Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to Term 2. I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday break. It was with great joy that I checked in with each class last week, hearing many wonderful stories of holiday experiences.

This Sunday we celebrate Mother’s Day, a special time of recognition and celebration for the gift of our mothers. This morning it was wonderful to see so many mothers join the Nazareth community for a special breakfast and liturgy. I wish all mothers and grandmothers a happy Mother’s Day for this Sunday.

A Prayer for Mothers

All-loving God,
we give you thanks and praise for mothers young and old.

We pray for young mothers,
who give life and count toes and tend to our every need;
May they be blessed with patience and tenderness
to care for their families and themselves with great joy.
We pray for our own mothers

who have nurtured and cared for us;
May they continue to guide in strong and gentle ways.
We remember mothers who are separated
from their children because of war, poverty or conflict;
May they feel the loving embrace of our God who wipes every tear away. 

We pray for women who are not mothers
but still love and shape us with motherly care and compassion.
We remember mothers, grandmothers and great grandmothers who are no longer with us but who live forever in our memory and nourish us with their love.

Amen.

Thank you to the Parents and Friends Association for organising and running today’s Mother's Day Stall. It was hugely successful, and the children loved the opportunity to choose and purchase a gift. This Saturday 11 May at 5:00pm, we will celebrate a special Mother’s Day mass with the parish, everyone is warmly invited to attend. Our Kindergarten students will be performing a special reflective song during the mass. 

As we continue to navigate through the challenges presented by the digital age, I want to take a moment to emphasise the importance of online safety, particularly in the lives of our young students. In today's interconnected world, the internet offers endless opportunities for learning and exploration. However, it also comes with its own set of risks and dangers, especially for our children. As educators and parents, it is our collective responsibility to equip our students with the knowledge and skills they need to navigate the online world safely and responsibly. I strongly encourage all parents to closely monitor their child’s online interactions at home and carefully read the attached Carly Ryan Foundation – App Factsheets, especially regarding Roblox. 

Enrolment interviews for Kindergarten 2025 commenced this week. If you haven’t submitted an application for Kindergarten 2025 and you plan to, please do so as a matter of urgency. We have limited places available and demand for placement is high. Offers will be made at the conclusion of Term 2.

During the month of May, we will be collecting valuable data on a range of aspects of school life, practice and procedures from the perspectives of students, parents and teachers via the Tell Them From Me (TTFM) survey platform. This data will provide valuable insights that will be used to inform school planning and decision making. As we value the role of parents and carers within our school community, we would greatly appreciate your feedback. The information you provide is anonymous and will be used to maintain our commitment to working together in partnership to further improve student learning and wellbeing at Nazareth. Please click here to complete the Tell Them From Me (TTFM) Partners in Learning survey -
http://tellthemfromme.com/nazareth 

Wishing you a wonderful week.

Kind regards, 

Mr Matt Downes 
(Acting Principal)

Confirmation

The dates for Confirmation will be Tuesday, 25 and Wednesday, 26 June 2024 at 7pm. If your child is in Year 6, you will have registered their name for the sacrament of Confirmation at Mass. Confirmation workshops will commence in Week 5. This weekend at Mass, you will be advised of workshop times and you will need to indicate your preferences. The following weekend at Mass you will be advised of your workshop times.

Wednesday Mass and Faith & Learning visits

Wednesday- Week 3, Year 3 will be attending mass at 9am and then will have their classroom visit with the parents directly after.  In week 4, Year 4 will celebrate Wednesday mass and parents are invited back to the classroom to join their children and see the wonderful work they are doing.  We look forward to seeing families join us for mass and then a visit to the classroom afterwards. A big thank you to the parents and families who do come along. 

Whole School Mass

Save the Date - Friday 24th May 9:00 am - Our Lady Help of Chirstians Feast Day

Save the Date - Friday 7th June 9:00am - Sacred Heart of Jesus

All mass times can be found in the All Saints Parish Bulletin and all other important information. A link can be found on the Parish Website:  https://www.dow.org.au/parish/all-saints-catholic-parish-shellharbour-city

2E have started the Term identifying what they know about Easter and what they know about the Resurrection. We learn about the Easter and Resurrection stories to remind us of Jesus and the big sacrifice he made for us to live our lives to the full. 

