Web: www.stmartinscarina.qld.edu.au Email: [email protected] Absentee Line: (07) 3900 9166
PO Box 37 Phone: (07) 3900 9100
Carina QLD 4152 Fax: (07) 3843 0065
15 November 2017 – Term 4, Week 7
OFFICE HOURS - 8.00am – 3.30pm UNIFORM SHOP – TUESDAYS 8.15am – 9.15am & THURSDAYS 2.30pm – 3.30pm SCHOOL HOURS – 8.30am – 2.50pm TUCKSHOP – WEDNESDAY - FRIDAY FINANCE HOURS – 8.00am – 3.30pm BANKING – TUESDAYS
(with the exception of every second Thursday)
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Dear Parents & Carers,
We had great start to the week with our choirs entertaining our community followed by our Year 5 and Italian program students presenting the story of Befana.
As we approach the end of the school year, it is an opportune time to remember the importance of gratitude. As it’s said, “An attitude of gratitude brings altitude” and lifts our consciousness. We can get so focused on problems—personal and global—that we forget about all the wonderful things in our lives and in the world. Just thinking about what we should be grateful for can enrich our lives. Research shows that just a few minutes of feeling gratitude can calm the nervous system as it creates a resonant state in which the rhythms of the heart, breathing, blood pressure and brain are synchronized. This is a very simple reflection to help us be grateful for the positive things in our lives: For the gift of life itself and health and well-being, For the love and support of my friends and family, For the kindness of strangers, For the natural beauty I see all around me - mountains, rivers, trees, For the spiritual wisdom I’ve gained from many teachers and books, For the courage of social activists protecting our rights and our environment, For the laughter of children reminding me to play more often, For the strength I’ve gained from difficulties and hardships, For the opportunities I’ve had to serve and make the world a better place.
Thank you God for everything! Adapted from Corinne McLaughlin 2007 St Martin’s Community Council The St Martin’s Community Council gathered last night for the final meeting of the year. During this meeting, the members of the Community Council reviewed and approved the 2018 school budget and 2018 fee schedule. I thank the members of the 2017 Community Council for their wisdom, insight and support in 2017, especially with decisions relating to the future development of the school, updating of the school crest as well as changes to the school sports uniform. I am particularly grateful to Matt Schultz and David Di Felice who completed their terms last night.
DATE CLAIMERS
Community Council and P&F
planning meeting – Tuesday
14th November 6-9pm
Before School Mass – Thursday
16th November 7:45am
Senior Choir Azure Blue Visit –
Friday 17th November 9am
Christmas Concert – Tuesday 21st
November 6pm
Year 5 Wet N Wild Excursion –
Wednesday 22nd November
Year 6 Graduation – Tuesday
28th November 6.30pm
Meet the Teacher day
Wednesday 29th November
1.45pm
Last Day of School - Friday 1st
December 12 noon
First day of School 2018 –
Tuesday 23rd January
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2018 Fees & Levies The 2018 fees and levies schedule is attached with today’s newsletter. In 2018, school fees will increase by approximately 1% (or $11 for a single child family per year) and levies will remain at 2017 rates. This slight increase in fees will allow the school to meet its financial commitments and maintain a sustainable budget. In 2018, The P&F levy has been set at $100 and as this is the primary means of raising funds it is an expectation that families will pay this levy in order to continue the great work of the P&F next year. Families wanting to set up a direct debit payment option for 2018 should return the direct debit or recurrent credit card payment forms as soon as possible to the Finance Office. 2018 Staffing update Staffing for 2018 is currently being finalised and I plan to announce class teachers in the newsletter next week once this process is completed. St Martin’s will have a number of staff changes in 2018 which include:
Mrs Trish Want will be resigning from her teaching position at the end of 2017. Trish has been on leave this year;
Ms Loredana Brinis (Italian Teacher) will be remaining in her current role, working with Education Queensland completing a project writing Italian curriculum documents. Mrs Enza Camuglia has been appointed in an ongoing capacity teaching Italian at St Martin’s;
