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Phone 5335 8177 www.saredan.catholic.edu.au

Newsletter February 17, 2016 Vol. 1 Week 4

Faith Hope Integrity Service Inclusion Collaboration Responsibility

St. Al’s Welcome BBQ

Some lovely pictures

from our Welcome

BBQ on Friday

evening …

as our families

enjoyed the good

weather and great

company.

PLEASE NOTE: WEDNESDAY 24TH & THURSDAY 25TH OF FEBRUARY ARE SCHEDULED PUPIL FREE DAYS

Dear Families.

Over the past weeks some families have been asking about the coloured ribbons tied to the gates at the front of our school. This is the way Bishop Bird described the purpose of the ribbons: “This gesture is a way to recognise the suffering and publicly show support to (abuse) victims, survivors and their families.” He said he hoped the gesture opened up channels of communication between the Catholic Church and survivors. A few reminders to families -

We have our Friday morning Prayer Time again this week. Please make sure that your children are at school and ready for our prayer to start by 8.40am. Families are invited and most welcome to join us as an opportunity for our entire school community to come together and pray. Thank you.

As our school is part of an Oral Language project with the Catholic Education Office Ballarat this will require a number of school closure days during the year. The first 2 of these OLSEL School Closure Days are scheduled for Wednesday 24th and Thursday 25th of February, 2016 so please take note that there will be no school for the children on these days.

Our assemblies will be held each Monday at 3.00pm. During these times awards will be presented to children and reminders will be given. Parents, you are invited and most welcome to join us each Monday.

Ballarat City officers will be carefully monitoring the school crossing and parking standards just outside our school. They will book and fine anyone doing the wrong thing and putting our children’s wellbeing at risk.

Thanks to the families who supported and attended our Welcome BBQ last Friday night. As a school community it is important to come together and get to know each other a little. I hope those who attended found the night enjoyable.

Thanks also to the families who came along to the Getting to Know You chats last Monday. Many, I have spoken to said they found the chats useful. A thanks also to our staff who planned and ran the chats.

In light of recent events at other schools, we practised a school evacuation last week and the drill went smoothly and according to plans.

Please note the change of day of our School Sports day to Wednesday, 23 March. This avoids the clash with our Penance celebration. Further information regarding the Sports Day will be sent home to families soon. soon.

Enrolment applications for Prep (Foundation) opened last Monday. All existing families now need to ave complete an enrolment application (available from the school office), for those who have a child starting Foundation in 2017. Once you have completed this application we will be in touch with you early in Term 2. If you have any queries please speak to me in the office.

Medical Forms: Asthma Action Plans, Anaphylaxis Action Plans, Allergies etc., Please ensure that the school office has up to date information for your child, this is essential –ensuring accurate emergency contact information is provided.

School Fee accounts were distributed last week. NB: there are several means of paying accounts by fortnight, month, term or yearly. We accept cash (least preferred option), cheque, EFTPOS, direct debit, B-pay, Centrepay.

Family Fee Assistance As in the past couple of years the Catholic Education Office is once again offering financial assistance to those families who have an eligible Health Care card or pension card. An application form will be available from the school office from the week commencing 22nd of February.

Have a good week.

Joe Caruana Principal

JUNIOR NEWS

Hello and welcome to week 4! It was fantastic to see many foundation families at our Welcome BBQ on Friday night. In foundation the children have been learning about the nursey rhyme ‘Jack and Jill’, sequencing the story and focusing on the letter J. Our next nursey rhyme will be ‘Mary had a Little Lamb’. We are using nursey rhymes as a familiar story to introduce literacy concepts such as words, letters and reading from left to write. Just a reminder that our library days are Monday and Thursday, the children will need to bring their library bag and books on this day if they wish to re-borrow. We hope you have a fantastic week, the Fab Foundation Four.

Welcome everyone to another week in the 1/2 area. We are working very well together and have been working on our school norms; 1. Do your best 2. Respect our Learning Environment 3. Help others succeed. It may be a perfect time to ask your child to explain what each of these norms mean around the dinner table at night. A BIG THANK YOU to all the wonderful parents who took the time to meet with us on Monday. It was a great time to get to know each other and find out important details about the children in our care. On that note, if you missed the interviews we would like to catch up with you at a mutually agreed upon time. The children are reading and spelling very well each night. Thank you for the commitment each school night with your child. It all helps make your child a confident and great reader. Please bring along Library bags each Wednesday as Mrs Bilston will not be allowing children to borrow any of her beautiful books without one. Each morning at 9.05am we head out to Huff and Puff for 10 minutes of fun and exercise. PLEASE ensure that your child is at school before the bell so that they can actively be involved. This program gets your child ready physically and mentally for the day's work ahead. Inquiry During our Inquiry Unit this term, we are looking at ways we can eat healthy and be active. Start up a challenge for your child. Choose healthy snacks, lunches and engage in healthy exercise and see if you can see a difference! Board games We had a great afternoon last Friday with our board games. Please bring only board games that we can play together. Make sure the game is safe and user friendly. Keep up the fantastic work everyone in 1/2. Signing out, Bev, Savior and Shay

MIDDLE NEWS

This week the Middle School students have begun their Inquiry unit "How can I be the healthiest version of me?" Students are unpacking what being healthy is with a particular focus on food, exercise and sleep.

