Dear Parents and Friends of St Kevin’s,

Happy Easter! Easter is the heart of our faith. Our belief in the rising of Jesus from the dead on Easter Sunday is what makes Christianity and our Catholic faith different to other faiths. May this Easter Season bring you and your family peace and joy in the Risen Christ.

We had an amazing week last week celebrating Holy Week with liturgies that enabled the students to truly reflect on the aspects of our Catholic faith that are core to our faith life. Parents have sent messages expressing their gratitude and thanks for the way the Easter story has been told to our community. Thank you to the staff and students who worked hard at ensuring their contributions were delivered in a prayerful and meaningful way.

We also had time to engage in the secular aspects of Easter with much laughter and giggling heard during the Annual Easter Egg Hunt Extravaganza and the ever-popular Easter Hat Parade. Comments were heard that this is the best day of the year!!! The hats on parade were spectacular! The Easter raffle was another success and many children went home with bundles of delicious eggs. This year we raised $1750.00 which will go towards our next big P&F/school purchase!

As you will by now know, our school building project is finally underway! The old convent will be demolished in the next few weeks. Safety precautions are being implemented and followed according to all industry guidelines, so all students and staff will be safe at all times. We look forward to watching our new administration area and face of the school being constructed over the coming months, which will definitely put St Kevin’s Primary School on the map.

This is the final newsletter for Term 1 – where has that term gone??? Take care and enjoy the April holidays with your children.

Mary-Anne Jennings

Principal

Dates to remember.

April 12 – School Athletics Carnival at Neegulbah Park Macquarie Hills from 8:30-3pm. School closed that day. Sports assembly held at conclusion of carnival.

April 12 – OOSH closed

April 12 – Uniform shop closed.

April 29 – Day 1 Term 2

Uniforms

We have a number of school jumpers here on site in our P&F uniform shop. Please purchase via QKR in preparation for the chillier mornings come Term 2.

Please also ensure your child wears the correct uniform. Students must wear winter uniforms from June 1. Until that date parents can choose what uniform to wear depending on the weather. HOWEVER please don’t mix and match uniforms. Summer tunics do not have blue stockings worn under them. Sports jackets are only worn on Friday for sports day.

School shoes are black and polishable – not suede or canvas.

Sports shoes are white.

Socks for 5 days a week are now white – yes both girls and boys. Girls can wear navy stockings with their winter tunics.

LOWES should have new supplies of uniforms, but first check our QKR school shop for a great bargain.

Sports events and shoes – if your child has specialist shoes for a sports event, they are to bring them in a bag to wear when they participate in that event. This includes footy trials, soccer trials, hockey trials, netball trials, x-country, athletics etc. To and from the event- even if at school, then school uniform white joggers are to be worn. Students who wear the wrong uniform shoes to school will have their participation in representative sports voided.

Uniform sale....20% off! 

Week 1 and 2 of Term 2 there will be a 20% sale of uniforms through our St Kevin’s P&F school uniform shop here on site. The P&F will change the QKR prices in readiness for the sale starting Monday April 29. Take this opportunity to purchase additional jumpers, sports uniforms etc at a heavily discounted rate!!  Got to love a good bargain.

Building updates and changes to school entry and dismissal.

1. April 12 – site made secure and safety fencing erected.
2. School holidays – removal of convent to commence.
3. School holidays – infants outdoor learning space constructed and completed.
4. School holidays – embankments and areas behind hall etc cleared of long grass and weeds.
5. School holidays- LED lighting installed throughout school.
6. School holidays – ACs cleaned and serviced.

Entry /Exit to school Term 2.

1. Church gate CLOSED to everyone.
2. All morning drop offs via Andrew St gate only.
3. Newcastle St gate bus stop entry/exit remains the same for bus 732 and OOSH drop off and pick up. No change.
4. Afternoon car lines – as per usual. No change.
5. Afternoon parent pick up – parents wait in the Church courtyard under cover. We will bring the students to you.
6. All entry to school during the school day will be via Andrew St gate only.

Attendance

The Diocese is focused on improving the attendance rate and levels across all our schools.  Last year, our attendance rate was ranked 2^nd in the Diocese.  As a diocese we do rank lower when compared to Catholic Schools across NSW.  Hence, the diocesan focus to improve attendance. If students are not attending  this impacts upon their learning.  You may have noticed this year we are sending home attendance letters. If your child has been absent and an explanation has not been recorded, on Wednesday and Fridays explanation letters are sent as reminders as parents have only 5 days to justify an absence.  If the unjustified absence falls outside of the 5 days then the school can attach a manual note.  Please see the attached infographics on the impact of various modes of non-attendance.

Robotics / Coding / Imaginative

Our Digital Technologies Club commences Week 2 Term 2.  This year staff meetings are on Tuesday afternoons so we cannot run the club on Tuesdays.  Today I will be putting out a Compass Event.  If you wish to sign your child up for Digital Technologies if you can please indicate what works best for your family – Wednesday or Thursday and I will evaluate responses and get back to families on our course of action.  Entry is $60 for 18 sessions 3pm – 4:30pm.  If your child needs to leave a little early to attend other after school activities that is okay.

