NEWSLETTER

Week 4 – Tuesday 14th May 2019. No 13

Dates to Remember:

TERM 2 2019

MAY:

Friday 17th May ~ GRADE 2 LEVEL MASS, 9:30AM IN OUR CHURCH. All parents are welcome.

Friday 17th May ~ WHOLE SCHOOL ASSEMBLY, LED BY 5DP, at 2:45PM IN THE HALL.

Friday 24th May ~ SCHOOL CLOSURE DAY – PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR STAFF –

“7 STEPS TO WRITING SUCCESS” – NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS

Saturday 25th May ~ YEAR 4 FIRST EUCHARIST COMMITMENT MASS, 5:30pm in the Church.

JUNE: Sunday 2nd June ~ FIRST EUCHARIST MASSES, 12:30PM & 3:00PM in St Matthew’s Church.

Monday 3rd June ~ YEAR 6 STUDENTS ANNUAL CAMP TO CANBERRA COMMENCES.

Friday 7th June ~ YEAR 6 STUDENTS RETURN FROM ANNUAL CANBEERA CAMP.

Monday 10th June ~ QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY HOLIDAY – NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS & STAFF.

Friday 28th June ~ LAST DAY OF TERM 2, Dismissal at normal time, 3:25pm.

TERM 3 2019

JULY: Monday 15th July ~ FIRST DAY OF TERM 3, First Bell rings at 8:50am, Don’t be late!

Saturday 20th July ~ YEAR 6 CONFIRMATION COMMITMENT MASS, 5;30PM IN OUR CHURCH.

AUGUST:

Tuesday 6th August ~ YEAR 6 CONFIRMATION WORKSHOP, 7:00PM IN OUR CHURCH.

Friday 9th August ~ YEAR 6 SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION, 6:00PM IN OUR CHURCH.

Tuesday 13th August ~ ST MATTHEW’S BOOK FAIR!!! Author Due De Gennaro

Monday 19th August ~ ST MATTHEW’S BOOK WEEK!!! Authors Hilary Badger & Sue De Gennaro

PRINCIPAL: Mr Bob Brown PARISH PRIEST: Father Florentino (Boy) Galdo DEPUTY PRINCIPAL: Mrs Carmela D’Amato SCHOOL PHONE: (03) 9359 5423 R.E. LEADER: Mr s Helen Howd en SCHOOL FAX: (03) 9359 6400 EMAIL: principal@smfawknernth.catholic.edu.au WEBSITE: www.smfawknernth.catholic.edu.au

Dear Students, Parents, Staff and Friends of St Matthew’s, As I commence my treatment today I do not know when and how often I will be at school throughout the next three

months, but I am hoping that when I feel well enough I will be in for short bursts some days. My sincere thanks to all

the students, parents and staff who have wished me well. I intend being back on deck late July, early August at the

very latest and I certainly look forward to seeing all those welcoming smiley faces. Once again while I am away I leave

you in the very capable hands of Mrs Carmela D’Amato (Acting Principal), Mrs Helen Howden (Acting Deputy

Principal) and our Leadership Team

TO ALL OUR MUMS HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY FOR SUNDAY

VIDEO CAMERAS As was written in a couple of last term’s newsletters we had 13 Video Cameras installed around the school. There

were 3 on the oval, 3 through the Vegie garden area, each of the toilet areas has 1 focussed on it and 1 facing Selola

Court entrance, Lowson St, the area between the Hall & Grade 2, the Asphalt area and the concrete yard.

Last week there was two instances where we had to refer to the cameras on the oval & the Vegie Garden area. The

vision was fantastic and we were able to solve the occurrences in question. Mrs D’Amato and I were able to clearly

see what happened and were then able to give parents an accurate explanation of what actually happened. Cased

Solved! It is very reassuring to now know that we have this technology at our disposal.

