Holy Spirit, Help us to discover the treasure at the heart of the Scriptures,

Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of the Father. Amen

237 SPRING ST, RESERVOIR. 3073 Ph: 9469 3513 Website: www.sgreservoir.catholic.edu.au Email Address:principal@sgreservoir.catholic.edu.au

TERM 2 – Monday June 19th, 2017 Weekly Newsletter No: 2.10

Date Event Time

Wednesday 21st June Snail Trail

Wednesday 21st June Reporting Information

Session

9.00am3.00pm

Thursday 22nd June Middle School Mass

9.00am

Friday 23rd June

Inter School Sports - Senior School

Tuesday 27th June Whole school Assembly

- Hosted by Prep

3.00pm

Wednesday 28th June 3 Way Conferences

12.00pm - 7.30pm

Thursday 29th June Senior School Excursion

to ACMI

Friday 30th June Last Day of Term

Dear Parents, Students and Staff,

I would like to start this week's newsletter by congratulating all of the Year 3 students who celebrated the sacrament of First Communion yesterday. We were blessed with a beautiful day, and all of the students looked outstanding. I would especially like to thanks Mrs Clare Ryan, Mrs Larraine Miller and Mrs Hayley Ellul for their preparation of the children. I would also like to thank Fr Hoctor for celebrating the Sacrament. Please continue to keep these children in your prayers.

At St Gabriel’s the staff work hard to provide a comprehensive assessment and reporting suite. This suite is made up of two written reports for the year, as well as an invitation to attend a mid year “3 Way Conference”. On Wednesday, 28th June, we are holding our 3 Way Conferences. These conferences allow an opportunity for students to assume more responsibility for their own learning. The 3 Way Conference is a collaborative forum where achievements can be celebrated, what is working well can be identified, and opportunities for growth can be discussed.

In preparing for the 3 way conferences and to make the most of the brief time you have with teachers, some things for you to consider to make the most of the conferences: 1. Prepare well. Before the conference, list any questions that you want to raise. 2. Listen to and acknowledge the successes your child shares with you.3. Take notes and clarify information that you don’t understand. “What do you mean by ‘he needs to spend more time reading’...?” Make sure you have a good understanding of the messages your child’s teacher is giving. 4. Be prepared to give an assessment of your child’s performance. You may be asked how you think your child is performing so give an honest, but realistic assessment. 5. Collaboratively discuss how you can support your child if there are any areas that need to be strengthened. Discuss some of the strategies that can be employed to assist your child.

Advance NoticeTerm 2 ends- Friday 30th June - 1.45pm children finish!

Term 3 begins- Monday 17th July - 8.50am

Closure Day 3rd November no longer going ahead - New Date TBC.

If there are any unresolved issues or you wish to discuss your child’s difficulties in greater detail, please consider making another interview time. This is important to ensure we are mindful of those parents who are to follow.

Following the interview discuss the areas or goals that need to be addressed. It is very important to involve children in their learning and taking notice of their ideas plans to assist them in becoming more successful.

If you haven’t already done so, please ensure you log onto www.schoolinterviews.com.au to book your appointment time. Instructions on how to do so are included in this newsletter.

Last week, Clare Ryan, Martine Klaic, Amanda Doody and I met with Craig Carlin, Snez Singh and Bernadette Venables from the Catholic Education Office. Together, we continued the discussions on our School Improvement Plan for 2017 - 2020. We created a timeline on which we outlined all of our suggested actions for the next 4 years, in order to show school improvement. We also created the targets that we would like to achieve over the next 4 years. If you would like to see our timeline and discuss some of the actions we anticipate putting into place, please contact a member of the leadership team.

Finally, I would like to congratulate Robin Arob and Xavier Sirianni who competed in the district Cross Country last wednesday. Both boys ‘Ran like the Wind’ and competed very well. I would like to especially congratulate Xavier who placed 8th and will now continue to represent St Gabriel’s in the Regional Division.Congratulations and well done!

Have a great week.

M M

I've observed some students arriving late to school. We understand that at times, due to circumstances beyond your control (ie unusual traffic congestion), that families may be occasionally late for school. The school day begins at 8:50am and we appreciate the effort that families make to be punctual. If your child is late for school, arriving after 9:00am, they need to be brought into the school office by a parent/guardian. Shortly after 9:00am, the gate in Viola Street will be closed for safety reasons.

