PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS

• Parent Teacher interviews are happening on Monday and Tuesday afternoon in week two. Our book fair will also be open in the library on these days between 4 & 6pm.  

ENROLMENT 2022

• If you have a child to enrol in 2022, please go to the school website and complete the online enrolment form. Alternatively, contact the office if you would like to receive an enrolment pack.
• Our Kinder Readiness program returns in Week 2. Any child preparing for kindergarten in 2022 is welcome to come along regardless of which primary school they will be attending.

Orders for packages and sibling photographs can be placed securely online at www.advancedlife.com.au using our school’s unique 9 digit order code:

PKM AYC 9XL

• Portrait and group package orders are due by photography day (Monday 10 May).
• If you wish to purchase a sibling photograph online, the order must be placed no later than the day before photography day (Sunday 9 May). Sibling photographs will only be taken if an order has been placed.

Should you have any queries concerning school photographs or online ordering, please contact us at www.advancedlife.com.au/contact.

I hope you all had a wonderful break.

My break had some wonderful moments. Our family celebrated my parent’s 60^th wedding anniversary. What a great example of commitment through life’s ups and downs! I also had the opportunity to watch Mrs Harris be received into the Catholic Church. She made her First Communion and Confirmation, and had spent many weeks in preparation lessons just like students do when making their sacraments. Again, another wonderful example of commitment. Commitment to our faith is like a long marriage. It will have ups and downs and we must take the good with the bad. The story of Easter is a reminder that from the despair of the death of Jesus, life can uplifted again through Jesus conquering death by his resurrection. The message to me of Easter is life can be tough but it also can be wonderful. I think this a great lesson for children to learn.

This term will be full of interesting activities now that many restrictions are lifted. Parents and carers are allowed on the school grounds for quick drop offs and pick ups, however social distancing still needs to be followed. I encourage you to develop your child’s independence by having them carry their own bag and pack/unpack their own belongings. This is something that COVID restrictions caused children to do and I believe it is a good practice to keep. It is still a requirement that if your child has COVID like symptoms they need to stay at home. As the cough and cold season begins our COVID hygiene practices can help lesson the spread of germs.

I urge you to check that your child’s uniform is labelled, especially jumpers and hats. Also encourage your child to put belongings straight into their bags when they take them off so they can keep track of them.

Please make sure you make an appointment for Parent/Teacher interviews next week. Interviews can be done by phone or in person. The interviews will be in the school hall and you need to make sure you have checked in on the NSW services app at the hall. The interviews are important time for feedback about your child and their progress and how you and the teacher can work together so your child makes the most of their time at school.

We will be holding a walkathon this term. Our major fundraising goal this year is to upgrade our school hall sound system and projector screen. We are hoping to do this before our school musical next term. Please keep your eye out for further details about this fundraising event.

In early 2021, our school, along with thousands of others across the country will begin preparations for the fifth Australian Early Development Census (AEDC).

The AEDC gives us a national picture of the development, health and wellbeing of children in their first year of full-time school. Since 2009, the census results have helped communities, schools and governments plan services and develop better policies to target support for children and families.

Children don’t miss any class time, and parents/carers don’t need to supply schools with any new information for the census. The AEDC gives us data at a school and community level - it isn’t an assessment of individual children.

Some teachers have also noticed that completing the assessments made them more aware of the needs of individual children and the class as a whole and that the census results are useful in planning for transitions to Year 1 and developing class programs.

Participation in the AEDC is voluntary. Parents/carers don’t need to take any action unless they choose not to include their children in the census. If you do not want your child to participate in this, please let the school know by contacting the front office.

To find out more about the census and how communities are using the data to help children and families visit the AEDC website: www.aedc.gov.au.

If you have any questions, you can contact the school office.

The canteen is looking for helpers. Please contact the office if you are interested.

Please note, if you order a frozen product in your child's lunch order they will need to take the bag to Mrs Bennett in the canteen to collect it.

