Message from Ms Ash Dear Parents, Guardians, Students and Other Parishioners, Lots to talk about this week. I can’t believe that it is the last week of Term 3 but that is what the calendar tells me so I will have to believe it. Here is a snapshot of some of the things going on in our school and the wider field of education this week. New Principal The Principal appointment process is continuing slowly. The panel had been waiting for Fr Tad to come back from his overseas trip and now that he is back, a decision has been made to advertise again. It is getting harder and harder to attract people to the Principal position. The hours and the pressure of the position of Principal are great but the rewards are actually wonderful!

Brisbane Conference Last week, I took 3 staff with me to Brisbane to be part of the 2 day Broken Bay Institute of Theology Symposium. The whole 2 days were spent on trying to analyse the evidence and data about what our students and their families want and need from Religious Education. We heard many renowned speakers discussing what steps we need to take to make Religious Education meaningful for our students. It needs to be as rigorous as all the other subjects we teach but it must also consider the students, their family traditions and it must meet the student using their language and culture. Culture is not just an ethnic situation, it is also about their connection to today’s contemporary world. Teachers are not responsible for teaching faith, faith is something families and schools nurture but it is the students themselves who open themselves up to an invitation to faith in a relationship with God over their lifetime.

Teachers in Catholic schools are called to create a climate where faith can flourish by entering into an informed dialogue with our students so that they can make sense of their world. This involves real faith leadership. It calls teachers to be authentic witnesses, to be honest in working through questions and situations, to be open to discussion that might be challenging and even uncomfortable but always to lead with the conviction of their own faith and their professional knowledge, skills and understandings . The National Catholic Education Commission says the aim of Religious Education in Australia is to develop

“..... Students’ knowledge and understandings of Christianity in the light of Jesus and the Gospel, and its unfolding story and diversity within contemporary Australian and global society. It expands students’ spiritual awareness and religious identity, fostering their capacities and skills of discerning, interpreting, thinking critically, seeking truth and making meaning. It challenges and inspires their service to others and engagement in the Church and the world.” Our Religious lessons are not simply religious instruction, they are opportunities to question and discover who Jesus is and what that means for our lives and the world. We continue to draw on scripture and church teaching to frame our program. Phonics I am sure that you know the educators have long argued about how best to teach reading. At St Elizabeth’s, we believe it’s best to teach phonics effectively and to encourage a love of

St. Elizabeth’s School Newsletter: 20th September 2018

(Always refer to FlexiBuzz messages for up-to-date information)

School playground is supervised from 8:30am until 8:55am and 3:15pm to 3:30pm

reading itself at the same time. All our Foundation to Year 4 teachers have completed an online course of study to learn about a program called Jolly Phonics. This program enables children to identify sounds and groups of letters that make particular sounds like sh, ch, th etc., in a physical as well as an academic way. We are finding our spelling results are really improving using this method.

Homework I saw an article in the Herald Sun last week bringing up the idea of Homework again. Despite research telling us that Homework has no real effect on student learning outcomes, there are some parents who think it is worthwhile and some parents who don’t. We believe parents should have the option to choose if homework is useful for their child. Our homework is always based on the individual child’s learning needs, feedback about progress is instant. We believe it is a parents’ responsibility to deal with homework. However, we will assist you by providing it for you and monitoring it for you. When it is not being done, we communicate that to you.

Message from Ms Walker 2018 National Religious Education Symposium Ms. Ash, Mrs. Perazzo, Miss Koutroumanis and I were given a great opportunity to attend a two day conference hosted by the BBI- The Australian Institute of Theological Education in Brisbane. Many thanks to Fr. Tad for providing this opportunity and for his vision in building a collaborative and contemporary vision of Religious Education. There was a stellar line up of national and international educators, featuring respected experts who conducted a wide range of workshops. The Symposium focussed on RE- A change of Era The National Catholic Education Commission launched ‘A Framing paper’ as a resource for evaluation and ongoing renewal of Religious Education in local settings.

