10 November Newsletter 2023 by melmaria1

MEL MARIA NEWS ISSUE 17 - 10 NOVEMBER

Principal’s Message Head of Campus Carols Night Craft Markets Year 1 News

#MakingADifferenceEveryday

Contents

TERM 4 CALENDAR

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

HEAD OF CAMPUS

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

YEAR 1

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

LIBRARY

SOCIAL WORKER NEWS

TERM 4 TERM 4 2023 - Mel Maria MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

9 Oct PUPIL FREE

10 OCT Students Commence

11 OCT Kindy Incursion – Farmyard on Wheels

12 OCT

13 OCT Senior Athletics Track & Field Carnival Y3 -6 Yr 2 Bracks Library Excursion

14 OCT

15 OCT

16 OCT PN Housekeeping Assembly Merit Awards

17 OCT Yr 2”s SJP & PN Excursion Kings Park

18 OCT Yr 5 Mass 9am PN & SJP

19 OCT LOUD SOCK DAY

20 OCT

21 OCT

22 OCT SJP First Holy Communion 11am

23 OCT SJP Housekeeping Assembly Merit Awards Yr 5 & 6 Incursion

24 OCT Yr 3 BYOD Night 6pm PN Library

26 OCT Interschool Athletics

27 OCT World Teachers’ Day

28 OCT

29 OCT

30 OCT

31 OCT

25 OCT Grandparent’s Day PP Grandparents Mass 9am SJP Kindy -Better Beginnings 1 NOV All Saints Mass 9am

2 NOV All Souls Day

3 NOV

4 NOV

5 NOV

10 NOV

11 NOV Remembrance Day

12 NOV St Joseph Pignatelli Celebrations

18 NOV

19 NOV Christ the King Feast Day

PN Kindy -Better Beginnings 6 NOV PN Yr 4 Cathederal Excursion

13 NOV PN & SJP House Keeping Assembly 9am

7 NOV SAC Meeting 6pm P&F 7pm PN Yr 4 SJP Excursion

14 NOV

8 NOV PN Yr3 Mass

9 NOV Yr 1 PN Bunning Excursion

Remembrance Day Service 11am

15 NOV

Yr 1 PN Assembly 9am

16 NOV

Coffee Cart Conversations Yr 1 PN @SJP 10am

Pre-Kindy/Kindy Parent Night 6.30pm

20 NOV

PN Yr 6 Transperth Incursion

27 NOV SJP Pre-Kindy 9.15-10am

21 NOV PN Kindy Playdate 9.30am

22 NOV SJP Kindy Playdate 9.30am SJP Yr 3 Mass 9am

17 NOV

Yr 1 SJP Assembly 9am

Orientation PP-Year 6 9.15am New Families

SJP Festival of the Boot

Coffee Cart Conversations Yr 2 PN @SJP 9am

Coffee Cart Conversations SJP Pre-K to PP@PN 9am

PN Festival of the Boot 23 NOV

24 NOV Mel Maria Christmas Markets

25 NOV.

26 NOV Advent Commences

30 NOV

1 DEC SJP PP Assembly 9am PN Festival of the Boot

2 DEC

3 DEC

7 DEC 8 DEC Yr 6 Fun Day LAST DAY OF TERM Yr 5 Excursion FOR STUDENTS SJP PP Assembly @PN 9.30am SUPERSONIC PN PP SCIENCE incursion SUPERSONIC SCIENCE incursion 14 DEC 15 DEC

9 DEC

10 DEC

16 DEC

17 DEC

ACM 6pm (PN Hall)

28 NOV 29 NOV PN PP Assembly 9am SJP Kindy Concert Music Recital PN SJP Festival of the Boot PN Kindy Concert

4 DEC SJP Graduation 6pm PN Housekeeping Assembly

5 DEC PN Graduation 6pm

6 DEC End of Year Mass Transition Day Kindy SUPERSONIC Science Incursion

11 DEC

12 DEC

13 DEC

Music Recital SJP

LAST DAY OF TERM FOR STAFF

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‘Excellence in Catholic Primary Education’

