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This coming Sunday we celebrate the Feast of Australia’s only saint - St Mary of the Cross, Mary MacKillop. Some suggest Mary was a woman ahead of her time, others believe just a resilient, hardworking dedicated woman who saw a need and actioned a response. “Never see a need without doing something about it.”
It feels very apt to pause and reflect on Mary’s life in the year we celebrate 200 years of Catholic education in Australia. Whilst Mary did not begin Catholic schooling in Australia her input was immeasurable. She recognised the fact that many children could not access this education for financial reasons and felt strongly that God’s love needed to be shared with all. So strongly that she begins the battle which would eventually enable many Australian children to access Catholic Education and give them a chance for a stronger relationship with their God.
To fulfill this plan, she surrounded herself with like-minded people who could assist with the workload. It was here that the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart first came to be. Many of our own Diocesan schools were begun by this same order and today we are blessed to have the continued support of these sisters in three of our schools. Mary saw a need and, with much courage, acted on it with the assistance of many others in
Mary’s journey was not trouble-free. She fought many battles along the way and her faith was continually tested as she trod a path that upset many. Throughout this time and with these challenges she showed resilience and continued to fight for what she believed was right. Mary epitomised our Diocesan core values of Hope, Integrity, Justice, and Compassion. She modelled being faith-filled for us as she lived by
“Do all you can with the means at your disposal and calmly leave the rest to God?” (1891)
Dear Parents
I hope you are well. I am very aware of pressures that some of you are experiencing at this time. So please be gentle with yourself and don’t feel that all your children’s tasks need to be completed. I am thinking of having one day a week when we will be off the screen and be involved in some activities rather than completing online work. Children, however will still need to register their attendance on that day as usual. More information in the next few days.
Please note, that when your child has this activity day they do not need to submit work. Also, on this day your child’s classroom teacher will not be responding to work on this day as they will be engaged in planning for the next week.
I am missing seeing our families and I would like to ask if you have time that you send me some photos of your family involved in an activity together. We would like then to post them with your permission onto our facebook page.
Some wonderful news this week!
Congratulations to Mr Mattas and his wife on the birth of their first child – a little girl.
A child is a precious gift from God. May his blessings be with you and your little one today and always.
We look forward to seeing Mr Mattas return to his class this week and thank Mrs Popovski for seamless way she has looked after the class with supervision and online learning in his absence.
Congratulations to Mrs Crotty who became a grandmother of a little girl. This will be Mrs Crotty’s third grandchild.
May God bless you all, go gently and stay safe!
Mrs Anne Duggan - Principal
Dear Parents and Students
Sasha Naumovski - Kinder
Makayla Gladden - Year 3
Citrine Nguyen - Year 2
Abbie Ruprecht - Kinder
Isabelle Ruprecht - Kinder
Joshua Purdevski - Year 6
Alexia Trajcevska - Year 6
Pastoral Support Worker Update by Mrs Catriona Neilsen
On Tuesday of this week, I joined a number of people from around Australia and completed a seminar by Good Grief, on Supporting Students through Covid 19. It was well informed, and they provided some great tips of how we can support our students at this time.
These tips are:
- Role model a positive outlook.
- Shift our perspective to what we can do. E.g., We cannot visit Grandma at the moment, but we can write her a letter or create a card that we can send to her.
- Allow the students to share their story and be a part of the conversation.
- Involve children in decision making.
- Help with managing feelings including identifying healthy ways to diffuse overwhelming feelings.
I have been connecting with some students by joining them in their morning Zoom meeting. Others I have connected with through the Google Classroom. From the feedback that I have been receiving they have been enjoying the activities that I have been posting online. If your child has not become a part of the Google Classroom and they would like to be here is the invitation link for your child to access the classroom:
https://classroom.google.com/c/MzcwNzgzMzA3MTkz?cjc=2hiwu4f or if you would just like to enter in the code it is 2hiwu4f.
If anyone needs to contact me whilst we are remote learning (for extra support or would like some Art and Craft or Mindful Activities) please send me an email: CatrionaN@catholiccare.dow.org.au
The attached pictures are from one of the students who completed some suggested activities from the Google Classroom.
Event Details
https://www.earlystartdiscoveryspace.edu.au/whats-on/events/
The learner-friendly house Speaker Series, a Q&A with UOW Early Start researchers.
Consisting of four presentations to discuss the learner friendly household and how to maximise your child’s abilities.
Wed Aug 4 6.00pm Week One – The importance of food and movement for learning and cognition
You will learn:
- The dietary, physical activity and sleep factors that are associated with improved learning and cognition
- How to ensure that your child is getting a well-balanced dietary intake, and enough physical activity and sleep
Wed Aug 11 6.00pm Week Two – How to see math in the home and the environment
You will learn:
- The importance of mathematics learning in the early years for future success.
- How to see maths in the home and the environment, and bring it to life in our every day.
- How to use the vehicle of play and everyday materials in the home, to engage with mathematical concepts of patterning, symmetry, measurement and number learning.
- The language of maths and how to use simple questions and mathematical terminology to extend the learning.
Wed Aug 18 6.00pm Week Three – The importance of play for development: A focus on literacy
we will:
- Explore possibilities for literacy learning through play.
- Consider the materials, time, and spaces for play, and the interactions children have with peers and adults.
- Examine what play might offer for all children.
Wed Aug 25 6.00pm Week Four – Responding to Challenging Behaviours – The Important Role of Children’s Self-Regulation
You will learn:
Together we will explore the way adults and our environments shape children’s self-regulation,
and examine specific play-based activities that can be used to support young children across a range of contexts.
Matt Ball
Community & Volunteer Coordinator
Early Start Discovery Space | Building 21. 101
University of Wollongong NSW 2522 Australia
T +61 2 4221 3245