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Dear Families
Welcome back everyone to the 2020 school year. A special welcome to all of our new families and of course, to all those returning. Our new kindergarten students have spent the past three days having their individual Best Start Assessments before they begin school on Monday. Our Year 6 parents and the P&F will be providing morning tea and tissues for the kindergarten parents after the students have settled in. I would also like to welcome the new teachers to our school; Miss Monique Wright in 3W, Miss Gabrielle Williams in 5/6W and Mrs Lucy Middleton who will be teaching PE and assisting with sport.
The devastating bushfires during the school holidays had a major impact on all Australians, and indeed the world. The sight of injured fauna, the extensive damage of property and the loss of lives has left an emotional scar on all of us. The effect on our children is profound, even though it may not be visible. Allowing the children to talk about how they feel and to contribute in some way will help them to process the whole, catastrophic event. As a school, we would like to give the students an opportunity to contribute to the SVDP Bushfire Appeal with a gold coin donation, as well as combine this with a welcome back to school breakfast organised by the P&F, with proceeds also going towards the bushfire appeal. This will happen on Friday, 21 February. More details to come.
As the Novel Coronavirus epidemic unfolds and updated information comes to hand, we will attempt to pass this on to our families as soon as possible. No doubt, you will be hearing updates regularly through the media. The main directive is that any child who has been in China, including Hong Kong (excluding transit stopovers), remains at home for a period of fourteen days after they left China.
I ask you to keep Dylan Cahill in your thoughts and prayers. Dylan is a past student of St Kieran’s and was involved in a serious accident on Wednesday afternoon at Collaroy Beach. Dylan was placed into an induced coma at Westmead Children’s Hospital. Some good news this morning; Dylan is awake and in good spirits and will hopefully be heading home sometime soon.
Last week was the first anniversary of the death of Terri Paterson, the previous principal of St Kieran’s. Terri passed away from cancer, a battle that she had endured on and off over a period of a few years. Terri had such a profound impact on the community of St Kieran’s, including the staff who held her in very high regard. We ask for blessings on her family, especially with the arrival of a granddaughter late last year.
I wish you and your family a happy, healthy and prosperous year ahead. I hope that many of you will join us for the Beginning of Year Mass next Friday morning where our student leaders, kindergarten students, new families and teachers will be welcomed and blessed into our St Kieran’s community.
Michael Gallagher
Principal
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Please note that dates may be subject to change. Remember to check your Compass App for any updates.
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2020 Term Dates
End Term 1: Thursday 9 April
Term 2 Commences: Monday 27 April
End Term 2: Friday 3 July
Term 3 Commences: Tuesday 21 July
End Term 3: Friday 25 September
Term 4 Commences: Tuesday 13 October
End Term 4: Wednesday 16 December
Staff Development Days - Pupil Free
Friday 14 February - Mathematical Assessment Interviews
Monday 20 July - Numeracy / Science
Monday 12 October - Spirituality
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MAI Assessment Day Friday 14 February
We have set aside a day for MAI (Mathematical Assessment Instrument) assessments on Friday February 14th. This assessment is crucial to identifying the exact needs of your child in Maths and as many of you know, involves an in-depth, one to one, 30-minute interview. The teachers in Years 1-6 will be at school conducting the assessments but the school will not be open as a regular school day for students.
This means that parents will have to book an assessment session with their child’s class teacher. This is to be done via the Compass Portal
Instructions for booking through the Compass Portal will be sent home to parents via email early next week once Catholic Schools Office have set up the infrastructure on Compass.
The bookings have been organised for 30-minute intervals. Some teachers may wish to organise times as early as 7.30 am with the latest assessment period being 4.30 pm. Teachers will also need to have break times during the day and so there are a possible 16 or 17 time slots available.
With classes being much larger than this number of time slots, we ask that a system of “first in” is considered for booking assessment sessions. If parents miss out on booking an appropriate time, alternate arrangements will be made for them. It is ideal however, that parents attempt to secure a spot for February 14.
Reminder: This is a pupil free day. Students attend only for their allotted assessment
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Religious Education
Parish Sacramental Program 2020-2021
The Parish Sacramental Program recommences for Year Three children with the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Parents of children who wish to continue their Sacraments of Initiation are requested to attend the Parent Catechesis Session for Reconciliation on Tuesday 11th Feb 9.30am OR Wednesday 12th Feb 7.00pm in St Kieran’s Church.
For further information please contact Janette on 0408 866 521 or at sacraments@northharbourcatholic.org.au .
Family Prayer Packs
Prayer is a way of communicating and strengthening our relationship with God. Prayer can take many forms and one way that many people pray is as a family.
To assist you in your family prayer life your child will soon be bringing home a Family Prayer Pack. Each class will have one prayer pack which will be shared with the children over the term.
The pack has user friendly instructions and is tailored to your child’s age. There is also a prayer cube for you to make and keep for your family. Families are invited to use the pack for one or two days then return it to school for another family to use. You are encouraged to add your family intentions to the book provided so other families can pray for you.