Week Five Term Four Dear Parents and Carers, One day, a small opening appeared on a cocoon. A man sat and watched the butter y for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had got as far as it could and it could not go any further. So the man decided to help the butter y: he took a pair of scissors and opened the cocoon. The butter y emerged easily but it had a withered body, with tiny, shrivelled wings. The man continued to watch because he expected that at any moment, the wings would open, enlarge and expand, to be able to support the butter y’s body and become strong. Neither happened! In fact, the butter y spent the rest of its life crawling around with a withered body and shrivelled wings. It never was able to y. What the man, in his kindness and his goodwill, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butter y to get through the tiny opening, were God’s way of forcing uid from the body of the butter y into its wings, so that it would be ready for ight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we went through life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as we could be: never being able to y. As parents we face the irresistible temptation to hurry along our children’s growth and development and see them achieve at a pace we set rather than at a naturally developing one. The very best of intentions ultimately limited the butter y for life. Rescuing children from the struggles and the challenges they face may be well intentioned, yet ultimately detrimental to the long-term wellbeing of the young people in our care. This was certainly the result for the butter y as his committed and loving observer sought to free him from a struggle. The urge to solve our children’s problems and issues through a re ex reaction or response, such as withdrawing a child from a situation of taking matters into our own hands or nger pointing or highly emotional reactions, can be overwhelming and yet rarely, if ever, does it provide a satisfactory outcome. Children can face sadness, anxiety, broken friendships, teasing, torment and loneliness. All of us must learn to face these struggles and emotions in life and this learning begins in our formative years. This learning process is so much harder for some than others and the process can be hindered or helped by the intervention we receive throughout our childhood. The pain of our children can often be more intense for us as parents, than our own. In essence we can take to the situations our children face,

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‘Excellence in Catholic Primary Education’ with the scissors (as happened to the butter y) or we can stand beside the child offering wise counsel, loving unconditional support and guidance. The latter helps the child develop the necessary strength, resilience, con dence, and character to be equipped for their life journey. The scissors approach may deem them strugglers for life. As a parent or teacher this help takes patience, con dence, consistency and faithfulness in our belief that the longerterm outcome is of far greater bene t than the quick x or the instant rescue.

Remembrance Day Remembrance Day is the day which commemorates the end of World War I. At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the Armistice was signed. Armistice means to stop arms - to cease hostilities. We remember and honour all Australians who fought, died and suffered ghting in World War I and in subsequent wars and con icts. This day is celebrated in other parts of the world such as New Zealand, Britain, Canada, France and United States. Today we held a short prayer ceremony to re ect upon and remember those who died. Ceremonies such as these give us a link with the past, and the opportunity to think about those who served and died in wars and asks what can be learnt from past con icts. We cannot change the past, but we can appreciate the sacri ce made by many of our servicemen and women who gave their lives for the betterment of others. We invite you to join us in this symbolic gesture to honour those who gave so much so that we might live in freedom and safety. Lest we forget.

Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Information Evening There will be a Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Information Night on Wednesday 15 November at the Pater Noster Hall commencing at 6.30pm for all parents of children attending these speci c year levels in 2024. This Information Night will provide parents with the opportunity to nd out more about the school and the Early Childhood Program in 2024.

School Fees The year is drawing to a close quite rapidly, and there are still a number of families who have outstanding School Fee Accounts. We ask that all families please nalise their School Fees by Friday 17 November. Opportunities are continuously provided to all families who are experiencing dif culties to discuss the situation with the Principal. Some families have acted on this, and we thank them for their sincerity and honesty. If you are experiencing legitimate dif culties in relation to your school fees, please contact Mrs Mardi Dodgson at the school of ce so an appointment can be made with Mr Hille.