This paper was written in response to the changing social, ecclesial and educational contexts.

Pope Francis writes: “Education is not a profession but an attitude, a way of being; in order to educate it is necessary to step out of ourselves and be among young people, to accompany them in the stages of their growth and to set ourselves beside them. Give them hope and optimism for their journey in the world. Teach them to see the beauty and goodness of creation and of (humanity) who always retains the Creator’s hallmark. But above all with your life be witnesses of what you communicate.” What does this mean for us and for our students? To sum up what Pope Francis says ~

‘Research demonstrates that young people have religious and spiritual questions as they ‘put their life together.’ They search for answers to life’s big questions and exhibit a desire for positive relationships, acceptance of difference, a sense of justice and commitment to ecological sustainability. This then would demand a listening ear from the teacher who supports children to find the answer but also helps them to form questions.

Grandparents Day. Our community celebrated this special day on Monday 10th September. About 50 people attended and enjoyed the Assembly, the tours through the classrooms, and chat afterwards. Many thanks to those Grandparents who were able to attend. We hope to see you again next year. Matutinao Fundraiser. The support for this fundraiser has been amazing. Over the past few weeks we have collected over 50 tubes of toothpaste and nearly as many toothbrushes. Your generosity has also meant our friends in the Philippines can access soap, hand sanitisers, shampoo and conditioner. This drive closes this Friday as I would like post the box as quickly as possible. Once again, St. Elizabeth’s is such a giving community and I am grateful for that spirit. Dental Van All children gained a lot of knowledge over the past few weeks about how to keep their teeth clean. A number of families were able to access visits with the dentist parked in our school yard. The children spoke favourably about their experience.

Volunteers needed Would you: ~ Love to try a rewarding way of giving back? ~ Enjoy engaging with people from all walks of life? Read on… Vinnie’s is seeking energetic and passionate Volunteer Team Members who are ready to make a positive impact on their local community. There are many aspects of the Shop for you to get involved in including:

Delivering outstanding customer service

Categorising, pricing and displaying an array of donated items

Assisting in creating eye-catching window and Shop displays

Keeping the store looking stylish More specifically you will have:

A friendly and welcoming presence within the Shop

Excellent communication skills

A 'Can Do' attitude and positive team spirit

Vinnies offer an opportunity to:

Be part of a strong team that makes a difference to communities across Victoria

Learn the retail ‘tricks of the trade’ in a respected national not-for-profit organisation

Build lifelong friendships Vinnies is more than a retail shop. Please note that prior to engaging in any Volunteer activity with the St Vincent de Paul Society some checks are required. These will include a National Criminal History Check and current Working with Children Check and may also include reference checking. Please apply here: https://svdpvolunteers.applynow.net.au/jobs/SVDP392-retail-volunteers Volunteering age: 15+

Wishing each and every one of you a happy and safe holiday.

Message from Ms Koutroumanis

I cannot believe how quickly this term has flown! It has been a full term of lots of Teaching and Learning done by all our community at St. Elizabeth’s. It has been a wonderful term 3, and I look forward to lots more to come next term. School Review Recommendation This week we are unpacking the fourth recommendation which is all about the school’s resources and how we use them to meet the learning and wellbeing needs of our students. Our school scored “high” in each of the sections of this recommendation and I am proud to work in a school where we allocate time and resources to ensure all our students are meeting their learning and wellbeing needs. Recommendation 4 To strengthen the link between curriculum planning, assessment and reporting and put a focus on the way in which we assess our students so that we can make informed, balanced judgements. We need to ensure that the curriculum planning process is monitored at a whole school level and that it is in line with the curriculum each year so that we can build on, and extent the learning from previous years in all learning areas. What the Review says:

We identify students’ needs through formal and informal assessment and support students through our literacy and numeracy intervention programs

We have a clear and outlined assessment schedule that we follow to ensure we can measure students growth over time and respond to their needs

We identify students who are 12 months above and below the standard in terms of their learning ability and implement personalised learning programs in the classroom to address their needs

We have Learning Support Officers allocated to communities to support students with special needs

Our progress since the review:

We have shared rubrics with the Learning and Teaching team that are used by Queensland teachers to make informed, balanced judgments when assessing students work. Staff will use their Professional Learning time after school to unpack these rubrics and check that they align with the Victorian Curriculum during Numeracy and Literacy Meetings

I hope you all have a lovely holiday. Stay safe and enjoy time with your friends and family. We look forward to having you all back in term 4 for our last term of 2018!

