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- Principals' Message
- Next Week at St Peter's
- Our Year 6 Leaders
- Year 6 2021 Sport Shirt
- Digital Technologies and Devices
- All About Sport
- Positive Behaviour Support - PBS
- Fun Fact Friday
- P & F MEETING RESCHEDULED
- St Peter's School Account
- Library News
- Canteen - Pete's Eats
- Clothing Pool
- St Agnes' Parish
- Play4Jake
- Nut Free Policy Environment
- St Peter's Family Information Book
- Road Safety Education
- Awards
- Community Noticeboard
OUR LITTLE PEOPLE HIT BIG SCHOOL
We have a lovely new group of 65 Kindergarten children who took their first big step into primary education yesterday. Their first day was a mix of excitement and nervous anticipation to the days ahead. They seemed comfortable in the ‘bigger person’ space and many have already delved into exploring new friendships that may last for many years.
I would really like to extend a warm thank you to families for making this day such an occasion, to staff for the very warm way they looked after our little people and to our Year 1-6 children, who consistently provide a very embracing environment to our Kinder people.
THE CHASE!
You may recognise one from the gallery ‘chased.’ Someone well known within our community makes good ground on the popular TV show. Stay tuned!
ASSEMBLY - NEW FAMILIES WELCOMED
We had our first Assembly today and welcomed new families to St Peter’s.
Our plan is to continue conducting Assemblies on even School weeks (2,4,6,8 & 10).
We are still unable to open up our Assemblies to families. We will let you know as soon as this changes.
NEW FAMILIES - MAKING CONNECTIONS
Mrs Rebecca Cameron (AP/Mission and Mrs Bec Eakin P&F President) have been busy organising a special welcome for our new families, where they will have the chance to make some new connections.
Check out the article in MISSION below, which outlines the details.
Special thanks to the ‘Becs’ for thinking of our new families and helping to make an easy transition for newcomers to our school.
P&F MEETING - ONE MORE WEEK
It is difficult to remember the last time we had a Parent and Friends’ open meeting. It was very early last year…..
Unfortunately this week the meeting was postponed and will now be held next Wednesday evening at 6.00pm. This meeting will follow our Kindergarten parent meeting at 5.00pm in the hall. It may be a good opportunity for any new Kinder parents to join us for a short P&F meeting afterward.
STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAYS FOR YOUR PLANNING
The following Staff Development Days have been tentatively planned:
Friday 26th February |
Professional Development supporting improvement in student Writing - Lyn Sharratt Diocesan initiative Childminding will be available for this day please register on the link below: |
Thursday 1st April | Staff Spirituality (Catholic Schools Office) |
Monday 19th April | Staff First Aid Compliance |
PASTORAL CARE - CONTINUUM OF CARE
Our staff, students and families will be given an opportunity over the next 4–5 weeks to review and validate St Peter’s Pastoral Care – Continuum of Care.
This very important document sets out the ways our school supports the growth and development of each student, whilst building a very strong and positive connection between the school, families in our community and our environment.
The Pastoral Care – Continuum of Care document will be presented to the P&F meeting this Wednesday and is attached as a link for your viewing.
PASTORAL CARE CONTINUUM OF CARE 2020
The document and a response link will be attached in Postman Pete in two weeks time for you to provide any comment or suggestion in supporting the development of this document.
MISSION
Kinder welcome
It was lovely to meet our new Kindergarten (and existing) parents yesterday as their little ones attended big school for the first time! Many were able to join us for a cuppa and a chat afterwards, which is always a lovely end to a very busy morning! Many thanks to Kate Perkins, Kaylie Davis and Bec Eakin for your awesome organisation and hosting!
Welcome for new families
We enjoyed meeting members of our new St Peter’s families at assembly today and particularly enjoyed finding out a little more about our new St Peter’s classmates! We are so thrilled that they have joined us!
We would like to invite our new families along to a morning-tea on Monday 22nd February following morning assembly to get to know each other. Something really special about St Peter’s is the connection our families build with the school and each other, with many lifelong friendships blossoming at the school gates!
