page background

Emmaus Catholic Primary School

Term 3, Week 8 Newsletter: Friday 6 September 2024

Emmaus CatholicPrimary School Term 3, Week 8 Newsletter: Friday 6 September 2024

PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGES

Timeless God,

Help us to make each moment count and to make time for things that bring refreshment

To sit and dream

To chat to our family and friends

Help us to make a difference, to pray and to rest,

To notice the wonder of your creation,

To look into one another's eyes,

To ask hard questions

And to wait for the answers

Help us to make time not to hurry,

Fill this day with miracle moments

When life makes sense let us see clearly

Give us moments when we embrace you alive in our lives

When we hear good news,

When we forgive and are forgiven

Give us moments of real honesty and moments of deep awareness

Let there be moments when we are moved to tears,

And moments of laughter pouring from our soul

Let there be moments of gratitude and moments when we behold your face

Be with us throughout this day, gentle God.

Make the rhythm of our day keep pace with the cadence of your love.

Amen

PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE

Last week I was discussing the lack of time that we seem to have at the moment and how fast time seems to go. I am sure most of you can resonate with this. I recalled this article on time which I had stored from a few years back.


It is important to recognise that time is very important. In fact, it’s an invaluable resource we possess. Once a minute passes, it is lost forever, with no way to regain it. Here are some compelling reasons why time holds such immense significance in our lives. By recognising the value of time, we can strive to make the most of this invaluable resource and lead more fulfilling and productive lives.


Time Wasted Is Never Recovered

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. – Steve Jobs. You must have heard the saying “Time waits for no one” dozens of times, and it’s true. No one has the power to stop the clock or slow it down. It will keep moving whether you like it or not. As you may know, when you lose time, you can never recover it. That’s why you should try to seize every opportunity and make the most of your time to get things done. Things can’t just happen if you wait around. So, seize the moment and do what matters most now. Plus, the less time you waste, the more you avoid friction and problems both at home and at work.


Procrastination Is Your Enemy

Someone once said, “Don’t postpone what you can do today or now to tomorrow. It’s a waste of precious time and opportunity.” Our world is filled with so many distractions that eat up a lot of our time. Smartphones have become so advanced that they command a lot of our attention. You have social media, YouTube, news, and anything else right in the palm of your hand. While distractions are all around us, you must find ways to cut them down. Since time is one of the greatest and most limited resources we have, you only have a few hours each day to get things done. To succeed in life, you have to identify time wasters and take the necessary steps to control your time. Assess the amount of time you have and carefully divide it to make sure you get the most out of it. Nowadays, many apps can help you minimise distractions when working. Social media can wait, time can’t.


You Never Know How Much Time You or a Loved One Has Left

Life is unpredictable. Someone who is here today can be gone the next hour or tomorrow. Something you said to your loved one could be the last words you ever say to them. This illustrates the importance of putting our time into what really matters. There are moments in life where you ask yourself, “Should I stay longer or go home?” Earning money is essential but try to spend as much time as possible with the dearest people in your life.


Time is a Teacher

Time is the greatest teacher of them all. People learn from mistakes and take time to get things right. Every successful person we see today took time and experience to get where they are. One can only learn by trying and failing and trying again until they make it. It takes time and practice to get good at doing something. Experience helps to shape your life, from your character and morals to habits and lifestyle. The little things you learn in life teach you to improve situations and become a better version of yourself. How you spend time will affect you and your future. If you spend time doing valuable things, you become more productive. If you waste a lot of your time doing nothing, you will get nothing in return, and you may later come to regret it.


Time Heals

Whatever pain you may be going through right now will ease over time, and you’ll be left with a memory. While the memory may hurt every time it crosses your mind, the pain will gradually decrease over time. Time allows even the deepest of wounds to heal.


Time Can Improve Your Decision-Making Skills

There’s a lot of pressure that comes with the feeling you don’t have enough time to finish your projects or tasks. Try to find a system that works for you. Whether it’s a list or app, effective time management skills give you the ability to become better at making decisions. When you have your time planned out, you no longer have to worry about having less time. You’ll be composed and more in control. Instead of rushing to make a decision, you’ll take time to carefully consider the outcome of each option. In turn, this will reduce the chances of making bad choices.


Time Can Improve Self-Discipline

Let’s face it, this is not an easy skill to acquire. It takes practice and the willingness to kill those bad habits like watching TV until late and procrastinating. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not achievable. With good time management skills, you don’t have room for procrastination. The more you get good at managing your time, the more self-disciplined you become. Soon, you’ll get to a point where you don’t let anything interfere with your valuable time. Self-discipline enables you to achieve things you never would have. As a result, it positively impacts areas in your life where a lack of self-discipline was preventing you from attaining your goals.


