St Cecilia's Newsletter Term 1, Week 7 2024

A word from the Principal

Dear Families and Carers,  

Yesterday the school came together dressed in orange or cultural attire to celebrate, reflect and unite in recognition of both Neurodiversity Week and Harmony Week. These occasions serve as poignant reminders of the rich tapestry that is our community. We are a mosaic of cultures, languages, and experiences, each contributing vibrancy and depth to the collective identity of St Cecilia's.  

Neurodiversity Week calls upon us to embrace and champion the diversity of neurology's within our community. We were fortunate enough to have Mrs. Garraway talk to the whole school about Neurodiversity aligned with the picture book The Brain Forest. The book reminds us that our minds, like forests, vary in their terrain and beauty. Every member enriches our community with their distinct perspectives, innovative thinking, and boundless potential. By fostering an environment of acceptance and understanding, we not only empower our children to thrive but to also unlock new avenues of creativity and growth for us all. 

We also had children dress in orange or in their cultural outfits for Harmony Week. An occasion which beckons us to celebrate the kaleidoscope of cultures that coalesce within our community. It is a time to honour the traditions, customs, and heritage of everyone, recognising that our differences are not barriers but bridges to mutual understanding and appreciation. In embracing diversity, we cultivate an atmosphere of respect, empathy, and inclusion, where every voice is heard, valued, and cherished. 

Together, Neurodiversity Week and Harmony Week underscore a fundamental truth: that our strength lies in our diversity, and our unity is forged through acceptance and celebration of our differences. As we continue to commemorate these occasions, let us strive not only to tolerate but to embrace, not only to coexist but to flourish together in harmony. For it is in the tapestry of our diversity that we find the true beauty of our community. 

The past two days the children have participated wholeheartedly in the beginnings of the week's celebrations. A big thank you to everyone who has offered to participate in this week's celebrations, to engage in dialogue, to extend a hand in friendship or to reflect on the richness that diversity brings to our lives.

Together, let us weave a future where every individual is celebrated for who they are, where every difference is honored, and where every heart beats in harmony. 

Marta Chylewska 
(Principal) 

Harmony Day

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 17

Next

Staying Connected

End of day pick up - REMINDERS!

Below is a reminder of the processes for end of day pick up, which we ask for all parents cooperation with please:

1. Enter in the back gate only for pick up. Do not enter at the front gate, unless picking up your child early (before 3:05pm) and needing to sign your child out.
2. Wait under the hall till the staff member on the microphone invites you forward to collect your child/ren.
3. Wait under hall till pick up. Please do not wait outside the B1 and B2 classrooms (old year 3 rooms) or in the Assembly Area.
4. Due to Safeguarding processes, we ask parent DO NOT ENTER THE SCHOOL GROUNDS EARLIER THAN 2:50pm. Teachers also have outdoor lessons in the afternoon and an audience of adults can be disruptive to the lesson.
5. Please ensure a prompt pick up as children are not allowed to play on the play equipment and or oval. We need to vacate the oval for access to after school care as soon as possible.
6. Exit via the front gate, walking past the canteen and down the footpath that is parallel to the office building. 

Colour Run 

This year our annual school fundraiser is our Colour Run. All ticket sales are for fundraising purposes and always invitational but not compulsory. No child will be disadvantaged in their engagement of the day Thought we are hoping to raise around $10 000 (or close to) to upgrade the Infants outdoor eating and learning space. Your generosity is always greatly appreciated and is going towards a good cause for the children.  

In the last week we have already sold 127 raffle tickets, 20 parent tickets and 78 children’s tickets. Hop on QKR if you haven’t had a chance as yet to purchase your tickets! If anything, ensure you get yourself a ticket to be in the running to win one of the magnificent prizes attached in the poster below. The raffle tickets and Colour Run tickets will be sent home in office bags from next week, upon purchase.  

The day will consist of the following schedule:  

We cannot wait to bring the community together for this ultra fun day. 

Second Hand Uniform Shop

For the rest of this term the second hand uniform shop will be open in the afternoon's rather than the morning. You can come from 2:30pm onwards on Monday or Friday to see Simone O'Connor who will assist you. The second hand uniform shop is in the Creative Arts room (Multipurpose room). 

Email your orders to simbub21@gmail.com and we will let you know when your order is ready. Alternatively you can just come to meet Simone in the uniform shop. 

Book Club

Issue 2 of the Scholastic Book Club has been sent home with your child last week.

Orders will remain open until Monday 25^th March.

To order, follow the instructions on the back of the catalogue to place an online order using Loop.

If you require any assistance with setting up your online ordering, please contact Mrs Cumming in the Library.

Book Club orders will be sent home with your child as soon as they have been delivered to school.

For every Book Club order placed, Scholastic gives back 15% of the order value to schools to purchase valuable educational resources via its Scholastic Rewards program.

From the Canteen

Thank you to our volunteers!

We would like to express our gratitude to the dedicated volunteers who make the school canteen a warm and welcoming place for students and staff. The term 1 volunteers have selflessly given their time and energy to ensure that everyone has access to delicious and nutritious meals throughout the day. Their hard work and commitment is always greatly appreciated and the canteen couldn't run without them.

We look forward to continuing to welcome any new parent volunteers next term. Please complete this form if you are able to assist? https://forms.office.com/r/9tB8wYBnfw

Please see the roster for the remaining weeks of Term 1. Please note the canteen will be closed Week 10 of this term.

