Term 1 Week 4
From the Principal
This week, we came together as a school community with a prayer celebration for Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent. Lent is an important season in the Church, a 40-day period of prayer and preparation for Easter. Pope Francis, in his 2024 Lenten message, says, “It is a time to act, and in Lent, to act also means to pause. To pause in prayer, in order to receive the word of God, to pause like the Samaritan in the presence of a wounded brother or sister.”
One of the ways we will be preparing for Easter at Holy Name School is by engaging in some Project Compassion service-learning initiatives. On Sunday, Mrs Manthey, Mrs McAllister and I attended the launch of Project Compassion at St Patrick’s Cathedral with our School Captains, Ava and Ella, and our Service Learning Captain, Anet. We look forward to learning more about Project Compassion and engaging in the initiatives led by Mrs McAllister and the Mini Vinnies group.
Student Protection Contacts
The Holy Name School Student Protection Contacts attended their annual training on Wednesday. Miss Tilly Hose and Mrs Phyllis Melville, along with myself and Mr Chris Byrne (our school counsellor) are important contacts for our students to come to if they are experiencing any concerns. The poster below is on display throughout the school and all classes will engage in targeted lessons on protective behaviours including aspects of the Daniel Morcombe Curriculum. It is important that our students know where to go for help and I encourage families to have discussions at home and ask the children who their 5 safe people are.
Working Together
The following link is to the Toowoomba Catholic Schools document – working together. This outlines the way the school and families can work together to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our children. Working Together If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the school for further information.
Staffing updates
All families will have received a communication earlier this week about an upcoming change to the teaching staff. We are currently undergoing a recruitment process and will inform the community as soon as we possibly can.
Parent Information Night / Welcome BBQ
We are looking forward to gathering as a community this evening. Parent Information sessions will be held in the classrooms with the Year 2 teachers presenting together, and the Year 3 teachers presenting together. Teachers will be staying after the final session (from 6pm to 6:15 pm) so that parents with more than two children at the school can meet with all the class teachers and get information about the year ahead.
Whilst the information sessions are on for parents, all students will be supervised by Mrs Manthey, Mrs Street and myself in the MEAC for a disco. Students will be signed in and out by their parents for their safety and no students will be allowed out onto the oval or playground during this time. Thank you for supporting us to ensure the safety of your children at this event.
Thank you to the members of the P&F who have organised the BBQ and disco for the families at no cost. The BBQ will be served from 5pm in the MEAC.
Leadership Forum
Next week, I am absent from school from Monday to Thursday to attend the Principal’s Leadership Forum. This forum is an important opportunity for professional learning and collaboration between myself and my principal colleagues and Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office support staff. During my absence, Mrs Manthey will deputize.
Best wishes for the fortnight ahead.
God Bless.
Lisa Cavanagh
Principal
APRE News
As we journey through the year, we find ourselves approaching a significant period in the Christian calendar: Lent. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, Lent is a time of reflection, self-examination, and spiritual growth. It is a period of 40 days, leading up to Easter Sunday, symbolising the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness.
During this season we are called to enter more deeply into the mystery of Jesus’ suffering, death and Resurrection at Easter by reflecting on where we have failed to love God, our neighbour and ourselves and to seek ways to heal what is broken. Alongside this reflection, we commit more fully to prayer, fasting and almsgiving. One such way is through the annual Caritas Australia Project Compassion Appeal. Donations to Project Compassion allow Caritas Australia, the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development, to work with local communities around the world to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity. Each classroom has a Project Compassion donation box. Please give generously to Caritas Australia this Lenten season and help vulnerable people around the world, now and for all future generations.
Blessings.
Kerri-Ann Manthey
Prayer
God who walks with us, be our guide this Lent.
Sustain us in our fasting, inspire us in our praying, lead us in our giving.
May we support the work of Caritas Australia, walking shoulder to shoulder with our sisters and brothers around the world until all live life in fullness.
We pray this in the name of Christ.
Amen.
