Newsletter

Wednesday 6th May 2020

St Carthage’s Primary School

Address: 2 Dawson Street, Lismore Phone: 02 6621 5529

(P.O. Box 1114, Lismore)

Website: www.stcarthlism.catholic.edu.au

From our Principal Mrs Janelle Heffernan

Dear Families,

Welcome back to Term Two. We return to school with cautious optimism, with the Covid-19 curve continuing to flatten.

This gives a real sense of hope and anticipation that our lives may return to a new “normal’ in the not too distant future!

I trust the holidays were a time for families to take a break from the pressures of Learning from Home and to spend some enforced quality time together, although isolated from family and friends. Whilst this was very different to previous holidays it did allow us time to rest, relax and recharge before restrictions begin to ease.

I would like to again acknowledge and thank our families for the support, patience and flexibility that you showed as we all adjusted to a new way of learning. It has been heartening to hear and receive positive feedback from many parents who wanted to thank the staff for assisting their children and families during this time. I would also like to recognize and thank St Carthage’s staff for the hard work, commitment and dedication that they have shown to ensure students are able to remain learning over the past weeks.

As you know from next week we begin our transition back to school program. Please refer to the timetable in this Newsletter.

Our school remains open for families who need to send their children every day.

Whilst we are trying to limit the number of adults on site, particularly during our busy times, all parents/carers are welcome to come into the office as needed with social distancing protocols in place. We know that parents may need to contact teachers for different reasons and this can be done via a Class Dojo message, a phone call or an email to the office.

As we continue to navigate a path into the future I rest assured that, working together we can achieve the best possible outcomes, not only for our students but for our whole school community.

Easter Reflection

During the holidays Easter was celebrated around the world in a very different way. Masses were celebrated online within families, not in the normal communal way that we are so used too. This Easter however, was just as significant as we celebrated the death and resurrection of Jesus. In some ways it became more significant as we remember the hope and joy of the resurrection as we could relate the events of Easter to the current situation.

The Easter season continues for a period of 50 days, spanning from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday. We continue to pray throughout the Easter season for hope as we remember and reflect on the Risen Christ who continues to walk with us.

Anzac Day

This Anzac Day was a day that I am sure our nation will never forget! Whilst we couldn’t physically unite to celebrate the sacrifices of our Anzacs we were, in some ways, more united that ever. Standing in our driveway and at 6.00am and looking up and down the street seeing neighbours standing in unity, holding candles, observing a minutes silence and listening to the Last Post echo throughout the neighbourhood was very moving. I know many of our families recognised Anzac Day in the same way and families adorned front yards, driveways and streets with poppies, candles etc.

This was a great reminder of the true Australian spirit!

MOTHERS’ DAY

On Sunday, we celebrate Mothers’ Day – a very special day when we say thank you to our mothers for everything which they have done for us. For some of us, it is a time to remember the past and for others, it is a time to celebrate the future. I am sure that each of us has a very special memory of our mum and on their special day we honour them. Mothers are the precious treasure troves which remain an important part of one's life. There are times when we just sit back and think about the times we learnt from our mother, or suddenly after tasting a dish you prepared, you think of how your mother used to prepare it. These are some precious moments that we are reminded of, even after many years. Such reflections never fail to bring a smile to our face. Mothers are such that they become a part of your psyche, as cherished memories.

We remember especially this Mothers’ Day those mothers who will be separated from their loved ones due to the current crisis.

I wish all our mums a very happy Mothers’ Day for Sunday, 10th May.

KINDERGARTEN ENROLMENTS 2021

Parents of children who are ready to start school in 2021 are asked to complete an Enrolment Application and return it to the School Office

so that we can begin the enrolment process. Interviews will be by phone until we are able to do these face to face.

Please pass on this message to family and friends who are intending to enrol children in Kindergarten next year. Children must turn five by

31st July 2020 to be enrolled in Diocesan schools. Where possible Enrolment Applications should be received by the end of Term Two.

SCHOOL CANTEEN

Our Canteen will begin operating next Wednesday, 13th May. Unfortunately, until further notice we are unable to have canteen helpers

assisting in our canteen. The canteen will be open on Wednesday, Thursday and Fridays.

The second hand Clothing Pool will be open by appointment only. Please call the school if you would like to access the clothing pool.