Annual Community Meeting Information “The role of parents in education is of such importance that it is almost impossible to provide an adequate substitute.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church)

The Mel Maria Catholic Primary School Annual Community Meeting for both the Catholic School Advisory Council and Parent Representative Executive will take place Tuesday 21 November commencing at 6.00pm. At this time, Annual Reports of both parent representative bodies (i.e. School

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‘Excellence in Catholic Primary Education’ Advisory Council and the Mel Maria P&F Association) will be given, and the Catholic Schools Advisory Council will present the school fees for the 2024 year.

Catholic School Advisory Council (CSAC) The overall role of the Catholic School Advisory Council is to help the school ful l its educational responsibilities in accordance with the constitution, policies and practices of the Catholic Education Commission of WA and the Planning for the present and future operation of the school. • Providing membership on selection panels for employment of staff for the school in

accordance with CECWA policy. • Liaising in all matters relating to the nancial management of the school with persons and organisations in the local Catholic community. • Providing representation on the committee which recommends the appointment of a Principal in accordance with CECWA policy. • Managing all the nances associated with the school. • Advising the Principal with respect to school policy that has nancial implications. Currently, there are two (2) positions available for election on the Catholic School Advisory Council School Advisory Terms of Reference - click here for more information

Parent and Friends Association The P&F Association of Mel Maria Catholic Primary School is an integral part of our Catholic school structure and is a valuable instrument in the Church’s ministry of education. This council has been structured to hopefully enhance collaboration and consultation with parents. Most of the work that this council of parents is doing is most de nitely evolving and a work in progress, but they are committed to: • Striving to develop at the school a ‘real’ community of parents, teachers and students, which re ects a truly Christian ethos. • Working closely with the school Principal and staff as much as possible and asking for guidance as to the schools funding priorities and achieving common goals. • Endeavouring to have all parents enjoy the exciting experience of their children’s formal school years by active participation and personal involvement in the school programs. • Assisting in planning and organising functions associated with the social, sporting, cultural, and educational life of the school community. • Working to provide additional resources which are considered necessary for the children or to assist the teachers in their professional work. The success of this important partnership is dependent on the attitude of teachers and parents and their mutual recognition and respect for their different but equally important roles. As well as recognising the Committee members for their work over the course of the year, we also thank the Class Representatives for their enthusiasm and commitment throughout the year. An opportunity to become a P&F Committee member in 2024 will be given to all parents at the ACM on Tuesday 21 November. All parents are encouraged to consider taking on one of these roles. Parents & Friends Terms of Reference - click here for more information

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‘Excellence in Catholic Primary Education’ I would like to this opportunity to sincerely thank parents who served as either a Catholic School Advisory Council member or who were on the Executive of P&F Committee. These parents give up a lot of their time to assist the school by being part of these committees.

From My Readings . . . Just teasing! Difference between Bullying and Teasing. Children poke fun at one another. It’s just what they do. Our instinct may be to immediately stop the behaviour and try to protect children from it, but, in fact, some teasing is critical to children’s social development. When kids make fun of their friends without aggression or any intention of hurting their feelings, it’s called positive or productive teasing. This kind of behaviour helps kids build relationships and use humour to address taboo topics or handle sticky situations. 60% to 70% of the teasing young kids do is positive. If we don’t let kids tease at all, we stop the majority of teasing that helps kids form bonds and navigate social situations. “Teasing is a way to handle the con icts of our social lives in less aggressive ways.” Kids of all ages use positive teasing to forge friendships and gain understanding. A toddler hides a toy in hopes of getting a friend’s attention. First graders chant “Bobby and Sarah sitting in a tree . . . ” as they begin to explore boy-girl dynamics. And when 11-year-olds make fun of the music their dad likes, they’re distancing themselves from their parents’ tastes so that they can discover their own. Teasing vs Bullying Teasing is misunderstood because it is often confused with bullying which has a strictly negative impact. The way to distinguish between the two is by the intent. The goal of teasing is to create closer relationships and make connections. The goal of bullying is to harm. Teasing turns into bullying when kids use it to gain greater social status. Of course, even the most positive teasing turns sour if it goes too far. To determine whether the teasing is positive or not, it’s essential to look at context. For example, if kids joke about a child’s shoes, that’s different from focusing on something much harder to control, such as being overweight.” “Teasing a kid behind a gym out of sight is dangerous, whereas teasing in front of a group of friends is less threatening.” The line between teasing and bullying blurs again when the child being teased doesn’t know how to respond. “Everyone has a different set of personal boundaries,” says Rosalind Wiseman, author of Queen Bees and Wannabes, “and that’s confusing for kids.” But, she says, if a child overreacts or withdraws in response to teasing, she may lost out on important social experiences. To help your child understand teasing and even bene t from it:

