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Dear Parents and Carers,
Ok, let’s go with something different this week. My apologies for a very brief history lesson but I hope you bear with me.
If you are in need of a story that will simply amaze you, may I suggest you take some time to read about one of the greatest of human achievements in known history. I would also encourage you to share this extraordinary story with your children before sharing stories of certain parts of our history become somewhat a social taboo.
The story that I refer to is the one of Captain James Cook. This year marks the 250th anniversary of Cook’s arrival and charting of the east coast of Australia and I fear, due to the effects of COVID-19, this amazing feat of human endeavour will go somewhat unnoticed this year.
You may have noticed I did not say “discovery”. I purposely did not say this, not for any political persuasion but more so for factual reasons. We all know James Cook was not the first person to set foot on Australian soil. He wasn’t even the first European or Englishman to set foot on Australian soil. Cook himself never proclaimed he discovered Australia. Many of us oldies however were taught in primary school that Captain Cook was the person who discovered Australia. A perfect example of how generations of the teaching of inaccuracies can lead to a distorted understanding and viewpoint. It is also a good lesson for educators of today… don’t teach something that we’ll need to un-teach later on. Instead of teaching just one person’s version of events, it is more important to teach our kids to be critical thinkers. For this to happen, children not only need factual information but it is important for them to listen to and understand both sides of any issue.
The main reason for Cook’s first voyage to the Pacific regions was to observe the planet Venus moving across the face of the Sun from Tahiti. This might not sound all that difficult or important in today’s reasoning but in trying to put it into perspective, this was the 18th Century’s equivalent to space exploration and putting a man on the moon. It is the magnificence and awe of Cook and his crew’s feats that need our genuine recognition. Like the Apollo missions, it is a wonderful example of perseverance, courage, resilience, and of overcoming adversity that should be recognised.
Just take a moment to imagine what it takes for someone to sail from England in 1768 down the full length of the Atlantic Ocean, around the bottom of South America, across the Pacific Ocean, around both islands of New Zealand, up the East Coast of Australia, including navigating through the entire length of the Great Barrier Reef, across the Indian Ocean, around the bottom of Africa and zipping home four years later on the other side of the Atlantic. In other words, he sailed around the world. All this in a wooden boat the size of a tennis court! Then in 1772, just one year after he returned home, he did it again. But wait there’s more…in 1776 one year after he returned home from the second voyage…you guessed it, he gave it another go, sailing half way around the world until on the 14th February 1779 at the age of 50, his life came to a violent end in the Hawaiian Islands.
Cook was arguably the greatest of maritime navigators, a remarkable seaman and a man of great courage and conviction. It is the character and qualities of the man and his crew and the hardships they endured to achieve extraordinary feats that warrant our due recognition.
Some other major achievements of Captain James Cook include:
- Circumnavigated and charted New Zealand's North and South islands in 1769
- He and his crew were the first to cross the Antarctic Circle
- He was the first European to find the Hawaiian Islands
- He explored and charted the Pacific coast of North America in his search for the Northwest Passage through the Arctic Ocean
No matter whether your viewpoint on European exploration in the 18th Century, was either humankind’s intrigue into the discovery of the unknown or of one particular country’s desire to take possession of or invade other peoples’ territory, James Cook was not a conqueror or a war mongering General with hordes of foot soldiers who destroyed all in their wake as depicted in some sections of the media. In fact, his rank on his first voyage was one of a meagre Lieutenant, in charge of a crew of approx. 70 men which included naturalists, scientists, artists, an astronomer, doctors, cooks, carpenters, officers, regular sailors, eleven civilians and just twelve marines. Hardly a military force hell bent on taking over other nations.
The consequences of Cook’s vast explorations did lead in later years to the English and European exploitation, displacement and possession of other nations. We need to acknowledge that atrocities occurred and learn from the mistakes of the past.
“Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” [Winston Churchill]
Students Return
I must congratulate our Preppies and Year One students for settling back into school routine so well. Parents, take a bow for your efforts in supporting your children at home over the past few weeks and preparing them for their return to school. We now very much look forward to all the other students from Grades 2-6 arriving back at school next Monday.
