Filter Content
OUR SCHOOL YEAR BEGINS IN EARNEST ...
Here we are at the end of our first week of school and we couldn’t be prouder of our wonderful students and families who have settled so well into the year. Our teachers have been sharing their joy of getting to know their students and already getting into learning with enthusiasm for the year ahead.
We welcomed all students from Years 1-6 on Monday, with St Peter’s being the place to be…. from our welcome sign and photo opportunities to the fun music and our new feature of the bubble machine! Our new students have done so well during this week making friends and coming in the gate with smiles, ready for the day.
YEAR 6 START THE YEAR LOOKING SMART
Year 6 New Sport Shirts arrived for Day One this year.... Thank you to Amaya Davis (Year 6) for your wonderful design.
 |
 |
PARENT INFORMATION EVENINGS
Each year we hold a parent information evening for Years 1-6. This is a great chance to hear about what will be happening in your child’s year at school, see the teaching teams and ask any relevant questions as a group. These are not individual interviews, there will be a formal opportunity for these scheduled at the end of Term 2. However, please contact your child’s teacher throughout the year if there is anything you need to talk about individually.
Week 4
| Tuesday 20th February |
Year 2 - 5.00pm - 5.30pm Year 3 - 5.45pm - 6.15pm Year 5 - 6:30pm - 7:00pm In Classrooms |
| Wednesday 21st February |
Year 1 - 5:00pm - 5:30pm Year 4 - 5.45pm - 6.15pm In Classrooms |
Week 5
| Wednesday 28th February |
Year 6 - 5.00pm - 5.30pm In Classrooms |
For our Kindergarten students, there will be an invitation to have an individual meeting with your child’s teacher/s as a follow up to their Best Start interviews, which will be communicated to you shortly.
SOME TIPS FOR GIVING OUR CHILDREN THE BEST OF SCHOOL AND LIFE THIS YEAR
Over the holidays, a great set of principles around us as parents thinking of the important things for our children was shared with me. It makes for a great read as we set up the year ahead as families with our children. We know parenting is not an easy gig, so these might be some things that you find helpful.
6 Battles Worth Having with Your Kids This Year
MISSION
INCITARE - YEAR 6
EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST INVITED
Incitāre is a one-day retreat experience for Year 6 students from Catholic Primary Schools based in the Hastings region to celebrate their faith. The retreat is a chance to unite students to meet like-minded peers and celebrate with other young people who practice their faith, allowing attendees to build relationships with other students and talk about and share their faith journey.
What: A Catholic Retreat experience for Year 6 students, full of activities.
When: Tuesday 27th February, 2024
Where: Port Macquarie Youth Hub
Cost: Nil. All transport and booking expenses are met by the Catholic Schools Office.
St Peter’s has been invited to send 14 students this year. Any Year 6 student who would like to be considered is asked to complete the Incitare - Year 6 Expression of Interest Form provided by the Year 6 teachers and return to school by Tuesday, 13th February, 2024. The form is on the link below for your convenience.
Incitare - Year 6 Expression of Interest Form
PANCAKE TUESDAY
Shrove Tuesday, also called Pancake Day, is the day before Lent starts on Ash Wednesday. In 2024, Pancake Day will take place on Tuesday 13 February. But why do we eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday?
Christians believe that the 40 days before Easter (called Lent) mark the time that Jesus spent fasting in the desert. Traditionally, Christians would spend this time praying and fasting, which meant not eating a range of foods, including meat, eggs, fats and milk. Thus, on the day before Lent began, all the rich foods in the house had to be used up and a perfect way to do this was to make pancakes!
These days, Catholics focus on three things during Lent: Praying, Fasting and Almsgiving. So even though we might not be ‘giving up’ eggs and dairy during Lent, participating in Pancake Day is still a fun tradition!
St Agnes’ Parish is once again hosting a Pancake Breakfast on Tuesday 13th February!
Join Fr Paul and our Parish community for a traditional pancake breakfast in the BBQ area at the Parish Administration Centre from 6.45am-8.30am.
Everyone is invited and welcome. Drop in for a while if you can. To help with catering, call the Pastoral Office on 6583 1024 to let them know you’re coming.
ST PETER'S PANCAKES
St Peter's will offer students a pancake 'snack' on Shrove Tuesday next Tuesday 13th February, 2024 @ Lunch 1.
