School Newsletter Term 2, Week 4, May 13th 2021

Principals Letter

Dear St Augustine's families,

I hope all of our 'Mums' and special people in our lives had a truly wonderful Mothers Day and you enjoyed the little treasures that were especially picked by your children for you from the Mothers Day stall. Buying a little gift from the St Augustine's Mothers or Fathers Day stalls is really important to the children and treasured by all recipients but these wouldn't happen if it wasn't for Bianca Anderson who spends a lot of time ordering, counting and setting up and packing up all behind the scenes.  A really big THANK YOU to Bianca and then to all those who volunteer to assist on the day.

Next week our Year 5/6 team, Chrissy, Emma, Rebecca and myself are heading to Queenscliff for camp. It is great to be able to hold our camps this year as they really provide both staff and students an opportunity to get to know each other better and for students to try new experiences with their peers.

This year we welcome Adam Balzan, Andrew Henderson and Sam Porter to the School Advisory Council. Thank you to those who nominated for this role but after a ballot these people were elected. They will join existing members: Rowena Butler, Megan O'Halloran and Grant Allen. Thank you to these parents who are giving their time to represent the parent body on this Council. As previously mentioned our school is now governed by the DOBCEL Board. Andrew, Sam and I had the privilege of sharing a meal and hearing from the Board on Monday night. The main message that came across was the DOBCEL Board's intention to remain in partnership with schools and for each school to maintain their own identity and story. 

Currently we have 48 students from Year 4 and 6 preparing for their Sacrament of Confirmation. These Sacraments will be celebrated over 2 weekends and there will be 2 preparation days. These children can come in casual clothes for these preparation days as it is a special occasion for them. We pray for these children and their families as they deepen their faith and understanding of what it means to be a Catholic.

Many blessings,

Mrs Sonia Turner

Principal

Supervision of Students Information for Parents

ENROLMENT

We are currently taking enrolment applications for 2022. If you have another child or know of someone who has a school age child for 2022, please contact the school.

An 'Application for Enrolment' form, as per link below, needs to be completed and emailed to admin@samaryborough.catholic.edu.au.

Alternatively, forms are also available in the school office.

We will be contacting families in Term 3 when we commence the enrolment interview process. 

Happy Birthday to...

               Halidh - Yr 1        Isabelle Yr 6      Rose - Yr 3     Evie  - Yr 3     Tyson - Yr 3 

               Noah - Yr 2    Alfie - Yr 2   Ella - Yr 4     Spohia - Yr 1   Tegan  - Yr 6

                                     Amelia - Yr F  Jasmine - Yr 6  Shakira - Yr 2

Curriculum & NAPLAN

Australian Curriculum Review

You may have seen in the media recently that the Australian Curriculum is currently under review. This is the documentation that states what students will learn and when they will learn it. Teachers use this documentation to plan and assess student learning.

The review of the Australian Curriculum is currently up for public consultation.  The consultation window is from 29th April to 8th July. Parents are invited to view and feedback on the revised curriculum through the Australian Curriculum website. Information about the revised curriculum and survey is available through the following link www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/consultation

NAPLAN

This week our Grade 3 and Grade 5 students have participated in NAPLAN. NAPLAN is an assessment that allows us to see how our students are progressing in literacy and numeracy against the national standards and compared with other students throughout Australia. The results from NAPLAN are usually available in August/September. 

As a school, we analyse the NAPLAN data to identify trends and determine where further professional learning and adjustment of practice is required to improve student learning outcomes. 

For further information about NAPLAN refer to https://www.nap.edu.au/

STAR Students

At St Augustine's we are a SWPBIS school (School Wide Positive Behaviour in School) and we have a STAR culture. STAR stands for:

S  - stay safe

T  - take pride

A  - act justly

R  - respond positively

Just like children are explicitly taught academics, acceptable behaviour is also explicitly taught. STAR awards are given at Assembly each fortnight, exceptional STARs are sent a postcard which qualifies them to morning tea with the Principal at the end of the term.

STAR lessons are taught around a nominated behaviour blitz. Children are taught how to be a STAR in all places they go and what the acceptable behaviour looks like. Examples of a lessons: how to stay safe in class, in the library, the toilet, at the bus stop, on the playground or when walking to the swimming pool.

