Dear SCA families,

According to Wikipedia, communication “is the act of conveying meanings from one entity or group to another through the use of mutually understood signs, symbols, and semiotic rules.”

At SCA we try to ensure communication between home and school is effective. To do this, we need some mutual understandings:

• The newsletter is the prime form of communication.
• The newsletter will be posted on SZapp and the school website, every Wednesday
• Reading the newsletter helps to ensure parents know what is happening in the school.
• The school calendar is available on SZapp and the website.
• Our App (SZapp) should be used by all parents to keep up to date with whole school and year level notes.
• Facebook is used to share and celebrate events and our children. If you have a question for us, please do not post it online. We don’t have the resources to monitor it all day.
• Emails to staff will be answered, though often not until the next working day.
• Our excellent front office staff will try to answer all of your questions.
• Face to face meetings with teachers are encouraged.

We want you to know what’s happening in the school. If you would like to discuss, or provide feedback on, any aspect of the way in which we communicate together, please contact me.

Community Council

Congratulations and thanks to Crystal Tunningley who was re-elected our Chair. I look forward to continuing the work with Crystal and the rest of the Council. 

The first Council meeting for 2021 was held last week. Matters discussed include; OSHC, Fete preparations, School Finances, Open Meeting in Term 2 and the Annual Improvement Plan.

Thank you to all the outgoing members who served us so well in 2020 and thank you to the new council for putting up your hand to help this year.

The SCA Community Council for 2021 is:

Year 6 Camp

Best wishes to the Year 6 students and staff who are heading off to Narrabeen (Northern Sydney) next week for their 3 day camp. I am looking forward to spending the time with them.

Announcements for Students

To satisfy both Privacy Legislation and Student Protection Guidelines, we can not make PA announcements with student names.

If a message must be given during the day to a student, it will be done though the classroom teacher, either by a telephone call or on a written note. However, if a message is received in the front office after 2.30pm, we cannot guarantee its delivery to your child before the school day is over.

What can parents do:

• Before children go to school each morning, ensure they know how they are going home.
• Contact the school before 2.30pm for “last minute” changes.
• If you are planning on collecting them early, let the teacher know (preferably the day before) of the time your child needs to be in the front office.

While the Cat’s Away…

I will be away from school next Monday to Wednesday while I join the Year 6 team on their camp, and then Thursday and Friday while I attend the annual Archdiocesan Principals’ Meeting and Retreat. During my absence Ms Val Ciuffetelli will be in charge.

Kindergarten

Our newest “big-schoolers” are into their fourth week at SCA. From next week they will be with us 5 days a week (after having Wednesdays off for the first month.)

Swimming Carnival

The Swimming Carnival (Years 3 – 6) is at Queanbeyan Pool tomorrow (25^th February) with the first 50m+ competition races starting around 9:30am. The 15m races will be hopefully starting some time around 12:00pm. Please come along to help out or support your children on this fun day. 

The weather forecast is constantly changing, and looking more positive than it was a few days ago. If we have to postpone, an announcement will be made, via SZapp, on Thursday morning before 8.00am.

It was once said…

"Experience is the name we give to our mistakes."  -Unknown

Blessings to you and your family.

Matt Egan-Richards

Principal

200 Years Young - A Pastoral Letter from the Bishops of Australia to the leaders, staff, students and families of Catholic education in Australia. Each child will bring home a prayer card today.

An extraordinary achievement 

Two hundred years ago the first official Catholic school opened in Australia. Since then Catholic education has grown to the point that it now educates around 770,000 primary and secondary school students, in more than 1,750 schools, with nearly 100,000 staff. These are sponsored by dioceses and parishes, religious institutes and public juridic persons, and groups of parents. Six thousand Catholic catechists participate in the religious education of 200,000 children in government schools and parishes. Over the last few years, hundreds of Churchsponsored early learning centres have been established, educating many thousands of preschoolers. Around 50,000 tertiary students are now enrolled in our two Catholic universities with their several campuses.

It is an extraordinary achievement! Catholic schools are a jewel in the crown of the Catholic Church in Australia, with few parallels in other countries. Alongside families and parishes they are the Church’s principal meeting point with young people. They are integral to the Church’s mission of transmitting the faith to the next generation. It is there that many young people encounter Christ, intensify their knowledge and love of God, and are formed as future contributors to Australian society. We hope all our students will emerge from our schools with a deepened sense of the sacred and greater appreciation of the true, the good and the beautiful.

Catholic education is steadfast in its commitment to evangelisation, catechesis, religious education and spiritual and moral formation. Catholic schools are also a major part of Australia’s educational ecosystem. They are the equal of other schools regarding educational programs, student achievement, teacher professionalism, facilities and innovation. They have provided highquality education to generations of young Australians, now numbering in their millions. They stand as a beacon in our society, for their contribution to the common good and to the nation’s social capital. They have helped nurture a more just, tolerant and cohesive society.

