NEWS 1 TERM 1 2014

WEDNESDAY 29 JANUARY 2014

Leadership Team News

Welcome to the 2014 school year!

Welcome to all of our new families and students, especially those who are joining us in Prep and welcome back to our existing families and students. This year will offer many opportunities for parents to be involved in the life of the school and we encourage you to take an active part in your child's educational journey. 2014 is also the last year that we will have Year 7 as part of primary schools across Queensland and here at St Augustine's. We welcome Mrs Charese Jones to our staff this year. Charese is on exchange from Canada and will be teaching Year 2. We know that she will be made to feel very welcome here. We also welcome back Siobhan Reinhard who has been on 12 months leave. Siobhan will be teaching Year 5.

Staff News
The classroom teachers for this year are as follows:

Prep

Marg Walgers/Natalie Barrett

Melissa Sewell/ Michelle Campbell Lisa Strazzaboschi-Hughes Paul Barrett Year 1 Clare Deeth Anne-Louise Allen/Kerrie Chudleigh Year 2 Laura Dick Charese Jones Kathy Todarello/Allison King Year 3 Judy McDonald Leanne Cutting Year 4 Laurie Hallinan Trish May Shaun Dolan Year 5 Siobhan Reinhard Julia Miller Year 6 Mick O'Shea Alan Dick Year 7 Joanne Ormerod

All of the teachers will be holding Parent/Teacher nights in the first few weeks. Please try to get to your child's evening as it is not only a great chance to meet the teacher but also to hear what the expectations for your child's year will be.

Principal's Performance Review

A cross section of parents will be sent an online survey shortly, inviting them to give feedback for Stephen's Principal's Review. Please check your emails or spam mail for an invitation to participate from Ardjuna, who are the group organising the surveys. Your involvement in the process is very much appreciated. All feedback is anonymous. The date for the Review Panel to meet with focus groups will be March 21. A group of parents will be invited to attend a part of this day.

School Fees
School fee statements will be sent home to all families over the next couple of weeks. If you would like to pay your school fees by direct debit, please see Mr Sheahan each morning to set up a new direct debit form for 2014.

School fees for 2014 are: 1 child: $688 per term ($2752 per annum) 2 children: $1028 per term ($4112 per annum) 3 children: $1245 per term ($4980 per annum) 4 children: $1245 per term ($4980 per annum) A 2.5% discount off total fees will apply if total fees paid by 27 February. Families who opt to pay their fees by direct debit will also receive a 2.5% discount off their fees (credited in November). School fees can be paid by cash, cheque, credit, BPAY or direct debit.

Prayer for the Beginning of the New School Year

Dear Lord, as we begin this new school year, we gather once again as your community of believers. We thank you for the energy and the spirit that you renewed in us through the holiday. We thank you for the time to enjoy our family and friends and to reflect on what is important in our lives. Let this year be marked by enthusiasm and love so that, with the inspiration of your Spirit, we may continue to grow in our faith. Help us to fulfill your hope for us with honest intentions and works of faith. Let us be gentle with ourselves and bring laughter, joy and love to others.

We ask this in your name. Amen.

FROM THE APRE: Assemblies

Welcome to all to the 2014 school year at St Augustines. It was really good to see all the smiling, happy faces at the assembly this morning and equally as good to see so many of you, our supportive parents. You are always welcome at our short prayer assemblies which begin our days together, they are held each morning at 8:30am under the sails. On Monday mornings the prayer is followed by the National Anthem. On Friday mornings we assemble in the Mary MacKillop Centre (hall) where we pray together and present awards. Very often there is a special prayer focus. This is an assembly where the children show great respect and reverence for our God. If you have never attended a Prayer Assembly please make it a focus this year- you will be so glad that you made the effort.

Our Condolences
Our school community was saddened on the weekend to hear of the loss of one of our ex-pupils. Ashley Cosgriff was killed in a tragic BASE jumping accident last Saturday. Ashle y was 23 years old and went to St Augustines for his primary years from 1997 until 2003. Our deepest sympathy, our thoughts and prayers go out to Tracy, John and his brother Rory. May God be with them in this time of grief.

Beginning School Liturgy

The school liturgy to celebrate and ask Gods blessing on the year will be held on Friday 14 February at 8:30am. The School Leaders will also be announced at this liturgy. All families are welcome to join us for this special event. Ash Wednesday is later this year and we begin Lent on 5 March with the blessing of ashes at 11:30am. Again, we are offering a Lenten Prayer Group to our parents/carers during the Lenten period before Easter. If you would like to join this group please contact Jane Marrison or Clare Zuber.

