Newsletter 9 - 3 June 2021
Principal's Page
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Staffing News
Congratulations to Nicolle Bedwell who was the successful applicant for the full time Education Assistant at St Lawrence's. Nicolle has completed some relief work with us already. She has two daughters at St Lawrence's, Amelia in 6R and Indiana in IB.
Once again congratulations Nicolle.
School Uniform Committee
I am in the process of putting together a School Uniform Committee. The aim of the committee will be to review our current school uniform and make possible future changes with a set timeframe. The committee will be comprised of parents, representatives from the P&F and School Advisory Council Executives, teaching and non-teaching staff and the school's Leadership team. The first meeting will be in Term 3. A survey will go out to all families early term 3 so that everyone's voice is heard.
Cyclic Review and Principal's Review
This week has been a very busy week for Leadership with our Cyclical Review and Principal's Review. We have had four visitors come through the school including:
Allen McMahon (Geraldton Regional Officer)
Joseph Bartucciotta (School Improvement Advisor and Executive Director's nominee)
Paula Power (CEWA Consultant and Team Leader Students with Disabilities)
Steve O'Halloran (Peer Principal from St Marys Star of the Sea Carnarvon)
Thank you to all staff, students and community members who were involved in this process.
Long Service Leave
I will be taking some long service leave commencing on the 14 June for the remainder of the term. This will give me the chance to rest as well as travel back east to Sydney to see my parents and family for the first time in 18 months. Short-Term Principalships have been approved by the Executive Director for Donna Kempton and Damien O'Malley. I am sure you as a community will look after them in my absence:
Donna Kempton (14 June - 25 June).
Damien O’Malley (26 June - 16 July).
Congratulations Fr Gerard
(A message from Bishop Michael Morrissey)
Good morning,
With the retirement of Fr Brian Ahearn from his position as Vicar General of the Diocese of Geraldton, there is the requirement for me to appoint a new Vicar General.
I have been most grateful for Fr Brian’s support and wisdom over the past 4 years. Eventually he will retire to the Bishop’s House when he finishes as Parish Priest of Dongara at the end of June.
Fr Brian will be welcomed back to the Bishop’s House, Geraldton. Although a different Bishop’s House to the one he came to in 1967 as a newly ordained priest.
Fr Gerard Totañes, Parish Priest of Bluff Point, has accepted appointment as the new Vicar General.
I thank Fr Gerard for accepting this important leadership ministry for the Diocese.
You all know Fr Gerard very well and I know you will keep him very much in your prayers and thoughts.
There is now a vacancy on the College of Consultors with Fr Ahearn’s retirement.
I have asked Fr Tai Trinh to join the Consultors and he has accepted. He is presently Parish Priest of Karratha and a member of the Council of Priests.
The present Consultors are Fr Robert Cross, Fr Steve Casey, Fr Robert O’Bryan.
Fr Gerard joins them as the Vicar General.
Every blessing,
Bishop Michael Morrissey
Diocese of Geraldton
St Lawrence’s School Code of Conduct
Fortnightly in our school newsletter, we will explore an aspect of the Code of Conduct, so we can all gain a better understanding and how it applies to each of us.
Code of Conduct - Statement 12
You allow students to have a voice in their education, safety and well-being
- Treat students and parents with respect and dignity
- Restorative practise
- Give children choices in the learning
- Ensure they feel valued
- Children participate in decision making
- Listen to children (respect)
- Treat and let grow individually
- Ask students feedback
- Safe environment
- Goal setting
- Protective behaviours
- Year5/ 6 Leadership program
To see a full copy of St Lawrence’s School Code of Conduct go to:
https://www.stlps.wa.edu.au/Profiles/stlawrence/Assets/ClientData/Documents/Policies/codeofconduct.pdf
Pupil Free Day and Long Weekend
This weekend is an extra-long weekend for all students. Tomorrow staff will be onsite and involved in professional learning particularly in the area of mathematics. On Monday it is of course WA Day. We will see you all back at school on Tuesday 8 June. Enjoy the quality time with your family.
Happy Days
David Tunchon
Principal
Religious Education
Communio Total
THANK YOU!!!
Thank you to our amazing children whose generosity was mind-blowing. In the spirit of 'giving without receiving' our students donated $3893.50. Our final total of funds raised for Communio will be announced towards the end of the term as we still have donations coming in that haven't been counted yet. Congratulations everyone.
Fruit of the Spirit
Galatians 5:22
"What the Spirit brings is different; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control. There can be no law against things like that, of course."
Our fruit focus for weeks seven and eight this term is the fruit of "kindness".
Kindness is driven by our desire to do good for others without seeking any reward. This was evident in our school community with our giving to Communio.
Year 2 Prayer Service
Our Year Two students celebrated their prayer service with their families in the undercover area this morning.
Thank you to all who were able to attend and pray with their children.
First Eucharist
The Sacrament of Eucharist where our year four students will be receiving their First Eucharist
(First Holy Communion) will be on Sunday June 13th @ 11am in the school undercover area. A reminder that traditionally children wear light coloured clothing to this formal occasion. Please sanitise your hands upon entry to the undercover area.