I cannot thank the teachers and support staff enough for their efforts in providing quality home learning experiences and I commend them on their ongoing online support they have provided for students and their families. It has been most rewarding to receive praise from parents. We know it has been a challenge for many of you and it has been a trying time for all, but knowing that you are genuinely grateful for what teachers and support staff have done during this time of isolation makes all the hard work worthwhile.
I was encouraged to hear that all year levels are keen to continue to offer some level of online learning. Don’t worry parents, asking kids to stay home was not one of the ongoing initiatives!! It is most important that the students maintain their confidence in navigating around learning platforms and there are obvious benefits for students and staff to continue accessing online teaching and learning.
School Photos Postponed
Next Monday was set down for our annual school photos to be taken. Due to the current circumstances, school photos have been postponed and will now take place on Wednesday 5 August 2020.
Tuckshop
A reduced menu tuckshop will be available again this Friday for those students in attendance at school. The full menu for Term 2 will resume Friday 29th May. All orders as usual need to be placed via Flexischools.
School Uniforms
New winter girls’ tunics should be available from Hanna’s by the end of next week. The full range of school jumpers are all available including the popular spray jacket. A reminder that the knitted woollen jumper is optional. Parents have a choice of pullover to wear under the spray jacket on those colder days between the knitted jumper or fleecy pullover. All jumpers of course need to have the embroidered school badge.
As stated in the uniform requirements, track pants need to be navy blue. Not navy with Canterbury logos and not black. Ties are also a requirement of the winter uniform for both girls and boys. Please ensure they are wearing their tie on the formal dress days. From next Monday, all students are required to be in their full formal winter uniform. Sports uniforms are to be only worn on the day they have P.E. and every Friday.
Please ensure all items of clothing are clearly named. This makes the returning of clothing a lot easier.
Extra-Curricula Activities
Many school related activities have of course been put on hold during this period of isolation and gradual process of lessening COVID-19 restrictions. We really do hope that we will be able to still conduct a number of our annual extra-curricula activities such as the cross country, athletics and ballgames carnival’s, Speaking Festival, concerts and school camps. All of which will depend on government decisions as to when and how such activities can be conducted. As soon as we receive direction, we will commence planning to organise as many of these events as possible at some stage this year.
Signing In
For the safety and wellbeing of all students, a friendly reminder that it is mandatory for all students who arrive late to school, to sign in at the office upon arrival. Similarly, students who need to be collected from school earlier than 3:00 p.m., are required to be signed out by their parent or carer. Your co-operation with this process will be greatly appreciated.
Report Cards
Semester One’s report cards will still be issued. So, for those who have been a little slack in accessing home learning activities, you might just want to crank up the work rate before your return next Monday! Given recent circumstances, this semester’s report cards will look a little different. Teachers will only be reporting in five learning areas – English, Maths, Religion, Science and HASS. If there is insufficient evidence for teachers to assess in a particular learning area a “N” grade will appear on the report.
School Fees
School fee invoices will be forwarded home late next week. Your prompt attention to the payment of these fees will be of great assistance in ensuring that resources and services are maintained. If any family has been genuinely affected financially by the COVID-19 restrictions on various jobs, please do not hesitate to contact me in order to arrange alternative payment options. A reminder that school fees are no longer sent home monthly. They are calculated quarterly and forwarded home via email once a term. The amount of fees that appears on your invoice is the quarterly amount not the monthly amount.
Have a great weekend and I look forward to seeing everyone back next week.
Thanks for reading…
Chris
Don't forget to update your records with the
new school phone number
4591 1200
When you come back to school, why not swing by the Admin office to see the fabulous artwork Mrs Buckley has on display?
'Badly Drawn Dog' images, created by 1B and 1M, based on the book 'Badly Drawn Dog' by Emma Dodson
Parents and Candidates of the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Eucharist – we are still in limbo as to when we can hold these sacraments. We are governed by the directives given to us by the Federal and State governments and the suggested numbers allowed in the church due to social distancing. It is hard to pin down dates as things change week by week. We will be in touch as to when we can reactivate the preparation programme. Please continue to pray with your children and guide them in the ways of the faith.
Notes for the Preparation of the Sacrament of Reconciliation were emailed to the Year 3 students last week – if your child didn’t receive a note and is in Year 3 and up and would like to be part of this year’s programme please contact Mrs Moore on Janice.Moore@twb.catholic.edu.au or call into the office on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. We also haven’t set a firm date as to when our sacrament meetings can start – Please bear with us and we will let you know when we know.
