St Luke's Catholic Primary School
Newsletter - Term 2, Issue 2 , 29 April 2021
IMPORTANT DATES
As calendar dates can be subject to change, please always confirm events by checking our website - https://www.stlukeswoodvale.wa.edu.au/community-calendar
30 April
- Student Assembly
7 May
- Mother's Day Breakfast @ 7.30am - 8.30am
- Mother's Day Assembly @ 8.40am
- Mother's Day Stall @ 9.30am - 10.30am
10 - 14 May
- Naplan Online
11 May
- SAC (School Advisory Committee) and P&F Meeting
14 May
- Student Assembly
Please note: 4th June is a PUPIL FREE DAY!
ANZAC DAY ASSEMBLY
Thank you to the Year 5 students and their teachers for such a beautiful Anzac Day Assembly. It was definitely very moving and powerful. Bravo!
Message from the Principal
When Jesus had washed the disciples’ feet, he said to them: “Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it.” John 13:16–17
During this, the Fourth Week of Easter, we return to the Last Supper and will spend a few weeks considering the discourse Jesus gave that Holy Thursday evening to His disciples. The question to ask yourself today is this: “Are you blessed?” Jesus says that you are blessed if you “understand” and “do” what He teaches His disciples. So what did He teach them?
Jesus offers this prophetic action by which He took on the role of a slave by washing the disciples’ feet. His action was much louder than words, as the saying goes. The disciples were humbled by this act, and Peter, at first, refused it. There is little doubt that this humble act of service, by which Jesus lowered Himself before His disciples, made a strong impression upon them.
The worldly view of greatness is much different than the one Jesus taught. Worldly greatness is a process of elevating yourself in the eyes of others, striving to let them know just how good you are. Worldly greatness is often driven by a fear of what others may think of you, and a desire to be honoured by all. But Jesus wants to be clear that we will only be great if we serve. We must humble ourselves before others, holding them and their goodness up, honouring them and showing them the deepest love and respect. By washing their feet, Jesus completely abandoned the worldly view of greatness and called His disciples to do the same.
Humility is difficult to understand at times. This is why Jesus said, “If you understand this…” He realized that the disciples, as well as all of us, will struggle with understanding the importance of humbling ourselves before others and serving them. But if you do understand humility, you will be “blessed” when you live it. You will not be blessed in the eyes of the world, but you will be truly blessed in the eyes of God.
Seek to eliminate every selfish desire you struggle with and identify any fear that keeps you from humility. Understand this gift of humility and live it. Only then will you be truly blessed.
My humble Lord, You set for us the perfect example of love when You chose to serve Your disciples with great humility. Help me to understand this beautiful virtue and to live it. Free me from all selfishness and fear so that I may love others as You have loved us all.
Jesus, I trust in You.
Taken from: https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/2021/04/28/are-you-blessed/
COVID REMINDERS
Parents and caregivers are able to come onto school grounds but must adhere to the COVID-safe directions, as follows:
wear a mask at all times;
observe physical distancing of 1.5 metres between adults, where practicable; and
follow good hand and respiratory hygiene practices.
We ask that during this week, ONLY ONE parent enters the school ground to pick up their child if necessary. However, we do strongly encourage the use of the Kiss and Drive facility open before school and after school.
I acknowledge the distress that some students may be experiencing as we continue to encounter the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic presents. I remind you of our commitment to your child’s wellbeing at school and encourage you to contact me to discuss concerns that may arise.
I also encourage you to continue monitoring the Department of Health website HealthyWA as well as the COVID-19 updates on CEWA’s website.
HOMEWORK SURVEY
I am delighted to share the results of the homework survey which was completed last term. Thank you to all parents who participated. We had an overwhelming response by parents, students and staff.
Overall, 69 of 144 responses from parents supported the idea of homework being given out each night from Monday to Thursday, while 52 were not in favour, and 23 weren’t sure.