Fan the Flame
Towards Plenary Assembly One October 2021
‘This is my blood, the blood of the covenant,
which is to be poured out for many’
Mark 14:12-16,22-26
The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ. And this Blood makes us children of God of the first class! [W]e all have a duty to do good. If we, each doing our own part, if we do good to others … we will make that culture of encounter.
(Pope Francis Homily, May 2013)
www.plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au/fantheflame/
National Mass Celebrating 200 Years
On Monday 24 May, our Year 6 students attended Mass at St Francis Xavier Cathedral with St John's, St Francis', St Mary's and Our Lady of Mt Carmel students to celebrate National Mass for the Bicentenary of Catholic Education in Australia. This coincided with the Solemnity of Our Lady Help of Christians on May 24. The mass was celebrated by Bishop Michael and started with a video address from the Prime Minister.
Administration News
Year 5C Assembly time change
The Assembly scheduled for 5C on Friday 11th June at 2:30pm (Week 8) will now take place at 9am.
School Photos
School photos have arrived and class photos sent home with your child/children. If you had family photos taken these can be collected from the Office via Mrs Oliveri.
School Uniform during Winter
Parents and carers please encourage your children to wear their jumpers to school daily as the days are getting cooler with winter months around the corner.
Don’t forget to clearly label these jumpers and check the lost property for jumpers misplaced by students.
Year 5/6 Swimming Lessons
Congratulations to our Year 5/6 students who will complete their 2 weeks of in-term swimming today. Now that the weather has cooled a bit, it sure was a challenge for our students to complete the 9 day program down at the Aquarena. Thank you to Mr Gaby and the 5/6 teachers in organising the past 2 weeks.
P&F School Disco
Tonight is the big night for our P&F Disco starting at 4pm for our PP-3 and then at 5.30pm for Yrs4-6. A huge shout out to Nadine Smith and her incredible helpers who have put this event together for our children. What a great way to start our long weekend by dancing the night away.
Before School
A reminder that Before School Supervision begins at 8:15am.
Year 1 & 2 students remain in the Undercover Area
Year 3 & 4 students are asked to move to outside the Year 3 Rooms
Year 5 & 6 are asked to move to outside Year 5/6 Rooms
Davis Street Carpark
Just a reminder that the Davis Street Carpark is extremely busy on a Wednesday. Can we remind parents please to use this car park only if you are dropping and picking children up from Kindy and Preprimary.
The chains are locked for this carpark at 3.30pm.
Merit Certificate Recipients
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the following children who have recently celebrated birthdays: Cassie S, Digby K, Fernanda V, Isla C, Miley d, Jaeger F, Ava H, Sian d, Oliver G, Ruban W, Yhianna V, Luke S, Hunter S, Jorja B, Tran H, Charlie D, Ellah C, Layna N, Bailee R, Kaeli F, Malikah C, Chace F, Mason F, Hudson S, Sebastian W, Chayce G, Amelia H, Tilly K, Ella C, Lalani P, Alyssa G, Miguel C, Felix P, Inès W, Olivia C, Chevi L, Ollie B, Ebony S
News from Year 4 Physical Science
Community Notices
Don't forget to DRESS IN FRENCH COLOURS on the day!
PLEASE NOTE: The canteen will be open on this day, special French inspired cuisine lunches will be on sale through QuickClik - ordering opens Friday 4th June and closes Wednesday 9th June. https://www.quickcliq.com.au/
Nagle Catholic College will be returning to Queens Park Theatre (QPT) in Term 3 to showcase their whole school production of Alice in Wonderland.
This performance of Alice in Wonderland promises to be thoroughly entertaining with a talented cast of Years 7-11 students working extremely hard throughout the year.
There will be evening performances on Thursday 29 July, Friday 30 July and Saturday 31 July commencing at 7.00pm, and a public matinee performance on Saturday 31 July commencing at 11.00am
Tickets go on sale on Tuesday 1 June and are available online by visiting www.queensparktheatre.com.au, or in person from the Civic Centre or Regional Library during normal business hours.
For more information regarding bookings, please phone the QPT on 9956 6662
Please note: Tickets are not purchased through Nagle Catholic College.
If you require additional information, please do not hesitate to be in contact.
NOTICE
There is to be a reunion of former students of Saint Patrick’s College, Geraldton, for following years
- 1969 Junior Certificate,
- 1970 Sub Leaving, and,
- 1971 Leaving Certificate.
The reunion will be held in Perth WA on the first or second weekend of October 2021.
If you are interested in attending please contact Terry Pass (Mob. O401 610 158, terry.pass2@bigpond.com) or Laurie Cream(Mob 0420 525 780, or lacream@optusnet.com.au)
BLUFF POINT DENTAL
The Bluff Point DTC had an internal water leak during the Christmas break and consequently the clinic is closed until cupboards/bench tops can be replaced.
The Bluff Point DTC is closed until further notice. If you have an appointment, we will contact you to reschedule. In the case of emergency only, please contact the Allendale DTC 99214218 or the Rangeway DTC on 99214373.
