3
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
St Mary Of The Cross MacKillop
URStrong Day Of Friendship
1st Holy Communion
8
SAFE SCHOOL
4
ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS’ CORNER
School Photo Day InformaCon
Father Day
Anxiety Workshop
6
CLASS NEWS
Year 1 News
Year 6 News
9
COMMUNITY
From the Principal
God, through the intercession of Mary MacKillop, we pray that the fire of your compassion will ignite many hearts. May Mary’s a<en=veness to your dream inspire us. May her energy to overcome injus=ce empower us. May we, like her, make manifest your Presence in our troubled world. We pray that the beacon of her holiness shine as a blessing for the universal Church and our world. We make this prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Welcome to our Week 4 newsleRer.
Each year on the 8th of August we celebrate the Solemnity of Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop, Australia's first saint. On this day, we celebrate the important role she played in making educaCon accessible for children in our country. Mary MacKillop devoted her life to ensuring a holisCc Catholic educaCon for all children but especially children from rural and poor families.
On Tuesday, we celebrated our URStrong Day of Friendship. Students engaged in an online session with Tyson Greenwood (Director of UR Strong Schools) and other CEWA schools. They were empowered with friendship skills and explored the ‘Language of Friendship’. In classrooms, students parCcipated in acCviCes that fostered connecCon, kindness, and understanding. If you have not already done so, please access some fantasCc parent resources at hRps://urstrong.com/parents/
PreparaCons are well underway for the our Year Four students to receive their first Holy Communion on Saturday 7 September. Please keep these students in your prayers as they parCcipate in their Commitment Mass, Parent and Child workshop and Retreat over the coming weeks.
Thank you to Mrs Carroll for preparing the Choir and Ensemble so beauCfully for the Catholic Performing Arts FesPval This is an important event in the Catholic Calendar for schools and we were excited to be a part of it. CongratulaCons to our Ensemble who received an award of Excellence. CongratulaCons also to Emmeline Soh and Addison Lee who received an award of Excellence in the Piano Duet category and Emmeline Soh for receiving an award of Merit for her Piano Solo.
Next Friday will be Mrs Rotondo-Bell’s final day in Year Two as she begins her maternity leave. We wish Jade and Luke all the best as they begin this exciCng new chapter in their lives. Miss Joanne McDaid will be in Year Two Blue for the remainder of the year.
Next Tuesday evening we are fortunate to have a free informaPon session on Anxiety. This will be held in the library from 5.30-6.30. Following this meeCng we will have our Term Three P&F meePng at 6.45. You are welcome to aRend both events.
Enjoy the rest of the week.
Mel Allen
Assistant Principal’s Corner
School Photos 2024
Monday, 12th August and Tuesday 13th August and Thursday 15th August (PK Blue ONLY) are School Photo Days! Every student will have their photo taken regardless of if they are purchasing photos or not. Your child should have brought home a unique online ordering key with their own shoot key. If your child has not brought one home please contact the front office.
Online ordering for photos closes on 22 August 2024. Any orders received by MSP ajer this date will incur a $30.00 archive fee. If you wish to pay by cash, envelopes are available from the office. If you would like family photos taken, please obtain an envelope from the front office. Family photos can not be paid for online. Family photos for families with the youngest child in Kindy and above will take place on Monday. If your child is having a family photo please send them to school in their full school winter uniform. All family photos will be taken during the school day.
Father’s Day
On Thursday 29 August 2024 we will be celebraCng our Dads, Grandfathers and father figures, with Donuts with Dads before school at 7.30am followed by a Whole School Mass at Infant Jesus Church commencing at 9.00am.
All Fathers, Grandfathers and Father figures are very welcome to join us – to assist with catering please add your details via this link h`ps:// forms.office.com/r/NdrFxHPRZH
BYOD Night Year Three 2025
As you may be aware, our personalised 1-1 iPad Program will be moving into its thirteenth year at Infant Jesus School. The children’s learning has been enhanced with the use of this technology. It has enabled the learning to occur in a variety of ways which are meaningful to the children and it has empowered them to integrate tradiConal
learning with the use of technology to further improve their understandings.
