Principal's Message
Dear Parents,
We have made it to the end of what has been a term like no other. Who would have thought when we started school earlier this term that our lives would have changed so dramatically overnight? Though times have been challenging for everyone, over the second half of this term, there have been many funny and heartwarming moments. All of us teachers have a story to tell that makes others laugh about their or their students’ Teams lessons the IT capability level of all staff and students has risen enormously and the way families have got on board with the various events and initiatives we have had has been wonderful.
Though we have not all been at school together this has not stopped us providing quality learning experiences and staying connected with our students and families. We have endeavored to continue to provide our students with experiences that they would normally have when at school and in addition, have added to these as well, in an effort to help compensate for the different schooling practices they have had to experience.
Over these last few weeks, whilst we have been in lockdown we have celebrated Book Week, Indigenous Literacy Day, Australian Reading Hour, the feast days of Mary MacKillop and The Assumption along with recognising the Day of Perpetual Remembrance; fundraised for our school library revamp with a read-a-thon and for Catholic Care with Pyjama Day; acknowledged and blessed our fathers and father figures with a touching Zoom liturgy; provided access to a range of various competitions that suit a range of interests; moved and shouted about with Ricky on his Zoom Music lessons; engaged with reptiles and scientists, authors, illustrators and performers all in the way of virtual incursion and events; and a wonderful reflective week on gratitude. When you read over this list you can see why we are all exhausted but also feeling great satisfaction that as a community we have succeeded in keeping our children at the centre of all we do.
And now it is time for a holiday for us all!
Term 4 Return to School
As the roadmap currently stands, Term 4 looks like this:
- Weeks 1-3 Level 4 settings remain in place.
- Students return to face-to-face learning under Level 3 restrictions:
- 25 October (Week 4): Kindergarten, 1 & 12 return to school
- 1 November (Week 5): Years 2, 6 & 11 return to school
- 8 November (Week 6): Years 3,4,5,7,8,9 & 10 return to school
If there are any changes to this we will inform you towards the end of the holidays when these changes have been conveyed to us.
Good News Stories
I am so proud of our children, our staff and our families and I would love to share some of the rewarding stories and emails that have come my way.
“I also wanted to share how amazing the school community and your students are.
M’s nanny works at a local nursing home and before COVID M would visit the nursing home regularly to chat, draw and keep residents company especially those that don’t have family or get many visitor . M has been doing this since she was a baby and has become very popular with the residents. M was feeling sad that she wasn’t able to visit them so we chatted about ways she could show them that she was thinking about them and she decided to draw them pictures for her nanny to take to work and then suggested that she get her friends to help.
So with this I put a message on the school Facebook page and it’s been absolutely beautiful with the amount of school students that have been wanting to help. We have received so many in our letterbox and we are very grateful and they have all been passed onto M’s nanny to take to work and hand out to the residents.
Thankyou for creating such a great school community it really does fill the heart with hope and happiness.”
“I work with 18 schools across the diocese and the (Virtual Academy) students from Merewether are a standout when it comes to consistency, manners, organisation and a positive attitude. Laura is doing such a great job in her role as GEM, offering plenty of support, regular check ins and such a positive attitude that shines through every word she says. You can’t wipe the smile off their little faces when she is talking to them, it is beautiful to see. They say it takes a village to raise a child and the environment that is offered to these students is making a real difference in the level of engagement and success they are having.”
“The One Note and seamless transition for students (whilst some days are better than others) is a credit to the school.
Resilience levels have certainly been tested by us all but being able to continue education, online Teams and stay connected as much as possible fills the kids cups each day ❤️”
“Thank you for making the current situation manageable… I completely understand that it takes a concerted team effort across all staff in normal times run an effective business and school/education is no different. However, to deliver what you are doing in these more challenging and unique circumstances - we think you are doing a great job.
I think the learning programs have been great which encourages the above, but also delivered in a manner which has been fantastic. There is always going to be hiccups, but there haven’t been many and no major ones (that we have noticed) !!
I’m sure all of the teachers are doing a stella job. We are just letting you know this positive feedback with respect to our teacher and the great work she’s doing. Thankyou – to all at the school as well, as I said – concerted team effort !"
Please also take the time to look at our Facebook page as there are some great pictures there of the way families adopted an attitude of gratitude last week. They are sure to make you smile.
