Week 4 Term 1 2024

AGM

You are warmly invited to our Annual General Meeting to be held on Wednesday 28^th February from 6.45-8.30pm in our Hall.

• Come and hear about our 2024 building project and school initiatives.
• Enjoy cheese & wine and meeting together as a community.
• Participate in our parent forum and provide feedback on future plans for IHM.
• We would warmly welcome new board members. If you are considering joining our School Board please contact Julie Hancock or Michelle Wilson - Chairperson.
• A creche will be available.
• Invitation and communication for RSVPs will be sent tomorrow.

Parent Information Session and Book a Chat

Thank-you for your attendance at our Parent Information session about the new Playberry Laser Program and Auslan. It was wonderful to have so many parents come along and hear about these important learning initiatives. Book-A-Chat has also been well attended and a wonderful chance for teachers to meet every family and get to know more about your child. If you were unable to make it please contact your child’s teacher who can arrange an alternative time.

Swimming

It has been a busy week with swimming and we have seen great enjoyment and growth in our students confidence and abilities in the water. Thanks to the many volunteers who helped; your support is always greatly appreciated.

SRC

We congratulate the following students on being selected as SRC reps for their class.  The Student Representative Council (SRC) is an important part of student voice at IHM. It empowers students to influence and change their school and community, providing students with a sense of ownership and agency.

The value of SRCs in schools is supported by a large bank of research showing the benefits of student voice and engagement, in everything from student wellbeing to learning outcomes.

We look forward to the positive contribution these students will make in 2024.

Student Birthdays

We love celebrating your child’s birthday and understand that this is a special day. Please be mindful that if you are sending birthday treats to share with your child’s class; ensure they are manageable and practical for the teacher.

Individual items are easiest e.g. cupcakes. Giant cakes are very tricky and not appropriate for school. We ask families to avoid chocolates and lollies as this does not fit our healthy eating initiatives or meet some children’s dietary needs e.g. nut allergies/diabetes.

Fortnightly Focus; Uniform and WOW

At each assembly we are having a fortnightly focus to reinforce our common expectations and values. Over the past 2 weeks we have had a focus on wearing our school uniform with pride. We have explicitly reminded students of the need to wear appropriate sneakers (not hi-tops, vans or canvas shoes), white school socks or the equivalent plain white sock and no jewellery except earrings which are plain gold/silver sleepers, studs or birthstone.

A number of students have received awards at assembly for consistently showing pride in the wearing of the uniform. Please assist us by ensuring your child is wearing appropriate uniform and messaging teachers if there is a reason they are unable to.

This fortnight we are focussing on ‘keeping our environment clean’ and putting rubbish in the appropriate bins.

NAPLAN

NAPLAN testing will occur over 2 weeks commencing the week of Monday 11^th March. If you have any questions about NAPLAN for year 3 & 5 please speak to your child’s teacher.

Julie Hancock
PRINCIPAL

Season of Lent

We are now in the Season of Lent. We began our Lenten journey on Tuesday 13^th February with Shrove Tuesday. We take this opportunity to sincerley thank our P & F who led this event and the volunteers who helped on the day. The pancakes were absolutely delicious! We ackolwedged the generosity of our famililes. Your gold coin donations will help transform lives of people living in poverty through Caritas Australia.

Lent officially began on Ash Wednesday. Year 4/5F led our Ash Wednesday liturgy, where we were invited to reflect on how we will prepare our hearts and minds for Easter by praying and giving to others in need through Project Compassion. We were reminded that the ashes on our forehead is an expression of our faith and that God always is with us.

Project Compassion Boxes

Thank you for accepting a Project Compassion box into your home. This year, the theme is  For All Future Generations, inspired by the story of the burning bush in the book of Exodus (Exodus 3:1-20). Moses in this story heard the cry of the people and God promises to be with him. As God called Moses, now God is calling us to think about all future generations.

God said,
‘This is my name for all time;
by this name I shall be invoked
for all generations to come.;
Exodus 3:15

Your compassion and generosity during Lent will help transform the lives for the most vulnerable people around the world. Thank you.

We kindly ask that all Project Compassion boxes be returned to school by Friday 5^th April (Week 10)

During the next six weeks our students together with their teachers will explore themes of Project Compassion by listening to Story Films 2024 Project Compassion Films on how Caritas Australia is empowering vulnerable communities around the world.

Adelaide Archdiocesan Family Lenten Reflection Booklet can be found here

Ecological Conversion and Action

Pope Francis calls us to commit to ecological conversion by caring for our common home. He states ‘Ecological Conversion entails a loving awareness that we are not disconnected from the rest of creatures, but joined in a splendid universal communion’. (Laudato Si)

We are encouraging all members of our school community to Wipe Out Waste (WOW) by minimising waste packaging. We are hoping to see more food placed in reusable containers.

Commissioning Mass

On Sunday 25^th February all families are invited to join our Commissioning Mass. During this Mass all IHM staff will commit to promoting our Heart spirituality in our community through our words and actions in Love for God. We will share this significant Mass with St Joseph’s School, Hindmarsh.

Jhovana Fenu
APRIM

Calling all young budding writers and illustrators! 

We are excited to launch the Mayoral Make-a-Book Literacy Challenge. All IHM students are encouraged to write an original book and enter the challenge.

What is the Mayoral Make-A-Book Literacy Challenge?

The Mayoral Make-A-Book Literacy Challenge is an extremely popular book making community program for budding young authors and illustrators. It runs each year from February to May and is open to any pre-school or primary school aged kid who lives or studies in the City of Charles Sturt council area. This competition has been running since 1979!

