St THOMAs MoRE
“We are a Contemporary, Christ Centred, Child Centred Learning Community”
Newsletter
Term 3 – 26th July 2012
Email address: [email protected]
Home page:
www.stmhadfield.catholic.edu.au
Intranet address: www.stmhadfield.catholic.edu.au/mydesktop
30 Angus Street, Hadfield, 3046
PH: 9306 6225 / Fax: 9304 2675
OSHC – [email protected]
Hours : 7am - 9am & 3.20pm - 6.00pm Ph: 0401442393
Any cancellations send an SMS to 0421 268 989 or email [email protected]
NEWS FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Dear Parents and Caregivers
Welcome back to school and Term 3. Time passes so quickly when you’re busy, here we are at the end of
week two, already! I hope you all had a very restful holiday and an opportunity to enjoy your beautiful
children.
A big ‘congratulations’ goes to all children for their efforts in the three way conferences and their
celebrations of learning. It is wonderful to see all the valuable learning that our children experience across
the term and to hear them articulate this is just fabulous.
Congratulations also, to the STM football team who won the grand final. Well done!
This week, we celebrated the sacrament of Reconciliation, the second sacrament of initiation, with our
wonderful Grade 3s. It was a very reverent and meaningful ceremony and we ask everyone to pray for
these children. Thank you to the families and teachers for supporting our children on the night.
Our best wishes go to Mrs Annette Lizio, as she leaves us to give birth to her second child in August. Mrs
Lizio kindly replaced
Mrs Antonella Prollifrone as she took on her struggle with cancer. As she is not
quite well enough to return yet, Mrs Maureen Vitetta will replace Miss Gibson on Tuesdays, to enable her
to continue the great work she does as Numeracy Leader.
As we move through the review process, we are pleased to say that the documentation has now been
completed. During the Review week, in week 4, the Reviewer will spend time in our school and will
interview a range of people from our school community. She will do this in order to create a snapshot of
where we are at this point in time. When the process has been completed, the panel and our leadership
team will set goals for our school, for the coming four-year period.
Our new website has been active since the middle of last week. This new website (with the same URL)
will now be managed by school staff and can be updated by us, at any time. The website will evolve with
time and we encourage you to provide us with constructive feedback that will make it an effective form of
communication between the school and your family.
As mentioned in previous emails, now that the new website is up, we will no longer be printing out the
newsletter for every family. The newsletter will be loaded up to the website each fortnight and new news
will also be posted in the Events section regularly. (Instructions on accessing the newsletter online
included on final page).
We will only print newsletters out for those who specifically request this in writing. Please let
us know if this is what you want.
We have been very fortunate in recent years to have government funding made available to us through
grants. These grants allowed the creation of indoor and outdoor spaces that make for a stimulating and
comfortable learning environment.
Recently, I have received confirmation from Moreland City Council informing me that essential work
outside the boundaries of the property has been completed. This work should significantly impact on
the flooding issues we have experienced in the past. In light of this development, we have managed
to scrape enough money together to purchase enough carpet tiles to complete carpeting the main building
(housing the juniors and middles). We cannot afford to have this carpet professionally laid, but with so
many talented and capable parents in the school we know we can do this job ourselves. Tony Gigliotti, our
maintenance person has already carpeted one space without any issues.
We desperately need your assistance on the weekend of the 4th and 5th of August to move
furniture and lay carpet in the classrooms. This endeavour will mean that with a carpeted
building, noise reduction will be addressed as will the issues of cold and the discomfort of
sitting and kneeling on ceramic tiles.
I have been asked if I could provide a breakdown of how our finances work at the school. This table has
been published a number of times before, but I am always happy to supply this information so that the
community understand how our resources are limited and stretched, even at the best of times. We rely
heavily on good management and carefully budget and plan for how money will be allocated across the
year.
