St Lawrence & Mary Immaculate Parish Balcatta:

Parish Priest: Fr Emil Ciecierega SDS Assistant Priest: Fr Leonard Macionczyk SDS

Dear Parents & Friends

October is the month of the Rosary. We are encouraged to spend time in prayer each day, the Rosary is a

great prayer to focus our attention, to express our gratitude and to place our intercessions before God.

Current scholarship traces the development of the Rosary to the High Middle Ages period. The month of

October each year is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary. This is primarily due to the fact that the

liturgical feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated annually on October 7. It was instituted to honour

the Blessed Virgin Mary in gratitude for the protection that she gives the Church in answer to the praying

of the Rosary by the faithful.

The feast was introduced by Pope St. Pius V (1504-1572) in the year 1571 to commemorate the

miraculous victory of the Christian forces in the Battle of Lepanto on October 7, 1571. The pope

attributed more to the "arms" of the Rosary than the power of cannons and the valour of the soldiers who

fought there.

Legend tells us that the Rosary as a form of prayer was given to St. Dominic (1170- 1221) by Mary, the

Mother of Our Lord, who entrusted it to him as an aid in the conflicts with the Albigensians. The

Dominican pope, St. Pius V, did much to further the spread of the Rosary and it thereafter became one of

the most popular devotions in Christendom.

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. 31 10 October 2018

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.

Learning is what we do-we are committed to learning at every level

On Monday 8 October our staff had a day of Professional Development. The main focus for our staff was

reviewing our longitudinal data and beginning planning for our 2019 Annual School Improvement Plan

(ASIP) processes and documentation creation. Staff worked under the guiding hand of Mrs Brennan who

had diligently summarised our whole school data over the last five years. By interrogating our data we

can pin point our strengths, identify any challenge areas and detect potential trends. This enables us as a

staff to target our pedagogical endeavours to maximise their potential impact. I was very impressed not

only with Mrs Brennan’s presentation of our data and the skilful manner in which she lead staff through

their interrogation of the data, but also the diligence and enthusiasm all our staff demonstrated towards

the task at hand. We will continue to work through this critical task and begin to create our learning

strategic direction for 2019 over the course of this term. I personally enjoy this aspect of my job very

much and find great challenge in looking at school data and using it to shape future direction, progress

and achievement. One of the key and fundamental aspects of a school principal’s job is being pivot in

planning the learning direction of a school and empowering staff to maximise achievement of learning

objectives and targets.

NAPLAN results will be sent home today. I have also sent a personal letter out with all children receiving

these results. It is imperative we all understand exactly what benchmark testing is and how the data

should be viewed. They make up only one very small component of feedback on a child’s learning and

are not indicative of all aspects and domains of learning. I would like the children, their families, friends

and teachers to remember that these tests are unable to measure all of what it is that makes each child a

valued person and a gift from God. The people who have created these tests and those that mark them do

not know your children as well as your teachers know them, to the extent to which I know you know them

and certainly not the way your family and friends know them. In all my years employing teachers and

staff in Catholic Schools I have never once asked a potential employee to articulate what they achieved in

their Year Three NAPLAN! Yes, there is value in the data harvested from the tests when applied

perspicaciously. Please contact your teachers if you would like any further clarification on the

information received.

Engagement is essential-we are committed to Catholic Education’s mission through

relationships with all

Don’t sweat the small stuff:

In recent years I find parents tend to worry more and more about their children (kid’s behaviour, learning,

friendships, confidence levels) that they shouldn’t really be concerned about. In many cases, maturity will

solve the vast majority of these matters.

Also, for many kids a problem today will be forgotten tomorrow, yet we adults tend to hang on longer to

those same problems… long after the child has forgotten about them.

I cannot advise you about what you should worry about as a parent. That is your prerogative. But there

are certainly many times when we as the adults need to stand back and let the child process the situation,

reflect for themselves and attempt to build their own way forward. The following is a very brief list that

pertain to behaviours that are normal and certainly what we would expect of a child.

1. a child’s misbehaviour fits into the normal behavioural range. Working out what’s normal is a

challenge for inexperienced parents. But all children’s misbehaviour is part of growing up.

