Whitford Catholic Primary School
Newsletter 22 - 26 July 2017
Message from the Principal
Over the weekend, many of our Year 4 children attended Mass with their family as part of their faith commitment in preparation for their First Holy Communion. At the 9.30am Mass that I attended, it was lovely to see a group of children from our school.
As usual, Fr Joseph’s homily was centered on the children. Integral to his homily was also the commitment of families to parish life, whether that is parish involvement and ministry support, child involvement in altar service or youth groups, mass attendance or financial support through the planned giving program.
Fr Joseph mentioned that he is often asked to write references for families, and I suspect this must be very difficult for him if he doesn’t know the family and can’t refer to any involvement. I believe we are blessed to be part of this parish, and as families with children, can add a fabulous dimension to the life of the church. Good luck.
First Holy Communion
Over the next few weeks, we ask that you pray for the Year Four students as they prepare to make their First Holy Communion. It is a big deal for the children and for all of us. No matter how many times we have received communion, it is special each and every time!
Congratulations Joshua!
Congratulations to our very own reigning Big Bethanie Bake Off champion, Joshua Wenz! You can see the picture from the article in Tuesday's West Australian newspaper below.
Removal of Playground Equipment around the School Oval
In preparation for the anticipated car park and road works to commence later this year, we will need to remove all the play equipment around the south and east sides of the school oval area. If there are any parents with earth moving equipment who might be able to help out, we would love to hear from you. Thank you in anticipation.
Catholic Performing Arts and One Big Voice School Choir
The Catholic Performing Arts Festival is in full swing and we wish all students involved in either class or solo performances well over the coming weeks. Best wishes also to the students involved in the upcoming One Big Voice School Choir performance. Thank you to Mrs Fragomeni and Mrs Pitman for preparing the students for these events.
Cybersafety Workshop
Thank you to the Year 5 parents who attended last nights Cybersafety Workshop. This workshop forms part of the school's commitment to helping students develop appropriate behaviours when using digital technologies, both at school and home.
Next week I will be attending the Catholic Primary Principal’s Conference and will be away for much of the week. I wish both Mr Andrew De Maio and Mrs Cath Hughes well as they lead the school during my absence.
Many blessings for a wonderful week.
Tamara McGougan
Principal
Important Dates
WEDNESDAY 26 JULY
- 7.30PM - P&F Meeting
THURSDAY 27 JULY
- 01:30pm - 02:30pm Just Jump - 4B
- 07:30pm - 08:30pm Communion Sacrament Parent Info Meeting
FRIDAY 28 JULY
- Year 4 Kiara College Farm Excursion
- 02:15pm - 03:00pm Assembly - Presented by 5B
MONDAY 31 JULY
- 05:00pm & 6:30pm Parent / Child Communion Workshop
TUESDAY 1 AUGUST
- 05:00pm & 6:30pm Parent / Child Communion Workshop
WEDNESDAY 2 AUGUST
- African Beat Incursion (Pre-Primary - Year 6)
- 10:50am - 11:50am PAF - Christian Dance (Yr 6 Girls Group) Rehearsal
- 05:00pm & 6:30pm Parent / Child Communion Workshop
THURSDAY 3 AUGUST
- Year 2 Cockman House Excursion (2 Gold & 2 Blue)
- 01:30pm - 02:30pm Just Jump - 4B
FRIDAY 4 AUGUST
- Basketball Carnival (Year 6)
- Year 2 Cockman House Excursion (2 White)
- Year 4 Holy Communion Retreat Day
- 10:15am - 11:30am PAF - Christian Dance (Yr 6 Girls Group) Performance
- 02:15pm - 03:00pm Assembly (Merit Awards)
SATURDAY 5 AUGUST/SUNDAY 6 AUGUST
- First Reconciliation Commitment Weekend
MONDAY 7 AUGUST
- Bishops' Literacy Assessment (Year 5)
TUESDAY 8 AUGUST
- 07:00pm - 09:00pm WCPS Safe 4 Kids Protective Education Workshop
WEDNESDAY 9 AUGUST
- 09:00am - 10:00am Year 4 to attend Mass
- 10:00am - 11:00am PAF - Liturgical Singing (1B & 1G)
- 11:30am - 12:30pm PAF - Liturgical Singing (1W)
P and F Meeting
Don't forget that all parents and friends of the school are invited to attend tonight's P&F Meeting at 7.30pm in the Staffroom.
