Veritas Term 4, Week 9

From the Principal

There can be a beau@ful simplicity about Christmas that is calming to our senses amidst the very busy ac@vity of daily life at this @me of the year. When we listen to carols and view the Na@vity scenes that are in our school, church and home, we are comforted and recognise that for Mary and Joseph the birth of Jesus was quite distant from being calming and comfor@ng.

Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth, four days journey north of Bethlehem. Mary is a young mother to be and a journey late in her pregnancy is challenging for her. For Mary and Joseph this was a @me of hardship and worry.

Long aXer the angels disappear into the heavens, the shepherds return to their flocks, the wise men journey home, Jesus remains. The baby, in whom we rediscover God’s great love for humanity, becomes the adult who challenges us to imitate His selflessness and compassion, to recreate our lives, to make the peace, jus@ce and hope of Chris@ans a reality throughout the seasons of the year.

Christmas is not only the commemora@on of an historical event that occurred 2000 years ago, it is a spiritual event to be lived within each of us everyday. Our mission is to make holy the materialist aspects of Christmas and we do this by being holy people - kind, pa@ent, generous, loving, gentle, forgiving, respec^ul people no ma_er how hec@c the Christmas rush around us.

Students Reports

Thank you!

Christmas Concert

It is quite challenging to put into “ordinary terms” the mystery of Christmas: the birth of Jesus, the Son of God, who grew in wisdom and age, who preached a way of love, who suffered, died and rose again, who became the model for our human and spiritual growth. The birth of Jesus made possible, not just a new way of understanding life, but a new way of living it. Even though all around us are signs that are rushing us to a Christmas of celebra@on that equates spending with love, we need to feel a strong belief of the real meaning. If we were to put into “ordinary terms” the meaning of Christmas, perhaps it might look something like this:

“It’s sharing your giXs, not purchasing giXs. It’s not wrapping presents, it’s being present and wrapping your arms around the ones you love. It’s not gedng Christmas cards out on @me, it’s sending any card, any@me, at the right @me. It’s not having the best Christmas light display, it’s displaying the Christ light that comes from your heart. It’s not Santa coming down the chimney, it’s Jesus coming down from heaven and giving us the giX of Himself.”

Christmas Concert

Tuesday night was a great celebra@on for all! The sparkling colours of Christmas shone throughout the night as did the wonderful performances of our students. Congratula@ons to the School Choir, the School Ensemble, the main actors of the Christmas play (made up of our Year 6 students), as well as each of the year levels and all students for their performances on the night.

A HUGE Thankyou to Mrs Kristy Carroll for coordina@ the en@re night. We are very apprecia@ve. Well done to all – it was a great night!

Best Wishes

Best wishes to Mrs Judy Pugliese who is comple@ng her last term of work at Infant Jesus School. Judy is a very valued member of the Staff and community of Infant Jesus School and aXer more than 20 years she will be commencing her re@rement at the beginning of 2023.

Judy has many giXs and talents and has made many, many valuable contribu@ons to our school through her dedica@on, service and work. She is extremely adaptable having worked in most year levels during the last 23 years. We look forward to joining together to thank Judy later in the week.

Best wishes and congratula@ons also to Ms Anne Stent who will be commencing in a new posi@on at Liwara Catholic Primary School from early 2023. Anne has been very efficient and effec@ve in her role which has required great organisa@onal skills and an ability to be fantas@c at mul@-tasking.

We thank Anne for her many extra contribu@ons including being very generous with her @me and sharing her crea@vity to assist the school.

OrientaKon Day

Yesterday, the students met their new teachers for 2023. This was an exci@ng @me for the students who appeared happy to learn of their class teacher as well as the children who will be in their class next year.

As men@oned previously, many factors are taken into considera@on when crea@ng class lists. It is a huge task and is not something that is taken lightly. Fortunately, our Infant Jesus School staff are truly amazing, and parents are assured that no ma_er who their child's teacher may be - they will be focused on ensuring the best possible outcomes for each and every child in their care. Our staff also work and plan together across year levels and our children have numerous opportuni@es to work with other children in their year level.

Class lists are based on several factors which include student sociograms and an even balance of genders, behaviour and academics. We use an online pla^orm called Class Solver to help make classes even and ensure that the factors men@oned are achieved.

There are several factors out of our control regarding class placements, especially when families leave at the end of the school year which then impacts on the created class list. There is no perfect situa@on for classes and there will be disappointment, but please understand that these class lists have been scru@nised many, many @mes since they were created, adapted, and adapted again as each change during the year has taken place.

Student Reports

Semester Two student reports are now available on Friday 9 December from 3.00pm. Parents are reminded that this report is a summary of what has been achieved throughout 2022.

Students can be commended for their efforts throughout the year and we thank the parents who have supported us by ensuring that students are con@nually improving in their learning and development as a whole person. We encourage parents to take the @me to discuss the Semester Two Report with their child/children and, if there are areas of concern, to make an appointment to see the class teacher next week.

All tasks in the digital por^olio for every Pre-Primary to Year Six student have also been approved today, Friday 9 December at 3.00pm.

Parent Teacher InformaKon Night

The Parent Teacher Informa@on Night will take place on Thursday 2 February 2023. Please save this date as this is an important @me for parents to learn about the expecta@ons for the year level and how they can support their child’s learning and the school.

School Start Time

Just to inform parents in the school community that from the start of the 2023 school year the school start @me will change.

