MArch
As per the Premier's directions, school holidays commence Monday 6th April 2020.
* Please check the community calendar for future dates as the calendar is regularly updated.
Dear Parents
Easter will be a little different for all of us this year. With school and church prayer services and masses not occurring, it is important that as a family we spend time in prayer together, especially during Holy Week. The teachers have provided lessons and some Holy Week resources as part of their online learning and you may wish to use some of these to make your Easter a special time in your own home this year. Please continue to pray for all those who are directly affected by the coronavirus, that they make a full recovery, pray for all of our wonderful healthcare workers, who are providing such an invaluable service to the community, pray for our leaders to give them the wisdom to make important decisions and pray for each other as we adjust to a different way of living in our families and community. I found this little refection which I thought was lovely and wanted to share it with you-
And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply.
Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows.
And the people began to think differently. And the people healed.
And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal.
And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed.” - Kitty O’Meara.
From Monday 30 March PCPS moved to delivering all learning through digital platforms or a combination of digital platforms/home packs. As part of this newsletter you will find a copy of PCPS Guidelines for the Ongoing Facilitation of Learning which has important information for parents to read.
The teachers, including specialists, have been setting work for classes from PK-6. Learning Support programmes will be included from next term. This week was a week of acclimatising to this new way of teaching/learning. We are all dealing with something that we have never had to deal with before, so please be gentle with yourself and with your families. You may have children who are anxious with all the changes occurring at the moment and we certainly do not want to add to this. The most important thing at the moment is to ensure you have a happy and calm environment at home. If you are finding the online teaching/learning a bit overwhelming at this stage please just focus on Religious Education, English/Literacy and Mathematics as a priority and make your classroom teacher aware of this.
Also as part of this newsletter our Social Worker, Mrs Fisher, has provided a number of resources eg meditation, mindfulness etc. that you might like to access in order to assist you to instil a sense of calm and reduce stress and anxiety. I hope you find these useful. You will also find in this newsletter tips on how to have children prepare for their learning at home and also tips for parents too. These may help to add some structure and routine to your child’s day whilst at home.
Each teacher will continue to keep in regular communication with you/your child and support you in any way they can in regards to your child’s ongoing education. We have been tweaking some of our programmes this week. Thank you for your continual support, encouragement and positive and constructive feedback thus far, we truly appreciate it. Please continue to send this through to the classroom teachers via their email and to the Leadership Team at admin@padcath.wa.edu.au so that we can facilitate changes moving forward.
As soon as I receive official information from the Government and CEWA as to what teaching/learning will look like for Term Two I will let you know. I thank you for your patience.
Love is central to everything and Jesus' greatest commandment, and our own school motto of ‘Love One Another’, has certainly shone through in these last few weeks as our community has been on a journey like no other. We are all in this together and it is in this togetherness that we can help, support and encourage one another and remain true to our school motto.
I would like to send a big thankyou to the Ferreo family for their overwhelming generosity to Padbury Cares (our pastoral care programme which provides assistance to our school families). The Ferreo family have supplied Padbury Cares with over 40 meals from their Creative Catering Perth. These meals are helping families in our own school community who are in need at the moment. Thank you so much! Should families need assistance during the holidays please contact St Vincent de Paul at https://www.vinnies.org.au/page/Find_Help/WA/
Thank you to the parents who have been taking part in Parent-Teacher Meetings over the last couple of weeks either in person/phone and to the teachers for their preparation and hosting these meetings. These meetings are an integral part of the school’s reporting system and an excellent opportunity for parents and teachers to share information and discuss children's strengths, areas for growth and individual needs. These meetings also send a powerful message to children that the parent/teacher team is united and has their best interests at heart. As soon as I hear from the School Curriculum Standards Authority and CEWA as to what Reporting will look like this year I will inform parents.
Pre Kindy and Kindy 2021 and 2022 enrolment interviews are currently taking place. If you have a child who is due for Pre Kindy, please ensure that your application has been received by the office so that you have a place secured. If you have friends and neighbours with children in these age brackets, please encourage them to view our school website and submit an application.
I wish you all a restful holiday. Keep healthy and a have a happy and holy Easter with your family.
Kind regards
Mrs Margaret Williamson
Principal
Sacraments Postponed
Please note, that as per previous Newsletter which detailed a Statement from the Most Rev Timothy Costelloe SDB:
The celebration of First Reconciliation (school-aged children and others), First Holy Communion (school-aged children and others) and Confirmation (school-aged children and others) will be temporarily suspended.
As more information is provided we will keep the community informed.
Bishop's Religious Literacy Assessment Cancelled
“Considering the evolving COVID-19 situation and the implications for our schools, a decision has been made not to proceed with the The Bishops’ Religious Literacy Assessment (BRLA) in 2020. The decision not to proceed with the BRLA for 2020 comes as a result of the difficult times we are facing with the disruption that COVID-19 has caused.”
NAPLAN 2020 CANCELLED
Australia's Education Ministers have decided that NAPLAN will not proceed in 2020.
The decision to not proceed with NAPLAN has been taken to assist school leaders, teachers and support staff to focus on the wellbeing of students and continuity of education, including potential online and remote learning.
If we receive any further relevant information, we will communicate this to parents.
Thought for the Week
Our thoughts and prayers are with the PCPS community at this time. Please take care of yourselves. We look forward to seeing you soon.
Mr Ryan von Bergheim & Mrs Loretta Hutcheson
Assistant Principals
Social Worker's Corner
Stay home, stay safe!
Ali Fisher
Social Worker
Online Safety
Online Safety
The office of esafety has a number of useful resources to support families. The link below will provide assistance on how to keep children safe online, how to stay connected and how to manage information overload, possible scams and false information.
Make the best of being stuck at home by ensuring you can find reliable information, stay connected with family and friends, and help your children stay safe online.
UPDATE - UR Strong Workshop
In these challenging times we believe it is critical that children continue to feel safe and connected while parents are provided with all the support they need. Our partner, URSTRONG, is helping us achieve this goal by providing parents with free lifetime access to their URSTRONG Family membership. To access your complimentary membership, please visit here and use the coupon code URSTRONG.
URSTRONG has also launched a virtual URSTRONG Classroom that will provide free friendship lessons directly to children. These classes will ensure that students stay connected to other children while providing parents and teachers with a well-deserved break. All of the classes can be found here and below are some of the initial offerings:
· Friendship Mapping (March 25)
· We’re all Potatoes at Heart (March 30)
As a school, we are committed to the social-emotional wellbeing of our students. We hope that you take advantage of these opportunities, as we know that relationships are the heart of wellbeing.
Parish Update
There are no weekday and weekend Masses during this time. We are certainly in difficult times but we shall together with the help of God get through. Keep an eye on our parish website, archdiocesan website and of course general news outlets.
With best wishes,
Rev Fr Cyprian M Shikokoti - PP
Our Lady of the Mission, Whitford Parish
Website : www.olm.myparish.net.au
Dear PCPS Parents
OSH Club will be running normal before and/or after school care program next week to support families that require care.
If your child is attending before and/or after school care please ensure you pack a nut-free breakfast and afternoon snack.
Should you be requiring vacation care please contact us before the end of the week at padbury@oshclub.com.au
We continue to take advice from the government authorities and will continue to work with your school to best support our families and our people.
Stay safe and well through these challenging times.
The OSHClub Team
Padbury Catholic Primary School