14th October 2021

Principals News

Dear Families, 

We are very excited to be able to welcome back our Kinder and Year 1 students on Monday 18th October for face to face teaching and learning to resume back in the classrooms! We are also excited for Year 2 to start back on Monday 25th October too. Year 2 will continue to do Home Learning next week. 

We have planned a very gentle return to school and have as our focus the wellbeing and happiness of each of our students. This extended lock down period has had more challenges than I can possibly cover here and we are anticipating that whilst most children will be so eager to come back and see their friends and teachers, that may not be the case for all children. Kinder have planned play provocations to welcome the kinders back in a relaxed and familiar routine. Year 1 will also take this approach. The children will be well supported and I encourage parents to keep the lines of communication open with your child's teacher or myself, so that if something crops up for your child, we can ensure that we do our very best to help them feel safe.  This term we will focus on English, Maths and Religious Education and each afternoon we have planned wellbeing activities. These include Creative Arts, Sport, PBL, STEM activities, meditation etc. Our aim to build that strong positive relationship with your child once again - many children having been on the zooms we have has been a great way for the teachers and their classes to stay connected. 

What do you need to know:

• Summer uniform with hat. 
• Sport Uniform on Wednesdays. 
• Water bottle is essential each day.
• Please pack your child enough food for their day - they will be hungry doing "so much work".. Ha! 
• There is no canteen until further notice. 
• We have plenty of hand sanitiser at school and our cleaning processes are in place. 
• All windows are open for ventilation and our classrooms are designed for a cross breeze
• Reassurance from parents that your child will have a "Great Day!" is really important. 
• Children travelling by bus are encouraged to wear a mask - this is at parents discretion.
• We are unable to have school assemblies, singing or any community events. 

Parents sadly are not allowed on site - so its the same arrangements as prior to the lockdown. Children can be dropped and collected at Kiss and Ride however Health Orders mean that parents must remain in their car. Parents may collect from the double gates or children may go to OOSH; others will leave via the bus. This routine will stay exactly the same. Parents must wear a mask at this time of writing to you and socially distance whilst picking up your child/children. Thank you!  

Parents can really assist us by making sure your child knows exactly how they are going home each day - a note to the teacher is great - as this minimises the need for messages and pages each afternoon. It's really helpful when children know exactly how they are getting home and it ensures there are no anxious tears. Thank you for working with us on this. 

If you have any questions about returning on Monday, please call school tomorrow so we can support you with your questions. 

Welcome New Students

We warmly welcome two new students to our school and their families. Welcome Declan into Year 2 Blue and Lucah into Kinder White.  We know that both boys will be welcomed by our school community and its great to have new families join us. 

Building Works

We have had confirmation this week that the building refurbishment of the Administration building will begin on 26th October 2021. That's less than two weeks away. Our school admin office has relocated to the back of the hall and we are in the process of relocating our staff room and other work spaces over there too.  The temporary fencing will go up around the current building on 26th October. 

This means that we are going to have to change a few processes for the children as they need to come to the hall now rather than the admin block for their First Aid. 

The main entry gate will not be accessed once the building work starts and we ask all parents to wait at the double gate and call the hall office so we can come out to help you or for you to collect a child early or drop to school late. 

The building works for Stage 1 the Administration Building will likely take about eight weeks and then Stage 2 which is a covered walkway and outdoor seating adjacent to the hall will happen over January. 

It is a very exciting time to have these new facilities coming for our school community and we are very appreciative of the Catholic Schools Office for their support with our Capital Works Project. 

Upgrades in our school

During lockdown we have undertaken several little maintenance jobs around the school and our little school is looking really great! We have repainted all the playground markings which has lifted the space and made it pop with colour. My thanks to Mrs Focic, Mr Ozimek and Mrs Shakespeare for their tremendous efforts with this project. We hope the children will be excited by it. We are also most appreciative of all the efforts of Mr Pat Sharkey and Mr Trevor Shakespeare for their work behind the scenes to keep our school looking so terrific and welcoming! 

