11th March 2021
Principal News
God, Heavenly Father, look upon me and hear my prayer during this holy Season of Lent.
Dear Parents and Carers,
We are in the third week of the Church’s Lenten Season and the fourth Sunday of Lent is this weekend. This Lenten time is a time when we are asked to reflect upon our life as disciples of Christ. We are asked how we fail to love at times, how we fail to forgive; how we sometimes do not speak out about the oppressed. In these final weeks of Lent we are invited to accompany Jesus in his final weeks as the religious and political leaders, fearful of Jesus’ increasing influence and following, begin to plot against him. This week perhaps whilst having a coffee or a cup of tea, you may like to ponder what action you could take to be a more joy-filled disciple. We are teaching the children about Lent as an opportunity for prayer, reflection, forgiveness and almsgiving. Maybe this week your family may pray together at meal times or at bed time as the children know, God loves them and hears their prayers. He hears yours as well.
Teacher Professional Learning
As per the Compass alert, several of our teachers are attending professional development across these two weeks. We have had Kinder teachers attending Successful Foundations PD and Initialit Training; Mrs Porter has attended the AP Assembly day at the CSO and Miss Scott attended the REC Day at CSO yesterday. Other staff attended PD on the NESA Learning progressions last week and next week our Exec Team and Mrs Cook will attend two day training for our learning focus of 2021, the Leading Learning Collaborative. This means we have casual teachers working from the class teacher’s program to ensure learning continuity for each child.
Our School Improvement Plan for 2021 is similar to 2020 as due to the interruptions of the pandemic, many goals had to be modified. Our main focus for 2021 across the domains of Catholic Formation and Mission; Learning; Leadership and Wellbeing and Partnerships are as follows:
- Establish new school Vision and Mission Statements through a process of guided formation, including reference to Catholic identity and the school’s links to St Mary of the Cross.
- Catering to the learning needs of all our students within English specifically focussing upon phonemic awareness, phonics and oral language skills.
- Embed principles of the Early Learning Policy and Procedures centred on appropriate pedagogies, spaces and resources.
- Using data to support effective differentiation, including Gifted Students, in a K-2 setting.
- Implementation of school wide strategies to raise cultural awareness and support the needs of Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander students.
- Embedding of rigorous professional learning structures through the Leading Learning Collaborative (A system wide approach)
- Ensure provision of continued wellbeing opportunities to support students and staff
- Provide relevant and authentic ways to engage parents in faith and learning.
Our staff Professional Learning is connected to these School Goals and aligned to the School’s Strategic Plan. Each grade has a specific professional Goal they work collaboratively toward achieving and each individual teacher also has a goal the are working toward. At Holy Spirit Infants we believe that as teachers, we are responsible for the learning success and growth of every student.
During 2021 we will conduct a “Self Review” of our school for the purpose of COSI (Continual School Improvement process of Accountability) and parents will be surveyed to see your thoughts and ideas about what we do well and ways to improve. This will happen in term 2 this year.
Baby News
We are excited to announce to the school community that Mrs Kearns has had a beautiful baby boy Izaac, a little brother for Noah. Mum and baby are both well and we look forward to a visit from them soon.
Snake Safety
We are diligent in ensuring the safety of all students and staff at Holy Spirit Infants and following a recent snake sighting after hours, we have undertaken precautions inclusive of educating all our students and staff on safety procedures around snakes.
If they see a snake, of any size, the children have been taught to respond in the following way:
- Stop
- Take 3 big steps back
- Walk away- don’t run
- Tell a Grown up
Our staff have completed Snake Awareness WHS Training and have our First Aid procedures in place.
The short clip shared with the students to day is below. You may like to reinforce the safety messages they have heard at school. Thank you.
Ready! Set! Go! Infants X Country Fun Run 24th March
All children from Kindergarten to year 2 are invited to participate in our school cross country fun run on Wednesday, 24th March. Students are to wear their Sport Uniform and we ask Kindergarten to wear their Colour House T Shirt. Year 1 and 2 students may accessorise with ribbons, headbands, socks the colour of their colour house – Blue, Green, Yellow or Purple.
The fun run will commence as near to 9.30am as possible on the oval at Holy Spirit Infants, Abermain. The children will be grouped according to year groups and gender. 9.30am Year 2 boys – approx. 2km - 8 laps; 9.40am Year 2 girls – approx. 2km – 8 laps 9.50am Year 1 boys – approx. 1km - 4 laps;10.00am Year 1 girls – approx. 1km – 4 laps 10.10am Kindergarten boys – approx. 800m - 2 laps;10.20am Kindergarten girls – approx. 800m – 2 laps. The course will be set around the grassed areas within the school boundaries – some parent assistance would be fabulous if you have a WWCC to direct children around the course and to be there if a child falls. Mrs Seamer is our First Aid Officer who will be standing by! All children are invited to watch each event, as are the parents and carers. Adults must stay 1.5m apart please.
