Week 3 Term 1 2024
2024
Week 3 (5th February - 11th February)
| Monday 5th February | Prep Information Session |
| Thursday 8th February |
Water Awareness Lessons RACQ Street Ahead Program |
| Friday 9th February | Playgroup starts 9am |
Week 4 (12th February - 17th February)
| Monday 12th February | CSP Meeting 5.30pm |
| Tuesday 13th February | Shrove (Pancake) Tuesday |
| Wednesday 14th February | Ash Wednesday Liturgy |
| Thursday 15th February | Water Awareness |
We would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land the Birri-Gubba Juru people and pay our respects to the elders past, present and future for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and hopes of Indigenous Australia.
Congratulations to our Year 6 leaders who received their Leadership badges on Monday. I am sure they will be the “light” for St Colman’s School during 2024. I look forward to working with them on the journey as leaders.
This Thursday and Friday I will be attending ECSI training (Enhancing Catholic School Identity project). The purpose of these days is to help principals and APRE from around the diocese gain a better understanding of how to improve the Catholic identity of our school and how it might be shaped for tomorrow. I encourage parents to complete the survey which is listed below. Students in Year 5 and Year 6 will complete the survey in class.
Mrs Jasmine Vass will be participating in training for our upcoming Year 5/6 camp (Term 4 Week 4 23 - 25th October 2024) to Gumburu this weekend. I thank Jasmine for giving up her time to attend this training.
Additional professional development day in 2024
Townsville Catholic Education Office has approved an additional professional development day in 2024. The date will be Friday 26th April, 2024 and will be a pupil free day. This day follows on from the ANZAC day public holiday on Thursday 25th April.
The reason for granting this additional professional development day is to provide the time and opportunity for all teachers to prepare for the implementation of V9.0 of the Australian Curriculum at the commencement of 2025. This planning day will focus on supporting teachers to have a deep understanding of the changes to content and assessment from the current Australian Curriculum to the newly revised curriculum. There is much planning already occurring in all schools to ensure all teachers are well placed to provide rich learning experiences for their students. This additional professional development day (pupil free day) will only occur in 2024.
Parent Volunteers
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TCE is committed to ensuring that our schools are safe for our students. Each year, TCE ensures that all staff receive training in student protection. It is also important that our volunteers receive adequate training before volunteering in our schools. To complete the training please go to the following link : https://www.scshh.catholic.edu.au/parents/volunteer-induction/ |
The RACQ Community and Education Team will be delivering the RACQ Streets Ahead road safety lessons to Prep to Year 6 students (Thursday 8th February Term 1 Week 3).
If you would like to reinforce and extend your child’s learning of pedestrian, passenger and riding safety, you can access Resource Packs with different age-appropriate activities in each. In addition to these packs, there are also four educational videos demonstrating the strategies taught for Prep – Year Two students. These resources will assist you to continue teaching road safety, implementing the strategies your children will learn, and applying them to your everyday lives.
Kind regards,
RACQ Education Team
Pancake (Shrove) Tuesday
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Tuesday 13th February 2024 is Shrove (Pancake)Tuesday and is when St Colman's School traditionally shares pancakes.
What does this day mean ?
Shrove is the past tense of the English verb “Shrive” which means to obtain absolution for one’s sins by way of confession and by doing penance. Dating back to 1000 AD, over the years Shrove Tuesday not only became a day for Confession but a time for Catholics to feast on eggs, sugar and dairy which are traditionally restricted during the Lenten fast. Not only was Shrove Tuesday a last chance to gorge on such foods but it was also a way to use them up before the fast began.
We are asking for volunteers to cook pancakes for our students to share before lunch time from 10am.
We are also seeking families to donate batter or bottles of the pre-made mix before the day.
If you are able to spare an hour to cook and serve pancakes could you please indicate below and return this note as soon as possible. If you have a frying pan please bring it along.
Enhancing Catholic School Identity project - survey
Everyone’s input is important.
Your participation should take about 55 minutes. Your responses are anonymous and your personal data is treated confidentially in accordance with ethical and legal guidelines.
Only you will be able to view your individual results and this can be done once you’ve completed the questionnaires.
St Colman’s Catholic School Homework Policy and Guidelines
St Colman’s Catholic School takes into account the needs and diversity of its students as well as the circumstances of families.
At St Colman’s Catholic School, we acknowledge that the time children spend with their families and their involvement in out of school activities, are important components in the development of the whole child. In determining homework, it is important to consider that students may be engaging in many different activities and commitments outside of school.
Learning through Homework
Researchers conclude that for primary students, there is no evidence that homework advances academic performance. (Cooper, 1989; Walker, 2011) The general consensus from research into the setting of ‘homework’ is that there is very negligible, positive effect for students of primary school age, with the exception of the development of a love for reading and practice of reading strategies.
Hattie (2008) argues that homework is more effective for students in secondary schooling, as compared to students in primary school. Further, short and frequent homework is more effective than lengthy homework (Hattie, 2008). Therefore, considering this research, at St Colman’s Catholic School ‘homework’ – the school work that is done at home will consist, for the majority of the recommended time allocation, of reading.
Inter-school Sport – Term 1, 2024
Term 1 Inter school Sport Year 5 & 6 will be held on Friday afternoon for 4 weeks from Friday 23rd February to Friday 15th March 2024.
This term the students will be playing Australian Football League (AFL) or Hockey. Students will play in mixed teams at the Burdekin Touch Fields on Wickham Street Ayr.
The students will be transported by bus leaving at 1pm and returning to school by 2.45pm. Mrs Vass and Mrs Keys will accompany the students to the fields.
Please ensure your child's permission form on Compass is completed by Wednesday 14th February 2023. Hockey players must have a mouth guard.
