Mary Immaculate Primary Newsletter

Dear Parents/Carers,

I hope everyone fared well during the very wet weekend!

Our welcoming barbecue for new families was a tremendous success. The hall was full and the food and atmosphere was warm and wonderful. We had a great time thanks to the generous efforts of our P&F and all those who attended on such a wet evening.

Tonight we begin our Parent Information Evenings. These are great opportunities to meet your child’s teachers and to be in tune with the year’s learning ahead. Child minding is available on site so everyone can join us. The teachers are looking forward to greeting you all.

On Friday at assembly and then in the evening at our barbecue we were joined by the fabulous MGL sisters who fortunately live right next to our school. We will be seeing a lot more of them this year and that’s really exciting!

Emails Outside School Hours

Mary Immaculate Primary School recognises that email is a fast and convenient way to communicate with your child’s teacher.

We wish to remind you that teachers read their emails at various times throughout the school day. Further, teachers are generally not expected to respond to emails from parents and students outside of normal working hours. In the case of a genuine emergency please contact the school office during business hours on mimmac@parra.catholic.edu.au or phone 02 9933 7800. 

If you wish to contact your child’s teacher, please continue to direct your emails to mimmac@parra.catholic.edu.au which will then be triaged, as per usual practice.

We appreciate your assistance and understanding.

If you have any questions about the above please feel free to contact me.

With appreciation for your ongoing support,

Stephen Dowd,

Principal

School attendance plays an important role in enhancing the lives of students in schools. Every day of attendance adds to a student’s achievement and success at school. Schools in partnerships with families are responsible for promoting the regular attendance of students.

Regular attendance at school is critical to ensuring that every student has the kind of opportunities in life that he or she deserves. Without the knowledge, the skills or the support that schools are so good at providing, young people can get left behind and find themselves underprepared for a fast-paced and often very challenging world. 

Partial absences also play a part in a child missing significant learning. We have many students that are habitually late each day. This often means that they have missed the discussion and introduction to the rest of the day and can also mean that they are not there for the initial instructions to the first lesson. This can be distressing to some children and can often put them off for the rest of the day, alternatively to those leaving early regularly they often miss out on the set up for the following day. If your child is late to school it is a requirement for you to walk the children into the office area and sign them in. We ask that you are diligent in ensuring your children are at school by the morning bell at 8:50 and remain at school until the final bell at 3:20.

We realise some absences are unavoidable due to health problems or other circumstances. However we also know that when students miss too much school, no matter the reason, it can cause them to fall behind academically. The more absences your child has, the harder it is for them to catch up on missed work and stay connected to their school community. Absences add up quickly.

If your child is sick or absent you are required to notify the school. All explanations for absences must be provided within 7 days of the first day of any period of absence. The Catholic Education Department Parramatta have provided the following fact sheet regarding explanation and regulations around absences. Please ensure you take the time to read the information and are aware of the requirements.

We ask that we work together in providing the best possible schooling experience for each of our children. Should you be having trouble with your child’s attendance please feel free to set up an appointment with me to discuss how we can work together to help your child.

Sharon Mizzi

Assistant Principal 

CEDP promotes daily school attendance. Going to school every day is the single most important part of your child’s education. 

If your child is sick or absent you are required to notify their school on the first day of absence if at all possible.  All explanations to the school must be provided within 7 days from the first day of any period of absence.

Absences can be explained using one of the following methods:

1. Online: log the absence directly using (Skool Bag App)
2. Email: the school at mimmac@parra.catholic.edu.au
3. Telephone: the school office ph. 9933 7800
4. Note sent with your child

Where an explanation has not been received within the 7 day timeframe or the explanation has not been accepted, the school will record the absence as unexplained or unjustified on the student’s record. The school will not be able to accept explanations which are not received within the 7 day timeframe. 

Justified reasons for student absences may include:

• being sick or having an infectious disease
• having an unavoidable medical appointment
• being required to attend a recognised religious holiday
• exceptional or urgent family circumstances e.g. attending a funeral

Why do I need to notify the school if my child is absent?

Parents of children aged 6 to 17 years are legally required to ensure their children attend school every day or provide an explanation if they are absent. Notifying the school and providing an explanation for your child’s absence will fulfil this legal responsibility.

The safety and wellbeing of students are the highest priorities for schools. Parents need to know if their child isn’t at school, and schools need to know when and why a child is absent. Notifying the school of your child’s absence helps ensure the safety and wellbeing of all children in school.

What is your responsibility?

• Ensure your child attends school every day
• Notify the school immediately if your child is absent
• Provide an explanation for any absences within 7 days
• Make sure the school has your correct contact details so that you can receive attendance information about your child
  

Over the past two weeks, every child has undertaken a Mathematical Assessment Interview (MAI). Thank you to all the families who brought their children to school on one of the Staff Development Days for this to take place. This has been a valuable opportunity for teachers to individually assess students' knowledge, understanding, thinking and reasoning in Mathematics. This information also allows us to track student progress and achievement from Kindergarten through to Year 6.

The information gathered from these assessments is used by teachers to determine:

• What does the student already know?
• What are their next steps?
• What learning experiences will best enable the student to achieve those next steps?
• What are some possible difficulties or ‘hurdles’ that may prevent student progression? 

We look forward to working with the students to set new Numeracy learning goals and identifying strategies to achieve these.

2020 school fee statements will be raised by CEDP and mailed home in the week starting 17th February 2020. When you receive the first tax invoice, flexible payment plans will be offered for families to take up via BPOINT.

PLEASE NOTE  any outstanding amount in a family’s school fee account WILL NOT receive the payment plans for 2020 fees.

Student banking is processed on a Friday. Students are reminded to hand in their bank books in the morning to their class teacher so it can be placed in the office bag. 

Tuesdays and  Fridays - 8:30am to 10:00am

Orders are to be placed on the QKR App by 4:00pm Monday and Thursday and delivery will be every Tuesday and Friday mornings during the school Term. 

For further information please contact Elle on 0421 216 414 or via email elle@ozfashions.com.au.