Week 4
Prayer
Learning Area News
Principal News
Monday 19 February
Dear Families,
We hope this newsletter finds you well. Last week, our school/church community came together to observe Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of the sacred season of Lent. Here's a brief recap of the activities and events that took place:
Shrove Tuesday Celebration:
On Shrove Tuesday, our community gathered for a joyful celebration, often known as Pancake Day. Students enjoyed delicious pancakes and engaged in various activities to commemorate the day before the solemn season of Lent begins. We thank all the volunteers and participants who made this event a delightful and memorable occasion.
Ash Wednesday Observance:
On Ash Wednesday, our community joined in a reflective and prayerful service to receive ashes as a symbol of repentance and humility. The distribution of ashes reminds us of our mortality and the call to turn our hearts back to God. We appreciate everyone who participated in this meaningful service, fostering a spirit of reflection and renewal.
Upcoming Lenten Activities:
As we continue our Lenten journey, our school has planned a series of activities to deepen our spiritual experience. These may include Lenten units of work, investigating scripture passages and representing learning through prayer and art work.
Family Lenten Practices:
Consider incorporating Lenten practices into your family life, such as prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. This is a time for personal and spiritual growth, and we encourage you to involve your children in age-appropriate discussions about the significance of Lent. We look forward to the coming weeks of Lent as we prepare our hearts for the celebration of Easter. Thank you for your continued support and participation in our school/church community.
Mobile Phones and Devices
In line with new Government regulations and guidelines implemented in 2020, all mobile devices need to be handed into the office at the beginning of the school day. All devices will be kept in a lockable drawer and returned to students at the end of the day. This includes any wearable devices where notifications are switched on and messages can be received or sent.
It would be very difficult for teachers to use valuable teaching and learning time to check that these features are switched off. Therefore, teachers will use their discretion and if these wearable devices are proving to be a distraction for the students, the teacher will provide children with time to hand in their devices at the office.
If a parent needs to pass on a message to a child this can be done through the school office. I also ask parents to keep in mind that these devices are extremely expensive and we do ask that valuable items are not brought to school.
SRC Commissioning Ceremony.
Purpose of SRC:
The SRC is a forum that allows students to have a voice and make a positive impact on our school community.
Roles and Responsibilities
● Bring any ideas from the class to the SRC meetings and report back to the class at the end of the meetings. These meetings are held once a term.
● Members of the SRC are chosen to represent the school at the ANZAC day ceremony and Remembrance Day ceremony.
● The students are at the forefront of improving student voice and agency.
● Represent St Oliver's when required.
Congratulations to our 2023 Student Representative Council. We look forward to commissioning our SRC this Friday at our assembly at 2:50pm.
Prep A: Thomas M
Prep W: Zoe K
1B: George H
1MJ: Zoe W
1V: Sienna M
2L: Ben T
2R: Matilda L
3L: Raffaella C
3M: Frankie R
4D: Lila V
4G: Eva C
5G: Alexander C
5L: Archie B
What's on in the next fortnight
Mon 19 Feb: Year 6 Confirmation Retreat - Mary MacKillop Centre & St Patrick's Cathedral
Tues 20 Feb: 2025 Prep Open Day 9:15am-11am
Wed 21 Feb: Prep Assessment Interviews- No school for Preps (Rest Day- Transition)
Thurs 22 Feb: Yr 6 Class Mass @ 10am- Church (Parents Welcome)
Fri 23 Feb: Assembly @ 2:50pm- Hall (Parents Welcome)
Fri 23 Feb: Interschool Sport Coburg West v St Olivers @ 11:30am - AWAY (Parents Welcome)
Mon 26 Feb: Whole School Wellbeing Show- Incursion
Wed 28 Feb: Prep Assessment Interviews- No school for Preps (Rest Day- Transition)
Fri 1 Mar: Interschool Sport St Olivers v Coburg North @ 11:30am - HOME (Parents Welcome)
2025 Enrolments and Open Days
We have received a lot of interest regarding our enrolment process, open days and places for 2025.
Our first school tour begins tomorrow Tue 20 February at 9:15am. Our enrolments are now open to new families.
Existing families who have a prep child starting school next year are encouraged to come in and pick up the enrolment pack from our school office ASAP.
Thank you.
Have a great week.
