Lord, as we continue in a new semester, make us ready, attentive and available to hear you. 

Thank You for the gift of being able to rise each day with the assurance that You walk through it with us.

Thank You for the gifts of creativity and uniqueness, and the energy to put them to good use.

May all that we are today, all that we try to do today, may all our encounters, reflections, even the frustrations and failings all be placed in your hands.

May the work we do and the way we do it, bring new hope, new life, and courage to all we come in contact with this semester. We thank you, Lord. Amen

(Thank you  2 JR for sharing this prayer)

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we enter Week 3 of the Term 3, I hope you are all well and managing, through these unprecedented times, to focus on positive moments and the many reasons we have to be grateful.

Here are 4 reminders to continue to  help keep all in our learning community healthy and safe.

• Please continue to socially distance during drop off and pick up at the gate and only come into the school via reception for essential reasons.
• Please keep your child at home if they are unwell.
• We encourage you to get tested if you are unwell or displaying any symptoms such as fever, sore throat, cold and respectfully ask that you consider keeping your child(ren)  at home until results come back as a confirmed negative. 
• Please provide, if you are able, a clean cloth towel or flannel each day for your child  to dry their hands. This will support us to ensure we are following strict hand hygiene practices when washing hands with soap and water and reduce the use of paper towel. Please know that the paper towel is also available and provided by the school.

Road Safety particularly at Marlin Drive: We have received a letter from our crossing lady at Marlin Drive. There is worrying concern about the safety of students and families  as there are reports of cars not stopping and drivers being distracted as you drive down Marlin Drive.

Please ensure we are taking care on the roads and being very mindful of the pedestrians and extra vehicle traffic during these colder months to ensure the safety of all in our community. 

Also a reminder to students riding out the back of the school to use the crossings and travel safely. If your child travels this way please have a further conversation with them about safety and the importance of using crossings.

City of Greater Geelong Newsletter item about our Victorian Sustainability  Awards: 

https://www.geelongaustralia.com.au/news/item/8d82d67a8ce3a3a.aspx

Many thanks Sue and Kellie on a great article.

Student Safety Form: We have updated our Student Safety/Behaviour form which children in Year 3-6 have on their IPADS.

https://forms.gle/wCwxdoNpmNTrzxL5A      

This form is a great opportunity for students who are feeling worried or unsafe to report their worry by filling out the form. This information comes directly to Paul and myself and we can follow up with the students. It also gives an opportunity for your child to release the worry, knowing we will support them at school and they will be able to enjoy the day or night, depending on when they submit the form. 

School fees: If you are experiencing difficulty with making school fee payments please make contact with me directly to discuss how we can help you through this time. Every enrolment is important to us and we are here to support you. 

Incursions and Excursions: The teachers have been looking at opportunities to engage with incursions and excursions.This week sees our Year 3-6 students being fortunate enough to participate in writing workshops with Little Scribe Mini-writers Festival. Please refer to the Hub news for more detail about this incursion. This Thursday, will also see any Year 3-6 students that showed interest, participating  in the Australian Mathematics Competition which is also being paid for by the school. Next week our Preps will be having an incursion with the Science Discovery Dome.

Assembly: As per last term, we are still continuing to live stream our assemblies via Google Meet to all classes. We are also sending the link home via whole school group email on Friday for those families wishing to view, particularly if your child's class  is on assembly. This week assembly is being presented by Year 3 LM  and next week will be Year 4 CO. 

Warm wishes to you and your family for a happy, safe and productive fortnight ahead.

Kerryn

It is wonderful to see how many of our students engage in active travel (walk, ride or scoot) options to get to and from school on a regular basis.  Even now, in the middle of winter, many families are taking advantage of active travel options as a way of contributing towards the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity  each day.  Some parents tell me that they enjoy this time walking with their child (and usually the family dog too) as it is a great time for conversation and can be a lot less stressful than driving.   The high number of active travellers has definitely benefited our school community during this time of Covid-19 restrictions, with less traffic around our school.

As children grow, and with supervised experiences, they gradually become more independent in their ability to get around by themselves.  One of the most important aspects of being a parent is teaching your children to become independent. But sometimes it’s easier said than done, especially when you have such a strong instinct to protect them.  

For tips on preparing your child to get around on their own, please read VicHealth’s Steps for helping children become more independent. 

With so many children walking, riding and scooting to and from school, it is important that everybody takes responsibility for ensuring that our students are safe.  

For students, this means they need to be aware of their surroundings and have clear strategies to keep themselves safe.  For example, looking carefully when crossing roads, following laws for pedestrians and riding safely.  

For the adults in our community, taking responsibility for ensuring that our students are safe involves:

1. Ensuring that your child/ren are ready for traveling independently in a safe manner
2. Driving safely, aware of the unpredictability of some children who are developing their independence in getting about by themselves.  This includes limiting your speed, especially in the streets close to schools.  

