Mar 24, 2017 - NEWSLETTER. Hospitality. Creating .... for Seasons for Growth Program in this newsletter. ... (see prayer
IONA PRESENTATION PRIMARY SCHOOL MOSMAN PARK
NEWSLETTER 24 MARCH 2017
Dear Parents and Students I always love a good story. Stories can o7en be deep wells of wisdom and guidance and provoke their listeners into contempla>on or reflec>on. The beAer stories speak to individuals on different levels. I came across this story this week and thought I’d share it with you.
IONA PRESENTATION PRIMARY SCHOOL MOSMAN PARK
Buckland Ave, Mosman Park WA 6012 Ph: 08 9286 9100 FAX: 08 9384 2289 EMAIL:
[email protected]
OUR MISSION Iona Presentation Primary School, as a loving community, seeks to educate each child within a framework of Catholic values in an atmosphere of trust, openness and truth
NANO NAGLE The lantern she carried through the darkness in the streets and lanes of Cork became a symbol for the poor of God’s love, touching and transforming the harshness of their lives and offering hope. Today that lantern has become the symbol of the mission of the Presentation Sisters around the world.
Our Values
One day a very wise old man was speaking to his people in the village square. A young man, trying to fool the wise old man held up a clenched fist. ‘Old man, what do I hold in my hand?’ he asked. The wise old man looked at the young man and smiled. ‘You have a bird, my son’. And he was right. The boy then asked, ‘Old man, old man, tell me: Is the bird alive or is it dead?’ The old man knew that if he answered ‘alive’, the boy had only to squeeze his fingers and it would be crushed; or if he said ‘dead’ he would open up his hands and the bird would fly away. Pausing, the wise old man looked at the boy with such hope and said, ‘The bird is as you choose it to be. The answer is in your hands.’ On the surface, the story is about selfdetermina>on – the future is in our hands. As the layers are peeled away, ques>ons about respect, rela>onships, independence, surface – a young man tes>ng the tradi>onal authority figures and the values that they hold dear, and looking for the reality of that consistency between what adults expect of them and what adults actually do themselves. The old man treated the young man with what he hoped the young man would apply to maAers in his own life.
He neither crushed the young man by a vitriolic response nor did he trivialise the ques>on by sugges>ng he had no >me to respond. Instead, he addressed the young man squarely and told the young man the truth. ‘You are an individual, you must take responsibility for your own decisions and ac>ons, your future is really in your hands. As parents and teachers, we can take many messages from this story. As significant people in our children’s lives, it is our responsibility to pa>ently, slowly, painstakingly advise children so that they feel capable and op>mis>c about being responsible for their own ac>ons. This takes dedica>on, perseverance and a lot of uncondi>onal love and forgiveness. As we go through our week, let us remember that the power is in our own hands; that God has given each one of us a gi7 – our life - but it is up to us what we do with it. Parent Interviews Parent/Teacher interviews have been scheduled for Monday April 3 from 12.30pm. Classes for that day will finish at 12.00pm to allow teachers a lunch break before conduc>ng interviews. Class teachers from PP to Year 6 are available by appointment for parents to come and discuss their child’s progress. Each interview should take no longer than 10 minutes. These interviews are an important part of the Iona School repor>ng process as it gives parents an opportunity to discuss the strengths and achievements of their child as well as areas requiring further development.
Hospitality Creating a nurturing and welcoming environment that celebrates diversity and personal achievement
PRAYER OF THE WEEK
O my God, I am very sorry that I have sinned against You, because You are so good, and with the help of Your grace, I will not sin again. Amen. COMING UP… TERM DATES 2017: 29th March Years 4,5,6 Reconciliation 30th March Year 2 Mass 31st March Year 5 Assembly Year 5 Surf Life Saving 3rd April Palm Sunday Liturgy (PP & Yr 2 Leading) 9am Treacey Hall 12.30 Parent Interviews (Student finish at 12pm) 4th April Holy Thursday Liturgy (Yr 1 & Yr 4 Leading) 9am Treacey Hall 5th April Easter Bonnet Parade 2.30pm Treacey Hall 6th April Good Friday Liturgy (Yr 3 & Yr 5 Leading) 9am Treacey Hall 7th April Resurrection Liturgy (Yr6 Leading) 9am Treacey Hall Yr 5 Surf Life Saving
Our Values
The interviews will again be arranged through the Teacher Interview APP on the home page of the school website. Mosman Park Fair The P&F have organised a stall at the Mosman Park Fair on Sunday 26 March. The aim of the stall is to highlight and promote our school in the community. Thank you to the P&F who organised our par>cipa>on in this event, and the staff and parents who have volunteered to spend an hour or so at the stall. Even if you are unable to volunteer for a >meslot, please come along and say hello. Playground Equipment Many of you would be aware that our playground equipment is on the ‘>red’ side and that the so7 fall needs replacing. New play equipment was discussed at our last P&F mee>ng (before the AGM) and a commiAee convened to consider our school needs. The P&F have generously offered to direct all the P&F levy collected in 2017 to this project. We may have to do this in stages, depending on how much money is raised. In the next few weeks, we will be removing the old equipment in prepara>on for the new playground. We look forward to a new, exci>ng playground in the near future. Thank you to the P&F for taking on this mammoth project. Al the end of the minkey/netball season. This will be effec>ve from the first training session. Staffing Changes
Rebecca Neesham will be taking leave from the Primary School from Term 2 un>l the end of the year. Rebecca has accepted a posi>on in the English Department at the College. We are currently adver>sing for a short-term Gi7ed and Talented teacher to replace Rebecca un>l the end of the year. Best of luck to Rebecca and we look forward to her return in 2018. God Bless Jennifer Anderson Principal
Please see the information for Seasons for Growth Program in this newsletter.
