3 333333

Phone 5335 8177 www.saredan.catholic.edu.au

Newsletter March 9 2016 Vol. 1 Week 7

Faith Hope Integrity Service Inclusion Collaboration Responsibility

Putting their best foot forward

to tackle a mountain of fun

This beautiful group of St. Aloysius students

have recently been preparing for the

Sacrament of Penance. This is an important

time in their faith journey.

Please keep these children in your prayers in the final week of their preparation...

Dylan, Imogen, Kiir, Casey, Bridgette, Tristan, Thomas, Toby, Lillian, Katelyn,

Kiah, Hannah, Jonisha, Declan, Freyja, Patrick, Charley,

Abbey, Maddison, Sophia, Jasmine, Molly (inset) and Zara (inset).

We wish these children and their families the very as

they prepare for this significant occasion and as they

continue to grow in their faith.

You can help our Mission Team help Caritas. Our mission team have been busy making craft items and every Thursday lunchtime until

the end of term, they will be holding a stall to sell these items in an effort to raise money

for Project Compassion. The items for sale will range from 10 to 50 cents each and 100%

of the proceeds will go to Project Compassion. Children in the mission team will visit each

classroom to show you some of the items that are for sale. This week you may like to

purchase a beautiful little origami bird or bracelet….or a few of each! Thanks everyone!

A reminder that Monday is the Labour Day Public Holiday ... Enjoy the long weekend!

Dear Families.

This Sunday is the fourth Sunday of Lent and the Gospel is Luke’s story of the father and his two sons. One of the sons is not happy at home and wants to leave with all his inheritance. Good piece of scripture to read and chat with the children about. The relationships between father and each of his sons is interesting and worth talking about as a family.

I would be great to see a few at our families supporting the Bray Raceway tomorrow night, Thursday 10th. It will be a fun family night and the winners of the colouring competition will be announced. There were some very impressive entries…so good luck! The club has been most generous in their support of St Aloysius and it is important we return the support!

A Thank you to the Year 6 children who hosted the families visiting our school last week during our Open Day tours of our school. Families were most complimentary of our children and so they should be - the children’s manners, presentation and pride in our school were all on display last Wednesday.

Thanks also to the many families who helped out with our Year 3/4 breakfast on Tuesday morning. The children ate a healthy breakfast to complement their classroom learning, thanks to the planning and work by our staff and the many helpers. Yummy muesli was my favourite!

And while we are thanking people, Jason White spent most of today with our children showing them and letting them play many brass instruments from his band. Thanks for your time Jason and congratulations on being able to play so many instruments so competently!

A reminder that we have our Friday morning Prayer time again this week. Please make sure that your children are at school and ready for our prayer to start by 8.40am. Families are invited to join us as an opportunity for our entire school community to come together and pray.

Our Year 3 / 4 children are performing the Tarantella at the Harmony Fest on Sunday, 20th March. The parade starts at 10.30am behind the Town Hall and it is important for our children to be there on time. It is also important that parents stay with their children to enjoy the festivities. I know I will be!

Our ‘Twilight’ Sports Day will be held on Wednesday, 23 March at St. Patrick’s College Oval commencing at 3:20pm. This is a chance for the children to have some fun being active in a picnic atmosphere. The focus of the afternoon will be participation and having fun. School will start later this day, commencing at 1.00pm with children already having had their lunch prior to arriving at school. Please note: Foundation children will attend school on this Wednesday. Please ensure your child has a couple of snacks to eat throughout the afternoon along with their water bottle. We anticipate finishing around 7.00pm!

Family Fee Assistance - As in the past couple of years the Catholic Education Office is once again offering financial assistance to families who have an eligible Health Care card or pension concession card. Application forms are now available from the school office, please call in and see Lesley or Robert.

School Photo envelopes have been sent home, please remember that these envelopes are to come back to school with your child on Monday, 21st March. A reminder, that children are to wear their correct SUMMER school uniform and their school shoes on photo day. Family photo order packs are available from the school office.

Enrolment applications for Foundation (Prep) are now open. All existing families now need to complete an enrolment application (available from the school office), for those who have a child starting Foundation in 2017. If you have any queries please feel free to speak to me.

Emergency contact information please ensure that you advise us of any change of details, phone numbers or other emergency contact information, as it is essential that we have up to date information for your child.

If you are in need of a bike for transport, recreation or for fun, YMCA Ballarat have re-cranked bicycles available. Please contact them to check if you are able to get one of these fantastic bikes.

On Thursday, 24 March, the last day of Term 1, school will finish at 2.30pm to coincide with bus route timing. Please note this earlier dismissal time and ensure children are picked up on time. Joe Caruana Principal

JUNIOR NEWS

Welcome to Week 7! This week we are beginning to learn about Holy Week and we have read the story of Palm Sunday. We have discussed the name and sound that the letter Ss makes. We have also practised how to correctly write this letter. Identifying various rhyming words from our shared reading has been a big focus each morning! In maths we have practised reading, writing, ordering and making collections of 1 - 10 and 1 - 20.