Gatherings for assemblies, masses and prayers are still on hold until the social distancing recommendations are loosened.
Dates for your Diary:
Thursday 18/6 Free Dress – Favourite Footy Colours – Gold Coin donation for our Catholic Charities of St Vincent De Paul
We look forward to having all students back in Week 6.
Have a great week!
Prep
What a great first two weeks back. It is lovely to see so many of our Preps return to school and get back into the swing of being a Learner at Our Lady of Lourdes.
With the cooler mornings now upon us please ensure that all items of clothing are clearly labelled so if they are misplaced they can be returned to their rightful owner.
Great progress has been made with students who consistently practise and reinforce the sight words learnt at school, at home. Remember to try and spot words in library books, home readers and other texts. Reading is about meaning and context. The more students see these words in text, greater connections and understandings are made. We are also concentrating on the reading strategy of Chunky Monkey. Looking for smaller words and word families in larger words helps decode. Don’t forget about the other strategies though, Lips the Fish, Stretchy Snake and Eagle Eyes.
Each week we are borrowing readers from the library. Please ensure these are read nightly. By the end of the week, students should be reading these books independently and fluently.
Revision is the key to success. Please remember to revise previously taught/learnt sight words, letters, sounds and numbers. This allows learning to move from short term memory to long term memory. Remember the more we practise the better we get.
In Maths we are concentrating on cementing our number knowledge to 10. Next week we look at positional language. Try and use the words of above, between, under, beside, behind etc in everyday conversations.
The prep program beings at 8:30am daily. This is an important part of our day, helping to establish routines and settle and prepare for the day. Students that are consistently late miss out on these learning opportunities and it can make settling into morning routines harder.
Parents please remember to socially distance at school during drop off and pick up. Once again, thank-you for your support.
Have a great week,
Liz and Melita
Year 1
Welcome to week 5 everybody! What a great week 4 we had together! It was wonderful to see our Grade cohort back, ready to continue their learning.
In English: last week we finished our descriptive retell unit by writing a retell about a story called Too Many Pears which was written by Author Jackie French. This story is a funny story about a cow called Pamela who loves eating. Students did a wonderful job writing a descriptive retell about the story for assessment. For the rest of the term, we will be focusing on Poetry and learning about some of the elements of poetry like, alliteration, rhyme, rhythm. Students will finish this unit by being poets and writing a rhyming couplet.
In Maths: last week, we revised all work that was covered during COVID home learning – patterns, Australian coins and o’clock time. Students were given exit tickets and investigations for assessment. This week, we are exploring fractions – whole and half.
Science and Geography continues with our focus on the environments around us.
Have a great week!
Jenny and Ange
Year 2
Welcome to Week 5! We are looking forward to seeing everyone back at school for the start of next week. It has been a busy few weeks, navigating online learning, whether it was at home or at school. For those who have been at school, we have all enjoyed the extra space in the playground, but have missed our lovely friends. We have become very flexible as we have experienced different combinations of classes and teachers over the past few weeks, which has been a lot of fun. For those who have been in isolation we hope you enjoyed your time at home and are looking forward to returning to school. We can’t wait to see you! We would like to give a huge thanks to our families, for the support and encouragement that you have given us during this time.
For the remainder of the term in Maths we will be focusing on time, fractions, money and continuing with our subtraction strategies. In English we are brushing up on our grammar, as well as learning to structure a written recount. By the end of this term we hope that every student will know how to correctly punctuate their writing, using full stops, question marks, commas and exclamation marks.
In Religion we have been looking at the life of Jesus, and wondering what his childhood would have been like. In Hass we have started a mini project about a chosen country. We are required to draw a map and research our country using Britannica online.
Don’t forget that we have a free dress day in week 9. Wear your footy colours and bring in a gold coin on Thursday 18th June.
Year 3
It’s Week 5 – almost halfway through Term 2 – what a term it’s been! We look forward to everyone in Year 3 returning to school next week. We have been busy navigating our on-line learning over the last 5 weeks – we thank everyone who has supported us during this time. Don’t forget we are now wearing our formal winter uniform. PE uniform is for Thursdays and Fridays. Library book return is on Mondays for Year 3. Please return all library books in Week 6 for cleaning and sanitising.
