All Saints Parish School Portland eNewsletter

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

It is hard to believe that we are over half way through term 1 already. As they say time flies when you are having fun.

It was a pleasure to have Bishop Paul and Fr Greg visiting our classrooms today as part of the Bishop's tour to celebrate the 150th anniversary for the Diocese of Ballarat. Portland was the Bishop's first stop on his tour throughout the year as it was the first parish established in the Diocese of Ballarat 150 years ago.

At All Saints we have access to SCHOOLTV which is a wellbeing platform for schools. More information is included below. An important part of this platform is the Wellbeing Barometer Survey. The Wellbeing Barometer survey is still open for participation. The more responses received, the more meaningful the data and outcomes will be.

We kindly ask you to take a few moments to complete a survey for each of your children. Your feedback will guide us in providing the best support possible in the months ahead. Should you have any concerns or require further assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out. https://asportland.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-wellbeing-barometer-2024-au

Last week our staff attended a professional learning day looking at structured literacy. This day was very beneficial for all staff and I am confident that, as we develop our professional understanding further, embracing structured literacy will empower our students with the foundational skills necessary for academic success and lifelong learning. 2024 will be a year of learning and development for our staff and students and we are looking forward to seeing positive results and growth.

I encourage everyone to be mindful of our three important things to remember as a member of All Saints Parish School:

RESPECT YOURSELF, RESPECT OTHERS & RESPECT YOUR ENVIRONMENT!

Regards

Jamie

Catholic School Culture

150 Years of the Ballarat Diocese

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Catholic Diocese of Ballarat. The theme that we will focus on this year is all around the words - ‘Community’, ‘Remember’, Revitalise’ and ‘Hope’. We will have a
number of opportunities to acknowledge and celebrate together throughout 2024. We trust that this anniversary year will be a season of renewal for our diocese, our community of communities from the Murray to the sea.

As part of this celebration Bishop Paul Bird, Bishop of the Diocese of Ballarat celebrated mass in our parish over the weekend. Bishop Paul also came to visit us at school on Monday.

LENT

Lent is a time to prepare our hearts and minds for Easter, and the Church recommends prayer, fasting, and almsgiving as a way to focus our preparation.
These are 'The 3 pillars of Lent'.
1. PRAYER - LOVE FOR GOD: Setting aside time for family prayer during Lent draws us closer to one another and to God.

2. FASTING - LOVE FOR YOURSELF: During Lent, we “give things up” not to torture ourselves but to free ourselves! By giving up things we find pleasurable during Lent, or abstain from actions or thoughts that are not goodfor you, we are eliminating any stumbling blocks between ourselves and God’s love.

3. ALMSGIVING - LOVE FOR OTHERS: As a sign of gratitude for all God has given us, and as an act of love to those in need, Christians give generously to the poor and needy, especially during Lent.

Project Compassion 2024

This year, Project Compassion brings you the stories of three resilient women from three different corners of the world. They are facing vastly different challenges, but are all united by one dream: to create a better tomorrow for all future generations.

Meet Ronita from the Philippines. Ronita lives with her husband and two children in a barangay (local district) in Quezon City, which is situated in Metro Manila in the Philippines. She went back to school to finish her education so that she could earn income to support her children.

Meet Leaia from Samoa. Not having access to a reliable source of clean water was very difficult for Leaia and her family. But, with the support of Caritas Australia, a water tank was installed at their home, improving their health and living conditions.

Meet Memory from Malawi. Memory, the eldest daughter from a rural Malawian family, trained to become a carpenter and is now a trailblazer for future generations of women in her village.

Throughout Project Compassion, you will get to know the stories of Ronita, Leaia and Memory. Journey with them as they forge a path to a brighter future for all generations.

Watch a short film: Introduction to Project Compassion

Please donate to Project Compassion.

You can donate through Project Compassion donation boxes, online by visiting caritas.org.au/project-compassion or by calling 1800 024 413.

Photo: Richard Wainwright/Caritas Australia

School Information

Assemblies for Term 1

Assemblies commence at 2:30pm every second Friday afternoon.

Families and friends are welcome to join us for assemblies.

Week 6 - March 8 - School Leaders hosting

Week 8 - March 22 - 3/4JS hosting

Health Care/Pension Cards

Reminder to all families who hold a valid Health Care or Pension Card to ensure the school has a copy of your card. If this is your first year using your HHC or PC at the school you will also need to complete the CSEF Form required by the government - this allows you to receive a payment towards camps and excursions/sports activities.