This is a great opportunity to find out what is happening around the school, to share your ideas and to make some wonderful friends!
To view tonight's agenda, please go to http://www.whitfordcatholicps.wa.edu.au/images/PF_Meeting_Agenda_26th_July_2017.pdf
Communion Sacrament Parent Information Meeting
A reminder that tomorrow, Thursday 27 July, is an information session on the Sacrament of Eucharist commencing at 7:30pm in the Parish Hall with light refreshments from 7:00pm.
The aim of this session is to help you understand the Sacrament fully and to assist you in preparing your child to receive the Sacrament. This information session is for parents only.
Please note the important dates below for the Sacrament of Communion:-
Parent/Child Communion Workshops:-
Monday 31 July, Tuesday 1 August or Wednesday 2 August 5:00pm and 6:30pm
First Communion Ceremony Weekend:-
Saturday 19 August and Sunday 20 August
Please check your allotted dates and times.
Fee Reminder
Several families have not yet made arrangements to pay their school fees. If you have not yet started making payments, please contact Jane Hansen in the Finance Office ASAP.
Health Care Card
Families who hold a current Health Care Card must present their card and complete the form by Friday 4th August. If you have not presented your card by this date, you will not receive the fee discount.
Please note that the Health Care Card form must be filled in every year in order to qualify for discounted fees.
Kindy 2019
Interviews for Kindy 2019 will take place next month.
If your child was born between July 2014 and June 2015, please make sure an application has been lodged by Friday 4th August.
If you are unsure if you have submitted an application, or have any queries regarding enrolment, please contact the office.
Book Club
Woolworths Earn & Learn
Safe4Kids Workshop - 8th August
Protective Behaviours is part of our Health program in each year level from Pre-Primary.
Protective Behaviours, or PBs as it is also known, is a preventative life-skills program that teaches safety and empowerment. It is a simple problem solving program which enables people of all ages to develop strategies to use in unsafe situations.
The PBs program teaches children that they have the right to feel safe at all times and helps them to develop strategies to recognise unsafe situations and to gain appropriate help. The program teaches children that, “We can talk with someone about anything”.
We are very fortunate to have Holly-ann Martin present to us at WCPS on the topic of Protective Education on Tuesday 8th August 7-9pm in the Library.
Holly-ann Martin is the founder and Managing Director of Safe4Kids. Her experience spans twenty-five years with the Western Australian Department of Education and Training (DET), in a variety of school settings. Holly-ann’s unique approach to child protection education is underpinned by a whole community focus. This focus is centred around providing safer communities for children through engaging school staff, parents and carers, local police, health workers, Department of Child Protection staff and early years childcare and education workers. Holly-ann’s emphasis centres on developing a language and culture of safety for children and adults alike, improving communication and highlighting and broadening the networks available to children when they are feeling unsafe. The sustained delivery of these programmes is the key to creating a positive influence on both individual and community behaviour.
Please avail of this wonderful opportunity to learn and upskill on this very important topic.
Bookings are essential to attend. Please click on the link https://www.trybooking.com/RCSH and follow the prompts.
Elaine Mahon
Social Worker
Available Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays
Maths Club
MATHS CLUB NEEDS YOU & YOU NEED MATHS CLUB!
Mr De Maio has organised a Maths Club for students from Years 3-6 who would like to come and play some maths games in the morning before class. Maths club will be running every Thursday from 8:10am-8:30am in the LIGHTS room. Hope to see you then.
Junior Journalists Wanted
You could write for ED! Magazine and Win with the West Australian (Years 3-6)
Enter the West Australian Junior Journo competition for your chance to win great prizes. Winning students receive a $100 cash prize and might also have their winning entry published in a special edition of The West Australian’s ED! Magazine on Tuesday, October 24.
Provide pictures you want to include. Entries must be the student’s own original work and no joint entries will be accepted. Images included with your entry must be scanned as an image file, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .gif (PDFs cannot be accepted) and uploaded via this website. No alternate methods of entry will be accepted. Visit http://photocomp.thewest.com.au/junior-journo-2017 for further details. Competition closes Friday September 8th so get writing!
Confirmation Photos
Confirmation photos are now online. They can be found http://photowest.fotomerchant.com/categories/events/wcps-confirmation-2017 and the password is WCPStw1648. Please refer any queries to admin@photowest.com.au.
