Please Note: This will be the last Newsletter for 2019. An email with information regarding classes and the start of 2020 will be sent to all families next week.

STAFF CHANGES FAREWELL

After 16 year’s service to the St Peter’s Community Maria Whittaker (2MW) is moving on to the next stage of her life and will be retiring at the end of this school year. We thank Maria for all she has brought to St Peter’s over many years and wish her all the best in her well deserved retirement. We will be farewelling Maria as a school community at our end of year Mass. 

STAFF CHANGES WELCOME

I am delighted to advise the St Peter’s community that we have appointed Isabella Kottek to the teaching staff at St Peter’s to commence at the beginning of the 2020 school year. Isabella Kottek finished Year 12 at Star of the Sea Gardenvale and then completed a Bachelor of Arts (Fine Arts) at Monash University in 2013 before completing a Masters in Teaching (Primary) at ACU in 2017. She is currently enrolled in a Graduate Certificate in Religious Education and will complete this in 2020. Since graduating Isabella has worked as a replacement teacher across a number of schools, worked at Galilee Regional Catholic Primary School South Melbourne and is currently employed as a replacement homeroom teacher and teaching Art, Religion and Visual Communication and Design at De La Salle College Malvern. We look forward to all Isabella will bring to St Peter’s.

STAFF CHANGES CORRECTION

In welcoming Meg Rahilly in the last newsletter I incorrectly advised that she had completed her secondary schooling at Star of the Sea. Meg completed her secondary education at Sacre Coeur College. 

CANTEEN SERVICES IN 2020

Earlier this term I was advised by our canteen co-ordinator Julie De Sa that she would not be continuing in the role in 2020. In reviewing the options I took the opportunity to consider outsourcing the provision of canteen services at St Peter’s. After discussion with Julie and Sophie Manolios, who has worked in our canteen for twenty years, and some feedback from our Parents and Friends and School  Board we have engaged Fun Fresh Foods to run the Canteen. They currently operate canteens at St Catherine’s, Xavier College Brighton, CBC St Kilda, Geelong Grammar Toorak Campus, Brighton Grammar and eight other primary schools. Examples of their menus can be viewed through their website http://www.funfreshfoods.com.au/ Although Fun Fresh Foods use a different online booking service at their other schools they will be using FlexiSchools at St Peter’s. Further details will follow at the beginning of the 2020 school year.

LAST DAY OF CANTEEN FOR 2019

The last day of canteen for this year will be this Friday, 13th December. There will be no Canteen services on the last day of term for students, the 18th of December. Canteen will begin in week two next year. 

THE STREET UPGRADE 

The area between the Year Six classrooms and the Year Prep classrooms is being upgraded to provide a more engaging space for our students. This upgrade is being funded  by our Parents and Friends committee utilising money raised this year. The first stage has been the resurfacing and during the school holidays colourful line marking providing opportunities for outdoor games will be added. 

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS - WEDNESDAY, 18TH DECEMBER @ 3.25PM

FIRST DAY BACK FOR ALL STUDENTS IN 2020 - THURSDAY, 30TH JANUARY

PARENT CONTACT DETAILS & CLASS REPS 2020

As we approach the end of 2019, it is time to start thinking about new classes for 2020. We are hoping to create class contact lists that can be shared with families before the end of 2019 for parents to use to get to know new families in their child's class. On Wednesday, 11th December,  we will be sending out a Google Form that you may wish to complete if you are interested in providing your details to share with other parents. This is totally optional and you do not need to do this if you do not wish to. If you have multiple children at St Peter's you will need to complete the form for each child. For instance, if you have a child in Year 6, 4 and 2 in 2020 you will need to complete the form 3 times with each child's class information.

In addition to this, each year we ask a parent from each class to nominate themselves to be a Classroom Representative. This role includes the facilitation of events for parents and children for their child's class. If this is something you are interested in please email Monica Ryan (mryan@spbentleigheast.catholic.edu.au) with your expression of interest before 4.00pm Thursday, 19th December.

Please note the cut off to add your information to the class contact list will be Tuesday, 17th December 2019, after this date you will need to contact your child's class rep directly to add your information.

Whole class events will still be organised by the Class Reps and emailed via the school office as they occur throughout the 2020 school year.

