July

Important Dates

30 June iHour

1 July Whole School Mass (Year One)

2 July

Last Day of Term PorColios sent home Reports On line 19 July Pupil Free Day Staff PD

20 July Term Two Commences

3 11 13

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Sharing the Learning Journey Connected Learners Grandparents Day Year Six Camp

ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS’ CORNER

Woolworths Junior Landcare Grant NAIDOC Week 2021

WE ARE CALLED

Heal Country St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal

15

CLASS NEWS

Year Six Camp Sport News Music Health News Science News

29

COMMUNITY NEWS

Mercedes College Presents Annie

26 27

SAFE SCHOOL FRAMEWORK

Conduct Statement 8

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

The Owl and the Pussycat Our STEM Excursion

From the Principal

Dear Families,

As we near the end of the First Semester of 2021 we reflect on some memorable and successful ini<a<ves and events that have taken place at Infant Jesus School. We are blessed with many very dedicated and enthusias<c people (including staff, children and parents) who generously give of their own <me and giIs to create a posi<ve atmosphere each day.

This term we have #ExpectGreatThings of each other and con<nued to successfully implement many ini<a<ves including i-Excel, i-Move, i-Relax, and Chinese; con<nued with i-Read, i-Hour and i-Perform and shared our faith and celebrated our giIs, talents and the community through Confirma<on and the Sacramental Program, Whole School Masses, class visits from Fr Greg and Fr John, Lifelink, Muffins with Mum and Grandparents Day.

Throughout 2021 we have con<nued to record many of the events and posted these for all on Seesaw. We have also shared our learning and achievements on TwiYer and Instagram. If you haven’t had a chance to view these posts go to @InfantJesus54 on TwiYer and @infantjesus54 on Instagram. Grandparent’s Day

Year Six Camp Fun!

Congratula<ons to all the students for their efforts during the semester. There have been a few challenges with adjustments to the events on the Semester One calendar; however, with a very posi<ve approach and always #Expect(ing)GreatThings students have become very adaptable and accep<ng of all the changes. As we reflect on the semester the students can be very proud of all their achievements.

Thank you to the parents for your flexibility and pa<ence with the many changes to the term calendars, adhering to the restric<ons to ensure that all are safe and suppor<ng us by preparing the children so well for any and all changes during the semester. Your involvement greatly assists in strengthening the links between home and school.

Thank you to all the Infant Jesus School Staff for their effort during Semester One 2021. Each member of staff has been fantas<c in their dedica<on to the school and students in these somewhat challenging <mes. Each staff member has approached their work with professionalism, enthusiasm and commitment, always taking into account the needs of the students. They are all deserving of a well-earned break.

I would like to par<cularly recognise and thank our Assistant Principals, Mr Frank Colangelo and Miss Melissa Myles. Both Frank and Melissa are very commiYed and adaptable with both the long term planning and the daily events to support children, staff and parents. As we are now in Phase Five it is wonderful to gather as a school community for a Eucharis<c Celebra<on.

All parents are invited to join us at Infant Jesus Church at 9.00am on Thursday 1 July 2021.

Next semester, classes will also be aYending Class-Parish Masses, as listed on the Term Three calendar. Parents are also very welcome to join the classes at Infant Jesus Church for these Eucharis<c celebra<ons.

Sharing the Learning Journey

During the year parents have had many opportuni<es to share the learning journey though work added to the digital pladorm – Seesaw. At the end of Term One the ParentTeacher Interviews also provided very valuable informa<on regarding the development and progress of each child.

At this <me of the year, in addi<on to the Semester One Report, each child will also share their work through their pordolio. The pordolio is an individual record of the learning and progress of each Kindergarten to Year Six student, from the beginning of the year. As the children share their achievements through the work included in their pordolio parents are encouraged to assist in this process by comple<ng the reflec<on form. Comments and feedback from parents in each student’s pordolio are very important and greatly assist in strengthening the partnership between home and school and provide addi<onal

mo<va<on and encouragement for the children in their learning journey. Next week all parents will also be able to access their child’s

Semester One 2021

Report, via SEQTA Engage, from 3.00pm on Friday 2 July 2021.

Personally, reading just over 450 reports is a privilege and is also a very humbling experience. I have been very impressed with the level of effort that the students are applying to their work. This semester, it is clear that the children #ExpectGreatThings of themselves, worked well and engaged in very important learning. However, as we con<nue to #ExpectGreatThings and look to #ExceedExpecta<ons we challenge ourselves to con<nue to improve in Semester Two.

