St Lawrence & Mary Immaculate Parish Balcatta:

Parish Priest: Fr Emil Ciecierega SDS Assistant Priest: Fr Adam Babinski SDS

Every sunrise is a present, a gift from God above, Gift-wrapped with scarlet ribbons and tied with bows of

love. Each is a new beginning, a time to start anew. While all the stars are sleeping, and the rose is fresh with

dew. Each day's a new creation, too lovely to ignore. And we may find a blessing, just outside our door.

We cannot keep the past, like fireflies in a jar. Nor journey to the future by wishing on a star.

Every sunrise is a blessing, a gift for just today.

Rejoice, my friend, embrace it…before it fades away!

Dear Parents & Friends

Inspiring Christ-Centre Leaders

Our wonderful School Board had a very special meeting last night in conjunction with our outstanding

P&F. The purpose of this meeting was to think-tank and to build on our already wonderful community

and enhance participation in events and support families as they grow in the spirit of St Lawrence

Primary.

This event was chaired by Mrs Caroline Narbey who also drove the data collection activities. This was

a very creative evening with many enthusiastic ideas.

Partnerships between parents and teachers are very important as together we support children through

the many activities and experiences at school as well as at home – the following advice support this

important partnership ensuring happy students doing well at school and at home.

St Lawrence Primary School 386 Albert Street Balcatta WA

Telephone: 9344 4944 Fax: 9344 5099 Email: admin@stlawbal.wa.edu.au

Home Page: www.stlawbal.wa.edu.au

Newsletter No. 33 23 October 2019

School Vision Statement The vision of St Lawrence Catholic Primary School, Balcatta

is to share the message of God’s love and friendship in a community of learners, developing the full potential of each child.

Start each day smoothly and peacefully with kind words, smiles and a hug. A child leaving a happy

home starts the day in a happy frame of mind, the best pre-condition for good learning.

Set aside time every day after school to spend with your children, hearing about their day, listening

to what they are saying and paying them your full attention with no interruptions.

Send your children to school with a nutritious breakfast inside them – one that includes protein, fruit

and good carbohydrates. Pack nutritious, healthy and tasty food in their lunch so that they eat it all.

Make sure they get plenty of sleep every night so their brains and bodies can grow.

Use non-aggressive conflict resolution strategies so your children learn by example how to deal

effectively with their anger and frustration with others. Help them learn to share and take their turn.

Place a high value on good manners and respect for others and their property.

Model and teach time management and organisational skills. Use calendars and planners for school

and family life.

Show your love of learning by going with them to the library, to concerts and art galleries. Fill your

home with books.

Talk with respect about teachers. Deal with any issues in private, not in front of your child.

Encourage them to take responsibility for their own learning.

Catholic Schools of Excellence

As part of Catholic Education’s desire to remain an outstanding system and a system of excellence,

“School Climate Surveys” will be instigated across all Catholic Schools. Our survey here will be open

to all parents in the coming weeks. You will receive instructions on how to complete these climate

surveys and information outlining the importance of the data collected from these surveys. All data

collected is confidential and the information collected is used to feedback to school leadership team

the overall culture of the school and identify future areas to focus on. This ensures the school is using

the specific data to continue to strive for excellence across all areas of our endeavours. More

information explaining how to complete the surveys and the data collection, will be presented to all

families over the coming weeks. I strongly request you all take the time to complete these surveys as

the information gained is truly invaluable.

Catholic Pastoral Communities

Our wonderful Parents and Friends committee are eagerly organizing the

forthcoming Quiz Night to be held on Friday 8 November. This is a great

community event and we look forward to seeing many parents, family and

friends attend.

Annual General Meetings

Parents are invited to attend the School Board AGM, immediately followed by the Parents &

Friends AGM on Tuesday 19 November 2019 commencing at 7pm. Nominations are sought for the

School Board and the Parents & Friends Association committee. Nomination forms are available from

the School Office.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the most unique and beautiful aspects of

Catholicism. Jesus Christ, in His abundant love and mercy, established the Sacrament

of Reconciliation, so that we as sinners can obtain forgiveness for our sins and reconcile

with God and the Church. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father

has sent me, even so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and

said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven;

if you retain the sins of any, they are retained’ (John 20:21-23).

I take this opportunity to wish God’s blessings on all the children who are participating

in the preparation for Reconciliation. Our Year Three students have been busy in class

preparing for this Sacrament, which they will receive tonight, Wednesday 23rd October,

for the first time.