The Challenge's purpose is to give kids a taste of what it is like to create their own book, and it's also a fun, creative way of practicing study skills and processes that they'll eventually be doing at higher levels in school.

Your book entry can be:

• a story, graphic novel, informational, poetry – on any topic
• English or multilingual
• a physical book, eBook or audio book
• created by yourself, with friends or even your whole class
• up to 1000 words in length

All participants are recognised for their efforts. A $30 store voucher is awarded to the most outstanding entries. Teachers and parents are welcome to let us know about any special circumstances to be taken into consideration. Being involved is the most important factor!

Judges look for:

• original ideas and themes, creative use of language, sound spelling and grammar (drafting and proofreading are important!)
• a balance between beginning, middle and end
• appealing design, layout and format
• illustrations that complement the text (if applicable)
• presentation and neatness

* Binding style is not judged but make sure your book is strong enough to be handled.

How to Enter

• Complete and sign the Make A Book Entry Form between February and 31 May 2024.
• For physical books, securely attach a completed entry form per child to the outside of the back cover and submit at any Charles Sturt Library.
• For eBooks and audio books, you can submit your completed piece via this online form. Please note you will need to complete one form per child.

Key Dates

• Submissions open February 1, 2024.
• Deadline for submissions is May 31, 2024.
  Please give your entry to your class teacher by this date.
• Winners will be contacted in August.
• The Mayoral Make-A-Book Ceremony will be on September 6 at the Woodville Town Hall.

For more information visit:

https://www.charlessturt.sa.gov.au/community/library/events-and-programs/school-aged-over-5-years/mayoral-make-a-book

On the 7^th February IHM hosted a Parent Information session about the new literacy initiatives, Heggerty and Playberry Laser, that we will be implementing school wide. At IHM, we have long aligned our teaching of reading and writing with quality research.  We are deeply committed to delivering a quality education that equips each child with the tools to be a successful reader. 

As educators, we continuously search for new, evidence-based methods surrounding best practice.  Consequently, we have aligned ourselves with the Heggerty and Playberry Laser programs which are phonological awareness and synthetic Phonics based.  The lessons students are engaged in are structured reading and writing lessons that include phonology and morphology lessons.

Quite recently, and interestingly, on the 12^th  February, a new Grattan Institute report explains that:

Establishing a “structured literacy” approach that includes a systematic focus on phonics for decoding is essential in early primary school. But effective reading instruction doesn’t stop there. There must be increased focus on building deeper background knowledge and vocabulary throughout primary and secondary school, so that students can comprehend what they read – the ultimate goal of reading.

https://grattan.edu.au/news/australias-reading-fail/

IHM will commence its systematic focus on phonics this week (Week 4) and all students will participate in phase appropriate lessons personalised for their learning.

If you would like more information about these programs please contact your child’s classroom teacher or access the following resource  __files/d/17077/Playberry_Laser_-_Parent_Information_Flyer.pdf

Later in the term we will be conducting another Parent Information session about Heggerty and Playberry Laser. Details will follow.

Sonia Bianco
LITERACY COORDINATOR

Hello from the P & F Committee

Thanks to Nadia, Kate and Katie for your help with Shrove Tuesday - the pancakes were a huge success and very enjoyed by the students.

Easter Raffle

We are starting to get ready for our Easter Basket Raffle!

At the start of March, students will be receiving a book of 10 raffle tickets to sell for the Easter basket raffle. Additional tickets will be available at the front office if needed.

Details will be provided on the ticket books with due dates to bring in money raised or returning leftover tickets. The raffle will be drawn on Thursday, 28th March. 

Save the Date - Reception/Year One Dinner

Also, please save the date for the Reception / Year 1 dinner. This is a chance for our new families to get to know each other and strengthen the R/1  community. The dinner is planned to be at Plant 4 at 5pm on Friday 12th April - the last day of Term 1. More details will be provided later.

P & F Meeting

Our next P & F meeting will be on the second Thursday (9/5/24) of Term 2, 7pm in the IHM Hall. Please come along and get involved in supporting our students and school community. 

Judith and Erika
CO-CHAIRS

School Fee Statements

School Fee Statements were distributed last week.  If you have any queries in relation to fees please contact our Finance Manager Kristina Neumann at: kneumann@ihm.catholic.edu.au.

A 5% discount will be applied for school fees paid in full by FRIDAY 15th MARCH 2024.

School Card Applications

A reminder for families to apply for School Card if they think they may be eligible. School Card must be applied for each school year and approved School Card applicants can receive a 40% discount on their school fees. Please see the Office for an Application Form or visit the website for more information and to apply online:

http://www.sa.gov.au/topics/education-and-learning/financial-help-scholarships-and-grants/school-card-scheme

Please remember to drive safely around our school to ensure the safety of the community and in particular our children. Please observe parking signs and do not ask children to run across roads unaccompanied. 

Kiss & Drop Zone

Families are also reminded about the rules in relation to the Kiss and Drop zone in front of the school. This zone is only for dropping off and picking up children and parents MUST NOT park and leave their vehicle. Our Kiss and Drop zone was extended to accomodate more cars and therefore improve the flow of cars.

Please observe the parking sign which indicates the following:

• NO PARKING ON SCHOOL DAYS BETWEEN 8:00 - 9:00am & 2:30 - 3:30pm
• 2 MINUTES MAXIMUM - DROP OFF AND PICK UP ONLY
• DRIVE MUST REMAIN WITH VEHICLE.

For more information about driving and parking safety around schools please see the attached flyer from the City of Charles Sturt Council. Please note that council inspectors will issue fines for non-compliance.

__files/d/14510/Keeping-your-Child-safe_A4-School-Safety-Flyer-Updated-2020.pdf

Thank you for your cooperation.