WELCOME BACK!

Welcome to Term 3! We hope you’ve had a restful break, spending quality time with family and friends. It was lovely to have all parents back on site yesterday for our Primary Reporting Day and we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your attendance. We hope the day has been beneficial to all. As a new semester begins, this is a great opportunity for our students to set new goals for the rest of the year (be they academic, behavioural, organisational, …). We have spent some time at our first assembly this morning looking at the ability “to get back up again” when facing adversity and understand that our staff have spent time with students today helping them to set new personal goals for Semester 2. We truly look forward to what this semester has in store for us!

UNIFORM REMINDER

We appreciate your support in ensuring that students come to school with the correct winter uniform. A reminder that appropriate hair style and jewellery form part of the uniform expectations. If in doubt, please refer to page 16 of the Carramar Parent Handbook on the Parent Portal. Thank you for your cooperation.

PARENT EVENING; “TRANSITION TO SECONDARY”

Thank you to all Yr5 & Yr6 parents who have already responded to our invitation to the PARENT EVENING “TRANSITION TO SCHOOL” meeting scheduled tomorrow (Wednesday 29 July) at 6:45PM. Due to the overwhelming response, please note that this meeting will now be held in the Primary Forum.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY! 

Our end of Term 2 fundraiser, Crazy Socks Day, was a HUGE success!!! Thank you for your amazing generosity.

PRIMARY CAPTAINS HANDOVER 

Our Semester 1 Captains’ term has already come to an end. We would like to thank Lucy, Daniel, Bethan, Joshua, Chloe and Jhett for being such excellent ambassadors throughout their tenure and for being so creative, flexible and agile in their leadership throughout what has proven to be an “interesting term”… It is now our pleasure to introduce to our community our Semester 2 Captains; Riley, Jamie, Nick, Ahna, Morgan and Mitchell. We wish them all the best this semester!

LANGUAGE WEEK MEAL DEAL

AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS ARE BACK!

Bookings for After School Clubs will be available from 6.00pm Wednesday 29 July. Please remember to book only one activity per student.

https://portal.ststephens.wa.edu.au/parent-and-student/plan-the-day/primary-school-clubs.html

SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB

Saturday 8 August

HEART FOR THE HOMELESS

St Stephen’s School has partnered with 98.5 Sonshine FM for their Heart for The Homeless Appeal this month to keep everyone warm on these cold winter nights. We are one of the drop-off points for any clean sleeping bags, blankets, toiletries and pillows that will go to those doing it tough. Do your bit and drop off at the Duncraig Campus from July 20 and at the Carramar Campus from July 27 (Primary Reception) until the end of the month.

The Danish Way of Parenting – ‘R’ for Reframing

Danes teach their children to ”Reframe” early on in life. This helps them grow up to be naturally better at it as adults. Being a master at Reframing is a cornerstone of resilience.

Danish people don’t pretend that negativity doesn’t exist. They just point out, in a rather matter-of-fact way, that another side also exists, one that you may never have even considered thinking about. They choose to focus on the good in people instead of the bad. Focusing on the less negative aspects of a situation and finding a middle ground reduces anxiety and increases well-being.

Here are some pieces of advice found in the book in relation to Reframing:

• Pay attention to your own negativity.
• Everything we see and say negatively about ourselves, our family, and our anxieties and fears passes directly onto our kids… Reframing is helping a person to shift focus from what he thinks he can’t do to what he can do. Consider the following: “I am a terrible writer!” turned into “I am a pretty decent writer, once I get in the zone!”.
• Use less limiting language. No more “I hate this, I love that, I always, I never, I should, I shouldn’t“… Limiting language leaves little room to manoeuvre.
• Rewrite your child’s narrative to be more loving. Try focusing on the positive side of your child’s behaviour so they feel appreciated for their uniqueness rather than labeled negatively.
• Use supportive language. Help your child identify the emotions behind their actions and let them find their own solutions.
• Use humour, that always works!

Once again, some food for thought 😊.

Madame Pilote

Important reminders

If your child is going to be absent from school, please contact Student Services to advise us by one of the following methods:

• • Send an SMS message to:  0428 863 144 (text message only)
  • Phone the main line:  9306 7100
  • Email:  absenteecarramar@ststephens.wa.edu.au

A friendly reminder that students need to be collected by 3:20PM please. On the rare occasion you are running late, please contact Student Services so that we can ask your child to wait for you at Reception. The safety of children in our care is paramount. Thank you for your understanding.

Playgrounds

The moment our students have all been waiting for!!! We are pleased to inform our community that our playground equipment will be made available to students as of tomorrow morning (Wednesday 10 June) from 8:30AM. Additional cleaning measures have been put in place to ensure everyone’s the safety. A reminder that under the current restrictions, children are NOT permitted on the equipment before and after school. Once again, thank you for your understanding.

Primary School Movie Night

When: Thursday 19 March

Years 3 – 6 only

Time: 3:45pm – 6:30pm

Where: Primary Forum

Movie: Finding Nemo

Tickets are $5 each

Come along and have some fun with your friends!

Pizza and drinks will be included in ticket price, you can also bring your own snacks and pillows.

Feel free to bring a change of comfy clothes!

Details for a Kindy – Year 2 movie afternoon will be coming soon!

Lost Property

Please remember to check lost property for any misplaced items. We have a growing collection of shoes, hats, towels and drink bottles in Student Services.

