St Mary’s Catholic Primary School Cnr Byng & Park Street / PO Box 8007 ORANGE NSW 2800

Ph: 6362 7926 Fax: 6361 8783

stmarysorange@bth.catholic.edu.au

www.stmarysorange.catholic.edu.au

16th November

2017

Term 4

Week 6

If you have made

mistakes...... there is always another chance

for you..... you may have a fresh start any

moment you choose,

for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling

down, but the staying

down.

Mary Pickford (1892-1979)

Year 6

Reminder to

return note and money for Yr 6

event ASAP

32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year A)

“When the end comes, the kingdom of heaven will be like ten bridesmaids.

They took their oil lamps and went to meet the groom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. The fool-

ish bridesmaids took their lamps, but they didn’t take any extra oil.

The wise bridesmaids, however, took along extra oil for their lamps.

Since the groom was late, all the bridesmaids became drowsy and fell asleep.

“At midnight someone shouted, ‘The groom is here! Come to meet him!’

Then all the bridesmaids woke up and got their lamps ready.

“The foolish ones said to the wise ones, ‘Give us some of your oil. Our lamps are going out.’

“But the wise bridesmaids replied, ‘We can’t do that. There won’t be enough for both of us.

Go! Find someone to sell you some oil.’

“While they were buying oil, the groom arrived. The bridesmaids who were ready went with him into the wed-

ding hall, and the door was shut.

“Later the other bridesmaids arrived and said, ‘Sir, sir, open the door for us!’

“But he answered them, ‘I don’t even know who you are!’

“So stay awake, because you don’t know the day or the hour. (Matthew 25:1-13)

Gospel Reflection

Let’s imagine that we are planning a surprise party for a friend. How would we go about preparing for this

party? We make a list of the things we would need to do to prepare. In our list we include items such as prepar-

ing an invitation list, setting the date and place for the party, planning the food, choosing the decorations, plan-

ning activities, and so on.

There’s a lot of preparation needed for a surprise party. What would happen if the guest of honour arrived be-

fore we were ready? What would happen if the guest of honour was delayed in his or her arrival? The result is

we need to be prepared!

Jesus talked about the importance of being prepared to receive the Kingdom of Heaven, using the example of a

wedding feast.

In Jesus’ time, the bridegroom travelled from his home to the home of the bride to meet the bride and bring her

back to his home. The bridesmaids in this parable were family members and friends of the bride, whose job it

was to greet the bridegroom and escort him to the bride.

To be prepared for this job., they had to prepare their lamps and meet the bridegroom.

In the story some of the women didn’t bring enough oil for their lamps, and when the bridegroom was delayed,

they were unable to meet him. Unfortunately they were unable to accompany the bridegroom to the feast; they

were not able to attend the feast because they arrived too late. Jesus concludes this parable by reminding his

listeners that we must stay prepared to receive the Kingdom of Heaven because we do not know when the

Kingdom of Heaven will come.

STAFFING 2018 We have presently advertised two fulltime temporary teaching positions at our school for 2018. One position will cover the maternity leave of Mrs Carolyn Wait. The other will cover the position of Mrs Sonja McNiven who will be on extended leave during 2018.

Our school community will be notified of the successful candidates once approved by CEDB.

WEEK 7

Mon 20.11 Yr4 Excursion

Tues 21.11 Yr5 Leadership Day with JSCHS

Wed 22.11 'Beach to Bush' K-6 Musica Viva 'Acoustic Odyssey' K-6

Thurs 23.11 Yr2 Assembly 12.30pm SCHOOL DISCO

Fri 24 .11 Voting Day Yrs3-6

SPORT UNIFORMS FOR

WEEK 7

KINDER - Wednesday

YEAR ONE - Tuesday

YEAR TWO - Monday

YEAR THREE - Tuesday

YEAR FOUR - Monday & Tuesday

YEAR FIVE - Wednesday

YEAR SIX - Thursday

GOOD NEWS

Imagine our delight to receive a hand written letter from a Bathurst resident this week. The letter explained the joy received when greeted so sincerely by our Kindergarten students during their recent excursion to the Sheep and Cattle Drome. The greeting was not on mass either but rather individually as each of our students filed past with a smile and a 'Good morning and peace be with you.'

Thank you Kindergarten for bringing GOOD NEWS to our school.

However it doesn't end there…….

We were also delighted to receive an email from JSCHS after a recent Yr6 Orientation into Yr7. Once again, our students were recognised for their co-operation and good manners. Thank you Yr6 for bringing GOOD NEWS to our school.

