Class Assemblies

Class assemblies are an opportunity for students to showcase some of the great things that are happening in their classroom for their parents and the other classes across the school. Some grades have opted to work together and will therefore present 2 assemblies over the course of the year. In other cases, classes will present alone which will be one assembly each. Assemblies will be in the hall commencing at 2.10pm. Parents are welcome to attend any of these assemblies. This term, class assemblies will be:

• Week 6 (Friday, 7 June) - Year 1
• Week 7 (Friday, 14 June) - Year 4
• Week 8 (Friday, 21 June) - Year 5 Gold

Staff Professional Development Day - Monday, July 29

As stated earlier in the year, Catholic Schools in the Wollongong Diocese have been granted 8 Staff Development Days each year. So far we have accessed 3 of these days with the fourth being scheduled for Monday, 29 July (Term 3, Week 2). This is a Pupil Free Day. The focus will be on the Environment and, in particular, Pope Francis’ Encyclical Laudato Si’.

The other planned Professional Development Day are:

• Friday, 27 September - ‘The Berry Street Education Model’ (Day 2)
• Monday, 14 October - ‘Vision for Learning’
• Thursday, 19 December - ‘Educating with a Mission Lens’
• Friday, 20 December - ‘First Aid’ training

Bearers of Christ’s Love — Decree

Bishop Brian has decreed that Bearers of Christ’s Love-Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Wollongong is to be the clear path, within the Diocese of Wollongong, to ensure our Catholic schools will be high quality centres of learning, where faith is experienced and lived out as an integral part of our students’ education and has directed that the document be implemented within Catholic schools in the Diocese of Wollongong. Catholic schools are centred on the person of Jesus Christ and are enlivened by the Gospel he proclaimed. They are grounded and find their life within the Catholic community of believers, and through their highlighting of the relevance of Catholic faith to life and culture, share in the evangelising mission of the Church. They are communities of care, committed to developing the whole person. Catholic schools are a vital expression of the mission of the Church in the Diocese of Wollongong. Further professional learning for Principals and Clergy is continuing.

King’s Birthday Long Weekend - Monday, 10 June

This weekend is a long weekend which hopefully provides a timely short break for our students and their families.

Students Keeping Safe in the Digital World

As we are aware many of our students are immersed in the digital world, it is important to support our students to learn the skills to keep themselves safe online and the importance of safe and positive digital use and citizenship. Parents play an important role in teaching these skills. Recently the Premier called a state summit to assess the effects of social media on children and teens. Chris Minns says that he's concerned about the harm apps like Instagram and TikTok are causing. The summit is in response to calls to ban children under sixteen from accessing social media.

Here are a few simple tips parents can put into place.

Set limits and encourage playtime. Media use, like all other activities, should have reasonable limits. Unstructured and offline play stimulates creativity. Try and make unplugged playtime a part of your child's day. 

Screen time shouldn't always be alone time. Co-view, co-play, and co-engage with your children when they are using screens—​it encourages social interactions, bonding, and learning. Play a video game with your child. It's a good way to demonstrate good sportsmanship and gaming etiquette. Watch a show with them; you will have the opportunity to introduce and share your own life experiences and perspectives—and guidance.

Understanding the Apps your child is using. Common Sense Media is an excellent site for reviews about age-appropriate apps, games, and programs to guide you in making the best choices for your child. The Carly Ryan Foundation also helps unpack various apps- this week's feature app for our newsletter is ROBLOX and TIKTOK.

It is important to remember there are many factors to consider when determining if a child should be allowed to use an app. The age restrictions are guides on the minimum age a child should be exposed to the content of the app. There are many other factors that need to be considered such as the chat functions. See some tips listed below.

Consider setting a family contract to help children understand their responsibilities when going online.

Find out how to protect your personal information and report harmful content on common social media, games, apps and sites.

https://www.esafety.gov.au/key-topics/esafety-guide

Throughout the year teachers have access to a variety of quality professional development opportunities. Casual teachers are employed to cover classes with the teacher ensuring the teaching program and routines are followed.