Principal’s Report – Issue 25

Dear Parents

Infant Jesus Day 2018

Tomorrow is a day that we come together to celebrate as a community as we honour our heritage and the traditions of our school. It is a special time to recognise our past and all the people who, in different ways, have contributed to the vibrant community that we have today.

We reflect on our identity and heritage and recognise our Dominican beginnings merging with the Carmelite Vision to create our community which is founded on Faith, Love, Hope and Truth. We have included some information below that you may wish to discuss with your children, particularly as we come together tomorrow to celebrate our special day.

School History

Infant Jesus School was established in 1954 by the Dominican Sisters to support the Catholic families in the Parish and to provide a quality Catholic Education for the community. The first School was opened on a site in Walter Road and was called St Paul’s. The school opened with an enrolment of 22 children. The two teachers in charge of the school were Sr Joseph and Sr Dominic.

In 1956 the Carmelite Fathers took over the parish. By the end of 1960 the school in Walter Road had become too small and was unsuitable as children were now enrolled in the school from Year 1 to Year 7. Late in 1960 a four-acre block was purchased at the corner of Smith and Russell Streets and a new building was built at a cost of 14 500 pounds. The new school had four classrooms and was built in plain white bricks.

Please have a look at our whole school coming together in celebration of Infant Jesus Day 2018. Click on this link here.

The Dominican Order – Motto “ Veritas” (Truth)

Dominic Guzman founded the Dominican Order in Prouilhe and Toulouse in Southern France between 1206 and 1216. Now referred to as ‘The Dominican Family’, the order comprises Friars, Sisters, Nuns, Dominican Lay men and women, the Dominican Youth Movement, Dominican Volunteer Movement and countless other groups who lay claim to the charism of preaching the gospel. The Dominican Mission, which we proudly inherit, is to study, explore and discover better, ever more effective and newer ways to disseminate the Gospel message of Truth.

The logo of the school up until the late 80’s was that of the Dominican order because of their close involvement in the teaching staff of the school. Black reminds us that self-discipline and penance are a necessary part of Christian life. White is the symbol of innocence inspiring us not to sin. Veritas sums up the whole idea of the motto – Truth.

The Carmelites – Faith – Carmelite Gathering Place

The rule of life given to the Carmelites by St. Albert Avogadro between the years 1206 – 1214, was finally approved as the true and proper Rule of Carmel by Innocenzo in 1247 and later underwent mitigations which were not in the original text.

The Carmelite Rule states that it is basic for a Carmelite to “live a life of allegiance to Jesus Christ. To live a life of allegiance to Jesus Christ, the Carmelites bind themselves especially to:

develop the contemplative dimension of their life, in an open dialogue with God
pray together or alone several times a day
do manual work, as Paul the Apostle did
live as brothers in poverty, placing in common what little they may have
love the Church and all people – Celebrate the Eucharist every day
conform their will to that of God, seeking the will of God in faith, in dialogue and  through their actions.

The core value of love underpins all the Dominican and Carmelite values. At Infant Jesus School we recognise the importance of Jesus’ greatest commandment to ‘love one another.’

We recognise the Carmelite and Dominican sisters and religious who established and developed our school. We also acknowledge the many staff members, children, families and friends who have contributed in so many ways. We pray that their time as part of our Infant Jesus family has helped them to grow into God centred and Jesus focused people who make a difference to our world. Above all this, we continue to put our faith and trust in Jesus as the cornerstone of the community we strive to build.

The logo has the theme of the cross as the centre of the universe. The cross is in a central position beneath the stars of the Southern Cross. The circles behind the cross represent the sun, the earth and the moon. The cross stands on a semi-circular mountain which is Mount Carmel.

In the Carmelite tradition, coming from the inspiration of St. John of the Cross, the goal of life is seen as the ascent of Mount Carmel which is the place of union with Christ in faith, in hope and in love.