Please contact the office if you have any questions.

Permission Forms in PAM

From time to time families will be required to complete permission forms in PAM. This will then provide staff with a list of students taking part it the activity. If you do not wish for your child to take part in that particular activity, you still need to access the permission form and say NO to the permission request.

If you have recieved an email saying there is a permission form to complete it means there IS a form requiring a response. Parents will often receive this email, log into PAM and see a No Notificaitons message or a form that says Expired - this just means the response date expected has passed. Please see the instructions listed below to access the Permission Forms - these can be viewed at any time if families are after information around a specific event.

Separated Families & Permissions:
We ask that the parent who will be in charge of the student at the time of the activity requiring permission be the one to approve Permission Forms in PAM - unless otherwise agreed between the parties.

QUICK REFERENCE:

all forms must be completed - either yes or no
reminder emails to complete Permission Forms are only sent out if a form has yet to be completed. You must access the School Activites list of forms as per instruction shown below (expired forms can still be accessed and completed)
students who do not have forms completed will not be able to attend activities
for separated families, the parent in charge at the time of the activity is asked to complete the form
permission forms and their event details are available for families to view at any time via the process shown below

Some Important Dates

TERM 1

Week 5 - PSG meetings

Friday March 1- World Day of Prayer

Tuesday March 5 - Yr 6 experience day at Bayview

Thursday March 7- Family Maths Night F-2

Wednesday March 13- NAPLAN Testing Window Opens

Wednesday March 13- Friday March 15- Year 4 camp- Dunkeld

Wednesday March 20- Sacrament of Penance

Thursday March 21- Harmony Day

Monday March 25- School Athletics Carnival

Thursday March 28- Last Day of Term

TERM 2

Monday April 15- Term 2 begins

Monday April 22- School photos

Learning and Teaching

Let's see what has been happening in the Year 3/4 Pod

The Year 3/4 POD have had an energetic start to the year adopting their new 2024 motto, “Learning is our Superpower!” Students have discovered that the magic of learning happens with a positive mindset, commitment, enthusiasm, resilience, and the willingness to be challenged. Students have set goals to fly high in the classroom this Semester.

The students will use their Superpowers to conquer their learning for writing expositions, mastering Place Value, and Addition, and forming the ‘right relationship’ with God through a unit of work on Choices.

The students have also completed many fun art activities related to our motto, such as designing their own Superhero!

Year 4 students are looking forward to their up-and-coming 2-day camp to Dunkeld Grampians Retreat in Week 7.

Students of the Week

FCL: Caleb Mayer & Van Mayer

1/2YW: Tayha Jackson & Fletcher Bicknell

1/2DW: Edward Blood & Allana Taylor

1/2ID: Leah Frost & Noah Kempton

1/2MR: Ayla Green & Ollie Peters

3/4DL: Charlie Foster & Ethan Cornell

3/4MS: Hazel Budde & Izobel Oliver

3/4JS: Inga Mewburn & Chaz Hawker

3/4MN: Tannah Inman & Zayden Lipscombe

5/6AD: Ella Misfud & James Appleby

5/6BS: Ava Tobolov & Harry Rogers

5/6RV: Adelean Harrison & Noah Hill

5/6DC: Olive Baker & Carter Anderson

Indonesian: Emma Gould & Nate Looker

Science: Jaisshu Yuvaraj & Jaxon Geraldene

Art: Georgiana Litowschenko & Atley Sutton

Principal Award: “Never see a need without doing something about it”

Nash Silva & Zayden Lipscombe

CONGRATULATIONS TO THESE STUDENTS FOR BEING AN AMAZING MEMBER OF YOUR CLASS AND OUR SCHOOL!

Structured Literacy

As we embark on an exciting journey at our school, I am thrilled to share with you the implementation of Structured Literacy and the Science of Reading into our curriculum, with the support of the DOBCEL Structured Literacy team. This decision has been reaffirmed by the recent Grattan Institute report, further validating our commitment to providing the best possible education for our students.

Last week all staff attended a closure day which was invaluable as our dedicated teachers and learning support officers immersed themselves in understanding structured literacy. Their enthusiasm and dedication ensure that they are beginning a journey to be well-equipped to support your child's learning effectively.

Together, as a supportive school community, we can look forward to witnessing the positive impact this approach will have on our students' literacy development.

2024, is a year of learning for our teachers and learning support officers which will lead to increased implementation of the practice in our school. We will strive to keep you updated on the progress of this important project, but for now you may wish to watch this short video (below) from the DOBCEL Structured Literacy team to find out more.

