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Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome to Term 3! I have already heard from so many St Pat’s kids about the fun of their holiday break, although a few mentioned that illness unfortunately interrupted their fun.
Welcome to St Pat’s Archie and Amber and welcome back Lizzie and Ella.
Welcome to St Pat’s Mrs Grimwood (23Y) and Mrs Zonneveld (56G) it is wonderful to have you join our staff. We look forward to sharing a short profile from these two teachers next week.
Covid-19 You will have read in the Skoolbag messages that we are back to implementing some covid protocols and restrictions at St Pat’s. Whilst this is disappointing, we look forward to continuing to keep our home /school connections strong as best we can.
PL Days You will have also read the announcement that the Director has approved two further teacher professional learning days this term. The dates of these days at St Patrick's are:
Monday 5th September (Week 8 of term)
Friday 23rd September (Week 10 of term)
The planning days are pupil free. However, arrangements are being made for the supervision of those students who, for reasons of no care available, will need to attend school. I will provide you with further details well in advance of the days, with details of how to communicate your need for your child/ren to attend on those days.
Michael Rheinberger - Athletics Congratulations to Arly Schrader the award winner for 2022. Arly demonstrated many of Michael Rheinberger's attributes at the athletics carnival: sportsmanship, strong participation, persistence, positive mindset and 100% effort. Congratulations to the many nominees: Jayme, Alice W, Nate, Ruben, Abbey C, Chase, Maya, Abbie M, Luca, Jacob E, Archie, Levi, Will N, Charlie J and Mia L.
MOANA Yesterday it was with great joy that we took a whole school excursion (the last for a while) to Lumen Christi to be entertained by their musicians and cast of the musical MOANA. The staff and students thoroughly enjoyed the show and when asked what their favourite part was, most children said 'the whole show!' Thank you Lumen Christi Catholic College for the invitation and welcome, and for the great performance!
Absences from school Please be reminded that if you are wanting to take your children out of school for a family or other event that the process is to inform me and to apply for an exemption from school. Less than 10 teaching days please submit the attendance on COMPASS. For 10 teaching day absence or more please complete the exemption from school application, available from the office, that needs to be approved. As principal I am able to approve up to but not longer than 100 days of absence per school year depending on the circumstance of the absence.
Calendar We are working to communicate school dates well in advance. Some of the following events will be in a changed format, or possibly postponed as the term progresses, we will work to give reasonable notice of any change.
July
Thurs 28th NAIDOC at St Pat’s - Postponed until Term 4
Friday 29th - Big Steps for Kinder 2023. This will remain an onsite event, however no parents can attend. An at home pack will be available for students who are unable to attend.
August
Wed 3rd Southern Region Athletics
Fri 5th Jersey for Noa day
15th-19th Aleeta at St Pat’s
Wed 31st Dance concert matinee (12.00 TBC)
September
Thurs 1st Dance Concert evening (6.30 TBC)
Friday 2nd Father's Day (event / stall TBC)
Monday 5th Pupil Free Day
Tues 6th ySafe Cybersafe presentations (6.00pm Parent session, may be online)
Wed 21st Term 3 Celebration of Learning 8.30-9.30am
Thursday 22nd Music for Mr Bennett afternoon
Fri 23rd Pupil Free Day
Thank you for your flexibility as we work through the covid restrictions and try to hold as many school events as we are able.
Blessings
Jo
Dear parents/carers,
St. Pat's is passionate about building confident, skilled and fluent readers. To read well takes practice. There is an expectation at St. Pat's that every student in our school is reading for 20minutes each evening.
You make a difference to your children’s reading journey. Your role as an advocate for your children’s reading success cannot be overestimated. It has a direct impact on the ease and confidence with which they pursue their reading.
It is the joy and love of sharing a good book on a nightly basis that sets the foundation for their reading success, and ensures that reading is given the priority it deserves. Reading regularly with someone who cares is the inspiration that all readers deserve.
As parents and carers, you create the home context for reading and set the tone for how reading is valued. Fear, anxiety, stress and humiliation have no place in the reading experience. The ‘payoff’ for reading together has to be worth coming back to night after night after night. When reading together is the best time of your children’s day and the best time of your day, it is worth turning up. The right book infused with fun, laughter, and love goes a long way in creating life-long readers who in thirty years’ time recall with joy being snuggled on the lounge with you and their favourite book.
The proven benefits of reading with your child
Parents and carers who read aloud with children in a secure, safe and comfortable context motivate their children to read.
Parents’ perceptions, values, attitudes, and expectations play an important role in influencing their children’s attitudes toward reading, and subsequent literacy development. When children share a book with someone who makes them feel special, the attitude that reading is pleasurable is transferred to other reading encounters.
Relationship building
At the core of reading is a relationship and it is the bond between children and parents that is enhanced through reading together. It only takes twenty minutes a day to build this relationship.
Children’s reading improves
The research is conclusive: When parents successfully support their children’s literacy learning from an early age, everyone benefits. When teachers and parents work together to support children’s reading and academic success, learning outcomes for all children improve.
Children read more
Students who read with their parents are better prepared for school. They begin school with knowledge of book language and familiarity with concepts of print. They understand how books work and have many more exposures to text types and vocabulary.
Children’s self-esteem improves
Knowing someone cares enough to take time out of a busy schedule to give you undivided attention around a book makes a significant difference to how students perceive themselves as learners and readers. When parents show an interest in their children’s learning, children respond positively.
