Mel Maria Catholic Primary School

Dear Parents and Carers

There is no doubt that our earliest relationships provide a model for all our future relationships, and learning to trust other people as feeling, thoughtful human beings, will form the basis for having happy, satisfying relationships. To develop these happy, satisfying relationships, we will need good manners and basic courtesy.

Good manners need to be taught for they are important skills that our children should develop when they are young, so they can enjoy the benefit of them for the rest of their lives. It is in the family home that the “manners seed” needs to be planted and nurtured, along with core values and ethics. It is in the family home that children learn to be considerate, tolerant, and respectful; this learning comes through parental guidance and example.

When children are polite, kind, honest and cooperative, they develop character and exhibit social skills that help others feel comfortable. These relationship building skills, also help children -and adults- to get on with friends and neighbours and, if the occasion arises, to resolve differences of opinion in a courteous and healthy way.

It has been said that “Rudeness is the weak person’s imitation of strength” - author unknown. It is also an expression of ignorance of courteous behaviour and children who do not have social skills, can have a difficult time making lasting friendships with their peers and being accepted generally. They have missed out on learning the “Golden Rule”: Treat others as you, yourself, would like to be treated.

Manners are respect in action and should be learnt and taught through the experiences of daily living. “Mind your manners” often used to come from the lips of parents and indicated that their children knew what it was that needed to be “minded”. In a society that rarely offers example or support for parents, teaching manners to our children can be lonely and tedious. However, to see our children grow in respect and consideration for themselves and others will be a rich reward for effort.

Week four of the school year usually brings a sense of relief that everything has started smoothly, and the school day feels familiar again. The excitement and nervousness of coming back to school are fading away, and students are starting to understand what is expected of them in their new classes with their new teachers. It's important for parents to keep being supportive, especially in these first few weeks, as students get use to their new routines and different teaching styles. Every teacher has their own way of doing things, so it's important to work together to make sure each child gets the best experience possible. Keep it up, everyone!

More Positive News

Our enrolments in the earlier years are increasing, as we now have a wait list on both the Pater Noster and St Joseph Pignatelli campuses for Pre-Kindy this year. Parents that we are interviewing, are most excited by the new concept we are developing as they can see the benefits for their child/children. Please see the information contained within this newsletter regarding Kindergarten enrolments for 2025.

Back to School Sundowner

Many thanks to the P&F Executive for coordinating the ‘Back to School Sundowner’ on the 10 February. While the weather was extremely warm, those who came along enjoyed the time relaxing and sharing some time with other families. It was a nice way to start the school year for our families. A ‘special thank you’ to the school staff and parents who assisted with the setting up and packing away. This was very much appreciated.

Kindergarten 2025 – Applications are Now Due

In 2025, we will have a whole new early childhood space for our children from Pre-Kindy to Year Two students. This is going to be very exciting for the students, teachers and parents.

Enrolments are now being taken for siblings and new students wishing to commence Kindergarten at Mel Maria Catholic Primary School in 2025. Families with children eligible for Kindergarten in 2025 are required to fill out a Kindergarten Enrolment Application Form. These can be collected from the office or found online on the school website.

Kindergarten places are limited, so it is important that parents within the Mel Maria Catholic Primary School community submit their applications as soon as possible.

Student Medication

If your child requires medication to be taken during school hours, it is important that you complete a ‘Prescribed Medication Form’ which is available from the front office.

Medication is to be delivered to the school office by the parent/guardian in its original pharmacy labelled container. Please be aware that parents are responsible for delivering prescribed medications to the school and collect it at the end of the day.

The label on the original medication or a special letter outlining medication from the doctor must clearly state:

(i) the name of the child
(ii) the dosage and times required

Please ask your pharmacist for this information when the medication is issued.

• All medications are stored either in the school office/medical room or in a locked cabinet in the classroom, except where either refrigeration is required (e.g. antibiotics) or in the case of self-administered asthma reliever medication.

• Asthma medication (reliever puffers only) may be held by a child for self-administration, only when parents/guardians have notified the school and given permission via the Medication Form. Preventer medications will be held in the Medical Room.

• It is the parent’s responsibility to collect any ‘out of date’ medication for safe disposal. It is also a parent’s responsibility to collect any unused medication at the completion of treatment.