We are very proud of you all.

SCREEN TIME Of course too much screen time is damaging but that includes iPads/iPhones as babysitting etc and sticking early years kids in front of TV screens for hours re-watching Disney movies. We need to distinguish between active and passive screen use, content consumption and content creation.

We are not putting kids in front of screens passively. We also believe young kids need to be actively physically playing in recreation time - out of school and in school class breaks.

Have you ordered your Chromebook

yet? Students in Years 3, 4 & 5 in 2018 will require a Chromebook at the beginning of the 2018 school year! Follow these steps to order your Chromebook:

1. Go to https://www.jbeducation.com.au/byod/

2. Enter our school access code: SMCBYOD2018

3. Complete steps 1-5 in the purchasing portal

To have your Chromebook arrive before Christmas you will need to order by the 24th November. All other orders will be delivered to the school in Week 1, 2018. Please contact Mrs Kerrie Basha if you require assistance to purchase a Chromebook.

Election Procedure for Badged Leaders at SMCPS. *All Yr5 students have the opportunity to stand for election to a badged leadership position for the following year. *Positions include: School Captain, Vice Captain, Mission Leader (new position 2018) Environmental Leader, House Captain. *All students complete an Application Form which nominates the position(s) they wish to be considered for. *Students may stand for as many different positions as they wish. *Forms are returned by set date and are signed by the student and parent/carer. *Those not wishing to stand also return the signed form indicating as such. *Principal collects all forms. *A Leadership Board presents a photo of each candidate and the positions for which they wish to be considered. *All Yr5 students participate in a Leadership Development day. Recently this has been facilitated by JSCHS. *On Voting Day, all students from Yr3-6 gather in the hall to listen to the prepared speeches of those seeking election. *Speeches are advised to not surpass 2 minutes. *All students from Yrs3-6 vote. *Votes are collected by the class teacher immediately at the conclusion of the speeches. *All staff are invited to vote. *Votes are counted by two members of the school executive and stored within the Principal Office. *All votes must be completed by 3pm on Voting Day. *Students gather in their House groups to elect House Captains. No speech is required here as it would have been delivered earlier in the day. *Votes are counted by two members of the school executive and stored in the Principal Office. *When the counting is completed, all Yr5 students will be notified via their student email of the names of those students who have gained a place on the Leadership Team. The position is not indicated. *All staff are notified of those on the Leadership Team. The position is not indicated. *Positions are announced at the conclusion of Presentation Day.

Christian Leadership

Jack Sara For giving his assembly part to a child who didn’t have one.

Maddison Pulbrook For giving her own money to the poor.

Xavier Duncan For showing concern for another student by asking are you OK?

SRC DISCO - Thursday 23rd November

Infants Theme - Idols & Heros

K-2 - 4.30pm-5.30pm

Primary Theme - Freeky, Funky, Fancy

3-6 - 5.30pm-7.00pm

Cost: $3 - bottle of water and packet chips provided.

Students are advised to bring a water drink bottle on the night.

Scholastic Bookclub

DUE Wednesday 22nd November

Summer Sports Stars

St Mary’s strikes again! On Tuesday 14th November we were lucky enough to be able to send 22 talented students to Dubbo to try out for the Diocesan teams in cricket, basketball, touch football and tennis. This was a great opportunity to meet students in the same sports from other schools and to showcase the excellent sportsmanship and capabilities we have on offer at St Mary’s. We congratulate all students who participated in these trials and wish the students who made it through to the Diocesan teams the best of luck! The students that made it through to the next level are:

Mason Edgerton - Touch Football

Keeley Holmes- Touch Football

Mya Simmons- Touch Football

Keeley Holmes- Basketball

Angus Thompson- Touch Football

Lucy Ashton- Tennis

Evan Price- Touch Football

Alex Philpott- Basketball

Abigail Francis- Touch Football

Parish Stay and Play Group

For children, grandchildren, neighbours and friends.

You are invited to our final STAY AND PLAY

morning tea for this year.

Following 9:30 Mass this Sunday 19th November

At St Mary's Church Cottage

For more information: www.facebook.com/CatholicOrangeNSW

CODE CLUB

Congratulations to the following Code Club students: Jackson Davis has completed Scratch 1. Donal Tony has completed Scratch 2.

