Issue 11 - 29th July 2020
Sunday Connection
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A Sunday, August 2, 2020
Gospel Reading Matthew 14:13-21 Jesus feeds the crowd with five loaves and two fish.
Family Connection
In our family life, we can sometimes hear echoes of the disciples' excuses: “Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.” Sometimes this echo is heard from children squabbling about the last piece of cake. Sometimes it is heard in our concern about the limits of the family's income or possessions. Sometimes this echo is heard in our complaints about the seemingly endless demands for our time and attention. Jesus understood these feelings and taught us to see beyond our limitations. Jesus modelled for us a compassion that reaches out to others, even when we would rather withdraw into ourselves. Jesus taught us that God blesses compassion offered to others with his grace. Sunday's Gospel reminds us that with God there is not only enough, there is an abundance!
Talk together about some of the stresses and demands for time and attention that your family members might feel. Acknowledge that we sometimes have to make difficult choices about how to use our time, talents, and treasure. Then read together Sunday's Gospel, Matthew 14:13-21. Notice how much Jesus cared for the crowds, healing the sick even though he wanted to withdraw to a quiet place. Notice how the disciples responded to Jesus' instruction to feed the crowd; they noted their limited supply of food. Jesus blessed this limited supply of food, and it was enough to feed the entire crowd, more than 5,000 people, and there were leftovers! Pray together that Jesus will grant us compassion like his so that we will offer whatever we have to others with compassion and generosity. Pray together Sunday's Psalm, Psalm 145, or the Lord's Prayer.
The Schools Results Survey that families have access to via email closes on Sunday, 30th August 2020. If possible could you please complete the survey, sent from MYP Corp, to assist with our ongoing commitment to continuous school improvement. Thank you for your support.
Swimming lessons commenced last week. Our instructors have expressed their appreciation of how respectful our students are whilst participating in swimming lessons on Wednesdays. All students were wonderfully active and enthusiastic and responsible in ensuring their belongings made it back to school. Being able to have our swimming lessons locally is a fantastic experience and thanks to our P & F, in being able to lighten the cost of these lessons for our families.
Congratulations to the following students:
Kinder - Kade & Reegan
Prep - Kaley & Madaline
Grade 1- Airelle & Georgina
Grade 2 - Max & Bayley
Grade 3 - Ryan & Tayla
Grade 4 - Luke & Zarah
Grade 5 - Alex & Ruby
Grade 6 - Brennan & Taya
SPC P & F members gathered face-to-face on Tuesday, 28th July, for the first time in what feels like ages! What a gathering it was too! Thank you to so many of our members being able to participate in our meeting and there was much banter around ideas and decisions to be made.
It was suggested that our SRC members create a flyer with the guidance of Mrs Jaffray Morf and Donna Porteus, to highlight a special project, as a school fundraiser.
Thank you to everyone for adhering to the 'no parking' zone. This has now been repainted so it is more visible to drivers.
St Peter Chanel Catholic School utilises the education jobsite Teachers On Net for school vacancies https://www.teachers.on.net/
Current vacancies: Administration Officer and Reception - Parental Leave
Teacher Assistant - Limited Tenure - Parental Leave
Relief Teachers
2021 Teaching Positions
As per the letter home last week, we will be holding our Mid Year Family meetings next Wednesday, 5th August from 3pm - 6:30pm. Please book online via https://stpeterchanel.schoolzineplus.com/familyinterviews2020
If you have any issues booking online, please contact the office.
How to Help Kids Sleep
Countless parents have experienced the frustration of trying to get kids to go to sleep and stay asleep. Confusing changes in routine and increased anxiety are causing sleeping issues. Fortunately there are simple strategies that can assist in changing these habits so kids learn to fall asleep in their own beds and stay asleep.
Talk to your child: Firstly, you want to identify the issue so you can seek out solutions. Chatting with your child about the issues surrounding sleep can help to understand what’s going on for them. It’s important to then empathise and validate their fears. “I understand you’re feeling scared and that’s a really hard feeling”. We can then encourage bravery by assuring them that by working together they can practice going to sleep in steps to overcome this worry and that you are confident that as a team they can do it.