The pancakes are from Coles supermarket and contain the allergens:
ASH WEDNESDAY - LENT BEGINS
On Ash Wednesday, we receive ashes on our foreheads in the form of a cross. This signals the beginning of Lent. Have you ever wondered where the ashes used on Ash Wednesday come from?
Fr Paul Gooley, our Parish Priest, explains in this short 1 1/2 minute video.
St Agnes’ Parish Ash Wednesday Mass Times:
Wednesday 14 February
- St Agnes’ Church - 7.00am and 12.05pm
- St Francis of Assisi Chapel - 9.30am
- St Mary Star of the Sea Church, Lake Cathie - 6.00pm
- St Bernard’s, Telegraph Point - 6.00pm
PROJECT COMPASSION
Each year Project Compassion brings together thousands of Australians in schools, parishes and the community to stand in solidarity with the world’s most vulnerable communities, to help end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity. The theme of Project Compassion is ‘For All Future Generations’. Each classroom will have a Project Compassion box on their prayer table, in which our community will be invited to place coins throughout Lent to assist these communities. Added to this contribution from the St Peter’s community will be all money raised at Colours for Caritas, our Year 6 run major fundraiser for Project Compassion.
NEW FAMILIES WELCOME MORNING TEA
We wish to warmly welcome the new families to St Peter’s at the following morning tea on Thursday 15th February, 2024 from 8:30am in the Staffroom (entry is via Leary’s Lane near the back entry gate near the crossing).
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
WANTED - CLUBS AND COACHES
Are you interested in sharing your skills with the St Peter’s students in a lunch time club? Some options include but not limited to - garden, chess, poi twirling, book club, art club and sports coaching. Grandparents are welcome to be nominated as well. A working with children’s check is required as well as availability at lunchtimes between 11.00am - 11:30am OR 1:30pm -1:50pm, once a week for a term. Please email your interest to: amanda.thomas@lism.catholic.edu.au.
PARENT YEAR LEVEL TEAMS
Parent Year Level Teams assist in these ways:
- supportive of positive communication between home and school
- organisation of 2 social events a year for families to build relationships
- regularly give parent voice at our Parent Community Group meetings
If you would like to be part of the parent rep team, please email your interest to amanda.thomas@lism.catholic.edu.au
ATTENDANCE
Help your child to have a positive start to the year by building the habit of good attendance.
Building the habit of good attendance is crucial for a positive and successful school year. Here are some tips to help your child develop this habit:
- Establish a Routine. Set a consistent daily routine for your child, including wake-up times, breakfast, and a specific time to leave for school. Having a predictable schedule helps your child understand the importance of punctuality.
- Create a Positive Morning Environment. Make mornings enjoyable by creating a positive atmosphere at home. Encourage open communication and express your enthusiasm for the day ahead.
- Establish Clear Expectations. Clearly communicate your expectations regarding attendance and emphasise the importance of being present at school every day unless there's a valid reason for absence.
Help your child establish a positive and consistent attendance habit, setting the foundation for a successful 2024 school year.
Watch this clip by Michael Hawker for strategies to help an anxious child return to school.
MAI’s - WHERE TO FROM HERE ?
Now that all students have been assessed using the MAI, this data has been entered into the database and analysed by each teacher to determine which of the four domains should be the focus for daily Number Fluency sessions. All students from K-6 will participate in daily Number Fluency sessions to help further develop their understanding of number concepts. This regular practice will support their learning of new skills and concepts across all strands of Mathematics such as Measurement and Geometry.
Students will continue to be tracked throughout the year and the data will be updated regularly by their classroom teachers to reflect their new learning. The focus of the daily sessions will change throughout the year depending on the area of need for each class/grade.
The MAI data highlights students who are mathematically ‘vulnerable’ and these students will receive extra assistance to help accelerate their learning. The EMU (Extending Mathematical Understanding) Specialist Teacher (Karen Robson) will support teachers in planning learning experiences to cater for these needs.
EMU
Extending Mathematical Understanding - Intervention Group
In Year 1, and ‘middle years’ (Years 3 & 4) the three most ‘mathematically vulnerable’ students across the grade will take part in an intensive 10 to 20 week program which consists of 5 x 30 minute sessions per week to help accelerate their learning.