Religious Education Update

RECONCILIATION SACRAMENT (YEAR FOUR) 

We will be praying for the year four students who will be making their sacrament of Reconciliation this Monday. A reminder to parents that the celebration will be held on: 

Reconciliation Ceremony 

Date: 25th of March 

Time: 4:00pm 

Location: St Cecilia’s Church, Wyong  

HOLY WEEK CELEBRATIONS (TUESDAY, 26 MARCH) 

Holy Week is a significant time in the Christian calendar, commemorating Jesus’ final days leading up to His crucifixion and resurrection. At St Cecilia’s we will be reflecting on this time by celebrating the following: 

ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY –  WOY WOY VINNIES VAN SERVICE 

Ket Wasnikar, an Engagement Officer, from St Vincent de Paul Society is delighted to share an amazing opportunity to get involved in a wonderful community service project, the Woy Woy Vinnies Van Service. This service aims to provide food, drinks, and companionship to people who are experiencing homelessness, isolation, or hardship in Woy Woy. 

Below is a list of the different ways in which the school community can assist the service. 

Option 1 - Adopt a night (adults) 

You can assist by joining a monthly donation roster to support our independent rostered teams by making sandwiches, snacks packs, or toiletry packs for our rostered teams to distribute to the visitors to Woy Woy Vinnies Van. Please see attached. 

Option 2 - Individual volunteering (adults) 

Join a team of volunteers to serve the Woy Woy Vinnies Van service. This includes completing volunteer Vinnies Van paperwork and training, serving our friends on the street at the three approved location sites within Woy Woy, and committing to the teams’ rostered monthly run. 

If you are interested in joining us, please let us know as soon as possible at woywoyvv@vinnies.org.au so that we can start the process of getting you onboard. 

Staff Spotlight

Mrs. Garth stands as a beacon of warmth and guidance in our St Cecilia's  Kindy Gold classroom, effortlessly embodying the qualities of patience, high expectations and fairness. With a gentle demeanor and unwavering dedication, she fosters an environment where our little ones flourish. Mrs. Garth's approach is one of empowerment, as she tirelessly works to instill a sense of independence in her children, nurturing their growth both academically and emotionally. Her commitment to excellence shines through her recent accomplishment of attaining Proficient level accreditation with the National Education Standards Authority, a testament to her expertise and dedication. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Mrs. Garth for this monumental achievement, recognising her as a remarkable educator.

Sport News!

Celebrate all Representative Sporting Students  

Congratulations to Archer W. who competed at the Broken Bay Swimming Championships on Tuesday and progressed to the Polding Carnival in the Junior 50m Butterfly. We wish him all the best at this event in April and pray he can break another Personal Best. We know you will do St Cecilia's proud Archer! Go get them! 

Over the past few weeks, we have also had students go to Broken Bay representative events. 

I would like to congratulate Asha D. who has been selected in the Broken Bay Team for 2024 and will travel to Tamworth in May. Taylor G. has also been selected from the Broken Bay Representatives to represent Polding Australian Football Team Trials. We wish Asha and Taylor all the best. 

Well, done to these three boys, we look forward to hearing about your success in these upcoming trials.  

PEC Update

You're invited to join Wyong Parish Family Easter Picnic!

Shining Stars!

Congratulations to our fortnightly Shine Award recipients. The following children have received a Bronze or Silver award in the first 4 weeks of term. 

These children have made a concerted effort to be safe, respectful and cooperative learners. 

20 Shine Awards = BRONZE AWARD
50 Shine Awards = SILVER AWARD

PBL

Our school has a  ‘Reflection Room’, which is a safe space for children who need support in complying with rules and opportunities to reflect on their actions if PBL rules are broke. If your child gets a ‘major’ behaviour logged in Compass, they will spend their lunch time in the Reflection Room critically reflecting on their mistake to enable them to be proactive in changing how they act in the future and restoring to make things better. Reflection is a skill best supported not by telling students to do it but by showing them how to do it. At St Cecilia’s we promote restorative practices which incorporate opportunities for children to own their own behaviour, show empathy for those harmed or impacted, and focus on how to do things differently next time. Traditionally, detentions use to allow students to sit, be bored and not learn from the mistake. Though the reflection room, is an intentional process that asks provoking questions to help student—and teachers—understand the root cause and expected outcome of the student’s actions, which we need to know in order to identify better options. 

Second Step Lessons for the next fortnight

Kindy Focus – Being Assertive (week 7) & EMPATHY: Feelings (week 8)  

Year 1 Focus – Being Assertive (week 7) & EMPATHY: Identifying Feelings (week 8) 

Year 2 Focus – EMPATHY: Identifying Feelings (week 7) & Identifying More About Feelings (week 8) 

Year 3 Focus – EMPATHY: Identifying Others' Feelings (week 7) & Understanding Perspectives (week 8)  

Year 4 Focus - EMPATHY: Understanding Complex Feelings (week 7) & Understanding Different Perspectives (week 8) 

Year 5 Focus – EMPATHY: Taking Others' Perspectives (week 7) & Accepting Differences (week 8) 

Year 6 Focus – Empathy & Communication (week 7 & 8) 

Your child will bring home their Second Step homework this week with an explanation about what they have learnt in their Second Step Lesson in class, points discussion to have with your child and a simple follow-up activity to practise the skill they are learning. Please complete the homework sheet and return it to your child’s class teacher. It has been wonderful to hear so much positive feedback about Second Step Program from parents, students, and teachers. It is great that we are using consistent language and explicitly teaching these vital Social and Emotional Skills.

Awards and Acknowledgements

Congratulations to the following children for their achievements! The listed award recipients will receive their award at Friday morning's assembly at 8:45am!

Academic Achievement Award

PBL Award

Personal Best Award

Light of Learning Award

Upcoming Events

Please see new feature on the left which is an ongoing feed of the St Cecilia's School Calendar!

The website school calendar has also been rectified with access now to the school events calendar for the remainder of 2024.