Term 3 Week 8

Hi families,

As we draw to the end of Week 8 (and the middle of September) the below update will hopefully provide a bit of an update of the various happenings at SCMS.

NAPLAN Analysis

On Monday, Angela Grigoras-Oates and myself travelled to the Catholic Education Office in Pt Pirie to complete a detailed analysis of the school's NAPLAN results.

It was also discussed the change to the format of NAPLAN for 2023, where it will now be held in Week 7 of Term 1, rather than Week 2 of Term 2. This allows schools to get the results in quicker time frame allowing them to of more use in identifying student attainment.

Over the past three years the school has added many Research Based Programs to the school to help compliment the literacy and numeracy development of our children. 

These include:

Initialit - Literacy Teaching and Learning Program for Reception to Year 2 students

MiniLit - Intervention Literacy Program for Early Years Students

Prelit - Literacy Program for Mid-Year Receptions as well as an intervention for Early Years Students

Spelling Mastery - Daily Spelling and Literacy program for students

Reading Tutor - Intervention Program for Year 3 students and above

We believe these have had a significant impact on the attainment of our children. This was illustrated in our school attaining above National Average results in 9 of the 10 areas in our Year 3 and Year 5 students. 

What's going on with the build?

Not much over this fortnight! The stone shed at the back of the Parish building has been demolished in preparation for the development of the toilet block. 

Next week the site manager returns from leave, and we expect there will be some further development.

Public Holiday / Student Free Day

Next Thursday all schools are required to close due to the Public Holiday to commemorate the passing of Queen Elizabeth the II. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause but this day is beyond our control. The following day is also a Student Free Day as the staff complete their annual retreat as mandated by the Catholic Education Office.

OSHC @ SCMS

Last week I sent home some information indicating that the school had been approved for an OSHC commencing in 2023. I have now begun the application through the Education Standards Board which will hopefully be finalised by the end of this year. We anticipate the OSHC may commence in mid Term 1 2022.

What is an OSHC and when does it run?

An OSHC is a care service that exists outside of school hours. There are usually two types of services: Before School Care and After School Care. 

Before School care would generally run from 7am to 8:50am to support families who have no care at this time.

After School Care would run from 3pm to 6pm.

What does it cost?

The cost of the OSHC service is still being determined, but families are able to access the childcare subsidy which can often provide a rebate of around 50% of the hourly cost. In most services in the peninsula the hourly rate sits around the $10-12 mark, so the rebate brings that cost to $5-6 an hour. Again these figures are preliminary.

How do I register interest?

Next term we will be seeking interest for 2023 bookings. The OSHC will only be viable if supported by families at our school.

Kind Regards,

Scott March

Hello!

Next week our staff will be participating in their annual staff retreat. Not only is this a mandated requirement from CESA, but it is a brilliant opportunity for us as a staff to spend sometime together reflecting on and deepening our understanding of our school’s Catholic Identity and mission. The last few years we have had a strong focus on St Mary MacKillop and learning more about who she was, what she did and why she is so significant for us as a Josephite school. This year we will be going deeper into the why she did what she did or more importantly the WHO she did it for. We ask that you keep us in your prayers, that the day is fruitful, and we are all able to hear what it is that God wishes to place on our hearts.

Next week our year 4 students will be taking part in ReLAT test (Religious Literacy Assessment Tool). As the letter stated that went out to the parents of these children, “the assessment is not a measure of a child’s faith nor their participation in the broader life of the Catholic community.  It is important to draw upon a variety of assessment strategies in order to develop a comprehensive picture of a child’s progress and understanding in Religious Education.” It is very much a tool to inform whole-of-school professional learning needs and the continuous improvement of teaching in Religious Education. 

Finally, tomorrow is the feast day of Our Lady of Sorrows. Over the past few months, I have been reading a book dedicated to this feast day and have greatly appreciated the depth of understanding it has given me. The one thing I have taken from it has been the intimate link between sorrow and joy. “Authentic love always co-exists with both sorrow and joy, because joy is a fruit of charity and sorrow is deepest where love is widest.” (Fr Brandenburg, L.C.) Our Lady models for us how to accompany those who suffer. We can’t always fix the problem, but we can accompany those we love and sometimes, most of the time, that is the most beautiful thing we can do. And hopefully, just as Our Lady’s sorrows turned to joy on the day of resurrection, so too we can hope that our sorrows will one day turn to joy as well.

God Bless,

Miriam Honner

The Reception class has been busy learning about weight. For this activity, we experimented with various objects and placed them on balancing scales to determine which objects were lighter or heavier than the other. Students identified that when an object is heavy, the scale tilts down to the ground, and when it is light, it tilts towards the ceiling.

