Mary Immaculate Primary Newsletter

Term 3 Week 6: Monday 16th August 2021

Principal's Message

Dear Parents/Carers,

I hope that you are all keeping safe and well.

We are very conscious that everyone's wellbeing is being challenged throughout this pandemic.

We have a range of measures that we have been discussing and will further action over the next few weeks above what is already happening.

 I am very conscious as well that having been away coupled with Covid I have not been able to engage with the children or yourselves as much as I am used to. I am back at school on Wednesday and will be sending a message to our students. I hope you take the time to tune in.

The parent zoom we had last week was wonderful. Great to communicate with all those who were able to join us.

Please Update Your Contact Emails

Today you will receive an email or SMS (for those parents without email) from Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta (CEDP) asking you to review and, where necessary, update the key information they hold about your children currently enrolled in CEDP schools. 

The purpose of this review is to ensure that CEDP has the right details to correctly identify and support students, including contacting families in an emergency or to share important updates. 

Steps have been taken to ensure this process is as secure as possible to protect your information and your family’s privacy. Your information is only accessed by authorised staff when it is necessary and in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

The link is open until Friday 3 September and I encourage you to complete the review/update as soon as possible to ensure that your family’s correct details are on file. This is particularly important as Greater Sydney remains in lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak. 

This short “how to” video may assist you with completing the process (use the closed caption icon to turn on subtitles). Please don’t hesitate to contact the school office if you have any questions or concerns.

Only one person per family needs to complete the survey and it takes about 15 minutes to complete. If you have any questions or to seek help, please contact the CEDP Community Liaison Team on 9840 5796.

Thank you for your ongoing support, 

Stephen Dowd

Principal

Religious Coordinator's Message

Sunday the 8th August, was the Feast Day of St. Mary of the Cross Mackillop, Australia’s Patron Saint. 

Previously, our Mary Immaculate community would have marked this celebration gathering together for a school and parish Mass and our annual Mary Mackillop Awards Ceremony. Unfortunately due to COVID19 restrictions once again this year, we were unable to do so. 

Last week each grade held a liturgical celebration via remote learning with a special video message from Father Oliver. In addition, teachers also handed out the Mary Mackillop Award to one student from each class who demonstrates and embodies the values given to us through the role model of Mary Mackillop. This is a very special award which commemorates the way Mary Mackillop lived her life by serving others and our Lord. In particular, the recipient is someone who, to quote Mary Mackillop herself, “Never sees a need without doing something about it.”

I am sure you will join me and our Mary Immaculate School and Parish community in congratulating these students. 

Our 2021 recipients of the St. Mary of the Cross Mackillop Awards are:

KM- Imogen E

KG- Azaliah C

KP- Michelle M 

1M- Isabel M

1G- Amanaki K

1P- Sarah F

2M - Hadriel F

2G - Chloe E

2P - Zayaan S

2B - Hayden R

3M- Emily V

3G- Travis M

3P- Mariah C

4M- Alexander W

4G- Elke-Rose B

4P- Yousef A

5M- Matilda O

5G- Samantha S

5P- Jireh A

6M- Ryan C

6G- Joseph O

6P- Jake T

A hard copy of the award will be mailed out to these students.

Yours in faith,

Mrs Helen Moore

Religious Education Coordinator

School Counsellor's Message

It was great to have so many of you on our zoom call last Monday evening. There were some great ideas discussed about managing remote learning, getting outside each day, connecting through play and hobbies, and managing daily stresses. 

Just to summarise, there were three questions that we spoke about on Monday: 

- One word that describes your experience of the current situation 

- What has helped you make it work?

- How have you been pleasantly surprised by yourself and your child/children during this time?   

Wishing you all the best at this time. Please reach out if you need any support (even just for a chat). You can make confidential contact with me through the MIPS office, or contact Steve or Sharon, and they will pass on your details. 

I have added some resources to this newsletter for the week.  A great link for discussing coronavirus with your children is  https://kidshelpline.com.au/coronavirus. This may help you answer some questions and help the conversation.  I have also included a book called "Cornavirus and Covid: A book for children about the pandemic"  which could be of interest. 