Staffing

Mrs Kristy Stedman has taken leave for the remainder of 2024 school year. We have been very fortunate to have Miss Olivia Di Lena join the Mel Maria community. Olivia will commence work at Mel Maria next Monday, and will work in tandem with Mrs Samantha Cripps, who has many years of experience in early childhood, for the first three weeks.

We welcome Olivia to our school and trust that she finds her time at our school most rewarding and enjoyable. The children in this class have already had the chance to meet Miss Di Lena this week.

Change of Date

The Coffee Cart Conversation scheduled for Thursday 7 March has been rescheduled to Tuesday 19 March at the SJP campus at 9:00am. Parents who have children in Years Two to Year Five are encouraged to attend.

Parent Details

If your details have changed over the last six weeks, e.g. contact details, addresses workplaces and /or family circumstances, please email Mrs Sylvia Tamigi on 6330 0500 and advise her of the changes so the school’s database can be updated.

Preparing for 2025 Transition

It is crucial to prepare our students for their transition to 2025, ensuring their social and emotional readiness for the educational journey ahead. A smooth transition supports uninterrupted learning, encourages the formation of new connections, and nurtures a sense of belonging.

Throughout each term, teachers will work together with their campus colleagues to plan activities that involve visiting different campus locations, allowing them to acquaint themselves with the environment, teachers, and peers.

Stay informed about these activities through regular updates provided by your class teacher.

Mathletics

Mel Maria students from Year 1- Year 6 have access to the Mathletics digitial platform. This program gives students access to relevant content that will reinforce their learning, and challenge them to go to apply their knowledge in various contexts.

Students can access this app at home with their student login. Please contact your class teacher if you have any questions.

Sounds Write Program

Over the holidays, the Mel Maria staff took part in professional development in the Sounds Write Program, which teaches students how the alphabetic code works. Fundamentally, it teaches students the key skills required to be effective readers and spellers. What we need to understand about learning to read is that, it is not one skill; it is a complex of skills, conceptual knowledge and code knowledge.

More information can be attained through their website.

https://sounds-write.co.uk/support-for-parents-and-carers/

Way To Go!

Congratulations to Aaliyah Jones for achieving first place in the 200m event at the WA Zones competition with a time of 35.13 seconds, setting a new personal best. Additionally, she surpassed her sister's record in the 500m event with a time of 1:42.98 seconds.

School Grounds

A reminder to families that students should not be on the school grounds prior to 8:15am. Mel Maria Catholic Primary School provides supervision from 8:15am until the official school bell at 8:40am. Please note classroom doors open at 8:30am this gives students the opportunity to get organised and settle in. On entering the school grounds during the day all visitors are asked to enter via the front office. A reminder that no dogs are allowed on the school grounds either before or after school.

The Junior Primary Playground

The Junior Primary Playground next to the Northlake Rd car park is being replaced to enhance safety and accommodate new facilities. The area has been fenced off to make way for a shed and to ensure the safety of the children. The current sports shed will be removed, making space for a new basketball ring on the concrete pad, for our junior primary students. Additionally, the car park will be extended to provide extra parking for the community.

While we bid farewell to the existing playground, we are excited about the new features that will support the rich learning opportunities for our students.

Lent

Project Compassion Boxes

Each class will participate in a special Lenten project to focus on Catholic formation around social justice teaching and almsgiving. Our students will have opportunities to explore and discuss our collective impact for those less fortunate and in need.

Giving back during Lent

During the 40 days of Lent, which starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Thursday, Catholics around the world take part in fasting, prayer and almsgiving.

There is a long tradition of giving something up for Lent. In the Christian tradition, the forty days originated from Jesus’ forty days and nights in the wilderness. Ever since, people have followed this in a variety of ways, giving up specific items (abstaining) or having meat-free days during Lent.

What to give up for Lent

Giving something up is a simple way to combine the three Lenten pillars of fasting, prayer and almsgiving into one charitable activity. Some of the things that you can give up during Lent include:

• Junk food
• Coffee
• Chocolate
• Single-use plastic
• Social media
• Watching TV.

Prayer

Renew yourself in CHRIST

Receive the cross

on your forehead.

Learn to know Christ and follow him.

