2025 – Term 3, Week 04

Dear Parents, Caregivers and Community Members,

“Love one another as brothers and sisters should, and, have a profound respect for each other,
if you have hope, this will make you cheerful.”

The above scripture quote offers us all a marvellously optimistic and challenging philosophy towards life. As teachers and parents we may not have any chance of influencing the world’s major events, but we can be powerful in our school and our home to instil in our children some of the great positive Gospel values such as love, respect, kindness, tolerance, sacrifice of self for another, gentleness, sharing and the list can go on.

These values are rarely taught by intellectual persuasion but by the manner in which Christ did it himself – he let the people feel his own personal power or conviction going out to them; he told them that there was so much good in them, that with his help they could be persons capable of reflecting God’s goodness onto others.

Human behaviour is driven by social values, so the development and presentation of a Christian values system will help children become happy, well balanced and positive human beings, capable of loving and caring for one another, their cultural heritage and their environment. Children will be able to do this, when they live within a desirable social pattern which reflects responsibility and partnership rather than self-interest. As a school we see our role as one of support of parents in these most precious life skills, attitudes and behaviours.

Lord, we thank you for people who bring hope to our lives
Help us to be like them for others
Help us to be contributors to a positive
Environment – whether it be at home, school or workplace –
by actions which are helpful, considerate and respectful.
Amen.

A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Suraya Correia our P&F President for winning the Parents WA Award Friday evening. This was wonderful recognition for all her hard work, vision, passion and drive to ensure our school community is such a thriving one. Suraya along with her team have made such an indelible impression on our school community providing so many engaging opportunities for our children, staff and parents as well as raising funds that have been spent to improve our school. If you see her around the school, please congratulate her!

Feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop
Last Friday, August 8th we celebrated the life of Mary MacKillop. Mary MacKillop was canonised by Pope Benedict XVI on 17th October 2011. Mary MacKillop became Australia’s first saint.

Mary MacKillop was born in Melbourne in 1842. After what was considered a challenging childhood, Mary was forced to leave home at the age of fourteen to work and provide money for her family. By the time she was fifteen, Mary had decided she was going to become a nun. She wanted to devote her life to God and to assist the poor. Mary MacKillop truly lived and passed on the Gospel values. Her love, faith, trust, commitment and enthusiasm live on in our lives today.

Mary is a wonderful inspiration and model for all. Mary MacKillop truly lived and ‘passed on’ the Gospel values. Her love, faith, trust, commitment and enthusiasm live on in our lives today. Mary is a wonderful inspiration and model for all.

Mary MacKillop Prayer
God of the pilgrim Mary MacKillop
trusted your guidance in her journey of life
and deepened her confidence in your will.
May we renew our trust in your Providence to lead us in hope.
May we relish the sacred in the ordinariness of our lives.
May we grow in the fullness of your love and the depth of your mystery.
We ask this through Jesus Christ the way, the truth and the life.
Amen

Feast of the Assumption

Tomorrow, 15 August, we will celebrate the feast day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary with a special Mass commencing at 9.30am in the school hall. This feast day celebrates Mary’s Assumption into heaven and the Church has made this a Holy Day of Obligation.

Mary loved God and always trusted in Him, doing all that God would want of her. Although she became the Mother of Jesus, Mary was a simple woman who lived according to the customs and traditions of her Jewish faith. On the Feast of the Assumption, we remember and celebrate that Mary was taken to heaven, body and soul, by God. This special privilege was given to her because of her sinless and exemplary life and total trust in God.

SNAFL Carnival

Today students from Years 5 and 6 represented our school at the SNAFL (Soccer, Netball and AFL) Carnival competing against other Catholic schools in our region. WE look forward to hearing how they went.

We say a HUGE thank you to Mrs Kovacevic, our Science teacher for organising amazing science activities for Science Week. All the children enjoyed the displays and the Bee Incursion on Wednesday.

Next week we celebrate everything books as it is Book Week! Children’s Book Week 2025 will be held from Saturday, August 16 to Saturday, August 23. The theme for the week is “Book an Adventure”. The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) is celebrating its 80th anniversary of Book Week this year. Next Wednesday will be our Book Week Parade from 9am in the quad. We hope to see you there!

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!

Principal
Andrew Kelly

Welcome to Week 4!

We’re nearly halfway through the term, and there’s been plenty happening at Christ the King. Here are a few important updates and reminders for our school community:

2025 Religious Education Assessment (REA)

Recently, our Year 3 and Year 5 students participated in the 2025 Religious Education Assessment (REA). This assessment provides a point-in-time snapshot of each student’s understanding of the Religious Education curriculum. The REA was completed online and included a mix of multiple-choice, short answer, and extended response questions. The results will help us evaluate and enhance our teaching practices and will be shared with parents and carers once released. A big thank you to our Year 3 and Year 5 teachers for their support in coordinating and administering the assessment.