In Maths we have been practising our counting, looking at odd and even numbers and measuring the perimeter of the school oval. In English we have been looking at the Daily 5 again. This week we have focused on the three ways we can read a book which are: looking at the pictures, reading the words, retelling the story. We have also discussed with the students the importance of selecting a "Good Fit" book which interests them and is within their ability level. In RE each class has completed their prayer mat which contains a painted print of each student's hand, symbolising the unity of that class. Best wishes, Jo, Anne and Kelvin

SENIOR NEWS

Hello and welcome to Week 4 news from the senior unit! It was wonderful to see so many families at our school BBQ last Friday. We are continuing our work on 'Charlotte's Web' during our reading time. We have been writing recounts on, "The most amazing weekend ever!" and students have been working on including more detail in their writing. Please remember that next Wednesday and Thursday are school closure days. Thank you to our children for completing their homework and remembering to bring it back to school every Tuesday. June, Claire, Tamara & Katherine

What’s happening at St. Al’s

Italian Tarantella dance workshop On Tuesday 23rd February, the 3/4 students will be learning how to dance an Italian traditional dance, the Tarantella, in preparation for the Harmony Fest, which will take place on the 20th March.

The City of Ballarat are promoting Harmony Fest with a media release and they would like to feature an Italian activity. For this reason, they might come to our school and take photos of our 3/4 students as they dance.

It is going to be very exciting!

Francesca

WELCOME BBQ It was wonderful to see many families at the Welcome BBQ on Friday night. We hope everyone had an enjoyable night. A special thanks to our wonderful helpers for coordinating the BBQ.

TUCKSHOP is now operating for the Friday lunch orders.

ICY-POLES are available at lunchtime for 50 cents each during Term 1.

Second-hand Uniform. If you are interested in just having a browse or are after a particular item, please message - Bron Kennon, on a Thursday during school hours - Ph. 0409 162 353. If you would like to place uniform items for sale, please place clean washed item in a plastic bag, with attached envelope listing price and your contact details. If you would like to donate items to the second-hand uniform shop or as spare clothes for school, please leave clean washed items at the school office. Thank you.

Have a wonderful Week!

Parents & Friends News .

Upcoming meeting for P&F - Term 1 Tuesday, 15th March, 2016

All members of our school community are invited to attend. Our meetings commence at 7:30pm in the Boardroom and aim to finish up by 9:00pm

Have a great week

Community News & Events

Why not take a break…

An invitation to all parents, grandparents and carers, to get

together for an informal catch up and a cuppa after school drop

off and whole school prayer, this coming Friday, 19th February.

This is a lovely way to catch up, and also a great opportunity

for us all to get to know each other a little better.

Toddlers are most welcome, of course. So come along

to Formosa Gardens Nursery Café, 104 Leith street,

Redan, this Friday.

ON Wednesday, 10th February we played against Mt. Pleasant with Justin Possingham as the captain and he lead us to a win. The scores were 79-84 with the top wicket-taker, Lachlan Brodie on 3 wickets. Good Job, Laclan. The top scorer was Josh Smith, with 20 runs. Great work Josh. It was a nice day for a game of cricket. It was nice and hot but a bit windy. Also we had a new pitch along with a new player, Justin gave Austin a good go at being wicket keeper and Austin had a great swing with the bat hitting 19. He came 2nd with runs.

Next week we play Buninyong and it is their home ground. Please remember to bring a water bottle and a hat as it will be hot. We would all appreciate if you guys could come and give us a cheer.

Cricket Report by Justin Possingham and Joel Bethune.

ST ALOYSIUS SPORTS NEWS - CRICKET REPORT

FOR SALE

Pair of nearly new

Tap Shoes Beige Colour – Size 6 ½

Purchased new $70.

accept $40 (negotiable)

Enquires please phone Sarah

on 0400 021 933

Would you like to help out? Volunteer lists are up on the P&F display board in the school foyer, for any parents, carers and friends that would like to assist with any or all

of the upcoming events and activities for the school year ahead. Please feel free to have a look and add your name if you can help out.

