Newman News Term 1 Week 2: From the Leader of Primary
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After last week鈥檚 鈥榝alse start鈥� to begin the year, it has been wonderful to welcome听all of听our students and families back to school,听especially听those听who are new to our community. I am very pleased with the start students have made in their classrooms, and already we are听seeing some fine examples of student excellence, both in work habits, and听in听how students are conducting themselves in the playground.
If I could sum up my hopes and aspirations听for our campus听in one word for 2021 it would be community. The Marist theme for 2021,听鈥楤reathe: The Spirit of Life (Rm 8:2) encourages us to pause after what has been an eventful twelve months and take stock of that which is most important in our lives. This year, I hope students come to appreciate the wonderful people in their听lives;听their听friends, their teachers, and most importantly, their families.听I hope that they can see the wonderful community that they are a part of, and the role they have to play in contributing to this.听Each day, students at the Lavalla campus will听gather听as a community. It is our chance to set the tone for the day, encourage听a reflective thought, or acknowledge the many examples of听excellence听we see in our community each day. I hope听this year that听all听students听can听come to understand what it means to be a student at 今日吃瓜. I hope听that they听are able to听see that they are an important听and听valuable member of our community, and that they have an important role to play in the success of our campus.听We look forward to supporting and celebrating听our听students听in听their journey this year.
Year 6 Student Leaders
On Wednesday at the High Achievers Assembly this week, we commissioned our new student leaders for 2021. The standard of applications to the leadership program for this year was very high, and we are delighted to听acknowledge听those students who were successfully nominated by their peers to take on this responsibility. One of the many nuances of leadership students have come to understand though, is that leadership is not about wearing a badge; it is about setting a good example for others and doing the small things well. We look forward to the journey ahead of us with our new student leaders at the helm.
Congratulations to Isabella听Crisona, Michael Ng, Brayden Lim, Anabel Raguseo, Tahlia Thayer, Xavier Dunstan, Nikita听Aylmore, Benji Thompson, Jaspar Martin-Booth, Benji Davies, Aaron Stannard, and Madelyn Bertolini. You can watch the commissioning of our 2021 student听leaders
Parking听
As many families can appreciate, our carpark is always a very busy and hectic place, especially at the beginning of the year as new families and students get used to the drop-off and pick-up procedures. Parents are reminded to take it easy in the听carpark, and听be considerate of those around us. Students should only be entering vehicles听at听the designated areas, and only ever cross as the designated crossings. Parents are also reminded that there are teachers on duty until 3.30pm each afternoon, so if you want to miss the traffic and collect your child at 3.25pm you are more than welcome.
Homework Club & Coder Dojo
Homework will commence next week听Monday听15 February. Homework Club takes place each Monday from 3.30pm to 4.30pm in the library. This is a great opportunity for students to get a听head start听on听their homework for the week under the supervision and assistance of some of our teachers.
Coder Dojo will also听recommence听this term, though it will start on Tuesday 23 February. Coder Dojo听occurs every Tuesday afternoon and听is an opportunity for students to be involved in computer听coding, and听take part in other IT related activities. Students need to bring their听iPad, and听will听be under the direction of staff听at all times.
Both the Homework Club and听Coder听Dojo are open to听all of听our students. If you wish to attend, you just need to let your child鈥檚 teacher know.
Term 1 Swimming听
Swimming for Term One has commenced, with our Year 4 students hitting the pool for the first time this week during Phys Ed. All students will be taking part in the Swimming Trials next Thursday 18 February in preparation for the Swimming Carnival which is on Friday 26 February.
More information around the requirements for swimming will be shared by Mrs Richards via the class听SeeSaw听pages, but generally, students will need to remember to bring bathers, rashie, towel, and goggles to take part. If you have any questions about the swimming program for this term, please see your class teacher.
Learning Hub Tour
Earlier this week, our Year 6 students took a tour of the new Saint John Henry Newman Learning Hub. The Hub is available to use for all students across Year 3-6, and families will have the opportunity to inspect the space on the same evening as the Parent Teacher Information sessions. It is an incredible learning space that really needs to be seen in person to be appreciated. Our students certainly thought so too.
鈥淚t was so big and fancy, but it also felt very calming and inspiring. The library was听amazing and there were so many books. We are looking forward to going again.鈥�-听听Fletcher听Bell听(6 Blue)
Food Allergy Reminder
The beginning of the school year is always a good time to remind families that there are a number of students at our school who have food allergies, some of which are life threatening. We please ask families to consider the听foods听their child brings to school, and to avoid nut products听in lunchboxes. It is our job as a community to support听all of听our students and to keep them safe. If you have any questions about how student allergies are managed in the听school听please do not hesitate to contact your child鈥檚 teacher.