The conversa<ons therefore, that parents have with their child/children are cri<cal and would include reflec<ng on the work shared through Seesaw, the student’s pordolio and the Semester One Report.

As you take <me to sit and discuss your child’s report and pordolio, both digital and hard copy, look for areas for celebra<on and areas for encouragement by:

Focusing on strengths. Look for strengths first even if they are not in the tradi<onal 3Rs or core subjects.

Taking into account your child’s effort and a7tude to learning. If your child is pukng in the required effort this is to be recognised and celebrated. If the report or pordolio work indicates that more effort is required then this is something to work on next semester. Broadening your focus performance to form a picture of your child’s progress as a member of a social sekng in addi<on to their academic performance. How your child collaborates with their peers will influence their happiness, mo<va<on and well-being. The skills of independence, co-opera<on and organisa<on are also highly valued for future learning.

Taking note of student self-reflec<on. Children are generally very honest and will give a realis<c assessment of their progress. They are usually very percep<ve so discussing their opinions regarding their strengths and areas for improvement is valuable.

Taking note of teachers’ comments. Teacher comments are very important and should be used as ‘indicators’ in areas where child/ren may work towards improving. A collaborate approach between home and school greatly assists in each child’s development and learning.

Connected Learners

At Infant Jesus School, we believe in the development of the whole child and that our children must be equipped for the future. We understand that the children of today do not live in the world of yesterday and as such believe in an innova<ve, curiosity driven educa<on based upon tradi<onal and new pedagogy and understanding.

Infant Jesus School offers so many exci<ng opportuni<es and I encourage students and parents to aYend relevant events and to be as

involved as possible in the life of the school. Our aim, at Infant Jesus School, is to provide a world-class Catholic school where students and staff flourish. As A LEADing Learning School, our nine key drivers support our beliefs and approach to developing successful learners.

Our students and staff are very much aware of these nine key drivers. These drivers are displayed in classrooms and on banners around the school. This week we reflect on Connected Learners. At Infant Jesus School we provide a safe school environment where parents, teachers and students are working together to provide a suppor<ve and connected school culture.

We recognise that it is essen<al for parents and teachers to cooperate for the good of the child. By showing interest in the child’s ac<vi<es at school and by involving themselves in the school community parents will ensure that their child receives the full benefits of a Chris<an educa<on.

It is important that parents support the school and ensure that their child is well prepared for each day, this support from the home helps foster pride in the child, their family and the school. At Infant Jesus School, we believe in • A culture of excellence as evidenced by high expecta<ons and expressed through a shared vision. • Encouraging rela<onships of mutual respect with one another, by developing empathy and care. • Striving to develop skills to equip students with the necessary social e<queYe and expecta<ons to navigate their world both digitally and physically • A learning community that builds rela<onships and trust. • Developing and maintaining a healthy partnership between the home, parish and school. • Encouraging students of all ages to work alongside each other to form an Infant Jesus family and #ExpectGreatThings

As Connected Learners, all parents of children in the school are also members of the P&F Associa<on. This Associa<on is a community based group, which has the primary func<on of suppor<ng community gatherings and parent involvement in the school.

Yesterday aIernoon it was amazing to see over 800 grandparents join us for Grandparents ‘Day’. For some grandparents the school is quite familiar, for other grandparents it may be their first visit.

All our students (grandchildren) are to be congratulated for the way in which they guided their grandparents around the school and ensured they • received a Grandparents Prayer Card created at Infant Jesus School especially for this day to recognise and celebrate the love and care of all our grandparents. • viewed all the photos which provided a snapshot of each class and life at Infant Jesus School • listened to the performance of the Infant Jesus School Choir • created a memory of the day at the photo booth • showed their grandparents where all the classes are located in the school • enjoyed the aIernoon tea.

It was a wonderful hour where grandparents and grandchildren could share some <me together in our school.

Camp

Congratula<ons to the Year Six students and their teachers who aYended the Year Six Camp at Woodman Point last week. Their <me was filled with new learnings and challenges both individually and collec<vely.

Camp is a wonderful experience for all students as they learn new skills and develop a sense of autonomy and trust in their decisions. As lifelong learners the opportuni<es provided at Camp enable them to grow as individuals by allowing them to take risks, ‘have-a-go’, and share their giIs and talents to help others. It was fantas<c to see the enthusiasm and joy of all the Year Six students on my visits aIer school.