Further information will also be sent home to families soon. Thank you!

and aim to finish up by 9:00pm

Sacramental Dates for 2016 - Reconciliation (Year 4 children who have been Baptised and Confirmed) Parent Meeting – this Thursday, 18th February 10am or 7pm

Celebration date – 16th March

This Sacrament is open to all children who have been Baptised and Confirmed, (in grade 4 or above) if you are wishing for your child to receive the Sacrament of Eucharist this year then they must celebrate the Sacrament of Penance first. There will be a parent meeting on Thursday 18th February either at 10am or 7pm. This meeting will be held in Ryan Hall. Please bring your Baptism and Confirmation Certificate to this meeting. The cost of the program is $25.

Enquiries please contact the Parish Office on 5335 9460 or redan@ballarat.catholic.org.au

First Communion (First Eucharist) (Year 4 children or older who have been Confirmed and celebrated Reconciliation)

Parent Meeting, 28th April 10am or 7pm Celebration dates – 28th & 29th May and 4th & 5th June

Confirmation – (Baptised Catholic and in Year 3 or older) Parent Meeting – 21st July 10pm or 7pm

Celebration dates –20th, 21st, 27th & 28th August

Thursday – Parish Mass Times Each Thursday Mass will be attended by a different class, please refer to the following schedule to see when your child’s class will be attending Mass. Families are invited to share this occasion with the children.

Thursday, 18th February - 5/6 MB and 5/6 PW Thursday, 25th February - 3/4 P and 3/4 T Thursday, 3rd March - 3/4 E Thursday, 10th March - 1/2 H Thursday, 17th March - 1/2 K Thursday 24th March - 1/2 B

St Aloysius Parish News

God of love,

May this time of Lent

help us to grow closer to you.

Open our hearts!

Change our hearts!

Turn our hearts back to You!

Help us to follow your son Jesus

in all that we do and say.

Amen

Dear Families,

Lent is the time when we prepare for the Resurrection of Jesus, the most important event in our Catholic year. Lent is a time for prayer and preparation. We as a school have a huge focus on prayer this year with our children praying in their classroom 3 times a day and we as a whole school community coming together to pray every Friday morning. Please make sure that your children are at school and ready for our prayer to start by 8.40am. Families are invited and most welcome to join us as an opportunity for our entire school community to come together and pray.

May I suggest that as a way of your family preparation for Lent that all electronic gadgets are turned off for a few minutes and that you do something as a family. A family prayer would be good! We invite you to pray this prayer together as a family.

February Thu 18th Penance parent info meeting 10am and 7pm in Ryan Hall

Wed 24th School Closure Day for staff OLSEL development – Student Free Day Thu 25th School Closure Day for staff OLSEL development – Student Free Day

March Tues 1st SAC meeting 7:30 pm - School boardroom 7:30pm start

Wed 2nd St. Aloysius 2017 Enrolment Open Day Mon 7th Life Ed Van visit Mon 14th Labour Day – Public Holiday Tues 15th P&F meeting – School boardroom 7:30 pm start Wed 16th Penance Celebration Mon 21st School Photos Wed 23rd School Sports – held at St. Patrick’s College Oval Thur 24th Last day of Term 1 - 3:20pm dismissal for students. Fri 25th Good Friday Sun 27th Easter Sunday

Term 1, 2016 School Calendar –Dates for your Diary

CAMPS, SPORTS AND EXCURSION FUND – (CSEF) Dear Parents, As you may be aware last year the Victorian Government introduced the - Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF).

Eligible families will receive $125 paid directly to the school, in Term 1 of each year. Families wishing to apply for the program should go to the CSEF website to download the parent application form. If you are unable to download an application form please enquire at the school office.

Applications close on Monday, 29th February, 2016. Completed forms should be returned to the school office prior to this date. CSEF Eligibility will be subject to the parent/legal guardian’s concession card being valid on 27, January 2016. For further information, please visit: www.education.vic.gov.au/csef.

Important information regarding the distribution of Newsletters & School Fee Statements

Dear Parents, as you may be aware, we have been trialling the ‘Skoolbag’ app as a way to enhance our communication with families, and as this has proven to be an effective method we are now moving towards the Skoolbag app as our primary way to distribute the Newsletter to families and we hope that this will be effective from the beginning of Term 2, 2016.

To assist us all with a smooth transition and to ensure that you do not miss out on important information we encourage all families who have access to a smart phone, iPad etc., to download the Skoolbag app, to receive your newsletter and other pertinent school information that will be distributed this way. If families do not have access to a suitable device, you can still obtain a printed copy of the newsletter by calling into the school office.

For School Fee Statements we are also moving towards electronic distribution and any family who has provided an email address will receive their fee statement via this. If you have not provided the school with an email address, please do so as soon as possible. Families who do not have email will still be provided with a paper statement.

