Filter Content
- Principals' Message
- Easter Mass Times
- All About Sport
- St Peter's School Account 2021
- Next Term at St Peter's
- Year 6 Peer Support Training Day
- Kathleen Briscoe Tuition Scholarship
- Thank you Vicki
- Around the School
- Canteen - Pete's Eats
- Library News
- Garden Club !!
- Glasshouse Shows
- Awards
- Supporting Children After a Natural Disaster
- Kindergarten 2022 Enrolment and School Tour
- Year 7 2022
- Adult Faith Formation
- Community Noticeboard
MISSION
Holy Week
The students in Years 3, 4 and 5 have been working hard to prepare and present special prayer services this week to celebrate the different events of Holy Week. Year 3 began on Monday with a Palm Sunday service in the Don Farrell Hall, with Year 5 presenting the events of Holy Thursday on Tuesday, and Year 4 presenting Good Friday on Wednesday. Year 6 will celebrate the resurrection on the first day back next term. Holy Week is a special time to reflect on the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus offered us, through his welcome into Jerusalem, Last Supper with friends, suffering, death, mourning and resurrection.
Stations of the Cross
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Youth Stations of the Cross usually held at Oxley Beach on Good Friday have once again been cancelled. An alternative Stations of the Cross will be held at St Agnes’ Church on Good Friday at 10am.
End of Term Prayer
We thank you Lord, for this term.
For the challenges, the successes,
and the mistakes from which we have learnt.
Be with us as we spend our time with family and friends.
Give us strength and courage to do what is right;
to be witnesses of our faith.
Help us to be a practical Christian these holidays,
to appreciate what others do for us,
to give time and effort to help others,
to be peacemakers in our family.
Keep us safe in our activities;
give us good rest and good fun.
Bring us back refreshed and ready for a new term.
We thank you for our classmates, teachers, parents
and a community that cares for us.
May we always be conscious of you in our lives.
Amen
Principal's Message
PARISH CONTINUES SUPPORT
Our parish has continued to be very active in supporting many families who have been affected recently by flooding.
Each of the schools and other parish entities have provided a huge amount of food and resources to assist those impacted through flood damage. A support outlet has been set up at 110 William Street.
St Peter’s has been very generous in supporting the snack request. The items below will go a long way to helping both victims and support people over the coming days.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
How can we continue to assist:
Supplies of toothbrushes, toothpaste, towels, soap, shampoo, conditioner and deodorant would be sincerely appreciated (smaller/travel size packs would be ideal). Please drop any items to 110 William Street, Port Macquarie, Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm.
SCHOOL GOALS FOR 2021
Below are the two school goals that we will be focusing on during 2021. These goals have been constructed, taking into account family and student feedback from last year’s surveys as well as input from staff through the latter part of 2020 and the beginning of this year.
As you may be aware, these goals are closely connected to the goals of 2019 and 2020.
This year is the final year of our three year plan.
Goal 1 Catholic Identity and Mission:
To provide opportunities to explore and apply our Catholic faith and RE learning through:
- social justice
- prayer and celebration
- connection and wellbeing
Goal 2 Learning and Teaching:
Literacy
- Improve student achievement in Writing with a focus on creating quality texts.
Numeracy
- To consolidate and embed components of the Lismore Diocesan Mathematics block (Learning Intentions, explicit teaching, warm ups, rich tasks, student reflections) in teaching programs and classroom practice.
If you would like to provide any feedback, please feel encouraged to respond through the ‘Family Feedback’ link below.
Due to a Diocesan review of the school improvement process, we will not be implementing a review at the end of this year.
It is expected that our cyclical review process will emerge again through next year.
NEXT P&F MEETING - AN IDEAS NIGHT!
Please remember our next P&F meeting, Wednesday April 21 (first week back in term 2), will be an opportunity to discuss an event/initiative to either help build our family connection or possibly raise funds to support a family directed need within the school.
The meeting is at 6.00pm in the school staffroom – everyone is welcome!