Teaching and Learning
Students have all commenced their studies in Religious Education. The following modules of learning will continue until week 5 or 6. Kindergarten: Belonging to God’s Family, Year 1: Jesus our Friend, Year 2: Jesus Shows me how to Love, Year 3: Reconciliation – Living in a Forgiving Community, Year 4: Sacraments of Forgiveness and Healing, Stage 3: Leading as a Disciple of Jesus. Towards the end of the term all classes will study a Lent –Easter theme which is age-appropriate.
All learning modules in Religious Education are based on Scripture and follow an Inquiry Cycle of Learning. The subject area is addressed with an open question and targeted areas of study with more specific questions. Students then move around and across the circle of Inquiry to learn about, sort out, draw conclusions, reflect upon and apply to their lives aspects of their learning.
The Kath Murdoch Inquiry Learning Cycle.
https://makinggoodhumans.wordpress.com/2015/05/14/inquiry-cycle-why-what-and-how/
Yours in Religious Education
Mrs Kerrie Wetzlar
Religious Education Coordinator.
Sun Safety
For best protection from the sun the Cancer Council recommend a combination of sun protection measures:
- Slip on some sun-protective clothing that covers as much skin as possible.
- Slop on broad spectrum, water resistant SPF30 (or higher) sunscreen. Put it on 20 minutes before you go outdoors and every two hours afterwards. Sunscreen should never be used to extend the time you spend in the sun.
- Slap on a hat - broad brim or legionnaire style to protect your face, head, neck and ears.
- Seek shade.
- Slide on some sunglasses - make sure they meet Australian Standards.
The following link https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/sun-safety.html may be useful in understanding the effect of the sun’s rays and the importance of taking sun protection measures.
As part of our school uniform students are encouraged to wear sunglasses from the cancer council shop. There are a variety of children’s sunglasses available in the school sunglasses range. Sunglasses worn to school are to be black and must be labelled with the children’s name. Costing between $20 - $25 school sunglasses are a added precaution to protect your child’s eye sight.
Parents are requested to apply sunscreen to students before they come to school. Children are also asked to bring sunscreen attached to their bag. Prior to lunchtime students are reminded to reapply sunscreen.
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Some Reminders from the Admin Office
Arrival and Dismissal
- Please try to ensure your children arrive at school on time. Arriving late and walking into a settled classroom after the bell can often cause a child unnecessary anxiety and separation problems.
- Late Arrival – If your child arrives after the first bell they must be accompanied by a parent to the office. Parents are to use the Kiosk to sign in their child. A late slip will be printed which the child takes to their teacher.
- Early Leave – If you need to take your child early please use the Kiosk to sign your child out. Reception will call the child’s teacher to let them know to come to the office.
- Full Days Absence – Parents can log a child’s absence by using the Compass App. Alternatively please call the office 9949 3523 and press 1 for the absentee line.
- Dismissal - Please ensure your child knows how they are getting home and with whom. Late messages are sometimes hard to deliver, especially if the class is at sport, yoga, Italian, music, library, church etc
- Parents using drive through pick up from the car park in the afternoons are to ensure they have the correct (surname) sign for the teachers on duty to see. Handwritten signs and signs written in light/thin font are not visible and can cause confusion.
- Kindergarten parents and new families will receive signs next week and if there are any parents in other grades requiring a new or updated sign, we ask that you contact the office to request one.
- Parking - Please be respectful of our neighbours. When dropping the children off in the morning or collecting them in the afternoons please respect the rights of our neighbours and refrain from pulling up in their driveways even for a short time. Rangers frequently patrol at their request.
IMPORTANT - All Families: Please complete and return a Dismissal Form for each of your children and return to your child’s class teacher regarding their normal dismissal arrangements. Forms are included in this newsletter. If arrangements change throughout the year please notify your child’s teacher in writing.
School Fees
Invoices for 2020 were emailed to all families earlier this week from the Catholic Schools Office. This invoice shows the total due for the year and the amounts and dates payment is required. Please adhere to your payment schedule as requested on your family registration form.
If you wish to change your time payments or discuss your fees please contact Julia.postle@dbb.catholic.edu.au Statements will be emailed to all families at the beginning of each month showing amounts owing. Unpaid fees will be referred to the Catholic Schools Office for collection unless other arrangements have been made.
Medication Reminder and Expiry
If your child requires medication at school please ensure you have completed the correct forms and that the medication you supply has been approved by a doctor and that all medication has sufficient expiry dates. Medication must be in its original packaging.
If you are new to the school and your child requires medication please see the office staff for the correct form.
No medication will ever be given without written approval from a doctor; this includes Panadol, Nurofen etc.
Photographing your Child at School
Parents and carers often enjoy photographing their children at school. Today this often includes sharing the images on social media. It is important to note that child protection laws and privacy laws respect the rights of parents to not allow photographs of their children to be posted online without their written consent. It is important to crop the images of students in the background that are easily identifiable before sharing any school photos of your children particularly on social media.
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Library News
Welcome back for another exciting year in the library!
Please take note of the day your child is able to borrow books as they must have a library bag.
Parent Help – I always need help for shelving and covering books. If you would like to continue, or to start helping in any way in the library, please email the school or fill in the linked form. If you have not contacted or covered books before or would like a refresher, I will hold a very quick session straight after school at a convenient time.
