St Raphael’s Catholic School Term 2, Week 6/A Newsletter 30 May 2016 Holy Year of Mercy Dear Parents The pace of the first half of this term has been far from reflective. Many events have been packed into a small period. I publicly pay tribute to all staff members and to the many parents who have contributed to these wonderful achievements because the events are characteristically well-orchestrated and that only results from tremendous co-operation and a sprinkle of constructive tension. CWA Public Speaking, Eisteddfod Band and Percussion events are all on this coming week. The focus shifts in this second part of the term back to the academic element of schooling through assessment and reporting. In addition, numerous training opportunities for staff members are available.
“Jesus’ love is great, Jesus’ love is merciful, Jesus’ love forgives: but you have to open yourself, and to open oneself means to repent, to accuse oneself of the things that are not good and which we have done. The Lord Jesus gave himself and he continues to give himself to us, in order to fill us with all of the mercy and grace of God” Pope Francis, General Audience, 11 Dec 2103
Year 11 Reports are in the final stages of collation and will be distributed this week. Building work is continuing at the secondary Department of the school but the focus has now shifted from the new building to refurbishing and in some cases repurposing existing rooms. A reality of this construction at school is that it is set to be around for some time to come because about $350,000 worth of upgrades and refurbishment was recently authorised throughout classrooms in the Infants, primary and Secondary departments. An exciting and well-deserved opportunity for all. Thank you to those who have provided email addresses to the school office. We are close now to going digital. A school Facebook, emailed communications and a more functional website are all about to happen. If yours is an email we still need please email Genevieve at the front office at straphaels@bth.catholic.edu.au. A reminder to all the dads that there’s a Men’s Mass & Breakfast here on June 4 – a great way to connect, pray and share a very good meal to start a weekend.
Monday 30 Happy birthday to Ky Johnson. Tuesday 31 CWA Public Speaking at All Saints, Bathurst. Wednesday 1 Happy birthday to Monique Chang and Ruby Frazer. Eisteddfod – Infants Percussion. Eisteddfod – Band. Thursday 2
Friday 3 Eisteddfod Grand Concert. Primary Assembly led by 3 Green. th
Happy birthday to Grace Gallagher for the 5 .
Did you realise that the Catholic Church is the third largest non-government employer in Australia? Wesfarmers is first, Woolworths second, Catholic Church third then BHP comes in at fourth.
Michael Gallagher Principal P.O. Box 7, Cowra 2794 Tel: 6342.2940
Email: straphaels@bth.catholic.edu.au School Website: www.straphaelscowra.catholic.edu.au
A pupil free day can sometimes cause organisational problems for parents, but be assured last week was an incredibly worthwhile time for staff and our whole school community reap the benefits of such days. We were led in our reflections by the very inspirational Richard Leonard, SJ. Richard is a Jesuit of the Australian Province. He is the director of the Australian Catholic Film Office, a consultant to the Australian Catholic Bishops' Media Committee, and a film critic for all the major Catholic newspapers of Australia. A holder of a doctorate in cinema studies, he has lectured all over the world and we were grateful to have such a man lead us through the day. Staff spent the day reflecting on “What makes a Catholic School Catholic”. Recent church documents argue that the role of a Catholic School is to assist parents in: Learning how the church prays Imparting the richness of church tradition Preparing students to be Christians in the real world of their everyday lives. We were joined on the day by St Edward’s, Canowindra and St Joseph’s, Eugowra and Fr Laurie. Altar Servers’ Roster th Sat 4 : Jessica Trengove, Lucy Proctor, Alizah Walker. th Sun 5 : Archer Howden, Maddison Tremble. School Readers for Weekend Parish Masses: th Sat 4 : Ms Spora. School Eucharistic Ministers for Weekend Parish Masses: th Sat 4 : Ms Spora. th Sun 5 : Mr Gallagher. School Computer Roster th Sat 4 : Casey Family. th Sun 5 : Mrs Bischof.