Prayer for Community God our maker, We praise you for the gift of community. Thank you for the communities in which we work and live. Thank you for the community that is your Body, the Church. Fill us with Your Spirit today so that, as one, we reflect your light and love to each other and to the world. In Christ we pray, Amen |
Year 6 Leaders
It has been such a privilege to see our brand new Year 6 students start to unfurl their leadership wings this week! They have approached the beginning of their senior year with positivity and enthusiasm, already modeling PBS values and setting a great example for their younger peers. It was particularly heartwarming to see their interactions with their Kinder buddies yesterday and today. The relationship between a Year 6 student and their kinder buddy is unique and special, as demonstrated on Wednesday before school when some of our Year 6’s from last year came across to visit and were enveloped with great big hugs from their old kinder buddies!
Well done for a great start to the year, Year 6!
Year 6 enjoying time with their new kinder buddies!
LEARNING
What is MAI and why do we do it?
The Maths Assessment Interview (MAI) is a terrific opportunity for your child to demonstrate in a one on one situation what they can do in Mathematics and it gives their teacher a wealth of information on what your child knows, what they can articulate and how they go about solving mathematical problems. This assessment focuses on four main areas of Mathematics - Counting, Place Value, Addition/Subtraction and Multiplication/Division. It is designed to provide the teaching team with valuable data which is then used to guide our teaching. This information is entered into a database that allows us to track the progress of each student and target learning experiences at their point of need.
Our aim is to provide engaging learning experiences that help the students develop a conceptual understanding of numbers ie. understanding that each ‘number’ consists of a numeral/symbol (eg.7), a name (eg. seven) and a quantity (eg. ///////). Many children learn to count rote (just like learning the words to a song). The problem with this is that they may not develop an understanding of the number concepts. They will often not be able to give the number before or after, or understand the concepts of ‘more/less than’ and will experience difficulty grasping addition, subtraction, multiplication and division skills without this foundational knowledge.
Safer Internet Day
Next Tuesday 9th February is ‘Safer Internet Day’ in our Diocese and there are some Free Parent Webinars - eSafety Parents can register for free webinars focusing on cyberbullying and online drama.
The live webinars will cover:
• starting conversations with your child about their online friendships and positive ways to deal with changing relationships.
• understanding the rights, laws and community expectations that govern social media use.
• where to seek help if your child is involved in a cyberbullying incident.
To register go to: https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/webinars
Register for the Office of eSafety live webinars for parents and carers on how to support young people to have safe and respectful online relationships and what to do if things go wrong.
Dates/Times:
Tuesday 9 February | 7.30pm - 8.30pm |
Wednesday 10 February | 12.30pm - 1.30pm |
Wednesday 10 February | 7.30pm - 8.30pm |
Monday 15 February | 12.30pm - 1.30pm |
Geoff Leary Principal |
Karen Robson Assistant Principal Learning |
Rebecca Cameron Assistant Principal Mission |
Monday 8th February |
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Tuesday 9th February |
Year 1 - 5pm; Year 3 - 5.45pm; Year 5 - 6.30pm
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Wednesday 10th February |
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Thursday 11th February |
Year 2 - 5pm; Year 4 - 5.45pm; Year 6 - 6.30pm
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Friday 12th February |
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Monday 15th February |
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Tuesday 16th February |
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Thursday 18th February |
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Friday 19th February |
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Monday 22nd February |
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Thursday 25th February |
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Friday 26th February |
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Friday 26th February |
Staff Development Day - Writing Childminding will be available on this day. Please register on the link below: |
Thursday 1st April | Staff Spirituality Day |
Monday 19th April | Staff Development Day - First Aid |
YEAR 6 CLASS OF 2021 SPORT SHIRT
SECOND SHIRT ORDER....
Once again this year, all Year 6 students will be provided with a Class of 2021 sports shirt, subsidised by the P & F as part of their end of year donation.
If you wish to order a SECOND shirt the order form was sent out to Year 6 Families on Wednesday.
Any second shirt MUST be ordered and paid for by Monday 8th February, 2021.
Orders received after this time cannot be processed.
Digital Technologies and Devices
Years 2 to 6
Students from Years 2 to 6 received a copy of the Digital Technologies Policy on Wednesday.
Parents are asked to please read the policy with their child/children to become familiar with expectations and responsibilities when using technology at school.
Both parents and students are required to sign and return the Parent Agreement and Student Agreement, located on the second last page of the document.
These signed agreements must be returned to school to allow your child to BYOD, use our school devices and access the internet.
