Dear Parents/Carers,                                                                        

As I draft this newsletter parents and teachers are meeting to share some data sets that outline where each child is currently in their learning growth in reading and mathematics. The PAT assessments are a critical starting point for teachers as it enables them to use the data to group their children for differentiated learning activities during small group instruction. The most important point, however, is it enables each teacher to ask some questions about where your child needs support and engage with you to continue to build a knowledge base that will support your child’s journey throughout the year.

It would be my wish that this meeting is approached with optimism. Even if the data shared is concerning, remember, this marks a starting point not the end point of your child’s learning for 2024. It is my wish that you leave the room after the meeting assured that your child’s teacher knows your child well and together all three of you will achieve great things in 2024.

Remember, optimists do better academically, socially and enjoy better health than pessimists. Helping your child to look on the bright side is a significant life skill to develop. When children think they can succeed they are more likely to give things a try. Optimists look at the flip side of negativity for the good, hope and some positivity. This calls for a strong self-belief and confidence to deal with challenging situations.

It is my hope that your meeting achieves at least some of the following:

• Trying and persisting is important;
• Practising leads to getting better;
• Being planned and organised helps;
• Have the self belief to try again;

                   AND

• Know that tomorrow is another day.

Finally, research indicates that children learn their optimism from their experiences of success and through their interactions with parents, teachers and significant others in the first eight years of life. So the way adults talk is significant in the way they shape a child’s belief about success or failure. The message is clear, adults need to be aware about how they present the world to children as how we explain things is on show!

I try to be this person to your children, not afraid of expressing a challenge and quick to remind them that they are valued and every challenge is just a problem to be solved!

Assisting your child to start the day calmly

Starting the day in a calm and predictable way can help children feel ready for their day at school. As any parent knows, children don’t always understand time in the same way we do, so setting up regular morning routines can help keep things on track.

• Prepare the night before

Try and prepare as much as possible the night before. For example, you or your child could make their school lunch, put out their school uniform for the next day, and pack their bag for school.

• Read notes and alerts on COMPASS and in the school Newsletter

The school sends home notes and information via COMPASS alerts and Newsletters to let parents and carers know when there is something special happening at school such as sports days, excursions, or special school assemblies. Try and read these notes so you are up to date with what is happening and can be prepared. Make a habit of talking to your child about what is happening the next day so there are no surprises in the morning when you are trying to get out the door.

• Create a weekly schedule

Consider creating a weekly schedule listing what is happening each day at school For example, you could list which days your children have Sport, library band or extra-curricular activities before and after school.  See if you can involve your kids in making the schedule, so they feel they are part of the process and will be more likely to keep to it. When the schedule is ready, put it somewhere prominent so everyone can see it.

• Wake up gently

Consider giving your child an alarm clock to help them wake up. Suggest they set it for 15 minutes before they need to be up so they don’t feel rushed getting out of bed. If they can wake up without feeling rushed, the morning is more likely to go smoothly. Remember it can take at least 21 days to form a habit and adjust to a new routine, so don’t expect the first morning to go like clockwork.

•  Make a checklist

Encourage your children to do things for themselves. This will make them feel more in control of their morning. Put a daily checklist up so they can work through what they need to do to get ready for school.  The checklist could include things like:  ‘wake up’, ‘get dressed’, ‘have breakfast’, ‘brush teeth’, ‘make lunch’ ‘pack schoolbag’, and ‘put on shoes and socks’. 

• Try and remain calm

Try to stay calm. Most children take their cues from the adults around them. If you become stressed, this will make them feel stressed too. If you can remain calm, your child is more likely to start their day in a positive frame of mind which will help them make the most of their day at school. Staying calm and being organised in the morning will help you and your child feel positive about the day ahead. It will also help you reduce stress, which is good for everyone’s wellbeing.

Reference:

https://www.sparktheirfuture.qld.edu.au/how-a-morning-routine-can-help-your-child-at-school/

https://raisingchildren.net.au/school-age/school-learning/school-homework-tips/morning-routine-for-school#morning-routine-for-school-the-whys-and-hows-nav-titlevyub 

Children with separation difficulties

Separation anxiety is a normal part of childhood development, beginning at approximately 6 months of age and typically resolving around the time children begin kindergarten. For some children, separating from their parents remains difficult for a longer time.

Often, separating is just as (or more) difficult for the parents! The school understands that you may be anxious about how your child is coping being away from you for several hours, but please be assured that they are safe and very well supported by their teachers. While you may be at home worrying, your child is likely to be settled in class and learning new things and making new friends. 

Most children settle very well immediately after their parent has left their eyesight. Some strategies that are very useful if your child is clingy, distressed or anxious about you leaving in the morning include:  

• Establishing a morning ritual which includes a specific place where you say “See you later” to your child. (“See you later” is often received better than “Goodbye”.)  
• Make sure that your child has met up with a friend or is engaged in some kind of activity before you leave.  
• Give your child a hug or kiss and let them know that you will pick them up after school (or tell them who will). 

• Remain calm, matter-of-fact and do not linger. Once you have said “See you later” it is important that you leave rather than prolonging the farewell. 

• It is tempting to try to watch your child through a window or from around a corner, but once a child is settled, seeing their parent again often reignites the distress. 

• Children really feel if their parent is anxious about leaving and this can also be a trigger for them.  

• If your child has forgotten something important, take it to the front office rather than risking distressing your child again by bringing it into the playground and having another farewell.  