Being punctual is important for your child's learning but being late can be disruptive for the remainder of the class. Please support the learning of our students by being on time for school.

2018 PREP ENROLMENTS ARE NOW OPEN! Application forms can be obtained from the school office. Please complete and return the enrolment application form together with Birth, Baptism, Visa (if born overseas) and Immunisation Certificates as soon as possible. Your child needs to be 5 years old by 30th April 2018 to begin Prep in 2018.

School Tours with the principal can be arranged by contacting the school office to make an appointment

Our Annual Report to the School Community has been uploaded onto our website. Please download to read. A hard copy is also available from the office.

ADVANCE NOTICEGrandparents Mass will be held on

Tuesday 25th July 9.00 am.All grandparents (or someone who takes that role in a child’s life) are welcome to attend and spend the morning with us at

school.More details to follow.

Children’s Report: Information sessionDo you want to know more information about your child’s report?On Wednesday 21th June we will offer two information sessions on how to read/interpret your child’s report. The first session will begin at 9.00am and will be repeated at 3.00pm in the Assembly space. The session will go through all the areas of a report and provide you with information about the reports. All parents are welcome to attend.

As parents we are often looking for ideas on how to help our children develop their literacy and numeracy skills, but working out how can be tricky.

The Australian Government has a website that can help with these ideas. The site is called Learning Potential Resources and can be found at http://www.learningpotential.edu.au/

At the recent School Board Meeting, the 2017 student leaders put forward a proposal to name our sport house colours. After endorsement by the staff, School Advisory Board and Fr Hoctor, we formally announce the names of St Gabriel’s four houses. We are retaining the same four colours but adding a name with a strong local connection to each house. The purpose of adding these names is to give the children a long lasting connection to this community so that wherever in the world they make their homes as adults, they will always have a strong sense of belonging to St Gabriel’s Parish Primary School. People benefit from a sense of security and identity.

After much research by our senior school students into the history of St Gabriel’s, led by our Social Justice Captains Jayda and Sienna, and our House Captains Ethan (Red), Joshua (Blue), Alana (Green) and Xavier (Yellow), the four houses were named with the help of the Staff and Fr Hoctor. The four house names are:

Yellow House is now Bushell House. Bushell is named after Sr Marie Therese Bushell. Sr Bushell was one of the first Good Samaritan Sisters to begin at St Gabriel’s in 1930. We have chosen the name to honour one of the first religious sisters to assume responsibility for running St Gabriel’s Parish Primary School.

Red House is now Beattie House. Beattie is named after Mrs. Beattie. Mrs Beattie was a parishioner and teacher at St Gabriel’s who was asked to start a school. Mrs Beattie opened the first St Gabriel’s school in 1929. This name honours the foundress of our school and first principal.

Green House is now Ryan House. Fr Patrick Ryan was the first Parish Priest of St Gabriel’s. He established the parish in 1936. The Original St Gabriel’s wooden church was blessed and opened in 1926 as part of the Parish of Preston, until Fr Ryan established St Gabriel’s as its own parish.

Blue House is now Samaritan House. Samaritan is named after the Sisters of the Good Samaritan. The Sisters of the Good Samaritan assumed responsibility for the school in 1930. The sisters maintained principalship of St Gabriel’s until 1972 when the first lay principal was appointed to the school. A Good Samaritan presence remained in the school until 1995.This name honours all of the Good Samaritan sisters who were affiliated with St Gabriel’s Parish Primary School.

I am grateful to all involved in the creation of new house names. All children will be allocated to one of these four houses. We are now in the process of designing a logo/symbol for each of the houses. Once this is done we will then be able to create house flags.

We will aim to bless and initiate these new house at the celebration of St Gabriel’s Feast Day in October.

What is Parent Engagement? “Parent engagement is an intentional and collaborative strategy by school communities to support and leverage the knowledge, capacities and social capital of families to improve learning and well-being outcomes for all children and young people” (Family, School and Community Partnership Bureau, 2014).

