Principal’s Report – Issue 37

Dear Parents

As media advertising and the shop displays remind us, the season of Christmas and gift buying is fast approaching.

How well do we prepare our children for a season of giving rather than receiving, of showing thankfulness for what they have and of generosity towards those who are not as fortunate?

It is normal and natural for young children to believe everyone in the world exists exclusively for their benefit. Thankfulness is just not part of their job description. Part of our role as parents, is to lead our children out of their internal gazing and continually prompt them into a “concern for others” and an attitude towards the people around them.

Modelling thankfulness to our children is an important way to have them learn about living with and for others. We might need to project an attitude of thankfulness with our possessions, our clothes and appearance. Do we see the bigger world of need around us or is our focus simply on ourselves?

As parents, we might hope that our children will learn to be thankful for the way we live our lives. We can tell them how thankful we are to have them in our lives. We can spend more time with them, instead of buying them more toys and games and so teach them the value of relationships over material gifts.

Thankfulness, and caring for others is a major part of well-being as it creates an inner harmony. When our inner harmony is missing, we are not complete. We can be sure that there is no place for feeling miserable in a thankful heart.

Therefore, as we come to the end of another very busy school year I take the opportunity to make mention and THANK a number of people for their commitment and effort throughout the 2018 school year.

This year has, once again, proven to be very eventful and productive for all associated with Infant Jesus School. I would sincerely like to thank each staff member – our teacher assistants; our office staff and administrative staff; our cleaning staff; our grounds, canteen and our teaching staff, for their contributions and efforts throughout 2018. Time after time, they go beyond what is expected and required of them as teachers and carers of our children.

We thank the parents of the school for their support and efforts throughout the year. It is terrific to have this level of interest displayed in the growth of both the children and the school as a whole.

The support for the school has been exemplified through the endeavours of the School Board and the P&F Committee. Both of the parent representative bodies have been wonderful with their efforts, assistance and commitment throughout the school year. On Tuesday night the P&F presented the School Board with a cheque of $25,000 to assist the school with the upgrades to the interactive whiteboards in the Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms over the holidays. We are very grateful for this donation and thank all members of the P&F for their efforts over the year and we look forward to a very productive 2019.

At this time of the year we also say ‘farewell’ to the families who are leaving Infant Jesus School at the end of the term, particularly those families who have had a long association with the school. We hope that each of you have many happy memories of your time here, the people you have met, the many friends both you and your children have made and the various activities you have been involved in during your time at the school. We pray that your futures are filled with many blessings.

Next week’s newsletter will be our last for the year. An overview of the staffing will be shared in this last edition.

Christmas Concert
The 2018 End of Year Christmas Concert is on this TUESDAY 4 DECEMBER and we are looking forward to all families joining us for this special event.

As this is a whole school function all students from Pre-Primary to Year Six are expected to attend.

Children will need to be at school and in their classrooms by 5.30pm. The children will be seated as a class during the concert.

A few reminders and some important information for the evening:

The School Concert will begin from 6.00pm.
Parents will need to bring their own rug or chairs.
Please note that we will have a lawn area for rugs. All chairs will need to be behind this area.
Playground equipment on the oval will be out of bounds.
We remind you that all younger and older children need to be seated with parents during the concert.
We encourage and welcome all family members – grandparents, aunts, uncles etc.
We recognise that parking will be limited on the day, but please do not park on our neighbour’s lawns or block driveways.
At the conclusion of the concert the children will return to their classrooms to be collected.

Parking
A reminder that parking is available in the designated areas around the school as well as in the Church car park. Please respect the property of our school neighbours and do not park on resident’s front lawns or block driveways.

At the conclusion of the gathering, the children will go back to their classrooms. Parents will need to collect the children from each room.

We look forward to the End of Year Christmas Concert and sharing the end of year celebration together.

Advent
Advent is about to commence and the weeks until Christmas will pass quickly. We should all desire to use this time well, to prepare our hearts for the coming of the Christ Child.

“ . . .let our every thought, word and deed aim at doing what is pleasing in Your sight”.

During Advent, we should be making an extra effort to keep Jesus at the forefront of our thoughts and listening to him, rather than the world. Instead of browsing the myriad of catalogues that will pour into our letterboxes, let us put them aside and take a passage from the bible or our Advent booklet to reflect on.