ST CARTHAGE’S FEAST DAY

Next week we will celebrate the Feast of St Carthage. St Carthage is the Patron Saint of our parish and our school. Bishop Doyle and the

Presentation Sisters who established our school 133 years ago decided that the Cathedral School of our Lismore Diocese should be named St

Carthage ‘s in honour of a great Saint who was an inspirational leader and a great teacher.

St Carthage, whose name is also given as Mochuda, was born of a good family, in what is now County Kerry, Ireland, about the year 555.

Mochuda’s father was an important man in the village so he was given everything that he wanted or needed. When he was young, a group

of priests were walking through his village singing songs of praise and he was so fascinated that he followed them to the monastery gates. A

while later he decided to join this group of priests and was ordained as a priest in 580 when he was thirty years old. Mochuda was very close

to his head priest and took his name, Carthage. Later on young Carthage founded a monastery for young priests and he lived there for forty

years. Carthage was an inspirational church leader who set up a monastery that attracted 1000 young men to the priesthood. He set up a

school that produced many excellent scholars and the school became famous around the country for encouraging a love of learning.

Later in life, Carthage was consecrated Bishop of Lismore, Ireland. He died on May, 14th 637. After his death the church and school were

named St Carthage’s in his honour.

A Love Story We would like to

congratulate Amanda Egan on her

recent marriage to Murray Deeps.

Amanda and Murray were married

last term.

“May your hearts beat for each other”

Congratulations to you both from all at St Carthage’s. Photo Credit: Possum Creek Studios

From our Assistant Principal Mrs Amanda Deeps Welcome back to Term Two. We have missed having all the students with us here onsite at St Carthage’s but we have been so impressed with the way our students have worked in the Blended Learning space. We are looking forward to having more students back from next week onwards as we transition back to full time face-to-face learning at St Carthage’s. Whether your child is returning to school on their allocated days or remaining at home to do their learning the same Blended Learning Plan will be used for onsite learning and learning from home. On the days teachers are face-to-face they will be using the same content that is in the Blended Learning Plan but the mode of delivery will be different. The days that your child/ren are rostered onsite for face-to-face learning the teachers will not be engaging in the online space as they will be focused on their onsite commitments. The days your child/ren are not rostered onsite some of the teachers (those not supervising at school) will be providing feedback, answering questions and checking in with those who are learning from home. We ask for your patience during this transition time as teachers may not be as quick answering questions in the online learning space as they have been. Teachers will begin to prioritise tasks in their Blended Learning Plans and focus their feedback on these tasks so that students are receiving more timely specific feedback to move them forward in their learning. The tasks will be in English and Mathematics only. If you have any questions please do not hesitate in contacting us here at school where we will be more than happy to answer your questions.

Notice from CommBank School Banking The health, safety and wellbeing of our communities and our people remains our highest priority. Due to the ongoing uncertainty surround-ing coronavirus, the School Banking program will remain on hold. We will continue to monitor the situation and keep you in-formed with any updates including how we will be managing Dollarmite tokens for students.

In the meantime, here are some handy online resources for parents who wish to maintain momentum with their child’s financial educa-tion:

Start Smart: these resources have been created to improve children’s money management skills, and is aligned to the Australian Curriculum and the National Consumer Financial Literacy Framework. The Beanstalk: offers videos and fun activities for children to learn about money.

Mothers’ Day She is a really good cook. She gives me the best food I like. She is a wonderful mum who gives me huggles. She is the best mum in the world. I love her to the moon and back. Infinity never stops. She is the kindest and most grateful mother in the world. She is my mum. (Lachlan M)

She is… a sister a mother a chef.

She is someone who is amazing at cooking because she is the best chef in the world. She is someone who is kind, funny and loving because she is super mum. She is good at everything. She is someone who has been there looking after me and taking care of me. She is… My mum and I love her. (Lily P)

Phase One - Weeks 3 & 4 (11th to 22nd May 2020)

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Kindergarten At school Blended Learning

Year One At school Blended Learning

Year Two At school Blended Learning

Year Three Blended Learning At school

Year Four Blended Learning At school

Year Five Blended Learning At school

Year Six Blended Learning At school

Phase Two - Weeks 5 & 6 (25th May to 5th June 2020)

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Kindergarten At school Blended Learning

Year One At school Blended Learning

Year Two At school Blended Learning

Year Three Blended Learning At school

Year Four Blended Learning At school

Year Five Blended Learning At school

Year Six Blended Learning At school