School Vision
St Matthew’s School empowers children to embrace life-long learning and grow and develop as God intends.
Dear God,
Thank you for looking after our school.
Thank you that you love each and every one of us here.
Help us to learn, play and share together,
So that the wonderful world that you have made
Becomes more beautiful every day.
Amen
Dear Parents & Carers,
On Friday, our dedicated staff all came together, many in their own time, to attend a Professional Development session on Positive Behaviour Management. The session was led by our school psychologist Ruth Gadd. Ruth visits us from Bunbury approximately twice a term. She works with staff, parents and students to develop programs and practices that enable all students to access the school curriculum in a positive and effective way.
Ruth began her session by leading us through the challenges that students with ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder and/or Foetal Alcohol Syndrome experience within a school setting. It is very important to us that we offer all of our students the best environment in which to succeed academically, socially and emotionally. On many occasions, this includes developing individualised timetables and learning plans.
The second part of the session focused on PBIS – Positive Behavioural Interventions and Supports. St Matthew’s has been committed to developing these approaches over several years. The components focus on the importance of teaching children appropriate behaviours, intervening early before unwanted behaviours escalate, using effective praise and positive reinforcement, and monitoring student progress. Ruth Gadd will return in December to continue working with us to continue to modify our whole-school approach to behaviour management.
Interschool Carnivals
Congratulations to all of the students who are representing St Matthew’s at the Interschool Athletics Carnival on Tuesday and Friday of this week. Both days commence at 9.30am at Thomas Hogg Oval. Students will be travelling by bus, leaving St Matthew’s School at approximately 9:00am. The children will be returning to school by bus at the conclusion of each carnival. On the appropriate day/s, children will need to wear their red sport shirts, school sports shorts, hats, bring their recess food, lunch, sunscreen and a good supply of water. If you are able to assist us on either day, please contact Linda Kilpatrick as soon as possible. Your help is greatly appreciated.
DVD Orders
DVDs of Alice in Wonderland Jnr are still able to be purchased online at a cost of $25.00 each. Information concerning this can be found on the school Connected app, or by contacting the school. All orders need to be placed by Friday 23 October.
Crazy Socks for Socktober
On 27 October, children are invited to wear their craziest socks to support Catholic Mission’s Socktober fundraiser. Socktober invites schools to engage with mission in an holistic way within the head, heart, hands model: encouraging a learning mind, an open heart and hands for action. This year, children will learn about life in Cambodia and other developing countries, and be encouraged to take concrete action by supplying a gold coin donation.
Term Planners and Overviews
A paper copy of the Term Planner will go out to families this week. I would encourage all families, however, to regularly access the calendar on the school app to keep up-to-date with cancellations and additions.
Each individual classroom term letter and overview will go out via the school app by Friday.
P&F Meeting
Our first P&F meeting for this term will be held at 6pm in the Sr Mary Library. Babysitting is available. It would be wonderful to see as many parents as possible represented at this meeting.
P&F Recipe Book Fundraiser
This fantastic collection of family favourite recipes would make an excellent Christmas present! Additional Pre-order forms are available from the front office. Books will be available for pick up and purchase from November 9. Each book costs $15.00.
Mini-Vinnies’ Charity Concert
Once again, the amazing Sr Sahaya is organising a concert to support Mini-Vinnies. All past and present Mini-Vinnies’ members are invited to register their performance from now until November 20. The concert will be held at the Thorton Theatre at 3:00pm on 5 December. Feel free to contact Sr Sahaya on 9881 2031, (or through the school) to register or if you require any more information. Everyone is welcome to attend; a gold coin donation would be appreciated.
Principal Focus – Positivity is Key
Earlier this year, parents indicated to me that they would like some information concerning positive parenting. I am currently exploring options to hold an information session at St Matthew’s; however, in the meantime, I encourage parents to visit the Triple P (Positive Parenting Program) website. This program is “regarded as one of the world’s most effective parenting programs. In fact, the United Nations ranks Triple P as the number one parenting program in the world, based on the amount of research and evidence behind the program.” The website goes on to explain how parents can access this award-winning program online because “Triple P has been shown to help reduce kids’ and teens’ problem behaviour and also reduce children’s emotional problems. The evidence also shows it helps parents feel more confident, less stressed, less angry and less depressed. And that’s positive!”
Click here for more information
Stay positive,
Susan Milton
