Dear Parents, Carers and Friends,

Over the past few weeks and continuing until 31st May is our enrolment period
for the 2025 school year. If you have a child ready to start school in 2025 or
have friends who do now is the time to put your enrolment application in. Last
week and the week before we held our open days, and they were very well
attended. The Year 6 leaders gave generously of their time to run the school
open day tours and the feedback was fabulous so they should be very proud
of themselves. Thanks to the parents for allowing them to be involved in this
wonderful leadership opportunity. The enrolments are strong, and we don’t
want anyone to miss out so please get those enrolments in.

I hope all mothers and special others had a wonderful day on Mother’s Day
and enjoyed the wonderful gifts the student purchased for them. The Mother’s
Day stall was a wonderful opportunity for the students to go shopping
independently and also raised an outstanding $5671 for the school. Thanks to
everyone for supporting by providing gift items and for giving the children
money to spend. Again, a very big thanks to the parents who put hours into
preparing for the event and running it on the day. Your work was amazing!

The term is flowing along very smoothly with many fun events including many
sporting opportunities, da Vinci Decathlon academic competition, Dance
lessons, Aboriginal smoking ceremony, Indigenous Culture on the Move
incursions and Eucharist preparation sessions. This week we also have the
Scholastic Book Fair starting tomorrow. A wonderful time for the students in the
classroom learning and outside the classroom as well.

Lord God,
we give praise and thanks
for your gracious gifts
which you provide so faithfully.
Help us enjoy these blessings
with gratitude and thankful hearts,
that we may be strengthened
to praise you and serve our neighbours;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Have a blessed week.

School Bus Concerns

There have been many ongoing issues occurring on the school buses. At school we do discuss issues brought to our attention with the students and work with the students to improve their behaviour however we need the support of parents to bring about improvements. Following is information from the CDC website about the school bus service, parental responsibility and what is expected of students. If your child travels to or from school by bus, please take the time to read this information and use the link to access and speak with your child about the bus code of conduct for students.

Code of Conduct for School Students on Buses (https://cdcbus.com.au/school-services/code-of-conduct/)

When completing an application for subsidised travel under the Scheme, parents and guardians acknowledge that students have been made aware of the Code of Conduct.

The Code of Conduct was developed by Transport for NSW in conjunction with the bus industry, representatives of parent groups and education authorities. It aims to ensure both the safety of students and the comfort of other passengers by outlining the behaviour required of students when travelling to and from school.

The Code of Conduct is printed on the School Student Transport Scheme application forms. Parents/guardians are asked to discuss these simple rules with their children so that they understand the standards of behaviour required of students.

Depending on the seriousness of the misbehaviour, students may be penalised if they breach the Code of Conduct. Students may have their bus pass temporarily or permanently suspended and may be required to make alternative travel arrangements.

Please have a look at the Transport for NSW site on Student Code of Conduct (https://transportnsw.info/student-code-conduct) and discuss with your child. 

SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR IS COMING TO MACQUOID ST LIBRARY

The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to St Greg's Macquoid St Library this week! 

The book fair will be open for parents/carers to come in on the following days: 

Tues 21 May: 2.00pm-5.00pm 

Wed 22 May: 8.30am-9.30am

Thurs 23 May 8.30am-9.30am

Mon 27 May: 9.00am -10.00am 

Cash and EFTPOS sales will be available during these open hours. 

In previous year's we have been able to let the students have a "preview" of the books on sale. Due to timetable changes, this may not be possible this year. Should time allow, we will attempt to bring each class through to view the books on offer and complete a "wish list". 

Any parents that are unable to attend the open days (as listed above) can then order and prepay for the books. Your child will be able to collect these during school time. 

We hope that you can support our school whilst getting your hands on the best new children’s books!

Book Fair Competitions - WINNERS! 

In conjunction with the book fair, we ran a few competitions for the students (from both campuses). 

1. Colouring Competition

We had a lot of amazing entries for the colouring competition and the winners are: 

Kinder: Logan A - KB

Year 1: Emmanuel B - 1W 

(these winners will receive a prize pack delivered to Lowe St)

Year 2: Indianna K - 2G 

Years 3/4: Alex N - 4W 

Years 5/6: Milly C - 6B 

(these winners will each receive a $10 voucher to use at the book fair)

2. Bug Artwork Competition

Some very creative entries were received for this competition and the winner is: 

Logan F - 4R 

He will receive a $10 voucher to use at the book fair. 

