Term 1 Week 7 2023(17/3/2023)

REMINDER: School Photo Day - Monday 20th March

What is On?

Wednesday 15th March -Monday 27th March - NAPLAN 

Monday 20th March - School Photo Day

Tuesday 21st March- Harmony Day  - Mufti Day Fundraiser (see below for details)

Friday 24th March - School Cross Country (Week 8)

 Thursday 30th March -Polding Swimming Carnival - Sydney (Week 9)

April

Tuesday 4th April - McAuley Catholic College Open Night- Year 7, 2024 

Wednesday/Thursday 5th, 6th April - PSSA Swimming Carnival - Sydney (Week 10)

Thursday 6th April - School Awards Assembly and Holy Week Liturgy - Stations of the Cross

Thursday 6th April - Last day Term 1, 2023

Monday 24th April - Pupil Free Day

Wednesday 26th April - First Day Term 2

Dear Parents and Carers

Dear Parents and Carers,

A newsy blog this week.

On Wednesday, Mrs Howland and I met with the school captains and Mission representatives to continue the discussion we started last year regarding what leadership is really about. This week we picked up on the plans they had introduced in their leaders speeches and mission applications. Their plans will  make their mums and dads very proud and the teachers and all staff eager to support. Here are their plans.

Across the year we will have several mufti events as well as a morning tea and some activities for kids will happen at each event.

On Tuesday we will celebrate Harmony Day. Mufti Day 1- As part of the teaching of the history syllabus Mrs Howland has arranged a researcher who works with migrant families as a staff member from UTS to visit and speak with stages 2 and stage 3. (check out the mufti invite prepared by Marlie) Eamon and Marlie are hosting. 

In May, we will join the Biggest Morning Tea. This initiative is one close to several of our leaders' hearts. The discussion looked at how many families are impacted by cancer and that we need to both learn about how help is offered, as well as how we could help them. Autumn will take the lead here. 

During July, in NAIDOC week, we will look to mufti again and through the Caritas Catholic Mission, support children within Australia who have difficulty accessing education and health services. Finn is the lead and has found the Catholic mission link. 

Gemma wants us not to forget the people who are still not resettled due to the floods. We are planning a bus trip visit to the two schools in the Richmond we supported last year. After that Gemma  will plan an event to support these children. 

This is a year long agenda. During the first week in December we will celebrate National Disability Day. This will include a wear purple day and we are looking to insert some information in the newsletter in the lead up to the day for education for us all. The lead is Henry for this.

I can not stress enough how much the children led this agenda. Dates, explanations of why it matters, how we could engage and where we could support showed the agency and voice of the children. The children offered to support each other and offered their parents as support too.  Mrs  Howland and I offered our and staff’s support as we know they will get involved. 

And so to our sports leaders.                                                                                                                         

This next week they will be very busy. The leaders will host their teams for a picnic lunch on Wednesday in preparation for all the children running in the Cross Country carnival on Friday.

They are also keen to work towards supporting the running of the  carnival. Not sure of the order of events? ask a captain!

Not sure what age your child is? ask a captain!

These kids are also keen to look at the Vinnies Sleepout.

Such great leaders and great ideas

Hope you can support us 

Ann

Harmony Day - Tuesday 21st March

Tuesday 21st March is Harmony Day. Harmony Day is the celebration that recognises our diversity and brings together Australians from all different backgrounds. It’s about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone.​ Stage 3 have been busy making Harmony Day songs and posters as part of their Creative Arts unit. We would like to celebrate this day by asking all students to wear orange (or anything that is close to orange) and bring in a gold coin donation. Monies raised will be donated to Refugee Advice & Casework Service.

Sport Dates 2023

Term 1 

School Cross Country - Friday 24th March (Week 8)

Polding Swimming Carnival - Thursday 30th March - Sydney (Week 9)

PSSA Swimming Carnival - Wednesday/Thursday 5th, 6th April - Sydney (Week 10)

Term 2

Zone Cross Country - Wednesday 3rd May - Grafton (Week 2)

Diocesan Cross Country - Tuesday 23rd May - Grafton (Week 5)

Polding Cross Country - Tuesday 13th June - Sydney (Week 8)

School Athletics Carnival - Friday 16th June

Zone Athletics  - Thursday 29 June - Coffs Harbour

Term 3

Dio Athletics  - Tuesday  15th August- Coffs Harbour

Polding Athletics - Friday 8th September-Newcastle

Term 4

Dio Summer Sport Trials -Friday 24th  November - Lismore

Sacrament Dates 2023

RE News

Many thanks to the parents who attended our Christian Meditation session on Tuesday afternoon. It was wonderful to share our prayer with our school community.

