From the Principal Week 5
Dear SCA Families,
Next Monday (24th May) is the Feast of Mary Help of Christians. You may be aware that Mary Help of Christians is the patron saint of Australia. We pray this week to Mary to help and guide us in our quest for healing and a new beginning.
Mary is a powerful symbol of Jesus’ call to unity. Jesus calls us to acknowledge our wrongs and to seek forgiveness. Jesus is also very clear in his call for us to forgive others who hurt us. Reconciliation is precisely about this – acknowledging wrong, seeking and accepting forgiveness from those who have been wronged. This is the challenge for Australians as we continue the journey of healing that will lead to National Reconciliation. The presence of God within and among us makes this journey possible. We are, as Saint Paul says, ‘one body’ in Christ.
In the ACT, Reconciliation day is on the following Monday (31st May). During this time we pray for the grace to be people with generous and forgiving hearts who will be instruments for reconciliation in our families and our communities.
Extraordinary Ambassadors
I was super proud of our Year 6 students last week. Our Student Leadership Team acted as guides, providing tours to our many visitors on Open Day. They even, willingly, stayed behind till 6.00pm to proudly show off their school.
They were polite and friendly, deserving the praise they received from all of our visitors. Well done Year 6.
Dogs on School Grounds
Under the ACT Domestic Animals Act 2000, domestic animals may not be taken on to school grounds without permission of the principal. In recent weeks we have noticed dog droppings in the school grounds, so we respectfully ask all dog owners to leave their pets at home. Thanks for your cooperation.
Lock Them Up
It’s great to see children riding to and from school, especially in this colder weather. Children who ride are asked to securely lock their bikes in the bike rack area. Though the school is fenced, the front gate is open during the day, leaving the bike rack area less than secure from theft.
School Fees
The Building Fund is currently a voluntary contribution and therefore tax deductable. This fund is managed by Catholic Education (CE) to be used to pay for the upkeep of our schools. Under the current arrangement, should St Clare’s require a plumber to fix leaking toilets or an electrician to fix the heating or have a broken window fixed, we simply contact the CEO and they send the relevant tradesmen. The cost for this is paid by CE with the CCSBF money (ie. the building fund). Some of the funds each year are also used to support schools in small projects that they cannot fully fund at school level (eg. external lighting repairs, F Block renovations and refurbishments, heater replacements, air conditioner maintenance, toilet repairs, for us in 2021).
Should most families elect not to pay this fund, then the CCSBF will no longer be viable and CE will no longer be able to provide these services.
Should that occur, each school would have to introduce an additional levy to fund this maintenance. This would be an expensive exercise for the school and the families; and would not be tax deductible.
I encourage our families to support the building fund in order to maintain the condition of our school. Thank you for your efforts in this aspect of our partnership.
2021 Key Improvement Goals
In last week’s newsletter we reminded you of our three Key Goals for school improvement for 2021:
- Improve student engagement and achievement in English.
- Improve student engagement and achievement in Mathematics.
- Build student learning self-efficacy.
Here is a short update on the third of these.
- Teachers are working towards increasing their knowledge and confidence to teach Conceptual Inquiry so students have access to successful outcomes and consequently build their student self-efficacy.
- Conceptual Inquiry is being driven through Religious Education, conceptually incorporating other curriculum areas where possible.
- Teachers have participated in professional learning to develop and refine skills to program for teaching and learning using the pedagogy of Conceptual Inquiry.
- The process of active student learning is encouraged, enabling students to deepen their understanding of content in a manner appropriate to their needs and developmental stages.
- An updated SCA proforma has been developed for programming.
- Each term teachers develop ‘houses of learning’ to guide teaching and learning experiences.
- A group of volunteer teachers are champions in our school, piloting the approach of High Impact Teaching Practices, in alignment with Catholic Education’s Catalyst initiative.
- A third of our teachers are active members of the school’s Conceptual Inquiry Learning Team (PLT), which meets regularly throughout the term. The Conceptual Inquiry PLT has been at the forefront of supporting all teachers in the school to develop rich learning experiences and evaluate the effectiveness of teaching and learning through conceptual inquiry.
If you would like further details, please speak with your child’s teacher, or our RE Coordinator, Mrs Karen Haines.
Enrolments – Close on 21st May
We have a great school, with wonderful kids, dedicated staff and supportive families. Please spread the word amongst family and friends, reminding those with pre-schoolers that enrolments close on Friday 21st May.
School Uniform
All students should now be in correct school, winter uniform. This means correct shoes, ties, etc. A reminder note will be sent home for students who are continually disregarding school policy.
Scarves, Coats & Beanies
The cooler weather recently has seen the welcome emergence of scarves, coats and beanies. Please remember that these items should be navy blue. These should also be worn over the school uniform jumper, not instead of.
Please ensure these items are clearly marked with your child’s name.
Reconciliation Day Public Holiday
On Monday 31 May, the ACT will celebrate Reconciliation Day with a public holiday. As it is a public holiday, all schools in the ACT will be closed on that day.
It was once said…
If at first you don’t succeed, then skydiving definitely isn’t for you.
Steven Wright
Blessings to you and your family.
Matt Egan-Richards
Principal
