St Mary's Primary School Crookwell eNewsletter

Calendar

WEEK TWO
Friday 10 February	No tuckshop
Saturday 11 February	Crookwell Show - P&F Fundraising BBQ
Sunday 12 February	Crookwell Show - P&F Fundraising BBQ
WEEK THREE
Monday 13 February	Tuckshop resumes - Marguerite, Pip and Carina
Tuesday 14 February	School Counsellor commences
Wednesday 15 February	Director of Education Mr Ross Fox visiting St Mary's Kinder Rest Day Year Five Art Focus Day School Board Meeting 7.00pm
Thursday 16 February	School Swimming Carnival at Goulburn Aquatic Centre - Years 2- 6 - Buses leaving at 9.00am Kindergarten and Year One remain at school
Friday 17 February	Tuckshop - Jane, Cass and Maureen
DIARY DATES
Wednesday 22 February	P & F Meeting in the Staffroom at 7pm
Thursday 23 February	Northern Region Swimming Carnival at Yass
Friday 24 February	Welcome Function - Family Bingo Night at the Crookwell Golf Club (see below)
Friday 24 March	School Cross Country Carnival K-6 Crookwell Showground
Thursday 6 April	Stage Three Showcase of Learning

Crookwell Show

The Crookwell Show will be held this weekend, the 11/12 February. This year's theme is Connected - Our Community, Our Future. When you are at the show call into the dining room near the pavilion to see our exhibit that each child in the school has contributed to. Mrs Branson very cleverly put the design together inspired by the aboriginal artwork Jess Plumb has been creating with our students.

The P & F will be running a barbeque at the Show. This event is coordinated by Craig Croker, Allison Hewitt and Daniel Walsh. All families are rostered on for a shift over the two days. The roster has been emailed out to all families.

Swimming Carnival

On Thursday 16 February our Year 2 - 6 students will be participating in a Swimming Carnival at the Goulburn Aquatic Centre. There will be a range of competitive and non-competitive events catering for all abilities.

Our Kindergarten and Year One students will stay at school and participate in some water safety and water-themed activities.

Mrs Walsh, our School Sports Coordinator, has sent home details about the carnival. Please return the permission notes and pool entry money this week.

Welcome Function

On Friday 24 February from 6pm at the Crookwell Golf Club, we invite all families to attend our welcome function, a fun family bingo night. This casual gathering will be a great opportunity for our new families to meet and socialise with our existing families and staff.

Bingo sheets will be available for purchase at $2.00 for 5 games. There will be a selection of prizes to be won.

Food and drinks are available from the club.

All family and friends of St Mary's are welcome to attend.

Please RSVP here

Reporting

The following is an overview of our reporting schedule.

Term 1 - Week 7 -13/14 March - Interim Reports and Three-Way Conversations (Student/Teacher/Parents) focussing on how your child has settled into their new class routines and goal setting.

Term 2 - Week 10 - Semester One Student Work Sample Folder and Academic Report, Parent Teacher Interviews by request

Term 4 - Week 10 - Semester Two Student Work Sample Folder and Academic Report, Parent Teacher Interviews by request

School Hours

Student supervision commences at strictly 8.40am and concludes at 3.30pm. The first morning bell rings at 9.00am and the students are dismissed, at the end of the school day, at 3.10pm. For students requiring earlier morning supervision, Morning Club is available from 8.00am in the Year Six classroom. Please complete the following booking form if your child will be attending Morning Club. Please note, Morning Club is not offered on Fridays.

https://smpscrookwell.schoolzineplus.com/form/25

RESPECT at St Mary’s

This term, our school will be focussing specifically on our school value RESPECT.

We are Jesus’ heart, showing respect for all creation.

The dictionary meaning of the word ‘RESPECT’: to take notice of; to regard with honour and special attention; to regard as worthy of special consideration; hence, to care for; to heed.

As a Catholic school, we follow the following ‘Catholic Social Teaching’ themes – which are all about RESPECT

Life and the Dignity of the Human Person. ...We are made in God’s image so we each have a God-given dignity…every person is precious
Family, Community, and Participation. ... All people are called to participate in family and community. The role of people in power is to look after the good of all.
Rights and Responsibilities. ... All people have a duty and responsibility - to one another, to family, and to society to make sure human dignity is protected and a healthy community achieved
Preferential Option for the Poor and vulnerable. ...We live in an amazing world with enough resources for everyone. Yet, many miss out. It is our responsibility to help them.
The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers. …Work has DIGNITY. It is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of participation in Gods creation.
Solidarity. ... We should commit ourselves wholeheartedly to the good of all, to stand in solidarity with our one human family.
Care for our common home. … We are responsible for looking after the world we live in and the people who live in it

During this term, your children will be learning that Christians are called by Christ to value and respect ourselves, each other and all of creation; and they will be learning what this ‘looks like’ in their lives.

