Welcome to this week's newsletter.

This week I want to update parents an ongoing works on our outdoor learning and play spaces that are progressing through to a long-term vision for the school site. I will do so by once again acknowledging the students who have showed great patience and understanding of the different impacts some of these projects have had on their playground access across this term. We hope we are fast moving towards an extended, more usable space for all.  

Phase 1

As you would know and was mentioned in our first newsletter back, the old demountable on the eastern end of the hall has now been removed, the Chapel and EALD spaces contained within it have been relocated and the grass turf laid in its place has taken hold. The students are also loving the new playground equipment installed in the last holidays and we have installed our Acknowledgement of Country Garden using the Totem Poles recounting Awabakal creation stories. 

Phase 2 

Student may have mentioned the project that has been the focus of works this term in and around the 2 largest trees on the playground, the roots of which had become dangerously exposed and presenting an ongoing hazard navigating the slope down to the playground. The landscaping works about to be completed include sandstone retaining walls, extensive gardens; mulched and planted with natives suited to the condition and a wide, stepped walkway for student access to the lower playground. It is fast becoming a beautiful space that is already enhancing our playground design and will ensure the safety of student movement. We are just waiting for some stepping stones to be installed through the main part of the garden so that students can explore and assist with its maintenance and irrigation.

What next? Phase 3

A number of different projects will be enacted during the holidays and into the first 2 weeks of Term 2. The first being the red and white cubby house (currently cordoned off from use due to it being unsafe), will be replaced with a natural wood shop front and we will create the area surrounding it as a role play cafe style are for interactive play.
We then move to the biggest part of phase 3 for the rehabilitation of the playground spaces. We have engaged Australian Playground sails to repair the existing shades between the Year 3 and Year 2 rooms as well as install new shade structures in the corridor between the Kindergarten and Year 1 rooms. This area has astroturf installed and becomes very hot/unusable in the heat of the sun. Similarly, so too does the astro turfed ampitheatre outside the Kindergarten Classroom (southside). While beautifully landscaped, the heat of the day negates its use for significant amounts of time.

Therefore, Phase 3 of this project will be installation of extensive sails in these areas. This will mean we can open these spaces for different modes of play that students can access during play as well extending the learning spaces into the great outdoors. This will allow us to alleviate the traffic on the lower "fields" and avail them to be rejuvenated in stages because the demand for use will be lessened by access to other play areas. The images below are the current plans and site shots of other installations to give an idea of the end result, minus the coastal beach outlook :-). 

Unrelated but also important to note is the LED light project being rolled out system wide and for our school in these upcoming holidays. All lights within the school will be replaced with LED lights (except for the Hall Lights and the Chapel Lights as these were done in 2023). This will represent greater consistency of lighting throughout the school and a significant economic benefit to the cost of lighting within the school.

Phase 4

The rejuvenation of the playing fields and the options within this will constitute Phase 4 of this project. 

MORE PLAYSPACES TO ACCESS 

As you may have guessed our long term aim is to expand the number of areas open for students for various levels of play and include the following: 

LOWER WEST ZONE	CREATIVE PLAY /  ACTIVE PLAY	New Playground Equipment, Tee Pee, Climbing Rope and Shop Front, Sand Pit, Any Basketball Use
LOWER CENTRAL ZONE	ACTIVE PLAY	Soccer fields (rotational rehabilitation) Hill area, Large Trees and Gardens
LOWER EAST ZONE	ACTIVE PLAY	Grassed Space, COLA and Cement Slab, Creative Play, Tips , Nine Square, Handball etc.
MIDDLE COURTYARDS	PASSIVE and MODIFIED ACTIVE PLAY	MiniCola near Library (Handball), Picnic Tables/ Astro Turphed Areas -  Board Games, Hobbies, Lego Clubs etc,
UPPER COURTYARDS	CREATIVE AND PASSIVE PLAY	Sand Pit,  Play Kitchen, Shaded Grassed Area, Cars, Building blocks, Fairy Garden, Role Play

Propsed Trial of a K- 6 Lunch Break 

To open up these areas, we are trialling a joint lunch period each day so as we can have teachers on the ground to supervise the various spaces. A quick count means we need at least 5 teachers supervisiong across the five areas for the two halves of the lunch break (10 teachers with support from LSAs as well) and we couldn't possibly staff this across two separate lunch times, hence the joining of at least the long break to facilitate supervison. 

The recess break (the shorter one) will remain staggered for now- still allowing students the play with similar aged peers - but it will be using reduced zones because we will have less staff.

The sharing of spaces with K- 6 peers has its benefits but so too does the staggering of those spaces for the shorter session. As Term 2 unfolds, we may or may not, join the second shorter break if the priority to use all areas trumps the benefit of reducing the numbers and age difference of students using a space. We shall see how the trial unfolds.

In short, the bell times will be as follows. 

Obviously this will take some unpacking and explaining for the students and we will begin to do this in the weeks between now and the end of the term so that the trial is ready for the start of Term 2. 

That's all from me this week. Have a great week, 

Jules Mulhearn

LENT: Fasting

The last time I wrote in our newsletter I spoke of Prayer one of the three things the Catholic Church asks us to do during the Lenten Season. This week I will focus on Fasting. In the life of the early church fasting focussed on going without certain kinds of foods or drink. Today the definition of fasting has grown and changed. Lent is more than just “giving something up” and fasting.