Signed agreements are due by Monday 8th February 2021.
COMMUNITY SPORT
On our St Peter's Sport Facebook page, a number of families have posted information about sporting clubs in the community. This will hopefully assist new families to St Peter’s and also any families wanting to know more about local sports.
HERE WE GO !
A really exciting week to see sport back up and running at St Peter’s. This week we had a huge amount of Year 5 and 6 students register for the sports of Netball, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Hockey and Soccer. Boys soccer trials commenced on Wednesday with Mr Murtagh. Netball trials will be on shortly and we will notify your child and also place details on our St Peter’s Sport Facebook Page.
Thank you again to Mr Murtagh and Miss Mckenzie for supporting these trials.
GOOD LUCK
Good luck to Noah Pociask who is trialling in Newcastle for a spot in the Polding Boys Tennis Team.
LETTERS OF INTEREST
On Monday Week 3, I will visit Years 3-6 students asking if any child would like to participate in the NRL All Schools Rugby League Gala Day (potentially days). The competition will consist of a Year 3-4 team and a Years 5-6 Team representing our school at a local Rugby League Gala Day. If one or both teams win the day, they will be invited to a Northern Rugby League Gala Day in Coffs Harbour (Private transport). If one or both teams win the Northern Final, they will be invited to the All Schools State Final in Sydney (Private Transport). A note will be sent home for those students who are interested and we ask the “Approval to train” part of the form be returned to Mr Arkinstall. Mr Leary will then commence training shortly with students.
READY TO HIT THE WATER
Swimming notes have been sent home with each member of our swimming team. Could you please ensure the form and money is returned by the due date Wednesday 10th February.
STAGE SPORT
Stage Sport commenced this week with students participating in class sport. This is a wonderful opportunity for students and staff to enjoy getting out and active in a wide variety of games and sports. Class Sport will continue in Week 3, before we move to Cross Country Training in Week 4.
ST PETER'S SPORT FACEBOOK PAGE
Families can also access a wide range of information about St Peter’s Sports on its Facebook Page. The Facebook page Iink is: St Peter's Sports
SPORTING SCHOOLS
Year 1 and Year 6 will commence their Touch Football Program in Week 5. We are very fortunate to have Tahney Luck running this program. Her knowledge and experience with touch football is amazing and we are blessed to have an Australian Representative teaching our students.
I’m awaiting confirmation from the provider for Year 3’s Sporting Schools Sport.
AROUND THE GROUNDS
A number of our students represented Port Macquarie Little Athletics in Tamworth recently and came back with some great results.
Preston Davis - Year 6 | 2nd in 1500m and 800m |
Sebastian Thomas - Year 4 | 1st in Discus, High Jump, Shot Put and 800m |
Ayla Vonbun - Year 3 | 2nd in 60m Hurdles |
REBEL SPORT COMMUNITY BENEFITS PROGRAM
Did you know Rebel Sport has a Community Benefits Program? To become a member of this program, all you need to do is pop into Rebel Sport and sign up for the free program, but please make sure you link your card to St Peter’s Primary School. 5% of sales will then go to St Peter’s, where the money is spent on sporting equipment for our kids.
ANY SPORT QUESTIONS?
It seems every week at our school, there is always something sporty happening. If you have any sport related questions, please feel free to contact me on jeff.arkinstall@lism.catholic.edu.au
Polding Summer Sports Trials |
Friday 5th February 1st B/U Date 12th February 2nd B/U Date 5th March |
Tamworth and Newcastle |
Zone Swimming Carnival |
Monday 15th February B/U Date 17th February |
Macksville |
Diocesan AFL Trials |
Friday 19th February B/U Date 23rd February |
Grafton |
Zone Winter Trials Netball, Soccer (Boys & Girls), Union, League (Open & 11's), Hockey |
Monday 22nd February |
Port Macquarie |
Diocesan Swimming |
Friday 26th February B/U Date 2nd March |
Murwillumbah |
School Cross Country |
Wednesday 10th March |
St Peter's |
Diocesan Winter Trials |
Friday 12th March 1st B/U Date 19th March 2nd B/U Date 26th March |
Grafton |
Jeff Arkinstall - Leader of Sport
Positive Behaviour Support - PBS
PBS Fortnightly Focus-Revisiting our 4 Values
At St Peter’s Primary School, we believe that all students, their families and staff have the right to a safe, respectful and supportive learning environment. We all (staff, students and families) share a responsibility to teach, foster, promote and encourage positive behaviours from all students.
