Whitefriars School
Newsletter
8th November, 2017 Term 4, Week 4
Dear Parents,
Education is a lifelong process and we can learn in many ways and many
places. Being at school is only one place for children to learn. Today at
our Assembly Kaylee Kent, our Catholic North West Community
Co-ordinator for Children’s University, addressed our gathering, inviting
our students to participate in the Children’s University program.
In recent years Children's University has been
established to enable children, aged 7 to 14 years of
age, to explore educational opportunities beyond
classroom experiences. Activities can include many
that take place outside of school hours such as sports
practice and games, music, dance, language or art
lessons. Children can visit places such the Zoo, Art
Gallery, various museums and school holiday activities
in the local library. By enrolling in this program
children will be provided with a Passport to Learning in which they
record their learning activities. At the end of Term 3 next year they will
be able to participate in an Award Presentation ceremony at the Adelaide
University to acknowledge their achievements. This year 25 of our
students were awarded, ranging from those who had completed 30 hours
to 330 hours of activities. Children who want to be part of this great
opportunity to further their learning are invited to register their interest
by completing a form which is available at the office. The cost for the
year of joining this program is $27.50.
Volunteers
At our next Assembly we would like to recognise and
thank our Volunteers for the service that they provide
here at Whitefriars School. With over 200 volunteers
we indeed have a very supportive community, and
having a number of grandparents among these is truly
a great gift.
All Volunteers are welcome to our Assembly which will be followed by
morning tea, hosted by some of our Kids Council students.
Books for Filipino Students
Education opens doorways to great opportunities and books allow this to
happen. This week we are inviting families to sort through bookshelves
and bring books which are surplus to requirement to school so that we
can make a presentation to a school in the southern Philippines.
Through this project our community can make a difference to the lives and learning of children in one school.
You may like to take the opportunity to sort through bookshelves.
“God’s love is too deep for words to express.”
(St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, 1870)
For your diary…..
Friday, 10th November - 9.15am Mass, 3/4F & 3/4S (1/2NK, 1/2TK attending)
Tuesday, 14th November - 7pm Hot Topic Parent Session—”Learning with the Future in Mind” (repeat) in the Library Friday, 17th November - 9.15am Mass, Sacramental Students - 2.15pm Liturgy, Year 1/2 Unit in Hall Monday, 20th November - Pupil Free Day Wednesday, 22nd November - 9am Assembly hosted by Reception Unit, Presentation of Volunteers - 7pm, School Board Meeting at Whitefriars Friday, 24th November - 9.15am Mass, 5/6H and 5/6N Thursday, 30th November - 10.30am Reception Liturgy in Hall Friday, 1st December - 9.15am Mass, 3/4BF and 3/4C (1/2C and 1/2W attending)
- 10.30am Reception Liturgy in Hall (Repeat of Liturgy on 30/11) - Carols Night Wednesday, 6th December - 9am Assembly hosted by Year 5/6 Unit Monday, 11th December - Basketball and Netball Tuesday, 12th December - Thanksgiving Mass and Year 7 Graduation Thursday, 14th December— Last day of school - 9am Final Assembly hosted by Specialist Teachers
45 Beaufort Street, Woodville Park, 5011
Phone - 8445 1895 Fax - 8445 1876
Email address: [email protected]
Our website: www.whitefriars.catholic.edu.au
Principal: Ms Mary Hemmings Deputy Principal: Mrs Barbara Ahern
APRIM: Mrs Angela Scodella
OSHC & Vacation Care Phone: 8244 4155 or 0459 988 149
Croydon Park Parish Office Phone: 8346 0944
There will be a Pupil Free Day on MONDAY, 20TH NOVEMBER. The YMCA OSHC service will be available
from 7.30am—6pm on this day.
Please phone 8244 4155 to book.
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REMEMBRANCE DAY
Armistice Day, also known as
Remembrance Day or sometimes Poppy Day,
is commemorated every year on
the 11th November.
On the 11th hour of the 11th day
of the 11th month in 1918,
the guns of the Western Front fell silent
after more than four years of continuous
warfare during the First World War.
On Friday at 11am, the Year 7 students
will be leading a whole school liturgy
marking the importance of this day.
Parent Hot Topic
Due to several requests we will provide a further Hot Topic Session of “Learning with the Future in Mind”.
This will be held on Tuesday, 14th November at 7pm in the Library. A crèche will be provided if there is
sufficient need.
Yours sincerely
Mary
These events are the culmination of our year here at Whitefriars. Therefore it is important that
all children attend. Please inform your child’s teacher if this is not possible.
