End-of-Year Events at St Matthew’s

As we hit the home stretch, there are many opportunities for our community to come together and celebrate a fantastic year.

We invite all members of the St Matthew’s community to participate in these special celebrations.

Kindergarten Orientation Day – Friday, 29 November

We are excited to welcome our 2025 Kindergarten students for their Orientation Day at St Matthew’s on Friday, 29 November.

Mrs. Campbell, Mrs. Leggett, and our Year 5 students are looking forward to meeting the new Kindy students at 9:30 am on the junior playground. This day will provide an excellent opportunity for the children to further develop their familiarity with the St Matthew’s school environment.

The day will conclude with an information session for parents at 2:00 pm in the library, after which the students can be collected.

We can’t wait to meet our newest members of the St Matthew’s community!

Nativity Prayer Celebration 

On Friday, 6 December, at 10.1am, all families are invited to attend the Kindergarten Nativity Prayer Celebration in the school hall. 

Farewell to Fr Simon

Following the Kindergarten Nativity Prayer Celebration on Friday, 6 December, we will bid farewell to Fr. Simon Falk.

Fr Simon has been the Parish Priest of St Matthew’s and the South Belconnen Parish for seven years. During this time, he has been a wonderful support and mentor to both staff and students, making a lasting impact on our community.

On the 8 December, the South Belconnen Parish will farewell Fr Simon with lunch at St Vincent's Aranda from 11.30am - 1.30pm. For catering purposes, please email belconnensouth@cg.org.au if you are able to attend. There is also a book in the foyer of both Churches where you are welcome to write a personal message to Father Simon.

We invite all families to farewell Fr Simon at one of these events. 

Year 6 Graduation Events – Tuesday, 10 December

On Tuesday, 10 December, we will begin our Year 6 Graduation celebrations with a Mass for students and their families at St Matthew’s Church at 1:30 pm.

In the evening, our Year 6 students will gather for their Graduation Dinner at the Hellenic Club, Phillip. We thank the Year 5 coordinating team for organising and decorating the venue for this special occasion.

These events mark the beginning of our final days with our wonderful Year 6 class as we celebrate their achievements and this significant milestone in their lives.

We look forward to sharing this memorable day with the students and their families!

The Light of Leadership Ceremony

We invite all families to join us for our Leadership Changeover Ceremony – The Light of Leadership, on Friday, 13 December, at 12:00 pm in St Matthew’s Church.

This special event symbolises the passing of leadership from our Year 6 students to our Year 5 students as they prepare to step into their role as school leaders for the coming year.

The light is passed during the ceremony, reflecting the inspiration and values of St Matthew, as well as the legacy of outstanding leadership demonstrated by our graduating Year 6 class. It is a moment to celebrate their contributions and encourage our Year 5 students to embrace their new responsibilities with courage and dedication.

We hope you can join us for this meaningful occasion as we honour the spirit of leadership within our school community.

2024 Christmas Concert and Family Picnic

We are excited to invite all families and community members to our 2024 Christmas Concert and Picnic, a joyful celebration of the festive season and a wonderful way to conclude the school year together.

Event Details:
Date: Friday, 13 December
Time: 5:30 pm start
Location: St Matthew’s School Grounds

Students are encouraged to wear Christmas colours or themed clothing. Every class will perform at the concert.

Families and community members are encouraged to bring a picnic, chairs, and/or a rug to sit on. Please note no food or drinks will be available for purchase. 

Parents and carers will also have the opportunity to hear from our new Before and After School Care provider and the School Community Council Chairperson and consider placing their names on organising lists for the 2025 School Community Council and School Events. We warmly encourage everyone to get involved—the more, the merrier!

We look forward to seeing you at this school event.

Final School Community Council Meeting for 2024

We invite all parents and carers to join us for our final School Community Council (SCC) meeting of the year on Tuesday, 3 December, at 6:00 pm in the staffroom.

This meeting is an opportunity to come together to:

• Reflect on the many SCC successes achieved in 2024,
• Thank our current SCC executive committee for their hard work this year and
• Review and plan for our 2025 SCC events.

You are welcome to join us for this social and celebratory evening.