YELLOW PAINT You may have noticed that there is a lot of steps and poles painted bright yellow around the school. Steven Micallef

our volunteer Maintenance man on Mondays & Fridays has been busy making sure that these structures are highly

visible for our Students, Parents & Staff. It is easy to miss a step or bump into a pole if you are not looking properly so

hopefully this will make it a lot easier to avoid this happening. This is another safety precaution we are putting into

place at St Matthew’s

PLEASE NOTE ~ YOUR CHILD’S SAFETY IS A PRIORITY AT ST MATTHEW’S

REMINDER ABOUT LOWSON STREET Parents there are a few directives regarding Lowson Street that all parents need to adhere to:

1. Only Staff and deliveries are allowed to drive into the Staff Car Park. Parents need to park in Lowson Street.If

parents continue to park in the Staff Car Park their cars will be towed away. This will then mean they incur a

cost to get their car back.

2. Parents can only park on the School Side of Lowson Street at all times. There are parking restriction signs on

the opposite side of the road. If you choose to park on the wrong side during these restrictions you will receive

a hefty fine from the Moreland City Council

3. So please for your Children’s Safety and your financial status do the right thing and no one will get hurt or

angry.

REMINDER ABOUT WILLIAM STREET – It is quite obvious that a lot more parents are using Lowson Street instead of William Street to drop off their children,

which is causing the congestion mentioned above.

This is extremely dangerous as there is no School Crossing or Crossing Supervisor in Lowson St. I think a number of

parents are doing this because they are concerned that their children have to walk past the old School Double gates

to the Parish Car Park and they cannot see them go into school.

Once the Building Site Fencing is erected we will be moving the Drop Off Zone to the south side of the School

Crossing (Before the School Crossing). The cones and sign will be along the grass nature strip and past the Parish

Car park entrance for the children to be picked up & dropped off.

REMINDER ABOUT SELOLA COURT - To all parents who drop off or pick up your children in Selola Court. Selola Court entrance will be closed from

approximately Wednesday 22nd may due to the construction & installation of a lift next to the stairwell. This whole area

will be closed off extensively until work is completed. Thanking you for your cooperation.

Have a great week everyone, I look forward to seeing you all soon. Bob Brown - Principal

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS

COMMUNION PASSPORT (YEAR 4 FAMILIES):

A reminder to all parents and children in Year 4 who are receiving the Sacrament of First Communion on Sunday,

3rd June that your passport is required to be completed by Sunday, 20th May. Three weekend masses need to be

attended prior to the sacrament day. It is very important that you bring your passport with you and have the Parish

Priest sign their name as well as writing the name of the Parish (if outside St Matthew’s) at the conclusion of the

mass. Once your child has attended three weekend masses they will then be required to hand their passport in to

Mr Brown for him to sign and keep a record.

St Matthew’s Parish Mass Times:

Saturday – 5:30pm

Sunday – 9:00am, 11:00am (Italian)

SACRAMENT HOME VISIT FORM (YEARS 3, 4 & 6 FAMILIES):

Fr Boy is continuing the Family Home Visits for all children making a sacrament this year. These visits are for him

to talk about the importance of the sacrament and to get to know your family. The visits are short and informal. A

reminder to all families who have children making a sacrament this year to please fill in the Home Visit details form

for each child making a sacrament and return it to school as soon as possible. If you require a new form, please

ask for a new copy at the School Office. Thank you for your support.

Mrs Helen Howden Religious Education Leader

LITERACY NEWS

The Literacy Classroom Helpers Training session was held last Thursday. Thank you, to these wonderful mums for

volunteering to help in the junior classrooms:

Zena Audish Rita Audish Dianna Crellin Lubna Borah Laura Sweeney Anna Iaria

Tina Taglis Anna Proud Melissa Ladiges Lisa Gravina Boon Chee Oh Basma Yousif

Shayla Khushou Mayanne Zivanovic Michelle Wilson

The Victorian Premier’s Reading Challenge 2019 has inspired so many children in the school. So far, 409 books

have been read! Well done, everyone and congratulations to Gabrielle Lecuru 2H, Katia Scarfo 3PM, Sienna Marafioti

5DP and Aaron James Zoccoli 6TH who have finished their challenges even though they had to September to read

their books!