God Bless

Kim Hogan

Co-Principal/Assistant Principal

Faith Life, Catholic Identity and the Liturgical Season 

Learning in the post-Easter Weekend period presents an opportunity for students to engage with the Liturgical Season of Easter, of which remains for the 50 days between Easter Sunday and Pentecost. During the first weekend after Easter Sunday, readings from the Lectionary are thematic to the acts and witness of the Early Church. The Sacred Spaces in the school will remain in White and Gold to celebrate the Season of Easter until Pentecost Sunday which occurs on May 19th.  

I thank our families for the contributions to our Holy Week celebrations in Weeks 9 and 10. Please see photographs from our celebrations here: 

Upcoming Faith Life Celebrations 

In Term 2, I wish to alert families to the following important celebrations for your diaries:  

Mothers Day Liturgy will be celebrated in Week 2 of Term 2: Friday 10th May. Celebration details will be outlined in Week 1, service to commence at 9:15am  

Catholic Schools Week School Liturgy will be in Week 4 (TBA times). 

Amy Arthur

Acting Religious Education Coordinator

Kaayi (Hello – Awabakal)

Yaama Ngindaay (Hello everyone - Gamilaraay)

Nungamanladi (Hello - Bardi)

Te bandola nginak (Hello, how are you? – Yorta Yorta)

Acknowledging our Indigenous Service Men and Women on ANZAC Day

ANZAC Day is during the school holidays this year. At this time it is very important to understand and acknowledge the contribution made by our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women who served in conflicts since the Boer War, along with our non-Indigenous service personnel.

As Australians, we take immense pride in honoring our servicemen and women who so bravely served and continue to serve our country. 

Background Information about our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Servicemen and Women

• Up to 16 000 Australians served in the Boer War (1899-1902) including 50 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
• 416 809 Australians enlisted in World War l (1914-1918) including 1000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
• Nearly one million Australians served in World War ll (1939-1945). Of these, at least 3850 were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• In both World Wars, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had the highest participation rates in the military as a proportion of their population in Australia
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have participated in all military conflicts since the World Wars, including in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan and in peacekeeping operations including in Somalia and East Timor
• In 2011 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 1.7% of the Australian Army.

Script courtesy of Australian War memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/ssecond-world-war, and "Deadly Story" https://www.deadlystory.com/page/culture/articles/anzac-day-2018 

Promises of Change Not Kept

After returning from war, having fought for their country and experienced equal treatment during their service, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people found the same, and in some cases, worse discrimination, colonisation and injustice as when they’d left. Not only that, many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service people were not respected as veterans and did not have their contributions recognised.

One example of this happened after the Boer War, when Aboriginal men who had participated are believed to have been denied entry back home due to the immigration restrictions of the White Australia Policy.

After the World Wars, Aboriginal veterans received little public recognition or support. They were denied access to schemes that provided returning soldiers with land and job opportunities. For example, the Soldier Settlement Scheme aimed to give land and work to returning soldiers. This involved splitting up large rural estates into smaller farming blocks and leasing them to returned service-people. However Aboriginal soldiers were denied access to this scheme. In some cases Aboriginal land was divided under this scheme and then was granted to non-Aboriginal soldiers. Communities are still fighting to have this redressed.

Script courtesy of ‘Deadly Story’ https://www.deadlystory.com/page/culture/articles/anzac-day-2018

A Family’s Personal Recognition

Alfred Drew, one of my cousins 2x removed served in World War I

• Alfred Drew was a Gomeroi man who served in World War I. Alfred was born in 1896 in Goondiwindi. One of nine children, his parents were Alfred Drew and Agnes Taylor
• Just 19, Alfred volunteered to serve for his country in November 1916 at Guyra near Armidale
• As he was under 21 years of age his mother Agnes gave permission for Alfred to apply for active service abroad
• He was awarded the Military Medal for bravery in 1919

Script and image: Phil Taylor

The staff, students and families of St Kevin’s Primary School honour the service and sacrifice of our original ANZACs, and the generations of Australian servicemen and women who have defended our values and freedoms, in wars, conflicts and peace operations.

Wishing all families a safe and happy holiday break.

Yaluu in Term 2

Phil Taylor

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Teacher

The bustling end to a productive term has been a good opportunity to reflect on some of the qualities that makes St Kevin’s Primary School students wonderful and special: a strong sense of community, flexibility and resilience, and a shared purpose and belonging. Often without being asked, students volunteer to arrange library spaces for an upcoming event, support peers, or participate in setting up engaging and fun displays. These students are not motivated in anticipation of being rewarded, but instead simply feel gratified helping a friend or doing something that needs to be done for the benefit of all. In Term 2, our weekly library lunch club focus will be (by popular demand) a creative writing, pop-up book crafting, and illustrating workshop.

Students enjoy visiting the school library during break times to meet friends for a fun game, participate in arts and crafts activities, or relax with a book.

On 22^nd May, our school will be participating in the National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS), an Australia-wide group reading and literacy initiative, where schools, libraries and other institutions read the same chosen picture book at the same time. This year’s book is Bowerbird Blues by author, illustrator and designer Aura Parker, a moving story of longing connection, which unravels as the bowerbird takes flight across sea, sky, and city. The book is already on display in the school library, and students will find a range of engaging activities waiting for them when they return to school next term. Wishing all our families a relaxing term break, and we can’t wait to welcome students back to the school library!