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Dear Families
Welcome to November! We only have 6 weeks left of Term 4, the time is going by so quickly.
Next week our country celebrates NAIDOC Week. The National Aborigines and Islander Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) was formed in the 1920’s to increase the awareness of Australians in regards to the plight of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. NAIDOC week celebrates the achievements, history and cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and is being celebrated this year from Sunday 8 November to Sunday 15 November. The theme for 2020 is ‘Always Was, Always Will Be’ and is an opportunity for Diocese of Sale Catholic Education Limited (DOSCEL) and our school communities to uphold this tradition and continue to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and cultures. Our school community acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander’s continuous occupation and sacred connection to this land that has lasted for many thousands of years.
We look forward to welcoming a lovely group of 16 Foundation students for 2021. Orientation will look a little different for these families. DOSCEL has said that we can only welcome future Foundation students in small groups, so the plan is:
Tues Nov 24th Virtual Parent Information Session 9.30 to 10.30
Tues Dec 1st Group 1 9am to 10.55am, Group 2 11.30am to 1.25
Tues Dec 8th Group 1 9am to 10.55am, Group 2 11.30am to 1.25
Students need to bring a snack, hat and bottle of water.
The state-wide orientation day is Tues Dec 8th so all students will spend some time in their new classroom and with their new teacher on this day.
2020 has certainly been a very different year. Our camping program has not been able to operate as we would have liked. We are however planning a Special Outdoor Learning Activity Day for Gr 4 students at school on Tuesday December 15th. We are also planning a special Gr 2/3 activity day at school on Thursday December 3rd.
Swimming I conducted a parent survey a few weeks ago asking parents about their expectations for Term 4 2020. Overwhelmingly I heard that parents wanted a refocus on literacy and numeracy given we have missed so much school because of COVID-19. So with this in mind, we have rescheduled our swimming program to next year. Any money that has already been paid for swimming 2020 will be reimbursed to your account. We look forward to returning to our normal programs next year.
Photos Remember school photos tomorrow. Students need the Photos Envelope (with the money inside it) to give to the photographer tomorrow. If you would like a family photo you will need to get a Family Photo Envelope from reception. The photographer will not be taking group photos but instead will take individual photos and then present these photos together on one page for a class photo.
Website www.trafalgar.catholic.edu.au Please go to our website and check out:
- Resilience Video Clip (parents and students feature on this)
- Book Week Video Clip (go to News and Events tab) and
- Literacy Parent Information Session (go to the Learning and Teaching tab)
Drinking Fountains
Until further notice, students should not drink from drinking fountains in schools. Students need to bring their own water bottle for use (and refilling) at school please.
New Carline Procedure for Term 4
New COVID safe Procedure for carline at the end of the day for Term 4: From 3pm, if you are parked next to the yellow safety rail at the side of the school, you are welcome to ring Vicki on 56331151 and let her know that you are in carline and ask for your children to be sent to carline (you will not need to get out of the car). We will have a staff member at the carline gate. This will allow for a more staggered approach to pick up.
SAFETY IS OUR PRIORITY.
All children who are eligible to receive the sacrament of Confirmation have had a family resource kit emailed to their home. Parents are invited to work through this resource with their child to help develop a deeper understanding of Confirmation as a beginning for their child's preparation. We are warmly welcome to join in with the Warragul parishes too for our workshops. These workshops will all be virtual. At this stage, it is highly unlikely that Confirmation will be celebrated in large groups in the church and it seems that no Confirmation celebrations will occur until at least 2021.
Please feel free to ring the school and speak to Mrs Balfour or Mrs Mulqueen if you have any questions regarding Confirmation.
Remember in Term 4 icy poles are sold for $1 on Fridays on the back veranda. Students can only buy one icy pole each unless they are buying for their sibling too.
