St John Bosco School

1/2 SA News - Term 1, 2016

Welcome to an exciting year of learning! Dear Families,

Welcome back to school and the start of what will be a fantastic year filled with learning, fun

and success! We hope you enjoyed a wonderful and safe break from school and were able to

spend some quality time together with your family.

We welcome Marilena and her family to our school. We know that the students are very excited

to have a new friend and have already made Marilena feel welcome.

It is always wonderful to see the eagerness and enthusiasm that the students return to school

with. Initially there can be some nervousness and anxiety (from students, families and even

teachers) particularly after such long time away from school. However, on our first day

together, any worries we had disappeared and it was remarkable to see just how quickly the

students connected with one another and the way in which they supported each other after such

a short time together. We all left our first day together feeling excited and positive about our

year together.

As your child’s teachers, we will be working very closely together this year to ensure the best

outcomes for your child. Alana will be working every Monday and Tuesday and Susan will be

working every Thursday and Friday. We will alternate Wednesdays with Alana working on

Wednesdays in even weeks and Susan working on Wednesdays in odd weeks.

PARENT PARTNERSHIPS

Our hopes and goals for each student are that they are happy, enjoy school and make excellent

progress in all learning areas. We are sure these are the same hopes and goals you have for your

child. What we require from you is an ongoing partnership and commitment to helping your child

grow academically, socially, emotionally and spiritually. We will talk a lot about our partnership

with you this year as one of the strongest predictors of success at school is a strong home-

school partnership. We look forward to working together with you and supporting each other so

we can help your child be happy and successful. Throughout the year we will be sharing our

knowledge and current research on how you can support your child with their learning. We have

attached an article to this Newsletter on ‘How you can help your child achieve’.

Here are just some of the ways you can support your child at school:

Ensure your child arrives to school on time. Being late can mean they have difficulty

transitioning into the learning space in the morning.

Attendance is important. This is not to say that unwell children should be attending school

but what message is being sent to children when they regularly miss school for reasons

other than illness.

Stay informed. Make sure you read school communications like the school Bulletin and

Class Newsletters. Make an effort to attend school events like Welcome Night and

regularly check up on your child’s progress.

Help your child be prepared for their learning. This means regular bedtimes, consistent

routines and coming to school with the necessary tools – correct school uniform, organised

reader bag, etc.

CLASS INFORMATION BOOK

Information regarding important school policies such as Sun Safety and the Uniform Policy, as

well as information about learning in our classroom and our learning expectations will be included

in our Class Information Book which you will receive when you come to the Welcome Night next

week. Our Term One Curriculum Overview will also be available for you this night.

WELCOME NIGHT

Our school Welcome Night will be held on Tuesday the 9th of February in Week 2. This night will

be an opportunity for you to visit all the learning spaces in the school, connect with families in

the school community and meet with us informally. It is an expectation that all families attend

the night. Please ensure you read the school Bulletin for further details about the night. We look

forward to seeing you there!

MOTIVATE FOR SUCCESS

Across the whole school, our first two weeks of school focuses on a program called ‘Motivate for

Success’. During this time we focus on establishing relationships, getting to know one another

and building a classroom culture of success and support. During these two weeks students will;

Establish a set of class rules and expectations together.

Develop an awareness of the 5 ‘You Can Do It’ Keys to success.

Engage in a variety of getting to know you activities.

Create a class motto that reflects our class values.

Learn about and celebrate Saint John Bosco.

SAINT JOHN BOSCO FEAST DAY

We will celebrate the feast of our school saint, Saint John Bosco on Thursday, the 4th of

February. We will start with a Whole School Mass at 9am in the Church and then participate in

different activities relating to Saint John Bosco throughout the day. On this day we will also

launch the school teams/house colours and children are invited to wear an item of clothing in

their House colour (Sports Day Team Colour). All students were reminded of their House Colour

this week and they will remain in the same House throughout their schooling.

GENERAL REMINDERS

Please ensure your child brings their reader bag to school every day.

We are Nut Free and Allergy Aware School. Please ensure your child doesn’t bring any

foods to school that contain nuts.

Students are to wear their hats in Term One and need to have a hat at school every day.

Please check that all belongings are labelled.

Please check your child’s communication book nightly.

STATIONERY

All stationery is provided at school and students are not required to bring anything from home.

We will send home your child’s books on Friday of Week One. It would be helpful if you could

send a plastic shopping bag to school with your child on Friday that they can use to take their

books home. We ask that you cover their books in clear contact to help protect them and return

them to school in the following week. Communication books can be covered in any way your child

wishes. They may like to decorate their communication book or it can also be covered in clear

contact like their other books.

We always welcome parent communication and involvement in our classrooms. If you have any

concerns about your child’s learning or if you wish to be involved in any class activities, please let

us know via your child’s communication book or by email and we can arrange a time to meet. We

look forward to an exciting start to the year and working in positive partnership with you.

Yours sincerely,

Alana Lesiw and Susan Steer

Contact Details

Alana Lesiw: Susan Steer:

alana.lesiw@sjb.catholic.edu.au susan.steer@sjb.catholic.edu.au

Our New Class

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