Veritas Term 1, Week 4

Important Dates

We acknowledge the tradiDonal Owners of the lands on which we live, learn and work.

We acknowledge the conDnued deep spiritual connecDon and relaDonship of Aboriginal peoples to this country and commit to the ongoing journey of ReconciliaDon.

From the Principal

God of goodness and mercy, Hear my prayer as I begin this Lenten journey with you. Let me be honest with myself as I look into my heart and soul, no>cing the >mes I turn away from you. Guide me as I humbly seek to repent and return to your love. May humility guide my efforts to be reconciled with you and live forever in your abundant grace. Transform me this Lent, heavenly Father. Give me the strength to commit myself to grow closer to you each day.

Amen.

Dear Parents,

Welcome to Week Four! This term is flying by.

I have been impressed with the way all of the students have se\led in so well to their classes, especially our li\le people in the early years classes. It is lovely to see everyone embracing new challenges and being so enthusiasDc with their learning.

I would also like to congratulate our Year 6 students for the exemplary way they have started the year as our school leaders. Yesterday I received le\ers from each of our Year 6’s outlining their leadership qualiDes and how these qualiDes will help them fulfil roles in our school ministries. I am looking forward our assembly on the 2 March where our

Pupil Free Day

leaders will be recognised and receive their leadership badges. Well done!

On Wednesday, we parDcipated in an Ash Wednesday liturgy at school with Father Ad. This signified the beginning of Lent. By praying, fasDng and giving alms, we are reminded of Jesus’ death and resurrecDon. Lent is an important Liturgical season in the Church.

I would like to thank everyone who a\ended our Welcome Back Picnic on Friday 10 February. It was a lovely way to meet many of you and a chance for our community to connect again. Special thanks also to our hard working P&F ExecuDve and their helpers who organised such a successful evening for us.

Pupil Free Day

Please note the change to our Pupil Free Day this term. Unfortunately due to circumstances beyond our control, this Pupil Free Day will now be on Monday 27th March. Staff will be parDcipaDng in professional development in Numeracy on this day.

Kindergarten Enrolments 2024

We are currently welcoming applicaDons for Kindergarten in 2024. If your child’s date of birth is between 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020, you can enrol your child/ren into our Kindergarten class for next year. Please contact the office for an enrolment pack. Current 3 Year Old Kindergarten students will also need to fill in a Kindergarten enrolment form. Kindergarten interviews will begin shortly.

We do have limited places in some of our Kindy to Year 6 classes for this year so if you know of any families who wish to join our Infant Jesus community, please encourage them to contact the office.

Updated Contact Details

If you have changed your details in the last twelve

months, we would love to hear from you so that we can update our records. This includes;

- Phone number

- Email address

- ResidenDal address

Please email the office to update your details.

School Fees

School Fees went home at the end of Week Two. Please send back your payment plan ASAP if you have not already done so as these were due back on Monday.

If you have not received your fee statement, please check your junk/spam folder.

If you have any queries, please contact the office.

Infant Jesus Family

CongratulaDons to Evelyn Dwyer (PPW) and her family on the arrival of their newest family member Theo.

Have a wonderful week.

Mel Allen Principal

Collection Notice for parents/guardians

2023 Student Residential Address and Other Information

The Australian Government Department of Education (the department) would like to notify you that we have requested for your child’s school to provide residential address and other information

Under the Australian Education Regulation 2013, the school is required to provide the department with the following information about each student at the school:

• Names and residential addresses of student’s parent(s) and/or guardian(s)

• Student residential address (excluding student names)

• Whether the student is a primary or secondary student (education level)

• Whether the student is boarding or a day student (boarding status)

The school collects the above information by generating a unique and unidentifiable – student reference number (SRN) for each student record. The school only uses the SRN for this collection. It is not allowed to be used for any other purpose. The number only indicates to the department that each record provided is for one student.

