St Finn Barr’s Catholic School
Parent Newsletter
Tuesday 14th March, 2017
Principal’s Message
Our PBS Values
Safe, Respectful, Resilient Learners.
MJR
Greet, Treat and Speak (GTS)
A Prayer for Lent
Lord, please show me what I should give up for Lent
And when I've given it up
Remind me to pray to You instead
To thank You
To love You
To hear from You
Each and every day in Lent
Amen
During March, we are encouraging all of our students to Greet, Treat and Speak to others. This is a
simple concept for all of us. Conversation is a two way thing. We will be encouraging our students to
reply with , “good thanks, how are you?”; “ I had a great day thanks, how about you?” etc. It is so easy
to answer with one word answers or not at all! I hope we can all work on our greet, treat and speak to
maybe include someone who we don’t normally speak to even.
Last Monday our Grade 5 and 6 Teachers worked with Marty Ogle who is the ‘MJR man’ in Tassie.
Marty proposed to them the idea of a Student Parliament. Our students listened attentively and
appeared very keen. On my desk on Tuesday morning I had a typed, very well presented letter from
one of our Grade 6 students - Paige Arnold. In this letter she outlined the reasons why a Student
Parliament would be a great idea and how she thought it could share the leadership roles around our
grade 6 students. I was extremely impressed by this letter - how exciting that young people have the
desire to pursue the ideas and ideals that they are interested in through the right channels. I hope
more of our Grade 6 students were so impressed by Marty’s ideas that they continue to pursue this
idea.
Last Tuesday we commenced Reading Groups as a significant part of our School Wide Learning and
Teaching Program. Each grade has targeted Reading Groups for 30 minutes from Tuesday to Friday
during the morning session. As a Staff, we have agreed that these Reading Groups are a prioritised
aspect of our Learning and Teaching Program and as such we put significant Staffing resources into
these times.
Parent Newsletter - Tuesday 14th March, 2017
For our students this is an outstanding outcome. Reading groups provide targeted teaching time at the
appropriate reading level for each student. As I moved around last week, I was encouraging students
to make the most of this time - often students are working in groups of 4 or 5 students with one adult
to work with them. What a great opportunity to maximise learning.
As parents and carers at home, we can also help in the reading development of our children. Read to
and with your children. If you are after any tips in helping your child with their reading, ask their
teacher.
These are a few tips from PETTA (The Primary English Teaching of Australia Association
http://www.aquinas.wa.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Parents-guide-to-help-at-home.pdf
What parents can do:
• Play games with spelling. Play games like Scrabble, Boggle, crosswords and make words from
number plates, letters in your names, words that can be spelt the same forward and backwards.
• Play word games like thinking of rhyming words, opposites, or words that sound like their meanings.
The Internet has many fun and free spelling activities.
• Point out unusual words in the books you read.
• Look for words in the environment.
Parent Teacher Nights
This week you as parents have an opportunity to meet with the teachers of your child or children to
discuss the early progress your child is making and to set goals for the academic year ahead. As staff
we hope to meet all parents and look forward to discussing your child’s early progress and goals with
you. Unfortunately I will be in Hobart on Tuesday and Wednesday evening. Mrs Carmen Aylott of Miss
Alice Cannon will be available and I will be available on Thursday evening.
Lunch Orders
Since I have been at St Finn Barr’s, there has been much discussion around Lunch Orders. School
canteens are difficult to run these days with many regulations needing to be met and it is now a
requirement that Canteens run through school Budgets. Due to this, we will be trialling lunch orders
through Subway. Students will bring a note home this week.
Orders must be given to teachers in the envelope provided on Wednesday for a Thursday lunch order.
T​here is no obligation to order. Envelopes must be filled out correctly and no late orders will be
taken. All orders are $6.00 for a sub, a cookie or apple and a juice or milk. We will trial this for the
remainder of Term 1 commencing next week - orders Wednesday March 22nd and delivery of the lunch
order on Thursday 23rd March.
Parent Newsletter - Tuesday 14th March, 2017
Lego Competition
All students who are interested are able to enter in a Lego Competition. Designs must be original
designs. Entries need to be brought from home on Monday March 27th and will be on display until
Wednesday March 29th. Students will select a winner from Prep to Grade 3; Grade 3 and 4 and Grade
5 and 6. Entry forms must accompany entries. These can be collected from the office or students can
ask their teachers.
Have a great week.
Liz Illingworth,
Principal.
Parent Newsletter - Tuesday 14th March, 2017
MYTERN: The important role of TEP and PET
TEP: Take Extreme Precaution
As the name implies, you need to Take Extreme Precaution (TEP) when this character appears.
TEP acts as a trigger to suddenly make you feel really sad, mad, frustrated, lonely or just scared.
