Dear, Parents, Guardians, Students and other Parishioners,

7.06.2017                                (Always  refer to FlexiBuzz messages for up-to-date information) On Wednesday of this week, I was very pleased to be able to show our local member in Federal Parliament, Mr Julian Hill, around our school. He was very impressed with our learning environment and we talked about the current situation regarding funding issues for catholic school systems across the country. We both agreed that consultation is essential for all systems to have their needs understood.  Consultation requires all parties to listen as well as explain their thinking.

Everyone agrees that education is the most important gift we can give to children no matter what school they go to. Every child deserves to be treated fairly. Catholic schools are asking for a fair go for all our children with regard to funding, not a special deal, just a fair go over the full length of the proposed legislation!

 

‘That Child’

I was reading another school’s newsletter the other day and I found this letter which was originally featured on the Miss Night’s Marbles web blog. It answers so many questions and frames our concerns as teachers so well that I wanted to share it with all of you.

Dear Parent,

I know. You’re worried. Every day, your child comes home with a story about THAT kid. The one who is always hitting/shoving/pinching/scratching/maybe even biting other children. The one who always has to hold my hand in the hallway. The one who has a special spot at the carpet, and sometimes sits on a chair rather than the floor. The one who had to leave the block center because blocks are not for throwing. The one who climbed over the playground fence right exactly as I was telling her to stop. The one who poured his neighbor’s milk onto the floor in a fit of anger. On purpose. While I was watching. And then, when I asked him to clean it up, emptied the ENTIRE paper towel dispenser. On purpose. While I was watching. The one who dropped the REAL ACTUAL F-word in gym class.

You’re worried that THAT child is detracting from your child’s learning experience. You’re worried that he takes up too much of my time and energy, and that your child won’t get his fair

St. Elizabeth’s SchoolNewsletter: 8th June 2017

share. You’re worried that she is really going to hurt someone someday. You’re worried that “someone” might be your child. You’re worried that your child is going to start using aggression to get what she wants. You’re worried your child is going to fall behind academically because I might not notice that he is struggling to hold a pencil. I know.

Your child, this year, in this classroom, at this age, is not THAT child. Your child is not perfect, but she generally follows rules. He is able to share toys peaceably. She does not throw furniture. He raises his hand to speak. She works when it is time to work, and plays when it is time to play. He can be trusted to go straight to the bathroom and straight back again with no shenanigans. She thinks that the S-word is “stupid” and the C-word is “crap.” I know.

I know, and I am worried, too.

You see, I worry all the time. About ALL of them. I worry about your child’s pencil grip, and another child’s letter sounds, and that little tiny one’s shyness, and that other one’s chronically empty lunch box. I worry that Gavin’s coat is not warm enough, and that Talitha’s dad yells at her for printing the letter “B” backwards. Most of my car rides and showers are consumed with the worrying.

But I know, you want to talk about THAT child. Because Talitha’s backward “B”s are not going to give your child a black eye.

I want to talk about THAT child, too, but there are so many things I can’t tell you.

I can’t tell you that she was adopted from an orphanage at 18 months.

I can’t tell you that he is on an elimination diet for possible food allergies, and that he is therefore hungry ALL. THE. TIME.

I can’t tell you that her parents are in the middle of a horrendous divorce, and she has been staying with her grandma.

I can’t tell you that I’m starting to worry that grandma drinks...

I can’t tell you that his asthma medication makes him agitated.

I can’t tell you that her mom is a single parent, and so she (the child) is at school from the moment before-care opens, until the moment after-care closes, and then the drive between home and school takes 40 minutes, and so she (the child) is getting less sleep than most adults.

I can’t tell you that he has been a witness to domestic violence.

That’s OK, you say. You understand I can’t share personal or family information. You just want to know what I am DOING about That Child’s behavior.

I would love to tell you. But I can’t.

I can’t tell you that she receives speech-language services, that an assessment showed a severe language delay, and that the therapist feels the aggression is linked to frustration about being unable to communicate.

I can’t tell you that I meet with his parents EVERY week, and that both of them usually cry at those meetings.

I can’t tell you that the child and I have a secret hand signal to tell me when she needs to sit by herself for a while.

I can’t tell you that he spends rest time curled in my lap because “it makes me feel better to hear your heart, Teacher.”

I can’t tell you that I have been meticulously tracking her aggressive incidents for three months, and that she has dropped from five incidents a day, to five incidents a week.

I can’t tell you that the school secretary has agreed that I can send him to the office to “help” when I can tell he needs a change of scenery.