Last week Cath McAllig came in to talk about Protective Behaviours to the Senior and Middle school. Protective Behaviours is about educating us about the safety of our bodies.

She talked about how to be safe and if someone says or shows you something inappropriate to tell a trusted adult.

She gave us a talk about the human body parts. She told us that we should not let anyone touch or see our private parts, unless we give them consent. She told us about consent and what it means. You need to give permission for another person to touch you, even for something as simple as a hug or handshake, as some people can feel uncomfortable with this body contact. 

She told us about some body parts people didn’t know the name for, like the vulva and testicles. It is important to use the correct name for body parts so that if anything did happen to you, you could explain it properly. 

She also told us to say “no stop don’t” if you feel uncomfortable around someone. 

Cath told us there are different ways to get asked to keep a secret. For example if someone told you who they were shopping for in Kris Kringle you wouldn't tell anyone. But if someone told you someone randomly touched their private parts you would tell a responsible and trustworthy adult.

At the end of the lesson we had all learnt new things.

By Amelie & Tori 5GM

CHRISTMAS CAROLS  - WEDNESDAY, 11TH DECEMBER

Please go to the link below to view the Invitation that was emailed to all families on 2nd December.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8IsZ9pU28Tqd0p2WGtjbDZta0JLdXFRZHZUcjlhNlcwUTIw/view?usp=sharing

YEAR 4 VISIT TO BUCKETS KINDERGARTEN

On Thursday, 28th of November 4KD and 4SS went to Buckets to read to the three year old and four year old children a picture story book!

Fristly, we had finished an old topic and it was time to start a new topic. The topic was "What is the greatest gift you could receive for Christmas".

It was pretty hard for some people as they wanted PS4 and bikes and other stuff and then we talked about materials and how paper can bring us happiness.

Then it was time to go to Buckets. Lauren's Dad and Luke's Mum also came. I read a story to a little girl called Edian and we played for 45 minutes  and we enjoyed playing. I love Buckets and I would go again!!

By Lauren 4KD

STUDENT SUCCESS

Congratulations to Kiara Verderosa (6KM) and her Hip Hop Team on coming second out of 13 Teams in the Australian All Stars Cheer and Dance Competition which was held on Friday, 29th November. 

A Great Achievement!!

Congratulations to Ava Caon 5SH who competed in the Nationwide AASCF National Championships on the weekend and represented Melbourne Cheer Academy with her team Bluejays.  Ava took home 3rd Place at the Nationals and 2nd place at Pinnacle. A great effort against some fierce competition from local and interstate teams from all over Australia.

OSHClub NEWS

OSHClub will run a full day Program on Thursday, 19th and Friday, 20th December. Please go to the link below to download a flyer with information on how to book for these two days. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8IsZ9pU28TqYkR0ZF9RdDEyZ1dzdjB2MVJmdTJ0LXNWUWZV/view?usp=sharing

Please go to the link below to download the OSHClub January 2020 Holiday Program Flyer.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8IsZ9pU28TqSVpHR2wxNVNVclVRcGd1M3E2YTZ3Uzc0WGRr/view?usp=sharing

Barbara Arrowsmith-Young is the founder of the Arrowsmith Program, an assessment process and a suite of cognitive exercises designed to stimulate and strengthen weak areas of cognitive functioning that underlie a range of learning difficulties, which has been delivered for 40+ years throughout the world. The Arrowsmith Program is offered in educational organizations in 10 countries. Ongoing research with neuroscientists, neuropsychologists and psychologists is demonstrating that the program not only changes the brain, cognitive functioning, and academic achievement but also leads to social-emotional well-being.

St Catherine’s in Moorabbin is one of 4 schools in Victoria that offer the Program. For more information about this amazing program that supports children with learning difficulties then go to the website: https://www.scmoorabbin.catholic.edu.au/about-us

Holy Trinity Parish - St. Catherine's Primary School hosts a presentation by Barbara Arrowsmith-Young: Changing Brains, Exploring a New Reality – Neuroplasticity and Learning

Venue: Holy Trinity Parish - St Catherine's Primary School
14 - 28 Fletcher Street, Moorabbin

Date: Monday 17th February 2020

Time: 7:00pm - 8:30pm followed by book signing

In this presentation Barbara Arrowsmith Young will talk about how harnessing the principles of neuroplasticity leads to changes in the brain and how each individual can create a new reality for their future. She will discuss the latest research on the Arrowsmith Program which shows changes in the brain as well as academic, emotional, social and cognitive changes.

