Kindergarten Curriculum Focus

The start of kindergarten always brings a mix of emotions from parents and students alike. The kindergarten teachers have been busily preparing to set our new students up for success. The successful foundations program is designed to strengthen the process of transition to school in the first five weeks of Kindergarten utilising a strengths-based approach which supports the child's active engagement in play.

Successful Foundations highlights the importance of play for learning and wellbeing as well as child development. The creativity, curiosity, wonderings, reflections and discoveries of children raise the image of the child and celebrate their many capabilities and strengths.

Successful foundations walks hand in hand with our Catholic faith, our commitment to re-imagining childhood and our understanding of transition to school as a time of establishing connections and relationships to eventually develop a sense of belonging for each child and the child’s family.

Welcome Back

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome everyone back to our new school year. 2025 is shaping up to be a very busy year. I will keep you updated on what is happening within the school in regards to faith based events. Our first major school event will be our Beginning School Year Mass to be held on Thursday, February 13th at 10:00am. The school community will come together to open the school year. At this Mass the new school leaders will make their pledges and receive their badges, we will also be welcoming our new students and staff to the school. The mass will be held here at school in the Hall. I look forward to seeing you all there to celebrate our new beginning together.  

Pilgrims of Hope - A Jubilee Year

This year the Church celebrates a Jubilee year. Jubilee years are special years of conversion and grace, marked by prayer, pilgrimage, and sacramental repentance. They are usually celebrated every 25 years, but the Pope can call for them in other years. This is evident as our last Jubilee year was in 2015.

This year Pope Francis has called us to be Pilgrims of Hope.  We are all on a journey, as such we are all pilgrims. We journey towards Jesus with hope and love in our hearts.  This Jubilee Prayer will be taught to the children throughout the school year.

This theme will be shared throughout the year with our school community starting with our Opening School Mass. 

The Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle will launch the Jubilee Year on Sunday 2 March 2025.

Details of the event are:
8:00am Pilgrim Prayer at Nobby’s (Foreshore Park)
8:15am Pilgrimage along the Harbourfront (Honeysuckle)
10:00am Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral
11:00am Festival in the Cathedral Precinct with a Launch of Project Compassion 2025

Families are welcome to attend and participate in the walk as part of our school community. 

Yours in faith,

Miss Michelle Collins

(Religious Education Co-Ordinator)

As we begin another exciting school year, we understand that this time can bring a mix of emotions for both students and parents. We are committed to ensuring a smooth transition and a positive start for all our students. Here are some strategies to help your children navigate the challenges they may face as they return to school: 

Feeling Nervous or Anxious 

Encourage open conversations about their feelings and reassure them that it's okay to feel this way. Remind them of past successes and how they overcame similar feelings before. Practicing relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing or mindfulness, can also be beneficial. 

Staying Focused in Class 

Help your child establish a consistent routine that includes a healthy balance of study and leisure time. Encourage regular breaks during homework sessions and create a quiet, distraction-free study environment at home. Setting specific, achievable goals can also help them stay motivated and focused. 

New Learning Expectations 

Encourage your child to approach new challenges with a positive mindset. Remind them that it's okay to ask questions and seek help when needed. Celebrate their efforts and progress, no matter how small, to build their confidence and resilience. 

Meeting New Teachers and Faces 

Encourage your child to introduce themselves and engage in conversations with new friends. Role-playing social scenarios at home can help them feel more prepared. Remind them that everyone is in the same boat and that forming new friendships takes time. 

We are here to support you and your children every step of the way. Let's work together to make this school year a successful and enjoyable one for everyone. If you have any concerns or need additional support, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. 

Please see below the tips from kids' helpline about starting the school year.

Family life and back to school

We’ve all had a long break from school. Some of you who didn’t get much time off work over the Christmas holidays will still be in a routine, while for others, it may be weeks since you’ve had to get up to an alarm, organize school bags, get kids to bed at a reasonable hour etc. In this week’s wellbeing article, I’d like to share some tips on making “back to school” a little easier. If after using these techniques and strategies, you are having problems with your child whether that be getting to bed, school refusal, not wanting to do their tasks….please feel free to reach out to either your child’s teacher or me directly. We’re here to help as best we can.

· Establishing a routine is so important, especially for younger children and those with a neurodivergent brain. Knowing what comes next and what is expected of them helps kids feel secure. Each day may be different with schedules, but make it as good as you can.

· I know that it can be tempting to push your child about how their day was, but sometimes it’s not helpful. Give them time to process the day first, and then things that may have been a struggle may not be so bad once they have reflected on it and have been given a chance to breath. Many professionals suggest sitting together at dinner and then giving everyone, yourselves included, an opportunity to talk about their day. When my kids were little, this was the most valuable part of the day. Just remember not to push to find out the bad things if none have been mentioned. There may not have been anything, and making a child invent a bad thing or revisit something that is no longer a problem will only cause them to become anxious. On the other hand, if they’ve had a bad day, try to get them to think of something that was good or a moment that made them happy.

· Packing school bags the night before can save time and anxiety in the morning, aside from the lunch box and drink bottle of course. Is everything labelled to save stress at school if something gets lost?

· Getting a good nights sleep is really important. You know what it’s like to be tired. You don’t cope as well as you should, you might be moody, snap at people who don’t deserve it. Kids are the same and not getting enough sleep has also been linked to poor mental healthy, disruptive behaviour and poor growth. Forget 8 hours, that’s for adults. Our children aged between 6 and 12 need between 9 and 11 hours per night. This could be an article in itself, so I’ll leave this point here.

· Don’t be tempted to book your child in to a sport or activity every afternoon. Overscheduling (for most) can cause stress, sleep problems, problems with mental health, decreased academic performance and difficulty focusing. Help your child identify activities that are important to them and schedule some down time, giving them time to relaxe.

· Limit screen time. Did you know that having more than 2 hours screen time a day can cause the brains cortex to thin. This sis the part of the brain responsible for critical thinking, processing information and reasoning. Aside from this, the blue light stops the production of melatonin which is the chemical that helps us sleep. Establish rules, utilize parent locks and a great family rule is that there be no screens in bedrooms at bedtime. Leave them on the kitchen bench. The earlier in the year you give kids these rules, the easier it will be in the future.

· My last point would be to make sure your child has a healthy diet. Having fruit break at school has been a great way to encourage the students to eat fruit. There may be days when you might need to put more packets of processed foods like chips and treats in their lunch boxes, but there are some great healthy lunch box ideas online. I’m sure that just putting it in your search engine will give you a million ideas.

I look forward to working with our families this year.

Mrs March

Pastoral Care Worker