Every person is made in the image of God.

Every person is the clearest reflection of God among us.

Every life is created by – and belongs to – God, and so…

Every life is holy and sacred.

Every aspect of creation is holy and sacred.

Parenting Through Your Child's Friendship Issues By Linda Stade

You know that moment, when you pick your child up from school and something is deeply wrong? As they approach the car, the emotion is barely concealed behind a carefully managed mask. The facade will not cope with even a kind word. The emotion is just waiting to tumble forth.

More often than not, that sort of pain is brought about by friendship issues: mean words, exclusion, gossip, drama, and the sort of politics that happens in social groups. It happens in every school. Let’s face it, it also happens in workplaces and families and adult friendships. It doesn’t feel good and we don’t condone it, but it is very human.

Adults recognise this pain when we see it in children. Often it triggers in us memories of our own horrible experiences. Armed with our pain and theirs, we blunder forwards. In our efforts to make things better we can exacerbate the problems; we react, instead of acting.

However, what if I told you, these tearful moments are a good thing? I know your hackles are rising, but stay with me. Lourdes Hill College clinical psychologist Kristina Morgan says, “Your child will fall, and they will feel overwhelmed. That’s okay. Believe it or not, you want that. They need the bumps to learn. You want them to find the gaps in their social and emotional competence so that you can support them while they fill those gaps.”

Positive social-emotional learning happens for your child when two vital elements come together:

They have real emotional experiences.
They see the way you positively respond to and manage those experiences.

This is the magic space where social-emotional learning happens for children… and parents.

Acting instead of reacting

Right from the very beginning of our children’s path through schooling we need to recognise that kids will not always get on. However, there are thoughtful ways you can approach your child’s experiences that will dramatically enhance their social and emotional learning:

Acknowledge differences in children and families

Children are different from one another; we love that, and we want that. The things that make them individuals are the gifts they will offer the world. Families are also different. They have different values and views of the world. These differences mean sometimes there will be conflict. Recognise that and help children value difference.

Acknowledge the competency gaps

Schools are full of young, beginning learners. They are developing, trying and stumbling. It is inevitable that they make mistakes and fall into their competency gaps. Just as they learn to read and do algebra, children learn social skills, and they don’t always get them right.

To compound the problem, our children are working with brains that are still developing, so they are relying largely on instinct. The instinct part of the brain is fully developed by early adolescence, whereas the rational, judgement part of the brain doesn’t reach adult state until the mid-twenties. Often what we see in young people experiencing friendship issues is a consequence of this discrepancy. Too much feeling and reacting, not enough reflecting and thinking.

Share your adult-state brain

When your child is experiencing conflict and pain, every instinct is to swoop in and solve the problems. Please don’t. When we rush in to save a child, they receive two very clear messages:

This situation is much worse than I thought it was
I’m not capable of fixing my own problems

What you can do, which will make a big difference in the future, is to share your adult-state brain. That means, bring the calm and coach your child, rather than taking over. You can support your child and let them know you’re there for them. You can stand by their side and ask, “What’s your plan? I believe in you and I’m going to support you. Together, we’ve got this.”

Sit with your discomfort

Not swooping in to fix things is easier said than done. It involves us dealing with our own negative feelings. Ms Morgan says, “When you react from your discomfort and race to fix things for your child, it makes YOU feel better. It doesn’t make anything better for your child; no learning takes place and no skills are practised.”

Please don’t confuse this ‘standing back’ with tough love. Ms Morgan emphasises,” I am not talking about tough love. Tough love doesn’t offer connection or support. Tough love walks away and leaves the child alone and groping around in the dark for skills they don’t even know are missing. Your calm allows your child to manage their own feelings. It lets them practise thinking for themselves.” We need to recognise that distinction between supporting and rescuing our children.

