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Dear Parents and Carers
We are excited to be celebrating Catholic Education Week from Friday 17 May until Friday 24 May. As part of our celebrations we invite you to join us for our "Celebrate Education" event on Wednesday 22 May from 3.30pm to 4.30pm. Our School Choir will perform at 3.30pm, the Learning Spaces will be open for family to visit with the students to see the learning that has been occuring at school and you may also visit the single subject areas to view the activities that occur in these classes.
- 9am Welcome to Country (on the green if weather allows for this)
- 9.10am Smoking Ceremony (on the green if weather allows for this)
- 9.25am Prayer Service
- 9.45am Students parade in traditional dress
- 10am Students (only) return to Learning Group spaces for learning.
Upcoming Dates
Saturday 18 May
- Open Day 10am to 12pm
Wednesday 22 May
- Celebrating Education Event 3.30pm to 4.30pm
Friday 24 May
- P&F Trivia Night
Monday 27 May
- Reconciliation Day
Monday 3 June
- Year 4 Incursion
Friday 7 June
- Staff PD Day - NO SCHOOL for students
Monday 10 June
- King's Birthday Public Holiday NO SCHOOL
The Ascension of the Lord
Last weekend Catholics commemorated the Ascension of the Lord. Ascension Day is the 40th day of Easter and occurs 39 days after Easter Sunday. The message of the ascension is a powerful one. It reminds us that Jesus, the human incarnation of God on earth, was limited to a specific time and place in history. Despite the physical limitations of his life on earth, Jesus ensured that his message and ministry would continue through those he had taught. Knowing that the disciples would need time to grieve and come to terms with all that had occurred in a relatively short space of time, Jesus promised that the Spirit would come upon them in the days to come. That visiting of the Spirit upon the disciples at Pentecost was the motivation to set about doing what Jesus had charged them to do. Without the ascension, there is no Pentecost. The Ascension is not just an opportunity for us to look back on how we have tried to fulfil the command of Jesus to go out to the world. Indeed, this feast is primarily focused on where we are going from here on in. This means proclaiming the Good News through everyday actions and by being open and honest about the Catholic faith. It means treating all people as Jesus would.
Compiled from the commentaries of Brendan Byrne SJ, Richard Leonard and Greg Sunter, sourced from Liturgy Help.
What has been happening in Year One?
A lot has been happening in Year One this term, some of the things the students have participated in are the ‘Colour Run’, they have commemorated ANZAC Day by taking part in a prayer service and making poppy wrist bands. The students were also very lucky to be a part of the Mother’s Day Assembly last week and all thoroughly enjoyed making picture frames and handmade cards to tell their Mums just how special they are. The students were able to use their gifts and talents to show appreciation for their mums, grandmas and all the other special women in their lives.
In Religion the Year Ones have been learning that God invites people to love and care for themselves, others and the world. The students have been investigating the questions ‘Who is our neighbour?’ and ‘How can they use their gifts and talents to help their neighbours?. There have been lots of wonderful discussions in the Year One Learning Spaces reflecting on these questions.
In Writing the Year One students have been busy learning how to write a narrative retell. The students have participated in a variety of lessons to support their understanding. Students have worked in groups to orally retell narratives, worked with a partner to complete written retells and also worked in groups to create a puppet play to retell a known fairy tale.
In Little Learners Love Literacy the students are working through Stage 6. Students have been learning to read and spell different consonant digraphs. Each week students complete a Phonics craft activity to revisit what has been taught. Some of the crafts the Year Ones have completed are a ‘Chocolate Chip Cookie’ /ch/ a ‘Bubble Bath’ /th/ and ‘Thing’ from Dr Suess Headband /ng/.
As part of our Maths this term Year One students have been learning how to use informal units to measure the length of objects. They have been practising skip counting, using number lines to count forwards and backwards, adding collections of groups and identifying and naming 2D and 3D objects. The students especially loved making Shape Monsters. Each week the students have been learning a new maths game to further support their understanding of number.