2025 NAPLAN Results

NAPLAN results for 2025 have now been sent home. Along with the reports, families received information to assist with interpreting the data. These results offer valuable insights into your child’s progress in Literacy and Numeracy at a specific point in time. However, it’s important to remember that NAPLAN is just one of many tools we use at Christ the King to assess student growth across all learning areas. If you have any questions about your child’s results, please reach out to their classroom teacher.

Science Week at Christ the King

This week, we’re celebrating Science Week with a range of exciting and hands-on learning experiences focused on the Science Learning Area. A very big thank you to Mrs Kovacevic, our dedicated Science teacher, who organised a special Bee Incursion for students from Year 1 to Year 6 on Wednesday! We have really enjoyed a fun and inspiring week of discovery!

Student Absences & Late Arrivals – Important Reminders

To ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students, please take note of the following procedures:

Reporting Absences

All student absences must be reported to the school office by 9am via one of the official channels:

Website: www.ctk.wa.edu.au
Phone: 9487 9900
Email: admin@ctk.wa.edu.au

While informing the classroom teacher is appreciated, it does not meet the official attendance requirements.

Late Arrivals – After 8.40am

If your child arrives after 8.40am, please sign them in at the front office. This ensures:

Accurate attendance records
Their safety in case of emergencies

Thank you for your cooperation in helping us maintain a safe and well-organised school environment.

Communication Guidelines at Christ the King

At Christ the King, we deeply value the strong partnership between home and school. Parents and carers play a vital role in supporting their child’s learning, and clear, respectful communication helps ensure we’re all working together to provide the best possible experience for our students.

If you need to discuss anything related to your child, we kindly ask that your first point of contact is always your child’s class or specialist teacher. Our teachers will also reach out directly to parents and carers as needed, regarding any school-related matters.

To help maintain a healthy work-life balance for our staff, we ask families to keep the following guidelines in mind:

Teacher Availability: Teachers are not expected to respond to Seesaw messages or emails after 4pm. Each teacher has set their “work hours” on Seesaw to help ensure consistency across the school.
Response Time: Unless the matter is urgent, please allow up to 48 hours for a reply. Teachers are not required to respond to messages on weekends or during school holidays so please be mindful of this.
Part-Time Staff: Please note that part-time teachers are not expected to respond on days they are not working.

Our staff are dedicated professionals who have family, personal commitments, and responsibilities outside of school hours. We appreciate your understanding and ongoing support in respecting their time and wellbeing. Thank you for helping us maintain a positive and respectful communication environment at CtK.

Unwell Students

As we navigate the colder months, we kindly ask that unwell children remain at home to rest and recover. Sending unwell students to school can affect the health and wellbeing of both peers and staff. If a child presents as unwell during the day, our school nurse or staff will contact families promptly. For guidance on when your child should stay home, please refer to the WA Health website: www.health.wa.gov.au Thank you for your continued understanding and care.

Book Week 2025 – ‘Book an Adventure’.

Book Week is just around the corner, and we can’t wait to celebrate the joy of reading! This year’s theme is ‘Book an Adventure’.

📚 CtK Book Week Parade 📚
🗓 Wednesday, 20 August
🕘 9am
📍 Quadrangle for all K–6 students (Pre-Kindy students will hold a special parade in their very own classroom)

Children are encouraged to dress as their favourite book character and bring along the book (or a printout of the cover). Parents and carers are warmly invited to join us for the parade! If you have any questions, please contact your child’s classroom teacher.

Book Fair is Coming! 📚✨

We’re excited to announce that our Annual Book Fair will be held in the school library during Book Week! Book sales will begin on Tuesday 19 August, after school and will run throughout the week. This is a fantastic opportunity to support your child’s love of reading while also helping to grow our school library collection.

📍 Library Opening Hours for Book Fair:

Tuesday: After school until 4pm
Wednesday to Friday:
• Before school from 8am until the bell
• After school until 4pm

We look forward to seeing you there and thank you for your support.

Building Resilience in Our Students

At CtK, the Highway Heroes program continues to empower our students with essential life skills. This term, our Kindy to Year 2 students are exploring Module 3: Tricks for Getting Things Done, while our Year 3–6 students are focusing on Module 1: Beating Bullying and Taming Teasing.

As we move through a busy Term 3, it’s a great time to have conversations at home about the topics we’re covering each week. By working together, we can strengthen our students’ ability to navigate challenges with confidence.

