2024 Newsletter Term 2 Week 10
From the Principal - Brad Toole
Dear Parents and Guardians,
This week our school will be celebrating NAIDOC Week, an important event in Australia that honours the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This year’s theme chosen by the National NAIDOC Committee, is Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud & Proud.
The theme honours the enduring strength and vitality of First Nations culture – with fire a symbol of connection to Country, to each other, and to the rich tapestry of traditions that define Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
NAIDOC Week, which stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee, provides an opportunity for our school community to recognize the contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, as well as to deepen our understanding of their rich heritage. It is a time for us to reflect on the significant role that elders play in indigenous communities and the wisdom they impart to younger generations.
Throughout the week, our school has organised various activities and events to engage our students and encourage them to learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
By celebrating NAIDOC Week and focusing on the theme "Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud & Proud" we aim to instil a sense of respect, understanding, and appreciation for the elders within our school community. Through these activities, we hope to strengthen the bonds between generations and foster a spirit of unity and inclusivity.
I encourage all parents, students, and staff to actively participate in our NAIDOC Week celebrations and embrace the opportunity to learn and grow together. Let us come together as a community to honour and celebrate the rich heritage and wisdom of our indigenous brothers and sisters.
Thursday 4th July
All Hallows NAIDOC Day
- Mufti Day wearing something Red, Black or Yellow
- Activities throughout the day in mixed groups.
- BBQ Lunch (Sausage Sizzle)
- NAIDOC Liturgy at 2.15pm
- Return to classes after lunch for the afternoon.
Parents are all invited to attend the liturgy, activities and barbecue and join with us throughout the day.
School Holidays and Pupil Free Day Term 3
Last day of Term 2 is this Friday the 5th of July.
Have a happy and safe holiday.
Our first day of Term 3 will be a Pupil Free Day.
Classes will resume Tuesday 23rd July at 9.00am.
R.E. Matters - Walking in the Light of Christ
This term our focus is…
‘WE ARE CALLED TO SHINE’
NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July every year (Sunday to Sunday) NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth.
Dear God,
Help us to listen to, respect and appreciate the history,
culture and achievements of the First Nations People.
Thank you for opportunities all around us to learn the ways of our nation's first peoples,
which are precious and important to all life in this Country.
With your love and spirit, let us walk together in unity, peace and harmony on this precious land.
Amen
Our Bathurst Diocese - Our Community
UNITE TOGETHER, SHARE WITH EACH OTHER, GROW TOGETHER
NGUMBA-DAL-NGILA-NHA MAWANG, BANGAMALANHA, YURANHA MAWANG
Artist: Tirikee (Aleshia Lonsdale)
Aleshia is a Wiradjuri woman from Central West New South Wales, Australia
"The centre motif represents the connection between communities and people in the diocese. The small outside concentric circles represent each of the school communities. Travelling lines come in to make up the outside circle - the diocese. The second circle represents the school community, the third circle represents family and the inner circle represents the children who are at the centre. The wavy lines in between each circle represent the transfer and sharing of knowledge between all groups. There is a strength in the connection of people through learning and sharing together. The lines and space between the fingers of the hands represent the hills and valleys. The yellow represents the plains and the red represents the rivers. The twelve white dots represent the twelve moons of the year. This painting represents the connections between people and and communities in the diocese."
Year 6 Religious Education Test
Our Year 6 students recently sat the Diocesan Year 6 RE Test. Congratulations to all the students who worked hard to prepare for the test and achieved great results. Four students earned a Distinction and ten students earned a Credit.
A special mention to Sarah Wright who earned a High Distinction scoring 38/40.
We are very proud of you all.
Feast of Joachim and Anne - Grandparents Liturgy
Joachim and Anne were Mary’s parents and the Grandparents of Jesus. Joachim and Anne were greatly honoured by God who gave them a daughter conceived without sin who was to become known as Mary, Mother of God! It would seem that they performed parenting responsibilities with great grace.
Their feast day on the 26th July is a day to honour them and all grandparents for their contribution to our lives.
Please join us at our Grandparents Liturgy led by Year 2 and Mrs Clift on Friday 26th July, 2024
(Term 3 – Week 1) as we celebrate all our Grandparents and those who fill this role in our lives.
