27th July 2023
Principals News
The Holy Father's Intentions for the Month of July 2023
For a Eucharistic Life:
We pray that Catholics may place the celebration of the Eucharist at the heart of their lives, transforming human relationships in a very deep way and opening to the encounter with God and all their brothers and sisters. Amen
Dear Parents and Carers,
We are all settled well back into our learning routines and Term 3 has started with some very significant moments already!
We had seven students represent our school at the Lower Hunter Regional Athletics carnival last week where they had a great time and all did their very best. I was so proud of each of them for giving it a good go! Our Kindergarten children celebrated 100 days of learning with a wonderful day of activities on Tuesday and they had so much fun! It was gorgeous to see they all "aged" so well in their costumes and our thanks to every family for your support of this annual event. Then on Thursday we celebrated NAIDOC Week with a prayerful Liturgy of the Word and some fabulous activities across the day including learning some outdoor Aboriginal games the children may not have known before. We had some special visitors from St Peter's join us as each child painted their own wooden cross which had been made by other students at St Peter's for us. Our sincere thanks to Mrs Ashlee Edwards (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Teacher) for her incredible organisation of the day. She has more details in her report in this newsletter.
When we come together as a school community and gather to learn more about each other or other cultures, it is always so worthwhile seeing what each child takes away for the experiences and the memories they are making. When you ask your child at the end of their school day "How was your day?" they will often just say "good". It is frustrating isnt it when they have spent six hours out of your care and can only give you a "good". It is really important that parents and carers foster a response that is so much more than a one word answer and this may well be all down to the type of question you ask.
Perhaps you may like to try these questions and see how you go:
- Tell me about the best part of your day.
- What was the hardest thing you had to do today?
- Did any of your classmates do anything funny?
- Tell me about what you read in class.
- Who did you play with today? What game did you play?
Why is it important to talk to your child? Conversation skills are important for children's development and wellbeing. That's because being able to have conversations helps children make friends, be listened to, express their feelings, ask for what they need and develop strong relationships with others. Being able to take in information, respond to instructions and share ideas, thoughts and opinions are all vital skills your child will need. Conversation skills are about being able to talk and listen well. Conversation skills are skills for life.
Talking and listening tips for home
- Avoid interrupting your child when they're talking and listen carefully to what they have to say.
- Use everyday opportunities to talk with and listen to your child as they share things that are of interest or importance to them.
- Show your child you are interested in what they are saying when they are speaking by giving nods, smiles, sounds, supportive words and gestures. The positive feedback helps reinforce to them that what they say is important and worthwhile.
- If your child has trouble remembering things said to them, it's a good idea to encourage them to repeat in their mind what has been said, then retell it in their own words. Making notes can help if they have to do a task.
- If you are planning something such as a party or an outing, try having a brainstorming session with your child. You can do this just by listening and sharing ideas or by writing them down together.
- Discuss common dates on a family calendar, such as public holidays, and have your child mark in important events.
- From the calendar, talk about days, months and years in relation to events such as birthdays and other special occasions.
- When walking or travelling together, talk about street names and the meaning of signs, etc. You could discuss anything known about names and signs encountered (eg give an explanation about how street names may have come about).
Hoping these ideas may be useful for you at home.
English Syllabus K-2 Update
This year our teachers are teaching from the new English Syllabus K-2 released by NESA and trialled in 2022. This year it is mandated for teachers in our schools. There are quite a few changes to the syllabus which, we believe, are of benefit to every student. The below overview may help parents/carers see what is the focus under the two areas of "Understanding Text" and "Creating Text".
The focus areas for each stage support students’ growing knowledge and understanding in the areas of:
- Oral language and communication
- Vocabulary
- Phonological awareness
- Print conventions
- Phonic knowledge
- Reading fluency
- Reading comprehension
- Creating written texts
- Spelling
- Handwriting
- Understanding and responding to literature
We are currently focused on teaching al students K-2 about Public Speaking and the skills necessary such as a clear voice, voice volume, eye contact etc for the delivery of a great speech.
