Dear Parents and Guardians

 

Hopefully, all mothers and mother figures in our community had a happy Mothers’ Day where their love, commitment and dedication were acknowledged and celebrated by their families. We hope everyone enjoyed the wonderful breakfast put on in your honour. We thank you for what you do for our students, school and community. Thank you also to the many Dads and granddads for helping out at this very special event, and to the P&F for their awesome coordination, setup and planning.

Students in Year 6 have been preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. This is the final sacrament of initiation. The school supports the family and parish in the faith development of the students. Students making their Confirmation are required to attend the Commitment Mass Saturday, 21 May evening Mass. Please pray for these children as they make this journey. May is the month of Mary and this is a good opportunity to pray the Hail Mary.

Hail Mary full of Grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.
Holy Mary Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

Cross Country

Congratulations to all the children who participated in the Cross Country last Friday. I was so proud of all the children who participated especially the Year 4 girls who ran through heavy rain keeping their spirits high and even showing smiles while the rest of us took shelter. Thank you to the many parents for attending, supervising, and supporting the children. To my amazing staff, who are so giving, committed and passionate about providing the very best support and encouragement for all the children in our school, bravo! Running Club continues next Tuesday and Thursday in preparation for the Interschool Cross Country. Again, thank you to our dedicated staff consisting of Mrs McLinden, Ms King, Miss Kezic, Mr Geaney and Mr Albuquerque for taking training on these cool mornings.

Elections Saturday

Our school is once again a Polling Place and many wonderful parents have volunteered to make cakes to sell and cook sausages for our sausage sizzle. Cool drinks will be available to purchase too. We will be located near the Hall and Learning Support Centre. Look forward to seeing you there.

Winter Uniform

Students have settled into the winter uniforms smoothly and are generally wearing their uniforms correctly. Congratulations to all families for ensuring that students are attending school feeling proud of themselves and ready to demonstrate the school value Excellence – We demonstrate pride in ourselves, each other, family, and school.

Pride is a crucial part of a positive culture and people who are proud of something perform better in that environment and are likely to participate in and promote the positive culture. Students can show that they are proud of their school by wearing uniforms correctly, being welcoming, respectful and caring towards each other and giving their best. Students can also determine whether their teachers and parents are proud of their school and this reinforces their willingness to do well.

NAPLAN

We understand that there has been disruption for many families due to Covid. This is unavoidable and we will note absence due to Covid.

I know the children have put their best effort into the testing this past fortnight but, at the same time, recognise that it is just another assessment. All children complete numerous assessments throughout the school year and it is through the analysis of these results that teachers tailor their programs to accommodate the needs of the children.

With the National Testing nearly complete, and with school reports being issued at the end of this term, I would like to share with you some wise words from Albert Einstein:

At Christ the King, we will continue to celebrate and nurture the many and varied gifts our students possess, as they strive to reach, their God given potential.

48 Hour Email Reply Policy

I have spoken to all teachers about a 48 hour email reply policy. There will be times when teachers are able to reply to emails quickly and this is okay, however, please give teachers that 48 hour leeway if they need it. Their first priority is the teaching and learning of all children in the classroom then focusing on supporting their own families while also making sure they are looking after their own mental health and well-being.

New Play Equipment

Look at our new swing set located in the Learning Support Centre Outdoor Sensory Space! Our children are loving this new addition. This has been made possible by Mrs Gail Bergen and the wonderful ladies from the Royal Fremantle Golf Club who raised lots of money for the many children in our school. We will look forward to sharing more new resources with you in the coming weeks and months.

Class Visits

Each morning, I am fortunate enough to visit classrooms across the school. I witness a variety of lessons where there is evidence of certain consistencies. I see children engaged in their learning, enjoying each other’s company and happy to share their experiences with me. When speaking with the children, I will ask them about their learning. The questions I ask can include:

1. What are you learning?
2. How are you doing?
3. How do you know?
4. How can you improve?
5. Where do you go for help?

Our students have the capacity to answer these questions. They can do so because our dedicated and talented staff are attending to:

1. Explicit outcomes.
2. Developing processes for self – evaluation and assessment.
3. Providing feedback which sets goals.
4. The creation of a trust environment.

I witness an environment by which every child is encouraged to develop their God given gifts. As a faith community, we work together to empower our children. We strive to develop both practical skills and spiritual confidence, in God’s help and love.

I had fun manipulating play dough to make the longest piece possible. These bright sparks decided it would be a good idea to make an enormous oval shape. This photograph demonstrates why I have the best job in the world!

Andrew Kelly
Principal