FAMILY COMMUNICATION SENT HOME MONDAY
I would like to once again pass on our very sincere thanks to the wonderful support families have provided over the last number of days in assistance to those affected by the floods.
There is some important information below, which we hope will help in organisation and planning for term 2.
School Uniform:
Please read the following Change of School Uniform - Letter to families
Child Safety Changes:
Due to unfolding changes in Child Safety legislation, our diocesan schools are requesting that any parents coming into schools are required to sign in.
- DROP OFF - If parents would like to come into the school in the morning,could you please scan the QR code (which will be available on the wall/fence prior to the entry gate), so that ‘gate greeters’ can confirm your sign in.
- PICK UP - All families are welcome to come into school and wait in the ‘Green Space’ (the top end of the school where we waited during Covid pick up) without sign in and children will come to you.
We will ring a 2:55 pm bell for children being picked up, to come out slightly earlier.
If you would like to go past the Green space to catch up with your child’s teacher – you will need to sign in through the above process and the teacher is required to view your confirmation.
We will try to ensure each class teacher comes up to the Green Space, at least once a week so you can catch up without the need to sign in.
I do apologise for this additional step, though there has become a need in some places to ensure a record is kept of people coming into school grounds.
Please don’t let this additional step prevent casual contact, which is so important in maintaining a good relationship with your child’s teacher.
New Year 2 teacher:
We welcome Jessica Alley to the Year 2 space from the beginning of Term 2 to the middle of Term 4. The current Year 2 classes are quite large and Jessica will provide a great opportunity to support children’s learning goals and engage with the current teaching team in providing more focused learning for our little people.
Best wishes for Easter:
I would like to take this opportunity to share the staff’s best wishes for all families to have a wonderful Easter, to enjoy something special as a family and to continue to keep those who face difficulty, close in your prayers and capacity to help where you can.
PARENT ASSEMBLY REPRESENTATIVE NEEDED
There is an invitation for another parent within our community, to join Amanda Thomas as School Parent Assembly representatives.
This is not a demanding role.
It requires attendance at occasional meetings and provides some support to our Class Parent Representatives in helping to determine what types of parent education options may best suit families.
Please contact the school office (6584 1962) if you have an interest and Amanda will contact you to either offer more information or confirm your service.
Thank you for considering.
STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAYS - TERM 2
Week 1 – Monday, April 19; staff completing first aid course. Limited Babysitting available. Childminding is for families unable to make alternative arrangements.
The school office will be closed on this day - children will need to be at school before the morning bell at 8.45 am and cannot be collected before 3pm.
Week 3 – Wednesday, May 5; Proclaim (Staff Spiritual Development) – Diocesan initiative. NO babysitting available as staff are offsite for part of the day.
Reminder: Staff Spirituality Day tomorrow - Thursday 1st April
NOW THAT’S A SWEET POTATO
LEARNING
HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT YOUR CHILD WITH THEIR WRITING?
In 2021, St Peter’s is focussing on improving students’ abilities in their Writing. We are doing this by critically examining teaching programs to refine the way we teach writing, engaging in professional learning and collaborating to assess and track student achievement and growth in writing.
So…what can you do? Here are 4 ideas!
- Encourage children to write, write, write! Provide many opportunities such as writing the shopping list, sending letters and cards to friends and relations, writing emails, keeping a diary, publishing personal stories, labelling photos in the family album, and leaving notes. Locating writing apps such as Book Creator. Writing should be relevant and meaningful rather than writing for the sake of writing.
- Give children opportunities to read their stories aloud (while you sit back and listen). Listen with a focus on the message they express. Comment on what they have done well, for example: ‘I enjoyed how you used interesting words such as X, Y, Z.’ ‘The character you created seems so real. I can imagine how he looks.’ Leave comments about spelling, punctuation, and grammar to another time — they are important if and when it is to be published.
- Draw children’s attention to how writing is presented, for example, on brochures, billboards, books, and electronic media — these are models of writing for real purposes.