Mr Nathan Jacobs and Miss Kellie Klinge have been seconded to teach in other BCE schools in 2018. Nathan will be teaching at St Eugene College, Burpengary and Kellie will be teaching at Mary Immaculate School, Annerley;
Mrs Imelda Holt (Music teacher) will be accessing some well-earned Long Service Leave in Terms 1 & 2 next year and Mrs Berny Power will be teaching Music and Drama during this time;
Miss Emily Maslin will teach HPE at St Martin’s in 2018. Emily is a familiar face at our school through her work in a relief-teaching capacity, particularly in the area of HPE;
Ms Vanessa Stephens will return from leave in 2018 and Mrs Therese Lucchi has been seconded to teach at St Martin’s in 2018. Therese is currently teaching at St Pius School, Banyo;
Miss Hannah Freestone has been appointed to a teaching position at St Ita’s School, Dutton Park;
Miss Amelia Duffy will complete her current contract at St Martin’s at the end of this year;
Mrs Jacinta Igoe and Mrs Liz Smith will be taking leave in 2018. I wish staff members who are leaving the school at the end of the year my best wishes for their new beginnings in 2018 and look forward to acknowledging and thanking each of these teachers for their contribution to St Martin’s before the end of the school year. I also offer a very warm welcome to the staff who will join our community next year. Christmas Concert Our students and staff are looking forward to sharing their musical talent our annual Christmas Concert in the Dominic Centre on Tuesday 21st November commencing at 6:00pm. State Election – for your consideration
Best wishes for the week ahead,
Geoff Sullivan (Principal)
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FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
Medication at School As the year draws to a close, we remind you that all medication that is held at school, will be sent home on the last day of school. Please arrange to collect your child’s medication before school closes at 12 noon on Friday the 1st of December. Please return any medication that is to be held at school in the new year. The school office will be open from Monday the 15th of January. If you can drop the medication in prior to the students returning, this would ensure that all medication and procedures are up to date, in time for the children to start school. New Procedures in the First Aid Room We have new procedures for recording any first aid treatment that is administered here at school. Traditionally we have sent home a pink slip if your child visited the first aid room for treatment. These pink notes will no longer becoming home, but be assured all treatment is still recorded here at school.
Report Cards Term 4 This term, your child’s Report Card will be uploaded to the Parent Portal. Parents will be able to access the Report Card using your individual log on, allowing you to view the report and other assessment information such as IMEL and NAPLAN data. The Parent Portal provides a ‘one stop shop’ that allows you to view information about your child’s schooling and also keep in contact with us with regards to your contact details and attendance of your child. This newsletter entry is to remind you of the importance of ensuring you have registered and logged into the Parent Portal so that you will have access to the Report Card when it is issued on Wednesday the 29th November at 3pm. Please see attached information on how to log in to the Parent Portal. If you have trouble, please email [email protected] with a screenshot image of your problem. We strongly recommend you download the BCE Connect app, so that all notifications come directly to your smart phone. Promotional Photos Viewing Parents of the children who recently took part in the promotional photos are welcome to a viewing on Wednesday 29th November at 9am in the Dominic Centre.
Kylie Anderson Assistant Principal Administration
FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL RELIGIOUS EDUCATION REMINDER- BEFORE SCHOOL MASS 7:45 AM THURSDAY 16TH NOVEMBER A reminder that all students and families are warmly invited to join us for mass at 7:45 am before school tomorrow. Thank you to those students who have offered to take part in the ministries. It is because of your help that tomorrow morning will be a lovely celebration.