PEG (Parent Engagement Meeting)
Our next Parent Engagement Group meeting will be held on Tuesday 15th August here at Abermain. All parents/grandparents are encouraged to please come along and join us as we work together as parents and schools to educate your child/children. The meeting will start at 6pm and goes for an hour. If you need to bring along young children, kindly let the office know and we will see what we can do to help. The focus for this meeting is about "How we teach the children phonics" and "Spelling" in both K-2 and 3-6 setting. Please put this note in your diary, we would love to have you join us.
Welcome to a new family
We warmly welcome Wyatt into 2B and his family who have joined our school community this week. We hope you will soon feel a part of our school. Wyatt has already made new friends with other Year 2 students!
Kindergarten Playgroup Sessions
New families for 2024 have been invited to attend a series of four Playgroup sessions this term. (See Dates for your Diary) These are informal and social in nature. Our transition dates will be shared via Compass next week. These are in October and November. We are excited to be able to welcome some new families and younger siblings to our beautiful school.
Child Protection /Safe Guarding
You will notice through the newsletter that we have a focus on Child Protection across various aspects which we would like to draw to your attention. Firstly Attendance at School which is compulsory for every student at Holy Spirit Infants and any absence MUST be explained. Secondly Mrs Kearns has included some tips for keeping your child safe online. With the event of Youtube and the lack of options for Parental Controls, students are able to access a vast array of information/images/games that are not in any way suitable for their young age. At school the students cannot access Youtube...but on their ipads at home they can. We want to alert you that we are concerned by the content some students refer to when speking with others in the playground at times. Finally I have also added information for parents regarding our role at Holy Spirit School to keep your children safe and contact details if you wish to gain more information.
Parent Survey regarding Student Led Conferences
Next week we will be seeking your feedback about the process of our recent Student Led Conferences as this was a nhew initiative. We'd like to know what you thought and whether the timing worked well for you with the Semester 1 report being sent home prior and any feedback you'd like to share. Our teachers were very positive and had some incredible feedback about their studnets who really "grew" through the opportunity to speak with their parents and teachers together and others commented on how great it was seeing so many students with both parents attending as it made it even more meaningful. The link will be shared via Compass and we welcome your thoughts as we move forward with this process.
Have a wonderful fortnight,
Warm Regards
Diane Murphy
Assistant Principal News
Positive Behaviour for Learning
Our PBL focus for the first two weeks of the term has been from the domain “I am safe”:
“I use safe hands, safe feet and kind words.”
This positive behaviour is very important here at Holy Spirit Infants Abermain. Remembering to use safe hands feet and kind words can be challenging for young children. Often when young children find themselves in social conflict their immediate reaction is to say something hurtful, push or kick rather than walking away, talking about the problem or seeking help from an adult. Young children are still developing their social resolution skills. As teachers at Holy Spirit Infants, we see it as our role to support our students to develop their conflict resolution skills. We do this by talking about appropriate ways to resolve problems when conflict arises as well as teaching social skills during our Personal Development and Health lessons and PBL lessons. When your child experiences social conflict, talk about the appropriate ways they could find a solution: they could tell the person the “stop”, walk away, talk it out, find another game/activity to play or tell the teacher/adult.
Our second PBL focus for this term is also from the “I am safe” domain:
“I sit calmly on the bus”.
Our young students often get very excited when they are travelling to and from school with their friends and they may choose to display some unsafe behaviours. During weeks three and four we will focus on bus passenger safety. Students will be reminded to
- Sit calmly on the bus.
- Wear a seat belt or pretend to have one on.
- Use an inside voice to talk to the person beside them.
- Wait for their stop before they stand up.
If your child catches the bus to or from school, please talk to them about bus passenger safety.
Cyber Safety
Technology has become an important part of our lives. Our children use devices to learn, to interact socially and to be entertained. There are times when children, even very young children, can be in danger when using technology. Some of the content that they may access can be unsafe and some of the people they encounter may be unsafe. It’s important to educate ourselves and our children about cyber safety.
