School Vision
St Matthew’s School empowers children to embrace life-long learning, and grow and develop as God intends.
A prayer for Ukraine
Loving God,
We pray for the people of Ukraine,
for all those suffering or afraid,
that you will be close to them and protect them.
We pray for world leaders,
for compassion, strength and wisdom to guide their choices.
We pray for the world
that in this moment of crisis,
we may reach out in solidarity
to our brothers and sisters in need.
May we walk in your ways
so that peace and justice
become a reality for the people of Ukraine
and for all the world.
Amen.
Dear Parents & Caregivers,
This Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, the 40 day period in the Church calendar that begins on Ash Wednesday and finishes on Holy Thursday. This is a special time of year for prayer, penance, sacrifice, and good works. Traditionally, people would give up something for Lent, usually a favorite food or perhaps a pleasurable activity. There’s nothing wrong with suggesting that children give something up for Lent, as long as they understand why they’re doing it and do it in the right spirit. So it’s important to explain that giving something up for Lent can help us focus on God and that depriving ourselves of something we like gives us an appreciation for all we have. It’s also a good idea to have the children do something positive related to what they’re giving up. For instance, if they’ve given up chocolate for Lent, then they could take the money they would have spent on the chocolate and put it in a jar to be used for an organisation which helps children in need. If they’ve decided to give up watching television one day a week, then they could use the time they would have spent watching TV helping someone or praying.
It is also a time that we can let children know that there are times in life when they will be sad, while reassuring them that, no matter what happens, God is always with them to help them get through tough times.
COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions
The Department of Health (WA Health) has provided us with a document that features a series of Frequently Asked Questions for all parents and caregivers. The document outlines important information regarding children who have or may be identified as a close contact of a person who has been diagnosed with COVID-19. This has been made available through the school app.
Annual Community Meeting
On 21 February, a PowerPoint presentation was uploaded to the school app. This presentation contained information about the achievements for 2021 and the planned outcomes for 2022. We will reschedule the School Advisory Council and the P&F Annual Community Meetings when COVID restrictions allow this to take place.
Term Overviews
On Monday, class specific subject overviews will be available through the school app. To access these, please ensure you have turned on your child’s 2022 year level through the settings option.
Parent Meetings
Teachers from Pre-Primary to Year 6 have uploaded their Parent Meeting PowerPoints to SeeSaw. Hopefully, all parents have been able to access these and have found them informative. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 restrictions, teachers are still unable to hold parent meetings within their classrooms. However, if you would like a meeting to discuss the individual needs of your child, please contact the class teacher directly so that an appropriate place and time can be scheduled.
Swimming Lessons
Interm swimming lessons will take place in Week 7 and Week 8 (14-25 March) for Years 3 to 6. Students will walk or bus to and from the pool each day, depending on the weather. All items of clothing must be clearly labelled with your child’s name.
10:55am – 11:35am Yr 3
11:40am – 12:20pm Yr 4
12:35pm – 1:15pm Yr 5
1:20pm – 2:00pm Yr 6
The total cost for the lessons is $30-00. If your child has a pool pass, please inform the teacher. Enrolment forms should come home with students on Monday 28 February. Please return the form and money to your child’s class teacher by Friday 4 May 2022.
WA Opera Incursion
WA Opera is coming to St Matthew’s on Monday 14th March between 2 – 3 pm to present a concert to our students. With the current Covid restrictions, we are unfortunately only able to offer the performance to our Year 3, 4 and 5 students.
WA Opera Incursion
WA Opera is coming to St Matthew’s on Monday 14th March. They will perform in the Sr Isobel between 2 – 3 pm. With the current Covid restrictions, we are unfortunately only able to offer the live performance to our Year 3, 4 and 5 students; however, we are lucky enough to be able to live stream the performance into the classrooms of our junior classes.
Ash Wednesday/Opening Mass
Fr. Geoffrey Aldous, our visiting priest, will be leading Ash Wednesday Mass on 2 March at 9.30am in the St Matthew’s Church. Our Year 5 and 6 students will be attending. Fr Geoff will then distribute ashes to the rest of our students by visiting each class back at school. Parents are welcome to attend this Mass as it is not being held at school and therefore, is allowed under current COVID-19 restrictions.
