School Vision
St Matthew’s School empowers children to embrace life-long learning, and grow and develop as God intends.
ODE OF REMEMBRANCE
They went with songs to the battle
They were young, straight of limb,
True of eye, steady and aglow,
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old,
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn,
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning,
We will remember them.
Laurence Binyon (1869–1943)
Dear Parents & Caregivers,
Welcome to Term 2! This weekend we have all been reminded that COVID-19 is still a very real part of our lives. I can assume that this latest outbreak and lockdown have interrupted many long weekend plans, and that several of our families have had to source masks and cancel get togethers. Despite this, once again, I can’t help but feel very geographically lucky. I am very aware of how important it is for us all to be thankful for being able to continue our lives, whilst for many, this pandemic has been devastating. I ask that we continue to pray for all affected and that we do what we can to limit the spread of this virus. Personally, I offer my heartfelt prayers to all community members who have friends and/or family living overseas in pandemic hotspots; may they stay safe and be well.
COVID-19 Update
School staff and parents of students in schools outside of the Perth and Peel region who have been in the Perth and Peel region since 17 April 2021 are required to wear their masks while at school. However, when teachers, educators and carers are teaching, interacting with or caring for children, they are permitted to remove their masks if they interfere with their ability to clearly communicate with students. However, if teachers, educators and carers feel they are able to be clearly understood they may choose to wear their masks at all times.
Catholic Education Snapshot
It is very easy for us to forget that when we choose Catholic education for our children, we are actually connecting with a system that supports students throughout Western Australia. The graphic below provides a snapshot of the many ways that Catholic Education operates throughout the state:
Easter Prayer Service
Our beautiful Pre-Primary, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 students will hold an Easter Prayer Service for our school community this Wednesday at 10:00am. We would love to see many parents, family and Parish members attend this ceremony. Easter is such a significant time of year and it is through praying together that we can connect with our Lord.
Winter Is Coming
This term we transition into our Winter Uniform. In order to allow parents time to purchase any necessary uniform items, students have until Monday 2 May to be wearing the correct uniform. Uniform items can be ordered by emailing or phoning the Office. Alternatively, the Uniform Shop is open Friday afternoons from 2:00pm until 3:30pm.
Girls
- Navy blue skirt OR navy blue slacks
- Blue shirt
- Navy blue tie
- School jumper (wool or polyester/cotton)
- Navy jacket (Can be worn over school jumper, not instead of jumper)
- Navy hat
- Black leather lace-up “dress” school shoes OR plain style (i.e. no embellishments such as studs or ribbons) ‘Mary Jane’ black shoes OR black leather sports shoes (introduced last term) OR black boots (similar to Rossi boots) N.B. Boots only to be worn with trousers
- Navy blue tights or navy ankle socks
Boys
- Grey college trousers or grey school shorts
- Blue shirt
- Navy blue tie
- School jumper (wool or polyester/cotton)
- Navy jacket (Can be worn over school jumper, not instead of jumper)
- Navy hat
- Black leather lace-up “dress” school shoes OR black boots (similar to Rossi boots) N.B. Boots only to be worn with trousers OR black leather sports shoes (introduced last term)
- Grey socks
I would like to emphasis that the only sports shoes that can be worn with the formal uniform are black leather sports shoes with the black laces; no other colour embellishments or logos are permitted.
School Disco and Mothers’ Day Sundowner
The P&F Committee would like to invite all our St Matthew’s mums and maternal figures to celebrate Mothers’ Day on Friday 7 May at 5:00pm. The children will be enjoying a school disco, whilst the mums are celebrating with a glass of champagne. Sounds good to me!
Cross Country
Next Term, St Matthew’s School will be co-ordinating the District Cross Country Event on Friday 28 May. This event is for students in Years 4 to 6. Our team will consist of 4 girls and 4 boys from each year level and I have encouraged all students to try out for this event.
If this is something that your child would like to challenge themselves to do, Mrs Kilpatrick is very happy to help design an individual training program for them and give them some tips and encouragement.
