6 May Newsletter 2022 by melmaria1

MEL MARIA NEWS ISSUE 6 6th May 2022

#MakingADifferenceEVERYDAY

Mother’s Day Welcome Back for Term 2 Swimming Carnival Yrs 4-6 Naplan Years 3 & 5 COVID Update

5th May 2022

Welcome Back for Term 2 Mother’s Day Naplan Yrs 3 & 5 Swimming Carnival Covid Update

• Happy Mother’s Day • • • •

NAPLAN Five Timetable (Tuesday May 10- Friday May 20)

YEAR SIX NEWS

ANZAC Day Robotics Club Excited for Term Two Religious Education

PHYSICAL EDUCATION NEWS

• Leadership Assembly • 2022 Swimming Carnival

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY NEWS • Online Gaming

HEAD OF CAMPUS NEWS

MOTHER’S DAY

• NAPLAN Year Three and

4 FROM THE PRINCIPAL • • • • •

Contents

LIBRARY NEWS • Mother - ‘Naangk’ • Read More in May • Na onal Simultaneous

Story me

SOCIAL WORKER NEWS • Toolbox when times are

tough.

•

COMMUNITY NEWS • Mel Maria Men Bowls

Night • PN Parish Book Sale

Important Dates for Term Two

Both Campuses

PN Campus

SJP Campus

8 May Mother’s Day Happy Mother’s Day to all our mums

9 May Students in Winter Uniform

10 May NAPLAN Commences Full Timetable

17 May P & F Meeting 7.00pm J

20 May NAPLAN concludes

24 May SAC Meeting 6.00pm

25 May Year 6 PN Assembly 9.00am

27 May Year 6 SJP Assembly 9.00am

28 May Commitment Mass Con rmation PN 6.00pm

29 May Commitment Mass Con rmation PN 7.30am/9.30am

3 June Professional Development Pupil Free

6 June WA DAY Public Holiday

14 June Faction Cross Country Carnival

15 June Year 4 Mass

16 June Winter Carnival Year 6

18 June PN First Holy Communion 3.00pm

Yr 4 PN Reconciliation

19 June PN First Holy Communion 2.00pm

21 June P & F Meeting 7.00pm

22 June Communion Workshop PN 4. 00 & 5.30pm

23 June EDU Dance Concert Green SJP 2.00pm

24 June EDU Dance Concert Green PN 2.00pm

29 June EDU Dance Concert Red PN 2.00pm

30 June EDU Dance Concert Red SJP 2.00pm

1 July Mel Maria Charity Walk Last Day of Term Two

Term Two Week Two Dear Parents and Carers, Welcome Back to the start of another very busy term. Many of you would have been informed that I missed the start of the school term, as I too, contracted the COVID virus and have been in insola on for the past week. Fortunately, I did not su er too badly with the virus and just was very careful as to what I did over the past week. I hope you all had a wonderful Easter with your family and friends. I trust that your holiday break was very res ul and that you are now ready for a busy term ahead. We can now rejoice in the glory of Jesus and the joy he has given us in his resurrec on. Easter is not just one day. It is the whole season of 50 days, which will last un l Pentecost. Easter me is about new life. We rejoice in the new life of Jesus. The season of Easter is a very special me in our church year. The Resurrec on of Jesus provides us with a great symbol of Hope. Jesus has triumphed over death and has returned to us to be a guide to the reality of His Father’s Kingdom of Heaven. His message of ‘love for God and each other’ is very simple but one that many of us fail to be able to completely realise. Easter, is a reminder that from death (failure) comes the possibility of new life (hope). I hope that you had the chance to celebrate the Hope of the Resurrec on with your family over the break and that your me with your children was rewarding as they are living examples of the hope and freshness of New Life.

Mother’s Day “Happy Mothers’ Day means more than have a happy day. Within these words lie lots of things we never get to say. It means, I love you, rst of all, then thanks for all you do. It means you mean a lot more to me and I honour you.”

