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St Lawrence & Mary Immaculate Parish Balcatta:
Parish Priest: Fr Emil Ciecierega SDS Assistant Priest: Fr Adam Babinski SDS
THE LITTLE CHILDREN AND JESUS People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them. — Mark 10:13-16 Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there. — Matthew 19:13-14 People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” — Luke 18:15-17
St Lawrence Primary School 386 Albert Street Balcatta WA
Telephone: 9344 4944 Fax: 9344 5099 Email: [email protected]
Home Page: www.stlawbal.wa.edu.au
Newsletter No. 28 11 September 2019
School Vision Statement The vision of St Lawrence Catholic Primary School, Balcatta
is to share the message of God’s love and friendship in a community of learners, developing the full potential of each child.
Dear Parents and Friends
Inspiring Christ-Centre Leaders
We are very lucky here at St Lawrence to have so many outstanding, hardworking and committed
staff. Their enthusiasm and dedication always inspires me to emulate their great efforts. One staff
member who I would like to specially acknowledge is the wonderful Mrs Adelaida Baker.
Adelaida is one of life’s true treasures. She gives so generously of her talents and shares her many
gifts with all who she encounters. Watching her with the children is a true delight and for those of us
blessed to have the time to seek her wisdom, we walk away a better person. I am grateful for her being
part of our community, her service and dedication and for really making Jesus alive and real in our
school. Thank you Adelaida.
Catholic Schools of Excellence
We are currently looking into establishing the Talk for Writing program in our school.
It is an exciting initiative that will have a major impact on our student’s writing. Talk for Writing,
developed by Pie Corbet is a powerful writing program based on the principles of how children learn.
The Talk for Writing approach enables children to read and write independently for a variety of
audiences and purposes within different subjects. A key feature is that children internalise the
language structures needed to write through ‘talking the text’. The approach moves from dependence
towards independence with the teacher using shared and guided teaching to develop the ability in
children to write creatively and powerfully.
By the end of the year, most of our teaching staff will have participated in the two-day workshop
which offers an overview of the Talk for Writing approach and provides opportunities for hands-on
participation in the steps of this exceptionally effective instructional approach. Following the
workshop, teachers plan imaginative units of work based on these principles to use in their
classrooms.
At the recent Year Three assembly, Miss Tranquille showcased some of the learning that has occurred
in writing, through the Talk for Writing approach employed in her classroom. I am looking forward to
seeing this strategy employed throughout other classrooms and assessing the results as we continue to
investigate best practice here at St Lawrence. I believe a school must constantly strive to maintain
excellence in its educational endeavours. Well done to our staff for keeping at the top of their
profession and always looking at ways to improve.
Catholic Pastoral Communities
Last Friday night the Parish Children’s Movie Night was held here at school. It was a wonderful
gathering of the children who all enjoyed watching the movie together and sharing in some yummy
treats. This occasion occurs to give thanks to the children who attend St Lawrence Church and
participate in children’s liturgy and their friends. My own parish runs a similar children’s liturgy
group and as a parishioner I am always delighted to see the children at Mass and coming back from
their sessions so happy and excited to share with their parents and loved ones the learning they have
done as part of the Mass. Congratulations to all involved in Children’s Liturgy and the fine volunteers
who give so generously to support the children of the parish.
I thought I might also remind our community that it is officially “Magpie
Nesting Season”. This means they start to protect their nesting areas.
Swooping is a common occurrence during this time. Please take care
when out and about and be mindful of the magpies. Large brimmed hats
and glasses are recommended when walking and always take note of the
warning signage around parklands. The following link provides some
extra information you might find useful.
https://www.stirling.wa.gov.au/magpies
Accessible, Affordable and Sustainable
SCHOOL FEES
The St Lawrence School Board would like to thank those families who have paid their school fees and
are up to date. Should you have any outstanding fees, please make arrangements to finalise these soon.
There are a number of methods in which families at the school can pay their school fees. If you have
fallen behind in your fees or are facing a change of circumstances that may impact your future ability
to pay the fees, please ensure you make a confidential appointment to discuss your options with
myself.
Please contact the Finance Officer, Mrs Lina Armstrong or the Principal, at the school office for any
other fee enquiries, including arranging payment plans.
