Newsletter Week 10 Term 1 2024

We are almost through an entire term! We have much to celebrate for what feels like an incredibly short time. Our Corpus Christi students have had a busy term, both in and out of the classroom.

Some of our celebrations and student recognition include:

Successful Foundations Kindergarten Transition
NAPLAN (Years 3 and 5)
Cross Country (Years 2-6)
Basketball program
Parent-Teacher-Student Goal Setting
Regional and Diocesan Swimming Carnivals
Regional and Diocesan Sporting Trials for Cricket, Soccer, Netball, AFL and Rugby Leauge
Harmony Day
Open Day for 2025
da Vinci Decathlon (Stage 3)

My thanks to our dedicated team of teachers - our teachers are always trying to improve their practice, share knowledge with each other and are motivated to build relationships with students and improve student outcomes. Our support staff work collaboratively to ensure that all of the big and little things are in order to support students, teachers and parents.

Thanks especially to our students, who, even this close to the holidays, walk through the gate with energy, enthusiasm, and excitement to be at Corpus Christi and learn with friends (with a tiny bit of fatigue setting in!).

Staffing
We welcome Mrs Jenny Stamp as she returns from leave. Jenny will teach year 3 on Thursdays and Fridays and share the class with Mrs Stojanovski.
In the past week, we have interviewed candidates for Learning Support Assistant, Canteen Officer, Aboriginal Education Teacher, and Classroom Release Teacher positions in Years 1 and 2.
I am pleased to announce the following appointments.

Learning Support Assistant: Ms Diane Apap
Canteen Officer: Ms Melissa Philp
Aboriginal Education Teacher: Karina O'Connor
Year 1 Gem Release and Year 2 REC Release: Miss Nellie Connolly

Diane, Karina, and Nellie were on staff during term 1, and we look forward to their continued service for 2024. We welcome Melissa to our community. Melissa has a background in schools and retail services.

Over the holidays, I hope there is time to relax, enjoy the fun moments, and recharge for another busy term.

Parent Engagement
Our Parent-Teacher-Student goal-setting meetings were a great success. Our academic reports will be published in late Term 2. In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns about your child, please contact the classroom teacher.

Next term, we have our Mother's Day Breakfast and Liturgy, Catholic Schools Week and Masses to celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi and Our Lady Help of Christians. We look forward to sharing in these celebrations with you. A detailed parent planner will be published on the commencement of Term 2.

Have a great few weeks, we will be back on Tuesday 30 April.

Katie

Week 11:

Friday 12 April 

School Athletics Carnival (Last Day of School)

Staff Development Days (Term 2):

Monday 29 April 

Friday 5 July (Last Day of Term 2)

Term 2 

Week 1:

Tuesday 30 April

ANZAC Liturgy 12:15pm

Week 2:

Mothers Day Stall (Information to follow)

Friday 10 May

Mother's Day Liturgy and Breakfast

Week 5:

Monday 27 May

Official Winter Uniform Changeover

Students may wear Summer or Winter Uniform up until 27 May. 

The Good News of Easter

Just as our school community walked the story of Jesus' Last Supper and final moments before his death on the cross, yesterday we gathered to share in the Good News of Jesus' resurrection. In Jesus rising from death, we have the Good News of love triumphing over hatred, truth over falsehood, mercy over sin and life over death. The resurrection is the foundation of our faith and hope. It is the promise of unconditional love from God. 

As a faith community, we are reminded at Easter that the Good News of Jesus'resurrection is not just words, but a call to reach out to others with love. To look out of ourselves and instead look to those who have troubles, who are isolated or in need. Even in the most difficult of situations or in the most challenging times, the Easter story brings hope and love in the wilderness.

Sacrament of Confirmation Parent Meeting

The parent information meeting for Confirmation will be held in the in the school library on Wednesday 8th May at 6p.m. This meeting is for all parents who wish to enrol their child in the Sacramental program to receive Confirmation. 

It has been been confirmed that the date for Confirmation this year willl be Wednesday 12th June at Corpus Christi Church 6:30p.m. The Bishop is not available to preside over the Confirmation ceremony this year, and instead the Vicor General Fr Greg Barker will preside.

All Confirmation candidates are invited to make the Rite of Commitment prior to Confirmation at Pentecost Mass on Sunday 19th May at 5:30p.m.

Baptism Congratulations

We send our congrtulations to two Corpus Christi students who were received the Sacrament of Baptsim over the weekend. Congratulations to Tue and Telesia Tuala from Years 1 and 3. We hope you had a very special celebration with your families.

