Principal's Update
Leaving a Dent!
Dear Parents & Carers,
I recently came across the above quote at the right time! I was feeling a bit ‘under the pump’ on various things that are due by the end of the term. It’s funny though. I used to joke around with my old Principal who is a very good mate of mine and say Principal life is easy!! Meetings, coffees and cake! However, I am very much aware that leading a school and moving it into that next era can be challenging and at times overwhelming. Lucky for me, I have an amazing bunch of people with me on this journey with me, and let me tell you, the pressures they face in their role here at Santa Clara drive me to be the best I can be as a person and Principal.
Something that takes my mind off the tasks is visiting some of the classrooms. I always look forward to going into classrooms and seeing the kids and teachers. I get a buzz in there, not only from the kids but also from seeing the amazing things our staff are doing in there! I did find the time during the day to just stop for a second and I got the sense of just how important all of us are in the children’s lives and how we impact them. I am sure you are the same; we all want the best for the ones we care about. I look at my two girls at home and all the students here at SC and wonder about the dent they are making in our universe each day.
The quote is also very meaningful as we move into the closing stages of the Easter period. Jesus was a great man and what I like about him is his thinking outside the box and how he challenged peoples’ values in order to spread the Word of God. He sure did achieve a lot during his short time on earth, the most important is his commitment to placing our life before his, what a dent! By living as Jesus did we, as parents and teachers, aim to do this each day with our children and those close to us. This is our dent in the universe. We have the ability to do something special and leave a dent through each interaction we have!
This week our Leadership Team arranged for a Krispy Kreme and coffee treat as a bit of a thank you to the staff for their hard work this term. These are the simple things in life that make the biggest dents. Just sitting back and watching the staff chat and eat doughnuts is very rewarding. They do have a great bond as a staff and I hope that I have made a small dent during my time with them!
The highlight of my term is visiting the classrooms and saying hello to all the children. A hello soon turns into chaos as I end up telling stories or a dad joke or two! The teachers give me that look, the one that says ‘you can go now’! Sometimes however, our humour is the greatest impact we have on others. The world, and schools, are becoming very serious places. One thing I have learned from time as an Assistant Principal and now Principal is that relationships can create high levels of impact, which in turn can create high levels of learning. Sounds simple. I think humour is one of those things that helps build solid relationships.
Therefore, these dents are about us placing priority on others, something that our community has done exceptionally well this term with our social justice fundraising through Project Compassion. What an amazing effort from our community and how humbling to know we have all made a huge difference in the lives of people we do not even know. I encourage our students and families to continue to bring in spare coins as this plays a big part in impacting those less fortunate.
As the Easter season moves into its final stages, may we all take the message of ‘new life’ to create places of JOY. My Parish Priest in Ballajura discussed on the weekend the meaning of joy and how it relates to Easter. J is for putting Jesus first, O is for others second and Y is then for yourself. With this understanding of joy, the dents we make in this universe will be enormous. Every moment and interaction is a time for impact.
Many blessings to you all over the last weeks of Term One. Enjoy your children and look for those moments of impact, the simple things in life like going for a walk or playing Roblox (something my Sienna loves me to do)! Thank you for your support in making our community such a special place.
Have a blessed fortnight.
Clinton Payne
Principal
Santa Clara OSHC News
I wish to inform all our families that use our OSHC service that Karen Kelly, our Nominated Supervisor, has resigned from her position. Karen's last day will be on 30 March. On behalf of our community, we thank Karen for her expertise and time at our service and wish her the very best for her future endeavours.
We have commenced the process of advertising for a new Nominated Supervisor. Once this process is finalised we will inform the community.
2022 Kindy Enrolments
Enrolment interviews for Kindergarten 2022 will commence shortly. Parents/Carers of students currently attending Santa Clara School are reminded that they are required to submit an Enrolment Application Form if they intend to enrol a younger sibling into the Kindergarten program for 2022 or beyond. Parents please ensure you are aware of new regulations around immunisation and enrolment in Kindy.
Thank You P&F
On behalf of our community I would like to acknowledge the hard work of Michelle Kinsman and the extended P&F for our Welcome Picnic / Movie Night. The weather did not stop our community spirit. These events are so important in creating the culture here at Santa Clara. All the money raised by our P&F go directly into projects that impact our kids so please continue to support them. Why not even join the P&F? What a great way to be involved in your child's education.
Parent Teacher Interviews
Today you would have received your child's Term One Interim Report. The aim of this report is to give you a snapshot of how they have progressed this term along with their work habits and behaviour.
Following on from the reports, as part of our commitment to open communication, all parents are invited to participate in parent teacher interviews next week. Please visit your child's classroom to select a time according to the teacher's availability.
Kindergarten Class News
In Kindergarten, we are SOOO excited about Easter! This week we have been practicing our cutting skills and shape knowledge with an Easter Bunny cutting puzzle. We have been practicing our writing, particularly the writing of our names by filling in invitations to an Easter Party!! Would you like to come to our party?! We also wrote a letter to the Easter Bunny asking him to come and visit us in Kindy. Did you know you always put a full stop at the end of a sentence?
We are developing our oral language skills and learning our colours by playing in the Easter Bunny’s Factory. It’s SO SO much fun! This week we have been reading the story, “Saving Easter”. We are using this story to develop our oral language skills, story retell and comprehension skills by playing in the small world that has been set up just like the Easter Bunny’s house in the story. We have also been talking about all the different ways families celebrate Easter. In Princess Partington’s family they have a picnic so this week we have a picnic play area set up for us to play with. Next week, who knows what we will have set up! We will have to wait and see…
Of course, we are also learning about why we celebrate Easter and why at Easter time we eat yummy scrummy chocolate eggs! Do you know why we eat chocolate eggs at Easter time?! We do!!
We hope everyone has a lovely, joy filled Easter with their families (and don’t forget the chocolate eggs!)
Love from the cute and adorable Kindergarten class!!
P&F News
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About Us
Email: admin@santaclara.wa.edu.au
Website: web.santaclara.wa.edu.au
Location: 91 Coolgardie Street, Saint James WA, Australia
Phone: (08) 9251 0400
