Upcoming Events

Catholic Schools NSW works closely with the NSW Ministry of Health and Education departments to provide advice to all schools in NSW regarding COVID - 19. 

Current advice from the NSW Government for parents and affected staff is:

• Any student or staff member who has been in, departed from, or transited through the following countries is excluded from child care services, school or work for 14 days from the date they left the country:
  • mainland China - since 1 February
  • Iran - since 1 March
  • the Republic of Korea (South Korea) - since 5 March.
  • Italy - since 11 March
• Any confirmed cases of COVID-19 will be excluded until they are medically cleared to return.
• Close contacts of a confirmed case of COVID-19 will be excluded for 14 days since last contact with the confirmed case.
• Students and staff who have returned to Australia and have shown no symptoms during the 14-day home-isolation period are able to return to school or work.

The NSW Ministry of Health has processes in place to identify any close contacts of cases confirmed in Australia. A close contact is a person who has spent significant time either face to face (15 min) or in an enclosed space (two hours or more) with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. It is advised these close contacts not attend work, school or early childhood and childcare services.

The Department of Education continues to work closely with NSW Ministry of Health to monitor and respond to developments and to ensure the safety and wellbeing of students and staff.

Consistent with current guidelines, children, students and staff who are unwell with respiratory illness should remain at home until symptoms resolve. In accordance with our current practice, if any student becomes unwell we will implement our infection control guidelines and follow the advice provided by the NSW Ministry of Health as appropriate.

For more information, visit NSW Ministry of Health

The Australian Government considers the following countries to be at moderate risk for COVID-19:

• Cambodia
• Hong Kong
• Indonesia
• Japan
• Singapore
• Thailand

It is advised that if you have recently travelled to these countries, monitor your health for 14 days after leaving that country. If you develop a fever or cough, seek medical advice urgently and isolate yourself.

https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-schools-and-early-childhood-centres

As the impact of the virus on children and healthy adults can be quite mild, there may be a tendency to continue working and attending school and hence increase the risk of affecting others. The advice from Health is that schools be very strong on sending home staff and students who have the slightest sign of illness. This is not a time for soldiering on with coughs and colds.

Maintaining good hygiene standards is an important way to reduce the risk of acquiring and spreading respiratory infections using infection control guidelines. Students will be reminded to wash their hands as hand washing is the single most effective way to reduce the spread of germs that cause respiratory disease.

Family Mass & St Patrick's Day Family Picnic - RSVP Required

On Sunday 22 March we will hold our school welcome function. The day will commence with a Family Mass at 9.00am in the Church followed by a fun morning of activities on our Bottom Playground. Activities, involving the whole family, will include sack races, family challenge tug-o-war, egg and spoon races and more!

Bring a packed morning tea picnic, a rug and wear green to celebrate St Patrick's Day. This event is based on an old much loved St Mary's tradition. 

Family, friends and parishioners welcome.

Please let us know by next Monday if you will be joining us for this fun morning by clicking on the link below or by calling Belinda in the School Office 48321 592.

Welcome Function - St Patrick's Day Family Picnic

National Day of Action Against Violence and Bullying

On Friday 20 March St. Mary’s students will participate in various activities that support the National Day against Bullying and Violence - Bullying. No Way!

It is a great reminder to our school community that our students’ wellbeing is our number one priority. Our Pastoral Care structures have been developed to ensure that the culture of our school is safe and supportive and that the students are educated to act responsibly and respectfully towards others.

This year our activities help our students:

• Learn what bullying is and what it is not. This is the first step in preventing or responding to bullying. 'Bullying' is a word that is used for lots of things that are not actually bullying. These other behaviours may be just as serious but may require different responses.
• Talk about the value of diversity with the community and understanding that each individual is unique and brings with them individual differences that should be valued and respected.
• Talk about bullying before it happens, through discussion, lessons and other activities.
• Provide students with opportunities to learn and practise effective strategies for responding if they are bullied and if they see bullying happening to someone else.

Harmony Day

Showcase of Learning

School Fees

The School Explorers

St Patrick’s Day – March 17

Next Tuesday is St Patrick’s feast day. He is the patron saint of Ireland and one of the world's most popular saints. He is an important saint in Crookwell as many ancestors are of Irish descent. Our students will be focusing on this special saint next Tuesday.  During this season of Lent, Saint Patrick could teach us a thing or two about putting our Lord at the centre of our lives. Perhaps you have heard his beautiful prayer…

The Prayer of St. Patrick

I arise today,
Through God's strength to pilot me;
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's hosts to save.

Afar and a near…Alone or in a multitude…
Christ shield me today, against wounding.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.
I arise today
Through the mighty strength
Of the Lord of creation.

St Patrick used the 3 leaf clover to teach about the nature of God.

