St Matthew's Catholic Primary School

Term 1, 2nd March 2021. No 3

Parish Priest: Fr Florentino (Boy) Galdo

School Principal: Mr Bob Brown

Deputy Principal: Mrs Carmela D’Amato

RE Leader: Mrs Helen Howden

School Email: principal@smfawknernth.catholic.edu.au

School Phone: 0393595423 

Principal's Message

Hello to Students, Parents, Staff and Friends of St Matthew’s,                                               

We say good-bye to Summer as we now move into the Season of Autumn. Hopefully we will still have some warmer days as we didn’t have many real Summer days this year. Let’s enjoy it before Winter comes. Also please check out the flyers at the end of the newsletter as they may be of interest to you.

OPEN DAYS, SCHOOL TOURS & ENROLMENTS FOR 2022                               

Once again this year in Catholic Education Week we will be conducting our Open day Tours for Enrolments at St Matthew’s for the 2022 year for Prep and all other grade levels. These will take place on Tuesday 16th March and Thursday 18th March. There will be two sessions on each day – 9:30am in the morning and 7:00pm in the evening. If you have a younger sibling or family, friends or neighbours that are interested please let them know about these dates and times. We look forward to seeing as many existing and new families as possible at one of these 4 sessions. Please check out the flyer at the end of the newsletter for all these details.     

Have a wonderful week everyone as we look forward to a long Labour Day holiday next weekend.

Please remember no school for students and staff next Monday 8th March.

Yours Sincerely,                                                                                                       

Bob Brown                                                                                                               

Principal

St Matthew's School Tours

SCHOOL RULES

Last Tuesday afternoon we held an impromptu whole school assembly where all students, teachers and Learning Support Officers were in attendance to revise our School Rules. Mrs D’Amato and I worked through a set of six slides in conjunction with this big A5 poster explaining them all in detail. Both the poster and the slides will be placed strategically in each classroom and even outside on the yard. The Teachers will be revisiting these on a regular basis. Please click the link below for the School Rules slides

SNACK SHACK

Late last year we asked the students to vote for a new name for our canteen. There were many great names entered. This year Anna El Khoury (our Canteen Manager), Mrs D’Amato and I sat down and narrowed it down to three – Fresh Bite, Snack Shack and the Food Stop. We then asked the grades to vote for one out of the three. Snack Shack won by a mile with the other two only receiving a handful of votes. So our new Canteen is now called the SNACK SHACK. Please see some of the goodies on display either side of the servery below.
Late last year we asked the students to vote for a new name for our canteen. There were many great names entered. This year Anna El Khoury (our Canteen Manager), Mrs D’Amato and I sat down and narrowed it down to three – Fresh Bite, Snack Shack and the Food Stop. We then asked the grades to vote for one out of the three. Snack Shack won by a mile with the other two only receiving a handful of votes. So our new Canteen is now called the SNACK SHACK. Please see some of the goodies on display either side of the servery below.
Late last year we asked the students to vote for a new name for our canteen. There were many great names entered. This year Anna El Khoury (our Canteen Manager), Mrs D’Amato and I sat down and narrowed it down to three – Fresh Bite, Snack Shack and the Food Stop. We then asked the grades to vote for one out of the three. Snack Shack won by a mile with the other two only receiving a handful of votes. So our new Canteen is now called the SNACK SHACK. Please see some of the goodies on display either side of the servery below.

2021 Term Dates

2021 TERM DATES

TERM 1   Friday 29th January        -         Thursday 1st April

TERM 2   Monday 19th April           -        Friday 25th June

TERM 3   Monday 12th July           -          Friday 17th September

TERM 4   Monday 4th October       -        Friday 17th December

Easter: 2nd April –5th April 2021 (DURING SCHOOL HOLIDAYS)

Sacramental Program Dates

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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK

Autumn Prayer

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Penance and Lent

Penance – the action of being sorry for doing something wrong. The sacrament of Penance is now  known as the Sacrament of Reconciliation in which we can be absolved of our ‘wrong doings’ or  ‘sins’. In today’s society often we don’t think we have any ‘sins’ or ‘wrong doings’ to which we have  to be sorry for. But, being “sorry” is an important part of everyday life.  

Being “Sorry” is a recognition of our everyday ‘wrong doings’ such as ANGER, SLANDER, BULLYING  and PRIDE. Penance during Lent allows us the opportunity to restore our broken relationship with  Jesus. We repair the spiritual damage we have done not only with Jesus, but also with all those we  work with, play with and even meet fleetingly. 

