Newsletter Week 6, Term 1 2025

Principal's Messages

Enrolments for 2026 are now open, and we are excited to welcome prospective families to our Open Day tomorrow! Our wonderful Year 6 students are looking forward to leading school tours, sharing what makes Corpus Christi such a special place to learn and grow. 

I am always so proud of our students and grateful to be part of such a wonderful community, but it is especially heartwarming to see our Year 6 leaders share that same excitement and pride. 

It is always heartening to hear that so many new families come to us through recommendations from our community. We already have several applications lodged and will begin interviews in the coming weeks. As our 2025 cohort embarks on their journey, we are thrilled to welcome the next generation of students for 2026! 

 Thank You to Our Parents and Families 

A huge thank you to all the parents and families who joined us this week for our Parent-Teacher-Student Goal Setting Interviews. These meetings have been a wonderful opportunity for teachers to connect with students and their families, setting the foundation for a successful year of learning and growth. 

We appreciate your ongoing support and partnership in your child’s education! 

Annual School Visit – Week 9 

In Week 9, we will host our Annual School Visit, welcoming a team from Catholic Schools and Shared Services, including the Head of Schools and Chief Operating Officer and heads of departments. This visit provides an opportunity to reflect on our strengths and achievements since last year’s visit and to discuss our strategic focus moving forward. 

We look forward to sharing the wonderful progress and ongoing commitment of our school community. 

Faith In Focus

At Sunday’s Mass, we shared these beautiful and simple Prayers of the Faithful, reflecting on the values we hold dear in our faith:

• That the Church will always be honest and caring.
• That we will always act with kindness towards others.
• That those who are sick will be given good care.
• That we will be ready to forgive when we have been hurt.
• That our community will help those who are homeless or hungry.
• For all those who have died, that they are now in God’s care.

These simple and heartfelt petitions remind us of the importance of kindness, compassion, and forgiveness in our daily lives. We aim to keep these prayers in child friendly language to engage children in prayer. These words support us as we turn to God in prayer, seeking His guidance and support in caring for others and living out our faith.

May we, as a school and parish community, continue to nurture these values in our children and ourselves.

Have a great two weeks,

Katie Kingsford

Principal

Religious Education and Spirituality

ASH WEDNESDAY and THE BEGINNING OF LENT

On Ash Wednesday Corpus Christi joined together in a ushering in the season of Lent. On Ash Wednesday, people all over the world receive ashes on their forehead, the sign of the cross. This is sacred sign, or symbolic act which reminds us of God's love and a call to turn back towards God. The ashes are made from the palm branches from the previous years' Palm Sunday celebrations.

Pope Francis explains that the ashes are a reminder for us not to lose sight of the true meaning of our lives in this world. He urges us to  use the forty days of Lent to "take stock of ourselves, to free ourselves from consuming full schedules, crowded agendas and superficial needs, and choose the things that truly matter".

During Lent we are called to return or rebuild our relationship with God and renew our hearts.

Ash Wednesday

ENGAGING YOUR FAMILY DURING LENT

Lent is an important time in the liturgical year. Six and a half weeks of preparation through prayer, fasting and alms giving prepares the way for Jesus’ death and resurrection.

For younger kids, Lent is a time when we practice new ways of doing good and making good choices, so we can be closer to God.

Here are some easy tips you can incorporate into your day or week to help young kids to engage in Lent.

1:Talk about Lent.

A great way to begin Lent is to talk with your kids about what Lent is. The roots of Lent go back to the early Church, when those wishing to become Christian would undergo a period of preparation before their baptism. 

2:Give up something you enjoy

Jesus fasted for forty days. That is no small amount of time! Fasting and abstinence are the practice of giving up something in order to draw closer to God. Not only does giving something up make room for God, but it puts us in solidarity with those less fortunate around us. For the little ones, maybe give up your favourite type of chocolate or lollies for Lent. For those a little older, try giving something up such as your favourite drinks or soft drinks.

3.Be of Service

Make a renewed and creative effort to help those who you interact with every day. This could be as simple as helping mum bring the shopping bags in from the car after a shopping trip, or volunteering to take the rubbish out

4. Practice being present

Encourage a commitment to putting down your phones (or other electronic device) whenever someone is present with them. Even better, create phone-free zones around the house, like the dinner table or living rooms.

5. Make a Lenten piggy bank

Have a small jar or Project Compassion box where your kids can put in a coin a day to put towards their chosen charity. If cash isn’t something that is normally lying around, then keep a list of small acts of giving that your kids can perform throughout the day. Encourage them to keep track of these acts of giving. By Good Friday, count up their acts of kindness and donate a dollar for every act of giving.

Kinder Welcome Mass

Last Sunday we welcomed Kindergarten students and their families to Corpus Christi and  Holy Trinity Parish at Sunday Mass. We were also very grateful to have a group of our Year 6 students and their families come along to mass as well. It was lovely to have Corpus Christi families at the celebration.

