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

Welcome to our last newsletter for term 3. Our last day of an amazing third term is Friday September 20. School will finish on this day at 2:15pm and buses will run at 2:30pm. Term 4 starts for all staff and students on Monday October 7. I hope everyone has a relaxing, safe and enjoyable break over the holidays.

Thank you to all our dads, grandparents, uncles and special male people in our lives who came to celebrate Father's day Breakfast with us. It was great to see so many people sharing and egg and bacon sandwich and a cuppa in your footy colours. A huge thank you must go out to Justin Uebergang (Charlotte's dad) from Kaz's Googs for donating all of the eggs for our breakfast. Your generosity was greatly appreciated.

I would like to thank you all for your understanding with our unfortunate news that we had to change the dates for our concerts. We are still looking forward to putting on a great show for you all on Wednesday October 9.

Next week (Week 10) I will be on leave. Miss O'Keefe will be Acting Principal during this time, supported by our Leadership Team.

RESPECT YOURSELF, RESPECT OTHERS & RESPECT YOUR ENVIRONMENT!

Regards

Jamie

Catholic School Culture

This coming weekend we have 5 students from our school and 1 other student from the parish participating in the Sacrament of Confirmation. They have been preparing for this sacrament over the past 5 weeks and mass on Saturday night.

We would like to ask the school community to pray for Penelope, Hamish, Dolly, Sonny, Celeste and Sadie as they celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation with their families and the parish community this weekend.

School Information

Assembly Timetable

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

Assemblies for Term 3

Week 10 - September 20 - NO ASSEMBLY DUE TO 2:15pm FINISH FOR END OF TERM

Assemblies for Term 4

Week 2 - October 18 - 3/4MS

Week 4 - November 1 - 3/4MN

Week 6 - November 15 - FCL

Week 8 - November 29 - 5/6AD

Final Assembly - Wednesday December 18 - Jamie & 5/6 team

End of Term 3 Friday September 20

Friday September 20 is the last day of school for the term.

School will finish at 2:15pm and buses will run at 2:30pm. Students who travel on the bus will just remain at school until 2:30pm.

School will resume on Monday October 7 for staff and students.

Have a great holiday everyone.

Important Dates

TERM 3

Week 9

REMINDER OF THE CHANGE OF DATE FOR OUR SCHOOL CONCERT FROM WEEK 9 TO WEEK 1 OF NEXT TERM

Thursday September 12 - R U OK Day?

Saturday September 14 & Sunday September 15 - Sacrament of Confirmation

Week 10

Wednesday September 18 - Suara Indonesia Performance

Friday September 20 - Last Day of Term 3 (2:15 pm finish)

TERM 4

Week 1

Monday October 7 - First Day of Term 4 for staff and students

Monday October 7 - Foundation Swimming begins @ 11:00am

Tuesday October 8 - Concert rehearsals

Wednesday October 9 - Concert Matinee 12:00pm-2:00pm

Wednesday October 9 - Concert 6:00pm-8:00pm

Friday October 11 - Regional Athletics in Ballarat

Week 2

Tuesday October 15 - F-Yr 2 excursion for performance at the PAC- 'You are a Donut.'

Wednesday October 16 - Regional Volleyball

Friday October 18 - All Saints 175 Years of Catholic Education in Portland Celebrations

Saturday October 19 - 175 Years of Catholic Education in Portland Gala Dinner

Library books returned by Fri 13 September

To allow Super Shaz to process all library books back into the library by the end of term, we ask that all books are returned by the end of this week. Library books are not to be on loan over the school holidays.

Learning & Teaching

What's Been Happening in the 1/2 Pod:

In the 1/2 Pod, the students designed their own potatoes to compete in a Potato Olympics event together. They rotated around 4 different events in each classroom to compete in heats. The students then all got together as a pod to participate with great excitement in the finals and were awarded medals in a closing ceremony.

We have also been focusing on friendship goals in the playground. We discussed all the things that make a good friend and used these ideas to create a friendship flower. This week we will look at the following themes: how to make new friends, being inclusive, mending friendships and conclude with a friendship challenge (a student from each class will be awarded weekly with a playground friendship star award and their photo will be on display in the pod). The students will complete activities, participate in role-plays and discuss themes such as ant or elephant problems, when to ask an adult to help, it is ok to have more than one friend and the need to say sorry and change your actions if you are not being a good friend.

We look forward to seeing their kind hearts shine in action in the classroom and the playground.

1/2 Potato Olympics & Friendship Flowers

Term 3 Week 8 Assembly

FCL: Sunnie Chow & Van Mayer

1/2YW: Lola Ford & Tayha Jackson

1/2DW: Zane Oliver & Faith Edwards

1/2ID: Jaxon Geraldene & Charlotte Uebergang-Sandstrom

1/2MR: Isla Reid & Tully Denham

3/4DL: Sophia Budde & Sylvester Varcoe

3/4MS: Lorraine Pumpa & Zaila Cox

3/4JS: Ally Carlyon & Indiah Grey-Brewster

3/4MN: Varia Green & Rose McCallum

5/6AD: Cassie Vecchio & Erin Hollis-Compton

5/6BS: Archie McCallum & Ava Tobolov

5/6RV: Cassie Jayasundara & Emma Gould

5/6DC: Ray Warn & Ivy Donovan

Indonesian: Sarah Dunn & Faith Edwards

Physical Education: Ayden Marra & Xavier Lindsay

Principal’s Award: Laura Watson

‘Never see a need without doing something about it!’

Congratulations to these students for the wonderful work and effort that you have been applying. Keep inspiring and encouraging those around you.