2. a child is moving from one stage to the next. Kids get ‘kinder mouth’; boys can give mum a hard-time

at five and again in early adolescence; some girls develop an ‘attitude’ at seven, and again at thirteen;

boys vocabularies shrink to three words in early teens; and fourteen-year-old girls will often have little

time for their dads. These behaviours are indicative of different stages of development. Annoying yes, but

not always worrying!

3. a child is displaying an independent streak. Sometimes kids put their foot down and say: “NO! I’m not

trying at that sport or activity anymore because I don’t enjoy it”. They are no longer willing to

unquestioningly do the things that you want them to do because you think those things are good for them.

A show of independence is usually a healthy thing, although it can be difficult for parents to swallow.

4. a child struggles periodically at school, either socially or academically. The ups and downs of growing

up mean that children don’t always learn on an even trajectory. They have good years and bad years at

school. They also have good years and bad years socially. That is, they have years where they sit next to

their best friends and have a ball. And other years finding and keeping friends can be a little tougher.

Helping kids ride the lows and the highs is part of the parenting job. Sometimes we worry at the first sign

of a problem. Time and children themselves solve many problems when they get the chance.

If in doubt, talk honestly and openly with some trusted parents, preferably with some experience. Also

talk with your child’s teachers who generally have had more experience of children of your child’s age

group than you do.

We all worry as parents. It’s a worry being a parent. But it doesn’t always have to be! Complied with reference to Michael Gross and taken from Parentingideas.com

2019 PARENT NIGHT

On Thursday 18 October there will be an information evening for 2019 Pre Kindy, Kindergarten and

Pre Primary parents, as follows:

Pre Kindy, Kindy & Pre Primary 6.00pm to 7.30pm in the school hall.

Please ensure that at least one family member attends this important information session.

Accountability is not optional - we have a personal and collective responsibility for our

system’s success

SCHOOL UNIFORMS

Thank you to all our boys and girls who come to school every day in their correct school uniform. This is

one way to express our school pride and develop a greater sense of community. I thank the parents for

supporting our school and ensuring you are following our uniform policy. If students are correctly

presented and well-groomed a feeling of self-pride is also enhanced. All of these conditions help students

to maximise their learning potential. Thank you and keep up the great efforts.

Warm weather approaching!

Hydrating:

Water is an essential nutrient for life, needed for many processes in the body. The body constantly loses

water through the skin and lungs. Active children may become dehydrated more easily than adults, so it is

important to replace fluids regularly throughout the school day. Plain water should be the most commonly

consumed drink, as it provides fluid without any kilojoules. Having a water bottle at school allows the

students to access it during class and stay hydrated.

Sun Safety

Slip Slop Slap:

We advise students to apply sunscreen in the mornings before they come to school and require all

students to wear their School Hat when they are outside, to protect them from the hot Australian sun. The

school policy is NO HAT, NO PLAY.

Please provide your child with a correct school hat, so that the children can play happily and stay

protected.

Pre Primary

Sports Uniform:

A reminder to all parents that as of January 2019 it will be compulsory for children in Pre Primary to

wear sports uniform every day to school. Further details have already been articulated in previous

newsletters. Please see Mrs Miola, School Uniform Manager, if you require further details.

Discipleship is our calling- we are committed to deepening our relationship with Jesus

Parish Bishop’s Visitation

Every 5-6 years parishes are visited by one of the bishops of the Archdiocese of Perth. This year the

Canonical Visitation will take place in our parish on Friday 12 to Sunday 14 October.

Bishop Don Sproxton will be warmly welcomed to our school when he visits us on Friday 12 October.

Sacrament of Reconciliation

On Wednesday 24 October students in Year Three will receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the

first time. Please keep these students in your prayers and thoughts as they receive this special sacrament.

For prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God.

Saint Teresa of Avila

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 Story-telling is a great way to extend your child’s language and

listening skills, as well as expanding their imagination. Either you can

tell the story, or encourage your child to tell the story.

Story-telling might be about:

. A favourite character from a book or television program.

. Another family member.