During Term 4, 2020, St Luke's trialled a 'No Homework' term, whereby all students only took home readers to complete. Some students who are in the support program were required to continue with their specific homework. Some of the responses were:
"I prefer to have homework as more free time equates to more screen time. "
"We still did maths and spelling so nothing changed at home "
“Much better with less fighting and more wanting to read. This year my daughter has Gymnastics 3 afternoons per week, so limited homework will be better. My kids get too tired and fights occur”
“Loved it. With two full time working parents and not collecting the children until 5.30pm from after school care, managing homework first thing as we get home before dinner and downtime is always a stressful situation for everyone involved.”
“It was fantastic having more time as a family to focus on connection. We always read as a family practice regardless of homework requirements, so we were very happy to do that each night”
“Must say we loved it. Not so much pressure from when you get home from after school activities. Having time away from homework didn’t mean they could watch more tv or be on the device….although they tried”
Thank you so much to all parents who participated. Further results will be shared at our next School Advisory Council Meeting and P&F meeting.
We have now developed a homework committee, and will be reviewing all results from the 3 surveys. Consideration will be given to latest research findings, as well as responses to form a better, practical homework policy. Parents will be invited to provide feedback to the final draft copy before releasing it to the whole community.
CLIMATE SURVEY PARENT AND CAREGIVER SURVEY (PACS) – VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION
You are invited to participate in a survey about your school’s climate. Similar surveys will be administered to staff and students to enable us to capture a community snapshot. This survey is to find out about the climate of St Luke’s Catholic Primary School. This serves as an opportunity for parents to tell the school staff how things are going for them and their children.
We all truly value your feedback and will try to respond to the information that you provide. Feedback does NOT include the data of individuals, rather, feedback involves a graph based on feedback from all parents. It is your impressions that we are seeking and there are no right or wrong answers.
All responses are confidential and will be used for school improvement purposes.
Completion of the survey is on a voluntary basis. Your confidentiality To protect your confidentiality all surveys are anonymous. All answers go directly to the National School Improvement Partnerships, where the results are analysed for your school.
Answers from individual surveys will NOT be reported back to the school. Staff of the National School Improvement Partnerships staff are bound by a Code of Ethics and follow strict professional conduct. Use of the data National School Improvement Partnerships will report the results to the school in an aggregated format so that individuals cannot be identified. To enable drill-down reporting, the information provided to the school will contain data based on background information. How to complete the survey You will be asked whether you are completing the survey for an individual child or as a family. If the experiences of your children are similar, then responding once will suffice. If, however, your children are experiencing very different learning environments then you might want to answer separately for each child.
The survey contains statements about practices which could take place in this school. For each statement, you are asked to indicate how often the statement takes place. There are no 'right' or 'wrong' answers. Your opinion is what is wanted.
Please be sure to answer all questions. Some statements in may be fairly similar to other statements. Don't worry about this. Simply give your opinion about all statements.
If you require more information or have any questions, please contact the NSI Team: NSITeam@NSIpartnerships.com.au
Parents go to www.NSIPartnerships.com.au
and enter the code SLPACS in the Start Questionnaire field
Your time and consideration are much appreciated.
CARPARK SAFETY
A Friendly reminder to all parents to please be mindful when your children are walking towards cars at the end of day pick up. Please allow the children to walk down safely to the Church carpark, and refrain from calling out to your child to enter the car as they are walking down.
We are finding, at times, a few parents are calling out to their child from their car when children are walking down the footpath towards the church. This can be extremely dangerous, especially if cars have begun moving. Your child’s safety is paramount.
I also remind parents to please display their name labels from inside the cars. It certainly assists the staff to get children in the car as quickly as possible. It is also extremely beneficial to new staff who are very unfamiliar with families within the school. If you need a new sign please email Heather: admin@stlukeswoodvale.wa.edu.au
We thank you for your continued support.
Have a lovely week, stay safe and God bless you.