We have planned a parent night on Wednesday 4 September at 5.00pm which will focus on digital ciCzenship and iPad use in the classroom. Parents are urged to aRend the session to come to an understanding of the work we are involved in and the future direcCon the school will be undertaking with the learning program. The purpose of this evening will be to highlight how the iPad will be used in class and to answer any quesCons parents have about the logisCcs of this program. New and important informaCon will be given to parents about device requirements for 2025 Year Three students. h`ps://forms.office.com/r/xGZ62iwiqe
Anxiety Workshop
Feelings of anxiety are common in children and can be a normal part of childhood. Some children have fears or worries outside of the normal range and may need some help from adults to manage their anxiety.
If you would like to know more about anxiety in children and how to best support an anxious child.
On Tuesday the 13th of August at 5:30pm, Leigh Thomas a Psychologist with over 20 years experience working with children will be offering a Parent Workshop about Anxiety. Please register your aRendance using the link below; hRps:// forms.office.com/r/qKvGw7s2Bk
Merit Awards
Merit Awards
CongratulaCons to the following students who received a merit award today as an acknowledgement and celebraCon of all their hard work.
Pre-Primary Isaiah Hankin
Jazlene Alberto
Lucinda Frampton
ChrisCan Rispoli
Year One
DesCny Waters
Alessia Rowland
Lillian Bai
Cody Filpo
Year Two
Arianna Gillespie
Angelina Le
Dylan Nocciolino
Year Three Ari-James Novatsis
ChrisCan Davis
Shaun Jobin
Year Four
Alyssa Cecchele, Charlie Cruikshank,
Arabella Triscari
Jasmine Le
Joaquin Villamil
Conde
Jordan Thomas
Marissa HiCe
Evelyn Dwyer
Anaira Adalja
Anna Orzel
Zachary Cockburn
Violet LeggeR
Harley Bailey
Ilaria CosenCno
Saba Tartaglia
Ronan Cullen
Ariana Ross
Milana Tollis
Amelia Walls
Hamish Ross
Adalynn O’Bryne
Year Five
Bree Cardenia
Luca Della Primavera
CharloRe Emselle
Chance Taplin
Year Six
Amber Wallace
Cruz Tartaglia
Miroli Fernando.
Harry Huynh
Sienna Mills
Claudia Ruggiero
Nick Scales
Luke GenCle
Gianluca Papalia
Tate Green
Joshua Grant
Year One
A Sweet Adventure!
In Year One, our liRle bakers have been busy learning how to write procedures, and what a beRer way to pracCce than by decoraCng cookies? With imaginaCons running wild, our chefs turned the classroom into a delighuul bakery filled with laughter and creaCvity. From choosing the perfect cookie base to adding colourful icing and sprinkles, each child crajed their own unique masterpiece.
The children wrote a fantasCc procedure on how to decorate cookies. They learnt all about the importance of sequencing and adding detail to make sure their instrucCons were clear.
This sweet adventure was a memorable experience for everyone!
Year Six
Friendship Day
Our Year Six students had a fantasCc Cme celebraCng Friendship Day, which kicked off with lively music and spirited sports acCviCes. The excitement conCnued as we welcomed Sherri from Bunnings, who guided us through the construcCon of a special wooden project. The air was filled with the rhythmic sound of hammering as students eagerly engaged in the hands-on acCvity. It was a day of creaCvity, teamwork, and joy, highlighCng the strong friendships that make our school community so special.
Our Year Six students also had the delighuul opportunity to connect with their Year One buddies in a fun-filled acCvity designed to celebrate Friendship Day. The younger students were thrilled to partner up with their older counterparts as they embarked on the construcCon of a “Friend-o-Meter”. In groups they collaborated to design and decorate a colourful gauge that measures the warmth of their friendship. These acCviCes not only fostered a sense of community but also provided valuable mentorship opportuniCes for the older students. The smiles on the faces of the Year Ones as they worked alongside their Year Six friends were a testament to the success of the morning. #URSTRONG
#CommunityLearnings
Safe School Framework
Conduct Statement 9:
You promote and preserve the trust and privilege
in your relaPonship with all members of the school community.
Guidelines
1. You promote and preserve the trust inherent in your relaConship with students and with their parents.
2. You recognise that an inherent power imbalance exists within your relaConship with students that may make the students and their family vulnerable and open to exploitaCon. You acCvely preserve the dignity of all people through pracCsed kindness and by recognising the potenCal vulnerability and powerlessness of each student and their family. You recognise that the power relaCviCes between you and a student can be significant, parCcularly where the student is very young, has a disability, a difficult family background, has cultural differences, or experiencing emoConal turmoil. This vulnerability creates a power differenCal in your relaConship with students that must be recognised and managed with care.
