Term 4 Week 7 Newsletter 2024
Principal's Messages
EAR BUS BRINGS SOUND SUPPORT TO OUR SCHOOL
Last week, we were fortunate to welcome the Hear Our Heart Ear Bus, which provided free hearing tests and ear health checks for our students. We are deeply grateful to the dedicated team behind the Ear Bus Project for their commitment to improving children's hearing health in our community and for making such a positive difference for our students.
KINDER TRANSITION - DAY FOUR
This week marked a delightful conclusion to our Kindergarten transition program, Laurie’s Little Learners. The children impressed everyone with their fine motor skills as they carefully crafted beautiful rainbow clouds and festive Santa faces. Their creativity and attention to detail were truly commendable. During their visit, the children also enjoyed a refreshing fruit break and recess with their buddies, who are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to welcome them to school in 2025. We are excited to see these young learners begin their school journey next year.
FIRST RECONCILIATION CELEBRATIONS
Congratulations to our Year 2 students on receiving the Sacrament of First Reconciliation. This special milestone allows the children to deepen their relationship with Jesus, embracing His love and guidance in their lives. To mark the occasion, Year 2 students celebrated together, enjoying beautifully decorated cupcakes kindly provided by Sweet & Savoury Creations by Virginia. It was a meaningful and joyful day for our Year 2 students.
STUDENTS BRING JOY TO BRACKEN HOUSE RESIDENTS
On the weekend, Year 5 student Brianna, along with her sister Angelina, a former St Laurence's School student now at St John's College, visited Bracken House to brighten the residents' day. The two girls generously volunteered their time to perform a beautiful mix of Sri Lankan and Indian cultural dances, captivating everyone with their vibrant and graceful movements. In addition to dancing, they entertained the residents with their musical talents, further delighting and engaging the audience.
Through their performance, they not only brought joy to the residents but also shared their rich cultural heritage. A big thank you to Brianna and Angelina for sharing their talents, culture, and spreading warmth and happiness to the community! They have been asked to visit regularly once a month, and we are sure their continued contributions will be greatly appreciated.
CANTEEN STOCK RUN-DOWN TO REDUCE WASTE AND SAVE COSTS
As we approach the end of the term, the canteen will be running down its stock to avoid the unnecessary cost of repurchasing food that may go to waste during the holidays. We encourage families to check the availability of items when placing orders, as some options may become limited in the coming weeks. Thank you for your understanding and support in helping us manage resources responsibly.
100, 150, 200 & 250 NIGHTS OF READING SUPERSTARS
More students happy to be checking off 100, 150, 200 and now 250 nights of home reading last week! We love celebrating reading at St Laurence's and encourage our students to develop a love and enthusiasm for reading. When students achieve 100, 150, 200, 250 and 300 nights of Home Reading they are rewarded with a special book prize from my Book Box.
2025 FEE SCHEDULE
Religious Education
Alicia O'Connor - RE Coordinator
Gospel Focus
First Sunday of Advent 2024
This Sunday marks the beginning of Advent, a season of joyful anticipation as we prepare our hearts to celebrate the birth of Jesus. In the Gospel of Luke (21:25-28, 34-36), Jesus speaks of signs in the heavens and calls us to remain vigilant and prayerful, ready for His coming. Advent reminds us not only of Jesus’ birth but also of His promise to come again. As we light the first candle on the Advent wreath, let it symbolise hope—the hope that Christ brings to our lives and the world. Let us spend this season watching, praying, and welcoming His presence into our hearts and our community.
Sacramental Program
The final event in our 2024 Sacramental Calendar took place recently and was celebrated with cupcakes in Year 2, marking the conclusion of another meaningful year. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to our Parish Sacramental Coordinator, Mrs. Rosie Hosking, for her tireless dedication and support throughout the year across all sacraments.
A special thank you also goes to Fr. Greg and Fr. Nam, our Parish Priests, for their guidance and leadership. I would also like to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of our staff, who have generously given their time and energy to ensure these significant milestones for our students were a success.
Lastly, I want to extend my thanks to our wonderful parents and incredible students for their enthusiastic participation in the sacramental program. We are truly fortunate to belong to such a vibrant and faith-filled community.
Vinnies Hampers
Our annual Vinnies Hampers for 2024 is now underway! Each year, we invite students and their families to contribute items that will be used to create Christmas Food Hampers for those in our local community who may be facing challenges this festive season.
Please ensure all items are sent in by Monday the 2nd of December (Week 8).
Thank you for your generosity and support in spreading Christmas joy to those in need.
Term 4 Events
| Week 8 | Christmas Hamper items are due back. Hampers will be made up this week. THANKYOU! (Monday 2nd of December) |
| Week 8 | Year 5 and Kinder Charity - Coins 4 Santa Sacks (Wednesday 4th of December) |
| Week 9 | Assembly and Catherine McAuley Awards (Friday 13th of December) |
| Week 9 | End of the Year Graduation Mass at St Laurence's Church |
MASS TIMES: St. Brigid’s: Saturday - 6:00pm, Sunday - 9:00am and Sunday - 6:00pm.
St. Laurence’s Church: Sunday - 7:30am
Sports
A PERFECT 100! AKSHERA FLIPS TO GOLD IN GYMNASTICS
We are thrilled to celebrate Akshera from Year 3, who recently competed in the PCYC Gymnastics State Championships in Sydney. Competing in Level 1, Akshera achieved an incredible perfect score of 100 points, earning herself a well-deserved gold medal! This outstanding achievement reflects her hard work, dedication, and exceptional talent. Well done, Akshera - we are all so proud of you!
Music/Band
Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)
As part of our ongoing commitment to Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) each class spends time reviewing and learning about the expectations in specific areas. The focus can be developed from feedback and data. This week our focus is student device usage.
Being respectful when using a device means:
- We follow the teachers instructions
- We speak kindly to others when we are communicating on the devices
Being responsible when using a device means:
- We use the device correctly
- We carry the device carefully
- We use the device allocated to us
- We return the device for charging in the correct location
- We let a teacher know if our device is damaged or not working properly
- We only use appropriate words and pictures online
- We talk to a teacher or a trusted adult if we feel uncomfortable or unsafe online
- We talk to the teacher or a trusted adult if we see others doing the wrong thing online
- We ask a teacher if we are unsure about something online
Being safe when using a device means:
- We protect our privacy and the privacy of others
- We only download or change settings with an adult’s permission
Library
Canteen
Thank you to our wonderful parent helpers who have heard our call for help and put their hands up to volunteer on Friday's in our school canteen.
The roster for Term 4 is available by clicking the link below: CANTEEN VOLUNTEERS ROSTER - TERM 4 2024
Helping in the canteen involves serving students at the canteen window, helping sort and organise the lunch orders, cooking food for lunch orders, washing up and cleaning up.
Our meal break times are:
Recess 10:50 - 11:10am;
Infants Lunch 12:40 - 1:20pm;
Primary Lunch 1:10 - 1:50pm.
Any assistance will be much appreciated to ensure our canteen is able to continue functioning for our students.
Dates to remember
Birthdays
Curriculum Corner - Year 6
Year 6 has explored the perfect combination of nature and reading. It was a beautiful morning to unpack rich literature in a shared reading experience.
