SPORT NEWS

Good Luck!!

On Friday, we will have three students representing our school and Diocese at the Mackillop Winter Trials in Canberra. Hunter P and Lewis McL will compete for a place in the Rugby League Team while Jessica McL will be aiming for selection in the Netball Team. Unfortunately, Hunter and Lewis will miss part of their Year 6 camp due to the clash of dates.

Congratulations!

Last Friday, Hunter P and Lewis McL trialled for the Diocesan Rugby Union Team in Campbelltown. Both boys were successful which will now take them to Forbes in country NSW towards the end of June. This is an awesome achievement (and a nice way to see the sites of our state!!).

The UOW Outreach & Widening Participation Team invites our students to Learning Labs, an academic and creative arts enrichment holiday program. We are targeting students from Year 1 to 6 who are passionate, self-motivated, and curious learners.
 
Dates:               
Little Learning Labs (Years 1 and 2): 3^rd – 5^th July 2023
Early Learning Labs (Years 3 to 6): 11^th – 13^th July 2023
 
Venue: University of Wollongong (Wollongong campus only)
Applications close: Wednesday, 10^th May 2023
 
·      LITTLE AND EARLY LEARNING LABS program brochure
 
APPLICATION PROCESS
·         Parents/Guardians visit the website and read the full list of workshops available by scrolling to the “Workshop Descriptions” section.
·         Students apply for workshops that are within their current year (ie. Year 6 students in 2023 will apply for the Year 5 & 6 workshops). In exceptional circumstances, the University is willing to review applicants who would like to try a more challenging workshop.
·         Parents/Guardians (or school if parent/guardian is unable to) fill out the online application form.
·         This is an academic and creative arts enrichment program designed for students who are motivated and passionate learners and performing excellently in their area of interest.

Getting the most out of gaming – Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT

This 45-minute free webinar provides families with strategies for supporting children and young people to have safe, positive experiences when playing games online. It is designed for parents and carers of children aged 7 to 14.

It will cover:

• when gaming can be beneficial and strategies to promote better in-game experiences
• how to keep children safe online – using safety and privacy settings in games and platforms
• strategies to promote more balanced gaming and how to create smoother transitions from game-play to other activities
• the key online risks and where to find help for things like bullying and harassment in games
• Getting the most out of gaming 

Tuesday 23 May 7.30 pm - 8.15 pm 

Register here.

Changes to English and Mathematics K-2 Curriculum

Curriculum is at the core of quality teaching and learning. It is important to communicate with parents, carers and the community about the teaching and learning that is happening in your school. This engagement will assist schools in identifying strategic directions, decide on improvement measures and assess their progress which can lead to improved learning outcomes for students.

What is curriculum?

The curriculum is a plan for learning based on mandated and approved syllabus documents and current departmental policies and procedures.

The NSW curriculum refers to the suite of resources that are the syllabuses and the support resources to support teachers to implement the syllabuses. This includes, but is not limited to, resources including teaching and learning advice, assessment resources, and syllabus-specific materials including scope and sequences, units of work, standards materials and work samples.

What is curriculum reform?

The NSW Curriculum Reform aims to strengthen and streamline what is taught in schools. The curriculum reform is an opportunity to engage and re energise what we teach and how we teach it. It focuses on making clear what is essential in the curriculum to give more time for deep learning, establish stronger foundations in English and mathematics, and provide stronger links between HSC subjects and career pathways.

English and Mathematics 

In 2023 new Syllabus documents in English and Mathematics are being implemented in schools in Kindergarten through to Year 2. 

The new syllabuses emphasise key concepts, identify essential knowledge and skills, and include new outcomes to clearly show what is essential. They remove ambiguity for all users. Clear and concise language in the outcomes and content help you to understand the learning expectations for building foundational skills in English and Mathematics. The new Digital Curriculum means the syllabuses will be easier to access and navigate, so users can find information more efficiently. Access content points are provided to indicate content that students with significant intellectual disability may access. Teaching samples and examples are easy to find and use. Teaching advice is a supporting guide that was refined through engagement and consultation activities with teachers.

Staff Planning Days

Our K-2 staff have been involved in professional development based on the revised English and Mathematics Syllabus through planning days and our staff K-6 have also been engaged into this learning during Staff Meetings.  

Mrs Dimitra Vezinias 

Assistant Principal

Extended Leave (10 days or more)

For extended leave for holidays, parents are asked to complete an ‘Application for Exemption from Attendance at School’ form. This is available from the office. 

HOW TO LODGE AN ABSENCE USING THE COMPASS APP

WHO DO WE CONTACT? 

To assist with the leading of initiatives and the general running of school activities each stage is allocated a leader.  For 2023 the following staff have been allocated to the four stages:

Early Stage 1 (Kindergarten) Mrs Trish Staff

Stage 1 (Year 1 and Year 2) Mrs Trish Staff

Stage 2 (Year 3 and Year 4) Mrs Bethany Tirchett

Stage 3 (Year 5 and Year 6) Mrs Dimitra Vezinias

Should you have any questions or concerns, your first port of call should always be your child's teacher.  Should you require further clarification you can make contact with the Stage Leader.