We are excitedly preparing for our sports day to be held on the last Wednesday of this Term. Have a great week everyone! The Foundation Team.

Welcome to Week 7 and we trust you have all been able to keep cool and well hydrated. Speaking of this, PLEASE, make sure on these very HOT days that your child has a water bottle to have on his/her table each day, as it is easier for your child to have their water handy, rather than waiting for the break at recess or lunch to have a drink.

The children have been very excited about The Life Education Van that is currently at our school. All classes have had a wonderful lesson with 'Harold' and have learnt many more things about staying healthy. The children are putting their inquiry question into action -'Why do we need to be healthy as children?' Some of the things we regularly do are; 1. Huff and Puff daily 2. Eat fruit twice a day

3. Drink plenty of water each day 4. Rest quietly after lunch on hot days 5. Play sport 6. Be active at our breaks

It is wonderful to see the children starting to be aware of making healthy choices.

School ‘Twilight’ Sports The children are training hard for the Athletic Sports. So far, we have trained for the Sprints, Baton Relay, Over and Under Relay and High Jump. The children do not need to wear runners each day, just on WEDNESDAYS which is our Unit's Sports Day - Thank you. Icy poles - If you give your child icy pole money, please make sure it is in a purse or zip locked bag to avoid upset children at lunchtime. Thank you for your support in Home Reading and Spelling - we are seeing fabulous improvement. OLSEL - You will probably hear your child say, clap out the syllables, stretch the word with the rubber band, antonyms and rhyming words. This is all part of the language of the OLSEL program. OLSEL stands for Oral Language Supporting Early Literacy. The teachers are excited, the children are excited…so off we go! Please come in and have a look or discuss what we do if you are unsure. We are happy to talk you through it. Kind regards Bev, Shay and Savior

MIDDLE NEWS

What a wonderful week we have had so far! From Harold, in the Life Education Van, the children have learnt about good food, drug education and well-being. Please ask your child about the messages they have taken away from the Life Education Van visit. We also wish to thank the parents and children for their support during our healthy 'Break the fast" breakfast. We had so many children and fantastic parent helpers attending, making it a very memorable morning and valuable learning experience for all.

As St Aloysius ‘Twilight’ Sports day is soon approaching, in order for us to practise each day, we request that the children wear their runners every day please. A reminder too, that the 3/4 Unit children need to complete their reading, spelling, grammar and maths homework each week and that it is due each Thursday.

On Sunday, some of the Middle School children entered the Dunnstown Fun Run; Dylan Pengelly, Abbey Townsend and Imogen Peterken accompanied by Mrs Townsend and Mrs Atkinson. We thank Mrs Bryce for organising the run. The children did an amazing job of running the six kilometres, Well done!

One more important request is that, as the children are learning to build their vocabulary with the OLSEL program we ask that they share with their families, the new words which they have learned. Thanks everyone! Have a good week. Best wishes Jo, Anne and Kelvin

SENIOR NEWS

Welcome to week 7. This week in the seniors we have visited the ‘Life Education Van’. We have learnt a lot about ‘How being a healthy person can help me to learn’. While we were in the Life Education Van, we covered a lot of the topics we have covered during our Inquiry time. We met Healthy Harold and were able to learn and discuss healthy eating and nutrition, medicines and drugs, resilience and social skills. Keep an eye out in your child’s Learning Journal to see their reflection about their visit to the Life Education Van.

This week during maths we have engaged in an open ended investigation about our use of water. During this investigation we had a discussion about ways in which we can save water at school and at home. We worked in small groups to determine how much water is wasted from a dripping tap over a period of time. We also looked at how much water we might waste if we leave the tap running when we are brushing our teeth. We then accurately recorded this information in a table which enabled us to talk about the results with our peers.

Have a great week and an enjoyable long weekend. June, Claire, Katherine and Tamara

What’s happening at St. Al’s

Easter Raffle A raffle ticket sheet for our upcoming Easter raffle has been sent home to families this week. Tickets are $1.00 each and families are invited to purchase as many tickets as they would like. Tickets and money for sold tickets are due back to school by Tuesday, 22nd March The raffle will be drawn on Thursday, 24th March.

P&F Meeting the next P&F meeting will be on Tuesday, 15th of March and will commence at 7:30pm in the school boardroom. All members of our school community and invited to attend.

Would you like to help? Volunteer lists are up on the P&F display board in the school foyer, offering a range of different ways that you can become more involved in our school community. This is a great way for any parents, carers and friends to assist with any or all of the upcoming events and activities planned for the year ahead. Please take a few minutes to have a look at the information sheets on the notice board and please feel free to add your name to the list if you would like to help out in any way.