Below are some great tips for parents in relation to keeping our children safe when using technology.
Keeping Children Safe Online – Quick Tips for Parents
- Educate yourself: Check out different sites, games and apps for yourself. The more familiar you are with them, the easier it is for you to talk to your children. Check privacy settings and recommended age restrictions.
- Talk with your children: Have conversations with them about the importance of being safe online and show them what that means. For example, let them know you have been hearing about online safety and ask what they think the risks are and what they can do to keep safe. Encourage an ongoing open dialogue with your child, not just a one-off chat.
- Teach your children to think about online behaviour: How much should they be sharing online and what happens to information once shared? Talk about respectful interactions and responsible behaviour, and encourage them to critically think about what they read and see online (remind them that not everything they read may be true, what they share will always be there, and not everyone is who they say they are online).
- Make all devices safer for your children: Familiarise yourself with all sites, games and apps your children use and check the privacy setting on these. Install safety and security software and keep it updated; use internet and spam filters and a pop-up stopper, install monitoring software and monitor downloads to your computer, enable internet browser security and regularly check the internet usage history.
- Come up with a plan around safety: Talk about ways to not only stay safe but also how to respond to anything that happens that may concern them. Let them know they can talk to you or another adult they can trust. Encourage them to be proactive by accessing information on safety, for example, through the eSafety Commission. Keep usage of devices in a public area, but also be vigilant and monitor your child’s activity. Do not assume that public area usage alone is a sufficient protective measure.
Rebecca Kearns – Assistant Principal
Sharing Our Faith
WYD Update
Last Friday night I set out for my World Youth Day journey throughout the Holy Land and Lisbon, Portugal.
We started off our journey in Israel where we have explored the site where Jesus was born at the Church of the Nativity. We were able to go underneath the Church and place our hand on the actually spot they say he was born. As rushed as the moment might have been, it was a surreal experience.
We also went to the Church of Saint John the Baptist who was the one who baptised Jesus himself. At this Church we were also able to decend and see the spot where this special Saint was born.
While journeying through 40 degree heat each day, we also were able to visit the site of the Feeding of the 5000. Here on the shores of the Sea of Galilee we shared a special mass together as a Diocesan group.
Each day we are able to celebrate mass together, sometimes just as a Diocese, sometimes shared with a few other Australian Diocese such as Sydney or Willcania-Forbes. But the most special mass so far for me was when we sailed on a traditional "Jesus Boat" on the Sea of Galilee. It was here we turned the engines off and shared mass together where I was privileged enough the read at, proclaiming the first reading and responsorial psalm. It was here I reflected greatly on my trip so far and Bishop Michael's homily about how God isn't there to 'fix' the problems in our life but how we are called to journey with him and know that he is always there for us no matter the trial.
Yesterday (Wednesday for me), one other special place we were able to visit was Capernaum, it was here that Jesus performed many of his miracles. We saw the house of Saint Peter, where Jesus spent a lot of his time, and how this was the house where the people lowered the paralysed man to be healed by Jesus. The story of the Hole in the Roof as our Kindergartener's would know. I am looking forward to bringing photos and videos back to share with the students so they can see what it was like back in Jesus' time.
So far this pilgrimage has been a thought provoking and surreal experience, being able to fully immerse myself in my faith and bring to life the Gospel stories. I look forward to sharing more of my travels with you and hope you are enjoying your time at school.
You are all kept in my prayers.
~ Miss L
Catholic Mission
Each term we have a different focus for our fundraising. Term 3 we focus our fundraising efforts on Catholic Mission. Catholic Mission contributes funding and provides project support to critical church-run initiatives in Africa, Asia, Oceania and South America as well as remote dioceses within Australia. Catholic Mission creates opportunities for people to be formed in mission, and respond through prayer, fundraising and action, inspiring them to reach out, and give life—within Australia and around the world. The focus country we will be supporting Catholic Mission with this term is Timor Leste.