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Christmas Star Concert A reminder that all students and families are warmly invited to be a part of a celebration of faith and fun at our annual Christmas Concert in the Dominic Centre on Tuesday 21st November commencing at 6pm. The concert will be led by religious songwriter and singer, John Burland and will involve performances from each year level of the songs that they prepare with him during workshops at school throughout Tuesday. All students will be required to sit with their year level group on the evening and are invited to wear ‘Christmas colours’ on the night. Parents and families are welcome to find a seat at the back of the Dominic Centre, or outside in the staff carpark area (which we be closed off to all cars on the night). Whether you are sitting inside or outside, we ask you to please be respectful of John, the narrators, and the class groups when they are singing and/or speaking. Where possible, we are also asking that children remain seated with their year level groups for the duration of the concert. St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal Last week, we launched our annual St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal. This is an opportunity to reach out to those in need in our community in the Carina area. The local St Vincent de Paul, with the help of the St Martin’s Community, would like to bring this group of people happiness, kindness and support at Christmas time. We can do this with love in action by providing a Christmas hamper. Each class has been assigned a family from the local Carina area who is in need. It has been wonderful to witness love in action through the spirit of giving as class hampers start to be filled with items. As each class is working to create a Christmas hamper full of goodies to help a family enjoy Christmas, here are some items that you may like to consider to include:
Christmas foods that can be shared during the Christmas period (non-perishable items)
Everyday foods: Breakfast cereal, long life milk, tea, coffee, milo, pasta, tinned fruit, snack foods etc.
Small gifts: Books, colouring in books, felt pens, crayons, activity books, craft activities, etc.
‘Good’ second hand reading material
Also, consider ‘back to school’ items as well, as these are also appreciated. The appeal will continue until Friday, 24 November, 2017 with hampers then being delivered to SVDP Carina. 2017 End of Year Mass – Friday 1st December 10.30am
The last day of the 2017 school year will conclude with our school community gathering in the church for our End of
Year Mass. This will give us the opportunity to reflect and give thanks for all the special times of 2017 and bid
farewell to all those who are leaving us. All families are welcome to join us in the church at 10.30am on Friday 1st
December for this special mass. On this day, school concludes at 12pm.
From the Parish: 5.30pm Children’s Mass – Our Lady of Graces
The next Children’s Mass is this Sunday evening 19 November. If your child would like to take part in ministries
(reading, collections, bringing up the gifts or handing out newsletters), please be prepared to come to Mass about
half an hour early, so that we may help your child become familiar with their ministry. To register your child for a
task (ministry) go to www.schoolinterviews.com.au, enter code Lur6g and follow the prompts.
Chloe Adams Acting Assistant Principal Religious Education
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ST MARTIN’S SCHOOL-WIDE EXPECTATIONS
Respect for Self
Respect for Others
Respect for Learning
Respect for Property and Place We show respect by speaking and acting with courtesy. We treat others with dignity and
honour the rules of our family, school and nation. Respect yourself, and others will respect
you.
SCHOOL FEES
Term 4 Fee Statements were issued Friday October 13. Due date for payment was Friday October 27. Thank you to those parents who have made their payment. As there are less than 3 weeks left in the school year, parents who have not made their payment are requested to do so immediately. SCHEDULE OF FEES AND LEVIES FOR ST MARTIN’S IN 2018
St Martin’s, like other schools, charges fees and levies to support quality teaching and learning of students. Each year we are faced with increased costs making it necessary for the school to increase fees. For 2018, there will be an overall increase in fees of approximately 1%. For your information, the School Fee Policy and School Fee Schedule for 2018 are attached to this newsletter. If parents would like to establish automatic Direct Debit or Credit Card payments in 2018, the relevant authority forms are also attached. Forms are also available from the office and in the Finance area of the Parent Portal. As always if you have any questions or concerns or you are unable to make an immediate payment, please contact me either via email at [email protected] or by phone on 3900 9102.
Karen Merrin Finance Secretary
SPORTS NEWS
State Relay Swimming Championships
The state relay championships were held last Friday down at Sleeman Sports Complex, Old Cleveland Rd,
Chandler.
Congratulations to our teams who finished second in every single race! This was a fantastic experience
filled with many learning opportunities.
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Thank you to Miss Adams and Mrs Mellon for getting up super early twice a week for many, many weeks to
coach our team. We also appreciate how the team was given the opportunity to be trained multiple times
by a nationally recognised swim coach.