Receive the sign of the cross

on your ears,

that you may hear the voice of the Lord.

Receive the sign of the cross

on your eyes

that you may see the glory of God.

Receive the sign of the cross

on your lips,

that you may respond to the Word of God.

Receive the sign of the cross

over your heart,

that Christ may dwell there by faith.

Receive the sign of the cross

on your shoulders,

that you may bear the gentle yoke of

Christ.

Receive the sign of cross on your

hands,

that Christ may be known in the work

which you do.

Receive the sign of cross on your

feet,

that you may

walk the way of CHRIST.

Amen.

Thought for the Week

“When Jesus had been baptised, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” (3:16)

At Mel Maria, all students have the opportunity to become leaders and serve the school in Year 6.

Mr Hille tasked all students with writing a persuasive essay on why they should be considered for a Leadership Ministry. Mr Hille then read through all 68 letters (a long weekend for him!) and chose which students would be in each ministry.

This culminated with all Year 6 students being presented to the school community as official leaders, where they received their leadership badges. We had a fantastic day working through different leadership games and activities and finished with a sausage sizzle and icy pole.

Now it is up to the Year 6’s to lead the Mel Maria community!

Physical Education Lesson Expectations

All students from Pre Primary to Year Six are expected to have their hat and water bottle with them for all physical education lessons. This Is especially true in these warmer months, as it allows PE staff to send students for quick drinks breaks to keep them hydrated and healthy during lessons.

Your assistance with alding our students with getting these organised is appreclated!

Mel Maria Faction Swimming Carnival

Friday 1st March, 2024; Outdoor Pool, HBF Stadium

SwImming Carnival Event Selection

25m or 50m Freestvle

25m or 50m Breaststroke

25m or 50m Backstroke Open 100m Freestyle (swimming against students from Year 4-6, aimed at

squad or very confident swimmers) Open 50m Butterfly (swimming against students from Year 4-6, aimed at squad or very confident swimmers)

Important general information:

if able to do so, students are expected to compete in atleast one event throughout the day. if your child is unable to do this, please let me know as soon as possible.

• Students who are able to swim the full 50m are strongly encouraged to do so.
• Students may choose one of the 25m or 50m events available; they can choose one or none, but not both.
• 25m events are not part of interschool selection.
• Open events (100m Freestyle and 50m Butterfly) are held with students from Year 4-6 racing against each other.
• Students who are not confident diving from the blocks or edge of the pool are allowed to start in the pool for their race. Students are expected to wear navy or black one-piece bathers. Rash shirts are permitted as well, and the jammer style bathers are suggested as a substitute for boardies or swim shorts.

Event Nomination Process

A QR code will be sent out via SeeSaw this week. Please scan that code and follow the link to the Event Nomination Form. These codes are year level specific so if you have more than one child in Years 4-6 please make sure you are filling out the right form for the right child.

Students most recent swimming level is asked for in the form, so it might be worth locating that ahead of time. This gives me a rough guide or which division to place students in, especially for new students and Year Fours who have not competed at the carival before. I have told students that if they aren't sure about nominating for an event to tick YES - it is easier for me to withdraw a student from a race rather than try to squeeze them in somewhere.

All this information and more was sent out via SeeSaw late last week. If you did not receive this information, please let me know and I can forward it on.

David John and Damian Williams

Physical Education Teachers

Why do students do NAPLAN?

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. It is the only national assessment all Australian students have the opportunity to undertake.

As students progress through their school years, it is important to check how well they are learning the essential skills of reading, writing and numeracy.

NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through the school curriculum and allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national proficiency standards.

NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process. It does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance, but it can provide teachers with additional information about students’ educational progress.

NAPLAN also provides schools, education authorities and governments with information about how education programs are working and whether young Australians are achieving important educational outcomes in literacy and numeracy.

Your child will do the NAPLAN tests online

Online NAPLAN tests are designed to provide precise results and are engaging for students. The tests are tailored (or adaptive) which means that each test presents questions that may be more or less difficult depending on a student’s responses. This helps students remain engaged with the assessment.

Tailored testing allows a wider range of student abilities to be assessed and measures student achievement more precisely. A student’s overall NAPLAN result is based on both the number and complexity of questions they answer correctly. Your child should not be concerned if they find questions challenging; they may be taking a more complex test pathway.