 Tess Koning Principal |
 Karen Robson Assistant Principal Learning |
 Rebecca Cameron Assistant Principal Mission |
2024 Term 1 Tuition fees have been billed to families and will appear in Compass and on your January statement. Please ensure that you use the correct St Peter’s BPAY payment details shown on your statement, if not paying via Compass. Parents may wish to set up a payment plan schudule weekly, fortnightly or monthly via BPay through internet banking (your bank institution can assist with this).
2024 St Peter's School Account, which includes Bookpacks, IT Levy, Excursion Levy etc will be billed to families shortly and will appear on your February statement.
Week 4, Term 1
| Monday 19th February |
|
| Tuesday 20th February |
5.00pm to 5.30pm - Year 2 in Classrooms 5.45pm to 6.15pm - Year 3 in Classrooms 6.30pm to 7.00pm - Year 5 in Classrooms |
| Wednesday 21st February |
5.00pm to 5.30pm - Year 1 in Classrooms 5.45pm to 6.15pm - Year 4 in Classrooms |
| Thursday 22nd February | |
| Friday 23rd February |
STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAYS AND EASTER
Thursday 28th March - Staff Spirituality Day - Staff off site - no child minding available
Friday 29th March - Good Friday
Monday 1st April - Easter Monday
Monday 29th April
Friday 31st May - Proclaim - Staff off site - no child minding available
Monday 22nd July
Friday 27th September
Monday 14th October
CAMP DATES
Year 6 Camp - 11th November to 15th November - Sydney
Year 5 Camp - 4th December to 6th December - The Great Aussie Bush Camp @ Tea Gardens
ENHANCING FAITH THROUGH SPORT
LET THE SPORT BEGIN !!
This week, we commenced a number of sporting trials for the upcoming Hastings Zone Winter Sports Trials. Our Netball trials saw over 20, Year 5 and 6 girls try out for the team. I thank Mrs Ryan, Ms Wotherspoon and Miss McKenzie for their support of the girls. We also had a large number of boys trial for our soccer team. Hockey, Rugby League, Soccer (Girls) and Rugby Union won’t require a trial and will move straight through to the Hastings Zone Trials.
I thank the huge amount of students who have come and trialled and given it a go. Teams will be announced today on Google Classroom “Years 5-6 St Peter’s Sport’. Consent and Payment will be sent out to parents via Compass on Monday.
BIG DAY FOR OUR BALLERS!
Today, we had Steele Cottom, Mandrake Auvaa and Sam Zvirzdinas at the Polding Boys Basketball Trials in Coffs Harbour. Every lunchtime, these boys and many more are on the basketball court shooting hoops and developing their skills. We wish the boys every success today, and we look forward to hearing about their achievements.
ST PETER'S SPORT - FACEBOOK PAGE
You may or not know that we have a St Peter’s Sports facebook page. This page keeps families up to date with sporting events, and provides a host of information about all things school sport. If you aren’t currently a member, please feel free to join.
UPCOMING SPORTS
Term 1, 2024
| Hastings Zone Winter Sports Trials @ Port Macquarie | Monday 19th February |
| Hastings Zone Swimming Carnival @ Macksville |
Tuesday 20th February |
| Lismore Diocese AFL Trials @ Grafton - Private Transport |
Friday 23rd February |
| Hastings Zone Winter Sports Trials - Rugby Union @ Kempsey - Private Transport |
Monday 28th February |
| Lismore Diocese Swimming Carnival @ Macksville - Private Transport |
Friday 1st March |
| Lismore Diocese Winter Sports Trials @ Grafton - Private Transport |
Friday 8th March |
| Rugby League NRL Blitz - Whole School Skills Development Day |
Tuesday 12th March |
| Mitchell Falvey Presentation - Years 5 and 6 |
Thursday 21st March |
| School Cross Country - Whole School |
Wednesday 27th March |
CHOIR
We are excited to announce that the St Peter’s Junior and Senior Choirs will commence next week.
Music is a wonderful way for children to express themselves, build self-confidence and have fun.
Junior Choir - Years 1, 2 and 3
Leader: Mrs Robyn Lawrence
Wednesdays - Lunch 1@ 11.00am in the Music Room
Senior Choir - Years 4, 5 and 6
Leader: Mrs Amy Packer
Wednesdays - Lunch 1 @ 11.00am in 3 Red
Everyone is welcome to attend the choir sessions and commit to attending the choir.
