Dear Families,

Grandparents Day
It was so wonderful to be able to hold a prayer celebration on Friday for our Grandparents and Special People. We were blessed with a perfect Canberra winter’s day, with beautiful sunshine and no wind. I thoroughly enjoyed being able to finally meet some of our grandparents and enjoyed the stories they told of the school, their grandchildren and children. I was a little worried that some children would have sore tummies after all of the cakes and biscuits grandparents brought along, but they all came in and settled straight back into work after lunch. A big thank you to Skye McPadden, Michelle Mason and the students of Kinder Blue for preparing such a wonderful prayer celebration. We said a little prayer for all of those grandparents who could not join us and hope that they will all be able to attend the celebration next year.

This year, we held our Grandparents Day celebration in the same week as the Feast day of Saints Anne and Joachim, the parents of Mary, the mother of Jesus. We recognise that in Saints Anne and Joachim the example of complete devotion is exemplified. They were people of strong faith, openly expressing their love and devotion to God. They serve as role models of fidelity, love and dedication. As the parents of our mother Mary and grandparents of Jesus, they have a special place in the Church and in our hearts. We recognised during the Prayer Celebration the special role that our own grandparents play in our lives and gave thanks for this gift to each of us.

ELC Building
Many of our grandparents had an opportunity to see that work on our new ELC building has started. As the building progresses we plan to invite new and prospective ELC families to have a walk through the site and be able to see a model of the new building. The new ELC has been designed around the Reggio Emilia philosophy for early learning where we focus as much on the environment surrounding the child as the way we teach. The new ELC building will include a communal kitchen and dining space to allow children to come together over a meal and to learn about good nutrition and the importance of community.

Signing in late students
I would like to give a gentle reminder, that if your children are late to school, you will need to come into the office to sign them in. This process is very quick with the new COMPASS Kiosk, and is a requirement by law.

Check-in
Thank you to everyone who has been entering the school building or attending events for checking in using the CBR app. I often hear the tell-tale ping of the app as families check-in before they come through the front office doors. Our office staff appreciate your cooperating with them in regards to this ACT government requirement.

Teaching and Learning
I have been writing a bit about our school’s journey with introducing direct instruction and phonics across the school. This move is a system-wide initiative for the whole of Catholic Education across the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn. Over the last few weeks our Year 4, 5  and 6 teachers have been participating in training for The Writing Revolution along with teachers in our Catholic Secondary schools. It is great to know that, as a system, we will have a consistent way of teaching using explicit instruction, including when teaching writing. This consistent approach will support students in building their knowledge and understanding throughout their whole education in Catholic schools. A few weeks ago, the Director of Catholic Education for the Archdiocese, Ross Fox spoke to The Australian newspaper about the system-wide initiative. For those who have a subscription to The Australian, you may be interested in reading the article 
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=TAWEB_MRE170_a&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Finquirer%2Flessons-in-failure-on-education-need-to-be-learnt%2Fnews-story%2Fcaf28295dab28deffb81758a65411997&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium

God Bless

 
Leah Taylor
Principal

Please note that the first fete meeting will be Wednesday Week 4 (4/8/2021) at 6pm in the library - all welcome!

An event, Years 3 and 4 Excursion, has been planned for Thursday, 5 August 2021.

Years 3 and 4 are travelling to Merici College to see a student production of Matilda the Musical.

Date:  Thursday, 5 August 2021
Time:  10:30am to 12:30pm
Venue:  Merici College, Wise Street, Braddon
Dress Code: Full School Uniform
Transport: Bus
Staff member in charge: Ella BARRY

A Year 1 Excursion, has been planned for Friday, 13 August 2021.
We will be going on an excursion to the Royal Australian Mint and Questacon. 

Date:           Friday, 13 August 2021
Time:           9:00 AM to 2:45 PM
Venue:         Royal Australian Mint - Denison St, Deakin ACT 2600 and Questacon - King Edward Terrace, Parkes ACT 2600
Dress Code: Sports Uniform

Please return consent forms to your child's teacher.

Book Week is running during Week 7 this term, with the theme this year being Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds.

Book week is a time to celebrate books, and highlight the importance of reading. To acknowledge Book Week, students are invited to dress as their favourite book character on Wednesday 25^th August, with a parade happening during the morning session. Please make sure appropriate clothing and shoes are worn along side the costume. Please note that dressing up is optional, and students are able to wear their regular uniform.

• School Fees for Term 3
  School Fees for Term 3 have been sent and are due by Friday, 20 August 2021. 

• COMPASS Kiosk
  Please note that our Compass Kiosk has been installed.  This requires all parents/carers to sign their child/ren IN/OUT/LATE.

Please note that all students are required to be at school by 9am each day.  If you drop your child/ren off after 9am, please enter the Front Office to sign your child/ren in.  

Parents who have dropped their children off after 9am, and not signed their child/ren in late, will be asked to return to school to sign-in their child/ren via the Compass Kiosk at the Front Office.  This is a CE compliance requirement.

• Absentee Notifications
  Whilst we await the introduction of the Compass Parent Portal, it is preferable that Absentee Notifications be advised electronically as they are now required to be attached electronically.  Notifications can be sent via:

• • SZapp portal - Choose Absentee - see menu below.  Instructions on how to install SZapp can be found here.
  • Email the teacher
  • Email the office via office.staquinas@cg.catholic.edu.au

Thank you for your co-operation.

• Enter the School via the Front Office Only
  For the safety of students and staff, all parents/carers/visitors must enter the school via the Front Office only.  Please do not enter the school via any other door, even if it is for a short period of time to talk to a teacher, check lost property etc.  Our COVID requirements also require all visitors to the school to register with the Front Office and to Check In CBR App.
  
  

Community News is located on our website.

Dear Families

The Music Bus conducts weekly instrumental lessons at our school.  The Music Bus is a one-stop music education experience with a high-tech, mobile music classroom with highly-trained teachers offering additional music lessons to our students. This is a great opportunity to get your child started on a musical instrument in a fun and engaging way.

They have places available for term 3 and are seeking new students to join the program.

Please see the attached brochure for the Music Bus.

Please read the attached flier and either scan the QR code on the flier or Click here to register your interest 

Don't miss the bus!

Fiona Sutton
CEO

P: 1300 168 742
E: fiona.sutton@themusicbus.com.au
W: www.themusicbus.com.au

AUGUST 2021
Congratulations to the following students who will be celebrating their birthday this month:

Marlie H;  Erin H;  Samuel B;  Atticus W;  Mason M;  Oscar C;  Joshua L-B;  Ari U;  Frederick N;  Skylar F;  Matilda P;  Blayde O;  Liam B;  Zoey M;  Sophia H;  Eleni M;  Tyler E;  Lachlan B;  Summer P;  Tyler F;  Michael P;  Vrishab G;  Adeline B