Recognise this is a skills problem

It is interesting that when a child is having friendship problems, parents will usually say, “Josie/Joe is having friendship problems at school.” In reality, what is often happening is Joe or Josie just hasn’t developed all of their friendship skills yet, neither have the children around them. The problem would be made manifest in any environment where peers were consistently present. This is where we need to step up.

Kids need to learn skills and we need to teach them. That includes all kids. Ms Morgan says,

“Every parent needs to put in work to teach their kids these skills. If your child is popular, check if they are playing the teenage social ‘game’. Are they using people, things, or social media to gain social currency? These gains are short-lived. Is your child including others and are they empathic? They are their best selves and develop the best friendships when they help others up, not when they push them down.”

Control your expectations and fears

As much as we hate to admit it, we sometimes contribute to our children’s friendship issues. We have expectations about how popular they should be and the sorts of friends they should have. Sometimes we panic if those expectations aren’t reaching fruition. It is not unusual for parents to ring their child’s school after the first couple of weeks of term, concerned that their child hasn’t got a best friend yet. These calls are about parental fear.

We worry if our kids don’t have ‘enough friends’ as though there is some magic number. That worry and fear is coming from a good place, but it is contagious and unhelpful. Children know if you think they are failing. What they need is for you to empower them. Ms Morgan says, “You empower your child with your connection and your constant support. You empower them with realistic expectations and by encouraging them to jump into the skill gaps. By joining new groups and trying new things they can have lots of small wins and build their skills along the way.”

Finally…

The best thing about friendship issues happening at school is that it is an environment where there are caring, guiding adults involved; parents and teachers. We just have to constantly remind ourselves we are dealing with children. It’s not always obvious, but other people’s kids are just like ours; growing, learning, imperfect beings. They’re all just figuring it out and it’s our job to guide with compassion.

https://www.inspiringgirls.info/post/parenting-child-friendship-issues?fbclid=IwAR3yQxHzf3MoD-L0C_BevrN1G1zhV2zPYzNvllqhmv73ZdyyIxjIix5-3vM&vgo_ee=Qhg7m%2Fuzy7XLeqhqcbp4j6SEcGV1NcWiWgQWuXgWsILmgn7IFKs2qFKcsNLnf5P1

Meet our Classroom Support Assistants

The role that our CSA’s (Classroom Support Assistants) play in the education of the students at St Mary’s is pivotal. Our CSA’s duties range from providing administrative and classroom support, to providing targeted academic support to individual students and small groups. We are truly blessed to have such capable and dedicated CSA’s, who go above and beyond each day to ensure that our students receive the best support possible.

This year we welcome Mrs Gwenda Romer, Mrs Shauna Hewitt, Mrs Rie O’Brien, Mr Brad Hayes, Miss Molly Skelly, Mrs Elizabeth Webber and Mrs Steph Knight.

Riding for the Disabled Goulburn

The students thoroughly enjoyed their first lesson for the year. What a fabulous facility, with such knowledgeable and caring staff.

Resources for Families

At raisingchildren.net.au, they provide free, reliable, up-to-date and independent information to help your family grow and thrive together. The organisation is funded by the Australian Government.

Designed for busy families and full of tips and tricks for you to try, the content is easy to find and easy to understand. The site has the answers to hundreds of parenting questions, where and when you need them.

There are articles, videos and interactive resources are tailored to different ages and stages, taking you from nurturing a newborn to raising a confident, resilient teen – and helping you to look after yourself as a parent too.

Swimming Carnival

Date: Thursday 16 February

Classes: Years 2-6 (Compulsory for all Students)

Where: Goulburn Aquatic Centre (10am-2.00pm)

A permission note for the 2023 school swimming carnival has been sent home with students in Years 2-6 last week.

I am still waiting for a number of these notes and money to be returned. Can you please return these as soon as possible to ensure that we have sufficient buses booked for those students requiring transport on the day.

The weather is looking promising, but should the weather turn, please refer to social media and emails in case the need for cancellation is required.

Please ensure your children have their hats, sunscreen, sun protection and plenty of water. Students should bring their own morning tea and lunch. The canteen will be available via the outdoor access window.

Looking forward to a great day!