Year 6 to Year 7 Transition Students make many formal transitions in and between schools: from home or preschool to school, from grade to grade, from primary school to secondary school, from compulsory education to post-compulsory education and to further education, training or work. These points of transition are critical moments in determining students’ wellbeing and learning. Many of the important transitions between educational settings occur at times of rapid student growth and development, when they are concerned about issues of identity (who am I?), relationships (how do I relate to others?) and future (what will I be?). How they approach these transitions, and how they fare through them, may be determined by many factors at home and at school. Successful transition is aided by schools that prepare students and families. At St Raphael’s we are attentive to making all transitions a positive and exciting P.O. Box 7, Cowra 2794 Tel: 6342.2940
challenge, ensuring students remain engaged with their learning. Transition is also a wellbeing issue. Wellbeing refers to students’ physical, social, emotional, spiritual and cognitive development, and recognises that students with positive social and emotional health are more likely to engage readily in learning as they make continued transitions. Being a central (K-12) school gives a tremendous advantage in this area, and one that we value and take full advantage of at St Raphael’s Catholic School. The school has new state of the art facilities and specialist learning areas that primary students can access for their lessons. As part of our School Transition Program, our Year 6 classes have the opportunity to participate in lessons in the secondary classrooms throughout the year. Sometimes the classes are conducted by secondary specialist teachers and sometimes by their Year 6 teacher. The purpose of this is to familiarise the students with the physical environment, the teachers and some new content. Last week both 6 Green and Gold participated in Science and Food Technology lessons. They were thoroughly excited and participated with great enthusiasm. Throughout the year they will be involved in many more visits to the secondary classrooms and all seem to be excited and looking forward to this important transition strategy. “The cooking was good and the Science was so surprising what happened. I’m really happy and excited for Yr 7”. Sam Kelly “When we arrived in the kitchen, Mrs Bischof asked us to find tools and equipment that we didn’t know. I found tonnes of things! We cut up a banana in pairs and then Mrs Bischof caramelised it. It was the most incredible dessert!” Mikelli Garret “The Science was cool. It made me feel like I wasn’t that young anymore. The experiments were interesting and fascinating how the liquids and gases changed to cool fizzy things”. Sam Lynch “In cooking we made caramelised banana. I was surprised how nice it was. I will definitely feel more comfortable going into Yr7 next year after already doing some classes in the Mother Scholastica Learning Centre. It was quite fun using the kitchen and eating in the dining room. I will probably make the banana at home.” Sophie Johnston Kindergarten Science During this term, Kinders have been studying the unit "Staying Alive". In Week 10 we plan to make model shelters for an animal.......so we need your help! Please send in any CLEAN recycling between now Email: straphaels@bth.catholic.edu.au School Website: www.straphaelscowra.catholic.edu.au
and then with your child e.g egg cartons, cereal boxes, margarine containers. We will store the recycling at school until it is needed. Thank you, Kindergarten Science teachers Eisteddfod: Elective Dance Performance On Thursday, the Stage 5 Elective Dance class performed at the Eisteddfod. Well done to Grace Gallagher, India Johnson, Xavier Lynch, Samantha MacCabe, Jess McLeish and Chantelle Rhodes who performed an excellent jazz routine to “Bang My Head (David Guetta)”. The group were awarded with a highly commended and were only one point off first place! Congratulations on all your hard work! PASTORAL CARE/WELLBEING The great man Mandela knew what he was talking about. Whether we have a desire to change the whole world or our own smaller world, the importance of education must not be ignored. If achieving the most from education at school is the aim of students and their parents, it must be realised that consistent effort and hard work are required. Simply sitting in a classroom is not making the most of the opportunities available – education is so much more. Taking every chance to listen, question, read, study, collaborate, experiment, create, perform, write, respond and play in a respectful and healthy learning environment, is what real commitment to education means. At St Raphael’s all students are encouraged to make the most of the opportunities which are readily available to them. Making positive choices every day about learning is an aim for everyone to consider. Lateness: A number of students from all departments in the school are regularly arriving late to school in the mornings. The legal requirement for school attendance includes all hours of the school day. In the event of a late arrival at school, the students must not only sign in at the Front Office, but also provide a note of explanation to the Home Room teacher for the class roll. Parents are asked to attend to this matter promptly. Secondary students are required to be in class at 8.50 a.m., no later, and Primary students begin their day at P.O. Box 7, Cowra 2794 Tel: 6342.2940
