Aboriginal Acknowledgement

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We commit ourselves to actively working alongside Aboriginal people for reconciliation and justice.

Dear Families, 

Welcome to our students and families for Term 2. I hope that everyone had a great holiday and found plenty of time to rest and relax. We look forward to a very busy and productive Term Two. This term promises to be another very busy one with many events and lots of learning planned!

ANZAC Day

Thank you to the many students who participated in the ANZAC Day March last Tuesday. The number of students who participated was outstanding and the respectful manner in which they did so is to be commended. As a school, we believe it is very important to support the wider community on this day, to show our appreciation and give dignity to those who have worked so hard, some even losing their lives, to bring peace to our world. I thank our students for giving up their time to represent our school at such a significant event. Thank you also to our parents for making it possible for the children to be present on these occasions. We have received many compliments and all students were a credit to their families. Once again, thank you to all students, families and teachers who were able to support our participation in this very important community event.

Mother's Day
Next Sunday, we celebrate Mothers’ Day – a very special day when we say thank you to our mothers for everything which they have done for us. For some of us, it is a time to remember the past and for others, it is a time to celebrate the future. I am sure that each of us has a very special memory of our mum and some are still creating those memories. For some we remember with love the memories and special times that our mums shared with us. For all our mums on their special day we honour them. Mothers are the precious treasure troves which remain an important part of one's life. There are times when we just sit back and think about the times we learnt from our mother, or suddenly after tasting a dish you prepared, you think of how your mother used to prepare it. These are some precious moments that we are reminded of, even after many years. Such reflections never fail to bring
a smile to our face. Mothers are such that they become a part of your psyche, as cherished memories.

I wish all our mums a very happy Mothers’ Day for Sunday, 14th May.

Traditionally, May is the month when we remember, celebrate and thank Mary, the mother of God, in a special way. During his 26 year pontificate, John Paul II frequently reminded us that the month of May is, in a particular way, dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God. In their reflection on the significance of Jesus’ passion, the Church fathers understood that when Jesus, dying in agony on the Cross, said to John, “This is your mother”, he was not merely entrusting Mary to John’s care, but also to making Mary the spiritual mother of all followers of Christ. In Mary’s life on earth we see a strong woman, the author of the Magnificat, who was willing to embrace motherhood as a vocation from God in all its joys and sorrows. Every mother will know exactly, the meaning of the prophet Simeon’s words to Mary, when Jesus was presented in the temple in Jerusalem: “A sword will pierce your own
heart”. She was with Jesus at every important moment of his life: from his conception, his birth in Bethlehem, during his public ministry, at his crucifixion, and with the disciples on Pentecost Sunday, when the Holy Spirit came down upon them.
In following the footsteps of Jesus, and in the richness of the Christian tradition, we find in Mary the perfect mediator between mankind and God, in who we can confide our most private thoughts and deepest fears, asking her intercession in the confident
knowledge that Jesus will hear her, as happened at the Feast at Cana. During this month of May, dedicated to Mary, we are encouraged to pray to her to intercede on our behalf.

Mother's Day Breakfast

We look forward to seeing our St Carthage’s mothers who have accepted our invitation to gather for a Mothers’ Day Breakfast next Thursday 11^th May, 7:30am — 8:30am, in front of the St Carthage’s School Hall.

Mother's Day Stall

We will hold a Mothers’ Day Stall for the children to buy a gift for mum. This will be held next Thursday, 11th May. All gifts will be $5.00 each - please send money in with the children on the day. There will also be a limited number of extra gifts. 

Catholic Schools Week 2023

We are celebrating Catholic School's Week in Week 4 (15th - 19th May). The theme for Catholic Schools Week 2021 is "Living our Mission".

Our main celebration will be on Monday morning 15th May.

We look forward to celebrating this morning with you.

On Wednesday, during Catholic Schools Week, our canteen will offer a different option for lunch (more details to follow).

On Friday after morning tea our students will participate in some fun activities to conclude Catholic Schools Week. These activities will involve games, art and craft and a disco in the school hall.

Heavenly Father
You call all of us to walk with our students so as to enable
them to achieve the fullness of life in you.
We thank you for the quality education we receive in our
Catholic school and for the gift of all those committed to
Catholic Education in our schools.
We pray that you help us all to make the most of those
opportunities presented to us to share our gifts and bear
the fruits of walking with each other.
Bless the students, families and staff of our school – past,
present and future – as they live out your mission.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Tell Them from Me Parent Survey

Just a reminder that our Tell Them from Me Parent surveys closes next Friday, 12th May. As we value the role of parents and carers within our school community we would greatly appreciate your feedback. The information you provide will be used to maintain our commitment to working together in partnership to further improve student learning and wellbeing at St Carthage's Primary School.The survey is anonymous and will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. You are able to access the parent survey on your computer or mobile device by using the URL below:

http://tellthemfromme.com/xzk3z

School Family Partnership Meeting

On Tuesday 16th May we will be having a meeting to discuss our new model for sharing and gathering information between school and home. Mrs Janita Thompson- Family Parent Lead from the Catholic Schools Office will be facilitating this meeting. The meeting will be held at 6.00pm in the school hall.

