School Newsletter Term 2, Week 10, 24th June 2021

Principals Letter

Dear St Augustine's families,

I want to thank you all for your flexibility throughout this term with the many changes (and often without much notice) that have occurred as a result of these COVID times we are living in.

Reports and Learning Conferences

Reports are open on PAM and I thank all those families who were able to make an appointment to have that valuable one on one time with your child's/ren classroom teacher to discuss learning celebrations and future goals for the rest of the year. 

The partnership between school and home is vital to school engagement and your child's educational journey. If you were unable to book a time, please contact your child's teacher to arrange a suitable time.

If you are having trouble accessing PAM please ring the office.

Year 3/4 Camp

The Year 3/4 students were to attend camp in the very week that we were locked down. However, we were able to swap our future date with a Melbourne school (who couldn't travel) to last week. 

We welcomed this opportunity and the Year 3/4 team had a wonderful time at Creswick Log Cabin Camp. Lots of children pushed themselves out of their comfort zones and tried things they didn't think they could do. The excitement of finally being able to go on camp mixed with a sense of achievement created a wonderful experience for all. It was a real pleasure to take this group of STAR students away, see all the great things they achieved and witness them having such a lovely time with friends. 

STAR Morning tea

Congratulations to the St Augustine's STARS for Term 2, who enjoyed 'STAR morning tea' this morning. Thank you to these students who were observed by a staff member across the term displaying exemplary STAR behaviour.

Pizza Day & Pie Drive

A big thank you to the Parents and Friends and Louise at My Pizza Pasta for organsing and reorganising the Pizza Day on Wednesday. There was so much excitement across the school at being able to have pizza days back.

The Parents and Friends have also organised a pie drive so look out for this in your child's bag. 

House Colours Day

To finish off the term we will have a House Colours Day on Friday. Children can come dressed in their House Colour, join with the other children from the House, learn more about their respective House and engage in activities together. We are very lucky to have Fr Flanagan with us (as a past priest) who Flanagan House is named after, to come and talk to the children in person. 

At St Augustine's, knowing our story and identity is something we take a lot of pride in. The Catholic Identity School Improvement Team work hard to foster this sense of belonging and community through a range of different events. 

School Athletics Day

Next term, we are planning the School Athletics Day on the first Friday back. Children are asked to bring back permission notes as we will be leaving the school grounds and walking to Pascoe Reserve. There will be no canteen on this day. 

F-Year 2 will walk down at recess. Year 3-6 will leave by 9:00am to fit all events in.

All parents are welcome to attend and if possible volunteer to help out as we do require a lot of parent support for this event to run smoothly. 

Please contact Miss Ryan if you can help in any way. 

P4P compliment

This week the Year 5/6 students engaged in the 'Preparing for Puberty' program. I have been contacted by Bron, (the Community Health Nurse) who teaches about 15 other schools in the region to pass on her admiration for the outstanding behaviour and maturity displayed by our Year/5/6 students. 

' I would love for both the young people in these classes as well as their families know that this group of children have, over every day I have been at the school over the week demonstrated beautiful respect for each other and myself, asked really mature, well thought questions, have handled themselves fantastically even when feeling out of their comfort zones in listening to, watching and discussing personal and often embarrassing topics to do with puberty and their bodies......I feel compelled to let you know how impressed I am with both St Augustine’s, the families of these children and the children themselves.'

Congratulations to our Year 5/6 students on your exemplary behaviour and attitude, and what an honour to hear this from someone outside our school community. 

"Just as the social mission of the Church is central to the practice of Christian witness and discipleship, so the core dimensions of social teaching - justice, mercy and love are integral to Catholic Education.'

Wishing all families a lovely holiday, a break from the busyiness of school, keep warm and safe,

Many blessings,

Mrs Sonia Turner

Principal

Happy Birthday to...

