Dear parents and carers, 

What a fabulous start to the term we have had. Students have been engaged with their learning and keen to get back into the routine of school. 

Everyone was very excited for our Swimming Carnival today. A full report will be shared in next week’s newsletter. Thanks to the staff for putting together a fantastic day for us, the students loved it. 

Annual Improvement Plan 

This year our teaching and learning goals continue to emphasise teaching quality and using student data to inform our practice. Specifically our three goals to improve student outcomes are:

• To deepen teacher understanding and application of HITPs by embarking on the Catalyst coaching program
• To improve Literacy outcomes of all students by consolidating the use of InitiaLit, MiniLit and MacqLit
• To build teacher capacity in designing and implementing RE-driven interdisciplinary conceptual units 

The Annual Improvement Plan is a significant school document which is the roadmap to provide strategic direction for the year. The AIP 2022 will be on our school website for viewing after it has been shared with School Advisory Committee at our meeting next week.

Covid-19                                       

 Of course, our community continues to be impacted by the Covid19 pandemic. Our focus as a school community is on minimising the risk to students and staff so that we can provide quality education to our students, in a face-to-face setting. As you would have read in my Compass notice last week, we are required to follow the NSW Safe Return to School Guidelines. This includes staff and students undergoing Rapid Antigen tests twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays as a precautionary measure. If anyone tests positive, they are required to notify me by email, lodge the result on NSW Health and isolate for 7 days. Please refer to that post for further details. You will receive daily COVID updates from me on Compass outlining any positive cases that have been reported.

 To keep our students safe and our school open, we need to ensure that we are reducing the risk of infection as much as possible. Students will be asked to stay within their cohorts (which in our setting is our 3 class groups) during class time, and when eating and playing on the playground, to minimise the risk of spreading infection across cohorts. I acknowledge that this is difficult for our students, as they have friends in other classes that they would love to play with. Please know we have the best interests of our students as a priority and this measure is only temporary. We have been instructed to avoid mingling or congregating in large groups. Therefore, as a staff we have met online to complete our start of year administration tasks and professional learning and will continue to do so until safe to meet as a group again face to face.

Compass App                            

 Thank you to parents for keeping up to date with information from the school via Compass. Please remember this is the school’s main form of communication now and it’s important you have the app and notifications set. You will have noticed the move to using online consent (permission notes) instead of the old paper note system. This will streamline our processes making them more efficient, and also easier for you as parents to have up to date information at your fingertips.                                                   

2022 Captains and SRC Leaders

The staff and students are please to announce our 2022 Captains:

 School Captains

Cooper Smith and Emma Clifton

Dominic House Captains

Aleisha Ryan and Bethany Jewell

Xavier House Captains

Camilla Metcalfe and India Edwards

Augustine House Captains

William Best and Madyson Mills

SRC Leaders 

Yr 6 -Charlotte Turner  

Yr 5 – Stella Fanning 

Yr4 - Saskia McLelland 

Yr 3 - Jed Metcalfe  

P&F Meeting

 Our P&F Meeting will be held online next Tuesday 15th February at 7pm. Please see the Compass post with details of how to join. All are welcome, we would love to see you there! 

Student Acceptable Use Agreements

 Forms for the Student Acceptable Use of Digital Devices, Applications and Networks went home today. Please return to school as soon as possible.                                                                                                                   

 Kind Thoughts,

Melissa Hotham

Principal

Our first prayer celebration will look a little different this year as we are unable to have a mass in the church. Due to the current COVID restrictions, we will hold the Opening Prayer Celebration outside and only staff and students will be able to attend. However, we do know that parents, grandparents and friends love to see the special moments that occur in this start to the new school year celebration, such as the pinning on of badges and adding stars to the star banner, so we will be filming these ‘proud parent moments’ and you will be able to share them with your children in the comfort of your own homes. This will also be an advantage to those of you who would not have been able to attend due to work commitments. This prayer celebration will be held on Wednesday the 23^rd of February.

Change in mass times for Grenfell

Please be aware that mass times for St Joseph’s Church in Grenfell have changed. Beginning Sunday, the 6^th of February, mass time made a permanent change to 8 am. Also, the first and third Sundays will be Celebration of the Word with Holy Communion, not masses, as Father Jiss needs to serve the 3 parishes that make up the Young Mission without another priest to help him. Masses will continue on the  2^nd and 4^th Sundays each month at the new time of 8 am.

This week I have chosen a prayer for those in aged care, their loved ones and their carers. Covid has had a huge impact on their physical health and mental wellbeing. Please keep them in your prayers as they continue to battle with the effects of the lingering pandemic.

Gracious God and loving Father,
We praise you that our times are in your hands.

Father though we are locked down, cut off and isolated from one another,
You have drawn near to us in in your Son, the Lord Jesus, who comes to bring us forgiveness and new life.
You are close to the broken hearted.
You come to us by your Spirit who lives in us, to help us in our prayers, and to bring forth in us the fruit that pleases you.

Hear our prayers for those who are sick and aged and for those who care for them:
Bring healing, strength and protection.
Hear our prayers for those who grieve:
Bring the comfort and hope of the gospel.
Hear our prayers for the anxious, the fearful, and the lonely:
Bring the assurance of your love and presence.

Hear our prayers for those under pressure, feeling stressed or overwhelmed:
Bring your peace that transcends understanding.

Loving God, would you help us reach out to one another, in loving care and with the gospel of hope.
Provide for all people in their need, make us generous, and give us strength and hope through these trying times.

In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen. 

Peace and blessings,

Religious Education Coordinator