Accessible, Affordable and Sustainable

A reminder to all parents to please be vigilant in following the drop off and pick up

rules and the road rules in general when around the school. These rules and

procedures are in place to keep our children safe! Always, always drive slowly and

be on the constant look out when around schools. Your cars are big and our kids are

small. It is also illegal to be on your mobile phone when in command of a vehicle. It

distresses me when I see parents driving through drop off and pick up, on their

phones! I always follow up with the parents and warn them they are breaching road

safety, school policy and disrespecting our children. This simply is never acceptable.

Thank you to all the parents who do the right thing and ensure the safety of our children and all

community members.

2020 School Year If you know that your child/children will not be attending St Lawrence Primary School in 2020, please

complete this form and return to the school office ASAP. This allows us to make offers of placement

to families on our waitlist and finalise arrangements for the new school year.

Child’s name: ______________________________________

Class 2019: ______________________________________

Child’s name: ______________________________________

Class 2019: ______________________________

Name of destination school:_________________________________________________________

Or _______________________________________________

unknown at this stage (circle)

Parent/Guardian__________________________________ Signed: __________________________________

Dated:_________________________________________

God bless each and every one of you.

Sheldon Carey, M Ed, B Ed, Grad Dip

Principal

PASTORAL CARE During October our prayers are focussed on the Rosary

and our devotional practices to Our Lady.

May many people come to know Mary

and see her as a role model of piety and love for all.

Home Learning Tip Home Learning

Tip: Talk! Talk! Talk! • Talk about everyday things as you do them at home – sorting the washing,

setting the dinner table, writing the shopping list. Point out things you see when out in the car,

shopping or walking in the park. Talk about street signs, patterns, numbers on houses or cars, plants

and animals. Play ‘I Spy’ together • It doesn’t matter if children don’t talk back at first, eventually they

will! You can also start to ask questions like ‘which sock goes with this one?’ and ‘how many plates

do we need on the table?’ Older children can then get involved in activities like sorting the washing, or

writing and reading the shopping list.

Tip: Help your child develop social skills. Children learn social skills by mixing with different people

and trying new things with encouragement and praise. • Talk to children about things they need to

learn, ways they should act in different circumstances and what is expected of them when they are at

home or outside of home (e.g. at the shops, at school) • Help build independence, responsibility and

skills for teamwork by involving them in shared family activities like preparing meals, setting the

table, unpacking the shopping • Play team games helping them in taking turns in a game,

understanding rules for a game, and resolving arguments without fighting • Provide encouragement

and praise. Tell them what they are good at. Tell them when you are proud of them. Thank them for

their helpfulness.

PARISH CHILDREN’S LITURGY

Welcome back to Term 4. I hope you all had a great holiday and are ready for the 4th and final term of

the year. The children’s mass will be on Sunday 27th October at 5pm. Please encourage your children

to participate in the reading and the singing. It makes our Sunday mass so much more enjoyable! I will

be away for that week so please approach Mrs Tucker for a reading and if you are able to sing. Please

keep some dates in mind for this term: the end of year party for children will be after the children’s

mass on the 25th November (the final one). We then prepare for Christmas and the Children’s Nativity

Mass on Christmas Eve at 6pm.

Thank you for your constant support and we look forward to a great finish in 2019.

Mrs Toni Mattiaccio toni.mattiaccio@cewa.edu.au

MERIT AWARD WINNERS Pre Primary: Sebastian P, Thomas C, Jordan M.

Year One: Lucy S, Cassie J.

Year Two: Georgia G, Daniel M, Elyssia R.

Year Three: Italia C, Lia DB, Reece S.

Year Four: Adam C, Joshua F, Luka M. Tiana S.

Year Five: Adamo R, Amelia T, Isabella DT.

Year Six: Isabella O, Eliza V, Alissa M, Samantha X.

FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS

RECONCILIATION Please keep our Year Threes in your prayers as they prepare to receive the

Sacrament of Reconciliation this evening.

CLAIRE ORANGE WORKSHOP

On Wednesday 30 October at 9.15am, we will be hosting an information morning with Claire Orange

from BEST Programs 4 Kids. You may have heard Claire speak on ABC radio or have seen

information regarding her work on social media sites. She has a wealth of experience to share with us

and we strongly recommend that parents/carers from PK to Year 2 attend this session. Coffee and tea

will be provided; St Denis parents have also been invited. Please see the flyer included in this

newsletter.

ASSEMBLY

Our Year Sixes will be leading Assembly on Friday morning, everyone is welcome to attend.

EARLY YEARS INFORMATION

On Tuesday 29th October there will be an information evening for 2020 Pre Kindy and Primary

parents at 6.00pm in the classrooms. Please ensure that at least one family member attends this

important information session.

Pre Kindy orientation morning will be on Thursday 31st October from 9.30.

INTERSCHOOL CARNIVAL

Good luck to all students participating in the Interschool Carnival on Monday 28 October. We know

they will do their best and represent our school with pride.