_________________________________________________________________________________
To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.
Ralph Waldo Emerson US Essayist & Poet 1803-1882
God bless each and every one of you.
Sheldon Carey, M Ed, B Ed, Grad Dip
Principal
PASTORAL CARE
Please keep in your prayers all those in our school community who may be lonely. Loneliness can affect so many people, the
young, the old, married and single people alike. May they find strength in Jesus to reach out and form new
connections and friendships.
To the Tana family on the sad passing of their dear Nonna to
Nicholas (Year 1) and Mikayla (Year 3).
May her soul rest in peace.
Learning at Home Tips:
Philosophical Questions
There is significant evidence that engaging in philosophical debate can have significant cognitive
benefits for children, encouraging open-mindedness, rational thinking and developing the ability to
articulate an argument. Here are a few questions you might like to discuss as a family to get you
started:
Can happiness exist without sadness?
Why do we treat some animals better than others?
Why is it so difficult to imagine a brand new colour that does not already exist?
If you could make one rule that everyone in the world had to follow, what would it be?
Can a person ‘think’ themselves happy?
These deeper philosophical questions can lead to very meaningful conversations within our families
and certainly provide opportunity of the family to come together and talk, spend time together and
enjoying the blessing of family time.
PARISH CHILDREN’S LITURGY
Movie Night
A wonderful time was had by all who attended the Parish Movie Night. Thank you to the parents and
children who attended. A huge thank you to Mr Sheldon Carey and the school staff for the support in
promoting the night and for the use of the wonderful cosy venue, it was a perfect night.
Children’s Mass
The next children’s mass will be on Sunday 22nd September (not the 29 as this is the 5th Sunday).
Parents please encourage your children to participate in singing and reading the prayers of the faithful.
I will forward the prayers to Mrs Jacki Tucker by the beginning of next week. We look forward to
hearing your beautiful voices. Thank you for your constant support.
Mrs Toni Mattiaccio [email protected]
FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Confirmation
Retreat for our Year 6 students has been rescheduled
and will now take place on Monday 16
September. The Retreat will take place in the school
hall. Year 6 students will need to bring their lunch,
morning tea, water and wear suitable casual clothing.
The Confirmation masses will take place on
Saturday 21 September and Sunday 22 September. The photographer will be in the Alverna
Centre an hour before each Mass to take photographs. We advise that you arrive early to avoid
queues. The Year 6 students will sit with their sponsor on the right hand side of the church in an
allocated seat. Please keep the candidates, their families and teachers in your prayers during this
special time.
RECONCILIATION
The Reconciliation Parent meeting will take place on Wednesday 18 September commencing at 7pm
in the Hall. Father Adam will be leading the session and it would be wonderful to see at least one
parent from each family attend.
WHOLE SCHOOL MASS
The Year Sixes will be leading Mass on Friday, everyone is very welcome to join us in prayer.
SPORTS CARNIVAL
A reminder that our Carnival will be held on Friday 20 September. All families are warmly invited to
come and support their children.
WELLNESS
There are many bugs going around at the moment and it
is important that we all continue to help our students
learn about good personal hygiene practices. Teaching
your child to sneeze into their arm rather than their hand
will help to reduce the spread of germs. Also, regular
hand washing especially when blowing noses is
essential.
Thank you for emailing your class teacher and the office when your child is absent from school.
Mrs Jacki Tucker & Mrs Gabrielle Brennan
Assistant Principals
CLASS NEWS
PRE KINDY
We hope all the daddies enjoyed their special day on Father’s Day and liked the gifts we made
especially for them. Tomorrow at Pre Kindy we will continue to practice our Gross Motor Skills.
During the past months we have been doing this regularly and we have seen the children make great
progress – especially pedalling the bicycle. This is a very important skill and we encourage you to let
your child practice this at home if they have a tricycle.
Once again we also thank our parents for the great snacks and lunches that are sent in every
week. Please note our school has a WOW (War on Waste) day regularly, where parents are asked to be
aware of providing food with as little packaging as possible. The school is making great efforts with
Sustainability so you may wish to follow the initiatives noted in the school newsletter.
There is a new roster up on our pin up for Term 4 - parents you are welcome to come in and help,
anytime from 12pm and we don’t mind if we have two parents on roster. We love having you visit and
share some time with us.
