St Canice's Primary School Newsletter

Dear Parents, Carers and Members of the St Canice’s Community,

There is great enthusiasm and energy within the St Canice’s community right now as we ease out of lockdown restrictions. We are all looking forward to having your children back at school soon. Our focus will be on ensuring that the children feel safe and supported at school so that they are ready to learn. We know that learning from home has been very successful and enjoyable for some students, manageable for some and very challenging for others. We will welcome the children back with open arms, meet them where they are at and work with them to settle them back into their learning environment. We are here to do our best in making the return to school a happy experience all round. Please contact your child’s teacher or me (mmeaney@parra.catholic.edu.au ) if you or your child have any concerns about the return to school.Many thanks to all who have supported our work on enrolments so far this year. 

• Have you seen our exceptional school video? It is on FaceBook and also on our website. 

• Have you seen our whole page spread on The Gazette?  Click HERE and go to Page 35 if you missed it! 

• We also have lots coming up at the school for those still with questions about starting their little ones in school. 

• We have Q and A sessions for anybody with an interest in learning more about starting school on 26th October at 1pm and repeated on 8th November at 7pm 

• We have Orientation to Kindergarten on Tuesday, 19th October at 1:30pm. This session is online via Zoom. The session targets those parents who have enrolled their children in St Canice’s in 2022 but anybody with an interest in learning about the school can attend.

• It looks like we will be able to welcome our new Kindergarten students onsite for our transition mornings from early December.

  Parents, please keep up the great work you are doing getting the message out about our great little school with a big heart. Direct people who are looking for a great school to the resources above and to our website. Word of Mouth is the big success factor in building enrolments and I am so very grateful to you for the positive message you share in the wider community about the school. Keep it up!

  Thank you to the St Canice's Staff:)

  Parents and Carers, as this is our last newsletter during Remote Learning, I would like to take a moment to congratulate the superb staff at St Canice’s for the energy, enthusiasm and effort they have put into learning in difficult circumstances over the last 12 weeks. Many of you worked closely with them as they ensured that your children were able to access learning and complete it to the best of their ability. They provided a great balance of learning options, ensuring that the children’s wellbeing was prioritised, as best they could from a distance. They organised several fun events that brought joy to children and families. They were, above all, models of love in action, working very hard with enthusiasm and joy, for the benefit of your children. 

  Now that the time has come to send your children back to school, we will all be working on maintaining our relationship with you. In supporting your children’s learning at home, you must have learned so much about them as learners. More than ever before, we are a partnership and it is my dearest wish to maintain and strengthen that. It is that partnership that will ensure the best educational opportunity for your children.

  God bless,

  Miriam Meaney

Children in K-2 return to school on Monday 18th October. Learning will be face to face, at school. School commences at 8:40am. We encourage the children to arrive from 8:20 and to socialise in the playground. Being among friends helps them to feel relaxed and positive about the start of the school day

Children in Years 3-6 will return on Monday, 25th October. 

All children should now be wearing the full summer school uniform. We have included pictures of the uniform in the newsletter to help.

A reminder to all that when dropping off or collecting students we ask that you wear a mask, socially distance and not gather in groups.

Our priority is the safety of our community. You can rest assured that we at St Canice’s are doing everything to ensure a safe and healthy school. I have summarised below for you our key measures. Should you need any clarification / greater detail, please do not hesitate to get in touch (mmeaney@parra.catholic.edu.au ).

We are so excited to soon have all our students back and have been closely working with our Positive Behaviour Support 4 Learning Teacher Educator to help transition the students back to school feeling safe and part of this community.  A phrase we will be using to help the students with this is: At St Canice's we give each other a helping hand. We are special, unique and are a part of the St Canice's school community. We all belong to our classroom community and we support and help each other. Please feel free to further support your child by using this phrase too.

Parents of students in Years 3 and 5 were advised to collect their NAPLAN results from the office on Thursday, 7 October. Those not collected will be sent home when your child returns to school. We look forward to providing all parents with an overview of this year’s NAPLAN results in an upcoming newsletter. Should any parents have any queries related to their child’s results, please contact us.

As we approach Summer, we are getting closer to commencing work on our outdoor learning area. The site for the Outdoor Learning Area is at the back of the school, facing Lurline Street. We already have two large planter boxes in this area, housing an indigenous garden. Some of our students in Stage 2 work with Ms Gillespie in managing the garden. We will install a decking area, seating, screens and further planting options in this area.

Many thanks to Kim Garraway who has coordinated student banking at the school for many years. Kim, we are so very grateful to you for your work in encouraging our children to save all of their dollars along the way. I am sure that you helped the students develop into thrifty savers over the years. We have struggled in recent times to provide Student banking, due to COVID. We are not certain of the future direction of Student Banking. It is a tradition that I am sure brings back many memories for those of you who participated in your school days.