The next Canteen Red Day will be on Monday in Week 5.

Students must wear Winter Uniform in Term 2 & 3. ALL winter uniform items are now available to buy. There are also lots of pre-loved, budget-friendly items available to purchase.

The Uniform shop open time is on Tuesday mornings, 9-9:30am. Please come in at this time if you need to try uniforms on or wish to buy second-hand uniforms. All uniform orders on Qkr! will be filled at this time each week and sent home that day. 

Looking for New Members

We are looking for new members for the School Community Council (SCC). The Council meets once or twice a term and provides advice and leadership in the areas of Catholic Identity and Faith, Leadership, Enrolment and Growth, Financial, Physical Resource and Academic Programs. We meet on a Thursday once or twice a term, please contact the office if you are interested.

CAR LINE PARKING RULES

A reminder all families of the parking rules at car line. Remember, when you are lined up on the road at pick up time you are only permitted to be stopped for 2 minutes. If the line is not moving, advice from NSW Police is that parents and carers should drive around the block until they are able to enter the school grounds.

Please also remember that student supervision at car line is until 3:45pm, so arriving around or after 3:30 will help to ease the congestion at this time. It is not essential that you are at car line before 3:20pm (school finish time).

BUS SAFETY

Parents have an important part to play in keeping children safe around roads.

Never drop off or meet your child on the opposite side of the road to the bus stop or call them across the road. Always drop them off or meet them on the same side of the road as the bus stop. Remind your children to always wait until the bus has gone before choosing a safe place to cross the road.

For more information visit: https://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/campaigns/be-bus-aware/bus-flashinglights.html

SCHOOL COUNSELLOR SERVICE

This year school counselling will be available all day on Mondays. School counselling is offered to help students cope with stress, emotional and behavioural issues, mental health difficulties, and improve students' overall well-being. To engage with school counselling the online referral form will need to be filled out and this can be done on a mobile phone. If you have any queries or concerns, please don’t hesitate to make contact with me through email at olivia.bowring-greer@catholiccare.cg.org.au

Our school Trivia Night will be held on Friday the 20th of August at the Goulburn Workers Club, 4 rounds of trivia followed by dancing and karaoke (Covid restrictions permitting).

Start getting your tables of 10 ready, tickets will go on sale the first week of Term 3.

We will be having a wine raffle, a lucky door prize and silent auctions.

It is a fun night, we hope to see you there!

Easter is a great reminder that Christ died and rose once and for all and for each one of us. His death and resurrection can transform our lives as we endeavour to live lives that know the freedom of goodness – lives that have love for our neighbour, lives that respect all creation, lives that restore hope and mercy.

Prayer

Catholic Easter Prayer Lord, the resurrection of Your Son has given us new life and renewed hope.

Help us to live as new people in pursuit of the Christian ideal.

Grant us wisdom to know what we must do,

the will to want to do it,

the courage to undertake it,

the perseverance to continue to do it,

and the strength to complete it.

Amen

(Source: New Saint Joseph People's Prayer Book)

Welcome back to Term Two. This term, we look forward to working with our Year 4 students to prepare for and make their Sacrament of First Eucharist. Any students who have made their Reconciliation in the past and missed out on making their First Eucharist because of Covid or any other reason are also warmly welcome to attend. Please contact the school if you would like more information.

We look forward to meeting with families at the First Eucharist Session, currently scheduled for Thursday, May 6 at St Joseph's school hall from 6:30pm.

God Bless!          

Canberra Goulburn Sport Trials

Registrations for the following NSW Primary Sports Canberra Goulburn Trials are now OPEN for students in Years 5 & 6:

Boys and Girls Touch Football - Monday 3rd May (Nominations Close Tuesday 27th April)

Rugby Union - Monday 31st May (Nominations Close Monday 24th May) 

Girl's Rugby 7's - Friday 23rd July - Straight to MacKillop Trials in Sydney