Term One Date Claimers:
Wednesday 14 February Ash Wednesday Prayer Celebration 8.45am (MEAC) Beginning of Lent
Friday 23 February Year Five/Six and Year Four/Five Parish Mass 9.00am (Holy Name Church)
Friday 01 March Year Three G Parish Mass 9.00am (Holy Name Church)
Friday 08 March Year Three B Parish Mass 9.00am (Holy Name Church)
Monday 25 March Mindfulness Monday
Thursday 28 March New Life Prayer Celebration 2.00pm (MEAC) Holy Thursday
Friday 20 March Good Friday
Sunday 31 March Easter Sunday
Curriculum Corner
NAPLAN is a nationwide assessment administer to students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9 across Australia. It assesses students’ proficiency in literacy and numeracy through a series of tests covering reading, writing, language conventions, and numeracy skills. The results provide a snapshot of students’ performance relative to national benchmarks and assist schools in monitoring progress over time. This year the NAPLAN test window will be held over two weeks, from 13-25 March.
As educators, our primary goal is to empower our students to perform to the best of their abilities. Leading up to the NAPLAN assessments, our teachers work diligently to ensure that students are familiar with the format of the tests and have the necessary skills to tackle each component confidently. Students in Years 3 and 5 will sit a practice test at Holy Name on Monday 26 February.
We empahise the importance of staying calm, focused, and well-rested on the day of the assessments, reminding students that NAPLAN is just one measure of their academic progress and not a reflection of their worth as individuals.
While NAPLAN is an important tool for assessing student learning, we believe that it is just one aspect of a well-rounded education. Our curriculum is designed to cultivate critical thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration skills, which are essential for success in the 21st century.
Kerri-Ann Manthey
Prep Blue
Prep/1 Gold
Year 3 Gold
Year 3 has been learning about this term’s Power of the Heart, Compassion, learning how to do paired fluency in reading and looking at different scripture in the Bible.
Year 4/5 Blue
Sport
Student Behaviour Management Plan
For your information the Holy Name Student Behaviour Management Plan is linked below:
Prep Vision Screening
Happy Families - Justin Coulson
Project Compassion
Ash Wednesday 14 February This week, the season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, which also marks the beginning of the annual Caritas Australia Project Compassion Appeal. Donations to Project Compassion allow Caritas Australia, the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development, to work with local communities around the world to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity. Please give generously to Caritas Australia this Lenten season and help vulnerable people around the world, now and for all future generations. With your support, Caritas Australia has been able to assist communities around the world through income generation, water and sanitation, food security, education and disaster risk reduction programs. Project Compassion 2024 reminds us that the good we do today will extend and impact the lives of generations to come. Together, we can help vulnerable communities face their challenges today and build a better tomorrow. You can donate through Project Compassion donation boxes and online by visiting caritas.org.au/project-compassion or by calling 1800 024 413. |
First Week of Lent |
This year, Project Compassion brings you the stories of three resilient women from three different corners of the world. They are facing vastly different challenges, but are all united by one dream: to create a better tomorrow for all future generations. Meet Ronita from the Philippines. Ronita lives with her husband and two children in a barangay (local district) in Quezon City, which is situated in Metro Manila in the Philippines. She went back to school to finish her education so that she could earn income to support her children. Meet Leaia from Samoa. Not having access to a reliable source of clean water was very difficult for Leaia and her family. But, with the support of Caritas Australia, a water tank was installed at their home, improving their health and living conditions. Meet Memory from Malawi. Memory, the eldest daughter from a rural Malawian family, trained to become a carpenter and is now a trailblazer for future generations of women in her village. Throughout Project Compassion, you will get to know the stories of Ronita, Leaia and Memory. Journey with them as they forge a path to a brighter future for all generations. Watch a short film: Introduction to Project Compassion (Primary school version) or Introduction to Project Compassion (General) Please donate to Project Compassion. You can donate through Project Compassion donation boxes, online by visiting caritas.org.au/project-compassion or by calling 1800 024 413. |