The focus of Inquiry this term is Geography. The students are learning ‘What are the different features of places?’ and ‘How places change and are cared for?’ Last week the students explored the school grounds taking photographs on the iPads of different features within the school. Using the Seesaw app the students classified their photographs into Natural, Managed and Constructed features and presented their findings. The Year Ones are also learning about the features of maps and where they live on a map. The students have been very lucky to be able to enjoy the glorious Autumn weather, completing outdoor learning activities and also having snack and lunch outside enjoying the beautiful features of St Clare’s.
DISTRICT CROSS COUNTRY
Last Friday we had 20 students travel to Toomuc Reserve in Pakenham for the District Cross Country Championships. Our students represented our school magnificently well and their performance was simply exceptional. In total we had 15 of 20 students finish in the top 10 and qualify for the Division Championships which will be held at the same venue on Wednesday 29 th May.
Koby.F (1 st ), Brodie.M (2 nd ), Lucas.M (2 nd ), Rylie.M (2 nd ) and Maddison.M (3 rd ) all finished in the top 3 to receive medals for their outstanding achievement.
The final results were as follows:
9/10 Boys – Lucas.M (2 nd ), Henry.T (11 th ), Spencer.G (24 th), Nyoun.D (37 th )
9/10 Girls – Olivia.B (4 th ), Niharika.N (5 th ), Lacey.R (7 th )
11 Boys – Koby.F (1 st ), Brodie.M (2 nd ), James.D (6 th )
11 Girls – Charlise.C (7 th ), Margret.A (9 th ), Eden.T (10 th ), Makenzie.V (14 th ), Alexi.B (16 th )
12/13 Boys – Rylie.M (2 nd ), Jax.L (9 th ), Nixon.R (10 th )
12/13 Girls – Maddison.M (3 rd ), Ebony.M (10 th )
A shout out also goes To Kai.D and Max.B who qualified for this event but were unable to attend due to being overseas or injured. I know they would have done a great job as well.
Good luck to our students progressing to the next round!
We are now taking enrolments for Foundation 2025. As a rapidly growing school we find ourselves currently at capacity at Years 1, 3 and 4 for 2024.
For those looking to enrol for Foundation or any other level in 2025 we suggest you submit your enrolment forms as soon as possible.
LATE ARRIVAL AND EARLY DEPARTURE
Students arriving after 9am must be sigend in at the school office so should be accompanied by an adult/carers who can do so.
Likewise students being collected early must be signed out via PAM or at the school office prior to be collected by a parent. Only parents are able to collect students early - please provide the school with details if someone other than a parent will be collecting them during the school day.
Collection during the lunch break - 1.30pm to 2.10pm can be difficult. Therefore if necessay to collect students early we ask they you do so either before 1.30pm or after 2.10pm.
We remind you that every minute absent from class adds up and does impact learning time.
REPORTING AN ABSENCE
To report your child's absence please do so via PAM, email absent@stclaresofficer.catholic.edu.au or call 5940 6777
SCHOOL FEES
Here is the link for the St Clare's Parent Access Module (PAM)
St Clare's PAM
You username is the email address that you have registered with the school. The first time you log in we ask that you use the forgotten password feature to set your own password.
ALL parents must access PAM to receive up to date information and grant necessary permissions. Students will miss out on events if permission is not granted.
In this edition of SchoolTV - CYBERBULLYING
With the advent of the internet, smart phones and tablets, there is now a whole new digital dimension added to traditional schoolyard bullying. There was once a time when bullying victims were given some respite outside of school hours, but sadly these days, online bullying can occur 24/7. In today’s world, teaching your child about online and cyber safety, is as important as learning to swim or cross the road!
Cyberbullying can be identified as being the repeated behaviour by an aggressor with the intent to harm or embarrass. Technology enables these aggressors to share information widely and quickly, making this form of bullying extremely dangerous and harmful. However, the answer is not to shun the internet nor social media. Instead, parents are encouraged to embrace it and instil a family internet policy to protect their children without limiting the freedom to learn, explore and communicate online.
In this edition of SchoolTV, parents are provided with useful guidelines and advice on how to minimise the risks. Children have the right to feel safe, regardless of whether it is in the schoolyard or online.
