St Jerome's Newsletter
Week 2, Term 1 (Thursday 14 February 2019)
Dear Parents and members of our school community
St Valentine's Day
St. Valentine, was a Roman physician who was also a Christian priest during the days of the early church. This was at a time when Christians saw tremendous persecution and many practiced in secret.
There are actually a couple versions of the Valentine’s Day story. One version, has it that Valentine was so loved by the children of the town that they would constantly write him notes speaking of their affection--hence the origin of exchanging valentines.
In the other version of the story, Valentine is working to heal a blind girl and is arrested by Roman soldiers for his work as an “undercover priest”. Valentine is shortly thereafter sentenced to die. And yet before he is taken off to be executed, he takes the time to write to the little blind girl a note explaining to her Jesus' love, enclosing a small treat. According to this story, when the girl eats the treat her eyesight is miraculously restored, and she is able to see well enough to read Valentine's note--which is, of course, at the exact same moment that Valentine is executed.
Dear God,
Let this day be filled with love.
I offer my heart to the people I love,
knowing that your spirit fills their soul.
In this way - I love.
Amen
Dear Parents
Welcome Back Picnic - Friday 15 February (tomorrow)
Place: The Year 1 Play area next to the undercover area and Canteen.
Food and coffee trucks will be on the oval just behind the Library.
The weather tomorrow night is going to be absolutely perfect for a picnic on the grass, great food and a disco for the kids. Why not save yourself cooking dinner and come on down to school? We'd love to see you all.
Parent Information Night
Next Tuesday: three sessions: 5.30 – 6pm or 6.05 – 6.35pm or 6.40 – 7.10pm
Your participation in your child’s education is an essential component to their success.
The Australian Department of Education and Training states, “Parents and families play an important role in supporting their child’s education. Research has shown that when schools and families work together; children do better, stay in school longer, are more engaged with their school work, go to school more regularly, behave better, and have better social skills.”
Thank you in advance for making the time to attend one of these sessions.
I know all teachers will give you a clear outline of the curriculum your child will be learning this year. Parents often ask about Homework at St Jerome’s and I am pleased to say that our approach is very family friendly yet it addresses the essentials for success.
I direct your attention to the School Policies section on the school website (under Communication) and in particular, to School Homework Policy which was formulated after much staff discussion in August last year.
Following on from our “reading only” homework trial in 2017, we have modified our 2018/19 approach in light of teacher and parent discussion.
The most important ‘out of school’ activity for any child is to enjoy his/her family life, exploring the world and building strong relationships. Homework should not be the cause of tension and disruption in a family.
This policy is based upon current educational research into the positive effects of certain types of homework for primary school aged students. Effective home learning should be focussed around these five essentials depending on the year level of the student:
1. Home reading.
2. Activities that promote automaticity in literacy skill and development – for example spelling and sight words.
3. Activities that promote automaticity in numeracy skills and development – for example learning times tables, practising how to do certain maths equations
4. Completion of work not finished in class (more applicable to Year 4 and beyond)
5. Research on topics that will be covered in class (More applicable to Year 4 and beyond)
I know that teachers will emphasize the great importance we place on reading every night. Last year, I was horrified to hear that some Year 1 & 2 students were not reading at home. It is no surprise to also discover that these same children did not make the expected progress. Hearing your child read or ensuring that they read quietly to themselves if older is one of your essential duties as a parent just as important as ensuring they get enough food, drink, rest and care. Every parent is busy but you simply must find the time to put away the phone, turn off the TV or game and read with your child.
Morning Tea Welcome to new families
THANK YOU!
A very big thank you is extended to our Pre Primary helpers who put up this cubby house for the Pre Primary students. Mrs Sarah Wohlsein, who is always on the hunt for bargain buys, discovered this family cubby on a community give away site. It was absolutely fine! Once painted, (I"m told it might be in Dockers' colours!) it will look as good as new. I know the Pre Primary students will love all the imaginative play opportunities in this space.
Parents and Friends Association: WE NEED YOU!
Over the years, the St Jerome’s Primary School has been very blessed with having a very strong P&F group who have shown a fantastic community spirit. So many of the wonderful facilities and resources that every student enjoys have come from the many fundraising events organized by this group.
Last night, we held the first P&F meeting for 2019. We have 453 families here in 2019 yet there were only 8 parents at the meeting!
The P&F has $10000 in their bank account plus they expect to bring in up to $30000 through the P&F levy that each family pays through their fees. We need people to step up and take on the roles of President, Vice President, Treasurer so that these funds can be spent after the proper voting procedures are followed.This is how the P&F operates under its Constitution.
Perhaps you think that taking on a role like this will be too time consuming. Please be reassured that you will not be alone in any planning. We have many parents who are keen to help on specific events such as is happening on this Friday’s Welcome Back Picnic.
We can even look at a shared President’s role. Similarly, some of the evening meetings could easily be changed to daytime events.
In my long experience with P&F groups, I have found that having a group of friends as office bearers often creates a very effective team. I do urge you to look around at the parents standing beside you at pick up or drop off time and have a discussion on how you might join the P&F.