- Create a community of writers. Provide a quiet place for writing with lots of writing materials. Leave notes for each other, write poems for your children, and send messages in lunch containers. Play writing games, for example, one person writes the beginning, another the middle and the other the end of a family story. Write together.
Geoff Leary Principal |
Karen Robson Assistant Principal Learning |
Rebecca Cameron Assistant Principal Mission |
Upcoming Registration
Upcoming registration for the following sports
Rugby Union (Years 5 & 6) |
Wednesday April 21 |
1st lunch eating time in 4 Red. |
League Training
League Training will continue in Week 1 of Term 2.
Wednesdays | Years 3 & 4 |
Fridays | Years 5 & 6 |
Winter Sports Trials
On Tuesday and Wednesday, we had a large number of students attend the Lismore Diocese Winter Sports in Grafton (Netball, Hockey, Football, Rugby League).
I will post information about the event on our St Peter’s Facebook Page when they come to hand.
Sporting Schools Term 1
Due to the wet weather recently, Years 1 and 6 will complete their final Touch Football session during Week 1 or 2 of Term 2.
Sporting Schools Term 2- Breaking News!
This week, we received confirmation that we have been awarded a Term 2 Sporting Schools grant for $3,200.00. Our total grant money has been $6,400.00 thus far which has allowed us to bring in specific sporting coaches and buy sporting resources.
Congratulations
Over a number of years, through the Sporting Schools Government Grants, we have been fortunate to have Touch Football run at our school. We have been very blessed to have Tahney Luck as our Coach. Tahney Luck has represented Australia at the World Championships and NSW just to name a few sporting accolades. Tahney has recently been selected in the NSW Mixed 30’s side which will be played in Coffs Harbour in June. On behalf of St Peter’s, we would like to wish you the very best.
Run with Presty!
We kicked off our running program “Run with Presty” this week. Preston Davis is an outstanding long distance runner and is sharing his talents with his peers on each Tuesday at second lunch. There were a good number of students from all year levels who came along to learn new skills to improve their running. Today Preston worked on warm up drills and quick feet. Thanks Preston, you were awesome.
Siren has sounded for ¼ time
Thank you to all families as we end Term 1 Sport. It’s fantastic to see families back at our sporting events. Term 2 will be very busy with the following events:
Date TBC |
Diocesan Winter Trials Rugby Union will now be played in Term 2. |
Grafton |
Wednesday 28th April New Date ! |
Zone Cross Country |
Bowraville |
Thursday 29th April |
NRL Local Gala Day - Years 3 to 6 |
Port Macquarie |
Modnay 24th May |
School Athletics Carnival |
MacKillop Senior Campus |
Wednesday 26th May |
Diocesan Cross Country |
Coffs Harbour |
Thursday 3rd June |
Diocesan Rugby Union Or Union Gala Day |
Coffs Harbour |
Jeff Arkinstall - Leader of Sport
St Peter's School Account 2021
...now due...
Thank you to the many families who have finalised their account already.
For accounts not finalised to date, please continue to make regular payments via BPay, EFTPOS, Direct deposit, cash or cheque. Please contact the school office if you require assistance with this.
The St Peter's School Account 2021 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.
NEXT TERM !!
Term 2 - Week 1
Monday 19th April |
Limited childminding available for those families unable to make alternative arrangements. Bookings close Friday 9th April |
Tuesday 20th April |
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Wednesday 21st April |
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Thursday 22nd April |
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Friday 23rd April |
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Sunday 25th April |
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Monday 26th April |
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Tuesday 27th April |
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Wednesday 28th April |
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Thuursday 29th April |
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Friday 30th April |
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Monday 19th April |
Staff Development Day - First Aid |
Wednesday 5th May | Proclaim Lismore |
Monday 12th July | Staff Devlopment Day - TBC |
Tuesday 5th October | Staff Devlopment Day - TBC |
Year 6 Peer Support Training Day
Year 6 have been fortunate in being able to have our Peer Support Training Day at The Francis Retreat in Bonny Hills. The training day will be held Monday 26 April, 2021 (Week 2, Term 2). All children will need to bring their hats, water bottles, recess and packed lunch. The children will travel by bus to Bonny Hills, leaving school at 8.45am and returning by 2.45pm in time for afternoon buses and parent pick up. The cost for the bus will be $12.00 per student. Please click the link below to receive the permission slip and payment details due 22nd April. |
Kathleen Briscoe Tuition Scholarship
Expressions of Interest Form
Year 6 Families have the opportunity to apply for the Kathleen Briscoe Tuition Scholarship.