Compassion Fostering a culture of non-judgmental understanding of another’s need, enabling us to treat others with consideration
Liturgy Corner
Lent and the Sacrament of Reconciliation I hope everyone is having a very fruitful Lenten season, and that your works of prayer, fasting (penance) and almsgiving have all gone to plan, and have deepened your relationship with Christ. As we undertake works of prayer, fasting and almsgiving we are focusing on God and neighbour, and much less on ourselves. We are also undertaking a period of selfconversion. That is, we acknowledge the need to make changes to things in our lives. The Sacrament of Reconciliation can help us change our lives and be better people. Some people think Reconciliation is totally unnecessary and we can do without it. That is a real shame! You see God gave us the seven sacraments to allow his grace and work to continue in and through us. Reconciliation is not about ‘beating ourselves up’ over and over about events from the past. Rather it is an opportunity to examine our lives and what we did that was wrong, but also what we failed to do. Sometimes omission is as much a sin as activity. Next week, the students in Years 4-6 will have the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The liturgy will take what we call the Second form, whereby we have a song, scripture readings and an examination of conscience as a class group in this case, and then the students will go for individual confession. At the end of individual confession, each person recites the Act of Contrition (see prayer in the newsletter this week).
Therefore, let us keep up our Lenten prayer, penance and almsgiving; doing it with love for God and others, so that we can we truly focus on what will come at Easter time when Jesus rose from the dead. God bless, Mr Alessio Loiacono Liturgy Coordinator
Community Fair Town of Mosman Park 26th March
Please bring your family and friends the Mosman Park Community Fair this Sunday at Mann Oval. Remember to come and visit our stall and display.
Two other names for the Sacrament of Reconciliation are the Sacrament of Confession and the Sacrament of Penance. The Sacrament of Confession brings home the idea for us to acknowledge the wrong we have done. The name of the Sacrament of Penance illustrates that we need to undertake some action to restore our relationship with God and neighbour. The penance assigned by the priest might be a series of prayers. or to put a good word or deed into action with someone. Of course, the name of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, implies that we need to reconciled to God and neighbour. Just as well, penance is an individual sacrament these days. In the early church, the Sacrament was undertaken publicly. That is, an individual had to let the community know their sins. If a person forgot to mention something, there was always someone to remind them of their sins. So, let us use this season of Lent to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and before that examine our lives and how we can be better people. God’s grace will surely work miracles within you. I can promise you that! In writing this article this week, I am reminded of the words of the wonderful Australian poet James Philip McAuley: “May this Lenten discipline, which we undertake with love, turn our minds to things above.”
Social Justice
Our Values
Developing a strong sense of social justice through our unity and solidarity with those who are marginalised or disadvantaged
Congratulations- Manga High Champions
Bullying - No Way!
MANGA HIGH After 12 days of intense maths activity the online Ninja Competition has now finished! Congratulations to all Yr 4 – 6 teachers and students who got involved. Iona Presentation Primary School finished in the Top 10. Two students Taylor and Megan battled top spot for days! Congratulations to all students who have earned themselves a medal!
Bullying and violence is never ok. March 17th was Bullying - No Wa y D a y. Y r 6 students helping making a difference by spreading positive messages like 'talk to a friend, be unique and confident.’
Mrs Fitzgerald Year 6 Teacher
Interschool Carnival
The Year 4,5, & 6 Interschool Swimming Carnival at St Hilda’s, Penrhos and Iona College was such a successful day and showcase of talents. Thanks to Mr Overheu for organising these events.