Once you know what the issue is, you can use behavioural techniques to help them move towards sleeping independently. The aim is for the child to learn that they have the self-soothing skills to manage whatever it is that’s distressing them, so you can get to the place where you can come in and say good night then leave the room. Your child shouldn’t be reliant on you to be there for them to fall asleep. This will take time and patience.
Begin with systematic steps, ie. If you have to lie in bed with your child, move to a chair that is right next to them and just hold hands. Then the next night move the chair farther away, followed by sitting outside the door.
Create a routine: A consistent and predictable routine set out on a sleep schedule chart will help stay on track, ie. brush teeth, read book, lights out, and stayed in their room after parents leave. By doing this helps your child accomplish each step plus also allows them to see their progress. It can also identify any patterns like different nights are worse than others. This then helps to target certain interventions.
Minimise dependence: Some kids can fall asleep fine on their own but then wake in the middle of the night and go to their parents’ bedroom. They like to interact with their parents because it’s their comfort zone. The best strategy for this is to take them back to their own bed as soon as possible. We don’t want to reinforce this interaction by rewarding them with a longer period in the parents’ bedroom.
Instil good sleep hygiene: We want to train their bodies to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day. A calm warm bath 1 to 2 hours before bed, helps to raise the body temperature causing you to feel sleepy. Listening to relaxing music can reduce anxiety and assist in guiding kids to relax enough to fall asleep. A weighted blanket can also aid in relaxation.
Evaluate the progress after a period of time and if there has been no positive change it may be wise to seek professional help to eliminate any underlying medical conditions.
BREAKFAST CLUB IS BACK!!
Toast is available from 8:15am to 8:45am
Located in the Kitchenette in the Josephite Centre.
We endeavour to support and nurture our student’s brains and bodies ready for learning.
Do you know of anyone who could help in the breakfast club of a Tuesday?
Contact the office for more information if you can help us serve our students.
With so many social networks to keep track of, it's not surprising if your child’s obsession with the TikTok app leaves you scratching your head. So what is it exactly?
TikTok is a free social media app that lets you watch, create, and share videos -- often to a soundtrack of the top hits in music, right from your phone. With more than 100 million users, Tik Tok is incredibly popular, owing in part to it’s slick mash-up of features from other kid favourites. As with the lip-synching app Dubsmash, users can watch and record videos of themselves lip-synching to popular music and sound bites. As they did on the now-defunct Vine, kids can create short, shareable videos ranging from funny to serious. Just like YouTube, Tik Tok is an interactive world of videos that lets you connect with friends and admirers through likes, comments, and even duets.
With so much information out there, it can be a challenge for parents to know if it's really safe. While TikTok videos are mostly harmless, creative fun, there are real concerns about kids using the app. As with any social network, you have to use privacy settings to limit how much information you and your kids are sharing. Kids can post stuff without reviewing or editing it first. And other issues have dogged the app: reports of online predators using the app to target younger users; an FTC suit for violating children's privacy law; and serious software glitches--including one that could have allowed the company to collect user data.
What age is TikTok recommended for? Common Sense recommends the app for age 15+ mainly due to the privacy issues and mature content. TikTok requires that users be at least 13 years old to use the full TikTok experience, although there is a way for younger kids to access the app. Anyone under the age of 18 must have approval of a parent or guardian.
How can you make your TikTok account private? To make your TikTok account private, go to your profile page and select the three-dot icon in the top-right corner. Select Privacy and Safety. There, toggle the switch for "Private Account." You can also select who can send you comments and direct messages, and who can do a duet with you. Using the "Friends" setting or turning those features off completely limits contact with strangers.
This term in Religious Education lessons students are learning about the Church and Sacraments in their classes. We look forward to seeing their learning as they explore these elements.
Next Friday there will be a Mary MacKillop Prayer service led by our Mini Vinnies at 11.30am. We will gather in prayer to celebrate and be conscious of her constant reminder to “Never see a need without doing something about it”.