Driving in the neighbouring streets close to school can at times be stressful.  Parents can sometimes be running a little late or desperately looking for a car park close to the gate so they can drop the kids off and get to work.  In recent weeks the Crossing Supervisor on Marlin Drive has reported a number of cars not stopping at the crossing and has expressed her  fears for the safety of students and herself.  Police have been notified regarding this unacceptable driving.  We all play our role in ensuring the safety of our community.  Please take care, slow down, and if you witness anything dangerous, please don’t hesitate in contacting police.  If you see our students engaging in unsafe travel, please let me know by email on panderson@staroceangrove.catholic.edu.au.

Sadly, in recent times there have been too many examples of a general lack of respect and courtesy by some Victorians that seem to place their needs ahead of those of anyone else.  Hopefully our school community can continue to be a beacon of safety, kindness and respect, especially when it comes to navigating the busyness of school drop off or pick up.  

Paul Anderson

Term 3 Week 3 - Green Hub News

Term 3 Week 3 - Red Hub News

Term 3 Week 3 - Blue Hub News

Term 3 Week 3 - Purple Hub

Term 3 Week 3 - Yellow Hub News

Students travelling by car, bike, scooter or walking to school are to arrive at school in the morning after 8.30am.

Over the course of this week the children in Year 3-6 will participate in The Littlescribe Mini Writing Festival.

Each day of the week the children and their teacher will tune in to a live video conference where they will workshop with an author and illustrator on a particular writing skill. Skills include creating characters, setting a scene, writing about problems and problem solving, poetry and cartoon creation. According to your child’s age and interests will depend on the workshops the teachers have registered for their class.

The workshops will complement this year’s Book week theme which is Curious creatures, Wild minds. 

The children will have the chance to meet and work with prominent authors and illustrators including Andrew Daddo, Jackie French, Wendy Orr, James Foley, Lisa Nichol, Debra Abela and Kristen Darrell to name a few. We felt this was a perfect opportunity for the children to interact with real authors and illustrators and see how they approach their writing and illustrating.The children will upload their work to Seesaw most days so you can see their efforts.

We have the ability to go back and see these recorded workshops at any time in the month of August so we can return to these workshops to do follow up activities. So keep an eye out for some fantastic writing efforts in the coming weeks coming through your child’s Seesaw account.

Hot Dog Days 

Hot dog and fruit box drink  - $5 

Wednesday 14 Dec - Prep & Grade 1
Thursday 15 Dec - Grade 4, 5 & 6.

$5.00 hot dog & juice box or $3.00 hot dog no drink.

Order online via schools24

Please install the School App.  It is an important communication tool for us. 

How do I install SZapp on my device?

Term 4 2020

Friday 16 October: Respectful Relationships "Gratitude Day"

Monday 19 October: Book Week Dress Up Day 

Thursday 22 October: Footy colours casual clothes day and Gold Coin donation for Cherished Pets Ocean Grove.

Friday 23 October: AFL Grand Final Public Holiday, school closed 

Sunday 25 October: School working bee 10am - 12pm - Purple Hub TBC

Tuesday 3 November: Melbourne Cup Public Holiday, school Closed 

Friday 6 November: Mission Fete Day 

Monday 9 November: School Photo Day Individual and Class Photos

Tuesday 10 November: School Photo Day Family Portraits

Monday 23 November  - Tuesday 24 November: Year 6 Camp Wyuna

Tuesday 24 November: Prep 2021 Parent Information Session 6 - 7pm TBC

Thursday 26 November: Prep 2021 Parent Information Session 6 - 7pm TBC

Friday 27 November: Staff 2021 Planning Day, student free day 

Monday 30 November: Year 3 Camp Wyuna

Tuesday 1 December: Year 4 Camp Wyuna

Wednesday 2 December: Year 5 Camp Wyuna

Wednesday 2 December: Prep 2021 Orientation Day 9.30am - 11am TBC

Tuesday 8 December: Prep 2021 Orientation Day 9.30am - 11am TBC

Thursday 17 December: End of Term 4

Please note: Please refer to the Parent Calendar for all dates

Staff Return: Wednesday 27 January

Term 1 Students return: Thursday 28 January - Thursday 1 April

Easter - Friday 2 April - Monday 5 April 

Term 2  Monday 19 April - Friday 25 June 

Term 3  Monday 12 July - Friday 17 September 

Term 4  Monday 4 October - Thursday 16 December 

Geelong Indoor Sports - Junior Indoor Soccer Competition

We hope to fill the following age categories listed below and to formulate a competition to commence by the 17^th of August.

We aim to run the competition till the 30^th of November, playing out 18 rounds in total with the 3 initial rounds consisting of grading.

Age groups

Under 5 – 8’s

Under 9 – 11’s

Under 12 – 13’s

Under 14 – 17’s

Specifications

• Monday nights from 5pm.
• 5 a side, max 8 per team.
• 2 x 15 minute halves with 5 minutes halftime break, equalling 45 minutes in total.
• $ 10 registration per player.
• $ 10 per player per game.

If this is something that would interest children in affiliation to yourself, please respond with your details and a list of potential participants.

Registration can also be lodged via our website: https://www.geelongindoorsports.com.au/enter-a-team.php