Issue 4, 10th March
At St Peter Chanel Catholic School, we have high expectations for every student. High expectations for behaviour, high expectations for presentation, high expectations for attendance and high expectations for students to achieve. It is widely accepted that having high expectations is very effective in enhancing student progress and outcomes.
I love to wander around classrooms to witness our students learning. This week I walked into Kinder during their morning mat time. It was only six short weeks ago that many of our Kinder students could not recognise their name in print, had never sat for periods of time, had not experienced the need to wait for their turn among a large group. What I saw was a group of students who were sitting beautifully, waiting patiently and every student recognising his or her name in print. How wonderful! This is the beginning of their formal learning journey. The boundaries and expectations being set by Lauren and Jo are setting them up for continued success. As I roam around the school, I see the continuation of high expectations in every classroom.
In line with our high expectations of students, is high expectations of ourselves and each other, as educators. Earlier in the term, the teaching staff established a set of beliefs about learning for our students at St Peter Chanel. We shared these beliefs with non-teaching staff, administration and the School Board, for feedback. I would like to share these with you, now.
Below is a statement of ‘Our Beliefs About Learning at St Peter Chanel Catholic School’. After reading the statements, please feel free to provide any feedback you may have. You can email me directly at kerrie.flynn@catholic.tas.edu.au
Our belief statement will soon be published on our website, alongside our Mission and Vision statements.
Our Beliefs About Learning at St Peter Chanel Catholic School
At St Peter Chanel Catholic School we are child-centred and driven by the potential of our students through best practice and shared beliefs about our learning environment.
We are committed, in the context of our Catholic Faith, to the following principles and practices:
We believe that partnership is paramount to the success of every child. We know that learning happens where school and home share common goals, interact positively and are mutually supportive.
Lord Jesus,
Guide us in our work so that the young people before us may grow to become all that you have called them to be.
May our teaching encourage them to embrace life in all its beauty and mystery.
May our patience with them allow them to learn from their mistakes.
May our listening to them help them to respect themselves and others. Through the gift of your Spirit inspire us to love what we do, to be a support to one another and to never give up on a child in our care.
Amen.
We ask that families please continue to use the following options of communication with the school rather than face-to-face as follows:
- Calling on 6452 1431
- Emailing spc@catholic.tas.edu.au
- Writing messages in your child’s diary
- Contacting teachers via SeeSaw or email
For Assemblies, we ask that people please enter via the front office and use the hand sanitiser upon entry and sign in which is a Government requirement. Please adhere to the 1.5m social distancing and refrain from entering the school if you are unwell.
QR Code to use for school events. Link here for instructions on how to download the app
This short week for us at SPC has had students AND staff reflect at different times, on Christ’s values and the gifts of the Holy Spirit and how we can support one another with our gifts.
The mental wellbeing of those in our community is important to nourish if we are to grow in our learning and positive interaction with others. The image above displays some gifts/values. These values have been reflected upon and students have been able to recognise their own gifts and how they feel they can improve: “Thank you for the gift of courage. Please give me the gift of Right Judgement so I can make better choices”.
When we continue to build a community of care, trust, courage, commitment and respect, we ensure that we are in a safe and welcoming environment. An atmosphere that allows us to ask for help when we feel unsure about ourselves and our behaviour. An atmosphere where our faith in God can help us have faith in those around us, to support us to do our best and handle times when we may be emotionally challenged.
The fruits of the Holy Spirit, continue to support us all in our wellbeing and our positive relationships not just with others, but OURSELVES.
Pax Tecum,
Mrs Andrea Jaffray Morf
Deputy Principal
Congratulations to the following students who were presented with Aiming High Awards at assembly last week:
Kinder - Cienna & Ava
Prep - Luca & Levi
Grade 1 - Vin & Darcy
Grade 2 - Nina & Jhett
Grade 3 - Charlotte & Indianna
Grade 4 - Lilly & Reef
Grade 5 - Heidi & Jhett
Grade 6 - Allirah & Taite
The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, 23rd March at 3pm in the library. All current and new members are welcome.
Last week families received raffle books for the Easter Raffle. Tickets are $2 each or 3 for $5 and can also be purchased via the Qrk! app. The raffle will be drawn on Thursday, 1st April at the whole school assembly. Please return raffle books by Wednesday, 31st March, regardless of being sold or not.
We are still accepting donations to the Easter Raffle. Items can be dropped at the office.
Congratulations to last week's cake raffle winner, Olivia!!
At St Peter Chanel Catholic School, we held our 40th annual swimming carnival for Grades 3 to 6 on Wednesday, 3rd March at the SWIRL Smithton Recreation Centre. The day was a mixed format of professionalism and fun as the students participated in the classic styles of freestyle, breaststroke, and backstroke, while also enjoying the novelty events. We are all very proud of the students for their high participation rates and the wonderful spirit in which they represented themselves, the school and their respective houses. This year the house championship goes to Gibson. All Houses are to be congratulated on a highly contested carnival carried out in the spirit of fairness and fun. A big thank you to all staff for their assistance and to the parents for their support.
Congratulations to the following students on being selected for the North West Swimming Carnival. These students should be very proud to have the opportunity to represent our school:
Grade 6 boys - Alex, Jordan, John, Tait & Jack
Grade 6 girls - Sarah, Libby, Ruby & Maddison
Grade 5 boys - Logan, Luke, Calvin & Issac
Grade 5 girls - Zarah, Jewel, Charli & Esmay
Grade 4 boys - Kye, Harvey, Reef & Ryan
Grade 4 girls - Peppa, Tayla, Lilly & Hali
Grade 3 boys - Liam, Naite & Lucas
Grade 3 girls - Charlotte, Harper & Arah
The North West Swimming Carnival this year will be held on Thursday, 18th of March at the Burnie Aquatic Centre. Students will be leaving school at 9am, travelling by bus, and returning at 2:45. It is important that students are picked up by a parent/guardian from school as we may miss the school buses home.
This year we have had to make some changes to comply with COVID requirements. This also means that, unfortunately, we are unable to have parents attend the event.
Mrs Lisa Fraser will provide swimming lessons at 3:30pm - 4:30pm on the following dates:
- Thursday, 11th March
- Monday, 15th March
- Tuesday, 16th March
Parents are required to transport their child to/from these sessions and will need to pay pool entry or use their FOB.
This year Circular Head Hockey will be running the school base junior rosters in Term 4. The format will still be the same, with a competitive roster for Grades 3-6. More information will be available to parents closer to the start of the roster.
The catalogue for the next issue has been sent home. Manual orders need to be returned to the office by Wednesday, 17th March.
All families received Project Compassion boxes this term. These are due to be returned back to school before the end of term please.