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.
Filter Content
Dear SCA Families,
I hope this message finds you well and thriving. At SCA, we are committed to supporting the holistic development of our students, not just academically but also emotionally and socially.
We're excited this year to introduce our new initiative, The Resilience Project, aimed at fostering resilience and emotional well-being among our students and families. In today's fast-paced world, resilience is an essential skill that empowers us to overcome challenges, bounce back from setbacks, and thrive in the face of adversity.
By participating in the Resilience Project, you and your family will have access to valuable resources, workshops, and activities designed to strengthen resilience and promote positive mental health. Together, we can create a supportive community where everyone feels empowered to navigate life's ups and downs with confidence and courage.
Please take the time to read the message, later in this newsletter, from our Assistant Principal, Jo Reed.
Join us on this journey towards building stronger, more resilient student, staff and parents. Together, we can make a positive difference in the lives of our children and our community.
Afternoon Pick-Up
2.55pm
- Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 students (and their older siblings from Years 3-6) are dismissed for pick-up at “Donut” or OSHC.
- All students who catch a bus, who will be walked to the bus stop.
3.00pm
- Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 students for pick up or OSHC. We encourage Year 3 students to be collected at Donut, and all Years 4, 5 and 6 students on Heidelberg Street.
Drivers collecting students on Heidelberg St are asked to move to fill the front spaces, with children proceeding to then get in the car. For safety and traffic flow reasons, students are not permitted to get in cars near the bus stop (at the back of the pick-up zone).
Please let Grandparents and Careers know so that we can continue to keep our children safe.
Swimming Carnival
I am looking forward to next week’s Carnival at Queanbeyan. It’s a great venue and families are encouraged to spend some time enjoying the atmosphere. Years 3 – 6 with some Year 2 children will attend. Kindergarten, Year 1 and the majority of Year 2 will remain at school and participate in a water fun day.
Thank you to all of the staff and volunteers who have a role in organising and assisting with the swimming carnival.
It was once said…
Blessings to you and your family.
Matt Egan-Richards
Principal
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.
The SCA Teachers and students are enjoying the Resilience Project engaging in weekly lessons and activities around the key principles of Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness (GEM) and Emotional Literacy to build resilience. I hope you were able to complete your Resilience Project Homework and made those further connections around the dinner table and discuss what you are grateful for.
The Resilience Project has a Parent and Carer Hub. This hub has a plethora of resources for you to access. These include Videos, Podcasts, Events, Journals, TRP APP, Research and Further Support.
The program content focuses on the key pillars to resilience: Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness. These are evidence-based strategies that are shown to build positive mental health. With regular practice they increase learning capacity, emotional literacy, physical health and happiness. Definitions for each of these strategies are below:
Gratitude is paying attention to what you have – as opposed to focusing on the lack of something. It’s about being thankful for the little things in life and acknowledging what went well for you.
Empathy is the ability to understand another person’s thoughts and feelings from their perspective. Closely linked with kindness, empathy is about actively looking for opportunities to be there for other people.
Mindfulness is about being in the present moment. It builds a sense of clarity and calm, and can be practised through breathing exercises, meditation and paying attention to feelings and senses.
Teachers Leaning into TRP
You may have wondered why the Staff were exiting the building at a great rate straight after the bell on Monday afternoon. The SCA Staff joined St Thomas the Apostle Primary School Staff in Kambah, to experience Professional Development from an inspiring educator and our Coach from the TRP, Lucy Cutts. Lucy shared many pearls of wisdom with us around GEM. We looked at bouncing back, seeing the good even if things turn pear shape and how to access a positive emotion. She then walked us through the Teacher and Parent Portals. We can’t wait to put into practice some of our new learnings.
