Term 3 Week 8 2024

Principal's Message

‘We do whatever it takes to lead the way in Love, Learning, Faith, School Spirit, Sport & Community’

Dear families and friends,

Legends of our Faith
Fr Bob, was a priest, community worker and media personality from South Melbourne.  From 1973 to 2012, Fr Bob Maguire was parish priest of Sts Peter & Paul's Church in South Melbourne. Known for his social justice advocacy and care for the disadvantaged members of society, Maguire was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1989 for his services to homeless people through the Open Family Foundation. Fr Bob is a legend of our Faith.

Thank you  
Rachel Gillespie and her family are moving to Darwin at the end of this term. I want to thank Rachel for all she has brought to our school; her welcome, competence, kindness and compassion is greatly appreciated.  Rachel is such a great worker and person to have on our staff, so she will be sorely missed.  We welcome Bec White as her replacement in Term 4.  Bec is coming from another secretarial role at a school in Lismore.  We look forward to welcoming Bec.

Thank you Kristie Irvine
Thank you and congratulations to Kristie for exceptionally leading us as AP Mission for the last 8 weeks.  Losing Sam for a little while was always going to leave a dent due to the incredible leader he is, but Kristie proved she is more than capable of successfully leading our school community as a senior leader, possibly now the best Irvine AP Mission I know!  Kristie has been thrown into everything and completed all facets of this role with confidence, competence and good success.  She makes the difficult look easy, you wouldn’t know how critical her work has been due to this. It’s no fluke that we are flourishing. How good is it that we have great staff able to fulfill our most senior roles in our school.  The today and the future look bright at SMP.  Well done Kristie!!

Classes for next year
The makeup of classes will be similar as to how they are this year.  Our classes and learning have never been better at SMP in the 10 years I have been here. 

Student Led Conferences
I encourage you all to book a 10-minute meeting time on Monday or Tuesday 23 and 24 September to see exactly how your child is doing in their learning. Your child will lead this conversation. These will go live for you to book from 8.00am this coming Sunday.

Have a great weekend!

Take care
John O’Brien

Acting Assistant Principal's News - Mission

Family Mass

We warmly invite all family and friends to our Parish Family Mass this Saturday night, 14 September, at 5.00pm at St Mary’s Church. Free pizza after mass.

eSafety
eSafety has a dedicated Parents section with resources and advice to help parents and carers with online safety issues and strategies to support their child.  Some resources include:

• Cyberbullying Guide:  This page helps parents and carers understand how they can help their child if they are being bullied. You can also download and print our cyberbullying quick guide, which has key information and advice, as well as help in Easy Read formats for people with low literacy or with intellectual or cognitive disability.
• Online Safety for Every Family:  These resources include short videos and easy-to-read advice sheets to encourage parents and carers to start and continue conversations with their children about online safety. There are tips about how to stay safe online, and important information about what to do if something bad happens online. The resources are available in more than 10 languages.
• Webinars: These live webinars give parents and carers the knowledge, skills, and tools to support their children to have safe online experiences.

Transition to High School Online Learning
Kids Helpline has put together sessions for students and families that are preparing to head off to High School. There are a number of resources including a free online session for your children where they will learn about preparing for high school, strategies for making new friends and what to expect on your first day. Please click on the link below for more information on these sessions and other great resources.

Basket Weaving
Some Year 5 students have been working with Tara Freeburn to make some woven baskets. Take a look at how they have turned out. 

Kristie Irvine
Acting AP Mission

Assistant Principal's News Teaching & Learning

The Importance of Letting Our Kids Fail
In our journey as educators and caregivers, we often face the challenge of balancing our desire to protect our children with the need to let them face challenges on their own. One such challenge that frequently arises is the notion of failure. While it’s natural to want to shield our children from disappointment, allowing them to experience and learn from failure is crucial for their development and growth.

Why Failure Matters
Failure is often seen as something negative, but in reality, it is an essential part of learning and personal development. When children encounter setbacks, they are given the opportunity to develop resilience, problem-solving skills, and a growth mindset. These experiences teach them that effort and persistence are key to overcoming obstacles and achieving their goals.

