Dear Parents, Friends, Staff and Students
This week our focus for Making Jesus Real is “Friendship.” As the students spend time thinking about the qualities of a genuine friendship, it is valuable to think about our relationship with our greatest friend, Jesus. Jesus is the most reliable of friends. He will always listen without interruption; he will always be there for us, and he will never let us down. Jesus can be the friend we turn to at any time, day, or night. We don’t have to worry about waking him or interrupting him from his dinner or disturbing him while he is watching his favourite TV program. We should encourage our children, as often as possible, to turn to Jesus, as their friend and confidant.
It is always nice to be in the presence of friends.
When I come into your presence, O Lord,
I know I am in the presence of my Creator.
You created me out of Love.
You even know the number of hairs on my head.
Your presence, O Lord, is the greatest of all.
Amen
Merit Awards
Teachers at school take great care in ensuring the students in their class are rewarded for their hard-working attitude, their positive behaviours, their improvements, and their achievements. All students deserve a merit award at some time during the school year. For this reason, it is essential that merit awards are distributed at the time they are deserved. Some students have worked particularly hard during these last three weeks of school and should be proud recipients of an award this week. The usual Merit Award Assemblies cannot go ahead at the moment, due to the COVID Safe guidelines all schools are following. However, it is good practice to continue to distribute merit awards to students who have worked hard to earn an award. Merit Awards will be distributed in classes on Friday. I will be there to offer congratulations, and the class will do all they can to make it special for the child receiving the award. A photograph will be taken for the newsletter and will be sent home to parents. Thank you for supporting us as we do all we can to ensure normal practices and procedures continue to happen at school, albeit a little differently than usual.
Home Reading
We miss our parent help with distributing home reading books. However, staff at school are distributing reading books for the students to take home. Home reading is the most important aspect of homework, and it is essential that parents ensure all students dedicate some time to home reading at least four nights each week.
Young children require parent encouragement, guidance and support when completing home reading. Older children may read independently but would benefit from parents taking an interest in what they are reading. Parents could ask them to read a passage our loud, from time to time, or engage in a conversation about the content of their reading.
The many benefits of parents reading with their children at home include:
- Improved cognitive development.
- Improved language skills.
- Prepares the children for academic success.
- Helps develop a special bond between parent and child.
- Increases concentration and discipline.
- Improves imagination and creativity.
- Cultivates a lifelong love of reading.
COVID Safe at School
The safety and wellbeing of all students and staff is our highest priority and as WA is now considered to be in a high caseload setting, we need to remain vigilant and monitor for symptoms. If your child is unwell, they should not attend school and if anyone in your household displays any of the COVID-19 symptoms they should seek testing immediately, notify us and isolate until a negative result is received. Please notify us immediately of a positive test result and note any communications will remain confidential. Thank you for your ongoing support and commitment to keeping our community safe”.
Morning Transition to School
Thank you to our parents for encouraging the students, from Year 1 to Year 6 to come into school independently. I know this is challenging, especially for some of the younger students this early in the year. Together, we need to make this as stress free as possible. Please encourage your child to come in from the gate on their own or with a friend. Some of the Year 6 student leaders will help with the younger students in the mornings for the next few days and we shall see if that can make a difference. Parents may come onto the school grounds to help the transition from parent to teacher. However, parents cannot come inside any buildings, at the moment. Please let your class teacher know if there is a consistent struggle and they will work with you to assist a smoother start to the day.
Warmest regards
Therese Hussey
Principal
A big part of our Making Jesus Real program is about FRIENDSHIP. Friends are one of life’s greatest treasures. How fortunate we are to maintain friendships that we have made over the years. Right through life we meet people who become friends – people who will help you on your journey through life. 
Many thanks to the families who have donated to this appeal. If you would like to still donate, please send an envelope to the front office via your child’s classroom. 