Our Year 6 Leaders
I would like to congratulate our Year 6 students who have been leading our Friday assemblies. Due to COVID, they have had the extra challenge of doing these over the PA. They have all been conducting themselves beautifully and have led with confidence. All of them will be awarded their senior badges at the Ash Wednesday Mass this week. As this is not being held at school, I can happily invite parents to join us for this Mass.
2022 Sunsmart Schools’ Tennis Classic – South West Academy Plate
This is an Interschool team event held annually within all zones across Western Australia – metro and country. It is a round robin format. This year we will be sending a selection of our Year 5 and 6 students to compete. Our zone will be conducting its tournament on Wednesday 9th March, commencing at 9am. It will be held at Narrogin Tennis Club. I am sure they will all display wonderful sportsmanship and represent St Matthew’s with pride. Parents are welcome to attend as this is an offsite event.
School Band
Over the last few weeks, Mrs Hastie has been auditioning students on Wednesday afternoons for the school band. Congratulations to all of the children who auditioned. The following children have been invited to join the band for 2022:
Vocals: Samantha (Yr 5) and Louis (Yr 5)
Keys: Miley (Yr 6) and Mia (Yr 6)
Guitar: AJ (Yr 6) and Adam (Yr 5)
Drums: Courtney (Yr 6)
Despite COVID restrictions, we will be able to commence rehearsals by abiding by social distancing requirements and asking these students to wear masks during the Wednesday afternoon rehearsal time. We hope all of the children enjoy this experience and can’t wait to hear what they produce.
Reducing Our Waste Footprint
St Matthew’s is committed to reducing our waste footprint. This year we will be introducing paper recycling bins to our classrooms. A big thank you to Emily, our Environmental Captain, for making posters and helping to lead this initiative.
We also encourage our families to recycle their bottles and cans through the Containers for Change program. By taking eligible containers to the depots located:
21 Graham Rd, Narrogin
20 Tavistock St, Wagin
1 Pasture St, Pingelly
families are able to reduce waste, as well as receive a cash bonus for their good deed. Many families are encouraging their children to be involved by allowing them to earn the 10c per container and thus teaching financial and environmental messages. An alternative to this, is donating this money directly to our P&F to support school improvements. All you need to do is quote our Scheme Id number when depositing your containers.
Containers for Change Scheme Id: C10418925
Lenten Pastoral Letter
Bishop Gerard Holohan wishes to share some important understandings and reflections as we enter this season of Lent. He reminds us:
The Lenten springtime calls us ‘to put off’ the ’old person’ who died through Baptism through penance … The gifts of Baptism are fundamental to our Catholic identity … baptismal gifts such as faith, which helps us against temptations against believing in God even when we have doubts, perhaps because of tragedy or crisis; hope, which keeps us from temptations to despair and reject God when things seem hopeless; and charity, which empowers love even when human challenges otherwise would make this seem impossible.
I have shared his Lenten Pastoral Letter on the school app and encourage all parents to take the time to read and reflect on its contents. Part of this document outlines the changes in celebrations of Masses in the Bunbury Diocese in response to Synod discussions.
Are You COVID-19 Ready? A message from Nurse Lana
In the coming months, it’s likely that you will be exposed to COVID-19.
In most cases, fully vaccinated people will only experience a mild illness that can be managed while isolating at home.
If you are required to isolate, it’s important to be prepared. And there’s lots you can do now that will help make a big difference in the future.
Now is a good time for country communities to prepare a COVID-ready kit. Here are some of the essentials we recommend you have available:
· Pain relief medication and electrolytes (available from your pharmacy)
· Your regular medications
· A thermometer
· Masks, hand sanitiser and gloves
· Stay at home activates to keep you entertained
· A plan for who can look after your children, pets or people in your care if you must go to hospital
· Phone numbers for people outside your home that you can call for help if you need
· A plan for how you’ll get food and essentials for seven days
There are other things you can do now to prepare for a rise in cases of COVID-19 across WA.
Vaccination remains the most effective way to avoid hospitalisation and serious illness from COVID-19.
