20 November 2019

Last Friday, 15th November, was the birthday of our Josephite founder, Julian Tenison Woods. At that time, 187 years ago, it was Autumn in England, and its myriad of colours, gold and red, could be seen in the countryside.  As the Woods family prepared for the cold of winter, another child was born into their family. Little did they realise that this child would leave England’s shores at the age of twenty-three, go to a far-off country where his scientific ability, his way with words, his artistry with the paint brush, his musical talent, and his deep faith would have a profound influence on his new country of adoption, Australia. 

Father Julian is a person worth getting to know.  He was a remarkable man, a well-respected geologist, botanist, explorer and environmentalist. He wrote many scientific books and articles documenting the history, exploration and geological formation of Australia. I am certain, that if he were alive today, he would be sharing his thoughts and prayers on how our country is currently responding to extreme weather and disasters.  Australia is, of course, no stranger to extreme weather - bushfire, flooding, rains and skin-peeling heat are central to its history and mythology - but the contrasts this spring, have been particularly stark. The nature of bushfires in Australia has changed. Bushfire conditions are now more dangerous than in the past, and the risk to people and property has increased. Scientists expect extreme fire weather will continue to become more frequent and severe without substantial and rapid action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  

I feel that Julian Tenison Woods would be one of our greatest advocates to protect Australian lives and our rapid decreasing of native animal and plant species from increasing extreme weather.

Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by the fire disasters occurring all over our diverse country.

When you are in any doubt, invoke the Holy Spirit and then do what you think is best. Let nothing disturb your peace.

Julian Tenison Woods 1887

Our School Photo day for next year will be Thursday 17th March. Please put this on your calendars for next year. 

Our Kinder and Prep classes are travelling to Burnie tomorrow, 20th November, for The Little Mermaid performance at the Burnie Arts and Function Centre. They will depart school at 9:20am and return by 2:30pm 

On Monday, 11th November, our school leaders, Katie Everett, Brodie Spinks, Brielle Bryan and Holly Garten, together with Mrs Jaffray Morf, attended the Remembrance Day service at Smithon’s ANZAC Park. It was a moving memorial and our leaders represented SPC with dignity and respect.

On Monday, 25th November our Grade Six class are travelling to Burnie for a resilience and leadership day at PCYC. Students will depart school at 9:30am and return at 2:30pm. PE uniform is to be worn on the day. If you have any further questions please contact the office.

This week families received books for our 2019 Christmas Raffle. Each book has three tickets for $10.00 each and there are only 350 available. Prizes for this year are as follows:

1st - $1000 Smithton Travel Centre Voucher

2nd - $500 Smithton Travel Centre Voucher

3rd - $250 Smithton Travel Centre Voucher

It will be drawn on the 10th December at our annual Christmas Concert. If you would like any additional tickets please see the office. Thank you for your ongoing support with our fundraisers.

We are making some minor changes to our school uniform due to new suppliers and continual rising costs. We have been going through the consultation process with the School Board and Parent & Friends group to find some alternatives for some of our uniform items. The following items will be changing (some only slightly): 

Navy track pants - moving from a fleece track pant to a shell style trackpant

Navy sports shorts - moving to a slightly darker shade without yellow piping will be closer in colour to the track pants and the soft shell jacket.

Navy tights - brand change

Socks - brand change, slight colour change with the blue socks

These changes will mean these items will change in price, most items becoming significantly cheaper. There will be an indefinite change over period and we will need to sell all of the older stocked items before families are able to purchase the new items in each size. 

Overall we feel that these changes will look smarter and support families with their uniform purchases, particularly those with multiple children.

On Thursday, 7th November we celebrated Outdoor Classroom Day as a school. Although the weather wasn’t too kind to us, some of our classes were able to get outside for part of their day.

This year we have decided to once again enter a float into the Smithton Christmas Parade. This will be held on Friday, 13th December. We are seeking a truck suitable to enter into the parade. Please let us know if you have one or know of anyone that we can ask.

These school holidays, Riverbend camps are happening once again. These camps are for students in Grade Three and above. The first camp is for Grades 3, 4 and 5 and runs from January 5th to 10th. The second camp is for Grades 4, 5 and 6 and runs from January 12th to 17th. The third camp is for Grades 6, 7 and 8 and runs from January 19th to 24th.  

