Dear Parents and Friends of St Kevin’s

Well, it’s all happening here! The view from my office is very much a distraction as I sit and watch the building coming down and the processes involved in demolishing a building. Much is being recycled with various piles of timber and metal and bricks awaiting collection. The outdoor play area is now also complete with barricades coming down today! This addition to the learning space for Kindergarten and Year 1 was courtesy of a Federal Government grant from our current member Mr Pat Conroy. We now look forward to purchasing some outdoor creative play equipment to promote our play-based learning philosophy for the students in our younger grades.

Learning in the classroom has returned for Term 2 with vengeance! Informative texts are being studied with students identifying the need for research and using technical language and facts to inform the reader. In Mathematics students are investigating a variety of strategies to solve problems. They then can identify which strategy best suits their learning style and are more confident solving problems quickly and efficiently. Students in Years 2, 6 and 5 clearly identified and articulated their learning journey, where they had to improve, and where to seek help. Congratulations on being able to share your learning journey with me Isabel Year 2, Kobe Year 6, together with Gia and Evelyn in Year 5.

Here’s to a term full of learning and growing minds, together with positive relationships and fun!

Mary-Anne Jennings

Principal

From this:

And also this:

Welcome back to Term 2.  Isn’t it grand?  Our Infants breakout space is nearly finished and the convent is well and truly coming down.

Digital Technologies Club

My apologies for the confusion with our DTC I made an error when creating the event which resulted in it asking you for credit card payment immediately.  I am very sorry this was not my intention.  If your child is not interested I would appreciate it if you could decline the invitation.  As payment is now fixed it would be great if anyone interested could please accept the invitation so that I can begin planning for numbers and make a determination on club days.

Pizza Friday

We have had an enormous take up of our Pizza this Friday.  I wish to extend a huge THANKYOU to Richard Mullen and Jasmine Ashby who facilitated this, without their assistance this could not have happened.  We have 112 pizzas being delivered on Friday.

Sport – Rugby League Coaching

Calling all mums and dads who might be able to offer some assistance with our sport’s program this term.  Over the years we have been very successful in obtaining Sporting Schools funding for our sport each term.  The platform and criteria for grant success has changed with priority going to special schools.  Following our P & F meeting discussion last night I am reaching out to see if it is possible to utilise the skill and expertise that some of our parents might possess to run rugby league sessions  weekly (or a number of weeks- 4 for example) for some or all of our classes.  If you are able to assist could you please ring the office or email me kim.hogan@mn.catholic.edu.au. If we have volunteers, I will secure a program from Sporting Schools if necessary.

Parent Feedback

Last night at the P & F we discussed the importance of feedback to ensure that we are always striving to be the best that we can possibly be.  It was decided that we would send out a survey each term to encourage our community to share with us what we are doing  well and how we can improve. Please find below the link to the Term 1 Feedback.

Term 1 Feedback Survey

God Bless

Kim Hogan

Co-Principal/Assistant Principal

Faith Life, Catholic Identity and the Liturgical Season

The next two weeks in the Liturgical Calendar conclude the Easter Season. The final day in the season of Easter is Pentecost Sunday.

The word Pentecost comes from the Greek for fiftieth day. Pentecost Sunday ends the season of Easter and comes as a Sabbath day after seven weeks of seven days. In Jewish tradition the 50th day after the Passover was celebrated as a blessing of the harvest and rather than the unleavened bread of Passover it was celebrated by leavening the bread. It was for this reason that the disciples were gathered together when they experienced the Holy Spirit empowering them. In Christian tradition, Pentecost is celebrated as the arrival of the Spirit, promised by Jesus, that animated the disciples to spread the gospel of Jesus and gather believers to form what would eventually become the Church.

After the Easter Season, the Paschal Candle is no longer lit during Mass, rather only at Baptisms where it is symbolic of the Light of Christ. 

School Sacred Spaces will return to Green after Pentecost Sunday to signify Ordinary Time.

Upcoming Faith Life Celebrations

Our Mother’s Day Celebrations will be held tomorrow at 9:15am in the Church.

School Led Parish Mass

An event will be posted via Compass for families to join us in the celebration of Pentecost and mark the commencement of Catholic Schools Week as a school community on Sunday 19^th May, 2024 at St Kevin’s Church from 9:30am. If your child has completed the Sacraments of Initiation and would like to participate in the ministries of the Mass, or your family would like to be involved in this, please advise Mrs Arthur via email by Wednesday 15^th May.

Mother’s Day Liturgy will be celebrated in Week 2 of Term 2: Friday 10^thMay as outlined in last week’s Compass alert. Service to commence at 9:15am

A Prayer for Mothers 

A Blessing For Mothers

May the God of our mother Sarah be your fountain of life to bless + you and give you health and happiness, so that you may be a blessing to your family and to all who are in your care.

May Jesus, the Son of Mary, be your Protector to give you strength and health and peace, so that you may be a refuge and haven for your family.

May the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, shield you from all the powers of darkness and give you joy in being a mother to your children.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

We want to extend our congratulations to Lukas S in Year 5 who represented our school and diocese in the da Vinci Decathlon on Thursday the 21^st of March. Lukas, along with 7 other students in the diocese were invited to participate in the Year 5 team against other schools in the region.

The da Vinci Decathlon is an academic competition designed to challenge and stimulate the minds of school students. Students competed in teams of eight across 10 disciplines: Mathematics, English, Science, Code Breaking, Engineering Challenge, Ideation, Creative Producers, Art and Poetry, Cartography and Legacy (General Knowledge). Lukas’ Year 5 team scored 3^rd place in the Legacy discipline.