In English, we have been looking at verbs and adverbs and how they are used in sentences. In Maths, we have explored volume and capacity, giving directions, telling the time on an analogue clock, recalling and revising our x2, x3, x5 and x10 number facts. Our mathematical thinking is developing so well – it’s been great to see everyone working out our Mash Up Maths problems, giving suggestions in What Doesn’t Belong? and the See Think Wonder pictures. In Religious Education, we have been writing different prayers and praying while listening to meditation music. This term in Science, we have been learning about the connection of the Earth, Sun and Moon and why shadows occur and change through the day. In HASS, we are studying our local neighbourhood.
Notes for the Preparation of the Sacrament of Reconciliation were emailed last week – please keep an eye out for these notes. If you missed getting this initial note, please see your child’s teacher or Mrs Moore.
Date for your Diary – Week 9 -Thursday 18/6/2020 - Favourite Footy Colours Free Dress – gold coin donation for our Catholic Charities.
Seen on a Church Bulletin Board: “Doing your best means never stop trying!”
Year 4
This week marks the end of a very unusual time in our school journey. After a chaotic beginning teachers, parents and children settled into a manageable routine. Thanks to the untiring efforts of Mrs Lasserre who steered our ship, it became an easier journey for most. Many thanks to Mr Worthington for providing some of our resources and to Mr Birch for his active commenting on our Teams platform – encouraging everyone to do their best. At school, teachers will be given the opportunity to reflect on their practices and the online activities used in the last five weeks. Individual teachers and parents would be encouraged to take note of their own children’s commitment and effort during this time too. For some this was a time of increased independence and real growth. Please note that there is a Science Power Point that students can begin working on this week. This presentation should be saved to the students’ One Drive and will need to be ready to present in Week 7 for most classes.
We would also like to take the time to thank our Learning Support Team who have been doing an amazing job undertaking their groups on TEAMS video conferences. I’m sure many parents and students are wondering about the Sacraments for this year – they have not been forgotten and Mrs Moore is unwavering in her endeavours to provide alternative arrangements. As you can imagine, much is still unknown – including the restrictions of the numbers allowed in the church. We will certainly let you know as soon as possible as to what will be happening.
As always, we are amazed at the support given by our parent group. Once again, we wish to acknowledge your ongoing support and of course those wonderful gifts that were presented to the teachers last Friday.
Next week everyone will be back to the normal madness of classroom life – in full winter uniform. (Sports uniform on Monday!) In five weeks, we plan to deliver almost a term’s work – based on the learning that has been taking place at home! Thank you all once again for your efforts as the prime educators of your children.
Year 5
Welcome to week 5. We are almost done with remote learning for this year (fingers crossed). Although it has been a new process, we have learnt a lot of new skills which will take us many places in the future. In Year 5 we are planning on keeping our skills in OneNote and Teams up to date and will continue to set work in both of these platforms.
We look forward to all students returning next week and restarting our teaching and learning. We will be reporting on Semester One with a modified reporting procedure with Semester Two returning to normal. All teachers have been very impressed with the amount of effort the students have been dedicating to their online learning, some of your information reports on chosen planets have been excellent.
Keep up the great work as we return on Monday. Enjoy your weekend!
Year 6
Week 5 has come around very quickly. Next Monday school returns to as normal as possible under the COVID -19 conditions; please ensure that all of your child’s school belongings and all copies of completed printed work that hasn’t been uploaded to OneDrive returns with them. Let’s finish the term strongly.
Library Borrowing
There are a few changes to how we do things in the Library this term. To help us out can we ask that you please:
- place ALL returns in the returns bin (not on the library counter) for cleaning and sanitising,
- leave your library bag outside, and
- ensure you always have clean hands.
Library Borrowing Days
Monday: 2TJ / 2D / 2V/ 3MR / 3G
Tuesday:1M / 1B / 6M / 4L
Wednesday: Prep H / Prep W
Thursday: 4W / 6L
Friday:5F / 5M / 5S / 4B
Overdue Items
Please don’t forget to search for all those Library Loans and bring them back to the Library as you all return to next week. We are looking forward to seeing you. Loans need to be placed in the returns box located just outside the library door.
