Term 4 Week 9 Newsletter- November 27

Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the traditional owners, the Gunditjmara people, on whose land we learn, work and play. We recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their elders- past, present and emerging believing that we can walk together for a better future.

Principal's Report

The end of the year is fast approaching and we still have so much to do!

This Friday we have the much anticipated mini-fete. Our year 6 students have been organising lots of fun activities and delicious food for students to enjoy on the day. We are still in need of some donations for our stalls and prizes. Thank you to those families who have already generously made donations for this fun-filled event.

Thank you to all families who supported our Book Fair over the last 3 weeks. It was a very successful event. Thank you to Super Shaz for organising and opening the Book Fair daily.

Thank you to our teachers for the time and energy that is being spent writing student reports. These reports will go home on Thursday December 14. They will also be available on PAM from this date.

This week our Leadership Team will undertake our Partnership Agreement Meeting with CEB. We will look at successes for 2023 and look at our priorities for 2024. At this meeting we will begin to create our 2024 Annual Action Plan which is used to support our planning moving forward.

Remember to keep your eye on the calendar as we have lots of comunity events before the end of the year.

Regards

Jamie  

Prayer

The Season of Advent

Learning and Teaching

Students of the Week

FCL: Charlie McRae & Jack Lyons

FRP: Winnie Foster & Jaxon Geraldene

1/2DW: Emilia Bailey & Rose McCallum

1/2ID: Sarah Dunn & Nate Looker

1/2MN: Sonny D’Alessandro & Amelia Burns

1/2MR: Blake Taylor & Inga Mewburn 

3/4DL: Varia Green & Zarlee Loft

3/4GM: Amahlie Vaughan & Zaiden Oswald

3/4JS: Aleksander Litowschenko & Zaila Cox

5/6AD: Evangeline Kozarevski & Bayle Price

5/6BS:  Ebony Hawker & Jaxson Board

5/6RV: Hunter Sutherland & Olive Baker

Indonesian:  Jaxon Radley & Celena Taleb

Science: Jaxon Geraldene & Grade 1/2 Pod (for excellent work with the Spike Lego Essentials)

Music: Lance Chase & Grace Stephanson

We congratulate these students on their wonderful work. Well done everyone!

Isla's Big Chop

Isla Strom, one of our amazing Foundation students, has been growing her hair to donate to a charity all year. She was initially inspired by her little friend Piper who also donated her hair, but the passion for helping others who don't have hair came from watching her Aunty Kate fight ovarian cancer and lose her hair with chemo treatments. Isla has always said "I want to donate my hair so that people like Aunty Kate can have hair like me".

We are beyond proud of Isla's generosity and we hope that her hair donation can bring happiness to others. 
This is her fundraising link if any families would like to donate.
https://fundraise.kidswithcancer.org.au/fundraisers/alanastrom/wigs-4-kids 

Isla will be getting her hair cut at school on Thursday December 7 at 2:30pm.

Isla's Long Hair

2024 Foundation Students

Today we welcomed our Foundation students for 2024 for their second transition session. The new students had a wondeful time and are showing that they are ready to start school at the beginning of next year.

They have been listening to stories, creating masterpieces with art and craft, making some new friends and just getting used to their new classroom for next year. 

We hope they have a wonderful time full of learning, fun and challenges during their time at All Saints.

Leadership & Stewardship

2024 classes

Preparation for 2024 is in full swing and class lists are currently being finalised. If your family circumstances are changing in 2024 and you will no longer be attending All Saints, please advise the school office as soon as possible. 

2024 Classroom Teachers

Our classroom teaching placements have been finalised for 2024.

Foundation- Discovery Centre

FCL- Clare Levings (Mon-Thurs) & Amelia Mahon (Fri)

1/2 POD- Inquiry Centre

1/2ID- Isaac Debono, 1/2MR- Michelle Richardson, 1/2DW- Danielle Walsh (Mon-Thurs) & Ben Staples (Fri), 1/2YW- Yasmin Wood

3/4 POD- Explore Centre

3/4DL- Danielle Lambert (Mon-Thurs) & Kendl Roberts (Fri), 3/4JS- Jeanette Simpson, 3/4MN- Marcia Nicholls, 3/4MS- Mallissa Sealey (Mon-Thurs) &  Paul White (Fri)

5/6 POD- Quest Centre

5/6AD- Ashlee Anderson (Mon-Wed) & Kathryn Dart (Wed-Fri), 5/6BS- Bonita Silva, 5/6DC- Deb Cobby, 5/6RV- Rita Vecchio

Specialist Classes- Global Centre

Indonesian- Kendl Roberts, Physical Education- Paul White, STEM (Science & Digi Tech)- Ben Staples, The Arts (Visual & Performing)- Christine McMahon

Student Support- Global Centre

BOOST- Janette Mottram, Literacy Support & Tutoring- Josie Englezos

Placement of our LSOs is still to be finalised. 

