Dear Parents,

We were deeply saddened to hear the news of the passing of one of our school staff members, Mrs Connie McKinley. Our heartfelt condolences, thoughts and prayers go out to Connie’s children Balin and Tian.

Connie was one of our inaugural staff members who worked at the school as an Education Support Officer supporting our classroom teachers and students. Connie was a passionate and dedicated staff member who will be sorely missed.

A reflective space has been set up in our school boardroom for any families who wish to bring their children in to say a prayer, write a note to the family or share a memory in the diary provided.

Ever-Present God,

We mourn the loss of Connie from our lives but we entrust her now into your love and into your welcoming arms.

Give strength and comfort to those who need you at this time and remind each of us that you are with us always.

We make this prayer, and all our prayers, through Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

Staffing Appointments

We have now finalised our staffing appointments for the 2023 school year, I hope you will join me in welcoming the following new staff members to St Angela of the Cross,

Performing Arts Teacher: Mrs Ellie Wilson

Administration Officer: Mrs Becky Blackwood

Education Support Officers: Miss Olivia Castello and Miss Nicole Somerville.

Foundation Orientation

It was great to see the smiling faces of our 2023 Foundation students as they began their second orientation session today. Next Tuesday morning 22^nd November may be a little busier than normal as our new students and families have a practice run of arriving at school at the beginning of the day. We ask that all in our school community welcome and be inclusive of our new families as they begin their schooling life at St Angela of the Cross.

Over the Christmas holidays your PAM account will be updated to provide better security and allow for further functionality. This change will involve moving to a PAM account per parent rather than an account per family.

To help us prepare for this change, please answer the questions in the Connect Survey 'PAM Email Accounts'.

Please log into your PAM aaccount to access this survey.

The survery will close on Friday 25th November.

St Vincent de Paul Christmas Hampers

For many, Christmas is a time to gather, celebrate, share a meal and exchange gifts. Unfortunately, many families are struggling this time of year to put food on the table and gifts under the Christmas tree - especially those experiencing extreme disadvantage and trauma.

Leading up to the festive season St Vincent de Paul make Christmas Hampers for families in our local community who are in need of support at this time of year.

Leading up to Christmas we encourage families at St Angela of the Cross to donate a small gift that may bring joy to a child/young teenager during this special time of year.

Gift donations can be placed under the Christmas tree in the school office area. St Vincent de Paul have kindly asked that donations remain unwrapped to allow for ease of sorting and distribution.

Thank you for your continuous spirit of giving and supporting others’ in need.

To celebrate our involvement in the Posischools program, we encourage students to wear their ‘Posisocks’ to school each Friday during Term 4. 

Posischools was founded on the idea that everyday action, such as putting on socks could become a trigger for a more positive mindset. This week, each student will each receive a pair of Posisocks to take home that have a positive message printed on them. Students will be encouraged to focus on the sayings on the socks as they put them on in the mornings and use these words to help them “start their day on the right foot”.

We look forward to seeing the positive impact Posischools will have on our school community.

Feedback from parents in the school community has indicated that many are confused and worried about different apps and games that their children may be accessing or may request to access in the near future. To help parents to gain some information about these apps and games and how to keep their children safe while using them, we will be focusing on one app/game per newsletter for the next few weeks. The information is intended for informational purposes only. Parents and Guardians need to weigh the risks and benefits and make their own decisions about what is right for their family and child/ren. 

This week we will be looking at “Youtube and Youtube Kids”

https://www.esafety.gov.au/key-issues/esafety-guide/youtube

https://www.esafety.gov.au/key-issues/esafety-guide/youtube-kids

This term during our Inquiry lessons our Junior students have been investigating how aspects of daily life have changed over time. They have been exploring how daily life of the present is different from the past and have been predicting how it might look in the future. 

Our Foundation students have had lots of fun exploring, investigating and comparing different types of transport and toys. Our Grade One students have also compared and contrasted differences between transport, school, toys and games and have discussed why they have changed. 

We are so looking forward to attending an upcoming incursion here at St Angela’s, run by the Melbourne Museum titled ‘A Toy Box Tale’. We are also expecting a very special delivery of a suitcase of toys from the last 200 years to explore! What a wonderful way to engage our students in deeper thinking, foster creativity and provide opportunities for authentic learning. Well done Junior students!

Throughout Term 4 students have been learning about migration to Australia, first contacts and the significance of Australia’s history.

We have borrowed a suitcase full of artefacts from the Melbourne Museum that tells the story of many people who migrated to Australia. 

Students have been exploring these artefacts, making predictions about their stories then learning about why these artefacts are significant today. By looking at an object's physical features, construction, function, design and value, we can deduce many things. The students have read through multiple stories of people who arrived in Australia from all over the world many years ago. 

The students will soon participate in bringing in their own artefacts from home that may have some family or community history to share with the class.