We respectfully acknowledge the Ngunnawal people, the Traditional Owners of the land on which we work and learn, and pay respect to the First Nations Peoples and their elders, past, present and emerging.
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- From the Principal Week 2
- From the Assistant Principal Week 2
- RE News Week 2
- White Cards
- Dates For Your Diary
- Swimming Carnival Thursday 29th of February Year 3 - 6
- Library News
- Canteen Help Needed Urgently
- Introducing Our New Counsellor
- Thank You
- New Play Equipment
- Parent Network Coordinator Position Opening 2025!
- Would you like to join the Parent Network?
- Shoe Boxes
- Parish News
- Community Notices
Dear SCA Families,
It was great to see so many families meeting the teachers and mingling with other SCA families at last night’s event. We hope this format, with a social gathering and dedicated classroom information sessions, met your needs. Please let me know via email, or feel free to speak with me in person.
Thanks to the small band of parents who fed us all and to the staff for being present for a long day.
Community Council AGM Tuesday 13th February at 6.00pm in the Staffroom
We invite all parents to come along to our first Community Council (SCA CC) meeting for the year. The Community Council provides an important leadership role in our school by undertaking an advisory role in policy and finance matters, and a hands-on role in community building and school promotion.
This will be a meeting with a difference! In 2024, the Catholic Education Commission enacted a new framework for Archdiocesan School Councils. To help us implement the new Council framework, Sarah Meier, from the Catholic Education Office, will be present to outline the changes and answer any of our questions.
Even if you don’t wish to commit to being a regular part of the Council, please feel free to come along to find out what your school Council does.
White Card Presentations
We warmly invite parents of our weekly “white card” winners to our morning assemblies on Friday (8.45am). We hope to see you here soon.
Afternoon Dismissal
Technically, school finishes at 3.00pm. However, to ensure the safety of all at such a busy time, we allow K – 2 students (and their older siblings) to be picked up early.
This means that K - 2 children who are picked up at Donut (and their older siblings) will be released from class at 2.55pm. Children who are going to OSHC, walking, riding etc. will be dismissed at 3.00pm with the rest of the school.
All children who catch a bus will be dismissed at 2.55pm, and walked immediately to the bus stop. This should provide plenty of time to catch local busses. If you have any questions or concerns regarding these arrangements, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Parking
Please note the following arrangements for parking in the Courts area of a morning and afternoon. To ensure the safety of all, please observe the following:
- Cars must leave the courts by 9.00am (so that the school can use the area for sport and other activities).
- Cars leaving the courts area must give way to vehicles leaving Donut or the driveway.
- Children must always be accompanied by an adult while walking to and from cars.
- The courts area will be opened at 2.45pm each afternoon, and cars must leave by 3.15pm (so that OSHC can safely use the area).
Parent Network
SCA has a network of parents who liaise together to establish and strengthen relationships amongst parents, families and the school. The network is a friendly, informal group who recognise that it is not easy to find time to volunteer, so they keep the focus on sharing small tasks in an understanding ‘no pressure’ atmosphere.
If you would like to help, or simply want more information, please contact our Parent Network Coordinator, Fay Holden on scaperntnetwork@outlook.com.au.
School Fees
School Fees statements for Term 1 will soon be emailed to families. Fees are due by Friday 1st March. Please contact me if there are going to be any difficulties in meeting this expense. We have a Fee Assistance Policy in place to help families who find themselves either in short term or long term financial difficulties. Please contact the front office to arrange a confidential conversation with the Principal or Finance Manager.
SCA 2024 School Fees no siblings in a Systemic Secondary College
|
1 Child |
2 Children |
3 Children |
4 or more Children |
|
$3,621.00 |
$5,123.00 |
$6,186.00 |
$6,606.00 |
SCA 2024 School Fees with siblings in a Systemic Secondary College
|
1 Child |
2 Children |
3 Children |
4 or more Children |
|
$3,254.34 |
$4,756.34 |
$5,819.54 |
$6,239.34 |
Voluntary Contributions to the Canberra Catholic Schools Building Fund (CCSBF) will be $210 per term for those families that opt- in to make a contribution to the CCSBF.
The preferred payment methods are Bpay , Eftpos & Mastercard or alternatively you can pay on Compass.
Please note there was a new Biller Code & Family Reference number given with the Finance transformation last year. The new details can be found on the top right & on the bottom left hand side of your Family Statement.
We value your partnership, and we sincerely thank you for your continued support of our school. If you have any questions about school fees or require assistance on any other matter, please do not hesitate to contact me, or our Finance Officer, Jo McCarthy, at the school.
