Greetings from Camp Rumbug

We are all having lots of fun at camp. The students are super excited to be here and are fully embracing the mud run and canoeing activities. There is lots of talk about the food and what will be on the menu for dinner tonight. 

Homework Parent Survey

Thanks to parents for completing the homework survey. We are gathering feedback from parents, students and staff about homework. The School Advisory Council will work with the school to analyse the feedback and to examine research on the purpose and effectiveness of homework. This work will support our school to review our current homework policy.

Learning Assemblies

This term students and teachers are providing parents and families an opportunity to learn more about the learning in classrooms through showcasing their learning at level learning assemblies. Parents, families and friends are invited to attend level learning assemblies and celebrate with us.

Monday 20 May @ 2:45-3:20pm - Years 3/4DK & 3-4JB

Wednesday 22 May @ 2:30-3:20pm - Year Foundation MH

Monday 27 May @ 2:45-3;20pm - Year 1-2AT

Wednesday 5 June @ 2:45-3:20pm - Year 6-MR

Thursday 6 June @ 2:45- 3:20pm - Year 5-JH

Student Leadership

Our year 6 student leaders and student voice group are doing a fantastic job of leading activities for students to engage in. They have been active in running our school book fair, organising structured games and quiet play activities in the courtyard at recess and lunchtime, encouraging others to be kind by awarding kindness stickers and promoting recycling. Last week our Eco leaders attended The Big Green Conference, where they experienced an array of environment and sustainability ideas presented from schools all over Victoria. Our Arts leaders have begun work with Mrs Renehan, organising and promoting St Cath’s Got Talent.

Confirmation

Next Friday our year 6 Confirmation candidates will visit St Peter’s East Bentleigh to attend mass and meet Bishop Tony, prior to celebrating their Confirmation on Sunday 26 May. The students have been preparing at school for this event with Mrs Moore and Mrs Donlon and last Wednesday participated in a Confirmation reflection day.  They attended the Parish mass with their foundation buddies, presented information about their saint and created some beautiful posters that will be displayed in the church.  We look forward to celebrating with students and families at St Peter’s Church on Sunday.

School Closure Day

There will be no school for students on Friday 7 June. On this day staff will be engaging in professional learning on student wellbeing.

National Sorry Day - Sunday, 26th May

National Sorry Day, officially the National Day of Healing, is an event held annually in Australia on 26 May commemorating the Stolen Generations. It is part of the ongoing efforts towards reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

We will acknowledge this important day as part of our Monday morning gathering on Monday, 27th May. Families are welcome to join us (Asphalt Area after walking club and National Anthem).

Reflection

We pray for your strength and grace to forgive, accept and love one another as you love, forgive and accept us. Give us the courage to acknowledge the realities of our history so that we may build a better future for our nation. Teach us to respect all cultures. Teach us to care for our land and waters.

 Confirmation - Year 6 Students

Holy Spirit, you are the giver of many gifts which God wants to give me personally.

Open my heart and my mind as I prepare for Confirmation.

Help me to know that you are confirming all the goodness that I am, and all the goodness that I will become.

Increase my desire to know and follow Jesus as his disciple with a grateful and courageous heart.

Amen

2024 Confirmation Celebration at St Peter’s church

3pm, Sunday 26th May

 

Bishop Tony Ireland- School Visit 

9:15am - 12:15pm Friday 24th May

Venue: St Peter’s Church (844 Centre Road Bentleigh East)

Parents are asked to drop students at St Peter’s Office at 9.15am and pick them up at 12.15pm and drop them back to St Catherine’s. St Catherine’s staff (Sandra Renehan & Lynda O’Donnell) will meet the students and parents at St Peter’s School Office at 9.15am. Students will return to St Catherine's in time to participate in interschool sport

Eucharist 2024- 10.30am Sunday, 25th August 

All eligible students will celebrate their First Eucharist on Sunday, 25th August.  

Detailed information and an Enrolment Form will be sent home today with your child.

Important dates for your diary:

Eucharist Family Workshop - 6pm Tuesday, 16th July (Learning Hub)

Presentation Mass - 10.30am Sunday, 4th August (St Catherine’s Church)

Eucharist Reflection Day - 9.00am -3.30pm Wednesday, 7th August (Learning Hub)

First Eucharist Mass - 10.30am Sunday, 25th August

Classes attending Parish Mass- 10am Wednesday

Families are welcome to attend.

Wednesday, 29th May- 1/2AT & 5JH

Wednesday, 5th June- 3/4JB & 3/4DK

Wednesday, 12th June- 6MR & FMH

Wednesday, 19th June- 1/2AT & FJH

   

Please contact me by phone or email if you have any questions or require clarification.

Carmel Donlon- Religious Education Leader

Email: carmel.donlon@scmoorabbin.catholic.edu.au

Holy Trinity Parish Bollywood Night

For more information or to book tickets, scan the QR code or click on the image

Parish Bulletin

Click on the below image to catch up on the latest Parish news

Interschool Sport update

For the past few weeks on Friday, we have participated in Interschool sports against other schools. We had two choices - footy or netball, but of course, we chose netball. We try to play in different positions and give ourselves more experience. We played against St Mary’s recently. It was a close game for both teams, but in the end, we managed to win. I think we are ready for the lightning premiership!

By Cameron, 6MR

We cannot be more proud of our team. As a sports leader myself, I can see how much all the students are improving, and understanding so much more about the game of netball. We are only in the second round and I really love playing netball with Ms Patto and Mrs Renehan as they push us out of our comfort zone and try to make us better. We all need teachers like that!

By Bella, 6MR

Foundation

This term in FMH we have been working on listening to others and taking turns when playing and working together. During our literacy, maths and science lessons the students have been working on their collaboration skills to complete tasks. A highlight of their cooperative skills was when they followed a procedure and shared the roles to make and launch their balloon rockets.

