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As this extended time of Lockdown continues I hope this newsletter finds you and your family as well as can be expected. I know that there are many challenges however I encourage you to stay positive, this time will pass. Class teachers are in the process of making phone contact with all families, please let them know when they call if there is anything else the school is able to do to support your child/ren. The following has already been communicated however the information is important and I have added some additional points:
- Establish a routine for your child/ren and where ever possible set aside a work space
- Do not replicate the duration of a school day
- Don’t get into battles with your child/ren about the school work. If they are struggling or you are struggling or they are having trouble with a concept, put that aside and do something else. Where required, communicate with your child’s teacher and indicate any difficulties
- Give your child/ren lots of breaks and have snacks on hand ready as needed
- Supplement the remote learning with other fun activities eg: Lego challenges, drawing activities, puzzles, games and or appropriate shows of an educational nature
- Ensure you and your child/ren are very familiar with the expected protocols when online particularly when checking in with class Zoom meetings.
- Name it to tame it. Acknowledge any difficulties your child may be facing, eg: "I can see you're angry or upset right now and don't want to do your work. I can see this is hard for you. I think what is happening is you're really missing your friends/sport/school/family". Ask them out of curiosity "Is that what's going on for you?" Ask how to help- "What can I do to help you?".
- Remember the importance of connection, play and humour. Outside of school work ensure you have fun and laugh
- Help others. Research shows that when people act with kindness, they feel better about themselves. Improve the sense of community spirit, eg: bear hunt/where’s wally hunt, write letters, cook or leave a gift for neighbours.
I remind all families that during this time of Lockdown Nazareth remains categorized as a Level 4 school and NSW Health directives currently state that children should be at home engaged with remote learning. I stress to all parents / carers, if there is no other option, the school is providing supervision. The supervision is not ‘normal face to face teaching’ and is being provided by a minimal group of staff members.
During the week ahead, ensure you care for yourself, you will then be well placed to support your child/ren.
Take care.
Peter Dempsey
Principal
GRANDPARENTS DAY
Last week we celebrated the Feast of Sts Joachim and Anne, parents of our Holy Lady Mary and the grandparents of Jesus. In Religious Education last week, students were asked to come up with words or a quote that they feel related to their grandparents and then to write a prayer.
St Mary of the Cross, Mary MacKillop
This coming Sunday, 8 August we celebrate the Feast of Australia’s only saint - St Mary of the Cross, Mary MacKillop. Some suggest Mary was a woman ahead of her time, others believe just a resilient, hardworking dedicated woman who saw a need and actioned a response. “Never see a need without doing something about it.”
It feels very apt to pause and reflect on Mary’s life in the year we celebrate 200 years of Catholic education in Australia. Whilst Mary did not begin Catholic schooling in Australia her input was immeasurable. She recognised the fact that many children could not access this education for financial reasons and felt strongly that God’s love needed to be shared with all. So strongly that she begins the battle which would eventually enable many Australian children to access Catholic Education and give them a chance for a stronger relationship with their God.
To fulfill this plan, she surrounded herself with like-minded people who could assist with the workload. It was here that the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart first came to be. Many of our own Diocesan schools were begun by this same order and today we are blessed to have the continued support of these sisters in three of our schools. Mary saw a need and, with much courage, acted on it with the assistance of many others in tow.
Mary’s journey was not trouble-free. She fought many battles along the way and her faith was continually tested as she trod a path that upset many. Throughout this time and with these challenges she showed resilience and continued to fight for what she believed was right. Mary epitomised our Diocesan core values of Hope, Integrity, Justice, and Compassion. She modelled being faith-filled for us as she lived by “Do all you can with the means at your disposal and calmly leave the rest to God.” (1891)
As a diocese we continue to uphold what Mary fought for – that Catholic schooling is available to all, that Catholic schools be places where children gain access to knowledge and also opportunities to allow for an encounter with their God.
We learn from Mary how to stay true to our convictions, work hard for what we believe to be right and show resilience when obstacles are thrown our way.
In preparation, Students will have a focus on Saint Mary Mackillop in their Religion learning this week. You will also be able to see Father Joe’s live-streamed mass this week on the church’s Facebook page for the Feast of Mary Mackillop.
In this different time that we are experiencing, sometimes we need to shut down and clear our minds of the things going on around us. The podcast Ripples: Inspired Voices, Treasured Stillness was developed in response to COVID-19 and from a desire to find new ways to ‘be’ in this environment.
This podcast was developed for staff and parents on-going spiritual formation. It seeks to offer a space where people can draw on the wisdom of a series of guest speakers and can experience some treasured stillness through meditation. Practices like these create a ripple effect. They have the potential to impact the way we respond to family, friends, colleagues, to creation and to our loving God. Come and enjoy some Inspired Voices and Treasured Stillness. The podcast can be listened to through ‘Apple Podcast’ or ‘’Podbean.
