Dear Parents and Guardians,
Prayer for the Week
Dear God,
Bless this school which we have built for the education of our young people.
Bless our students and teachers, our parents,
and all who promote sound education in our community.
May our children grow in wisdom, age and grace
before You and all Your people.
May this school always be a home of truth and wisdom,
of faith and good will toward all.
Through the prayers of
Mary, Our Mother,
may this school help our community
and build Your kingdom of justice, light and peace.
Amen
On behalf of the staff of Christ the King School, I would like to welcome all students and their families to the new school year. Our dedicated staff have worked very hard over the break to prepare the grounds, buildings and teaching programs for the 2023 school year. We are indeed very fortunate to have the school and facilities that are provided here at Christ the King School.
We all know that children receive the best education when parents and staff work as a team. Parents’ enthusiasm, support and involvement are integral to the success of our school as are the skills, dedication and professionalism of teachers. Together, staff and parents can provide educational excellence for every student, so that they can achieve their personal best. Together, we can support one another to provide a friendly learning environment and celebrate our achievements.
Education today is a complex engagement because of the intensity and variety of external influences particularly through various forms of media and electronic communications. Our school has a special role in assisting every parent with the education of their children, so that all children will develop a sense of personal responsibility and learn the correct use of freedom. Throughout the year, our school will also provide experiences of liturgy and prayer as invitations to know and experience the enormous love and special friendship of God. I hope our school will be a place where staff, students and families have opportunities to experience God’s presence in our lives. I pray that the school year ahead, will see our staff and parents in genuine partnership in our collective role and faith education of the children at Christ the King School.
It was tremendous to see all our students return to school looking so refreshed and energised for the new year. I couldn’t believe how much some of our students had grown and changed over the break . . . don’t our students look so grown-up in their School Uniform?
Congratulations to all our Mums and Dads on getting their children ready for the start of the year. I appreciate it can be very hectic trying to organise all the things necessary for the new school year. Well Done! Thank you also for making a real effort with the School Uniform, as this is most important, particularly as we try and set the standard and expectation for the beginning of the year.
New Staff and Families: In a special way, I would like to welcome all those who are new to the family of Christ the King School. My prayer and hope for you is that your association with the school will be long and lasting, and one filled with many memorable memories. May your settling in be a gentle one.
Along with new families, we also have new faces who have joined our staff for 2023. We welcome:
- Miss Stephanie Dunsire – Preprimary Teacher
- Miss Gryffin Nicholas – Preprimary EA
- Miss Helen King – Year Two Co-Teacher
- Miss Sophie Marshall – Year Four Gold Teacher
- Mrs Pauline Burwood – Year Four Red Teacher
- Mr Dominic Pigniatelli – Groundsperson
- Mrs Danae Doecke – Learning Support Teacher
- Mrs Joanne Da Silva – Special Needs EA
Mr Dobbie our Assistant Principal decided in mid-January to take some personal leave term one and long service leave terms two and three. We look forward to Mr Dobbie returning for the commencement of term four. We wish him a very well-deserved break from the busyness of school.
Having a Smoking Ceremony is to cleanse a space in which the ceremony takes place, so as to allow peace and recognise the importance of the occasion. We can learn about the ways that we deeply feel and care for our land – our relationship to the land. Thank you to Reverend Mitchell Garlett a proud noongar man who led our Smoking Ceremony this morning.
School Improvements: Over the holidays renovations were completed with walls being removed between classrooms and glass sliding doors added. The path around the oval is now complete. New carpet went into Year Six Red as well as Lockers for each child to use as part of their transition to High School. New air conditioners went into Year One Red and the EMU room. Some rooms were divided into smaller rooms for all our learning support taking place this year. The basketball courts will be resurfaced in the coming weeks. The back of the library will be renovated and the work room between Years Two and Three will be turned into an Italian room for classes. A new television was installed in the library and Science Lab. In late February a new sound system and media equipment will be installed in the Hall. Can I just remind all families that the fees you pay for the Building Fund is what I allocate to improvements in our school for the children and staff and of course for you as parents to enjoy too.
