Term 2 Week 3 Newsletter- Monday May 5
- Acknowledgement of Country
- All Saints Parish School Vision
- Principal's Message
- Catholic School Culture
- School Information
- School Closure Days
- Important Dates
- Learning & Teaching
- Students of the Week
- SWPBS- School Wide Positive Behaviour Supports
- Leadership & Stewardship
- Community Engagement
- Child Safety & Wellbeing
- Safe on Social: Parent Library- free access
- SchoolTV - Wellbeing Platform
- Happy Birthday
- Praying With Children
- COMMUNITY NEWS
Acknowledgement of Country
We acknowledge the traditional owners, the Gunditjmara people, on whose land we learn, work and play. We recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their elders- past, present and emerging believing that we can walk together for a better future.
All Saints Parish School Vision
All Saints Parish School Community is centered in Christ and as partners in Catholic education; we pursue fullness of life for all.
Principal's Message
After a very busy beginning to our term it has been wonderful to see how well our students have settled back into the routines of school and are engaging well in their learning opportunities. Our upcoming weeks are just as busy, with lots happening inside the classroom and out.
I would like to wish all of our mums, or those who play the mum role for our students, a very HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY this weekend. We hope that our mums, aunties, grandmas or other special people can join us at school this Friday morning for breakfast. Please remember to get your orders in by Tuesday.
This Thursday and Friday all of our students will participate in First Aid lessons at school. These lessons are very important as they give children age appropriate knowledge and skills to use if they ever have the need.
One of our major fundraising efforts is fast approaching. The deb balls will be held on May 16 and 17. We require some parent helpers to support these events. Please check out the 'Our School Parents and Friends' Facebook page for more details. These events raise much needed funds for our school and cannot happen without parent support.
We keep Dolly, Penelope, Sonny, Hamish, Celeste and Sadie in our prayers as they prepare with their families to participate in the Sacrament of First Eucharist.
We are Respectful! We are Responsible! We are Safe! We are Nurturing!
Regards
Jamie
Catholic School Culture
Sacrament of First Eucharist
Preparation for the Sacrament of First Eucharist begins this week with the commitment mass, followed by 4 Saturday night dismissals before the Sacrament is celebrated on the weekend of 14/15 June.
Saturday evening mass is at 6:00pm
We keep Dolly, Penelope, Sonny, Hamish, Celeste and Sadie Bell in our prayers as they prepare with their families.
Registration for the Sacrament of Confirmation
The registration period for participation in the sacramental program for 2025 closes on Friday 16th May. Families wanting their child to participate in the Sacrament of Confirmation this year are asked to make an appointment with Fr Greg, prior to this date, to complete the registration process.
Dismissal and candidate preparation will then take place in August and September.
Please call Fr Greg on 0475 512 530 to book at time before the 16th.
School Information
Assembly Timetable
Assemblies commence at 2:30pm every second Friday afternoon.
Assemblies for Term 2
Week 4: 3/4JS (May 16)
Week 6: 5/6RV (May 30)
Week 8: 3/4AJ (June 13)
Week 10: 1/2DW (June 27)
School Closure Days
Please add the following dates to your calendars. There will be no school for students on these days.
Term 1
Wednesday January 29 - SWPBS (completed)
Tuesday March 11 - Structured Literacy (completed)
Term 2
Thursday April 24 - Southern Zone Collaboration Day (DOBCEL determined date) (completed)
TBC- Curriculum Day- Maths
Term 3
TBC- Faith Formation & Religious Education
Term 4
Monday October 6 - Structured Literacy
Monday November 3 - Report Writing & Assessments
Please note: We will notify families of the TBC dates as early as possible so that any arrangements for supervision of your children can be arranged.
Important Dates
Term 2
Week 3
Tuesday May 6 - PHDSSA Interschool Cross Country (for selected students)
Thursday May 8 - School Photo catch up day
Thursday May 8 & Friday May 9 - First Aid in Schools sessions for students
Friday May 9 - Mother's Day Breakfast
Saturday May 10 - Commitment Mass for First Eucharist
Week 4
Monday May 12 - Casual Clothes Day- 'Wear your Winter Woolies'
Thursday May 15 & Friday May 16 - Diocesan Leadership Gathering in Horsham- Jamie away
Friday May 16 - Division Cross Country (for selected students)
Friday May 16 - National Walk Safely to School Day
Friday May 16 - Deb Ball Night 1
Saturday May 17 - First Eucharist Dismissal @ All Saints Church 6:00pm
Saturday May 17 - Deb Ball Night 2
Week 5
Monday May 19 - Saturday May 24 - Laudato Si' Week
Wednesday May 21 - National Simultaneous Storytime
Saturday May 24 - First Eucharist Dismissal @ All Saints Church 6:00pm
Week 6
Monday May 26 - Regional Cross Country (for selected students)
Tuesday May 27 - SAC Meeting 7:00pm in the library
Wednesday May 28 - Glenelg Shire Council: National Reconciliation Event
Thursday May 29 - PHDSSA Winter Series
Learning & Teaching
From the 5/6 Pod
In our classes this term, we are reading War Horse by Michael Morpurgo — a moving story told from the perspective of a horse named Joey, who is sent to serve in World War I. As we follow Joey’s journey through the war and the lives he touches along the way, we are gaining powerful insights into the realities of wartime and the emotional bonds formed between soldiers and animals. Reading War Horse has created a meaningful connection to ANZAC Day, which we recently commemorated. ANZAC Day honours the service and sacrifice of Australian and New Zealand soldiers, particularly those who fought at Gallipoli during World War I. The novel helps us understand the courage, endurance, and mateship that are central to the ANZAC spirit. It also highlights the roles that animals — especially horses — played in the war effort, something we often overlook when remembering wartime history. By reading War Horse, we are not only developing our literacy skills but also deepening our appreciation of history and the human (and animal) experiences that shape it.