School Fees and Payment Information

Canteen

Canteen will be open every Friday. All orders must be placed through CDFPay by 9.30am each Friday. No cash is accepted.  Please see link below and instructions for setup.

Helpers

We will continue to put a call out for helpers for canteen every Monday on Class Dojo. If you are able to assist, could you please contact Nicole Brittnell on 0429440696. We need a volunteer for the 10am timeslot and a volunteer for the 12.30pm timeslot each Friday. If you can help out it would be greatly appreciated.

All helpers will need to have a Volunteer or Employee Working With Children card. Volunteer cards are free. Click on the link below for applications.

Uniform Shop

Winter uniform changeover date is Week 5, Monday 17th May 2021. all children will need to be in full winter uniform from this date onwards.

Please make all uniform purchases through the CDFPay portal.

All orders will continue to be filled once a week and sent home with your child. If you have any uniform enquiries, please contact the school office.

Parish News

Please see link below for the latest Parish Bulletin.

PAM - Parent Access Module

We require families to complete and update their child/ren’s medical details and contact information through PAM as changes occur.  This information is mandatory and vital in the case of an emergency.   It is important that if you have any change to your contact numbers, including work place, mobile, home number, that these be updated through PAM.

To complete your child/rens medical profile including contact information, go to PAM, click on your child/rens name, go to 'Medical Profile' and click 'Edit Details'. Complete details then click in the box at the bottom of the page to confirm the details are correct and click ‘Update Details’.

If you have any questions or require your login details, please contact the school office.

COVID Guidlines

Student Illness & Absence

If your child is unwell please keep them at home.

This includes coughs, colds, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea and any other contagious illnesses.  

Coughs & Colds

Children can return to school once symptoms have eased and they are not actively coughing or blowing their nose.  

Vomitting & Diarrhea

Children can return to school 48 hours after the last episode.

We will send children home if they present with any of these symptoms whilst at school.

Notifying Absences

All absentee notifications should be recorded either through the Parent Access Module (PAM) or directly to the school office by phone or email to admin@samaryborough.catholic.edu.au prior to 9.30am on the day of the absence. Please do not send notes of absence through to classroom teachers on Class Dojo as they may be absent or unable to check messages prior to commencement of class. 

If a student is absent and we have not received any form of notification by 9.30am, a text message will be sent to parents asking them to call the office or send a reply text. 

Medications

If your child requires medication for any reason during school hours, please complete the form below and drop into the school office along with the medication. 

Book Club

Issue 4 catalogues are on their way but you can preview and order online as per below links. Book Club orders for Issue 4 will close 4th June 2021.

Community Notices

Parking & Road Safety

There are three minute parking bays in Burke Street outside the school entrance.  Your co-operation in only parking in this area for the specified time would be appreciated.  These parking bays are for quick pick up and drop off for students leaving early due to appointments and illness.

Likewise we also ask parents to respect the parking restriction on the disabled parking area. 

Thank you for your co-operation.

Please observe road rules around our school for the safety of all of our children.

* Schools have 40km zone.

* Parking behind the church & tennis courts is STAFF ONLY parking.

* Please use the children's crossing on Burns, Kars St and Burke St.

* For safety purposes, please avoid letting your children exit or enter a car whilst on the road or stopped at the     crossings.

Bus Travel

Bus travel on the country buses is available for students at St Augustine’s School and arrangements are made through the bus co-ordinator at the Maryborough Education Centre on 5461 7900.  Parents of the student/s must organise the pass through MEC at least two days prior to travel. Students cannot travel on the country buses without a pass. The town bus does not require a pass but costs 50cents a trip, payable on the day of travel.  Please advise the office if your child will be travelling on any of the buses so we can update our bus rolls.

Advanced dates for your diary

School Closure Days 

Monday 16th August - Religious Education, Staff Personal Development Day

Tuesday 17th August - Literacy, Staff Personal Development Day 1

Monday 4th October - Visible Learning, Staff Curriculum Day

Wednesday  17th November - Literacy, Staff Personal Development Day 2

Monday 31st January - Visible Learning, Staff Curriculum Day

Children do not attend school on these days.