9 a.m. A late arrival can make for a poor start to the day for students and a day spent catching up. Sue Whiteley (Pastoral Care/Wellbeing Coordinator) DIOCESAN SPELLING - Secondary: Our Secondary Spelling Team of Ben Myers, Alex Duff, Matthew Casey and Xavier Lynch travelled to Wellington to compete in the Bathurst Diocese Spelling competition last week. Our team was confident and eager but might have benefited from more focused practice. The boys managed to keep pace with spellers from the 7 other secondary schools until some quite tricky words came their way. Our finalists all saw off half the contestants before succumbing to the word which saw them eliminated. The boys had a great day and represented St Raphael’s in fine style. The overall winners on the day came from St John’s College, Dubbo and St Matthew’s, Mudgee. Sue Whiteley (English teacher)
Alex Duff and Ben Myers received certificates from CEO Director of Education Mrs Jenny Allen
St Raphael's Secondary Spelling Team Ben Myers, Alex Duff, Matthew Casey, Xavier Lynch
Primary Spelling Bee Our Primary Spelling Team of Kate Proctor, Poppy Starr, Chelsee White and Mikelli Garratt also travelled to Wellington to compete in the Bathurst Diocese Spelling Bee competition last week. The girls put in a wonderful effort but unfortunately Kate, Chelsee and Mikelli stumbled over tricky words and were eliminated early in the competition. Poppy displayed excellent word attack skills and proceeded through to round 7. Poppy made a valiant effort in this round but was unfortunately eliminated. The girls were excellent representatives for our school and made us very proud of their efforts.
Email: straphaels@bth.catholic.edu.au School Website: www.straphaelscowra.catholic.edu.au
EEC Excursion All year 11 Exploring Early Childhood Students will be walking to Goodstart Preschool on Thursday 2nd of June during class time. They will be observing the fine and gross motor skills and social-emotional development of young children to complement our in class learning.
Woodstock Park – Junior Trail Congratulations to Jack Gee who st came 1 in the Junior Trail 11 - 16 years at Woodstock Park Raceway yesterday. Well done for the great successes you are having lately Jack! Netball NSW Schools Cup Congratulations to all students who travelled to Bathurst on Friday 20th May for the Netball NSW Schools Cup. St. Raphael’s sent both a primary and a secondary team who did very well on the day. The Secondary team had wins against Oberon High, Kelso High 1, Canobolas High & Kelso High 2, and losses against All Saints & Orange High. We ended the day finishing in 3rd place, narrowly missing out on going to the next round of the competition. This is a big achievement considering we played schools with over 1000 students. The primary team won against St Mary’s Eagles, Raglan 1, Cathedral Swifts and Holy Family A. We were narrowly beaten by Catherine McAuley to finish 2nd in our pool. Congratulations girls, what a fantastic effort! Primary Athletics Carnival The St Raphael's Athletics Carnival that was held on the last day of Term 1 (8 April) was not completed due to inclement weather. The final 3 events for each age group will be held on Thursday 2 June. These events will commence at 1.00pm at River Park and will involve all students in Year 3-6 as well as Year 2 students who competed at the carnival.
and they are asking that parents be vigilant of road rules and show consideration when picking up and dropping off children. Please find alternative parking if you are coming to assembly this Friday. Term 2 School fees are now due In accordance with the new Catholic Education Office – Diocese of Bathurst Enrolment Policy which was implemented this year, a new School Fee Agreement form was included in with your term 1 School fees. This new School Fee Agreement was to be completed by all families and returned to the school’s front office. The new Diocesan Schools Fees policy states that “Discounts will be applied upon receipt of a signed School fee agreement”. Please complete the School Fee Agreement Form and return to the school’s front office as soon as possible to avoid sibling discounts being reversed according to the new policy. Forms are available at the front office if you have misplaced yours. th
P&F Lunch Special For Wednesday 8 June Nachos will be available as a Lunch Special on th Wednesday 8 June for a cost of $5.00. There will be a choice of which toppings your child would like on their Nachos. Please complete the order sheet which is being sent home today with your child’s name, class and tick which toppings they would like. Orders are to th be in by Monday 6 June. Book Club The latest Book Club order is due in by Friday th 10 June. Please make sure your child’s name and class are written clearly along with any receipt numbers if you have paid online. Thank you. Canteen Update This week’s roster is as follows: Tues 31 Skye Muddle Jodie Toohey
Wed 1 CLOSED
Thurs 2 Rachael Duff
Fri 3 Kirsty Langfield
Mon 6 Kerrie Porter
Sue Carter
Nicky Hudson
Karen Campbell
Nikkara Brennan
A reminder please: Due to OH&S guidelines, food brought from home CANNOT be reheated at the Canteen. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. There are no Chicken Dino’s available on the Menu. Please note that all drinks ordered need to be collected from the canteen now, they will not be put in the class baskets for collection.
