16 June 2023

Principal’s Message – Kate Ferguson

I hope this newsletter finds you well. Today, I write this newsletter article after the recent bus tragedy that has affected our community deeply. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their families, and everyone impacted by this heartbreaking event. We understand that many students might have questions or concerns. Please find below some support resources that may guide you during these challenging moments.

During this time it is important to come together as a school family and reflect on our Catholic values.

As a Catholic school, we are bound by a set of values that guide us in our daily lives. In times of tragedy, it becomes even more essential to reinforce these values and find solace in our faith. We encourage you to engage in conversations at home, helping children understand the importance of compassion, empathy, and solidarity.

1. Compassion: The Catholic faith teaches us to show compassion and kindness to others, especially in times of need. Encourage your children to offer words of comfort and support to those affected by the tragedy. Together, we can create a loving and supportive environment for healing.
2. Prayer: Prayer has always been a powerful tool for seeking comfort and strength. Encourage your children to include the victims and their families in their prayers, asking for solace, healing, and peace during this difficult time.
3. Community: Our school community is a place of unity and support offering our assistance to those affected. Reach out to the school administration if you have any ideas or suggestions for how we can extend our help and support to those in need.
4. Gratitude: In the face of tragedy, we are reminded of the fragility of life. Encourage your children to express gratitude for the blessings in their lives, fostering a spirit of appreciation for the gift of life and the importance of cherishing every moment.

God with us,
in the life, death and resurrection of your son Jesus
you came to be one with us
experiencing the heights of our joys and hopes,
the depths of our griefs and anxieties.
We hear you calling us by name
and we know deep within that
you count us as precious in your eyes.
As we gather in front of this cross,
open our hearts to your love,
our eyes to your light
and our minds to your wisdom.
Turn us into agents of your healing grace
for those who carry the weight of this cross most heavily.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen

Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or if we can provide you with any assistance.

Staffing News

Stacey Whiting (Assistant Principal / EALD) has taken Long Service Leave until the end of the term, I am grateful for Chris Sheridan who has stepped into the AP role in Stacey's Absence. Following an Expression of Interest and Interview process, Tania Kranias (Kindergarten White) has been appointed as Acting Religious Education Coordinator for this period. Congratulations Tania on this position.

Earlier in the year, Ellen Morgan (Year 5 White) was selected by the Catholic Schools Office to represent the Maitland Newcastle diocese at World Youth Day in Portugal. Ellen will be involved in a 4 week period from week 1, term 3 and we pray for her safe travels during this time. And look forward to hearing about her opportunities of formation.

Religious Education – Chris Sheridan

Confirmations  

During the past few weeks many of our students across our primary grades have been receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation with Bishop Michael Kennedy. From my own observation, and reports from the children and some parents, this has been most positive, prayerful and memorable occasion. We congratulate those who have been confirmed and those, this Friday, who will also be confirmed. 

We’d welcome more photos of this special occasion!

Confirmation is the receiving of the Holy Spirit as God’s free gift to us. The sacrament links us all to the first Pentecost when the Spirit came to the assembled disciples as they pondered their vocation – their next steps to spread the Good News of the risen Christ.

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of Your love. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. 

Please forward your clothing donations to us by this Friday

Warm clothing is needed that is especially suited to pre-schoolers and Primary School age children. Items should be clean, warm clothing (trousers, track suits, jumpers, jackets, flannelette shirts, skivvies, or pyjamas) in good condition or bedding (blankets or doonas). These items will be passed on to families in need. The sooner we can do this, the more local families will be spared the cold of winter.

Parents and carers please join us in celebrating our school’s Feast Day next Friday, June 23rd, at 11:30 am in our Hall. Please be aware seating will be very limited. We’d love to see you there.

This year we decided to mark our celebrations with some extra fun outdoor activities for the students and a free sausage sizzle at lunchtime.

Sports Report – Sara Murdoch

Athletics Carnival

Our St John the Baptist athletics carnival was a great success. Thank you to all the children who participated and tried their best! We have a strong team of 46 students who will be attending the Regional Athletics carnival early next term! Those children will be notified shortly.

We will also have an Athletics awards ceremony to hand out ribbons and Championship trophies before the end of term. Who will be the winning colour house? Will it be Fagan, Finnegan, Coghlan or Dowley?

Polding Cross Country

Congratulations to Lincoln Greentree and Jake Hansen who represented our school and the region, at the Polding Cross Country held at the Equestrian Centre in Sydney. Both boys ran incredible times! We are so proud of you!

Thank you

We have had so many of our incredible athletes attend numerous events this year so far. Many parents have had to take time off work to take their children to Regional, Diocesan and Polding sporting events. Some of these events have been hours away. On behalf of the school and our region, thank you for taking the time to do this for our school and the children. We really appreciate all that you do!

My Underpants Rule!

All classes over the next week will be reading, 'My Underpants Rule!' This book is read to the children repeatedly throughout their infants and primary school years. The book is fun, engaging and colourful and it deals with a very serious subject in a child friendly way. It clearly defines appropriate and inappropriate behaviours when it comes to our private parts (we use the correct anatomical names), safe and unsafe touch and what to do if they ever find themselves in an unsafe situation. 