During the term, students are asked to bring in any loose change in the form of coins which will be collated in classes.
At the end of the term, we will have a Mission Day where we will bring our money raised together for a coin line. Each class will line their coins up and there will be prizes for the class with the longest line as well as the most valuable line. The students enjoyed participating in this last year and we look forward to some even longer lines this year!
We will continue our support for Catholic Mission into the beginning of Term 4 when we will have a ‘Socktober’ fundraiser.
Feast of Saint Mary Mackillop
In Week 4 on Tuesday 8th August, we will be celebrating the feast of Saint Mary of the Cross Mackillop. The liturgy will be in the church at 2:00pm with Year 1 White leading us. All are welcome!
Mary Mackillop Feast Day - Book Swap
Mary Mackillop believed in the power of education to transform lives. One of the best ways to learn is through reading.
To mark Mary Mackillop’s feast day, we will be doing a book swap. Students are asked to bring in 1-2 books from home that they no longer read (in good condition) which will then go to someone else to enjoy reading.
Any leftover books will go towards a book exchange out the front of the school.
Parish Mass Times
Saturday 29th July
9:00am Mass - Holy Spirit, Kurri Kurri
6:00pm Mass - St. Joseph's, Cessnock
Sunday 30th July
8:30am Mass - Holy Spirit, Kurri Kurri
10:30am Mass - St. Joseph's, Cessnock
4:30pm Mass - St. Francis Xavier's, Abermain
Saturday 5th August
9:00am Mass - Holy Spirit, Kurri Kurri
6:00pm Mass - St. Joseph's, Cessnock
Sunday 6th August
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
Office News
Just a reminder that all of our communication is through Compass. If you have difficulty logging in, or with the app in general, please contact the office and we will get it sorted for you.
Volunteering at Holy Spirit Infants Abermain
Do you want to volunteer at our school in 2023? We would love to have you. Please click on the link below to complete the online application. Once you submit the form the process should take approximately 10 business days to complete. When you are approved you will be notified by the school office via email.
https://www.mn.catholic.org.au/people/volunteer/
Note: If you have already completed this process and been approved, you do not need to reapply this year so please contact the office if you are cleared and available to help out.
Thank you.
Safeguarding information for parents
The Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle has an absolute and abiding commitment to promote
the safety, welfare and wellbeing of children. As a parent sending your child or children to a
Diocesan school, you should be aware of your rights and obligations in protecting your child and all
children in our schools.
Holy Spirit Infants has implemented a Safeguarding Promoter to ensure that our families are
provided with information about the schools approach to safeguarding children and its compliance
with the Church and State child safe Standards. Our Principal Ms Diane Murphy is currently in this
position.
The Children and Young Person’s (Care and Protection) Act 1998
In NSW we can report certain information to the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ). If
we are concerned for one or more of the children in the school, we can discuss our concerns with a
teacher, Assistant Principal or Principal. We can report our concerns to the Child Protection Helpline (Ph. 132 111, 24 hrs/7 days) if we have reasonable grounds to suspect that a child or young person is at risk of significant harm and our concerns are current. Risk of significant harm may occur from a single act or omission or to a series of acts or omissions.
When determining how serious your concerns for a child may be, always consider whether that child has any particular risk factors, including:
• age, the younger the more dependent
• physical disabilities, developmental delays or medical conditions
• social isolation
• culturally diverse background
• diverse sexuality and gender
• nobody looking out for the child they could depend on.
It is better to be safe than sorry, so if uncertain, talk to a staff member at the school.
As parents we are entitled to contact the Office of Safeguarding directly about any concerns we have about the safety, welfare or wellbeing of a child or if we are concerned that the school isn’t
addressing allegations of reportable conduct or abuse. (Ph. 4979 1390 Mon-Fri).
Regional Athletics Carnival
Congratulations to Ryka, Jett, Hudson, McKewan, Evie, Chloe and Ivie for making it into the Lower Hunter Regional Carnival last week.
