Dear Families,

How quickly time flies.  It seems only a short time ago we were wondering what this term would like look, then we worked through the hybrid return to school before this week we move into all students returning onsite.  Life always moves so fast and although most of us are pleading to put 2021 behind us, it really is important to take time to smell the roses and enjoy the present.  Out teachers are working feverishly to get our student back on track, both collectively in this classrooms groups but also individually as we drive learning.  Remote Learning has required staff to be adaptable but now the race to Christmas gives them the opportunity in their natural habitat to make have significant impact with all our children.

Aligned to school success is attendance.  We have noticed the growing trend of students being away for a variety of reasons including being proactive around isolating due to potential exposures.  I read of different settings, mainly schools and childcare centres, locally that have had to have various forms of closures due to positive COVID cases.  With the high likelihood that this will either happen to our school or individual families it it critical that attendance rates are maximised.  Related to this is the need for the students to be active when they are in the remote learning phase.  We have found that the students who engage with their teacher and peers online benefit both from an academic and well-being perspective, which is enabling them to be far more successful in regaining momentum as return to face-to-face learning.  Alongside attendance in being a key ingredient to success is also simple things like having a good night's sleep, nutritious lunch and wearing the correct uniform.  Well done must go to all those students who have so quickly got their school mojo back.

SCHOOL CLOSURE ADVICE: If the school is deemed to be an exposure site we will be heavily directed by the various government agencies.  If you have seen the notices from the local schools that have been shutdown you would have noticed that the letter is a template with the same directions.  This have generally occurred overnight which has the potential to catch families by surprise.  A strategy we have planned for is to have the main car park gates closed to indicate an enforced closure, the same process that occurred on the morning of the storm/floods.  Please note that the school's Facebook page will not be the forum for any communication apart from replicating the initial alert to direct families to the authorised school platforms (Schoolzine and PAM).

Yesterday the Church celebrated the Feast day of St.Luke.  Luke is known as one of the Gospel writers as well as having a medical background which has seen him recorded as the Patron Saint of Physicians and Surgeons.  In the current challenges of the pandemic let us offer our prayers to all those men and women across our health system who are contributing to the well-being of our community.  I offer our best wishes and thanks to those parents in our Lumen Christi family who are currently working in this field.

With the changed settings hopefully comes more opportunities to conduct events that have been restricted. Please keep on eye on our school communications as we bring different things back into operation.

Have a great week, Dave

From Monday 25th October all classes will attend school fulltime.

Mary, Help of Christians. We fly to you today as your beloved children. We ask you to intercede for us with your Son, as you did at the wedding in Cana.

Pray for us, loving Mother, and gain for our nation and world, and for all our families and loved ones, the protection of God’s holy angels, that we may be spared the worst of this illness.

For those already afflicted, we ask you to obtain the grace of healing and deliverance. Hear the cries of those who are vulnerable and fearful, wipe away their tears and help them to trust.

In this time of trial and testing, teach all of us in the Church to love one another and to be patient and kind. Help us to bring the peace of Jesus to our land and to our hearts.

We come to you with confidence, knowing that you truly are our compassionate mother, health of the sick and cause of our joy. Shelter us under the mantle of your protection, keep us in the embrace of your arms, help us always to know the love of your Son, Jesus.

Amen

During Term 3 and 4, the children have been learning about protective behaviours using the WA Child Protection Program called, ‘Holding Hands’.  As part of our Child Safety theme, we thought we’d reflect on the life of Daniel Morocombe by honouring Daniel on Friday, October 29th. Each class will participate in a whole school simultaneous video viewing, which will remind them of the importance of  Child Safety and the right to feel safe.  On this day, we will teach children to recognise, react & report any harmful/unsafe situations and use their 5 network support people if needed. 

Child Safety Day for Daniel Objectives:

• To raise awareness about Child Safety 

• To educate children regarding their personal safety and empower them to recognise, react and report any unsafe situations.

• To honour the memory of unsafe scenarios such as that of Daniel Morocombe 

On Friday, October 29th at 11:15am - each class will watch this video then make red hearts and pin them onto their tops to remember Daniel and  our theme focus of ‘keeping kids safe’, and ‘Every child has the right to feel safe all of the time’.

Our Lumen Christi staff will be continuing our Protective Behaviours Program titled, Holding Hands, this Term. As mentioned in pervious newsletters, it  is an Internationally acclaimed personal safety and child abuse prevention program endorsed by the Department of Education in Western Australia with Victorian Curriculum links. 

This program is based on two themes : “We all have the right to feel safe all of the time’ and “We can talk with someone about anything, no matter what it is”. By teaching protective behaviours programs, we will be helping our students develop the life long skills of assertiveness, self-confidence, problem solving, communication, resilience and help seeking. The activities and discussions are simple and presented in a fun, child-friendly way, designed not to scare children but teach them some of the vital skills of personal safety and the importance of consent. The focus this Term is Body Awareness and many classes will be having discussions about the human body and body parts. The lessons will involve using the correct medical names for the body parts. Please be aware that the children may come home sharing words learnt/used in their classwork. 

Our Child Safety focus fits in perfectly with National Children’s Week. Our Day for Daniel on Friday 29th, October, ties in with giving children the power to say, ‘NO’, and to seek assistance if needed. Empowering the children with these strategies will hopefully give them the safety they deserve. 

If you have any questions please feel free to contact your class teacher or Mr Cooper or Mrs Colaciello. 

Oct 23-31st

Children’s Week

‘Every child has the right to choose  their own friends and safely connect with others.’

Mental Health & Crisis Support website links