Term Three Week Ten – Commencing Monday 16th September 2024

Dear Families,   

Did you know that last week we celebrated the birth date of the namesake of our school, St Emilie de Vialar. St Emilie de Vialar was born on the 11th of September and this week, the children and staff in de Vialar House honoured her memory by celebrating her life and gathered much-needed donations for St Patrick’s in Fremantle. St Patrick’s strives to help those in need, just like St Emilie did during her life. In 2024, with cost of living pressures and affordability for everyday items being higher than ever, the call to help those in need still exists. This is our Catholic identity and makes up who we are as a proudly Catholic school.

St Emilie gave so much to the people she came in contact with and in turn, impacted the entire world through the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Apparition of whom she is the foundress. She continues to inspire us and in her name, our school exists. 

This Wednesday, we invite all in our community to join the children as we celebrate Mission Mass. This Mass provides a prayerful time and space for the children to reflect and show gratitude for all they have. It also enables us to show solidarity with those in our community and around the world who we aim to raise money for on Friday as part of our Footy Colours Day. 

Given that this is the last edition of the Weekly Reminders for Term Three, it is only fitting that I say ‘where has the time gone’? Like many of you who I have spoken to over the last week or so, it is almost unbelievable to see that we are starting to emerge from the cold and wet of Winter and that the warmer weather of Spring is upon us as we move into Term Four. 

The next edition of the Weekly Reminders will be shared with families in the second week of the school holidays before school commences. Please keep an eye on your email inbox for all of the information you require to return to St Emilie’s and start the term with a bang!

House Athletics Carnival 
Our neighbours and indeed the whole of Canning Vale would have known that our School House Carnival was on today due to the noise and energy that was present on our school oval! 

What beautiful conditions we enjoyed today as de Vialar, Gannon, MacKillop and Mazenod competed in good spirits for the St Emilie’s House Shield. 

A huge thank you to Mr Davis and the whole staff here at St Emilie’s for preparing the children and ensuring that today was a day of fun, fitness and friends. I am always heartened on days like this to see how children support and look out for one another.

Congratulations to Gannon who were the overall winners of the shield today. 

Open Classrooms 
For those parents and carers who joined children and staff on Wednesday evening, I know that you will all agree what a fantastic celebration of learning Open Classrooms was in 2024. 

Behind the well presented and engaging classrooms are weeks of scaffolded, planned and intentional learning for our children where the staff at the school expertly engage the children in the learning they require. 

The buzz around learning around the school was immense on Wednesday evening. We are a Catholic learning community here at St Emilie’s and without the authentic partnership of parents and carers, we can not ensure that our children receive the best outcomes. 

A massive thank you to the St Emilie’s staff for once again preparing an amazing evening and for their presence on Wednesday evening long after the final bell at 3:00pm.  

R U OK Day? 
Yesterday was the official date for R U Ok Day. Next week, Ms Kylie Goodes will coordinate a special breakfast for the staff here at St Emilie’s. So, have you asked someone if they are OK lately? Every day can be ‘R U Ok Day?’ when we look after one another. 

Footy Colours Day and P&F Treat Day 
A reminder that this Friday is Footy Colours Day. Children are asked to bring in a gold coin donation and come dressed in the colours of their favourite sporting team. All money collected on the day goes to the missions and the Fight Cancer Foundation. 

The St Emilie’s P&F will also be providing a special treat for the children on this day for them to enjoy in the afternoon and ease their way into the school holidays. 

QCE AWARD
We have entered St Emilie’s for a QCE (Quality Catholic Education) Award for our amazing work with URSTRONG.
St Emilie’s vision and mission is to courageously inspire and support children to grow in a safe, nurturing, and Christ-centred environment. URSTRONG was introduced to promote a positive and inclusive environment, teaching students how to build strong friendships, resolve conflict and strengthen their self-awareness and self-worth. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, with students eager to apply their new friendship skills. Partnering with URSTRONG and embedding the Friendology curriculum, they continue to foster kindness, respect, and support in the school community, aligning with their values of building wellbeing and respecting themselves and others.

Please jump on and vote for our amazing school. You can only vote once so make it count – feel free to share the link with family and friends.
https://awards.cewa.edu.au/nomination/growing-graceful-ninjas/?gf_protect_submission=1#gf_26

Performing Arts Assembly
A reminder that on Monday 16th September, our school will be hosting a Performing Arts Assembly. This assembly will be a celebration of our entries into the Catholic Performing Arts Festival and a chance for our children to showcase their God given gifts and talents across The Arts. Please join us in the morning for what is sure to be a great time. 

Colour Run – Change of Date 
Please note that the School Colour Run will now be held on Friday 1st November. More information will be shared close to the date. 

Call for Volunteers – Colour Run 
We are calling for volunteers to assist at our School Colour Run. Please find the link in the P&F section of the Weekly reminders below where you can register your interest.

Catholic School Parents Australia (CSPA) 2024 Parent Survey on Student Wellbeing and Learning 
This 2024 survey is a follow up to a similar survey conducted by Catholic School Parents Australia (CSPA) in 2022, which was completed by 6,286 Australian Catholic school parents. 

The parent views and experiences shared through the 2022 Parent Survey on Student Wellbeing and Learning, helped CSPA to advise the Australian Government, the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) and State, Territory and Diocesan Catholic Education Offices on key issues concerning parents with children and/or young people in Australian Catholic Schools. The 2022 survey clearly identified the concerns that many parents/carers have for their children’s wellbeing. 

By completing the 2024 survey, you will be helping CSPA to continue reporting on existing and emerging affirmations/challenges, in relation to the wellbeing and learning of our school-aged children. 

It is only by having your voice heard that you can make a difference and influence decisions. We have noticed that wellbeing is now high on the agenda for most of our school communities, for both staff and students and in many cases the wider community – this is a positive step forward for which we are most grateful. 

To continue to inform the discussion please feel free to complete this current survey by clicking on the link  2024 National Parent Survey.

Staff Profiles
Over the course of the year, we have been sharing staff profiles from our school. This week, we share with you the Staff Profile of Miss Simone Carcione. Miss Carcione is our Pre-Primary Gold teacher.