Dear Parents, Guardians & Carers,
NAIDOC Week: Last week was NAIDOC Week. Throughout the week, the focus was on the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Classes were involved in art/craft activities and listening to Dreamtime stories. The senior classes read and watched news articles about historical and cultural events.
Remembrance Day: The Grade 6's lead our Remembrance Day liturgy last Wednesday with respect and reverence, providing an opportunity for us, as a school, to reflect. Congratulations to Charli Kruizinga for being awarded the RSL ‘Junior Citizen Award’
Book Week: The theme this year was ‘Curious Creatures, Wild Minds’. Thank you for putting in the efforts to help your children with their costumes, it is always wonderful to see the whole school getting involved. The playground and classrooms were filled with excitement and laughter.
New Foundation Children: Over the past couple of weeks, we have held our Foundation Orientation sessions. We have 34 students enrolled and due to COVID restrictions, we split them into 4 smaller groups. Next week, groups will be combined into 2 groups of 17. It has been wonderful to meet these very excited and enthusiastic children.
Early Arrivals: For the safety of your children, we remind you that children must not be dropped off before 8:30am as there are no teachers on duty. If your child/ren need to be dropped off earlier, please book them into before school care. OSHC 0428 768 674
Staggered Dismissal: I would like to thank you for your patience with the staggered dismissal process. Can I please remind you of the importance of completing the end of day form via Operoo as early as possible before 12noon each day to avoid the necessity for reminders and followup. Can I also ask that the form be completed even if your child is absent.
Appearance: We have always prided ourselves on how well our students present themselves in public, both their behaviour and appearance. We understand that during COVID restrictions, it was difficult to shop for appropriate footwear etc and many children did not have access to a barber or hairdresser. Now that restrictions are lifted, we ask for your support in re-establishing our standard of appearance by ensuring your children are wearing the correct uniform and that their hair is in keeping with school expectations. (Long hair must be tied up, only natural hair colourings and no extreme hairstyles) We thank you for your understanding and support.
Play equipment: Basic play equipment is now returning to the playground. This equipment is sanitised each day before use. For hygiene reasons, we still ask that NO toys from home be brought to school.
Class Lists 2021: Our classroom structure will remain the same as this year.
- 2 x Foundation
- 3 x Gr1/2
- 2 x Gr3/4
- 1 x Gr4/5
- 2 x Gr5/6
We are beginning the process of planning our class lists for 2021. Whilst this is a difficult and time-consuming task, we are blessed to have such a knowledgeable staff who are aware of student needs and work collaboratively to make professional judgements in relation to class planning and student placement.
When deciding our individual class structures, a number of factors are considered, which include:
- Student’s social, emotional, academic and physical development
- Student’s cognitive development
- Student relationships
- Family dynamics, eg sibling placement
- Teacher knowledge, skill and expertise
- Enrolment numbers at the various levels
If your child has a particular need or there is important information that we should be aware of when considering class placement for the 2021 school year, we ask that parents put this information in writing and submit it via email to principal@stjohnskwr.catholic.edu.au by Friday 20th November.
Good News: Sarah and Ben Manelski are expecting their 3rd child in April 2021. We wish Sarah good health over the coming months.
Regards
Chris Dortmans, Principal