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‘Excellence in Catholic Primary Education’ Teaching teasing: teaching context clues that surround playful teasing (i.e. body language, laughter, or sarcasm) so he/she can see the difference between serious and joking conversation and use those tools to joke back. De ne the terms: When both people are equal in size, intelligence and age and are having fun, it’s teasing. But when the two aren’t equal - one’s more popular, bigger or powerful - and the exchange is out of balance, it’s bullying. Listen without disagreement: If your child tells you her classmates called her ugly, don’t just jump in to reassure her that she’s beautiful. “As soon as you do that, you’ve let her be victimised.” Instead, listen to what she says and then help her come up with a plan to address it the next time it happens. Do some investigating: If you want more information, don’t ask your child directly if he’s being teased. Instead ask a question that can be answered in the second or third person. How do kids joke around these days? Or, what is teasing like for kids today?

Prayer for the Week God, open my eyes so I may see and feel your presence close to me. Give me strength for my stumbling feet as I battle the crowd on life’s busy street, and widen the visions of my unseeing eyes so in passing faces I’ll recognise not a stranger, unloved and unknown, but a friend with a heart that is much like my own. Give me perception to make me aware that scattered profusely on life’s thoroughfare are the best gifts of God that we daily pass by as we look at the world with an unseeing eye. Amen

Thought for the Week Every person you meet knows something you don’t. Learn from them. H. Jackson Brown

Kind Regards

Paul Hille Principal #MakingADifferenceEVERYDAY

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Head of Campus News Joanne Scouler and Ros Nichols

Carols Night Cra Markets Our community Carols Night Craft Markets on Friday 24th November is approaching fast. We are looking forward to our traditional family end of year celebration. Bring picnic blankets, picnic food, singing voices, family members and money to spend on craft market stalls run by each year level. Market stalls run by our students will be open between 4.30pm and 6.00pm. Lots of affordable gifts handmade by our students will be available for sale. The formal part of the evening will commence at 6.00pm. All students will perform and participate in the Carols and celebrations. Students will be selling their wares and creations at each stall for prices ranging from $2, $5 and $10. Purchases at stalls will be cash only, to give our students an opportunity to be involved in the exchange of cash and giving change. Food trucks such as Thai on Tyres, Fresh Turkish Gozleme, Basak Georges Kebabs, Gourmet Donuts and Slushies, as well as Mel Maria’s famous sausage sizzle. We look forward to seeing everyone there.

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Head of Campus News Joanne Scouler and Ros Nichols

Talented Students All Schools, Primary School Championships Emmerson Jones represented Mel Maria Catholic Primary School at the ‘All Schools, Primary School Championships.’ She secured the gold medal in the Year 4 1500m and fourth in the 400m. Congratulations to Emerson on her outstanding achievements.

Scribblers Fes val Wri ng Compe

Anya Aryaputri-Edi was awarded Runner Up for the Golden Pen writing competition held by Scribblers Festival. Her story "Prisoner of the Desert" was chosen from over 150 entries in the junior age category; Year 4 to Year 6 across Western Australia. Part of her winning prize was an illustration workshop with Kylie Howarth (WA author-illustrator) which she really enjoyed 😊

Congratulations to Gianluca Colaililo for winning Third Place in the Chevron Focus Environment Competition. His amazing photo is captured in the photo attached.