School will commence at 8:40am with classrooms opening at the usual @me of 8:30am. This is to align more readily with the requirements set by both the on Department and Catholic Educa@on Western Australia in rela@on to the mandated school opera@onal hours.

The before school morning supervision, for Year 1 to 6 students, will stay the . Children are not encouraged to arrive at school before this @me. The @me that class teachers (except Kindergarten) will have their classes open for the children will also stay the same with Pre-Primary to Year 6 classes opening classes at 8.30am

Seesaw Rollover

Next year we will con@nue to use Seesaw to allow the children to share their learning at home. The children’s journals from this year will be rolled over and their 2022 class work will be s@ll accessible. However, if you would like to save your child's journal from this year, please read the instruc@ons at the following link. h_ps://help.seesaw.me/hc/en-us/ar@cles/208754866-Howfamilies-and-students-can-download-an-archive-of-student-work All deparKng families need to complete this in order to have access to their children’s journals.

P&F Welcome Back Family Picnic

The P&F Family Picnic will be held on Friday 11 February 2023. Please join us to welcome and meet new families and celebrate the children’s first two weeks of school.

Fees 2023

Informa@on has been shared with families at the Annual Community Mee@ng and last week regarding school fees for 2023. This exci@ng news is available on the school website

ng year – especially in Semester One and Term One. We hope that this will be a ‘once only’ event where messages were con@nually sent out to support all in our community with health, safety and maintaining the focus on learning.

As we look back now the @mes were quite amazing and unusual. However, we con@nue to have much to be grateful for as we give thanks for all the blessings of 2022 and look to 2023 with great hope and excitement.

Thank you to the parents for your involvement throughout the year. From a somewhat distant online beginning in the Term One 2022, to working with the many restric@ons, messages and

updates; to the scheduling and rescheduling of events, to giving generously of your @me and energy to assist in a variety of ways around the school. We greatly value your partnership and involvement with the numerous opportuni@es and ac@vi@es provided at Infant Jesus School to support the children in their learning journey.

Best wishes to all the Year Six students who leave Infant Jesus School tomorrow. As a group they have had to be very flexible with the challenges during Semester One 2022. As leaders they have very enthusias@cally contributed to many ini@a@ves and ideas this year. To each Year Six student, I truly hope that, as a life-long learner, you con@nue to share some of the spirit of Infant Jesus School throughout your life.

Working together and strengthening partnerships are integral to our school – the collabora@on of staff, children and families is valuable in assis@ng and suppor@ng children to experience success in the many aspects of school life. A key aspect of this success is the rela@onships that we have developed and maintained between home and school.

We recognise the giXs and talents of all the children and thank them for mo@va@ng and inspiring us in our work. It is a privilege to be suppor@ng children in their development, their learning and their progress. The staff con@nue to be very dedicated to the learning journey and progress of each student and are commi_ed to providing experiences so that support children to con@nue to flourish. We are very grateful to all the staff for their exper@se, professionalism, adaptability, posi@vity, conscien@ousness, enthusiasm, innova@on and hard work in ensuring that the learning at Infant Jesus School inspires all children to #ExpectGreatThings and #ExceedExpectaKons.

In 2022, I hope that the faith journey of all in our community has been enriched on a daily basis through what we say and do. As we pray each day we reflect on and are grateful for these opportuni@es as they are central to life in a Catholic school and support us all to further develop our friendship with God as we con@nue to live and be the Good News.

As my secondment concludes I feel very blessed and grateful for the opportunity to have led this beau@ful school community for the last two years during Mr Paul Hille’s secondment.

Time has flown and there have been so many interes@ng and different challenges and changes that have impacted us all in various ways, however, we have been ever more adaptable and the vision of Infant Jesus School community con@nues to inspire and mo@vate us as learners focusing on improvement and suppor@ng us all to flourish. It has truly been a great privilege to have been the Ac Jesus School where we always #ExpectGreatThings and strive each day to #ExceedExpecta

ng journey con@nues as we welcome Ms Mel Allen as Principal of Infant Jesus School.

Prayer for the End of the School Year

At the end of this school year we give thanks to God:

For all the teaching and learning that has taken place in our school, both in and out of the classroom, For the talents and giXs that have been shared and the challenges that have been faced; For the challenges that have been encountered and the hurts that have been forgiven; For the respect and care that has been given. We give thanks for the friendships that have just begun and for those that have grown. For the faith that has been lived in our daily endeavours, For the hope that has liXed our hearts on trying days And for the love that has kept us going. We give thanks for the community that we are, and we ask you Lord –Bless our students as they engage in the learning each day: may your Spirit inspire them with confidence and calmness Bless our families as we take our holidays, may our @me together leave us with memories to cherish. Pour out your love on us that we may return renewed and refreshed to con@nue our journey together. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord.

Amen

Have a safe and Holy Christmas, Clare Moffat Principal

We Are Called

Christmas Masses at Infant Jesus Parish

Christmas Masses at Infant Jesus Parish

Saturday 24 December – CHRISTMAS EVE Vigil Mass at 6.00pm

Christmas Midnight Mass at 12.00am

Carols 30 minutes before each Mass

Sunday 25 December – CHRISTMAS DAY

Masses at 7.30am, 9.30am, 11.30am (Italian)

Carols 30 minutes before each Mass

NO EVENING MASS ON CHRISTMAS DAY

Monday 26 December – Feast of St Stephen Mass at 8.30am only (public holiday)