Term 4 Weeks 3 and 4

“The son of Man came to seek and find that which is lost.”

Luke 19: 1-10

From the Gospel of the 31st Sunday of Ordinary Time Year C.

Dear families,

On Tuesday of this week, the school grounds came alive with the laughter of students as Year 6 ran their mini fete. Bubbles, skill games, limbo, guessing competitions and ice-cream stalls filled every corner of the bottom playground. Whilst fundraising is an important element of events such like this, there certainly are the priceless aspects that come with them. Our Year 6 students learn vital skills in planning and preparing for community events along with social skills during interactions with staff and younger students. The school community benefited via a much needed moral boost as we navigate our way to the end of what can only be described as a challenging year. Thank you to all of the families and staff who were able to donate prizes for this successful event.  We raised $335! Well done everyone.

The ESafety Commission conducted a parent webinar on Wednesday evening focused on some of the popular apps that many of our children are engaged with. TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, SnapChat and other apps were discussed and some very helpful tips in assisting our children when using these online platforms. The overarching message was the importance of education when it comes to the cyber world and a focus on the positives whilst being cautious of the pitfalls. As a parent, one key message I took from this was trying to remain an active participant when children are engaging with online tools, walking with them through this journey. For more information please visit the eSafyety Commissioner website Parent page through this link https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents.

I have been reflecting a little on last Sunday's Gospel about the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. A lesson from Jesus about the necessity to live in a world of truth and being humble to the fact that we are human and make mistakes and not judging others for theirs. The story gives us two extremes, one being over reliant on the forgiveness of God and the other a world where we justify our actions and words as it gives us the best outcome and no concern for the other. Our students, as young people, often struggle with this themselves. When faced with friendship issues or exhibiting undesirable behaviours their natural response is to protect themselves and lose sight to see other perspectives. The message from Jesus here is that we should sit somewhere in between the two extremes and function in a space where the truth is empowering rather than incriminating. This story helps me to understand how to let go and also how to let come. We don’t always get it right and that's okay, “but if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.” (Luke 18:9-14 translation from “The Message”)

Grandparents Day

On Tuesday 1 November we will be holding Grandparents Day. Grandparents and great people in the student’s lives are invited to attend the day. This is the schedule for the day:

12noon Whole School Liturgy in the School Hall

12:35pm - 12:45pm Kinder to sing some songs.

1:00pm - 1:45pm Afternoon tea. Book fair will be open and tea and coffee served at the hall for the visitors. Families are asked to supply items for afternoon tea and we are requesting volunteers to help with the serving and clearing up.

2:00pm - 2:50pm Open classrooms - Visitors are welcome to go and see what the children have been learning.

Book Fair

We are holding a book fair in Week 4. The book fair is an opportunity for students to purchase books and consumable items. The fair is being held in the School Library. It will be open before school from 8:30am to 8:45am and after school from 3:00pm - 3:45pm - Monday 31 October to Friday 4 November. There is no expectation that families purchase books; however it is a great way to buy gifts for Christmas while helping our school to raise funds. Look out for a letter coming home with the children.

Kindergarten 2023 Transition Playgroup

Beginning on Friday 4 November are the Kindergarten 2023 Transition Playgroup sessions. We are very excited to be able to hold all the sessions this year and can’t wait to start getting to know our new Kinders. The dates are as follows:

Friday 4 November 1:30pm to 2:30pm

Tuesday 8 November 1:30pm to 2:30pm

Friday 11 November 1:30pm to 2:30pm

Tuesday 15 November 1:30pm to 2:30pm

Friday 18 November 1:30pm to 2:30pm

Tuesday 22 November 1:30pm to 2:30pm

Friday 25 November 1:30pm to 2:30pm

Tuesday 29 November 1:30pm to 2:30pm

Orientation Day Thursday 1 December 9:30am - 11:30am

P&F Working Bee

We will be having a working bee on Friday 28 October 3:15 pm to 5pm. The purpose of this working bee is to have a tidy up of the school grounds including weeding and some hedging. Please bring gardening gloves, hand tools for weeding, buckets and  wear a hat. Children are welcome and join in on the fun. Many hands make light work and it doesn’t take long to make a real impact in how our school looks.