Resilience is the ability to bounce back from setbacks, adapt to change, and persevere when things get tough. At CtK, we nurture resilience by promoting a growth mindset, recognising effort over perfection, and helping students see mistakes as opportunities to learn and grow.

With consistent support from both school and home, every child can develop the strength and confidence to face life’s ups and downs. Let’s continue to work together to build resilient, empowered learners.

Mrs Rikki Chapman
Health Specialist (K-2)

Staff Profile

Our amazing Year 6 leaders, Tessa and Bailen, will be conducting interviews with our staff throughout the year to help us all get to know each other better. This week, they interviewed Miss Purtell, our wonderful Year 2 teacher. Please read on to learn more about Miss Purtell below;

How long have you been teaching for?
6 years.

Have you had another job before teaching?
Yes – I used to be a special needs education assistant.

What are some of your strengths? I’m a g
ood team player and I have a good sense of humour.

What’s your passion?
Making sure everyone at school feels safe and happy every day!

What’s your favourite school value?
Inclusiveness.

What are your favourite sports?
I love to watch tennis, footy and rugby!

Do you have a pet?
Yes – I have a dog named Sadie!

Upcoming Dates to Note:

Week 4: SCIENCE WEEK

🗓 Friday 15 August – Assumption of Mary Mass at 9.30am in the hall

Week 5: BOOK WEEK

🗓 Monday 18 August – Book Week Author Visit 1

🗓 Wednesday 20 August – Book Week Parade at 9am in the quadrangle

🗓 Friday 22 August – Book Week Author Visit 2

Week 6:

🗓 Wednesday 27 August – Year 3 Assembly in the hall at 2.15pm

🗓 Friday 29 August – One Big Voice Event at RAC Arena

Wishing you a lovely weekend!

Mrs. Sabrina Reardon
Assistant Principal

One Big Voice

The One Big Voice Festival at RAC Arena on Friday, August 29, 2025, commencing at 12noon is getting closer and our students are working hard to learn their parts!

This wonderful choral festival promotes a love of singing, friendship, and acceptance and develops relationships with other children who share a love of music.

Tickets
Parents, carers, grandparents and friends are encouraged to attend this Festival. Tickets are on sale from June 17th and can be purchased through Ticketek online, RAC Arena or follow the links on the website: onebigvoice.com.au. Last Friday I sent home an event plan so you can see where our school will be positioned, and you can purchase tickets in the section directly above us. We are in section A2.

Subsidised tickets – these are available for parents who would otherwise be unable to attend the concert. We would love for each student to have an audience member present. Email Sandy at tickets@onebigvoice.com.au She will give you a code which will enable parents to get two $10 tickets in Silver or Bronze (This price covers Ticketek fees only).

More details about the day will be forwarded early next term.

Mrs Jackie Carroll
Music Specialist

A Message from our School Nurse – Ms Andrea Mangan

This week, we’re placing a special focus on infection control across our school. With several little colds and illnesses circulating, we’d love your support in helping keep our students and their families healthy.

While we teach and reinforce healthy habits at school, it’s equally important that children learn and practise these skills at home. When parents and guardians take the time to model and teach these routines, it helps children understand that they are important in all settings, not just in the classroom. This consistency between home and school also means children are more likely to remember and follow these habits every day.

You can help by talking with your children at home about:

Good hand hygiene – washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially before eating, after using the toilet, or after coughing/sneezing.
Blowing noses properly – using a tissue, then throwing it in the bin, followed by handwashing.
Covering mouths when coughing or sneezing – ideally with a tissue or the inside of the elbow.
Drinking plenty of water – to keep hydrated and help flush out germs, which may reduce sore throats and other symptoms.

By working together at school and at home, we can give our children the skills they need to keep themselves and others healthy, reduce the spread of illness, and create a healthier school community for everyone. Thank you for your ongoing support in helping us care for our students.

Ms Andrea Mangan
School Nurse

Messages from the P&F President – Mrs Suraya Correia

The Father’s Day BBQ & Beats this year will be held on Friday 5th September from 3-5:50pm. We invite all Dads and Caregivers to join us for a fun afternoon filled with Arts & Crafts, Games and a yummy Sausage Sizzle. We will have you grooving to live music being played by CtK’s very own Rock Band! The RSVP link has gone out via your class reps or alternatively, you can find it on our P&F Social Hub. RSVP’s will close on Tuesday 2nd September, but please let us know as soon as you can for catering purposes.

We still are looking for a few more volunteers for the Father’s Day Stall on Wednesday 3rd September and for Open night on Wednesday 17th September. If you can spare anytime and help us out, please jump onto the hub to sign up.

Thank you CtK and have a wonderful week everyone!

Suraya
P&F President

Christ the King School

BEACONSFIELD

From the Principal – Term 3, Week 04