Issue 6, 29th April
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From the Acting Principal
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Covid-19
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Coughs, Colds and Flu
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Staff Movements
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Parent-Teacher Meetings
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Winter Uniform
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Read Write Inc. Information Session for Parents
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Aiming High Awards
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Parents and Friends
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Soccer
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Check in TAS app
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School-Parent/Guardian Communication
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Religious Education News
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Excursions
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Mothers day stall
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Premiers Reading Challenge 2021
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National Walk to School Day
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Mother’s Day Prayer Service and Morning Tea
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Parking
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Pastoral Care and Wellbeing
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COSP
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Autism and Transitions: Planning for success - FREE workshop for parents/carers
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Junior Basketball Roster
Welcome to Term 2! This will be another busy term, with teaching and learning at the forefront of all that we do.
My first Feast Day event was an amazing experience. The whole school sitting together to share a meal is so special. Our Year 5 and Year 6 students stepped up to assist with serving and cleaning. Fr. Chris and two sisters from his community of Mary’s Little Children were able to join us. Special thanks goes to Debbie and David Plaza who cooked and organised the meal for us all!
In Week 3, we will be holding our Parent-Teacher Meetings. This is always a wonderful opportunity to speak with the teacher about your child’s progress and to ask how you can support them at home. It also shows your child that you are interested in their learning and in having a connection with school. You might have some questions for the teacher, such as:
- What are my child’s strengths?
- What does my child struggle with?
- How much homework should my child be doing every night?
- What can I do at home to help my child?
- What can you tell me about my child’s behaviour in class?
- How is my child getting along with other students?
I look forward to seeing you at your child’s meeting!
I’m now going to venture into a topic which is necessary for the safety, welfare and development of every child at St Peter Chanel.
It is not news that children of all ages are accessing the internet. In so many ways, the digital age has significant benefits for our children, when the content they are accessing is age and stage appropriate. The learning and the social awareness and interactions that they can acquire through guided and supervised appropriate online material and platforms, is wonderful. We are, however, becoming increasingly aware that there are students at St Peter Chanel accessing gaming and social media platforms that are well beyond their age and development.
Some of the games and social media platforms we are aware that are being accessed include: Fortnite - M (not suited to under 15); Grand Theft Auto - MA (Restricted access 15+); Call of Duty - MA (Restricted access 15+); Tik Tok - 13+; Snapchat - 13+ and Instagram - 13+.
The online gaming environment can be a risky place for young people to explore unchecked. Concepts in some of these games is beyond the capacity of a primary school child to comprehend. The aggressive and inappropriate language both in the game itself and communicated by those playing the game would never be acceptable in ‘real life’.
Our young children are exposed to this kind of language and behaviour as they immerse themselves in the online gaming world. Encased in headsets and often out of sight from their parents, they venture into a largely unrestricted environment without a safety net. Young minds risk becoming desensitised to things their parents would never consciously expose them to at such an early age.
Additionally, we are finding that some students are verging on gaming addiction. Their talk and their play emulate the games they are playing, sometimes very late into the night, as they report. For these students, concentration levels are dropping, work habits are compromised and homework can be incomplete.
Social media platforms are also exposing children to dance moves, language and interactions that are inappropriate. They are also rife with cyberbullying and grooming behaviours that can have devastating consequences.
It is very important that we protect our children and our students from concepts, language and behaviours that they are not developmentally ready for. Parents who are monitoring their children's online behaviour and who are mindful of developmental readiness should not have their children prematurely exposed to these by other students who are engaging in unsuitable material.
For the safety and wellbeing of all of our students, we will not tolerate any talk or actions associated with inappropriate gaming, social media or online content. Students will be advised of this, and parents will be contacted should this occur.
In partnership with you, we will continue to educate our children about the benefits and dangers of the internet. Over the coming weeks, we will be featuring information about the online, gaming and social media world.
For your child’s sake, make sure to be familiar with what your child is up to online. Watch and listen to them carefully. Make the hard call and restrict their access if you are concerned. Together, we have an obligation to protect them from the dangers that lurk behind the screen that can be a doorway into a world where we have so little control.
As always, our endeavour is to work with you in the best interests of your children. If you have any concerns or would like some information to assist you in tackling the online world with your child, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
Loving God,
Thank you for the gift of our children.
Help us to set boundaries for them,
and yet encourage them to explore.
May your Holy Spirit help them to grow
in faith, hope, and love,
so they may know peace, truth, and goodness.
May their ears hear your voice.
May their eyes see your presence in all things.
May their lips proclaim your word.
May their hearts be your dwelling place.
May their hands do works of charity.
May their feet walk in the way of Jesus Christ,
your Son and our Lord.
Amen.
We ask that families please continue to use the following options of communication with the school rather than face-to-face as follows:
- Calling on 6452 1431
- Emailing spc@catholic.tas.edu.au
- Writing messages in your child’s diary
- Contacting teachers via SeeSaw or email
For Assemblies, we ask that people please enter via the front office and use the hand sanitiser upon entry and sign in which is a Government requirement. Please adhere to the 1.5m social distancing and refrain from entering the school if you are unwell.