National Simultaneous Storytime
Next Wednesday 27th May at 11am our school will be participating in National Simultaneous Storytime. The book we are sharing this year is called Whitney & Britney Chicken Divas by Lucinda Gifford. We will join over 1 million students in Australia to share this story about Whitney and Britney, two gorgeous chooks, fluffy and silky, with stunning good looks.
Chess News
We have been enjoying Chess Online but we are ready to welcome Chess back to the Library. Mr Lord will continue to meet with us via Zoom in the LIBRARY from 7:45am each Tuesday morning. After Mr Lord has conducted his lesson, I will supervise students Chess games in the Library. If your child / ren interested in joining Chess at school please let Mrs Leathart know and I can send through details, times and costs. Send an Email to: Danielle.Leathart@twb.catholic.edu.au
Graphic Novels
We have a growing collection of graphic novels at Lourdes and they have just been relocated to a space of their own. Graphic novels are a subgenre of comic books. They usually resemble a novel in length and narrative development. So, while they may look like a comic books, they come in many genres including science and history. If you are having trouble motivating a reluctant reader try to not overlook this collection. “Graphics” offer opportunities to combine visual literacy and enjoyment of literature. They can also help lead students towards more traditional novels in the future.
Library at Lunch
Mrs Leathart will be opening the Library to students for reading each Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The Library will be open for students in Year 1 – 3 after they have eaten at Morning Tea. The children in Year 4 – 7 can visit from 1pm.
Book Club
Orders for Issue 3 have been delivered. Thanks to everyone who ordered and supported the school. The latest catalogue for Issue 4 will be available soon. Orders can then be placed via LOOP and delivered to school. We expect delivery approximately 1 – 2 weeks after this closing date. Please be patient if there are delays due to the busyness of the postal/delivery services. If you have any issues or questions about Book Club please email: LourdesLib@twb.catholic.edu.au
Thanks for reading!
Danielle & Gael
Hello from The Learning Hub!
The Learning Hub has lots of books in the Book Exchange at the moment. If you would like to come in and choose a book to take home, please feel free. Before school or straight after school is probably the best time. Remember to keep reading!
Below is some information about Dyspraxia, collected from the Dyspraxia Foundation.
What is dyspraxia?
Dyspraxia, a form of developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a common disorder affecting fine and/or gross motor coordination in children and adults. It may also affect speech. DCD is a lifelong condition, formally recognised by international organisations including the World Health Organisation. DCD is distinct from other motor disorders such as cerebral palsy and stroke, and occurs across the range of intellectual abilities. Individuals may vary in how their difficulties present: these may change over time depending on environmental demands and life experiences.
An individual’s coordination difficulties may affect participation and functioning of everyday life skills in education, work and employment.
Children may present with difficulties with self-care, writing, typing, riding a bike and play as well as other educational and recreational activities. In adulthood many of these difficulties will continue, as well as learning new skills at home, in education and work, such as driving a car and DIY.
There may be a range of co-occurring difficulties which can also have serious negative impacts on daily life. These include social and emotional difficulties as well as problems with time management, planning and personal organisation, and these may also affect an adult’s education or employment experiences.
Many people with DCD also experience difficulties with memory, perception and processing. While DCD is often regarded as an umbrella term to cover motor coordination difficulties, dyspraxia refers to those people who have additional problems planning, organising and carrying out movements in the right order in everyday situations. Dyspraxia can also affect articulation and speech, perception and thought.
What causes dyspraxia?
Although the exact causes of dyspraxia are unknown, it is thought to be caused by a disruption in the way messages from the brain are transmitted to the body. This affects a person’s ability to perform movements in a smooth, coordinated way.
In week 6 we will begin German lessons for Years 3 – 6. Years 3 and 4 will be on Monday and Years 5 and 6 will be on Tuesday.
I would just like to thank one of our ex-mums, Peta Zupp, for her recent very generous donation of spring bulbs and seeds. Peta tells me that she can't garden very well, but is entrusting them with me so that she can enjoy them when she drives by. (No pressure!!)
If you have been coming to school over the past few weeks then you no doubt have noticed the changing autumn colours of the school trees. For those of you still at home, look out for them on Monday, they are beautiful.