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,

At this time of the year teachers are very busy finalising students’ assessments and Semester One reports. Teachers have worked tirelessly to assess student's progress and write reports reflective of students performance and effort. I frequently hear them talking and discussing work covered, results gained and effort applied, in order to decide on a final grade. Reporting is not an easy process and there is much time, thought and deliberation put into the final result. I congratulate all staff on their commitment in ensuring that students’ reports are a true and accurate reflection of their progress and effort. School Reports will be emailed home on Friday, 23rd June.

I share the following reflection, Beatitudes for Teachers, as they prepare these reports for their students:

Blessed are you who are called to teach, for you walk in the footsteps of the Master.

Blessed are you who sow peace and harmony in your school, for yours will be the joy of the Lord.

Blessed are you when you share your faith with others, for your name will be written in their hearts.

Blessed are you who plant seeds of hope in youthful hearts, for your legacy will be the harvest.

Blessed are you who are sensitive to the cries of youth, for you will become their voice.

Blessed are you who anguish now when your students are difficult, for your effort will be their light.

Blessed are you when you leaven your teaching with patience and empathy, for this is to teach as Jesus did.

Blessed are you when you reach out for your students, for you will find God and rejoice.

Blessed are you who lead your students in the ways of all virtue and love, for yours is the Kingdom of God.

HOW DO TEACHERS GIVE A TO E GRADES?

(Please Note: A-E grades are now only required in Years 3-6 reports)

Teachers use their professional judgement to determine a student’s grade. Both formal and informal assessments are undertaken throughout the reporting period. An overall achievement judgement call is made by the teacher, based on data and evidence of what the student has demonstrated, the standards described in the A-E grade scale (Years 3-6 only) and the NSW Syllabus documents.

Your Child’s Report

Students in K-2 are not required to receive an overall grade. All schools in NSW are required to use the A-E (the Common Grade Scale) reporting system for students from Years 3-6. What does this mean? The Common Grade Scale describes performance at each of five grade levels as set out below.

A	The student has an extensive knowledge and understanding of the content and can readily apply this knowledge. In addition, the student has achieved a very high level of competence in the processes and skills and can apply these skills to new situations.
B	The student has a thorough knowledge and understanding of the content and a high level of competence in the processes and skills. In addition, the student is able to apply this knowledge and these skills to most situations.
C	The student has a sound knowledge and understanding of the main areas of content and has achieved an adequate level of competence in the processes and skills.
D	The student has a basic knowledge and understanding in few areas of the content and has achieved very limited competence in some of the processes and skills.
E	The student has an elementary knowledge and understanding in few areas of the content and has achieved very limited competence in some of the processes and skills.

Parent Teacher Interviews 

These interviews are on Monday 26th – Thursday 29th June. A Compass notification was sent home today to advise that bookings are now open. Parents are able to book interviews for your child/children at a time which is suitable for you. At our interviews, parents and teachers have the opportunity to celebrate successes and also to work through any recommendations and goals to improve learning outcomes for the remainder of the year. As you know, Legislative requirements mandate that students are assessed using an A-E grade scale  in Years 3-6 and this can cause some anxiety for parents. These interviews can allay any of these anxieties by discussing and supporting grades which have been given by teachers.

10:10 Experience

On Tuesday and Wednesday Wildfire - the Band - visited our school. Wildfire is a part of the efforts in the Lismore Diocese to support Catholic schools to 'fire-up' the faith of our students through lots of good music, games and fun! 

Named the Ten:Ten experience – this is a high-energy experience focused on enabling students to achieve the fullness of life. Inspired by the words of Jesus in the Gospel of John, “I came so that they may have life, life to the full” (John 10:10), this experience is an opportunity for students to celebrate life with their peers and hear of the relevance of the Gospel from a team of faithful youth ministers. Each of the Ten:Ten sessions is an invitation for students to encounter Jesus through music, talks, interactive activities and prayer.

This experience is facilitated by the Ten:Ten Team. This includes the Proclaim Lismore Wildfire Worship Team, well-known for their original new worship music, and local Mission Assistants.

Our students participated in song, dance, drama, prayer and reflection and so much more as part of their 10:10 experience! We are very grateful for this opportunity and we thank the 10:10 team for sharing their passion and gifts with us!

Sacrament of Confirmation

Our Year Three students participated in their Confirmation Retreat yesterday. This was a great follow on from their 10:10 experience.