At St Peter’s Primary School we have adopted a whole school approach to encourage positive behaviour; “Positive Behaviour Support”(PBS). We focus on proactive strategies for defining, teaching and supporting appropriate student behaviours in order to enhance learning. This approach provides a positive school climate which ensures personal, social, emotional, spiritual and academic growth for our students.
What is PBS? Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) is a whole school approach that actively promotes positive behaviour. It enables students to develop a clear understanding of required expectations, become responsible for their own behaviour and work together to create a positive, productive and harmonious learning community. Our school wide expectations are; At St Peter’s we are: Respectful, Safe, Learners and Like Jesus.
PBS is a data driven approach. Therefore, what we learn from the data, such as, specific inappropriate behaviours which we need to address, affects what we do throughout the school in PBS. A PBS committee meets regularly to organise the implementation of PBS and review the data. Each fortnight the school will have an area of focus that involves explicit teaching and support of positive behaviours. Teachers and students will participate in lessons each fortnight that involve discussion, role-play and reflection.
Next fortnight’s focus-Our Vivo Rewards System
Briody Tarbox and Kyrah Dal Santo
PBS Team
Welcome Back to School and to Fun Fact Friday!
I hope that you and your families had an enjoyable and relaxing break and are ready for an exciting new year ahead. The transition back to school can be an exciting time for some kids yet challenging for others. Here are some helpful tips from the Beyond Blue website to make the transition back as smooth as possible.
- Get your child involved in planning their lunches and snacks.
- For anxious kids, plenty of detail can be calming. Talk through the steps of getting to their classroom: "And then we hang up our bag on our hook; we say hi to our friends; we find our seat...etc"
- Stick to familiar routines as much as possible. Try to have a calm evening and allow more time to settle before bedtime if your child is feeling excited or nervous about school.
- Get back into the school-day routine prior to school returning – waking up, eating and going to bed at regular times.
- Help your child pack their bag the night before. A visual checklist can help them remember what they need to take. Lay out their clothes so everything’s ready for the morning.
- Allow some extra time to get ready on day one so you’re not rushing.
- And finally, it is important for parents and carers to be mindful of their own attitude and behaviour. The start of the school year can be a nervous time for parents and carers as much as kids, but it’s important for these VIP’s to try and keep their own anxiety levels under control. The more parents and carers can stay calm and positive about the school experience the better. After all, parents and carers are a child’s first teacher!
If you would like to submit a referral please click on this link to the - St Peter's Pastoral Care Referral Form or if you would like additional support or information please contact me on 6584 1962 or via my email at katie.files@lism.catholic.edu.au. I am here Monday-Friday.
Have a great weekend!!
P & F MEETING Wednesday 10th February 6.00pm in the School Staffroom ALL WELCOME !! |
Invoices will be sent home to all families next week
The account covers such expenses as :
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Bookpack 2021 |
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Excursions - eg: Glasshouse, end of year swimming carnival (Years 3-6) (NOTE - some years may be billed separately for excursions not included the School Account) |
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IT Levy - eg: - Reading Eggs (Kinder - Year 2), Maths online (Yrs 3 - 6) and Sound Waves (Years 4, 5, 6) |
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Dance Program - Whole school 10 Week Dance Program (Term 3) |
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Year 6 Sport Shirt (Year 6 only) |
Parents are encouraged to make regular payments via BPay, EFTPOS, Direct deposit, cash or cheque.
Regular payments per week per child will ensure the account is paid by the due date. Many families have already set up their regular payments and are starting the year in credit.
The St Peter's School Account is separate to the St Agnes' Parish Fees Account.
For any families facing financial hardship fee assistance is available through
St Agnes' Parish - St Agnes' Parish Link or contact the school office.
Year 5 and Year 6 Camps
Parents of children in Year 5 and Year 6 are encouraged to commence making payments towards their childs camp.
Regular payments will alleviate a large cost later in the year.
Library Timetable - Term 1
Ashton Scholastic Book Club
Closes Tuesday 16th February
Issue 1 brochures have been handed to students this week. When paying by cash, please return the completed order form with the correct amount enclosed in an envelope clearly marked “Book Club” with your child’s name and class. Please return by 9.00am on/or before the closing date.
