Cross Country

A huge 'thank you' to Mr Payne, Miss Beissner, Miss Murdock, Miss Levi and Mr Hunt for organising and coordinating a fantastic Years 3-6 Cross Country Carnival at Stromlo Park this past Tuesday, 7 May. Their hard work ensured a smoothly run event where our students could showcase their talents and sportsmanship.

Thank you also to our students for competing enthusiastically. We witnessed our students giving their best effort and demonstrating exceptional sportsmanship throughout the carnival. Their positive attitudes exemplify the spirit of our school community.

I would also like to acknowledge our many parent helpers; without you, the carnival could not have proceeded - thank you!

The Years 3-6 Cross Country Award winners' ribbon presentation will be held next Friday, 17 May, after our 9.00 a.m. Prayer Celebration in the School Hall.

The top five students in the 9 years to 12 years events will now represent St Matthew's at the Primary Belconnen Region Cross Country, held at Stromlo on Thursday, 23 May. 

Our Kindergarten, Year One and Year Two carnival will be held at school on Friday, 24 May.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the amazing mums in our St. Matthew's Primary School community! Your love, dedication, and unwavering support of your children really make a difference in their lives and with the successful running of our school. I wish you a day filled with joy, love, and appreciation on Sunday. 

Thank you for all you do!

Tomorrow, our School Community Council will be hosting a Mother's Day Stall. Items will cost $5.00 each and can be purchased via QKR ASAP.

If you have any queries or can help out on the day with setting up the stall or assisting children with selecting a gift, please contact Amelia Watman.  amelia.watman@gmail.com

The 2024 school photos will be taken TOMORROW Friday, May 10th. 

Students are kindly reminded to wear their full winter school uniforms to ensure a polished and cohesive look in the photographs. 

MSP has sent out information about how to order, and you are now able to order through the Compass Portal. Once you have placed your Individual Photo order, you can place your Sibling photo order. These MUST be ordered before midnight on the day of the photo.

If you have any questions regarding the photography service or packages available for purchase, please contact the MSP team on 02 6255 9208 or by email canberra.office@msp.com.au.

Attendance

We know that every day of school attendance adds to your child's chances of success and achievement from kindergarten to high school. You play a key role in making sure your child attends school every day, and you do this because you understand that attendance leads to success, not just at school but later in life. Every day at school counts towards your child’s learning.

We realise some absences are unavoidable due to health issues or other circumstances. However, we also know that when students miss too much school, no matter the reason, it can cause them to fall behind academically. The more absences your child has, the harder it is for them to catch up on missed work and stay connected to their school community. Absences add up quickly. If your child is absent just one day every two weeks over a school year, this will add up to 20 days of lost learning. This is almost half a school term.

Along with many other schools across Australia, we have noticed a large increase in absenteeism since COVID-19. We understand that this is partly due to parents being vigilant about keeping sick children at home, and we appreciate this; however, some absences can be avoided.

The following table indicates the levels of attendance.

Part of my job is to respond to all emerging absenteeism (less than 90% attendance) with support to improve attendance. This may involve an initial letter or phone call, subsequent letters, and creating a Student Attendance Plan.

We want your child to succeed at school and know that you do as well. Please let us know if you require support in ensuring your child attends school on time each day. Feel free to contact me to discuss this or any other concerns.

Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn has asked each school to aim to achieve a rating of 90% this term; let's see if we can blitz that goal.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact the Office.

Death Cap Mushroom Warning

We have been asked to warn our school community that death cap mushrooms are growing in the ACT.

This deadly fungus has caused multiple poisonings and deaths in Canberra. They often grow near established oak trees but have also been found elsewhere. Autumn is the peak growth period.

Please remind your school community of the risks of death cap mushroom poisoning. The key message is not to touch, pick, or eat wild mushrooms.

If you see a death cap mushroom growing:

• keep children and animals away;
• remove the whole mushroom using gloves or a tool, including any part under the ground;
• secure it in a plastic bag;
• place it into a rubbish bin that cannot be accessed by children, to go to landfill; and
• wash your hands.
Also:
• monitor the site frequently for further growth;
• remove mushrooms before mowing to prevent spreading; and
• do not compost them.

Yours in peace and love,

Mrs Sarah Lowe

Exhibition

Our students continue to amaze us with their questions, reflections, and responses during our units of inquiry this term! They have investigated bird beaks, food chains, living and non-living things, the seasons, and Aboriginal astronomy. To support the work undertaken in class, they’ve embarked on excursions to the National Botanic Gardens and the National Zoo and Aquarium and even welcomed turtle guests!

We’re looking forward to welcoming you to our Learning Exhibition and Celebration on Thursday, 16 May 2024, from 2:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Our students will demonstrate the higher-order thinking that is taking place as we journey together through our units of inquiry. 

As the exhibition is near the end of the school day, for your convenience, you may take your child home following your visit. Please contact the front office if you plan for someone other than yourself to take your child home.

This event is always exciting, with literally hundreds of parents coming along to speak to our students about their learning. We can’t wait to see you!

Child Safeguarding Corner

The Child Safe Standards were proposed in response to The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (the Royal Commission), which shone a spotlight on thousands of cases where organisations in Australia failed to protect children in their care from abuse.

