Dear Parents and Carers, 

I would like to offer my sincere thanks to all the students, parents, and teachers for making the Three-Way Conferences such a success this week. Thank you to those parents and carers who embraced the online booking form. Effective communication with parents, especially regarding children’s progress at school, is a high priority at St Clare of Assisi. At any time during the year parents are encouraged to request a meeting with class teachers to discuss their child’s progress. Teachers ensure that parents remain informed about any issues that arise in the school context. We believe that it is much better to address concerns, celebrate successes and for parents to feel reassured and confident in what is happening in the classroom when there are open channels of communication between home and school. 

Our planned forms of communication this year include: 

• Class program overviews sent home each term. 
• Interim Reports sent home. 
• Three Way Conferences offered at the start of the year. 
• Semester Reports provided at the end of each semester. 
• Optional Parent-Teacher Interviews offered on a termly basis. 

• General news through our emailed weekly School Newsletter, the school website, our School Calendar, and our COMPASS app.

Please do not hesitate to contact teachers as the need arises either in person or via email. All parents are encouraged to download the COMPASS app, as messages and notes are communicated this way. 

God bless. 

Rachel Smith 

Principal  

Principal’s Notes 

COVID Update 

Thank you to our community for your commitment in adhering to COVID restrictions and procedures. 

The ACT Government is making some changes to the way rapid antigen tests (RATs) are distributed to ACT school communities for the remainder of Term 1. RATs will continue to be available through our school but will be provided to staff and students on an as-needed basis - or in response to increased cases as necessary. If you require additional RATs, please contact the Front Office. 

You are reminded that staff and students cannot attend school if they are showing any symptoms of COVID-19. These include fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, runny nose, loss of smell/taste, muscle/joint pains, diarrhoea, nausea/vomiting, extreme tiredness, unexplained chest pain or conjunctivitis (eye infection). 

If symptoms occur at any time, you should not attend school and should undertake a Rapid Antigen Test. If a Rapid Antigen Test is positive, you/your child should isolate as someone who has tested positive to COVID-19. If you cannot access a Rapid Antigen Test, you can attend a PCR (nose and throat swab) testing clinic. 

Please remember to inform the Front Office if there are any positive cases, and a reminder that further information can be obtained from the ACT Health website. 

Please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s teacher/s directly if you have any concerns or questions. 

School Car Park 

When using the car park of a morning and after school please be mindful of all the members of the community and proceed with caution. Whilst the dropping off and picking up of your children is your priority, I ask that you are aware of the children and families accessing the school and the car park at that time. Please drive slowly through the carpark and be aware of those around you before leaving your car park. 

Uniform 

Thank you to the many parents who have ensured their child is wearing the correct uniform. Enrolment at St Clare of Assisi indicates that each child will abide strictly with our school’s dress code. This code states that each child will wear full and correct uniform to school each day. The only exceptions to this are when the school holds an “out of uniform” day or special dress up day. Parents are asked to strongly support this rule making sure that shoes are of the correct type - BLACK LEATHER school shoes and the school bag has the school’s logo. All aspects of a student’s appearance are gender inclusive i.e., apply to both girls and boys.  

• Student’s hair should be clean and neat; fashionable extremes, including head patterns shaved into head are not permitted. Shoulder length hair or longer must be tied back. Only natural, all-over hair colour is acceptable. The Principal or Assistant Principal will contact parents if other hair styles are of concern.  
• Accessories are to match school colours (maroon and navy blue).  
• No jewellery may be worn other than small, plain (silver or gold, no colour) ear studs, a watch or medical alert identification. Only one stud per ear (i.e., earlobe). 
• Nail polish and make-up in any form are not part of the school uniform.  
• Students out of uniform are required to bring a note from home on the day.  
• If a student is out of uniform, parents may be contacted and requested to give a commitment to resolve the problem. 

Term Two Starting Date – Wednesday 27th April 

Monday 25th April is ANZAC Day and a public holiday. Tuesday 26th April is a pupil free day in all Catholic Primary Schools in Canberra. Teachers will be continuing their work with the Catalyst program that we began last year. All students will return to school on Wednesday 27th April. 

Caritas Fundraising

Next week to complete our fundraising for Project Compassion, the Faith Leaders will be selling raffle tickets for three Easter prizes, containing all things Easter! Tickets will be available for purchase at both the junior and senior recess times. Tickets will be $1 for 1 and $5 for 10. All money will be donated to Caritas and the winner will be drawn on Friday.  

Easter Liturgies at School

​Our Year 6 Faith Leaders have been busy preparing online prayer videos to celebrate Holy Week, which occurs in the first week od the school holidays. Each day, next week, classes will join in prayerful participation to commemorate:

• Palm Sunday
• The Last Supper 
• Agony in the Garden 
• Jesus' Trial Crucifixion Death and Burial 
• The Resurrection

Stations of the Cross

The Stations of the Cross are a 14-step Catholic devotion that commemorates Jesus Christ's last day on Earth as a man. The 14 devotions, or stations, focus on specific events of His last day, beginning with His condemnation. The stations are commonly used as a mini pilgrimage as the individual moves from station to station. At each station, the individual recalls and meditates on a specific event from Christ's last day. Specific prayers are recited, then the individual moves to the next station until all 14 are complete.