She will describe how a learning difficulty impacts the learner in school as well as in life and that the research shows that this reality is not lifelong and can be changed. The audience will gain insight into and begin to look at behaviour through a cognitive lens. They will build an understanding that through harnessing the principles of neuroplasticity we can change the brain and overcome learning challenges.

Click here to find out more information and register for the night.

The people who have walked in darkness have seen a great light.

What to do with Wally? Wally was an awkward and shy child who belonged to the church kids club. It was time to hand out roles for the Christmas play, but what role should the teacher give Wally?

She decided on the inn-keeper. It was an important role, but required Wally only to shake his head and say one line "Sorry, we've no room." Wally grinned from ear to ear when he learned of his important role and he couldn't wait for the big night.

It arrived soon enough, and the play was proceeding according to plan. Mary and Joseph had travelled to Bethlehem and come to the door of the inn.

Joseph knocked on the door and it opened to Wally. "Please sir, do you have a room we could take?" asked Joseph. Wally shook his head and replied. "I'm sorry, we've no room".

Now the boy playing Joseph was a particularly confident child, and while the script called for him and Mary to turn away at this point, Joseph decided to exercise some dramatic license. "But sir" he said to the innkeeper, "My wife is about to have her baby and we need somewhere to stay. Couldn't you find us a room?" Wally's face went white - this was not planned for! - And he paused for a moment before repeating his line. "I'm sorry, we've no room."

"But sir" replied Joseph, "We've travelled such a long way and we've nowhere else to go and my wife is very tired. Surely you can find us somewhere." Wally bowed his head, shook it sadly and said, "I'm sorry, we've no room."

Forlornly Joseph and Mary started walking away. Wally, now fully into his role, felt shamed and saddened. A tear trickled down his cheek. Then his voice was heard calling out. "Wait! Please come back. You can have my room."

It may not have been according to script, but at that moment Wally gave perfect expression to the Christmas story.

What Wally does for us in this story is to bring darkness into light. 

Wally is able to adapt himself to the mystery and the unknown and the chaos of drama and through this be moved by the Holy Spirit.

Wally does what we all pray for in following Jesus……stop……..I will move out so you can have my room.

Luke’s Gospel is often referred to as, “The Hospitality of God”.  Wally is doing everything that Luke would want.  He is being hospitable.

The Christmas story tells of the birth of a new king, a new kind of king.  The birth reveals a new world order, a world not under Caesar but under the direction of God’s design for redemption of all peoples. 

In this world, God’s Word is heard by the humble.  God has not forgotten us or abandoned us to the brokenness we have created.  The story of Christmas is both an announcement of hope and a call to humility.

The story of Christmas is about having the humility and the emotional wisdom of Wally to be able to say, "Wait! Please come back. You can have my room."

Happy Christmas and New Year.

Edward Dooley (Mission and Faith Leader)

BUCKET FILLER AWARD

The final Bucket Filler trophy for 2019 was awarded to Siera Verderosa in 3LK for using the strategies of Friendology outside at playtime. Congratulations Siera, what an amazing Bucket Filler you are!

WALK RIDE2SCHOOL 2019

It has been another active year at St Peter’s! Thank you to our amazing Year 6 leaders who helped all year with clipping the St Peter’s Walk and Ride to School cards at the gates each morning.

Congratulations to all students who got their card clipped! The following students were the lucky winners in our annual St Peter’s Walk and Ride 2 School prize draw!

 Main Prize - 1 per year level

• Drink Bottle
• Family Voucher to Sandringham Golf Club
• Bounce Voucher
• Raw Galore Treat
• $30 Sportsmart Voucher

Prep-6 Main Prize

• Drink Bottle
• Side Tracked Voucher
• Bounce Voucher
• Raw Galore Treat
• $50 Sportsmart Voucher

Prep - 2 Prizes

Prize One 

• Drink Bottle
• Spring Park Golf Voucher
• Raw Galore Treat
• Bounce Voucher
• $20 Sportsmart Voucher

Prize Two

• Drink Bottle
• Moonlit Sanctuary Family Pass
• Raw Galore Treat
• Bounce Voucher
• $20 Sportsmart Voucher