If your child comes home and starts talking about the book, ask if they can remember the catchy rhyme. Protective behaviours allow our children to learn strategies and ways to be empowered and confident if they are ever in an unsafe or difficult situation.

Year One Sport with Year 12 Students from All Saints College, St Mary’s Maitland

1 Blue and 1 White have enjoyed several PE lessons led by some Year 12 students from All Saints College. The students have enjoyed participating in a variety of activities whilst practising their gross motor skills including running, crawling, kicking, throwing and catching.

The Year 1 students and teachers would like to thank Mr Shane Whereat and the Year 12 students for their efforts and care of the children during these lessons.

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Year One History Excursion- Tocal Homestead Tuesday 13^th June 

Year One visited Tocal Homestead this week as part of our Term 2 History Unit- Past and Present.  

Thank you to the Year One parents and grandparents who attended, supervised and helped us in our group activities.   

Thank you to Robin and Helen from Tocal Homestead who stayed in character all day and gave us an idea of what life was like in the 1800s.    

Thank you to Mrs Ferguson, Mrs Collins and Mrs Baker for your organisation and support on the day.  

Here are some of our favourite parts of the day: 

*My favourite part of the day was seeing the old bath which was kept in the kitchen. By Dakota 

*I learnt that Captain Thunderbolt worked at Tocal Homestead, and also escaped from Cockatoo Island. By Lilly 

*I enjoyed playing the old games such as tossing the horseshoes, rolling the wooden hoops, skipping and tug-of-war. By Cleo 

*Did you know you could not leave a candle burning at night because if it was windy, it could light the tablecloth and cause a fire in the house? This is why the kitchens were always built separate to the homestead. By Will S 

*My favourite part of the day was playing the olden day games. By Elle 

*I learnt that in the 1800s, people used a scrubbing brush and a bar of soap to wash the clothes on the washing board. They used dolly pegs made out of wood too. By Logan B 

*I enjoyed carrying the water in the old buckets using a shoulder yoke. By Byron 

*Did you know we had to ring a bell ten times to change over to different activities? By Grayson 

*My favourite part of the day was dressing up in the old costumes. By Charlotte 

*Did you know that cream floats on top of milk and then you can skim the top off and give it to give to the pigs? By Edie 

*I enjoyed listening to the stories about the olden days. By Penny 

*Did you know that in the 1800s, they made butter out of milk? By Harvey 

Wonder Recycling Rewards for Schools

There are 2 more weeks to participate in the 'Wonder Recycling Rewards for Schools' program!!!

Simply bring in any empty bread bags to school and place in the cardboard box near the office.

Here are some tips:
- Any bag that has contained bread of any sort and is soft plastic, is classed as a bread bag and can be recycled. 
- Bags should be free of bread crumbs and ensure no contamination of other products has occurred.
- The more bags we collect, the more rewards our school will get.
- Ask friends and family to keep their bread bags.
- Use an empty bread bag, then collect a bunch of other bread bags inside, and send a bagfull in to school!

Thank you for your assistance with this fantastic rewards program.
Tania Kranias

Class Merit Awards

Canteen

P & F News

Athletics Carnival Morning Tea

We hope everyone enjoyed their morning tea. Thanks to the combined efforts of the school community we raised ~$600. Fantastic result!

Donation of Equipment

This week we donated approx. $800 worth of play equipment for the playground for all students to use. We look forward to watching the children playing and telling you their stories of the day as they create, experiment and develop their skills. We are working with the School Leadership Team to determine what other areas of need the P & F can support, especially with large parts of the  playground currently out of use.

Federation of P & F Associations for the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle

Our school is extremely fortunate to have two experienced  delegates to the Federation (Cheryl Murphy & Adam Banister). Cheryl and Adam are also both elected Councillors for the Federation management team. There are 12 Councillors across the Diocese who work closely together with Lizzie Watkin- Professional Officer Family Engagement for the Catholic Schools Office Maitland Newcastle. We encourage all parents and carers to reach out if there are ever any concerns or assistance required relating to school matters. You can reach Adam or Cheryl via email at executive@pandf-maitlandsj.com or by contacting the school admin office.

Uniform Shop

Open Monday 8:30-9am in the school hall.
We are asking for donations of approved uniform items in good, clean quality condition (no rips, stains etc).

We thank our dedicated uniform shop volunteers for their time and efforts in sorting and washing donations ready to sell.

Contacting the P & F Committee

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need any assistance via executive@pandf-maitlandsj.com
We welcome any suggestions, feedback, offers to volunteer with events or general enquiries.

Dates for the Diary

Term 2

PJ Movie day- Wednesday 28th June (Week 10)

Term 3

Thompson’s Pie Drive - TBC (Week 5)
Meeting - Wednesday 9th August @ 9:30am (Week 6)
Father’s Day Stall - Wednesday 30th   August (Week 7)
Father’s Day Raffle - Friday 1st September (Week 7)

Term 4

Meeting & 2024 AGM - Wednesday 8 November @ 9:30 am (Week 7)
Christmas Family Night - Tuesday 5th December (Week 9)
Christmas Fun Day - Friday 8th December (Week 9)