Delfina Pieri
Principal
principal@sopascoevale.catholic.edu.au
Important Dates and Events
Term 1
Tuesday 30 January - Thursday 28 March- 1pm dismissal for students
Term 2
Tuesday 16 April- Friday 28 June- 1pm dismissal for students
Term 3
Tuesday 16 July- Friday 20 September 1pm dismissal for students
Term 4
Tuesday 8 October- Tuesday 17 December 1pm dismissal for students
2024 School Closures and Public Holidays
Monday 15 April: Professional Learning Day- Staff- No school for students
*Thursday 25 April: ANZAC Day
Friday 26 April: Staff First Aid Training- No school for students
*Monday 10 June: King's Birthday- Public Holiday
Monday 15 July: Professional Learning Day- Staff- No school for students
Monday 7 October: Professional Learning Day- Staff- No school for students
Monday 4 November: School Closure- No school for students
*Tuesday 5 November: Melbourne Cup- Public Holiday
Monday 2 December: Professional Learning Day- Staff- No school for students
2024 Parent/Teacher Progress Meetings
Wednesday 15 May: Yr Prep- Six Parent/Teacher Progress Meeting - 1pm finish for students.
Monday 21 October: Yr Prep - Six Parent/Teacher Progress Meeting- 1pm finish for students
March
Mon 4 Mar: Preps are full time
Wed 6 Mar: Twilight Open Night @ 6:30 pm- Hall
Wed 6 Mar: Prep Incursion (Ascent Footwear - LACE TYING)
Wed 6 Mar: Yr 5 Excursion: Immigration Museum
Fri 8 Mar: Interschool Sport Pascoe Vale Sth v St Olivers @ 11:30am - HOME (Parents Welcome)
Fri 8 Mar: Assembly @ 2:50pm- Hall (Parents Welcome)
Mon 11 Mar: School Closure- Labour Day Public Holiday
Tues 12 Mar: Bishop Terry Curtin visiting Year 6
Wed 13 Mar: NAPLAN begins
Thurs 14 Mar: 2025 Prep Open Day 9:15am-11am
Fri 15 Mar: Yr 6 Sacrament of Confirmation @ 7pm- Church
Tues 19 Mar: Yr 6 Class Mass @ 10am- Church
Tues 19 Mar: Yr 3 Excursion: 100 Story Building
Wed 20 Mar: School Photos
Wed 20 Mar: Celebration of Learning Expo (Option 1) from 3:30-5pm
Wed 20 Mar: Parents' Auxiliary Meeting 6:30pm- Staffroom (all welcome)
Wed 20 Mar: School Advisory Meeting 7:30pm Library (Members only)
Thurs 21 Mar: Celebration of Learning Expo (Option 2) from 8:15am-9am
Thurs 21 Mar: Harmony Day- Wear Orange or dress up as your cultural background to celebrate Multicultural Day
Fri 22 Mar: Ride to school Day- bring your bike to school
Fri 22 Mar: Interschool Sport St Olivers v Pascoe Vale Nth @ 11:30am - HOME
Fri 22 Mar: Assembly @ 2:50pm- Hall (Parents Welcome)
Mon 25 Mar: Sports Day - Coburg Athletics Track
Mon 25 Mar: PA event Cheese Toastie Truck at Coburg Athletics Day
Mon 25 Mar: NAPLAN ends
Thurs 28 Mar: Easter Paralitury @ 9:15am- HALL (Parents Welcome)
Thurs 28 Mar: End of Term One: Early finish for students @ 1pm
Education in Faith
Prep Ash Wednesday Liturgy
Thursday 22 February the Prep students participated in an Ash Wednesday para-liturgy marking the beginning of Lent.
They listened to the story of the Good Shepherd. "Who looks after us like the Good Shepherd?", one student asked.
Jesus is our shepherd he looks after us like a shepherd looks after his sheep. He is there for us and guides us on the right path.
PRAYER
Jesus,
You love me
Good Shepherd,
Care for me
And keep me safe.
Amen
The importance of Prayer
During WOW week at school our classrooms prepared their personal prayer cloths. These cloths are used as part of the prayer space preparation ritual for praying as a group.
Prayers assist us to come to terms with our needs and those of other people. They assist us to make ourselves ever more sensitive to our obligations to do whatever is possible to fulfil those needs, whether for ourselves, or others.
Five reasons you should be praying every day:
Prayer seduces stress. Doctors who have studied the physiological effects of prayer have reported that when praying, heart rate and blood pressure decrease, and breathing regulates.
Prayer increases empathy, enhancing our social awareness. Empathy helps us love our neighbor by developing a heightened sense of compassion and subduing negative emotions.
Prayer builds relationships. Prayer can foster a sense of connection, first with a higher being and then those around us when praying together.
Prayer is a spiritual exercise that communicates our love to God and is therefore our most important spiritual practice
According to Levin (1996), hope, love, contentment, empowerment, and other positive emotions might flow from prayer. Prayer may thus foster psychological benefits by creating a positive sense of meaning, hope, and empathy improving our emotional health.
