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Dear Parents and Carers,
How are you?
News and COVID 19 updates are dominating our media and conversations. It can be exhausting and I hope all our families are ok and taking time to look after themselves in such unprecedented times. It looks like this will be a long haul to ensure our health and safety.
Just today, we have had communication from the Director, Mr Ross Fox, regarding some changes for the final week of Term One which has been forwarded to your email address ahead of this newsletter. It is important for all parents to know that next week, Monday to Thursday (Friday is Good Friday) that all St Mary’s staff will be engaging in professional learning. Parents are asked to make arrangements for their children on these days. No remote learning will be provided. But, we will provide care here at school if parents have no alternative and need to seek our support. Please let me know by this Thursday if you require care and we can put arrangements in place.
Teachers and general staff will be engaged in professional learning moving our Google Classroom and See Saw apps onto a portal, Microsoft Teams, which will be more secure and more collaborative. In ideal circumstances this would be rolled out to staff in a slower mode, but due to the urgency that is COVID 19, we need dedicated hours to upskill staff immediately. I trust that parents will be supportive of this initiative as teaching and learning is still our priority as is the social and emotional well-being of those in our care. Please do not hesitate to talk to us if you need clarification on any matters. We are all on a big learning curve.
Staff Development Days Term 2
Please be advised that St Mary’s will only be having one staff development day on Monday 27 April. What Term 2 looks like for parents and students has not been clearly outlined by Catholic Education at this stage. But, remote learning will definitely be the mode of learning we are using. Whether, the school is open for parents who require their students to do their remote learning at school has not yet been confirmed. I will let you know as soon as I know.
Batlow Show Display
On a final note, we are putting our display for the Batlow Show in the shop front window next to the chemist this week. It is a display to say a big thank you to our firefighting heroes from the Dunn’s Road Bushfire battle which so many of our parents and families were affected by. Please take some time to have a look over the coming weeks. I trust it will be well received and a big thank you to Caroline Quarmby for letting us use this space.
Have a lovely week everyone and God bless
Jannine
Are there people in our Batlow community who are needing our help? Shopping? A phone call?
Isolation can be a terrifying prospect for some.
Thank you to our school community as we all adjust to our current situation. Please stay in touch with one another and pray for each other during this time of social isolation and distancing.
Thank you for the kindness you are showing.
Easter is fast approaching. This week is the 5th week since Ash Wednesday.
John’s gospel reading from this week’s Sunday Mass is the story of Lazarus. Lazarus and his sisters Martha and Mary were family friends of Jesus. Lazarus had been ill and was near death when Martha sent a message to Jesus to ask him to come to see her brother. When Jesus arrived Lazarus had been in the tomb for two days. Of course the family was devastated;Lazarus was brought back to life.
Jesus explained that our faith will bring us all to eternal life.
The villagers decided to pray for rain. On the day of prayer, all the people gathered, but only one boy came with an umbrella. That is faith.
“Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today” Thich Nhat Hanh
Did you receive raffle tickets last week for Easter eggs?
There are three prizes.
If not, call into the office and pick up a book.
Tickets are .50 cents each.
We will draw the raffle on Thursday 9th April.
We continue to branch out, blossom and grow.
Anne Saunderson
Staff members Mercedes Brown and Kerrie Ambrose are now on maternity leave. We wish them all the best in the coming months.
There will only be a pupil free on day one Term 2 - Monday 27th April. Tuesday 28th April will now NOT be pupil free.
Catholic Care have extended an invitation to parents to know that they are available if counselling support is needed. They have zoom capability and can provide support to families in response to the bushfire event in January and also the COVID 19 crisis. Please let Ms Richards know if you would like a referral form. All contacts are confidential.
We will be sending home book packs tomorrow for all students. There will be some other resources as well to support remote learning. We will let parents know when they are ready for collection.
Staff would like to thank parents for their calm and caring response in our transition to the remote mode of learning. We appreciate the shift and upheaval this transition has had on families. Please continue to look out for emails, and our newsletter, as they are our first form of communication.
Facebook will also be used for quick updates and sharing, which will be so important as we comply with the social distancing measures now in place. If you haven’t already done so, please like us on Facebook.
Keep your eye out for student work in the shopfront window next to the chemist. It will be bright and is a tribute to our local heroes. We know it will put a smile on your face.
Could all raffle tickets be returned to school by the end of this week. Raffle will be drawn next week, and the winners notified before Thursday 9th.
Please be advised that Chairperson Bev Sullivan is resigning as our chairperson and we are seeking a new person to fulfil this role. If you would like further information please get in contact with Jannine Richards.
In the meantime, we would like to extend our thanks and gratitude to Bev for all her work and dedicated commitment to St Mary’s over the past several years. It has been appreciated and our school is a better place directly from her leadership whilst on our Community Council.
Community council is vital to keep the school running by working with the principal.
Remote learning is going so well! All classes are running Zoom sessions successfully. There are a few faces missing. Please call us if you need any IT tips.
The current COVID 19 health crisis has led to anxiety, uncertainty and constant change in our lives. We have collected numerous resources that you may find useful to support your children and yourselves especially in relation to adjusting to the transition to schooling from home.