Next week Thursday 9th and Friday 10th of June, the canteen will only be selling sandwiches, pies and sausage rolls. Sorry for any inconvenience. Donna Stokes – Canteen Manager
Parking in Poignand Avenue It has come to the attention of Cowra Shire Council that residents of Poignand Avenue are having problems with people parking across driveways and blocking property accesses. Council officers and rangers will be patrolling the area closely in the future, P.O. Box 7, Cowra 2794 Tel: 6342.2940
Email: straphaels@bth.catholic.edu.au School Website: www.straphaelscowra.catholic.edu.au
Kindy Start – Siblings Parents are asked to please complete the form at the end of the newsletter and return it if they have a son or daughter about to start school next year so we can start collating numbers. Information about the Kindy Start programme will follow next term. Thank you.
For players registered with Cowra & District Soccer, cost is $125, use: http://www.coerver.com.au/wp/act/programs/coervercoaching-july-school-holiday-clinic-cowra-nswregistered-cowra-soccer-club-players-3/
For non-registered players, cost is $175, use: http://www.coerver.com.au/wp/act/programs/coervercoaching-july-school-holiday-clinic-cowra-nsw-nonregistered-players/
Don’t forget to visit our website for updates of all that is happening with the P&F and for adding your views. This can be done via the school website at www.straphaelscowra.edu.au
WELL DONE Congratulations to the following students who have achieved the next level on the Behaviour Management Programme. Level 6 Josee Bruncher Madeleine Savage Adam Dhrygck Max Myers Melissa Mood Jack Webb Charli Hubber Matthew Prescott India Johnson
3 Green 4 Gold 4 Gold 4 Gold 5 Gold 5 Gold 6 Gold 8 Gold 10 Green
Isabelle Doorey Natasha Smaluck Lucas McKenzie Natalie Mallon Codie Thompson Mikelli Garratt Emma Wilkinson Hayley Amos
4 Gold 4 Gold 4 Gold 5 Gold 5 Gold 6 Gold 6 Gold 9 Gold
Your Teachers are very Proud of You!
Siblings for Kindergarten Enrolment 2017 Please return to the front office Family Name:
Address:
WRAS Netball Program The Western Region Academy of Sport (WRAS) will be holding a netball rookie program in Bathurst on 9 and 10 July 2016. Enrolments close on Tuesday 14 June 2016. Netballers from the western region born in 2000, 2001 or 2002 are invited to enrol. The rookie program is open to netballers of all level and is also used to identify talented players to be invited to trial for the WRAS 2017 netball squad. Coerver Soccer Coaching Clinic
Coerver are running a two day soccer coaching clinic at Edgell Park again this year in the July school holidays. Dates of the clinic are 4-5 July. For people who want to take advantage of the Coerver coaching holiday program, please see the links below. If a password is requested, use Cowra2016
P.O. Box 7, Cowra 2794 Tel: 6342.2940
___________________________________________ Phone: _______________________________________ Kinder Child (for 2017):
DOB: __________________________ Preschool: ________________________________ Other children at the school and classes. Name:
Class:
Email: straphaels@bth.catholic.edu.au School Website: www.straphaelscowra.catholic.edu.au
P.O. Box 7, Cowra 2794 Tel: 6342.2940
Email: straphaels@bth.catholic.edu.au School Website: www.straphaelscowra.catholic.edu.au