Term 4 Week 4 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,
Carlos Acutis - A Saint Like Us
Our Learning Results
I am so very happy! Our latest results in our assessments have been the best we have ever had. What we are doing is working and your kids are benefitting immensely. The growth of our kids has been phenomenal. They are very excited to share this with me. We are now at the point where our school is average or above in English and Mathematics compared to the rest of the schools across Australia. Our hard work is paying off.
We are a Catholic school
If any family is finding it a little tight regarding financing uniforms for next year, please just communicate with me and I’ll provide $50 towards this.
All Hallows/Halloween
This was an initiative I believe that can bring some more enjoyment to our SMP kids, and deeper meaning and respect to a tradition that has only relatively recently taken off in Australia. I would be pleased, if now and in the future, our SMP kids can relate Halloween, which is now very much in our popular culture, to reflecting on the meaning of All Souls' Day and All Saints' Day, especially through prayer for those family and friends who have passed away. Our SMP kids donated sweets they had collected for our St Vinnies Hampers, for families doing it a little tough over Christmas.
Student Free Day
Friday 29 November (day after Christmas Concert)
Take care
John O’Brien
Assistant Principal's News - Mission
Emmanuel City Mission Visit
In Week 3, a number of our staff headed off to Brisbane on a staff pilgrimage. During the visit, our staff volunteered their time at the Emmanuel City Mission which is a daytime sanctuary for the homeless and vulnerable. Here we prepared a meal and spent time with some of the most poor and marginalised people of inner-city Brisbane. We also participated in a street retreat which reflects on the plight of the homeless in Brisbane. Why did we do this? We have a deep commitment to supporting the poor and marginalised at SMP - just as Christ has asked us to do. By volunteering for these activities, our staff are deepening their own faith and reflecting on how we can continue to follow in Christ’s footsteps. We have come back with a few ideas for us to continue to support locally.
Year 5 Exuro Student Retreat Day
All Year 5 students will participate in the student retreat day called Exuro on Friday 22 November at Windara. A Compass Event will be sent out to give permission and to pay the $10 amount which covers morning tea and the bus to and from the venue.
Socktober
On Friday Week 5 (15 November) we will hold our annual Socktober celebrations to raise money for Catholic Missions. This year all of the money raised goes to supporting the poor and vulnerable in Mongolia.
Some of our Year 6 leaders surveyed the students to see how they would like to celebrate Socktober this year and the overwhelming response was for a Summer Pyjama Dress Up + Crazy Sock Day. There will also be a number of cake, lolly, icy poles, loom band, necklaces and fun games stalls set up by students.
We ask all students to bring in a coin donation and they also have an opportunity to bring a few extra coins to spend at the stalls.
3:16 Youth Group
The next after school youth group is on Friday 6 December (3:10pm - 5:00pm).
School Jackets
We are now taking orders for school jackets for 2025. The price is $65 per jacket. To make an order, please follow the steps:
1) Fill out the order form - CLICK HERE
2) Make payment for the jacket at the school office.
Please note - only orders that have been fully paid for at the school office will be processed.
Orders and payments close on WEDNESDAY 11th DECEMBER. They will take 6-7 weeks to arrive after ordering.
KIDS and ADULTS sizing guides attached.
Sam Irvine
AP Mission
Assistant Principal's News Teaching & Learning
Bullying
As parents and educators, we know the long-term damage bullying can do to our kids and therefore are always working toward trying to protect our kids from this. It is essential that we work together as a team to upskill our kids on identifying bullying, developing skills and strategies to address bullying and empowering our kids to be upstanders if they ever find themselves witnessing a bullying situation.
Over the next few weeks, I will share with you some information to support his team approach and I urge all parents to share this information with their children and to reach out if they need any more support in this area.
What is Bullying?
Understanding bullying helps students and parents distinguish between regular conflicts and actual bullying. This helps avoid confusion and ensures that the right help is given when needed. It can also empower you as parents to engage in prevention efforts proactively. By teaching your children about respectful behaviour, empathy, dignity, courage, and inclusion, parents can help prevent bullying from occurring in the first place. Bullying refers to the unwanted, repeated and intentional use of words or actions against a student or a group of students to cause distress and risk to their wellbeing. Watch What is bullying?
Bullying means behaviour that has three (3) key features:
1. It involves the intentional misuse of power in a relationship;
2. It is ongoing and repeated; and
3. It involves behaviours that can cause harm.
A student can acquire power through advantage, such as social status, popularity, an advantage in size and strength, number of allies, age, skill, or membership in a socially defined dominant group, which could be based, for example, on wealth or gender.
Behaviours that do not constitute bullying include:
1. Mutual arguments and disagreements;
2. Not liking someone or a single act of social rejection;
3. A single episode of hurtful words or actions
4. Isolated incidents of aggression, intimidation and/or violence.
Indirect bullying (also known as covert bullying) is not always immediately observable and acknowledged as bullying. Indirect bullying can be discreet and anonymous, and the person experiencing the bullying behaviour may not realise it until after it has occurred.
Examples of indirect bullying include:
● Spreading rumours: Sharing false or harmful information about someone to tarnish their reputation.
● Gossiping: Engaging in negative discussions about a person without their knowledge.
● Social manipulation: Encouraging others to exclude or reject a person from social groups.
● Cyberbullying: Using digital platforms to harass, intimidate, or spread harmful content about a person.
● Stealing: Discreetly and repeatedly stealing personal belongings.
When parents understand what bullying entails, they can effectively communicate with their children about their experiences at school, in the community and online. By using the correct terminology and understanding the dynamics of bullying, parents can encourage open dialogue and provide the necessary support.