P & F News
P&F News
Bogan Bingo – what a night!
The sudden drop in temperature, the heavy rain and the thunder on Friday and Saturday were the perfect weather conditions for our long awaited Bogan Bingo Night. The sea of flannel, beanies and ugg boots was a sight to see as our patrons flooded into Fitzgerald Hall ready to party and of course play Bingo. Bogan Bingo Masters Anne Williams and Jody Quadrio were primed to provide a night of fun and high quality entertainment with some really clever comedy and encouraged the 150 strong crowd to let those mullets down and party. We can’t thank Anne and Jody enough for offering their services to us for our major fundraiser for the year. It will be an evening remembered for years to come! From the evening we have managed to meet our fundraising goal of $10,000. This would not have been possible to achieve without the support of donations of local businesses and I would like to extend a very big thankyou to our major sponsor for the evening Sheetmetal Co owned by Gennine and Ryan Deters.
To raise a sum of money like we have for our school would not have happened without the support and generosity from our school community. We are very grateful to all of those who attended on Saturday night for your full support of the event. The buzz and positive atmosphere in the Hall was fantastic to be a part of and it was great to hear many of you confirming that it had been the ‘best P&F Fundraiser ever’ at the conclusion of the night.
Successful events like Bogan Bingo don’t just happen it takes lots of time, effort, commitment and teamwork from a subcommittee to achieve it. I would like to acknowledge the work over the last few months of the subcommittee who was made up of these very skilful mums: Dee Watts and Sally Mills-Marshall for the setup and decorations that transformed Fitzgerald Hall, Melissa Smith for the management and promotions of the event, Clare Bickers and Amanda Sattery for procuring and displaying the sale items for the Silent Auction, ensuring that all sponsors and donors were thanked and acknowledged prior to the evening, Margaret Devine for enacting her role as our Treasurer managing EFTPOS payments and cash sales on the night and Vanessa Heinrich and Sam Hierich for your valued assistance with the set up Friday afternoon. I would like to thank these Dads who kept us all ‘safe ’on the night - Bradley Smith for the construction of the temporary fencing and Roger Watts for the light tower. Thankyou also to Geraldton Party Hire for the marquee that had to be set up in a pool of water and the rain on Saturday morning!
I would like to acknowledge the donations and generosity of all the local businesses, individuals and families who supported our Fundraiser in anyway. Every contribution for bingo prizes and auction items has been confirmed by Amanda and Clare through the Parent Information Facebook Page and we will extend this through the various social media platforms to the school and the wider community over the remaining weeks this term.
Lastly we would love to gain some feedback about Bogan Bingo. Melissa Smith has sent an email (to the Eventbrite email addresses) with a link to a very quick survey to gain your thoughts about any aspect of the evening. The link will also be posted to the Event Page on Facebook, so anyone who attended can access. We would love to hear from you. Already we have feedback from one of the Bogan Bingo masters and I quote ‘one of the funniest bingos I’ve done.’
Disco 2021
As some of you are reading the Undercover Area has been transformed into a Discotheque and your children may be grooving their way into the extra-long weekend at the disco! There is no doubt that they will have a great time at the much anticipated disco. By the end of the evening the Discotheque would have seen 420 children groove to their favourite tunes.
The disco this term has been made possible by the dedicated Disco Team lead by Nadine Smith. A very big thankyou to the Disco Mums and Dads who have come together to form the subcommittee: Leigh Golosky, Mirika Hall, Vanessa Heyhoe, Beau Campbell, Georgie Thomas and Leigh Jones.
Thankyou to ‘DJ Dad’ Leigh Jones for compiling all of those song requests and ensuring the kids could groove to ‘their song’. Thankyou to Megan Desmond for assisting with the trestle table setup of the lollies and drinks sales area this afternoon.
I would like to acknowledge the generosity and support for the return of the disco to St Lawrence’s tonight, from these local businesses and individuals: Queens IGA for the supply of the lollies, Ash from Opus Music for the disco lights and sound system, Jock and Glenys Campbell from Geraldton Party Hire for the donation of the fog machine and The Beached Barrel and Lara Stewart for the donation of the prizes for the dancing and games.
And lastly a very big thankyou to all of our parents for supporting this P&F event by taking the time to bring your children to the disco to have fun with their friends. This kind of support shows how strong our school community is.
All are welcome!
Our next P&F Meeting is scheduled for Monday June 21st NOT THE 14th as I may have previously mentioned.
Just a reminder that you are all members of the P&F your levy is paid in your fees and all are welcome to our meetings held in the Staff Room at 4.30pm on Mondays for an hour. We would love to see you at our meetings and hear your thoughts on how we can support the children and parents of St Lawrence’s. If you can’t make it to the meetings, you can keep up to date with things that are discussed through the meeting minutes that are uploaded to our website and social media platforms after the meeting.
Two of the Agenda items for our next meeting are proposed fundraising events for Terms 3 & 4 and new purchases. Come along and have a say.
Have a safe and relaxing long weekend everyone.
Take care.
Kind regards,
Julie O’Malley
P&F President