27th June 2024

Principals News

Dear Parents and Carers,

Last Sunday we invited families to join with our Parishioners to celebrate Sunday Mass. My thanks to Fr James and the parishioners for their warm welcome as always to families from school and to Mrs. Edwards for her preparations for the mass. Thank you to our families who attended and to the students who took a special role within the mass.  I have reflected on what it means to belong to a parish. We belong to the Vineyards Parish which encompasses Kurri, Abermain, Cessnock and Wollombi churches and parishioners from the local area. 

A Catholic parish is the single most important part of our Catholic Church. This is where we continue the mission of Jesus Christ. This is where we publicly express our faith, joining together with others to give witness of our communion with God and with one another. 

Parishes are communities of faith, of action, and of hope. They are where the Gospel is proclaimed and celebrated, where believers are formed and sent to renew the earth. Parishes are the home of the Christian community; they are the heart of our Church.

Our Catholic school is part of the Parish family and all families who are welcomed into our school community are also warmly welcomed into the Parish community.  Our school and our Parish help us to join together in faith and to know that sense of belonging, welcome and hospitality. 

The Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle recognises that community and faith are mutually inclusive and is always looking at ways to strengthen this relationship further, connecting with the community, whatever their age or stage of faith. For Catholic schools to be effective and successful in the life and mission of the Church there needs to be a relationship with the local parish community and the wider diocesan community.  

The Parish is the centre of the life of the Christian community. More than a place, the Parish is people, a family. Like any family, the Parish community encompasses the dynamics of family life, including times of unity and joy as well as dysfunction and challenge. As members of this family in Christ, the Parish-worshipping community and the school community are called to live in a relationship of love and service with one another and in mission to the world. 

Our school encourages families by connecting them to the life of their parish through the sharing of the mass times, and by our family masses and other special masses throughout the year.  Many families have a generational connection to our school and our parish at Abermain, Kurri and Cessnock and families who don't as yet, are always very welcome.  

Semester One Reports 

Semester One reports will be shared via Compass on Friday 28th June and parents/carers are invited to book a Parent Teacher meeting for next week online via the Compass app. The Semester One reports are a reflection of your child's effort and achievements for the first two terms of the school year. Not every parent will feel the need to have a meeting with your child's teacher and it is not expected given our teachers are in regular contact with parents, however we offer the opportunity as part of our reporting procedures. Next term, we will have the second Student Led Conference where we ask a parent/carer from each family to attend so that your child can share their reflection on their progress toward the goals they created and share where they would like to go next. We are building "Assessment Capable Learners" at Holy Spirit Infants and thank you for supporting your child through the Student Led Conferences.  Dates will be shared early next term. We hope that parents will be able to celebrate your child's effort and share with them the things they have achieved and those they can work toward. 

Parent Engagement Meeting 

On Tuesday 25th June we held our joint PEG meeting at Holy Spirit Infants in the hall at 2pm. We were trialing a new time to see if a daytime meeting may work for more families, and we were pleased to have six attendees. Both Mrs. Waters and myself provided a Principal report (Mr O'Heir was an apology) and it was noted that our shared Athletics Carnival and having Mother's Day events on the same day, were popular with parents in their feedback.

Educational Component: Mrs. Kearns and Mrs. Waters shared the mathematics focus that both K-2 and 3-6 have undertaken this year. Our schools have partnered with Fiona Foley (Mathematics Association of NSW) who works closely with Peter Sullivan Emeritus Professor of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education at Monash University, and we have had input for our teachers from both experts over 2023 and 2024. Our focus is on the new math's syllabus and embedding "Launch, Explore and Summarise" pedagogy into math's lessons. Our students are highly engaged, and our teachers are seeing growth and excitement for learning. New resources have been purchased and a stock take of math's resources has been undertaken this week. 

Both Pastoral Care Workers, Mrs. Amanda Barrass Abermain and Mrs. Kellie Lynch Kurri spoke about their roles in the schools and shared some of the amazing initiatives in place at both schools to support our students and their families. We are blessed to have such special people supporting our communities. 

One suggestion from parents present was to begin to investigate additional items for the current uniform for girls and to investigate stock issues parents are experiencing with our uniform supplier. We will gain expressions of interest from across both schools for a small group of interested parents to work with Principals. 

We will trial an online evening meeting next term in August and see if a virtual meeting is easier for parents to attend. We are always keen to hear from our parents and carers, your voice matters! One suggestion was to alternate between face to face and online meetings - so we will give that a try. 

Our sincere thanks to the parents who did come along - your interest and ideas are most welcome. 

Lower Hunter Regional Athletics Carnival 

Next Tuesday 2nd July, we have a team of 11 students who have qualified to compete at the Lower Hunter Region Athletics Carnival. The carnival will be held at Maitland Athletics Track and our team manager will be Miss Elias. Our team will sit with Holy Spirit Kurri until the students are called for their event. 

Congratulations to: Vinnie Palmer (Unable to attend); Cooper Scott; Kade McGregor; Hudson Hassett; Bella Sumner; Matilda Brown; Charlotte Chappel; Audrey Bunker; Harper Cowling; Isabelle Watson and Max Weston.  We hope you enjoy the carnival. Well done! 

