St Ita's Primary School Drouin
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50 Victoria Street
Drouin VIC 3818
Subscribe: https://stitaspsdrouin.schoolzineplus.com/subscribe

Email: admin@stidrouin.catholic.edu.au
Phone: 03 5623 7222

T1 W2 2022 Newsletter

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T1 W2 2022 Newsletter

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St Ita’s Catholic Primary School acknowledges and pays respect to the past, present and future Traditional Custodians and Elders of this nation and the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

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    WE GOT THROUGH OUR FIRST FULL WEEK!!!! 

    Well we got through the first full week of school without too many speed bumps. With the support of everyone in our learning community and a strong element of team work, we have kept on top of things to make sure our kids are back at school and participating in quality face to face learning.

    I am so grateful for the support and words of encouragement that we have received from our parent body. It has been a really tough road to hoe over the last two years, and I’m really proud of what we have here at St Ita’s. We truly are a school that works hard to live out our Whole School Approach to Positive Behaviour.

    Our Foundation students have made a remarkable start to their schooling. They seem to be a confident, calm group of children who are aware of the school routines and day to day busyness.

    KINECT 2 DANCE

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    Commencing this Friday our kids will start a 9-week dance program on Friday's, consisting of 40 minute sessions for our Foundation - Grade 2 students, and 45 minute sessions for Grade 3 -6 students. This forms part of our 2022 Arts program and will be run by the team at Kinect 2 Dance.

    This is the program that we ran as a whole school in 2019 which was extremely successful across all levels of our school, in particular with our senior boys.

    PARENT INFORMATION PACKS

    Our staff are currently preparing parent information packs to be sent home to all families. These packs will outline what’s happening in each year level this year, the daily routines that are set in place, ways to support your child’s learning, and sharing with parents our WSAPB (Whole School Approach to Positive Behaviour).

    Unfortunately, current COVID-19 restrictions don’t allow parents onsite to have face to face information sessions or parent teacher interviews at school. These rules and regulations change from week to week and I will let our community know when parents are allowed back onsite. At this point in time we will conduct parent teacher interviews via a phone call.

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    A reminder to all parents that the No Parking Zones at the front of the school are active before and after school. The Baw Baw Shire Council have advised that fines will be imposed on parents parking in the No Parking Zones on both sides of Victoria Street.

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    HOW DO YOU DEVELOP A GROWTH MINDSET? 

    Did you know that intelligence isn't set in stone? You may have been brought up to believe that some people were just good at challenging subjects, and others just didn't have the natural ability to learn how to solve very complex maths and science problems. You might be surprised to find out that education and brain research in recent decades has shown otherwise. Researchers have found that children and adults can develop and train for intelligence.

    One of the important factors for being able to develop this intelligence is the belief that intelligence is the result of hard work and study. Teachers call this a growth mindset. The term was coined by Stanford educational researcher Dr. Carol Dweck. Dweck compares her growth mindset to a fixed mindset. While people with a growth mindset believe that they can develop their intelligence, people with fixed mindsets believe that intelligence cannot be developed. Essentially, researchers now believe that the ability to learn difficult and challenging material comes from a belief that you can.

    These tips are all written with completing school and homework in mind. You will probably notice that these are really approaches that work for solving any problem in life. It's good to apply a growth mindset to more than just school work. You want a growth mindset to become an overall attitude, not limited to schoolwork.

    Teach Your Children It's Okay to Be Wrong

    You know how hard it can be to try something new when you are afraid of failing.

    Teaching your child that it is okay to make mistakes will free your child up to try a new challenge.

    In the process of making that effort, they will learn what works — and what doesn't.

    Teach Them to Try Out New Ideas and Approaches to Problem Solving

    Various problems and tasks require different strategies and methods to be completed. If your child is struggling with a problem, ask them if there is another way that might work to solve the problem.

    Even though you will be tempted to solve the problem for them, don't. If your child is really stuck with an issue, help them brainstorm what else they can try to solve their problem or complete their work. Try asking them what other resources they have that they can check for more info, such as different places in their textbook, online websites, or even asking their friends how they solved a problem.

    Teach Them to Keep Trying to Solve a Hard Problem, even if They Can't See the End Solution

    Some problems require several steps in order to be completed. You probably remember your advanced high school maths classes as having these kinds of problems. But the new rigorous standards being used in school are designed to expose kids to problems that need to be analysed and thought through — not just answered through rote memorisation or quick calculations.

    Work designed to encourage these problem-solving skills is being given out in the early grades, to give kids an early start in problem-solving. Rather than telling your child to give up right away and ask the teacher what to do when they see them, have your child just beginning to try to work their way through. Sometimes the next steps become clear after the first steps are taken. Sometimes your child will realise that they need to approach the problem differently. The thing is, they can't get there without taking those first few steps.

    Teach Them the Mantra, "Mistakes Help My Brain Grow"

    Dr. Carol Dweck repeatedly encourages teachers to remind students that mistakes help their brain grow. She teaches that when someone easily finds an answer, they have shown the knowledge they already have without learning anything. When someone makes a mistake, they are forced to find out why and then learn something new in the process.