We will send home about a dozen books for covering once or twice a term at most. If you wish to help shelve books you can choose to come in the morning or afternoon – whichever suits you.
Many thanks
Liz McGuire
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The area alongside the priory is reserved only for our parish priests. Please do not park in this area under any circumstance.
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Evergreen Music Mixed Ensemble
For information and enrolment for the music program at St Kieran's in 2020 click here.
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Position Vacant -Canteen Cordinator Required
We are still in need of a Canteen Coordinator. Jo has graciously agreed to stay on for the first few weeks of school whilst we find a replacement. Moving forward the school may need to reduce the days that the canteen is opened or close until we can find someone. Please spread the word to anyone who you feel may be interested.
The position has been readvertised, if you are interested please apply. All details can be found here.
https://www.csodbb.catholic.edu.au/careers/Employment-Opportunities
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Canteen
I’m back, but only for a transition period…Firstly, can I just say I was very overwhelmed with all the beautiful words that I received in my farewell card, it took me a few days to finish reading all the individual messages. Thank you for the generous gift voucher, and stunning hydrangea, this is my favourite flower. It now has a special place in our garden, and I will think of you all every time it blooms each year.
Thanks again to all the returning volunteers, and welcome to our new ones. For those who are new to the Canteen, training will be provided during your shift.
We still have many shifts to be filled, particularly on a Thursday, in our current 2020 Canteen Roster. If you can help out in any capacity, either a morning, or full day, or afternoon shift please contact me. Please see attached roster for the available shifts marked in red. Shifts are in blocks of four being one a term. Dates for the four shifts are in the block on the left hand side. Wednesday dates are in yellow, Thursday are in turquoise, and Friday in purple. Thank you.
NEXT WEEK’s ROSTER (Term 1 - Week 2):
Wednesday 5 February: Nicole Wall, Caroline Wells
Thursday 6 February: Susanne Foale, Nicole Covich
Friday 7 February: Susan Nicols, Alicia Potega, Beata Kromrych
· Full day Volunteers are required from 8.50am to 1.50pm.
· Morning Volunteers are required from 8.50am to 11.15am (M).
· Lunch Volunteers are required from 11.15am to 1.50pm (L).
Any changes to the canteen roster, please contact: Jo Nesbitt - 0410 629 135 or joannemnesbitt@gmail.com |
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Digital Entertainment Memberships
Entertainment Memberships have now gone digital!!
As of November, Entertainment Memberships will now only be available as Digital Memberships. The biggest changes include:
- Memberships are now valid for 12 months from date of activation! (They don’t expire 1 June of each year)
- You can now Gift someone an Entertainment Membership! What a great idea for Christmas.
- You can have access for up to 5 devices! Great for all the family over the holidays.
There are 3 new memberships to choose from:
- Single City for $69.99. Valid for one year. All the best savings in your city.
- Multi City for $119.99. Valid for one year. Enjoy savings across all of Australia, New Zealand and Bali.
- Multi Plus for $229.99. Valid for two years. 2 years of savings across all of Australia, New Zealand and Bali.
Click here to order your membership now. For further information and to answer all your questions, please contact Susan Nicols at slnicols@hotmail.com
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Sacramental Program News
Parents of children in Year 3 and older (who received the sacrament of Confirmation last year) are reminded that the First Reconciliation Program commences this term with the Parent Information Meeting on Tuesday 11 February at 9.30am OR Wednesday 12 February at 7.00pm both meetings in St Kieran’s Church;
- Group Facilitator Meetings will follow the Parent Information Meetings at 10.30am (Tuesday) OR 8.00pm (Wednesday) in St Kieran’s Church;
- Practice for First Reconciliation Tuesday 10 March at 4pm in SK Church OR Wednesday 11 March at 7pm in SC Church;
- The next Baptism of Young Children Program (for children aged 7 – 11 years) will commence in March 2020, prior to the beginning of the 2020 – 2021 Children’s Sacramental Program;
Parents new to the school with children in Year 3 (and older) who would like their children to join the First Reconciliation program are asked to contact Janette as soon as possible.
For further information please contact Janette on 0408 866 521 or at sacraments@northharbourcatholic.org.au
Order of St Augustine's Volunteers Cruise
The social justice arm of the Order of St Augustine’s - Augustinian Volunteers Australia, is hosting a harbour cruise in conjunction with Tribal Warrior on Saturday 21 March 2020 to Memel Island (Goat Island) including an Aboriginal dance performance and workshop. Tickets are available now at http://www.trybooking.com/598236 |
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Manly Warringah Basketball
For information regarding Term 1 activities click here.
Scouts
The Scout Association has been recognised by UNESCO as the foremost worldwide youth education organisation. We provide a program which complements the formal school education curriculum. For further information click here.
Allambie Netball Club
Allambie netball club is a small friendly club that welcomes new players of all ages and ability.
Registrations are now open for Winter 2020 competition.
We're looking for players across all age groups (players turning 8 years old in 2020 through to adults). Find out more here
VIP Keyboard Classes
For information click here.
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