Teachers will assist children in the warm up area before their run begins. After each lap of the course each child will run through a checkpoint where they will receive a permanent marker “mark” on their hand – this will assist children to count how many laps they have completed. (They also love it!) As the children finish their run, points will be awarded to their Colour Hose total. 1st, 2nd and 3rd place individual runners will receive a ribbon. If your child is 8 already or turning 8 in 2021 they will be required to run 2km in distance. To be eligible for the Diocesan Cross Country event, the 8 Year old child must meet the qualifying distance and time. 8 yr Boys is 2km in 11 minutes (or under) and 8 Yr girls is 2km in 13 mins (or under). Eligible 8 yr olds who meet the qualifying criteria will have direct entry to the Diocesan X Country event and a reminder, that they will run with the 9 year olds. They do not run separately. They do not have to participate at that level, its an invitation. Kinder and Year 1 are not timed events.
Good hydration leading up to these events is essential, plenty of sleep and healthy food is vital. The students have been training every day at school and most are really enjoying it…and getting faster! You may like to go for a training session outside of school as well.
As this will be our first whole school event for a long while, it is important that parents (helpers and spectators alike) use the Covid safe app on entry to the school and adhere to the 1.5m physical distancing rules please. We can all do this and enjoy a special day! If adults are unwell, please DO NOT attend.
We are having a Meal Deal that day. A Sausage Sizzle – meat or vegetarian options- which parents are available to order on QKR which also comes with a popper drink and an ice block. Parents may order as well via the QKR app and orders close FRIDAY 19th MARCH. Please see information later in newsletter. If any parent is available to assist with cooking the sausages and preparing/serving the lunches – we would love to hear from you! It is not a canteen day as we will use the canteen for organising lunch. These events only work if we have parent helpers. Lunch will be enjoyed together after the events.
We are really excited about our special day!
Pupil Free Day
We will have a Pupil Free Day on Monday 17th May 2021. This is for the purpose of a Spiritual Retreat which staff will attend at St Joseph's Kincumber which was the old orphanage run by Mary MacKillop. This day our school will be closed. Some positions may be available at OOSH. Please contact St Nic's.
Swimming Success
Our young place getters who participated at the Holy Spirit Kurri Carnival received their place ribbons today.
Congratulations to the following 8yr swimmers:
Scarlett Crouch 2nd 50m Freestyle and Xanthis Smith 3rd 50m freestyle
Hudson Lowe 2nd 50m Freestyle and Henry O’Brien 3rd 50m Freestyle.
Great swimming boys and girls!
Have a wonderful week, God Bless, Diane Murphy.
Acting Assistant Principal News
PBL
Our school is a Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) School. PBL brings together the whole-school community to contribute to developing a positive, safe and supportive learning culture.
Our Positive Behaviour for learning focus for week 7 and 8 is ‘I include and don’t exclude’. This focus contributes to becoming a RESPECTFUL learner.
Jesus gave us the perfect example of inclusivity. Jesus never excluded anyone. In fact, he went out of his way to include the very ones that were excluded by most of society. He was frequently accused of hanging with the wrong people. He makes it very clear to us that we, as his followers, are always to keep his example.
We encourage all children to be inclusive, to accept others and we are teaching them though guidance and role modelling that when they see someone being excluded, we can support them.
When they are seen following this PBL they receive Gotchas and select children who consistently follow this PBL focus are awarded with merit certificates at assembly.
ASSEMBLY
This term we will continue to have our awards assemblies on Tuesday mornings. All are welcome to join us under the COLA, respecting social distancing rules. All parents who intend to stay on site for longer than 15 minutes, must sign in using the QR Code which is in the office.
PARENT VOLUNTEERS
The Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle has an absolute and abiding commitment to promoting the safety, welfare and wellbeing of children. As a volunteer working in a Diocesan school, you should be aware of your obligations and responsibilities in protecting students from abuse or neglect.
As COVID restrictions begin to ease we are beginning to re -welcome parents into our school as volunteers. It is a requirement that ALL volunteers in the school must follow the procedures needed to become a volunteer. Please be aware that these procedures have recently changed.
To be a volunteer in our school you MUST complete the forms in the Volunteers Handbook and hand in at the school office with Identification as advised in the handbook. The volunteer handbook can be downloaded and completed online using the link below. Alternatively, hard copies can be collected from the office if you prefer.
Please be aware that not all volunteers will require a Working with Children’s Check to become a volunteer. The Statutory Screening Selection Tool on page 26 of the Volunteer Handbook will determine this for you. However it will indicate that a National Coordinated Criminal History Check will be required by ALL people who are completing the volunteer process.