Please continue to share the Take Home Story Books with your child. Reading to children has such a
positive impact on helping with the Literacy as we discussed at our meeting at the beginning of the
term.
If you would like some reading for yourself you may find the following interesting;
https://www.firstfiveyears.org.au/
The children continue to enjoy the great activities and toys for our Terrific Transport theme.
Mrs Kaylene Bozich, Pre Kindy Teacher
KINDERGARTEN On the 25th September we will be going an excursion to Yokine Play Space. Thank you to those
parents that have already returned permission slips. At the end of the week I will email which parents
have been chosen out of the raffle to be our helpers on the day. The last three weeks of term will be
spent focusing on all things ‘creepy crawly’.
This week we read The Very Hungry Caterpillar,
created caterpillar art work, beautiful butterflies,
investigated insects in the new dramatic play area
and dug in the sand for insects in our sensory tray.
We added shaving cream too – so much fun!
A reminder that this week the take home story
books in the green bags are due to come back for
changeover (this occurs during the even weeks).
I hope everyone is enjoying sharing the pillow with
their child each night. If you can do just one thing
to help your child to learn it is as easy as reading at
least one book a day, I cannot stress this enough!
Our big focus at the moment is for the children to
write their name with the correct letter formations.
They still need lots of practice so please keep
working on this at home. We are revising the
sounds learnt this term, see if the children can tell
you the letter sound and show you the actions to:
s, a, t, p, i, n and m, h, r, c, d, e.
Coming up next week is the school sports carnival on Friday 20th September. The Kindy children will
participate in a running race, flag race and shuttle relay. It is all for fun and just for participation! They
will only be out for a short time from approximately 9:30am. Parents are welcome to come along and
watch the fun. A program for the Sport Carnival with Kindy’s event highlighted was handed out in the
children’s folders this week. Have a wonderful week everyone!
Mrs Rachel Wake, Kindergarten Teacher
PRE PRIMARY
In Pre Primary we have been learning facts about Koalas and we learnt that a Koala is NOT a bear!
We are getting very excited about our upcoming excursion to Caversham Wildlife Park where we will
see so many Australian animals. We will be able to have a photo with a Koala, pat a wombat and even
hold a snake!
In Religion, we have been talking about our favourite memory. We have painted some wonderful
pictures of these memories.
Last week, in Digital Technologies, we learnt how to take photos with our iPads and make picture
collages. I was amazed with the way the children learnt how to do this so quickly! It was lovely to see
them help each other to create wonderful picture collages.
In Science, we have been discussing the importance of trees. We are being very careful not to waste
paper during our free play and drawing activities! We have learnt a big word-photosynthesis and
talked about how plants create oxygen with photosynthesis. We love being Scientists!
Next Friday we are very excited about our Sports Carnival. We hope to see many of you there cheering
us on!
Mrs Tania Preston, Pre Primary Teacher
YEAR ONE
Thank you to all the parents who came along to assist with the Year One excursion to Whiteman Park.
The Year Ones have also enjoyed spending some time with their Year Six buddies. As always the
children have been working hard in class. In Maths we are learning about fact families and in Literacy
we have been learning about how narratives are constructed.
The children are getting excited about the faction carnival next Friday 20th September. A reminder that
they must wear their faction t-shirts and all items sent along must be clearly labelled.
Mrs Gloria Edwards, Year One Teacher
YEAR TWO
The Year Twos enjoyed their excursion to the Caversham Wildlife Park on Monday. Thank you to all
of the group leaders and family members who were able to join us and special thanks to Mrs Major
who stepped in to coordinate the day in my absence.
We have been having fun learning about nouns, verbs and adjectives by making up silly sentences in
our teams. There were a few very interesting ideas that caused much laughter in our room. You may
enjoy zooming in to read them.
The Years 2, 4 and 5 students will be attending the Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA)
STEM Showcase on Wednesday 18th September. A note will be coming home over the next few days
with further details; this promises to be a great day of learning and a terrific opportunity for our
students to interact with other Catholic schools.
