting Teacher Librarian
School Fees
Thank you to the many families who have finalised their 2023 school fees. School Fees are now due and need to be paid in full by 30 November 2022. You can pay by Bpay using your biller code and reference number on your fee statement, direct debit, credit card over the phone or cash over the counter (exact money needed as there is no cash kept on the premises).
2023 School Fee Information Form
Each family was issued the 2023 School Fee Information Form below. Please complete these and return them to the school office. Where families are separated, a form will need to be completed for each fee payer. This form is used to determine if any discounts are applicable. When completing the form, please consider your payment frequency. If you elect to pay fees in a lump sum, a payment will need to be made prior to 30 March 2023 with the balance to be paid in full by 30 June 2023.
If you elect to pay weekly, fortnightly or monthly, payments must be made regularly according to your selection, commencing by 30 March 2023 and finalised by 30 November 2023.
Intensive Swimming Program
Payments for the two-week Intensive Swimming Prorgam must be made by Monday 21 November. Payments can be made over the phone via credit card or in person at the school office. If you send cash with your child, please ensure it is the correct amount in an envelope, clearly marked "Swimming Program/child's name". The cost is $45 per child.
Kirrily Corbett
Senior School Officer