Both the Junior and Senior choirs will be performing at school events and within the community.
It’s been a fantastic week in the library with children returning to the library for 2024 and enjoying reading and borrowing. It was also lovely to see some new faces including our kindergarten classes who visited the library for the first time this week.
KINDER RED VISIT THE LIBRARY FOR THE FIRST TIME
ASHTON SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB
Issue 1 brochures have been distributed to students. Any cash payment orders need to be returned to school by 9.00am Wednesday 14th February. L.O.O.P. orders will close at 9.00pm.
PREMIER'S READING CHALLENGE
The NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge aims to encourage a love of reading for leisure and pleasure in students, and to enable them to experience quality literature. It is not a competition, rather, a challenge for entrants to read, more books, and to read from a wider choice of titles. The Challenge is open to all students from Kindergarten to Year 6 at St Peter’s.
The Challenge opens for students on 26th February, 2024 and concludes 23rd August, 2024.
- New participants cannot be uploaded until the Challenge begins.
- Students who have previously participated at St Peter’s should have a current login.
- Parents of new students wishing to participate or requiring further information will need to contact Mrs Amanda Ayres: amanda.ayres@lism.catholic.edu.au to arrange login details.
- Office staff and class teachers are unable to enrol students in the Challenge.
All relevant information relating to the challenge, including an area where parents/students are able to search the Premier’s Reading Challenge booklists, can be found on the website below:
NSW Premier's Reading Challenge 2024
Many of the titles on the book lists are available in our school library for borrowing and our local town library is also a great resource.
WEEKLY BORROWING
A timetable for class borrowing sessions is included here to assist parents with preparing their children for their allocated library borrowing session. A sturdy cloth bag or zippered folder (ideally waterproof) is required for borrowing sessions to help keep our precious Library books safe from damage and loss.
Children are also welcome to borrow on any day Mon-Thurs if they are avid readers, or were away on their usual day/time.
HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE CANTEEN !!
VOLUNTEERS PLEASE ......
Please consider volunteering for 2 hours a month to keep our busy Canteen humming along for another great year. Mondays and Wednesdays need some extra helpers - Grandparents are always welcome too!
TIME TO GET BACK INTO A HEALTHY EATING ROUTINE
THIS VISUAL MAY HELP
Click on the picture below to read the Menu
Click on the image below to order online with
Flexischools orders close at 8.30am !!
Canteen Roster
- Volunteer Working With Children Check required
- Please sign into Who's On Location (St Peter's sign in) at the front school office.
Canteen Roster - Week 3, Term 1
| Monday | HELP NEEDED |
| Tuesday | Jodie Brindle |
| Wednesday | Hayley Dwyer |
| Thursday | Freya Peck and Nita Hancock |
| Friday | Carolyn Thompson and Jodie Brindle |
| Year 1 Red | Year 1 Blue | Year 1 Green |
| Asher O'Brien Henry Cox Malia Roberts |
Angus Lineham Isaac Quinn Tasman Robinson |
Ollie Roods Noah O'Brien Zoe Harrison |
| Year 2 Red | Year 2 Blue | Year 2 Green |
| Evan Ross Catelynn Everson Theo Mass |
Rosie Temoso Maya Willoughby Jack Spry |
Aiden Close Benjamin Klein Airlie McCudden |
| Year 3 Red | Year 3 Blue | Year 3 Green |
| Zaiden Ball Aurora McNair Lydia Costello |
Max Bridle Sophie Thomas Isabella Munro |
Hudson Cerato Aiden Wilkins Matilda Webb |
| Year 4 Red | Year 4 Blue | Year 4 Green |
| Charlotte Close Anna Spence Claire Klein |
Bentley Kernahan Mia Markou Mason Pope |
Kingsley Blundell Alfred Norman Eliza Zvirzdinas |
| Year 5 Red | Year 5 Blue | Year 5 Green |
| Fletcher Bemmann Mason Duffy Matilda Spence |
Maisie Prosser Nicole Ibrahim Jaxon Cerato |
Charlotte Wilkins Harper Rowlatt Amelia Opitz |
| Year 6 Red | Year 6 Blue | Year 6 Green |
| Hugo Blume Sienna Close Ezekiel Eshman |
Alexa Bayer Ethan Ehinger Isla Garel |
Alexa Merritt Jameson Smith Steele Cottom |