Chapel Masses recommences

Each Thursday at 9am there is a community Mass in the Jubilee Chapel commencing in week 2, 6 February. You are all invited and again, it is well worth the effort to get to one of these celebrations. The Mass goes for approximately 30 minutes. The atmosphere is peaceful and it is a special chance for us to get in touch with God. Following the Mass all visitors are invited to join the community for tea/coffee. The roster for class Masses will be in the newsletter soon however, our first Mass will be celebrated with Year 4H.

Students with Medical Alerts

Returning students with special medical alerts will receive their annual Medical Alert Information Sheet soon. Please check the current details and fill in the details that need adjusting (many just need to change grade and teacher) and return to Mrs Marrison A.S.A.P. Any new students to the school who have medical concerns will also receive an Information Sheet which needs to be completed and returned to the front office. A Medical Alert Meeting is planned for Wednesday 26 February. We strongly encourage you to attend this meeting with your child. All staff will be present as we feel this can only improve the care of your child at our school. This has previously proven to be a successful way of keeping all informed of concerns.

Staff Prayer Reservation

Please avoid making appointments to speak with teachers on Tuesday mornings before school. This time is set aside for staff members to meet together and pray as a united group. Prayer is a vital part of our school life and we appreciate your thoughtfulness with this request.

Sacramental News
Several changes have been made to the Parish Sacramental Program last year. Reconciliation will no longer be held in Term 1 but later in the year (mid to late October) with a Parent Meeting being held before this sacrament.

Confirmation and First Communion

Students in Year 4 and above will be invited to be confirmed and to receive their First Holy Communion in Term 2. The first meeting for parents is being held on Thursday 6 March in St Monica's Centre, next to the church in Tugun. It will commence at 7pm. Please check Coming Events in the weekly newsletters each week for confirmation and first term dates. We hope you have a great week. Stephen Montgomery, Lynne Rohanna and Jane Marrison (Leadership Team)

General News
New Arrivals

Congratulations to the following families who have welcomed little bundles of joy over the summer break. Charmaine and Con Prosser welcomed baby Joseph. Little brother for Zac (1B) Rebecca and Rick Hersel welcomed baby Emmy. Little sister for Alliana (1B).

Prep Child Care Benefit for Registered Care - Ceased

Changes for our school: Our school has been registered as a care provider with the Department of Human Services. This has allowed families with children attending the Preparatory year to claim a Child Care Benefit for registered care as this year was not previously considered to be the first formal year of school. From 1 January 2014, this will change as the Preparatory year will be considered to be the first formal year of schooling in Queensland. As a result, our school will not be able to provide a registered care service for Child Care Benefit Rebate purposes for the Preparatory year of schooling or after 1 January 2014. Our service will continue to issue receipts for registered care provided to and including 31 December 2013. Should you have any questions or concerns please discuss with us or phone the Department of Human Services on 136150.

Spanish classes commencing at St A's soon!

Dear Parents, Firstly, I would like to wish you all a warm welcome back to the school term. Some of us will be very excited to see our little ones returning to school and some of us will be dreading the morning ritual of lunch box making thats me, especially because I had the opportunity of spending 4 weeks in Spain and I havent come back to reality yet. However, on the positive side of things I am even more excited and full of ideas for the 2014 Spanish Classes at St As.

Thank you very much for the interest and for taking the time to contact me. At this stage I will be running One Class on Thursday afternoons from 3:30pm to 5:00pm for children attending grades 3 to 7, as m ost of the demand has been from parents of older children. The classes will commence on Thursday 21 February, which gives everyone a chance to settle back into school again. Our first term comprises of 7 weeks tuition and the fee of $125 is inclusive of all materials (workbook and learning package). For those interested in talking to me about the class and the enrolment process, I will be at St As on Thursday 13 February from 2:00pm (outside the office) and I would love to meet and greet you all. Secure your childs spot now as numbers are limited. Fantstico! Hasta Luego. Kathia Faranda (Spanish Teacher)

Art Lessons with Susy Boyer (Illustrator)

If you are interested in Art lessons after school with Susie Boyer, please contact Susy Boyer on 55545394 or 0413 134 426; susy@susyboyerart.com; www.susyboyerart.com

Surfside Buslines 2014 School Bus Passes/Timetables

Bus passes for those who have applied for one have been delivered to the school and can be collected from the front office. For queries regarding eligibility and applications for a school bus pass under the School Transport Assistance Scheme, please direct parents/guardians to the Department of Transport and Main Roads on 5630 8857 or www.tmr.qld.gov.au For queries about the issuing of a bus pass, the payment of top-up fares, timetabling, or route information please refer to Surfside Buslines at www.surfside.com.au then click on Schools Services tab if you still need further information telephone 5571 6555. Our staff are endeavouring to respond to your enquiry within 48 hours.