1. Building Resilience: Resilience is the ability to bounce back from setbacks and keep moving forward. When children experience failure, they learn that they can handle challenges and emerge stronger. This helps them build emotional strength and cope better with future difficulties.
2. Encouraging Problem-Solving: Failure pushes children to think critically and creatively to find solutions. It encourages them to analyse what went wrong, explore different approaches, and apply what they’ve learned to improve their strategies.
3. Fostering a Growth Mindset: A growth mindset is the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication and hard work. When children understand that failure is not a reflection of their worth but a part of the learning process, they are more likely to embrace challenges and strive for continuous improvement.

How Parents Can Support
Supporting your child through their failures involves a few key practices:

• Encourage Effort Over Perfection: Praise your child for their effort, not just their achievements. This reinforces the idea that trying hard and persisting are valuable, regardless of the outcome.
• Normalise Failure: Share your own experiences of failure and how you overcame them. This helps children understand that everyone encounters setbacks and that these are opportunities for growth.
• Provide Supportive Guidance: When your child fails, offer guidance and support rather than solutions. Ask them reflective questions about what they learned and how they might approach the situation differently next time.
• Celebrate Growth: Recognise and celebrate the progress your child makes, no matter how small. This positive reinforcement helps them see the value in their efforts and the importance of perseverance.

Allowing your child to fail is not about setting them up for disappointment but about equipping them with the tools they need to succeed in life. By embracing failure as a learning opportunity, you help your child build resilience, problem-solving skills, and a growth mindset—qualities that will serve them well in all aspects of their lives.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership in fostering a nurturing and growth-oriented environment for our students. 

Felicity Wilde
AP Teaching & Learning

K-2 Instructional Leader

Poetry and Public Speaking
This past Thursday and Friday, our talented students took part in the stage finals of the Poetry and Public Speaking Competition. Two finalists from each classroom had the opportunity to showcase the hard work, planning, and preparation they put into their presentations in front of their stage audience. Each student did an amazing job, and we are incredibly proud of their efforts and achievements!

A big congratulations to our stage finalists (see below), who will now represent our school at the zone finals at St Carthages on Friday of Week 9. 

Winners of the SMP Poetry Competition

Kinder:  Ella Convine, Harriet Metcalfe 

Stage 1:  Frankie Berry, Elodie Llewellyn

Stage 2:  Oskar Garsden-Williams, Olive Chelman

Stage 3:  Ruby Seed, Brianna Macdonald

Winners of the SMP Public Speaking Competition

Stage 2:  Chelsea Rose, Eloise King

Stage 3:  Myf Gray, Myles Elwell

We wish them the very best of luck as they compete at the Zone competition!

Karen Faber
K-2 Instructional Leader

Stage 2 Instructional Leader

Prime Minister's Spelling Bee
More than 50 students across Stage 2 and 3 entered this competition this year. The students were presented with 30 words online to spell as quickly and accurately as possible. Students who achieved at the highest level were selected to move to the State Final Round.  Four students in Stage 2 competed at this level: Jack Morton in Year 3, and Gracie Bahadori, Sara Cole and Eloise King in Year 4. 

Congratulations to these amazing spellers, especially Eloise, who got 29 out of 30 words correct.  We wait to hear if she makes it to the National Finals.

Michelle Bratti
Stage 2 Instructional Leader

Leader of Faith

First Communion
Just a few reminders as we approach our final week of preparation.

First Communion ~ Sunday 22 September  9.00am
Students will need to be at the church by 8.45am. We will meet the students near the presbytery as they will be processing into the church with Fr Peter. The students will be sitting altogether in the front middle seats which will be reserved. Families are invited to find their own seats in the church, either behind the students or in the side pews. 

 All members of our school community are invited to join us at this Mass.

Red Cross ~ The Pillow Project
This week Year 4 was visited by 3 members of the local Red Cross. The ladies discussed the need for us to be prepared for emergencies. The students were placed in groups and asked to choose 8 items they would ‘pack into their emergency pillowcase’.  After getting the list down to 8 items, the students were then asked to limit it to 6 items. There was great discussion in each group, deciding whether a comfort toy, clothes, torch or pencil & paper could be left out of the pillowcase. 

The students were also taught how to ‘prepare their mind’ through an exercise where they closed their eyes and thought about their favourite colour as they took 5 deep breaths. They discussed the importance of a clear, calm mind to deal with an emergency.

