Term 3 - Week 3, 2021

Weekly Awards

This week's class awards went to:

Abby M - for excellent work in writing, finding words and hearing and recording sounds.

Ruby M - for being an attentive listener to the teacher and your classmates. Such great respect! Thank you. 

Xavier B - for being a great leader. You always set a good example and you are always willing to help others. Thank you.

Mia G - for a great attitude towards learning and always giving things a go!

Cormac O - for great manners in our class discussion on living things!

Willa M - for being able to create a bias statement using persuasive and descriptive words effectively - "My mum makes the best Melting Moments EVER!"

Zoe B - for ensuring all mathematical tasks are set out logically and being able to add extra information in her learning journal to assist with future understanding.

Lily S - for being able to use persuasive and descriptive words effectively to construct a bias statement - 'Why she can make the best Jam Drops in the universe!'

2021 Book Week & Book Fair

Our 2021 Book Fair will be held in Week 7 of this term, from Monday 23 August to Friday 27 August. This is always a fun week, with visits to our local library planned on Tuesday 24 August and a Book Character dress-up parade on Thursday 26 August (COVID restrictions permitting). 

Thank you to Ashlee Turner, who has volunteered to help out with the organisation of the Book Fair (again, COVID restrictions permitting). This will entail helping set up the Book Fair in the library and assisting with promoting Book Fair & Book Week. If anyone is interested in helping Ashlee with this, please contact Cathy at the school.

Craft Request

Mrs Darby is asking for donations of clean, empty plastic 1-litre soft drink or cordial bottles for art and craft. Please drop the bottles off at the front office.

Lost School Jackets

Some navy school jackets have gone missing recently - please check the name tag in your child's jacket and make sure he or she hasn't taken home someone else's jacket by mistake.

Mini Vinnies Winter Appeal

We are gathering donations again this year for our Winter Appeal. Please help us if you can. We need toiletries (soaps, shampoos, toothpaste, moisturizer, deodorant, toothbrushes), scarves, beanies, blankets, jumpers, socks etc. Whatever you have to spare would make a real difference to someone in need.

Thank you for your generous support.

The Mini Vinnies Group

New School Facebook!

We have launched our new school Facebook page! It has been wonderful to be able to share the good news of our school with our families and community. 

Mathematics Games Video Tutorials

Each week, students are encouraged to play some mathematics games at home to help support their learning at school. Our classroom teachers take students through the homework tasks and to assist families to play at home, we are including a video tutorial in the newsletter. 

Kindergarten - Mathematics Games (see video below)

Handfuls

Working on matching number to quantity and finding number before and after. Children grab a handful of counters. They guess or estimate how many, then count them and record the number. It is good if they organise the counters in a way to make a fast count, for example in 10’s or fives. This makes checking accuracy easier and is a good strategy for counting collections. The children then count on or back from their number.

Stage 1 - Mathematics Games (see video below)

Counting in fives and singles

Gather a collection of items that come in fives, as well as some loose items. Organise the items into fives to work out the total, and then add any extra. Imagine one more five. What would be the new total? Prove it. Imagine three more/less fives. What would be the new total? Prove it.

Stage 2 - Mathematics Games (see video below)

Even Groups?

You will need:

• Counters or Unifix cubes 

Each player in the group takes a handful of unifix cubes or counters. They next put the items on the table and work out whether they can be organised evenly into groups. If a player is successful, then they score a point for the round. Repeat until one player reaches 5 points and wins the game.

Stage 3 - Mathematics Games (see video below)

Use a pack of cards. Give the picture cards any value you like. Then turn over each card and "add on" to the previous total. To add interest, you might like to time your child as to how fast they can get through the pack of cards or vary the value.

Connect and Reflect -Parent Gathering

Below is the flyer for the upcoming Parent Gatherings with registration details. All parents and carers are warmly invited to attend one of these informative and engaging gatherings. Due to social distancing, numbers will be restricted. We encourage parents to register early.