Purpose of the collection

The Student Residential Address and Other Information Collection (the Collection) informs Australian Government school education policy and helps ensure funding for non-government schools is based on need

The information collected will be used to inform school funding calculations. It is combined with Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data to calculate a non-government school community’s capacity to contribute to schooling costs

From 2020, the department introduced a new measure of capacity to contribute: the Direct Measure of Income (DMI). The DMI is based on the median income of non-government school students’ parents or guardians using the Collection data. Find more information about the DMI on the What is the methodology for the Direct Measure of Income (DMI)? Department web page.

Use and disclosure of personal information

Your personal information is protected by law under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act). Personal information is information or an opinion about an identifiable individual. Personal information includes an individual’s name and contact details.

Any use or disclosure of your personal information must occur in accordance with Privacy Act and the Australian Education Act 2013 and Australian Education Regulation 2013.

Your personal information provided to the department through the Collection may be:

• disclosed to the ABS for the purposes of capacity to contribute calculations and analysis as a part of the Multi-Agency Data Integration Project (MADIP). Find more information about MADIP on the ABS website MADIP page.

• disclosed to a contracted auditor where the department may from time to time, carry out an audit of a school’s collection submission. The contracted auditor compares the school’s submission with the school's student enrolment information. The contracted auditor will not use the information for any other purpose.

Assistant Principal’s Corner

Parent Teacher MeeYngs

During Week 8 of this term, parents will have the opportunity to meet with their child/ren’s teachers to discuss their progress so far this year. Parents are encouraged to play an acDve role in the educaDon of their children and these interviews are an ideal forum in which to help enrich the learning opportuniDes for students and to build partnerships between home and school.

There are many ways parents can find out about their children’s progress at Infant Jesus School and some of these include:

• Formal and informal interviews

• Reports on student performance (in Term 2 and Term 4)

• School Porjolio

• Seesaw Online Porjolio

• Parent informaDon evening at the beginning of the year

• Learning Journeys

• Parent Teacher Interviews

This year we will conDnue to use Parent Teacher Online (PTO), a web-based and app based online booking system for Parent Teacher meeDngs. We know that it will save parents Dme and is quite easy to use. Using this system, you will be able to book the interview Dmes that suit you best from any internet-connected computer.

PTO will become acYve for parents to book appointments from Tuesday 7 March at 2:00pm. h_ps://www.infantjesus.wa.edu.au/pto/

Parents and the broader community play a vital role in supporDng successful learning outcomes for our children. Research tells us that the most meaningful partnerships are those where schools, parents, students and the community work together to focus on student learning. Parent and community engagement that is effecDvely focused on student learning can deliver powerful outcomes.

Uniforms

A reminder to all students and parents about the Infant Jesus School Uniform. The uniform at Infant Jesus School is a symbol of the school’s community and it assists children to develop a sense of unity and belonging. Wearing the uniform encourages a sense of personal pride in the school. Whenever the uniform is worn at school or public

places it must be worn in accordance with the school policy.

Children at Infant Jesus are expected to wear full school uniform at all Dmes. A Uniform Schedule is available on the school Web page or the school office.

The uniform is a major investment by parents, and it is important that ALL clothing is clearly marked with your child’s name.

If parents have a difficulty with the school uniform, please make an appointment to see Ms Allen.

ExpectaYons

Children are expected to be well groomed and have a sense of pride in their appearance. Children are expected to look clean, neat and Ddy at all Dmes.

Hair

For health reasons all shoulder length hair needs to be Ded back securely. If hair is longer than the bo\om of the collar, it must be completely Ded back with an elasDc band in school colours. The school colours of blue and white should be used when using ribbon. Also;

Children’s haircuts need to be conservaDve and appropriate to uniform expectaDons.

· Hair must be a natural colour. Extremes in hair colour and styles are not acceptable.

· Children should avoid excess use of hair gel or hair products.

Dreadlocks or coloured beads are not permi\ed.

· Excessively short hair is not permi\ed. A cut shorter than a number two is unacceptable.

· Hair must be clean, brushed and kept off the face.

Jewellery/ Make-Up

Children should not wear valuable jewellery to school. Apart from the fact that it can be lost or broken it is a distracDon to themselves and others around them.

· For safety reasons the only acceptable earrings are studs. Children who wear studs may wear only one in each ear.

· Make up and nail polish is not to be worn while in school uniform.