Don’t Forget: Our fortnightly newsletter has very important information for our parents. This newsletter format will be temporary as we move the website and newsletter to a more functional format. Every class communicates via Seesaw. Our school webpage will be undergoing significant changes soon as I wish to add a wealth of information including important dates, school events and notes.
Evening on the Green Welcome Back Family Picnic: I encourage all families to attend this event on Friday 24th February. This event is coordinated by the Christ the King School P&F Association. This occasion is a way of celebrating your child/ren’s first few weeks at the school, as well as an opportunity to meet other parents and welcome NEW families to the CtK School community. This will be held in the School Quad from 6:00pm until 8.00pm. As in the past, you are encouraged to bring your own picnic dinner. A band will be entertaining us with live music on stage where we had our Christmas Concert last year. Once again this promises to be a fabulous community gathering to start the school year.
From My Readings This Week…
7 Ways to Make a Sensational Start to the School Year
A new school year means a fresh start for students. Regardless of your child’s performance last year, they start school with a clean slate. A break offers students the chance to begin new habits and adopt new behaviours. Here are seven ideas to help you make the most of the fresh start and make this year your child’s best year ever year at school
- Commit to your child going to school every day on time
One of the most important things you can do to ensure your child has a bright future is to make sure he or she goes to school every day – and gets there on time. Kids spend more time asleep than at school, so we need to maximise every day to get full value. - Help kids start each day well
A good night’s sleep, a healthy breakfast and some words of encouragement from you will help set a positive tone for a day of learning. This may mean that you adjust your morning routine so that kids have plenty of time to get up, eat and get ready for the day. Consider taking a leaf out of the book of a friend of mine who gets her children to make their beds each morning which sets the tone for a productive day ahead. - Establish work & study habits
The most successful students are those that develop regular study habits that suit their lifestyle, their study style and their school’s expectations. Find out the work expectations from your child’s or young person’s school and help them establish a work routine that matches their personality, lifestyle and family style. Be flexible here as one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to study routines. - Make sure your child gets enough sleep
I encourage you to make a big focus as this year as many children and young people are sleep-deprived, which impacts on their well-being and their learning. A good night’s sleep consolidates learning, as well as assisting future learning. Children need between 10-12 hours of sleep each day, while teens need a minimum of nine hours. Help kids get sufficient sleep by having a regular bed-time and get-up time each day. Have 45-minute wind-down time each night, and remove screens and mobile phones from bedrooms. - Get your kids outside more for good physical and mental health
Kids today get less exercise than those of past generations, which is an impediment to learning and mental health. Health professionals recommend a minimum of 60 minutes of exercise per day for kids of all ages. Encourage kids to play sport; promote free and active play and look for ways to make moving part of their daily lives. Consider increasing your child’s green time and decreasing screen time for good physical and mental health. - Focus on being friendly
Schools are very social places requiring kids to negotiate many different social situations each day. Encourage kids to be open and tolerant; to be friendly; to be involved in plenty of activities and to be social risk-takers. Some kids close down their friendship opportunities through self-centredness, poor attitude and unwillingness to take social risks. - Develop self-help skills
Successful students are often well-organised, self-directed and self-motivated. You can foster organisational skills and self-direction by developing simple, age-appropriate self-help skills related to their every day lives. Also use visual parenting techniques to aid organisation and encourage independence. Such skills as making lunches, packing school bags, and organising after school schedules can be great lessons that impact on how kids perform at school.
At the start of the school year kids are likely to adopt changes than at any other time. Make the most of the opportunity by focusing on two or three areas to really target and you’ll find that the rest may well fall into place.
By Michael Grose
Did you Know?
- Butterflies taste with their feet
- Most lipstick contains fish scales
- The symbol on the # ‘pound’ key is called an octothorpe
- A person’s sense of smell is better at night
There are ‘great things’ happening in our school due to the efforts of so many people; seek to be one of those people in the coming week!
Keep smiling and let’s do great things together!
Andrew Kelly
Principal
Andrew Kelly
Principal