Fee and Levy Provisions
Provisions
What School Fees cover
What the Curriculum Levy covers
•
bills e.g. phone, gas, electricity, water
•
stationery packs
•
loan repayments
•
RE resource -To Know, Worship & Love
•
insurance for the property
•
reading materials
•
public liability
•
class sets of reference material
•
security
•
paper
•
cleaning
•
writing implements
•
photocopy machine leases
•
art materials
•
computer maintenance & repairs
•
mathematics equipment
•
computers, iPads
•
library books
•
specialist teachers’ salaries ***
•
musical instruments
•
some teacher aides salaries
•
sports equipment
•
maintenance costs
•
photocopying costs and paper
•
incidental repairs and upgrades eg.
plumbing, electricity
•
teacher reference material
•
software licensing for the classroom as
well as the office
•
excursions and incursions
•
rubbish removal
•
furniture
•
audio-visual equipment
***Whilst Government funding pays for staff wages, this does not actually cater for the entire staffing we
need to provide the type of education your children deserve. The school is covering the costs of the
Specialist teachers (P.E., Art, Music & Italian) and topping up aide funding with school fees.
I have included a letter from the Director of Catholic Education that refers to the ‘Gonski Report’ that has
been highlighted in the media recently. If either political party adopts the findings of this report, the
funding that we currently receive (which is never enough) will be dramatically reduced. This would mean
that we would not be able to provide your children with the high quality educational opportunities and
resources they currently have access to at
St Thomas More.
Your children may have informed you that the technology in the school has been rearranged. We are
trying to ensure that we are maximising the ICT in the school to the best of our ability and have also
asked the children what they need in terms of ICT to support their learning. The laptops are now allocated
the seniors, the desktops to the library (a class set) and the middle rooms and a combination of iPads and
desktops to the year twos. The Preps and ones want more access to iPads, so we have allocated ipads (a
one to five ratio) to those areas. We are trying to increase the number of devices in all areas and
fundraising is essential if we are going to be successful.
Thank you to all those families that bought or sold chocolates for the chocolate drive. There are still
seventeen families in the school that still have not returned their fundraising chocolates. This is a very
disappointing state of affairs and very unfair to the kids as well as those who have worked so hard to
organise this fundraiser. The deadline for the return of money or chocolates was at the end of last term.
We are trying to provide more ICT for personalised Learning with money raised. Please support the
Parents and Friends with this situation.
A friendly reminder that front and back gates are closed at 9.10am and reopen at 3.00pm. Anyone that is
late or helping at school will need to come in and exit from Angus Street.
On Friday the 17th of August, we are working with Laughton King, a renowned psychologist that
specialises in teaching children (particularly boys) with learning challenges. Two other schools are also
engaging Laughton that week and there will be an opportunity for parents from the three schools to hear
Laughton speak at Our Lady of Nativity Primary School, Aberfeldie on the evening of the 15th of
August. More information will follow.
Thank you for your support
Marcy De Nardis
PARENT HELPER TRAINING ON AUGUST 14TH 2012
Each year I run 2 parent helper training sessions, one at the beginning of the year and one in the middle
of the year.
I have also had a few parents asking for parent helper training so I will be running another training
opportunity for any parents wishing to help in the classrooms.
This will be the last training opportunity for the year.
Sign up sheets will be in the office for you to select your training time. There will be one course offered in
the morning from 9-11am and another for parents who work at 6-8pm.
Looking forward to all the new helpers for the semester!
Anneliese Gaulton
Deputy Principal & Literacy Leader
EDUCATION MAINTENANCE ALLOWANCE
If you did not apply for the first part of this year’s EMA but have now become eligible to receive EMA you
should contact the school office to receive the necessary forms to apply. Parents/guardians are able to
apply for the EMA if they have a Health Care Card or Pension Card valid as at the first day of Term 3 (16th
July 2012). New applications for Part Two must be submitted to the school by Friday 3rd August 2012.
SCHOOL FEES
Just a reminder that any outstanding School Fees for 1st and 2nd Term should be paid as soon as possible.
If you are experiencing financial difficulty, please make an appointment with the Principal.
School Funding
The Australian Government is currently reviewing funding for all school and it is likely that the government
will propose new funding arrangements that will be debated in the Federal Parliament some time later this year.
These new arrangements could have significant consequences for the funding received by our school and it is
vital that our school community is aware of the facts about school funding. I will be seeking your support to
defend the right of our school to receive the government it needs to continue to offer a quality education, while
keeping our fees as low as possible.
There has already been a lot of misinformation about school funding in the media. In particular, claims have
been made that the catholic and other non-government schools receive more funding than State schools. These
claims are simply wrong. Students in catholic schools receive only three quarters of the government funding
given to students in government schools.
Over the coming months, I will provide you with more detailed information about funding in our school
newsletter. I encourage you to take an active interest in this information and be ready to participate in this
funding debate.