Merit Awards

CongratulaDons to the following students who will receive a merit award on Thursday 2 March 2023 as an acknowledgement and celebraDon of all their hard work.

Pre-Primary Liam Roy

Lilah Almonte

Zavier Lee

Rose ChrisDdes

Year One Thomas Dib

Arianna Gillespie

Emily Powell

Audrey Sjepcevich

Year Two Lorena Albanese

Joseph Chen

Year Three Isabella Connelly

Hamish Ross

Ariana Papalia

Year Four Stefan Nedeljkovic

Ava Ferrara

Corey Vuong

Stella Suh, Evelyn Dwyer

Lillian Bai

Anthony Bertoli

Amelia Brook

Declan Cullen

Riley Morley

Faith Speciale

Ari-James Novatsis

Leila Versaci

Charlie Cruikshank

Anabelle McGarvie

Fiona Suh.

Alex Eyre

Emmeline Soh

Chance Taplin

Year Five Myah Scriva

Lachlan Johnson

Leon Alungal

Sienna Hine

Year Six Max Musca

Tianna Easley

Talia Erceg

Sam Johns

Megan Pham

Arlo Magnaterra

Luke GenDle

Elouise WhiDng

Jonathan Nguyen

Brody Ridolfo

Bethany Seiku

Julia Franceschino

Sound Waves

This year we are working in partnership to assist children in further developing their spelling skills and knowledge using the Soundwaves Spelling resource across the school. The focus for Year 1 to Year 6 for next week and Week 6 is -

Week 5 –

We usually use ‘k’ for aner all other vowel sounds at the end of single-syllable words (e.g. soak, cheek, book, dark, fork) (Helpful hint)

We onen use ‘k’ before ‘e’ or ‘i’ (e.g. keep, ke\le, kiss, king, skip). Before other le\ers, we onen use ‘c’ (e.g. cup, cost, clap, call, card) (Helpful hint)

We usually use ‘c’ for before (e.g. clock, clean). We usually use ‘c’ for before (e.g. cry, crash) (Helpful hint)

We usually use ‘c’ at the end of words with more than one syllable (e.g. public, music, garlic, traffic, electric) (Helpful hint)

We usually use ‘q’ and ‘u’ for (e.g. quit, queen, quack, squid, squash) (Helpful hint)

We usually use ‘ck’ for aner short vowel sounds at the end of single-syllable words (e.g. back, check, kick, sock, luck)

We can use ‘x’ for the two sounds (e.g. six, box, wax, next, sixty) (Helpful hint). The grapheme ‘x’ can also represent only (e.g. excel, except)

Week 6 –

‘E’ is used at the start and in the middle of words, but never at the end of words (e.g. effort, le\uce)

The grapheme ‘ea’ for is used in a small percentage of words (e.g. head, ready, weather)

The grapheme ‘ai’ is an unusual way to represent (e.g. said, again)

The grapheme ‘ie’ in the word ‘friend’ is an unusual way to represent ‘E’.

Remember –

All students from Year 1 to Year 6 are able to log into Soundwaves with their class code.

Class codes are available from classroom teachers.

We are Called

Project Compassion 2023

The theme of Project Compassion 2023 is ‘For All Future GeneraDons’. It is an expression of hope and reminds us that the good that we do today will extend and impact the lives of generaDons to come. It invites us to make the world a be\er place by working together now and finding long-term soluDons to global issues.

This year, the theme asks us to think about the great yes that Mary spoke when the angel told her she was to become the mother of Jesus. She freely accepted God’s invitaDon to take up a unique place in the history of the human family.

The prayer Mary shared with her cousin Elizabeth says, “all generaDons will call me blessed”. Her yes is for all future generaDons. May ours be too!

Laxmi’s Story

Laxmi, 16, lives in in Jajarkot, a remote district in Nepal where almost half of the populaDon live below the poverty line.

Tragedy struck when Laxmi was 10 years old and her father passed away. Her father worked hard to pay for his children's educaDon and aner losing him Laxmi was at risk of falling further into extreme poverty.