Reading unites families through shared stories
When a family reads together, stories form a common ground for communicating. Stories bind families and help students makes sense of where they fit in the world.
Not only does parent involvement have a specific and profound impact on children’s reading, but also on children’s language and literacy learning in general. It is through interactions with parents and carers that children learn new vocabulary, seek clarification of new understandings, and learn to comprehend their expanding worlds. Talk is the key to reading and writing success. Talking with children (walking to school, at the table, in the car, bedtime) has a significant effect on literacy learning in general.
Some tips for home reading
- Establish a home reading routine. Talk about the illustrations and contribute where you can. Share your excitement for reading and this will be the model your child will adopt.
- The reader holds the book! There is a lot of power and control in the world of reading. The reader needs to have the power.
- During home reading time, turn off electronic devices and give each child twenty minutes of your undivided attention.
- If reading time is stressful, move the reading to a new location. Instead of sitting at the kitchen bench, move to the lounge room floor, or go outside and sit under a tree or take the books to the local coffee shop.
- Find a reading time that works for your family. Limit the time and set the timer if reading in the past has always been difficult. It is better to have an enjoyable 20 minutes than a laborious 30 minutes where everyone is left feeling frustrated.
- At the end of the 20 minutes, ask questions that encourage discussion, for example: What was your favourite part? Tell me about the characters. What do you think will happen next? What did you think about that setting? What do like/ dislike about this book? There is no need to interrogate the reader. Make it a conversation as you would in a book club.
- Encourage your child to read independently. A bedside light is one of the best enticements for your child to read before going to sleep. After the 20 minutes of reading with you, the child can elect to continue reading independently.
- The less you interrupt the 20 minutes of reading, the more you are supporting the readers independence, resilience and confidence. Zip your lips, monitor the miscues, and listen as your child reads.
- Avoid judging your child’s reading with words such as: ‘good’, ‘excellent’ or ‘getting better’. Instead say things about the strategies your child uses when reading such as: ‘I like how you read on when you came to that difficult word.’ ‘I like how you changed your voice to be the voice of the character in the story’. ‘I noticed that you reread the bit that did not make sense.’
- Visit the local library — make it a family ritual on a set day every week. Let your children select their books while you select books you are interested in reading. Not every book has to be read cover to cover. Your child might select books based on illustrations or factual information about a topic of interest.
- Independent readers pick and choose what they read. They are entitled to read some and reject others. They are entitled to not complete books because they are boring. Readers make choices.
- Model what it means to be an enthusiastic reader. Create a home of readers where everyone reads – It is just what we do in this house! Talk about what you have read. Read aloud what makes you laugh and share it with your child .
Religious Education
Upcoming Dates:
8th August -Feast of St Mary MacKillop
4th September - First Eucharist Family Mass 9:30am
16th September - First Eucharist Retreat
18th September - First Eucharist Mass 9:30am
Religious Education Curriculum Term 3
This Term Years K-4 will be learning about being stewards of God’s Creation. Students will learn about aspects of God’s nature and God’s relationship with people, as they engage with a variety of New Testament texts depicting the teachings and actions of Jesus, and Old Testament texts that describe God’s relationship with the Jewish people.
Years 5 & 6 will be learning about morality and responsibility. Students will learn about the contexts and key messages of some Old Testament prophets. They will understand the significance of Jesus’ New Law for the way believers live their faith, including an exploration of the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.
Transitioning to Kinder: Pre-Kinder Reading Program
At St Pat's we offer opportunities to grow the love for reading in our students!
We are ready to start or Pre-Kinder Reading Program. What does this mean?
2023 Kinder students can start to borrow books from St Pat's to read at home. Each student has their own St Pat's book bag to keep the readers safe. These readers can be swapped at afternoon pick up at the Gipps Street Gate.
Students will be given their book bag and first readers at Big Steps next week.
Michael Rheinberger Athletics Award
Congratulations to all the Michael Rheinberger Athletics Award nominees and to the 2022 winner.
Click this link to view the presentation: https://youtu.be/S8y5uqWgDE8
Southern Region Athletics Carnival
We have been granted permission to hold the Southern Region Athletics Carnival here in Bega on Wednesday 3rd August. Our school is running the carnival which includes a canteen for recess and lunch. Help will be required at the canteen for setting up, cooking, selling and packing up. If you can help with any of this on the day please contact our canteen manager Leayra Thornton leayra.thornton@cg.catholic.edu.au. Any profit from this day goes back to the school and all our children, not just the children competing on the day, so if your child isn't competing but you are available your help will be appreciated. For those who work but would still like to contribute, we will be selling homemade slices and muffins and we are looking for helpers in this area as well.
We have a large contingent of students attending but there are still many outstanding permission notes and levies to be paid. Please return botes and pay levies ASAP. As a reminder, notes went home during the last week of Term 2.
School Dental Initiative – Forms Due
The Australian Dental Health NSW (Dental Clinic Van) will be visiting our school during Week 1, Term 4.
A reminder that the consent forms need to be returned by next Monday, 25 July.
WEEKLY WOODWORK CLASSES FOR KIDS AT TWO SHEDS WORKSHOP
Build fantastic projects, build new skills and build confidence in our woodwork classes for kids.
Running after school for kids 7yrs+ no experience needed!
Find out more at www.twoshedsworkshops.com.au
