Term 3, Week 6 Newsletter 2024
From the Principal
New Staff
We welcome two new staff members this week. Ron Mason will be working two days per week as Aboriginal support and Beth Powditch will be part time administration support. Both Ron and Beth will add plenty of experience and expertise to the school community.
Student Safety
Under no circumstances are children to leave the school premises unless accompanied by an adult. A designated teacher takes walkers and bike riders out the gates and to the crossing at the front of the school. Also for safety reasons we ask families not to walk across the staff car park before or after school. The safest method for picking up students after school is through the supervised oval pick up process. Parents wishing to enter the school grounds to meet their children should park in the designated parking areas in Arakwal Court opposite the High School. There is no designated Parking in Bangalow Road on the grass area and police may patrol and book cars parked in this area.
| Updates | |
After School Care | Activekids are looking for interested adults wishing to join their staff. Any parent working in this paid position would also receive free care for their own children |
School Library | All new furniture and shelving fit-out ordered. The latest new books ordered |
Parking or stopping in Bus bays after school. | Huge improvement as parents realise the importance of the safety aspect of this issue. |
Sports News | Competitive Stage Three Soccer team selected and currently training. Currently seeking Rugby League players in Yr 3-6. Netball court on the way. |
Uniform | Wonderful response from families who are sending emails to the school when there are issues regarding the wearing of the correct uniform on certain occasions. |
New Climbing Equipment from Fun Run fundraising | Work commenced this week |
School Attendance | Thank you to parents who have contacted the school and are in the process of changing appointments so as not to clash with regulation school time which is 8.55am -3.10 pm. |
Father's Day
The Father's Day breakfast and Liturgy was such a great morning and a big thank you to all those who were able to attend (and how nice it always is to see some of our ex students join in the morning and get a photo with their siblings and dads). Special thanks to our cooks and servers and those who provided treats on the day. Thanks to Mrs Boggis and Mr Keane for their patience and skill in taking the special photos on the day.
School fees
Just a reminder that Term 3 fees are overdue for payment, can I ask that any family who hasn't yet finalised their Term 3 school fee account that they do so as soon as possible. Thank you to those families who have already paid. If you require assistance with school fees, can I ask that you contact Alison Mason in the school office.
Meet the Staff
Playground Update
Exciting news, our climbing dome is almost complete! What a great addition to our outdoor space, which was made possible by the colour run fundraiser in 2023.
Yours in Partnership,
Tim Bleakley
Principal
Mission
St Vincent De Paul
On Monday, we had two special visitors, Anne and Tony McCabe who have a long association with St Finbarr's. Anne and Tony came as representatives of St Vincent De Paul to collect all the items that were generously donated by our families for the Winter Appeal. There were over 20 bags full of items that were donated. Anne thanked all the students and explained that their donations would be gratefully accepted and distributed to those in need.
Once again thank you to all families who supported this wonderful cause.
First Holy Communion
A number of our students are currently preparing for the Sacrament of First Holy Communion on September 14th. This night is also our combined Parish schools Mass and all Finnie's families and friends are warmly invited along to celebrate what is sure to be a beautiful celebration.
When: Saturday the 14th of September
At: St Finbarr's Church
Time: 6pm.
Staff Spirituality Day
Last Friday our wonderful educators experienced a Spirituality Day. Under the direction of Bishop Greg, Spirituality Days are offered to all staff within the Lismore Diocese as an opportunity to deepen our spirituality and connect with our central mission in Catholic Education.
This year the theme was, 'Rest' and it was a day to acknowledge and reflect in the presence of the ever-loving Trinity.
We all engaged in conversation, prayer, contemplation and reflection to deepen our understanding of the central mission of Catholic Education.
Yours in Partnership,
Mrs Sonya Piccoli
AP Mission & Leader of Diversity & Inclusion
What's on at St Finbarr's Week 7
Learning & Teaching
ICAS Assessments
ICAS is a historic academic competition that has been sat by over 10 million school students from 16,000 schools across 41 countries since 1981. It recognises academic performance in a way similar to sports or the arts, with engaging, fun questions designed by psychometricians, education measurement experts and experienced teachers to test students’ higher-order thinking skills.
ICAS also provides rich insights into students’ strengths and weaknesses, helping teachers to unlock student potential.
Over the last few weeks we have had 11 students from Yrs 2-6 participate in a number of ICAS Assessments. Congratulations to these students for challenging yourselves and taking up this amazing opportunity.
Writing at St Finbarr's
Writing has been a focus across K-6 at St Finbarr's. I have had the pleasure of working in classrooms alongside teachers and students to support our school goal of developing assessment capable learners. Students in all classes have been unpacking learning intentions, co constructing success criteria and developing bump it up walls to help them to know, understand and see what success looks like in writing.
We have been blown away by the writing coming out of our classrooms. Please see a collection of some pieces across K-6.
Dance Performance Troupe
We have 22 committed students from Kindy - Yr 4 in our Dance Troupe. These students have been working hard at lunchtime on Mondays. Their amazing dance will be performed on the night of our Finnies Fringe - Fine Arts Festival.
Book Week - Reading is MAGIC!
What a wonderful week our students had last week celebrating all things reading and writing. A huge thank you to Mrs Lollback for organsing the week and to the teachers for your dedication and creativity.