Hello and welcome to the Library for 2016! You would have noticed that WE'VE MOVED! Come in and have a look at our new space! Yes, that's right, the Library is now in Ryan Hall - still with all the same books (and with some new ones for 2016 already!) Teachers will have allocated a day for their students to come in to the Library to borrow, and many students already have lots of books in their book boxes in classrooms. The Library is open for a short time after school on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons if you happen to miss out on borrowing during class time. Please make sure your child has a Library Bag - it can be any cloth bag from home. And, each child needs to RETURN their previously borrowed books before they're allowed to borrow another book! Happy reading, Colleen

Please check the calendar each week for updates.

Thank you

v

Thanks to one and all for

making this night such an

enjoyable event. It was

certainly a lovely way to

start the school year.

The St. Aloysius Second-hand Uniform Shop

is up and running and we have a good selection of outgrown uniform items for sale.

Community News & Events

Family Support Program Groups 2016 Terms 1 & 2 – Parenting Programs

Bringing up Great Kids Bringing up Great Kids is a reflective parenting program developed by the Australian Childhood Foundation

Building supportive parent-child relationships Exploring messages and beliefs we bring to our experience of parenting Understanding the world through our children’s eyes

February Saturday 13th & 20th 9.30am – 1.30pm $85 or $45 with concession May Tuesday 3rd & 10th 9.30am – 1.30pm

Tuning in to Kids An evidenced based parenting program focused on raising emotionally intelligent children through:

Understanding the impact of emotions on behaviour Identifying and understanding your own emotions Enhancing emotional connection within your family

March Tuesday 1st & 8th 9.30am – 1.30pm $85 or $45 with concession May Saturday 21st & 28th 9.30am – 1.30pm

Parenting Skills

Managing challenging parenting moments Keeping cool when the kids heat up Choosing when to accept, prevent or influence children’s difficult behaviour

February Tuesday 16th 9.30am – 1.30pm $45 or $25 with concession March Tuesday 22nd 9.30am – 1.30pm April Tuesday 19th 9.30am – 1.30pm May Tuesday 17th 9.30am – 1.30pm June Tuesday 21st 9.30am – 1.30pm

We can come to you!

Our groups can be conducted within community and school settings and can be adapted to suit your community’s specific needs

Transition to Prep Supporting parent’s as they support their child’s transition 1 hour

Transition to Secondary Supporting parent’s as they support their child’s transition 1 hour

Drum workshop Using rhythm to reduce tension, stress and anxiety 1 hour

Learning to Bloom Staying in touch with your strengths - a program especially for women 6 hours

ESSENCE Increasing awareness of the mind/body connection to reduce stress6 hours

DRUMBEAT Promoting social connection through a team drumming experience 10 x 1.5 hour sessions

Mindfulness Practice Managing stress and strong emotions 4 hours

*These programs also run onsite – individuals are invited to enquire

For more information about accessing these services please call

Phone: (03) 5327 7960, or the Family Relationship Centre on 1300 303 988 Email: ballaratfrc@centacareballarat.org.au

All groups will be held at the Family Relationship Centre 34 Peel Street North Ballarat

You can install your Skoolbag app on your phone or tablet by following these instructions:

For iPhone and iPad users: 1. Click the "App Store" icon on your Apple device. 2. Type your school name in the search, using suburb name will help. 3. You will see your school appear, click "Get" then "install". 4. The app is FREE to download. 5. When installed click "Open" 6. Select "OK" to receive push notifications, when asked. 7. Click the "More" button on the bottom right of the App, then "Setup". 8. Toggle on the Push Categories that are applicable for you by tapping the on/off switch.

For Android users: You must first have signed up with a Google Account before installing the app. 1. Click the "Play Store" button on your Android Device 2. Click the magnifying glass icon at the top and type in your school name, using suburb name will help. 3. Click the school name when it appears in the search. 4. Click the "Install" button. 5. Click "Accept" for various permissions (please note, we do not modify any of your personal data on your device). 6. Click "Open" when installed. 7. Click the "More" button on the bottom right of the App, then "Setup". 8. Toggle on the Push Categories that are applicable for you by tapping the on/off switch.

Please Note: Some brands of Android phones need the setting in "Notification Manager" changed to "Allow" instead of "Notify" in order for the push notifications to work. The phone must also be running at least version 4 system software to run the app.

For Windows 8.1 Phone and Windows 8.1 or 10 device users:

1. Go to the Windows Store on your 8.1 Windows Phone or Windows 8.1/10 Device 2. Search for "Skoolbag" in the keyword app search 3. Install the Skoolbag app 4. Find your school either by using the keyword search or location service. 5. Click the "Pin" icon to pin the school tile to your Windows Phone home screen. 6. Click the "More" button on the bottom right of the App, then "Setup" 7. Toggle the Push Categories that are applicable to you by tapping the on/off switch.

Please Note: The Skoolbag Windows App is for 8.1 version Windows Phones, or Windows 8.1 and 10 devices.

Find out more at www.skoolbag.com.au