All parents and carers are very welcome to attend. A flyer was sent home on Compass.

Parent Storytelling

We had a very successful start to our Parent Story Telling sessions on Monday. Parents and grandparents came along and spent time reading stories to our Kindergarten children on the playground. The feedback from students was that they 'loved it!'

Our next session will be for our Year One students on Monday 8th and Year Two will have their turn on Monday 22nd May.

Thank you to parents and grandparents who were able to come along and enjoy this special time with our students.

Kindergarten Enrolments 2024

Parents of children who are ready to start school in 2024 are asked to go onto our school website, click on the Enrol Now tab and complete the online Enrolment Application to begin the enrolment process.

Please pass on this message to family and friends who are intending to enrol children in Kindergarten next year. Children must turn five by 31st July 2024 to be enrolled in Diocesan schools.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLANNING

The safety of our students, families and staff is our highest priority. In order to best ensure this, the St Carthage’s Primary School leadership and staff, supported by the Catholic Schools Office, plan for a number of possible incidents, emergencies or natural disasters that could take place at school or during the school term. The events of recent years have reinforced how important this planning is and we all have a role to play when it comes to emergency management, including families.

Our students participate in various safety drills and staff participate through training and safety drills. We’d like to share with you the role of parents and families in emergency management.

School Lockdown

A number of the situations we plan for include a school lockdown as one of the immediate safety actions to ensure the safety of our students and staff. We understand that some may understand the word ‘lockdown’ to mean there is an immediate safety risk to all students. It is important to understand that when a school initiates a lockdown this may not be the case.

Depending on the situation, the purpose of a school lockdown will differ. A school lockdown may be a preparation step for an evacuation, or a school lockdown may allow emergency services access to an area of the school without having to navigate past students. Regardless of the purpose of a school lockdown, no one can be admitted to the school grounds other than emergency services.

Should we initiate a school lockdown, parents and families will be informed via text message and Compass notification. We will also inform parents and families as soon as the school lockdown has been lifted or if there are any actions required of parents and families. It is important that you do not attempt to attend the school during a school lockdown. We understand that you may be concerned however attending the school may also add risk to a possible emergency situation, block emergency services or impede an evacuation.

Natural Disaster

In the event of a natural disaster, such as flood or bushfire, the school leadership, supported by the Catholic Schools Office, will determine if it is safe for the school to open. If there is a probability the school may have to close part way through the day, the school will not open for that day as it is extremely difficult to evacuate a school site and ensure all students are able to go directly home safely.

In a bush fire or flood event it is important that parents and families have a plan to get your child/ren home from school, or into your care, at short notice. Please be aware that school buses may not be running and the school can not allow your child/ren to go home to an empty house or home with another parent without your permission.

Family Preparedness

How can you help us prepare for emergency situations? Please ensure that:

• You have downloaded the Compass app and have allowed notifications.
• Any changes to your contact details or custodial arrangements have been updated with the school.
• You have a bush fire/flood plan in place that all members of your family understand.
• In the event of a school lockdown or evacuation, directions in the parent notifications are

It is always our hope that these measures will never be needed but it is also our responsibility to ensure our school community is prepared and informed should the need arise. We thank you in advance for your support and cooperation.

Janelle Heffernan and Nigel McIntyre, Work Health and Safety Manager, Catholic Schools Office

Home Reading K-2

Students in K-2 are starting to bring home books for Home Reading. We are aware of some issues some parents are having with logging onto the MultiLit e-Library. We have forwarded these onto the team at MultiLit and they are looking into it. They have recommended that if you are having problems accessing the e-library that you clear your cached data. Please see below on how this can be done. I have also attached some guidelines to support you with reading at home with your students. 

The readers that your child will bring home are decodable readers. This means that they will contain words that they can ‘sound out’. This will enable children to use their knowledge of letter-sound relationships that they have been taught in class. 
Throughout the year, and with practice, your child will begin to read with more fluency. Guessing words from the picture or to make meaning should not be encouraged. Instead, encourage your child to look at the letter and letter combinations and think about the sounds they represent. Some words are irregular or ‘tricky’. These ‘exception’ words cannot be sounded out in the usual way and should be previewed or simply provided.

Vaping is on the rise in Australia and has become popular amongst teenagers and young adults. Alarmingly, a recent study has also shown that there is an increase in the number of primary school-aged children who are experimenting with vapes. There are many misconceptions about vapes being fairly harmless and that vapes in Australia do not contain nicotine. 

Our school is committed to the health and wellbeing of our students and will be including a series of informative resources for our parent community over the next 3 editions of our newsletter. We hope parents and carers use these helpful resources to:

• learn the facts about e-cigarettes and vaping, 
• recognise what a vape looks like,
• understand why vaping is attractive to young people and 
• engage in positive conversations at home.

By working in partnership we hope to support our young people to make healthy choices. 

Please watch this informative 2 minute video which provides some key information about vaping and e-cigarettes.