Mrs. Linda Walsh

Where do I Find Trial Dates

The Canberra Goulburn Sports webpage now has the full calendar for Primary, Secondary and SSA events. Please click on the link below:

https://www.sport.cg.catholic.edu.au/calendar

Upcoming Trials

Canberra Goulburn U11’s and U12’s Rugby League Trials 2023
Date:14 March 2023
Venue: Northbourne Avenue, Lyneham
Registrations close Monday 6^th March

Canberra Goulburn Netball Championships and Trials- Boys and Girls
Date:Tuesday 14th March 2023
Location: Southwell Park - CNA Netball
Registrations close Monday 6^th March

Canberra Goulburn Hockey Trials- Boys and Girls
Date: Trial date will be confirmed based on registration numbers
Registrations close Friday 10^th March

How To You Register Your Child for Trials

SETTING UP AN ACCOUNT

If you had an account on the previous website (www.csss.nsw.edu.au) type in the new website login address https://csnsw.sport/cmlogin.aspx. Once you are on this page click on ‘Forgotten Password’, enter your email address and a link to reset your password will be emailed to you.

If you have NOT previously had an account you will be required to set one up to be enabled to register your child for both Canberra Goulburn AND NSWCCC/CPS sporting events and trials. 1. Type in the website address www.csnsw.sport

Click on Register which is located in the blue box on the top right-hand side of the page
Click on Setup Parent Account
Complete all of the fields and click on Create Account. You will receive a confirmation email

ADDING A CHILD

Click on Add Child
Complete all fields. Click Next
Complete all fields on the next page then click on Add Child

REGISTER FOR A SPORT

Once logged in scroll to your child’s Profile
Click on Register for a Sport
Select the Sport you are registering for from ‘Available Sport Registration’ -

This will be the registration process for Canberra Goulburn Trials/ Championships/Carnivals

Click Next
Review your child’s details and if they are correct tick the ‘Acknowledgement’ box then click Next
Sport Specific Details—These will display the Diocesan events your child has previously attended. Click Next
Consent to Participate—Complete all fields and click on Finish

Once these steps are completed an email will be generated and sent to your school Principal for approval.

Library visits

All classes visit the library each week.

Term 1

Wednesday: Year 2, Year 3, Year 4 and Kindergarten.

Thursday: Year 1, Year 5 and Year 6

Please ensure your child has a library bag to borrow.

Book Club

Scholastic Book Club will be distributed twice each term.

Book Club will need to be ordered online through LOOP.

We are NOT accepting CASH payments.

The web address is:

scholastic.com.au/LOOP

LOOP enables parents to order and pay for your child’s order online using a credit card or voucher if you have one. Catalogues will still be handed out at school and books will be distributed at school. The school will continue to receive rewards.

For a quick start, just click on ORDER
OR Register first to save your details for next time
Select your school and your child's class
Add your child's first name & last initial (so the school knows who the book is for)
Enter the item number from the Book Club catalogue
Follow the instructions for payment and submit
All orders are sent directly to the school for submission to Scholastic. Books will still be delivered to your child's classroom if you order by the close date.

Please contact me if you experience any difficulties.

ICT

To have access to the Information and Communication Technologies at St Mary’s, children in Years 3-6 are requested to read and sign the Acceptable Use by Students Policy Form sent home. Parents/Guardians please sign the Acknowledgement section and return to the office. This is an annual requirement.

Volunteers

Volunteers are needed to cover books for the Library. Plastic covering is supplied and you are able to do this at home in your own time. If you are able to assist, please complete the form via the following link

Library helpers

Thank you,

Dorothea Hewitt

Art Focus Day Term One

To all my amazing little artists at St Mary's, be prepared for your next art day with a medium sized cardboard box (look in your recycling bin! cereal box, tissue box)

Not too large or too small as we will be painting it!

Looking forward to sharing my latest artist with you all.

Mrs O'Keefe

Hello from the School Counsellor ……and important information about how to access School Counselling.

Hi and welcome back to 2023. My name is Madi and I have been a part of the Catholiccare Student and Family Counselling team since 2022.

I am a Social Worker with a passion for working with children, young people and their families. Prior to this role, I worked in Central West NSW in acute mental health.

In my school counselling work -I provide short term client centred support to children and their families drawing from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Strengths based, Mindfulness and Trauma informed approaches in a developmental context. For more complex issues I provide referrals to additional services. I am available at St Mary’s every Tuesday.

How to make an appointment.

If your child was seen by the School Counsellor last year and you would like them to receive support in 2023, we require you to complete a new counselling registration form. Questions or requests can be directed to the office, your child’s class teacher or School Counsellor (Madelyn.burns@catholiccare.cg.org.au).