I can’t tell you that I have stood up in a staff meeting and, with tears in my eyes, BEGGED my colleagues to keep an extra close eye on her, to be kind to her even when they are frustrated that she just punched someone AGAIN, and this time, RIGHT IN FRONT OF A TEACHER.

The thing is, there are SO MANY THINGS I can’t tell you about That Child. I can’t even tell you the good stuff.

I can’t tell you that his classroom job is to water the plants, and that he cried with heartbreak when one of the plants died over winter break.

I can’t tell you that she kisses her baby sister goodbye every morning, and whispers “You are my sunshine” before mom pushes the stroller away.

I can’t tell you that he knows more about thunderstorms than most meteorologists.

I can’t tell you that she often asks to help sharpen the pencils during playtime.

I can’t tell you that she strokes her best friend’s hair at rest time.

I can’t tell you that when a classmate is crying, he rushes over with his favorite stuffy from the story corner.

The thing is, dear parent that I can only talk to you about YOUR child. So, what I can tell you is this:

If ever, at any point, YOUR child, or any of your children, becomes THAT child...

I will not share your personal family business with other parents in the classroom.

I will communicate with you frequently, clearly, and kindly.

I will make sure there are tissues nearby at all our meetings, and if you let me, I will hold your hand when you cry.

I will advocate for your child and family to receive the highest quality of specialist services, and I will cooperate with those professionals to the fullest possible extent.

I will make sure your child gets extra love and affection when she needs it most.

I will be a voice for your child in our school community.

I will, no matter what happens, continue to look for, and to find, the good, amazing, special, and wonderful things about your child.

I will remind him and YOU of those good, amazing, special, wonderful things, over and over again.

And when another parent comes to me, with concerns about YOUR child...

I will tell them all of this, all over again.

With so much love,

Teacher

 

Christine AshPrincipalcash@sedandenongnth.catholic.edu.au

Religious Education News

We recently celebrated Pentecost, also known as the birthday of the Catholic Church. During the Pentecost Mass on Sunday, the Year 6 children made their commitment to prepare for their Confirmation in Term 4.  During Pentecost, it is good to remember the transforming effect of the Holy Spirit. When our world looks bleak with violence, terror, poverty and injustice, we may want to gather, like the disciples, in the “upper room” and just hide away from the chaos. We may feel tempted at times to close the door on a troubled world.  The apostles were together experiencing the fear and bewilderment over how to move forward after the death of Jesus, when the Holy Spirit flowed among them and breathed courage into their hearts. It is said that those who witnessed this event were "amazed and perplexed." Some were confused, others cynical. Peter, however, received the courage to stand up among the crowd and for the first time, preached the Good News. The story of Pentecost asks us the questions: How do we rise above times of fear and doubt? How do we find the courage when all we see is desolation? Where can we draw strength in our time of need? The Holy Spirit can help us. There will be times when we will not have the answers to life’s big questions, but what we know is that God has given to us, just as He did His disciples in the upper room, a special type of Helper - through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Gift Giving Mass – Friday 30 June, 9.00pm

On Friday, 30th June, we will celebrate our St Elizabeth’s Gift Giving Mass. We think about God’s great love for us in gifting us with His Son Jesus, the Christ. We also think about how we can respond to God’s gift to us by giving to others who are in need. We are asked to bring, where possible, a gift of

non-perishable food, warm winter clothing or a gold coin donation to be placed before the altar. These gifts will then be given to the St Vincent De Paul society to help them in their work of reaching out to those in need in our own parish community and local neighbourhood.

Foundation - non-perishable food or gold coin donation.Year 1 & 2 - warm winter clothing or gold coin donation.

(Please ensure clothing is clean and in good condition.)Year 3 & 4 - non-perishable food or gold coin donation.

(Please ensure the food is within its use by date.) Year 5 & 6 - blanket or gold coin donation.

If you have something in the above categories, please send it along. The list is just a suggested guide for your family. Feel free to send along what is possible for your family.

We realise we have been asking for your support in many different ways to help others yet as our days grow colder and the nights grow longer we think about those families in our own community who are in need of a warm meal or warm clothes to keep out the cold. This is one way we can help them and be for them the ‘Body of Christ.” We will join with the parish community to celebrate this Feast with a whole school mass at 9.15am. We invite you to join with us for this mass.

First EucharistCongratulations to the children who came to the ‘Table of Christ’ to make their First Eucharist last weekend.