Semester 2 Academic Reports and Class Lists – Friday, 13 December

The Semester 2 Academic Reports will be distributed on Friday, 13 December. These reports provide insights into your child’s progress and achievements over the semester.

If you would like to discuss your child’s report further, we encourage you to arrange a meeting with your child’s teacher. 

On the same day, we will distribute class lists for the upcoming year. As mentioned, these lists are formulated carefully considering various factors, including student personalities, needs, classroom dynamics, and ratios, to ensure a supportive and balanced learning environment.

Students can meet their new classroom teacher and spend time with their new class during the day. New students to St Matthew’s will also be able to visit and meet their classmates and teachers.

We look forward to a smooth transition as we approach the end of the year and prepare for an exciting 2025!

The School Explorers - School Transition Program

This week's School Explorers session, 'Move it!' will focus on gross motor development. This week, our 5M class will work with our pre-school friends. 

Once again, we ask that when parents and carers arrive, they sign the attendance sheet in the foyer and move into the school hall for the commencement of each session at 2.00 pm. Parents and carers are welcome to stay or drop off their children and return at the end of the session at 2.50 pm.

Do you know a child starting school next year? We would love for you to encourage them to visit! Please contact the office to book a tour and learn more about what St Matthew’s Primary School offers. We are currently accepting enrolments for our 2025 Kindergarten and Year One classes.

Protecting Your Child’s Personal Safety

Preventing child abuse is a community responsibility. It’s a tough subject to talk about, but all adults have a part to play in acting protectively for children and young people and creating a safer community. 

At St Matthew’s Primary School, the Protective Behaviours programme is run annually in each classroom. Protective Behaviours is a recognised program worldwide that aims to promote personal safety skills for children and adults. By creating an awareness of ‘safe’ behaviours, people are empowered to use strategies that will help to prevent abuse, reduce violence in the community, and promote positive health and well-being. The programme has several important safety goals. We want children to speak up and speak out about their safety. We want children to build the confidence to share what is happening in their lives and to tell someone when they are worried or scared and when good things happen. We need to teach our children to build respectful, healthy relationships across all ages. 

What can you do? You can: 

• Talk about safety with your child
• Help your child identify their early warning signs
• Identify your child’s safety network
• Practise ‘What ifs’
• Encourage your child to be assertive
• Talk about personal safety concepts and body safety
• Discuss personal boundaries
• Talking about staying safe online
• Respond when a child discloses something
• Create a family safety plan

This booklet is for parents and is distributed by the ACT Government. It provides the key skills, concepts and strategies outlined above that promote personal safety for children and young people. Drawing on the concepts of the Protective Behaviours program, this information can empower children of all ages to deal with difficult, unsafe or abusive situations. This booklet aims to inform you about how you can help children develop skills to talk to a safe, trusted adult about anything in their lives. We encourage you to read it.

Friendology - Kind-on-Purpose

St Matthew’s is proud to be a URSTRONG school. URSTRONG provides a friendship skills curriculum, Friendology 101, that helps students establish and maintain healthy relationships, manage conflict with kindness, and increase their overall resilience. As part of the programme, we teach our students how to manage conflict. To keep things super simple, we define conflict into two categories: Friendship Fires and Mean-on-Purpose behaviour. By teaching children to respond to conflict in a healthy way and stand up to Mean-on-Purpose behaviour, we can create a culture of kindness.

But it doesn’t stop there! We can get even more intentional about creating kindness by introducing students to Kind-on-Purpose behaviour. Studies show that children who exhibit kindness are more socially accepted by peers. In other words, kind children are more well-liked and have more friends. Not only that, children who engage in acts of kindness improve their own well-being.

We encourage you to join URSTRONG for free and support our school by sharing the same messages and teaching the same skills we teach here at St Matthew’s. URSTRONG provides simple but meaningful language and skills to open a dialogue with your children. Parents can join URSTRONG for free at https://urstrong.com/. We particularly love the blog! 

Petra Cole

Assistant Principal ┃Child Safe Advocate┃Classroom Support Teacher

Gospel Reading

34th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Gospel Reading
John 18:33b-37 Jesus is questioned by Pilate about the charge brought against him that he is “King of the Jews.”

