Dear Parents and Friends of St Kevin’s,

Today is National Water Safety Awareness Day. Our swimming programme is proving to be very successful. Students are all engaged in either learning to swim or improving their current abilities in the pool. Swimming is such an important life skill. Only this week data has been released showing the high number of drownings experienced here in NSW due to a lack of swimming ability. So, thank you for embracing this programme and ensuring that your child has the chance to engage in this very important aspect of their childhood.

School reports are being finalised. They will be released for you to read on your computer on Friday December 9. A letter is attached explaining how to read the new report and what the various terms and grades mean.

Our Grandparents Day is on Monday December 12.  The day kicks off at 9am with Christmas craft, includes picnic lunches (supplied by our Grandparents), followed by a small dance concert and concluding with the Infants Nativity Prayer Service. We look forward to welcoming all our amazing grandparents to our classrooms.

So the last 3 weeks will be very busy. Keep checking the school online calendar for information and any updates.

Enjoy a peaceful weekend

Mary-Anne Jennings

Principal

Summer uniforms

The last day for click and collecting summer uniforms is Monday December 12 to collect on this date, uniform orders need to be placed via QKR by Sunday December 11 2022 After this date uniform orders will not be processed until February 2023.

For instructions on how to use QKR please refer to the information below. 

Year 1 2023 classroom resources

If over the Christmas break you are cleaning out your cupboards or recycling bin, the following items are needed in the Year 1 classroom. If you could please start collecting and send them in at the start of the 2023 school year that would be absolutely fabulous.

• pebbles/ stones
• shells
• pinecones
• paper towel cardboard tubes
• driftwood
• buttons
• corks
• small wooden offcuts
• small spare tile pieces/ mosaics

Children‘s University Graduates

Congratulations to the students who graduated from the Children’s University of Newcastle last week. They each completed at least 30 hours of extra-curricular, self-motivated learning. Learning included sport, languages, cooking, research activities and community service. These students were responsible for their own learning and are to be congratulated for their initiative, resilience and persistence in learning new skills.

Congratulations Tessa, Jonathan, Caine, Teddy, James, Mackenzie, Ava, Indianna, Ciera, Braethan, Rebecca, Zara, Elliana, Leon, Isabella, Emerson, Matilda and Saxon.

Sporting Success

Congratulations Jonathan on your selection to the Maitland-Newcastle Cricket Team. Jonathan now goes to Lismore in February 2023 to trial for the Polding Cricket Team.  Well done Jonathan – cricket and a Uni Graduate!!!

After attending our Intensive Swimming Lessons this week, it has reinforced how important that we, as parents, actively teach our children to be resilient, independent, problem solvers.  Our goal is undoubtedly that our children will be loving well-adjusted, confident, responsible, hardworking adults.  This does not happen magically.  It is the result of what we say and do. It starts from when they are pre-schoolers.  Have you fallen into the trap of doing for your child because its quicker and a whole heap less painful?  It is vital that your child is independent, it translates into so many things.  For example, at swimming this week we have noticed lots and lots of things

• Children that ask other children to tie their shoe laces for them (not older students but their own classmates)
• Children that can not pack their own bag
• Children that can not find their own belongings in their own bag and need a classmate to help them find it
• Children that are not able to dress themselves
• Children that are able to dress themselves but take an inordinately long time to do so (x4 times the time taken by other children)
• Children that struggle to carry their own bag – they don’t know how to deal with straps and cords, hold a bag, bear its weight.
• Children that cannot brush their own hair

Look! I am a parent and a grandparent.  I have been there but short term pain is worth the long term gain.  It might take a little longer to teach your child to be independent but the benefit for your child is well worth it.  An independent child approaches life with a more positive mindset.  This is so important for them at school and as a learner. For example, yesterday in class we were missing a couple of hundred’s charts to play a maths game.  One child was industrious problem solving looking through other sleeves to see whether she was able to discover the missing chart, the other child sat there waiting for someone to solve the problem for them. 

Teaching your child that they can do things by themselves, that they are competent little individuals translates into their understanding of self.  Independent learners are risk takers, they are not afraid to face a challenge and fail as failure is simply part of the learning process.  It is what you HAVE to do to learn something new.  Please ensure that your child does not see failure as a negative.  I believe the opposite.  If you never fail you are only doing what you can already do – what is the challenge in that. 

There are lots of great websites that have tips and ideas for helping parents help their children to become more independent.  Don’t despair its never too late! I particularly liked the tips below.

• Make your expectations known
• Invest time into teaching
• Establish routines
• Create Charts
• Shape their behaviour
• Provide praise
• Offer incentives
• Create behaviour contracts
• Don’t nag or beg
• Allow for natural consequences

Liturgies and Prayer services

We only have a few liturgies and prayer services left until the end of the school year. These are held in the St Kevin’s church:

• Year 2 Advent liturgy – Friday 2^nd December at St Kevin’s church at 2:15pm
• Infants Nativity prayer service – Monday 12^th December at 2pm
• End of year liturgy and awards – Wednesday 14^th December at 1pm

Mini Vinnies Christmas Appeal

Thank you for your kind donations to the Mini Vinnies Christmas Appeal. Thank you for helping us help those in need!