Warhorse, by Georgia Hatten
In literacy, we have been reading a book called War Horse. We have been learning about how animals were useful in World War 1. I strongly agree that horses were very helpful in the war because they helped keep injured soldiers company and they made it easy for the soldiers to get to hospitals.
Warhorse, by Emmy Bicknell
Recently in the 5/6 pod we have been reading the novel Warhorse. Warhorse is a historical fiction novel about horses during WW1 and how cruel conditions were for them. Some of the many jobs they were forced to do included lugging heavy machine guns and carts of wounded soldiers through thick mud, rain and sharp barbed wire with barely any food and water. This is why I stand by the fact that horses should never have been used in WW1.
Warhorse, by Travis Barnes
In literacy we have been reading an interesting historical fiction novel named WarHorse and the main character is a horse named Joey. It is based on World War 1. We have been learning about what the animals went through, like carrying and pulling things. It's my opinion that horses were meant for the war, to help all the soldiers and stop all the suffering because they are good at riding for movement as vehicles break down.
Spend the Day at Monivae
Grade 6 students are invited to SPEND THE DAY at Monivae College and experience a day of classes and activities on
Thursday 8th May 2025. Please save the date and register via the link below.
Students of the Week
Term 2 Week 2 Assembly
Class Awards:
FCL: Callum McPherson
FYW: Alby Jennings
1/2DW: Caleb Mayer
1/2ID: Sammi Lyszczarz
1/2MS: Fletcher Bicknell
3/4DL: Chaz Hawker
3/4JS: Willow Sutton
3/4KD: Sarah Dunn
3/4MN: Elodie Toohey
5/6AJ: Vossie Vosloo
5/6BS: Lorraine Pumpa
5/6DC: Chloe Holt & Payton Buchner
5/6RV: Bella O’Connor-Scott
Specialist Awards:
Digi Tech: Ciarah Logan
Indonesian: Callum McPherson
The ARTS (Visual Arts): Nestor Vassiliou
Principal’s Award:
‘Never see a need without doing something about it!’: Bentley Johnstone
SWPBS Awards:
Nurturing: Addison Burns
Responsible: Kohen Newport
SWPBS- School Wide Positive Behaviour Supports
School Wide Expectations
School Wide Positive Behaviour Support is: A multi-tiered framework for establishing the social culture and behaviour supports needed for a school to achieve behavioural and academic outcomes for all students.
Each newsletter we will share one aspect for each of our school wide expectations. We will focus on these at school and they may present an opportunity for some discussion with your children at home. You may ask them when they demonstrated one of the expectations or a time when someone displayed the expectation towards them.
We are RESPECTFUL! - Be a good sport and team mate.
We are RESPONSIBLE! - Ask for help when you need it.
We are SAFE! - Enter and leave spaces calmly.
We are NURTURING! - Include those without someone to play with.
Leadership & Stewardship
Term 2 Uniform
As we move into term 2 it is also time to start wearing our winter uniform. We usually take a week or two to swap into our full winter uniform so let's aim to be in them by the start of May. If the weather is warm during this term children are able to return to the summer uniform.
Please also ensure that your children are wearing the correct shoes.
We ask for your support with children wearing the correct uniform to school each day. If for some reason your child is out of uniform please send a note to your classroom teacher.
DOBCEL STRATEGY 2035: Pursuing fullness of life for all
On Thursday April 24 our staff joined with staff from across the Southern Zone who came together for our Network Collaboration Day for 2025. Held at St Joseph’s Primary School in Warrnambool, the day focused on connection, collaboration, and imagining the future through the lens of our DOBCEL 2035 Strategy.
We were inspired by powerful insights from Professor in Educational Leadership, Pasi Sahlberg, Future Schools Director Dave Runge, and DOBCEL Executive Director Tom Sexton — true leaders in educational innovation and futures thinking.
If any families are interested in looking further at the strategy documents please see the poster below.
2025 SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL
Our 2025 SAC members are: Bonita Silva, Cam McCallum, Tam Jennings, Shannon Thomas, Stacey Tait, Chris Watson and Alyssa Bicknell.