“While we are planning gifts for our family and friends, let us not forget our gifts for the poor and to make time for the lonely. Let us start and end each day with a few moments talking to and listening to God. Let these actions be our Christmas gift to him.”

Hopefully, our homes will have an Advent focus somewhere within the rooms to help promote the true message of Christmas.

The Four Weeks of Advent
During the first two weeks of Advent we light the first two purple candles. The Third Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday. On this day we celebrate that our waiting for the birth of Jesus on Christmas day is almost over. Rose is a liturgical colour that is used to signify joy, so we light the single pink candle on the third Sunday of Advent.

Then on the fourth Sunday of Advent, the final purple candle is lit to mark the final week of prayer and penance as we wait expectantly for the soon-coming birth of the King of Kings.

Traditionally, each of the four Advent candles have a deeper meaning which is depicted in the lovely Four Weeks of Advent:

The 1st Sunday of Advent symbolizes Hope with the “Prophet’s Candle” reminding us that Jesus is coming.
The 2nd Sunday of Advent symbolizes Faith with the “Bethlehem Candle” reminding us of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem.
The 3rd Sunday of Advent symbolizes Joy with the “Shepherd’s Candle” reminding us of the Joy the world experienced at the coming birth of Jesus.
The 4th Sunday of Advent symbolizes Peace with the “Angel’s Candle” reminding us of the message of the angels: “Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men.”

Annual Community Meeting
Our Annual General Meeting was held last Tuesday night and I would like to start by thanking the staff and parents who attended the evening. At this meeting the Chair of the School Board, Mr Ric Olivieri and the President of the P&F Association, Mrs Marisa Gullini, presented their reports on what had been achieved by these two parent representative bodies over the course of the year. Mr Sam Modica presented the Treasurer’s Report on behalf of the School Board Treasurer Mrs Jenny Allpike presented the Treasurer’s Report on behalf of the P&F Association. Included in these reports was an outline of the school fees for 2019.

My report as Principal has been uploaded to the website along with the video that showcased and reflected upon the year.

Elections for four Board positions were also held on the night. It is with much pleasure that I announce the election of the following candidates to the 2019 Infant Jesus School Board:

School Board Members 2019
Fr Greg Burke – Parish Priest (ex-officio)
Mr Sam Modica – Board Member
Mrs Jessica Musca – Board Member
Mrs Nicola Cecchele – Board Member
Mrs Hien Trang – Board Member
Mrs Nicole Mammone – Board Member
Mrs Joanna Brisbane – P&F Representative
Mrs Josephine McManus – Parish Representative

Executive positions for the Board will be determined at the first Board meeting in 2019.

Mr Paul Hille – School Principal (ex-officio)
Miss Clare Moffat – Assistant Principal (ex-officio)
Mr Frank Colangelo -Assistant Principal (ex-officio)

P&F Association 2019
The Parents and Friends Association is an integral part of the Catholic School structure and is a valuable instrument in the Church’s ministry of education. The following people were elected to the executive positions on the P&F Association for 2019:

Mrs Marisa Gullini – President
Mrs Jenny Allpike – Treasurer
Mrs Joanna Brisbane – P&F Board Representative

We thank all these people for their generosity and wish them every success in 2019.

Year Six Graduation & Dinner Dance
Tomorrow evening, our Year Six students will celebrate their completion of primary school with a very special Dinner Dance to be hosted at the school by the staff and parents. Parents are invited to join the children at 8.30pm and share with their child the traditional parent/child dance. Please keep in mind the children want this special time from 6.30pm-8.30pm together, to enjoy each other’s company for one of the last times at Infant Jesus School.

Graduation Assembly & Thanksgiving Mass – Friday 7 December 2018
On Friday, 7 December the Year Six students will celebrate the end of their primary school education with a Thanksgiving Mass and an Assembly. The Assembly will commence at 8.45am and all students from Year One to Year Six will be attending. This is a formal gathering of the school community where we honour our Year Six children and wish them well for the future. At the Assembly, each Year Six child will be presented with their graduation certificate and be given the opportunity to be with the community for one last time. During the Assembly staff and families leaving the school at the conclusion of the 2018 school year are also recognised and acknowledged.

At the conclusion of the Assembly the Year Six children will join their parents for Morning Tea in the School Hall before the Thanksgiving Mass.