. Your child’s favourite toy.

Here are some tips to start your storytelling:

. Make it exciting, with different voices, puppets, props or a finger play.

. Start with what interests your child.

. Create a character and setting.

Enjoy these rich opportunities to come together as a family. Make it a special time when

all can be present and participate, either telling a story or actively listening.

FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS

WELCOME BACK

We hope all members of the St Lawrence Community had a relaxing and refreshing break. It was great to

see all the children return to school in their summer uniforms.

RECONCILIATION Tonight there will be family workshops, for our Year 3 children and their

parents/caregivers at 5.30pm and 7pm, in the school hall. Our Year 3 students

will also participate in a reconciliation retreat on Wednesday 17 October, and

will receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time on Wednesday

24 October at 6.30pm. Please keep our Year 3 students in your prayers.

ASSEMBLY

There will be an assembly this Friday at 8:40am in the undercover area. Merit awards will be handed out

at this assembly.

INTERSCHOOL ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

The Interschool Carnival will be held on Tuesday 23 October. Mrs Major will send out further

information regarding this carnival.

MONTH OF OCTOBER

During the month of October we dedicate our prayers to Our

Spiritual Mother Mary. For the month of October a class will

be presenting a decade of the rosary at lunch line up to

remember Mary. Please pray the Hail Mary with your families

throughout this month.

Mrs Gabrielle Brennan and Mrs Jacki Tucker, Assistant Principals

CLASS NEWS

PRE KINDY

Well it is Term 4 already and it is going to be exciting! Hopefully everyone had a fantastic relaxing

holiday. We will start with the focus ALL ABOUT FUN! I remind you that we have a new roster on our

pin-up and would love to have you share some time with us. We welcome two parents to share our

afternoons with us. A reminder to keep providing those yummy healthy snacks and lunches. Book

change is tomorrow. It will be a great term.

Mrs Kaylene Bozich, Pre Kindy Teacher

KINDERGARTEN

Welcome back to all the parents and children in Kindy! I hope the holidays were relaxing and everyone is

refreshed and ready for the last term of the year. We have a busy but exciting nine weeks ahead. We have

begun our focus on ‘The Weather’ and this week we planted our own grass seeds. We really want to focus

on writing names so every morning the children will trace over the dotted line and will now have a go at

writing the letters in their names on the black line. We are revising letters Ff Ll Oo and Gg this week.

Next week the sounds we are focusing are 'Uu' and 'Bb'. For news this term we will be doing a News

Circle on Fridays. Children will be given a chance to discuss the topic of the week. This week's topic is

'Something they did on the holidays'. They can bring in an object to use or a photo or picture to help

them. The focus is to talk about what, when, where and who?

We counted the weather themed objects We searched for numbers on our weather mats

to make our own special weather stew

We planted grass seeds and drew pictures We made sunshine names. We are learning about letter

of our plants in our Seed to Plant Journal and how we can use letters to make big and small words. We counted how many letters there are in our names.

Some of our Kindy friends have lots of letters in their

name!

Mrs Rachel Wake, Kindergarten Teacher

PRE PRIMARY

I would like to welcome all the families and students of St Lawrence back for the start of Term Four.

I truly hope all the students and families had time to relax and spend lots of quality time together over the

school holidays.

This term in Pre-Primary we will be learning about Australia. This week we have enjoyed the story

Wombat Stew and I have many more amazing books that will guide our classroom learning.

This week we have sent home Home Readers. Please read this book with your child 3-4 times a week and

don’t forgot to read to your child as well every night. Mrs Laura Talbott, Pre-Primary Teacher

YEAR ONE

Welcome back to Term 4. I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday break. It is hard to believe that this will

be our last term together in Year One. Where has the time gone? The children have settled back

beautifully into class routines and are keen to continue their learning. It was great to see so many of the

children read during the holiday. Thank you parents for your continued support. We are enjoying

learning about coins in Maths and looking at the importance of animals in Aboriginal Art. We look

forward to seeing more Aboriginal Art and creating our own Art Work when we visit the Art Gallery of

Western Australia next Friday, October 19th. Permission slips came home yesterday. Thank you to all

parents who have already returned these. Please remember that if you are able to help with Morning

Reading. We would love to have you hear our reading. Have a great week.