Today, we are very fortunate to have school facilities that are quite remarkable. Our students and staff are very fortunate and blessed to be educated and work in a school like Infant Jesus. We give thanks on Infant Jesus Day to all those who have gone before us and contributed in some way to make Infant Jesus School what it is today.

Happy Infant Jesus Day!

Infant Jesus Day Outline

This year the theme is ‘Past, Present and Future.’ This theme will be reflected in the Mass at the beginning of the day. It is a significant gathering of the community of Infant Jesus School and both the staff, the students and the parents are looking forwards to welcoming families or extended family members. During the Mass, which will be celebrated by Fr Greg, we give thanks to God for the many blessings we have received.

Today our manta of ‘ExpectGreatThings’ inspires all in our community to be the best people we can be. As a school we strive to offer an environment of harmony, goodwill and opportunity for all. It is where staff, parents and students come together for the common good, which encompasses the welfare of all and the educational progress of each individual student.

Parents, grandparents, extended family and friends are invited to attend our celebration tomorrow. Some special guests including Fr Greg and members of the Infant Jesus Parish may join us for the Mass and the Morning Tea. They may also visit classes and stay for the afternoon activities. Please make them feel welcome and have a chat to them when you see them.

Tomorrow, all children are required to wear their Winter Uniform (not Sports Uniform) to school.

A reminder to all parents of the safety of the children throughout the day. During the Classroom Open Sessions after recess children are only permitted to visit other classes with their parents who will take responsibility for the time that the children are not in their class. Children will not be permitted to ‘go with a brother, sister or friend’ and teachers will record the names of children as they return to the class.

Schedule for Infant Jesus Day

(This is a guide and approximate times only)

9:00 – 10:00am Mass – School Hall

10:00 – 10:30am Morning tea for parents and special guests in the Hall.
Recess for children on the Basketball Court (weather permitting)

11:00am Band and Choir Performance for parents and special guests in the Hall
Classroom Open Sessions
‘Past, Present & Future’ activity set up in the Hall
‘Past and Present’ Augmented

Reality highlighting the major differences in the buildings

Parents need to take responsibility for the time that the children are not in their class. Teachers will record the names of children as they return to class.

Children can only be signed out of a class by their parent or grandparent. For safety reasons, children are not permitted to go with a brother, sister or friend. They must be accompanied by an adult.

12:00noon All children return to class.

12:00noon – 12.30pm Lunches (sausage sizzle) distributed to children in the class.
Parents and guest collect lunch (sausage sizzle) from the canteen.
Parents may join children who are eating lunch on the school oval (weather permitting

12:40pm – 1:45pm Mini Fair

2:00pm Infant Jesus Day concludes
Normal Classes to resume

Contingency in Case of Rain

If it does rain tomorrow, we will try and remain with the same schedule with the following adjustments:

Parents may join children who are eating lunch in their classrooms (this is to facilitate children/staff setting up stalls in the under covered areas and the Hall).
Mini Fair – venue for all activities – Hall and Under-covered Areas
Normal classes will resume at 2.00pm

LEAD Awards for Excellence 2018 ~ Catholic Education WA

At the end of last term, the School Leadership Team along with the Extended Leadership Team and the Staff of Infant Jesus School, applied for Catholic Education Western Australia LEAD Awards for Excellence.

The LEAD Awards (Learning, Engagement, Accountability, and Discipleship) recognise Catholic schools and colleges that are providing innovative learning experiences for students, staff and community.

Our submission titled “A LEADing Learning School, was recognised as an Award recipient, from a total of 47 quality applications within Catholic Education Western Australia. Infant Jesus School received a LEAD Merit Award which is a fantastic achievement for our school and highlights the wonderful work we are doing at Infant Jesus School, particularly across the Learning domain.

School Cyclic Review

As parents are aware the School Cyclic Review was held last week this term with both the School Board and the P&F Association being involved and having representation and engagement in the process. The School Cyclic Review focuses on the effectiveness of a school’s engagement with self-review, the impact of self-review on school improvement and the future directions for the improvement of student outcomes that the school has identified. The SCR occurs once in a five-year period and contributes to the compliance of school re-registration regulations in Western Australia (WA).

