Welcome to the end of the second week of the school year.  Time does fly by when you are keeping busy. 

As a school staff as part of our four-year review cycle we developed a document called our Design Principles - in essence a set of 'to-die-for' statements about how we go about operating.  The key mantra is every teacher makes every minute count for every child. In the busy-ness of life it is so important we take advantage of every moment and not get caught in the many distractions that can consume both our physical and emotional energy.  As educators and parents we have to balance the see-saw of knowing when to push our children hard or to put in more support.   Unfortunately it seems no one has written a fool-safe 'Dummies Guide to Child Rearing' book.

Next week on Ash Wednesday our faith story welcomes the season of Lent, the period of time when we prepare for Easter.  As Australians we sometimes get confused with the celebration of Ash Wednesday in the Catholic Church because we relate it to the horrific bush-fires also called Ash Wednesday.  As a Year 3 student back in 1983 I experienced the trauma of the day when this natural disaster interrupted our Ash Wednesday church service, hence the nickname given to that fire event.  In this newsletter I've also included some information for parents to read which explains the link between Pancake Tuesday and Ash Wednesday.

This week we highlighted Safer Internet Day on Tuesday and I hope parents took advantage of some the resources available to feel a little more educated on the topic.  We know that our online world has both positives and negatives, however the risks associated with our children interacting in that space are significant.  As a principal I cannot stress enough how critical it is that parents, particularly of primary aged students, are extremely conscious of what our children our doing, saying and are experiencing online.  My door is always open to parents if they had any concerns or questions about this growing issue in society.

Last week's newsletter contained information about our learning enrichment programs including each classroom's timetable, providing the information which included what day students would wear their sports uniform.  Can I thank families for their swift attention to this and the increased compliance around unfirom.  It has been pleasing to see families organising those additional items or replacements for items that are worn and are in poor condition (eg.hats).  The uniform shop has a good range of new and used items, including shoes.  If you require assistance or support please reach out to the school, especially Mrs.Campbell.  If you are having issues with your child around compliance please see me and I can have a gentle conversation with them!

On behalf of the staff we thank you for your continued support.

Enjoy your weekend, Dave

1. In this depiction of the Wedding at Cana we see Mary very gently approach Jesus at the left of the picture.  She mentions the situation where the host has run out of wine.  Our faith story continues with the narrative that Jesus intervenes and turns the jars of water into wine.  This event is recorded as the first miracle attributed to Jesus.

We wonder about Mary's response to this sign that her son had the capacity for greatness.  As parents we are often amazed at what our children are able to do or the resilience they are able to display when challenged.  We pray for the wisdom to notice and acknowledge the strengths and achievements of our children.

A Parent's Prayer

Lord,

I need your help today. I want to care for those you've sent into my life, to help them grow in body, mind and spirit, to help them develop the special gifts given to them.

But I also want to free them to follow their own paths and bring their loving wisdom to the world.

Help me to embrace them without clutching, to support them without suffocating, to correct them without crushing.  And help me to live joyfully and playfully myself so they can see your life in me and find their way to you.

Amen

This week we officially welcomed our Prep class of 2021.  After an interrupted pre-school year our new superstars have dealt confidently with their transition to primary school.  We extend the warmest of welcome to these students and their families, especially the new families that have just started with us at Lumen Christi.

Congratulations to our 2021 Student Leaders who received their badges at our Opening of the Year Mass

2021 STAFFING STRUCTURE

Principal                     MR. DAVE COOPER

Admin Team                REBEKAH ALESI & LAUREN WILSON

YEAR P&1                    MISS. ELLY SMITH

YEAR 1&2                    MR. BRAD WATSON

Junior School ESOs       HAYLEY LIDDICOAT, JANET SMITH & JULIE WITNISH

YEAR 3                        MR. BRANDON MAHONEY & MRS. JANELLE SZKWAREK

Middle School ESOs      CATHERINE CAMPBELL

YEAR 4&5                     MR. ROD CLARKE & MRS. MARINA DOSEN

YEAR 5&6                     MR. CAMILLO REDI & MRS.LARA SAVIGE

Senior School ESOs       HEATHER MOIR, MAREE NARDINO & CALLUM STEWART

Federation Uni Intern     MISS. NEESHA SIMMONS

ART SPECIALIST                  MRS.CATHY COLACIELLO

LANGUAGES SPECIALIST      MRS.CATHY COLACIELLO

LIBRARY SPECIALIST           MRS. LAUREN WILSON

MUSIC SPECIALIST              MRS. JANELLE SZKWAREK

SPORT SPECIALIST              MR. CALLUM STEWART

BUILDINGS & FACILITIES     TANIA WOOKEY

This letter was distributed to families earlier in the week:

The preparations for the Sacrament of Reconciliation will begin shortly.  

Registration for Reconciliation will take place at the Commitment Masses over 2 weekends.   Registration can take place on Saturday 27th of February at 6pm Mass or Sunday 28th of February at 9am Mass.  Please bring your child to Mass and fill in the registration form for Reconciliation at one of these Masses.   A copy of your child’s Baptism certificate will also need to be filed at the school if not there already. (We can range to photocopy this for you at school) 

Candidates for Reconciliation will be required to attend 2 Family Workshops at the school. These will be held on Wednesday 24th of  February and Wednesday 10th of March at 5pm in the school Library.  Candidates attend these workshops with a parent/adult who will support them in their preparation.  