Class Awards House Points

KB

Connie Lewis

Rose Staniforth

Violet Sunderland

Liam Vaira

1B

Erin Dwyer MacKillop -200

Phoebe Edwards McNamee - 190

Bianca Lindfield McAuley - 140

Kyoto Andrie Shannon - 250

Noah Ostini

Lachlan Turner

1G

Lewis Burford

Maddex Gosper

Xavier Felice

Jada Pellow

Evie Hansen

2B

Millicent Benton

Shaylee Holmes

Layla King-Sherwood

Alexandra Ward

2G

Walter Raleigh MacKillop - 50

Daniel Jaimon McNamee - 300

Millani Betts McAuley - 300

Eve Shore Shannon - 150

Matthew Pola

3B

Bailey Stewart MacKillop - 150

Fletcher Duncan McNamee - 100

Lacey Reiss McAuley - 300

Mackenzie Preston Shannon - 550

Ashleigh Board

3G

Maddie Linsell-Ryan

AJ Logan

Madison Hillier

Charlie Miller

Patrick Roberts

4B

Alexander Bayada- Harvey

Milton Knight

Jessica Denman

Ethan Dawson

Sam Doulin

4G

Addison Pellow MacKillop - 50

Ella-Rose Crannis McNamee - 50

Oliver Jarrick McAuley - 30

Harry Meacham Shannon 50-

Charlotte Felice

Trinity Andrews

Millie Banks

5B

Seth Mulhall

Jessie Blowes

Clare Jadezak

Lyla Luxford

Harrison King

6G Jack Cranney

Kate Ferguson

RE News Sacrament of Reconciliation - Year 2 and older

The students made their Sacrament of Reconciliation this week. The thoughts and prayers are with the

children as they prepare for this special Sacrament.

In tradition St Mary’s will celebrate this Sacrament with a whole school mass on Friday, 17th November at

12Noon. We invite all parents, grandparents and families to join with the school to celebrate and recognise all

our St Mary’s students who have prepared and have made the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Year 6 - P. D. - Growth and Development Parent and Student Information Night

Year 6 students and their parents are invited to attend an education session focussing on personal growth and

development on Wednesday 22nd November at 7:00pm in the school hall.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Year 6 Retreat - Tuesday, 28th November

Each year the Year 6 students will participate in a Retreat day at the Botanical Gardens Function Centre. The

Retreat is an opportunity for the students to spend time in reflection, in prayer and interaction with their peers. It is

also an opportunity to spend time with each other before they head to high school.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Year 6 Graduation Mass

We invite our St Mary’s School Community and all the parents, grandparents and families to join the school to

celebrate and farewell our Year 6 students at their Graduation Mass.

Tuesday, 5th December – 6pm at St Mary’s Church.

_______________________________________________________________________________

End of Year Mass

We invite all parents, grandparents and families to join the school to celebrate our last Mass together for 2017.

Wednesday, 13th December – 12Noon at St Mary’s Church.

_______________________________________________________________________________

SRC DISCO - Thursday 23rd November

Infants Theme - Idols & Heros

K-2 - 4.30pm-5.30pm

Primary Theme - Freeky, Funky, Fancy

3-6 - 5.30pm-7.00pm

Cost: $3 - bottle of water and packet chips provided.

Students are advised to bring a water drink bottle on the night.

St Mary’s Catholic Primary School

Christmas Appeal “Even the first Christmas family needed a little help.”

This year we would like to continue to help those who are less fortunate than us and help them have an enjoyable Christmas.

You can help by bringing in non-perishable items and place them into your class hamper bag.

Examples of non-perishable items are:

All items will be donated

Thank you for your support.

Together we can create a world where there is justice for all.

Tinned Food

Tea

Coffee

Milo

Long Life Milk

Long life Juice

Dried Fruit

Custard

Cordial

Pasta

Pasta Sauce

Biscuits

Jelly

Jams

Vegemite

Pancake mix

Muesli Bars

Soft Drink

Christmas Pudding Christmas Napkins

Christmas Cake

Fruit Mince Pies

Candy Canes

Bandaids

Aeroguard

Toothpaste

Shampoo

MUSIC PROGRAM 2018

Dear Parents

St Mary’s Catholic Primary School has a proud tradition of instrumental music which we are seeking to build on in 2018. We are excited to offer students in Year 2 and Year 3 the opportunity to learn an instrument at school next year and be involved in the school band program.

Through our partnership with Orange Regional Conservatorium, a number of highly experienced music tutors come to our school to provide students with private lessons and the opportunity to play in a band. This is also supplemented by private teachers who are part of our instrumental program.

