St Jerome's Newsletter
Week 6, Term 1 (Thursday 14 March 2019)
Dear Parents and members of our school community
A prayer for the young at heart during Lent
Lord,
Freedom to reject comparison
and to embrace uniqueness.
Freedom to cut ties with greed
and feast on love.
Freedom to abstain from over indulgence
and feast on self-control.
Freedom to leave behind selfish thoughts
and to focus on the needs of others.
Freedom to fend off insecurity
and to embrace grace.
Lord, at this time of Lent,
thank you for the freedom you bring.
Amen.
Lent gives us 40 days to reflect on Jesus Christ and our own spirituality.
Here are some suggestions to use during Lent.
· Spend 30 minutes or more talking to your family about Jesus Christ.
· Be active in Caritas and Project Compassion.
· Pray on a daily basis to deepen your connection to Jesus.
· Plan a big Easter celebration.
· Attend the Stations of the Cross on a weekly basis.
· Spend time sitting quietly and praying.
· Volunteer your time.
· Have fun with your family and don't forget to play with them.
· Send thank you notes to those that helped you.
· Try out some new recipes during Lent.
P&F News
It was wonderful to be at the P&F meeting on Tuesday to see all the new faces and the enthusiasm of the new Executive Team.
The meeting provided lots of opportunity for discussion around a variety of topics including the types of activities the P&F will be hosting this year and where P&F funds should be directed.
One topic that caused great concern was the lack of care and attention that parents display in the carpark. It was noted that parents are illegally parking on the verges preventing parents from walking safely back to their cars with their children. Greater care needs to be taken by all parents. The safety of our families is paramount and it takes the whole community to support the carpark rules.
This week the P&F approved funds to purchase Sports equipment for the students at break times along with supporting the Year Six Camp and Graduation disco.
One initiative that is continuing in 2019 is the Family Membership Raffle for the Dockers and Eagles family game passes. To participate in this raffle, please complete the form, which you will find towards the back of the newsletter, and return it together with the correct amount of money. This can be be placed in the box in the front office.
We look forward to seeing more new faces at the next meeting for further lively discussion and consideration as to where the funds will be directed, as our staff Wish List grows.
Say NO to Bullying Day
Tomorrow 15th March the students at St Jerome’s will show their support for Anti bullying Day.
We encourage all students to wear their sport shorts and a T-shirt with an anti-bullying message written on it or attached to it. This year’s theme is ‘Be kind and lend a hand’.
At St Jerome’s we encourage our students to follow the example of Jesus and use words and behaviour that reflects his teachings. It is important for parents and students to understand what bullying is, as often ‘one off’ mean behaviour is referred to as ‘bullying’. Of course, we do not tolerate mean or unkind behaviour either, but it is important that parents and students know the difference and can use the correct language when talking about this with parents and teachers.
Part of our role as teachers is to support all children, those being targeted and also those students displaying these behaviours so they can be helped to understand the effects their actions have on those being targeted and help them to change their behaviour.
Around the school we have displayed posters describing the difference between these behaviours. We hope that you will discuss this topic with your children and encourage them to come up with a slogan to wear on their shirt tomorrow.
Caritas - Project Compassion - Lent
Caritas – Project Compassion – Lent | Week 2
TATI FROM INDONESIA
Tati is a Dayak woman, living in a remote forest of West Kalimantan, Indonesia, with her husband and two of her three children.
Her two youngest children go to school nearby while her 19 year old son lives in a rented room close his school 60 kilometres away. The family pays for his living-away-from-home expenses, in addition to providing for school expenses.
Tati’s Dayak culture is deeply linked to the rainforest and her family has relied on it for sustenance for generations
Over the last few years, communities which depend on the native forests have seen them shrink, along with vital habitats for endangered orangutans, rhinos and tigers.
Caritas Australia, with its partners Caritas Indonesia – KARINA and the Diocesan Caritas are working with local communities to develop alternative sustainable livelihoods, by training them in ecotourism activities.
Before Tati joined the Caritas program, she and her husband mainly earned their income from rubber tapping and raising chickens.
Now, Tati has increased her family income ten times over by cooking for tourists and making souvenirs. Her community is also developing a strong financial base so that it can manage its own land.