2021 Premier's Reading Challenge

The Premier's Reading Challenge aims to encourage a love of reading for leisure and pleasure in students, and to enable them to experience quality literature. It is not a competition but a challenge to each student to read, to read more and to read more widely. The Premier's Reading Challenge (PRC) is open to all NSW students in Kindergarten to Year 9, in government, independent, Catholic and home schools. You must read a certain number of books to complete the Challenge. The Challenge closes for students on Friday August 20, 2021.

Congratulations to the following students, who have completed this year's Premier's Reading Challenge:

Piper B, Jules, Ethan Mi, Darcy R, Ethan Mac, Mia Mac, Tiernan O.

Parent Assembly Recruitment

Library Day - Wednesday

Library day for all students is Wednesday - please make sure your child brings in his or her cloth library bag on this day. Each student may borrow four books per week. 

Canteen

If anyone is available to volunteer in our canteen one or more Fridays per term, please contact our canteen co-ordinator Alicia on 0488 280683. If we have no volunteers available we will have to cancel canteen for that week.

A reminder to place your canteen order before Thursday night each week.

Please note - if you top up your canteen account via bank transfer, the funds will take a week to clear so you will not be able to order canteen immediately. 

Please send your lunch wallets into school and we will keep them here.

Vision Screening Clinics

School Bus Travel

Applications for student travel can now be made online. Apply here 

School Drive Subsidy

The School Drive Subsidy is available for eligible school students where there is no public transport available for all or part of the journey. If you have to drive your child more than 1.6km to a school bus stop, you may be eligible for this subsidy – go to the link below to apply. 

Instrumental Music With Hazel

We have music tutor available to teach instrumental music through private tuition. Hazel Buchanan is interested in working with our students. Hazel can teach flute, clarinet, saxophone, oboe, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, percussion and bass guitar.

The school owns a flute and a clarinet, which are available for families to borrow long-term at no cost. The payments for lessons are billed each term and paid directly to Hazel. An Essential Element Band Book will be supplied by the school too.

Students wishing to learn these instruments can do so in individual lessons or in small groups depending on the instrument chosen. It is hoped that one day, we can start a small ensemble or band for instrumental students to play together. 

If you are interested in taking up this opportunity, please contact Hazel directly on 0458 572 525.

Lessons will take place on Fridays. 

Term 3 School Fees

Term 3 school fee statements were sent home on Wednesday. 

Several payment methods are available; 

• Regular direct deposit payments (see suggested amounts below).
• Lump sum direct deposit
• Cash
• Cheque

1 student - Term 3 - $276.00

       $46.16 per fortnight (x 25 fortnights)

       $23.08 per week (x 50 weeks)

2 students - Term 3 - $483.00

       $81.28 per fortnight (x 25 fortnights)

       $40.64 per week (x 50 weeks)

3 or more students  - Term 3 – $621.00

       $105.36 per fortnight (x 25 fortnights)

       $52.68 per week (x 50 weeks)

If you would like to arrange a regular direct debit payment from your Bananacoast Credit Union account into the school’s account, the BCU Credit Union in Dorrigo will organize this for you.

When using Internet banking, please use your child’s surname as a reference.

Bananacoast Community Credit Union   BSB no. 533-000

Account no. 3282 0430                 Name: Mt St John’s Primary School

School Fee Relief for familes impacted by the March floods

Due to the financial strain the March 2021 flooding may have had on some families, the Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools Ltd has announced they will waive 2021 school fees for recipients of any Australian Government financial assistance in relation to the March 2021 floods, including either the:

• Disaster Recovery Payment (property damage)
• Disaster Recovery Allowance (loss of income)

If you would like to apply for a fee waiver for 2021, please contact the school, providing correspondence from Centrelink demonstrating receipt of disaster recovery payment or allowance.

GLUE

GLUE: "God Loves Us Eternally" (formerly GFS) is on each Wednesday from 3-5pm at the Anglican Hall. Afternoon tea, games, fun worship and craft. All primary kids welcome, as are newcomers. For more info, ring Gwenneth on 6657 2135. COVID-safe practices will apply.

Messy Church

After-School Lego @ Dorrigo Library

Nutrition Snippet