NAIDOC WEEK 7th-14th July

NAIDOC Week is an Australian observance lasting from the first Sunday in July until the following Sunday. The acronym NAIDOC stands for National Aboriginals' and Islanders' Day Observance Committee. NAIDOC week will be in the school holidays this year. 

Held across the country from 7-14 July 2024, NAIDOC Week will celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

This year’s theme chosen by the National NAIDOC Committee, is Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud & Proud.

The theme honours the enduring strength and vitality of First Nations culture – with fire a symbol of connection to Country, to each other, and to the rich tapestry of traditions that define Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We will acknowledge NAIDOC week with a liturgy and a class activity at the start of term 3.  We have NPWS Discovery Ranger Jesse conducting information sessions with each grade on Monday 22nd July. 

It has been a busy term with deep and rich learning and growth is evident for our students. We haven't managed to have one day where every student is in attendance, likely due to the flu season and so many viruses raging in the community, however we are keen to get our attendance rate up to 97% and we hope that our articles about the importance of attendance are helpful. Every child should attend school every day (unless unwell or other pressing domestic matter). A reminder to all parents that holidays should not be booked within the school term please and that it's important to make appointments outside of school hours where possible. Thank you for keeping this in mind. 

Wishing all our families a safe and happy winter break, 

Diane Murphy 

Principal

Sharing Our Faith

May the love of the Father, the tenderness of the Son, and the presence of the Spirit,
gladden your heart and bring peace to your soul, this day and all days.

Thank you to the families who braved the cold weather on Sunday afternoon and joined us in celebrating our Term 2 Family Mass. Piper, Audrey, Charlotte and Pippaa read confidently and all who attended sung beautifully. 

Keep an eye out for our Term 3 Mass date TBC next term.

Social Justice

On Friday 5th July Holy Spirit Infants will be having a Pyjama Day. Please bring a gold coin 
donation to help raise money for those in our community who are struggling. Hot Milo will be sold at the 
canteen at lunch time for $1.

A look ahead to Term 3

Please join us as we celebrate the Feast of Joachim and Anne (Jesus’ Grandparents) and all of our loving Grandparents. Friday 26^th July, 12.30pm.

Vineyards Parish Mass Times  

Pastoral Care "Connect"

Dear Parents and Carers,

Below you will find a link for free webinars around gaming safety, these live webinars give parents and carers the knowledge, skills and tools to support their children to have safe online experiences.

Amanda Barrass, Pastoral Care Worker

Joel "Catchment Crusader" Magic Show Incursion

Last Thursday Joel from Catchment Crusader Magic Show came to wow the students and staff 
at Holy Spirit Infants. The magic show was linked to Aboriginal Education and whilst pulling a 
dove out of a hat and making items disappear it conveyed a very important message of looking after country and our waterways.

Students reflected on seeing a Magician:

Malani KB - Commented that she liked when he turned a stick into a scarf

Audrey KB - Thought it was funny when there was a scarf in Jack’s shoe.

Charlotte KW- I loved learning taking care of water. Only water goes down the drain. My favourite part was when the rabbit appeared from the empty mini cage. I got to pat the rabbit at the end! 

Ethan KW- In the Magic show I learned about how it's our job to make sure animals, like platypuses, have clean and safe water. My favourite part was when the magician was singing and when the bird came out of his sleeve.

Dani 1B - Commented that she really liked learning about the platypus and the magic tricks.

Dustin 1B - Said his favourite part was patting the rabbit and dressing up like a superhero.

Bobbi 1W- I loved patting Joel's rabbit. It was so cool seeing the magical rainbow, it went into Jack's shirt and shoe. Joel was a very good magician. 

Archie 2W- I liked when he made the bunny and the bird appear, it might have been hiding in his coat. The magic show taught us how to look after water. My mum went to school with Joel!

Harper R 2W- Making animals appear out of nowhere was pretty cool. I'd like to learn some magic tricks one day. 

Students in 2 Blue loved the bunny rabbit and the fact that they were allowed to touch the bunny rabbit. They also liked the magic trick which turned dirty water into clean water and when the stick turned into a towel. Joel was good at involving the students in the show and he was hilarious!

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Kindergarten Grade Sharing Assembly

Last week, Kindergarten had their first ever grade sharing assembly. 

They did a fabulous job of sharing what they have been learning about in Kindergarten. In English they shared adjectives about themselves, they showed off their skip counting skills in Mathematics and they showed us what the Zones of Regulation are all about! (including the fun Pokémon characters that help us remember our zones).

Check out the photos from the assembly below:

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Year 1 Sharing Assembly

This term, Year 1 have put immense effort into their learning. During our shared assembly they showcased some incredible informative and detailed writing on animals and shared about their daily routine fluency pairs each morning. In Math's, they shared how to show equivalence and demonstrated by creating an equal arm balance and how it can be used to show how things are equal.