Catholic education is determined in its commitment to excellence and equity. In this bicentenary year more than one in five Australian students attends a Catholic school, and many others a Catholic preschool, college or university. There are Catholic schools in most towns and suburbs, and university campuses in most capital cities. The students come from diverse backgrounds and beliefs. They are no longer all from poorer families, as so many were in the first century and a half of Catholic education. Despite our continuing preferential option for the poor and concern to be more accessible to First Australians, refugees, those with disabilities or other disadvantage, our schools now boast children drawn from every part of our society. Yet for all their diversity, they form a community with a common purpose and shared mission.

As Christ said that He had come “that they might have life, life to the full” (John 10:10), we seek to draw out our students’ gifts, address their challenges and enable them to experience fullness of life. Catholic schools have long held that education should be directed not just towards personal enrichment for the individual student but also to community contribution. Unsurprisingly, therefore, one of the great successes of Catholic education has been how many of its graduates have gone on to put their character, skills and knowledge at the service of others: as civic leaders or judges, leaders of industry, professions or trades, and in many other ways. Many have gone on to be spouses and parents, establishing their home as ‘a domestic church’, contributing to their parish and volunteering in their local community. Many, too, have joined ‘caring professions’ such as education and healthcare, or a life-long religious vocation, as priests, sisters or brothers.

The extraordinary success of Catholic education did not occur by chance: it is fruit of the sacrifice of past generations and divine grace. We are heirs to that rich legacy, borne out of sincere belief, inspiring vision and unwavering resolve. The bicentenary of Catholic education in Australia invites us to remember the past with gratitude, be inspired by that story in the present, and look forward with faith in the future.

Dear Parents of Year Six children to be enrolled for Confirmation in 2021,

Congratulations to the children who will be awarded white cards this week on Friday morning. Parents are welcome to attend.

A reminder that our school swimming carnival is being held this Thursday 25 February at Queanbeyan Pool. 

If we have to postpone due to weather, an announcement will be made, via SZapp, on Thursday morning before 8.00am.

We are looking forward to a fun day and remind you of the following:

• All 200 IM swimmers are asked to be at the pool by 8.30am to begin their races at 9am sharp
• For all other swimmers, buses will begin leaving school at 8:50am.  Competitive 100m and 50m swimmers will leave school on the first buses
• Students must be sun-smart throughout the day, please remember a hat, sunscreen and a water bottle - lots of water!
• Please bring recess, a packed lunch, the canteen will be available for the purchase of snacks only
• Students may wear a T shirt in their house colours with their swimmers underneath.  Don't forget a towel.

Please give the office a call if you do not know your child's house and colour:

• Roberts - RED
• McCubbin - BLUE
• Streeton - GREEN
• Conder - YELLOW

Thank you to those parents who have volunteered to assist. A reminder to please ensure you have your WWVP card with you on the day.

School fee statements for Term 1 2021 were emailed to all families last week. If an email address was not on the system a paper copy was sent home through your child's bag on Friday. If you didn't receive your fee statement by email, please let us know so we can update your email address if required.

Term 1 fees are due for payment by Friday 5 March 2021, unless paying by Direct Debit or other approved instalment payment method. The following methods of payment are available: Payments by Qkr!: All payments can now be made through the Qkr! app. Payments for school fees, excursions and canteen etc can all be made using Qkr! Details about how to download and register the App are available on our website.  Please ensure you have updated your settings for the 2021 year levels for your students. Eftpos: Eftpos payments may be made in person at Front Office. Bpay:Bpay is available for payment of School Fees only. Payments can be made through the internet and telephone banking by quoting the Biller Code and Reference Number located on your school fee statement. Direct Debit: Payment of School Fees by Direct Debit will require completion of the relevant paperwork. Please contact Jo McCarthy : jo.mccarthy@cg.catholic.edu.au to set up your Direct Debit. Direct Debits usually commence in January and run over 52 weeksor 26 fortnights. All Direct Debits are to be altered in December for the following year’s School Fees. Credit Card Payments – Mastercard or Visa: Credit Card payments may be made in person, over the telephone, or details can be provided at the bottom of your school fee statement.

Jo McCarthy

6294 1860

jo.mccarthy@cg.catholic.edu.au

A school crossing supervisor is supporting our school each morning and afternoon to increase safety for children. This term Peter is our crossing supervisor. Please support this initiative by driving safely near the school and encouraging children to use the supervised crossing.

Our crossing supervisor is responsible for controlling a busy environment, which includes managing the flow of pedestrians, cyclists and motorists during peak times. It is important for motorists to drive at a speed which allows them to safely stop when the supervisor enters the road. Please be patient and allow the crossing supervisor and other pedestrians to safely clear the road prior to proceeding.

 The school community is encouraged to familiarise themselves with the basic crossing supervisor procedures:

• The supervisor will ask pedestrians to wait in a safe location by the side of the road
• When it is safe, the supervisor will stop traffic
• The supervisor will blow their whistle twice to indicate it is safe to cross.

The School Crossing Supervisor program is delivered by Transport Canberra and City Services’ School Safety Program. If you have any feedback about the program, please contact TCCS. 

Please be patient, polite and respectful to our supervisor, they are committed to keeping our students safe.