St Ita's Primary School Drouin eNewsletter

WEEK 2 - ASSEMBLY INFORMATION

Apologies to all the parents who enjoy attending our Assemblies every second Friday. Whooping Cough is very contagious and hence our precautions at trying to reduce the spread of this virus.

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION

Please pray for our candidates who will make their First Holy Communion in the coming weeks. Students making their First Holy Communion will celebrate this at the following Masses:

Sunday 27th October

9am - St Joseph's Warragul & 10.30am - St Ita's Drouin

Sunday 3rd October

10.30am - St Ita's Drouin

WHOOPING COUGH UPDATE

I am writing to all parents today to inform them of the current outbreak of Whooping Cough at St Ita’s.

It is vitally important that we monitor all students because if cases continue to rise there is the possibility of a school closure. The last thing we need is a school closure, so I am asking all parents to please be vigilant in relation to getting your child tested via a GP if they are displaying any cold or flu like symptoms.

If your child is tested for whooping cough please don’t return them to school until you are informed by the health department or your GP that your child has not tested positive.

If your child has not been vaccinated for Whooping Cough its been suggested they should be withdrawn from school and go to your GP where they will administer and anti-biotic program.

Any child who tests positive, please inform the school immediately and follow the procedures set out via your GP.

2025 CLASS STRUCTURES

Each year when we begin the process of setting class lists for the following year we invite parents to let us know if there are any particular educational needs their child has which might impact class placement.

School is the formative place for young people to begin to explore a world beyond the home. They begin to discover the differences between being friends and being friendly, how to work with people that might have different views and skills, how to develop positive, respectful relationships with a broader range of people and how to deal with change.

The hope for all parents and educators is that we can best equip our young people for a world where they can be effective and affective, can work to bring change in the world and demonstrate a respect and care for all.

For a child changing classes the end of the year brings uncertainty, a little reluctance, a little excitement, a little nervousness and a little anxiety. It also brings opportunity to practice the skills they will need to enter a new workplace and form effective working relationships with co-workers.

As adults we are aware that a change of workplace means leaving those friendships we have developed in our work life. Some friendships are strong and continue outside of our work life and are nurtured and maintained in our social life. Others are replaced by new working friendships which support and engage us in our new workplace but may or may not last beyond that placement.

This is exactly what children have an opportunity to learn as they change class. Being kept with only the same group, or the same teacher robs them of the learning about how to experience change, to grow relationships, to become more quickly comfortable in new situations and to take control of what is possible in their environment.

We hope that our parents trust that we know our students well; both individually and collectively. We plan classes with great care and discuss balancing the wellbeing, learning and social aspects of each child and class. We consider teacher skills and styles, support requirements and opportunities as well as the requests of the children as to their preferences for people they can learn well with in their new class.

When the conversations in your house turn to next year, please look for the opportunity to discuss how changing workplaces is a reality and how we grow as people each time we form new working relationships. Talk to them about your experiences, about the things that worked well.

At St Ita’s we use a program called Class Solver to assist us with our grouping of children each year. It is a highly complex task sorting grades as we need a shared balance of academics, gender, emotional and social needs. This week your child was asked by their teacher to nominate 3 children that they work well with (not 3 of their best friends). Best friends doesn’t always equate to best learning.

Parents if you are making a request please ensure that you are not;

# Asking for a specific teacher

# Asking for your child to be placed with their best friends

2025 CLASS REQUESTS

Class requests for the 2025 can be completed on the Google Form located below and must be submitted in the next fortnight. Requests made after Friday November 1^st will not be factored into our structures. Please do not make assumptions that previous years requests will be honoured. It is best to put everything in writing again. Please understand that these requests are never guaranteed but we will always do our best to create the best learning space for your child.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf4vuWuFBmHEaUgrAx5fSoky1ABZTqJia8Qea0vYiWtZM8EUg/viewform

EVERY DAY OF SCHOOL IS IMPORTANT

Going to school every day is the single most important part of your child’s education. Students learn new things at school every day – missing school puts them behind.

We want all our students to get a great education, and the building blocks for a great education begin with students coming to school each and every day. If students miss school regularly, they miss out on learning the fundamental skills that will set them up for success in the later years of school.

There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind, and can affect their educational outcomes. The research clearly shows that each missed day of school is associated with progressively lower achievement in numeracy, writing and reading.

Attendance patterns are established early – a child regularly missing days in kindergarten or in the early years of school will often continue to miss classes in the later years, and receive lower academic success than their classmates. It’s vital that students go to school every day – even in the early years of primary school.

In Victoria, school is compulsory for all children aged 6 - 17 years. Whilst its inevitable that there will be sometimes student absences occur in any school year, they still need to be monitored. The main reasons for student absence are:

Sickness – There are always times when students need to miss school, such as when they’re ill. It’s vital that they’re only away on the days they are genuinely sick, and developing good sleep patterns, eating well and exercising regularly can make a big difference.
Family holidays - It's vital that holidays are planned during school holidays where possible, and not during the term. If you are planning to go on holiday during term time, make sure that you talk to your child’s teacher in advance, and work with them to develop an absence learning plan.
“Day off” – Think twice before letting your child have a “day off” as they could fall behind their classmates – every day counts.
Truancy – This is when students choose not to go to school without their parent’s permission. There can be many reasons for truancy. The best way to address this is for schools and parents to work together.
School refusal - School-refusing children will experience significant emotional distress not only when going to school but also at the thought of going to school; they may be absent from school for weeks or even months at a time. School refusal differs from truancy as children generally stay home with the knowledge of the parents and despite their best efforts to encourage their child to go to school.