Is your ‘Go St Martins’ poster circle in the image? If your poster is spotted in the crowd please come a see
me to receive a cool surprise!
Congratulations St Martins!
Nathan Jacobs HPE Teacher
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ITALIANO @ ST MARTIN’S
Buongiorno tutti,
I would like to say GRAZIE to the large number of the St Martins community who came to see their children
perform at the ’Natale' assembly on Monday. It was an absolute pleasure to see all the hard work of the
year 5 Italian students being put into practice. I was very proud of every single student and hope that they
have enjoyed learning Italiano this year as much as I have enjoyed teaching them.
This week all students will be busy continuing to learn about Natale in Italia and the year 6 students will be
especially busy as they will be making their mosaic masterpieces.
FINALLY, please don't forget that the St Martins Community Presepio Project is well underway. Grazie to
those students who have already contributed to our project and I look forward to seeing many more
wonderful creations this week. Remember ‘drop off’ days are Wednesdays or Thursdays at lunch breaks
and this week will be the LAST WEEK before we start classroom walk throughs.
Signora Enza Italian Teacher
OSHC NEWS
Last day of school As school finishes at 12.00pm on Friday 1 Dec we are offering an extended ASC session at the Nyrang St campus for all grades. Forms are currently available at either service or call 3398 7757 for a copy. Please note, this is a separate booking, and all normal ASC places for this day have been cancelled Vacation Care Bookings are now open for 5 weeks of the upcoming vacation period. Forms have been emailed to current families or can be obtained by emailing [email protected] Please note that Vacation Care places cannot be confirmed until Term Fees are paid in full. 2018 Bookings We are currently processing places for 2018. Please note that the Junior service will be closed from Friday 1 Dec until the first day of Term 2018. To secure places for 2018, forms need to be returned by Friday 24 November. If you have any questions regarding Junior bookings please call Lee 3398 7180 or
Lee Gazzard Coordinator
Our Place Junior Outside School Hours Care
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TUCKSHOP LAST DAY OF TUCKSHOP FOR THIS YEAR WILL BE NEXT FRIDAY, 24th NOVEMBER
Tuckshop will operate from Wednesday to Friday each week (3 days) in 2017 Orders for Tuckshop are to be made via the Flexischools ordering system. TUCKSHOP
Just a few facts to share about tuckshop: You have until 8.00am each day to place your order on flexi-schools. All food is of the highest standard and prepared fresh every day with the exception of Sushi which is prepared off site. Please spread the word that we are in desperate need of volunteers. Please register at www.carebookings.com.au Code 67QDF Lots of points are on offer and it’s a busy but happy atmosphere.
Volunteers please sign in and out at the office.
Please wear hair tied back and closed in shoes.
Michelle Lewis (0402 917151) [email protected]
UNIFORM SHOP
Opening Hours Tuesday 8.15am - 9.15am AND Thursday 2.30pm - 3.30pm Uniform Shop is located on the ground floor, behind the statue of St. Martin.
Please note that senior shirts for 2018 students are now available for pre-purchase on Flexischools, to be delivered and presented to year 6
students next year.
Only the shirts purchased by you will be ordered so please consider carefully whether you would like 1 or 2 shirts for your child.
Current Grade 5 students were involved in the process of selecting the design of the shirt and were given sample sizes to try. If they are still unsure of size, the samples are in the grade 5 classrooms.
SENIORS 2018
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New shirts are now in stock and are available for $35.00
Our new style microfiber sports shorts are now in stock for $30.