It was also very rewarding to see that during the Camp students were; •developing their leadership skills, •building and developing new friendships, •building personal competencies such as self-iden<ty, self-worth, self-esteem and self-respect, and •able to par<cipate in ac<vi<es that perhaps they had never experienced before.

Year Six Interschool Winter Carnival

It has been an extremely busy <me for our Year Six students with Confirma<on and Camp in the last two weeks. Today our Year Six students par<cipated in the Interschool Lightning Carnival. I am most grateful to Mrs Jenkins, Mr Silla, Miss Keeffe, Mrs King and Mrs Foley as well as the parents who assisted with the various teams. I especially recognise and thank the parent helpers who coached a team; Kim NoYe, Lisa Del Riccio, Jus<ne Scriva, Lisa Tiniakos, Carmelo Gioffre, David Johns, Luigi Mammone, Julianne Boni, Belinda and Sam Chami and all the other parents who came and supported in some way at these events.

Pre-Kindergarten applicaOons

Enrolments are now being taken for siblings and new students wishing to commence Kindergarten at Infant Jesus School in 2022. Families with children eligible for PreKindergarten in 2022 are required to fill out a PreKindergarten Enrolment Applica<on Form.

Infant Jesus School will con<nue to operate half day Pre-Kindergarten groups next year with the days of aYendance being Tuesday and Thursday. Pre-Kindergarten places are limited so it is important that parents within the Infant Jesus School community submit their applica<ons as soon as possible. Forms can be obtained from the office.

Term Three – starts Tuesday 20 July 2021

The updated calendar will be added to the website soon. Please be aware that in these changing <mes dates we need to con<nue to be adaptable if the dates of events need to be changed.

Next term we can look forward to many special events including • Beginning of Term Three Mass • First Eucharist where the Year Four students receiving the Sacrament of the Eucharist for the first <me • Performing Arts where the School Choir will perform in the choral sec<on • Infant Jesus Day where we celebrate our school community • Learning Journeys where children celebrate and share their learning with their parents • China Day where we con<nue to focus on learning more about our sister school, our neighbour and the language and culture of

China • Science Week • Book Week • Fac<on Athle<cs Carnival / Interschool Cross

Country Carnival • i-Perform (selected Year 1 – 3 students) • i-Hour (selected Year 4 – 6 students) • Father’s Day • Recognising the 2021 Olympics • School photos

From My Readings

Ideas for the Holidays

Holidays are <mes for families to relax and to spend together. Spending <me together is about what works for the lifestyle of each family.

Here are a few <ps for families during the holidays and for when <mes are busier

Create a special ritual for you and your child— something that can be done every day. For example, let your child choose and read one book together at bed<me.

Reinforce posiOve behaviour. For example, if your child completes his/her chores without your asking, acknowledge it with words of apprecia<on.

Make and eat meals with your children whenever possible. If <me is limited, look for simple meals that require very liYle prepara<on, or grab a healthy snack such as an apple and sit for a few minutes and chat with your child.

Share an acOvity of your child’s choosing. Be sure to follow through and complete the ac<vity without any distrac<ons. Some<mes these ac<vi<es may be the same from day to day as children love to repeat ac<vi<es that are enjoyable.

Play with your child, even if it’s during packing away <me or outside. Every liYle bit of <me makes a posi<ve impact! Laugh and be silly with your child. Playing with your child may also include a game, for example, a soccer game in the backyard or at the park, playing handball in the driveway or throwing a basketball and coun<ng the number of ‘hoops’ Turn off technology when you spend <me with your child. Try not to text, answer calls, scroll through social media, or watch television as although ‘mul<tasking’ can be useful at <mes it is wonderful for children to have all your aYen<on.

Encourage children to occupy themselves - a child’s ability to fill in their own <me and cope with moments of boredom are important independence skills to develop. Children have less prac<se at keeping themselves occupied than those of past genera<ons. The holidays may provide <me to expand your child’s interests which will assist them to develop their independence.

Invite children to keep themselves busy - when your child tells you that he or she is bored they are bringing you a problem to solve. Boredom is your child’s problem, not yours. If this happens, encourage your child to keep themselves busy by asking ques<ons such as “What can you do by yourself?”

Make a list - If your child is stuck for ideas make a list of ac<vi<es that they can refer to when they’re bored. Include a variety of ac<vi<es such as crea<ve tasks, performance tasks, craIs, sports, indoor and outdoor games, music ac<vi<es, reading and helping. Place the list in a convenient place with easy access and visibility.