In our Religion lessons, we talked about God’s family and why they are special to us. We have become scientists during science lesson as we investigated how to manipulate different materials through bend, stretch and twist.

Year 1 practiced all week to put this show on for their families and friends. We are so proud of their dedication! Year 1 Teachers,

Helena Elias and Nicole Elbourne

What we have been learning in Kindergarten!

A Reflection on Term 2

This Term Kindergarten have been busy making great leaps in their learning!  

In our English lessons we have learnt about more letters and sounds and are almost through the whole alphabet. We enjoy all the hand actions that help us remember our sounds. When writing, we have been focusing on sentence structure, making sure to include important aspects such as capital letters, full stops and finger spaces.  This term has seen us focusing on Adjectives in our writing and understanding they are describing words.

In Maths, we have learnt about counting, addition, patterns, and our friends of 10! 

In Religion, we have engaged in a variety of personal choice making experiences where we use loose parts to create stories about Jesus from the Bible. Some of the stories we have made include the Hole in the Roof, Feeding the 5000 and Jesus' Baptism!

All of this was so much fun, and we enjoyed sharing it with you at our grade sharing assembly last week. Please find attached below the photo video that we presented at the assembly with the fun we have had so far this year.

Well done and Happy Holidays Kindergarten!

Miss Laczkowski & Miss Pryor 

What have we been learning in Year 1?

Year 1: Exploring Data in Mathematics

This term, our Year 1 students have been diving into the world of data in our Mathematics 
classes. It's been an exciting journey as we've learned various ways to collect, represent, and 
interpret information.

We started by exploring tally marks, a simple and effective way for young learners to count 
and record data. The students enjoyed making these marks to keep track of different counts in 
our classroom activities.

Next, we introduced biographical glyphs. These visual symbols allowed the children to 
represent data about themselves in a creative and personal way. Each glyph told a story, 
helping us understand our class demographics in a fun and engaging manner.

As we progressed, we began to interpret the data we've collected. The students learned to 
organise this information into tables, which made it easier to see patterns and draw 
conclusions. This skill is fundamental in helping them understand the importance of data in 
everyday life.

One of the most exciting parts of our data journey has been learning to pose questions about 
the data we've collected. The students came up with interesting questions like "How many 
students have pets?" and "What is the most common favourite colour in our class?" By 
analysing the data, they could find answers and share their findings with their classmates.

Overall, it's been a fantastic experience watching our young learners develop these 
foundational skills in data handling. We're looking forward to continuing our exploration and 
discovering even more about the world of data. 

Year 1 Teachers

Miss Elias and Mrs Elbourne 

What have we been learning in Year 2?

Year 2

Our Year 2 students recently delved into the ingenious ways Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples use natural materials to create utensils. Through videos and activities, students learned how the choice of materials—strong, flexible, or durable—affects a tool's function. They explored Indigenous bags and textiles, examining the purpose, parts, and pairing of materials.

The highlight was a hands-on project where students designed and created their own utensils from natural materials like seed pods, bark, sticks, stones, shells, and raffia. They thoughtfully considered their utensil's purpose, selected suitable materials, and documented their designs with drawings and labels.

This engaging lesson combined scientific inquiry with cultural education, enriching our students' understanding and creativity. Stay tuned for more exciting updates on our classroom adventures in Year 2!

Year 2 Teachers,

Brodie Flynn and Kate Kreutzer

Awards: Congratulations to...

Class Awards Term: 2 Week: 7 & 8

Canteen News

Tomorrow the canteen meal deal will be served.  Please note that no other lunch orders will be served on this day. Our sincere thanks to our hard working Canteen Coordinator Team of Paige, Sharna and Tarsha for all their hard work to make the school canteen function so well once again which supports our families. 

The canteen will be closed for the last week of the Term.   

Thank you to all our volunteers who have supported during Term 2. Your generous giving of your time brings a smile to our young students every week! We are very appreciative. 

Office News

School Fees

A gentle reminder regarding annual payment of school fees.   As the end of June fast approaches, fee payers are reminded that their one lump sum payment for school fees is due before 30th June.   

For any families experiencing genuine financial hardship, we encourage you to contact the school Principal, Diane Murphy to discuss and develop a payment plan as appropriate.

Kind Regards, Bonney Lane

Dates for your Diary

Protect yourself and your loved ones this winter.

The 2024 flu vaccine is available now. Influenza (flu) is serious, but your yearly flu vaccine offers the best 
protection against getting really sick - so you can keep doing the things you love.

Getting a flu vaccine is quick, easy and recommended for everyone aged 6 months, and is free for:
• Children aged 6 months to under 5 years
• Pregnant women, at any stage of pregnancy
• Aboriginal people aged 6 months and over
• Anyone aged 65+
• People with serious health conditions, including heart disease, chronic lung conditions (including severe 
asthma), kidney, liver disease and diabetes.

Book your flu vaccine today with your doctor, local pharmacy or Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS) through 
healthdirect.gov.au/nswfluvaccine.

Everyone aged 5 years and older can get vaccinated at their local pharmacy.

For more information, visit health.nsw.gov.au/respiratory.

Community News