Playing an instrument is a wonderful experience as well as being beneficial to students in many ways. We encourage you to make the most of this fantastic opportunity.

The instruments we are able to offer in 2018 are listed below. We will schedule a trial early next year which we will assess your child’s preference and aptitude. At that time, information will be provided about the instrument hire and resources.

Please indicate your interest in learning or continuing to learn an instrument and return the tear off slip below to Mrs Nell or the Office by Friday 24th November.

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs Nell on stmarysorange@bth.catholic.edu.au

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INSTRUMENTAL TUITION – Expression of Interest

Please return by Friday 24th November.

Student Name: ____________________________Class in 2018: _______

I am interested in learning (please tick)

BRASS WOODWIND

Trumpet Flute Percussion

Trombone Clarinet Violin

French Horn Saxophone Guitar

I am not sure which instrument I would like to learn yet.

I already learn and instrument (please specify) _______________________ and would like to commence lessons at school next year.

Name: __________________________ Signed: ________________________

P&F Annual General Meeting

Monday 4th December 2017

Parkview Hotel

boys in your life: Surprise, surprise! Boys and girls are different. Whether it’s nature or nurture is largely irrelevant. The point is that boys and girls do best when their parents respond to the specific needs of their gender, rather than use a one size fits all approach. Here are 21 parenting strategies. Communicating with boys 1. Choose your time to communicate Adults who do best with boys have a way of getting into their time-frame. They can talk with them about what interests them now, what’s important to them now, what’s grabbing their attention now. That’s relatively easy when your sons are under ten, but challenging when they are teenagers. You have to be a little cunning to get into a teenage boy’s time-frame. A parent who picks up a teenage boy from a party at midnight, just may have a better chance of getting into this time-frame and getting a window into what’s important, than one who parents from a distance. 2. Talk to boys while they are doing One way to get boys talking is to get them moving. Go for a walk together, wash the dishes together or do some other job and you will find their tongues loosen up. The pressure to speak is removed by activity. More than this, males are activity-based. Just as activity and play is the language of fatherhood, activity is the mode to get many boys to open up and talk. 3. Ask “what?” not “why?” If a boy misbehaves never ask him “why?” He usually won’t be able to tell you. Instead get him to revisit the moment of poor behaviour and get some window into his thinking or motivation at the time. “What were you thinking about when you did…?” “What was going on to make you want to do that?” “What will you do differently next time?” These type of questions help ensure that boys learn from their experiences so they behave differently the next time they are in a similar situation. Managing a boy’s behaviour 4. Join the dots Boys, more than girls, are likely to learn many of their lessons from experience rather than being told. However some boys can’t see the woods from the trees. One boy I know couldn’t see how his fast mouth (he was quick with a one-liner) was putting him offside with his teachers. It was obvious to everyone but the boy in question. He needed an adult to draw a line between his behaviour (smart mouth) and it’s outcome (teachers feeling disrespected). Be very calm and rational rather judgemental so that your son takes your message on board. 5. Create a space for processing A bad day at school may be followed by an angry outburst on arrival home, particularly if he is asked that time-honored question: “How was your day?” “&^$%%%!!” may well be the response as he slams his bedroom door behind him. He has just entered his cave where he will take his time to settle his thoughts and generally go within to draw on his internal resources. Resist the temptation to knock on his door and lovingly say, “Darling, is everything alright? Would you like to talk about it?” You are only inviting some more rejection. The best solution is to wait until he comes out of his cave before you talk. Generally, he will come out when he is ready and has made some sense of what has happened to him. This is the time to talk. 6. Teach him to cool off Many boys struggle to regulate their emotions. When a boy gets angry his testosterone levels rise, further in-flaming anger. Anger then frequently spirals causing a boy to lose control of his behaviour completely. It is useful to teach boys to take some time to calm down and regain control of their physiology and their behaviour. Methods such as time out, cuddling and comforting are useful to help young children learn to cool down. As boys move into school age and beyond, help them understand the triggers that can lead to anger and then discuss various methods help them regain some calm. Deep breathing, getting some exercise or thinking about something different are simple ways of relaxing. Boys that don’t learn to self-regulate their emotions during childhood don’t magically learn to regulate their anger in adulthood. MARK THIS AS A VITAL SKILL TO LEARN. 7. Encourage boys to repair and restore relationship breakdowns Many boys naturally move on after conflict. It’s often seen as a strength or a positive compared to girls who can make conflict linger far longer than necessary. However they can often neglect repairing relationships so they can be perceived as callous or uncaring. Encourage boys to make amends with an aggrieved person either with an apology or an act of kindness following conflict with a sibling or a friend. Alternatively, consider sitting down with them and the aggrieved person to discuss what happened; what they may do differently next time and in some cases to listen to how the other person felt about their behaviour. Some boys need to some assistance to develop empathy and see how their remarks or behaviour can adversely impact others. Building boys’ confidence 8. Encourage collecting Boys are avid collectors. It’s in their nature. It’s how they put order in their world. They like to see the extremes and see how they are confined. Collecting can drive many parents crazy, but it’s linked to boys’ normal healthy development.