Make a boredom buster jar - Create a list of boredom bus<ng ac<vi<es and place them in a jar. When your child is stuck for an idea to keep him or herself amused invite them to select an ac<vity from the boredom buster jar. Ask your child to add enjoyable ac<vi<es to the jar over <me.

Encourage plenty of green-Ome - Today’s children spend more <me in front of screens, and less <me outdoors than those of previous genera<ons. Not only is <me spent in natural environments refreshing, relaxing and rejuvena<ng, but It’s also a wonderful way for kids to relieve boredom. Encourage your child to spend some of their free <me outside in natural environments to promote good mental health and develop their confidence.

Help find their interests - If your child struggles to keep him or herself occupied, consider helping them iden<fy a hobby or interest that they enjoy. OIen finding that one ac<vity a child loves or excels in makes a huge difference to their self-esteem and wellbeing and can become the driver for future career choice.

Lastly, I hope all members of our community, par<cularly our students and staff, have a very enjoyable, relaxing and refreshing two-week break. Stay safe and healthy and I look forward to seeing everyone aIer the holidays. We hope that everyone will have a safe, relaxing and enjoyable break, spending <me with their families and friends.

Prayer For the End of Term

At the end of this semester we give thanks to God: We are grateful for our classmates, teachers, parents and a community that cares for us. For all the teaching and learning that has taken place in our school, both in and out of the classroom, For the talents and giIs that have been shared and the challenges that have been faced; 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 struggles, For the hope that has liIed our hearts, And for the love that has kept us going Be with us as we spend our <me with family and friends. Give us strength and courage to do what is right; to be witnesses of our faith. Help us to be a prac<cal Chris<an these holidays, to appreciate what others do for us, to generously give <me and effort to help others, to be peacemakers in our family. Keep us safe in our ac<vi<es; During the break may we all have a good rest and good fun and always be safe in all our ac<vi<es. 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

Assistant Principals' Corner

Woolworths Junior Landcare Grant

Infant Jesus School has been successful with our applica5on for a 2021 Woolworths Junior Landcare Grant to create a Bush Tucker garden!

Our Year Six students, led by our Environmental Ministry will begin designing the garden next term, and all students from Year 1 - 6 will be invited to help prepare and plant the garden.

Infant Jesus School is one of 1,609 primary schools and early learning centres throughout Australia receiving a Woolworths Junior Landcare grant to help grow our next genera5on of environmental champions.

The grants are being funded with a 10c contribu5on from each sale of the Woolworths Bag for Good at full price, which was launched in 2018 when Woolworths went single-use plas5c bag free.

The children and teachers are looking forward to working and learning from this project and we’ll keep you updated on the results.

Educa5onal research shows that parental involvement and encouragement plays a significant role in a student's success in school. For parents to be ac5vely involved they need up to date informa5on on their child's schooling. SEQTA Engage provides this informa5on with one click of a mouse! SEQTA Engage is a web portal, allowing parents and students to log on to the Infant Jesus School's Learning Management System (SEQTA), at any 5me and on any device.

How to reset a forgo\en password: 1. Go to the Infant Jesus School Website homepage - h\ps://infantjesus.coneqtp.cathednet.wa.edu.au. 2. From the SEQTA Engage login page, click the

Forgot your password? op5on. 3. Enter in your email address. If SEQTA has an account associated with this email address, it will send you further informa5on to assist in accessing your account. 4. Then click reset my password. 5. If your username and email address are correct and if SEQTA can find an account with those details, you will receive an email directly from SEQTA with further instruc5ons. 6. Please go to your email to retrieve instruc5ons on how to reset your password.

Follow the link in the email to reset your password. The link is only ac6ve for ONE HOUR.

If you need any further assistance with this, please contact the school for further informa5on.

NAIDOC Week 2021

NAIDOC Week will be held 4-11 July 2021. NAIDOC Week is usually held in the first week (a Sunday to Sunday) of July that incorporates the second Friday – which historically was celebrated as 'Na5onal Aboriginal Day’.

What is the theme for NAIDOC Week in 2021?

The Na5onal NAIDOC Theme for 2021 is Heal Country.

What is NAIDOC Week?

NAIDOC Week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC Week is celebrated by all Australians and is a great opportunity to learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communi5es.