Maura Killalea
ACTING PRINCIPAL
MESSAGE FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS:
Thank you for your understanding this week when we needed to postpone Kayelene Kerr's Cyber Safety and Digital Wellness workshop on Tuesday night. We will let you know the new date once restrictions are eased again. Thank you for your understanding.
Mandatory Reporting Training
All parents and caregivers would have been sent an email from Mrs Killalea this week, in regards to Mandatory Reporting Training for anyone who volunteers at St Luke's in a regular capacity. If you need to complete the training please email Sarah: sarah.williams@cewa.edu.au with your full name, email address and residential postcode. Please also state if you have ever worked in a Catholic School before. Thank you !
Would you like to advertise in our school newsletter?
If you have a business or service that you would like to consider advertising in our weekly school newsletter, please enquire here: sarah.williams@cewa.edu.au
Staff Spotlight
Have you met Miss R?
This term we welcomed Emily Rasmussen to our St Luke's community as our sport teacher.
A bit about Miss R!
Favourite food: Mexican
Favourite movie: Anything that makes me laugh
Pets: An adorable rascal of a puppy, Jackson the Staffie, who I am trying to teach to not dig holes in the garden!
Interesting jobs I had before working at St Luke’s: Worked as a ‘Boost Juice Girl’ in my teens
Sport: Played netball for 10 years
Travel: I have been to New Zealand, USA, Indonesia (Bali), Japan, Africa, Singapore, Langkawi, Thailand
AFL team: Freo Dockers, it’s our year!
Welcome to St Luke's Miss R!
Welcome Millie Rose!
Welcome to the world, Millie Rose! 6th April 2021 @ 1.09pm. 4.425g & 54cm. A beautiful sister to Archer & Amirah. Congratulations!
If you have some great news to share or any achievements, we would love to hear from you so that we can share it in our newsletter: sarah.williams@cewa.edu.au
Sarah Williams
Assistant Principal
STUDENT ABSENCES
If you wish to notify of your child's absence from school you can do this by using any of the processes below;
- Access our school website www.stlukeswoodvale.wa.edu.au. on the home page please use the quick link Absentee icon (image above).
- Email admin@stlukeswoodvale.wa.edu.au. Please include your child's name, class and reason for absence.
If your child is late, please ensure they sign in through the front office to prevent you from receiving an Absenteeism SMS.
Thank you,
Administration
UNIFORM SHOP
Thank you.
Jodi Lyra
UNIFORM CO-ORDINATOR
P&F NEWS
Thank you staff, parents and guardians, for continuing in following St Luke’s directives regarding our current covid-19 situation. So much effort, love and preparation has gone into many school activities and we recognize those who have had to change or cancel plans throughout these few days.
Still on our calendar is the Mother’s and Mother Figure’s BBQ breakfast for May 7, commencing at 7:30am. Please check the P&F Facebook leading up to the 7th for any cancellation news.
The Mother’s Day stall is also set up for this day. Children can bring up to $5 to buy gifts. Volunteers selling gifts will be wearing masks.
Kangaroo Café has already kicked off this term and parents/guardians can order via the Flexischools App. Orders need to be made by Thursday 11pm for the following Monday. Tickets for the Mother’s Day raffle can also be bought through the recess canteen order.
Finally, please remember to put in your diaries Tuesday 11th May for our next P&F Meeting. Join us 7:30pm in the library to hear all the happenings throughout this term in the classroom and in our St Luke’s school community. A zoom link will also be made available for those who are unable to attend in person.
Music Tuition
Music tuition in Term 2 will be offered in guitar, piano, flute, violin and cello through Keyed Up Music at St Luke’s. Lessons can be arranged during school time or after school where available. To enrol your child, please visit www.keyedupmusic.com.au and fill out the online enrolment form. Information regarding lessons and fees can be found on the website.
Drums continue to be taught by Mr Christian Lombardi 0451 422 769 cjlombardi@hotmail.com