QR Code to use for school events. Link here for instructions on how to download the app
As the colder months are upon us, coughs, colds and flu are going to become more prevalent. It is important that if your child presents with any symptoms that you keep them at home. This is part of our Covid-19 safety requirements, but also best for the health of your child, and the health of others.
Parent-Teacher meetings will be on Tuesday, 11th May from 3:00pm - 6:30pm. Session times will be made available via the Compass App. Parents will receive notifications when these times are open. If you are unable to attend this parent-teacher session but would like to speak with your child's teacher, please contact their teacher to arrange a time that suits.
From Monday, 10th May student are required to wear full winter uniform. Students are not allowed to wear the summer uniform or mix the summer and winter uniform. Students are allowed to wear either sports shorts or trackpants on Tuesday's and Wednesday's only, if they choose.
School beanies are available for purchase for those students who would like to wear a beanie to school. Puffer jackets and non-school jackets are discouraged. If a student does wear a jacket to school that is not a part of our uniform they will not be allowed to wear it throughout the day.
On Tuesday, May 4 (3pm) Mrs Anna Hart will be conducting a parent information session about the Read Write Inc Phonics program that is implemented in Years Prep, 1 and 2. This session will give you some insights into how this program helps with your child’s reading, writing and spelling skills, and also gives some tips and hints to support your child at home.
All parents and carers of Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 students, as well as others who would like to know how to support literacy development are welcome.
Come along, have a listen, and join us for a cuppa!
Congratulations to the following students who were presented with Aiming High awards at the final assembly last term:
Kinder - Audrey & Levi
Prep - Isla & Huxley
Grade 1 - Max & Milla
Grade 2 - Taite & Quinn
Grade 3 - Ellie & Max
Grade 4 - Peppa & Tayla
Grade 5 - Macey & Robert
Grade 6 - Jordan, Taite & Telina
Next meeting is Thursday, 29th April at 3pm in the Library. All new and current members are welcome.
Congratulations to all of our winners from our Easter Raffle. Thank you to everyone who donated and made this raffle such a success.
- Joanne Cartledge
- Isaac Bishop
- Jason Jolly
- Tony Moore
- Rhonda Odgers
- Gina Crosswell
- Isla Burke
- Anna Hart
- Evie Franks
- Amanda Poke
- Gary Crosswell
- Aleira Nicholls
- Brodie Spinks
- Jake Moore
- Nikki Hunter
- Colleen White
- Liam Bell
- Heidi Braid
Congratulations to Kaley who took home the cake raffle last term.
St Peter Chanel will be hosting a soccer roster in Term 2 for students in Grades 3-6 commencing Wednesday, 12 May for six weeks. A fee of $10 will need to be paid before the end of the roster. This can be done at the office or via the Qkr! app. Students who would like to play signed forms need to be returned to the office by Wednesday, 31st March.
Consent to play will be required via the Compass app prior to commencement of the roster.
From May 1st 2021 Tasmanians and visitors will be required to use the Check in TAS app when they visit a range of business, organisations and events. This app enables you to check-in and have your data stored securely with the Tasmanian Department of Health in the event contact tracing is needed due to a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the community.
We advise parents/guardians to update their Compass App according to details below.
On Wednesday, 28th April, we celebrated the Feast Day of St. Peter Chanel. Our celebrations included class reflection on who St. Peter Chanel was and how he lived out The Good News. We celebrated with a communal feast with produce from our school garden. We thank David and Debbie Plaza for preparing the wonderful food, and our Grade 5 & 6 students for their service and assistance with everyone.
Please read the short brief on the man and mission of St. Peter Chanel:
The patron saint of Oceania is Saint Peter Chanel, a French Marist missionary priest, who was martyred by being clubbed to death on the tiny island of Futuna in the South Pacific in 1841.
Born in 1803 into a farming family, when St Peter Chanel was a young adolescent he developed an interest in missionary work through reading letters sent to his parish from missionaries working in the Americas. Ordained a diocesan priest in 1827, he was known for his quiet demeanour, simplicity and love for the Blessed Virgin Mary, taking as his personal motto: “To love Mary and bring others to love her.”
His first posting as a parish priest was to a small rural town of Crozet near the French-Swiss border, where he was credited for renewing parish life through his piety and zealous work ministering to the town’s sick. In 1831, after being sent to teach in a seminary, St Peter Chanel joined the Society of Mary (Marist Fathers), a newly former religious community dedicated to foreign missionary work. In 1836, St Peter Chanel’s dream of becoming a missionary finally came to fruition when he was appointed as superior of a small group of Marists tasking with spreading the message of Christ’s love to the inhabitants of the islands of the Pacific. Assigned with a lay brother to Futuna Island – a small island northeast of Fiji – initial successes at evangelising the island’s natives were slow.