Forms were sent home with families this week.
Kinder Easter Bunny Visit
Kinder staff had fun watching the kindies discover that the Easter bunny had delivered eggs and baby chicks into their Easter baskets while they were out doing PE yesterday.
Year 2 Easter Craft
Many of the Year 2 families joined an Easter craft workshop this morning. Some great pictures and a welcomed return to families in classrooms.
Canteen RosterThank you again to all the parents and Grandparents that have volunteered for the canteen.
Please see the Roster below - Week 1, TERM 2
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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
Premier’s Reading Challenge - PRC 2021
The PRC has now begun, and runs until August 20. See below for information from the official website. The challenge is open to all students from K-6.
If you would like more information visit:
2021 NSW Premier's Reading Challenge“The 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 but a challenge to each student to read, to read more and to read more widely.”
If you would like your child/ren to participate, please contact the school with their full name and birthdate granting permission for me to obtain their login details. Existing logins from previous years should still be active, unless your child/ren have moved to St Peter’s this year.
Borrowing Timetable
Fran Cullen - Librarian
There is wonderful news from the greenhouse today!
This year students will have the opportunity to see the following shows at The Glasshouse.
The cost for these shows has been included in your 2021 St Peter's School Account.
All children are expected to attend. Please don't make other appointments on these days.
Student numbers attending these shows are submitted to The Glasshouse well in advance and unfortunately refunds for NON attendance cannot be given unless in exceptional circumstances.
Year 1 Blue | Year 1 Green | |
Chloe Barnes Mabel Smith Natalie Tarbox |
Zeke Boulet Livinia Wehlow |
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Year 2 Red | Year 2 Green | |
Jasmin Dickinson Marcus Thompson Toby Dwyer |
William Kee Sandon Lickley Jasper Luck |
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Year 3 Red | Year 3 Blue | Year 3 Green |
Lilly Goulding Emily Kelemec Zoe Brice |
Asher Winters Emma Pelley Archie Mallam |
Alexa Merritt Beth Lucas Ayla Vonbun |
Year 4 Red | Year 4 Blue | Year 4 Green |
Alice Eakin George Conway Julian Geddes Taj Patterson Angus Hawkes Zy Hogan |
Ruby Rule Summer Macey Jaxon Radford Judd Charet |
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Year 5 Red | Year 5 Blue | Year 5 Green |
Ruby Ford Gene Lucas Nate Walsh |
Harrison Price Oliver Parker Sam Brazel Ryder Colthorpe |
Oliver Laundry Jayden Atkins Chelsea Brown Alex Clarke Liam Ayres Elysa Blemith Leila Castles Riley Garel Lilli Wills |
Year 6 Red | Year 6 Blue | Year 6 Green |
Daniel Zhong Rhys Kendal |
Zeke Anderson Lara Smith Aidan Wadwell |
Izabella McVerry Preston Davis Isaac Woolfe |
Supporting Children After a Natural Disaster
'Helpful Tips' after our recent floods...
Children react to the impact of natural disasters in different ways, as do adults. No two people will experience or respond to a natural disaster in the same way. With children, you may notice that they are more reliant on you for comfort and support whilst navigating their reactions to the current natural disaster. Coping with these traumatic events yourself while also trying to support your children may prove to be somewhat overwhelming. Here are some changes to look out for that may indicate your child is struggling, as well as some ideas on how to assist in the upcoming days, weeks and months.