We Are Called

Heal Country

Every year, Catholics come together across Australia to acknowledge and celebrate the gi;s of Australia’s First Peoples in the Catholic Church. This year is parCcularly important following the COVID 19 Pandemic and its impact on the ways in which we interacted and made contact with one another.

Today our world is in need of healing – environmentally, spiritually and socially. We must all come together as a global community to fight the injusCces of inequality, racism and environmental damage.

This year the NaConal Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council have adopted the NAIDOC theme for Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander Sunday – Heal Country. In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis has called us to conCnue to seek greater protecCons for our lands, our waters, our sacred sites and our cultural heritage from exploitaCon, desecraCon, and destrucCon.

In Australia, our own First NaCons people have suffered a similar recepCon to Jesus in Nazareth. Their knowledge and complex cultural systems, created and honed over millennia, are o;en dismissed as primiCve and irrelevant to our fast-paced world of today. This could not be further from the truth, parCcularly as we become more aware of their conCnued care, love, and respect for ‘country’, grounded in a relaConship with the creator that formed independently of Western influence.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are inextricably connected to country in Australia and its waters. This connecCon to country and all of God’s creaCon is core to their spirituality as a people and that of their ancestors. The term itself – Country – encompasses far more than the physical land. “For us, Country is a word for all the values, places, resources, stories and cultural obligaCons associated with that area and its features. It describes the enCrety of our ancestral domains.” explains Professor Mick Dodson.

Because of the connecCon that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people recognise between country, faith and the wellbeing, it is no surprise that when the world is in pain, Australia’s First Peoples are in pain. During the COVID 19 Pandemic, many of the trappings of Western life became impossible. The rivers were calm and clear from the absence of boats, the ciCes were quiet and sCll as restricCons took hold. We saw images of animals returning to previous habitats, and the smog clearing from above ciCes across the world as our common home took a ‘breath’ from our constant consumerism and drive for development.

From h.ps://www.natsicc.org.au/2021-atsi-sunday.html

St Vincent De Paul Winter Appeal

Thank you to all the generous families who have donated food and toiletry items to the St Vincent De Paul Winter Appeal. We have been blown away with your generosity for those in our community who are experiencing homelessness. St Vincent De Paul will collect items next week and distribute them to those who need them.

“Thank you so much Infant Jesus School for your support for our appeal! This will help us help the most needy in our community. ”

-Ayla, St Vincent de Paul Society WA,

Asha and Sabelle

Year Six Camp was absolutely amazing! We departed for Woodman Point on Wednesday and made a quick stop in Fremantle. Our teachers allowed us to choose eight friends and have a ride on the Ferris Wheel, where we were determined to take the perfect picture of the view. AGer, we strolled over to Cicerellos where we enjoyed a delicious lunch! We hopped back onto the bus and eventually arrived at the campsite. It was so exciJng to enter our dorms and find out who our bunkmates were for the next three days!

We parJcipated in mulJple acJviJes including geocaching, archery, verJcal challenges, a search and rescue acJvity, ulJmate sports, flying fox, team building and beach play. We had a great Jme during the Wednesday night Quiz and on Thursday night we also got involved in a challenging game called Escape from QuaranJne. These games helped us develop certain skills like teamwork and also allowed us to engage in acJviJes outside of our comfort zone. We loved trying food that was different to what we eat at home, and learning how difficult and fun it is to live with people that aren’t in our families!

Year Six is incredibly grateful for the teachers who put in so much effort to organise and make this camp as fun as possible.

Sport

Fac$on Cross Country Carnival

A*er weeks of Cross-Country training the children were all ready to a9end Lightning Park for their annual Fac=on Cross Country Carnival. The Year 1, 5 and 6 students managed to get their races completed, but unfortunately the weather did not let up and we had to postpone the last three-year levels. I would like to thank the amazing students who did race, they tried their best in extremely difficult condi=ons and showed wonderful sportsmanship. I would also like to acknowledge the fantas=c parent helpers that came to support our students: Mrs Nicole Mammone, Mrs Karen Holden, Mrs Sarah Ruggiero, Mrs Geraldine Tan and Mr Robert Marino Dayan. A special thank you must also go to our Year 6 Wellness Ministry. Congratula=ons on suppor=ng the students in extremely difficult condi=ons and ensuring each child was supported and encouraged. The Year 2, 3 and 4 children will race this Friday, 25 June on Peters Place. We wish these students the very best of luck!