Canteen News
Online ordering and canteen menus click here
- 7th August will be our Sushi Day. Orders to be in by Thursday 3rd August, 12noon. Choice of Tuna, Chicken or Vegetarian $5.50. All other menu items are available as usual.
- We are trialling Up&Go 250ml, Vanilla or Caramel flavours for $1.50. The supply of Up&Go will be limited at this time so please include a 2nd option just in case. Apple Cola Juice Bombs will be discontinued.
Thursday 27th July
Recess: Lamington Finger 70c
Gluten Free Chicken Nugget $1.10
Hot Milo 90c
Lunch Special Banana or Strawberry Milk Slushy $1.00
Roster: Caroline Mikeska, Kellie Hayes, Amy Winston
Monday 31st July
Recess: Chicken Wedges $1.30
Muffin $1.60
Roster: Kate Baker, Wendy Scanlan, Melissa Zuchetti
Thursday 3rd August
Recess: Spring Roll 60c
Party Pie $1.50
Pikelet 70c
Roster: Stacey Creyk, Nadine Cooperwhite, Katherine Lin
Monday 7th August – Sushi $5.50 Normal Menu available as usual
5pcs, Choice of Tuna, Chicken or Vegetarian MUST be preordered by Thursday 3rd August, noon.
Recess: Chicken Pops $1.10
Lamington Finger 70c
Roster: Majella Conceicao, Lauren Kober, Kristy Ferguson
Thursday 10th August
Recess: Chipolot on a stick $1.10
Choc Mini Cup Cake 70c
Roster: Lorraine Hughes-Smith, Veronica Lazar Robert, Mary McGrath-Yek
Monday 14th August
Recess: G.F. Chicken Nugget $1.10
ANZAC Biscuit 50c
Roster: Caroline Rose’Meyer, Sarah Belliveau, Ann-Marie Ferrante
Class News
Pre Kindy
We've started our nursery rhyme theme and this week we've focussed on Incy Wincy Spider. We made spiders with playdough and drew our own Incy Wincy with a circle body and eight legs.
Kindy
We have a "Parent Table" in our kindy rooms now! Make sure you come and have a look and help yourself to the leaflets!
Pre Primary
The Pre-Primary children celebrated being 100 days smarter today! We dressed as we think we will look at 100 years old, made scones, played bingo, counted by 10s to 100, brought in 100 objects, coloured in 100 circles and discussed how wonderful our grandparents are. What a fantastic day. Thank you parents for all of the effort you put into making today wonderful with these gorgeous costumes.
Year 1
What's the time Mr Wolf? We have been learning all about time in Year One. We know how to tell time to the hour and will be working on telling time to the half hour this week. Here is a picture of us playing a clock game on the iPads - we just love it!
Year 2
We had such great fun in Religion this week! We have been talking about the gifts that God has given us, such as our soul.
2G were learning a pretty old fashioned prayer called, “I Wonder" so we gave ourselves some RAD Rap names and used our street smarts, our radical rhythms, our back-beats and sparky delivery to jazz up this poem. It was a blast!
Year 3
We are so excited to be learning and writing reports about our favourite zoo animal. We have been looking at their description, habitat, diet, threats and any other fun facts we can google!
We have started the term with some beautiful zebra art work!
Year 4
In Year 4, we have been busy preparing for our First Holy Communion. We have enjoyed learning about the significance of the the responses at Mass and the signs and symbols used in the Eucharist. We are currently creating our art for the special day and are looking forward to revealing it to the parish, our families and friends.
Year 5
We have been having a lot of fun this week revising our math skills and concepts, by engaging in lots of hands-on group activities and games by Dr Paul Swan. Math in Year 5 is so much fun!
Year 6
We have started studying our new novels, "Bridge to Terabithia" (6 Blue) and "Shiloh or Hoot" (6 Gold). At the end of term, we will compare the books to the movies!
Faith News
Kids of Mercy: Thank you Mrs Clarke for taking the students to Mercyville last Friday. I’m sure the ladies were thrilled to have us back after the holidays.
I was privileged to have spent a week with Mr Lynch in Vietnam teaching the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions (founders of Sacred Heart College) to speak English in preparation for their final vows. My task was to prepare three lovely Vietnamese speaking sisters to speak English for their trip to a conference in France. Now I am TRYlingual!