In everything you do, don’t forget the importance of time. Time is limited, and once it is spent, it’s gone forever. Keep in mind that you can’t turn the clock back. So, be sure to take full advantage of the time you have as much as possible. Avoid putting things off until the next hour or the next day. The only time you have is the present.

QUALITY CATHOLIC EDUCATION SCHOOL REVIEW

During Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, we have had a panel of representatives in the school carrying out an audit for our school along with my personal principal review.


These audits/reviews occur in every Catholic school every 3 years.


The panel spoke to all stakeholders in our community, principal, assistant principal, staff, P&F executive, School Advisory committee and also students.


We will now await the results of this review and share the outcomes with our community at the appropriate time.


Many thanks to all those involved in the review for your time and input.

FATHER'S DAY AT EMMAUS

A big thank you to all Dads, Grandads, Uncles and Father Figures who attended our Father's Day Breakfast last Friday. It was delightful to see the students' joy in hanging out with their male hero and enjoying breakfast together. A special thank you extends to our Father's Day Staff Committee for organising the event and the P&F for organising the Father's Day Stall and raffles.

ATHLETICS CARNIVAL 2024

What an exciting day our Athletics Carnival was last Friday. It was certainly four seasons in one day, but that didn't deter our little athletes from giving every event their best shot in their track and team events throughout the day. The scores were incredibly close, but by the end of the day Kaartdijin just scraped through to first place. Congratulations to all our super-star athletes, but a MASSIVE applause goes to Mrs Bol for her energy, enthusiasm and seamless organisation of our 2024 carnival. An extra 'thank you' is extended to our Year 11 friends from Holy Cross College who helped oversee the activities and the parents who assisted with lunch order distribution and packing up at the end of the day.


Read on in the Sports Update for Mrs Bol's rundown of the Carnival.

CATHOLIC PERFORMING ARTS NEWS

The Year 2 class showcased their amazing talents in the Catholic Performing Arts Festival on Tuesday 28 August. Their rendition of the 'Gingerbread Man' was a wonderful combination of speech, song and movement and whilst nervous at this very first public performance, all students had a wonderful time performing. We received notification today that the class was awarded an 'Excellence' award for their musical. Congratulations to Mrs Leith, Miss Fraser and Mrs Anderson for preparing the students and an enormous applause to the Year 2 class for a wonderful result!


This now marks the end of the Catholic Performing Arts Festival for our students. Thank you to all parents who attended the showcases over the last weeks.

KINDY GREEN AND MEMORY CAFE FRIENDS

On Tuesday Kindergarten Green welcomed back members from the Swan Valley Memory Cafe. Our guests were welcomed with our morning song and we read the story ‘Heads and Tails’. We had fun using the clues in the story to guess the insect.


We had a lovely morning together painting sunflowers, creating our own Hungry Caterpillars using playdough and loose parts, building with blocks and fine motor activities. Morning tea was extra special, everyone loved the Honey Joys we made in Kindy. Our honey joys brought back memories of cooking with their children and birthday parties.

WELCOME TO EMMAUS, MRS LYCHO!

We are super-delighted to welcome a new Education Assistant to our team. Mrs Lycho is a special needs trained Education Assistant who will be working predominantly in the junior grades in supporting our students. Our children have enjoyed their first week with you on board Mrs Lycho, and our Emmaus community welcomes you with open arms!

EDUCATION ASSISTANTS APPRECIATION WEEK

In recognition of Education Assistants Appreciation Week, we honour our AMAZING EAs who work to support all our students across the classes. These 11 ladies work tirelessly, assisting students in achieving their learning goals and collaborating with teachers in all areas of operating the classrooms. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to:

Mrs Pavlenko, Mrs Cousins, Mrs Barth, Mrs Cornish, Mrs Dichiera, Mrs Mooney, Ms Glasson, Ms Fanderlinden, Mrs Anderson, Mrs Armstong, Mrs Lycho and Mrs Gallagher (who has been at Emmaus predominantly this term).

OPEN NIGHT - PLEASE JOIN US

The Emmaus Open Night is next Friday night! Classrooms will be open from 4:30 - 6:30 pm for parents, grandparents, family and friends to tour through and see the magnificent work students have been completing across the grades. Take a peek into other classrooms and the Science room too. An Art Show, along with a Performing Arts showcase will also delight you. Why not treat the family to dinner too? Food trucks will be heading our way throughout the night. See you at school soon!

THE BOOKFAIR IS COMING!

Our 2024 Bookfair will be operating in our school Library from Thursday 12 September to Wednesday 18 September (morning only on this last day). We invite parents and students to visit our school library to make purchases on these days:


  • Mornings 8:10 - 8:45 am - Thursday 12 Sept, Friday 13 Sept, Monday 16 Sept, Tuesday 17 Sept, Wednesday 18 Sept
  • Afternoons 3:05 - 4:00 pm - All dates above, except Wednesday 18 Sept.

