Orana Catholic Primary School
Week 1, Term 3, 2020
TO GIVE IS TO RECEIVE
Generosity is giving and sharing. It is giving freely.
It is seeing a chance to give what you have and then giving just for the joy of giving.
A Prayer for the start of Term
Psalm 34:19
Dear Savior,
During this new school term, I pray that whilst I travel to school, I carry Your light within me. I pray that Your light never fades within me, let my focus always be on You in every environment I enter. I know that I may face troubles at school but Lord You are faithful to deliver me from them all! I know that this term I will be successful and will overcome all things because Your Word tells me so,
Amen.
From the Principal's Desk
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome to Term 3.
By the look of the energised students who have returned to school with a skip in their step and a hunger for learning that families enjoyed a restful holiday period. On Tuesday of this week we conducted our first Quad assembly for some time. It was wonderful having our community as one for the first time in so long. It made me realise just how important gathering as a whole is. The students and staff feel connected; we pray together, celebrate together and learn together in this space. I am looking forward to the commencement of Friday assemblies, starting this Friday with a Junior Assembly for students in Pre-primary - Year 2. Please refer to the Assembly Plan that we sent last week to follow the protocols we have in place.
YEAR SIX LEADERS
Throughout this week I have held leadership meetings with the Year 6 students. They have had an interrupted year in regards to opportunities to lead our community. I wanted to let them know that they are appreciated and that we are looking forward to a great Semester 2 where they can demonstrate their leadership skills. Scroll down the newsletter to see responses from the Year 6 leaders. I cherish this opportunity to connect with the students in an informal setting.
NEW ADDITIONS TO THE NEWSLETTER
As you scroll down the newsletter today, you will notice some extra news items. Each week there will be information from selection of leadership groups in our school;
- Mrs Emma Bell as the Short-term Principal
- Mrs Erin Leech as the Acting Assistant Principal
- Future Focussed Learning Team
- Cultural Perspectives Team
- Mrs Kath Warburton as our School Social Worker
- Year Six Student Leaders
PARENT/CARER and TEACHER INTERVIEWS
Monday was set aside for teachers to connect with parents/carers throughout the day. The feedback from parents/carers and staff was overwhelmingly positive. The teachers appreciated the time to connect with you, to share your child's journey so far in 2020. Thank you for attending and providing staff with affirmation of their dedicated work in supporting your child's education journey here at Orana. This day was a true indication of how we work in harmony here at Orana; staff, students and parents.
SCHOOL ZONE - VAHLAND AVE
After 18 months of negotiations and discussions with Mains Roads and the City of Canning, it is with excitement and and pride that we announce the installation of the 40 km safety zone on Vahland Ave. This safety zone will keep our community safe. Please remember to slow down as you approach Orana along Vahland Ave, especially from 7.30-9am and 2.30-4pm. To all involved in making this happen, we appreciate your dedication to the safety of our community. I have had further conversation with City of Canning during the week and the trees will be pruned that are covering the 40km sign at the moment. I have it on good authority that Main Roads will be providing flashing signals. The signs visible at the moment are a temporary measure.
VAHLAND AVE GATE ENTRANCE
There has been an entry and exit gate installed on the Vahland Ave side of Orana behind the senior playground. This gate will be opened each day and will be locked at 9am once the children are in class. The gate will then be opened for parent access at 2.30pm each day. The gate will be locked at 3.20pm each afternoon.
UNIFORMS
Our uniform supplier has advised that they expect all of the back ordered uniform items to be available. If you have anything on order, please look out for their text advising you that your item is available for collection. Your patience has been appreciated. I trust that the stock that you have been waiting for has arrived and we will expect to see the children back at school wearing their correct uniforms with pride.
Breaking News - JUMPERS ARE NOW IN STOCK!
EARLY YEARS PLAY AREA
The play area in the gated Early Years space is not to be used by students before or after school. Parents are requested to please be mindful of this and refrain from allowing your child to play.
HIGHWAY HEROES
This term we are implementing a Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) program: BEST Program 4 Kids' Little Highway Heroes (K-PP) and Highway Heroes (Year 1- Year 6). This is a comprehensive, active teaching curriculum that introduces social, emotional and learning skills for children. SEL is the process of acquiring the skills to recognise and manage emotions, develop care and concern for others, establish positive relationships, make responsible decisions and handle challenging situations effectively. These skills are fundamental to a child's mental health and ability to learn. Over the coming weeks we will be sharing more information with you regarding this program. You will be receiving information from your child's classroom teacher throughout the remainder of this year, with tasks and activities that can be completed at home. Please try and get to this, so that the language we use is common and the messages we are trying to reinforce can be supported in the home environment also.
Kath Warburton will by holding a Parent/Carer Workshop on Friday 7 August focussing on the first Module of Highway Heroes - Connecting 4 Friendships. Please come along for this session, handy tips and tricks will be shared for you to make use of at home. The workshop will be held in the hall at 9.45am following the assembly.
God Bless
Emma Bell
Short-term Principal
RESPECT - GENEROSITY - EXCELLENCE
HIGHWAY HEROES
The Week That Was!
FROM OUR ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL - Mrs Erin Leech
School Photos
School Photos will be held during Week 3 on Monday 3rd August and Wednesday 5th August. All students are required to be dressed in full winter uniform on their photo day. A schedule of times will follow in next weeks newsletter.
If you would like a family photo, forms are available from the office, please pop in and collect one from Mrs Goodwin.
FROM OUR STUDENT LEADERS
Andreas Cristou 6W
It was great that we could come together to talk about our leadership team. I understand the purpose of my group and what to do as my job. The cookies where great and so were the homemade sausage rolls. I think it will be a more effective leadership term/semester because the COVID restrictions have been easesd.
Amelie Braine 6B
I really enjoyed Mrs Bell's mum’s sausage-rolls they were delicious and I was so happy when we got another half because there were still some left. I liked how we talked about what we would be doing when we where in the Quaddies team because it gave me an idea on what me and my team would be doing this term. What leadership means to me this term is being a role-model to the younger classes and kids and trying to be the best we can be.
Amy Hitie 6B
I liked the food and drinks (especially the sausage rolls). Mrs Bell’s office was organised, neat and tidy. The presentation was lovely. The conversations were relevant and I could understand what being the Social Justice and Wellness group really meant. For me it means trying to stay positive in this time of crisis because it could be scary for little kids. It also means being a role model. I love being on the Social Justice and Wellness team because being happy as a kid and helping people is important to me.
Michael Tsokos 6B
I thought the food was very good. The sausage rolls were superb. When I first walked in, I felt very welcomed into the room. I thought the conversations we had were very interesting and insightful on what we’d be doing in “Quaddies”. I think leadership is all about being an example to other students and friends.
Liam Agar 6W
I loved the morning tea, the food was wow and we had great conversations.
P & F News
Greetings from P&F Executives!
Ready or not, here comes Term 3! Whilst Term 2 was rather slow, it gave us the time to reflect and plan for this term. We have launched our Cookie Dough fundraising and to date we have a very positive outcome. Thank you for all who supported!
The P&F Committee are looking to continue our support to this lovely school community of ours, with the next P&F meeting to be held at 6pm on Wednesday, 5 August 2020. Please mark you calendars, and make yourself present for the meeting. If you have any ideas on what we can do to support the school, we would love to hear from you!
Happy term 3 everyone!
P&F Executive
From our Parish of Sts John & Paul
Please visit the Parish website for the latest information on weekend Masses.