Parent engagement is being positively involved and active in your child’s learning. Your attitudes, values and behaviours can positively influence your child’s education outcomes. We know that parents, families and carers are some of the most important influences on a child’s education. When you are positively engaged in your child’s education, they are more likely to attend and perform better at school. Effective parent and family engagement in education is more than just participation in school meetings and helping with fundraising, it is actively engaging with your child’s learning, both at home and at school. When schools and families work together, children do better and stay in school longer. You can support your child to get the most out of their schooling. The earlier you become engaged, the better it is for your children. Why is parent engagement important? Parent engagement is associated with improvements across a range of indicators, including: better education outcomes enhanced engagement with school work more regular school attendance better behaviour and increased social skills. Parent engagement is one of the four pillars of the Australian Government’s Students First reform agenda for schools. How you can help your child do well at school While it’s important to stay informed and be involved in school activities where possible, there are lots of things you can do at home which can help your child to do better at school: Have high yet achievable expectations of your child. Talk regularly about school and the value of learning. Encourage positive attitudes and respect for school and teachers. Model the behaviours you would like to see in your child. Other things you can do which have also been shown to have a positive impact are to: A. Read out loud with your child and listen to your child read out loud. B. Talk and ask about what they are learning. C. Ask what was and was not fun at school. D. Help them to develop strong work habits. One of the most effective ways parents and families can help children to do better at school is to make sure they go to school every day. School attendance has a major influence on educational outcomes. Students who attend school regularly are more likely to achieve better results at school and are more likely to complete their schooling. Improving Communication between parents and schools Effective communication requires a two-way flow of information. While most schools develop efficient structures for getting information out-such as newsletters, web sites and emails, fewer develop similar structures to ensure that feedback from parents is actively sought. Of course, the use of any strategy must be tailored to the school's population. If families don't have reliable access to the Internet, e-mail won't work. A phone message in English won't communicate much to parents who speak only Spanish. The bottom line for schools is to communicate using strategies that convey what is important in a way that can be heard by parents and families and invites them to respond. Successful parent-involvement programs typically develop in response to a specific need in the school or its community and are both focused and flexible in addressing that need. A strategy that works in one school might not be the best choice for another. Why are we Better Together? We know educational leadership is most effective when it is shared throughout the school - among teachers, parents and students - and is focused on learning, quality teaching and building a collaborative community. We also know that when schools and families collaborate around student learning and well-being, students achieve better outcomes, attend school more regularly and stay on at school longer. Collaborative school communities are stronger communities because they build on local resources and foster social capital. Advisory bodies like boards, councils and parent associations increase the participation and engagement of the school community in young people’s education and as a consequence build collective responsibility for the faith formation, learning and well-being of all young people. We know that the most effective schools seek to affect the communities that affect them. When our school -based decision-making is informed by, and responds to, the needs and aspirations of the community which the school serves we can make better and more respectful decisions. Walk Together in Faith and Knowledge 2 FAITH LEARN LEAD When principals, teachers and parents work together to build a culture of shared leadership and responsibility for student learning and well-being, children do better and schools get better. CONCLUSION Successful parent involvement = the active, ongoing participation of a parent or primary caregiver in the education of his or her child. Parents can demonstrate involvement at home-by reading with their children, helping with homework, and discussing school events-or at school, by attending functions or volunteering in classrooms. Schools with involved parents engage those parents, communicate with them regularly, and incorporate them into the learning process. We know educational leadership is most effective when it is shared throughout the school - among teachers, parents and students - and is focused on learning, quality teaching and building a collaborative community.

Joel Arul, Jesse Commisso, Madelyne Delahunt, Siena Dowsing, James

Laurence, Shelley Luu, Filip Lokas, Stella Morrison, Jaivalee Nieva, Aiden Polastri, Matthew Ragay,

Joseph Stewart

Congratulations to our Year 4 students who made the Sacrament of First Eucharist on Sunday the 18th June. It was a beautiful celebration. The students were very well prepared and excited about marking their faith journey with this important step of initiation into the Church community. We could not be more proud of our Year 3 students and wish them every blessing as they endeavor to live a Eucharistic life. Thank you to all who made the Sacrament a special occasion for the children.

