18th May 2023
Assistant Principal Update
Dear Families,
It was wonderful to have so many mothers, grandmothers and special mother figures join us for our Mother’s Day Liturgy and stalls on Monday 15th May. Thank you to Miss Laczkowski and our teachers for preparing such a beautiful liturgy and our staff for their hard work in organizing the stalls. We all agree that the smiles on the faces of each student and their special guest or guests was well worth the effort.
Parent Engagement Meeting
Last Tuesday night we held our second Parent Engagement Meeting (PEG) at Holy Spirit Primary Kurri Kurri. Thank you to all the parents who were able to attend. It was lovely to see some new faces from our previous meeting. The aim of these meetings is to develop and help our parent/school positive partnerships which is what Holy Spirit is all about. With the educative component a feature of these meetings, we "taught" our parents how we teach subtraction in mathematics from K-6, which was well received. Below are some links to YouTube clips demonstrating just some of the ways we teach subtraction in our Infants school. It is important that students develop an understanding of each subtraction skill before progressing to the next.
- A kindergarten student learns to build and subtract numbers by using objects or fingers
A Year 1 student learns to count back to find the difference between two quantities where the difference is no greater than 4
- Towards the end of Year 2 and through to Year 4 students learn to use flexible strategies with two and three-digit numbers
Hopefully more parents/carers can join us for the next meeting which will be in week 8, Tuesday 13th June at 6pm at Abermain.
Sports Equipment
This term, with the money raised from the Easter Raffle, we have been able to purchase $3080 worth of new sporting equipment which every child will be able to make use of in Sport/PE lessons as well as at break times. Thank you to our families who supported our Easter Raffle! Below are some photos of the skipping ropes, hula hoops, basketball balls, small playground balls, shotputs and javelins we have purchased. Thank you to 2 Blue for showcasing some of our new equipment for us!
Walk Safely to School
Let’s get active!
Holy Spirit Infants School is participating in Walk Safely to School Day on Friday 19th May 2023.
We are teaching our children about walking safely near a road and the benefits of staying active. The children will complete activities during class that promote staying safe and being active.
We welcome all children to meet some of our teachers at Maybury Peace Park Playground at 8:30am on Friday 19th May. From here the children will walk to school with the teachers.
Pupil Free Day
Tuesday 23rd May is a pupil free day and the school will be closed. On this day our teachers will engage in professional development in Mathematics.
Athletics Carnival
On Thursday 25th May we are having a combined Athletics carnival at Maitland Park with Holy Spirit Primary School Kurri Kurri. It is a great opportunity to participate as a school community, to have fun and celebrate our achievements. Compass consent forms for this compulsory school event are now overdue.
If you wish to order a BBQ lunch the closing date for lunch orders is tomorrow. Parents are asked to place the CORRECT MONEY into the bag provided by the school, or in an envelope inside the bag, and return to Infants School by Friday 19th May. (NO ORDERS CAN BE ACCEPTED AFTER THIS TIME).
Student Led Conferences
A Parent Teacher Conference is the traditional meeting between parents and their child's teacher to discuss their child's progress and learning at school. There is however one voice that is missing and that is the voice of the student. A student led conference enables students to take the lead and responsibility for their learning. Our student-led conferences will be held in Week 9 of this term.
Student-led conferences can take a number of different forms, but roles stay the same. They allow students to be a part of the conversation about their academic and social goals and are an opportunity to discuss how the teacher and parents can help the student succeed.
They are a highly effective tool for student learning and we are going to start slowly and give this "a go" at Holy Spirit Infants. Teachers have begun working with your child to help them set their learning goals for the term ahead (we will focus on short term goals initially due to students' ages) and then teachers will assist your child to determine what steps are needed to help achieve that goal, as this is a key feature of a successful goal setting exercise.
Positive Behaviour for Learning
Our PBL focus for weeks 3 and 4 of Term 2 is part of our “I am respectful” domain:
“I listen carefully.”
You may have heard a teacher at Holy Spirit Infants remind students at times to use their 5 or 6 Ls. The 5 or sometimes 6 Ls is a catch phrase, used by many teachers, to remind students to listen carefully. This cue reminds students to use their whole body to listen and optimise their learning.
Rebecca Kearns – Assistant Principal
Sharing Our Faith - REC Update
Snippets of our Faith - Genuflection
When you enter the Church have you ever seen others kneel down before entering the Church pew to sit down? Ever wondered what it is that they are doing and why? It is called Genuflection and it is an important aspect about attending Church that we teach our students here at Holy Spirit.
