From the Principal's Desk

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

A warm welcome back to school.  I would like to share with you how much in awe I have been of the lovely weather we have been gifted with during most of the school holidays and continuing into the new term! Our prayers continue to be with our students, families and colleagues who have been affected by Cyclone Seroja and we ask God to bless each and every person touched by the devastation and surround them with His love and protection.

It has been wonderful to welcome many of our parents, wandering through the school grounds dropping their children off to class each morning this week.  The students have been eagerly telling me all about their lovely holiday experiences but assuring me they are very glad to be back at school!

On our first Monday back this term our entire staff team joined a group of over 260 colleagues involved in a day of exciting professional sharing and learning at the Catholic Education hub at Newman Siena in Doubleview.  Our presenters were Peter Mitchell (Mitch) and Marty Ogle from Tasmania who have created a whole school focused philosophy of how we can Make Jesus Real (MJR), in our daily interactions and behaviours.  I wish we could have hosted it at our school, so parents could have come along too!  The main focus of MJR is about bringing the Catholic faith to life for our students, by showing them how to live it every day.  It gives them the tools they need to feel the Spirit of Jesus each day and to find the God Moments that are always happening around them.  MJR has touched the lives of thousands of students, parents and teachers across Australia.  Be prepared for some lovely….. warm…..welcoming MJR language in discussions with your children.  One of the favourite terms we came away with and will be adopting right away with our students is ‘positive dobbing’ and our staff will be sharing  their personal 'positive dobbing' experiences of collegial interactions  with the students after recess and lunch breaks .

For the next few weeks, I will be sharing some pertinent links for our families in our newsletters.  If there are any special areas of interest that you come across and would like to share, please contact me as I would love to feature the 'voices' of members of our school community.

I have chosen something in this edition for our families with children in Early Childhood; a blog by Maggie Dent on  “The Real Value In Pretend Play” – Maggie Dent

https://www.maggiedent.com/blog/the-real-value-in-pretend-play/

AUSTRALIAN EARLY DEVELOPMENT CENSUS (AEDC)

In the next couple of weeks, our school along with thousands of others across the country will begin preparations for the fifth Australian Early Development Census (AEDC).  Follow the link below for more information.

AEDC Census Information

WINTER UNIFORM

A reminder that the students have a two week transition period, or longer if necessary, as some of the winter stocks are currently exhausted but should be back in stock soon.  Please do not let your children worry if they are not in full winter uniform to begin the term! It has been wonderful to see the majority of our students come back to school in their winter attire, looking crisp and smart.  The uniform shop will keep parents who have ordered winter uniforms informed about when they are available for pick up. The Uniform Shop is back to their normal hours of 8.15am – 9.00am each Thursday morning for parents to visit for uniform fittings and purchases.  Orders can be emailed to JFE on sales@jfe.net.au and Jenny and Jodie will bring them in on Thursdays and send them home with your child.

MOTHER’S DAY BREAKFAST

Very soon when things settle down again, all our mums, grandmothers and significant others will be receiving information about our 2021 Mother’s Day Breakfast.  Please keep the date free as we look forward to spending some quality time with you all at school. We will keep you informed of the school based venue so we can all enjoy the experience whilst still strictly adhering to the COVID Safe Guidelines.

PRE LOVED BOOK SALE

The time has at last arrived when the multitude of books that have been donated by our generous community will be available for our plethora of ‘book lovers’.   It is great to see so many parents offering to help out on the three days of selling next week, Wed 28, Thu 29 & Fri 30 April.  Mrs Margetic has been inundated with offers of help in person and in response to the school Facebook post, last night. Facebook is such a beneficial portal for community building as it keeps our families informed of all the wonderful big and little things that occur during our school days and all through the year.

ANZAC DAY

If the Premier's predictions are correct and the lockdown will be over on Monday 26 at 12.00pm we will be holding our Anzac Day Service on Tuesday 27 April for our PP to Year 6 students at 11.00am.  The ceremony will be held in the area facing the flags between the Yr 4 classrooms and the Ahern Centre.  If you are able to attend could you please email the office on enquiries@liwara.wa.edu.au by Monday 26 April, so we can have seating reserved for you, as we will need to follow the COVID safe guidelines on the day.

MATILDA THE MUSICAL - MATER DEI PERFORMANCE

Our Year 6 students will be attending a performance of Matilda The Musical by the students of Mater Dei College, on Wednesda6y 28 April. Their productions are always extremely professional and engaging and each year our students and staff look forward to the invitation to attend the matinee, at no cost!

KINDY & PRE KINDY 2022/2023  I have begun the Kindy 2022 interview process this term and I urge you to contact the office if you have a child who is eligible to attend Kindy in 2022/23  and who has not yet been enrolled.  The numbers are filling so it is imperative you contact the office, immediately, if you have not enrolled your child for Kindy 2022.  We have also been calling for Pre Kindy 2022 enrolments so if you have a child who will be eligible for Pre Kindy 2022 contact Karen Rosser, our Enrolment Officer.

Wishing you God’s blessings

Mrs Andrea Millar