Year 3-4 Prizes

Prize One 

• Drink Bottle
• Spring Park Golf Voucher
• Raw Galore Treat
• Bounce Voucher
• $20 Sportsmart Voucher

Prize Two

• Drink Bottle
• Zoos Victoria Family Pass
• Raw Galore Treat
• Bounce Voucher
• $20 Sportsmart Voucher

Year 5-6 Prize

Prize One 

• Drink Bottle
• Spring Park Golf Voucher
• Raw Galore Treat
• Bounce Voucher
• $20 Sportsmart Voucher

Prize Two

• Drink Bottle
• O’Brien Skate House Voucher
• Raw Galore Treat
• Bounce Voucher
• $20 Sportsmart Voucher

We would like to thank the following sponsors who have provided prizes for our End of Year prize packs!

Our tour to Japan commenced very early at Tullamarine Airport. Our meeting time was 4.00am at the Jetstar service desk!  We were all extremely excited and nervous. The students have written the highlights of each city we visited during our 7 day tour below.

Osaka by Alex and Isaac:

On the first day at the start of the day we went to the Osaka Aquarium it was epic. Once we got checked in we saw a massive statue of a whale shark. After travelling up a massive escalator  we started our descent and as we went down we saw many enclosures of animals including Whale Sharks, Manta Rays,  Dolphins and Penguins.

After spending a fabulous 3 hours at Osaka Aquarium we decided it was time to refuel. After looking at all the different restaurants with Ramen, Japanese style dumplings and original bento boxes all three groups split up to decide what to eat. While my group was walking, one very special restaurant caught our eye, KFC. As you may know, the Japanese have a tradition to devour KFC on Christmas Day. So I thought WE should join in on the tradition and see what it was all about. Although Japan has a very different idea on what KFC is compared to Australia, they had no Popcorn Chicken, Mountain Dew, Tender Boxes and Slushies. I no longer recognized it! The menu  was completely different although it was delicious. It was great and I would  go back. In saying that it wasn’t the same. It felt like something was missing.

Not too many people were excited for the Pokemon Centre but I know I was. We spent a good  hour at the Pokemon Centre checking out everything. A few people were exchanging ‘the Pokemon Fanboys’ dirty looks but that didn’t stop me. I was going all out spending over a quarter of my spending money  although it was money well spent. The Pokemon Centre was a huge  highlight of the trip and it wouldn’t be the same without it! While it really enhanced my experience it does sting the wallet!

Everybody was pretty excited to go to the Kit Kat factory but when we got there it was closed! Everyone was down in the dumps and nothing could  lift our spirits. Until we realised that a Kit Kat shop was in a local building. At the moment of hearing that intel, we soon  forgot about the factory and set our sights on the Kit Kat shop. And then we saw the prices, 340  yen (around $4) for a quarter of a bar. That much  for a QUARTER of a bar of a Passionfruit Kit Kat. But we were in Japan, on a once  in a lifetime trip, so we all looked straight through it, and it tasted so good  we just loved the experience.

Hiroshima by Gabe and Justin:

On the 17th of November we went to Hiroshima. Our guide  Nobu San, shared her story of her father and grandmother surviving the atomic blast in 1945. Hiroshima is a beautiful city with many statues from before and after the atomic bomb was dropped. There is one building still standing which survived the atomic blast. Not far from this building is a museum, which holds  priceless items from surviving family members,  including a tricycle and a lunchbox with burnt food still inside. There is also a set of steps and piece  of wall from that time, which has a person’s shadow burnt into the steps. After going through the museum we went to the gift shop where you were able to buy coins which you could  engrave with your name as a souvenir of our visit to Hiroshima. The museum was very sad but we ate Japanese pancakes, which were yummy.  We then went to a really long food strip where we had lunch and then went back to the train via the local tram which was packed with people to our accommodation in Osaka.

