Term 1, Week 3

Week 3

Week 3 already! It has been wonderful to see our students continuing to settle in so well this term. The school is buzzing with energy, and we are well and truly on our way to a successful year ahead!

Last week, we kicked off our Buddy Program, an initiative that brings younger and older students together to build friendships, foster leadership, and create a strong sense of community. It has been heartwarming to see students connecting, supporting one another, and learning valuable social skills in the process and we look forward to our second session this Friday.

As a school, we have been reflecting on the importance of “connectivity” this year. In today’s fast-paced world, technology keeps us connected like never before. However, studies show that too much screen time can negatively impact mental health, sleep, and face-to-face communication. Research from the American Psychological Association highlights that frequent use of digital devices can lead to increased stress and reduced emotional well-being.

For both students and parents, taking intentional breaks from technology can strengthen relationships, improve focus, and promote overall well-being. Simple habits like device-free family meals, outdoor activities, and mindful conversations can help us reconnect with each other and create a healthier balance.

Let’s encourage one another to disconnect from screens and reconnect with life. After all, the best connections happen beyond the screen!

The Primary Leadership Team

2025 Class Parents’ Committee

We are pleased to announce the names of the 2025 Class Parent Representatives. We know they will introduce themselves via their respective Year group Facebook pages once permissions have been transferred over from the previous “owners”, but in this forum, we would personally like to offer our sincere thanks to them for their willingness to be involved this year.

We held our first meeting of the year last week and will be able to confirm with our community a little later this term the 2025 fundraising events which will be organised by the committee.

Student Photos

Primary student photos were taken today! Follow the instructions below to place your order through Photo Hendriks, using the all-in-one Access Key to view package options and pay online. Please note that the below all-in-one Access Key is for Primary student photo orders only. There is a separate all-in-one Access Key for Secondary student photo orders, which has been emailed to all families.

Running Club

WEEK 2 Running Club House Points: (drum roll please…)

CHARIS	MAKARIA	PARRESIA
28	80	109

Congratulations to PARRESIA for running the most laps in Week 2!

100 LAPS CLUB

Congratulations to Jennamary Joby (year 3) who completed 100 laps on her running club card! Congratulations to Brayden Kilian (year 3) and Jayden Drew (year 6) for completing 200 laps on their running club cards! Outstanding effort and commitment to Neil Schoeman for completing 900 laps on his running club card! Well done everyone!

Parent Teacher ‘Meet and Greet’ – Kindergarten to Year 6

Dear Parents

It has been wonderful to welcome our community back to school for 2025. The children are well settled and are enjoying their learning. As we walk round the classes every day, this is very evident when we see the walls becoming filled with their work, questions and ideas. As part of our ‘welcome back’ process, we are offering a time for parents to ‘meet and greet’ your child’s teacher on a one-to-one basis. This is offered as a 10 minute individual meeting time during Week 4. Bookings are essential and can be made through the link below.

Please note that the purpose of this meeting is to chat about how your child has settled into their new class. It is not about results and academic progress at this stage as our teachers take much more time to gather a range of evidence to address these areas.

Please go to the Parent & Student Portal via the link below:

https://portal.ststephens.wa.edu.au/parent-and-student/index.html

Go to:

Plan the Term then proceed to Interview Bookings.

Should you have any concerns logging in to your account please contact the IT Parent helpline on 9243 2160 between the hours of 8.30am and 4.00pm.

We look forward to seeing you.

Kind regards

The Primary Leadership Team

Scholastic Book Club

Orders for issue 1 are due by Tuesday 18 February

Secondary Captains Fundraising Event – Pancake Day

Children’s University 2025

It is that time of year again where we look for students who love to learn and want to drive their own learning adventure outside the classroom. This will be the fifth year we have run Children’s University at St Stephens School Carramar and some students have been enrolled since the beginning 😊. There is a wonderful graduation event held at the end of November for students who achieve set milestones. We had 10 graduates last year and it was wonderful to see their efforts acknowledged.

Please see the flyers attached for more information on this great opportunity to partner with ECU in fostering a love of learning in your child. If your child is interested in participating, please email your expression of interest to Janelle.morris@ststephens.wa.edu.au for more information on how to sign up. There are a limited number of places in the program and last year we did fill up.

First Parent Series event for 2025 – one not to miss!

We are pleased to welcome Kirra Pendergast, founder of Safe on Social to share practical, valuable knowledge and advice on how to keep ourselves and our children safe from online dangers. Kirra will focus on sexting, deep fakes, fraud prevention, cyber-bullying and online hate as well as how we as parents can coach and guide our young people to manage themselves safely online.

Kirra Pendergast is a leading international expert in online safety, with a career spanning over three decades. Her extensive experience includes leading groundbreaking projects such as whole-of-Queensland government cybersecurity initiatives and post-9/11 counter-terrorism strategies. Kirra’s pioneering work in cybersecurity since 1995, social media risk management since 2008, and her development of industry-first policies and training programs highlight her deep expertise and innovative approach. You can read more about Kirra on the Safe on Social website or on her own website

This event is recommended to parents with children in Years 6 – 9. Tickets are $5 and are strictly limited so please book early to secure your place. Book online here https://events.humanitix.com/ps2025-t1

Carramar Primary Notices