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Dear Parents and Carers
Parent Teacher Interviews
Hopefully by now you have received notification via Compass of next week’s Parent Teacher Interviews. Parents can choose between a face to face interview or a Microsoft Teams version, if this option works better for your family. I personally hope that many parents take the in person option and in so doing are able to meet their child’s teacher in their classroom.
It is our plan that the interview will enable you to receive a thorough overview of your child’s progress. For this reason the Semester Reports will, once again effectively be a confirmation of the interview comments including the grades achieved in each subject area. These Reports will be forwarded home via Compass next Friday, June 24th.
A reminder that Parent/Teacher Meetings are open until 3pm Friday 17 June via Compass.
Please look out for this notification on the your Compass home screen if using a computer.
Please contact our Front Office if you have not received a notification to next week’s interviews.
Confirmation
Next Tuesday and Thursday evenings many of our Year Six children will receive the sacrament of Confirmation at St Matthew’s Church. Thankfully the easing of the restrictions has once again allowed the families of the children an opportunity to invite relatives and friends to this celebration.
The mass and conferral of the sacrament will be delivered by Fr Simon, who is a great friend and supporter of the children.
Please pray for these young people as they receive the final sacrament in their initiation to becoming a Catholic.
2023 Enrolments
At the close of the official enrolment period our school had received 38 applications to join our 2023 Kindergarten cohort. This is a very promising trend based on last year’s enrolment patterns were also received many applications outside of this period. The school has also received approximately ten enrolments for grades other than Kindergarten.
These indicators suggest that next year our school should maintain the strong level of enrolments that we currently enjoy. The school’s current enrolments sit at 340 students.
If you are aware of a family that may be considering enrolling their child at St Matthew’s next year please ask them to contact our Front Office as soon as possible.
Pupil Free Days
Just a reminder that the final two days of this term (June 30th July 1st) are the designated Pupil Free days for St Matthew’s as authorised by the Catholic Education Office. The first day of next term (July 18th) is earmarked to embed the Catalyst Professional Learning initiative, is the final Pupil Free day for this year.
SAVE THE DATE
Our Anniversary Dinner will be held on Friday September 2nd at Pialligo Estate. Tickets, at reduced prices, will be on sale early next term.
May God bless you and your families
Graham Pollard
Principal
Conceptual Inquiry at St Matthew’s:
The Benefits of Promoting Student Voice
Here at St Matthew’s, our teachers know that personal and academic resilience is strengthened when students are their own advocates. We value the perspectives and opinions of students and act on them ways that shape learning and decision-making at our school.
Student voice is not simply about giving students the opportunity to communicate ideas and opinions, or ‘having a say’ and ‘being heard’; it is about students having the power to influence change. Authentic student voice provides opportunities for students to collaborate and make decisions with adults about their learning. This is known to lead to improved educational outcomes.
Student voice is evident when students:
- listen to and learn from peers and adults
- ask questions to strengthen their understanding
- share their ideas and opinions
- actively seek feedback from teachers and peers to progress their learning and reflect on their learning experience
- give feedback to peers and teachers
- negotiate learning goals and assessment
- respectfully challenge others’ views about learning and teaching and
- feel confident to contribute in meaningful ways for a shared sense of ownership.
We encourage students to actively participate in decision-making about those things which shape their educational experiences. Students who are given voice learn how to be agents of change in their communities (Duncan-Andrade, & Morrell, 2008). For example, over the last term, we have received several ‘applications’ from students who wish to establish and lead lunchtime clubs. As a result, students can participate in a Sustainability Club, a Drawing Club, and a Rubik’s Cube Club. We’re looking forward to finding out what other initiatives our wonderful students come up with in the future!
Petra Cole
Assistant Principal
Gospel Reading Sunday 19th June
Luke 9:11b-17
They all ate and were satisfied.
Background on the Gospel Reading
Today, the second Sunday after Pentecost, we celebrate a second solemnity, which marks our return to Ordinary Time. Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. At one time, this day was called Corpus Christi, Latin for “the Body of Christ.”
The feeding of the 5,000 is the only one of Jesus' miracles to appear in all four Gospels. In Luke the feeding is not the result of Jesus' compassion for the crowd but is instigated by the disciples. They wanted Jesus to send the crowd away to town. Instead Jesus tells the disciples to give them some food on their own.
The passage is connected to the institution of the Eucharist. As in the Last Supper accounts in Matthew, Mark, and Luke and in Paul's account in 1 Corinthians 11:23-24, Jesus takes bread, looks up to heaven, blesses the bread, breaks it, and then gives it to the disciples. In using this exact language, Luke is reminding his readers that in this miracle Jesus is doing more than feeding hungry people as God did for the Israelites and the prophet Elisha did as well. The bread he gives is his body, which he will continue to give as often as the community breaks bread in remembrance of him in the Eucharist.
Family Connection
In our age of busy after school and work schedules, families often find that they are not eating meals together at a dinner table. As a family, look back over the past week and recall how many meals were eaten together and how many meals were eaten alone or on the run.
In the Bible, meals are seen as much more than a means to satisfy a physical need. The Hebrew people viewed eating a meal as a way of expressing and strengthening their relationship to one another under God's covenant. It is no coincidence that meals are often the setting of Jesus' teaching and miracles in the Gospels. In this Sunday's Gospel, we hear the story of Jesus feeding the crowd of 5,000 people.
Read this Sunday's Gospel, Luke 9:11b-17. Talk about the kinds of hungers that people have in addition to physical hunger. Describe the hungers that a family nourishes (love, compassion, forgiveness, laughter, and so on). Together give thanks for the food that Jesus gives us that we celebrate on this Sunday's feast of the Body and Blood of Jesus. Make a commitment to share in this Eucharistic meal together as a family.
Vinnies Winter Appeal
Thank you to all those families who have generously donated warm clothing and small blankets to our winter appeal. Next Friday 24 June will be the last day for our youth ministers to collect the clothing before taking it to St Vincent de Paul.
Confirmation
This Friday Year 6 Confirmation Candidates and their peers, who have been supporting them on their faith journey, will participate in a retreat day. They day has been thoughtfully prepared to bring together their learning in a prayerful and reflective way. We continue to keep in mind and pray for those students who will be receiving the sacrament of confirmation on Tuesday 21 and Thursday 23 June.
Lousia Vance
Religous Education Co-ordinator (Acting)
Over the weekend I was extremely lucky to attend the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s conference, where I was able to listen to many amazing speakers including Jackie French, Deb Abela, Sami Bayly and Adam Goodes, just to name a few! A particular highlight was meeting Kate and Jol Temple, who are coming early in Term 3 to speak to our Kinder-Year 3 students. They are energetic and entertaining authors, who I know will have the students enthralled and engaged!
All families have received their log in details via email for our Compass Parent Portal. The Compass Parent Portal is an online portal that allows you to interact with the school and access up-to-date information. Once you have your log-in credentials and download the app, you’ll be able to:
- Enter absence notes for your child
- Give consent for excursions
- View school reports
- Communicate with your child’s teacher
- Receive communication from staff
If you didn’t receive log in details, please contact our Front Office (office.stmatts@cg.catholic.edu.au) or check your “junk” mailbox.
Click here to install Compass on Apple devices
Click here to install Compass on Android devices
When prompted: Search “St Matthew’s P” and then you’ll see “St Matthew’s Primary School – Page” as a drop down.
Happy birthday wishes to Cody O, Zachary G, Kris K, Layal R, Abigail O, Grace C, Talin P, Anshika B, Hannah P, Maya M, Ruby G, Curtis J, who recently celebrated birthdays.
