Dear Parents and Carers,

This week we have our Three Way Interviews scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. It is an opportunity to have a ‘meet and greet’ session for fifteen minutes between the student, parent and teacher. All students have a different teacher this year so it is an ideal opportunity to start building relationships. Most parents have booked this online. If you have experienced difficulty in making this booking please phone Trish in the front office for assistance. In Term 2, there will be teacher/parent interviews only following the Semester One Reports. This is usually in the last week of Term 2. Parents are always welcome to make an appointment with their child’s class teacher at any other time during the year. Please do not feel confined just to the interview schedule we offer.

Schools have four Staff Development Days per year. We usually have one per term but this year we are combining two of them at the beginning of Term 2 to fit in with an international speaker James Nottingham, who leads the Challenging Learning project. Please be aware that Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 April will be Staff Development Days and therefore  pupil free days. The next Staff Development Day will be the first day of Term 3. Please note these days in your calendars. There will be no Staff Development Day in Term 4.

 The Challenging Learning project is a teaching pedagogy  that promotes meaningful communication. It offers students the opportunity to think and talk about their learning and to push for a deeper level of understanding. We use many strategies like ‘Odd One Out’, ‘Opinion Lines’ and ‘Opinion Corners to support deeper thinking. The ‘Challenge’ is not to make learning harder for students, but to make it more interesting by using quality dialogue, good questioning techniques and feedback. I will let you know more about the project over the term with regular updates in the newsletter. Feel free to ask me more about this initiative that we have been exploring for twelve months now.

Have a great week everyone.

Kind Regards

 Jannine

At St Mary’s we are trialling a new homework format this year. Home Learning Grids have been forwarded to all families this week. Please place them on your fridge for reference over the term and initial any completed activities. This grid is to be returned at the end of this term in Week 11.

There are a range of activities that we know many students do after school and this grid acknowledges the many and varied things children do after 3:00pm which are really, really important. Parents simply initial the numbered activity over the term as it is completed. Every activity does not have to be done, but I bet you’ll be surprised at how many you actually do and this will be something to celebrate.

The coloured boxes are the activities that we would really like students to do every week for school. All students will need their Homework Folders as a Maths and Spelling Activity will be sent home on a Monday and will need to be completed and returned on a Friday. Please feel free to mark any work and initial it before returning on Friday.

Please know that Reading is the most vital part of this grid. Reading for a least 10 min every night sets children up for success in reading which supports all other learning. Reading can be:

·        a child reading to an adult,

·        reading a book together with an adult or

·        a child being read to.

Please enjoy the time to work with your child and please let class teachers know how the grids are working for you.

Three Way Conferences commence today and continue tomorrow. (Mrs Brown will have appointments on Thursday not tomorrow). If you have not made an appointment please follow the link below and book your time.

https://stmarysbatlow.schoolzineplus.com/view-session/6

If you have trouble booking an appointment please phone the school and we will book it in for you.

1 in 10 children and 1 in 3 adults suffer from hearing loss, which left undetected can affect learning, socialising and overall quality of life. Collaborating with the National Acoustic Laboratories, Sound Scouts created an app that provides mobile access to a hearing check, that delivers an immediate Report, including next steps if a hearing loss is detected.

Sound Scouts is FREE for all Australian schoolchildren (aged 4-17) thanks to support from the Department of Health.

Mrs Hughes our Classroom Support Teacher will conduct the assessments.

Please complete the webform and submit if you would like your child to have this free hearing check.

https://stmarysbatlow.schoolzineplus.com/form/42

Our Annual Swimming Carnival concluded on Friday with a fun day. All students were involved and gained valuable points for their House. The winning house was Hume. Congratulations.

Further information and booklists will be sent home shortly.

Student Information Checklists went home with each student in Week 2. It is important that our records are up to date. Some forms have not yet been returned to school. If you have not returned your forms please return to school as soon as possible. If you have misplaced the forms please phone the school for another copy.

The first two days of Term 2 Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 April will be staff development/pupil free days. The next staff development day will be the First day of Term 3. There will be no Staff Development Day in Term 4. 

Please ensure that students are dressed in the correct uniform everyday. Sport uniform Monday and Friday with joggers that support feet and ankles for sport activities. Normal uniform Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with plain black shoes.

Last Saturday, Gloria and Cathy wanted to share some kindness with us by donating some food hampers and toys to those families directly affected by the recent bushfires. They are from Cootamundra and have been working for families affected by the devastating drought. But our recent bushfires called them our way this time. Thank you Gloria and Cathy for all that you do.

Birthday wishes this week go to Lucas T who turns 8 on 2nd March and to James Sullivan who also turn 8 on March 8. Have a great day.

Our cake raffle family this week is the 

QUARMBY family.

Tickets are sold on Fridays for 20c each.

This weeks home cooks are the 

WILLEMS & BOOBY families.

Cooking is sold Fridays for 50c each

Our radio announcers next week will be

ISABELLE & EJ

Tune in to FM96.3 at 1.45pm to hear what is happening at St Mary's.

A Reconciliation information and enrolment session will be held on SUNDAY 1st MARCH after the children's Mass for parents with a child in Year 3 or above wishing for their child to make this Sacrament. 

Lessons will be held some Fridays at school and the final lesson on Sunday 15th March after Mass.

Reconciliation will be on TUESDAY 7 April at 6pm.

For Any further information please contact Mrs Murray elizabeth.murray@cg.catholic.edu.au 

Thank you to John Hides for replacing the memorial seat in the playground.

WEDNESDAY 26th FEBRUARY - ASH WEDNESDAY MASS 12PM

SUNDAY 1st MARCH - CHILDRENS' MASS 

WEDNESDAY 25th MARCH - SCHOOL PHOTOS

SATURDAY 28th MARCH - BATLOW SHOW

THURSDAY 9th APRIL - TERM 1 ENDS 

TERM 2 PUPIL FREE DAYS - MON 27th & TUES 28th APRIL

TERM 2 BEGINS - WEDNESDAY 29th APRIL

School Fees were emailed out to families last week, if you did not receive yours please phone the school.

Tumut Basketball currently have three teams in the Kinder/Year 1 Girls division and we desperately need extra players to make another side for this competition to go ahead.

At this stage we have one kindergarten girl from McAuley school and would love another five or six girls to join her and make another side so these girls can play against other girls in the same age group.

Could you please contact Jason Beavan ASAP  0418430905 so we can make this happen and for the other girls already playing not to miss out. This would be greatly appreciated.

Competition starts on Monday 9^th March.

Cheers

Jason Beavan

President

Tumut Basketball