With bans on public gatherings in place in response to COVID-19, Father Joe has come up with a way to keep our parish community connected and able to access masses and services from their own homes. Father Joe delivers a morning service, live streamed that day at 7.30am. This can be found on the All Saints Catholic Parish Shellharbour City Facebook page. Please remember Father Joe in your prayers as he works his way through this time of lockdown.
Each week All Saints Parish continues to present a Bulletin with the weekend Readings and other important information. A link can be found on the Parish Website: http://www.allsaintscatholic.org.au/allsaintscatholic/Welcome.html.
This coming Sunday, 8 August is the Feast of Mary Mackillop. In 3L, we have been learning about Mary Mackillop.
Here are some things we have learnt:
- She was the first Australian Saint - Amelia Teo
- She built a school in a old stable for the poor children - Ava Sirijovska
- She founded the sisters of St Joseph - Luke Norris
Ever-generous God,
You inspired St Mary MacKillop
to live her life faithful
to the Gospel of Jesus Christ
and constant in bringing hope
and encouragement
to those who were disheartened, lonely, or needy.
With confidence in your generous providence
and joining with St Mary MacKillop, we ask that you grant our request….(name your request).
We ask that our faith and hope
be fired afresh by the Holy Spirit so that we too,
like Mary MacKillop, may live with courage,
trust, and openness.
Ever-generous God, hear our prayer.
We ask this through Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Over the past few weeks the Learning Centre have been involved in a range of activities whilst learning remotely. We have been connecting daily via zoom, checking in with one another, telling jokes and reading stories.
In English, we have been completing daily phonics, reading and writing tasks. We have enjoyed learning about the Olympics. We have learnt about the history of the Olympic games, as well as learning about the different sports that are played at the Olympics. We have been using our bodies to pretend that we are playing a range of the different sports.
In Mathematics, we have been enjoying completing learning tasks for number and patterns. We have learnt that patterns always repeat themselves and can be colours, shapes and numbers.
HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR THIS TIME OF LOCKDOWN AND REMOTE LEARNING
Due to current circumstances, an additional assessment window has been created for schools impacted by Lockdown. If you have enrolled your child to complete an ICAS Assessment, these assessments will now take place between 5th October and 29th October. Please note that the online payment system to enrol your child for these assessments has now closed.
MERIT AWARDS
| CLASS |
Week 2 For always conducting him/herself with respect on Zoom meetings |
Week 3 Always completing set tasks during online learning. |
| KN | Reevie Rey | Spencer Tanevski |
| KN | Samuel Benavente | Violet Ferns |
| KC | Lexis Formosa | Ellie Cooper |
| KC | Maci Mackaway | Travis Borg |
| KS | Chloe Hoang | Lilijana Tivey |
| KS | Lennox Wheeler | Mason Hatkic |
| 1S | Austin Clark | Ian Blades |
| 1S | Nikki Moulas | Cash James |
| 1H | Willow Ferguson | Hayden Mcnamara |
| 1H | Emilia Gigliotti | Van Smith |
| 2E | Amalia Rodrigues | James Wheeler |
| 2E | Oliver Hopgood | Aria Phillip |
| 2L | Azariah Ioannou | Isaiah Carrasco |
| 2L | Harrison Tanevski | Mason Redfern |
| 3L | Jacob Sekulovski | Jordyn Andreeski |
| 3L | Matthew Bell | Romeo De Ornelas |
| 3H | Ella Moreira | Brianna Bryce |
| 3H | Patrick Easther | Sebastian Campos |
| 4A | Murphy Batman | Kaiden Murphy |
| 4A | Anabel Sotomayor | Olivia Sarin |
| 4R | Jean-Paul Ayoub | Nate Ryan |
| 4R | Danielle Gonzales | Mason Aranega |
| 5B | Vincent Dall'Asta | Tauris Ivanovski |
| 5B | Owen Testa | Calahni Dilevski |
| 5O | Harley Bermudez | Annalisia Ayoub |
| 5O | Lily Orlandi | Anabelle Darke |
| 6U | Mia Bagnall | Chloe Bugeja |
| 6U | Aidan Espinosa | Nathaniel Gamble |
| 6R | Chelsea Belo | Kody Lawler |
| 6R | Indie Cooper | Jasmine Rakovski |
Dane Aronsten, Remi Aronsten, Adam Stojanoski, Ava Aitchison, Rennan Rey, Liam De Gabriele, Lucas Cartwright, Danielle Gonzales, Romeo De Ornelas, Isaiah Carrasco, Zoe Cockayne
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/