This Sunday we celebrate Mother’s Day. Mothers are wonderful human beings. They have many ne quali es that make them so special to us all. Like a sixth sense, a mother can detect a child’s needs and wants and with a minimum of fuss, meet that very need or desire. Within the household a mother is able to treat each of her children with tenderness and love as well as being able to ‘lay down the law’ when the need arises. Mothers are capable of always being able to nd me to listen, help and be there when they are needed most. Most importantly, mothers always put their children rst and foremost. Mother’s Day presents us with a chance to re ect on the many things that our mothers do for us and con nue to do for us each and every day. It would be a tremendously di cult task to count the number of meals they have prepared, the number of items they have washed and ironed and the number of tears they have wiped away. More signi cantly, to count the number of hugs, kisses and cuddles they have given to each of their children and loved ones would be insurmountable. A mother’s love for her child is never ending. As a school community we celebrated Mother’s Day with a special drive through “Treat” organised by the school P & F Commi ee. Thank you, especially to Tanya Wood and Amanda Forza and helpers for organising and preparing the deligh ul presenta on bags and delicious scones for both campuses.

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At Mel Maria Catholic Primary School, we are so very fortunate to have the support and involvement of our MUMS in so many di erent facets of school life. Without this support, the opportuni es for the students would be diminished.

Mother’s Day presents us with a chance to re ect on the many things that our mothers do for us and con nue to do for us each and everyday. It would be a tremendously di cult task to count the number of things mother’s do for us each and every day. More signi cantly, to count the number of hugs, kisses and cuddles they have given to each of their children and loved ones would be insurmountable. A mother’s love for her child is never ending.

Mothers’ Day Creed I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, who was born of the promise to a virgin named Mary. I believe in the love Mary gave her Son that caused her to follow him in his ministry and stand by his cross as he died. I believe in the love of all mothers and its importance in the lives of the children they bear. It is stronger than steel, so er than down, and more resilient than a sapling on the hillside. It closes wounds, melts disappointment, and enables the weakest child to stand tall in the elds of adversity. Thank God for mothers and thank mothers for helping us understand an all-loving God. Amen

School Fac on Swimming Carnival Yesterday, all of our Year Four to Six students par cipated in the annual Mel Maria Swimming Carnival at Challenge Stadium. The carnival was scheduled in Term One, but due to COVID restric ons it had to be moved to Term Two. It was a fantas c day and all of the students par cipated in a posi ve spirit and were a credit to the school. Congratula ons to Green fac on for coming rst, Blue fac on second , Red fac on third and Gold fac on fourth. A big thank you to Mr David John and Mr Damian Williams for organising the carnival, as well as all of the sta assis ng on the day. The parent a endance in the stands was fantas c, and thank you to the parents who helped with ming all the various events.

Mel Maria Swimming

Na onal Assessment Program (NAPLAN) With NAPLAN tes ng upon us for another year and school repor ng processes taking place later this term, it’s mely to think about why so much emphasis is placed upon the outcomes of tes ng. The Na onal Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) assesses literacy and numeracy skills that are essen al for every child to progress through school and life. Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 par cipate in the annual NAPLAN tests in reading, wri ng, conven ons of language (spelling, grammar and punctua on) and numeracy.

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These assessments provide class teachers, the school, the system, the State the country with valuable informa on about student ability and needs and are used in conjunc on with other assessment data to inform decisions across all levels.

NAPLAN tests are just one aspect of a school’s assessment and repor ng process; they do not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance. In 2022, our students will once again sit NAPLAN online. NAPLAN Online will not be a test of keyboard skills. There are varia ons in how fast and well a student can type – just as there are varia ons in how fast and well a student can write by hand. Year 3 students will con nue to complete the wri ng test on paper.