Friday December 1st
Carols on the Green
Students will present
Christmas songs and dance.
5:30pm: Picnic Tea
6:30pm: Carols begin
Tuesday, December 12th
Thanksgiving
Mass
and Graduation
7:00pm in our Hall
Sacramental Program
Angela Scodella- APRIM
The first parent information meeting will be held on
Wednesday 15th November. At this meeting parents will receive
more information about the program and the Reconciliation
work booklet. Parents can attend either the 9:15am or 7pm meeting and they will both be held in the
Parish Hall at St Margaret Mary’s School. It is essential that at least one parent attends this session. Students are invited to attend
the evening session.
Year 4 RELAT Testing Results
Last term our Year 4 students sat the RELAT test. This test focused on students’ knowledge and
understanding of key concepts that are addressed in the Religious Education Program, the achievement of the outcomes set out in the Religion curriculum, and
the ability of students to communicate this knowledge and understanding about the Catholic tradition. The results from this test will be distributed to
students at the end of this week. The data and results received from this test are designed to give teachers meaningful feedback about the students’
learning and to assist in developing the classroom teaching of Religion.
INSTRUMENTAL AND VOCAL LESSONS 2018
Planning is underway for Instrumental
and Vocal lessons for 2018.
If your child would like to learn:
Please collect an enrolment form from the
office and return ASAP to secure your place.
We have limited vacancies
for each instrument.
If you have any questions,
please contact Danielle Lyons
(If you have previously returned a form and have
NOT heard from the tutor, please complete another form and return
it as soon as possible – thank you.)
Danielle Lyons, Music Teacher
Children’s University
Today we launched a new year for Children’s
University. Registrations are now open. If
your child would like to be involved and has
not yet applied please see Mrs Bileckyj in the
Office for an application. The annual fee is
still just $27.50.
Children's University Adelaide has exciting
learning activities outside of school hours -
before school, at lunchtime, after school or in
the school holidays. Students get to choose
the activities they do, where, when and how
often.
If your child collects enough hours they will
be able to graduate at the University of
Adelaide. They will be presented with a
certificate at a special ceremony, all dressed
up in a cap and gown, just like the older
university students.
If parents/grandparents
have a particular skill
such as knitting, crochet,
art, craft, etc, and would
like to share this gift
with students, we invite
you to come and see
Mrs Bileckyj in the
office and offer your
services. We could start
a club during a lunch
break, perhaps in the
new year.
PIANO
VOICE
VIOLIN
RECORDER
GUITAR
DRUMS
FLUTE
Fred Hollows Humanity Awards
Well done to Georgia Lawson (5/6N) for receiving a
Fred Hollows Humanity Award on Monday 6th November at Parliament House
and to Teagan Dunbar (5/6N) who was presented with her award
by Ms Hemmings at Assembly today.
Fred Hollows was an ordinary person with an
extraordinary dream. He used his skills to restore
sight to thousands of people around the world. He
also believed that Australians have an amazing
ability to care for others and to help those in need.
Mary MacKillop also cared for others and helped
those in need. We at Whitefriars strive to follow
her through our motto, “In all things kindness”.
Well done Georgia and Teagan!
KidsMatter Whitefriars Catholic School is a, “You Can Do It‟ school!
Continuing on from last week, these are a few more suggestions that
Michael Grose, well–known psychologist, puts forward as a way to
support you in your parenting role.
1 Make sure they do something that someone else relies on:
What does your children do that someone else relies on? Do they feed
the dog? Empty the dishwasher? Help their siblings with homework?
Assuming responsibility builds kids’ confidence. We often give
responsibility to kids who we know can carry out the responsibilities
without a hitch, not those who really need it as they sometimes struggle
and won’t do it right.
2 Give them psychological space:
Sometimes we know too much about our children’s lives. Most times we know if they had breakfast, who their
friends are and how their day went at school. All this knowing may keep us in the loop with our kids, but it
can also be suffocating for some children. Children benefit when they have some space from their parents’
attention and best intentions. Space gives them the chance to solve their problems in their own way and
develop their own resourcefulness, which is a fantastic confidence-builder at any age.
3 Ask them to help you:
Nothing displays faith in a child’s abilities like a genuine request for help. Next time you’re about to embark
on an activity (cooking, washing the car, loading the washing machine) ask a child to give you a hand. Even
better, give the total job to your child if it’s practical and timely to do so. Now that’s what I call a show of
faith!