Here are some to share with you:

Easter - Jesus died on the cross for us. Easter eggs represent new life because they are whole and a circle shape.

Resurrection - Jesus rose from the dead. 

By Adelise.

Easter - I know the events of Holy Week. This is an important week in the church’s year. 

Resurrection - Jesus rose from the dead. He is special. 

By Indigo.

Easter - Jesus died on the cross. It is a time when we remember Jesus.

Resurrection - Jesus rose from the dead.

By William.

Building a national picture of child health

From May 2024, our school, along with thousands of others across the country, will participate in the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC).

The AEDC is a teacher-completed census (similar to a questionnaire) which provides a comprehensive picture of how children have developed by the time they start their first year of full-time school.

The AEDC is an Australian Government Initiative and is completed nationally every three years.

Children don’t miss any class time while the AEDC is completed, and parents/carers don’t need to supply schools with any new information.

The data collected through the AEDC is used by schools, communities and governments to better understand children and families’ needs, and identify the services, resources and support they need.

AEDC data is reported at a school, community, state/territory and national level. AEDC results for individual children are not reported and the AEDC is not used as an individual diagnostic tool.

Some teachers have found that completing the AEDC made them more aware of the needs of individual children and their class, and that the data was useful for planning for transitions to Year 1 and developing programs.

Participation in the AEDC is voluntary, however the AEDC relies on all schools with children in their first year of full-time school participating in the collection. Parents/carers don’t need to take any action unless they choose not to include their children in the census.

To find out more about the AEDC and how it is being used to help children and families visit: www.aedc.gov.au.

If you have any questions, you can contact Mr Downes or Mrs Schofield.

Summer/Winter/ Sport Uniform

The official change over to the winter uniform is Monday, 20 May (Week 4 Term 2). However, the winter uniform may be worn from the commencement of Term 2, if the weather necessitates the need to. Term 2 sport uniform days remain the same as Term 1 for all students from Kindergarten to Year 6.

• Tuesdays (Year 5, Kindergarten)
• Wednesdays (Year 6, Year 2, Year 1H)
• Thursdays (Year 4, Year 3, Year 1S)
• Fridays (Whole School)

Give Blood Today

Join the Nazareth staff and support the Red Cross by giving blood today. Everyone has their own reasons for donating blood, but a few common ones include:

• Donating is a generous thing to do. It helps people in need, and it helps people in your community. When you give, others live.
• Donors, especially those who donate regularly, keep our nation’s blood supply stable. Although many people donate blood after disasters, blood is needed every day of the year.
• There is no substitute for blood. Donors provide the only supply of life-saving blood for those in need.

The Nazareth staff are competing against other local Catholic schools and would welcome and greatly appreciate any support from parents and carers. To join the Nazareth team, it is very important to say the following when you arrive to give blood: “Could I join the Sparking Life Nazareth Shellharbour City Team”. For more information go to the Red Cross - Lifeblood website.   

Every year, Walk Safely to School Day reminds us to get out there and get active, and to do it safely. School is a time to learn and have fun. Walk Safely to School Day helps show us that walking can be a source of learning too - about road safety, health and the world around us. Walking to school is also a fantastic way for students to start the day and get the mind and body ready for a day in the classroom. Of course walking to school is also a great way to remind our children to be careful around roads. Always stop, look, listen and think before you cross.

1H have had a very settled start to Term 2.

During Maths we have been learning about number lines. All students came together to make two human number lines. Students discussed how to locate missing numbers, identified how number lines change when working with multiples of 10 and created their own number line by choosing a number of their choice to start the line.

We celebrated Anzac Day in class by reading Anzac Ted and making a poppy wreath. Mr Briggs came in to talk to us about war and show us medals and hats worn during these times. 

Congratulations!