COVID Update – Term Two Parents are s ll required to follow the strict COVID protocols required around days of isola on and health and hygiene prac ces. Parents are encouraged to wear a mask par cular if entering classrooms or a ending school events were social distancing is problema c. To help streamline this process please click on the following link- COVID-19 Self-repor ng Form for Students and Sta members and follow the instruc ons outlined. The informa on will go directly to the Principal. It is important to report the posi ve RAT test result on the WA Health RAT Register, as is required by the WA Government. These guidelines have been developed for parents and caregivers as we transi on toward living with COVID-19. If condi ons change the Chief Health O cer will advise the CEWA to adjust se ngs. Close Contact: a close contact is now de ned as: · A household member of a person with COVID-19 who has had contact with them during their infec ous period. · Someone who has had close personal interac on with a person with COVID-19 during their infec ous period where: o they spent greater than 4 hours of cumula ve contact with them in any 24-hour period in a residen al se ng instance a home or accommoda on facility); o masks have been removed by both people during the period of contact. o Someone who is directed by WA Health that they are a close contact. o Asymptoma c close contacts are not required to isolate but do have to follow tes ng and mask wearing requirements. There is no requirement for parents to report to a school that their child has tested nega ve to COVID-19, but are encouraged to do so via the COVID-19 Self-Repor ng Portal to further support schools with their management of COVID-19.

Masks Clari ca on Once a COVID-19 posi ve person has met the criteria to leave isola on, that is, they: · have completed seven full days of isola on; and · are no longer symptoma c of the virus. There is no further requirement for masks to be worn unless visi ng a high-risk loca on or catching public transport, as per the current Direc ons. This di ers from the previous regula on, where a COVID-19 posi ve case was required to wear a mask for seven days from their isola on conclusion date. This means students who have been in isola on for seven full days while COVID-19 posi ve, are not required to wear masks upon their return to school classrooms, unless they choose to do so.

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· Asymptoma c close contacts (in Year 7 or above 12 years of age) are required to wear a mask outside of the home at all mes. · The mask mandate no longer applies to sta and students in schools. Students and sta are encouraged to wear a mask should they wish.

School Ac vi es The following ac vi es may take place without restric on: · Band, choir and orchestra rehearsals and performances · Whole school and year level assemblies · Spor ng programs · Professional learning ac vi es and conferences · Inter-school ac vi es and workshops Excursion and o site events can resume in accordance with venue-based requirements. · Proof of vaccina on for venue entry has been removed, excluding high risk se ngs.

Health and Hygiene Arrangements to con nue to reduce direct contact, enhance personal hygiene prac ces, and strengthen cleaning regimes in schools and care services, are to be encouraged. Each person has a responsibility to protect themselves and others. This is achieved through the ongoing promo on of the following good hygiene principles and prac ces: · · · · · ·

sta , students, and parents must stay home when sick or symptoma c. adults maintain physical distancing from other adults, where possible; avoiding unnecessary physical contact and physical gree ngs (e.g. handshakes, hugs); covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, using a exed elbow or ssue; disposing of ssues appropriately. washing hands regularly for 20 seconds with soap and water or an alcohol-based sani ser, including prior to and a er meal breaks.

Parents/Caregivers Parents and caregivers are permi ed on school sites and in classrooms in order to: · Support school services (canteen/ uniform shop). · A end both year level and whole school assemblies and special infrequent school events. · Drop o /pick up. · Morning reading/ac vi es or to volunteer in · classroom ac vi es. · A end parent teacher conferences.

Educational Continuity Schools provide work for students who need to stay home due to isola on requirements (COVID-19 posi ve students and symptoma c household contacts only). Schools are not required to provide work to students who are being kept at home by a parent when there is no COVID-19 posi ve case.

School Uniform Our school uniform not only provides a sense of belonging and pride of associa on in students at Mel Maria Catholic Primary School but also promotes the safety and security of students by allowing for the ready iden ca on of students as belonging to our school. All students are required to be in full winter uniform by the commencement of Week 3. Please refer to the uniform policy on the school website for further informa on. Please contact Mrs Sara Wearing at the Uniform Shop for any of your uniform needs.

Kindergarten 2023 – Applications are Now Due Enrolments are now being taken for siblings and new students wishing to Kindergarten at Mel Maria Catholic Primary School in 2023. Families with children eligible for Kindergarten in 2023 are required to ll out a Kindergarten Enrolment Applica on Form.