Genuflection is a sign of reverence when we enter the Church. Before we enter the pew (seats) we bend one knee down to the floor while facing the altar and tabernacle. We do this to show reverence to the Blessed Sacrament which is Jesus present. We also do this when we exit the pews to leave the Church as the end of a liturgy or mass.
Mother's Day
Last week students were able to attend the Mother's Day stall which was lots of fun getting to pick their gifts for their Mum's. Thank you to our Mum's who helped package up all the beautiful gifts and help our students pick out their gifts. We appreciate your help so much!
On Monday we celebrated all the very special Mothers, Grandmothers, Step-Mum's and all the special women in our lives at our Liturgy. Each class was able to present a song for Mother's Day which they had put a lot of effort into preparing for the day.
Following the liturgy we had afternoon tea and a variety of stalls that students could participate in with their mother's. From a photo booth, to nail painting to even a plant stall, everyone sure had a smile on their face and enjoyed their day.
Again thank you to all who helped make our Mother's Day celebrations what they were and a very 'Happy Mother's Day!' to the mother figures in our school community again.
Mother's Day Stall
Mother's Day Liturgy
Mother's Day Festivities
Catholic Schools Week & Pentecost Celebrations (Note Updated Time)
On Friday 26th May we will be celebrating our Catholic Schools Week Liturgy in the Church now at 1:30pm. Please note the updated time for this Liturgy.
Following the Liturgy we will have Pentecost Birthday celebrations back in the school grounds.
We look forward to welcoming you all for this special celebration.
Parish Mass Times
Saturday 20th May
9:00am Mass - Holy Spirit, Kurri Kurri
6:00pm Mass - St. Joseph's, Cessnock
Sunday 21st May
8:30am Mass - Holy Spirit, Kurri Kurri
10:30am Mass - St. Joseph's, Cessnock
4:30pm Mass - St. Francis Xavier's, Abermain
Saturday 27th May
9:00am Mass - St. Joseph's, Cessnock
6:00pm Mass - St. Joseph's, Cessnock
Sunday 28th May
8:30am Mass - Holy Spirit, Kurri Kurri
10:30am Mass - St. Joseph's, Cessnock
4:30pm Mass - St. Francis Xavier's, Abermain
Yours in faith,
Miss Jessica Laczkowski
Religious Education Coordinator
Aboriginal News
On Friday the 26th May we celebrate National Sorry Day. It’s a day where we remember and acknowledge the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families and communities, which we now know as ‘The Stolen Generation’.
It's also a day where we admire the strength of the Stolen Generation Survivors and reflect on how we can all play a part in the healing process for our people and nation. While this date carries great significance for many people as well as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, it is also commemorated by Australians right around the country.
As a school community we will honour Sorry Day on Monday, 29th May as part of National Reconciliation Week (NRW) which runs from 27th May – 3rd June. We will have a liturgy straight after our morning assembly followed by some art activities in the afternoon. Mrs Edwards will also be visiting each class to speak more about National Sorry Day and to read a story to the children.
We should remember that Reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australians as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian Community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander Peoples.'
Kindergarten News
Kinder Blue
Kindergarten Blue has had a great start to Term 2! In Mathematics, they have recently been learning about 2D Shapes and representing numbers on a 10's frame. They have enjoyed engaging in these topics through hands on activities. One activity has them creating different types of triangles with elastic bands on a board, which they then went on to explain to the class the different types of triangels they had made.
The other activity had them using a 10's frame and rolling a 10 sided dice to represent the number on the frame with counters. They did so well!
In PE, Kinder has started Basketball. They have enjoyed learning from 'Fishy' all about how to bounce a ball, to shoot and to 'steal' the ball.
Check out all the fun below!
Kinder Blue Maths
Kinder Blue Basketball
Kinder White
Kindergarten have kicked off Term 2 with a bang! They have been so determined learn and show us what they can do, and we have been amazed by their growth so far.
The children have learned that sometimes learning new things can be hard, which may put us into the 'yellow' zone. However, if we change our words from, 'I can't do that' to 'I can't do that yet' and always try to do their best, we can create a positive growth mindset.
In Mathematics, our latest topic has been on predicting and comparing the weight of items by hefting and then checking predications using a scale. Our number focus has been on exploring how numbers can be broken into other numbers. Have a look at their hard work!