Emotional Welbeing:
https://headtohealth.gov.au/covid-19-support/covid-19
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COVID-19 Support | Head to Health COVID-19: The facts. The Australian Government Department of Health website is the main source of health-related information on what Australia is doing in response to this pandemic.See the coronavirus (COVID-19) health alert page.; A national campaign has launched to inform all Australians about the coronavirus (COVID-19). The campaign aims to reduce the risk to individuals and families by ... headtohealth.gov.au |
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Looking after your mental health during the coronavirus outbreak Beyond Blue recognises and understands the feelings of anxiety, distress and concern many people may be experiencing in relation to the coronavirus (COVID-19) and offers the following wellbeing advice. www.beyondblue.org.au |
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Coronavirus (COVID-19): managing stress and anxiety This tipsheet covers understanding common reactions in yourself and others during the COVID-19 pandemic, what you can do to look after yourself and manage feelings of stress, anxiety, or distress associated with COVID-19, and helpful resources and support. services.unimelb.edu.au |
https://www.headspace.com/covid-19
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We’re here for you - Headspace There are a lot of unknowns in the world right now. But one thing is certain — Headspace is here for you.To help support you through this time of crisis, we’re offering some meditations you can listen to anytime. www.headspace.com |
utm_source=Shine&utm_medium=CareForYourCoronavirusAnxiety
https://medium.com/@Tom.Hollenstein/regulating-emotions-in-a-covid-19-world-f3ef394f8294
https://news.yale.edu/2020/03/24/yale-webinars-using-emotional-intelligence-combat-covid-19-anxiety
To support children:
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How to talk to your children about coronavirus (COVID-19) - UNICEF Australia Eight tips to help comfort and protect children. 2. Be honest: explain the truth in a child-friendly way Children have a right to truthful information about what’s going on in the world, but adults also have a responsibility to keep them safe from distress. www.unicef.org.au |
https://www.brainpop.com/health/diseasesinjuriesandconditions/coronavirus/
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-to-talk-to-children-about-the-coronavirus-2020030719111
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Resources for Families During the Coronavirus Pandemic | Common Sense Media Parents and caregivers: Keep kids learning, entertained, and calm during the COVID-19 pandemic with Common Sense Media. Navigate social distancing, school closures, and more. www.commonsensemedia.org |
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GoNoodle® engages 14 million kids every month with movement and mindfulness videos created by child development experts. Available for free at school, home, and everywhere kids are! www.gonoodle.com |
Yoga for kids;
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJEi1foUiGObzzQM3QA2H5A/search?query=kids
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MAJOR news! Alo Gives is bringing yoga to 3 MILLION kids this year with our HUGE national rollout of AloGives.com, partnered with Scholastic. Yoga changes the trajectory of kids’ lives and we ... www.youtube.com |
Home Schooling support:
https://sites.google.com/ed.act.edu.au/act-home-learning/resources-to-support-home-learning
https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html
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Teaching Remotely for Grades K - 12 | Free Resources and Strategies Welcome! Even when schools are closed, you can keep the learning going with these special cross-curricular journeys. Every day includes four separate learning experiences, each built around a thrilling, meaningful story or video. classroommagazines.scholastic.com |
https://www.pbs.org/parents/learn-grow
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Parent Resources, Tips, and Advice | PBS KIDS for Parents Explore parent resources to help you raise kind, curious and resilient children. Find parenting tips, hands-on activities, games, apps and more. www.pbs.org |
https://www.natgeokids.com/au/
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Find amazing facts about animals, science, history and geography, along with fun competitions, games and more. Visit National Geographic Kids today! www.natgeokids.com |
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Parents who will be homeschooling (temporarily) while schools are closed because of COVID-19 can only do so much to keep kids learning, so do your parents a solid and use this time to find subjects that get you excited! There’s only so much Netflix you can watch before you get a funny taste in the back of your mouth. As Mike Petrilli wrote in a recent blog post, “It’s highly unlikely ... fordhaminstitute.org |
https://confidentparentsconfidentkids.org/2020/03/13/my-kids-school-is-closed-so-now-what/
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My Kid’s School is Closed, So Now What? – confident parents confident kids Supporting your Children's Social, Emotional, and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic By Guest Author, Pamela McVeagh-Lally As the spread of COVID-19 causes more and more school closures across the United States, we, parents and caregivers, are faced with the daunting reality of needing to stay at home with our children for weeks and possibly… confidentparentsconfidentkids.org |
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Trying to homeschool because of coronavirus? Here are 5 tips to help your child learn Here are some things you can do to help your child learn from home. 1. Set up a learning space. Create an area in the house for your child to be able to focus on learning.theconversation.com |
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https://www.today.com/parents/teacher-s-advice-homeschooling-during-covid-19-crisis-t176370
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Watch Hoda Kotb read her children’s book ‘You Are My Happy’ Advice from teacher on homeschooling kids, teens during COVID 19 coronavirus crisis. Let kids get bored, how to teach math, teach them home economics."/ www.today.com |
We have included a broad range of information for your consideration.
Take care.
The Student & Family Counselling Team
CatholicCare Canberra & Goulburn
NOTICEBOARD