More information about Catholic school funding can also be found at: www.fundinginfo.catholic.edu.au
Stephen Elder
Executive Director of Catholic Education
D YS LEX IA A S A D A ILY LIFE IS S U E
Laughton King
Educator, author and visiting speaker.
Laughton King practiced as an Educational, Child and Family Psychologist for thirty years. He
closed his practise in Whangarei in 2007 and has now terminated his psychologist registration, so as
to focus fulltime on his work regarding dyslexia.
Laughton King will be holding a parent seminar evening at Our Lady of the Nativity Primary School,
29 Fawkner St Aberfeldie, on Wednesday 15th August. Please contact the school on 93374204 for further
information.
More information on Laughton King can be located at:
http://dyslexiadismantled.com/about-laughton
EVENTS - TERM 3
AUGUST
Mon 6th – P & F meeting 9am
Mon 13th – Book Fair begins
Fri 17th – CIRRICULUM DAY
NO SCHOOL
Tue 21st – Book Fair ends
Tue 21st – SAB meeting 7pm
Tue 21st – P & F meeting 7pm
Wed 29th – Father’s Day Stall
Thur 30th – Year 6 Confirmation Rehearsal
SEPTEMBER
Sun 2nd – Father’s Day
Sun 9th – Year 6 Confirmation Mass
@ St Patricks Cathedral 2.30pm
Fri 14th – Italian Day (all day event at school)
Tue 18th – SAB meeting 7pm
Tue 18th – P & F meeting 7pm
Fri 21st – LAST DAY TERM 3
CASUAL DAY
GOLD COIN DONATION Children’s First Foundation
URGENT HELP NEEDED for carpet tile laying in
junior/middle building.
Sat 4th & Sun 5th August 8.30am start.
Fish Links Swim School
Interested in quality swimming lessons at a local
Hadfield pool?
Places are very limited so please call ASAP if interested.
Links Swimming Club Inc
Ages 6/over-training regularly at Coburg Leisure
Centre.
Can you swim 50 freestyle or 50 backstroke?
How about trying out a swimming club?
Two weeks free training for those genuinely interested.
Contact Katie Clarke (Isy's Mum 1 Blue) on
0419538174
EMERGCARE FIRST AID COURSE
Pediatric First Aid course being held 6th & 13th August.
More information can be found in the office.
PARENT REP MEETING NEXT TUESDAY 9AM
GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR SAFE SCHOOLS
Rationale:
At St Thomas More Catholic Primary School we are committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for all
students. We commit time and effort to promoting positive relationships and effective ways of dealing with conflict and
eliminating bullying behaviour. We are committed to working together with parents, in order to reinforce safety concepts
and strategies at home. We therefore fully endorse the principles of The National Safe Schools Framework.
The following two documents are displayed in the school
office as well as being on the school website. Please read the
documents to familiarise yourselves with these policies.
www.safeschools.deewr.gov.au
http://www.valueseducation.edu.au
NEWS FROM RELIGIOUS EDUCATOR LEADER
Reconciliation
On Wednesday night the Year 3 children made the Sacrament of Reconciliation. They have worked well to
prepare and understand the purpose and importance of this Sacrament and this was reflected in the reverence
displayed on the night.
Congratulations children, may your ability to ask God for forgiveness bring peace and joy in your life.
Thank you to the families of these children who supported them during this important step in their faith
journey.
CHILDREN WHO MADE THEIR RECONCILIATION
Spencer Adams
Monica Ammendola
Mia Aquilina
Nikita Binney
Julia Cornet
Samuel Di Lizio
Ari Dimakos
Isabella Fittipaldi
Jordan Frampton
James Gauci
Luca Torcasio
Rayani Jayatilake
Mark Maldoni
Michael Michienzi
Daniel Nicolazzo
Natasha Ruth
Avery San Pedro
Stephanie Surace
Jonah Vitetta
Sammy D’Angelo
Luca De Leonardis
Laura Miceli - Melen
Tamika Hofer
Marcus Lobosco
Anastasia Martino
Joanna Mc Dermott
Marc Melilli
Liana Oliva
Amelie Plevier
Declan Reddick
Isaac Santos
Caitlin Stephenson
Amelia Zantomio
Children Participating: Jason Yakob
Prayer of Forgiveness: A Valuable Gift
A prayer of forgiveness is something we all seek at
some point in life. Forgiveness is a valuable gift that is neither easily obtained, nor easily
given. Forgiveness is essential for life; it frees us from past wrongs and gives us hope for the
future. It is for forgiveness sake that Jesus Christ came to earth to die for mankind.