Here are some of our photos on our focus of measuring weight. Their challenge was to find some things that weighed more, less and the same using hefting.
Here are some of our students exploring their numbers. They were learning about what numbers can make 10.
And of course, we are finishing off our learning by allowing the children to show us what they know through play! This is Kindergarten collaborating to build, draw and create different things using shapes.
Diocesan Cross Country
Last week, we were so very proud of the six students who represented Holy Spirit Infants School at the Diocesan Cross Country for Primary Schools. Each school was represented by the best long distance runners from their school cross country carnivals and they were acknowledged for this at the opening ceremony.
In the boys 8-9 year olds (2km run) there were 104 runners and we were represented by:
Hudson Gould 9 min 5 sec and 37th Place
Kash Rolla 9 min 16 sec and 41st Place
Jack Davies 9 min 16 sec and 44th Place
In the girls 8-9 year olds (2 km) event, we were represented by:
Chloe Wile 10 min 17 sec and 36th Place
Annabelle Hawkins 11 min 26 sec and 69th Place
Ivie Radford 11 min 28 sec and 71st Place
The qualifying times for boys was 11 minutes and each of our students ran well under that. The qualifying time for the girls was 13 minutes and again, our runners shaved minutes off that time. Well done to each of you and congratulations! A fabulous effort and thank you parents for your support! It was a terrific morning!
News from the Office
School Fees
Just a reminder that if a fee payment has not yet been received we would appreciate families to notify us of your intention to pay which is a commitment at enrolment. Families who are having difficulty paying their school fees need to make contact with the school office so that payment options can be discussed. The next statement will be emailed to families early in June.
If you are paying annually, your fees need to be paid in full by 30th June 2023. If you are paying weekly, fortnightly or monthly your payments should have already commenced, please come to the office for assistance with setting this up if you have not started paying your fees for 2023. A paper copy of your fee statement can be requested at any time and sent home via your child's note folder, please email: admin@abermain.catholic.edu.au and request this. The preferred method of payment of school fees is BPAY using the details at the top right hand side of the fee statement.
Kinder 2024 interviews will commence at the end of May. If you have not returned your enrolment pack or know of others who have not collected an enrolment pack for next year's intake, please contact the office so interview appointments can be scheduled.
Dot Seamer
Library News
Wednesday 24th May is National Simultaneous Storytime. This event is held every year where students across the nation stop at 11 am to listen to an Australian Author and Illustrator read their story.
This year’s story is The Speedy Sloth by Rebecca Young and Heath McKenzie. This is a wonderful tale of a sloth that participates in a race against other animals.
Students will be gathering in their grades to listen to this story and complete a fun activity. They can further show their support by dressing up like a marathon participant. As this will be taking place on Wednesday, (sport’s day) please make sure your child is wearing their joggers and they are comfortable enough to move about freely.
Will Spike the sloth win the race?
Happy reading,
Evelyn Covita, Teacher Librarian
Enhancing Education through EALD
At Holy Spirit Infants, diversity is celebrated and cherished. Our vibrant community is enriched by students from various cultural backgrounds, each bringing their unique experiences and perspectives. Among our diverse student population, we have a significant number of students who are English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EALD) learners. In this article, we explore the importance of supporting and empowering our EALD students to create an inclusive and enriching educational environment.
By embracing linguistic diversity, we foster an inclusive atmosphere where every student feels valued and respected. Our EALD students bring a wealth of knowledge, cultural traditions, and perspectives that enhance the learning experiences of all students. Exposure to different languages and cultures promotes cultural awareness, empathy, and understanding, preparing students for the outside world.
Inclusive classroom environments play a vital role in supporting EALD students. Teachers encourage peer collaboration, where students with different language backgrounds can work together, fostering cross-cultural connections and friendships. Inclusive classrooms provide opportunities for EALD learners to practice their English skills while gaining confidence and feeling supported by their peers and teachers.
Our EALD students contribute to the fabric of our school community by adding a valuable layer of diversity. By embracing and supporting our EALD learners, we create an inclusive educational environment where all students can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. Together, we celebrate our differences, learn from one another, and prepare ourselves for a multicultural and interconnected world.
Nicolette Fredsall, EALD Teacher
Canteen News
Canteen Meal Deal (Hot Dog) - available now on QKR - cost is $6.50 and will be served on the last day of term Friday 30th June. No other canteen items will be available on that day. Thank you to our volunteers who give generously of their time to provide this service for the children.
Awards...Congratulations to
Award Winners
