Welcome Back - Term 2 2024
Welcome back to Term 2.
We are hoping that students and families have enjoyed some rest and relaxation during the break. We will gather together on Tuesday after lunch to commemorate ANZAC Day with a liturgy in our playground.
Please take the time to read through some important housekeeping information as we begin the term.
Most importantly, the commencement of St Nicholas Before School OOSH and school supervision times.
We are looking forward to a busy term of learning and new experiences. We will publish academic reports towards the end of the term, with information to follow in our next newsletters.
See you soon!
Katie
Congratulations, Miss Back - now Mrs Hutchinson!
We wish to congratulate Miss Shelley Back and her now-husband Liam on their marriage during the holidays. It's been an exciting time for Shelley, and we enjoyed sharing it with her leading up to the wedding.
We wish Shelley and Liam a happy life together and are excited to welcome back Mrs Hutchinson this term. (For Year 5 parents Shelley's contact details will remain the same).
Staffing News - Mrs Chapman, Creative Arts
Mrs Jeanette Chapman, our incredibly talented Creative Arts teacher, advised me late last term that she cannot continue at Corpus Christi for the remainder of the year. Jeanette has had to make a difficult decision but a necessary reduction to her workload as a precautionary measure to ensure she maintains her health while responding to ongoing health challenges.
We are recruiting a temporary Creative Arts teacher for Wednesdays, and Mrs Chapman will visit us during the year.
Mother's Day Liturgy and Breakfast - Friday 10 May
Please join us on Friday, 10 May, to celebrate our Mothers, Grandmothers and special women in our lives.
Breakfast will be served in the playground from 7:50am-8:40am with a short liturgy following at 8:50am.
Our Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 students will lead our liturgy. We are looking forward to sharing this special celebration with our community.
Term 2 Communication From School
Newsletter: Published fortnightly on Wednesdays from Wed 8 May
What's On: Published on Sunday afternoons
Parent Planner: At the start of each term
Curriculum Note: Week 2
Volunteering
Information for new volunteers is availble on our school website.
With St Nicholas commencing Before-School Care, I must outline the responsibilities of Corpus Christi and St Nicholas staff during the morning and remind all parents of supervision times.
Our school day and supervision commence at 8:20 am
There is no school supervision before 8:20 am; students should only be on site after 8:20 am.
Corpus Christi Staff:
Teachers are not required to be on site prior to 8:20 am. (30 minutes before the commencement of school), and admin and staff are not responsible for supervision. Please understand that teaching staff are also ensuring their own childcare arrangements and school drop-offs and may not be on site.
Corpus Christi teachers commences supervision at 8:20 am.
St. Nicholas Staff:
St. Nicholas Before School Care operates from 6:30am-8:30am
St. Nicholas staff are responsible for students enrolled and signed into the service between 6:30 am and 8:30 am. St. Nicholas students will have access to the school playground under the supervision of St Nicholas staff. St. Nicholas staff are not responsible for supervising students not enrolled in their service at any time.
We understand the challenges of morning routines and parents getting to work. We have always tried to support families where possible and understand those arriving within a few minutes before 8:20 am.
The introduction of before-school care will alleviate some of the challenges of morning routines and support families. If students need to be at school prior to supervision commencing, St. Nicholas OOSH is available.
Our official transition to Winter Uniform is Monday 27 May (Week 5)
Monday – Academic Uniform (Summer/Winter)
Tuesday - Academic Uniform (Summer/Winter)
Wednesday – Sport Uniform
Thursday - Academic Uniform (Summer/Winter)
Friday – Sport Uniform
For Weeks 1-4 (30 April-24 May) we will still operate on summer uniform with school jumper with the flexible option to move to full winter uniform on cooler days.
Winter Uniform – Official Change over Monday 27 May
Please note in choosing to wear summer or winter uniform, we ask there is no mixing of uniforms. Grey pants should be worn with a long sleeve shirt and tie. Stockings should only be worn with winter uniform.