 

Celebrating Mass

Thank you to those who celebrated Mass with our students last week and today.

God is continually surrounding us with His Spirit and divine love (whether we acknowledge this or not). It is a free gift which is constantly given. We don’t have to do anything, just accept it.

During the Mass, we remember and give thanks for Jesus’ life, death and resurrection – and His ongoing presence in our lives. God is truly present in all the parts of the Mass (especially the Eucharist and the words of the Scriptures).

Going to Mass can be a great way to make some space in our busy lives – and become aware of God’s ongoing loving presence.

Did you know research has shown that going to Mass can bring a sense of calm and peacefulness, and has been known to diminish depression in some cases.

Serving the Poor through Project Compassion

Catholic Agency for International aid and development         

Please support Caritas Australia this Lent. A just future starts with your support! Our students are showing a keen awareness of the need for compassion and justice in planning ways to help the poor. Stay tuned for student-initiated fundraising activities. 

So far we have raised $45 for our brothers and sisters in need.

We must give in order to receive, so this Lent, let’s be generous with our time, our love, our forgiveness, our belongings.

Early Reading

Taken from SPELD SA Newsletter, Autumn 2003

Explicit teaching strategies and adjustments

Developing phonic skills and word family knowledge

• Revise knowledge of names and sounds of the letters of the alphabet
• Lead students through a structured phonics program
• Use fingers to count when listening for sounds
• Work with word families (eg, cat, bat, fat etc) so student can "hear" and "see" how groups of words share a particular sound/letter pattern
• Practice breaking words into syllables, eg, win/dow
• Practice reading word endings as a whole unit eg, /i/n/g/ as "ing"
• Highlight syllables and word endings so a student sees them as a unit
• Teach students to "sound out" words they want to spell and identify the number of sounds in the word. Ask them to check that they have a letter or letter combination for each sound. Ensure pronunciation is correct.
• Engage as many senses as possible. For example, a student may:
  • Hear and say a word containing a new sound
  • See the word in print and study the distinguishing features or "tricky bits"
  • Trace over the word while saying it
  • Write the word from memory
  • Think of words which contain the sound being learned
  • Draw a picture and write a cue word on the back of a card with the sound on the front, eg, "ow" with "cow" and a picture.
  • Engage in games and activities based around the sound
  • Practice reading and spelling words with the nominated sound until the knowledge becomes automatic

Developing reading skills

Individually

• Choose phonics-based books with controlled vocabulary at an appropriate level
• Preview vocabulary used in text
• Read a page with the student, discuss meaning, and ask them to practice alone
• Label objects and storage containers in the room
• Set manageable goals for accuracy and speed

Whole class

• Before reading to students, provide background so students can relate what they hear to something they know
• When reading to the class, read reflectively
• Discuss word meanings, content, relevance to real life
• Discuss characters, problems and events
• Invite students to suggest solutions to the problem, what will happen next
• Provide brief review before continuing reading
• Teach visualisation skills (creating a mental movie) to help with comprehension and visual imagination (see "Visualising and Verbalising" by Nanci Bell)
• Teach skimming, scanning skills
• Frequently model how you would:
  • Identify the main point
  • Recognise supporting detail
  • Note sequence

Reading and spelling high-frequency words

• Start with words such as "the, and, me" and high-interest words such as the names of family members and things of personal interest
• To help with reading, play matching games (using cards), Bingo, and the Memory game. A computer program, Dingo Bingo, covers the first 240 high-frequency words.
• Work through a list of high-frequency words, eg, the Bedrock Sight Vocabulary

To help with spelling, try the following:

• Hear, trace and say, imagine and say, look and say, write and say, check
• Look and say, write and say the letter names, and look and say
• Practice writing the words in as many different settings as possible, eg, sand, whiteboard, chalk, plastic letters, large crayons, big textas
• Practice sky writing to reinforce spelling and writing patterns through motor memory
• Identify and highlight the parts of the word which the student finds difficult
• Develop mnemonics, eg, to remember the spelling of "said', refer to the first letter of each word in the sentence "Small Ants In Danger", and draw a picture to go with the sentence.

 Developing written language skills

• Provide a scribe when possible so the student can concentrate on their ideas
• Provide genre structures and model how to use them, eg, for narrative, procedure
• Brainstorm vocabulary and write on the board
• Provide sentence starters, topic sentences for paragraphs
• Encourage the use of a word processor

Developing handwriting skills

• Teach correct sitting position, book/paper position, pencil grip; monitor and praise correct behaviours
• Teach correct letter formation, monitor; provide one-to-one guidance if necessary
• Teach cursive; because pen stays on the page, motor memory helps with memorisation of letter combinations
• Practice writing patterns, letter formation in a range of settings, eg, sand, whiteboard, chalk, plastic letters, large crayons, big textas

Presented by 

Maggie Dent

Cross Country Carnival Program

Friday 13 March - St Mary’s Bottom Oval

Please bring a chair and blanket if you wish. Parents are encouraged to sit with the students near the cricket pitch area, which allows for a 360-degree view of the track.