Tuckshop is now operating for school lunch orders each Friday.

ICY-POLES are available at lunchtime for 50 cents each for the remainder of Term 1.

Second-hand Uniform Shop If you are interested in having a browse through or are after a particular item, or would like to place a school uniform item for sale, please message - Bron Kennon, on a Thursday during school hours - on 0409 162 353.

Have an enjoyable long weekend.

Have a wonderful Week!

Parents & Friends News . Dear Families, as in past years, once again we are organising an Easter

Raffle as a fundraiser for our school and we are kindly seeking support from our school community by inviting families to make a small donation towards the Easter raffle prizes. Donations of Easter goodies, big or small; chocolate eggs, crafts, etc., would be greatly appreciated and can be placed in the basket in the school office. Thank you again for your support.

Thank you again for your supportand aim to finish up by 9:00pm

We invite you to come along and join our friendly playgroup on Friday mornings at St. Aloysius School from 9.15am - 10.45pm in Ryan Hall. The Playgroup operates during school terms and is a great opportunity for you to meet other people in our community, and to provide time for your children to interact with others and play with in a safe and supportive environment.

We provide a fun and engaging program offering a great range of activities for the children, these include; art, construction, song and story time, and we cater for all ages from birth up to 5 years. The playgroup is supported by a dedicated playgroup coordinator and ACU students.

If you would like to join in, please bring a gold coin donation and a piece of fruit or other snack for morning tea. If you have any questions please call Louise Buckle-Smith on 0457 797 315 or email louise@playgroup.org.au for further information.

COMMUNITY NEWS AND EVENTS

We would love to hear from anyone in our school community that may be interested in helping out with the Deb Balls, this year. There are many different ways that you can help or if you are interested in learning how to coordinate a group, please enquire at the school office to request an information sheet - these were also sent home to families last week and can now be returned to the P&F Box in the foyer. Please also feel free to come along to the next committee meeting at St. Aloysius School on Tuesday, 22 March at pm If you have any questions please call Chantelle Braeckmans on 0409 019 830.

Sacramental Dates for 2016 - Reconciliation (Year 4 children who have been Baptised and Confirmed)

Celebration date – 16th March

A Number of children from our school have begun their dismissal sessions in preparation for their Sacrament of Penance. This Sacrament is open to all children who have been Baptised and Confirmed, (in grade 4 or above) if you would like wishing for your child to receive the Sacrament of Eucharist this year then they must celebrate the Sacrament of Penance first. Enquiries please contact the Parish Office on 5335 9460 or redan@ballarat.catholic.org.au

First Communion (First Eucharist) (Year 4 children or older who have been Confirmed and celebrated Reconciliation)

Parent Meeting, 28th April 10am or 7pm Celebration dates – 28th & 29th May and 4th & 5th June

Confirmation – (Baptised Catholic and in Year 3 or older) Parent Meeting – 21st July 10pm or 7pm

Celebration dates –20th, 21st, 27th & 28th August

Thursday – Parish Mass Times Each Thursday Mass will be attended by a different class, please refer to the following schedule to see when your child’s class will be attending Mass. Families are invited to share this occasion with the children.

Thursday, 3rd March Please note, due to a number of funerals to be held on this day the Mass for grades 3 /4 E, 3/4 P & 3/4 T will be postponed to term 2.

Thursday, 10th March - 1/2 H Thursday, 17th March - 1/2 K Thursday 24th March - 1/2 B

St Aloysius Parish News

The Season of Lent Dear Families,

Lent is the time when we prepare for the Resurrection of Jesus, the most important event in our Catholic year. Lent is a time for prayer and preparation. We as a school have a huge focus on prayer this year with our children praying in their classroom 3 times a day and we as a whole school community coming together to pray every Friday morning. Please make sure that your children are at school and ready for our prayer to start by 8.40am. Families are invited and most welcome to join us as an opportunity for our entire school community to come together and pray.

May I suggest that as a way of your family preparation for Lent that all electronic gadgets are turned off for a few minutes and that you do something as a family. A family prayer would be good! We invite you to pray this prayer together as a family. God of love,

May this time of Lent

help us to grow closer to you.

Open our hearts!

Change our hearts!

Turn our hearts back to You!

Help us to follow your son Jesus

in all that we do and say.

Amen

The Season

of

Lent

March

Mon 14th Labour Day – Public Holiday

Thur 10th Mass - 1/2H

Tues 15th P&F meeting – School boardroom 7:30 pm start – All welcome

Wed 16th Penance Celebration

Thur 17th Mass - 1/2K

Sunday 19th Palm Sunday

Mon 21st School Photos – Please remember to wear your full Summer uniform

and to bring your photo envelope to school with you on this day.