FACT: BEING AWAY FROM SCHOOL FOR ONE DAY A FORTNIGHT EQUALS MISSING 1.5 YEARS OVER 13 YEARS OF SCHOOL

If for any reason your child must miss school, there are things you can do with your school to ensure they don’t fall behind:

# Inform the school of your child’s absence

# Speak with your child’s classroom teacher and find out what work they need to do to keep up.

# Develop an absence learning plan with your teacher and ensure your child completes the plan.

# Remember, every day counts. If your child must miss school, speak with your classroom teacher as early as possible. Openly communicating with your child's school about all absences is a good way to prevent attendance issues being escalated to a School Attendance Officer.

# A School Attendance Officer is a Department of Education and Training Regional Director who has authority to follow up attendance issues. Chronic or ongoing attendance issues that are escalated can lead to an Infringement Notice being issued to parent/s.

# If you’re having attendance issues with your child, please let your classroom teacher know so we can work together to get your child to school

TOP ATTENDANCE TIPS FOR PARENTS

Schools want to work in partnership with parents – act early if you have any concerns by contacting your child’s school and asking for advice and support

Remember that every day counts
There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind, and can affect their educational outcomes and their social connectedness
Talk positively about school and the importance of attending every day
Open and prompt communication with your child’s school about all absences is a good idea
Avoid making routine medical and dental appointments during the school day or planning family holidays during the term
Seek help from your school if you are concerned about your child’s attendance and well-being.

Schools want to work in partnership with parents to support student attendance and well-being. For more information and resources to help address attendance issues, visit: https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/studentmanagement/attendance/Pages/improveattendance.aspx 2

RAINBOWS FOR ROSE

On Monday 18th November, we would like to raise money for an additional friendship chair to remember the life of Rose McMahon. With the completion of the Grade 1 & 2 building and Renovated Art/music room we are looking to have another permanent friendship chair erected on the top playground. Due to the Rec Reserve being out of action we will postpone the colour run to a later date. This will give our P&F time to consolidate and coordinate the event. It was an agreed consensus from the parent representatives to not coincide the colour run with fundraising and prizes and just focus on celebrating the memory of Rose and bringing a gold coin to go towards the purchase of a new friendship chair.

TOYOTA TREE PLANTING

On Monday 28th October - Toyota Warragul have offered to come to school to particiapte in the National Tree Day. With over 20 years of support for National Tree Day, Toyota has made an invaluable contribution to the planting of 26 million native trees shrubs and grasses by millions of children and adults across Australia. Some grade 2s will be involved with the support of Mrs Cook and her veggie garden children.

JAPANESE DRUMMING

On Wedensday 6th and Thursday 7th November, Mr Gregory has organised Toshi Sakamoto to come and run some Japanese drumming workshops for students in Grades 1-6. Students will participate in a 40 minute session and learn about Japanese culture and drumming.

GRADE 6 GRADUATION

Our Graduation Mass and student presentation will be celebrated in the St Ita’s church commencing at 6pm on Thursday 5^th December.

Due to the significant growth of our Grade 6 population and school, we have elected to celebrate our Graduation dinner at the Drouin Football Club rooms. Our Graduation dinner will be catered by Alimentos Catering who will provide a sit down, 2 course dinner which includes a main meal and dessert. Soft drinks can be purchased over the bar, and a reminder that this is a school function therefore this is an alcohol-free event.

The cost of this event will be $32 for adults and $16 a child. The graduation event is for parents and Grade 6 students only, unfortunately we do not have the capacity to host siblings or extended family. All family members are welcome to attend our Graduation Mass.

Closer to the event, we will advise parents to park on Victoria St or in the Church carpark and walk up entering the gate off Victoria St near the Scout Hall as car parking is limited at the ground due to the renovations.

IMPORTANT DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Monday 28th October - Toyota Tree Planting
Wednesday 30th October - Board Meeting
Monday 1st Nov - Assembly (56C Prayer & 1G Class News)
Monday 4th Nov - Pupil free day
Tuesday 5th Nov - Melbourne Cup
Wednesday 6th & 7th November - Japanese Drumming
Friday 8th - Junior School Athletics Day (on school site)
Wednesday 13th - 15th Nov - Grade 56 Camp - The Summit
Tuesday 19th Nov - Parent information Day for 2025 Foundation students & new families
Monday 18th Nov - Rainbows for Rose Dress Up Day
Tursday 28th Nov - Board & P&F Dinner
Wednesday 4th Dec - Foundation Excursion to Botanical Gardens
Thursday 5th Dec - Grade 6 Graduation
Friday 6th Dec - Grade 6 Celebration Day
Tuesday 10th Dec - State Wide Transition Day
Friday 13th Dec - Kinect2Dance Concert
Tuesday 17th Dec - Last day of term 4