We have also recently upgraded the technology in our Kindergarten classrooms whereby the Kinders will return to see brand new interactive tv screens installed. The children today said they were "amazing!" The new technology enables greater connectivity for the teachers and the interactive elements are far superior to that of the interactive smartboard technology. 

Our other technology orders are still coming, and we eagerly await the ten new laptops and charging panel for the Year 1W classroom. Unfortunately, in the current market some tech companies are struggling with delivery of orders. When they do come, they will be terrific! We continually upgrade our technology here at Holy Spirit Infants and our next focus will be on replacing our ipads. The technology component of school fees is a great contributor towards our ongoing tech costs and is another reason why fee payments are so important to our school. 

Sincere Thanks 

To all our parents and carers our staff extends a heartfelt thank you for the support you have shown us during this lockdown and your efforts to help your children through Home Learning has been really terrific. We feel blessed to have such a terrific community here at Holy Spirit and it's almost time now for everyone to try to establish a new normal as we go through the next stage of this pandemic. Please know that we are appreciative of all you have done for your children. 

My sincere thanks to all our Holy Spirit staff for their dedication and their resilience. They have done their very best to plan and prepare Home Learning that parents can follow and children will enjoy. I think that we got that balance right and hope you do as well. The teachers have connected with each of their students and their families over the past 10 weeks of schooling and they have done this with a smile. The greatest joy has been seen after the zoom session with their classes - they each smile so brightly.

Thank you Holy Spirit teachers and support staff, together we are a wonderful team and we all look forward to seeing all the children back. We have missed them so very much! As we move through the remainder of term 4, know that we will be doing absolutely all we can to care for your children with the loving kindness, compassion and understanding that we as a staff are known for and are proud of. 

Warm regards and special blessing for each of our families. 

Diane Murphy 

Tell Them From Me Survey 

A gentle reminder that we are hoping you can share your feedback with us so that we can make Holy Spirit Infants the best school it can be. The link was shared via a Compass alert last week. We appreciate the time you take to complete it. Thank you. 

Acting Assistant Principal Report

Welcome to Term 4!

This term promises to be a busy and exciting term for us all. Thank you for your commitment and support during home learning. Thank you for trying hard, under difficult circumstances to support your child at this time.  We all miss the human connection and we especially miss seeing the smiling faces of our students. We can’t wait for their return!

If at any time you wish to discuss any aspect of school life with me, my executive office day is every Wednesday which I will be available for an appointment. You can arrange a time to meet via phone call to the school or alternatively my email courtney.porter@mn.catholic.edu.au

PBL

Our school is a Positive Behaviour for Learning school. The PBL framework assists schools to improve social, emotional, behavioural, and academic outcomes for children and young people.

When PBL is implemented well, teachers and students have more time to focus on relationships and classroom instruction. Students and staff benefit from:

• reduced problem behaviour
• increased time focused on instruction
• improved social-emotional wellbeing
• positive and respectful relationships among students and staff
• support for teachers to teach, model and respond effectively to student need
• a predictable learning environment where staff and students know what is expected to deliver effective practices that can be sustained over time.

We understand that the return to school may be difficult for some students.

Just as the transition to learning from home took some time for children and families to get used to, so too may the adjustment back to school. Our staff have planned PBL lessons to support your children with the transition back to school. Lessons on kindness, respectfulness and following the rules will support the children with the return to school process. We will encourage children to think about their own mental health including eating healthily, exercising, doing things they enjoy, spending time with others. In addition, practice being kind to self and others.

Thank you, 

Courtney Porter, Acting Assistant Principal

Acting REC News

October is the month of the Rosary!

By tradition, the Catholic Church dedicates each month of the year to certain devotion. The month of October is dedicated to the holy Rosary, one of the best known of all Catholic devotions. October includes the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary (October 7). The best way to celebrate the month is, of course, to pray the Rosary. When students return in weeks 3 & 4, we will take the time to pray the prayers included in the rosary and become familiar with using rosary beads.

