Issue 23 - 17th December 2021

I have an incredible sense of gratitude and appreciation as I reflect on the year that we have had together at St Peter Chanel Catholic School. The celebrations and highlights have been many and varied and I am so grateful that I have been given this opportunity to lead the school community. 

We are truly thankful for the dedication and commitment of our parents, grandparents and guardians at St Peter Chanel this year. There is no doubt that our families contribute considerably to the wonderful community atmosphere and school spirit. 

I would like to express my sincere thanks to our School Board members who have given me  their support and wisdom throughout the year. Thank you to our P&F and volunteers who have given generously of their time in organising and supporting a number of events and initiatives to enhance the school experience for our students. 

I thank the fabulous St Peter Chanel staff: teachers who continually strive to provide challenging and stimulating learning opportunities for our students; teacher assistants and Donna, our Chaplain, who work tirelessly in their support of students and teachers; the administration staff who perform so many tasks behind the scenes that keep the school running smoothly; the cleaning staff, canteen staff and volunteers and David, our utility officer. Each staff member goes above and beyond in so many ways. I have been truly blessed to work with such enthusiastic, passionate and fun loving colleagues. 

Finally, I would like to say how proud I am of our students and all that they have achieved this year. It has been a privilege to watch each one grow not only academically but also in faith, love and wisdom. 

Farewell to the staff, students and families who are moving on or beginning a new venture and thank you for being a part of our community. We hope St Peter Chanel always holds a special place in your heart. 

I take this opportunity to thank our Year Six students for their many contributions to our school community. I wish them all the best for their move to Secondary School and hope that their memories of St Peter Chanel will be fond.

I wish you all a blessed Christmas season and look forward to seeing you in 2022.

                                                    ​​

Mrs Kerrie Flynn

Principal

Before we go into the awards, I’d like to say a few words of farewell to our Year 6 students. 

But before I do that I want to thank a few people on behalf of the Year 6 class.

Parents, I want to thank you for bringing your children to St Peter Chanel Catholic School and trusting the staff to do the best by them every day.  I want to thank you for raising an amazing group of young people and for working with us to get them to where they’re at today.

Staff.  The success of these Year 6s is the collective effort of all of our staff.  Everyone in the school, regardless of their position always does what is best for the students.  Thank you for always caring genuinely about our St Peter Chanel children.

Now to the Year 6s.  These past 8 years since Kinder have gone so fast.  It wasn’t that long ago when your parents hugged you on your first day of school.

Although I have only been at St Peter Chanel this year, I can say with confidence that you have been prepared well for Secondary School.  Your teachers from Kindergarten to Year 6 have dedicated themselves to giving you all of the skills you need to be successful in this next exciting stage of your educational journey.

And secondary school is exciting. Over the next 6 years you get to choose more and more of how your life is going to turn out. You choose more and more of what subjects you’ll study, what sports or activities you’ll do, what kind of friends you’ll have. You’ll choose what you’ll do after you finish school, and what kind of person you want to be.

Whilst secondary school does bring many opportunities, it won’t be all smooth sailing.  There will be ups and down, successes and challenges.  But don’t let any barriers stop you from achieving your dreams and goals.

Some of the most successful people have had to overcome barriers to achieve success.

Take Dr Seuss for example.  Dr Seuss’s real name was Theodor Seuss Geisel.

He suffered extreme stage fright. He was scared to death of appearing in public and speaking in front of crowds.

More than 20 publishers rejected his first book, but he persevered until finally a publisher could see the talent in his unusual stories.

He often suffered from writer’s block.  When he needed inspiration, he would step inside a closet filled with different hats and think of a story with characters wearing a particular hat.  That’s why most of his stories have characters wearing fancy and creative hats.

One of his most famous books, “Green Eggs and Ham” written in 1960, was thought to contain political messages and was banned until the year of his death in 1991. The book was in fact written in response to a bet that he could write a story using only 50 words.

Dr Seuss was not actually a doctor. He added doctor to his name so that he would be taken seriously.

Despite these many challenges, Dr Seuss persevered.  He pushed through the barriers and believed in himself and his ability to be successful. This is just a small part of one of his stories that speaks to us about striving to make your ambitions come to life:

Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You're off to Great Places!

You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself

any direction you choose.

You're on your own. And you know what you know.

And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go.

….

Out there things can happen

and frequently do

to people as brainy

and footsy as you.

And then things start to happen,

don't worry. Don't stew.

Just go right along.

You'll start happening too.

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting.

So...get on your way!

Embrace the challenges of Secondary School.  Be open to all that is on offer – try new things and participate in everything you can. You might discover a new interest – something you never thought of before which will bring you great joy. Take the opportunity to make new friends and broaden your horizons.