Mrs Roselyn Pizzino, Year One Teacher

YEAR TWO

A big welcome back to all of our families, I hope that you had a wonderful break with your children.

Our class members have returned eager to learn and have settled back into our routines quickly. This

week we have been reading The Day The Crayons Quit which is about a box of crayons who write letters

to their owner to share their feelings about a variety of issues. We will be using this text to learn about

using commas to write lists and to begin exploring persuasive writing. One of the activities that has been

set on Seesaw has a read aloud of the text if you would like to share the story with your child at home.

During our Art and English lessons, we created salt dough Australian animals, we researched and wrote a

report about these animals and used recycled materials to create a safe home for them to shelter in. Some

of our creations are shown below, our reports will be posted on Seesaw soon.

Our unit of work for Religion is Joining Our Lord’s Meal and we will be learning about how God’s

family gather to celebrate the Eucharist.

I am looking forward to working with you to make this next nine weeks a happy and fruitful time for your

child.

Mrs Jacki Tucker, Year Two Teacher

YEAR THREE

The children have settled into Term 4 beautifully. Beginning next Monday if you are able to listen to a

group of children read in the morning that would be great. This should take about 10 minutes between

8.30am and 8.50am. See you all at the Reconciliation Workshop tonight at either 5.30pm or 7pm.

Mrs Marie Heavey, Year Three Teacher

YEAR FOUR

The Year Four class have had a great start to the term in the school hall. The students have settled well

into their new classroom and are ready for the busy term ahead. The children enjoyed a STEM challenge

yesterday to create a mini parachute. It was wonderful to see the creative thinking, problem solving and

team work. This week we have been learning about the Rosary and our Mother Mary. The students have

enjoyed writing about their holidays and completing their PowerPoint presentations on Caritas.

Miss Emma Reid, Year Four Teacher

YEAR FIVE

We are getting used to our new location in the Library in preparation for the school building project. I

hope you had a good look through your son/daughter’s Assessment book over the holidays. We have

begun reading Pinocchio for our class novel and will be comparing and contrasting aspects of the book to

the Disney DVD over the next few weeks. We will be working hard to be ready for the Interschool

Sports Carnival on Tuesday, 23rd October – can we possibly hope to do as well as last year? I hope so.

Ballroom dancing will commence for the Year Five students on Friday, 26th October and culminate in an

evening of Ballroom dancing with students from Balcatta Primary School on Monday 3rd December.

Mr Phil Haydon, Year Five Teacher

YEAR SIX

The Year 6 class are back for another action-packed term! Hopefully you made time to sit with your child

and review assessments completed last term. We are working on students taking a little more personal

responsibility for their learning as they transition to high school. This Term in HASS our focus will be

geography, in particular the continent of Asia. In Mathematics we have started our unit on probability –

linking fractions, decimals and percentages to possible outcomes. In English we are working on a

narrative piece that relates to the text ‘Sister Heart’. If students could bring in an old magazine on Friday

for our art lesson it would be much appreciated!

Miss Anna Brenkley, Year Six Teacher

CLASS REP NEWS

YEAR THREE

Year 3 Family Picnic- Sunday, 25th November 2018, please come and have lunch with everyone to

celebrate another beneficial year as a team!!

Where: Kings Park near Zamia Café, May Drive. We will be positioned close to the children’s play

equipment. Time: 11.00am. Send an email if you can join the celebrations!

Emma- mickemfaz@iinet.net.au

MERIT AWARD WINNERS Pre Primary: Carmelo A, Milana C, Zavier P, Nicholas M.

Year One: Julian M, Miles O, John P.

Year Two: Italia C, Ruby T, Makayla M, Darcy K.

Year Three: Daniel R.B, Sanaa H, Aliza A, Adam C.

Year Four: Sienna F, Luciano M, Anthony L.

Year Five: Bianca V, Amy S, Lorenzo M, Jacob K.

Year Six: Jazelle F, Sienna A, Daniel D, Grace G, Monique T.