Canberra Excursion
Our Yr 5/6 adventurers headed to Canberra last week and showed themselves to be exceptional tourists and All Hallows ambassadors.
Over four days we visited twelve different venues learning about Australia’s capital city, Federal Government, art, history, armed forces, scientific advancement, and all there is to know about dinosaurs. Many of our students found themselves a new role. Dakota became the Speaker of the House, Dante was the Sergeant at arms, Grace was the Deputy Clerk, William was the Prime Minister, Noah T ran the election and Arabella found her ice skating legs.
We travelled with our friends from Sacred Heart, Coolah and St Michael’s Dunedoo. The group combined so quickly that at each place visited they were complimented on their cohesiveness, interest and knowledge in answering questions. Their teachers were super proud, but not surprised.
A highlight of the trip was the Student V Teacher battles at Laser Tag. The scoreboard doesn’t lie and the teachers definitely won the laser tag with the most points by far!!!! Unfortunately we were unable to get to the snow due to the weather conditions, but together we went on the Magical Mystery Tour and saw sights we had not even planned on. On Wednesday night we cheered on NSW in the State of Origin. We returned home Thursday evening full of stories and ready for a good sleep in our own beds.
Yr 5/6 would like to thank all those that helped make this excursion possible. Noel Chapman – our driver - for keeping us moving and bringing us home safely.
Our teachers, Mr Rogers, Miss Mulligan, Ms Statham, Mrs Kitchin from Sacred Heart and Mrs Frampton from St Michael’s for organizing and looking after us. We especially wish to thank our parents for this opportunity – We loved it!
Canberra 2024
Semester One Reports
Our teachers are busy preparing our Semester 1 Reports. Our students have been busy working hard for two terms and should be proud of their efforts this semester. Reports will be made available on Compass tomorrow. Please contact the class teacher if you have any queries or the office if you have any trouble accessing the report.
Attendance SMS
School Beanies
The school is now selling beanies for $18. They are available from the Uniform Shop. They can be worn on cool days. I would advise students to have their hats in their bags so they can change later in the day if it warms up.
Canteen Helpers Needed!
We are desperate for more canteen helpers at the moment. Helpers are required to be in the canteen from 10.30 - 1.30pm. If you’re able to help, can you please email the school office or speak to Brad.
**We have taken milkshakes off the menu at the moment and will let you know if they become available again.
Kindness
We are always striving to teach the children at All Hallows the importance of kindness. We strongly encourage kids to be kind and generous by:
- Helping students recognise acts of generosity and kindness. Even in movies and stories.
- Praising their acts of kindness that we see.
- Talk about being grateful for the things that they are fortunate to receive or have in their lives.
- Talk about the positive impacts of helping others and how it makes the world a better place.
- Create opportunities for kids to share their generosity with others.
- Sharing stories where you have been on the receiving end of kindness and how it makes you feel.
Garden Club
This week in the garden club we planted some spring onions, fennel and spinach. We are so excited to get some of these beautiful plants growing! Our carrot soil feels a little sticky, which means it is aerobic and needs more carbon, so we are adding paper to rectify that. We have mulched our potatoes again, after cleaning out our compost bin, ensuring the potatoes are still covered as they grow. Our compost was full of beautiful, big worms meaning it is doing its job!
We have also added some dill seeds throughout our garden, at this time of year our flowers that attract our pollinators are few so our dill flowers will bring all our pollinators back into the garden and provide us with some scrumptious herbs for our fish later.
Happy gardening, Miss Norris and Mrs Watts.
ICAS ASSMENTS
ICAS is an online academic competition that gives students the opportunity to challenge their higher order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Writing, Spelling Bee, and Digital Technologies.
More information will come home in the coming days.
Student Wellbeing Tips
Merits - Week 9 Term 2
Kinder: Sophie J
Year 1: Bonnie Blue, Millie, Hunter, Bella
Year 2: Audrey B, Cooper M
Year 3: Amalea, Lincoln, Audrey G, Michaela, Iyla, Hamish, Zion, Wayne, Charlotte H, Ruby
Year 4: Elsie B, Ivy, Oliver
Year 5: Tia
Year 6: William, Lilah
Halos: Cambell, Sophie, Zach, Bonnie Blue, Airley, Liam, Cooper H, Winnie B, Blair, Audrey G, Ruby