Renewed Religious Education Curriculum

This year the Religious Education

Curriculum has changed for all Catholic

schools in Melbourne.

The Renewed Religious Education

Framework has been developed in

consultation and collaboration with schools

and Catholic Education Melbourne. The

new Religious Education Framework gives

teachers more opportunities to design

learning that brings the richness of Catholic

tradition into dialogue with the world of the

students and contemporary culture. The

new framework is designed to be

interactive and practical and to promote

ongoing learning and faith formation.

Students are challenged with making links

between their life, the lives of others and

the Catholic Tradition. Teachers pose

discussion questions that invite dialogue

and offer opportunities for discernment,

prayer and further learning about the nature

and challenges of faith in today's world.

The framework supports the full flourishing

of all learners as spiritual and religious,

physical and cognitive, social and

emotional beings through Religious

Education. It proposes a learning structure

comprised of: three strands of learning; five

content areas; and the learning progression

including achievement standards. The

three strands are:

● Knowledge and Understanding, i.e. seeking truth

● Reasoning and Responding, i.e. making meaning

● Personal and Communal Engagement, i.e. living story.

These three strands offer lenses through

which the learning descriptors and

achievement standards are presented.

The five content areas work together to

build a network of understanding of the

Catholic Church and its traditions and have

their origins in the To Know, Worship and

Love student texts:

● Scripture and Jesus● Church and Community● God, Religion and Life ● Sacrament, Prayer and Liturgy● Morality and Justice

The achievement standards in the new

framework describe the quality of learning

in the three strands through the elements of

dialogue: the nuance of explanation, the

openness of interpretation and the depth of

self-reflection leading to transformation.

Teachers are accessing students based on

the Renewed Religious Education

Curriculum Framework for the first time this

year. The new framework has enhanced

the rigor and has set higher standards for

our students to work towards. This change

in curriculum and assessment will be

reflected in the Student Reports that are

going home to families later this term.

Student's will be assessed against the new

Achievement Standards and their results

will reflect their ability to independently

achieve the the standards. You may notice

a change in your child's achievement in

Religious Education. Please speak to the

classroom teacher if you have any

concerns about their achievement in

Religious Education.

STEM refers to the learning and teaching of science, technology and mathematics through the engineering process. Students develop their mathematical, scientific and technological knowledge and skills, while learning to be problem solvers and team members. Through the engineering process, students design, create, construct and adapt their own solutions based around a wide variety of real life situations. What is the Engineering Process? Define the problem: working out what the real life problem is and what solutions already exist for the problem? e.g. I need to take enough food camping to feed me for a week but how shall I store it? What food shall we take? Do we have electricity at the camp site? Imagine: Brainstorming ALL possible solutions to the problem, NO MATTER HOW FAR FETCHED. What already exists? Can we improve or adapt them OR design something new? Plan: Sketch, draft, plan and explain how your prototype will work and help to solve the defined problem. This stage might involve experiments, researching the science, technology or mathematical concepts behind the problem e.g. Food science, 3D drawing/shapes, materials used in fridges etc. Most but not all times the process also includes the next 3 steps. Create: Build a prototype of your own solution. With or without the appropriate materials. At times this stage may not happen, this is dependent on the learning intentions, time, resources or other school based factors. If this stage is skipped, the following may be also. Evaluate: "What worked?”, "What did NOT work?", "What might work better?" Improve: Modify your design AND Test your changes out.

St Gabriel’s has just updated our school Emergency Management Plan. It is important for each school to have emergency management procedures in place, should the school find itself in a situation requiring us to either evacuate the classrooms or go into lockdown. The new Emergency Management procedures have been discussed with the staff and students and have also been shared with the School Advisory Board.

As a school, we are also required to practice our Emergency Management Plan once a term, so we are prepared in the event of a real emergency.

If you have any queries, concerns or comments please come and see me.

It is the policy of St Gabriel’s Primary School that all students must wear school uniform. Wearing the correct uniform is in keeping with our aim of developing in our students, a feeling of belonging and a sense of identity. The positive image that the school presents to the community is given high priority. We express our gratitude to all parents/carers for encouraging your child's wearing of school uniform every day.

