Term Three Week Four – Commencing Monday 5th August 2024

Dear Families,  

On Wednesday night, around 40 parents and carers from across the school gathered in the Learning Hub to engage with a presentation presented by Paul Litherland. Paul has worked for the Western Australian Police for many years and is now a leading expert on staying safe online. 

Paul’s presentation was not only informative and thought provoking but was also filled with humour and hope for the work that is already taking place at home, in schools and across the community to ensure we continue to keep children (and adults) safe when online. 

Never before have a child’s school life and home life overlapped as they do in 2024. If I cast my memory back to when I was in primary school, once the school day finished, unless my friends lived on the street in which I grew up in, I would rarely see them or speak with them after school unless it was at football training. Nowadays, our children when online can contact and speak with their school friends so easily outside of the school environment. With this overlap comes this need for every single one of us in the community to ensure that we have suitable boundaries and expectations for our children when they are online to ensure safety. 

One key message from Paul’s presentation that resonated with me as a parent and in my role as a staff member here at St Emilie’s is the need for us as adults in our children’s lives to create a culture of openness and honesty. To ensure that our children remain safe always, we need them to be honest with us and when they are, as adults, we must respond in a measured and appropriate way. Building and maintaining this culture will have many positive effects on our children, however, on the flip side, if the culture of openness and honesty is not there, our children will stop speaking to us. This makes it harder therefore to help them if and when they need it.

First Holy Communion 
This week, children from across the parish will join together for Parent and Child Workshops to prepare themselves further in celebrating the Sacrament of First Holy Communion. Please keep these children, their families, staff and catechists in your thoughts and prayers as they prepare to celebrate this sacrament. 

Feast of Saint Mary MacKillop 
‘Never see a need without doing something about it’ is a very famous quote from Saint Mary MacKillop. Saint Mary MacKillop is Australia’s first and only Saint and is also one of our house patrons here at St Emilie’s. This week we celebrate the Feast of Saint Mary MacKillop on Thursday 8th August. Children and staff in MacKillop House will lead our school in assembly on this day. 

School Census Day – Thank you 
Thank you, parents and carers for ensuring that you did your part to assist our amazing Administration Team on Friday as they undertook the school census. We appreciate your assistance. 

Welcome to the World Baby Dylan John Robert Chamberlain 
I am pleased to share with our community that Mrs Nicole Chamberlain and her husband Ant welcomed their baby boy, Dylan John Robert Chamberlain into the world on the 20th of July. Baby Dylan, is going well and both Mr and Mrs Chamberlain are loving life as mum and dad. 

Christian Dance & School Band Performances – Spirit of The Arts 
A huge congratulations to our Christian Dance performers who represented the school so beautifully in the Spirit of the Arts Festival on Monday. Thank you to Miss Fallo and Mrs Green for your guidance of the girls. 

On Thursday, our School Band performed in rockin’ fashion at Orana Catholic Primary School in Willeton. It was really pleasing to see the children showcasing their hard work on stage with a number of other Catholic schools.  

A huge thank you to the parents and carers who made their way to Koondoola and to Willeton for the performances. 

Performing Arts Assembly – Monday 16 September
A new date has been added to the Term Planner that I would like to draw your attention to. Please make note of Monday 16th September. On the morning of the 16th of September, our school will host a special Performing Arts Assembly to provide another forum for our children in performing arts to showcase their items. I encourage all community members to come and join the fun. 

Pupil Free Day –  Monday 5th August 
A reminder that this Monday 5th August is a Pupil Free Day for Two Way Interviews. 

Two Way Interviews – General Information 
A reminder that Monday 5th August will be a Pupil Free day for all children. Parents and carers have all been sent a link to book an interview with your child’s Class Teacher and we ask that all families book a meeting with your child’s Class Teacher at your earliest convenience. The purpose of this meeting is to celebrate the growth of your child across Semester One as well as set goals for your child to strive toward for the end of Semester Two. 

Parents and carers, if you have not done so already, it is important that you read your child’s Mid Year Report which was sent home to you on the Seqta Engage app at the end of last term. The report will be referred to during the meeting and it is important that you have an understanding of your child’s progress. 

Written Confirmation for Absentees
A reminder to parents and carers that if your child is absent from school, a written follow-up including the date your child was absent, your child’s name and your name as a parent or carer is required to be given to the school for legal purposes. 

Arriving at School before 8:30am – All Children between Year One to Year Six to the Undercover Area with their School Bags
To ensure that children are supervised at all times when on site here at St Emilie’s, we ask that children arriving at school before the 8:30am wait in the undercover area with their school bags each morning. Parents and carers, if you are walking your child down to the class, we kindly ask that you stay with your child in the undercover area until the 8:30am bell and then move to class when you hear the bell. 

As has been shared before with parents and carers, before 8:20am, there is no formal supervision for children at school as the school’s official duty of care hours have not commenced. The morning is a busy time at school where staff are preparing for the day including Mr Cogger and at times other contractors too who are moving equipment around the school. We appreciate your support in ensuring our children remain in the one place. 

Friday School Lunches
We are very pleased to share that Jamaica Blue in Livingston will now be providing lunches for children to order on Fridays if they wish. It has been a pleasure planning this opportunity with Jamaica Blue who are very excited to be partnering with the school. Further information on how to order school lunches can be found on the school website using this link https://stemiliescps.wa.edu.au/parents/school-lunch-orders/ 

Spirit of The Arts
The Spirit of the Arts festival is once again back in 2024. The Spirit of the Arts Festival brings together children from Catholic schools across the state to participate in an uplifting and inclusive celebration of the arts. 

St Emilie’s will once again be represented by our Choir, Christian Dance Troupe, Dance Troupe and Rock Band. 

Venues, dates and times for the items mentioned above can be found below: 

School Choir: Monday the 19th of August 10.45am to 11.45am Vasto Club, Balcatta 

Ticketing is via Try Booking. There will be no door sales. Tickets can be purchased from the 5th of July –
https://www.spiritofthearts.com.au/

Dance Troupe: Thursday 29th August 6.30pm to 9.30pm at Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre 

Tickets can be purchased from the 31st July. Ticketek on 132 849 or  https://premier.ticketek.com.au

Staff Profiles 
Over the course of the year, we have been sharing Staff Profiles of staff from our school. This week, we share with you the Staff Profile of Mrs Tiana Matkovich who currently teaches in Pre Primary and Year One as well as in the School Learning Hub. 

Parent Circle 
This Thursday, will be our first Parent Circle catch up for the term. All families are welcome to join in the fun at Parent Circle on Thursday morning in the Small Hall at 8:45am, on Thursday 8th August.