The Season of Advent

Advent is a time of preparation and began on Sunday 27^th November. Advent begins the cycle of the Liturgical Year and focuses on the coming of Jesus. There are four candles on an Advent wreath, three purple and one pink. The purple are lit on the first, second and fourth Sunday of Advent and the pink candle is lit on the third Sunday. The first candle symbolises hope, the second faith, the third joy and the fourth peace.

Acknowledgements

© https://www.liturgyhelp.com/calendar/season/advent

Year 6 Graduation Mass (advice 4)

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.

Parish Sacrament News

Congratulations to the children and their families who recently undertook the sacrament of reconciliation. It is an important step in their faith journey. We would also like to congratulate Gia who recently made her First Holy Communion.

God Bless

Fiona Stretton

Acting Religious Education Teacher

Yaama

Weaving with Mrs Merrick

The girls have finished their weaving sessions with Mrs Merrick, Aboriginal Education Teacher at St John Vianney Primary School Morriset. Their bracelets look fantastic.

Next year we will have some traditional Aboriginal creative activities for our boys to learn, share and enjoy together. Our thanks to Mrs Merrick for sharing her skills with us.

Nginowa 

 

Phil Taylor

Aboriginal Education Teacher

Borrowing has now finished for the year. Notices for overdue books were sent home yesterday. Please continue to return your books to the library ready for borrowing again in 2023.

Don't forget that SORA is available for borrowing during the school holidays.

School Fees

Thank you to those families who have settled their accounts. 2022 School fees are now OVERDUE. If you have not finalised your account, please do so as soon as possible. Payments can be made by Bpay or by calling the office on 4954 0036. If you are experiencing genuine financial hardship, please call the office to make an appointment to speak with the Principal.

2023 School Fee Information Forms 

The 2023 School Fee Information Forms are now OVERDUE. If you have not returned the form to the office, please do so as soon as possible. This form provides us with information as to how many children in your family attend Catholic Schools in the Diocese to apply the correct sibling discounts, the frequency of your payments and the method of which you intend to pay. Please make a considered choice regarding your payment frequency as this will need to be adhered to in 2023. 

I know a lot of families have been frustrated when they have been unable to approve events via Compass. In most cases, this is due to the fee payer being the only person eligible to approve events as Compass is linked to our finance system. Our previous finance system was only able to recognise one fee-payer per family, this information was brought across when Compass was introduced. The only way for both parents to be able to view school fees and approve events via Compass, is to establish a Combined Debtor (where both parents are responsible for 100% of the fees). In order to create a Combined Debtor, the attached form needs to be completed and signed by both parents. It is then sent to the Catholic Schools Office Finance Team for processing. Please be aware that by creating a Combined Debtor, your Bpay and Biller Code details will change so this will affect any current Bpay or Direct Debits you have set up for automatic fee payments. If you have any questions regarding this, please call the school office on 4954 0036.

Intensive Swimming Program Payments (advice #8)

Swimming payments are OVERDUE. If you have not paid for your child's swimming, please phone the office to make your payment as soon as possbile. The cost is $45 per student which includes 10 lessons and transport. 

School Departure Forms

Any child who is departing St Kevin's at the end of the school year, needs to complete and return a School Departure Form (see below). School Fees need to be settled, home readers returned to the classroom and library books to the library. These will be signed off by the classroom teacher, library assistant and finance offier. Every child in year 6 has received one of these forms. They are due back at the school office by Monday 5 December 2022.

Compass Guide

Please find a brief guide for parents on Compass. For our new families for 2023, you will be issued with your Compass Log-Ins prior to your child commencing in 2023.

If I can help with any of the above please contact me via admin@cardiff.catholic.edu.au or phone on 4954 0036. 

Kirrily Corbett

Senior School Officer

This year, St Kevin's have liaised with Stuart and Dunn to create 2023 Stationery Packs to make geting back to school as simple as clicking a button! Please see the attached flyer on how to order the stationery packs. Each pack has been collated according to the grades, Kindergarten, Year 1, Year 2, Years 3 & 4 (Stage 2), Years 5 & 6 (Stage 3). Any Stationery Packs ordered via Stuart and Dunn will be delivered to the school ready for your child to start in 2023.

Should you choose to purchase your back to school supplies elsewhere, please refer to the list of requirements below.

We now have an account with "Stuckonyou". They have some great items that you can personalise and they would be lovely little stocking fillers. In addition, they specialise in name labels, so you can be ready for next year.

Use this link https://www.stuckonyou.com.au/affiliate/fundraiser/STKEVINSCARDIFF

or at checkout, put in the crew fundraising code stkevinscardiff- all lower case and no apostrophe.

Happy shopping