Galilee School Uniform can be purchased from the school Uniform Shop.The uniform shop is open every Monday from 9.00am.

Uniform requirements:● Students need to wear the correct uniform to school on a daily basis and to and from excursions

unless otherwise stated on a permission note.● If there is a genuine reason for a child to be out of uniform on any particular day, a signed note must

go to the student’s classroom teacher at the start of the day stating the student's name, the date, and the reason for not wearing correct uniform and when the student will return to wearing the correct uniform.

● If a student is out of uniform without a written explanation, a note will be sent home from the school explaining that the student attended school without the correct uniform. If the student continues to attend school, out of uniform without a written explanation, further communication and follow-up will occur.

● Students are currently required to wear the winter uniform to school.

Please note if you are experiencing difficulty in providing the correct school uniform for your child, please see Mr Miatello or Mrs Margot Neilson.

No HOT FOOD this Wednesday. Sausage Sizzle available.

Please increase your vigilance after school. There are a number of children who are running around the church gardens and parish centre car park after school. Spring Street is a particularly busy street, with a large number of vehicles. Please assist the school, in the interests of the students’ safety, by ensuring that you supervise your child or children at all times. The school will not be responsible for supervising students on their journey to and from school or responsible for supervising students who are in the care of their parents after school. Each student's’ journey to and from school is the responsibility of each student's parents or guardians.

Child Protection As per the Department of Education and Communities Policies, we would like to remind you that all parents, caregivers or volunteers who assist in the school in any capacity must have completed a Working With Children Check. THERE IS NO COST FOR VOLUNTEERS. Please log on http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/ at your earliest convenience.

3 Way ConferencesPlease note that Parent /Child/Teacher interviews will be held on:

Wednesday 28th June - 12.00 pm - 7.30 pmDon’t forget to book your online interview.Remember to log onto www.schoolinterviews.com.au and enter the code.

Enter the School Code and press GO

dpj98

Enter your detailsFirst enter your name, your student's name(s), and your email address.

Choose teachersOn the next page, select your child’s teacher and room number.

Choose timesThen you'll see a timetable showing when your chosen teachers are available. Simply click on the times that suit you.

When you have finished, your interview timetable will be emailed to you.If something comes up, you can return to the site and change your interviews whenever you want.

INTERPRETER NEEDED - PLEASE FILL OUT AND RETURN AFTER YOU HAVE BOOKED YOUR TIME ONLINE

Family Name: ______________________________________

Children’s Names:

____________________ Time booked: ______________ Class: ___________ ____________________ Time booked: ______________ Class: ___________ ____________________ Time booked: ______________ Class: ___________

I would like an interpreter ARABIC ⃞ VIETNAMESE ⃞ Other: _____________________________________

Booking interviews is as easy as 1 - 2 - 3:Log onto http://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/

Children's habits By Raising Children Network

Lots of children have habits like nail-biting and thumb-sucking. The good news is that most habits go away by themselves. But if you need to help your child break a habit, here are some practical steps to take.

What are habits? A habit is a behaviour that your child does over and over again, almost without thinking. Often our children’s habits might bother or frustrate us, but usually it’s nothing to worry about. Children’s habits usually involve touching or fiddling with some part of their face or body. Sometimes children are aware of their habits, and sometimes they aren’t. Some common habits in children are:

● sucking a finger, thumb or dummy● biting or picking at nails● twirling and pulling hair● picking their nose or sores● picking at their lips or the insides of their cheeks● chewing objects like pencils and clothing● grinding teeth.

Why do habits start? Habits can be comforting for kids. Sucking is a good example. As toddlers leave behind their baby stage, habits like thumb-sucking can be a way of soothing stress or anxiety. But anxiety isn’t always the reason for children’s habits. Sometimes habits happen because children are bored. That is, the behaviour is just how children entertain themselves. For example, children are actually more likely to bite their nails while watching TV or doing nothing at all than when they’re feeling anxious. Sometimes habits start for practical reasons but keep going when the practical reasons have gone. For example, young children with colds often pick their noses to clear them. Children who keep picking even after they’ve learned to blow their noses probably have habits.