All Year 3 students will continue to complete the writing assessment on paper.

What does NAPLAN assess?

NAPLAN assesses literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through their regular school curriculum.

Students sit assessments in writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy. The questions assess content linked to the Australian Curriculum: English and Mathematics.

All government and non-government education authorities contribute to the development of NAPLAN test materials. To find out more about NAPLAN, visit nap.edu.au.

NAPLAN timetable

The NAPLAN test window is 9 days. This is to accommodate schools that may not have the capacity to complete the tests in a shorter time frame.

The NAPLAN test window starts on Wednesday 13 March 2024 and finishes on Monday 25 March 2024.

iPads in the school’s BYOD program (Years 3 -6) which which have been wiped and setup from the start by the school, have access to Jamf Parent – an app which allows parents to monitor/restrict functions on their child’s iPad.

Restrictions can be applied to individual apps or categories of apps. Rules can also be applied to locations set by parents. Parents control their child’s iPad by using the Jamf Parent app which is available on the Apple apps store or the Google Playstore.

Apple - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/jamf-parent/ id1458797105

Google Play -https://play.google.com/store/ apps/details? id=com.jamf.parent&hl=en_AU&gl=US

Controls set by parents do not impact the functionality of the iPad at school.

More information can be found here:

https://www.jamf.com/resources/product-documentation/jamf-parent-guide-for-parents/

Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zXp8sNSVbM

If you would like assistance in setting up Jamf Parent, please email Mr P to organise a suitable time – it@melmaria.wa.edu.au

Mel Maria Catholic Primary School has invited Dr Justin Coulson to come and talk to our parents about 9 Ways to a Resilient Child. We strongly encourage parents to make the most of this opportunity and come and listen, ask questions, and find out further information about raising children in today’s society.

Dr Justin Coulson is the co-host and parenting expert on Channel Nine’s Parental Guidance, the founder of happyfamilies.com.au, and one of Australia’s most trusted parenting, relationships and wellbeing experts. His Happy Families podcast is the #1 podcast in Australia for parenting and family issues.

Over the past decade he has helped countless families with his 9 books about raising children, his hundreds of media appearances (including all of Australia’s major news outlets, and he has also published in the Washington Post and the New York Times), and two viral videos that have been viewed a combined 85 million times!

Justin earned his PhD in Psychology from the University of Wollongong. He and his wife Kylie have been married since the late 1990s and are the parents of 6 daughters.

Tickets for the Parent Session are now on sale for $10 per person. There are a limited number of tickets (150) so please get in early if you would like to attend this session. If we have not sold all the tickets by Friday 1 March, we will open it up to our neighbouring Catholic schools. Please use the following link to purchase your ticket - https://events.humanitix.com/justin-coulson-9-ways-to-a-resilient-child.

Pater Noster Parish

Saturday: Eucharist Commitment Mass, 16 March at 6:00pm.

Sunday: Eucharist Commitment Mass, 17 March at 9:30am.

Please refer to the parish website to download the enrolment forms.

As the school social worker, I am here every Monday and Thursday; a brochure outlining my services is available on the website and from the office. In summary I offer, at no cost to parents, private and confidential counselling to all students and families in relation to any school-based issues. These can include the impact of outside events (including covid-19) on a child’s performance and behaviour at school. Parent consent for the social worker meeting with students is generally sought but I am always available to assist staff with general pastoral care and support should on the spot assistance for children be required.

I also work with the teachers in the classroom, running short programmes that complement the curriculum, for example protective behaviours, social skills, problem-solving strategies, handling conflict and respecting diversity.

Please find attached a fact sheet with eight tips to help your child manage back to school anxiety.

Christine Pittman

christine.pittman@cewa.edu.au

School Term Dates for 2024

Term 1: Monday 11 March

Term 2: Monday 15 April - Friday 28 June

Term 3: Monday 15 July - Thursday 19 September

Term 4: Tuesday 8 October - Friday 6 December

Pupil Free Days for 2024

Term 1: Monday 11 March

Term 2: Tuesday 4 June

Term 3: Friday 16 August, Friday 20 September

Term 4: Monday 7 October