The highlight of their session was the opportunity for each student to decorate a pillowcase provided by the Red Cross. The students drew the items they would pack in their emergency pillowcase. These creatively decorated pillowcases were then taken home with a ‘bag of goodies’ provided by our visitors. Thank you Bernadette, Robyne, Maureen, Sarah and Irene for your time and knowledge.

Karen McDonald
Leader of Faith

Sport News

On Friday, 30 September, all of Year 6 participated in a multi-sports gala day in Lismore.  The students had the chance to engage in a variety of sports, including table tennis, rugby union, soccer, netball, NRL, AFL, futsal, hockey, and tennis. Development officers led skill sessions for each sport, providing valuable skills,experience and fun. The students had a fantastic day, making new friends from nearby schools, staying active and enjoying the sunshine.

Joe Handford has been achieving great success in campdrafting. He won the Uki Junior Campdraft and also earned the highest cut-out and highest-scoring local rider at the Casino Junior Campdraft. Congratulations to Joe on these outstanding achievements!

Our SMP Girls Rugby League team headed to Coraki last Wednesday to take on Mr. Irvine's St Joey's Coraki team. The girls fought hard, playing some fantastic footy, putting in 100% effort, and displaying exceptional sportsmanship.  They came home with the victory and the inaugural Richmond Valley Cup.

The team made sure Mr Irvine knew who was the best on the day - not something they’ll let him forget anytime soon! The girls were fortunate to have a great coach in Mr Andrew Bartlett and guidance from former SMP student Ellie Hannigan.

They have developed impressive new skills, and many have discovered a new found love for Rugby League, with some eager to continue playing on the weekend next year.

The Casino Fun Run is on this Sunday and we would love to see as many SMP students and families as possible join this fantastic community event. There are prizes for the school with the highest participation, and we would love to bring that trophy home!  Please see the attached flyer for registration details.

We wish all our SMP athletes competing at Polding in Newcastle today the very best of luck. We know you’ll do SMP proud and can't wait to hear about your amazing achievements!

Nikki Hammond
Sports Co-ordinator

Leader of Love and Community

Grandparents Day and Book Week
On Friday 23 August, SMP celebrated our amazing Grandparents and Grandparent figures and the role they play in our lives. Thank you to all who joined us on Grandparents Day!  Your presence made the day extra special, and we loved having the opportunity to share stories, play games, or simply spend time together in the classroom.  Thank you again for making our Grandparents Day so wonderful.  We can’t wait to see you all next year.

We also celebrated the magic of books with our Book Week parade. The creative costumes for our parade were outstanding and the enthusiasm and participation truly brought the magic of books to life. Thank you once again for all of the support in ensuring our children continue to love reading. 

Father’s Day
On Friday 30 August, we celebrated all the wonderful dads and father figures in our SMP community.  We were so happy to see so many join us for our Liturgy and for our Father’s Day celebration with some Beers and Pies. The afternoon together was a heartwarming and wonderful reminder of the impact fathers and father figures have in shaping our lives. It was a beautiful day to reflect on the love, guidance, and fun moments that make dads so special.

Grandparents Day & Book Week

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Father's Day

Hannah de Silva
Leader of Love and Community

Thank You

A very big thank you to the mothers who helped with the Father's Day Stall on Friday 31 August.  Without the help of Aprillia McSweeney, Kirralee Barrett, Hannah Clark, Emma McDonald, Lucy Garzoni, Kira Flack, Amy Richards, Emma Richards, Sarah Smith, Lisa De Re and Olivia Flynn the stall would not have run.  The mothers sold and wrapped almost 1,000 gifts.  Your help was very much appreciated. 

Birthdays

Happy birthday t0 Axel Roberson, Aleiah Keep, Inika Johnston, Cohen Cox, Grayson Gannon,
Jacob Rose, Nate Bennett, April Anderson, Emmy Shaw, Eloise King, Athea Bate, Ruby Benn,
Telijah MacMahon, Nicholas Marshall, Mason Benn,  Anevay Dow, Lachlan Allen-Preece, Eva Crompton, Myles Elwell, and Travis Wills who have recently celebrated their birthday, and Pheobe Short who is celebrating tomorrow.

Lost & Found

Found on the school premises, a pair of Deborah Hutton green and dark purple glasses with case.  Pop in to the office to collect.

Community News

Please see flyer below for Casino Little Athletics.