Email Contact
Staff are always happy to receive parent emails and will endeavour to answer them as swiftly as possible. Please note though, that, as we work face-to-face with the children, staff will usually not read their emails until the afternoon or often the following morning.
My email address is matt.egan-richards@cg.catholic.edu.au. (Yep, it’s a long one!)
Janitor / Groundsperson
Our Janitor / Groundsperson, is moving on and we are advertising the position. If you know of someone who may be interested, please point them towards https://careers.cg.catholic.edu.au/cw/en/job/502738/janitorgroundsperson-st-clare-of-assisi-primary-school-conder-act for further details.
It was once said…
Blessings to you and your family.
Matt Egan-Richards
Principal
SCA has launched 'The Resilience Project' (TRP) across the school. The Resilience Project is a program committed to teaching positive mental health strategies to prevent mental ill-health and build young people’s capacity to deal with adversity. We will be implementing TRP Program not only in our classrooms but share the wisdom with all of you!
Teachers and students will engage in weekly lessons and activities around the key principles of Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness (GEM) and Emotional Literacy to build resilience.
You will start to hear your children talk about “GEM CHAT” and how looking at the positives in our lives changes the way we feel and act towards others. Over the course of the year, we will be sharing information about the TRP. There is significant evidence that building the school – home connection is crucial to improving educational achievement and student outcomes. There is correlation between parent involvement and a variety of wellbeing metrics including school attendance, social skills and behaviours and further education.
Below is an introduction to The Resilience Project which includes a video series for parents.
The Parent and Carer Resilience Project Information
Throughout 2024 and beyond we will be working closely with The Resilience Project to support the wellbeing of our SCA community.
The Resilience Project delivers emotionally engaging programs and provides evidence-based practical strategies to build resilience.
Our Partnership Program consists of online presentations and weekly lessons for students, development for staff, and Parent & Carer Hub (inc. digital presentations) for our parent and carer community. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing the Parent & Carer Hub with you. The videos are 5-10 minutes long and will walk through the key pillar of resilience: GRATITUDE, EMPATHY & MINDFULNESS. You’ll hear stories and be introduced to activities to show how these strategies can support our kids' learning and development, and also support you as parents and carers.
This program is an important part of our school’s effort to look after the mental health of our community.
View the first presentation of the series here:
Part 1: Meet Hugh and learn about The Resilience Project - https://theresilienceproject.com.au/2023-parent-carer-hub-inspire-hugh/
In this presentation, Hugh shares a personal experience about his sister's battles with Mental Illness.
Note: This video contains a story about an Eating Disorder that may be triggering. Please consider this before watching. For mental health resources and support information, visit The Resilience Project’s Support Page.
We will be in touch fortnightly to share the remainder of the program, including research and wellbeing activities to integrate into day-to-day life.
Check out their website for more information:
And check out TRP@HOME; a place filled with inspiration and activities for the whole family, to help improve your wellbeing and build resilience.
The first TRP lesson was delivered to all students on Monday with great success.
SCA FAMILY CHALLENGE
At the dinner table each person takes a turn to share their favourite part of the day OR what went well for them today. There is no skipping or saying 'nothing', everyone must share. Even if you have had a challenging day, please find some part of the day that was your favourite, even if it was coming home!
Then each person must say 1 thing that they are grateful for. Again, no skipping people and you can't repeat what you said in the best part of the day.
Mentally take note as to how difficult these thoughts and conversations are when you first begin. Try and complete this challenge every day for a week and take note to see if the thoughts and sharing become easier.
Enjoy your week.
Jo Reed
Assistant Principal
Congratulations to the children who will be awarded white cards at the 8.45 am Friday Morning Assembly
| Kinder | Charlotte D, Aditya M, Zayde P, Zoe P, Lachlan W |
| Year 1 | Adalind H, Rosalie H, Oliver P, Levi T |
| Year 2 | |
| Year 3 | Violet B, Aari S |
| Year 4 | Lukas C, Rory D, Sienna O'M |
| Year 5 | Ava E, Hunter E, Kaden G, Dylan K, Noa L, Caitlyne MB, William O, Elise S, Abigail V |
| Year 6 | Chloe McG, Nate N |
2024 TERM 1
WEEK 3 (12th February to 16th February)
WEEK 4 (19th February to 23rd February)
WEEK 5 (26th February to 1st March)
WEEK 6 (4th March - 8th March)
WEEK 7 (11th March to 15th March)
WEEK 9 (25th March to 29th March)
WEEK 10 (1st April to 5th April)
WEEK 11 (8th April to 12th April)
All dates are available on the School Calender
On Thursday 29th of February, St. Clare of Assisi will be holding our annual Swimming Carnival at Queanbeyan Aquatic Centre Cnr Crawford Campbell and Antill St, Queanbeyan. All children from Years 3 - 6 will participate.