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Kindergarten places are limited so it is important that parents within the Maria Catholic Primary School community submit their applica ons as soon as possible. Forms can be obtained from the o ce or on the school website.

From My Readings . . . Being organised isn’t just about being tidy! If your child has organisa on issues, opening their school bag can be a frightening experience. Crumpled assignments and tests, school announcements from two months ago, missing house key—it’s a mess! Many people think of organisa on skills as the ability to keep things in order. But people also use those skills to keep their thoughts in order so they can retrieve informa on and use it e ec vely. Children who have weak organisa on skills struggle with handling informa on in an e ec ve and logical way. They o en have di culty se ng priori es, making plans, s cking to a task and ge ng things done. These skills become increasingly important as your child moves through di erent grade levels. Here are four ways children use organisa onal skills to learn.

Organisa on and Following Direc ons Following through on direc ons requires children to do two things: focus on what needs to be done and come up with a game plan to do it. Both of these require mental organisa on and planning. Children with strong organisa on skills can o en follow direc ons without even thinking about it. They can plan steps to get something done. If your child has weak organisa on skills, they may not be able to see the progression of steps contained in direc ons or even know where to start.

Organisa on and Learning to Read Children use organisa on skills in subtle ways when rst learning to read. Phonics (connec ng sounds to le ers) requires children to have what could be imagined as a mental ling system where they store the uppercase and lowercase version of a le er together with the sound (or sounds) that le er makes. Whenever children see a le er, they can pull out the sound that goes with it. The ling system becomes more complicated when children start recognising sight words (common words children memorise by how they look) and need to match them to images of what they stand for. If your child struggles with organisa on, he/she may have trouble retrieving the necessary informa on to connect le ers to sounds and groups of le ers to the things they stand for. Organisa on and Literacy Learning Literacy which is the combina on of reading, wri ng and grammar skills, requires a number of organisa on strategies. For children to read books and write, they have to keep track of many things at once: characters and their rela onships, plot, sequences of events, suppor ng details and the main idea. Non c on requires keeping track of subject-speci c vocabulary. If your child struggles with organisa on he/she may not be able to gather all that informa on and organise it and if he/ she has to stop and look up words while reading, they may not be able to pick up where they le o .

Organisa on and Learning Math Children have to use organisa on skills to learn maths because it’s a very organised subject. There are rules and procedures to follow all along the way. Maths also involves organising informa on based on rela onships, such as sor ng things into groups by size, colour or shape. As maths gets more abstract, many children with organisa on issues have trouble keeping up because they can’t create their own categories for sor ng the informa on. Organisa on skills are also needed to solve word problems using clue words (such as fewer than to mean subtrac on) to help sort through informa on. If your child has organisa on issues, being able to store and retrieve rules and facts can be challenging. The good news: there are ways to help your child’s lack of organisa on might make learning harder for them, but there are strategies that can help. You could try doing a backpack makeover and using checklists and other tools to help them get organised. You can also talk to your child’s teacher about accommoda ons that could help your child stay organised and improve planning skills.

Key Takeaways

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Organisa on skills allow kids to come up with a plan and follow through to get work done. Tools like checklists and planners can help kids get more organised. Weak organisa on skills can make learning harder, but not impossible.

· · ·

Catholic Education Priorities - Federal Election Please see the informa on presented on pages 10 -12 regarding Catholic school priori es.

Did You Know . . . · · · ·

Shakespeare invented more than 1,700 words. Antarc ca is covered in a sheet of ice that's 7,000 feet thick. Extreme ironing is an actual sport. A lifeboat drill was cancelled the morning of the Titanic tragedy.

Prayer for the Week Loving God, We thank you for the love of the mothers you have given us, whose love is so precious that it can never be measured, whose patience seems to have no end. May we see your loving hand behind them and guiding them. We pray for those mothers who fear they will run out of love or time or patience. We ask you to bless them with your own special love. We ask this in the name of Jesus, our brother. Amen.