Communication Survey
We would really appreciate as many parents as possible completing the Communication Survey that was sent out earlier this week in order to gauge the thoughts and opinions of as many people in our community as possible. This then will help inform future home-school communication practices. The survey will remain open throughout the holidays and we will send a few reminders just to keep it on your agenda. It is anticipated to take 10-15 minutes of your time. Perhaps one morning over a cup of tea or coffee, you could find some time to complete it.
Uniform
All students can return to school wearing their Summer uniforms. All uniforms can be ordered online with Lowes, including the new, optional, girls uniform of shorts and blouse.
“I’m bored”
Do you know that feeling when you’re hungry but can’t quite figure out what you want? Something sweet or savory? Crunchy or chewy? You're not sure what you're craving, you just know you want something.
That’s a little how our children feel when they are bored. Their brain is actually craving something. And sometimes they can’t quite figure out what it is. Researchers tell us that boredom is not a sign of laziness or apathy. It's their brain’s signal of a lack of meaning. That’s right! Boredom doesn’t mean your child is simply looking for something to do; it means they are looking for something meaningful to do. That’s why sometimes all the suggestions you offer fall flat. Their brain is craving something that is meaningful to them. The ideas really need to come from their brains.
This is where you can help out. A few well-phrased prompts can help get their creative juices flowing with something that is meaningful for them. Questions like:
"I wonder what kinds of things you could make out of that box?"
"What's something that you haven't done in a while that you really enjoy?"
These can serve as great jumping-off points for all sorts of creative ideas that really mean something to them. Once they get the ideas flowing, there will be no stopping them. Want some more ideas to keep on hand for when your children say, “I’m bored”? Take a look at
and spend some time sharing this story:
The world is literally changing so fast and so is the face of parenting. Whether you are navigating anxiety, stress and overwhelm, or looking for ideas to be proactive with your child, or ways to promote resilience, confidence and independence, an event has been created for you by parents, just like you!
Join 24+ national and international leading parenting & educational experts, with simple, practical tips and ideas that will help you and your child to be resilient, confident and independent! This is all for free.
The Parenting Online Summit is designed to give you practical, simple to implement ideas and strategies to create better relationships with your child, be proactive rather than reactive and grow your child to be resilient, confident and independent.
Holiday Activities
If you are looking for something for your children to do during these holidays you might be interested in some of these virtual experiences.
https://www.centennialparklands.com.au/whatson/spring-school-holiday-program-2021
Experienced Educators host live sessions online (including Bush School), providing fun and educational activities for the whole family to try in your own backyard.
There are events on each week day throughout the holidays, including Shelter challenges, tracks, trails and treasure hunts, cooking delicious campfire dishes including damper, bush crafts and theatrical performances
https://www.talentclubaus.com.au/holiday-programs/
Talent Club Holiday Workshops aim to develop a variety of Life Skills and tap on the Creativity in learners, keep them active, with practical activities - specifically crafted programs that can be enjoyed with friends and peers. Outcomes you can expect are:
- Developing a positive mindset towards Speaking
- Gain skills in a fun and interactive way from Debating and Drama Games
- Improve their leadership, creative thinking, problem-solving, and self confidence.
At BRICKS 4 KIDZ, we are keen to bring CREATIVITY to your living rooms, inspiring the kids to fire up their IMAGINATION and get BUILDING with our Online Workshops with LEGO® Bricks! We call them “eWorkshops”!
https://www.artest.com.au/courses/Delivery/School-holiday-activities-sydney
From 20 September to 1 October, we will be hosting several one-to-two-hour online workshops each day. All workshops will be taught in real-time and have been designed by award-winning artists for easy participation at home.
https://www.writingworkshop.com.au/school-holiday-workshops
Creative writing workshops for young people aged 6–15.
Fizzics Education is bringing exciting, engaging and hands-on science workshops to all primary aged students.
Why are some people more creative than others? Is creativity something you can practice to improve? Join us while we explore our creativity while playing Scribblenauts, a game where you’re rewarded for discovering the most creative answer to a puzzle! We’ll explore the factors that affect creativity while trying to find out which one of our scientists are most creative!
Have a restful holiday. Thank you for all your support this term. See you in Term 4. Stay safe,
Karen