Very often TEPS can be really simple, such as your brother or sister annoying you; having to clean
your room or do your homework; or not having a friend around to play with. A TEP can transport
you onto a red Buska road very quickly. You need to be ready for it by understanding what your
main TEPS are, as well as being ready for any new ones that may appear.
PET: Personal Emotional Tool
PET is a character that helps you when you find yourself on a red Buska road and you want to turn
onto a road which makes you feel better. Very few people have the ability to change from a red
Buska road to a green Reapo road without first thinking a different thought. PET has been
designed to distract you from the thoughts and feelings that have made you drive down that
particular road (TEP). Therefore, a PET is something that you think about to make you feel a bit
better. It could be a photo, a happy memory, a hug, a song, a video - anything that makes you
smile! It is only when you distract yourself enough with a PET that you find yourself in a position
to be able to regain control of your steering wheel and change roads.
Being able to travel the rough roads and regain control is what helps to build your resilience.
The concepts behind the creation of TEP and PET form an integral part of the MYTERN skill. The
roundabout represents a place where we choose to respond to all situations. It is the result of
that choice which influences us to then drive onto a red or green road. The yellow and orange
colours were chosen to represent TEP and PET, playing the role of caution at a traffic light.
If you interpret the circumstances as a TEP (from a TEP perspective) before you take off, then you
will drive onto a red road. If you interpret the circumstances as a PET (from a PET perspective)
before you take off, then you will drive onto a green road. If you are on a red road far away from
the roundabout, PETS can also be used to drive you towards a green road. PET and TEP are
teaching us that it is our response to situations that create the emotion. If you know how to be in
charge of your response, you can then learn to take control of your emotion.
Parent Newsletter - Tuesday 14th March, 2017
Grade 5/6 Friday Sport - Friday 17th March
Sport
Team
Opposition
Venue
Hardball Cricket
SFB
LCG
Broadland Park
Boys T20 Cricket
SFB1
Bye
Boys T20 Cricket
SFB2
SH1
Faulkner Park
Girls T20 Cricket
SFB1
LPS
NTCA
Girls T20 Cricket
SFB2
SH1
NTCA
Touch Football -Girls
SFB1
SH1
Larmenier
Touch Football - Girls
SFB2
Bye
Touch Football - Boys
SFB
SH2
Larmenier
Lego Challenge 2017
St Finn Barr’s will be taking part in this competition in 2017
Each student who wishes to enter a lego piece will need to have their creation completed and ready for
judging by Monday 27th March 2017. Entries will be displayed in the school foyer on March 27, 28 and
29.
Entries must be students own creation - not lego sets.
Students will select a school winner from Prep-Grade 2; Grade 3-4 and Grade 5-6 as well as an overall
school winner.
The overall winner of your school will win a winner’s medallion, YMCA, Paringa Archery, Village Cinemas
and Brixhibition free passes.
Each School's Lego Challenge overall winner is invited to display their winning Lego creations, at
Brixhibition Hotel Grand Chancellor, Launceston on Sat 22nd and Sun 23rd April 2017.
All Lego Challenge winners displayed at Brixhibiton will be judged by Tasmanian Brick Enthusiasts Inc.
members
Students can chat with their teachers about entering.
Parent Newsletter - Tuesday 14th March, 2017
Tour de Cure
“BE FIT, BE HEALTHY, BE HAPPY! St Finn Barr’s joins Tour de Cure in the fight against
cancer and learns how we can help prevent cancer.
Tour de Cure is a cycling foundation committed to finding a cure for cancer. Through the
collaborative fundraising efforts of their Team, Corporate Partners and the Australian
Community Tour de Cure have raised over $25 million since 2007 to help fund 252 vital
cancer research, support and prevention projects for men, women and children.
Tour de Cure has already shared their ‘BE FIT - BE HEALTHY - BE HAPPY!” Cancer
awareness message with over 60,000 children in the past 3 years and would like to share
their message with the students, teachers and parents of our school .
On Wednesday 29th March at 1:45 p.m. students and parents will have the opportunity to
meet some of the Tour de Cure team, be introduced to the character “FLIPMAN” as well
as learn how we can help prevent cancer. With the statistic that “at least 1 IN 3 cancer
cases can be prevented”* this is a valuable message and we are proud to be involved.
For more information on the Tour de Cure School visit to St Finn Barr’s please contact
Carmen Aylott. For information on Tour de Cure visit ​www.tourdecure.com.au
Parent Newsletter - Tuesday 14th March, 2017
NIJSSA
Congratulations to the following students who have been selected to represent St Finn
Barr’s at the NIJSSA Swimming Carnival to be held at Riverside Pool on March 23rd.