Thought for the Week The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always nd forgiveness. Honore de Balzac Kind Regards

Paul Hille Principal #MakingADifferenceEVERYDAY

Please click on the video created by our students to celebrate Mother’s Day

Head of Campus News Joanne Scouler & Ros Nichols

ANZAC DAY LITURGY AT MEL MARIA Our Year 6 students, on each campus lead a reverent liturgy last Friday, where we came together as a school to remember all of those who served our na on in all wars, con icts and peace-making opera ons. It was lovely to come together as a community and pray.

Robo cs Club Lunch me Robo cs for Year 5-6 has commenced this term with Mrs Marra and Mr Popadynec. All Year 5/6 students are invited to par cipate and the best performing students will be selected to par cipate in the Robocup Compe on later in the year.

Congratulations Congratula ons to Chiara and Stella who won and Overall Excellence Award in their piano exams. What a wonderful achievement.

Chiara and Stella will be represen ng Mel Maria in Catholic Performing Arts fes val this year.

Excited for Term 2

Ready To Learn

Religious Education News FIRST COMMUNION WORKSHOPS The Year 4 students and their parents took part in the Sacrament of Eucharist Workshop last night. This workshop provides a opportunity for parents to connect with their child and engage in a meaningful conversa on about the Sacrament. Parents are the rst and best teachers of their children in the ways of faith and are assisted in this by the more formal educa on provided by our Catholic school and parishes. We keep all our Year 3, 4 and 6 students in our prayers over the next few months as they prepare to receive the Sacrament of Penance or Eucharist or Con rma on.

LENTEN APPEAL YEAR 4 SJP The Year 4 cohort raised an incredible $2 739.05 for Caritas. Congratula ons to all our Year Four students who worked so hard to raise this money. It will be used to support Ukrainians who are enduring loss and su ering from the injus ce of war.

MAY, MONTH OF MARY May is tradi onally dedicated in a special way to honouring and seeking the intercession of Mary as the Mother of God and Mother of the Church.

During this month you may wish to pray the Rosary or a decade of the Rosary together as a family.

As parents are aware, the na onal tests in literacy and numeracy will be conducted next week. The Na onal Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) will involve students In Years Three and Five in Primary Schools. The NAPLAN assessments are conducted in all states and territories in Australia at the same me. The results from NAPLAN will provide an important measure of how Australian students are performing in the content strands of Numeracy, Reading, Wri ng, Grammar and Punctua on. A major purpose of the assessment is to provide parents with informa on about the progress of their child in rela on to a na onally agreed benchmark. Benchmarks represent the minimum expected standard of achievement in Literacy and Numeracy. In Term Four parents will receive a report on their child’s performance. However, it must be realised this assessment cannot replace the judgements and informa on provided by classroom teachers throughout the school year. We wish all students the best of luck.

Year Three and Five NAPLAN Schedule

CLASS NEWS

Year Six PN Leadership Assembly On Monday, 2nd of May, the Year Sixes at PN participated in the Leadership Assembly. As part of the Year 6 Leadership Program, students are provided with opportunities to develop their leadership skills, which are an integral part of lifelong learning and being an active member of society. The Year Sixes were honoured to be presented with their badges. They made a pledge to be responsible, reliable and honest leaders who will follow the Gospel values embedded in Mercy tradition of Service, Compassion, Respect and Justice.

The Year Six students lead the school in the Leadership Assembly this week. This was an opportunity to present themselves as leaders to the school. The students presented to the school the di erent ministries they are a part of and the various jobs they will undertake for the year ahead. It was also an opportunity for Mrs Nichols to present the students with their leadership badges which they will wear with pride around the school. The leaders then read their leadership pledge to the school community, where they promised to demonstrate strong leadership skills. This included looking out for younger students, helping others in need and wearing their uniform with pride. The assembly concluded with the leadership prayer that is read before each ministry mee ng.

We can't wait to see what the new leaders will bring to Mel Maria. They will con nue to be nurtured and guided to be the best leaders they can possibly be.