9. Use private praise that is descriptive Boys respond really well to feedback, particularly if it is given with genuine intent. Private praise is more effective than public praise for boys as they can become embarrassed being praised in front of their friends or relatives. Tell them what you see and how you feel. “Wow. You have tidied the room really well and put everything back where it should be. It’s a pleasure to come into the living room.” Such comments genuinely made become stored in their bank of skills and builds up their confidence. 10. Increase a boy’s time in environments where he succeeds Boys who struggle at school or in mainstream benefit enormously when they spend time in activities or in places that they enjoy; where they experience success and where they feel confident. If sport fits this bill for your son then let him spend plenty of time in those environments so he can experience what confidence feels like. Confidence has a snowball effect and frequently transfers to other areas. Helping boys succeed 11. Give them a reason to learn Boys are great pragmatists. They need a reason to learn or do something. Link their learning to what they are interested in. If they love football, then get them reading, writing and talking about football, or ways they can be better at football. Link learning to their lives as much as possible. 12. Let your son see you read every day Reading is a predictor of success at school, yet many boys struggle to interact with the written word unless it’s in a digital format. Boys will value reading more when their significant role models (mum and dad) read too. Make sure they see you read for a variety of purposes – for pleasure, to cook a meal or work out a problem. 13. Go visual to help their learning Boys are more likely to be visual learners than girls, so play to their natural advantage. Use frameworks, lists and diagrams to aid understanding and increase retention. And show rather than tell them stuff. Once shown they are more likely to retain a picture in their heads to call upon when needed. 14. Teach boys to anchor The concept of anchoring is really useful for boys who are forgetful, or for those who are learning a new behaviour. It involves linking a new behaviour or an activity they need to remember with a behaviour they already do. Anchoring has wide application. A boy who wants to remember to take a note to school may leave it in a breakfast bowl the night before. Knowing he always has cereal means he won’t forget his note. Boys and technology 15. Create tech-free zones and times Knowing when to leave technology alone is just as important as knowing when to use it appropriately. One way to teach appropriateness of technology use is to introduce tech-free zones and tech-free times into your family. For instance, dinner tables and mealtimes should be kept technology free to encourage face-to-face conversations. Bedrooms should be tech free, at least at night, to help children to get the sleep they need. 16. Differentiate between uses Digital technology has three purposes– communication, education and entertainment. Be aware how your son is using technology, which will influence how you respond to them. Nuance your approach according to the children’s technology use. 17. Make sure boys play in the real world You may need to be strong – very strong – but work hard to make sure that your son spends time playing in the real. The mum’s mantra of “Go outside and play” that many of us are familiar with is now something like “Put that device down. Now go outside and play.” Boy-friendly mothering strategies 18. Teach your son about values and relationships Mothers are generally stronger in the interpersonal areas of child rearing than fathers. Mothers generally do a great job of teaching their sons about a whole range of values (such as tolerance, persistence and loyalty) as well as helping them interact with others. Teach them to treat you well so that they will treat the other women in their lives, including their sisters and partners, with respect and kindness. 19. Step back in adolescence Developmentally, it can be hard moving into manhood if your mum fights all your battles and is always whispering in your ear what you should be doing. Boys often need to find things out for themselves. Learn to step back a little during adolescence, but make sure you are there for them. Teen boys need to be reassured that their mothers will always be there for them. It makes them strong. Essential strategies for fathers 20. Connect early Don’t wait until they are ‘old enough to have fun with’ to start relating and playing with your sons. One way to ensure you connect early is to spend ten minutes a day on your own with your baby son. 21. Show pride in your son Boys desperately want their dads to be proud of them. A boy thinks that if his dad is proud of him then he know he’s loved. This need for approval is in the male psyche. It cannot be ignored although we often conveniently forget it. The need for their father’s approval has a massive influence on a boy’s behaviour, his achievement levels and, ultimately, on the nature of their relationship.