The Stations of the Cross are commonly found in churches as a series of 14 small icons or images. They can also appear in church yards arranged along paths. 

On Thursday next week, the teachers will lead their classes through a reflection on the Stations of the Cross, using our own SCA artworks which will be placed around the hall.

Confirmation

Confirmation enrolments are open for Catholic students in Year 6. This weekend is the second of two weekends of Commitment masses for families to attend at Holy Family Church Gowrie. Please refer to the Compass Confirmation Information message for details.

Congratulations to the children who will be awarded white cards this week.

TERM 1

WEEK 10 (4th April - 8th April)

Monday 4th April  – Cross Country Carnival

Wednesday 6th April - School Photos Full Summer Uniform, no sports uniform

Friday 8th April - Last day of Term 1

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS 9th April to 24th April

Friday 15th April - Good Friday

Sunday 17th April - Waster Sunday

TERM 2

WEEK 1 (25th April to 29th April)

Monday 25th April - ANZAC DAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY

Tuesday 26th April - PUPIL FREE DAY

Wednesday 27th April - All students commence Term 2 in Winter Uniform

WEEK 2 (2nd May - 6th May)

Thursday 5th May - Athletics Carnival

The SCA Community Council met on 29.03.22 and had a very productive meeting. We discussed what has been happening behind the scenes at school (teacher PDA and ground improvements), impacts of COVID on the SCA operations, finances, and OSHC.

The Community Council is hoping to hold an open meeting in Term 2 Week 3, 10^th May. At this open meeting we welcome any parent who would like to meet other parents, be involved in their children’s school and possibly join the SCA Community Council.  More details will follow in early term 2, but we would look forward to welcoming new parents to the council! Please save the date and join us for a fun night.

Crystal Tunningley

Community Council Chairperson

2023 Enrolment Period is from 2nd May until 30th May

Open Days:

Wednesday 4th May at 10am

Wednesday 18th May at 4:30pm – 5:30pm

Enrolment time will be on us again in a few weeks. If you have a little one ready for school in 2023 or you know of anyone interested in looking at our fantastic school for their children, the enrolment packs will be ready for the beginning of the new term.

With all the carnivals coming up just a reminder about house names and colours.

SAVE THE DATE

Wednesday 6 April 2022

Please do not make any appointments on this day.

If your child is absent on this day due to illness or isolation, make up photos will be taken on a date to be confirmed by MSP. However, these are for individual photos only, not class photos.

Full school uniform to be worn, no sports uniforms please.

Sibling photo envelopes are available from the Front Office.

Term 2 begins Wednesday 27th April 2022

Winter Uniform to be worn

GIRLS WINTER UNIFORM 

• Checked tunic or navy slacks 
  (tunic may be worn as a skirt ONLY in Year 5/6)
• Sky blue long sleeve blouse with peter pan collar or sky blue skivvy 
• Polo shirt is NOT to be worn with Winter Uniform
• Maroon polar fleece with crest
• Navy tights
• Navy jacket
• Traditional black leather shoes (not jogger style)

GIRLS WINTER SPORTS UNIFORM

• Navy track pants
• Maroon polar fleece with crest
• New design sports polo with crest
• Plain white socks covering ankles
• Appropriate lace-up sports shoes

BOYS WINTER UNIFORM

• Navy trousers
• Sky blue long sleeve shirt
• School tie (navy with royal and sky blue stripe) to be worn with shirt
• Sky blue skivvy
• Polo shirt is NOT to be worn with Winter Uniform
• Maroon polar fleece with logo
• Plain white socks covering ankles
• Traditional black leather shoes (not jogger style)
• Navy jacket

BOYS WINTER SPORTS UNIFORM

• Navy blue track pants
• Maroon polar fleece with logo
• New design sports polo shirt with crest
• Plain white socks covering ankles
• Appropriate lace-up sports shoes

Did you know that as well as being the month in which we commemorate Anzac Day, April is also the official Month of the Military Child?

This is a wonderful time to acknowledge and thank our SCA students whose parents serve, or have served, in the military - especially during these challenging times for us all.

It takes great patience, flexibility, understanding, courage and resilience to support a family member in the Defence Force, and our students demonstrate this in so many ways each and every day.

“I know much of the strength of our Australian Defence Force is due to the support families selflessly provide – thank you for the service you too give to our nation and its defence.”

Angus J. Campbell, AO, DSC, Chief of the Defence Force, 2020

The official flower of the Military Child is the Dandelion.

This is because like dandelions, Military children can put down roots almost anywhere and can bloom everywhere the wind carries them. They are hardy and upright and stand ready to fly into breezes to take them into new adventures, new lands and new friends.

Military children are well-rounded, culturally aware, tolerant and extremely resilient. They have learned from an early age that home is where the heart is and that a good friend can be made in any corner of the world.

(Sourced from Defence Kidz FB)

Kate Blenkin

Defence School Mentor