Pentecost Confirmation Commitment Mass ThankyouThank you to the Confirmation candidates who made a commitment during the Feast of Pentecost to prepare to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation in November. Please keep these students in your prayers

Year 1 & 2 ‘Family Blessing Evening’ Thankyou

God certainly sent down torrential rains on our ‘Family Blessing Evening’ but our families came despite the rains. It was a beautiful night spent in prayer and special blessings. Father blessed the Holy Water, and families asked for God’s protection for their families. The rains stopped just in time for everyone to enjoy sparklers outside the church in celebration of the special evening shared by all.

Thank you to all the families who braved the weather to make it such a wonderful night.

SOCIAL JUSTICE IN ACTION IN OUR SCHOOL - MATUTINAO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

New Donations - STATIONERY!

We are in the process of filling another box for our friendship school. School supplies are very difficult for the children to buy as the families lack the funds to purchase them so they often go without. Thank you to the families who have been so generous with their donations.

Pens Pencils Crayons Textas Rulers Exercise books Activity books Coloured paper Rubbers Sharpeners Pencil cases

Please send much needed donations to the school office.

Maria Popowycz Ianthe LimReligious Education Leader Religious Education Leaderpopoma@sedandenongnth.catholic.edu.au ilim@sedandenongnth.catholic.edu.au

Student Wellbeing News

Ready To Learn Many classes have a display called a “Ready to Learn” scale.  This consists of 5 emojis ranging from a sad face all the way up to a starry-eyed happy face. Each face corresponds with how prepared a student feels they are ready to learn at a given time.  By asking students to identify how they are feeling, teachers are able to get a sense of where the class is at.  Sometime a quick brain break activity can help a student move up one space and feel like they are now a little more ready to learn. This scale is one of the self-regulation tools we use as part of the Berry Street Education Model.   By asking students to identify their current state, emotion or feeling and also their desired state, emotion or feeling, we can then work with students to help them identify some strategies that will help them make the shift towards the desired state.  This tool is like a muscle as the more we use it, the better we get at using it when we need it.

                   

Rebecca Gagegagere@sedandenongnth.catholic.edu.au

Learning and Teaching News

Phishing Emails Phishing scams are when emails have been sent that pretend to be from people you know or companies you might trust.  The Australian Government provide some tips to help you spot fake emails:  Clues for spotting a fake document  Documents are easily faked. Some will look just like the real thing but others might have warning signs, such as: 

generic rather than personal greeting names of organisations that don't exist poorer quality presentation poorer quality grammar and spelling overly official or forced language.

Documents such as flight itineraries and bank statements have simple, uncomplicated layouts even when they are legitimate because such businesses allow their customers to print online statements. This simplicity means such documents are extremely easy to fake. Scammers can also look up real flight numbers and times online and take company logos and graphics from websites. Clues for spotting a fake email

 Scammers can easily fake an official-looking email, using the same logo and email design as the real company. Often your guard is down when you receive an email from a company you've dealt with before, such as Australia Post or an online shopping site you use. If you're not expecting an email, always be alert to a fake before clicking on any links or opening any attachments. For more information, check out https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/get-help/protect-yourself-from-scams#how-to-spot-a-fake

 

Rebecca Gagegagere@sedandenongnth.catholic.edu.au

Sports News

Last Friday, 50 Students represented St. Elizabeth's at the Noble Park District Cross Country Carnival.  We competed in six events in perfect conditions at Tattersons Park.  We had 7 individuals who finished in the top 10 and have won through the Division event on Friday.  Well done to Jacob, Peter A, Nam, Mikayla, Simon, Nyamal and Nyamuoch.

The highlight of the day was St. Elizabeth's overall placing of 3rd!  We competed against many schools with many more students than us.  We spoke about being smart and strategic with our running.  We also talked about being brave.  And smart and brave they were.  Well done to all of our runners.  

Silverton 1101 1stChandler 965 2nd

St Elizabeth's 927 3rdResurrection 729 4th

Wallarano 683 5thNoble Park 630 6th

Keysborough 577 7thSt Joseph's 540 8thSt Anthony's 468 9th

Clayton South 283 10thNP Lang 241 11th

Sirius College 236 12thWestall 120 13th

I would like to thank the teachers and parents for their support of the students on the day.  In particular, I would like to thank Ms. Catania for making the slideshow shown at our school assembly.  

Yours in Sport

Dean AndrewSports Coordinatordandrew @sedandenongnth.catholic.edu.au

Numeracy

Ideas for Teaching the Concepts of Heavy and Light to children

Children learn when they play. Initially, children learn about mass (heavy and light) through ‘hefting’. That means estimating or testing the weight of something by holding or lifting it. For example, the apple was heavier. (Image courtesy of Jenny Ether)

As children play, they begin to take notice of and compare the weight of objects. Which object is heavier? Which object is lighter? Building up to which two objects are the same? And learning to measure objects using grams and kilograms. Children need to be encouraged to explore and manipulate objects and talk about the things they are discovering.