WELLBEING

WELLBEING – TAKE ACTION TOGETHER

As we head towards our National Day of Action against Bullying I thought it was timely that we revisit and acknowledge what is Bullying. 

Bullying is an ongoing and deliberate misuse of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical and/or social behaviour that intends to cause physical, social and/or psychological harm.

At St. Matthew’s we have a number of different programs and processes that we use to support the children to understand: what bullying is, to support them to take a stand against bullying and how to seek help if they feel they are being bullied. 

As we head towards the National Day of Action against Bullying more learning will be taking place to ensure that all children understand that bullying is not ok and won’t be tolerated at St. Matthew’s.                              

This year’s slogan is Take Action Together. This is a lovely way of working together to ensure we are all happy, safe and respected when we are at school.

As a school we have revisited our school rules with the children and this is a great way to help the children understand how to be safe when they are at school. Over the coming weeks we will be sharing our learning and knowledge through the newsletter and displays around the school so keep your eyes out. 

Mrs Jackie Fleischmann

Wellbeing Leader.

LEARNING AND TEACHING

TERM 1 SCHOOL OVERVIEW

At St Matthew’s we aim to foster a love of learning through asking questions, investigating scenarios, reflecting on our learning, providing feedback and challenging ourselves as we apply new learning.  Collectively we build on the learning that takes place from the year before so as to deepen our students' understanding of topics and essential skills.  Each term, students take part in unpacking a BIG QUESTION or STATEMENT where they can practice those skills of being a lifelong learner.  Throughout Term 1, all students will be unpacking a BIG QUESTION or STATEMENT around Wellbeing and Being an Active Citizen. Please take the time to look through what key concepts our students will be learning while unpacking their Big Question.
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LITERACY



2021 PRIME MINISTER’S SPELLING BEE

Schools are being encouraged to get involved in this year’s Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee to promote literacy in an entertaining and engaging way.

This year the spelling bee, hosted by Kids News, will be conducted through a digital format rather than face to face.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison urged all schools to get involved and register.

“Literacy is so critical to a young person’s education in Australia. It provides the fundamental base to develop other skills, and the tools to embrace the joy of reading and writing,” the Prime Minister said.

“This is a free competition that is fun and exciting and will help students learning literacy build their confidence.”

Minister for Education and Youth Alan Tudge said the spelling bee would help nurture a love of words in students.

“Spelling bees are not only great fun, they have wider benefits like helping kids develop confidence and discovering new ways to learn,” Minister Tudge said.

“I urge parents, teachers and our young people to get behind the Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee and I encourage all schools to take part.”

The Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee was due to commence in 2020 but was postponed due to the pandemic.

The national spelling bee will run in Term 1, 2021 for children in Years 3 to 8. It will be held at school level in March, with finals for each state and territory taking place in April.

If you allow your child to participate, they will be given a permission form to be completed and signed by a parent. The students will sit for the Spelling Bee from March 15 to March 26.

Mrs Rina Carfi

Literacy Leader

 

Community News

Play Group

Welcome back everyone,we are happy to invite and encourage families to come to our playgroup every Monday and Thursday from 9am-11am. In the Family Room at st Matthew’s primary school.

Playgroup is an effective program to engage families and children from 0-4 years of age with the school community. There are many many activities that can benefit your children in many different ways.

For further information and bookings, please call Bushra (Playgroup Coordinator) on 0451474773 or call the school office on 0393595423.

Due to current restrictions there will be a limit of a maximum of 10 parents with their children for each of these sessions.  Please be aware that all adults will need to wear a face mask during the time they are at playgroup. We thank you for your understanding regarding this. We are looking forward to meeting you very soon!

Autism Workshop

Please find attached an information flyer in English regarding these sessions.


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Autism Workshop

Please find attached an information flyer in Arabic regarding these sessions.
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Simonds College

Parade College

Singing Lessons

Brunswick Pottery classes

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Extend outside school hours care

The information provided in the following attachment will assist families with any bookings and services provided by Extend. 
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Download the SkoolBag App

https://moqproducts.com.au/skoolbag/installation-instructions/
The SkoolBag app is the easiest way keep up with school events, last minute notices, newsletters and all school communications.

St Matthew's Catholic Primary School