    Using the saying "Mistakes Make My Brian Grow" not only takes away some of the fear of possibly being wrong, it validates the effort required in making a mistake.

    It then goes even further into encouraging learning what the right answer is. Rather than rewarding someone for being smart (fixed mindset), it encourages a path of continuous learning.

    Teach Them to Pay Attention to Their Approaches to Problem-Solving

    This isn't just making sure they are following a series of steps to complete their English paper or perform a maths algorithm. This is asking them to look at how they themselves chose to solve a problem. Did they draw out a picture to gain a better understanding of what they are trying to solve? Did they look for the specific questions they were being asked by an assignment?

    Problem-solving strategies can often be used in other situations that may not appear related on the surface. You can ask your child how they decided to solve a problem or praise them for stopping to think about which approach to take to solve a problem. You can ask about this as soon as they completed work if you are sitting near them while they are working, or when you look over their work to see if it is completed.

    Teach Them to Talk About Mistakes

    This one isn't about appearing humble. You want your child to feel comfortable discussing what didn't work, so they learn to discuss approaches to solving problems and completing work. This can help them learn to identify what they have already tried out that hasn't worked, so they can try again and find what does work. This will also help develop good skills for working with other people, a skill gaining in value in the workplace.

    Remember That You Won't be 100% Growth Mindset All the Time

    Growth mindset may be an overall way of looking at learning challenging material and solving hard problems, but it is unrealistic for you to always be sharing a growth mindset. Don't beat yourself up if you find yourself saying something to your child that doesn't encourage a never give up and always work hard viewpoint. No one is perfect all of the time.

    It is more important to strive for growth mindset feedback than to be perfect. The more you adopt this attitude, the more your child will. This also holds true for your child. Even if your child's teachers believe that every child can strengthen their intelligence through learning, your child may have moments where they are unsure if they will ever be able to master something. Just remind them to keep trying and have a go regardless of the outcome.

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    CORONAVIRUS UPDATES

    A reminder to all parents and carers, if anyone in your household tests positive to COVID-19, all occupants of the house must go into 7 days isolation, unless they have a valid exemption. This includes children who may still be testing negative.

    The school currently has processes in place so that once we have been informed of a positive case or a household exposure, we will document this date and send communication to confirm when your child can return to school.

    It is vitally important that the full isolation period is completed by students and they are not being sent back to school early. Whatever the date of the positive test, you and everyone in your household must spend 7 days in isolation from that date. The 7-day isolation for each individual starts from the date of the individuals first positive test.

    If you do test positive to COVID-19 or if any of your children are a household contact you must inform the school immediately via Admin on (03) 5623 7222 as well as sending an email to principal@stidrouin.catholic.edu.au outlining your situation.

    A reminder that all positive COVID-19 cases must be logged via the Department of Health Website.

    We thank you for your ongoing support to keep St Ita’s a safe place for leaning.

    COVID DROP OFF AND PICK UP FOR ALL ST ITA’S STUDENTS AND FAMILIES

    To keep all in our community safe, the following COVID-19 drop off and pick up procedures will continue for 2022.

    Could all St Ita's families please follow the procedures set out below;

    • There is no parking in the Drouin Rec Reserve or in the St Ita’s School Admin car-park area
      • Please follow the car line loops for drop off and pick up of children. Teachers will be there to assist children to enter and exit cars. Please do not exit your vehicles in car line.
      • Family surnames A-G can be dropped off between 8.30am and 8.50am and picked up at the front of School Admin car-line from 3.20pm - 3.40pm.
      • Family surnames H-Z can be dropped off between 8.30am and 8.50am and picked up at the Drouin Rec Reserve car loop from 3.20pm - 3.40pm.
      • If you are a Foundation parent and you wish to walk your child to the main gate at Admin, you will need to park your car along Victoria St or reverse park in the church car park and walk up to the main admin gate. (Please do not park your car at Drouin Rec Reserve or in the Admin car park and you must exit your car with your children to walk to the school entry.) Please note the no parking signs in front of the school.
      • Any parents wishing to enter the school to meet with your child’s class teacher or Principal must ring admin first on 5623-7222 and make an appointment, making sure that they sign in on-arrival.
      • Any parents entering the school are required to wear a mask when on site.

      We thank you for your continued support during these challenging COVID-19 times.

    CONVEYANCE ALLOWANCE

    The Conveyance Allowance application is now open for Term 1 for any families that qualify for the travel allowance as per the criteria below. You must lodge a new application each year.

    Eligibility is assessed when the School completes your child’s application on the Government Student Conveyance Allowance System (SCAS). If approved, the allowance payable is based on the one way distance to make the journey to and from school. No private car allowance is payable if the journey to and from school could be made using a public transport service or contract school bus.

    • You live more than 4.8 kilometres by the shortest practical route from our school and we are the closest Catholic school to your place of residence.
    • You live more than 4.8 kilometres from our school and you cannot access a bus.
    • You access a bus and live more than 4.8 kilometres from the bus stop.