In fact, Pope Francis challenges us to think about fasting as something more powerful than we normally consider it, describing it as:

“learning to change our attitude towards others and all of creation, turning away from the temptation to ‘devour’ everything to satisfy our voracity and being ready to suffer for love, which can fill the emptiness of our hearts.”

Fasting helps us to turn away from selfishness toward the light of Christ. We give up something so that others will have more. We fast in order to remind ourselves to change our lives in positive ways.

At school we encourage the children to eat fewer sweets and contribute the money saved to the Project Compassion Box to help others who are hungry. We encourage the children to exchange complaining comments for words of praise to each other.

At home we encourage the children to watch maybe one less television show per week and use this time to help mum                                                                  or dad around the home.

Fasting isn’t only about what you “give up” but what you give in its place. I think this is beautifully summed up in the advice from Pope Francis below.

SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION.

This Thursday 21st March the children from Sugarloaf Parish will come together to make their First Reconciliation. The ceremony will take place at 6:00pm at Holy Cross Church Glendale. All are welcome we ask that you keep the children and their families in your prayers. 

PARISH FAMILY MASS

FUNDRAISING FOR PROJECT COMPASSION

In the lead up to Easter we will be ruunning a guessing competition on a Monday and a Thursday at lunch times. Students are invited to guess how many easter eggs are in our jar. They can "buy" 1 guess for 50c or 3 for $1.00.

Each class also have a Project Compassion Moneybox on their prayer table.  Students are invited to bring in loose change from home to add to their classes Moneybox. Pictured below are Hudson Morre and Boston Rolfe with a GIANT sized Project Compassion Moneybox.

Yours in Faith

Miss Michelle Collins

(Religious Education Co-Ordinator)

Cultural Diversity

Cultural diversity encompasses the variety of cultures, beliefs, and traditions present globally, contributing to a rich tapestry of human experiences and perspectives. By valuing every child's cultural background, we enable them to excel in all facets of life. Nurturing an environment of curiosity, open-mindedness, and respect for all cultures, will to only promote unity but a deeper appreciation of the nuances that distinguish us.

Inclusion is about more than just words; it's about fostering a sense of belonging and acceptance for every child, regardless of their cultural background. When children and adolescents feel seen and valued for who they are, they can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. Valuing and understanding cultural diversity, helps our communities benefit from a wealth of perspectives and experiences, enhancing our collective capacity for empathy and innovation.

As parents and adult carers, instilling an appreciation for cultural diversity is vital to equip young people with the tools they need to navigate an increasingly interconnected world. Through leading by example and showing that kindness and understanding knows no boundaries, we can encourage them to embrace multiculturalism. This will not only prepare young people for personal success, but also for contributing to a world that views diversity as a strength. Through collective efforts, we can help pave the way for a more accepting and vibrant future.

In this edition of SchoolTV, learn how best to embrace and celebrate cultural diversity with your children. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this month’s edition, and we always welcome your feedback.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school wellbeing team for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to our Edition https://edgeworth.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/cultural-diversity-au

Maths Cycle #2

Last week the staff at SBE engaged in our second PLT (professional learning team) meeting for 2024. During this collaborative meeting, the teachers analysed their data from the last maths teaching and learning cycle, celebrating students who showed pleasing growth and identifying any students who had any specific challenges. From this, they planned for the coming weeks ahead, either keeping the same specific maths goal, or setting a new one.

Below are the maths learning goals for each grade for the upcoming teaching and learning cycle.

Return and Earn

You may have seen the RETURN and EARN crates all around school, but do you know what happens to your cans and bottles after we put them the crates?

Well, what happens is that the environmental leaders grab all the crates and put the cans and bottles in a white bag in the Kindergarten backyard. When that bag gets full a truck takes it to be recycled and we earn some money for the school.

You can only put bottles and cans in these crates otherwise we need to look for rubbish before we tip it in the bag. Make sure that only bottles and cans that say 10c can go in these crates.

Edith Watson and Xavier Lovett

Environmental leaders

Following on from our initial group of four students who completed the Premier’s Reading Challenge for 2024, another 14 students have finished the Challenge this week. 

They are:

From 4 BLACK:   Henry Bailey, Lyla Bashford, Jake Dimovski, David Garces Catano, Roman Gulabovski, Kalani Mana, Isaac You

From 5 RED:        Charlotte-Grace Carter, Layla Creek, Lyndsie Kilian, Ivie Oakes

From 6 BLACK:   Aditya Modi, Finn Sharwood, Ethan Smith.

Well done.

Mrs Nicolaidis (PRC Co-Ordinator)

Next meeting Monday 28th March 7pm via Zoom. Link will be sent via compass prior. 

Everybody is welcomed and encouraged to come.

Easter raffle 

Orders close Thursday 21st March

Easter Special 

Orders close Thursday 21st March 

Canteen update

Volunteers for the next fourtnight 

Monday 18th March - N.Dimovoski 

Tuesday 19th March - Closed

Wednesday 20th March -H.Topic 

Thursday 21st March - L.Leigh 

Friday  22nd March - R.Atkins & F.McPherson 

Monday 25th March- C.Smith 

Tuesday 26th March- 

Wednesday 27th March-  F.McPherson 

Thursday 28th March - Easter special only

Friday  29th March- Closed- Good Friday

Along with our canteen supervisor Haley Fenwick.

Congratulations to the following students who were recognised for their efforts in Learning, Improvement and Kindness to Others last week.