Kathleen Penman (QLD School Travel Administration) P: (07) 5571 6555 F: (07) 5571 6556 E: schools@tagroup.net.au www.surfside.com.au

Speech and Drama News

Hello and welcome back one and all! I hope your Christmas was one filled with joy and good times with family and those who are special to you. We look forward to our year ahead with many exciting classes, events and experiences planned. Of course, we welcome our new teacher - Lara Martin! Most students met Lara at the end of last year and I can report she was overwhelmed with the friendly and polite manner of our students and can't wait to start work. Lara will conduct classes during school hours each Thursday and Friday commencing in week three of this term. Prior to this, newsletters and accounts will be forwarded home with full details of our year. Keep your eye out for these next week. If you are new to the school or are interested in our programme, some vacancies exist in most grade levels. Please feel free to obtain an enrolment form from the main office. This will give you an overview of our classes, aims, fee structure etc. If you would then like to proceed with the enrolment, leave the form at the office for our collection or feel free to drop me an email. We look forward to another year filled with anticipation, new challenges and exciting and fun times! Anita Eldridge (Specialist Teacher) aeldridge@bne.catholic.edu.au

Sportscene
Welcome to all new and existing families to another fantastic year of sport at St A's in 2014! I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable break and are looking forward to another great year at the mighty St Augustines Primary School.

St A's 2014 Swimming Carnival

The Carnival will be held at the Palm Beach Pool next Friday 7 February for students aged 8 - 13 years (students in grade 2, turning 8 in 2014, have the option of attending). The carnival will start at 8:40am and finish at 2.45pm. All students in the relevant age groups are expected to attend with class roles taken on the day. For the carnival to run smoothly, we ask that all students be at the pool no later than 8:20am and be picked up at the above designated time. Students are to wear their sports uniform and house colour hat (available from the Uniform Shop), bring along sunscreen, towel, rashshirt (optional, but recommended) and swimmers (one piece for girls (nipper two piece fine) and no boardshorts for boys (skins OK), as well as 2 x drinkbottles. House Colour swimming caps will also be distributed on the day and must be worn during races. Each house colour will be holding a meeting this Friday 31 January, to organise nominations for each of the days events. Freestyle (either 25m or 50m) will be the only compulsory stroke for the students. All details will be discussed with the students, by our leaders, in their respective House Colour meetings. Once again students were placed in either Torpedo (old A division) or Electric Eel races. Only students who only attend OHSC before and after school on Friday 8 February will be able to catch the bus departing St As at 8:15am and will return by 3:00pm from the pool. If this is the case, please notify the front office. Programs are available from the front school office prior to the day for 20 cents each. Events and records can also be viewed on the front school noticeboard. Mr Shaun Dolan (Sports Co-ordinator)

Tuckshop Roster
TUCKSHOP COOKING/HOME BAKING: Thank you for sending in ONLY cakes/biscuits etc. made from safe or nut free products to sell at our tuckshop. NO almond meal please.

Please click on the link for the 2013 Tuckshop Price List (Price List will be updated over the next few weeks).

Date:

Tuckshop Helpers:

Home Baking

Roster: Wednesday 29 January S Dickinson M Suddes

Thursday 30 January

R Strotton, M Dellar

B Smith

Friday 31 January

S Morley, B Barea

E Navin

Wednesday 5 February

T Jones (11:00-2:30), L Creedy (8:301:30)

A Finn

Coming Events

Friday 7 February

Swimming Carnival, PBC Pool (U8 - U13 )

Friday 14 February

Opening School Liturgy, 8:30am in the hall

Thursday 21 February

Spanish classes commence (3:30-5:00pm) Year 3-7 students

Wednesday 26 February

Medical Alert meeting.

Thursday 6 March

Parent Meeting for Confirmation/First Communion - 7pm, St Monica's Tugun.

Term Dates

2014
Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 Term 4 Professional Development and Planning Days To be advised Wednesday 29 January - Friday 4 April Tuesday 22 April - Friday 27 June Monday 14 July - Friday 19 September Tuesday 7 October - Friday 5 December

Community News
Gold Coast Basketball
Gold Coast Basketball is running the Aussie Hoops (3-6 yr olds) and Mini Hoops (7-11 yr olds) programs commencing on the 8 February at Carrara Indoor Stadium. Aussie Hoops is a fun and innovative program which introduces boys and girls aged 3 - 6 years old to the game of basketball with an emphasis on fun. The Aussie Hoops program uses a "game sense" approach through various activities and games designed to emulate the experience of basketball and can cater for children of all abilities. The Gold Coast Mini Hoops Basketball Program has been designed so that children can learn to play basketball in an enjoyable, fun and friendly environment whilst also learning the necessary fundamentals to progress through to playing games in our local Gold Coast Junior Basketball League. We are offering the program at $50.00 for the year for returning players and $75.00 per year for new players (including a basketball and a reversible singlet).