Online orders can be placed as per instructions on the bottom of the order form. Access to online orders closes at 9.00pm, 16th February.
All orders will be collated & processed on the closing date, and purchases are generally delivered to the school within 2 weeks.
Overdue Library books from 2020
I’ve given most of the students a reminder about their overdue books this week, and sent a follow up email to parents & carers. Please contact me if we need to make an arrangement for lost book/s.
Fran Cullen - Librarian
Canteen RosterThere is a limited number of vacancies on the 2021 Roster. Please contact the office or Mrs Robins if you are interested !! The Roster will be sent out to families once it is finalised. With some COVID-19 restrictions in place volunteers in the canteen will be limited to Thursdays and Fridays ONLY at this stage. As the Term progresses Monday, Tuesdays and Wednesdays will be included. Please see the Roster below - Week 3
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Pete's Eats Open for Lunch 1 and Lunch 2
MILKSHAKES !!!
Strawberry, Vanilla, Chocolate
50 cents
LUNCH 1 ONLY
or place your order as normal on a lunch bag!
Debbie Robins - Canteen Manager
Clothing Pool Volunteer Would be Appreciated
Unfortunatley we have not had anyone volunteer to look after out "Clothing Pool" - second hand school clothes.
At this stage the Clothing Pool will only be available by appointment on a Wednesday.
The Clothing Pool provides an invaluable service to our families, if you are interested in becoming the new Clothing Pool Volunteer please see the school office.
Jake Spurdle
Last weekend was a great weekend for our ex St Peter's student Jake Spurdle. With his favourite footy team "Souths" in town.
Golf Friday, Dinner Friday Night, Wheelchair Rugby and then a 2 hour home visit from Adam Reynolds !! 20 Rabbitohs Legends came up for the weekend and lots of community support !!!!
It is our intention to endeavour to make our school environment as safe as possible for all.
One of our most urgent concerns have been for a small group of children who have a severe allergy to peanuts. Exposure to nut products for these children will trigger a serious reaction. Such a reaction could be fatal if not treated quickly and appropriately. For this reason we are asking your co-operation to help reduce the risk for these children.
Our school encourages a Nut Free Environment. In real terms this meas not including:
- Peanut Butter
- Nutella
- Foods which contain nuts (eg: crunchy nut biscuits/muesli bars with nuts)
Please refer to St Peter's Information Book - Page 27
St Peter's Family Information Book
Our St Peter's Family Information Book contains a lot of useful information for parents new or old. It is available on our website or on the following link. St Peter's Family Information Book Please take some time to familarise yourself with the day to day running of our school. |
Year 1 Blue | Year 1 Green | |
Eli Awad Molly Pearce Audrina Stone |
Annabelle Gregory Marlee McKeand Franklin Crilley |
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Year 2 Red | Year 2 Green | |
Fletcher Bemmann George Britten Mollie Green |
Gabriella De Somma Maisie Prosser Thomas Tarbox |
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Year 3 Red | Year 3 Blue | Year 3 Green |
Zoe Brice Logan Maitland Elliot Gardoll |
Archie Mallam Max Swanson Parsha Looby |
Ella Wheatley Alexa Merritt Harrison Insall |
Year 4 Red | Year 4 Blue | Year 4 Green |
Samuel Tarbox Alanna Walker Indi Easton |
Sebastain De Somma Xander Godfrey Mason Caltabiano |
Nikita Poltorasky Reuben Lucey Sonny Shipway |
Year 5 Red | Year 5 Blue | Year 5 Green |
Layla Fel Eli Tink Tahlia Arnold |
Ned Britten Hannah Scarr Tahlia Sutherland |
Jeremy Mills Harrison Ebbs Tobias Rowlatt |
Year 6 Red | Year 6 Blue | Year 6 Green |
Imogen Thompson Jack Hartley Zoe Mizzi |
Jaxon Waser Lucas Morris Bailey Rowlatt |
Ruby Merritt Jude Vasilescu Peter Duffy |
APDA - Port Macquarie Physie & Dance
Port Macquarie Football Club
Trial Bay Triathlon Club
Port United Soccer
Drama
Calling all Drama Queens/Kings!
This is for Kindergarten to Year 3.
Lisa Gilchrist