In preparation for the change over a few reminders:
- School shoes: Black and polish-able (leather or leather like).
- School jacket with emblem: The first/visible layer of warmth. We ask that generic jumpers/jackets only mid layers with the school jacket as an outer layer when the weather turns particularly cold.
- School Hat: Our school hat is to be used as the only head wear during winter. Scarves and gloves are permissible if necessary and should always be in the school green or black.
- Long pants: Our school uniform policy clearly states that there are to be no cargo pants (pockets on the outside) worn as part of our winter uniform.
During term 1, we have noticed a few issues with uniform that do not meet school expectations. I realise this does not apply to all students. However, we advocate that all students wear school uniform with pride at all times. Students have been reminded of uniform expectations and we look forward to acknowledging appropriate uniform choices in Term 2.
- Nail Polish – no nail varnish to be worn at school
- Earrings – Studs or sleepers only (no dangling earrings)
- Hair Accessories – Must be in the school colours of green, white or black.
- Socks – White fold over socks with academic uniform. No sport socks with academic uniform – no logos visible on socks with either uniform.
- Shoes - No canvas shoes or white/coloured markings are to be worn. Sport shoes – predominately white or alternatively black joggers.
At the end of last term, we received some positive news that Corpus Christi had the highest attendance rate in the Diocese. Our commitment to maximising every child's learning opportunities starts with working with families on high levels of attendance.
To maintain this high level of attendance, I will contact families of students with attendance concerns (partial and whole) and commend students for outstanding attendance.
Late Arrivals
The school day commences at 8:50 am. Any student who arrives after this time is considered late and must be signed into the office by a parent. A student who enters the school after 8:50 am without a parent will be marked as unexplained (this includes on Mondays during assembly). Our attendance records and class rolls are legal documents; we are required by law to ensure that all records are accurate and all absences, including late arrivals, are explained by a parent.
Absence notes
It is appreciated that absence notes are lodged in Compass prior to 9:20am on the day of the absence.
Unexplained Absences
If your child has not arrived at school and an attendance note is lodged in Compass, an SMS text message will be sent to parents at 9:20 am, notifying them of the absence and providing a link to the Compass app to explain the absence.
If the absences remain unexplained, the school office will contact parents via email and letter detailing the absence dates and asking for an explanation. Under the Education Act, absences must be explained within seven days and are otherwise 'unexplained.'
We ask that all families review fee accounts and ensure weekly, fortnightly and monthly balances are on track for a zero balance by November 30. Any annual accounts need to be finalised no later than June 30. The CSO Finance department will now generate monthly statements for your reference.
Our Canteen will continue service with the guidance of our new canteen officer Melissa Philp. We have assembled a small band of volunteers. However, we require more volunteers to ensure continuous service and consideration of another day of service.
At this stage the canteen will be closed for Week 1 and 2. We will announce via Compass when the canteen is ready to resume service - I am hoping to make this announcement in Week 2.
If you would like to volunteer and are not registered with the Diocese please commence your application here, and contact admin@waratah.catholic.edu.au
Please join us for out Term 2 P&F Meetings – 6:30pm in the School Library
May – Tuesday 14
June – Tuesday 11
Mother's Day Stall
This year, with support from theP&F Association,we will be decorating and planting succulents for our Mum's or special people in our lives for Mother’s Day.
The children will have some allocated time on Tuesday 7th May, to create that special pot in time for Sunday. We will have two options available for purchase which are explained below.
Please pay via Qkr! before 6pm on Friday 3rd May to secure your pot(s).
Individual pots – These will cost $8.50 and are suited for individual children to decorate that special pot.
- Family pot – These will cost $15 and all siblings will have the chance to decorate a section on the pot with their own individual creation. These are suited for families with 2 or more children. These pots will be larger in size and each child will pick their own succulent to plant.
For children with multiple special people in their lives, multiples can be ordered.
Please note: Children will be allocated a time to create and decorate their pots. If ordering multiple gifts, pots not decorated within the allocated time may be sent home partially decorated.