“He who receives you receives me,

and he who receives me receives Him who sent me.”

Matt 10: 40

(from the Gospel for the thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A)

Dear parents and carers

Interim Semester 1 Report issued on Friday 26 June 

Tomorrow afternoon we will issue the “Interim Semester 1 Report”. Year 1 to Year 6 will receive their reports via COMPASS by 4pm. Kindergarten will receive a hard copy report tomorrow afternoon in their school bags. Please be advised that this is not a progress report. The Interim Semester 1 Report will look quite different to our normal Semester Progress Report. In this Interim Semester 1 Report, your child will be graded on engagement and effort in just Religious Education, English and Mathematics. This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate your child’s successes and learning in what has been a challenging year so far.

Parent Teacher Interviews- bookings close tomorrow Friday 26 June at 3pm- book now!

Last week you received an invitation to make a booking for a parent teacher interview to discuss your child during Week 10 (Mon 29 June to Thurs 2 July). We are offering fifteen minute parent and teacher interviews. We have now received many bookings. Thank you! 

If you have not made a booking please do so as a priority. Teachers need time over the weekend to organise the meeting schedules and prepare for the interviews. Please be advised that the bookings for interviews close tomorrow Friday 26 June at 3pm.

NSW Health continues to warn that adult to adult transmission is the highest risk factor for our community. There are some COVID-19 safety protocols that we need to observe during the interviews to minimise this risk.

• Observe social distancing by using the chairs provided in the interview.
• Use the hand sanitizer that will be available outside each classroom before the interview.
• The teacher will open the door for you. We ask that you remain seated outside the classroom until it is time for the interview. 
• Chairs and tables will be sprayed and wiped after each interview.
•  It is essential that you are on time and that your interview ends on time. If you are late, your interview will be concluded at the scheduled time. Teachers will keep the interviews on time.
• If you require a longer interview, a mutually convenient time at a later date can be negotiated at the Interim Semester Report interview.
• Once your interviews are completed we ask that you leave promptly and refrain from gathering with other parents.
• If you are unwell we ask that you postpone the interview and make an alternate booking by contacting the office.

Building update and moving in pupil free days Monday 20 July and Tuesday 21 July

We remain on track to have the building completed in readiness for Term 3. Painting and carpet laying will be completed by the end of the school holidays. There has been a delay with the delivery times for furnishings. We will be able to move into the Year 5 and 6 classrooms on Thursday of Week 1 (Thurs 23 July).

In order to set up our school office and administration areas as well as ready the Year 5 and Year 6 classrooms for the children, the Catholic Education Office has given us two moving days. These days will be Monday 20 July and Tuesday 21 July. We are asking that you keep your children at home on these days while the staff move and set up in the refurbished buildings. 

We will offer supervision only to children of families who are unable to make alternative arrangements for the children on these two days. I am aware that this is going to be challenging for some families. We appreciate your support and understanding. The first day of classes in Term 3 will be Wednesday 22 July for all children.

Please keep children presenting with respiratory illness symptoms at home

If your child is showing even mild symptoms of respiratory illness, please keep them home. If your child is presenting with respiratory illness symptoms at school, we will ring you to pick up your child from school. We are applying the same standard to all school staff.

COVID-19 medical clearances

We have had some questions regarding COVID-19 testing and clearances. 

1. If your child has had a COVID-19 test, please let us know, provide the result to us as well as a COVID-19 clearance.
2. If we send your child home from school because we suspect COVID-19 (temperature, cough, sore throat or shortness of breath), we will ask you to take your child to the doctor to be tested. In this case, we will require a clearance before your child returns to school. 
3. If we send your child home from school due to illness (for example, headache, runny nose, sneezing, fatigue or aches and pains), we ask that you get a medical clearance from your medical practitioner. This does not need to be a COVID-19 clearance. A standard doctor’s certificate (or equivalent) is satisfactory.
4. If your child is unwell with non-COVID-19 symptoms, has not had a COVID-19 test and you have kept your child at home, you do not need to have a medical clearance to return to school. We ask that you keep your child at home until the symptoms resolve.

CEDoW COVID-19 website remains our “source of truth”.

The website aims to provide clear and accurate messaging for our school communities. A link to the COVID-19 Information Centre has been placed on our school website home page. It is also available on the CEDoW website. You can access the site from this link.

Sport Uniform Days by Class

Your child will need to wear the sport uniform on the following days each week.

Kindergarten- Friday

Year 1- Friday

Year 2- Friday

Year 3- Wednesday & Friday

Year 4- Wednesday & Friday

Year 5- Wednesday & Friday

Year 6-Wednesday & Friday

LOLS: Lessons and Liturgy and Scripture

Keep your eye out for the weekly edition of LOLS - Lessons and Liturgy and Scripture. Each week, I will be working with Fr Richard to create a short spiritual reflection video as a way of connecting with the school community. Each video includes a scripture focus, a short ‘homily’ and a song. The video will be posted on Facebook each week. The theme for this week is RESPECT.

St Paul’s Parish YouTube Channel

Here is the link to the St Paul’s Parish YouTube Channel where you can watch live and recorded Masses and prayers:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL9F08CA4ayKjhG-3ke-2rQ

Ripples Podcast

Ripples is a PODCAST developed for staff and parents for on-going spiritual formation.  It seeks to offer a space where people can draw on the wisdom of a series of guest speakers and can experience some treasured stillness through meditation.  Practices like these create a ripple effect.  They have the potential to impact the way we respond to family, friends, collegues, to creation and to our loving God.  Come and enjoy some Inspired Voices and Treasured Stillness:

https://sites.google.com/dow.catholic.edu.au/clem-spiritual-formation/spiritual-formation/parents

Catherine du Bois

Religious Education Coordinator

Resilience

“Resilience is the ability to ‘bounce back’ during or after difficult times and get back to feeling as good as before.

It’s also the ability to adapt to difficult circumstances that you can’t change and keep on thriving. In fact, when you’re resilient, you can often learn from difficult situations.

Your child’s resilience can go up and down at different times. And your child might be better at bouncing back from some challenges than others.”

Taken from raisingchildren.net.au the Australian Parenting Website supported by the Australian Government.

This year has been particularly challenging. We have experienced very unusual circumstances including drought, bushfires, flooding rains and a pandemic. There can be daily school activities that can challenge children. Difficulties with a learning task, disagreements with friends, losing a game at sport time or even losing a school hat can lead to frustration, worry or anxiousness. 

It is important that we encourage our children to talk about how they are feeling and acknowledge those feelings. It is also important that we let children know they can cope and get through most things if we work together and support each other.

The NSW syllabus in Physical Development, Health and Physical Education has three skill domains that teachers must focus on in all the PDHPE lessons. They are self management skills, interpersonal skills and movement skills. All three skill domains play a part in developing and growing resilient children. 

If you would like further information about resilience there are several links on our Parent Portal page that lead to websites and resources regarding parenting and supporting children in developing resilience:

Please find attached some information about the Miniroos Football Clinic running over the school holidays.