• Allow your child to bring something belonging to you to school, such as a note or a piece of fabric with your perfume / aftershave on it.  
• After school, talk about all the positive things that occurred throughout the day. Discuss these the following morning on your way to school.  

Reference:

https://psychology.org.au/

Sheereen Brunetta
Assistant Principal

Online Enrolments - 2024

The CEODoW has moved all schools to a new online enrolment platform, called Funnel, removing the use of all paper forms.

Please take note, particularly for sibling applications. The online application form is  accessible from the home page of our school website.

https://www.spcdow.catholic.edu.au/

Applications close Friday, 12 April 2024.

From the School Handbook

Student Supervision

A reminder to all parents that morning supervision begins at 8.30am, when the school gates are opened and afternoon bus supervision ends with the last bus leaving at 4.00pm. Supervision on area two, in front of the canteen finishes at 3.40pm.

Your child should not be dropped off at the office area on before 8.30am.

If you are running late to collect your child, the following information from the school handbook will be followed. If your child is not collected at the time of the school office closing they will be sent to Aspire to be supervised and parents will be billed for this service.

3.20pm: Late Pick Up

- Students remaining on site after 3.20pm are to be seated in the Canteen shelter area.

- At 3.35pm all remaining students are taken to Area 4 by the duty teacher.

Student Illness

Please do not send your child to school if they are sick.

Book Club

Book Club Loop orders - Issue 2 are due online by Friday, 29 March 2024. Please visit Book Club Loop Orders

St Patrick's Feast Day

We look forward to celebrating St Patrick’s feast day this month.  As this falls on a Sunday, we will celebrate the day on Monday, 18 March 2024 with an assembly Prayer to remember St Patrick and the work that he did in the early Church.

Students may wear something green with their uniform on the day e.g. ribbon, socks, hat or glasses.

As part of our Lenten tradition of Almsgiving, we also ask that the students bring in a coin donation. As the children enter the school on this day, they will be asked to place their donation on a large green shamrock. This will be located near the flagpoles on Area 3.

Our goal is to cover the shamrock and raise as much money as possible. 

Funds raised will go to Caritas Australia. Caritas is an international aid and development organisation of the Catholic Church. 

Please support Project Compassion to help end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity for vulnerable communities around the world.

Mrs Maria Debrincat
Religious Education Coordinator

St Paul’s have worked extremely hard at establishing strong behaviour expectations. On occasion redirections may need to occur. These will be dealt with on a school based level. Sometimes parents may be informed of behaviour related incidents which would require your support. We look forward to working in partnership with you in supporting our policy and practice.

NAPLAN 2024

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. It is the only national assessment all Australian students have the opportunity to undertake. 

As students progress through their school years, it is important to check how well they are learning the essential skills of reading, writing and numeracy.

NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through the school curriculum and allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national proficiency standards. 

NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process. It does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance, but it can provide teachers with additional information about students’ educational progress.

NAPLAN also provides schools, education authorities and governments with information about how education programs are working and whether young Australians are achieving important educational outcomes in literacy and numeracy.

Students complete 4 assessments: Writing, Reading, Conventions of Language and Numeracy. The assessment window is from Wednesday, 13 March to Monday, 25 March 2024. 

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data

Every term, CatholicCare runs a series of groups and workshops for parents and individuals. This term, they are running an online group for parents related to supporting children with anxiety and building resilience.

It starts on Tuesday, 19 March 2024 and runs for 3 weeks, with a two hour session every week. It aims to teach parents about anxiety, how it affects the brain, how to face it, build resilience, some helpful strategies and how to have conversations about a child's anxiety with others. It is online and has a cost of $45.

For more information, please click the link below.

https://www.catholiccare.dow.org.au/services-and-programs/family/family-care/courses/supporting-your-child-experiencing-anxiety/

Information for parents and families

Parent Talk newsletter aims to provide parents and carers with relevant and timely information about parenting, education, wellbeing, upcoming Council of Catholic School Parents (CCSP) events and webinars for parents, and significant Catholic news and events.

The Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT represents all parents and carers of students in our Catholic schools. We value and promote the critical role that parents play in the education of their children, and provide leadership, advocacy and support for parents and carers of children in almost 600 Catholic schools. Parents and carers are invited to subscribe to CCSP’s Parent Talk newsletter to receive future editions keep up to date with how our Council supports Catholic school parents to support their children’s wellbeing, faith journey and academic outcomes. Click here to subscribe.

The Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT is conducting a survey to gauge parental involvement in their child's school including their learning. They are looking to receive feedback on areas that are really important to parents. Participants have the option to receive a 2024 Faith Diary as a token of appreciation by providing their name, address, and mobile phone number at the end of the survey.

The survey link is provided: CCSP Survey.

P&F Annual General Meeting - Wednesday, 6 March 2024

Tomorrow, Wednesday, 6 March 2024 the P&F Annual General Meeting will be held. At this meeting all the executive positions become available.

As per the constitution, volunteers are not to exceed 3 consecutive years in their positions and at present we have committee members who have exceeded this. These committee members have done an amazing job, but the P&F are now needing new members to take on these roles.

Attached is the Nomination Form for these executive positions and included is a detailed role description of each position. If you would like to nominate, please complete and return to the school office or via email to info@spcdow.catholic.edu.au

Easter Raffle

Aspire Oshc

• Before School Care, 6:30am – 9:00am
  
• After School Care, 3:00pm – 6:00pm
  
• Vacation Care, 7:00am – 6:00pm