This weekend’s Gopsel is from Mark 9:2-10. Jesus is transfigured before Peter, James and John. Like so many other important events in the Bible, the events of this week’s gospel occur on a high mountaintop. Mountaintops were places of special and dramatic encounter with God and the disciples’ experience of the transfiguration is clearly no exception! In this instance, the disciples suddenly see Jesus’ power fully revealed but they fail to fully understand what is going on. One might think how much more obvious could God be about trying to reveal Jesus’ identity to the disciples, but still they don’t really catch on. Peter thinks he has caught on to the message. When the great prophets Elijah and Moses appear beside Jesus, Peter understands Jesus to be part of the line of prophets in the Hebrew tradition. He believes he has had a great insight and is so impressed that he wants to remain on the mountaintop – setting up tents in honour of Jesus, Elijah and Moses. In essence, Peter has still only partially understood who Jesus is. He thinks he is the Messiah, but a Messiah in the same mould as the prophets of old, a prophet of the old tradition. He has not understood that Jesus is breaking that mould and creating a new vision, a new tradition – one that is endorsed by the voice of God on the mountaintop.
Rather than allowing the disciples to set up tents and remain in the ‘high’ of this experience, Jesus immediately leads the boys back down the mountain. This is perhaps the greatest message of this passage: that life is not lived on the mountaintop but back down in the valley. Although the mountaintop experience may have provided some new insight and new energy, it is back down in the valley that the world waits; that the real work needs to be done; that the sick and the poor are crying out for God’s love and mercy.
From Greg Sunter
2024 Sacraments: Thank you to those who have already enrolled their child into the appropriate Sacramental program. A reminder that the enrolments for all sacraments are now open via the Parish Qkr app. If you are having any difficulties, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with myself or with Anne Gowen via the Parish Office.
Project Compassion: Thank you to those who have already made donations to our Project Compassion campaign. If you wish to use our online portal to donate, please visit https://schools.projectcompassion.org.au/o/st-clare-of-assisi-primary-school-conder
Have a wonderful week
Rachel
Congratulations to the children who will be awarded white cards at the 8.45 am Friday Morning Assembly
| Kinder | Henry B, Harper C, Mason F, Tobias M, Billy R, Tahlia T |
| Year 1 | William J, Lexie K, Ari M, Eliza P |
| Year 2 | Hudson A, Elliott B, Amelia B, Ella F, Veer N |
| Year 3 | Hunter A, Arlen B, Nova B, Parker H, Aari S, Violet V |
| Year 4 | Joshua D, Zachary F, Ben T |
| Year 5 | Kaden G, Eadie M |
| Year 6 | Adam G, Joshua O'M, Jake P, Noah U |
2024 TERM 1
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 8 (18th March to 22nd March)
Friday 22nd March - Year 4 Assembly
WEEK 9 (25th March to 29th March)
WEEK 10 (1st April to 5th April)
All dates are available on the School Calender
School Fee Statements
Statements will be emailed to financially responsible account holders each month, so it is necessary to ensure that your information is updated in the Compass parent portal, including your address and current email address.
Payment Methods
BPAY is the preferred payment method. You will receive your Term 1, 2024 statement soon, which will contain the BPAY Biller code and your unique Customer Reference Number (CRN).
Utilising these codes will ensure that any payments made will be accurately assigned to your account.
BPAY payment scheduling is supported by most financial institutions. Please contact your bank for further details if required.
Payments can be made through Compass, but this does cost the school transactional fees, reducing the funds available to support the school. Where possible, please pay school fees via BPAY or directly at the school office by EFTPOS.
How to use BPAY
Your fee statement will display a distinct BPAY logo which includes your BPAY biller code and Customer Reference Number an example only is pictured below.
View Fee Statement History on Compass Portal
In addition to being able to view any Compass event payments, families are able to view their fee statement history, including any payments made.
Under the Tools wheel, go to My Payments:
Under the History tab, fee payers can view their account balance and transaction history. Please allow up to 24 hours for BPAY payments to appear on your account.
Should you have any concerns please feel free to contact me.
Jo McCarthy
Finance Manager
Permission and event nomination close today Wednesday 21st February.
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.
Katherine Austin
Sports Coordinator