Message from Mr Andrew

This Wednesday we had 9 athletes competing in the Greater Dandenong Division Athletics Carnival. We had a great day at District level with all the students giving it their all. St. E's finished 5th overall out of 13 schools. I would like to thank Sue for rearranging her packed diary to support the Division event. I would also like to thank Nazareth College for the use of their mini bus on the day. Hot News! Seven of the students have progressed to Division Level! Well done, Nyamuoch, Paris, Alyssa, Olivia, Ganjwok, Simon and Anthony. Our Year 3/4 students are currently participating in a 7 week Major League T-Ball competition. We have 8 teams such as the Astros, Dodgers and Pirates and play one game a week in a round robin format. As well as improving their motor skills, such as throwing, catching and striking, the players learn how to get along in a team situation. T-ball is the perfect game for the program as it is easy to play but has so many strategic plays players can learn every week. We keep scores on the day but don't run a ladder. The kids are loving it! Have a great holiday everyone and don't hesitate to push those kids outside when the sun is shining and the opportunity to be active arises.

Parish News. Cheryl Hayes who has been our Parish Secretary for the past 32 years has decided it’s time to enjoy a more leisurely life. Cheryl has been not only the welcoming face of our Parish, but for many years, the driving force behind our successful Debutante Balls as well as supporting the Ladies Review and Fete’s of long ago. We wish her every happiness in her retirement.

Please note that the New Parish Office hours commencing 2nd October are:~ Tuesday 8:45am – 12:45pm Wednesday 11:30am – 3:30pm Thursday 8:45am – 12:45pm Friday 11:30am 1 3:30pm

Message from Ms Martin School Holidays. Are you wondering what to do during the school holidays? We are fortunate that we have a large number of parks, sporting venues and leisure activity venues close by. Are looking for a few other ideas, see what’s on offer from the following by clicking on the links … Greater Dandenong City of Melbourne Victorian Tourism Monash Library

Message from Ms Bevilacqua

Dear Parents, I have applied for our school to participate in the Make a Difference Stem showcase at the Catholic Leadership centre on the 25th of October. This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to show their learning in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. We have been invited to take only 9 children. Our school wants to do this as fairly as possible. I thought the best way would be to place all the children’s names in a hat and select five children from the 5/ 6 area with two boys, two girls and one of either gender. I will choose four from the 3/ 4 area with two boys and two girls. Thank you for understanding and I will let parents know when I have selected the students going.

Community News

Contact Details ….

111 Bakers Road,

Dandenong North

Ph. 0422 803 709

Before School Care

Permanent: $13.50 /Casual $16.00

7am to 8:55am Monday to Friday during

school term, excluding all Victorian Public

Holidays.

After School Care

Permanent: $14.50 /Casual $17.00

3:15pm to 6:15pm Monday to Friday during

school term, excluding all Victorian Public

Holidays.

Vacation Care / Pupil Free Days

Per Day: $50.00

7am to 6:00pm Monday to Friday

(The School Holiday Programme in January

will be held at St Anthony’s and St. Marys)

Late Pick Up Fees: Per minute: $1.00

For enquires or further information, please

contact Elarine on 0422 803 709 during

session times.

Fortnightly Activities …

Holiday Program

is running,

please see page

included in

this newslettler.

If you need care, please contact Elarine,

on 0422 803 709

St. Elizabeth’s Out of School Hours Care Program … YOUTH LEADERSHIP VICTORIA PRESENTS – ST ELIZABETH’S OUT OF SCHOOL HOURS CARE