I am very pleased with the outcome of this Review and the panel were extremely impressed with all facets of the school: the direction, clarity, improvement and engagement at all levels. There were many positive and affirming observations, commendations and acknowledgements about:

Our School
Our Staff
Our Students
Our Parents
Our Catholic Identity and strong relationship with parish
Our Innovative Teaching and Learning (Pedagogy) Programs
Our Positive school Climate, Culture & Community
Our Transparent, Open and collaborative approach to all that we do.
Our authentic and respectful relationships
Our endeavours to #ExpectGreatThings of each and every one as we strive to make Infant Jesus School

‘A LEADing Learning School’.

Climate Surveys

Next week members of the school community are invited to participate in a survey to provide information that the school can use to plan for future improvements.

This survey is an aspect of the National School Improvement Partnerships Effective School Improvement program and is an initiative out of Curtin University. The development of this program has been based on many years of research in improving the performance of schools in Australia. The survey provides valuable data and information relating to whole school improvement and change to ensure that each student achieves their best.

Effective parents and caregiver involvement can play a critical role in students’ academic success – a growing body of research indicates that the engagement of parents in the school supports children’s learning and leads to better outcomes.

This survey will provide feedback about a wide range of dimensions important to parents. This then helps the school leaders to consider how they can foster greater involvement of parents, as key stakeholders, in the life of the school.

Next week, a link for the survey will be added to the school app. All parents are invited to complete the online survey. Please be aware that that the survey will only be accessible for a limited time.

Performing Arts

Last Friday night, the school Infant Jesus School Concert Band performed at Newman College in the Catholic Performing Arts Festival. The performance included four pieces that ranged from classical to contemporary – one of the pieces the band played Mozarts classical piece, which our school bell. Earlier in the week our school received notification from Catholic Arts, the organisers of the Catholic Performing Arts Festival, that the school band had received a Certificate of Merit in this event.

Congratulations to Mr James Sewell, the School Band Conductor, and the entire school band for the tireless work over the past year. You should all be very proud of your achievements last week and for the entire year.

Congratulations Click on this link here

Best Wishes

We take this opportunity to wish Kerryn McLaughlin all the best for her leave commencing next week. Kerryn will be away until Term 4.

From My Readings . . .

PARENTING KIDS WHO WANT TO BE BOSS by Michael Grose

If you are locked in a power struggle with a child or youngster, then you’ll be forever battling to get some cooperation unless you make some adjustments. The coercive approach won’t cut it as they’ll refuse outright, or just dawdle along on their own terms.

Any of these situations sound familiar?

You are trying to get a child to do something and they just won’t play your game. Your request for help is met with an excuse or, worse, an argument. Reminders about bedtime are met with a defiant, ‘NO!’ or worse – dawdling. “I’ll go to bed later,” is the response from some children. It’s infuriating!

Most families will have at least one child who insists on getting their way and doesn’t like to be told what to do. I call them ‘Make me’ kids because everything about their demeanour at times wants you to ‘Make them’ do what they’re told. These kids value power and don’t shy away from a fight.

Power struggles between parents and children are common. Often “Because I said so” becomes more important than the issue we are fighting or arguing over.

The key reason for this battle of wills between parents and difficult kids fundamentally comes from a desire for control.  If you are locked in a power struggle with a child, then you will forever be battling with them for cooperation unless you take a different track with them.

Forget the “Do this and do it now!” approach with these kids. It may have cut it in the past and it may be effective with ‘Well-behaved’ kids, but it doesn’t cut it these days, particularly with kids who want to be the boss.

These kids refuse to cooperate when the tone and language of coercion is used. These kids value control and want autonomy, so you need to communicate in a way that doesn’t trigger their need to wrestle control from you.