World Day of Social Justice Februaury 20
World Day of Social Justice reminds us each year of the need to build fairer, more equitable societies.
The Caritas Australia Mission
Caritas is the Catholic Church's international aid and development agency in Australia. They are committed to working alongside the most vulnerable and addressing the imbalance of power by including the people affected in the decisions impacting their lives.
During this season of Lent we support the work of Caritas through project compassion. Our donations can create lasting change for all future generations.
Student Administration News
Welcome to Week 4! Here are some general notices for our families.
Change of Clothes Pack
From time to time, our junior students may require a change of clothes throughout the school day. We recommend parents pack a 'change of clothes pack' in their school bag. This may consist of underwear and socks. Thank you.
2024 Digital Permission Forms
Thank you to all our parents that have returned the digital permission forms. We have received ALL our oval permission forms for Years 1 to 6. Great effort by parents, this means our students have been able to attend the oval this week during first break.
If you have not had a chance to complete the following forms, please complete ASAP this week.
2024 Chromebook & ICT User Agreement: Parent/Guardian & Year 2 - 6 Student acknowledgement
2024 ICT User Agreement Policy
Link: 2024 Chromebook & ICT User Agreement
CSEF Application (Camp Sport and Excursion Fund)
Please contact the office if you hold a Centrelink Health Care Card or Pension Card and have not yet applied for the CSEF allowance for 2024. Please contact Katherine on 9354 5130 or cathyd@sopascoevale.catholic.edu.au
Carol Leone/Katherine Darmanin
Office Administration
Lunch Boxes & Water Bottles
A gentle reminder to all parents regarding lunch boxes and water bottles, please make sure all items are clearly labelled with your child's name.
Please make sure no glass containers are used at school for food or drink.
Thank you for your assistance.
Parent Auxiliary News
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Day - Tuesday 13 February
A big thank you to our wonderful families for generously volunteering their time last Tuesday for Pancake Day. Your willingness to give your time and service is greatly appreciated.
A special mention to Gizelle P (Aydin's mum 4D) for co-ordinating this event.
All the support allows our students to enjoy these special days.
Parent Auxiliary News
The PA have one more fundraiser to close out Term 1. We have the Easter Raffle which will be drawn at our final assembly, keep an eye out for our call for donations and raffle tickets for purchase.
Our next meeting will be held on Wednesday 20 March at 6.30pm. We’d love to see you there!
Canteen News
Hello Everyone
Classroom Cuisine is our online lunch order system. It is a convenient and user friendly service and provides high quality healthy school lunches at an affordable price.
Classroom Cuisine delivers lunches on THURSDAY and FRIDAY at 1:40pm.
The menu is available online. Please visit the website below and register your child and order lunches beginning this week.
Classroom Cuisine- Ordering Site
Our canteen will be open for window sales and lunch orders from this Thursday 8 February.
CANTEEN VOLUNTEERS - 2024
Thank you to all our wonderful canteen volunteers this year. We couldn't have done it without your generous help.
Volunteer opportunities for "Term1 2024 Canteen volunteer sign up" are now open. There are still spots available and our students enjoy seeing our parents friendly faces at the canteen every week.
If you have time to volunteer, please take a moment to check the available days and click on the following web link (or copy it into your web browser if clicking doesn't work) to go to the signup sheet:
To sign up, just follow the instructions on the page. It only takes a few seconds to do.
Thank you for volunteering!
Student Awards
Awards will be printed in Monday's newsletter. Please be on the look out for your child's name.
Two children from each class will receive awards for displaying the below dispositions in their learning. They will receive their certificates at our fortnightly assembly on Fridays that take place on even weeks Week 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 at 2:50pm.
Parents are welcome to attend our fortnightly assemblies.
Risk Taking Russ Resilient Ruth Self Motivated Sally Reflective Rita Persistent Pete Curious Carter Collaborative Cody
Year Prep
YEAR PA
Isla C for being a persistent learner as demonstrated by the way she stays focused throughout all learning tasks.
Eliana S for being a resilient learner as demonstrated by the way she easily settled into Prep A’s classroom.
YEAR PW
Giselle G for being a collaborative learner as demonstrated by the way she actively participates in whole class learning such as, counting aloud by 1s to a target number.
Zoe K for being a collaborative learner as demonstrated by the way she shows active listening skills by looking at the teaching and avoiding distractions around her.
Year One
YEAR 1B
Tom M for being a risk taking learner as demonstrated by his ability to step out of his comfort zone and create new friendships at St Oliver's.
Marcus F for being a self motivated learner as demonstrated by his willingness to eagerly participate in all learning experiences.