EMMAUS & ST HELENA'S SCHOOL / PARISH MASS

Our parish and school relations are strengthened when we join together in celebration at Mass. The Parish and School Mass is tomorrow night, Saturday 7 September and we invite all our Emmaus families to join us. The Emmaus choir are highly encouraged to join to showcase their beautiful voices in praise at this community mass. Please see the invitation attached below.

SPORT UPDATES

2024 ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

On Friday 30 August we held our much-anticipated Athletics Carnival for our students from Pre-Primary to Year 6. Even with a shower or two, the students were amazing to watch showing determination and courage throughout the different events. All our students competed in every event, a unique format and we love the spirit that it fosters of having a go and experiencing fun and success even when things can be challenging.


Throughout the day we saw our students with huge smiles on their faces while competing in Jumps, Throws, Novelty Games, Sprints, Relays and always a fan favourite - Team Games! It is always fantastic seeing the enjoyment of students and the pride and encouragement coming from families and staff throughout the day.


Congratulations to all students for being courageous and doing their best and a huge well done to Kaartdijin for winning the inaugural Faction Shield in a fierce battle all day which came down to the relays!


Our Champions and Runner Ups from Year 3 to 6 were:


Year 3

Champion Boy: Anotida S

Runner Up: Adom O

Champion Girl: Chloe J

Runner Up: Sally A


Year 4

Champion Boy: Lucas S

Runner Up: Setto J

Champion Girl: Mackenzie G

Runner Up: Poppy S


Year 5

Champion Boy: Rylann O

Runner Up: Donny M

Champion Girl: Aisha K

Runner Up: Seerut K


Year 6

Champion Boy: Enzo S

Runner Up: Gabriel R

Champion Girl: Ivory O

Runner Up: Bismanjeet C


Faction Points

1st place - 489 points - Kaartdijin (Blue)

2nd place - 463 points - Koort (Red)

3rd place - 449 points - Maara (Yellow)

4th place - 423 points - Bardan (Green)

HOCKEY PROGRAM

Our 8 Week Hockey Program has now come to an end. It was an overwhelming success with over 100 students crossing the road to the turf and developing a love and understanding of Hockey. We are very grateful for the coaches at Eastern Blades Hockey Club for volunteering their time to help offer this experience to our students. We hope all those that participated enjoyed the program and took away new skills.


If you would like any more information about joining the Hockey club, please contact juniors@easternbladeshc.org


Rebecca Bol

Physical Education Teacher

PUPIL FREE DAY - FRIDAY 20 SEPTEMBER

There is a Staff Professional Development Day on Friday 20 September, therefore, there are no classes (a pupil free day) on this date. Term 3 will finish on Thursday 19 September.

OSHCLUB OPEN ON PUPIL FREE DAY - FRIDAY 20 SEPTEMBER

As a trial to gauge interest for future Pupil Free Days and Vacation Care, our OshClub is opening on our upcoming Pupil Free Day on Friday 20 September. Please see the flyer attached for the planned activities. Scan the QR code to register or email emmaus@oshclub.com.au

SCHOOL PHOTO DAY - TUESDAY 10 SEPTEMBER

Our school photo day is on Tuesday 10 September!



  1. Every student will have their photo taken even if parents do not order photos.
  2. All students in Kindy (4K) to Y6 received an order envelope with instructions on how to order photos and what type of photo packs are available. Each student is given a unique Student Shoot Key, this is required when ordering photos.
  3. The expiry date for ordering photos online is Tuesday 17 September 2024.
  4. There is an opportunity for Emmaus siblings to have their photos taken on photo day, between 8:20 am and 9:00 am, these will likely be taken in the Hall.
  5. We will also have a whole school photo taken in the middle of the day!
  6. Pre-Kindergarten students will have a separate photo day to the rest of the school due to the days of their Pre-Kindy classes. Parents will be notified as soon as this date is confirmed. If you have two or more children at the school with one of them in Pre-Kindy and you wish to have a family sibling photo taken, you will need to bring your Pre-Kindy child on Tuesday 10 September between 8:20 and 9:00 am for the family photo to be taken.


FORMAL WINTER UNIFORM IS REQUIRED FOR YEAR 1 TO YEAR 6 STUDENTS

ON SCHOOL PHOTO DAY



Please see the attachment below for further instructions on the ordering process.

WELLBEING UPDATE

Student Code of Conduct

This week, the students were introduced to their new Student Code of Conduct. The Year 5 and 6 students have worked very hard with Mr Coniglio and Mrs Hackner to create these guidelines outlining the behaviours that will help our school to be a safe and happy place for all. All students have discussed what each statement means and the Year 3 to 6 students have signed a copy, acknowledging their understanding of these expectations.