Please complete the event nomination form and permission on Compass by Wednesday 21st of February.
The cost will be $12.50 per child.
All 200 IM swimmers are asked to be at the pool by 8:30am to begin their races at 9:00am. Parents may be asked to stay and assist with time keeping for these races. For all other swimmers, buses will begin leaving school at 9am.
Competitive 100m and 50m swimmers will leave school on the first buses. All children will return to school by approximately 2:45pm. Lunch will be eaten at the pool so please pack recess, lunch and water bottles for your child. The canteen at the pool will be available for snacks only.
The program will include 200m Individual Medley, 100m, 50m and 15m swimming events. It is expected that all children will be able to compete in at least one of the 50m swimming events. Last year, we had many children who decided they wanted to enter a race on the day. It would be appreciated if you and your children could discuss what events they would like to enter and nominate for these. It is great for everyone to have a go at the competitive races - 50 metres is not as far as you think, so sign up today! There will be staff members walking the length of the pool with each race.
To make time for the 15m races across the pool, we encourage children to sign up for 50m events via Compass before the carnival. There is no guarantee children will be able to enter a race on the day. If your child is not a confident swimmer, the 15m races swum across the pool are the best option. These races are to give an opportunity for everyone to have a go at a race. There are adults in the water to assist and floatation devices there if needed.
Please nominate the events your child would like to participate in using the checkboxes on Compass. All children will be given the opportunity to participate in fun at the Water Park at the pool. The day is designed for all children to participate and so that a school swimming squad can be chosen to compete in the Tuggeranong Region Swimming Carnival.
Children will need to remember the following:
- Wear a T-shirt in their house colour; (McCubbin-blue/Roberts-red/Streeton-green/Conder-yellow)
- Bring recess, lunch and drinks – lots of water!!
- Swimmers are to be worn to school under sports uniform
- Thongs/sandals, towel, school hat and sunscreen
- Swimming caps are highly encouraged. These are available from the Front Office for $5.
- Parent helpers and spectators will not be charged entry to the pool and your children would love to see you there.
A huge thank you to Matt E father of one our Year 2 students (Amyah), who made us some incredible new Big Book Storage boxes. They have created so much space in our book room, and made it more accessible for teachers to get the books.
Matt’s generosity of time has saved the school close to $2000, had we bought them from a supplier.
Thank you Matt for your time and effort. It is greatly appreciated.
The time has come for us to find a dynamic individual to join our esteemed Parent Network team as the Shadow Coordinator in 2024. This unique opportunity offers you the chance to shadow our fearless leader, Fay Holden, throughout the upcoming year, gearing up to take the reins as the Parent Network Coordinator for 2025!
We look forward to hearing from you.
If you're interested in being part of this wonderful initiative, simply email scaparentnetwork@outlook.com or the front office at sca@cg.catholic.edu.au. Your involvement is invaluable, and together, we can make a lasting impact on the lives of our students.
Thank you for your ongoing support and dedication to St Clare of Assisi. We look forward to welcoming you to the Parent Network!
Warm regards,
Parent Network Committee
Gift Basket Stall
It’s already time to think about the SCA Fete to be held in November 2024!
As we are settling back into school and the school shoes are getting worn in, we would love to be able to repurpose your empty shoe boxes for our gift basket stall.
Please drop any shoe boxes you may have that are in excellent condition to the front office.
Many Thanks!
Lent is nearly upon us. Lent is an especially sacred time of year so here is a list of ways that you may enter into the spirit of the season:
- The Parish Lenten Program, Pieta, will run on Monday evenings from 7pm – 8pm from 12 Feb to 18 March. Sign-up sheet in the foyer at Holy Family Church or let us know if you want to join in.
- 14th Feb: Ash Wednesday – Masses are at Holy Family Church at 10am and 6pm.
- Fridays during Lent – 6pm Mass at HFC, followed by Stations of the Cross.
- Wednesdays at 7pm from 21st Feb to 27th March at HFC – Contemplative Masses – Silence is an integral part of the celebration of the contemplative Mass and I am aware that it is not necessarily appealing to all. Children at Mass, if they are distracted for some reason, our beautiful church foyer or children’s liturgy room will be a useful place. I would love to see children in the church and I also want them to understand the sacredness of our worshiping place. Fr James T Antony.
- 1st Rite of Reconciliation is available each Saturday from 10am to 10:30am and 5pm to 5:30pm plus each Sunday from 5:00pm to 5:30pm.
You can stay up to date by referring to our website: http://www.ccparish.org.au