UNIFORM SHOP NEWS

Welcome back to all families.

STUDENTS IN PRE-PRIMARY 2019

Commencing in 2019, all students in Pre-Primary will be required to wear a uniform.

The sports uniform which is currently worn for students in Year 1 to Year 6, will be available for

purchase for Pre-Primary students in 2019. The uniform will be compulsory to wear each day. Order

forms will be available this term, and will list all uniform requirements and prices.

Orders will then be packed when order is placed with the uniform shop, and will be ready for collection

before the end of Term 4 (early December). Payment will be required at collection and uniform ready

for commencement in February 2019.

An email will be sent to all Kindy parents with further information.

SUMMER UNIFORM

Year 1 to Year 6 students return back in Term 4 & Term 1 (2019) in Summer Uniform.

Please ensure correct uniform is worn (Please refer to the School’s Uniform Policy)

Girl's summer dresses need to be at correct length (below knee).

Hair tied with light blue/white hair ties (Jo-Jo bows are not acceptable)

and red/gold hair ties for sport days.

Correct school/sport socks should be worn with black school shoes and

all black sport shoes (no white on shoes)

Boy's blue shirt tucked in (St Lawrence) Grey Shorts

UNIFORM SHOP OPENING TIMES

Wednesday 8.30am to 9.30am and Thursday 2.30pm to 3.30pm

Mrs Angie Miola, Uniform Shop Manager

SCHOOL BANKING NEWS

School Banking - New Coordinator Required

Unfortunately due to work commitments we are in need of a new School Banking Coordinator to

commence in the 2019 school year.

This role takes an hour of your time one morning a week and you will get the help from our lovely

volunteers Nicole, Katia and Jasenka. The day is flexible to change according to your needs.

If you are interested in fulfilling this role please contact Leanna Rigoli on 0417 176 045 and we can

organise training during Term 4.

Parents please note that if you are interested in opening a bank account for your child, please follow the

link below, or come and have a chat with us on Thursday morning in the Learning Centre.

https://www.commbank.com.au/personal/kids/school-banking.html

Thank you, Leanna Rigoli, School Banking Coordinator

LIBRARY NEWS

This week, the children will be receiving the last book club brochures for the year.

These orders should be back at school by next Tuesday, 16th October.

If any of your orders are intended to be Christmas presents, we are happy to keep

them here in the library for you to collect, just make a note of this on your order form.

Mrs Jane Stanton, Teacher Librarian

CANTEEN NEWS

Welcome back to Term 4!

CONGRATULATIONS

To Adele Cirillo and Custodia Di Trento on winning the family passes to Shrek Jr

the Musical.

We hope you enjoyed it and thanks to Marina Del Basso of APAN for donating

the tickets!

THANK YOU

Jesenka Mannino for her help last week of Term Three and a big thanks to Fran Caccamo, Laura Russo

and Antonella Crupi for helping to clean up on the last day of term.

SPECIALS FOR FRIDAY RECESS

Nachos $1

Fried Rice $1

Half Cheeseburger $2

Fruit Slushie $1.50

Christina Russo, Canteen Manager

Frances Caccamo and Antonella Crupi, Assistants

COMMUNITY NEWS

SERVITE COLLEGE – Welcomes You

Servite College will be holding our Orientation Day on Monday 5 November 2018 for

students commencing in Year 7 2019.This is an exceptional day that provides students

with the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the College campus, meet new friends

and teachers and enjoy the spirit of our Servite community. At the end of the day we

know students will leave feeling relaxed, comfortable and excited about transitioning

from Primary School to Secondary School next year. Servite College looks forward to

our future Year 7 2019 students joining us for this special day and becoming part of our

Servite community.

Should any family still be seeking a place for Year 7 2019, please contact our College Registrar, Mrs Kris

Moore or Enrolment Officer, Mrs Patricia Buys on 9444 6333 or email: enrolment@servite.wa.edu.au,

who will be more than happy to assist you.

FATHERING PROJECT Fathering Project Bowling Afternoon

A reminder that payment and numbers attending is required at the school office as soon as possible.

See below for all information required.