Matilda F - Year 1    Jack H - Year 3    Alex W - Year 4   George K - Foundation

Alyshia R - Year 4   Samuel R  - Year 1   James R - Year 1

Ed B - Year 4    Quinn M - Year 4      Despina S - Foundation      Jack M - Year 5

Holiday Birthdays

Georgia B - Year 3        Matilda C - Foundation        Jack R - Year 3        Ray C - Year 5    

Felicity C - Year 5      Connor O - Year 5       Leila L - Year 5       Imogen D - Year 4   

William C - Foundation    Cooper J - Foundation    Conrad P - Year 1    Nikita D - Year 1   

Stella Q - Year 4    Aaylah E - Year 1

Fundraising

HOODIE DAY was held on Wednesday 23rd June. Thanks to all the generous donations we managed to raise $358.75! 


 Our Hoodie day donation will be contributed to Joe and Jane who are fundraising for Amaze.

Amaze provides support and information to autistic people, families, professionals, and the wider community.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disability that affects the way people communicate and interact with others and how they experience the world around them. Around one in 100 Australians are autistic.

Joe and Jane Hoodie Up for Amaze - Newspaper Article in the Maryborough Advertiser:

https://www.maryboroughadvertiser.com.au/joe-and-jane-hoodie-up-for-amaze-fundraiser?fbclid=IwAR013ZxV8j2pbGeNJnmj20_a1XlbLCmBuorC49Xnjinlbt4c33M-Nt-RUs0

This year marks the 30th celebration of the Energy Breakthrough Festival in Maryborough! 

The event is due to run from Wednesday 17th  - Sunday 21st November 2021.

As part of our fundraising effort for EBT, profit from sales of our new school beanie will go to our Energy Breakthough Program. 

More information to follow in Term 3.

Parents & Friends

Child Safety

St. Augustine's Primary School Maryborough demonstrates a strong commitment to the care, safety and wellbeing of all students at our school.

Each fortnight we will be sharing information around child safety and the obligations that we have as a school, staff and community.  All of our Child Safe policies and procedures are accessible on our website at samaryborough.catholic.edu.au.

Working With Children Check

At St Augustine’s Primary School we hold the care, safety and wellbeing of children and young people as a central and fundamental responsibility of our school. Our commitment is drawn from and is inherent in the teaching and mission of Jesus Christ, with love, justice and the sanctity of each human person at the heart of the gospel.

In light of these principles and the  Diocesan Commitment to Child Safe Schools, all volunteers at St Augustine’s need a Working with Children Check. All adults who assist in many ways across our school, need to obtain a Working with Children Check and present it to the school. This includes canteen helpers, sports days volunteers, Energy Breakthrough volunteers  and helpers for the Twilight Fair.

Volunteer Working with Children Check applications are free. The application can be started online and some identification needs to be presented to the Post Office for the check to be finalised. please see below link for further details.

Supervision of Students Information for Parents

ENROLMENT

We will soon be looking at enrolment numbers for 2022. If your family is not returning to St. Augustine's next year please advise us via email to admin@samaryborough.catholic.edu.au.

Likewise, 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. 

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 closed for Term 3, Week 1, Friday 16th July due the Athletics Carvival. 

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

BEANIES ARE IN AND AVAILABLE ON CDFPAY!

Please remember to label the beanies with your childs name!

Soft Shell Jackets are expected to arrive in the first weeks of Term 3.

All children must be in full winter uniform throughout Term 3 and up until changeover in Term 4. Pictures below show what is expected to be worn for Winter uniform.

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. We do exchange uniform. Bring the uniform item to the office and the uniform shop will exchange it on the day they come to fill orders.

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. 

VIRUS ALERT

There has been a number of cases within our community of Hand, Foot & Mouth. Please see the attached information sheet for further details on the virus and what to watch for.

Book Club

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, Stephen Broad, 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.

IMPORTANT

All bus travel requires parents/guardians to complete a Public Transport Victoria (PTV) Application for Permission to Travel form prior to any bus travel. This form can be emailed direct to Stephen Broad at MEC, Stephen.Broad@education.vic.edu.au. It is important that this form is completed as these details will be used in the event of an emergency.

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.