With the support of our partner Caritas Nepal, Laxmi joined a child's club at her school where she was encouraged to resume her educaDon. Through the child’s club, Laxmi developed the skills and confidence to become a leader, advocaDng for clean water taps at her school.

Laxmi is now excelling in her studies and working towards her dream of becoming a civil engineer. She conDnues to be involved in the child's club, serving as an advisor and mentoring the next generaDon of young leaders at her old school.

Teresa’s Story

We also learn about Tereesa, a Gamilaroi woman from Western Sydney who struggled with homelessness while raising her four children. At just 16 years old, she had to leave school aner falling pregnant with her first child. A single mother struggling with homelessness, Tereesa’s only concern was finding stability for her children.

Seeking a be\er future for her family, Tereesa joined Baabayn Aboriginal CorporaDon’s Young Mums and Bubs Group, supported by Caritas Australia. Baabayn helped Tereesa access housing and psychological support. Through Baabayn, Tereesa was also able to hear stories from Indigenous Elders and reconnect with her culture.

Today, Tereesa is studying a cerDficate in Community Services so that she can strengthen her skills and give back to her community. Tereesa now works at Baabayn, providing support to young mothers and mentoring the next generaDon of young people.

Shrove Tuesday

Tuesday 21 February 2023 was Shrove Tuesday. This day has been celebrated for more than 1000 years and marks the day before the Season of Lent commences.

Lent is a Dme of preparaDon before Easter and last for 40 days.

‘Shrove’ comes from the word ‘shriven’ which means to forgive.

It has become a tradiDon in some families to eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. This is because it allowed people to use up fats and sugar before the fasDng Dme of Lent.

The tradiDon of recognising Shrove Tuesday was also seen at Infant Jesus School with many pikelets made and eaten in classes last Tuesday.

Lent

Yesterday we gathered for an Ash Wednesday EucharisDc CelebraDon let by Fr Ad.

Ash Wednesday begins our forty day season of Lent that leads to Easter. On Ash Wednesday, we came together as the people of the Old Testament did to remind ourselves that we do not always follow God’s ways and that we need to ask for God’s mercy and forgiveness.

Like God’s people in the Dme of the prophets, we receive ashes to show that we want to turn away from whatever keeps us from God, and to have a change of heart, so that we can live in peace and joy with God and with each other. This year, without the restricDons of previous years, it was fantasDc that parents could join us as we reflect on this significant Dme in the Church year.

Keeping Safe

In Year One we have been learning to idenDfy warning signs, parDcularly what they might look and feel like.

The children were given scenarios of different situaDons and asked to idenDfy where they may be at risk of harm and what to do if they experience warning signs.

They discussed and role played both physical and emoDonal warning signs and revisited their Safe Hand Network of people they trust who can help them when they feel unsafe.

Year One

Our 2023 Leaders

The Year Sixes have begun the year very excited to be the new leaders of our school. The students have wri\en le\ers to Ms Allen outlining their gins and talents and how they will help them in the different ministry roles.

They have also been busy collaboraDng on their Year Six leadership charter, aner exploring the values and vision of Infant Jesus School.

The students can’t wait to receive their badges and share their leadership charter at our school assembly next week.

Year Six

Safe School Framework

Code of Conduct at Infant Jesus School

You acknowledge the inherent vulnerability of the students in your care. You recognise that the safety and well-being of students depends upon your vigilance and diligence and the vigilance and diligence of all adults. The Code does not give you detailed professional advice on specific behaviour. Rather, it describes the minimum requirements expected of you. The Guidelines are illustraDve and not an exhausDve list of the behaviours covered by the Code. If your behaviour varies from the standards described in this Code and Guidelines, you should be prepared to explain and jusDfy your decisions and acDons.

While mandatory language such as ‘must’, ‘shall’ and ‘will’ is not used throughout the Code, there is a presumpDon the conduct described is mandatory and therefore not discreDonary. The Principal expects you to conduct yourself personally and professionally in a way that maintains public trust and confidence in your school and the Church.You have a responsibility to students and their family, other members of the school community and the wider society to provide and support safe and competent educaDon and care of students. You will do your best to support other members of the school community to comply with the Code.