We have enjoyed completing our first four TRP (The Resilience Project) lessons. The students have been learning about their emotions. Their favourite game has been Emotional Charades. One of their favourite videos from our lesson on gratitude has been the Kindness Boomerang - "One Day" The discussion after watching this video was inspiring to hear coming from 5 year olds. They have made a class gratitude paper chain where they drew and wrote about a person, place and thing they are grateful for in their lives. They loved sharing with each other.

Year 1/2

In 1/2 AT, we have loved our Resilience Project lessons with Martin. We have learnt a lot about practising gratitude and mindfulness. We have learnt that when we are practising mindfulness, we are taking care of our minds and helping ourselves relax. This term, we have begun body scans and belly breathing exercises. These help us to listen to our bodies and how we are feeling. Belly breathing allows us to feel more calm and ready to learn. 

Here are some reviews by the 1/2 students.

“I like the belly breathing because it helps me feel calm.”

“It makes me feel relaxed and sleepy.”

“The body scan helped me to feel zen.”

“The body scan made me feel very relaxed.”

Year 3/4

In grade 3/4 we have been focussing on the importance of 'mindful vs mind full'. Students have been using 5 minute meditation sessions to help reset themselves after busy learning sessions. This allows them to empty their minds and regain focus. 

Year 5

So far this term in wellbeing, the Year 5 students have continued with The Resilience Project, focusing on gratitude, empathy and mindfulness.

GRATITUDE - Every day before they go home, the Year 5’s take a moment to share one thing that went well for them that day. This is a habit that has been developed since the beginning of the year to instill the importance of gratitude. Additionally, every Friday, students write down the highlight of their week which they put in their gratitude jar. In Year 5 we are learning to appreciate and be thankful for what we have. We have also completed a number of activities which we reflect on and identify everyday things that we are grateful for.

EMPATHY - This year, the year 5 students have had many conversations around the importance of kindness in our lives. We have discussed how kindness is often contagious and the students have been challenged to perform random acts of kindness. The Year 5’s have learned about dopamine (the happy hormone) which is released in our bodies when someone shows kindness to us and when we show kindness to others. We have agreed that the world would be a better place if there was more kindness. We have also recognised the importance of being kinder to ourselves and have identified some positive things we can say to ourselves if we are ever feeling doubt or struggling.

MINDFULNESS - In Year 5, we have had a very busy term so far, so we have spent some time reflecting on how being busy sometimes impacts our ability to be present and to learn. There has been some discussion about how busy times can make us feel overwhelmed and like our brains are overflowing. The Year 5’s have worked on a range of strategies to overcome this feeling including brain dumps (where we write everything on the page that we are thinking or feeling in that moment), doing meditations, going on mindful nature walks, sketching in nature and learning how to take deep, calming, whole body breaths. There are many health and learning benefits of spending a short amount of time each day centring ourselves, clearing our minds and resetting so that we can learn better and be present in the moment.

THE RESILIENCE PROJECT 

By Analia and Zoe

This term we have been learning about ways to be mindful while working through our Resilience Project Journals.

Our most recent lesson was on mindfulness. In this lesson we looked at different tools such as breathing mindfully, listening carefully, learning from experiences, thinking about reactions to different situations and practising kindness and empathy. 

In other lessons we explored gratitude quotes and had a chance to research our favourite quotes. We wrote them in our journals and shared them with our class and had to explain why we picked the ones we did. 

We also explored 20 things we should say more often… our class really enjoyed this! We now have a weekly mood tracker and weekly habit tracker which helps us look back on our week and how we have been feeling and practising gratitude, empathy and mindfulness.

Our class enjoys doing this every Friday.

The year 6 Learning Leaders will be running an activity during lunch/recess in Week 7.

We are in desperate need of wool to be able to do the activity.

Any donations will help. Please leave your donations in the box in the Learning Hub.

Thank you from the Learning Leaders Analia, Zoe and Cam

BIG GREENS CONFERENCE

By Lily Mae and Dylan, Year 6

Last Friday, we both attended the Big Greens conference at Carrum Primary School. Carrum Primary shared their amazing ideas and programs that they have implemented at their school over the years - like their school  goat and chickens, their wetlands, their vegetable garden and cooking program. They have really inspired us on ways we can help the environment here at St Catherine’s. 

Lily Mae - I was really inspired by the many amazing ideas the Carrum students have come up with, and they are only 12! I loved how we were able to listen to each eco leaders’ ideas - which weren’t dissimilar to our own. I left the conference with so many ideas I would like to put in place at school.

Dylan - I was inspired by all the other schools' ideas (there were 13 schools in total), but especially Carrum’s. I loved how they cared for their wetlands and knew so much about the living creatures that inhabited there. We got to look at some of these creatures through a microscope. 

This week all of our classes will be sharing information about the Wellbeing lessons and topics they have covered in class this term. 

Please have a look at the eSafety commission online term 2 topics for parent & carer webinars. These webinars give practical and up to date information in many areas on how to keep our students prepared and safe online. To find more information or to register head to https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/webinars

I have included four new GEM chats that you might like to share with your families over the next 2 weeks. GEM chats give the opportunity for sharing thoughts, emotions and highlights of the day in the areas of gratitude, empathy, mindfulness and emotional literacy.  I’d love to hear from you if you had a chance to use any of the GEM chats at home. 

Calling all magicians, dancers, singers, musicians, athletes & actors…
The St Catherine’s Got Talent Show is back!

Our Arts Leaders George, Manuel & Felicity are super excited to be supporting me to present this wonderful opportunity for students to showcase their talents on stage in front of an audience.

Please remember to check or update your details on Operoo