The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be celebrated on Wednesday 17th of March at Lumen Christi Church, at 5pm.  (An alternative date is Thursday 18th of March at Sacred Heart Primary School if the Wednesday is not suitable)

In addition to the workshops, it is encouraged that candidates for Reconciliation will celebrate the Mass each weekend after making their commitment.  During the Sunday Mass at 9am there will be Children’s Liturgy which allows the children to discuss the Gospel and complete activities designed to help children to understand the Gospel message.  Candidates may prefer to attend Mass on Saturday night at 6pm or at Yinnar, Boolarra or one of the Morwell Masses.

Families of Reconciliation candidates are asked to contribute $20 towards the expenses incurred. An envelope is attached to this letter for the money to be placed in and returned to the school.

If you have any questions or concerns, please see Mr. Cooper or Mrs. Colaciello.

At Lumen Christi we strive to provide a diverse curriculum to all our students.  Literacy and Numeracy are the obvious key drivers, however we know studies have proven the benefits of students learning another language and participating in art and music, while being active has positive life-long outcomes.  We are really proud of the fact we are able to provide one of the most comprehensive learning enrichment programs available locally.

Our class timetable for Semester 1 (with a few tweaks to accommodate the Preps having rest days)

Students will wear their Sports Uniform on their 'Sport' specialist day as well as an additional day as selected by their classroom teacher to suit their weekly curriculum program.

Online safety is an area that continues to be significant issue across the globe and across age groups.  Last year we offered all families access to free seminars and resources in this area, with resources still available on our school website in our Remote Learning menu.

The media often shares stories (mostly negative) on the topic of social media, and while we can quickly jump into a rant about its evils we should also consider the many advantageous uses of it.  What makes parenting a challenge in the past few years is the swift development of the various platforms and apps that are available.  I can remember writing a similar newsletter article on online safety a few years ago when I was talking about the arrival of a new app that was being mis-used by teenagers called 'Snapchat'.  That app has grown from being relatively unknown to now one used widely by grandparents!

Keeping aware of the latest craze or platform is probably unachievable for most of us, so it is key that we establish strong expectations and strategies to both educate and protect our children.  It is worth noting that the majority of online platforms have a 13+ age restriction on them, which recognises that primary students at times do not have the maturity to interact in these virtual spaces appropriately.  Experts note that it is a common issue that children use language online that is more crude or on topics that are not age-appropriate.  They often interact in aggressive, negative or excluding ways that contradict the ways they interact with their peers face-to-face.  This inconsistently quickly impacts interactions within friendships, classrooms, schoolyards and sporting teams. 

As parents we need to be across our children's interactions in chat rooms and discussion boards, as well as during 'live-play' while gaming.  Various apps offer parents a weekly summary of their child's interactions (eg.Kids Messenger) and it is critical that parents spend the time monitoring their child's online behaviour.  The challenge exists when we try to balance having a trusting relationship with our children, while also risking your child fearing reporting any issues to you as they might lose access to their online world as a consequence.  

Can I take this opportunity to encourage families to once again take advantage of the terrific resources available on the www.esmart.org.au website.

As a school our curriculum deals with Online Safety while our annual IT agreement that students and parents sign notes a commitment to child-safe practices.  This agreement is a terrific opportunity to engage as a family in a discussion around online safety.

Can we take this opportunity at the start of the year to draw your attention to our 'Before and After School' procedures.  During these short periods of time we have heavy congestion of both car and foot traffic so it is critical that we work as a community to keep everyone safe.  In particular the first few frantic minutes after 3pm are always busy.

We would like to take the opportunity to thank families for their support in addressing some of the issues that had previously popped up, and in some cases we appear to have in fact eliminated them.

Just a few reminders:

- A huge thank you for not parking in the bus zone on Williams Avenue.  Latrobe City appreciated our efforts last year to ensure we kept this area clear and safe.  We were also glad no one was issued with a fine!

- Please use the KISS & GO Zone on Williams Avenue for drop offs instead of pausing in the car park driving lane as this creates dangerous (and annoying) congestion.

- A safety directive we issue is for no children to cross Williams Avenue without an adult

-The yard is supervised from 8.10am.  With the warmer weather some children are walking or riding to school and arriving earlier than that.  Please be aware of the supervision times.

Again we thank you for your support in ensuring our school environment is safe and efficient for the benefit of all our children.

Please take note of these dates for your family calendar

Preps continue to have Wednesdays as rest days until Wednesday 10th March 

10th February: District Swimming (Select Squad)

5th March: Lumen Christi Athletics and Family BBQ (Back-Up date 12/3)

12th March: School Photos Day

25th March: District Athletics (All students) at Yinnar (Back-up date 31/3)

2021 School Fee Statements will be emailed out by the end of next week. Please do not hesitate to contact the office if you wish to put in place a direct debit arrangement finance@churchill.catholic.edu.au

Reminder: if you are current Health Card Concession holder please ensure to provide the office with a copy of your card and return your Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) Form and Application form for our School Fees Concession Program that were distributed late last year.

Scholastic Book Orders were distributed earlier this week.  Extra flyers are available in the Office Foyer or via https://www.scholastic.com.au/book-club/book-club-parents/ 

Orders are due back on: Monday 15th February if you are ordering via the school.

Orders can also be made using the Book Club LOOP platform. The Book Club LOOP platform for parents allows you to pay by credit card. Your child’s order is submitted directly to Scholastic and the books will be delivered to school. You can place your child’s order at scholastic.com.au/LOOP or using the LOOP app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.