In cases of conflict between parts of the Code, between the Code and other school policies, or in any decision-making choices, you give priority to the outcome that will be in the best interests of the safety and well-being of the child in community.

Breaches

Breaches of the Code must be noDfied to the Principal, and it is a breach of the Code not to do so. A breach of the Code may consDtute a failure to follow a lawful direcDon from the Principal and therefore the Principal will have the discreDon as to what acDon to take. It may include counselling, professional development or sancDons under any agreement between you and the Principal. If the person is a parent, volunteer or visitor, the Principal may take such acDon as is appropriate in the circumstances to maintain the safety and well-being of students.

Conduct Statements

1. You act safely and competently.

2. You give priority to students’ safety and well-being in all your behaviour and decision making.

3. You act in accordance with the values of the Gospel as defined in the Code of Ethical Conduct.

4. You conduct yourself in accordance with laws, agreements, policies, and standards relevant to your relaDonship with the school community.

5. You respect the dignity, culture, values, and beliefs of each member of the school community.

6. You treat personal informaDon about members of the school community as private and confidenDal.

7. You give imparDal, honest, and accurate informaDon about the educaDon, safety and wellbeing of students.

8. You support all members of the school community in making informed decisions about students.

9. You promote and preserve the trust and privilege inherent in your relaDonship with all members of the school community.

10. You maintain and build on the community’s trust and confidence in Catholic schools and the Church.

11. You act reflecDvely and ethically.

12. You give students a voice in their educaDon, safety, and well-being.

Social Worker News

As a Catholic Pastoral Community that is inclusive and caring, Infant Jesus school has the privilege to offer children and their families/caregivers the support of a social worker.

We recognise our community’s diverse needs and that we all have different life stories.

Due to changing and unexpected life circumstances we may, at Dmes, require addiDonal support. Our children’s engagement in learning, focussing and achieving success may be disrupted by those personal and/or family challenges. At Infant Jesus, so that our children feel safe, engage well in their learning, and gain skills in becoming resilient, we strive to offer wellbeing and emoDonal educaDon and support.

Mrs Thirion is trained in mental health and has years of experience working with individuals and groups, with children and their families.

Should your child need some emoDonal support, please talk to their teacher who will liaise with Mrs Thirion.

How to help children to manage their emoYons

When a child or adult is upset a grounding exercise is a simple way to help calm the body and calm the mind. Grounding exercises encourage children to focus on the things around them, rather than on the thoughts and feelings that are distressing them. Calming down helps them cope in the moment and recover over Dme. With pracDce and your help, children can learn to calm down by themselves and they will then be able to use these skills across a variety of situaDons. The ability to stay calm and manage upsets is a crucial life skill for each and every one to develop.

Click on the following link for more informaDon.

h\ps://raisingchildren.net.au/guides/acDvity-guides/wellbeing/grounding-calming-exercise-children-teenagers

P&F and Community News

WELCOME TO VICE CHAIR

This year, we welcome Josie McDonald to the P+F ExecuDve Commi\ee. Thank you Josie for volunteering your Dme to help our school and school community.

CLASS REPRESENTATIVES

Thank you to those parents who have volunteered to be a Class Rep for 2023. We currently sDll require a class rep for the following classes

-5W -6B

If you think you could fill this role, please let your classroom teacher know ASAP.

WELCOME BACK PICNIC

It was wonderful to see so many families join us at our Welcome Back Picnic. We hope you had a great Dme meeDng new families and catching up with familiar families.

UNIFORM SHOP COLLECTIONS

If you place an order through the uniform shop, be sure to comment on the order that it can be collected by the school rep if you would like it delivered to school. Orders will be collected each fortnight on an even school week as well as the first week of every term. (Weeks 1, 2, 4, 6, 8)

FACEBOOK PAGE

Have you joined our P+F facebook page yet? You will find upcoming informaDon here.

h\ps://www.facebook.com/infantjesuspandf

There is also a second hand uniform page where you can buy and sell uniforms. A big thank you to Connie Foster for volunteering her Dme to manage this page.

h\ps://www.facebook.com/groups/897076753647344