Community Engagement

All Saints Christmas Tree

The Christmas Tree Exhibition has been created to bring some of the ‘magic’ of Christmas to Portland. Organisations and businesses across Portland have been asked to decorate a tree with the theme of ‘The Reason for the Season’.

We have contributed a tree titled ‘The Arrival’. Some of our students have made decorations associated with the Nativity birth story. We also used the themes of the four weeks of Advent: Hope, Peace, Joy and Love in our design.

The exhibition will be held over this weekend. If you are going along, be sure to check out the wonderful decorations made by our students. 

Mini Fete - Friday 1st December

On Friday 1^st December the Year 6 leaders and their classmates will be once again holding the All Saints Parish School Mini Fete for the school community.

All students will be able to purchase lunch, enjoy some sweet treats and participate in games and competitions.

Each food item available and each participation in an event will cost the students $1. Students will pay their money in return for tokens that can be used at the different stalls.

Lunch will be available for students. No orders are needed, students will buy lunch directly from the food stalls.  Students not wanting to purchase lunch from the Fete can still bring their packed lunch.

We ask that you carefully consider the amount of money you give your child to spend on this day and also think about sending loose change rather than large value notes.

Families and visitors are welcome at our Mini Fete, so come along if you would like to join in the fun.

Thank you for the donations already received. Keep them coming. The more donations we receive the more prizes and fun we can have at our fete.

School Christmas Carols Evening

Each year our the school hosts a Carols evening.  Families are welcome to bring along  a chair/blanket and some food to eat while they enjoy watching our classes each perform Carols. 

This is a wonderful chance for our school community to gather and celebrate their children and the lead up to Christmas.  Families are welcome from 5:30pm with singing commencing at 6:00pm. (Please note the change of times.)

We will also be raffling off gingerbread houses made by the 5/6 students, which is always a much anticipated event by our students!   Raffle tickets will be available soon for purchase, and available on the night.

Community Christmas Carols

Sunday 3rd December (Portland Foreshore) 6:00-7:30pm

We have a huge choir for this event on Sunday night. The Community Carols will take place at the stage near the skatepark. Children are to sit with their families and enjoy the singing during the evening. Just before it is our turn to perform children will be called to the side of the stage. We will wait there quietly and then take the stage and perform when ready. After this children will return to their families for the remainder of the evening. Families may leave at this time if they like but are invited to stay and watch other schools, choirs and bands perform.

Thank you to all our families for supporting this wonderful community event.

Year 6 Events

The last week of school is a busy one for our Year 6 students.  Monday 11th December they will head to Portland Secondary School to spend the day doing activities with other Year 6 students within the Portland area.  This is a great lead in to the changes in store for students in 2024. 

Orientation Day this year is on Tuesday 12th December (except Bayview who will hold theirs on Tuesday 5th December).  On these days, students will attend their school of choice for 2024 - making their own way there and back.  Our Year 6 students will not attend All Saints at all on their orientation day. 

Wednesday 13th December is our End of Year School Mass at 10:00am the Church and the following evening (Thursday 14th December, 6pm) will be their Yr 6 Graduation Mass - how exciting for them!! 

The last day of the year (Friday 15th) will finish with a final assembly, where we will again farewell our Year 6 students and those families departing All Saints at the end of their family's time with us.

Please check the events calendar for more details around these events (3-line hamburger button at the top left of the newsletter screen)

Catholic School Culture

Child Safety & Wellbeing

Child Safety

It’s almost Christmas! It has certainly come around quickly this year. No doubt, your children will be
busy making their Christmas lists for Santa and there could be a bit of technology on those lists! Not
just the ones we immediately think of either; eg: gaming, tablets, phones, but also things like drones,
robotic toys and more. This link https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/resources/gift-guide from https://www.esafety.gov.au/ will give you more information on the different tech that may be on those lists and provides great information about them. It’s a great site to forward on to the North Pole too! 

Happy Birthday

DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS

STUDENTS: Fletcher Bicknell, Zade Edwards. Sophie Powell, Charlotte Ubergang-Sandstrom, Cruiz McNamara, Briellah Logan, Ciarah Logan, Charlotte Norman, Danny Warn, Ella Jarrett, Holly Kort, Tyler Leishman, Travis Barnes, Tilly Friend, Georgia Hatten, Aliyah, Logan, Summer Chow, Oliver Copley, Melodi Fairweather, Archibald McCallum, Dylan Radley, Harry Rogers, Angus Smith, Evelyn Kort, Julian Mochales, Kiah Schlemmer, Violet Spiller-Christian, 

STAFF: Rosie, Jess L

Praying With Children

COMMUNITY NEWS