Belinda Cassar
RE Leader
PARENT SEMINAR SERIES 2012
WHAT’S ON IN
AUGUST
A program for parents, carers and guardians of students in Catholic primary and secondary schools
TOPIC:
HEALTHY SIBLING RELATIONSHIPS
Presenter:
Michael Grose
Ages:
Primary and Secondary
Raising kids should be a joy, but it’s a hard slog when kids fight and argue every minute of the day. There’s no doubt that sibling rivalry
destroys peace and harmony in family life. The GOOD NEWS is that family life doesn’t have to be so hard. In this practical seminar
you’ll hear simple, easy-to-use techniques and principles that will help change feuding families into a super-strong team and make your
life as a parent easier and happier. In this seminar you’ll discover:
•
•
•
•
•
•
How children’s birth order affects their personalities and how best to parent kids in each position
Secrets to reducing competitiveness in kids
Ways to respond positively when kids fight and argue so that conflict reduces and
becomes more manageable
Key relationship skills kids can learn in their family that will stay for life
Positive strategies that build strong families
How kids need to learn to live with each other, even though they may not like each other.
DATE
Wednesday August 1
Thursday August 9
TIME
7pm – 9pm
7pm – 9pm
LOCATION
St Jude’s – Langwarrin (Ref.Mel.Map 103 J5)
St Augustine’s – Keilor (Ref.Mel.Map 14 E4)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________
TOPIC:
HELPING CHILDREN & ADOLESCENTS MAKE & KEEP FRIENDS
Presenter:
Murray Evely
Ages:
Primary and Secondary
Can parents help encourage, teach or coach friendship and social competency skills? This seminar will look at the individual needs of
children and adolescents in assisting their friendship development.
Friendship and getting along with other people is an important part of any child’s development. For many children and adolescents,
making and keeping friends seems to be quite effortless, but for others it can be a challenge. Whether it be shyness, difficulty relating
to others, impulsive behaviour or a specific disability – repeated problems with friendship groups can lead children to feel they have no
friends, and to feelings of loneliness, isolation and sadness.
Together we will explore some of the key strategies parents can use to help their child achieve greater success with peer acceptance
and in making and keeping friendships.
DATE
Tuesday August 7
TIME
7pm – 9pm
LOCATION
St Mary’s – Ascot Vale (Ref.Mel.Map 28 E9)
TOPIC:
Presenter:
Ages:
POSITIVE PARENTING – UNDERSTANDING MENTAL HEALTH
Terese Sheedy
Primary and Secondary
This seminar focuses on understanding child developmental stages, building optimistic thinking and using strengths to build selfefficiency and self-worth. Early experiences and modelling can highly influence a child’s development and sense of self. Good mental
health is essential in preventing the onset of mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.
DATE
Tuesday August 14
TOPIC:
Presenter:
Ages:
TIME
7pm - 9pm
LOCATION
Holy Eucharist – East Malvern (Ref. Mel. Map 69 B3 )
HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILD SUCCEED AT SCHOOL
Andrew Fuller
Primary and Secondary
Whether your child is in Year 12 or just starting out, the skills and knowledge that you will gain from attending this session will help you
to have a positive impact on your child’s life. It will also save you hours of useless arguing about things that don’t make a difference to
academic outcomes. Topics covered will include:
•
•
•
•
•
What the latest brain research tells us about the most vital skills for success
How parents can improve children’s concentration, memory and sequencing skills
How to build a positive mindset for success
How playing games improves intelligence
Why short sharp homework sprints are better for learning than long marathons of study.
DATE
Wednesday August 22
TIME
7pm – 9pm
LOCATION
Corpus Christi - Glenroy (Ref. Mel. Map 16 J2)
Registration/Further Information
Contact your school or Catholic Education Office Melbourne, Parent Seminar Series Coordinator: Mrs Shirley O’Sullivan
on 9464 5225 or [email protected].
Seminar Cost: $10 (to be paid in advance).
FREE VISION SCREENING
LIONS CLUB OF GLENROY will provide free vision screening for children
AGED 4 TO 7 inclusive at COBURG WEST PRIMARYSCHOOL,REYNARD ST,COBURG.