Wed 23rd School ‘Twilight’ Sports – will be held at St. Patrick’s College Oval

School start for students at 1pm and the children will travel to St. Pat’s by bus

Thur 24th Mass 1/2B

Thur 24th Last day of Term 1 – Please note early diismissal for students at 2:30pm

Fri 25th Good Friday

Sun 27th Easter Sunday

Term 1, 2016 School Calendar –Dates for your Diary

BEAUFORT SECONDARY COLLEGE – Come & Try Day

Tuesday, 15 March

The date for our “Come and Try” day is next Tuesday, 15th March, the day after the long weekend.

The date of our Parent

Information night is Thursday, 17th March

at 7 pm in the school library.

If parents would like an individual tour of the school and meeting they can contact me and I will

arrange a time for you.

Heather Higgins, Assistant Principal

Beaufort Secondary College Phone: 53 492 305

COMMUNITY NEWS AND EVENTS

Community News & Events

Well done to each and

every one of our students,

as pictured receiving their

awards at this week’s

assembly.

Keep up the great work!

Well done one and all!

Mt. Warrenheip Mountain of Fun Run

Sports Team Lachlan, Josh, Luke, Pat and Mattiese

Mission Team

Reef , Josh, Liam and Madeline. Athat and Bailey

St Al’s Mountain of Fun Run Team

Look who is in the news…

It is easy to see by the big smiles that it really

was a Fun Run and from all accounts a

terrific time was had by all.

Our students are to be congratulated for

their participation and enthusiasm on the

day. A special thanks to our families and

staff for helping to coordinate this event and

supporting the students along the way.

…and a special report from our athletes on

the track….Ellie and Hannah

Congratulations to…

On Sunday a group of St. Aloysius students

participated in the 6k Dunnstown Fun Run.

The students have been training every

Wednesday and Friday during the term with

Mrs Bryce and Mr Caruana and it must've

paid off because every single student

reached the finish line. Well done to every

student who participated and thank you to

the parents who got up early to take us to

the run. By Ellie and Hannah

COMMUNITY NEWS AND EVENTS

Hey Kids!!

Ballarat Primary Schools

March Blue Light Disco

Friday 18th March 2016

Disco 7PM to 9PM

Entry $ 7. Per person

By coming along to the next Ballarat Police Junior Blue Light Disco You Could Win A Great Prize.

Friday 18th March; 7PM to 9PM Sebastopol RSL Hall: Beverin Street, Sebastopol.

This Blue Light Activity is Drug, Alcohol and Weapon Free. Fully Supervised and there are No Pass Outs.

All Children must be dropped off and picked up by a Responsible Adult.

Enquiries – Leading Senior Constable Des Hudson 0409 865 093

Watch Out For Our Photos in 2016 on the Blue Light Web Site

www.bluelight.org.au

You can install your Skoolbag app on your phone or tablet by following these instructions:

For iPhone and iPad users: 1. Click the "App Store" icon on your Apple device. 2. Type your school name in the search, using suburb name will help. 3. You will see your school appear, click "Get" then "install". 4. The app is FREE to download. 5. When installed click "Open" 6. Select "OK" to receive push notifications, when asked. 7. Click the "More" button on the bottom right of the App, then "Setup". 8. Toggle on the Push Categories that are applicable for you by tapping the on/off switch.

For Android users: You must first have signed up with a Google Account before installing the app. 1. Click the "Play Store" button on your Android Device 2. Click the magnifying glass icon at the top and type in your school name, using suburb name will help. 3. Click the school name when it appears in the search. 4. Click the "Install" button. 5. Click "Accept" for various permissions (please note, we do not modify any of your personal data on your device). 6. Click "Open" when installed. 7. Click the "More" button on the bottom right of the App, then "Setup". 8. Toggle on the Push Categories that are applicable for you by tapping the on/off switch.

Please Note: Some brands of Android phones need the setting in "Notification Manager" changed to "Allow" instead of "Notify" in order for the push notifications to work. The phone must also be running at least version 4 system software to run the app.

For Windows 8.1 Phone and Windows 8.1 or 10 device users:

1. Go to the Windows Store on your 8.1 Windows Phone or Windows 8.1/10 Device 2. Search for "Skoolbag" in the keyword app search 3. Install the Skoolbag app 4. Find your school either by using the keyword search or location service. 5. Click the "Pin" icon to pin the school tile to your Windows Phone home screen. 6. Click the "More" button on the bottom right of the App, then "Setup" 7. Toggle the Push Categories that are applicable to you by tapping the on/off switch.

Please Note: The Skoolbag Windows App is for 8.1 version Windows Phones, or Windows 8.1 and 10 devices.

Find out more at www.skoolbag.com.au

COMMUNITY NEWS AND EVENTS