Justin Denes 

School counsellor 

A Book For Children About The Pandemic

Learning at MIPS

MIPS Book Week 2021

“Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds”

During Week 7, MIPS will celebrate Book Week! Each year, the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) celebrates Book week, and this year marks it’s 75th anniversary.

Book Week is always a wonderful time at Mary Immaculate. This year, we will celebrate remotely! There will be a number of Whole School activities for your child to participate in during the week. Each day, your child will view one of the Shortlisted Books and complete activities on the book. We will also have a focus on Wellbeing throughout Week 7 with opportunities for your child and your family to read and connect with one another. 

A highlight of Book Week is always the Book Parade! This year, we aim to complete this digitally. Students will have the opportunity to submit a photo of themselves during Week 7 which will form a part of the digital Book Parade. This can be anything- a mask, a hat, a dress-up which is homemade or something that you already have at home. You don’t need to buy a thing! Your child is encouraged to get creative with what they have at home. More information regarding the Book Parade will be communicated to you via your class teachers in Week 7.

As always, this is a wonderful time to celebrate the love of reading and literature with your child! 

Happy reading,

Mrs Kylie Behrens

Literacy Coordinator

Premier’s Reading Challenge- extended!

The Premier’s Reading Challenge has been extended for a further two weeks. Students now have up until Friday, 3rd September (Week 8) to have their Reading Logs completed, ready for validation.

New books have been added to the booklist! Visit the Booklists page to check out the new titles you can add to your reading record as part of the Challenge. There are tips for accessing books online from home also!

If you need help with completing your reading record, please see your teacher, or email Mrs Kylie Behrens  kbehrens@parra.catholic.edu.au. 

A reminder for all K-2 parents- All students will have their reading log updated by their classroom teacher, as books have been read during class/remote learning time.

Happy reading!

Mrs Kylie Behrens

Literacy Coordinator

Read-a-thon Raffle Tickets

MIPS Winter Holiday Readathon will continue throughout the Home Learning period!

For every hour of reading, 1 ticket may be entered into the lucky draw. Parents/Students are asked to tick a box every time your child reads for 15 minutes.

A box will be placed in each class for students to put their completed raffle tickets into once school resumes full time. The more your child reads, the more chances they have to enter and WIN!

Please download and print if your child needs extra tickets. 

Download

Latest News

INSTALMENT 3 SCHOOL FEES 2021

 School fee statements for instalment 3 have been mailed by CEDP.

Thank you to all the families that are maintaining their payment plans and are up to date.

If you did not receive your statement, have any queries or are experiencing financial difficulties regarding fees, please contact Liz Padlan via email

imac-qkhlfees@parra.catholic.edu.au or 02 9933 7800. We are here to assist you.

Upcoming Dates



Monday 23rd August- Friday 27th AugustBook Week Celebrations


Community News

Keeping families and children well – COVID-19 Bulletin Issue 42: Thursday 12th August 2021

Please click here to find the latest COVID-19 bulletin from the western Sydney Munch & Move and Live Life Well @ School teams. 

Kind regards,

The Healthy Children team

Western Sydney Local Health District

Online Resources for Parents

Community Advertising

"Please understand we are happy to support local businesses and programmes. However, the following notices are supplied for community information.
This by no means surmounts to an endorsement by the school." (Principal, Mr Stephen Dowd)

Download the SkoolBag App

https://moqproducts.com.au/skoolbag/installation-instructions/

At Mary Immaculate we communicate with parents via the free Skoolbag app that is available from both the App Store and Google Play Store. Skoolbag can be installed on any iOS (iPad or iPhone) or Android device. Downloading the app means you immediately receive updates and reminders to your mobile phone or ipad. Remember to subscribe to your child's Year Group so that you will receive messages relevant to their year.  Instructions on how to download the Skoolbag App are available via this link.

Please refer to instructions provided by Skoolbag if you have changed your email address, so to ensure you still receive skoolbag notifications.

Mary Immaculate Primary Quakers Hill