Please make yourself aware of your responsibilities by reading the Volunteers Induction Handbook carefully.
When you have completed the paperwork required from the Volunteers handbook, you can send it away to be verified by the Catholic Schools Office using the contacts provided, or you can hand it to the school office and we will send it away for you. You will be notified within 6 weeks of sending away your application of the result.
When your documentation has been verified and given the all clear all volunteers must then complete an induction process at the school.
For further information, please see Dot or Lesley in the office.
We appreciate your understanding of the need for this process and look forward to you becoming a volunteer!
Thank you, Courtney Porter, Acting Assistant Principal
Acting REC News
“God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy.” - Pope Francis
Dear Parents,
We are now in the 3rd Week of LENT. Last week students gathered together to view the short video about Jamila. Twenty-two-year-old, Jamila, is a single mother, living in the world’s largest refugee camp in in Bangladesh with her elderly mother and eight-month-old baby daughter. The video provided an insight to the Refugee Camp in Bangladesh, where millions of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar struggle to survive. Thanks to the generosity of Caritas Australia’s supporters Jamila had access to emergency food and shelter.
Our students asked deep and reflective questions about the time of Lent and came up with interesting ideas on how we can help people who have less. Our goal as a school community is to raise $400 to help people all around the world.
Each family has now received a mission money box and they are placed on the prayer table of each classroom. We encourage children and families to donate their loose change to this cause. I ask that Project Compassion boxes are returned to school in week 10 of Term 1 please.
Our Fruit of the Spirit focus this fortnight is “gentleness”. This means to speak nice words, be humble and treat others with kindness and compassion. We ask our children, how can you be gentle with your hands, words and actions this week? Perhaps a hug shared between friends, using soft and gentle words, being kind to animals and looking for ways to be helpful at home are all great examples.
Feast of St Joseph
Pope Francis has named December 8, 2020 – December 8, 2021 as a year honouring St Joseph as the earthly father of Jesus and husband of Mary. It is a year of petition for St Joseph’s fatherly care for all people and earth itself. The Year of St. Joseph is indeed special for our school, we will celebrate on the 19th of March, the Feast of St Joseph, with a class prayer and craft activity.
Holy Week
This year we will celebrate the events of Holy Week on Tuesday 30th March. We invite you to come and celebrate this special occasion with us. More details will be provided in the coming weeks via the newsletter and compass alerts. At this stage it will be an outdoor event.
Many blessings,
Meagan Scott
Launch of Project Compassion
Office of Safe Guarding
These days we are all spending more and more time online. The online environment is extremely useful, but can also be a daunting and unsafe place for children who are unaware of the dangers. Please click on the following links for information regarding online safety.
Office News
PAYMENT FREQUENCY FORMS
Thank you to those fee payers who have returned their payment frequency form. If you have not returned yours, could you please do so as soon as possible. Fee statements will be reissued via email at the end of each month as a notification of your fee status. All fee payers must commence their repayments by 31st March. For fee payers who are facing genuine financial difficulty, please contact the school so that options can be discussed.
SCHOOL BUILDING FUND LEVY REBATE
In the past those families who contribute to the Parish Planned Giving was able to receive a discount to their Diocesan School Building Fund Levy. We have received advice from the Diocese that given changes to the regulatory environment connected with school funding these discounts are no longer possible.
KINDER ENROLMENTS 2022
Do you have a child ready to start school in 2022? The official enrolment period for Kindergarten 2022 will be from Monday 1st March to the end of May 2021. Please contact Holy Spirit Infants School within this time frame for your enrolment information pack. Office hours are 8:30am – 3:30pm Monday to Friday. If you are unsure if your child is ready for school, please talk to your preschool director and teachers. If you think, your child has a disability please discuss this openly with your child’s preschool professionals and see your doctor for the appropriate health professional referral. This information will assist us to have the necessary measures in place at time of enrolment. Early intervention is vital to give your child the support they need to succeed at school. Families will be contacted regarding tours, interview times; playgroup opportunities and Transition to School session dates. Consider starting your child's educational journey with us!
BOOK CLUB
Issue 2 of Book Club will close on Thursday 18th March.
SECOND HAND UNIFORMS
We currently have a lot of second-hand uniform items available in size 4’s and 6’s especially jackets and boys shorts, shirts, pants in contrast we are very low in size 8’s and 10’s. Jackets and tunics $10 each; shorts/shirts/pants $5 each. Please contact Angela on 0414 858 309 for your second-hand uniform requirements.