Emotional Regulation at Emmaus

In Year Two, we have been focusing on using colours to represent our feelings during our morning and closing circle. We have been reading the book ‘Ups and Downs’ by Karen Young to acknowledge that all feelings are important– the magical, the messy and the in-between. We have been learning about how amazing amygdala (the emotion centre of our brain) is! To add greater depth to our learning, we have been embedding a colour activity to our morning circle. At the start of the day, we pick a colour that ‘represents how we are feeling’. Sometimes we are feeling ‘blue’ and calm and other times we feel ‘red’ in the morning, especially if we had a busy morning. As a class we share our feelings with each other and recognise that colours represent different things for each of us. We accept that throughout the day our emotions might change and that is okay! One of our peers taught us that the colour purple represents 85% of our emotions and we think that is pretty cool colour psychology! By developing our self-awareness we grow to recognise why we feel and act as we do, and how to respond differently when we need to.

Emotional Regulation at Home

Supporting children in developing emotional regulation is a key factor in their overall wellbeing and success, both in school and at home. When parents actively engage in helping their children understand and manage emotions, it not only strengthens the parent-child bond but also equips children with essential life skills. Emotional regulation helps children handle stress, build resilience, and respond calmly in challenging situations. By modelling healthy coping strategies and guiding their children through difficult emotions, parents can create a supportive environment that fosters emotional growth. Simple techniques like naming emotions, practicing calming strategies, and discussing feelings can make a significant difference in a child's ability to navigate their emotional world. You might like to print the Social Emotional Learning Chatterbox or the Coping Skills Wheel to help you have discussions about emotions with your child.

BOOK WEEK WINNERS

Congratulations to the 2024 Book Week competition winners:


Kindy Blue - Violet

Kindy Green - Zac

Pre-Primary - Alana

Year 1 - Stephanie

Year 2 - Queen

Year 3 - Chloe

Year 4 - Ellana

Year 5/6 - Apiu


We hope you liked your prizes!

P&F UPDATE

Please see below the latest updates from the P&F. Download the attachment below. Read further on about how to order Cadbury fundraising chocolates!

CADBURY FUNDRAISING - HOW TO ORDER

See the flyer below on how to order Cadbury Fundraising Chocolates or Lolly boxes - help support our P&F! Note the short deadline to place orders so the boxes are delivered and distributed before the school holidays just two weeks away!


Click https://www.trybooking.com/CVETS to order your box of goodies!

UNIFORM SHOP @ EMMAUS

HOOK INTO HOCKEY PROGRAM

See the flyer below for details on the Hook into Hockey Program with Eastern Blades Hockey Club which starts next month at the turf fields across the road from Emmaus!

CAVERSHAM DAYTON CRICKET CLUB

BEGINNERS & EXPERIENCED PLAYERS WELCOME

Under 12s sessions Come and Try afternoon on Thursday 12 September from 5:00 - 6:00 pm at the Dayton District Open Space! See the flyer below on how to register.

GRASSHOPPER SOCCER - REGISTRATION FOR TERM 4

Try Grasshopper Soccer for 2 - 12 year olds at Dayton Primary School oval. See the flyer below on how to register.

COMING EVENTS

Saturday 7 September

  • Eucharist Thanksgiving Mass (certificates) 6:00 pm - St Helena's & Emmaus School Mass


Sunday 8 September

  • Eucharist Thanksgiving Mass (certificates) 9:30 am / 5:45 pm
  • Altar Server Training (after 9:30 am Mass)
  • Holy Cross Mass 9:30 am


Tuesday 10 September

  • School Photo Day - formal uniform for Year 1 - 6 students.


Wednesday 11 September

  • RU Okay Day
  • Bunnings Incursion


Thursday 12 September

  • Scholastic Book Fair starts


Friday 13 September

  • Emmaus Day!
  • Emmaus Day Liturgy @ 11:45 am (Year 5 & 6)


  • Open Night 4:30 - 6:30 pm
  • Music performances from 4:30 - 5:30 pm
  • Art Show and Food vendors


Saturday 14 September

  • Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross


Monday 16 September

  • School Tour 9:00 am


Tuesday 17 September

  • SAC meeting @ 6:00 pm


Wednesday 18 September

  • Scholastic Book Fair finishes


Thursday 19 September

  • Interschool Athletics Carnival (Y3 - 6)
  • Uniform Shop Open 2:30 - 3:30 pm
  • Newsletter issued


Friday 20 September

  • Staff PD Day - Pupil Free Day - no classes

Please see below the attached most up-to-date version of the Term 3 calendar - just two weeks to go until holidays!

Our next newsletter will be distributed on Thursday 19 September, the last day of classes for Term 3!


Have a wonderful weekend.


God bless!


Sandro Coniglio

Principal

Loretta Hackner
Loretta is using Smore to create beautiful newsletters