Students from Grade 5 took part in the Caritas 'Just leadership' Day in Ulverstone on the 31st of October. Students enjoyed learning about social justice, leadership, the great work that Caritas Australia do and how they can make a positive difference in the world. Students had the opportunity to meet and work collaboratively with other Catholic schools in a welcoming and supportive environment.

Next Thursday, 28th November, our Grade 3 students will travel by bus to Camp Clayton in Turners Beach for an overnight camping experience. During that time, there will be many activities which will challenge our students and strengthen their creative thinking! We will return to school on Friday, 29th November by 2:30pm.

On Saturday 9th November we rugged up for a cold wet game. This week we played Table Cape Primary starting our first quarter with only 5 players with the team working hard. By the second quarter we had a full team and was on the chase to catch up. Wet slippery conditions working against us, by the end of the third quarter scores were even. Our last quarter we gave everything for a fantastic finish going down by only 1 goal 21-20. Best Players for the match Brielle Bryan, Mia Carling and Sophie Britton.

Bec Wilson - Coach

On Tuesday, 19th November our Grade Five and Six students set off on their four day camp to Hobart and surrounds. Throughout the trip students will visit, the Cataract Gorge, Port Arthur and Richmond just to name a few stops. Students will arrive back at school on Friday afternoon by 2:30pm.

On Thursday, 21st November the Circular Head Parish are hosting a Mission Evening with Archbishop Julian Porteous. Everyone is welcome to attend at Church from 5-7pm. Please refer to the Parish Newsletter below.

This week is the second last week of soccer for 2019. Next Wednesday, 27th November will see the last round of the roster followed by the grand final, which will be played at 5pm. Our P & F committee will be holding a BBQ on this afternoon from 3pm-6pm. There will be sausages, bottles of water and Fruit Boxes to purchase. The sausages & bottles of water will cost $2 and Fruit Boxes, $1.

Smithton High School Orientation day is happening on Friday, 29th November. Students who have expressed interest in attending SHS next year have received a letter home with more information earlier in the week.

Congratulations to the following students who received Aiming High Awards in last weeks assembly;

Kinder - Madaline Dawes & Max McAlister 

Prep - Airelle Dela Cruz & Ella Berechree

Grade 1 - Charlotte Armstrong & Jordana Pay

Grade 2 - Sabannah Wilson & Jeremiah Gibbs

Grade 3 - Isaac Bishop & Maddon Radford 

Grade 4 - Jack Britton & Libby Buckby

Grade 5/6 - Boyd Foster & Krystal Orders

Grade 6 - Deah Grey & Dane Lobegeiger 

Art - Freya Jones & Kye Moore 

Congratulations to Ryan House and Cody Woolnough who were the recipients of the SWIRL pass.

12 Signs It’s Time to Talk With Your Child’s Teacher

By The Understood Team

It can be hard to know when to reach out to teachers. If your child is struggling with something, you may wonder if the challenges are “serious enough” to bring up. Should you take up the teacher’s time now or wait until parent-teacher conferences? And how often is too often to contact the teacher?

Teachers can be great sources of information and advice. They can shed light on what’s happening in the classroom and give you a sense of your child’s strengths and weaknesses.

If you have any questions or concerns about your child, you can ask to meet or talk at any time. But here are 12 signs that it’s time to reach out.

1.     You see your child is struggling with reading, math, writing, and other areas of learning.
2.     Your child seems to have trouble with focus or self-control.
3.     You see your child has trouble doing things other kids seem to do easily.
4.     Your child is suddenly behaving differently.
5.     Your child’s grades or test scores are slipping.
6.     Your child doesn’t seem motivated or confident.
7.     Your child doesn’t want to go to school.
8.     Your child often gets angry or frustrated.
9.     You get frequent calls from the school office that your child isn’t feeling well.
10. Your child isn’t catching up, even with extra support at school.
11. Your child has a hard time finishing homework.
12. You think other kids are bullying your child or that your child is bullying other kids. 

The more you and the teacher work together, the better it is for everyone—especially your child. 

At a Glance:

•   You can ask to meet or talk with the teacher any time.
•   If your child shows signs of struggling, let the teacher know.
•   Signs could include not wanting to go to school or suddenly behaving differently.

Key Takeaways:

•     Talk to the teacher if you suspect bullying.
•     The teacher can offer insights about what’s happening at school.
•     The more you work with your child’s teacher, the better it will be for your child.

Donna Porteus - School Chaplain