Grade 3 Boys
Gus Barber
Maxx Rawlings
Toby Cheney
Charlie Shea
Res: Mohamed Sy
Grade 3 Girls
Lauren McKenzie
Aaliyah Allmark
Katie Campbell
Lauren Crisp
Res: Charlotte Rae
Grade 4 Boys
Lincoln Barber
Jock Townsend
Brad Tomkinson
Chad Rosier
Cody Whitchurch
Res: Harry McKillop
Grade 4 Girls
Emily Reardon
Olivia Penton
Caitlyn Scott
Maranda Curtis
Maddison Down
Grade 5 Boys
Matthew Duffy
Lachlan Shea
Neil McKenzie
Jack Campbell
Res: Brock Whitchurch
Grade 5 Girls
Kate Healer
Evie Cheney
Stephanie Phillips
Paige Hawes
Madeleine Fletcher
Grade 6 Boys
Jasper French
Jacob Bourne
Tommy Townsend
Raymond Phillips
Res: Harry Barber
Grade 6 Girls
Shannon Kelly
Skye Milner
Estelle Tomkinson
Jorjah Bailey
Res: Maddy Hodge
Parent Newsletter - Tuesday 14th March, 2017
Loose Parts Play
We are keen to open a Loose Parts Play Area.
We are looking for donations of tyres and milk crates to begin with.
If you can help us out, please contact Liz or the Office.
Facebook
Please be aware there are currently two unofficial St Finn Barr’s Facebook pages.
These pages are not endorsed or run by the school.
Friday, 17 March
Gr 5/6 Friday Sport - Summer
Thursday, 23 March
NIJSSA Swimming Carnival
Friday, 24 March
Gr 5/6 Friday Sport - Summer
Friday, 31 March
Gr 5/6 Friday Sport - Summer
Monday, 3 April
St Finn Barr's School - Student Free Day
Friday, 7 April
Gr 5/6 Friday Sport - Summer
Thursday, 13 April
Students - Term 1 finishes
Monday, 1 May
Students - Term 2 Commences
Wednesday, 3 May - Friday, 5 May
Grade 5/6 School Camp at Camp Clayton
Parent Newsletter - Tuesday 14th March, 2017
STM Techspot – Inappropriate Apps for Primary School Children
We are finding more and more that students with iPads, iPhones, Tablets and/or
Smartphones have access to inappropriate apps for their age level. These apps can be
inappropriate for a number of reasons, whether it be for the content that it allows the
child to access, the themes and messages that the app sends, the social networking
implications of the app or the security of the app. Not to mention that many of these apps
have their own user policies that clearly state children under the age of 13 (which all of
our students are) should not have access to the app. Sometimes as parents it can be hard
to know which apps to disallow, and it can sometimes be even harder to disallow these
apps as your children no doubt will try very hard to convince you that they should be
allowed to use it. At the end of the day though, it is very important to have very strict
policies on which apps you allow your child to use. Sometimes things are just not
negotiable, especially when it can compromise the innocence and safety of your child.
Below is a list of apps that we strongly encourage you to remove from any device that
your child is allowed to use:
●
Facebook
●
Facebook Messenger
●
Instagram
●
Snapchat
●
Musical.ly
●
Live.ly
●
Kik
●
Vine
●
Twitter
●
Yellow
●
Ask.fm
●
Google+
●
Keek
●
Periscope
●
Tinder
●
WhatsApp
There are always new apps coming out that have potential risk that we don’t know about.
So it is always a good idea to know exactly which apps are being downloaded onto
devices. Also, have conversations with your child about the apps they are using. If you are
unsure of an app, Google it and find out some more info. Then if you feel it is not suitable,
delete it.
Parent Newsletter - Tuesday 14th March, 2017
Community News
School Banking
The Commonwealth School Banking Co-ordinator, Michelle Rowley is visiting to talk to students at
Assembly on Monday 20th March. She will be available to talk to parents and answer any questions
about banking after Assembly.
Remember, Monday (Tuesday following a Long Weekend) is School Banking day and students should
bring in their weekly deposit.
For every deposit made at school, students will receive a silver Dollarmites token. Once students have
individually collected 10 tokens they can redeem them for an exclusive School Banking reward item in
recognition of their regular savings habits.
School Banking is also a great fundraiser for our school, raising 5% on every deposit made through the
school (to a maximum of $10 per individual deposit).
Thank you for supporting the School Banking program at St Finn Barr’s Catholic School. We would also
like to thank Mrs Bower who volunteers as our School Banking Co-ordinator and processes our
banking every week.
Outside School Hours Care - Student Free Day
Outside School Hours Care will be open on the Student Free Day 03/04/2017 in the
school Hall.
Hours of Operation: 7am-6pm
Please contact CatholicCare administration on 1300 119 455 or email
[email protected]​ to make a booking or to receive an enrolment pack.
Parent Newsletter - Tuesday 14th March, 2017
Parent Newsletter - Tuesday 14th March, 2017
Parent Newsletter - Tuesday 14th March, 2017
Parent Newsletter - Tuesday 14th March, 2017