St Denis School Newsletter

Term 3 Week 1

Term 3 Mass Friday 19 July
1st Holy Communion
Catholic Performing Arts Festival
P&F Meeting
Father's Day Save the Date
Keeping Safe and Code of Conduct
Cyberbullying

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

We give thanks with hearts full of gratitude as we begin Term 3. We thank You for the opportunity to learn and grow, for the friendships we share, and for the guidance and wisdom You provide.

Bless our teachers, staff, and students as they return to their roles and responsibilities. Grant them strength, patience, and enthusiasm for the tasks ahead. Help us to support and encourage one another, fostering a community of kindness and respect.

Lord, we ask for Your protection over our school. Keep us safe and healthy and guide us in making choices that honour You and each other. May this term be filled with moments of discovery, achievement and joy.

In Your holy name, we pray.

Amen

Thursday 18 July: Sacred Saints Winter Carnival (Cancelled due to inclement weather)
Friday 19 July: Beginning of Term Mass - Year 3’s organising - 9.00am (All welcome)
Saturday 20 July: P&F Parent Event – Paddington Ale House: 6.00pm
Wednesday 24 July: Paul Litherland CyberSafety Student Workshop (Year 4 – 6)
Friday 26 July: Pre-Primary Assembly
Saturday 27 July: Year 4 Eucharist Commitment Mass (6.30pm) and Sunday 28 July (9.00am)
Monday 29 July: Liturgical Dance Rehearsal & Performance – Mercy College
Tuesday 30 July: 1st Holy Communion Retreat (Year 4 )
Tuesday 30 July: 1st Holy Communion Parent/Child Workshop: 5.30pm (Year 4)
Friday 2 August: Year 2 Assembly & MJR presentation

Dear Parents and Members of our School Community,

Welcome back! It was great to see so many smiling faces yesterday for the first day of Term Three. Hopefully, you all had a great holiday and the opportunity to spend time together relaxing and enjoying the break.

Start of Term Three Mass

All are invited to mass this Friday 19 July to prepare for another term at St Denis. Mass will start at 9.00am and is prepared by the Year 3 class.

1st Holy Communion

Please remember to keep in your prayers the Year Four class who are preparing for their First Holy Communion. The Holy Communion Parent/Child Workshop will be held on Tuesday, 30 July at 5.30pm in the Hall, with the Sacramental Celebration taking place on Friday 9 August at 5.30pm.

As part of the Sacramental program, there is an expectation that students participate in all components. Attendance at the parent/child workshop is required by a least one parent and their child for students to be fully prepared to receive the sacrament.

P&F Parent Event

The St Denis P&F would like to invite all parents and caregivers to the annual Parents & Friends Night Out! It is the perfect chance to relax, connect and enjoy a great evening together. This is a wonderful opportunity to build the St Denis School community and support the P&F. Please see the attached flyer towards the bottom of the newsletter for details and the link to book your spot.

Catholic Performing Arts Festival

St Denis will be entering our Dance Team and Choirs into the Catholic Performing Arts in 2024, along with a number of individual entrants. The Catholic Performing Arts Festival runs from the 19 July to 30 August.

Individual students performing this year are Nikhil, Maxim, Charlie, Isla, Olivia & Piper (piano), Maddie &Reuben (saxophone), and Isla (viola).

We wish the absolute best of luck to our individual as well as the Dance Team and the Choirs as they perform over the coming weeks.

Thanks to Mrs Emily Watkins, Miss Thalia Munyard and Mrs Cathy Cotton for coordinating, helping, assisting and preparing the children and giving up their time so generously.

P&F (PARENTS & FRIENDS) Meeting

Our next P&F Meeting is scheduled for Monday 29 July at 6.00pm. We would love to see you in attendance to discuss the exciting events planned for the remainder of 2024.

Advanced Notice

Please be aware that Friday 16 August is a Pupil Free Day.

Save the Date

Father’s Day Liturgy and Breakfast – Friday 30 August. More details to follow in subsequent newsletters.

Keeping Safe and Code of Conduct at St Denis

The safety of our students is our highest priority at St Denis. To aid with our student wellbeing and care, we teach a Protective Behaviours Curriculum at St Denis, this is the same Curriculum that is taught in all CEWA (Catholic Education Western Australia) schools. All our class teachers have been trained in this program and teach regular lessons throughout the year.

The Protective Behaviours program is incredibly important, equipping students with the skills to identify safe and trusted adults. The program also teaches what appropriate and inappropriate actions may look like, feel like and sound like. The content is age appropriate and progressive, meaning it builds from one lesson to the next.

The Protective Behaviours Curriculum links closely with our school Code of Conduct document. The St Denis school Code of Conduct describes the minimum standards of conduct in all behaviour and decision making to ensure the safety and wellbeing of students. The Code applies to staff, students, volunteers, parents, and guardians as applicable. Please refer to the school website for more details.

This document outlines standards in the way all parties should interact and communicate. The Code also highlights what potential breaches of the code may look like and what to do if you see breaches. If at any stage you have questions about the Code of Conduct or would like to communicate a concern, please contact me directly.

Cyberbullying

On 1 July 2015, the Australian Government introduced the Office of Children’s eSafety Commissioner and the Enhancing Online Safety for Children Act 2015. The Act allows children suffering from serious cyberbullying to contact the Office of the Children eSafety Commissioner to have content removed if social media companies do not remove the offending content after it has been reported to them. Resources can be found on the Office’s website www.esafety.gov.au. I encourage you to talk to your children about this issue.

With regards and best wishes

Justin Tuohy
Principal