The Child Safe Standards provide tangible guidance about how to create cultures, adopt strategies, and act to keep children safe from harm. Each fortnight, we’ll present one of the standards and ask you to reflect on how you think we’re addressing the recommendations. 

Child Safe Standard 1: Child safety is embedded in organisational leadership, governance and culture

A child-safe school is committed to child safety. This is demonstrated in its leadership, how the organisation is managed, and the day-to-day activities it carries out. A child-safe school culture drives how things are done and how issues and risks are managed. Our aim is to prioritise child safety in what we say and do:

• We have made a public statement about child safety and championing a child-safe culture. 
• We recognise that child safety is a shared responsibility across our school. 
• We ensure that staff understand and comply with your organisation’s Child Safe Code of Conduct, which sets out clear behavioural standards when interacting with children. 
• We ensure that staff understand their obligations in reporting, sharing information and keeping records.

Child safety is everyone’s responsibility. Our staff have an important role in following all our school policies and procedures, immediately raising concerns, and proactively managing child safety risks. The code of conduct is signed by all adults who work in the school; it is part of our induction processes and revisited at the beginning of each year.

If we are addressing this standard, we would expect children to say: 

• Teachers at my school ask my opinion and listen to me.
• I feel safe at St Matthew’s.
• I feel respected and trust the adults that are looking after me. 

If you have any questions or feedback about this Standard, please email me (petra.cole@cg.catholic.edu.au). 

Petra Cole

Assistant Principal

Welcome back to Term 2.

We are looking forward to another busy term with some exciting upcoming events.

Please put these dates in your calendar so you can join us for our Religious Celebrations early this term.

Week 3

Friday 17th May - 9am Prayer Celebration on ANZAC Remembrance led by our Youth Ministry Team

Week 4

Friday 24th May - 9am Prayer Celebration on Pentecost led by Year 3

Week 5

Friday 31st May - 9:30am Year 1 and 2 will be attending Parish Mass

Term Theme: Wisdom

In Ephesians, Paul writes a prayer for the gift of Wisdom to be present in those developing their faith. He writes that with the spirit of Wisdom, may you have “eyes of your heart enlightened, so you may know what is the hope to which he has called you”. This prayer is about what is going on inside, in the soul, despite the daily challenges in this time. He prays that Jesus will be in their thoughts, shaping their decisions and how they respond, and that love will guide them. 

This is relevant to us all as we often get caught up in the business of our jobs, families and lives, and we, too, pray for the gift of Wisdom. This gift provides us with Jesus’ guidance in acting and responding.

Make Jesus Real (MJR)

This term, we will start our MJR groups. These groups are an opportunity for us to gather together to remind us of God’s mission and how we can contribute. 

Our groups will run on a Friday of Weeks 5 and 8, and students will be grouped in multi-year level classes across the school. The year 6 leaders will support the teachers in completing this program. We will maintain a focus on our theme of The Holy Spirit, as well as being ‘W.E.S.T’ people (Welcoming, Encouraging, saying Sorry, and saying Thank You), an acronym to guide us in how to Make Jesus Real in our school. 

The Sacrament of Confirmation

In the Catholic Church, Sacraments are sacred rituals that we undertake at different times in our lives to help us grow closer to God. There are seven Sacraments; often, by the end of Primary School, children have completed the first four.

At St Matthew’s, our students who have been Baptised in the Catholic Church complete the following Sacraments, usually in this order.

Year 3: Reconciliation

Year 4: First Eucharist

Year 6: Confirmation

This term, our Year 6 students will have the opportunity to participate in the Sacrament of Confirmation. This Sacrament strengthens our faith and publicly reaffirms our commitment to the Catholic faith. 

This year, we have Archbishop Christopher Prowse celebrating our Sacrament. During this celebration, the students will be anointed with the Holy Spirit. Archbishop Christopher will pray that the Holy Spirit empowers each candidate.

If you are interested in having your child from Year 6 complete this sacrament, we invite you to the Faith Formation Evening for parents and children. It will be held at 6 pm on Thursday, May 23rd, at St Vincent’s Church in Aranda. 

Term 2 Engagement with Faith

Term 2 Engagement with Faith Download

The Marriage Course

Welcome back to Term 2! Here is what is happening in all things sports at St Matthew’s!

• Thank you to all parent helpers for your support and assistance at the Cross Country Carnival. It was a great day with lots of fun and running. Well done to all the students who participated. 
• Cross Country ribbons will be awarded next Friday, 17th May, after the morning’s Prayer Celebration.
• We will also announce the top 5 students for each age group to celebrate their success. These students will move on to regionals.
• North Belconnen Regional Carnival will be held on the 23rd of May (Week 4, Term 2). Look out for a Compass event next week. 
• Dance clinics will begin next Tuesday and Thursday for the remainder of the Term for K-6 in the hall. Thank you to Cassie from Play Dance Agency for hosting!

Representative Trial Dates

If you would like your child to trial for the following representative sports, please go to School Sport ACT https://schoolsportact.org.au/ and register them by the date indicated below. Please keep an eye on this site for other representative sporting trials.