Mrs Jacki Tucker, Year Two Teacher
Year Three Assembly,
Friday 6 September
UNIFORM SHOP NEWS
Summer Uniform Students in Year 1 to Year 6 commence Term 4 in Summer Uniform. Please ensure the correct school
uniform is worn. Please note that the Uniform Shop will be open until Week 10, Thursday 26th,
September (closed during the school holidays). Summer price lists are available in the school office.
Uniform Fittings for Students in Year 1, 2020
Uniform fittings for commencement of Year 1 in 2020 have commenced this week. If you have
missed an appointment or for any enquiries please contact me on [email protected]
Please place your name in a suitable time slot on the roster outside Pre-Primary doors. There are fitting
times still available. Please note that payment is not required at this stage.
Uniform Shop Opening Hours
Wednesday 8.30 am to 9.30am and Thursday 2.30pm to 3.30pm
Mrs Angie Miola, Uniform Shop Manager
CANTEEN NEWS
Thank you to my helpers last week, Tara O and Caroline O, your help is much appreciated!
Year 6, please note that I still need a helper for Thursday please.
This Friday will be the last of ‘pizza orders’ for this term.
Therefore for the next two Wednesdays, please choose an
alternative. Thank you
Sports Carnival Lunches
Please order your Sports Carnival lunches by this Friday.
Sausage Sizzle and Juice $5 or Sushi - Chicken Teriyaki, Tuna
or Veg $6.50 for 5piece and Juice or Water $7.50 for 6 piece and
Juice or Water.
Orders for students, parents and teachers - there will be ‘a
limit’ for sale on the day - don’t miss out!
Last day of term pre-orders are now being taken for Friday
27th September.
We are having a pizza special!
2 slices of Domino’s pizza and a juice box for $5.
Choose from Cheese, Ham & Cheese or Pepperoni.
Thank you to parents and friends for all your support at this busy time.
Christina Russo, Canteen Manager
Frances Caccamo and Antonella Crupi, Assistants
P&F NEWS
DATE: Friday 8 November 2019 – Tickets now available.
We are still in need of donations for prizes.
Your help and support is very much appreciated.
P&F Meeting Thursday 19 September at 2pm. If you would like to add anything to the agenda,
please email it through to the P&F as soon as possible.
Mrs Penny Godfre y, P&F President
COMMUNITY NEWS
PHYSICAL EDUCATION NEWS
ATHLETICS CARNIVAL 2019 As I am sure that you are all aware the St Lawrence Athletics Faction Carnival is due to take place
this year on Friday 20th September.
All students from Kindy to Year 6 will participate in this event. The children will be expected to wear
their faction coloured t–shirt, hats and their red sports shorts or skorts on this day. (Kindy – any shorts)
The students have been training very hard during lessons and at lunchtime with the Year 6 students
and are all very excited.
Very soon each child will bring home a programme of events for the day with their events highlighted.
At the conclusion of the carnival students will gather in faction bays for trophy presentations.
After this parents may collect their child/children from the faction bays by signing them out with their
class teacher. If someone other than a parent is collecting a child/children a note must be written prior
to Friday and handed to the class teacher.
Parental support and assistance is vital to the smooth and efficient running of the day and it is
only with your help that we are able to run such events for your children. I would be most
grateful if parents could be prepared to help out where required on the day.
To assist with planning please contact me on [email protected] if you are in a position
to help out on the day or before school with set up. Please include your mobile number and I will
call you to confirm.
RUNNING CLUB
Morning running club was officially supposed to end after the Inter-school Cross Country Carnival.
However, as our students are such keen morning runners, it has been decided that we will continue
running club tomorrow morning Thursday week 8 and Tuesday and Thursday morning of week 9,
leading up to our Athletics Carnival. There will be no running club in week 10 of this term.
I greatly appreciate the enthusiasm and offers of help from students and parents respectively.
I would also like to take the opportunity to thank all staff who have volunteered and committed to the
running club duties before school over the last two terms.
LONG JUMP and INTER SCHOOL ATHLETICS.
Tomorrow during Physical Education Lessons, we will be running the long jump events for our
carnival. There will be no opportunity for this event to be rerun, however, absentees can still be
considered for the Inter School Athletics Carnival on Monday 28th October.
TABLE TENNIS
Something different in physical education.
Students trying a new sport!
Thank you for your support.
Mrs Claire Major,
Physical Education Teacher