You’re a role model for your child. If you see your child starting a habit, perhaps ask yourself whether it’s one of your own habits. For example, nail-biting might be passed on within a family.

Note: some toddlers seem to get comfort from some common but slightly unusual behaviour, including body-rocking, head-rolling and head-banging. These habits usually disappear by the age of 18 months. Some behaviour might look like a habit but have a medical cause. For example, if a child suddenly starts pulling or hitting an ear and is also cranky, it might be because she has an ear infection or is teething.

Breaking habits: Most habits go away by themselves. But if your child’s habit is getting in the way of everyday activities, has become embarrassing, or is even causing some harm, you might want to take action. For example, sucking thumbs or fingers is normal and common. But your child might be sucking fingers all the time. If this is getting in the way of talking or eating, or your child is being teased by peers because of it, it could be time to break the habit.Some tips for breaking habits

● A gentle reminder can be enough. For example, if your child sucks on a sleeve, you can say, ‘Please don’t chew on your sleeve – it’s a bit yucky’.

● Try to encourage your child to do something else during idle times. For example, you could encourage your child to play with a toy that has moveable parts while watching television. Maybe try a hand game like ‘Incy Wincy Spider’.

● Try to find out why your child is doing the habit, and suggest an alternative. For example, if your child wriggles around when a wee or poo is coming instead of just going to the toilet, you could say, ‘Do you need to go to the toilet? Use your words and tell me’.

● Habits can come in pairs, like sucking a thumb and pulling hair. When you stop the thumb-sucking, the hair-pulling might also stop.

Praise will go a long way towards stopping habits. For example, you can say, ‘That’s great, I can really hear your words clearly when your fingers aren’t in your mouth’.

When to get help for habits: At about three years of age, thumb-sucking and finger-sucking can become a problem for children’s teeth development. If your child is still finger-sucking beyond three years, talk to your pharmacist about using other approaches, like a sticking plaster or a paint-on solution. The solution makes fingers taste yucky. If you’re concerned that your child’s sucking is causing problems, you could see your dentist about using a palate barrier. This device makes it uncomfortable for children to suck thumbs or fingers.

If you think anxiety might be the reason behind a habit, you might need to deal with the cause of the anxiety. Talk to your GP about getting a referral to another health professional. For example, a psychologist can teach your child some simple steps to stop the habit.

Habits in children with disability: Children with disability might have more habits than typically developing children, or habits that are more pronounced. A psychologist or other specialist experienced with disability can help if you’re looking for more information.

Habit or tic? Tics aren’t habits. Tics are muscle spasms that cause jerky movements that seem out of the child’s control. Examples include repeated blinking, face twitches and arm or shoulder jerks. Sometimes tics are caused by conditions like Tourette syndrome or by stress. A child might be able to stop a tic for a short time, but it will come back when the child stops thinking about it. If you feel a tic is distressing for your child, it’s best to seek help from a health care professional. Your GP is always a good place to start.

PARENTS AND FRIENDS NEWS

Only 2 more school days left to bring in your Australian silver coins!

5c, 10c, 20c or 50c pieces

Our Annual St Gabriel’s Snail Trail will take place this Wednesday, following recess

(11.45am). Parents are welcome to come along and support their children.

All classes will have an allocated spot to line up their silver coins.

The class with the longest trail will be presented with the Snail Trail Trophy!

We will be having a sausage sizzle at lunch time. Winning class eats free and gets a free

ice-cream!!

. THIS

WEDNESDAY:

21st June11.45AM IN THE HALL SAUSAGE SIZZLE THIS

WEDNESDAY AT LUNCHTIME!!

Sausage in bread $2.00Vegetarian hamburger $2.00

Winning class eats free!!

N.B There will be no hot food orders on Wed.

2014 Winners: Grade 3RECORD : 88m

2015 Winners: Prep66 meters

2016 Winners: 1/2B 74 meters

Please note: After the winner has been presented we ask that all classes place their money back into their box - as we will bank each classes’ money separately. Thanks for your support :)

WHO

WILL

WIN IN

2017??

2013 Winners: Prep60.5 meters

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS SUPPORTED THE SNAIL TRAIL THIS TERM. GOOD LUCK TO ALL CLASSES!