Dear Parents, Friends, Students and Staff
One of the highlights of my day is seeing the students at work in their classrooms. The learning environment at Matthew Gibney Catholic Primary School is vibrant and engaging. As I walk around the school I see students in a variety of capacities, including; working collaboratively in groups, engaging with their teachers in explicit instruction, working individually, engaging in play-based activities, participating in sport games, singing, dancing, playing games in Italian and using digital technology to learn about the world around them. I have had the pleasure to read some of the student’s work this week. The writing samples I have seen, from our youngest students, who are just coming to terms with the excitement of writing a sentence, through to our older students who write poetry and narratives with flair, imagination and excellent vocabulary has been a joy. All our staff are to be commended for the way they recognise the learning needs of the students. The engagement of learning at Matthew Gibney is thriving.
We recognise the role of parents as the first educators of their children. I am always grateful to our parents for their interest and engagement with their children’s progress at school. The partnerships that exist between school and home are vital to maintaining our thriving learning environment.
I am reminded of the words of Pope Francis, who has a great admiration for the work of teachers and parents.
“Teaching is a beautiful job; as it allows you to see the growth day by day of people entrusted to your care. It is a little like being parents, at least spiritually. It is a great responsibility.” (Pope Francis)
Semester One Reports
Semester One Reports will be available to parents on Friday 3rd July. The reports will be available on SEQTA Engage. It is important that parents check their login to SEQTA as soon as possible so the Semester Report can be accessed at the end of the term. Parents need to go to the following site: https://gibney.coneqt-p.cathednet.wa.edu.au/ and use your current username and password details.
If you have forgotten your password, please click on the “Forgot your password” link and an immediate email will be sent to you. The email will expire within one hour, so please action this immediately.
If you have forgotten your username and password, then please contact the administration office and we can remind you of your username.
Parents who are new to SEQTA Engage will receive an information letter and email with instructions about how to set up your account. Then an email will expire within 7 days so you will need to action as soon as possible.
If you have any issues, please contact the school.
Parent Sundowner Invitation
On behalf of the school, I would like to thank all our parents for their wonderful support during the challenging time of remote learning during the COVID 19 pandemic, with an invitation to attend a sundowner. We will host a Wine and Cheese Sundowner for all parents on Friday 24th July from 6.00-7.30pm. An invitation will be coming home shortly. For catering purposes please rsvp to the administration office. I look forward to meeting parents for an enjoyable evening together.
Parents and Friends
The P&F met with face to face and Zoom attendances this week. The P&F are busily preparing for a number of events for later in the year and for 2021, when we will celebrate our 30th anniversary. Please look out for a family social event that is planned for later in Term Three. Sincerest thanks to our parents for their support of the P&F in the work they do to provide community building for all our families.
Coffee Van
The coffee van was very popular last week so we have decided that we will have another complimentary coffee morning for parents on Wednesday 1st July from 8.00-9.15am. Please come along, once you have dropped the children off at school, enjoy a coffee and have a chat with other parents. Thank you to the P&F for supporting the coffee van for our parents.
In the Gospel reading for Mass this Sunday we will hear these words from Jesus, “Do not be afraid…there is no need to be afraid, you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows.” These last few months for all of us at a personal, local, national and global level have been filled with worry and fear. It is only natural that we are afraid. Perhaps, now more than ever we need these encouraging and affirming words from Jesus. I encourage you to take a few moments of prayerful silence to listen to these words and trust in Jesus, who loves us more than we can ever imagine and who encourages us not to be afraid.
Let us hope that the WA football teams have some better results this weekend. Keep warm and dry.
Warm regards
Therese Hussey
Principal