Way to go Gianluca.

Religious Education Our Parishes Christmas Timetable St Joseph Pignatelli JOY TO THE WORLD THE LORD HAS COME!

Christmas Eve Vigil for Children Sunday December 24th Mass 5.30pm Children are invited to participate by dressing in biblical characters of the time of Jesus' birth.

Christmas Eve Vigil Sunday December 24th Mass 8.00pm (Christmas Carols - 7.40pm) Please join us after this Mass for Panettone and drinks in the Hall.

Christmas Day Monday December 25th Mass 7.30am & 9.00am Parishioners are invited to place a ower at the Crib as a birthday gift to Baby Jesus.

New Year’s Day Mary Mother of God - Solemnity Monday 1st January 2024 Mass 9.00 am

Pater Noster Christmas Eve - Sunday 24th December Children’s Mass - 6.00pm Carols - 7.30pm Vigil Mass - 8.00pm Indonesian Vigil - 9.30pm

Christmas Day - Monday 25th December Mass - 7.30am & 9.30am Korean Mass - 11.30am Indonesian Mass - 4.00pm

Pater Noster Parish http://www.paternostermyaree.org.au

The Octave of the Nativity Tuesday 26th – Saturday 30th December Weekday Masses 9.00am

St Joseph Pignatelli Parish www.attadale.org

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Year 1 PN News

We have had a fabulous start to our last term in Year 1. We started this term by learning about poetry and writing a poem describing our favourite place to visit using our senses. We had so much fun having our grandparents in our classroom and creating a Christmas ornament together. We have been loving art this year and we learnt about Kandinsky’s circles through using line, colour, and shape. We created a mural of his art to display in our classroom. This then led to us going on an excursion to the Art Gallery of Western Australian. Here, we engaged in an interactive sculpture creation and had a guided tour around the gallery to see all the amazing artwork created.

A Peek into Year One in Term Four Art Gallery of WA On the 30th October we went on an excursion to the Art Gallery of WA in Perth. We

Year 1 SJP News

enjoyed looking at all the interesting and different artwork.

Artist Bruno Booth Exquisite Bodies Celebrate every body and reshape your thinking! In this interactive exhibition we collaboratively built gurative sculptures.

Guided Tour The volunteer guides taught us how the artists tell stories with line, size, shape and colour including light and dark. We also discussed how they created movement using different techniques and what we thought about the different art work.

Grandparent’s Day We were thrilled to have our grandparents or special people visit our classrooms on the 25th October. Together we spent time sharing funny

stories, our work and made badges.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION CPSSA ‘A’ DIVISION ATHLETICS CARNIVAL On Thursday 26th October, 80 of our Year Three to Six students represented the school at the CPSSA ‘A’ Division Athletics Carnival. We had a strong team on paper, full of athletes who couldn’t wait to hit the track or the eld to show their wares. Competition was hot all day, with Mel Maria jostling for line honours with Holy Rosary, St Columba’s and Our Lady of Grace throughout the track events. In the Year Four Girls 400m event, Emmerson Jones broke the CPSSA record in a time of 1:14.1, beating the previous time by over one second. Great work Emme! We performed strongly in the eld events too, with a number of top four nishes. At the end of the day, we nished: - Fourth in the Girls Aggregate - Fourth in the Boys Aggregate - Fourth Overall This was a fantastic effort against tough opposition. We look forward to next year when we get the chance to try to gain a few places on those leaderboards! A huge thank you to the staff who helped during the day in Mr Carr, Mr Williams, Miss Figueira and Mrs Giancola. Thanks also to Kate Yeo, Kat Jones, Paul Senter and Libby Oteri who gave their time to assist with measuring and recording for the Boys Shot Put - I really appreciate your help and you were fantastic. Dave John Physical Education teacher

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DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY eSafety Early Years - Children under 5 The eSafety Early Years program provides advice on how parents and carers can support young children to have safe and enjoyable experiences online. To stay up to date with the latest advice and resources for young children and their families, subscribe to eSafety's newsletter.