MacKillop Swimming- Congratulations to Morrison & Iyla who represented Nazareth & the Diocese of Wollongong in the MacKillop swimming event at the end of term 1. Morrison swam in the 100m Freestyle, 50m Freestyle & 50m Butterfly events and Iyla swam in the 50m Breaststroke event. They represented the school and the Diocese of Wollongong so well and we are so proud of their accomplishments in the pool, well done to both Morrison & Iyla. 

Rugby Union Trials- Congratulations to James, Morrison, Jack, Jake, Matt & Leo who attended the Rugby Union selection trials at the end of week 1. Morrison, Jake, Jack, Matt & Leo were selected in the Diocesan team. They will travel to Forbes for the MacKillop trials on the 30th of June, goodluck boys and what an achievement!

State Gymnastics- Congratulations to Abigail who came 2nd overall at the State Gymnastics competition over the weekend. Abigail competes with a partner and her partner is also a Nazareth ex student. Abigail has been selected into the NSW team to compete at the National Championships on the Gold Coast. Congratulations Abigail and our ex student Lua. 

Upcoming Events:

Cross Country Championships (Back Up)- Tuesday 28 May

If your child is in the Nazareth Cross Country squad and is unable to attend on the new date, please contact Erin Mobberley through the front office. 

NSW Rugby Union Primary School 7s Finals Day- Friday 31 May

This event is the final for the Nazareth Rugby Union team who won the Kiama 7’s carnival. This finals day will be held at Waratah’s Headquarters in Daceyville Sydney. Please keep an eye out on Compass for the event. 

Rugby Union Knockout- Friday June 7 (tentative date)

This event is for the Nazareth Rugby Union team (year 5 & 6 boys). Please note that this date may change if other schools are unable to attend the original date. This is a progressive event. Please keep an eye out on Compass for the event. 

Netball Gala Day- Tuesday 25 June

This gala day is for girls in years 3-6 & boys years 5-6. If your child has not yet expressed interest in attending, please make contact with Erin Mobberley through the front office. Please keep an eye out on Compass for the event. 

IGNATIAN MEDAL

Aria Vengetas

NAZARETH AWARDS

Liam Kotevski

Aria Phillip

Emmanuel Vu

Zoe Cockayne

Spencer Tanevski

PRINCIPAL AWARDS

Mia Hamilton

Isabelle Sekulovski

Isaiah Carrasco

Cristian Banovic

Liam Kotevski

Nate Reid

Ebony Lees

MERIT AWARDS

Liza Khomoutov, Amalia Rodrigues, Patrick Hill, Harvey Mann, Taj Scofield, Lukas Sarin, Parker Little, Ella Moreira, Ray Holder, Aubrey Pepper, Luka Dabeski, Mila Ognenovski, Benicio Glaudio Da Silveira, Kobe Zizic, April Cassanego, Jaxon Toth, Andre Garcia, Emilia Dimovski, Jayla Zizic, Hunter Cascone, Caden Keenan, Mason Sangiuliano, Chloe Capelo.

During Weeks 2, 3 and 4 our focus for PB4L throughout the school is playground games. In class, teachers will ensure students know the games they can play in their area/s during recess and lunch and that they are required to play them in a safe and friendly way. Children will be encouraged to follow the rules and use any equipment for games appropriately and pack it away when they have finished.

P & F Meeting 

The Term 2 P & F Meeting will be held via Zoom at 7:00pm on Thursday 16 May. Everyone is warmly invited to attend. Click here to access the meeting: 

NAZARETH PROMOTIONAL FILM

The film captures a day in the life of a Nazareth student.
Click https://youtu.be/olug9FWvZQI to view the film

FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM PAGE FOR NAZARETH

If you haven't already please follow our school pages to keep up to date with events at school and for photos and updates from across the school. 

Please click on the direct links to follow our pages:

www.facebook.com/nazareth.shellhabour

www.instagram.com/nazareth.shellharbour

SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY 

Please click on the below link for a direct link to the social media policy.

https://www.dow.catholic.edu.au/about-us/policies/social-media-policy/