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Dear Parents and Carers,
On Saturday, August 21st, we celebrate the feast of St Pius X. It is interesting to read about St Pius X, and in particular I was intrigued by the qualities of warmth, gentleness, and inclusiveness that he displayed in his life. These qualities hold such relevance for us as a school today, and I am so proud of our rich history and the wonderful community that continues to reflect the work of our very own St Pius X.
In celebration of all things St Pius X, we will be holding a special “Carnival Week” commencing on Monday 23rd August (See attached flyer). I encourage the children to become involved in all the wonderful competitions and activities. I am personally looking forward to some Zoom fun with our trivia extraordinaire, Mr Andrew Hales. In light of these activities, we will be easing the remote learning workload next week.
We are now in our sixth week of remote learning, and I urge you to make the remote experience work for the context of your family. As I have stated previously, continue to focus on the core subjects of Religious Education, English and Mathematics, and please contact the staff if you need any assistance.
Finally, on a personal note, it has been so lovely to witness the trust, understanding and compassion amongst the community during a time in which we are continually challenged and tested. Our students are safe, supported and are learning and this is thanks to the collective efforts of our parents, carers, grandparents, and staff.
Go gently in the week ahead and may St Pius X guide us all in these challenging times
Yours Sincerely,
Pauline Chrostowski - Principal
Adventure Playground!!
One of the bright parts of lockdown has been watching the installation of the Adventure Playground. It has been so exciting to see the slides, climbing frames and pirate ship arrive on the trucks each day.
We cannot wait until school returns and COVID restrictions ease so that we can officially open our playground and the children can enjoy this wonderful space.
Once again, thank you to the committee of parents and representatives from the Catholic Education Office that provided consultation on this project.
Also, to the parents that endorsed/supported the plans at our Parents and Friends Meeting.
It is finally happening!!
School Events Update
We are awaiting further return to school advice and we will then be in a position to update you on key Term Four events.
At present a decision has been made on the following:
Father’s Day
There will be no official Father’s Day Stall or BBQ. However, the children will recognise this significant event within the context of their classrooms.
We will celebrate with our wonderful dads and father figures as soon as we can!
Book Week Celebrations
Considering current restrictions, we will move our current Book Week celebrations, including a costume parade to next term.
Date to be confirmed.
Book of the year entries are now due in Term Four.
Year Six Stanwell Tops Camp
Year Six overnight Camp has been moved to Wednesday 24/11 to 25/11 (COVID restrictions pending)
Year Five Canberra Excursion
Year Five Excursion has been moved to 25/11/ to 26/11(Covid restrictions pending)
Stage One /Two Excursion
CANCELLED- teachers are planning to have an on-site incursion in Term Four if appropriate.
A reminder that if your child is learning from home, it is a requirement that you complete the daily attendance form by 10 am.
As per the NSW government advice Parents and carers must keep children of all ages, across primary at home unless they absolutely need to be at school.
Schools and Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) services are open for any child that needs it.
In line with workplace requirements there are also minimum staff on-site to oversee learning, noting that flexible syllabus requirements are in place and one mode of learning is offered for all students.
Positive Behaviours for Learning Strategies During Remote Learning
Motivation and engagement of children during remote learning is challenging to say the least.
Some of our parents have expressed this to staff recently and I am sure that there are more of you feeling the same. Please find some helpful tips below to support you with this. Don’t forget to contact your child’s teacher, Stage Coordinator, Pauline or myself if you need to discuss anything further.
Ensure the learning space at home remains in place
- Organising the learning space each afternoon for the next day will help your child be ready to learn each morning.
Keep your family routines going
- Be flexible with the Daily Learning plans and make it work for your family. Change the order of learning tasks if needed and support your child to get the work done when it works for you.
- Younger children need more structure, so make sure to let them know what to expect. Use the Daily Learning Plans to help plan out the day.
- Have your child follow a routine as if they're going to school, e.g. getting dressed, brushing teeth, etc.
- Set timers for work sessions. If your child is finding the work difficult they could work to a set time rather than completing all components.
- Movement and brain breaks are important, especially for children with learning and attention difficulties, so make sure to build those in and break work into smaller pieces if needed.
- Plan to take a break with your children, have fun together.
Take time to review expectations with your child
- Go over the PB4L expectations- this is what the school expects during online learning.
Sr Kerry Zooms
This weekend we celebrate St Pius X Feast Day on Saturday 21st August. Pope Pius X is perhaps best remembered for his encouragement of the frequent reception of Holy Communion, especially by children.