We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback. If you have any concerns about your child, please seek medical or professional help.
Here is the link to the Cyberbullying edition of SchoolTV
https://stclaresofficer.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/cyber-bullying
How to Help Kids Stay Safe Online
Adapted from: https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/blog Office of the eSafety Commissioner
- Start the chat
It’s not possible to be at your child’s side every second of the day, so it’s important to talk with them about online safety issues to help develop their critical thinking and ability to make good choices. It’s also good to let them know they can come to you for help if they have any concerns. You may feel they know more about the latest technology than you do, but you have more life experience to guide them.
- With primary school aged children use online devices in the open living spaces at home to make parent supervision part of the expectation for your child.
- Take the opportunity to set some boundaries around when and where they can use devices like tablets, smart TVs and gaming consoles, to help limit potential tech tantrums — you could even fill in an Early Years Family Tech Agreement
- Screen free time before bed is important for good sleep. Consider charging devices in a central location at a regular time each night to allow an hour screen free before bed.
- While you are all at home more, it’s a great time to co-view and co-play with your kids, so you can understand what they are doing and experiencing online.
- Learn about the games, apps, social media and platforms they are using at The eSafety Guide, including how to protect their information and report inappropriate content or conduct.
- Use parental controls and safe search options
Parental controls can help block your child from accessing specific websites, apps or functions. They can also monitor your child’s use of connected devices and set time limits. But beware! You cannot always rely on them — they should be used in combination with other online safety strategies.
- Parental controls are available on most tablets, smartphones, computers, TVs and gaming consoles.
- You can also download family safety controls or buy robust filters out of the box.
- You can set up child-friendly search engines, or select safe search settings on digital devices, to help prevent your child from stumbling across inappropriate sites and content.
- Check smart toy settings
It’s surprising how many toys or devices can connect online these days, from drones and smart teddies to tablets and wearables. While they can be both entertaining and educational, they can reveal your child’s personal details and location — and allow other people to contact them without you knowing. You can help keep them stay safe by:
- setting strong passwords
- turning off location settings
- limiting the amount of personal information shared.
The eSafety Gift Guide has advice on what to check for and how to stay safe.
- Look out for unwanted contact and grooming
Unwanted contact is any communication that makes your child feel uncomfortable or unsafe, even if they initially welcomed the contact. It can come from a stranger, an online ‘friend’ or even someone they actually know. At worst, it can involve ‘grooming’ — building a relationship with the child in order to sexually abuse them.
You can help by:
- making sure their accounts are private — including chat functions on games
- encouraging them to delete requests from strangers and any contacts they don’t know in person
- checking in with your child as they use online devices in the open living spaces at home
- reporting and blocking anyone suspicious on a website or service
- remembering that if suspicious online contacts become aggressive or threatening you should contact your local police.
- Know the signs of cyberbullying
Kids who are bored by long periods at home can pick at each other, and that happens online too. So it’s important to keep an eye out for cyberbullying. It can include mean posts, comments and messages, as well as being left out of online group activities like gaming.
- Remember, when they are away from school, kids have less access to their usual support systems, including friends, teachers and counsellors.
- eSafety research shows that girls are more likely to be affected than boys and the person doing the bullying is generally someone they know from school.
- Watch out for signs such as your child appearing upset after using their mobile, tablet or computer, being unusually secretive about their online activities or becoming withdrawn.
- Cyberbullying can make social isolation worse and the longer it continues, the more stressed kids can become, impacting on their emotional and physical wellbeing.
What to do if your child is being cyberbullied
As parents, our first instinct may be to ban our children from social media, disable the wi-fi or turn off the data access. But this can actually compound the problem, making your child feel as if they’re being punished and heightening their sense of social exclusion.
There are four simple steps that can help minimise the harm:
- report the cyberbullying to the social media service where it is occurring
- collect evidence of the cyberbullying material
- if the material is still public 48 hours later, make a report to eSafety — we work with social media platforms to have the harmful content removed.
block the offending user.