Excellence
Our Values
Supporting and challenging each other to achieve our personal best in all aspects of school life
Clean Up Australia Day
Year 6 students feature in the Community Post Newspaper who assisted on Clean Up Australia Day on Friday March 3rd. Thank you to Mrs Fitzgerald who organized the “Clean Up”
Musical News 2017 - 15 School Calendar Weeks to Go! & Meeting Wednesday 29th March in Treacey Hall CALLING FOR VOLUNTEERS TO ASSIST WITH THE MUSICAL TERM 2 Rachel Scott, Lynda Charles and Steve Perica(our Music Artist in Residence) will be holding a meeting in Treacey Hall on Wednesday 29th March from 3.30pm. Mr Steve Perica will present an outline of the musical that he has written especially for the Iona students. Mrs Scott and Mrs Charles will outline costume requirements and will be asking for coordinators and volunteers to assist with classroom costume fit outs, main character costumes, sourcing and possibly repairing costumes, and other jobs required.
Musical Rehearsals are well underway with years 4,5 & 6 students for “The Apostle’s Apostle.” Here is a sneak peek of some of the year 5’s rehearsing one of their songs in the music room. They look like they are having fun while concentrating on the singing and the moves.
Our Values
Tradition Honouring the contributions of our past, inspires us to become the catalyst for achieving a bright and hope-filled future
Indonesian News In celebration of Harmony Day 2017 this week, students from Years 2-5 explored the significance of the banyan tree on the Indonesian Coat of Arms. They discovered that the tree is to represent ‘persatuan’. Students could see the base word satu (one), which means unity. The banyan tree has many strong expansive above ground roots. These roots represent the many cultural, language and religious groups within Indonesia that unite as one beautiful and strong tree. Students were each given their own leaf and on it wrote details about their unique selves including their name: ‘Nama saya Christiana’, their age: ‘Umur saya’ and their family’s origins: 'Keluarga saya dari Indonesia dan Malaysia’. Students could see the diversity of their own community and some students discovered origins they were unaware of. The students’ leaves were put together in the hallway outside our Indonesian language classroom to create our unique Iona tree, which represents our school community, where our many diverse roots create a strong school. Ibu Christiana Bain Ibu Tundi Beattie Wayang Golek Last Thursday the Year 6 students walked up to the College to join us, the Year 7 Indonesian students, to enjoy the Wayang Golek Performance by Dalang (puppeteer) Pak Sumurdi. It was great to see some old friendly faces! Wayang Golek are wooden puppets that tell stories such as the Ramayana, an ancient Indian fable that travelled east through Asia over many years. The Wayang Golek performance was very interesting and thought provoking. The puppets were very detailed and had very intricate designs which would have taken a very long time to make. The characters were all quite unique and told the story well. I enjoyed this performance very much, and it has given me a greater understanding of Indonesian culture. The Wayang Golek performance will be one of many opportunities the Iona College Indonesian program provides, and I am looking forward to learning more about the culture and language of Indonesia. Sophie Vassileff Year 7 (Iona Primary School Head Girl 2016)
Seasons for Growth Program
Dear Parents/Carers, Change and loss are issues that affect all of us at some stage in our lives. At Iona Presentation Primary School we recognise that when changes occur in families through death, separation, divorce or related circumstances, young people may benefit from learning how to manage these changes effectively. We are therefore offering a very successful education program called Seasons for Growth. This program is facilitated in small groups and is based on research that highlights the importance of social support and the need to practise new skills to cope effectively with change and loss. The program focuses on issues such as self esteem, managing feelings, problem-solving, decisionmaking, effective communication and support networks. The Seasons for Growth Program runs for eight weeks and each weekly session is 40-50 minutes. The program concludes with a 'Celebration' session. Later in the year each group will have the opportunity to meet for two further sessions to build on their earlier learning. Seasons for Growth will commence in Term Two during the month of May and will be facilitated by Sister Catherine Warner PBVM, who has received special training in the use of this program. If you think your son or daughter would benefit from Seasons for Growth we would encourage you to talk to him/her about this. Should he/she decide to participate please fill in the tear-off section below and return to the school by this term. Books and resources need to be ordered so please register your child as soon as possible. There is a cost of $20 to cover the cost of the resource book that each child needs. Iona Presentation Primary School is pleased to be able to offer this important program and we are confident that it will be a valuable learning experience for those who request to be involved. Yours sincerely, Sr Catherine Warner ________________________________________________________________________________ PLEASE RETURN THIS SECTION TO THE SCHOOL I give consent for my son/daughter to attend the Seasons for Growth Program. I have discussed this with him/her. Parent’s Name: __________________________________ Parent’s Signature: Parent/Guardian Signature Child's Signature Child’s Name: __________________________________________