Some of you are going to Catholic secondary schools, many of you are not. Always remember that you have God on your side. You don’t have to be in a Catholic school to call on God when you need help.  You don’t have to be in a Catholic school to be grateful for all that you have.  I hope that your time at St Peter Chanel has shown you that God will be with you, wherever you are.

Thanks to each of you for your time in this school. Thank you for your leadership this year.  You are a wonderful group of young people with a bright future ahead.

Spend your last days of Primary School in reflection and gratitude to your teachers, your parents and the wonderful friends you have made. Aim high and make big plans for your future.

Each year students in Grades P - 5 receive ‘Chanel’ and ‘MacKillop’ Awards. Our Chanel award is presented to a student who demonstrates outstanding leadership, living out the Gospel values and following the mission of Jesus and the MacKillop Award is presented to a student who shows a significant level of achievement and application towards their learning.

Congratulations to the following students who received awards today at our final assembly:

Chanel Award & MacKillop Award

Prep - Reegan Poke Finn Magee

Grade 1 - Milla Swain Jake Moore 

Grade 2 - Jhett McAlister River Bryan

Grade 3 - Charlotte Armstrong Liam Bell

Grade 4 - Peppa Bishop Hali Robinson

Grade 5 - Heidi Braid Charli Moodie

In addition to these the following were also given out today:

St Peter Chanel Merit Award - In recognition of initiative and formation of leadership within our School Community - Olivia Lockett

Mrs Flynn’s Principal Award - For persistence and determination - 

Caitlin Grey

St Peter Chanel Catholic Identity Award - For being witness to Catholic identity and the spiritual life of the school - Liam Bell 

Congratulations also to our Grade 6 students who received the following awards at Mass yesterday:

Mary MacKillop Academic Award - for outstanding academic achievement - Sienna von Stieglitz

Father Gibson Award - For modelling and living out Gospel values, responsible citizenship and care for others - Taite Horton 

Father Joseph Medwin Sportsmanship Medal - For showing leadership, sportsmanship, teamwork, a love of sport and a high work ethic in all facets of school life - Libby Buckby

Citizen & Peer Support Award - outstanding leadership qualities and outstanding personal contribution during his schooling - Jack Britton

Bentley Performing Arts Award - For constantly excelling in performance opportunities and displaying a high level of creative and artistic talent. - Alex Laing 

Soroptimist International Encouragement Award - For recognition of fellowship, compassion, and understanding towards her fellow school students.- Luca Smith 

Merit Award - Donated by Shane Broad’s office - For Recognition in sports - Jordan Grey

Merit Award - Donated by Anne Urquart - In recognition of work ethic and academic achievement - Ruby House 

Merit Award - Donated by Gavin Pearce - Recognition of leadership, citizenship and contribution to the school community - John Barker 

Merit Award - Braddon Liberal Team - In recognition of work ethic and academic achievement - Sarah Spencer 

Merit Award - Donated by Anita Dow MP - Recognition of contribution to the school community - Piper Stanley 

Congratulations again to all our award recipients.

Congratulation to the following students who received Aiming High Award at last weeks assembly:

Kinder - Cienna & Brock

Prep - Isla & Wesley

Grade 1 - Koa & Olivia 

Grade 2 - Hamish & Myla

Grade 3 - Charlotte & Liam

Grade 4 - Peppa & Asta 

Grade 5 - Saxon & Luke

Grade 6 - Mia & Jack

Congratulations to the following students who have been selected as our school & house captains for 2022:

School Captains - Lewis Sheehan, Logan Poke, Charli Moodie & Heidi Braid

Marian - Logan Poke & Lewis Sheehan

Hanlon - Issac Bishop & Samuel Radford-Bryan

Gibson - Grayson Ollington & Jewel Wynwood

These students were presented with their badges today at our final assembly.

Pax Texum 

Mrs Andrea Jaffray-Morf

Deputy Principal

Thank you to everyone who donated paper, decorations, tinsel and their time for this year’s Christmas float! It looked fantastic and the students all had a great time. Special thanks to Ms Kylie Monson & Mrs Emma Berechree, for the additional time you put in, in preparation for the parade. 

Both Under 8’s and Under 12’s have had a fantastic year. Every week learning and growing new skills and confidence. 

Congratulations to the following students on receiving awards this year:

John Barker - Junior Sportsmanship Award 

Olivia Lockett - Encouragement Award

Logan Poke - Most Valuable Player

Eliza Cornish - Coaches Award

We are pleased to announce we have appointed a new HPE Teacher for 2022. Congratulations to Melissa Dodd.  She will ease into school life commencing Term 1 doing PE on Wednesdays only. From Term 2 she will do Health and PE.

