Welcome to Week 5 !
How quickly has the term flown past with our interruptions. This newsletter is a bit of catch up for the crazy start we had!
Prep last night had their Parent Information Session and it was wonderful to see so many of our new families enagaing at the school.
A reminder that most of our updates and news is sent through Compass or posted on facebook. If you are unable to access Compass please contact the front office.
On Tuesday, March 4th, we will be celebrating Shrove Tuesday by cooking pancakes to deliver to classrooms before lunch. A note has been sent out soon requesting volunteers to help with this delicious event.
Ash Wednesday
Wednesday, March 5th is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent. To mark this important day, Yr 6 will be hosting a special liturgy at 8.45am including the traditional blessing and distribution of ashes. We invite all parents and friends to join us for this reflective and meaningful service as we begin our Lenten journey together.
Is your child is under the care of a medical professional—a paediatrician, Speech Pathologist, Psychologist , or Occupational Therapist?
To ensure your child receives the correct amount of assistance the school requires reports from medical professionals. These allow the school to allocate resources to give your child the support they need in and out of the classroom. They are extremely important. If your child has been to a specialist in the last twelve months; Paediatrician, Occupational Therapist, Psychologist, Speech Pathologist, had a hearinging test and/or their sight assessed the school would like a copy of any letters or reports you have received.
Any information you send to the school remains confidential. These documents are used as evidence for the Townsville Education Office and the Australian Government when allocating support funds to schools which means school officer time in the classroom to support the teacher in the education of our students.
Hearing and Sight Assessments
We know it is important for all children to undergo vision and hearing screenings when they start school. It is also recommended that families have their child's hearing and vision tested if they have academic concerns. This ensures any potential issues are identified early and addressed promptly. Some useful information: QLD Health coordinates a Vision Screening Program for Prep students annually (Teachers from Year 1-6 will refer students who they have concerns about); vision tests with Optometrists are bulk billed by Medicare and are recommended to be done every two years or as advised by the optometrist. If you have any questions regarding these please see your class teacher.
Ash Wednesday is next week, and we begin a special time in the Church year called Lent.
It is the special time that prepares us for EASTER. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, which lasts for six weeks.
We call it Ash Wednesday because many, many Christians around the world receive a cross of ashes on their foreheads. God’s people have used this sign for hundreds of years. This cross of ashes tells friends and neighbours that we are not perfect, and that we know we are not perfect.
With God’s help we can turn our lives around and be more aware of the hurt we cause others in our own families, our school and parish communities and in our world and think about how we can be better people.
At this time we also think of those who do not have what we have and how we can help them through Project Compassion.
During this season of Lent our Loving God takes us by the hand and asks us to look closely at our lives so that we can see how to grow as children of God. Sometimes we have failed to love and failed to forgive. Let us think about how the love and guidance of Jesus will help us to open our hearts to others.
