Good Afternoon,
It was lovely to have now completed a full week with our students here at the school and to be able to see some great friendships between our students already beginning to form. We are now in full swing and the momentum we are gathering is really positive. A huge thank you to all you are doing as parents to contribute to this supportive community.
Psalm 118:24 This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Last week it was fantastic to see the students adapt to their new classes and routines very well. There is still a lot of excitement around what this year holds and as we look over the next few weeks, there is a lot to be excited about.
You will see that communication has been sent out by the school explaining some of the changes we have been advised to make to restrict the possibility of covid transition within our school. Below we have detailed the three most pressing changes to everyday school life in the primary school.
- Sadly we had to place our multi-year level worship gatherings on hold. These sessions will now be run in the classrooms without parents present. We love welcoming our community to join us at this time and look forward to a time in the future when we can do this again.
- Our Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 parent information sessions will still go ahead. We are very glad that we can continue to hold this meeting. However, can we please ask that students do not attend if at all possible.
- Assemblies at both the ELC and 3-6 will still run but audience attendees will be parents only. We aim to record the assemblies and then show them to the rest of the primary school at a later date.
We will provide more clarity on other events as requires. In the meantime, if you have any queries about any of this please do get in contact
Below you will see some of the key events that are taking place this week. Please check your class blog for more information.
ELC
Tuesday 8 February
Photo day
Friday 11 February
Year 2 Assembly – Parents and Carers from 2K invited to attend this assembly.
3-6
Monday 7 February
Y5 Band demo
Tuesday 8 February
Photo day
Y3&5 Parent Information Evening. Y3 6pm, Y5 6.45pm
Thursday 10 February
Y4&6 Parent Information Evening. Y4 6pm, Y6 6.45pm
We hope you enjoy the rest of the week. Please catch up with your child’s class blog this Friday to see what has been happening in class and any essential information that may be needed for the coming week.
Kind regards
Andrew Johnston & Hannah Lockwood-Jones
Deputy Principals
Hi Parents,
Your invited to pray!
Every Tuesday morning between 8:45am-9:30am our SSS Parent Prayer group is on and all parents are welcome!
This is a great time to meet other parents, have a coffee and pray for our kids and school.
Younger siblings are welcome to come along (we have toys and books available) and you can come straight from Kindy drop at 9.
WHERE: ELC Staff Room
WHEN: 8:45am-9:30am
Please note: if you have any prayer requests and are unable to make it each week, please place them in the prayer box at the ELC reception and we will pray for you.
We look forward to meeting you and praying together for the year ahead!
Sporting Schools opportunity for year 3, 4, 5 and 6 – Free Futsal clinics
St Stephens Primary (yrs. 3 to 6) is registered with the Sporting Schools Organization. Through this initiative, St Stephens will receive Federal Funding to provide extra-curricular sporting activities. When funding is received, opportunities will be presented for some students to participate.
In Term 1 there will be a four session FUTSAL program with a specialist coach. Futsal is football(soccer) that uses a smaller ball and focuses highly on fine ball control skills in a small area. There is no cost to families. Futsal equipment will be provided for each session.
We have booked in the following dates and times: Tuesday 15 Feb 3:15pm – 4:15pm
Tuesday 22 Feb 3:15pm – 4:15pm
Tuesday 2 Mar 3:15pm – 4:15pm
Tuesday 8 Mar 3:15pm – 4:15pm
Unfortunately for these sessions there will be a limit of 30 students.
Please see below for details as to how to register your interest.
TO REGISTER PARTICIPATION REQUEST
- Determine whether you can commit to the four session program
- Do not procrastinate as positions will be filled on a first in first served basis.
- Email me at daniel.parker@ststephens.wa.edu.au and simply state – STUDENT NAME, YEAR GROUP, and INDICATE INTEREST IN FUTSAL CLINICS
DO NOT SIGN UP IF YOU CANNOT COMMIT TO THE FOUR WEEK PROGRAM
*students must display considerate and respectful behaviour to participate.
For All Year Groups
2022 Inter House Swimming Carnival – Friday 11 March – Week 6 – all students in year 3 to 6 participate
Please click on the two links below to find out about the upcoming swimming carnival. The first link contains information that hopefully answers all questions families may have regarding the event. The second link is the online nomination form that allows students to select the races that they wish to be in. I would appreciate nomination completed by Friday 11 February as this will give me adequate time to create the program and get organised. I highly recommend that you read the first link carefully before submitting the nomination form. At this stage there are no COVID restrictions on spectator attendance. Parents, if you are very keen to attend, it may be worth nominating to be a parent helper, as when restrictions were applied last year, parent helpers were given permission to attend.