If you have anything you would like raised at a SAC meeting please contact one of the SAC members or the school office.
Community Engagement
United Way Glenelg Winter Mega Tin Food Raiser
United Way Glenelg have invited All Saints Parish School to be part of their Winter Mega Tin-Food Can-Raiser to help stock our local Little FREE Pantries, supporting families across the Glenelg Shire who will be doing it tough during this winter period.
They are asking schools and kinders to consider collecting donations of tinned food throughout May and early June. Students are warmly encouraged to take part in our public events by bringing their tins and adding to the food chain at: Woolworths Portland – Saturday 7 June 2025 from 8:00am
At All Saints we are going to have a competition between our HOUSE teams to see which team can create the longest line. Children are encouraged to bring in tins of food and place it in a box in the foyer for your team (BALMORAL, MINERVA, OTWAY or WANNON). We will measure the lines on Friday May 30 and the team with the longest line will receive a reward.
We will also be having a casual clothes day on Monday May 12 with the theme of 'Wear your Winter Woolies'. Rather than a gold coin donation we are asking children bring a tin of food as a donation to place in their team's box.
We would like to thank families in advance for assisting us to support this community initiative.
Working With Children Checks
It is a legal requirement that any person wishing to volunteer in our school must have a valid WWCC. This includes volunteering in the canteen, helping in classrooms, assisting with garden club and going on school camps or excursions. You can obtain a WWCC by visiting the following website:
https://www.vic.gov.au/working-with-children-check
All you require is a 'volunteer' WWCC which is free.
Once you have received your confirmation and your WWCC card please bring it to the office so that we can take a copy and add it to our records.
We would love to see you involved in our school community.
Child Safety & Wellbeing
At All Saints Parish School we hold the care, safety and wellbeing of children and young people as a central and fundamental responsibility of our school.
Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS)
Webinars for parents and carers
https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/webinars
Join one of our free webinars for parents and carers.
These live webinars give parents and carers the knowledge, skills and tools to support their children to have safe online experiences.
Safe on Social: Parent Library- free access
We have purchased a fabulous resource from cyber safety experts, Safe on Social, for families to use for the next 12 months. With the increase in online activity in everyday life it is important to be aware of and equipped to deal with any issues that may arise.
This resource is free for All Saints families under our school license but it cannot be shared with other families outside our school community.
It is all about keeping our students safe online.
As this is a new resource for our school we would really appreciate any feedback from families who use it.
SchoolTV - Wellbeing Platform
Because parenting doesn’t come with a set of instructions, SchoolTV is a wellbeing resource that can support you in the challenges relating to modern-day parenting.
This award-winning resource helps build relationships, foster connections, enable understanding and break down barriers to navigate a pathway towards better mental health and wellbeing for young people. It can assist in starting conversations on topics that are sometimes awkward or difficult to tackle.
Below is a URL link to the All Saints SchoolTV platform.
All Saints Parish School’s ‘School TV’ can be accessed using the following link: https://asportland.catholic.schooltv.me
In this edition of SchoolTV - Respectful Relationships
Fostering a nurturing environment of respectful relationships within your family holds the key to not only harmonious living, but also improved academic outcomes for your children. As parents and caregivers, embracing the art of teaching children about respect at a young age sets the stage for a lifetime of healthy interactions and empathetic understanding. It will help cultivate a positive environment where communication flourishes, conflicts are resolved constructively, and bonds are fortified.
Teaching children to respect themselves and others will open up avenues for both personal growth and academic achievement. Fostering an environment where respect is not just a word, but a practiced behaviour, will empower young people with essential life skills. Effective communication, active listening, and the art of compromise, will provide your child with a solid foundation that will transcend family interactions and help them collaborate effectively with peers, teachers and the broader community.
Equipping children with an understanding of healthy versus unhealthy relationships is an important aspect of their development. It will guide them to make informed choices, foster positive connections, and set boundaries that contribute to their emotional wellbeing. Understanding the nuances between healthy and unhealthy relationships provides children with the essential tools to navigate their social world, build self-esteem, and cultivate meaningful relationships.
In this edition of SchoolTV, learn how to empower young people in healthy interactions to embrace differences and forge connections that honour their self-worth.
We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback. If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.
Here is the link to the Respectful Relationships edition of SchoolTV
https://asportland.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/respectful-relationships
Happy Birthday
MAY BIRTHDAYS
STUDENTS: Maya D, Hunter J, Verah B, Eloise R, Nelly F, Izobel O, Isla S, Zaya C, Jireh G, Erin H-C, Ally C, Blake T, Ellie R, Oliver P, Tommy W, Darcy W, Manny S, Amelia F, Letiyah H, Jack L, Jakobi F, Callum M
STAFF: Janette, Kelly, Ms. Arnott
Praying With Children
Praying with Children resources offer an insight into the scripture readings from mass on the weekend. It is a wonderful opportunity for families to discuss the Gospel stories and complete some related activities if they wish.
Please click on each of the flyers below to access the activities.
COMMUNITY NEWS
