Well, what a term we have had. When I look back over the past 8 weeks of learning, experiences, friendship and challenges, I am overwhelmed by the way our community of learners continues to show great resilience, determination, compassion and pride for themselves and each other. On behalf of all the staff, thank you.
Last week we officially welcomed 14 young people to our community when they started the Little Wonders Long Transition program in preparation for starting their time in Reception in Term 3. Wonderfully led by their classroom teacher, Mrs Olivia Fechner, the children will be joining our school each Wednesday during Term 2 as they come to get to know what it means to be a child at Tenison Woods Catholic School. We still have some places left in our Mid Year Reception class, so if you know of anyone still looking for a fantastic school to send their children, why not mention TWCS!
There are some very special Congratulations to be made:
The Rec – Yr 6 Dance Assembly
During Week 6, we were all amazed by the quality of the Dance Performances of all classes under the guidance of our Performing Arts Teacher, Miss Kate Mainprize. The children have been working extremely hard this semester to fine tune a full dance performance for their peers. Congratulations to Miss Mainprize and all the children for a fantastic performance, if you haven’t already seen them on Seesaw, they are certainly worth having a look.
An Active Community
This term we have had numerous opportunities for the children to represent our school at sporting carnivals/competitions. As well as the several sporting teams we have competing at the moment, children have participated in SACPSSA Lacrosse and Netball carnivals and the Yr 5/6 9-a-side football team competing for the Westies Cup. These opportunities are made possible through the great support of our Physical Education Teacher, Katie Cummings.
The Democracy Sausage
During the recent Federal Election, the TWCS Parents and Friends Committee once again proved to be a well-oiled machine and organised a very successful ‘Democracy Sausage Sizzle and Bake Sale’. The event raised nearly $3,000 for the school. A very special thank you to all who supported the event through volunteering their time, baking for the Bake Sale or just turning up to buy a snag. We have received a few enrolment enquiries from the event, with wonderful feedback.
An extra special thank you to the Rainsford family, Jess, Stuart, Grayson, Esme and Mabel for setting up, managing the stall and being great ambassadors for the school. Watch out for Grayson, a true salesman, who was always looking for the ‘upsell’. “Would you like a drink with that?”
Parent Workshops
This term we have held a number of Parent Workshops supporting our families. Earlier in the term, Claire Little and Brooke Flatman conducted an Early Years Literacy workshop for parents to hear about the improved approaches to literacy we are using across our school. The workshop was attended by a significant percentage of our Early Years families with great feedback. Next term we will be extending this to our Upper Primary families.
Courtney Quigley and I also ran a Positive Education / Positive Parenting Workshop this term. Speaking to over 20 families, the session delved into the very important aspect of wellbeing and the proactive approach we are taking here at TWCS. A subject of great passion for both Courtney and I, we are always keen to speak to people about wellbeing. Keep an eye out for the ‘Community Coffee Catchup’ happening on the morning of Wednesday 29th June in the School Library.
Cybersafety
This week we are fortunate to have the expertise of Cybersafe Families presenters lead our students and parents in understanding what it means to be ‘confident and careful creators and users of technology’. The sessions highlight the importance of all parents being vigilant, fully aware and an active part of their child’s digital life.
Sacrament of Reconciliation
This week I was fortunate enough to attend the celebration of Reconciliation for children from TWCS and the St Aloysius parish. In a small ceremony, the children spent time with their God, reflecting on what it means to be the best version of themselves. A very special thank you to Father Long Hai, Rita Campbell and the Parish Team in preparing these young people for this very important time in the journey through the Sacraments.
Website
We are in the process of updating our website and I'm pleased to say we now have a language drop down box which allows users to convert our webpage into their desired languge. This also means our newsletter can be viewed in a different language.
Semester 1 Reports
As we come to the final stages of Term 2, teachers are busily preparing the Mid Year Reports for all children. This report provides families and children a progress grade against the Australian Curriculum elements that have been taught in Semester 1. As parents, how we speak with our children around the report grades and comments is extremely important. Remaining positive, focused on effort allows children to remain growth minded. When we focus our praise or comments on the grade alone, this can develop a fixed mindset in children which limits their ability to be resilient when faced with new learning and challenges. In support of the Mid Year Reports, there will be optional Parent / Teacher Conversations available during the early stages of Term 3.
To support efficiencies in our communication with families, all reports this year will be sent to parents via email. The email address the school currently has on file will be the email address used. With the disruptions that many classes faced during Term 1 due to COVID, a decision was made to postpone the delivery of the Reports until MONDAY WEEK 1, TERM 3 to allow teachers every opportunity to fully assess children’s learning achievements.
Finally, we are awaiting to hear from the Director of Catholic Education SA’s office to confirm a date for the officially opening of the new building and celebration of 25 years of Tenison Woods Catholic School. We are yet to lock in a date that allows the Director of CESA and Archbishop O’Regan to be in attendance. If you are able to help on the organising committee, please let me know.
I wish you all a wonderful end of Term 2 and rejuvenating Term break. I look forward to continuing our fantastic work in Term 3.
God Bless
Ben
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