On Monday the students participated in a variety of Literature Response Workshops. K-6 students had the opportunity to work with various teachers and students on exciting literature activities. From magic spell writing to comic strip workshops, poetry, podcasting scripts, rap slams and illustrating - the students were engaged, creative and most of all had so much fun.
Tuesday the students arrived at school to a series of stimulus / scenes set up on the playground. Students moved around each space and discussed what they could be and who could have put them there. They used their imagination to respond to one of the scenes. It was so great to see all the different ways the students chose to respond.
On Wednesday Magic Pete put on a performance of magic mixed with literature - bringing the theme of Reading is Magic to life. Many students joined in the show and helped Pete with his tricks. There were lots of laughs all round in response to Pete's entertaining show.
The annual Book Week Parade was on Thursday and the staff of St Finbarr's became the cast of Harry Potter. The effort and dedication from parents and students was also spectacular and it was a highlight of the week. We loved opening the classrooms to our parents and guests so the students could showcase their amazing writing pieces. Thanks to all who came along.
Finnies Fringe Festival - A whole night of entertainment.
Tickets now on sale (see link below to Humantix)
Friday 20th September 4pm - 7:30pm
The afternoon is jam packed with fun for the whole family. Food Trucks serving dinner and dessert throughout the afternoon and night, sit back and listen to the musicians and performances, perouse through the art exhibition, buy some raffle tickets and try your luck at winning one of the epic prizes, purchase some fabulous art and support our amazing Finnies community.
Let's Make Art Exhibit - limited tickets available each session. Book tickets early to avoid dissapointment.
Tickets are sold in sessions for the main gallery. The whole event runs from 4-7:30pm. Your gallery walk through is the session you pick. For a family of 5, 5 tickets will be purchased for a session.
Please note: If your child is in the dance performance or choir please do not attend the 5:30pm session as they are required on the outdoor stage.
Bring a picnic blanket and esky and settle in for an evening of fun for the whole family.
Yours in Partnership,
Lauren Magnus
Assistant Principal - Learning & Teaching
From the Leader of Pedagogy
SpellEx
SpellEx is a whole-class spelling program that provides explicit instruction in spelling concepts, terminology, rules and conventions. It promotes a language-based, explicit approach to the teaching of spelling and is centred around a whole-class lesson, followed by additional opportunities for students to apply their knowledge and consolidate. The interaction between phonology, orthography and morphology underpins the approach, providing students with a deeper understanding of the English spelling system.
This is the first year SpellEx has been released to schools and we have implemented it during the morning sessions in all 3-6 classrooms at St Finbarr’s. The program follows a scope and sequence that builds on skills taught in earlier years and aligns with the National Curriculum. Within SpellEx, there are opportunities for differentiation built into the program through small-group work and other activities.
Regular progress monitoring throughout SpellEx enables us teachers to identify which students need more support and which students may need extending. Every fortnight whilst each class has Science and Technology, classroom teachers work collaboratively along with myself to monitor student growth and modify and to set new learning goals for our children. Just this year we have seen significant improvements with our spelling results and students are able to identify more confidently why they have made spelling choices within their writing.
As captured in these images below, our children are immersed and engaged in their SpellEx lessons across Years 3-6.
Yours in Partnership,
Rachel Mitchell
Leader of Pedagogy
St Finbarr’s Behaviour Support Plan
The St Finbarr’s Behaviour Support Plan is used across the school in all classes to support students in choosing positive behaviours for learning. It is a step by step guide that helps students know and understand that there are consequences for behaviour choices.
You will note in the plan that teachers are constantly modelling expectations and implementing microskills to manage behaviour. During the year, all teachers have engaged in professional development in relation to using microskills effectively. The micro-skills are about establishing a positive learning climate so that behavioural issues are minimised. Use of the skills is intended to reduce the likelihood of serious disruptive behaviour occurring.
It is important to have clear boundaries for social behaviour so that everyone is clear about what is, and is not, regarded as responsible and safe in a particular context.
Students expect and want boundaries of behaviour set. Some rules are non-negotiable, eg smoking is not permitted in government buildings; safety equipment is required in certain settings. It is important that teachers and students are clear on what these rules are, what the consequences are for breaking them, and the procedures for applying them.
Apart from the non-negotiable rules, teachers at St Finbarr’s establish clear expectations so that students can learn in a productive, harmonious environment. We use our School Positive Behaviour Matrix to teach the expected behaviours that need to be demonstrated in all areas, in the learning spaces, in the outdoor spaces, when we gather as a community and when we move between spaces.
Yours in Partnership,
Mrs Kathryn Nulley
Leader of Coaching & Mentoring
Inclusion
Wellbeing-Sleep
Good sleep for children and teenagers
A good night’s sleep is about getting to sleep, staying asleep and waking up feeling refreshed in the morning.
Getting to sleep
Most children fall asleep within 20 minutes of going to bed. How long it takes children to get to sleep can depend on how sleepy their bodies are. Also, daytime and bedtime routines can affect when children get to sleep. Bedtime routines help children wind down before bedtime, so they can fall asleep more easily.
Staying asleep
Children wake briefly during the night, but they might not be aware of being awake. To stay asleep, children need to be able to fall back to sleep by themselves after these brief waking episodes.
Waking up feeling refreshed
Most children wake up by themselves in the morning if they’re getting enough good-quality sleep.
Please see more information below.
Mrs Sonya Piccoli
AP-Mission & Leader of Diversity & Inclusion
Parent Connect
