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Dear Families
The past weeks have been very busy behind the scenes as we occupied our new administration building, while in the classrooms our students and staff have been busy with a range of learning experiences. This newsletter gives a snapshot of what has been happening both in, and around our classrooms. Our continued efforts to provide whole school educational experiences have seen us enjoy sessions such as our STEM Incursions as well as come together as a community to acknowledge National Reconciliation Week. We thank the staff who have committed to extra tasks to coordinate such events and we commend our students for the engaged way they have taken advantage of these events. I spent some time in the STEM sessions with the Year 3/4s and Year 5/6s as they constructed boats and rockets, and I even braved the windy conditions on the oval as the Year 5/6 rockets blasted off in all directions.
I hope this newsletter provides families with both a review and preview of school events. There never seems to be a quiet month at St.Vincent's, with June promising to be busy and quick. Please be aware that this term is a short nine-week block with the term dismissal happening on Friday 23rd June at 3.15pm. With a range of events happening we encourage everyone to keep an eye on the PAM Calendar.
Child-Safety is a key focus at St.Vincent's and we are working hard at providing a systematic approach for students from Foundation to Year 6. Recently all classrooms participated in our Inform and Empower Cyber-Safety sessions and we have added all the Parent Notes that are linked to these sessions in this newsletter. The next Well-being event is a live show from Meerkat Productions called THE BULLY BULL RING. Parents are encouraged to attend this session on Thursday 15th June 2pm and we also have opened this event to prospective 2024 families. Please keep an eye out for further content about the show and from the classrooms as we provide support to our children in the area of well-being and in particular the characteristics and impact of bullying.
Please enjoy this newsletter as we inform you of what has been happening and showcase the efforts of our students and staff.
Wishing everyone a warm start to Winter.
Dave
This week we conducted our second Confirmation workshop for Year 6 candidates and their parents. As a Catholic school our Sacrament program provides highlights across the calendar and can I thank this particular group of senior students who have engaged so well in the preparation program. Also can I acknowledge the leadership of Mr.Greenslade, our REL, who has been well supported by the Year 5/6 teaching team.
We look forward to our Confirmation night on Thursday 15th June 6pm at Sacred Heart Church. Our Mass will be led by Bishop Greg and we look forward to welcoming him to our parish. All school families, especially other Year 5/6 students, are strongly encouraged to come along to support our Confirmation children.
Looking for some more information about Confirmation and Pentecost?
National Reconciliation Week at St.Vincent's
In last week's newsletter we featured some content that has been produced by our students in our Streaming Room.
During Catholic Education Week we hosted a visit from the Director of Catholic Education, Mr.Paul Velton, who was very impressed with our new facilities and fascinated by our Streaming Room.
Our first project coming from the Streaming Room has been our Monday Morning Briefing and we are interested to see if parents would also like to see them on Monday mornings. The briefings are student-led videos that last around two to three minutes during which our senior students share the details of the week ahead.
St.Vincent's 2023 Cyber Safety Initiative - Term 2
It is with great pleasure that we have been successful in our application to partner with 'Inform & Empower' across the 2023 school year.
'Inform & Empower' will provide a range of materials and resources for staff, students and families across the year, highlighted through live online workshops. In the past few weeks of Term 2 all classes participated in the Term 2 live-stream workshops.
We encourage parents to take advantage of the resources we share and we look forward to hearing any feedback from families. It is probably only after you have an issue that you will actively look for information and support on this topic. Please take some time to skim around the links so you are prepared to deal with a scenario in your family, or even better - help out a friend or relative dealing with a situation.
In the attached Term 2 Parents sheets we have added a flyer about BEACON and a second about ROBLOX.
Cyber-Safety: Acceptable Use Agreement
Our Acceptable Use of Technology document is attached for families to read. This document also sits on the school website.
It is an interesting point to consider that even though this documents purpose and structure has not changed in the ten or so years of its existence, the content and devices mentioned have developed so significantly over that time. As always we encourage parents to take note of the details and the relevance to your family.
Cyber-safe practices are skills that need to be developed and supported in both the home and at school. We hope the resources we provide families are useful.
Our 2023 LunchRun days are Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Just a reminder that this is an optional service for families.
Please see attached flyer for information but feel free to call in if you need further assistance.