Program

###PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE ARE APPROXIMATE TIMES ONLY, AND THE PROGRAM CAN BE ADJUSTED AT ANY STAGE OF THE CARNIVAL.

Tennis Action

We have 2 weeks left of our Tennis coaching sessions with Dave Ridland. The students have been very excited and enthusiastic participants each week, learning a variety of tennis based skills.

Thank you to the Sporting Schools program for the racquets, tennis balls and portable nets. What a fantastic asset to our school.

Peter Lucas Rugby Union

Unfortunately due to numbers, we are unable to send a Year 5/6 team to the Gala Day. There are other sporting trials being held on that day, and this has impacted on potential numbers.

Mr O’Kane will be attending the day and will hand out jerseys at the venue. Socks will be distributed to students on Thursday.

The following students will be participating in the Peter Lucas Rugby Union Gala Day on 20 March in the Year 3/4 tackle team;

Charlie Lang

Charlie Tarlinton

Chloe Bensley

Angus Foley

Riley Haynes

William Croker

Patrick Croker

Lachlan Kilborn

William Millett

Peter Lawson

Finn McCormack

Coaches: Kim Croker, Fred Bensley and James McCormack

The following registrations have been approved as of Thursday 12 March

Please make sure you have registered your child for their desired trial before the cut-off date.

Year 4 – Rorey Hearne and Marli Selmes

Year 5 - Aylish Parsons and Kiowa Morning

Year 6 -William Heffernan and Alec McIntosh

School Spirit Award

Ellie McCormack for consistently thinking of others.

Charlotte Bensley for her welcoming greetings and assistance in Morning Club.

Sophia Foran for caring for the school environment.

Charlotte Crosbie for caring for the school environment.

Logan Anderson for responsible behaviour.

Awards are presented at our Monday morning Assembly at 9.05am. All are welcome.

The Pilgrimage of the Relics of  St Therese and her parent’s

(8.00pm 25 – 12 Noon 26 March at SPP Old Cathedral)

The word relic comes from the Latin relinquo, literally meaning ‘I leave’ or ‘I abandon’. A relic is a piece of the body of a Saint, an item owned or used by the Saint or an object which has touched the tomb of a Saint. Traditionally, a piece of the body of a Saint, especially that of a Martyr, maybe with the permission of the local ecclesiastical authority used in solemn processions recalling the specific holy person.

Come and venerate the relics. Pray and experience the saints. You will experience God and perhaps your life will change. As with a sacred site or souvenir, you can, through the saint, experience and connect with the holiness of God.

Fr Joshy’s Instillation Mass

Will be Sunday 15th March 10am Mass at SPP.

The Archbishop will be here. We invite all parishioners in the Mission to join us and welcome Fr Joshy to our Mission.

Light lunch:  11am on the grounds beside SPP Cathedral.

Volunteers NEEDED!:

Setting up: 8am at St Brigids, chairs, urn, serving area etc

Clean up:  pack up, wash up, pull down marque  etc

Sandwiches/ cakes /slices-a plate greatly appreciated. Please drop it into St Brigids, (building near SPP Cath).

Sacramental Program2020

For all students Catholic/Public Schools

The program is run through the PARISH

All questions and enquiries are to go the sacramental team.  

EMAIL-  mqa.sacramental@gmail.com

• Reconciliation has commenced
• First Holy Communion commences after  Easter- is your child enrolled at the parish?  office/online  org.au/Crookwell/home.aspx   (under the tab Application Forms.)

Altar Roster

MARCH

15 March: Oliver Gray and Skyelah Gray

22 March: Nathaniel Waters and Abigail Gray

29 March: Nathaniel Waters and Abigail Gray

We would love it if some more children could join our Altar Serving team. Please contact the Parish Office if your child is interested. Training is provided and new children are rostered on with experienced servers.

Parish Office

For Parish and Sacramental matters please forward your enquiries to Parish Secretary, Janet Haynes or Pastoral Associate Sr Rosemary via email or call into the Parish Office at the Old Convent Building on Tuesdays or Thursdays.

Email: Crookwell@cg.org.au

Website: http://cg.org.au/crookwell/Home.aspx 

Phone: 48321 633 

Address: 55 Wade Street (the Old Convent Building)

Baptism - Welcome Alfie

Taikoz Workshop at Hume Conservatorium

Collector Youth Day 

Book Fest Guide

Budding authors and interested parents might find the Author Talk worthwhile.

More information and a program can be found in the attached PDF.

Upper Lachlan Shire Library Service