We thank Mrs Kane, Mrs Winkler-Dunn, Mrs Robb and Mr Taylor for organising and leading this special experience. A big thank you also to Mr Hatchman for his assistance and support.

We pray for our Confirmation candidates as they prepare to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation next Wednesday, 21st June. Bishop Greg will confirm these children in the Cathedral.

Athletics Carnival

There is great excitement building in our school at the moment as students prepare for the Athletics Carnival next Friday. Everyone is welcome to join us as we watch our students compete in their events, have fun and celebrate house spirit.

Enrolling for Kindergarten 2024

If you have a child beginning school next year, or know of anyone who does, would you please advise them to go onto our school website and complete the Online Application form. 

School Uniform

Thank you for the great job that you do in ensuring your children are dressed in the correct school uniform each day. Lately we are noticing, however, that some students are choosing to wear the wrong uniform, particularly the wrong sports shoes and socks. As it is the end of term we have been a little lenient, however, the expectation is that all students will return from the holidays in the correct uniform. Wearing our uniform correctly promotes a sense of belonging and pride in our school. If your child is not in the correct uniform I ask that parents/carers provide a note explaining why they are out of uniform.

Wearable Devices

As you are aware we have a policy in place where student's personal devices (phones, ipads etc) need to be taken to the Office as soon as the students arrive at school for safe keeping during the day. These are then collected before leaving the school grounds and are placed in their bags not to be used or accessed until they are on buses or in your care. We understand that parents and carers like to be able to contact their child/ren if pick-up plans have changed but we ask that this is communicated via the Office.

More students are now wearing wearable devices such as smartwatches. We ask that these are put into "school mode" during the school day (8:30am to 3:15pm) as some students have been using them to send messages during school time. I am sure you can understand the challenges that this can bring to the school.

Students who use their personal mobile phones or wearable technology during the school day at St Carthage's Primary School may be issued with consequences consistent with our ICT User Agreement.

"Being a Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but an encounter with an event, a person.”

Pope Benedict 

Pope Benedict's words are very true so a visit by Wildfire with the 10:10 experience is important to the work of forming students to be people of good character and with a positive attitude to life.

The 10:10 Experience brings new EVENTS and new PEOPLE who show that faith can be joyful! (Let's face it, if our faith is not about good relationships and fun - young people will not be interested.)

Read Mrs Heffernan's story about our visit by Wildfire and our 10:10 Experience. Here's some of the story in some photos!

Confirmation Retreat

Our Confirmation Retreat was a great success once more thanks to the preparation and good work of our Yr 3 teachers and support staff who ensured students had a wonderful time while learning about the Sacrament of Confirmation!

We finished as usual with our magnificent Kite Flying Fun across the road! "We got Spirit - how about you??"

Sacrament of Confirmation

As Confirmation is next Wednesday evening - the students will have some time next week to prepare.

A reminder that due to the numbers of children being Confirmed we are able to allocate ONE pew to each family. If you would like additional people to attend, they are welcome to sit to the sides.

St Vinnie’s Winter Appeal

The St Vincent de Paul Society has launched its annual Vinnies Winter Appeal with a focus on the number of older women experiencing and at risk of homelessness. Funds raised through the Vinnies Winter Appeal will be used to provide assistance with food, clothing, household bills, specialist homelessness services and support people in need to find and maintain secure housing. Envelopes are available at the back of the Church and you can place these in any of the collection plates.

You are invited to...Sunday Morning Tea in Doyle House

Don’t forget to come for a cuppa and a chat after the 9.00am Mass, Sunday 2 July in Doyle House. Please bring a plate to share. Morning Tea will be held on the first Sunday of each month!

FORMED

FORMED is the revolutionary digital platform that gives you access to video-based study programs, feature films, audio presentations, and eBooks from the Church’s foremost presenters. Developed by the Augustine Institute, FORMED has grown to include selections of the very best Catholic content from many different apostolates including: Augustine Institute Studios, Lighthouse audio talks, Ignatius Press, Marian Missionaries, the St. Paul Centre for Biblical Theology, Sophia Institute, Catholic Answers and Word on Fire.

Go to https://formed.org/signup  and select Cathedral Parish 

Important dates:

21 June – Sacrament of Confirmation (5:30pm)

18th July - Parent/Carer Information session - Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist (combined session) 5:30pm - School Hall

22 August - Sacrament of Reconciliation 5:30pm Cathedral

22 October - Sacrament of Eucharist - Mass in the Cathedral