3. You take reasonable measures to establish a sense of trust to protect the physical, psychological, emoConal, social and cultural well-being of each student. You protect students who are vulnerable, including but not limited to students with disability, from exploitaCon and harm.
4. You have a responsibility to maintain appropriate boundaries with students and to acCvely support other adults to do likewise, including bringing to their aRenCon any failure to do so.
5. You may have personal or recreaConal relaConships outside your school role with students’ families and friends, or with school staff. You are aware that dual relaConships may compromise student care and wellbeing. In cases of overlap or conflict between your dual relaConships, you act with the primary intent of the safety and well-being of the student, which may require you to withdraw from a social relaConship.
6. You do not engage in any behaviour with a student that could be interpreted by a reasonable person as being a friendship.
7. You do not engage in any behaviour with a student that a reasonable person could interpret as creaCng an opportunity to engage in emoConal, physical or sexual inCmacy with a student.
8. You recognise that the power imbalance between you and students means that the onus is on you to avoid any ambiguity or misunderstanding by a student or third party about your intent in your behaviour towards them.
9. You understand that the power imbalance between you and students means a student is unable to give their consent to engaging in emoConal, physical or sexual inCmacy with you, regardless of the legal age of consent, or the student’s age or maturity. You must therefore not seek nor rely on such express or implied consent from a student to engage in an inCmate relaConship.
10. You understand that the power imbalance between you and students may conCnue to influence students’ choices beyond the date when they cease to be students at your school. You must therefore not engage in emoConal, physical or sexual inCmacy with a former student within two years of them ceasing enrolment at your school, or them turning 21, whichever occurs latest.
11. You take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety and security of the possessions and property of students and their families that are in your care.
12. You do not knowingly mislead parents or make misrepresenCng statements to them, or withhold informaCon relevant to their ability to make informed decisions about their children unless required by law.
13. You recognise that there may be rare excepCons to full disclosure to parents. Such disclosure of informaCon may compromise law enforcement or other risk management processes, or the privacy and reputaCon of those involved. You seek legal or other expert advice in resolving such situaCons, recognising that parents have the right to know about any risk to their children.
Staff Example of Specific Behaviours but not limited to:
• Staff to be mindful of the extent of personal informaCon that they share with parents and students.
• Recognise and accept differences in background, disabiliCes, culture, etc.
• Keep relaConships with parents and students on a professional level. Staff to noCfy Principal of any deviaCon from this.
Parents Example of Specific Behaviours but not limited to:
Maintain appropriate behaviour at school funcCons and events. Parents to respect staff and treat them in a professional manner.
Students Example of Specific Behaviours but not limited to:
· Students to respect staff and treat them in a professional manner. Students to look ajer each other and their property.
Volunteers/Visitors Example of Specific Behaviours but not limited to: EducaConal relaConship with students and parents.
P&F and Community News
Thank You!
Last Friday was Principal AppreciaCon Day. We want to thank Ms Allen for all she has done and conCnues to do for our school and our students. Thank you for making Infant Jesus School a welcoming place for the students where they have opportuniCes to grow and thrive. We also thank Mr Colangelo and Miss McMullen for all of the work they do and support they give as our Assistant Principals.
We would like to thank Simone Wiles for being our Vice Chair of the P&F this year. Simone has resigned from the posiCon, and we thank her for all her help and support she has given over the year. Thank you, Simone!
A big thank you also goes out to all the Class Reps. Thank you for sharing informaCon from the teachers, school and P&F with your classes. Your hard work doesn’t go unnoCced and is much appreciated!
Father’s Day Stall
We will be holding a Father’s Day Stall in week 7 on Wednesday the 28th August All gijs are $6 and there is a large variety for the children to choose from. Please send the correct money to the class teacher before the stall.
Pop and Rock Disco!
The school disco will be in week 9 on Friday 13th September. We are busy planning and prepping a fun night for the children and will have some more informaCon out soon, so keep your eyes peeled! We are looking for volunteers to help set up the event and also help at the event. If you can spare a few hours we would love to have you on board. Please email president.pafc@gmail.com if you can help.
Our next P&F MeePng is on Tuesday 13th August at 6:45pm in the Library.