YEAR 1MJ
Jacob M for being a persistent learner as demonstrated by his to ability to follow the school rules and listen attentively to directions.
Jordan D for being a resilient learner as demonstrated by the way he has settled into our school and made new friendships in 1MJ.
YEAR 1V
Emilia C for being a risk taking learner as demonstrated by the way she steps out of her comfort zone and tries new things.
Julian C for being a self motivated learner as demonstrated by his proactive approach when entering the classroom and preparing for the school day.
Year Two
YEAR 2L
Liana C for being a risk taking learner as demonstrated by her ability to step out of her comfort zone and create friendships at a new school.
Sachie S for being a risk taking learner as demonstrated by his ability to step out of his comfort zone and create friendships at a new school.
YEAR 2R
Isaac M for being a persistent learner as demonstrated by his 'can do' attitude even when facing a challenging task.
Courtney M for being a risk taking learner as demonstrated by her ability to step out of her comfort zone in her learning and friendships.
Year Three
YEAR 3L
Grace R for being a self motivated learner as demonstrated by her ability to have all belongings ready for learning and approach challenging tasks with positivity.
George W for being a curious learner as demonstrated by his eagerness to ask questions and his confidence to clarify information when he is unsure.
YEAR 3M
Harvey D for being a risk taking learner as demonstrated by his eagerness to have a go in new learning and share his ideas with the class.
Chloe B for being a curious learner as demonstrated by her eagerness to clarify her learning and confidently ask questions when unsure.
Year Four
YEAR 4D
Aydin P for being a risk taking learner as demonstrated by the way he accepted challenges and stepped outside his comfort zone when reporting information back to the class.
Mason L for being a self motivated learner as demonstrated by the way he takes responsibility for his own learning, sets goals and takes proactive steps to achieve them.
YEAR 4G
Julian S for being a persistent learner. When he doesn't understand a task fully he will go over the instructions to make sure he is getting it right. He has the confidence to ask for help if he needs it.
Georgette W for being a risk taker. She has jumped into year 4 putting all those worries aside.
Year Five
YEAR 5G
Rocco L for being a persistent learner as demonstrated by his ability to keep trying, even when the task is challenging
Alexander W for being a resilient learner as demonstrated by his ability to transition into a new classroom environment seamlessly and to self-advocate when he feels uncomfortable.
YEAR 5L
Matthew F for being a curious learner as demonstrated by the way he posed challenging questions to the class and provided non-examples when learning about 3D objects in Mathematics.
Indiana L For being a collaborative learner as demonstrated by the way she included and listened to her peers when analysing a persuasive piece of writing.
Year Six
YEAR 6F
Christian C for being a resilient learner as demonstrated by identifying and discussing the benefits of moving seating locations in the classroom, well done on taking ownership of your learning.
Alana F for being a risk taking learner as demonstrated by giving a response to a question even when she was not sure if it was the correct answer, now we all know that ‘to yarn’ is ‘to chat’.
YEAR 6P
Lachlan H for being a collaborative learner as demonstrated by his willingness to support his buddy and other preps when going to mass.
Lily M for being a risk taking learner as demonstrated by sharing opinions and offering their views openly to the class.
Extend News- Before and After School Care
Always Learning and Always Evolving
Extend's valuable and informative monthly publication, 'The Link - Community Hub', has just released its latest edition. It provides interesting articles, reviews and ideas for our community to read and share!
Please click below to download the latest edition
The Link - Community Hub February 2024
We sincerely hope you find this resource useful and insightful.
Wishing you well,
The Extend Team
School Noticeboard- Special Acknowledgements
Our School Community Notice Board acknowledges special Staff or School Family News. It allows us to be connected through prayer while we are apart and it is something I would really like to continue when we are back together again. If you have a particular event happening in your life e.g. birth or death and would like us to acknowledge this event please email me. We as a school community would love to offer prayers and thoughts to you during times of great joy or sadness.
principal@sopascoevale.catholic.edu.au
Welcome Baby Ollie
Congratulations to Sarah & Robert Nikolic on the arrival of their beautiful son Ollie and baby brother to Tommy.
Born 2 February. Wishing you all every happiness, may God bless you all.
Community News and Events
MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER Weekend
“Live Your Best Married Life in Love”
Every relationship is a journey and the grind of everyday life can cause you to lose touch with your spouse.
This experience gives married couples the tools to keep your passion alive in a gentle, nurturing environment, away from pressures and distractions of daily living.
The weekend is based around Catholic values and couples of all faiths are welcome.
Please check our website for more details.
12-14 April 2024 in Melbourne
Information/Bookings: Phone Mercy & James 0409 183 676 or
Email: vicbookings@wwme.org.au Website: wwme.org.au
