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 Message

It is hard to believe that we are up to week three of term three already. Time certainly flies when you are having fun.

Thank you all families for your participation in our 3 Way Conversations last week. It was great to celebrate the achievements of our students and also to set some goals for future learning. If you could not make it last week please reach out to your child's classroom teacher to make other arrangements.

Don't forget that next Monday and Tuesday are STUDENT FREE DAYS as the staff will be undertaking some learning of their own. School will be closed for both of these days. Please email the admin@asportland.catholic.edu.au if you need anything over these two days. More importantly please make the most of the extra 2 days added onto the weekend.

At the end of this week we say goodbye to Mrs. Murrell again. Thank you Georgia for your commitment to 3/4DL over the past 9 weeks. Your professionalism, support and effort have been greatly appreciated. Enjoy your upcoming trips with family and friends and we will see you when you get back. We look forward to welcoming Miss Ds back next week after her time away.

I thank you all for your continued support of our school as we work together to provide the best opportunities for our students and pursue fullness of life for all. We are truly grateful for the respectful and open relationships that we have with our community members.

RESPECT YOURSELF, RESPECT OTHERS & RESPECT YOUR ENVIRONMENT!

Regards

Jamie

Catholic School Culture

School Information

Assembly Timetable

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

Assemblies for Term 3

Week 4 - August 9 - 3/4DL

Week 6 - August 23 - Specialist Classes

Week 8 - September 6 - 5/6DC

Week 10 - September 20 - 5/6AD

School Bus Travel Alteration- Term 3

NOTE: it is important that all students are aware of their end of day travel arrangements.

We will be relying on the PAM bus lists to determine who gets on the bus or not.

Please note that if your child is listed but not getting on the bus, the bus gets held up until we find out where they are and if they have been picked up already. Alternative, if you do not have them set up to take the bus on a certain day and forget to add them, they will miss the bus as they won't be on the list and we can't be sure they are meant to take the bus home.

You can re-enter the Transport Passes section of PAM and see what is listed for the bus for your child. Their transport for the day (or future date if needed) is listed under Actual Transport. Please ignore the 'no transport scheduled/needed' line as this is being removed by the PAM IT team and is confusing.

If you have no busses listed for the current day (or selected future date) you will just have the option to "+Add" a bus for this day. If they are currently listed on the bus and you wish to remove them you simply "-Remove" for the relevant day.

If you wish to make a change to the regular schedule that has been created, please let the office know.

PLEASE ENSURE YOU CHILD KNOWS IF THEY ARE ON THE BUS OR NOT, AND THAT PAM REFLECTS THIS. If there is a change to the child's expected home routine please call the office and we will let them know. Any changes to PAM after 2pm must come through the office.

Student Free Days- Term 3

Monday August 5, Tuesday August 6 & Tuesday August 20

Please add these dates to your calendars as there will be no school for students on these days as staff will be undertaking various professional development session.

Monday August 5- School Wide Positive Behaviour Support.

Tuesday August 6- Religious Education and Faith Formation.

Tuesday August 20- Structured Literacy

Important Dates

TERM 3

Week 3

Monday July 29 - Insight SRC Surveys open for families chosen via random selection

Thursday August 1 - All Saints & Bayview music students performance (TBC)

Week 4

Monday August 5 - Student Free Day- SWPBS

Tuesday August 6 - Student Free Day- RE Prayer in the Classroom

Wednesday August 7 - Hooptime Basketball Yr 3/4 in Warrnambool (for participating students)

Wednesday August 7 & Thursday August 8 - Diocesan Leadership Gathering - Mr. Walsh in Horsham

Friday August 9 - Insight SRC surveys to be completed

Saturday August 10 - Commitment Mass for the Sacrament of Confirmation 6:00pm (Dismissals will continue after this for the next 4 weeks on Saturday nights)

Week 5

Monday August 12 - Friday August 16 - Indonesian Week (more information to come)

Monday August 12 - PSG meetings begin this week

Wednesday August 14 & Thursday August 15 - Early Career Teacher's Retreat

Thursday August 15 - Didjeribone Incursion

Week 6

Monday August 19 - Friday August 23 - Dental Van @ school

Monday August 19 - Friday August 23 - BOOK WEEK "Reading is Magic"

Monday August 19 - Author visit: Olivia Coates (F-4)

Tuesday August 20 - Student Free Day- Structured Literacy

Wednesday August 21 - Music Festival

Friday August 23 - Book Week Dress Up Costume Parade

Learning and Teaching

From the 3/4 Pod

Follow me to an AMAZING PLACE……from the foyer, exit through the electronic doors to the courtyard, now follow the path to the Explore Centre! ENTER, ready to be WOWED!