(Melway Map 29 D2)
On SATURDAY,
18th August 2012
For further details:
Contact your school principal or
Glenroy Lions Members
Dick Tracy on 9324 6821 or
Roger Exell on 9370 6436
NEWS FROM PARENTS & FRIENDS COMMITTEE
Ladies VIP night at Mystique Clothing
Wednesday 1st August between 5.30 and 9.00pm Mystique Boutique will be open to all STM parents and
friends. 20% off all stock and 10% of sales goes to STM.
59 Puckle St Moonee Ponds. Hope to see you all there.
Chocolate Drive
Congratulations to the following families who won prizes
IPOD- Jacob Zanatt
Football- Joshua Romeo
Football- Noah O’Dwyer
Netball- Nikita Cosoleto
Netball- Kelly Godfrey
Tandem Tennis- Mario Maccarone
Tandem Tennis- Soe Chu Sing
There are still families yet to return chocolates and money. Please return asap as we need to pay
Fundraysia.
Fathers Day stall
We will be holding a Fathers Day stall on Wednesday 29 August for all the children to purchase gifts for
their dads. We will be purchasing enough gifts for each child to be able to buy 2 gifts each.
Fathers Day Celebration
A Fathers Day celebration will be held on Thursday 30 August at 6.00pm in the school hall. It will be a
pizza night for all dads to enjoy with their children. Cost is $10 per adult and $5.00 per child. The theme
is Sport so we encourage everyone to come dressed up in their favourite sports gear. Games and prizes
on the night.Further details to follow.
Trivia Night
We will be holding a Trivia Night on Saturday 20 October in the school hall. Cost is $15 a ticket and this
gets you entry to a great night with lots of games and fun and bargain buying. Its not all about questions,
its more about fun and easy games and silent auctions.Byo drinks and food
Tables will be set up in groups of 10 ,so why not get some friends together and come along for a great
night.First in best dressed. All money raised goes towards Ipads and teaching aides for our kids. Tickets
will be available within the week.
Donations and Fundraising
An integral part of our role is to get donations from business. Every donation we receive assists us in
raising money for the important tools/Ipads that our children require. Donations are required for Fathers
Day Celebration, trivia night, art show, end of year raffles etc.
Any donation is a bonus. Could be a hairdressing voucher, bottle of wine, chocolates, a gym membership,
a cleaning service, anything.We are asking the school community to help us with donations. If you know
of anyone who would be interested in donating or even asking your employer, every donation is
appreciated.This is also a great opportunity for small business to market their service/product.
Please contact PNF directly at [email protected] or Maria Alessi 0416 210 201
Connie Lobosco 0419 561 002 or Veronica Daprano 0419 534 691.
Thank you
Mercy College Coburg
760 Sydney Road, Coburg, 3058
Telephone: 9319 9299
Email: [email protected]
Events
Mercy Family Day
19-Aug-2012
On Sunday 19th August we are holding our inaugural Mercy Family Day from 10:00am until 2:00pm. This day
seeks to bring together past students from all year levels annually,enabling them to access the College site and
connect with fellow past students and staff and establish positive connections with the Mercy Alumni. The day also
offers current families the chance to tour the grounds and see the latest facilities and infrastructure developments.
Current and past staff have an opportunity to reconnect with each other and with students and families. Future
families are also welcomed to the day with a view to them experiencing the warmth and hospitality of the Mercy
community whilst seeing the College facilities and talking with current students, staff and the Principal.
Family and friends are most welcome as there will be plenty to see and do. There will be opportunity to browse
memorabilia from past years, or catch up with class mates in the wine bar or over an amazing cup of coffee from
Pomona Cafe. There will be warm scones and poffertjes for sale, nachos and sizzling sausages just to mention a
few. Jimbo's Amazing Photobooth will be set up where you and your classmates can create some crazy photos
together or more traditional if you prefer. For young children there will be dance workshops running, face
painting, games and story time in the Library.
We are very excited to be launching the Mercy Family Day this year. We ask that you RSVP before Friday 17
August. If you would like further information please contact Mrs Robyn Herrera on 9319 9299 or
[email protected].
A FRIENDLY REMINDER THAT THE GRADE 2 FAMILY DINNER SCHEDULED FOR TONIGHT,
FRIDAY 27TH JULY HAS BEEN CANCELLED, due to the high volume of students being sick.
The family night will be rescheduled for a later time.