Our students enjoyed their time refining their meditation skills with Mrs Hunter from the Catholic Schools Office. Mrs Hunter was very impressed with all classes and their meditation practice. 

Sacrament Dates

Confirmation- Tuesday 15th August, St Mary’s Church, Maclean. 

Reconciliation- Wednesday 23rd August, school hall

First Holy Communion- Saturday 26th August, St James Church, Yamba

The order of Sacraments in the Lismore Diocese is:

Baptism, Confirmation (Year 3), Reconciliation (Year 4), First Eucharist (Year 4)

If you would like your child to receive these Sacraments, please contact Mrs Howland at school. For your child to receive any of these Sacraments they must first be Baptised. If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me at school.

If you are interested in your child/ren being Baptised, please contact the Maclean Parish Office on 66451188 Mon/ Wed/ Fri 9am-2pm. More information regarding Sacraments will be sent out later in the year.

Many thanks for your generous donations to Project Compassion. Below is a video of one of the families benefiting from your support.

A Day in the Life of Priscilla

Priscilla lives in the Hwange district in Zimbabwe with her husband, Charles, and her two grandsons. In Hwange, the impacts of climate change are exacerbating food insecurity in vulnerable communities.

Harmony Day Tuesday 21st March- Mufti Day Fundraiser

Next Tuesday 21st March we will be celebrating Harmony Day. Harmony Day is a government-declared observance day that began in 1999, coinciding with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. We will be acknowledging this special day by asking all students to wear mufti (casual clothes) and bring a gold coin donation for a charity that supports refugee families in Australia; Refugee Advice & Casework Service.

We will also be hosting a guest speaker, Dr Laura Smith-Khan from the University of Technology Sydney who will speak with Stage 2 and Stage 3 about the work she does with refugees. This will support the units of work being taught in these classes in History.

Renee Howland

Assistant Principal- Mission

Wellbeing News

Sport News

Winter Sport Trials

Last Friday, we had 5 students travel to Grafton to compete in Clarence Zone teams at the Diocesan Winter Sports trials. Marlie Zvatora and Indie Wright played in the Girls Soccer team, Rashad Rice in 11yrs League and Eamon Mawn and Levi O’Shea in Rugby Union.

Eamon and Levi were subsequently selected in the Lismore Diocesan Rugby Union team. This is a great effort from both the boys to make this team and they will travel to Forbes later in Term 2 for the Polding Carnival. 

Cross Country

Our school cross country event is taking place next Friday 24th March, here at school. The first races will commence at 10am. A program with the order of events will be sent out on Compass early next week. Parents are most welcome to attend the event.

Stage 2 News

SURFING!

We have been really loving our sport these past few Fridays. We have been down at Turners Beach doing surfing with Surf Camp Down Under.

As well as chasing epic waves, we have played beach games like tug-of-war, bullrush and beach relays. Some of us have also really liked just playing on the sand, digging, building and chatting with our friends. 

We have had every child find success on the waves, and the beach has been covered in smiling, happy faces!

NAPLAN

This week our Yr 3 friends have been hard at work undergoing their Naplan testing. They completed tests to assess their reading and writing. Maths test to come next week! All the teachers have been extremely proud of the effort the children have put in over the week. Here are the hardworking Year 3’s enjoying their fruit after their Writing test.

CREATIVE ARTS

This term in creative arts Stage 2 have been learning, playing along with and creating their own body percussion pieces. We have been having lots of fun learning different pieces and listening to all of the different songs. We are very excited to start to perform our compositions in front of our class next week in Creative Arts.

Advanced Notice - Disco - Thursday 18th May

Birthdays

James Howland - 24th March, Austin Dougherty - 26th March, Jackson Curtis - 28th March, Dean Perugini - 28th March