Rina Carfi

Literacy Leader

ITALIAN DAY 2019

In planning for Italian Day this year I would like to extend an invitation to parents who would be available to volunteer and share a special skill they may have related to the Italian culture and language.

You may have a skill in the following things or another talent you would like to share: - playing Italian card games such as scoopa, - demonstrating how arancini, pasta, bread, pizza, gnocchi, biscuits, - cooking a recipe such as minestrone, preparing a traditional salads, a pasta dish, bruschetta - play an Italian musical instrument such as piano accordion, a mandolin, a zampogna, a flute, -singing Italian songs and teaching the children a song, - dancing a traditional dance - lace embroidery - playing bocce Italian day is in Term 4 will take place on Thursday the 17th of October. If you would like to share a skill and are not able to make it on this day but are available during this week on the 14th, 15th, or 16th of October we could possibly accommodate you visiting the school. I would also like to extend this invitation to the teachers if they would like to share a special skill or talent they have relating to the Italian culture that they would like to share with our children. Please be aware that if you would like to share a skill with the children you would be required to obtain a working with children check. This is very simple to obtain and we would be able to tell you how to do this. If you would like to share your talent and skill with another parent please indicate on the slip below. Please fill in the following slip below. Return to the class teacher. Italian Day Parent Volunteers to share their special skill or talent

Name of Parent …………………………………………………….. Name of Child at the school and Grade they are in: ………………………………………………………………………….. Skill/Talent: ………………………………………………………… Contact Number……………………………………………………… Day Available………………………………………………………… Grazie mille Signora Cesile Italian Teacher.

5PS’ GREAT CHARCOAL ART

This term in Grade 5PS, we have been using charcoal during Art. We have been learning how to use charcoal to

smudge, feather, shade and shadow. We have learnt that charcoal is quite messy, but we are creating fantastic

pieces of art. Here are some of the art pieces we have created.

Mrs Pengelly and Mrs Sozzi

EXTEND UPDATE: 14/5/2019 Theme: Friendship

The Extend Superstar is… Sarah Galea! For displaying excellent behaviour and patience throughout the week. Sarah has been supportive of her

fellow extenders and always willing to lend them a hand. Thanks for leading by example, Sarah. Congratulations!

What’s Been Happening?

What an exciting week at extend! The children began the week by exploring what their nationality is, after doing this,

they wrote the word ‘Hello on a cut out ‘drawing of their hand to stick up on the door. Following this, the children also

explored different cultural dances, to which many enjoyed delving into the different types of music from around the

world. I would like to mention that those who cultural music played, would be encouraged to showcase a traditional

dance along with the music. This was a great and interactive way for the children to learn more about different

cultures! Furthermore down the week, each child painted and coloured in the flag of their home country, this allowed

the children to develop an understanding of something that represents each country. We then ended the week with

baking carrot cupcakes! The children loved this week as it was a great learning experience. We all cannot wait to

begin another exciting week.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday7 Thursday Friday

Morning: Group Time &

Free Arts and

Crafts.

Afternoon: Students will complete an activity on how they can be a good extender.

Morning: read

Rainbow fish

and talk about

the

characteristics

of a good

friend.

Afternoon:

Students will

make a chart

based on

rainbow fish,

separating the

characteristics

of good fish

from the bad

fish.

Morning:

Students will

be given a

friendly

characteristic

each and they

must find their

partner who

shares that

same

characteristic.

Afternoon: Kids will be paired in groups of 3 or 4 and one will be blindfolded and must be guided by their friends through an obstacle course.