Kyoto by Keiva and Tess:

The third place we went to was Kyoto. It was a field with many traditional buildings and temples. We met our tour guide  and commenced the tour. We started the day by going to Kiyomizu-dera Temple. The temple was surrounded by the beautiful autumn leaves and the panoramic views of the city. At the temple we all got our turn to fill our copper metal cup with fresh and natural spring water which will lead us to a long life. Our next destination was the famous Golden  Pavilion which was covered in 25kg of pure gold.  The Golden Pavilion was definitely a highlight of our trip. We kept on walking as we still had many beautiful temples to see. One of the other places was the rock garden. It was so serene and peaceful. We can all agree the definite highlight of the day was lunch. We had mouth-watering Tonkatsu, a crispy pork cutlet. To put a cherry on top, our group bought 2 traditional Japanese donuts each and they were delicious. Kyoto was a beautiful city and we are so thankful to experience the traditions and culture of the city.

Nara by Anton and Carter:

We travelled to Nara on the trains and used our ICOCA cards to pay. It took around an hour to get there. We bought some  food to feed  the deer at the park outside the Todaiji Temple. The deers are trained to bow if we offer them food.  One of them nodded their head repeatedly until we fed it. The temple was massive and had two golden fish tails on the top of it to protect it from fires. Inside there was a huge statue of Buddha. In the corner of the temple, was a small hole that was the size of the massive Buddha statue’s nostril. It is believed that if we can go through this space we will live a long life. So we all queued up and squeezed through, one at a time! For lunch, everyone had different things. We had fried chicken, udon  noodle soup, tonkatsu, soba noodle soup and curry. After lunch, we went shopping for souvenirs and then we hopped back on the long train ride all the way back to Shin-Osaka Station.

Tokyo by Emma, Lucas and Sienna:

On the way to Tokyo, we took the Bullet Train (3 ½ hours). It took quite a while to get there but it was worth it. It was really cool once  we got there, there were lots of lights and signs. We were all so excited when  we got to Tokyo! It was very different compared to Osaka! There was more skyscrapers than there were in Osaka. Shiba Park Hotel was a big upgrade from Osaka Station Hotel, where we previously stayed. Our hotel was only ten minutes away from the station, ‘Hamamatsuchõ’. On the first day, we went to Miraikan and saw ASIMO the robot. Then we went to Teamlab Borderless. The following  day, we went to the Cup Noodle Museum, where we made our own Cup Noodles by designing our cup and choosing our soup  flavours and toppings. In the afternoon, we stopped over at Asakusa Kannon Temple, where we briefly saw Tokyo Tower and purchased more souvenirs in a shopping strip called Nakamise Street. Our last day in Tokyo, we visited the statue of Hachiko - a famous Japanese Dog, which was next to the busiest crossing intersections in Shibuya.

Ms Epstein, Mr Juliff and I were impressed with the way our Year 6 students coped with the challenges of travelling overseas. Throughout the week, each one of us overcame our individual hurdles: travelling for the first time on an airplane or overseas; visiting unfamiliar places filled with large crowds; practising different social etiquettes like eating in restaurants and riding subway trains and the shinkansen; utilising a budget for souvenirs and looking out for each other.

This tour would not have been successful without the support from everyone involved, particularly the parents of our Year 6 students who participated; Mr Hanney and Staff at St Peter’s; Mr Juliff and Ms Epstein for the tremendous support and encouragement during the tour and giving up their family time to ensure the safety and wellbeing of every student. Last but not least, we would  like to thank and commend our Year 6 students for representing our school in a very positive manner. You are a credit to your parents and our school community! We hope  that this visit to Japan will be one of many more in the future.

ROLL/ POPCPORN / ZOOPER DOOPER DAY – Tuesday, 10^th December

The final lunch & causal clothes day will be tomorrow, Tuesday, 10^th December. Thank you again for your continued support of our sausage sizzle/lunch days this year.

Please send us an email on the address below if you have any questions or suggestions regarding the P & F.

pnf1@spbentleigheast.catholic.edu.au

We also have a Facebook Page. Follow us on

https://www.facebook.com/St-Peters-Primary-School-Bentleigh-East-Parents-Friends-388657947987381/

Thank you

Week Beginning Monday, 9th December

Wednesday, 11th December - Shefali Janssens & Nicole Clark  - 1.30pm - 2.15pm

Thursday, 12th December  - Sandra Biviano - 1.30pm - 2.15pm

Friday, 13th December - Amanda O'Connor - 9.00am - 10.30am

Karen Campbell, Heidi Sill & Katrina Dimitriu- 1.00pm - 2.15pm

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Please click on the link below to view the Canteen Price List