This week, children in the Junior School are learning about mass (weight). Here are two activities you could do at home to help their understanding.

Before your child eats a piece of fruit, bring out a small, very heavy object. Have your child hold the object in one hand and the piece of fruit in the other to judge with weighs more. Explain that size and quantity sometimes correspond to heaviness, but they don't always match. Use a large, light-weight object -- such as a beach ball -- to emphasise this point.

Read the story, "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," to your child. Afterward, ask if they think the papa bear was also the heaviest and if the baby bear was the lightest. Call your child's attention to some of the other objects in the story that are described as big or small and ask them to name other things that might be heavy or light.

Lyn Dennett

Numeracy Leader/F-4 Number Intervention Leader

ldennett@sedandenongnth.catholic.edu.au

St. Elizabeth’s Community

Can you help? 

We would like to run a Market Night on Friday 17th November, raising funds to go towards installing fitness centres around the oval.

 

You are invited to come along on Wednesday 21st June at 2:20pm in the Nook to help with the planning of the Market Night.

 

To make this night a great success, we need as many helpers as possible.

News from The Nook.

Victorian Premier Reading Challenge

How wonderful, we have 177 children registered in the challenge. So far our students have read 1,577 books and 18 children have already completed the challenge.

I wonder how many books our students will have read by the time the challenge is closed for this year?

Enjoy reading.

Trixie Martinmarttr@sedandenongnth.catholic.edu.au

School Banking day is “Tuesday”

Getting involved in School Banking is easy!

All you need to get involved in the School Banking program is a Commonwealth Bank Youthsaver account. You can open an account for your child in one of two ways:

1. Online:~Visit commbank.com.au/schoolbanking and click on the link to open a Youthsaver account.

2. In branch:~Visit a Commonwealth Bank branch with identification for yourself and your child, like a driver's licence and birth certificate.

If your child has an existing Commonwealth Bank Youthsaver account they can start banking straight away. They just need to bring their deposit in every week on School Banking day using their Dollarmites deposit wallet.

The rewards available during 2017 are:

*         Cyber Handball

*         Colour Change Markers

*         3D Chalk Set

*         Tablet Case

*         Smiley Emoji Keyring

*         Volt Handball

*         Pencil + Tech Case

*         Epic Earphones

Reminder, if you bank 5 or more times this term, you will go into the draw to win a mini hamper full of prizes.

Out Of School Hours Care.

Friday 23rd June is a Curriculum Day.

St Elizabeth’s will be closed on Friday 23rd June. There will be a program offered by our Out of School Hours Care Program on this day from 7am to 6pm.

Please contact Elarine 0422 803 709 if need care on that day.

St. Elizabeth’s Out of School Hours Care Program …YOUTH LEADERSHIP VICTORIA PRESENTS – ST ELIZABETH’S OUT OF SCHOOL HOURS CARE

Contact Details ….111 Bakers Road,

Dandenong North

Ph. 0422 803 709

Before School Care

Permanent: $13.50 /Casual $16.00

7am to 8:55am Monday to Friday during school term, excluding all Victorian Public Holidays.

After School Care

Permanent: $14.50 /Casual $17.00

3:15pm to 6:15pm Monday to Friday during school term, excluding all Victorian Public Holidays.

Vacation Care / Pupil Free Days

Per Day: $50.00

7am to 6:00pm Monday to Friday

(The School Holiday Programme in January will be held at St Anthony’s and St. Marys)

Late Pick Up Fees: Per minute: $1.00

For enquires or further information, please contact Elarine on 0422 803 709 during session times.

Fortnightly Activities …Monday 12 th June to Friday 23 rd June

Monday 12th Public Holiday

Monday 19th Artic foam dough

Ice painting

Tuesday Snowflake painting

Colourful abstract winter collage

Wednesday Snowman magnet

Cardboard tube Little Polar Bear

Thursday Mosaic picture Snowy Collage using salt and chalk

Friday Back to back drawing game

Sock design, Tennis Ball moneybox

Snow flake patterns with blocks

Sparkling play dough Bingo

Friday 23rd June is a Curriculum Day. We will be open, so please see Elarine if you wish to book in your child/children.

If you need care, please contact Elarine, or Shayanika on 0422 803 709