Sister Madalena was thrilled to receive our gift of 10kg of colouring pencils for the children that they teach in their early childhood schools. We are so lucky here in Australia to have the resources we need. We shouldn’t take even a pencil for granted. She presented us with a beautiful picture of “The Visitation” which you can see on display in the library.
This week, Week 2 Friday 28st July, the children attending will be: AOIFE GIBSON 1B, MAYA QUARTERMAINE 1B, JORDYN ANDERSON 1G, CARA STRITCH 2B, KARINA SLADE 2B, ANNA WINTLE 2W, SABRENA SHUM 2W, LUCA TRAYNOR 3B, NATE ANDERSON 3B, JACE VON BERGHEIM 3G, KIRBY HURD 3G, AVA SHAW 4G and ASHLEY TANG 4W.
Annette Lynch
Kids of Mercy Coordinator
Library News
Book Week: Escape to Everywhere: Book Week will be held in Week 6 of Term 3 this year and the theme sets us up for some great adventures. Books allow us to leave the moment we are in, the humdrum of everyday life and truly escape. Escape to where? Escape to everywhere! I can ride with Harry, soaring on a hippogryph. I can boldly bluster along with the family on a bear hunt or I can stand bravely with the mouse in front of the Gruffalo. The dress-up parade may not be until Friday 25th August but you can all start thinking of those places you would like to escape to and the people you would love to be with. The short-list for 2017 can be viewed at https://cbca.org.au/short-list-2017
Annette Lynch
Teacher/Librarian
Music News
Dance News
Catholic Performing Arts Festival
Information letters were sent to parents last term via SEQTA. Please take the time to read them and familiarise yourself with the information regarding the Catholic Performing Arts Festival for Liturgical Dance and Boys Dance.
Liturgical Dance (Year 6 Girls)
Rehearsal: Wednesday 2 August 10:50am- 11:00am- Mercy College Koondoola
Performance: Friday 4 August 10:15am-11:30am- Mercy College Koondoola (Cost- donation at entry)
Costume: New white dresses and flower in hair (all provided)
Boys Dance (Years 4-6 Boys)
Rehearsal: Wednesday 16 August 11:15am-11:30am- PCEC
Performance: Wednesday 16 August 7:00pm-9:30pm- PCEC (Cost- $22 Adults, $18 Students- bookings through Ticketek from Monday 17 July; phone 132 849 or online www.ticketek.com.au)
Costume: Boys Dance 2017 t-shirt, black pants, black shoes and black hat
If you have any questions regarding the Festival please don’t hesitate to contact me on dhana.pitman@cewa.edu.au (please note I work on a Monday and Tuesday in Term 3).
Dhana Pitman
Dance/Drama Specialist
P and F
Cadbury Chocolate Fundraiser
All unsold boxes and monies from the Chocolate Fundraiser should have been returned to the front office last Friday. Could all outstanding monies or boxes please be returned ASAP. You are also more than welcome to do a direct bank transfer to our account. Details are:-
NAB BSB 086-495 A/C 508300231. Please include child's Name and Class.
Entertainment Books
Thank you to everyone who participated in our P & F fundraising through the purchase of an Entertainment Book. Although, we have run out of stock, orders can still be made, however, you may need to wait a few days to receive your book. Purchases made through the following link will continue to provide fundraising proceeds to our school.
40th Anniversary for WCPS
2018 will see the 40th Anniversary for Whitford Catholic Primary School. We are looking for enthusiastic people to join a committee who would like to assist with co-ordinating the celebrations for this special occasion. If you think you can assist please email mailadmin@whitfordcatholicps.wa.edu.au.
Term 3 Hot-Shots Tennis Lessons at School
OUR SPONSORS
Pram/Carseat Detailing
Community News
Former Students or Staff of St Joachim’s, Xavier College, Our Lady Help of Christians, Our Lady of Mercy or Ursula Frayne Catholic College
Are you a former student or staff of St Joachim’s, Xavier College, Our Lady Help of Christians, Our Lady of Mercy or Ursula Frayne Catholic College? We are looking for you to join the newly formed Alumni. Let us help you reconnect with your old school and friends. Go to our website www.ursulafrayne.wa.edu.au and complete the registration form (under Community) or contact Mary McGonigle on 9470 0925 or alumni@ufcc.wa.edu.au to have a form sent to you. In 2019, we celebrate 120 years since our foundation school was opened and we would like to have as many former students and staff join us in celebration.