No coats required in this cosy, warm and friendly learning centre. Our rooms are engaging, happy and vibrant places to learn and make memories.

3/4 have hit the ground running this term. One week in and we have already decorated our foyer with a vibrant winter themed collage. From snow capped trees and icicles to warm, colourful beanies and umbrellas, we are ready to welcome the beauty of what winter brings.

It is obvious from the blue, black, red, yellow and green rings that adorn the walls that “The Summer Olympics,” are a topic to be explored. Through the arts, sport, history, geography, mathematics and literacy, a plethora of exciting and new learning is to be uncovered, as we explore our world and uncover how we can all unite in peace and friendly competition.

Our host Olympic nation Paris is a perfect Segway into our Religious Education topic of Hospitality. From greetings, to food and life experiences, we will explore and deepen our understanding and knowledge of the importance of family and celebration through religious traditions and other worldviews to promote cooperation and common good through our Catholic Social Teaching Principles.

Our little scholars have blown us away all year across all curriculum domains. Whether it be mathematical, spelling or general personal achievements there have been many celebrations and more to come. There have been, however, a couple of narratives which have exceeded all expectations. Please take time to read and enjoy a sample of the Narrative writing talent that is oozing through the walls of the Explore Centre.

It doesn’t stop! So much formal and informal learning is the norm. The children are like sponges, soaking up whatever comes their way, whilst remembering to be respectful to themselves, each other and the environment. In Ms. Mall’s room the students have been participating in indoor cooperative play mindful moments; a time to reflect, be still and appreciate the gifts and talents of our peers.

3/4 Artwork

Students of the Week

Term 3 Week 2 Assembly

FCL: Layla Smith & Sterling Anderson

1/2YW: Lucas Kerr & Zade Edwards

1/2DW: David Staples & Masie Thomas

1/2ID: Noah Kempton & Alexis Hawker

1/2MR: Zoe Tait & Lucy Barton

3/4DL: Tyler Leishman & Nelly Ford

3/4MS: Grace McIntosh & Danny Warn

3/4JS: Kaziah McRae & Ella Jarrett

3/4MN: Zaiden Kavanagh & Amelia Fothergill

5/6AD: James Appleby & Sabra Campbell

5/6BS: Ollie Rethus & Summer Chow

5/6RV: Jarvis Lipscombe & Adelean Harrison

5/6DC: Olive Baker & Zena Howman

Indonesian: Travis Barnes & Noah Bourke

Physical Education: Bonnie Shipard & Tyler Leishman

Music: Toa Rayson & Baylee Price

Science: Leah Frost & Charlotte Uebergang-Sandstrom

Principal’s Award: ‘Never see a need without doing something about it!’

Edward Eichler & Emma Gould

Head Lice

Head lice are common in school-aged children and we are seeking your cooperation in checking your child's hair and in those instances where head lice or eggs are found, treating your child's hair. Please visit www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au and search for "head lice (nits)" for advice on finding, treating and preventing head lice.

No treatment kills all nits, so the hair must be retreated after 7 to 10 days to kill any head lice that may have hatched from nits that survived the first treatment. Only use treatments made specifically for removing head lice. Do not use a hair dryer after applying a treatment, as the heat can destroy the active ingredient.

Mini Olympics

With the Olympics getting underway in Paris, the excitement of the Olympics is filtering through All Saints as well. Classes are learning about the host country, the history and the traditions of the games, as well as the amazing athletes and their performances.

This Friday 2nd August all students will be involved in the All Saints Mini Olympics. After having an early lunch, staff and students will gather for a brief opening ceremony before participating in a series of rotations, completing a range of different sporting activities. At the end of the day, we will all gather again to award our gold, silver and bronze medals.

Students will be separated into multi-age groups, representing a country competing at the games. On this day students are invited to wear their school sports uniform or wear colours/clothes traditional to the country they are representing. For example, those students in team USA might like to come to school in red, white and blue clothing.