The winner can come to the library to receive their prize OR they can see Ms Langdon during their library lesson. 

CONGRATULATIONS everyone! 

2024 NSW PREMIER'S READING CHALLENGE

Congratulations to the following students who have completed this year's Challenge in the past 2 weeks: 

Year 1: Tobiah E, Harvey M 

Year 2:  David N 

Year 5:  Stephen C, Rocky D

Year 6:  Mitchell T 

We now have 172 students that have registered for this year's challenge, but it's not too late to register your child. 

It would be great to have some more participants from Years 4, 5 & 6. 

If you are interested in the challenge for your child, please download and read the Parent Letter and return the registration form to the Library. 

It can be downloaded from the school's website - "Communications/Notes/2024 PRC Parent Letter".  

Even if you child has participated in previous years, we still require the registration form to be completed. 

This is a voluntary extra-curricular activity that needs to be supported by parents/carers. Once your child has been registered, this is an activity which requires you - the parent/carer - to record and update your child's record. We help and support this activity, however you must be involved to monitor, encourage, and record online. If you are not prepared to do this, please do not register your child. 

Reading from 01 September 2023 to 22 August 2024 is eligible to be counted. 

The closing date for entering books on the website is 23 August 2024. 

Any question should be directed to myself at natalina.ireland@cg.catholic.edu.au 

Kinder Reader Of The Week

Logan

Logan likes playing with his friends and going on holidays!
Logan’s favourite eLibrary book is Tap, Tap, Tap.

Separation Anxiety: A Normal Part of Childhood Development

Separation anxiety, the fear of being apart from a parent or caregiver, is a common experience for young children and is often accompanied by stranger anxiety, where children feel wary or distressed around unfamiliar people. These anxieties are natural stages in a child's early development.

By the time children reach preschool and school age, they typically become more comfortable leaving their parents or caregivers, especially in familiar environments with familiar faces. However, new situations may still trigger some initial anxiety.

If your child continues to experience regular and significant anxiety when separating from you, they may benefit from additional support. Here are some helpful ideas to cope with separation anxiety:

• Check Your Own Anxiety: Children are sensitive to their caregivers' emotions, so consider if your own anxiety about leaving them might be influencing their feelings. Your calm demeanour can reassure them that it's safe to be apart.

• Practice Relaxation Techniques: Teach yourself and your child simple breathing exercises to help you both relax when faced with separation.

• Gradual Separation: Practice short separations where your child stays with another trusted adult for brief periods while you step out for tasks like hanging out laundry or taking out the bins. Say goodbye each time, reassuring them of your return.

• Familiarize with New Environments: Introduce your child to new places and people in advance whenever possible, helping them feel more at ease when encountering new situations.

• Always Say Goodbye: Even though it may be tempting to sneak away when your child is distracted, always say goodbye. Sneaking away can increase their anxiety.

• Keep Goodbyes Brief: Talk to your child's teacher about having a plan in place to distract your child with a fun or comforting activity after you leave to help them settle.

• Consider Professional Support: If separation anxiety persists and significantly impacts your child's daily life, consider seeking support from a healthcare professional such as your GP or school counsellor.

Remember, patience and support are key as your child navigates through this developmental stage.

Respite Care for QBN Cookbook is Coming to our
Community

Please send in your favourite family recipes with your name to put in our book.
You can send them via Respite Care for qbn msg board or email your recipe to Southwellgillian@gmail.com or inbox Gillian Southwell.

Your recipe can be anything you love from drinks, starters mains, desserts, cakes etc etc. What ever it is you love to eat. This should be a fun fund-raiser and hopefully ready for Christmas. Send as many recipes as you'd like.

People whom have previously sent recipes I have still got them.

A big thankyou to Pauline Leake and Allison Theuma for helping once again. I'll also be looking for a sponsor to help us get this project printed so if there's anyone who'd like to help please let me know.

PLEASE SHARE THIS POST WITH ALL YOUR FRIENDS
Regards
Gillian Southwell- Director