This term, we have trialled a new and improved version of our school's Positive Behaviour for Learning program. VERITAS VALUES have been permeating our daily behaviour, decision-making, way of speaking, and attitudes. Each fortnight (sometimes weekly), a value, attitude, or behaviour is chosen from our whole school expectations to be the focus value/behaviour across the school. Over the course of a year, each positive value/behaviour will be explicitly unpacked with all students. 

These values/attitudes/behaviours are grouped under these main areas of student expectation: BE HONEST, BE SAFE, BE RESPECTFUL and BE A LEARNER.

At Monday morning assemblies, we introduce the focus for the week. From here, teachers have an explicit focus in the classroom, and we reinforce, recognise, and celebrate throughout the school. We deliberately planned for plenty of overlap between our Veritas Values and the new social/emotional program 'Highway Heroes'.

As the name suggests, Veritas Values centre on Gospel values and the model of Jesus Christ. They also have strong connections to our school's Dominican Charism.

Parents can find the fortnightly Veritas Value focus on the parent What's On Compass Alert. Staff are reviewing our Positive Behaviour for Learning data and refining the program updates. We look forward to sharing more information about our school's Veritas Values in term 2. 

Friendships - like most things - are not perfect. Like experiencing disappointment, this fact is a Fact of Playground Life - and although friendships bring happiness, BUMPS also occur. The key is to learn the skills to deal with these BUMPS early in life, in an emotionally healthy way - because that means a good chance of a smoother Relationship Journey all along the Highway.

Dealing appropriately with Friendship Flare Ups in childhood will help to create healthy boundaries in adult relationships.

Corpus Christi students have been introduced to the HIGHWAY BUMP of Friendship Flare Ups, categorised into three types: ‘Spark’, ‘Flame’ and ‘Fire.’ Each reflects the size of the BUMP - or Flare Up intensity. Children who can de-catastrophise friendship issues will be better able to deal with the conflict in an emotionally healthy way.
This is the Friendship Flare Ups Poster that the children have been discussing.

Responses to Friendship Flare Ups are always individual. What hurts your feelings might not be important to someone else. There is an emphasis on these being a personal reflection - that is, there were no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answers.

The reason for helping children to differentiate the intensity of Friendship Flare Ups is that the emphasis of Highway Heroes is on helping children to perceive any HIGHWAY BUMP in a rational, balanced way for which solutions can be found. This is in direct contrast to seeing difficulties in a catastrophic and highly emotionally-charged way, where Sparks are perceived and dealt with, like Fires. The alternative is to perceive Friendship Flare Ups in an underwhelming way – and deal with serious issues as Sparks. Both of these can over, or under-play the child’s true emotional responses.
So, to extend the learning outside the classroom, try to find an opportunity to ask your child about how they deal with Friendship Flare Ups.

As young people learn to navigate through various aspects of their life, they may face disappointment due to unfulfilled expectations, shattered dreams, or unexpected setbacks. Yet, with the appropriate tools, strategies, and a positive mindset, young people can learn to cope with disappointment and use it as an opportunity for personal growth and success.

Disappointment can be a tricky emotion to deal with at any age. It is a normal part of growing up. However, children sometimes need reminding that they have a choice in how they respond to disappointment and their response will determine the impact it has on their future happiness. Overall, disappointment is a healthy and positive emotion and plays an integral part in a child’s emotional, intellectual and social development.

Helping young people manage their disappointment is important in order to avoid stronger emotions such as anxiety and depression. Although a parent’s first reaction may be to fix the problem, it is better to encourage your child to find the words to express how they feel.

In this Special Report, parents and caregivers are provided with strategies on how to help their child process disappointment and look at the problem objectively.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Take some time to watch the video link below for parental tips in how to help your child deal with disappointment. 

Here is the link to your special report:
https://waratah.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-dealing-disappointment

We issued 2024 School Fee Statements at the start of March.
Parents have the option of weekly, fortnightly, monthly and annual payments.
The following fee payment options should have commenced:
Weekly
Fortnightly
Monthly

Annual payments are due by 30 June.
Please note all fee accounts require a zero balance by 30 November.
Parents are welcome to continue weekly fortnightly and monthly payments between December 1 2024 and the issue of 2025 statament.

Fee statements are emailed regularly, and live balances are available via Compass. Please contact the office if you have any questions about your School Fee Statement.