NO NUTS AT ST LAWRENCE

A reminder that our school is a nut friendly zone which means that

students should not bring ANY items of food where the key ingredient is

nuts. This means pastes such a Nutella and peanut butter, raw nuts or

food with nuts as a main ingredient such as muesli bars or chocolate bars

containing nuts. We ask that any of these food not be brought to school

for the safety of students who are allergic to these products. Thank you

for your cooperation.

LOST PROPERTY

Please check that your child’s clothing is clearly labelled and can be identified if lost. There is an

assortment of items in Lost Property and most items are unnamed and therefore cannot be returned to

their owners.

SWIMMING

Swimming lessons for students in Years 1 to 6 will commence on Monday 25

November and conclude on Friday 6 December. The swimming lessons will

take place at Terry Tyzack Aquatic Centre in Inglewood. Information

regarding swimming lessons have been sent home today.

The bus permission slip and enrolment form must be completed and returned

to school by Wednesday 30 October.

Mrs Gabrielle Brennan and Mrs Jacki Tucker,

Assistant Principals

CLASS NEWS

PRE KINDY

Our Pre Kindy days will be busy now with

many fun activities to complete inside and

outside of the classroom.

I am sure you were excited after your Parent

Information Session and the Orientation

yesterday in Kindy with Mrs Wake. Next

year will be a very exciting time for all the

children.

We are happy to have two parents join us on

Thursday afternoons, so please come and

spend some time with us.

We hope that you enjoy sharing the Home

Story Books with your child.

Mrs Kaylene Bozich, Pre Kindy Teacher

KINDERGARTEN

This week we are focusing on letters 'Uu' and

'Bb'. The children enjoyed sharing what they

did in the holidays at Friday’s News Circle.

This Friday the topic for News Circle will be

‘Something from my garden at home…’.

Please practice what your child will say and

we encourage them to bring in something

from home to support their news if they wish

to do so. This week we learn about where rain

comes from and about the weather symbols

we see on Weather Reports.

Next Wednesday 30th October we will be

having a special ‘Rainbow Day’ as we will be

learning about rainbows and how they are

made. On this special day we encourage the

Kindy children to wear rainbow or brightly

coloured clothes, ribbons and/or streamers

when they come to school. We have some

special activities planned this day! We can’t

wait to see everyone dressed in their brightest clothes.

Mrs Rachel Wake, Kindergarten Teacher

PRE PRIMARY

We have had a very busy week and the children have settled in very well. Last Friday was our first

visit to the canteen. The children really enjoyed eating their recess and lunch in the undercover area

and playing in the orchard and on the junior oval.

This Thursday we are very lucky to have Tara O’Leary and Jessica Cole offer to do a little incursion

on Dental Hygiene. We have just about finished our Protective Behaviours program and will move on

the being Sun Smart.

In Religion this week, we have looked at ways we enjoy life and discussed ways Jesus enjoyed life by

doing good things for others and making them happy. The children reflected on the many things we

can do that make others happy as well.

In Mathematics, we are revising the days of the week and sharing some activities that we do on

particular days. We read Commotion in the Ocean and have drawn amazing pictures of sea animals.

We are all very excited about our Cicerello’s excursion which has been booked for the 20th of

November!

Just a few dates to remember:

30th October: Parent workshop. Claire Orange will be presenting in the Hall at 915am.

Coffee and tea will be provided. All parents/grandparents/carers are very

welcome.

6th November: Class Liturgy

20th November: Cicerello’s Excursion

We have a very busy, fun term ahead of us!

Mrs Tania Preston, Pre Primary Teacher

YEAR ONE

The children are all looking forward to our excursion to the Zoo on Tuesday. They will need to wear

their sports uniform and bring a small back pack with their recess and lunch and a bottle of water.

Could all permission slips please be returned by the end of this week.

In Maths we are continuing our focus on Australian money in particular coins and their value. We have

also looked at the Australian animals that are on these coins.

Mrs Gloria Edwards, Year One Teacher

YEAR TWO

Thank you to Mrs O’Leary who visited our class to share

her knowledge about dental hygiene.

Our classmates learned about healthy food for both our

teeth and bodies and how to brush and floss their teeth

correctly. We also saw some of the protective clothing

that the dental staff wear and Mrs O’Leary outlined why

these garments are important for the hygiene of both the

staff and the patients.

We are very grateful that Mrs O’Leary was so generous

with her time and we also received some goody packs so

we can get started on our good dental practices straight

away.

I would be grateful if every child could bring in one washed and unlabelled can and screw top metal

lid for our tinker table. All sizes of cans are welcome such as tomato, soup or tuna cans. Metal screw

top lids like pickle jar lids, relish jars would be great. Again any size would be appreciated.