Such kids respond well to the language of cooperation, which involves giving them a choice, and is more about asking for help than demanding compliance. You don’t have to grovel, but you do need to watch your language with these little power-seekers and remember that cooperation is won, not demanded!

Taking a different approach

Here are some strategies that will increase the likelihood of getting cooperation from kids who like to be the ‘Boss’:

Don’t fight over every issue: Cut the little ‘Boss’ some slack and let them make some decisions themselves. If you want a say in every area of their lives then you’ll soon find yourself locked in power struggles over relatively inconsequential issues like clothing, bedroom tidiness and food. For instance, if a young child doesn’t want to wear a jumper in winter then so be it. There are bigger parenting fish to fry! I see parents exhaust themselves over minor battles so that when big issues come up, they just give in!
Tell them what you will do: Most of us tell kids what to do, which they promptly ignore. It’s far better to tell them what action YOU will take. This subtle shift in language has a huge impact in terms of getting some cooperation from ‘Make me’ kids.  Next time you want to tell your child what to do, catch yourself. Instead, tell them what you are going to do.  Here’s some examples: “I’ll serve ice cream when you are seated at the table.”  “I’ll listen to you when you have calmed down.”  “I’ll drive when you are quiet.”  Get into the habit of focusing on what you will do, rather than on what they should do and you’ll start to see a shift in terms of getting cooperative behaviour almost immediately.
Let consequences work their magic:  Of course, you need to stop nagging kids about their behaviours and allow them to experience the consequences of some of their poor choices. This removes you from the power struggle and lets experience be their teacher.

Power-hungry or bossy kids challenge parents who are authoritarian by nature, or who were raised in very authoritarian ways. These kids need smarter handling if we are going to get cooperation from them. They are often referred to as stubborn, disobedient, pig-headed and argumentative. The flip side is that they can be strong-willed, assertive and determined individuals.

Either way they can present difficulties to us as parents as we manage them on a day-to-day basis, particularly when they directly challenge us.  But with a little change in parenting style, they can grow into wonderful kids who are confident in their abilities and comfortable making independent decisions.

Sale of iMacs

We have for sale some second-hand iMacs with the following specifications for $100.

iMac Intel (21.5-inch, Mid 2010), iMac11,2, Dual 3.06 GHz Intel Core i3, 4.0 GB RAM, 500GB Sata Drive

These will be wiped and restored to factory settings with no additional software installed, they also come with no support or warranty and are sold as seen. These may be an ideal workstation for a second computer for your home – once apps etc are purchased. It will give you internet access and basic built in applications.

For more information about the device please go to the following site which has historical information regarding the full specification. Click on this link here.

Please fill in the following form to request your desire to have one of these machines. Unfortunately, they will be a first come, first go process. Click on this link here.

Grandparents Morning Tea

On Tuesday 4 September we will celebrate our Grandparents in a very special morning at Infant Jesus School.

This event which will begin with prayer at 8:40am in the school hall will celebrate the gift of grandparents in our community. There will be several activities scheduled during the morning and this event will conclude morning tea in the school hall.

Please fill in the attached form so we can adequately cater for all those in attendance. Click on this link here.

Prayer for the Week

Our Infant Jesus School Prayer
We are the family of Infant Jesus School,
united together through the gifts of faith,
hope, truth and love
We pray to Jesus,
to help us love one another as we love You.
We ask you to support us to create a loving, caring
and respectful bond
within our Infant Jesus Family.
We pray that Jesus will give us the strength and courage to live a good life,
to appreciate each other for who we are and to treat each other as special
members of God’s Family.
Amen

Did you Know?

Koalas almost never drink water. They get fluids from the eucalyptus leaves they eat.
If you take your age and multiply it by 7, then multiply by 1,443 the product repeats your age 3 times
The months that start with a Sunday always have a Friday 13th
One quarter of the bones in your body are in your feet.

Thought for the Week

The main hope of a nation lies in the proper education of its youth
Erasmus

Go EAGLES!