Morning: Each

child is given a

piece of

construction

paper and will

be asked to

write on it what

they think is

the most

important

quality in a

friend. After

this, we will

stick the

papers together

to form a

friendship

chain.

Afternoon: Students will help plant a sunflower outside.

Morning:

Students will

create a

friendship

necklace or

bracelet and

give it to someone they

appreciate.

Afternoon: Students will help bake a blueberry friendship pie.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me during office hours.

Christina Sanaty - Team Leader Enrol and book now: extend.com.au

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD) On School Students with Disability

What is the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data? Schools must now complete the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability

(NCCD) every year. It counts the number of students who receive additional adjustments or “help” at

school because of a disability. The NCCD helps governments plan for the needs of students with disability.

Who is counted in the data collection? To count a student in the NCCD, schools must think through some key questions:

1. Is the student getting help at school so that they can take part in education on the same

basis as other students?

2. Is the help given because of a disability? The word ‘disability’ comes from the Disability

Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) and it can include many students?

3. Has the school talked to you or your child about the help that they provide?

4. Has the school kept records about the help they provide, the student needs and the reasons

that the student needs this help? The school will need to keep copies of tests, student work,

assessments, records of meetings, medical reports or other paperwork and information about how

the student’s learning is moving along over time?

Once the school decides that the student should be counted in the NCCD, they then choose a disability

group and one of four levels of help that has been given to the student.

What does word ‘disability’ mean in the NCCD? In the NCCD the word ‘disability’ comes from the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA). There are four

types of disability that the school can choose from; sensory, cognitive, social-emotional and physical.

Many students that need help at school can be counted in the NCCD. For example, students with learning

problems, e.g. specific learning disability or reading difficulty (sometimes called dyslexia), health problems

(e.g. epilepsy or diabetes), physical disability (e.g. cerebral palsy), vision/hearing loss and social-emotional

problems (e.g. selective mutism, Autism Spectrum Disorder, anxiety).

Letters from doctors or specialists can be very helpful for schools as they plan how to support students

with their learning. Schools do not need to have these letters before they can count a

NCCD Information

Sheet for

Parents, Carers

and Guardians

CECV NCCD Information Sheet for Parents, Carers and Guardians Page | 1

student in NCCD. Teachers can use all that they know about the child’s learning and the records that they

have collected over time to decide if a student can be counted in the NCCD.

What sort of help does the school give students? Students need different types of help at school. Some students need a little help sometimes while other

students need a lot of help nearly all the time. The type of help given depends on the needs of the student.

The help can include changes to the school buildings or grounds (e.g. ramps or things like special desks or

chairs), extra teacher help in classes, special learning programs, changes to the work they give the student

or extra adult help.

How will the NCCD be different this year? All schools have been counting students in the NCCD since 2015. The government will use the NCCD data

as part of the funding to schools.

What will the school need to know about my child for the NCCD? Schools work together with families to understand the needs of each child. It is helpful if families give their

child’s teacher a copy of any letters or reports they have. The letters or reports will help the school

understand the child and the help that they might need. Letters from doctors, psychologists, speech

pathologists, doctor, and occupational therapists etc. can be very helpful for schools. These reports along

with information that the teacher has (i.e. school based tests, your child’s work and learning plans) helps

the school to understand and meet the student’s needs.

What happens to the NCCD data? Who will have the NCCD information? Each school principal must check the NCCD data in August of each year. The school will give the

information to the Catholic Education Office. The school will work with the Catholic Education Office to

make sure that the NCCD data is OK before they give the data to the government. The government will not

be given the names of any students or any letters or records. Please ask your school for their privacy policy

if you need to know more.

Does the school need me to agree with them about counting my child in the NCCD? Amendments were made to the Australian Education Act 2013 and Australian Education Regulation 2013).

Schools do not need you to agree to let them count a child in the NCCD. You cannot ask the school not to

count your child.

Where can I find out more? Please contact your child’s school if you have further questions about the NCCD and/or refer to the

national NCCD Portal.