Please note older style sports shirts are still available in sizes 4, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 & 20 and are ON SALE for $13.00
Older style sports shorts are still available in all sizes except size 6 and are ON SALE for $15
Girls will now have the option of wearing the check blouse and culottes from Prep through to Year 6. The check dress can still be worn for girls from Years 3 to 6. Delivery of Uniform Shop orders placed on Flexi-schools - Orders made any time from Thursday 2.30pm until Monday 12.00am (midnight), will be packed for you when the shop is open on Tuesday morning. Items will be sent home with your child in the satchel either the same day or the following day. If you order any time from Tuesday 8.00am until Thursday 2.30pm, orders will be packed for you when the shop is open on Thursday afternoon. Items will be sent home with your child in the satchel either the same day or the following day. Uniform Shop open hours are Tuesday 8.15am - 9.15am AND Thursday 2.30pm - 3.30pm. The Uniform Shop is located on the ground floor, behind the statue of St. Martin. PLEASE LABEL ALL UNIFORMS, LUNCH BOXES AND DRINK BOTTLES WITH YOUR CHILD’S NAME SO THAT IF AN ITEM IS MISPLACED, IT CAN BE RETURNED TO ITS OWNER.
Michelle Lewis (0402 917151) [email protected]
Uniform Shop Convenor - 3900 9127 (school)
BANKING
LAST WEEK FOR BANKING Next Tuesday 21st November will be the last day for student banking for this year. School banking will resume Week 2 of Term 1 2018.
Elena Power School Banking Coordinator
0407 764 864
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P & F NEWS
P&F POSITON VACANT: 2018 Class Convenor Coordinator
The Class Convenor Coordinator role involves improving the communication between the P&F, St Martin’s parents,
friends, students and teachers.
A brief description of the role…..
Set up email communication between you and the individual class convenors.
Help encourage convenors to send out correspondence to encourage participation/support within each class for P&F
initiatives e.g. call out for volunteers for events etc
Remind families about key school events so all students will to be able to participate, eg. reminders about sports days,
or gold coin donation days.
Monitor the St Martin’s year level group Facebook pages
Liase with the P&F committee to strengthen communication links between school and parents
Encourage class convenors to organise social functions for all classes, both at school and outside of school if desired.
Support all class convenors throughout the year
Organise 1 meeting per term with class convenors.
Organise end of year Class Convenor lunch or dinner to celebrate achievements.
There will be a full handover provided by Emma-Jane Harrison and training provided if requested.
If you would like more information please contact Matthew Bloxsom at
BUSINESS DIRECTORY
If you are looking for a local business with a connection to our school and the community, please check our school website and look at our new St Martin’s Community Business Directory. You can also register your business on the directory by emailing our P&F email address at [email protected]
Facebook is a fantastic way for the P&F to deliver news and important reminders within our school community. Please ‘like’ the page, and also make sure you join our private Facebook year level GROUP pages. These pages were specifically set up for all parents and carers in each year level to share important information and plan social events. If you cannot find the individual page links, please email us and we will help you. The P&F Facebook page link is below… www.facebook.com/stmartinscarinapandf
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PPP POINTS - (Parent Participation Plan - CAREBOOKINGS)
Please don’t forget to regularly log on to the carebookings website to volunteer for Tuckshop, Uniform shop, Banking, Working Bees, Grandparent’s Day etc. There are many ways to earn your 100 points (100 volunteer points per year, per family is the goal). More choices will be added every week so keep checking if you cannot see your chosen event roster. Thanks so much!! Instructions below: - 1. Go to the website www.carebookings.com.au 2. Enter the St Martin's School booking code: 67QDF…. and click Go. 3. Click on your name or follow the prompts to enter your details. 4. Select a date and time from the roster and click Go. 5. A green highlighted tick will now be showing against the date and time you selected.
FAMILY CARE COORDINATORS
If you are a St Martin's family that is currently experiencing hardship due to a loss,
serious illness or family crisis, please email our “P&F Family Care team”.
We care deeply for all St Martin's families and would like you all to know that we are here for you if a situation arises that causes your family significant stress. We hope St Martin’s families feel that they can email our team when they need help. Our 2017 co-
ordinators are Jen Foreman and Petrina Brown, and they will take appropriate action depending on each individual situation and offer you non-judgemental, confidential support. Email: - [email protected]