Entertainment Fundraiser

Buy an Entertainment Membership between 1st – 31st March and receive a $10 JB Hi-Fi eGift Card! 20% of every membership sale goes directly to our fundraising so you save on everything you love to do while supporting St Stephen’s School. It’s easy to purchase online! Simply go to www.entbook.com.au/839u93

Scholastic Book Club

The scholastic deadline for issue 2 is Friday 20 March

After School Clubs

A reminder that due to the Parent Teacher Interviews, there are no after school clubs this week.

Kilometre Club

A reminder that there will be no Kilometre Club this Thursday due to the Year 3 – 6 Interhouse Swimming Carnival taking place. Kilometre Club will resume on Thursday March 5 from 7.45am – 8.15am. We look forward to seeing you then!

Miss Uglow

Primary Physical Education Teacher

Year 3 – 6 Interhouse Swimming Carnival

A reminder that the Year 3 – 6 Interhouse Swimming Carnival is taking place this Thursday 27 February at HBF Arena Joondalup. Students must arrive at school by 8.25am, in order for the buses to depart at 8.45am. Buses will depart HBF Arena Joondalup at 2.45pm.

What to bring/wear:

• Students must bring all food and drink they require for the day – the Café is not accessible for students.
• House Uniform, towel and bathers – no two-piece bathers.
• Labelled school bag or alternative backpack
• Swimming caps and goggles are highly recommended – we encourage students to wear swimming caps that match their House colour for extra House spirit!

Reminders:

• Students will be seated in their House bays and there will be separate seating for spectators. We would appreciate your help in keeping our House Bays entirely for staff and students, to ensure the safety of our students at all times.
• If your child is leaving with you at the end of the Carnival, they must be signed out by their class teacher.
• Students should not be signed out early before the end of the carnival – we would like to see the stands filled with House Spirit during the novelty events and relays! We appreciate your support in this matter.

We thank you for your support and look forward to seeing your children swim at the 2020 Primary Interhouse Swimming Carnival!

Class Representatives and Important Calendar Events in 2020

Mr Roberts and Mrs Pilote met with our 2020 Class Representatives this week and have agreed for the following events to be organised by our community to raise funds for our end of year Picnic on The Green. A reminder that all proceeds from the below events will be put towards this amazing end of year community event. It is therefore important to ensure that these activities are well supported by our community. If you can help in any way in the organisation of any of the below, we would love to hear from you!!! Please contact your respective Class Representative to express your interest. Some of the “jobs on offer” don’t necessarily require you to attend the event and you can contribute from the comfort of your home (ie. putting together some of the Mother’s Day stall packages!!!).

Term 1

Movie Night (date TBA)

Term 2

Mother’s Day Stall (4 to 8 May)

Disco (19 June)

Read-o-Thon (3 July to 28 August)

Term 3

Book Fair (24 to 28 August)

Father’s Day Stall (31 August to 4 September)

Term 4

Picnic on The Green (9 December)

Furthermore, it is important to clearly outline the role of our Class Representatives moving forward. The purpose of the Class Representative is to build a positive community by fostering communication through its members. They provide another means of uniting the school community, enhancing the quality of relationships and channels of communication between teachers, parents and students. The Class Representative should not be sending weekly emails repeating the Blog and school calendar. The School Blog is the single source of clear communication between the school and families. If a Blog message needs further clarification, the update should come from the teacher/School and not the Class Representative.

Finally, we would like to thank the following parents for agreeing to be our 2020 Class Representatives:

PRIMARY INTERHOUSE SWIMMING CARNIVAL – Volunteers Needed!

A reminder that the Primary Interhouse Swimming Carnival will be taking place on Thursday 27 February (Week 4).

A huge thank you to the parents/guardians who have offered their assistance on the day. However, we still require a small number of volunteers to help make this event a success. If you would like to assist at the Primary Swimming Carnival and you are available from 8.45am until 2.45pm on Thursday 27 February, please contact Hannah Uglow at hannah.uglow@ststephens.wa.edu.au ASAP.

We thank you for your support and look forward to seeing your children swim at the 2020 Primary Interhouse Swimming Carnival!

Update your details – Reminder

Please confirm our records of your contact information and your son/daughter’s health details via the link provided or the parent portal. The accuracy and currency of these elements are important to us and essential for our care of your child.

After School Clubs in Week 4

Due to parent-teacher interviews in Week 4, please note that staff will not be running any after school Clubs that week. Thank you for your understanding.

Soccer

SSS Carramar is once again supporting an entry of teams into the 2020 WACFA soccer league.

Matches are held on Saturdays (Terms 2 & 3) and the following teams can be entered:

• u/6 mixed team: Kindy & PP players
• u/8 mixed team: Yr 1 & 2 players
• u/10 mixed team: Yr 3 & 4 players
• u/12 mixed team: Yr 5 & 6 players

Training will be on Tuesday after school (although this may change depending on the availability of the coach).

Cost for the season (including the uniform) is approx $205 – $240 per player.

(Cost excludes shin pads and soccer boots for players)

Expressions of interest can be made via email to Sheel Gor – sheelgor@hotmail.com or Keval Shah – shah_keval@hotmail.com by Thursday 20 February.

Assembly

This week’s assembly will be hosted by 5SI.

Next week’s assembly will be a special assembly in the lead up to our Swimming Carnival.

Book Club

Book Club orders are due Wednesday 19 February 2020

Orders are to be placed through the LOOP online system.

Please note, we do not accept cash orders.