What a great effort! It was a cold and foggey start to the day but the sun came out eventually. The boys all ran their fastest in their heats. Then we found out that the girls each qualified for the final of the 8 yr old 100 m event from their separate heats! It was an exciting race to watch and from the results of that final, we now have Evie heading off to represent not just our school, but our Lower Hunter Region at the Diocesan Primary Schools Athletics Carnival at Glendale next Wednesday! Best of luck Evie!
The students had a terrific time and had their very best manners...we wouldnt expect anything less!
Ms Murphy
Regional Athletics Carnival
Attendance
Supporting positive school attendance is a shared responsibility - everyone has a role to play in
promoting the regular attendance of students. All children should be at school on time each day and remain until the conclusion of lessons in the afternoon. This ensures a consistent routine for students which helps children feel secure, as well as allowing children to learn and grow. Days off school not only contribute to significant gaps and lost opportunities in learning, it is also hard for children to establish, develop and maintain social connections.
We ask that you try to limit appointments through the school day where possible. These appointments are important for your child to attend. Frequent lateness should also be avoided, as children need to get into a good routine each morning. If you are having difficulty getting your child to school on time, please talk to their class teacher. Thank you!
NAIDOC Week
During the school holidays from the 2nd July to 9th July people not only in Australia, but also around the world celebrated NAIDOC week. NAIDOC week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
On Thursday, 27th July Holy Spirit Infants celebrated NAIDOC week. We began the school day with a Liturgy of the Word where the students learnt a little bit more about NAIDOC Week and why we celebrate it. Throughout the day, each class came out and were taught 2 traditional Aboriginal games.
The first game was called 'Thapumpan' and was observed being played by little children at Cape Bedford in North Queensland. It's a chasing and tagging game and imitates fish and sharks the children saw in the Coral Sea.The second game was called 'Kai' and was played in the Torres Strait Islands. Players stood in a circle singing the Kai Wed (ball song) as they hit the ball up in the air using the palm of their hands. The game was played using a thick, oval, deep red fruit from the Kai Tree that was quite light when dried.
The highlight of the day was having Mr Michael Cashmere, Ruby and Kai from St Peters in Maitland join us after lunch. We came together as a school and Michael showed the children a rain maker, didgeridoo and hunting boomerang. They then showed us some of the little wooden crosses that the woodwork students had cut out and the Aboriginal students had dot painted. We went back to our classes and dot painted our own crosses that we turned into a key ring. The children were very proud of their efforts and excited to have a little keep sake from our special celebrations.In addition to our special celebration, this week in class the children have listened to Dreamtime stories, podcasts and sang some Aboriginal songs.
It has been a wonderful week celebrating traditional owners of the land.
Ashlee Edwards
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Teacher
My New Gallery
100 Days of Learning in Kindergarten
Kindergarten celebrated 100 days of Kindergarten on Tuesday. They participated in activities that were based around the number 100 eg building with 100 blocks etc. We are so proud of the achievements of all our Kinder 2023 students who are shining bright! Their costumes were terrific and we are so appreciative of the efforts our parents/carers went to in order to make the day fun. Miss Pryor, Mr Flynn, Mrs Focic and Ms Reid also looked like they’d aged a bit that day! Thank you to our wonderful staff and especially to our super clever Kinders! Photos to come - our apologies for the delay.
Library News
Book clubIssue 5 of book club will close Thursday 3rd August. All orders MUST be placed online ONLY through Scholastic LOOP. Thank you for your ongoing support.
Kay Woods, Library Assistant
Awards: Congratulations to
Canteen News
Special thanks to Annie, Sadie and Evie from Year 2 who suggested they could sell iceblocks at the canteen today. The girls did a wonderful job!
A reminder to parents that there was a price increase from the providers for the items as shared on Compass this week. We also need to remind the children about using their best manners!
Our new Canteen Supervisors are meeting next week, so we hope to have some good news about opening soon.