Distances for the event are:
Year 4 – 2km
Year 5 & 6 – 2.5km
My Leave
From next week, I will be taking 5 weeks of Long Service Leave. In my absence, Mr Mark Tenney will be Acting Principal, with Mr Mark Collins continuing in his role as Assistant Principal. Whilst I am away, Year 6 will be taught by:
- Mrs Colleen Quartermaine Monday to Wednesday
- Miss Carrie English Thursday
- Mr Mark Tenney
Loose Parts Play
We have introduced loose parts play for Years 1 to 6. Children are encouraged to use their imagination to play with ‘loose parts’ such as cardboard boxes, ropes, baskets, tarpaulins, wooden planks and plastic tubing. These can be used in many different ways, allowing children to make anything from a pirate ship or castle to an assault course or den.
Loose parts play will happen within class time and during lunchtime play. This play is always supervised. It is a chance for children to:
- play freely with friends
- investigate
- discover
- explore
- create
- sequence
- evaluate
- use lots of trial and error to learn for themselves
- practise fine and gross locomotor skills
- learn to make their own judgments about adventurous play and recognising safe limits.
Do you have resources to donate? We will need a supply of loose parts to keep things interesting. Currently we are looking for:
- cable/rope spools
- extra large cardboard rolls
Principal Focus – Happy Campers
Last week, our beautiful Year 6 students headed off to a 3-day camp at the Ern Halliday Recreation Camp. Our Year 4 and 5 students are heading to Dryandra for their overnight stay this Thursday. With today’s crowded curriculum, the benefits of camps are sometimes brought into question. Some believe schools should just focus on classroom teaching of academics. However, at St Matthew’s we believe in developing the whole child – spiritually, intellectually, emotionally and physically. With this being the case, camps obviously give children a chance to explore all these different facets of life. The Melbourne Child Psychology Blog explains how school camps provide opportunities for the:
- development of social skills
- development of interpersonal skills
- development of decision-making skills
- increase of environmental awareness
- learning of new skills
However, it is natural for both children and parents to feel a bit nervous, especially if it is their child’s first time away from home. I hope these tips will help settle any Year 4 or 5 nerves and empower students to enjoy this special time with their classmates:
- Preparation is the key to feeling less anxious. Talk with your child about their worries and fears. Talk about your own experiences at camp and how you overcame your own challenges.
Some other ways to help them to look forward to it include:
- Discuss the activities they will be doing. Which ones will be challenging? Which ones will be fun?
- Practise sleeping away from home by having sleepovers at a close friend or family member’s home.
- Visit the camp’s website and take a look at pictures/videos of where they are going. Together, you can even create a special “story book” that they can look at on the days before camp.
- Contact the camp and ask if you can organise a visit with your child prior to their camp date. This will help your child to familiarise with the environment and feel less anxious about the unknown.
- Pack together and make it fun. Give your child the responsibility of checking that they have all the required equipment and take them on a special shopping trip to buy what they are missing. When packing, give your child a special memento to take with them that will help them feel safe. It can be a special soft toy or picture that they can keep in their sleeping bag.
- Give your child a special journal to take with them on camp. You can write encouraging messages that they can read while they are away. They can also write or draw things they will like to share with the family once they are back home.
- Talk to your child’s teacher and share the concerns you have. The teacher will appreciate this extra information and most likely will keep a closer eye on your child.
- Consider counselling. An experienced child psychologist can help your child to identify the source of their anxiety, learn how to overcome and replace unhelpful thoughts and how to use other practical strategies to minimise their anxiety.
The Melbourne Child Psychology Blog
I know you will all join with me in thanking the committed teachers who have freely donated their time to design safe, enjoyable and meaningful camp experiences for each and every student. I would also like to thank parents and carers who have helped prepare their children, both physically and emotionally, to face the welcome challenges that camps bring.
Happy Camping,
Susan Milton
Principal