Calling all Rocks.......Students are asked to bring back their painted rocks to school when they return.

If rocks are not yet painted , they can be returned and Ms Morley will endeavour to help students to complete this task.

So let's help St Canice's rock by returning all the rocks!

Ms Morley

Many thanks to Natalie Tolhurst, who worked with Rotary to provide a Peace Pole to St Canice’s. The peace poles are being presented to 100 schools Australia-wide to celebrate  100 years since Rotary was established (1921 - 2021). Peace Poles are planted bearing the Universal Peace Message “May Peace Prevail on Earth”. The pole and the message symbolise our common wish for a World at Peace. They stand as a silent vigil for peace, reminding us to think and act in the spirit of peace. The peace message is written in four languages, on each side of the 4 sided Peace Pole. The St Canice’s Peace Pole will feature the following languages: English, Dharug, Gundungurra and Auslan.

By Five Strengthening Care for Children and Yarra Communities That Care are proud to once again partner to deliver a FREE webinar; 

'Thriving Kids - Engaging with Sport, the Arts & Community'.

Dr Billy Garvey will be joined by Olympic Gold Medallist, Lucy Stephan, Former Soceroos Captain and A-League Champion, Mark Milligan, and Lawyer, Media Commentator and Activist Nyadol Nyuon, to share stories and practical strategies to inspire and encourage (re)engaging with sporting, artistic and community activities that bring joy.

This free webinar is suitable for parents and children, and recognises the social connections and self-worth that comes from engaging in joyful pursuits following a period of lost opportunities. The panel will reflect on their own experience of community, overcoming adversity & important adults along their journey to success in the context of child and family wellbeing. 

This free webinar will be held on Thursday October 14th at 7pm and you can register your attendance above or via this link. 

We encourage parents and carers to contact us at any time to arrange a tour of our school, meet our staff and see our learning in action. Please phone 4780 6800 during our temporary office hours (9am - 11am) or email stcanices@parra.catholic.edu.au

Please share this post with our community -

Everyone is welcome at St Canice's

Katoomba!https://youtu.be/TNhJBt6ofY8

Many families have reported that children learning from home has given their child the opportunity to work at their own pace and some have also benefited from learning with 1:1 support . They have had a whole term of a shorter school day which means fatigue has been less of an issue. In addition to this Anxiety has lessened from being at home. 

Given these factors, children may have a mixture of feelings with returning to school this term. They may be excited or be feeling stressed, nervous or anxious all over again. They also may have new separation issues from leaving Mum, Dad or Carers after months at home. 

First of all check in to see how your child is doing 

Ask them if they have any concerns and worries about returning to school. Listen to them without interrupting and acknowledge their feelings according to their developmental stage and age. Younger children may not be able to express their feelings with words in this case they may show signs of feeling anxious through their behaviour which could include difficulty sleeping, headaches, tummy aches and being more clingy.  

Reassure your Child that it is safe to return to school 

• Explain to your child that the school staff are providing a safe and secure environment

• The return to school is based on medical advice 

• People who are unwell will stay at home

• Remind them it's okay to have mixed emotions about returning to school and ask them what they are worried about 

Prepare your child for changes at school 

• Reinforce good hygiene practices

• Normal Drop and pick up procedures may be different for a while 

• Parents may not be allowed to come into the school for a little longer

Get back into a Structured Routine 

• Start getting your child back into the routine of a good sleep cycle. Waking up early and going to bed at their normal bedtime.. 

• Get your child involved in getting their uniform, shoes and school bag packed ready for school.

• Speak to your child and ask if they have any requests for what they would like to have for recess and lunch and ask them to help you prepare and pack their food. 

• Remember to allow a little extra time in the morning to prepare for school and goodbyes at the school gate.

Please feel free to speak to your child’s  teacher, Ms Meaney or myself if you have any concerns or worries about your child returning to school.

Kind Regards, 

Kylie Ranson 

St Columbas College is a top co-educational Catholic College set in the beautiful Blue Mountains that equips each student with the skills and passion to make a difference in the world.

As a Catholic College, St Columba's continues to articulate and to live the values of the Gospel and to take the life of Jesus Christ as its model. In educating young people, St Columba's continues to challenge students to be people who value justice and to help create a College community that is characterised by relationships of care, trust, respect and forgiveness.

There is a strong focus on learning, faith development and student care. A high priority is given to developing quality relationships between staff and students, and to the provision of support structures for every student.