CLASS NEWS

Year Six SJP Leadership Assembly

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

On Thursday 5th May our Year 4-6 students got the chance to par cipate in the Fac on Swimming Carnival at HBF Stadium. All the students who jumped in the pool represented their fac ons with great spirit and plenty of energy. While there were some nerves early and some very red arms and legs towards the end of the day for our Year Fours, they did a brilliant job in they rst swimming carnival. I look forward to them building on that experience next year.

1st: GREEN FACTION (780 points) 2nd: BLUE FACTION (722 points) 3rd: RED FACTION (694 points) 4th: GOLD FACTION (633 points)

Our Year Six Sports Ministry had the daun ng job of marshalling the other students for the day, but they did an excellent job and made the running of the day very smooth. Thanks Year Sixes, we couldn’t do it without you! I’m so glad you got the opportunity to do that. There was a great parent turnout and your support is appreciated. A huge thank you to the 30 or so parents who gave up their me to help out during the day. Your assistance allows to run a great carnival for the kids, and I appreciate your help!

RUNNING CLUB

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Running Club returned on both campuses this to kick o our Cross Country prepara ons. On Wednesdays (SJP) and Fridays (PN), all students are invited to the respec ve school ovals to run, jog or walk laps with their friends. It’s a great way to build tness ahead of Cross Country or for your winter sports, or just to burn o a bit of energy and start the day with some exercise.

FACTION SWIMMING CARNIVAL

Thanks nally to the sta for their assistance throughout the day and in the lead up. Special thanks to Mr Popadynec and Mr Williams who were there early with me se ng up and ge ng organised for the day. Our Chief Marshals, Miss D’Alton and Mr Carr were brilliant in a busy job, Mr Rees managed to keep the false starts to a minimum and Mrs Massimi as Finish Marshal was crucial to the opera ons at the other end of the pool. Thanks also to all out sta in the stands who prepped and pepped talk our swimmers and helped cheer their fac ons in the pool. What a great team Mel Maria is #MakingADi erenceEveryDay

Digital Technology Online Gaming

eSafety Website

The eSafety Commissioner (eSafety) is Australia's national independent regulator for online safety. The Of ce of eSafety promotes online safety education for Australian young people, parents and educators through our resources and Outreach Program. The following information is from the eSafety website on Online gaming. The full website can be found here: https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/big-issues/ gaming

Online Gaming Online games can be great fun for your child, but make sure you can help them manage the risks. Many games can improve your child’s coordination, problem-solving and multi-tasking skills, as well as help build social skills through online interactivity with other players. But it is also important to understand what might go wrong and could have a negative impact on your child.

How common is online gaming? • 81% of children aged 8 to 17 have played an

online game • 64% have played a multiplayer online game with

others • 52% have played with people they did not know • 34% have made an in-game purchase and this rose

to 45% when they played a network game with others

How to create a safer gaming environment for your child? Prepare • Locate the computer or games console in an open area of your home, or if your child is playing on their handheld device,

get them to do it in the family room. • Install current security software on all devices to protect against viruses, malware and other online threats.

Build good habits • Help your child to protect their privacy online — get them to use a screen name that does not reveal their real name. • Teach your child not to click on links provided by strangers, like ‘cheat’ programs to help with game play, which might

expose their device to viruses or malware.

Stay involved

• Talk regularly with your child about their gaming interests and who they play with online. Help them understand the risks.