The Thanksgiving Mass will commence at 11.00am in the Infant Jesus Parish Church. This is a very significant occasion for the Year Six students and we invite everyone in the school community to not only keep our Year Six students in their prayers, but our entire Infant Jesus School community as they begin their Christmas vacation.

Semester Two Reports
Next Friday, 7 December, the Semester Two reports for all children from Pre-Primary to Year Six will be online for all parents to access (after 11am). Reports provide information to parents about the progress and the achievements that children have made for the year.

Reports provide important information about how much effort children are applying to their learning. Effort is vital to all learning and the consistency with which this is applied can have a direct impact on the progress and success that all children have in their learning.

Parents are encouraged to share the report with their child. The article in the Assistant Principal News includes some information for parents to consider when reading the report together with your child.

Staff Farewells
The end of a school year also is a time where we have to say a few goodbyes to members of the community. The following staff members are either retiring, taking leave or moving to new positions in 2019. We thank the following people for their time and service to Infant Jesus School:

Miss Kate Witkowski
Miss Jasmine Ziino
Mrs Penny Storey
Mrs Mary Barclay (secondment – returning to OLA)

To all our departing staff, we thank each of them for their contribution and service to our school. Our lives have certainly been enriched because of their efforts and commitment to Infant Jesus School. Thank you for all that you have contributed, and I wish you all, every happiness for the future.

We also take this opportunity to wish both Maureen O’Neill and Mrs Leanne Griffin all the best for their year of leave in 2019.

Mrs Janelle White will also be extending her leave in 2019 as she takes the time to rest and improve her health.

Best Wishes
We take this opportunity to wish Miss Renee Allegretto all the best for her forthcoming wedding that will be celebrated during the school holidays. This is a very exciting time for Renee and her fiancé, Goran. We wish both of them all God’s blessing and for a life time of love and happiness.

New Staff Appointments
We welcome to our school Mrs Dianne Scoble who joins us from Our Lady’s Assumption School in Dianella. Dianne comes to our school with a wealth of experience, having been the Assistant Principal at OLA for the past 10 years, as well as serving some time as a short-term Principal in two schools within Catholic Education WA this year. We look forward to welcoming Dianne to our school.

Congratulations
Mrs Amanda Edwards and her husband Peter on the safe arrival of their baby daughter Evelyn (Evie) Jane Edwards born on 27/11/18 weighing 3.49kg.

2019 Term Dates
Please find below the listed Term Dates for Infant Jesus School for 2019. Included in these are the scheduled Pupil Free Days for the year. Please note that the finishing date is yet to be confirmed, but at this stage is the 13 December.

Term 1 Monday 4 February – Friday 12 April
Term 2 Tuesday 30 April – Friday 5 July
Term 3 Tuesday 23 July – Thursday 26 September
Term 4 Tuesday 15 October – Friday 13 December (To be confirmed)

Pupil Free Days 2019

Monday 29 April Tuesday 4 June
Monday 22 July * Friday 27 September
Monday 14 October

School Uniform
We remind all parents that all students attending Infant Jesus School in 2017 are required to wear the Summer School Uniform on the return to school next year. All uniform supplies are available at Lowes Uniform supplies at the Mirrabooka Shopping Centre.

Prayer for the Week

This Advent we once again prepare for Christmas. While we look forward to remembering and celebrating the birth of Jesus, we also take this time to prepare our hearts and minds as we wait for the coming of the Christ Child. Just as we all look forward to the end of the school year; we also look towards Christ’s coming with excitement and with joy.

Heavenly Father,
We remember Joseph and Mary as they awaited the birth of their child
and prepared for the journey to Bethlehem.
May we learn to trust in God like Mary and Joseph.
We recognise that people of different nations, cultures and religious traditions
will come together to search out new ways of living in peace built on justice.
We ask for your guidance as we learn to wait and listen for the Good News
of the birth of our Saviour this Christmas.
We offer this prayer through Jesus Christ your Son
and the by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen

Did you Know?

THE word Christmas comes from the Old English “Cristes maesse” meaning “Christ’s Mass”
THE world’s tallest Christmas tree at 221ft (or 67.36m) high was erected in a Washington shopping mall in 1950.
THE holly in a wreath symbolizes Christ’s crown of thorns while the red berries are drops of his blood.

Thought for the Week
The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree:
the presence of a happy family all wrapped.

Have a Great Week