Background on the Gospel Reading

This Sunday is the last one in the Church year, and we celebrate Christ the King. It's a special day when we think about what it means to call Jesus "King."

In the Gospel of John, we see a story where Pilate questions Jesus. Pilate wants to know if Jesus is really a king, and the Jewish leaders accuse Jesus of being a troublemaker who wants to start a rebellion. Pilate, however, doesn’t really seem to care about this argument. He doesn't want to get involved in their religious disagreements.

When Jesus talks to Pilate, he says that his kingdom is not like the kingdoms of this world. Jesus isn’t the kind of king people might expect. His kingdom is not about power, riches, or fighting battles like the kings on earth. Instead, Jesus' kingdom is about truth and love. If his kingdom were like the world’s kingdoms, his followers would be fighting to protect him. But Jesus' mission is different.

Throughout the Gospel of John, we see that Jesus came to bring light into the world, but many people prefer the darkness and don’t recognise him. Jesus also talks a lot about truth, and he says that those who know the truth will see him as king.

So, on this special day, we are invited to see with the eyes of faith. Even though Jesus' kingship was hidden from many people at the time, we know that through his death on the cross, he is truly our King and Savior.

Family Connection

The feast of Christ the King might be a little hard to understand because most of us don’t have kings or queens in our lives. But we know that royalty has power over their kingdoms. People show respect and loyalty to them. To understand how Jesus is our King, we can think about the best qualities of a human king and then imagine how much greater Jesus' kingship is. His kingdom is not just for one place or time, but for all people, everywhere, and forever. Jesus shows his kingship through his death on the cross, where he offers salvation to everyone. Those who have faith in him can see that he is our true King.

As a family, talk about what it means to be a king or queen. How do people act toward royalty? You could even role-play what it’s like to be in the presence of royalty. Then, read today’s Gospel from John 18:33b-37. Afterward, discuss these questions:

• Does Pilate treat Jesus like royalty? (No.)
• What does Jesus say about his kingdom? (It is not of this world.)

Talk about how your family shows respect and obedience to Jesus, our King. End by praying together with the Lord’s Prayer, asking God to help your family live in ways that show you recognise and honour Christ as King.

Crazy Sock Day Wrap-Up 

Thank you so much for your generous donations to Catholic Missions during Crazy Sock Day! The students had a blast showing off their fun and creative socks, and your support made it all the more meaningful.

The funds raised will go a long way in helping vulnerable children facing violence, poverty, and a lack of resources. Your kindness and commitment to this cause will make a real difference in their lives.

We are grateful for your continued support!

Year 2 Forgiveness Retreat 

A heartfelt thank you to our incredible Youth Ministry Team, led by Maddie, for organising and leading a beautiful retreat for our Year 2 students. The retreat theme was thoughtfully connected to their current Religious Education learning, and the students engaged with it deeply. Their reverence, enthusiasm, and active participation made it a truly special experience.

The students wrote some deeply insightful reflections on Jesus and his healing ministry, demonstrating their growing understanding and connection to their faith. We are grateful for the team’s dedication in creating such a meaningful and impactful retreat.

Advent Prayer Celebration

A big thank you to our Year 2 classes and their teachers, who will be leading us in a thoughtful and inspiring prayer celebration focused on the theme of Advent, using the Gospel of John. As we approach the last Sunday in Ordinary Time and prepare for the new liturgical year, the prayer celebration will help us pause and reflect on the true meaning of this season.

Advent is a time for reflection, renewal, and preparation as we open our hearts to welcome the birth of Jesus. Year 2 has prepared a prayer celebration that is a beautiful reminder of the hope and joy that Advent brings. Thank you for guiding us in this meaningful time of prayer and preparation.

St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal 

Thank you for your generous donations to our annual St. Vincent de Paul Christmas Hamper Appeal. We are already seeing many thoughtful contributions, and we are truly grateful for your kindness.

These donations will directly support 15 families in our local St. Vincent de Paul Conference who are facing difficult times this Christmas season. Each class has been assigned a family to collect donations for, ensuring they can share in the joy and festivities of Christmas and bring some holiday cheer to their households.

Your generosity is making a real difference, and we appreciate your continued support in helping others this Christmas.