STUDENT ALTER SERVERS

If any students are interested to learn how to serve on the altar during school masses, Father James is happy to come to school to conduct training with Mrs Castles to support. Students must have received the Sacraments of Initiation.  If your child is interested please email the school admin or call the office.

Positive Behaviour for Learning - PB4L

Our PB4L focus for this week is our 'Be Respectful' Rule with a focus on 'I will wait form my turn.' Students who have been recognised for following this rule will be awarded a Veritas Value certifcate at this week's assembly.

Social and Emotional Learning - Conquering Negative Thinking

SUPPORTING CHILDREN WITH 'SUPA THINKIN'

Happiness isn't something that just happens to you. Everyone has the power to make small changes in our behaviour, our surroundings and our relationships that can help set us on course for a happier life.

Conquer negative thinking

All humans have a tendency to be a bit more like Eeyore than Tigger, to ruminate more on bad experiences than positive ones. It's an evolutionary adaptation — over-learning from the dangerous or hurtful situations we encounter through life (bullying, trauma, betrayal) helps us avoid them in the future and react quickly in a crisis.

But that means you have to work a little harder to train your brain to conquer negative thoughts. Here's how:

Don't try to stop negative thoughts!

Telling yourself "I have to stop thinking about this," only makes you think about it more. Instead, own your worries. When you are in a negative cycle, acknowledge it. "I'm worrying about money." "I'm obsessing about problems at work."

Treat yourself like a friend

When you are feeling negative about yourself, ask yourself what advice would you give a friend who was down on herself. Now try to apply that advice to you.

Challenge your negative thoughts

Socratic questioning is the process of challenging and changing irrational thoughts. Studies show that this method can reduce depression symptoms. The goal is to get you from a negative mindset ("I'm a failure.") to a more positive one ("I've had a lot of success in my career. This is just one setback that doesn't reflect on me. I can learn from it and be better.") Here are some examples of questions you can ask yourself to challenge negative thinking.

Firstly, write down your negative thought, such as "I'm having problems at work and am questioning my abilities."

• Then ask yourself: "What is the evidence for this thought?"
• "Am I basing this on facts? Or feelings?"
• "Could I be misinterpreting the situation?"
• "How might other people view the situation differently?
• "How might I view this situation if it happened to someone else?"

The bottom line:

Negative thinking happens to all of us, but if we recognise it and challenge that thinking, we are taking a big step toward a happier life.

NAPLAN

Year 3 and 5 will participate in the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) which is a literacy and numeracy assessment that every Australian student in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sits in March each year.

All NAPLAN assessments are completed on a computer, except Year 3 Writing which is done with paper and pencil. 

• Year 3 will complete assessments on school computers.
• Year 5 will complete assessments on their personal BYOD devices, please ensure they are at school and charged. 
• Headphones are required - please ensure your child has headphones at school (wired NOT Bluetooth).
  

NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through the school curriculum and 
allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national proficiency standards.

NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process. It does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance, but it can provide teachers with more information about students’ educational progress. 

There is a 9-day window to complete the 4 assessments. Missed assessments are required to be caught up in most circumstances. 

The dates for NAPLAN in Years 3 and 5 will be: 

Wednesday March 12 - Writing

Thursday March 13 - Reading

Monday March 17 - Language Conventions

Tuesday March 18 - Numeracy 

These dates may be subject to change as the assessment cycle commences. All assessments will take place at the start of the day, it is important that all students arrive at school before the bell.

Michael Deed 

Sports Update

Congratulations to our students who competed in the North Regional Netball and Soccer trials last week! A special congratulations to Isabelle (Year 6) and Lewis (Year 5) for their outstanding performance and success in progressing to the Diocesan Trials.

Our Diocesan Swimming team also put in a fantastic effort at their event last week—well done team!

This week, we extend our best wishes to Evan, Sam and Gus (Year 6) as he trials for the Diocesan AFL team. Good luck!

Parents and Friends Association - P&F

P&F Special Meeting 

A Special General Meeting of the members of the Corpus Christi P&F Association (this includes all parents and carers of students) will take place on Tuesday 11 March at 6:30pm in the school library for the purpose of the dissolution of the P&F Association and transition to a Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Forum.  

An important aspect of this change is that the current Uniform Committee remains committed to the school-based operation of the service, which relies on entirely volunteers. This service operates with minimal profit to the school, keeping item prices as close to cost as possible to support families. 

Following extensive consultation, the FACE Forum Guidelines were launched by Bishop Michael Kennedy at the Federation of P&F Association’s AGM in December 2024. 

 Key Changes: 

• From 2026, the FACE Forum will be the only approved Family Engagement model in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle. 

• In 2025, school communities can choose to operate a Parents and Friends Association (P&F Association), , or FACE Forum. 
   

For more information, visit the Diocesan website here. 

Important to note that when P&F transitions to the FACE Forum, the current Uniform Committee remains committed to the school-based operation of the service, which relies on volunteers. This service operates with minimal profit to the school, keeping item prices as close to cost as possible to support families. 
 

Information regarding the motions to be discussed at this meeting is available via the Compass Parent Portal. 

Aspire Events and Opportunities 2025

Dates and Reminders