St Patrick's Primary School Gundagai eNewsletter

Dear Parents,

The term is moving quickly along and we are grateful that to date, we have been able to operate in a reasonably regular capacity. Thank you to parents for their continued support in keeping children at home when they are unwell. It is greatly appreciated.

Our Little Learner’s Program has had a very positive start with approximately 10 children attending the program. Thank you to Tash Smith for providing an exciting program each week for our little people. Little Learners runs every Friday from 9.00am until 11.00am and is open to all children up to 5 years of age.

This Friday 14th August, we will host our 2021 Kindergarten Information session commencing at 9.30am at St Patrick’s School. Please encourage any family or friends with children ready to begin school next year, to come along and find out about our great little school. COVID regulations will be in place to ensure everyone’s safety.

Our 2021 Kindergarten Orientation dates have also been set and advertised for Term 4. Once again we ask your assistance in encouraging family and friends to send along any children that are ready for Kindergarten next year. Please see the dates in the newsletter.

Catholic Education, have offered the opportunity for our Year 3 and Year 5 students to particpate in the 2020 NAPLAN Reading and Writing practice assessments, with the data being collated by the office. This will be held in Weeks 6 and 7 of this term with a report being sent back to the school by the end of Term 3. Parents will not receive an individual NAPLAN report but the information will be used collectively by the school to inform teaching practice.

It is so wonderful to see the local creeks running and the Murrumbigee River filled with water after the lovely rain over the weekend. Please keep in your prayers those communities down the South Coast that have experienced torrential rain and flooding over the weekend. These communities have also suffered through devastating bushfires at the beginning of the year and continue to battle the elements of nature.

Best wishes for a wonderful week ahead.

Christine Baron

Principal

2021 KINDERGARTEN INFORMATION SESSION

This Friday 14th AUGUST from 9.30am to 11.00am

2021 KINDERGARTEN ORIENTATION PROGRAM

FOUR MAIN 2021 KINDERGARTEN ORIENTATION SESSIONS

1. Friday 30th October-9.00-12.15pm (bring recess) Children will be invited to participate in our Super Circus Program

2. Friday 6th November-9.00-12.15pm (bring recess)

3. Friday 13th November-9.00am-1.30pm (bring recess and lunch)

4. Friday 20th November-9.00-3.15pm (Full day)

On Friday we celebated the Feast of St Mary of the Cross – Mary MacKillop. St Mary is Australia’s only saint and Year Two and Three / Four celebrated this joyous occasion. Father George reminded the children of Mary MacKillop’s qualities that led her to be named a Saint. Her attitude was always of forgiveness and respect. Mary’s devoted faith, her determination to provide an education for everyone and her sense of justice and fairness for all make her a wonderful role model for us all to follow.

Mary’s motto was ‘never see a need without doing something about it’.

The Feast of the Assumption

The Church celebrates the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady on the 15^th August. The Assumption signals the end of Mary’s earthly life and marks her return to heaven, body and soul, to be reunited with Jesus. This coming Friday at 12 noon Kinder, Year One, Year Five and Six will attend Mass to celebrate Our Lady’s special feast.

Making Jesus Real about Program

The children are enjoying meeting in their Peer Support Groups to participate in this program.

MJR highlights the importance of:

using manners
being kind and considerate
having a positive attitude
showing tolerance and understanding toward others

There have been great discussions about being ‘Happy Chappies’ and being WEST people (people who are Welcoming, Encouraging, able to say Sorry and say Thanks).

Please ask your children to tell you about the activities they complete on Friday afternoons. Each week they will bring home a personal reflection sheet with a thought, drawing or quote that they have found significant in the lesson. It is a great time to share.

Kate Howe

REC

Our 2020 Book Fair was held a little different this year unfortunately due to Covid-19 restrictions and Catholic Education guidelines but we are extremely grateful to all the families who supported our annual event by purchasing books. 22 books have been kindly donated to the school library. Thank you to all the families for this generous donation. Under the circumstances we sold just over $2,000 worth of books and the profit from the sales will also go back into the school library so again, THANK YOU to all families and children for your support.

This Thursday 13th August the NRL has begun promoting a upcoming after school League Star's program which will be run in Gundagai over Term 3. The program is targeted towards both boys and girls between 5-12 years of age with a focus on developing fundamental movement skills in a fun inclusive environment. On Thursday we will have 2 "Leaguestars" skills sessions.

The NRL’s League Stars Program is coming to Gundagai for 6 weeks in Term 3!

This program is open to students aged from 5 to 12 years and costs only $99 per participant. The League Stars program caters for children of all abilities, with a focus on developing fundamental movement skills in a non-contact inclusive environment, through participation in Rugby League based games. The program is run by experienced NRL development coaches and staff.

Every participant will receive a cool League Stars pack which will include a backpack, ball, ball pump, shirt and stickers.

Where – Anzac Park, Gundagai
When - Tuesdays 4.00pm to 5.00pm, starting Tuesday the of 18^th of August!

And with the intro clinic’s children can use their Active Kids Voucher !!!

To register link,

https://www.playrugbyleague.com/league-stars/

If you have previously registered with the Gundagai Adelong Junior Rugby League club using your Active Kids Voucher you can register for this session. If you follow the Gundagai Adelong Junior Rugby League Facebook page click on the facebook post advertising for the MySideline Program and select the League Stars (FREE Clinic) - Gundagai/Adelong Juniors only if you have an Active Kids Voucher already used for this season.

We have had a reported case of Head Lice at the school. We would ask that you please check your child's hair and treat with appropriate Head Lice Treatment as soon as possible. Please report all cases. If we all work together we can eliminate the problem quickly.

Week 4 Theme - Colours of The Rainbow

This Friday from 9am-11am Tash Smith will have lots of games and activities for our little learners group. We provide the children and their families with a safe, comfortable and happy environment. Our focus is for children to feel comfortable, establish and build skills that will help them as they move into big school.

Morning Tea is provided to the parents and children on a Friday morning.

This Friday morning (14th August) from 9.30-11am Mrs Baron will be holding a 2021 Kindergarten Information Morning. This morning will consist of a tour of our grounds including class rooms and a group discussion to answer any questions regarding our school. We hope you can join us for a casual morning.

Jess McDonnell & Lilly Cotterill have started a Garden Club at school and to date we have had lots of volunteers to pitch in and lend a hand. The kids are doing an amazing job of tidying up the garden beds in preparation for replanting. The group will now put their "thinking caps on" and work out what to plant. Stay tuned for an update shortly - We may need to put the call out for small donations.