Welcome to another edition of Sports Talk. As the school year draws to a close and summer holidays are upon us, getting outside and being active is very important to maintain consistent routines. 

Holiday Sports Programs

I have linked the websites to Australian Sports Camps (ASC) and International Sports Camps Australia (ISCA), which offer holiday sports programs. The sports on offer include:

• Soccer
• Basketball
• Netball
• Cricket

https://australiansportscamps.com.au/pages/canberra

https://iscamps.com.au/act/

School Swimming Carnival

A reminder that the St Matthew’s Primary School Swimming Carnival will be held on Tuesday 11th of February (Week 2). Please watch for the Compass event, which will be sent out to all parents.

If you are available on the day to help, please fill out the questions attached to the Compass event. If you are having issues with this, please contact Dillon Payne via email at dillon.payne@cg.catholic.edu.au

Thank you for your continued support with school carnivals!

Sports Superstar of the Week!

Congratulations to Eliana (Elfie) in Year 6.

During the last school holidays, Elfie travelled to the Gold Coast to compete in the National Artistic Gymnastics Competition. Her team competed against around 80 other teams from all over the country, including teams from Perth and Hobart. Elfie's team competed over two days in 4 events, including Bars, Beam, Vault and Floor.  Elfie and the team did very well and came 2nd on Beam in their division. 

Soft Ball Coaching Clinics

This week marked the conclusion of our softball coaching clinics. The students have thoroughly enjoyed developing their skills, teamwork, and love for the game. A big thank you to our coaches for their guidance and enthusiasm. Well done to all our budding softball stars! ?⚾

Contributions

If your child has any sporting accomplishments throughout the term and is happy to have them featured in the newsletter, could you please send information/pictures to Mr. Payne at dillon.payne@cg.catholic.edu.au? 

10 top tips to help protect your children online

1. Build an open, trusting relationship around technology — keep communication open and supportive so your child knows they can come to you if something goes wrong or does not feel right online.
   
   
2. Co-view and co-play with your child online. This will help you understand what they are doing and why they enjoy an app, game, or website, and it will also provide a great opportunity to start conversations about online safety
   
   
3. Build good habits and help your child to develop digital intelligence and social and emotional skills — such as respect, empathy, critical thinking, responsible behaviour and resilience — and practice being good online citizens.
   
   
4. Empower your child — wherever possible, help them make wise decisions for themselves rather than telling them what to do. Try to provide them with strategies for dealing with negative online experiences that will build their confidence and resilience.
   
5. Use devices in open areas of the home — this can help you manage and be aware of who your child interacts with online through phones, tablets, smart TVs, gaming consoles and other connected devices.
   
   
6. Set time limits that balance time spent in front of screens with offline activities — a family technology plan can help you manage expectations around where and when technology use is allowed. Search online for templates or examples.
   
   
7. Know the apps, games and social media sites your kids are using — make sure they are age-appropriate and learn how to limit messaging or online chat and location-sharing functions within apps or games, as these can expose your child to unwanted contact and disclose their physical location. The eSafety Guide includes information to help parents and carers choose safer apps and report and block unwanted contact.
   
8. Check the privacy settings on the games and apps your child is using and make sure their profiles are turned on to the strictest privacy setting. Restrict who can contact your child or ask them to check in with you before accepting new friends.
   
   
9. Use available technologies to set up parental controls on devices that can filter harmful content, monitor your child’s use and limit or block their time on connected devices or functions (e.g. cameras, in-app purchases).
   
   
10. Be alert to signs of distress and know where to go for more advice and support.

Team

Kids Information Morning

Team Kids, our 2025 Before and After School and Holiday Program provider, will be set up in the carpark with a coffee van on Friday, 29 November, from 8.00am. Please go along and ask questions to Kaylee, Sonia and her crew.

Flexischools Christmas Lunch Order

Movember - Mens Health Fundraiser

Mr Hunt, Mr Payne, and Mr Hargraves, are participating in Movember, an annual event involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November to raise awareness of Men's Health issues.

To make a donation to this cause, scan the QR code and/or send in your bottles, cans, and cartons. A collection tub is in the school foyer.