Key Information:

• Vaping is the act of smoking e-cigarettes or ‘vapes’ that can look like metallic pens, USBs and other hand-held systems. 
• Vapes use cartridges filled with liquids, which typically contain nicotine, artificial flavouring, and various chemicals. These can be harmful to the developing body.
• Research shows that 1 in 5 young people have vaped and nearly 80% of young people say it is easy to get a vape illegally at a shop or online.
• Nicotine is especially addictive for young brains. It can cause long-lasting negative effects on brain development and can include impaired attention,

learning, memory and changes in mood.

• You can find out more about vaping from NSW Health. 

Conversation Starters at Home

Start conversations about vaping with your child early. You could consider the following questions or conversation starters:

1. Are a lot of kids vaping at your school? Are your friends vaping? 

Be sure you don’t react, just listen. 

1. What do you think about vaping? 

You may hear your child say that vaping is harmless. It’s important to share some good information with your child about the impacts of vaping.

3. Do you know what is in vapes? 

Share with them that they’ve tested vapes and they do not contain only water vapour and flavouring. Vapes can contain very high levels of nicotine and other toxic chemicals that damage lungs.

Living our Mission!

In Week 4 of this term we are celebrating something worthwhile - Catholic Schools Week. This year's theme is “Living our Mission”.

This is a theme well-used by the Salvation Army who put their feet on the ground in helping those in need. 

How do we live our Mission? Whose mission is it? The Church? Jesus? Mine?

Pope Francis said in his World Mission Day address, “...In a similar way, every Christian is called to be a missionary and witness to Christ. And the Church, the community of Christ’s disciples, has no other mission than that of bringing the Gospel to the entire world by bearing witness to Christ.”

As a Catholic School community we are being called to live out the mission of Jesus Christ. If we are followers of Jesus we need to own something about the mission. How do we do that?

One way during Lent was to give to those in need so....

Thank you! Our fund-raising for Project Compassion last Term has raised a grand total of 

$894!!!

This is by far the largest amount we have raised and our funds have now been deposited with Caritas Australia. 

JOLT – Jesus Over Lunch Time 

We have re=commenced our JOLT events for Year 5 and 6 students this Term. We have Megan Elliott (YMO at Woodlawn) visiting our school every two weeks on a Friday. 

Megan is our Youth Ministry Officer and worked with the Year 6 students to start JOLT so that over lunch time we can learn more about Jesus and play some fun games. The theme for the first JOLT was LEADERSHIP and we played a game which needed leadership skills.  It was a fantastic lunch time!

I have attached a photo of Megan - say hi! if you see her.

ST CARTHAGE’S SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM 2023

The dates and times for the 2023 Sacramental Program are listed below:

Which Sacrament is my child involved in?

Generally, the Year 3 students are involved in the Sacrament of Confirmation and Year 4 students are involved in the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist (Holy Communion). If your child is in a year other than Years 3 and 4 but involved in these Sacraments you are also invited to attend these Parent/Carer Information sessions.

By this time you should have completed an Enrolment Form for each child. This is needed for record keeping and arrangements on the day. an Enrolment Form is available to download in the link below. If you are unsure if you have completed a form you can call the school office to check.

A Mother's Day Prayer

Wednesday 10/5/2023  - Yr 12 students

Wednesday   7/6/2023.  - Yr 11 students

An interesting Resource - Lonely Disciple's Guide to The Holy Land

Australian Catholics offers an all-expense-spared tour of the Holy Lands at the time of Jesus. Tie up your sandal straps, pack your festival tent, hire your donkey ­– there’s no Uber where we’re going. 

Some important dates for this Term are:

15 May – 9:15 Prayer in the Hall – St Carthage’s Feast Day / Catholic Schools Week

23 May – Information night for Sacrament of Confirmation

24 May – OLHC Feast Day

26 May –National Sorry Day

28 May (Sunday) – Pentecost Sunday

13/14 June - Ten:Ten Experience at our school

21 June – Sacrament of Confirmation (6pm)

Maths Olympiad

This week 20 students from Years Five and Six competed in the first Maths Olympiad Competition. The Maths Olympiad is an Australian and New Zealand-based competition, made up of four separate contests over two terms. Each contest contains five challenging problem-style questions for students to individually solve in 30 minutes. Students have been preparing themselves over the past term by practising past questions and honing in on their problem-solving skills. 

I would like to congratulate all of these students for participating and trying their best. The second contest will be held in Week 8 this term. 

St Carthage's Maths Olympiad Team

National Family Reading Month - May

This month is National Family Reading Month. This year the focus is on families reading aloud together. Research shows that regular reading aloud with family members is a powerful predictor that children will become frequent readers.

On Monday, parents and grandparents of Kindergarten students were invited to join Kindergarten for a Storytelling afternoon.

Thank you to all of those who were able to participate. It was a lovely afternoon outside reading picture books together. Year 1 and 2 Storytelling sessions will be held in the coming weeks on a Monday afternoon from 2:30-3:00 pm on the infant playground. Please see the attached information below for dates.