Students were given a note last week stating which team they are in.

2024 School Concert

Leadership & Stewardship

Insight SRC Surveys

Today some of our families will receive an invitation to complete an Insight SRC survey for our school. These families are chosen randomly form our school database. If you receive a letter with login details and password we would really appreciate you taking the time to complete the survey.

The results of these surveys are collated and a report is prepared for All Saints. It is designed so that we can gain an understanding of how parents relate to their child’s experience of school. All staff and students from years 3-6 also participate in this survey so that we can gain perspectives of all members of our school community. This information is then used to plan for future school improvement. The more responses we get the more valuable information we can use in future planning.

If you receive an invitation we would really appreciate you taking the time to complete your survey. We really value any feedback that we receive. The survey period is open for two weeks from Monday July 29.

School Advisory Council Vacancies

We have some vacancies on our SAC. If you are a parent who is interested or would like more information please contact me at school via email at principal@asportland.catholic.edu.au

Community Engagement

School Refusal, School Avoidance, School Can't- Re-engagement in Education Forum for Parents, Carers and Educators.

Join this forum on Tuesday, August 6, 2024, at 7pm for our #VPCLive event. Our distinguished panel will discuss pathways and educational alternatives to support students with school attendance challenges, including School Refusal, School Can’t and School Avoidance. The panel includes parents, educators, psychologists, researchers, and government agencies.

The VPC advocates for parental choice in education and acknowledges that School Refusal may not accurately describe some students' experiences. Terms like School Can’t or School Avoidance might be more fitting. These issues cause anxiety, academic setbacks, social isolation, and family stress, impacting children's education and mental health.

The Victorian Parents Council recognises the significant impact of school attendance issues and is convening an expert panel to explore solutions for affected families.

Please refer to the attached flyer for speaker details. The event will end with a Q&A session.

Register at https://vicparentscouncil.vic.edu.au/events/

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

Download

eSafety Term 3 2024 Parent Carer Webinar Promotional Flyer

SchoolTV - Wellbeing Platform

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

In this edition of SchoolTV - HAPPINESS & GRATITUDE

Happiness is a term that captures a huge variety of positive emotions such as humour, serenity, optimism, joy, pride, inspiration, love and hope. Happiness means different things, to different people and is essential to your understanding of emotional literacy. Throughout history, philosophers, religious writers and poets have pondered on the meaning of happiness and how it might be achieved. In the last few decades, scientists and psychologists have researched this further by studying a field of science called positive psychology.

The result of this research suggests there is a strong correlation between gratitude and greater happiness. Practising gratitude helps you shift your focus to positive memories or experiences, noticing the good in your life. Over time, this will re-wire your brain to create new neural pathways, increase your state of happiness and overall wellbeing.

In this edition of SchoolTV, parents and care-givers will learn how to achieve happiness and the benefits of practising gratitude.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback. If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to the Happiness & Gratitude edition of SchoolTV
https://asportland.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/happiness-gratitude

Happy Birthday

AUGUST BIRTHDAYS

STUDENTS: Isla L, Robby R, Bridget A, Ollie R, Ayla G, Hailey S, Lachlan W, Tannah I, Indiana M, Adelean H, Masie T, Hunter S, Noah K, Laura W, Theo D, Amity-Beth S, Max L, Jaxon H, Tully D

STAFF: Mrs E, Mrs Murrell, Miss Dart, Julie, Mr White, Mrs Levings, Mr Staples

Praying With Children

Praying with Children resources offer an insight into the scripture readings from mass on the weekend. It is a wonderful opportunity for families to discuss the Gospel stories and complete some related activities if they wish.

Praying with Children 4 August

Praying with Children 11 August

COMMUNITY NEWS

Westerns Football Netball Club is hosting Net Set Go this term!

If you know a child (boy or girl) that is aged between 5 and 10, then Net Set GO is for them!
Net Set Go is netball's official starter program for kids. It is a chance to learn the netball basics, helping kids gain confidence, get active and make friends in a safe and inclusive environment.
Dates: Thursday, August 1, running for 8 week
Time: 4pm – 4.45pm
Location: Alexandra Park, Portland
Who: Boys and girls aged between 5 and 10 years of age
Please use this link to register your child: https://registration.netballconnect.com/userRegistration

Term 3 Week 3 Newsletter- July 29