Colloquium For Principals and Assistant Principals

This year Principals and Assistant Principals have been participating in a colloquium on Leadership. The next day is scheduled for Monday October 31. Mrs Gayle McMahon will be Acting Principal for the day while Mr Farrugia and I attend the event. 

Fee Increase 2023

We have been informed by the CEDoW Finance Committee there will be a 2% fee increase for Tuition fees taking them to $1781 per family and 5% increase with the SEDSO fee taking it to $1187 per family for 2023.

Thank you,

APSMO Maths Olympiad

Over the course of Terms 2 and 3, a group of students from Years 4, 5 and 6 have been taking part in an international competition in Mathematics. Each Olympiad, of which there were 5, challenged the students with questions designed to test their problem solving skills. All students should be commended for their efforts. Each and every one of them showed personal growth during this event.

Whilst we did not win any Team prizes this year, I am very proud to announce that some of our students have received individual awards.

Congratulations to:

• Kaydee Cuttriss and Nate Williams who were joint winners of the highest individual score for the school.
• Kaydee Cuttriss, Nate Williams and Antonio De Michiel-Worgan Who achieved individual scores placing them in the top 25% of all students internationally.

Thank you,

WITHDRAWAL

If you intend to withdraw your child from the school, the withdrawal form is available from the office.  We currently have a waitlist, so advance notification would be appreciated.

PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES

Existing families in our school with instalments:

If you are currently paying by instalments there is no need to complete another Request to Pay by Instalment as your request carries over from year to year unless you wish to amend the frequency of your payments, etg: Weekly to Fortnightly.

Existing families in our school without instalments:

If you would like to pay school fees by instalments in 2023 and have previously not taken up this option for payment, please complete a Request to Pay by Instalment Form which is available on the school’s website or from the school’s administration office. On completion of the request either email it to instalments@dow.catholic.edu.au or submit at the school office. Following receipt of the request, instalments will be generated on your school fee account during the process of invoicing 2023 school fees. Your school fee statement will provide a list of scheduled payments and their due date depending on the frequency you have chosen eg Fortnightly, Monthly, etc.

INJURIES

If a student has sustained an injury please inform the school office as we have to do a care plan and risk assessment.  Please also forward any ED report or doctor letter as well.

LEAVE FOR STUDENTS

If a student is going on leave for 10 days or more, parents will need to apply in writing and in advance for this leave.

MEDICATION

Only medication that is prescribed by a doctor is permitted to be dispensed at School upon completion of a “Consent to Dispense Medication” form which is available from the office.  The form and the medication are to be given to the office staff in the original packaging with the student’s name and dosage.  We are not permitted to administer Panadol unless prescribed by a doctor and the necessary form completed.  Thank you for your cooperation with this.

CHANGE OF CONTACT DETAILS

If you change your address, phone number or email, please inform the school office so that we can update our records.

BOOK CLUB

Congratulations to the following students who were awarded the Principal's Award in Week 2

Congratulations to the following students who were awarded a Merit Award in Week 2

Congratulations to the following students who were awarded a Mission Star Award in Week 2

Please see below the calendar overview for Term 4 2022:

Mittagong RSL Junior Disco - Saturday 29th October

Halloween Dress Up is optional!

LEARNING LABS @ WOLLONGONG UNIVERSITY

The University of Wollongong invites students to Learning Labs, an academic and creative arts enrichment holiday program. We are targeting students from Year 1 to 6 who are passionate, self-motivated and curious learners.

Dates: Little Learning Labs (Years 1 and 2): 9^th – 11^th January 2023

Early Learning Labs (Years 3 to 6): 17^th – 19^th January 2023

Venue: University of Wollongong (Wollongong campus only)

Applications close: Wednesday, 9^th November 2022