Some of the items on the 2019 Wish List are shade sails outside the Library and year 4, sand play toys, multi- cultural dolls, more funky library furniture, drama resources and so much more. Additionally we will plan for parent information events similar to the Maggie Dent evening we held a few years ago.
If you wish to find out more about the roles, please contact the school and we will put you in touch with past office bearers.
Principal
A note from the Community Health Nurse
Welcome to the new school year. My name is Melanie Rodrigues and I am the Community Health Nurse who visits your school.
Community Health Nurses work in schools to promote healthy development and wellbeing so students may reach their full potential. A major part of my work is focused on early intervention and the School Entry Health Assessment program.
Community Health Nurses serve as a health contact point for children and their families, providing information, assessment, health counselling and referral. The services provided are free and confidential.
If you have a concern about your child’s health or development, please contact me on 9314 0100
MAD Volunteer Information Session - Thursday 28 February
Dear Parents
We invite you to consider participating in our MAD volunteer program in 2019.
MAD volunteers receive training and on-going support to work with our students to develop skills in the area of Language. Volunteers work 1:1 or in a small group each week at a time that is suitable for both the volunteer and the class. Simple, routine tasks repeated over a period of time provide the opportunity for our students to consolidate basic skills whilst enjoying the interaction of peers and members of the community.
A ‘hands on’ information session will be held on Thursday from 9-10am in the Discovery Room.
We hope you will consider joining the MAD program for term 1 and invite you to come along to the information session on Thursday 28th February or email regarding further information.
MAD VOLUNTEER INFORMATION SESSION RSVP to Joanna.roper@cewa.edu.au
With thanks Joanna Roper
Disability Support Coordinator
Canteen Volunteer Nominations
Dear Parents & Friends
As per usual this time of the year is an important time for Canteen as we try to prepare and plan for the year ahead. Volunteers are an important part of this planning as the number of volunteers determines the variety of food items available on the menu and the choices offered at recess.
Our school is very privileged to have a canteen that operates 5 days per week but this can only continue with everyone's support and commitment. Everyone is welcome - Parents, Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents etc. With over 400 families at our school we hope that volunteer numbers will be sufficient to ensure that we are able to continue to provide this much needed service.
What does volunteering at Canteen mean and what can I expect?
Being a volunteer involves assisting in processing lunch baskets, serving the children at recess and lunch times and assisting in the preparation of lunches (i.e. sandwiches, hamburgers, hot rolls etc). There is no cooking involved so anyone can assist!
Rosters are monthly and generally from 9.00am to 1.00pm, however we are extremely flexible and will gratefully accept any time you can donate to the canteen and the children.
Pantry Rosters
We understand that some parents work fulltime however would still like to participate in some way. Last year we had a very generous team of people that donated ingredients and food items to the canteen on a monthly basis. A list of suggested items will be supplied, however the item/s you donate is entirely your choice.
Emergency Back Up Team
As the name suggests we would only call upon you if we were in dire need due to lack of volunteers or heavier than expected work load. This is another very important team of people that we need to keep our canteen running successfully.
Please keep in mind that our greatest need is for
Volunteers to work on a Monthly/Regular basis.
The children are always excited to have a parent or relative on canteen duty, so put a smile on your children's faces (and ours too!) by completing the attached form to become a valued member of our canteen volunteer team. Please return this form to canteen by Friday 15th February – or ASAP.
Confirmation of rosters will be issued towards the end of February. Please feel free to contact us with any queries or concerns on the phone numbers below.
We would like to thank you for your generosity, continuous support and for making Canteen a success for your children!
Renate Martin, Luisa Direnzo and Diana Bucat
Canteen Team
Phone: 9499 9510 or Renate (0404 069106)
Canteen Volunteer Nomination Form
Please return ASAP 🙂
(You can drop the reply into the Canteen or the School office)
Name: _________________________________________________________
Eldest Child's Name: _____________________________________________
Eldest Child's Class: _____________________________________________
Phone number/s: Home: _________________ Mobile: __________________
(Please complete appropriate section/s below)
I would like to:
1. Be a Monthly Volunteer at Canteen. My preferred day/s are (please choose more than one option if possible):
2. I would like to be rostered on with (if you wish to be on roster with a friend):
3. Be a Monthly Volunteer at Canteen - limited hours only. My preferred day/s are and times available are:
4. Be a Volunteer at Canteen - other (please specify details eg: one day a week, one day per fortnight, 2 hours per week, 3 hours per fortnight etc):
5. Be a Volunteer on the 'Emergency Back Up Team' - days available are:
6. Be a Volunteer on the Pantry Roster
CHAMPS OF THE BAY - Sunday 24 February 2019
Further details:
E: nick.wyatt@sportzcorp.com.au
M: 0407 224490
Australian Girls Choir
Call 08 63652100 or go to www.asapgroup.com.au for more information.
Contact Details
Email: admin@stjeromes.wa.edu.au
Website: www.stjeromes.wa.edu.au
Location: 38 Troode Street, Munster WA, Australia
Phone: 08 9499 9500