4 Let them teach you something:
When was the last time you asked your child to teach you how to do something? Kids who see themselves as
strugglers can get a boost in confidence when they teach their parents how to do something that they are good
at.
5 Encourage your child to be a generalist:
The years before adolescence have traditionally been seen as a period when children explore various activities
and develop a variety of interests. Essentially it’s the time to be a generalist. Specialisation best happens from
around fourteen years of age when young people start to define their identity (‘I’m into music!’ ‘I’m a sports
nut!’) by the activities they pursue. Children now seem to specialise at a much younger age. This can limit the
options available to them later on. Encourage your child to try a variety of different activities to build a broad
base of competencies and interests that will serve him well in the teenage years.
6 Problem solve together:
While kids need a chance to resolve some of their every day problems – such as managing pesky siblings,
dealing with strict teachers and sharing a workspace at school with peers they don’t like- by themselves, they
can also benefit from sitting down with a parent
and working their way through problems together.
All the aforementioned problems (and many more
besides) could be workshopped so that kids get the
benefit of your wisdom, without you solving their
problems for them.
Kind regards
Kids Matter Team
The following students celebrate their birthdays from the 8th to 14th November:
Leonardo Benedetti, Siyona Biju, Flynn Fitzgerald, Alex Lagana, Georgia Lagana, Andy Ngo, Michael Notarangelo,
Aston Phan and Eva Tolo.
VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS and POLICE CHECKS The Police Check Unit sends reminders to volunteers about expiry dates for police checks. Please
attend to renewal of your police check as soon as possible as they can take up to 8 weeks to come through. (If
you have changed your address since your last check please let the PCU know of the change.)
All volunteers are now required to complete Responding to Abuse and Neglect training. From the
1st November any volunteer who has not completed the training and provided a copy of the cer tificate
is not able to volunteer at Whitefriars School until this is done. We really value our volunteers and look
forward to all completing our requirements so that you can keep providing this great service to our
community. Please call into the office for information about completing the training online if you have not
already done so (or deliver a copy of a current certificate that you have for work, etc).
This term we have been learning about the seasons
and how trees change
throughout the year.
We discussed what
happens in each season of
the year, the features on
the trees and the warm
and cool colours
associated with them.
First, we coloured our tree
with oil pastels, then we
added the features to
each season and finally
paint washed the
AFTER SCHOOL SPORTS NEWS & RESULTS
Basketball and Netball 2018—If your child will be in Years 2—7 in 2018 and would like to play Basketball
or Netball please collect and complete an Information Sheet which is available at the office to register.
(Netball has a venue for 2018 at St Vincent Street, Port Adelaide so teams can now be arranged.)
Forms are required to be filled in and returned to the office. Current and new players are all required to
complete the form.Teams will be arranged by the office staff. Any enquiries should be directed to the office.
Sport Whitefriars Team Score Opposing Team Score
Basketball U9 Whitefriars Lightning
U11 Whitefriars Tigers
U11 Whitefriars Wildcats
U13 Whitefriars Allstars
14
38
26
51
Star of the Sea
St Margaret Mary’s White
St Margaret Mary’s Blue
St Margaret Mary’s
5
14
8
8
Some of the services and events contained in this newsletter are in no way connected with the school and are included
for your information only. Parents/caregivers need to make their own enquiries and assessments about the suitability
of these events and services for their needs and those of their children.
CANTEEN ROSTER - TERM 4, WEEK 3
(If you are able to help please contact Erica or Iris in the Canteen)
Mon—13 Nov Tues—14 Nov Wed—15 Nov Thurs—16 Nov Fri—17 Nov
CANTEEN
CLOSED
Jo Karidis and
Trish Quirk Tina Bodjo Kerry Farrington Denise Harrison
State Chess Finals
Last Monday Gavin Zhang, Luke Marafioti,
Deshawn Ram and Santhosh Sundaram had the
opportunity to compete in the Chess State Finals
as they were in the top four competitors in our
school because they won their lunchtime Thursday
chess games.
We competed against many schools including
Pushkin Russian School, Kidman Park Primary
School, Glenelg Primary School,
Tyndale Christian School,
Burnside Primary School,
Southern Vales Primary School,
Prescott Primary School,
Stradbroke School, Redeemer
Lutheran School and Kings
Baptist School.
Gavin got 6 points, Luke got 5.5
points, Deshawn got 5 points and
Santosh got 4 points.
Our school came 7th place with
20.5 points in total.
Overall we all had a good time
because we experienced playing
chess at a high level.