Link to our school communication app

Please click the link below if you have not yet joined DoJo, our school and classroom communication tool.

Important school and classroom information is shared via this tool so we ask families to have ensure they have access to this app and notifications switched on.

DoJo App link

2024 School Concert

REMINDER: CONCERT CHANGE OF DATE

This message was shared with all families last week. Please note the new dates for our concert.

We have been informed by the Glenelg Shire Council that due to an issue with the ‘fire curtain’ at the Civic Hall we are unable to use the hall for our concert next week. It is an occupational health and safety risk and they cannot lease the hall out to any groups who require use of the stage.

We have looked at many alternatives and taken into account many factors impacting this decision and have decided that our best option at this point in time is to remain at the Civic Hall and change the date of our concert.

The new dates for our concert are:
October 8- Dress rehearsals at the hall
October 9- Matinee @ 12:00pm and Evening Concert @ 6:00pm

We understand that the timing of this change is not ideal and that it may cause some inconvenience for families. We apologise for any inconvenience caused but this is totally out of our control.

The children and teachers have put so much time and effort into the concert preparation so far and are disappointed that they cannot put on a show next week. But we are also excited that we get to practise more and make our acts even better so that when we do perform them, they will be amazing.

I thank you and we appreciate your understanding in this matter.

If anyone has any questions or concerns, please contact the school office on 55233654.

Leadership & Stewardship

Staff - the Right to Disconnect

The Fair Work Act 2009, was recently updated to include provisions that give employees the right to disconnect from communication received outside of their designated working hours. This new rule takes effect from 26 August 2024. For schools, this includes communication from parents, students, colleagues, or others within the school community.

Staff access their work emails normally between 8:00 am – 4.30 pm when possible and will endeavour to respond to emails within 24-48 hours. This applies to other forms of communication such as Class Dojo. Staff are not expected to respond in this time frame during weekends, public holidays, and, for teaching staff during term breaks.

We ask all members of the school community to be aware of this new provision and to restrict communication with school staff to school working hours. If you communicate outside of these hours, please be aware staff may choose to but are not expected to respond outside their work hours.

All Saints Parish School Leadership Team

Jamie Walsh: Principal

Kerri-Ann O'Keefe: Deputy Principal & Religious Education Leader

Christine McMahon: Learning Diversity & Wellbeing Leader

Danielle Walsh: Learning and Teaching Leader- Junior

Bonita Silva: Learning and Teaching Leader- Senior

All Saints Parish School Leadership Team

Community Engagement

Catholic School Parents Australia (CSPA) National Parent Survey

Catholic School Parents Australia (CSPA) is running a parent survey in partnership with the University of New England on Student Wellbeing and Learning and are seeking your perspective as parents/carers of children who attend a Catholic School in Australia.

You are invited to share your views on existing and emerging affirmations and/or challenges in relation to your child/children’s wellbeing and learning.

The survey is anonymous, confidential, and completely voluntary.

For more information about the study and to participate go here.

Thank you for your support.

CSPA 2024 Parent Survey Flyer

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

175 Years of Catholic Education in Portland

This year we celebrate the honour of being the oldest continuing school in the Ballarat Diocese and also 175 years of Catholic Education in Portland. This is a very special milestone for our school and we would love you to celebrate with us.

Please see below an invitation to join us on Friday October 18 for an open morning and school tours, assembly mass and lunch followed by an afternoon of old fashioned games. Students are invited to dress in old fashioned clothes on this day. Please use the QR code to register for some of the events. There is no cost for any of the Friday events but we would like you to register your attendance for catering and organisational purposes.

On Saturday we will offer some school tours in the morning for anyone who cannot make it on Thursday and then we have our Gala Dinner on Saturday evening (limited tickets available for this event).

Families and friends are then invited to the parish mass on Sunday at 10:00am at All Saints Church.

We would love it if you could come and celebrate this momentous occasion with us.

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

A Special Report: R U OK? Day

Understanding the growing challenges related to mental health among young people is an important consideration. Anxiety, depression and self-harm - are all causes for concern. Factors like academic pressure, social media, family dynamics, and societal expectations, are contributing to these issues. It's therefore crucial for parents and caregivers to take action early, remove the stigma around discussing mental health, and offer accessible support to address these issues and the wellbeing of their children.

R U OK? Day is an initiative that focuses on preventing suicide by encouraging meaningful personal connections and helping informal support networks to help recognise the signs of distress. We urge all families to take part, emphasising the value of genuine human relationships and reminding everyone to ask the important question, "Are you OK?"

Engaging in R U OK? Day activities goes beyond the classroom; it's a commitment to our students' overall development. By talking openly about mental health, schools create safe spaces where students feel understood, valued, and supported. As parents and caregivers, you can contribute by fostering open conversations, normalising feelings and breaking down mental health stigmas. Participating in R U OK? Day promotes compassion and shows our dedication to the wellbeing of the entire school community, reaffirming that together, we can truly make a difference.

This Special Report provides guidance on how to talk to your child about mental health and engage in meaningful discussions.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your special report:
https://asportland.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-r-u-ok-day

Happy Birthday

SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAYS

STUDENTS: Austin S, Willow C, Henry G, Layla R, Sanna J, Tully P, Jensen I, Noah B, Savannah S, Nash S, Crissie J, Judd L, Thomas J, Peyton M, Kobe F, Chloe H, Idrissa C, Sabra C

STAFF: Hayley, Nicola, Cherie, Toyah, Deb, Danielle L, Rita

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 15 September

Praying with Children 22 September