Athletics Carnival
The School Athletics carnival is being held this Friday 26 August. The carnival is for all students in Pre Primary to Year 6 and will officially begin at 9:00am. The weather seems to be looking very promising, so hopefully it makes for a great sunny day for the carnival.
An important notice to parents is that at the conclusion of the carnival, all students will return to their classrooms. Parents wishing to take their child/children home early, must sign them out and collect them from the respective classroom(s) at the conclusion of the carnival. Students will not be permitted to be collected by parents from faction bays to go home during the carnival, unless it has been pre-arranged with the student’s classroom teacher. All other students not being collected early will remain at school until the normal bell time of 3:00pm.
There will be a cake stall and BBQ for parents to buy food from. Please remember to bring some cash along to make your purchases as there is not an atm available at either of these stalls.
On Tuesday, we had a fantastic day where some students in Pre Primary to Year 6 competed in the jumps and throws events of the carnival. Some students achieved some remarkable results and all students are to be commended for their efforts. We did have a large number of parents who assisted with the jumps and throws and we sincerely thank them all for their support and help in making the day run so efficiently and smoothly.
A program of events has been shared with all families during the week; please take the time to read this and know the schedule of events for the students. We look forward to a fantastic day tomorrow for the athletics carnival and hopefully you all can come down and cheer on your child/children and their House Faction.
NSI School Climate Survey
At the beginning of the week, parents received a letter via SEQTA, inviting you to participate in the NSI School Climate survey. This is a very important aspect of seeking feedback from the parent community, and we value the information generated from the survey. So please, I ask you to take the opportunity to assist us in continuing to build on and make decisions to further enhance the already wonderful school community we are, by completing the survey. The survey can be accessed by the links below:
And enter the password ‘SDPACS’ in the ‘Start Questionnaire’ field.
Book Week
What a great celebration of ‘Book Week’ we had on Monday. We started the day with a fantastic Book Week Parade, where all of the students looked amazing dressed up as their favourite character from a book they have read.
Thank you to all of the families of the school for assisting their child/children in getting dressed up for this occasion and congratulations to all of the students for fully immersing themselves into the spirit of Book Week. Well done, also to the staff, who all dressed up for the occasion, making it further enjoyable and fun for the school community.
Congratulations, Green Team!
A huge congratulations goes to the St Damien’s Green Team, for the part they played in achieving a grant from the ‘Stephanie Alexander Garden Kitchen’ program, for the sum of $5,000. The school was presented with this donation on Thursday morning, which coincided with the opening of the new Coles Dawesville shopping centre.
A special thank you goes to Caroline Leighton and Mark Lily, for their work in applying for and achieving this grant. Well done and congratulations!
Parent Cyber Safety Session
Next Wednesday 31st August, beginning at 6:30pm, the school is hosting a Cyber Safety session for Parents. The session will be led by a guest speaker, Kayelene Kerr from ‘eSafe Kids, who will discuss the trends and risks students are facing when using the internet outside of school. I strongly encourage parents, particularly of students in the upper grades of the school, where the use of the internet and personal devices increases with age. Parents can register for the event by clicking the link below:
Parent Cyber Safety Session Registration Link
Students in Years 4 to 6 will also engage in workshops on Wednesday with Ms Kerr, to discuss the safe use of the internet and safe online practices in their daily lives.
Father's Day Stall
Next Wednesday 31 August the Father’s Day Stall will be opened and available for students in Kindy to Year 6 to purchase something, in preparation for Father’s Day next weekend. The stall will also be opened on Friday 2 September, for students in 3YO Kindy to purchase something special. Students will be able to purchase items from the Father’s Day Stall for between $1 and $7.
We thank the school P&F in advance, for providing this wonderful opportunity for the students and families in the school.
Year 4 'Taster Day'
Today our students in Year 4 attended a ‘Taster Day’ at Mandurah Catholic College. This day provided the students with the opportunity to get an insight to what Secondary School has to offer and to engage in some fun learning activities. We hope our Year 4’s enjoyed the experience.
Confirmation Mass
This Sunday, beginning at 8:30am, our Year 6 students will be receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation during Mass at the St Damien’s Parish. We wish all of the Confirmation candidates the very best as they receive this very important Sacrament and take another significant step in their journey of faith.
Today, Fr Tony, the celebrant for the upcoming Confirmation Mass, met with all of the Year 6 students to discuss the importance of the Sacrament and how it can assist them in leading a life of love and faith.
Swimming Lessons
Swimming Lessons conclude today for our students in Pre Primary and Year 2 Blue. We hope the students enjoyed the lessons and improved in their swimming skills and abilities across the fortnight.
Next week, students in Year 1 and Year 2 Gold begin their fortnight of swimming lessons. Again, we hope they enjoy the lessons and successfully improve in their swimming abilities across the lessons.
Monday Morning Assembly
This Monday 29 August, there will be a whole school assembly, beginning at 8:45am in the hall. During the assembly, champion girls and boys from the athletics carnival will be announced. Parents are welcome to join us for the assembly.
Emergency Evacuation Practice
As part of the school’s ‘Incident Management Plan’ (IMP), we will be having an emergency evacuation practice (weather permitting) on Monday morning. The students have already had instruction in the classroom about the evacuation procedure to ensure the practice drill goes smoothly.
Principal Awards
This week some students have been sent to my office to receive a Principal’s Award for completing some exceptional work. I congratulate Madison Bevan, Jasper Wozniuk, Sophie Shannen, Alexa Hill and Jack Reading from Year 2 Gold, for their outstanding work in Literacy, and Luke Yarran, Baye West, Tyler Penny, Charlie Spicer, Indy Dyson, Marli King, Maia Mannering and Lacey Draper, from Year 3 Gold, for their fantastic work in Italian . Well done and keep up the great work!
God Bless,
Daniel Gooch
Principal