Thank you.

It has been really pleasing to see the progress that our class members are making with their reading this

term. Please continue to listen to your child read aloud every night and to take the time to talk with

them about the text. Practice makes progress!

Mrs Jacki Tucker, Year Two Teacher

WOW LUNCH RESULTS

Another great win to Kindy, only 3 pieces of rubbish! As always,

the healthiest lunch boxes also contain the least waste. My Year 4

helpers and I are still dismayed to find that some students are

throwing out whole sandwiches, rolls, apples and muesli bars. It

might be worth having a chat with your child about what they are

and aren’t eating at school.

Results: Year Level Total pieces of rubbish

Kindy 3

Pre-Primary 8

Year 1 25

Year 2 14

Year 3 Did not participate due to excursion

Year 4 13

Year 5 21

Year 6 79

Miss Anna Brenkley Year Four Teacher

CLASS REPRESENTATIVE NEWS

YEAR ONE & YEAR THREE

Please join us for a joint catchup for Year 1 & Year 3 families.

Date: Sunday 8th December FROM 11am at Trigg beach play area - Clarko Reserve.

An email, and by messenger, has been sent out to advise each class.

Looking forward to seeing you all there. RSVP Sarah Sabatino 0401 679 403 with any queries.

YEAR FOUR DINNER

Mums, please join us for the final catch up of the year on Friday 15th November at 7pm for dinner.

The venue is still being finalised so we will let you know ASAP. Please let Leah or Antonella know if

you can make it. Thank you.

YEAR FIVE

Having missed out on a function last term, we are hitting the ground running in Term 4. Please join us

at The Camfield in Burswood on Thursday 24th October at 7pm.

RSVP via the WhatsApp chat group by Tuesday 22nd.

Thanks, Michelle and Fiona.

YEAR SIX

Please join us for our final Year 6 mums catch up at Tassels Place Bar & Bistro, Innaloo on

Friday 1 November at 7.00pm. Tassels is a new venue due to open next week, if it does not open on

time, we will advise an alternate venue. Please RSVP to Anita 0407 977 251, Nat 0408 807 467 or

Iole 0402 517 154 by 30 October. Hope to see you all there!

SPORTS NEWS – Interschool Carnival

As I am sure everyone is aware, on Monday 28th October selected students from St Lawrence will be

competing in the NECPSA Interschool Athletics Carnival.

Students who will be representing the school brought a letter home last week. Please ensure this is

returned as soon as possible indicating clearly whether your child will return to school by bus or be

collected by a parent. This will allow me to accurately book the returning buses.

The buses in the morning will leave school at 8.40am at the latest, with the event commencing at

9.15am.

Only competitors will attend the event, except for the Year six class who will all come along to cheer

and take on responsibility roles. The remaining students will stay at school in mixed age group classes.

No leavers shirts. All students will wear school sport uniform with the school hat.

The carnival is being held at WA State Athletics Centre (HBF stadium) off Stephenson Avenue,

Floreat.

I look forward to seeing you all supporting the students and wish everyone the best of luck.

Athletics Training

At 8.10 am, tomorrow morning, 24th October, Mrs Major will be running an athletics training session

for Year Four to Year Six students who are competing in the 400m, circular relay, long jump, and tubo

jav. Reserves for these events are also very welcome to attend.

I understand that this is late notice but it would be great if students can make it. If any parents feel they

could assist with any of these events I would love to see you also. Thank you

Mrs Claire Major, Physical Education Teacher

P&F NEWS

QUIZ NIGHT

A reminder that the quiz night is on Friday 8th November in the

school hall at 7pm.

We will have tables of 8. You are absolutely welcome to just buy a

single ticket and we will put you together with other people with

single tickets.

This is a great opportunity to have some fun, meet other parents

and win some prizes.

We will have drinks and pizza for sale on the night, so grab a

friend, or 7, and come along and have some fun.

Mrs Penny Godfrey, P&F President and Executive

CANTEEN NEWS

THANK YOU to Mandy X for her help on Thursday last week.

Volunteers are still needed for this Friday (Year 1) and Thursday and Friday (Pre Primary) next week.

Please let me know if you can help this term, even for a couple of hours.

Thanks to those who are helping while I’m away. Volunteers are still required for Wednesday 4th

December.

SUMMER MENU Wednesday 30 October will be a Mac N cheese day – Cost $4.

Christmas Raffle

If anyone has any unwanted items they would like to donate for our Christmas Raffle, please let me

know.

Birthday Treats

A reminder of our Birthday treats for the class - Cupcakes $20

Choc chip muffins $20

Icy poles $15

Brownie $15

Today’s Recess

Treats!

St Lawrence Canteen Staff