Making simple infection prevention measures part of our daily routine will also help manage the spread of COVID-19.
So, when you’re in public, keep 1.5 metres away from others. Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser. Remember to cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your elbow and stay at home if you’re unwell.
It’s up to each of us to protect all of us.
Principal KINDNESS award
On Monday mornings, I present the Principal’s Award for Kindness. Children are able to nominate each other for this award during the week. Last week, the award went to Kate (Yr 6) for being kind and supportive to a younger student when she was hurt. This week the award has gone to Mia (Yr 6) for helping the younger students on the bus. It is fantastic to see our Year 6 leaders setting such a good example for their peers. Well done, girls!
Principal Focus – Watch What They’re Watching
When I was a kid, my dad would sit down at 6pm every night to watch the News. This was a signal to me to go somewhere else. And that’s all I had to do to avoid the bad news stories and graphic images that make up the majority of news broadcasts. Unfortunately, for most of today’s children, these stories do not just feature in one lounge room, for one hour – they are everywhere. They pop up on screens, feature in Tik Toks and appear on the numerous televisions that many of us have in our homes. Raisingchildren.net.au explain how these stories can impact our children even if they don’t fully understand what they are seeing:
Young children might feel:
frightened by what they see or hear
upset or unsettled by the stress or distress that adults around them are feeling
worried that they or their families might get hurt
overwhelmed by constant coverage – they might even think the disaster is happening over and over again.
The article goes on to suggest what parents can do to help their children cope with these bad news stories:
Your child will cope better if he has accurate, age-appropriate information about disasters and other distressing events in the news. He also needs plenty of opportunities to ask questions and talk about feelings.
Here are some ideas for talking with school-age children about things like terrorism, natural disasters, violent crime, climate change and other disaster news and distressing events.
Make time to talk
Find the right time to talk with your child. If your child has heard distressing news at school, this might be when she gets home. Or she might want to talk at bedtime. It’s always best if you make plenty of time to talk and you give your child your full attention.
If the event has affected you too, try to choose a time when you’re feeling OK to talk too.
Acknowledge what has happened and find out what your child knows
It’s always best to acknowledge that a disaster or tragedy has happened. If you pretend that nothing has happened, your child could feel confused and unsafe. He might also worry about things by himself. It’s a good idea to start by asking your child what she knows and whether she has any questions. For example, ‘On the news this morning, there was a report about a man with a gun in the city. Were people at school talking about that? What were they saying?’
Explain what has happened
Stick to the facts, reassure your child about what has happened, and try to give some context. Here are some examples of what you could say about different news events:
‘A man in the city attacked some people and unfortunately one person died. We’re not sure why the man tried to hurt people, but the police have arrested him. He’s locked up so he can’t hurt anyone else.’
‘It hasn’t rained in parts of Australia for a very long time, and lots of families are struggling to pay bills and look after their farms. This has made them sad and worried. This story was about some of these families.’
‘I heard you talking with your friends about how the earth is getting hotter. Climate change is a problem, and there are lots of very smart scientists working on it.’
Talk about feelings
Ask your child how he’s feeling and listen to what he says. Let your child know that it’s OK to feel worried, angry or sad, and that over time he’ll start to feel better. You can also ask him what he needs to feel better. It might reassure your child if you share your own feelings and tell him what you’re doing to cope with them.
Here are some examples of how to talk about feelings and reassure children after different news events:
‘I feel really sad for the people whose homes have burned down in the bushfires. I’m going to take Pup for a walk and think about how I could help. Would you like to come?’
‘The story about the man who hurt those children is very upsetting. The man is locked away now, and good people are looking after the children. I’m trying to think about the good people.’
‘It’s really scary about the people with the hostages in the city. It’s good to remember that the police have lots of training to help them handle this situation. Let’s have a big hug to help us feel better.’
Keep making time to talk
Let your child know that you’re always available to talk. And when your child wants to talk, make sure that you stop everything so you can listen and respond. You might need to check in occasionally with your child if the event goes on for a long time.
If you encourage open conversations about disaster news and distressing news events, your child learns she can always talk to you. She’ll understand that you’ll be there to listen when something is worrying her.
Stay positive,