Enrolments are considered at any time throughout the year, however, the Year 7 enrolment process commences in February each year. If necessary, your application will be held on a waiting list until a position becomes available.

You are welcome to contact the College Enrolment Secretary at any time to help you obtain further information or guide you through the enrolment process.

Contact the College Enrolment Secretary on 4754 8900 to obtain the enrolment pack. If you need any further information or help in completing this application, the Enrolment Secretary will be happy to provide assistance.

St Columbas Tour

Sportaus is not only a wonderful resource for teachers and coaches, it is also a valuable resource for parents that has many activities to help keep children and families entertained. You may like to print the resource cards to play continuous cricket or try something different like Yulunga Traditional Indigenous Games where you can learn and experience aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

https://www.sportaus.gov.au/yulunga 

PE with Joe are 20 minute  child friendly workouts via youtube.

The workouts are fun and suitable for all ages and even adults can get involved. You don't need any equipment at all. Joe's YouTube channel link is below for all of the PE with Joe workouts. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvrtftiOOVw

Check out some great activities for kids and families from NSW Sport. They have videos and activity sheets to help you keep your kids entertained during COVID-19 lockdowns.

https://www.sport.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-04/school_camps_at_home_23042020_final.pdf

Remember to have a break and go outside a couple of times a day. If you can go for a walk around your neighbourhood or a bush walk with the family (see last week's fb post for suitable and local bushwalks).

Stay safe and take care of yourself, 

Kylie Ranson 

As always, it’s important to reinforce that no child will be refused enrolment at our school due to a family's inability or difficulty to pay school fees’.

if you need to have a discussion please call the office on 4780 6800 between 9am - 11am or email jmacpherson@parra.catholic.edu.au

The school administration office will only be open between 9am and 11am this week, normal hours from 8:30am to 3:30pm will resume when students start back on Monday 18th October.  

If you have any other queries please email the school at stcanices@parra.catholic.edu.au this will be monitored during our normal office hours of 8:30am to 3:30pm.

 We appreciate your understanding.

We look forward to welcoming parent / carer volunteers into St Canice's in the future.  If you are interested in volunteering your time either in the classroom or at any of the exciting upcoming events, please ensure your Building Child Safe Communities training is up to date.

This module must be completed every two years and is mandatory for anyone wanting to volunteer regardless if you hold a WWCC number or not.

Please follow the link to complete your training

https://www.parra.catholic.edu.au/About-Us/Building-Child-Safe-Communities

Parents of school-age children are reminded to register for their Active Kids and Creative Kids vouchers. The NSW Government’s Active Kids program provides  vouchers for parents, guardians and carers of school-enrolled children to use towards sport and active recreation costs each year and also vouchers that can be redeemed for creative activities  such as drama & visual arts. Creative Kids vouchers are also available to be redeemed for creative activities and craft supplies.

To find out more information on how to apply please visit https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/apply-creative-kids-voucher

Your creative kids voucher can be used to purchase items via approved websites, check out the links below.

Creative Kids Wonderland
Artzee Kids

BrickTastics

As per Catholic Education Office Parramatta school fee policy, a term's notice (10 school weeks) in writing must be given to the Principal before the removal of a student or a full term's fees will be payable.

One exception is that notice in writing will be accepted at any time during term 4 in relation to the following year's enrolment, that is, the notice period of 10 school weeks will be waved in this circumstance.

Special circumstances that may warrant 6 weeks notice include moving out of area due to employment transfer or sale of house.

Thank you to all the generous families and staff in our community who have contributed to the WInter Appeal for St Vincent de Paul.

This money will go to the Katoomba conference to help those struggling during these difficult times.

All donations can be made on our Mini Vinnies fundraising page.

Mini Vinnies - St Canice's

We are now taking enrolments for Kindergarten 2022, if you know of people looking for a school for their child (even if it is for the other grades), please let them know about St Canice’s. The power of your words of recommendation has an enormous effect on our enrolments. Let’s keep working together to make St Canice’s that great school that has been in operation for the past 120 years.

St Mary of the Cross MacKillop Parish

Parish Priest Fr John McSweeney

 Presbytery Contact  Ph: 02 4782 2804

                                     Fax: 02 4782 6090

Website: marymackillopupperbluemountains.org.au

Monday 8.30am Friday 12.00pm Saturday 9.00am Sunday 10.00am

Saturday 9.30am Confession outside this time is available on request

Saturday Cenacle Rosary and Consecration following benediction after 9am Mass

1st Friday of month, 12.30pm

Fridays (Except 1st Friday) 12.30pm

Benediction Saturdays following 9am Mass

Sundays 12.00pm to 1.00pm

4th Monday of month - 6pm