Link 1 – Information document – https://ststephensschool-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/daniel_parker_ststephens_wa_edu_au/EcxVA2tPk7hMnEyAfRT8IbUBruVYpB2vY1hZ3krJqhp8tw?e=XGRh05
Link 2 – Nomination form – https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=ZganugKCHEaceIPHdcQG2pbM9VjJwMlJgh5EYEB9raRUNVU3SUpGSVJLMlZJOFJRN1BTWTRTVUVTMy4u
*if the links do not work then please copy and paste the link into the URL bar
All Year Groups
Before school Beach Swimming/Fitness and Games – Friday before school, Term 1 at Sorrento Beach
I would like to offer all students the opportunity to participate in early morning fitness sessions before school at Sorrento beach on the south side of Hillarys Marina. These sessions could be a helpful preparation for the swimming carnival on Friday 11 March.
Time: 7:30a to 8a
Activities: 7:30a to 7:45a – beach games, 7:45a to 8a – 50m swim parallel to shoreline and 50m run back to start of swim – continuous for 15 minutes
*there are cold showers and change rooms right above the beach that we will be using
*please note that the number of students swimming in the water will depend on supervision ratios and beach conditions
When: Friday mornings in term 1, beginning in week 1 on Fri 4 Feb.(at this stage, our last session will end on Friday 4 March, however there is a possibility that it will continue on until the end of term 1)
Where: Sorrento Beach – meeting on the beach at life guard tower, south side of marina but north side of Sorrento lifesaving club
Transport: not provided
Supervision: staff will be present to run and monitor activities, however we request that parents and guardians be present for sessions on the beach. Parents are more than welcome to participate or assist in the water(the more supervision, the better)
If your child is interested in participating in these sessions, then please fill in the microsoft form that can be accessed by clicking the link or copying and pasting the link below into the URL bar. Whilst I understand that it may not be possible to attend every session, it’s very important that I get an initial guide as to how many students to expect so that I can plan adequately.
What to wear: generic shorts and shirt for beach games, bathers underneath for swim and school clothes ready for start of school day.
Link for registering interest and attendance – https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=ZganugKCHEaceIPHdcQG2pbM9VjJwMlJgh5EYEB9raRUNzVIQTE5UERORVdaNEJYNVkwOEdWWTBNNS4u
Year 5 and 6 Surfing Lessons
Year 6 – Tuesday 15 Feb to Friday 18 Feb – week 3
Year 5 – Tuesday 22 Feb to Friday 25 Feb – week 4
What a beautiful way to start the year! Making the most of our amazing beaches and having a lot of fun with our new class mates. Please click on the link below to see all of the very important information regarding this fast approaching event.
Year 6 information – https://ststephensschool-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/daniel_parker_ststephens_wa_edu_au/EW1iOfSgqKpBu5j6gOS8ROQBZl6GOtGi6kDWOdHeEzdP5Q?e=qGpNnj
Year 5 information – https://ststephensschool-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/daniel_parker_ststephens_wa_edu_au/EevHlsYltfZBgFXbZunLPn0BEa3c3gce9FKNctqM_6nMKA?e=0hn7my
St Stephen’s Primary – World’s Greatest Shave 2022
There are many worthwhile causes to support throughout the year and this is one that I would like to draw attention to. In 2014, my then three year old daughter was diagnosed with Leukaemia. Thanks to a privileged medical system and God’s mercy, my daughter is now fit and well. She is in her sixth year since treatment finished and her recovery has been very positive.
Throughout that treatment period and even beyond, the support for families dealing with blood cancers has been amazing. Fundraising initiatives like the Greatest Shave helped our family through a difficult time of our lives. We are extremely grateful to all of the selfless people who have generously given to this cause.
To further the cause, I would like to support the World’s Greatest Shave at St Stephen’s School. For those interested in supporting this fundraising effort, these are the details…
- Our Greatest Shave Day will be held on Friday 8 April(last day of term 1)
- Participating on the day can be done in the following ways
- Register online with parent permission (parents please email me at daniel.parker@ststephens.w.aedu.au to express consent), fundraise and then have hair shaved or cut (you must be registered and have sent in parental permission and fundraised to do the shave or cut)(some students like to participate by cutting off their pony tail)
- Don’t register online, but still colour your hair at home or wear a wig and then bring a donation on the day
- Students/staff/parents can support by giving online or registering as a participant at the link below
https://secure.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/registrant/TeamFundraisingPage.aspx?TeamID=135432
*Under the red box saying “donate our team”, in little text it says “or sign up and join our team” – click on that to join.
I am fully aware that there are many worthwhile causes to support, so please do not feel any obligation to give to this fundraising, but of course we welcome it if you are willing and able.
Mr Daniel Parker – Primary PE Specialist at St Stephen’s Duncraig
Music Notes 2022
Welcome back!
Rehearsals for all Ensembles have been postponed for this week due to the health advice issued by the Chief health Officer.
Attached is a rehearsal overview for all Primary Music Ensembles with rehearsal venues and times. There is also a calendar of planned performances for the year. There is also a guide on how to find your child’s Music lesson time.
Most individual instrumental lessons should be starting in week 2.
Using SEQTA Engage to find Music Lessons
If you have any questions, please contact;
Rebecca.thorne@ststephens.wa.edu.au
Sonya.Elek@ststephens.wa.edu.au
Jeanette.Teh@ststephens.wa.edu.au