Around 600 people have directly benefitted from the program so far – with hopes it can be expanded to other districts
“I hope to continue living with fresh air, clear water, protected forest, and to be able to pay for my children’s education and that my grandchildren can still enjoy the forest.”
Salvado Day House Mass
Families are warmly invited to attend our Salvado day mass next Friday 22nd March at 9am.
Students from all four Houses are asked to wear their sport uniform on House days.
Evacuation and Lockdown Drills
The school is required to organise drills in line with our Evacuation Policy in the event of a critical incident. Prior to each drill taking place, teachers talk their classes through the drill so children know what they need to do and the importance of remaining calm and quiet.
A drill will take place next week and we ask parents not to attempt to enter the school when a drill is in progress. There will be a sign on the front door indicating the drill has commenced. Please allow up to 30mins for the drill and debrief to take place.
Parent Teacher Interviews
A reminder to parents that Parent Teacher interviews will take place in weeks nine and ten of this term. There will be a late night on Tuesday 2nd April (week 9) where interviews will run until 6pm.
As in previous years, parents can book their interview time on line through PTO which will be made available in the week prior. More information on this next week.
Carol Hoare
Assistant Principal (APRE)
NAPLAN INFORMATION FOR PARENTS OF YRS 3 & 5
Dear Parents,
As you are aware, NAPLAN is due to take place early next term. Weeks 3 and 4 of Term 2 between Tuesday 14 May and Friday 24 May. These assessments are conducted nationally by ACARA (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority)
NAPLAN is a regular part of the school calendar. It is important to keep NAPLAN in context and that all students participate in these assessments. Children sitting the NAPLAN Assessments should treat NAPLAN test days the same as any other school day as what is assessed in NAPLAN is what is taught in the classroom.
Our students completed the NAPLAN on line for the first time last year and this will be the case this year. While our current cohort of Year 3 and 5 students have not done NAPLAN online, they are familiar with online platforms for testing through the ACER Standardised Testing that is conducted by the school at the end of each year. The only NAPLAN Assessment that will be completed as a pencil and paper test is the Year 3 Writing.
NAPLAN online uses tailored testing, where the test automatically adapts to student performance and asks questions that match the student achievement level, allowing students to demonstrate their knowledge at their own level.
ACARA does not support cramming or drilling in the lead – up to NAPLAN, however, some familiarisation and explanation of NAPLAN in the weeks prior to NAPLAN commencing is worthwhile to help students understand and be comfortable with the format of the assessment.
For this purpose ACARA have developed a public demonstration site for NAPLAN Online. This website is found here;
http://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site
The students in Years 3 and 5 will also be taking in a NAPLAN Online trial this term. This will be on Wednesday 3 April. It will provide very valuable practice for the students as it will present sample questions in Conventions of Language, Reading and Comprehension and Numeracy.
If you have any questions regarding NAPLAN Online, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Angie Letizia
Assistant Principal (Curriculum)
Uniform Shop Notice
I wish to advise that the Uniform Shop will be closed on Thursday the 21st of March and Tuesday the 26th of March.
Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.
Angie Grant
Uniform Shop Manager
Book Club - Issue 2
Book club orders must be finalised online
by FRIDAY 29TH MARCH
Any orders placed after this date will incur a delivery fee and be delivered to your home.
Please use LOOP on scholastic website.
No cash payments or paper orders taken
Kids Nature Club
For school holiday program go to
www.kidsnatureclub.com.auPerth Goju Karate teaches karate classes at St Jerome’s Catholic Primary School, in the school hall.
A special offer for St Jerome’s students - 4 WEEKS FREE beginners karate lessons!
Classes are held after school on Monday’s and are a great way for children of all ages to learn self-defense in a fun and safe environment.
We also teach classes for teens and adults and they are fantastic for fitness, wellbeing and of course, self-defense.
Students who attend the schools on-site After Care are collected and taken to the class in the hall and returned to After Care when their class is finished.
Classes continue over the school holidays (with a short break over the Christmas period) which makes it perfect for the kids who are looking to try something on the holidays.
Karate has many benefits which include confidence, respect, discipline and fitness.
Call now to take advantage of this 4 week trial.
Sensei Johnny Moran - 0402 830 402
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