Students who display artistic strengths are invited to participate in 5 one hour art sessions over 5 weeks. Students are given an opportunity to explore different artistic ideas whilst using a variety of materials. They are able to choose what they would like to investigate and research in each session. Students can choose to create in 2D or 3D with the use of technology incorporated into each session and they can choose to work collaboratively or individually. The teacher acts as a facilitator and mentor to the students and at the end of the 5 weeks students reflect on their learning.
Because we were successful in obtaining the One Good Community Grant through GPHN (Gippsland Primary Health Network) we are now able to offer more opportunities to students for this program. We are very grateful to the Federal Government for this money and will put it to especially good use.
After very careful consideration, the staff have set the class structure for 2021. The structure is: F/1, Gr 1/2, Gr 2/3, Gr 4/5 & Gr 5/6.
We are beginning the process of planning our class lists for the 2021 school year. Whilst this is an onerous and time-consuming task, we are blessed to have such a knowledgeable staff who are aware of each student’s individual needs and work collaboratively to make professional judgements in relation to class planning and student placement. When deciding our individual class structures, a number of factors are taken into account, which include: • Student’s social, emotional, academic and physical development • Student’s cognitive development • Student relationships • Family dynamics, eg. sibling placement • Teacher knowledge, skill and expertise • Enrolment numbers at the various levels • Practical resources, such as space. If your child has a particular need or there is important information that we should be aware of when considering class placement for the 2021 school year, we ask that parents put this information in writing and submit it via email to; principal@trafalgar.catholic.edu.au All requests are specifically about your child’s needs. It is not an opportunity to ask for your child to be placed within friendship or social groups. Obviously, we cannot accommodate requests for particular teachers; we can only look at the needs of each individual child. All email requests need to be submitted by close of business on Thursday 12th November and we ask parents to understand that all requests will be considered on merit but there are no guarantees. Any requests received after the above date will not be taken into consideration and once grades have been set there will be no changes.
If your family’s enrolment situation at St Joseph’s is changing in the future, we would also appreciate you letting us know. An accurate indication of student numbers assists us enormously in our planning for 2021.
Our Graduation and End of Year Liturgy will be celebrated virtually this year on Thursday December 10th at 2.30pm. This is where our school community will send off our Gr 6 students. Parents are very welcome to join us virtually. Monday December 14th will be the last day for the Gr 6s so we have a fun day planned for all Gr 5/6 students. More information will come out about this, but hopefully it will include a visit to Traf Outdoor Pool, a special lunch and a film. DOSCEL (Diocese of Sale Catholic Education Ltd) have stipulated that Graduation ceremonies can only be for Gr 6 students and staff and must be onsite. So we have sent out a voting form to the Gr 6 class to vote for Graduation ceremony to be 1. During the school day or 2. After the school day at 5.30pm. The vote will determine what happens.
We celebrated World Teachers’ Day on Friday. The teachers felt especially valued. Thank you for the notes and flowers of gratitude.
NOVEMBER
6th School Photos
24th Prep Orientation Parent Information Virtual Session 9.30 to 10.30
DECEMBER
1st Prep Orientation Group 1(9 to 10.55) and then Group 2(11.30 to 1.25)
8th State-wide Orientation Day
Prep Orientation Group 1(9 to 10.55) and then Group 2(11.30 to 1.25)
10th End of Year/Graduation Virtual Liturgy 2.30pm
11th Japanese Day (rescheduled)
14th Gr 6 Last Day (activities day for Gr 5 & 6s)
15th Gr 4 Special Outdoors Activity Day
16th Last day for all students (1pm dismissal)
17th First Aid Training for staff
18th Planning day for staff
Dear Parents,
2020 has been quite a different year in our Discovery Room, with COVID restrictions affecting our students borrowing rotations. I would just like to reassure you all that in the background, our Library is open and students are able to read and enjoy the new books that we receive monthly within their classrooms.
I wish to take this opportunity to thank you for your ongoing support of Scholastic Book Club and please remember that with Christmas around the corner, feel free to message me if you wish to organise a personal collection of your purchase.
Best Wishes Sonia Lombardo