Health lessons will be taken by Mrs Allison Wilson for Term 1.

Congratulations to the winners from our Christmas raffle last Tuesday night!

For our final cake raffle of the year we had 7 prizes. Congratulations to the winners and a huge thank you to all the families that were able to assist us in the cake raffle this year which has been a great success. 

Following on from the success of this years Christmas raffle the SPC Parents and Friends would like to thank the following for their generous donations:

Mrs Jaffray Morf

Mayura Farm Black River

Jenski Restaurant & Cafe

Ollington Automotive

Bishop Construction

C & M Armstrong Building

Britton Timbers

Mrs Karen Stone

And of course those within the school community who kindly donated items and sold raffle tickets. Thank you. Your ongoing support is appreciated.

A special thanks to Carlton Heres from One Agency for taking the time out of his busy schedule to be our guest auctioneer. Thank you, Carlton.

Lastly from our families to yours we would like to wish you all a very safe and happy Christmas. We look forward to your continued support in 2022.

- SPC Parents and Friends Association -

This will run in Term 1 to coordinate with our swimming carnival and the NW Swimming Carnival.  Cost to families will be $60 per child.

Dates will be:

Wednesday, 9th February

Wednesday, 16th February

Wednesday, 23rd February

Wednesday, 2nd March

Wednesday, 23rd March

Wednesday, 30th March

Wednesday, 6th April

Thursday, 10th March SPC Swimming Carnival

Thursday, 17th March NW Swimming Carnival

Sessions for Prep to Grade 6 will be for 40 minutes over seven days with three swim teachers, Lisa Fraser, Melinda Dwyer and Allison Mullins.  Kinder will have a 30 minute session.

School Photos are booked for Wednesday, 9th March. There will be no PE this day.

A reminder for families that Book collection and Uniform Sales are being held on Thursday, 20th and Friday, 28th January, 2022. 

Term dates for 2022 are as follows:

Term 1 - Thursday, 3rd February - Thursday, 14th April

Term 2 - Monday, 2nd May - Friday, 8th July

Term 3 - Monday, 25th July - Thursday, 29th September

Term 4 - Monday, 17th October - Thursday, 15th December

Wells Waggons bus services will commence on Thursday, 3 February. Buses will run as normal. 

If you have moved or are unsure of what bus or time, please call Wells Waggons on 6452 2900

Grade 5 have been working on some poems inspired by A Plastic Ocean, a film by 2022 Tasmania of the Year Craig Leeson, formerly of Burnie. They would like to share them with you.

Last week the government announced the Check in TAS card. 

The Check in TAS card is a printed wallet card designed to assist people who do not own a smartphone or who are unable to download or use the Check in TAS app.

This free card contains a unique QR code with your details to allow a business to scan with their device and check you in. This provides a quick and private option where there are staff available to assist with check in.

This option is for those who do not have a smartphone or are unable to use the Check in TAS app.

https://covid19.health.tas.gov.au/check-in-tas-business-registration/PatronCard

Applying for a Check in TAS card can be done on behalf of an individual if they are unable to do so.

If you are unable to apply for a Check in TAS card online, contact the Public Health Hotline on 1800 671 738 for assistance.

The Department of Health have advised that bookings are now open for children aged 5 to 11 to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Special vaccine clinics will run exclusively for children aged 5 to 11 across Tasmania from 10 January 2022. Clinics will be held at community locations across the state to give every primary school aged child the opportunity to get at least one dose of the COVID 19 vaccine before they return to school in February. Vaccinations are not mandatory to attend school, but parents and carers are encouraged to get their children vaccinated to protect their children, their families, and our school community. Last week a smaller paediatric dose of the Pfizer vaccine was approved as safe and effective for children aged 5 to 11 by Australia’s top medical experts. Children will get two doses, eight weeks apart – but they will only be available in special children’s clinics and GPs. Bookings are essential for children’s clinics and children should be accompanied by a parent or guardian. To find out more, visit the Tasmanian Government’s coronavirus website.

Date: Wednesday, 12 January, 2022

Times: 9am-5pm

Location: Smithton High School

Address: Mill Road, Smithton

Bookings can be made now by going online: www.coronavirus.tas.gov.au/booking or by calling the Public Health Hotline on 1800 671 738

Please note it is essential to book for these clinics as special conditions apply to vaccinating the 5-11 year old age group and these clinics are exclusively for them.

Many thanks for your time and for helping to make as many parents and others aware that this clinic is available.

I’ve also attached some background material and social media tile that’s been supplied to the Education Department which you may already have been issued, for your information and reference.