Subscribe to the eSafety Newsletter

Online safety picture book and song ‘The Swoosh’ eSafety’s online safety picture book Swoosh, Glide and Rule Number 5 tells the adventures of a fun family sleepover for Swoosh and Glide with their sugar glider cousins. The picture book shares some of the common technology experiences of children, shows what to do when something unexpected happens on a screen and highlights safe online practices for the whole family. Swoosh, Glide and Rule Number 5 makes it easy to start the chat about online safety with young children!

Picture Book

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LIBRARY Chevron Focus Competition winner. Congratulations to Gianluca Colalillo from Year 2 Red, PN for coming 3rd in the Chevron Focus Environment competition. This is Gianluca’s description of what focus area he chose and why. Excellent effort Gianluca.

Year Two Library news. In Year Two the children have been learning about the Dewey Decimal System and how to locate a non- ction book using our platform, Orbit. By the end of the term the children will be able to independently use Orbit to locate Fiction books and navigate the learning pathways using World Book Online and Britannica Online to support their research skills.

Pre-Primary HASS and Library news In Pre-Primary the children have continued to enjoy learning about our focus authors, Julia Donaldson, Pamela Allen, Margaret Wild, Bob Graham and Anna Walker. They can recognise the different parts of a book and are beginning to learn the difference between Fiction and Non-Fiction books. The children have also been investigating Boodja (land) and its signi cance to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, especially the Noongar peoples of the Southwest of Western Australia. They have focused on marlak (bush), barna (animals) Bilya (river) kaart ( hills ) mereny (food) boorn and wer djet (trees and owers). The children have explored these elements of marlak, through stories, videos, songs and games.

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LIBRARY

Year One HASS and Library news. In Year One the children have been identifying ction and non- ction books. They are now borrowing two books per week, a ction and a non- ction book. The children have loved learning about the Noongar seasons in HASS and have especially enjoyed learning about the six seasons by engaging in listening to stories, singing songs and playing games. I am sure you have already heard them sing the Six Seasons song.

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SOCIAL WORKER Mindful Parenting

Using mindfulness techniques to take stress and anxiety out of raising children Parenting can be stressful. Parenting kids with special needs can be even more stressful, and it can cause feelings of anxiety, worry and add stress to other relationships. A mindfulness practice can help alleviate stress and prevent these problems. And it can make you a better parent. Mindfulness is designed to help you notice your emotions and calm yourself down in stressful situations. It includes breathing exercises, guided meditations and taking a step back from dif cult situations. These habits can give you the time and emotional space you need to solve problems at home. Sometimes mindfulness means slowing things down. Being mindful means focusing on right now and not always rushing to get to the next thing. It means letting go of the idea that things need to be perfect. Or that you need to be the perfect parent. Part of being a good parent is learning to dial back your own stress. Studies show that the biggest source of stress for kids is their parents’ stress! So, parents who are less stressed make kids less stressed. In stressful situations, your calm response will help your kids calm down too. They see that you’re not falling apart. You’re in control and that makes them feel safe. Mindfulness doesn’t have to be a big deal. It can be as simple as making one small change to the morning routine. It can mean giving your full attention to your kid in the moment. It can mean being kind to yourself. And that can make all the difference in the world. See the link below for tips on mindfulness and how it works. https://childmind.org/article/mindful-parenting

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‘We strive to create happy and successful children who we are proud of… we are more than a school, we are a community, united by our motto, ‘Unity is Strength.’

St Joseph Pignatelli Campus 33 Davidson Road Attadale, WA Phone: 08 63300500

Email: admin@melmaria.wa.edu.au Website: www.melmaria.wa.edu.au

10 November Newsletter 2023

Articles inside

10 November Newsletter 2023