Social Justice- Socktober

This Socktober we are encouraging students to learn what life is like for children from Thailand, specifically those from slum areas in Bangkok, the bustling capital. On Thursday 28th October Children are invited to wear bright, colourful socks (they can be decorated if the children desire) with their school uniform. If you are interested in reading more about raising money for Socktober, have a look at https://www.socktober.org.au. Students are asked to bring a gold coin on the day which will go to the Missions. Many thanks for your support of these charities. We are looking forward to an exciting day.

Kindness Colouring Competition

Our focus in week 10 was to prioritise the wellbeing of our students and families. ‘The Lockdown Club’ proved to be a valuable resource in helping children explore how they were feeling about the current COVID/ lockdown situation. The colouring competition was a very popular activity and teachers were thrilled to see such beautiful work. The winners of our week 10 Kindness Colouring Competition are:

KW- Dusten Hellyer

KB- Khloe Balkema

1W- Jude Berry

1B- Chloe Theron

2W- Ella Radford

2B- Hannah Meyers

Congratulations to these students and remember ‘No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.’

Have a wonderful fortnight.

Meagan Edwards

Kindness Colouring Competition

Kinder 2022 Transition Program

We are very committed to holding our transition to school days this year for our new Kinders for 2022. The issue currently is that Public Health Orders do not permit this to happen. I am ever hopeful that these health orders may change to enable us to welcome and get to know our new students this year. The dates previously shared for November will no longer be able to go ahead. Therefore, as a school we have pushed back the dates for Kinder Transition and we need everyone to stay optimistic that these can go ahead. We are! 

The new dates will be: 

• Monday 6th December
• Wednesday 8th December 
• Monday 13th December 

We will have two sessions each day - one at 9.30 am - 10.30 am and one at 12 noon-1 pm. The new Kinder children will receive a coloured tshirt which is the colour of the Sport House that they will belong to. We hope they feel comfortable to pop it on on the day or else wear it to the next visits. The colours are Blue, Green, Purple and Yellow. We have tried to group the children with others who attend the same preschool however we know that many children have not been to preschool for a while. By December, we hope they will be feeling more confident and able to manage a visit to Holy Spirit and become familiar and comfortable here with us. 

Details will be emailed to all families of students starting Kinder in 2022. 

Year 3 2022 Transition Program to Kurri

We are awaiting the public health orders regarding Holy Spirit Kurri's transition plan for our Year 2 students moving over to Holy Spirit Kurri for 2022. Please know that you will be given plenty of notice. For our Year 2 students the transition visit is with their current teachers and support staff. Parents do not attend this day and transport arrangements will be shared closer to the date. Thank you for your patience and understanding. 

Office News

Fee statements as at the end of September were sent home last week.  

In 2021, school fees have been invoiced for the full year.  Payments can be made via BPAY, direct debit or credit card.  For fee payers wishing to establish a new direct debit, or adjust their existing direct debit, please complete the form on the Catholic Development Fund website www.CDFmn.com.au.  The collection of all school fees is to ensure the best possible learning environment for your child. Those families experiencing financial hardship please contact the school office to arrange an appointment with the Principal.

See below the 2022 school fee information sheet.   This will need to be completed and returned to the school for current Kinder and Year 1 students.  I will send home a paper copy in the students note bags next week for you.

If you have had a change of circumstance, address, mobile number, email address etc, please send an email through to admin@abermain.catholic.edu.au so that we can update our records accordingly.

Office hours are 8:30 to 3:30 Monday to Friday.

Healthy Eating at School 

We are expecting the children to feel extra hungry next week as the Kinder's and Year 1's return to school. It will be an adjustment from eating at home whenever they feel like it, to eating at set times once more. Please help us by packing your child a piece of fruit for Fruit Break; a nutritious lunch of a sandwich or a salad; a snack for recess and they will all need their water bottle - labelled please. An extra half a sandwich may be helpful too as many children will feel hungry by recess. 

Please try to keep snack foods to a minimum - they are often full of sugar, and it can affect a child's behaviour. They are also usually wrapped in lots of plastic which isn't great for our environment. 

As always, thank you for your ongoing support! 

Community News

Cessnock City Library newsletter October 2021

Click on the link below to access the Library Newsletter