New referrals will require you to complete the counselling registration form. Any further contact can be directed to the office, your child’s class teacher or the School Counsellor.

Referral Link: https://catholiccare.force.com/housing/s/school-referral-form

Parent consent for counselling continues to be required for all primary school students and will be sought and provided via email or phone call. Where parents are separated, we require the consent of both parents. Once the referral has been received by myself- School Counsellor- I will make contact with parents on my next day at St Mary’s to further discuss the referral.

More about School counselling/how to access school counselling at St Mary’s

As part of the pastoral care program for students at St Mary’s, students have access to a Student and Family Counselling service provided by CatholicCare Canberra & Goulburn (CCG). CCG are contracted by the CEO to provide a counselling service to students and their families on site. There is no fee to access this service. The service offers short term counselling support (roughly up to six sessions per referral issue) to children and their families – the counsellor can also provide referrals for more complex issues requiring intensive or long term therapy/support.

The role of the counsellor is to focus on the emotional, social and educational well-being of the students. Counsellors welcome contact with students having difficulty with some part of their life, the problem does not have to be a big one. It is better to seek help sooner rather than later. Some typical concerns that counsellors work with include: anger, anxiety, behavioural problems, low mood, family changes/separation, grief and loss, learning and educational challenges, parenting challenges, peer and other social relationships, school avoidance, stress and study skills. As well as individual sessions with students, counsellors can run groups, consult with parents and teachers and make referrals to other services and supports.

Student and Family Counsellors subscribe to a set of professional ethics that include duty of care and respect for the individual rights to privacy and confidentiality. The counsellors’ obligation is to ensure the safety, wellbeing and confidentiality of the student they are working with. All counsellors are mandated to report any disclosure or sign of abuse (including self-harm) or neglect to Child Protection Services. Outside of our mandated requirements, all counselling sessions are confidential and the details will not be discussed with other parties unless written consent is given by the client.

Student of the Week Awards

The Student of the Week Awards go to...

Kindergarten: Olivia Doran, Andy Storrier

Yr. 1: Sasha Wicks

Yr. 2: Oscar Allport, Joshua Fraser

Yr. 3: Samantha Fraser, Payton Selmes, Max Strode

Yr. 4: Faith Riles, Harley White

Yr. 5: Ollie Croker, Seb Cummins, Camryn Rogers, Thomas Walsh

Yr. 6: Riley Haynes, Emilee Salt

Japanese Award

Congratulations to Year 2 for being the class of the week!

School Spirit Award

Addin Grove for displaying outstanding initiative

Quade Haynes for outstanding service and initiative

Jacon Hogan for outstanding service and initiative

Awards are presented at our Friday morning assemblies.

Crookwell Show- BBQ

Each year, the P&F have a BBQ at the Crookwell Show. Each family is rostered on for a time to help on the BBQ.

This roster has been sent out in a separate email. Please check the roster carefully and let Craig Croker know ASAP if you need to swap your day/time.

This is a great fundraising opportunity for the school, so we appreciate your assistance.

Tuckshop Roster Term 1

Tuckshop is open on Monday and Friday throughout the term. Orders are placed by the Qkr! app.

Please note- hot food must be ordered and can't be bought over the counter. This ensures we do not have food wastage.

Over the counter cash sales can be placed for dry food items (packets of chips, eucalyptus drops, etc) and cold food (icecreams, zooper doopers,etc) and drinks.

If you require assistance with the Qkr app, please see Belinda.

If you cannot do your date, please organise your replacement yourself and advise Belinda of the update to ensure we have a correct copy of the roster.

If you are keen to help, please click on the following link to complete the form. Tuckshop Helpers

More hands mean less work! Tuckshop is a great way to meet other parents.

Monday 13 Feb: Marguerite Walsh, Pip Frost, Carina Doran

Friday 17 Feb: Jane Fraser, Cass Wicks, Maureen Lucock

Monday 20 Feb: Belinda Foley, Cass Wicks, Tressa Mattox

Friday 24 Feb: Reané Strode, Rebecca Scott, Jenny Wye

Parish Office

For Parish and Sacramental matters please forward your enquiries to Goulburn Parish Secretary, Natasha Polzin. Natasha works Tuesday to Friday 9am to 1pm in Goulburn.

Email: Crookwell@cg.org.au

Website: http://cg.org.au/crookwell/Home.aspx

Phone: 0403 631 797

Address: 55 Wade Street (the Old Convent Building)