Facing many hardships, St Peter Chanel persevered and his gentle manner soon gained him a reputation as ‘the man with the good heart’. As conversions to the Catholic faith on the island gradually grew, the king of Futuna grew jealous of St Peter Chanel, believing that the spread of Christianity undermined his authority. When the king learnt that his son had asked to be baptised, he requested that his favourite warrior named Musumusu deal with St Peter Chanel. On the morning of April 28, 1841, Musumusu ransacked St Peter Chanel’s home and killed him by repeatedly hitting him on the head with an axe. The mission on Futuna continued and within a few years of Saint Peter’s death, close to the whole island had converted to the Catholic faith including Musumusu himself. Today, Futuna remains strongly Catholic.
Canonised by Pope Pius XII in 1954, St Peter Chanel was the first martyr from the Marist Fathers and is currently the only saint from Polynesia. His relics today lie in Futuna in a basilica bearing his name.
Pax Tecum,
Mrs Andrea Jaffray Morf
Deputy PrincipalExcursion notices will no longer be sent home. All excursions will now be placed on Compass under Events. Notifications will be sent out to all parents. All the information parents require will still be available. These will show where the students will be going, how they are travelling, what uniform is required and if consent is required.
Information for upcoming and past events can be found on Compass when selecting the three lines at the top left, clicking on events and selecting the event you wish to look at.
If parents have any questions about Compass please contact the office.
On Thursday, 6th May the Grades 5 and Grade 6's will be doing a Mother's Day Stall. They will be providing home cooked items and craft items for students to purchase. Funds raised from this stall will go towards their Hobart Trip later in the year. Items will start at 0.50c and each student will have the chance to purchase some items.
From the Premier:
‘Reading is just like sport - the more you practise the better you get. I encourage students to take up the challenge of reading at least 10 books in 10 weeks. Reading and literacy skills are the basic building blocks of life, no matter what you aspire to do or be.’
Your challenge is to:
- Read 10 books in 10 weeks (From 26th April-2nd July)
- Keep a record of the books you've read in your reading log (available from school in Term 2)
- Give your finished reading log to your teacher by Friday 2nd July, 2021
- If you finish your 10 books before the Challenge ends – see how many more you can read in the 10 weeks! You can get another page for your reading log, or ask your teacher for one.
More information about the challenge can be found on the official website at:
https://premiersreadingchallenge.tas.gov.au/
Here you will find key dates, challenge guidelines, downloads and frequently asked questions. All children who complete the Challenge will receive a certificate of achievement.
Thank you for your support and participating in this year's Premiers’ Reading Challenge, and good luck!
National Walk to School day will be held on Friday, 14th May. Any students who would like to participate can meet with staff members at the Smithton Vets at 8:10am. Staff and students will walk from the Smithton Vets to St Peter Chanel via Emmerton Park.
We extend an invitation to Mothers, Grandmothers, Aunties or significant females in our student’s lives to attend our Mother’s Day Prayer Service on Thursday, 6 May at 10:30am in the Josephite Centre followed by a Devonshire Morning Tea catered by Debbie Plaza. We have created an event on Facebook and ask can families please RSVP on Facebook for catering purposes. This isn’t necessary if you only attend the Prayer Service.
Just a reminder to families, please do not park on the grass at the top of the oval. Parents can park on the grass area as you first drive into the school or between the church and the convent, opposite where staff park. Students are asked to cross the road using the crossing. This is for the safety of everyone. If you need to walk up the driveway, make sure you do not cross until cars have left.
Help Kids Make Friends and Interact Safely Online
Whether children are chatting within games or texting family members, kids need the skills to interact respectfully. These skills will help kids and the people they're communicating with have positive experiences online.
Check out these 4 tips
Give them the right words.
Children learn about appropriate verbal and physical communication from watching you, but online conversations can be invisible. Occasionally, narrate as you're writing texts or social media comments when your children are within earshot.
Play a game of telephone.
Discuss how a message can change depending on the person delivering it or the delivery method. Read a question like "What are you doing?" with different tones of voice. Talk about how emoji and punctuation can help communicate tone and emotion in text messages.
Help kids navigate online friendships.
In the beginning, you might limit all communication with strangers online. As kids get older, you can monitor any online chatting and once they're more independent, you can discuss which methods of communication are appropriate as well as which types of information to keep private from online-only friends.
Develop their instincts.
Help children trust their guts so they can exit “iffy”, or inappropriate online conversations. Discuss different scenarios and ask how they would feel and what they would do
Autism and Transitions: Planning for success explores strategies, resources and services to assist parents, family members and carers to manage and celebrate their child’s key life transitions. These transitions may involve starting school, high school, further education, employment, or independent living.
Hobart |
Launceston |
Burnie |
Tuesday 4 May 2021 10am–1pm |
Wednesday 5 May 2021 10am–1pm |
Wednesday 5 May 2021 10am–1pm |
Registration is essential. More information and registration links are on the attached flyer.