Lukas enjoyed the General Knowledge questions and English task where they had to categorise books and authors. He also enjoyed the design process in creating their own AI search platform. Lukas said the most challenging component of the day was Mathematics using algebra. They had to replace letters with numbers. He also mentioned it was great to collaborate and learn from other students in his team. They each discussed their strengths and worked from there with a plan. A big congratulations again Lukas!

CogAT Testing in Years 2 & 4 Term 2 Week 3

In Term 2, all students across the diocese in years 2 and 4 will participate in the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT). This test evaluates students' reasoning abilities in three areas:

1. Verbal Battery: Assesses students' ability to reason with words and concepts, crucial for reading comprehension, critical thinking, writing, and verbal learning tasks.
2. Quantitative Battery: Measures students' ability to reason with quantitative symbols and concepts, which are vital for problem-solving in mathematics and other disciplines.
3. Nonverbal Battery: Evaluates students' ability to reason with geometric shapes and figures, requiring them to implement strategies for solving novel problems.

These batteries provide a comprehensive view of each student's learned reasoning abilities, identifying both strengths and areas for improvement. CogAT aims to support differentiated practice in education by helping teachers adapt instruction to meet the unique needs and abilities of each student.

It's important to note that CogAT scores are not integrated into report grades or other conventional measures of school achievement. The focus is on tailoring instruction and fostering a supportive, inclusive learning environment based on each child's ability.

Thank you for your continued support in ensuring the best educational outcomes for our students.

Bookclub

Bookclub orders via Loop close on Friday 17th May. Ensure your order is in so you don't miss out!

2024_PRC_poster.pdf

2024_PRC_poster _pdf 12.22 MB

 National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS)

On 22nd 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 on display in the school library.

Thank you to all families who have commenced regular payments for your 2024 school fees. Fee payments should have commenced by 30th March 2024 for those who have opted to pay weekly, fortnightly or monthly. If you have not made payments, your account is considered in arrears and it would be appreciated if you could please commence payments as soon as possible. 

For those who have elected to pay annually, your fees must be paid in full by the due date of 30 June 2024.

If you need assistance in calculating your repayment amounts, please contact Kirrily Corbett in the school office on 4954 0036 or email admin@cardiff.catholic.edu.au. She can also assist in setting up Direct Debit via the Catholic Community Fund. 

If you are experiencing genuine financial harship, please contact the school to arrange a meeting with the Principal to discuss how we can support you with a mutually agreed payment plan. 

All of the Diocese's 57 Catholic schools now have access to the new online enrolment system.

The new system will allow prospective families to easily apply online for their child's enrolment at any Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle school.

Applications will be assessed by schools using the new Enrolment Policy and supporting documentation such as catchment suburbs and pathway schools documents.

If you have a child, or know someone who is looking for schooling options for Kindergarten 2025, the new online enrolment application can be accessed via our school website:

St Kevin's Enrolment Application

Any student in Year 6 wishing to enrol at St Paul's High School, Booragul, must have their applications to them by this Friday 10th May to be considered for the first round of offers. If you are having difficulty attending St Paul's to submit your application, you can submit them to St Kevin's office and they will be collected by St Paul's. 

2025 Enrolment Timeline:

• 1 March 2024:Enrolment period opens.
• 24 May 2024:Initial enrolment period closes 
• 24 May 2024:Applications submitted after this date are only considered if there are available places (after initial enrolment offers) and on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the school and Principal.
• 14 June 2024:Initial enrolment outcome notification - Letter of Enrolment Offer or Waitlist 
• 1 July 2024: Initial enrolment offer acceptances due.

St Kevin Uniform shop sale has been extended to Sunday 19^th May - please check here first and make great savings for uniforms, sales here get reinvested into the school! Lowes will have 20% off everything 14^th -17^th - for anything you can't find in the St Kevin shop.

Please find attached the parish bulletin for this Sunday. 

We have also attached information on upcoming Christian Formation events.

Please note that the parish office will be closed for another week, while demolition next door continues, during which time staff will work offsite and can be contacted by email. 

Wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day. 

God bless!

Parish Team

ALL SAINTS PARISH BLACKBUTT SOUTH

24_The_Ascension_of_the_Lord_12_5_2024.pdf

24_The_Ascension_of_the_Lord_12_5_2024 _pdf 534.80 KB

24_Flyer_Christian_Formation_Course_2024_2025.pdf

24_Flyer_Christian_Formation_Course_2024_2025 _pdf 1.02 MB

24_Newsletter_Formation_Education_No._23_May_2024.pdf

24_Newsletter_Formation_Education_No 23_May_2024 _pdf 638.84 KB

Caritas Australia’s 60^th Anniversary Online Photo Exhibition – Vote for your chance to win!

To mark the 60^th anniversary of Caritas Australia, we have compiled a selection of our favourite 60 photos. Vote for your favourite photo to go into the draw to win a beautiful Indigenous Australian artwork from Djilpin Arts, our First Australian partner in the Northern Territory. The artwork is a painting by Harry Malibirr which depicts five dreaming stories.

Simply visit our website caritas.org.au/faces-of-caritas-australia-60th-anniversary, choose a photo from the gallery and vote via the online form. Entries close 30 June 2024

 

60 Faces: Portraits of Compassion in Action - limited-edition commemoration book.

To mark the 60^th anniversary of Caritas Australia, we have a limited-edition commemoration book. Each page of this book features carefully selected photographs showcasing the incredible individuals whose lives have been transformed by the international and Australian programs that you help support.  

You can purchase the book at: www.caritas.org.au/60-faces

Caritas Australia would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your ongoing support over the last 60 years!