Year 1 News
Year 1 Learning
Following the beginning of Lent, which was celebrated with a school liturgy on Ash Wednesday, Year One started their Lent and Easter religion unit. The students have been learning that Lent (the 40 days before Easter) is about reflection and preparation, as we remind ourselves of Jesus’ sacrifice. Year One have been looking at the commitments Catholics aim to undertake during this special time:
Abstinence- to not do something
Fasting- going without food or eating less than you normally do
Almsgiving- doing good for others (gifts, money, or to help others)
Though it has been hard for students to imagine giving up their devices, helping out more with the housework or going without fizzy drink, Year One have been working on creating their own Lenten promises in order to help others and be more appreciative of what they have.
This Term Year 1 have been enjoying Maths! We begin each Maths lesson with a ‘warm up’ to get students’ brains thinking numbers and all things mathematical. Sometimes as a warm up, we do a ‘number talk’. Number talks are brief discussions (5-10 minutes) that focus on student solutions for a single, carefully chosen mental math computation problem. Students share their different mental math processes aloud while the teacher records their thinking visually on a chart or board. The children thoroughly enjoy sharing their thoughts and learning new ways of solving maths problems.
During this Term, children across Year 1 have also been using lots of different ‘hands on’ materials to support them with their learning. They relish in manipulating blocks and counters for addition and subtraction problems and using informal units, such as paddle pop sticks to measure length.
It has been an exciting Term to date for Year 1, we have been learning to login into our laptops. Working hard on being kind and helping each other log into Reading Eggs, Lalilo and Prodigy. Students have been logging into their Prodigy accounts and working on lots of different maths activities. Year 1 has also been working on iPads, logging into their ‘Seesaw Class’ accounts to complete activities that reinforce class learning. Well done Year 1!
Another exciting event was our recent visit with Cricket Australia for the commencement of our ‘Mascot Challenge’. A challenge where all classes complete some simple ball skills for 10 minutes every day. Year 1 went to the school hall to meet Ben and Shannon. Ben shared lots of catching and throwing skills with our students, who were thrown in the deep end, given a ball and asked to start some very hands on activities. Then, the ‘Sydney Sixers’ mascot came out! Our beautiful and excited students lined up ready to show off their skills, throwing their pretty, pink balls to ‘Sixer’ for him to catch and throw back.
Year 1 Teachers, Heather Porter-Kay, Rebecca Cook & Verity De Lyall
Year 1
Cricket Sydney Sixers Visit Abermain
Learning Support News
It has been a busy start to the school year in Learning Support, particularly getting to know all our new Kindergarten students.
This week I have been working with teachers on supporting students who have been identified under NCCD as needing adjustments. We have attached a flyer with information about NCCD. At Holy Spirit we support all students with additional needs may it be long term or short or for significant or mild disabilities. The whole staff want all our students to reach their full potential.
Any questions regarding NCCD or regarding your own child's challenges please don't hesitate to get in touch with myself or child's class teacher. I am available Monday & Tuesday as well as odd weeks on a Wednesday.
Katherine Blake, (Learning Support Teacher)
Infants Cross Country Sausage Sizzle
MEAL DEAL FUNDRAISER - Holy Spirit Infants Sausage Sizzle
Orders only via the QKR App. You will find the Meal Deal under "Events" on the app. Meal deal includes sausage sizzle, popper and an iceblock. The cost of the meal deal is $5. Please have your order placed by Friday 19th March. The event will be held on Wednesday 24th March. Proceeds from the day will go to Caritas.
Easter Raffle
On Wednesday 31st March we will draw the Easter Raffle at 2 pm. Thank you to those who have donated some eggs for the raffle prizes and to those seeking to sell extra tickets. Great job! Parents and toddlers are very welcome to wear a hat they've made to join in the parade and be part of the fun!
Harmony Day
Harmony Day - Tuesday 16th March
Next Tuesday, Holy Spirit will be celebrating Harmony Day. The day will involve a mix of activities that will focus on the theme "Everyone Belongs".
All students are encouraged to wear either Orange (the traditional Harmony Day colour), Rainbow colours or traditional dress. All students must wear closed in shoes and no singlet tops allowed.
During the day the students will engage in activities to increase their cultural awareness and have been learning "Heads Shoulders Knees and Toes" song in another language eg Arabic, Afrikaans,South Korean, Tagalog to name a few. They have really enjoyed learning these interesting languages.
Should be a lovely day!
Awards Weeks 6 & 7
Dates for your Diary
Canteen News
We are very pleased with the way families have embraced the QKR app for online ordering. Please make sure you select the correct day when ordering your child's lunch online.
OOSH News
To everyone who has been a part of our journey so far, thank you, and to all the children and families who are commencing with us in 2021, we welcome you to St Nicholas OOSH, and we are here to support you.
Community News
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