In year 1/2 maths we have been learning about fractions and what an equal part is. We used our creative thinking to halve real-life objects that we know.

In the Year 3/4 class we have been learning about volume and capacity. Students learnt that capacity is the measurement of how much a container can hold, whereas volume is the measurement of what is actually in the container. Students were then asked to create their own drink using only 6 ingredients to fill a 2 litre jug.

The 5/6/7s are enjoying their AFL in schools clinic that has been occuring throughout the week. Students are developing fundamental skills associated with the game and having a great time with their peers. They’ve been kicking goals and completing challenges. Well done to the whole class on giving it a crack!

Barcelona is a city in the north of Spain, in the region of Catalonia. People who live here are very proud and independent people, who would like to be considered separate from other parts of Spain. Their language is even different, even though they are still Spanish people. As an example, in Madrid Spanish, which we teach at St. Columba’s, the word for school is ‘La escuela’. In Catalan Spanish it is ‘La escola’. Here is another word, lunch in Spanish is ‘el almuerzo’. In Catalan it is ‘el dinar’.

There are many famous places to see in Barcelona. One of the most well known is a famous cathedral called The Holy Family, or ‘La Sagrada Familia’.  The building was designed by an architect called Antoni Gaudi in 1882, and is still being built today.

To recognise RU OK? Day, Jo arranged for the students to plant sunflowers in our orchard. Jo spoke about how growing flowers is like friendship and how it needs love and care to blossom. The students can't wait until their friendship flowers start to grow!

As part of our RU OK? Day celebrartions, the students and stuff were able to nominate their peers for being a fabulous friend, a brilliant buddy and a magical mate. Congratulations to the following receipients:

Tanner:  

• He is very nice to me. 
• He plays with me. 

Ollie:  

• He lets me play all the games at lunch and recess. 
• He lets me play with him. We play cricket. 

Madsy: 

• She is very kind and asks if I am ok when I am feeling sad. 
• She helps me on the playground and asks if people are ok when they sit on the buddy bench. 
• She says hello and plays with me. 

Fletcher: 

• He plays with me. 
• He shares when we play lego. 
• He includes me in cricket. 

Hudson: 

• He always plays with me when I don’t have anything to do. 
• He always plays with me at school and at home on the Xbox. 
• He has always been by my side. 

Lukas: 

• He is a good sportsman and is caring of others. 
• He always has a smile on his face and is kind, wise and helps me. 
• He understands and lets me people join in with games. You can trust him. 

Lylah: 

• She is always asking if you are ok 
• She is the person that makes me smile every single time I see her. 
• She supports me and always asks if I am ok. 
• She has helped me a lot. 

Jade: 

• She is a nice friend. 
• She is always there for me when I need it. 
• She helps me with work and is always very supportive. 
• She is a very lovely girl, and she is always there for me when I need someone and is great at helping with problems. 

Hayley:

• She plays with me at lunch 
• She is really nice to me. She helps people when they fall or hurt themselves. 
• She plays with me and cares for me. 
• She is always by my side. 
• She is a very helpful big kid. 

Mrs Redman: 

• She always works hard to keep everything in order and to answer all our silly questions. 
• She helps me when I am hurt. 
• Every time you get hurt, she helps with a blue cloth. 

Suzie: 

• She is kind and caring. 
• She smiles at me whenever I say hello. She has a beautiful smiley face. 
• She always checks on me and goes above and beyond for everyone. 
• She will bend over backwards to help anyone. 

Throughout the year our year seven students take on different leadership roles. These roles are ones that often take them out of their comfort zone, however, they have approached them with courage and positivity all year. Recently they have been asked to help our volunteer parents with Tasty Tuesday. Our leaders have been helping gather, prepare and serve food for their peers for the past few weeks. It's been lovely to see them working alongside our wider school community in a positive way.  Their enthusiasm to help others has been outstanding and we are so proud of their efforts and the support our volunteer parents have given them.

The RAA are hitting the road and coming to Yorketown! 

As part of the Regional Safety Grants program the RAA are visiting St Columba's Memorial School to deliver a new suite of car seats for the school vans. During their visit, they are offering FREE car seat advice and fit checks for our local community.

Confused about which car seat would be best for your child? Having issues keeping children in their car seats, or getting the right fit? Are you a grandparent who is feeling unsure about current laws or best practice when it comes to car seats? You're not alone. 

Come and see Gerd and Claire from the RAA Wednesday morning between 8.30-10.00am on Wednesday 21^st September (they're super friendly and not afraid of the biscuit crumbs and sultanas lurking beneath your child's car seat... we promise!). Feel free to pop into the St Columba's school hall for a coffee with the Little Collies Playgroup too.  

For more information, please feel free to contact Katie on 0429166392. 

.