    Please complete the Conveyance Allowance Application Form and return to the school office by Friday 18th February 2022. Late claims cannot be accepted.

    SECONDHAND UNIFORM

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    A big thank you to all our families who have donated their good quality uniform they no longer need, we currently have a huge supply of secondhand uniform available to all of families.

    If you children have had unexpected growth spurts, or have lost some of their uniform as they often do, please feel free to call the Office on (03) 5623 7222 or admin@stidrouin.catholic.edu.au we may have something to help get you through!

    All items in our secondhand collection, have been washed and inspected to ensure they are of good quality.  All items are for sale for $2.00 a piece, a nominal donation to the school so that we can keep this service available to families.

    SCHOOL FEES & CONCESSIONS

    Please contact the school office if you need to discuss your 2022 school fee payment.

    If any families would like to set up a weekly, fortnightly or monthly direct debit schedule for school fees, please complete the Direct Debit Form below and return to the school office.  For any assistance regarding calculations of payments, please contact us via email on: admin@stidrouin.catholic.edu.au

    For any families that have recently received a Government means-tested health care concession card, please forward a copy of your card to the office to check your eligibility, as a fee concession may apply. The card must be in the name of the parent/fee payer for a fee concession to apply. 

    If your current Health Care card is due to expire this year and your card is re-issued, please send a copy of your new card details to the office as soon as possible for the concession to be checked and applied for next year's fees, if not already done so.

    STUDENT OF THE WEEK

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    Sometimes getting to school each day at the start of a new school year can be really tough for some of our new students, but with time anything is possible. Connor Yarmouth has done an amazing job building his independence, confidence and resilience. The St Ita’s community is really proud of your efforts Connor.

    Keep up the great work! 

     

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    THANKS MR. PITT 

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    A huge thank you to Mr Pitt who last week shovelled 10 meters of bark chips, and 5 meters of sand to make sure our school playground and sandpits were safe and up to standard for our first day back at school.

    He then took on the task to set up all our student Chromebooks for our students in Grade 3-6. He had the help of our ICT captains Sophia and Seb, who did a great job supporting him. On behalf of our school community well done and thank you.

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    PARISH NEWS

    BLESSED IN THE KINGDOM

    Jesus further clarifies (Lk 6:17, 20-26) the Kingdom of God in the “Beatitudes”. Again he reveals the Kingdom to be quite the reverse of what society often insists we value, the “many in our day who purport to be dispensers of happiness: they come and promise us swift success, great profits within our reach, magical solutions to every problem and so on”. [Pope Francis, 17th February 2019]

    Most of us, by the standards of any age, are relatively wealthy, full, laughing and in good social standing but, listening closely to Jesus teaching in the Beatitudes, we hear him instead proclaiming blessed those who are poor, hungry, displaced and persecuted. Not us! In honesty we are closer to those he warns in “the woes”, those who are having their consolation now: we have our fill now, we have every reason to laugh now and we’re spoken of well now. Australians, in common with the rest of the globe, have issues, particularly in the trials of Covid-19, but still we are very blessed and fortunate people who squirm a little hearing this proclamation. So, how do we respond in the light of this gospel teaching?

    Pope Francis suggests the “woe to you” statements are addressed to those who are doing well today, with the purpose of “waking” them from the dangerous deceit of egotism, and opening them up to the logic of love, while they still have the time to do so. [Pope Francis 17/02/19]

    We can be rightly proud of and enjoy our largely free, well-nourished and safe society but Jesus opens our eyes to a wider reality of pro-active closeness to the poor, suffering and hungry, not idolising or selling our souls out to worldly goods or distractions but able to share them with our brothers and sisters.

    Deacon Mark Kelly

    EUCHARIST 

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    A reminder to Grade 5 parents our preparation for First Holy Communion is about to begin! We are inviting you to an information meeting and to inform you of some dates concerning our preparation for this Sacrament. An invitation letter was emailed to all Grade 5 families on  January 19th, if you didn’t receive this letter please text me on 0439 306 642 with your preferred email address.

    If your child is in Grade Five, or above, is baptised, has received the Sacrament of Reconciliation and is ready to receive First Holy Communion please come along to our Information Meeting on Wednesday 9th February at St Ita’s Church (Drouin), 7pm OR Thursday 10th February at St Joseph’s Church, Marian Room (Warragul), 7pm.

    Information packages with enrolment details will be given out on these nights.

    Please note we will be commence preparation for the Sacrament of the Eucharist for Grade 4 students in Term 4. Dates and information will be sent  home soon.

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    For more information please

    Email: Warragul.sacraments@cdsale.org.au

    For further inquiries please contact Thérèse on M: 0439 306 642

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    Check out our Catholic Parishes of Warragul & Drouin Facebook presence.

    PUBLIC NOTICES

    CAMP AUSTRALIA

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    DROUIN GIRL GUIDES

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    KRISTY TELFORD AUTHOR OF ANNABEL'S MUM

    Books are available at $20 each. To purchase the book please email Kristy at cancers.grace@gmail.com

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    PIANO & SINGING LESSONS

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    DRUM AND GUITAR LESSONS

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