Attached to this newsletter is important information regarding the collection of data for the research project. If you do not wish for your child/children’s data to be used in the study, you may opt out by:

1. Printing and returning the attached form.

2. Requesting a hard copy form from the office.

3. Emailing your form to the office at admin@asportland.catholic.edu.au

All Saints Endorsement Opt Out Letter for Parents

Family Maths Night - Foundation, Yr 1 & 2 families- Thursday March 7

Thursday March 7th our Foundation, Year 1 and Year 2 families are invited to join us for a Family Maths Night at school from 5:30pm - 7:00pm.

Our Family Maths Night aims to create a positive learning environment in which families participate together in 'fun', 'real life' maths activities. We invite you to come along for an enjoyable evening of puzzles, quizzes and questions.

Come along and wear your party hats and party clothes and have a great time as a family, doing Maths together.

Invitations went out to our junior school families today. Please return your reply slip to the office if you can attend.

SchoolTV - Wellbeing

All Saints Parish School’s ‘School TV’ can be accessed using the following link: https://asportland.catholic.schooltv.me

SPECIAL REPORT: The Wellbeing Barometer 2024

The Wellbeing Barometer survey has proven to be an invaluable tool for schools, providing insights into the state of youth mental health and wellbeing. Whilst last year’s results focussed the spotlight on areas of concern, there were also many highlights that demonstrated the resilience and adaptability of students and emphasised the necessity of prevention strategies.

Participating in this year's survey, will assist in identifying areas of strength and concern, as well as pinpointing opportunities for early intervention. Previously gathered information has helped support families as they navigate difficult conversations that enable understanding and foster connections to build relationships.

We encourage you to take a few moments to complete a survey for each of your children. This will help us determine the nature and extent of your concerns and how best to support families in the months ahead. Responses remain anonymous and will only be reported on an aggregated basis. You are asked to base your responses on observations made in the last 12 months.

Acquiring the skills for future independence, taking healthy risks, and giving young people the opportunity to emancipate from parents, are key developmental tasks that are essential if we are to stave off the impact of mental illness in the future. Please reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback. If this raises any concerns for you or your child, please reach out to the school or seek professional medical advice.

Here is the link to your special report https://asportland.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-wellbeing-barometer-2024-au

Leadership & Stewardship

Congratulations to our 2024 SRC members.

Community Engagement

Working With Children Checks

There are many opportunities for parents and carers to get involved in our school community and volunteering is one of those.

It is a requirement under our Child Safety Policy that all volunteers must have a valid Working With Children Check (WWCC). We recommend that anyone who is thinking they may like to volunteer in the canteen, in classrooms or maybe even on a camp at some stage apply for a WWCC. They are free for volunteers and can be found at https://www.vic.gov.au/working-with-children-check

When you have received your WWCC card just bring it to the office so that we can take a copy of it and add it to our files.

Free Online Parenting Workshop- Please note the change of date and delivery method for this event.

Andy McNeilly Parenting 101 Bringing back the Fun ONLINE

Relay for Life- Saturday March 16

This year we are delighted to again be participating in the upcoming Relay For Life event on Saturday March 16th.

Our theme for the day will be a jungle theme. We are encouraging all students and their families to join us on this day to walk. If you can come for anytime throughout the day we would love to see you. If you are planning on joining us please use the link below to register for our team.

More information will be shared throughout the coming weeks.

If you would like to join our team or make a donation please use the following link.
https://www.relayforlife.org.au/fundraisers/AllSaintsParishSchool4400

Child Safety & Wellbeing

Webinars for parents and carers

https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/webinars

Join one of our free webinars for parents and carers.

These live webinars give parents and carers the knowledge, skills and tools to support their children to have safe online experiences.

On this page:

Download the schedule

2024 parent and carer webinar schedule (PDF, 99.3KB)Download

Happy Birthday

FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS

STUDENTS: Emma G, Indianna M, Emmy B, Kaylee J, Kaziah M, Bonnie S, Ilaria T, Charlie M, Ethan A, Dylan H, Sonny D, Gabby D, Willow B, Nate L, Jarvis L, Ryan C, Harriet H, Sylvester V

STAFF: Bec, Mrs Silva, Miss Wood, Kieran, Miss Simpson

Praying With Children

Praying with Children Week 3 Lent

Praying with Children Week 4 Lent

COMMUNITY NEWS

Win a TM6

Term 1 Week 5 Newsletter- February 26