Indicators that your child might be struggling
- changes in their play, drawing, dreams or spontaneous conversations
- regressive behaviour – children behaving younger than they normally do
- talking constantly about the floods
- nightmares
- anxiety about sleeping alone or trouble getting to sleep
- irritability, anger or tantrums
- eating less/more or fussy eating
- tummy or other aches
- withdrawing
- wanting to stay close to a parent
- problems concentrating at school
Helpful Tips on how to Respond
- Make sure you are coping. Taking good care of yourself and discussing your own disaster reactions with a trusted friend, family member or trained professional may make it easier for you to respond to your child’s needs.
- Provide Stability. Maintain regular routines where possible, including regular eating, sleeping, schooling and exercise schedules.
- Offer Reassurance. Provide a calm and supportive environment where you listen and talk to them about their worries or concerns.. Reassure them that they are safe and cared for.
- Normalise their Response. Encourage your child to express how they are feeling. This is part of the healing process. It is important to acknowledge and respect your child’s emotions. Your child may find a sense of relief in knowing that their reactions are normal.
- Limit Exposure. Limit your child’s exposure to television or other sources of information about the disaster.
- Encourage Calmness. Use coping strategies to assist children to reduce their worries such as blowing bubbles, using stress balls, deep breathing exercises and relaxation activities.
Below is a link to a video that may help to open the doors of communication with your children. It is a story of the reality of floods but also a message of kindness, generosity and community spirit.
Flood by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley
Please do not hesitate to reach out if we can be of any assistance. We are here to help.
The Pastoral Care Team
If you need support outside of school hours, one of the below services may be able to assist you:
Lifeline - 131114
Mental Health Access Line - 1800 011 511
Kids Helpline - 1800 55 1800
Beyondblue - 1300 22 44 36
Parentline NSW - 1300 1300 52
Kindergarten 2022 Enrolment and School Tour
UPCOMING KINDER 2022 TOUR
Please Register for
School Tour HERE
As part of the enrolment process for Kinder 2022 there is a timeline of opportunities for parents to gain an informed idea of the environment they wish their child to be educated within.
To this end, there will be a Kindergarten Parent Tour at St Peter’s as well as our other parish primary schools.
St Peter's Tour date :
- Thursday, April 22 - 4:30 pm (meet at front gate)
Please pass on this information to any families who may be interested.
YEAR 7 2022 ENROLLING NOW FOR...
ST JOSEPH’S REGIONAL COLLEGE AND MACKILLOP COLLEGE
Year 7 2022 online Enrolment Application portal opened on Monday, 22nd March 2021.
Please complete your application at the links below
St Joseph’s Regional College St Joseph's Regional - Enrol here
MacKillop College MacKillop College - Enrol here
It would be appreciated if Online Enrolments can be submitted prior to the 25th April 2021.
YEAR 7 2022 INFORMATION AND OPEN EVENING DATES
St Joseph’s Regional College Hall on Monday 26th April at 5.00pm
MacKillop College Hall (Ocean Drive) on Tuesday 27th April at 6.00pm.
Parents and children are encouraged to attend.
Have you ever wanted to do an on-line faith-based course that is of good quality, time convenient and cost effective, and didn’t know where to go?
Recently, the Lismore Diocese, along with over 100 dioceses world-wide including four others in Australia, entered into a partnership with the Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation (VLCFF) at the University of Dayton. This gives everyone within the Lismore Diocese, whether school parent, parishioner, volunteer or paid worker, access to over 100 good quality on-line courses, which are time convenient and cost effective.
If you are wanting to do a course of your choosing and interest, in only three to five weeks, at a cost of approximately $A65, in leadership, catechesis, Catholic doctrine, church history, ecclesiology, ministry, Marian studies, liturgy, sacraments, prayer, morality, scripture, social justice, special needs, spirituality, youth ministry or other annual topics, then visit the VLCFF page through the Our Faith tab of the St Agnes’ Catholic Parish Port Macquarie website for further information.
See the Adult Faith Formation Information Flyer for more information or to discuss options, please contact Tony Worner, VLCFF.LismoreDiocese@stagnesparish.org.au