#MakingADifferenceEveryDay

nidja Noongar Wudjuk boodja Wanju Bibool miya Mother’s Day The Library celebrated Mother’s Day by learning the Noongar word for mother - naangk. We also read a book called Mum Shirl by Karen Lau. The book is about a compassionate Catholic woman who was a prominent Wiradjuri woman from Central New South Wales. Mum Shirl (Coleen Shirley Perry Smith ) was a social worker and humanitarian ac vist commi ed to jus ce and welfare of Aboriginal Australians. Mum Shirl spent considerable me and money nding homes for children whose parents could not look a er them and she helped displaced children to nd their own parents again. Children who had nowhere to stay o en ended up living with Mum Shirl. By the early 1990s, she had raised over 60 children. Just a few months before Mum Shirls death in 1998 , the Na onal Trust acknowledged her as one of Australia’s Na onal Living Treasures. Happy Mother’s Day to all our Mel Maria mothers. Read More In May The Library is encouraging all students to enter the Scholas c Australia Read More in May challenge. Students must read daily in May and log their progress. There are prizes of book packs worth $200 each for your family. All you have to do is complete the online entry form below. So read MORE in May and take the reading challenge. The library will be sending home a reading log for each child to track their reading progress in May. 10 minutes a night is a great way to ins l the habit of reading for pleasure. Good Luck! h ps://www.scholas c.com.au/scholas c-in-the-community/na onal-familyreading-month-2022 Na onal Simultaneous Story me 2022 On Wednesday 25 May 2022 at 11:00am Mel Maria will be par cipa ng in viewing the 22nd Na onal Simultaneous Story me. Every year a picture book wri en and illustrated by an Australian is read simultaneously in libraries , schools and homes all over Australia and the world. The Picture book Family Tree by the Australian author and songwriter Josh Pyke and illustrator Ronojoy Ghosh has been chosen for this years picture book. Family Tree is a book about the beauty of life through the growth of a tree that begins with a seed. Family Tree touches on community, unity and Australian diversity. Both Libraries have a copy for you to enjoy. Watch this space for the log in details. Lunch me in the Library The library is open at lunch me 12.30 - 1.10 at SJP Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and PN 12.30 - 1.10 - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Children from Years 1 - 6 can enjoy the pleasure of reading in a cosy spot or playing games with friends. Pop in and see us some me! The Noongar Season Of Djeran Djeran is one of the six noongar seasons. Each season represents and explains the seasonal changes we see annually. The owering of many di erent plants, the hiberna on of rep les and the moul ng of swans are all helpful signs for the noongar people to see the seasons are changing. April/ May is the Noongar season of Djeran. The weather becomes cooler. It is a me for red bush owers and the banksias begin to bloom.

Djeran - Artwork by Noongar artist Rod Collard

Library News

SOCIAL WORKER NEWS Toolbox for when times are tough

In just the

rst three or four months of 2022, we’ve seen:

•

Natural disasters ( ooding up and down Australia’s East Coast),

•

A full scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia (replete with daily crimes against humanity), and

•

The cost of living has skyrocketed in conjunc on with these broader-scale events.

And that’s not giving any considera on to the ongoing challenges of living with COVID outbreaks con nuing into their third year, a ec ng us all in many challenging ways. In short: it’s a lot to have to deal with as an adult. Add to this the fact we have kids to care for, pay for, and answer ques ons for, and it can all feel a bit much. Make no mistake, it’s hard for many of our children too, as they navigate the challenging world in which we live. The ar cle below explores how we can keep it together when mes are tough - for ourselves. It then considers how we can help our children hold it together when mes are tough - for them. Regardless of how tough mes are, the ideas in the lists will help you get through the “ahhhhhh” scares that life throws our way, and the “meh” moments where we languish without mo va on or drive. And they’ll help you - and your kids - to see that life really is good and worth living. Importantly, if you or the kids are genuinely doing it tough - get help. See your GP. Visit a psychologist or counsellor.. Call Lifeline. Just be sure you get help.

h ps://www.happyfamilies.com.au/ar cles/toolbox-for-when- mes-are-tough? vgo_ee=L4WVfz%2FPVUeVV%2BGzUljmj6wwviZ9C%2FPHwqGSXHenP7w%3D

COMMUNITY NEWS BOWLS 4 DADS

WHAT:

Dads Bare Foot Bowls Competition

WHY:

A fun health and wellbeing initiative for Dads

WHEN:

7.30pm - 8.30pm each Thursday. (Starts Thursday May 5)

WHERE: Melville Bowls Club HOW:

$10 per person. Teams of 4. Register with: ntavani@iinet.net.au

MORE INFO: Nathan Tavani 0434 903 082 Dean Romaniello 0418 458 615 Macca McGoldrick 0414 952 953