Watch Bullying and Conflict with your child
Social Media Monitoring- BARK
For those parents whose children are already interacting on social media, an excellent resource to help protect your children is an app called Bark. This app allows you to monitor your child's interactions online while allowing them to still communicate with their peers using these platforms. In the past I have had a number of students tell me that they like being able to use the excuse that their social media is being monitored by their parents, as, when their peers are aware of this, it reduces inappropriate interactions.
You can find out more about this app here= https://www.bark.us
This is definitely not the only app out there, it's just the one I have been most aware of and anything that supports your child's safety online, is a bonus in my books. Please let me know if you know of any others you have found to work well.
Thank you :-)
Felicity Wilde
AP Teaching & Learning
Sport News
3-6 Swimming
Years 3-6 have been participating in a Swimming water safety & skills program run by Austswim instructors. Students have been enjoying getting into the water developing new skills to keep them safe this summer. This has been a great way to prepare our students for our upcoming Swimming Carnival which will be held on Monday, 25 November.
House Captains
Congratulations to our new Sports Captains who will lead us at our upcoming swimming carnival in Week 7. We know they’ll bring school spirit and fun to make it a fantastic event!
MacKillop - Axel Smith & Mia Davis
De Paul - Gus Morgan & Mia Trustum
McAuley - Curtys Aleckson & Charlotte Hogg
Champagnat - Joe Handford & Zoey Churchill
Summer Sports Trials
Several students from SMP are proudly representing our school in the summer sports trials for cricket, tennis, touch football and basketball. Congratulations to everyone who stepped forward to participate! We wish each of you the best of luck in the upcoming selection process.
Swimming Carnival
Our annual Swimming Carnival will be held on Monday, 25 November for all students in Years 3 to 6. Competitive swimmers from Years 1 and 2 are also welcome, provided they have Swimming Club experience or can swim 50m competitively. The carnival will run from approximately 9:15am to 2:30pm with students travelling to and from the pool by bus.
For those competing in the 100m freestyle & 50m butterfly, please note that private transport will be required to arrive at the pool by 8:00am for an 8:30am start, to ensure all events fit within the schedule. Based on feedback from last year, we have made some adjustments to improve the event. Competitive races will begin promptly at 8:30am, running back-to-back. Once the competitive events conclude, we’ll move on to the 25m races, shallow water novelty events and relays.
Participation in the carnival is compulsory for all students in Years 3 to 6 as it is an official school activity. If you plan to collect your child after the carnival, please follow school protocol and sign them out by scanning the QR code at the sign-out table. Kindergarten and non-competitive Year 1 and 2 students will remain at school for a regular school day.
Both competitive and non-competitive swimmers will have the opportunity to earn Sports House points. Points will be awarded for competitive races as well as novelty events, such as 25m races, shallow water activities, and other fun challenges. Students are encouraged to come dressed in their House colours, and parents and family members are welcome to join us! Family members dressed in House colours can also earn Cultural Points for their child’s House.
Event Details:
- Date: Monday, 25 November
- Time: 9:15am – 2:30pm (some events start at 8:30am)
- Travel: Bus departs at 9:00 am and returns at approximately 2:30pm
- Venue: Casino Memorial Pool
- Cost: $5 pool entry (consent & payment made via Compass). Advise the office if you have a pool pass.
- What to Bring: Rash shirt (not required for races), swimmers, sunscreen, towel, school hat, change of clothes, goggles (optional), lunch and recess (canteen will be available)
We will need some parent helpers on the day to assist with tasks like timing. If you are available to help, please email nicole.hammond@lism.catholic.edu.au. Your support is greatly appreciated!
We look forward to a fun and successful carnival!
Nikki Hammond
Sports Co-ordinator
Leader of Love and Community
Christmas Concert
Our annual Christmas Concert is on Thursday 28 November from 5.00pm until 7.00pm at St Mary's College, grass area. The college basketball gates will open at 5.00pm, with our Junk Drummers and music students performing from 5:30pm and the Nativity Play commencing at 6.00pm.
We will be holding the performance on the concrete steps of the Mercy building at the College. We invite parents to bring a picnic blanket or deck chair to use to watch the performance.
We encourage students to dress in Christmas colours/clothes to get into the spirit of Christmas. Casino Rotary will also be on site with cold drinks, hot chips and a sausage sizzle. Payment by cash or card.
Please be aware that the students will be remaining with their cohort and their teachers whilst not performing as this is a Child Protection measure we put in place to make sure we can safely account for all students on the evening in our care. The students will remain together until the collection by parents at the end of the evening.
We look forward to celebrating Christmas with you all!
Hannah de Silva
Leader of Love and Community
Leader of Inclusion
Recently our Student Support Educators (SSEs) completed a course on Supporting Students with ADHD with our Inclusion Officer, Viveca Larcher. This professional learning was very timely as October is ADHD Awareness Month.
Our SSEs explored the strengths and challenges students with ADHD may display and a range of strategies to support students within the school setting. Our SSE Team will continue to learn about ADHD and other additional needs at our weekly SSE meeting this term.
Please see the Positive Partnerships link for executive functioning strategies to support students with ADHD at school and home Positive Partnership ADHD Strategies
Paula McIntyre
Leader of Inclusion
Birthdays
Happy birthday t0 
Moana Stavenow Arrow Norris Willow Moss Alexis Martin Amity Corcoran Benjamin Johnston Ameliah Butcher Iyla Farr Aurora Silver Elizabeth Wright Isabella MacMahon and Chloe Ewart who have recently celebrated their birthday.