St Peter's Bentleigh East eNewsletter

WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU AS A PARENT

Researchers at Harvard Graduate School of Education recently asked ten thousand middle and high school students if their parents cared more about personal achievements or whether they were kind. Eighty percent said their parents cared more about achievements - individual success over relational bonds.

I am not convinced that eighty percent of these parents felt that way but that their children believed achievement was what their parents valued more than kindness.

My wife's farewell message to our children as they left for school was "have a good day and be kind to people." Our daughter is now nineteen years old and when I asked her what she thought we valued more achievement or kindness she answered achievement. My wife and I were very surprised and when we questioned her on this in light of the message she got nearly every day of her school life she didn't really have a reason. In the end she thought it might have been because we often congratulated her for doing well as it was easy to see but we didn't congratulate her on being kind because we didn't hear about it. It reminded me again that as parents our actions seem to have a far bigger impact than a daily message. It is a challenge for all parents if success is only measured by achievement.

CANTEEN ON WEDNESDAYS

Lunch orders on a Wednesday have been steadily declining over the past year. During the month of May we will be recording the number of lunch orders on a Wednesday to determine whether there is a need to keep the canteen operating on a Wednesday and whether it is financially viable to do so.

WINTER UNIFORM

This is the last week of the transition into Winter Uniform. Please make sure your child is in correct Winter Uniform for the beginning of Week Three, Monday, 6th May. On sports days students are permitted to wear sports shorts or tracksuit pants.

Girls – Winter (2^nd and 3^rd Terms)

Check Tunic or Green Pants with Red Polo, School Bomber Jacket. Blue Tights and Black Shoes with Tunic and White Socks and Black Shoes with Green Pants. Green and Red Hairties or Headbands

Boys - Winter

Grey Pants and Red Polo, School Bomber Jacket, Grey Socks and Black Shoes.

Sports Uniform – Boys and Girls

Red Sports Shorts or Green Tracksuit Pants, Green Polo Shirt with Logo, School Bomber Jacket, White Sports Socks and Runners.

PREP ENROLMENTS 2020

Prep enrolments for 2020 are now open. I ask all current families who have a child starting in 2020 to obtain an enrolment form and return it as soon as possible to assist in identifying the number of vacancies we have for new families in 2020. If you know of neighbours or friends who have a child starting school in 2020 they can make a time to come and tour St Peter’s in the coming weeks.

Upcoming School Tour Dates

Saturday, 4th May - 9.00am - 10.00am

Monday, 6th May - 9.30am - 10.30am

Thursday, 9th May - 12.30pm - 1.30pm

Tuesday, 14th May - 2.30pm - 3.30pm

RECONCILIATION

Congratulations to the following students on celebrating their Reconciliation over the weekend: Cinzia Vithoulkas and Alexandra Clark.

Parent Engagement Platform/App/Website

Today we launch our new look eNewsletter and App. If you were previously receiving newsletter emails, you will continue to receive a link via email to access our Parent Engagement Platform. You will notice that on the eNewsletter page that parents will also be able access more information regarding:

School Calendar
School Policies
School Board
Staff Contacts
Previous eNewsletters
School Canteen
School Uniform Information

Some of the key features of the new eNewsletter are that it includes google translate if English is not your first language. You can also print the Newsletter as a Pdf if you need to do so.

This page is still being developed and we always appreciate feedback as to how we can ensure communication is effective.

This Parent Engagement Platform supports parents with accessing newsletters, important dates and information. If you have changed your email address or have not received the newsletter previously, please contact our School Office and your email will be added to the list of subscribers. You can also subscribe yourself from the page.

The new Schoolzine App will be used as a way of providing parents with news feeds, the eNewsletter, School Calendar, it will allow parents to inform the school of your child’s absence, it will allow us to communicate reminders of events, last minute changes to events or notifications. It is crucial that ALL parents download the App as in the near future it will be a key communication platform.

Information about the School App can be located http://www.schoolzine.com/szapp to download go to the app store / google playstore and search SZapp and download. You will need to select a region (Asia / Pacific) and type in school name (St Peter’s).

Our new look school website is still in draft mode and has not been migrated over to our domain. There are some active links that have not been finalised as yet so please bear with us as we complete the process. The website - while still providing parents with general information about our school is designed more for new families wishing to find out general information about the school, programs and the enrolment process.

We are hoping this new platform will support effective communication. In the future we will be able to set it up to make Parent Teacher Bookings and Bookings for School Events. The Schoolzine products have been specifically designed to support schools with communication and are used in many schools Australia wide.

If you have any feedback please email principal@spbentleigheast.catholic.edu.au

Michael Juliff

The magnitude of what God has done for us in Jesus

The first week of term 2, although a stop start week, was probably the most important week of our year. We celebrated the fact that Jesus is Alive and ANZAC day. As many reflected on the importance of these two events we also had sadness. Firstly with so many Christians killed in Sri Lanka and then a completely different sadness. The sadness here I refer to is the Booing that took place at the ANZAC ceremony after the match had finished. Yes, no one was killed at this event but what does the Booing say about us as a society? Surely we are better than this? ANZAC day is a day of mourning. We mourn for many reasons. We mourn the people of Christchurch. We mourn the people of Colombo. We mourn the fact wars still exist.

As the Booing continued I reflected on what we say to our students within the Federation. We say, that Booing Has NO place in our School.

We are a people and community who celebrate the joys of others. We also grieve with those who are suffering.

We are a people who trust that the God who created us and loves us will hold us up through this moment of darkness so that the darkness does not break our hearts.

I hope that you can find the time to read these two well written reflections on the meaning of the Cross.

Edward Dooley (Mission and Faith Leader)

When you reflect upon Jesus Christ hanging on the cross of shame, you understand the depth and weight of human sin. How do we measure the size of a fire? By the number of firefighters and fire engines sent to fight against it. How do we measure the seriousness of a medical condition? By the amount of risk the doctors take in prescribing dangerous antibiotics or surgical procedures. How do we measure the gravity of sin and the incomparable vastness of God's love for us? By looking at the magnitude of what God has done for us in Jesus, who became like a common criminal for our sake and in our place.

--Fleming Rutledge

Fleming Rutledge is an American Episcopal priest, and now an author, theologian and preacher. Ordained to the diaconate in 1975, she was one of the first women to be ordained to the priesthood of the Episcopal Church.

The real crosses of our lives

Every difficult thing in life is not a cross. A lot of things are difficult in life but that does not make them crosses. A cross is that which we do not choose and do not want. It is outside the normal order of life. It is what confounds our plans or disturbs our dreams. It is anything that wrenches life away from our plans or hopes in a truncated or destructive or pitiable way. It is where we would not go but cannot avoid.

Jesus’ cross was not some kind of petty inconvenience. It was a distortion of a great life and even greater plans and in great proportions. It was the cutting off of life in the very thick of it. It was the cost to be paid for confronting the authorities of both synagogue and state.

Nor are the real crosses of our lives minor irritations or teasing tests of our faith in God. The cross is not an exercise in temporary discomfort. It is life-changing.

The cross brings with it a sense of finality, the judgment of forever. There is no going back from here. Jesus is nailed to a cross from which there is no return. The glory days are over. The followers are scattered. The entire enterprise seems lost. It is the bleak and final moments of the dream. There is no way whatsoever to plumb the depths of such depression in the human soul.

The call of this moment, the eleventh Station of the Cross, is the call to faith, to believe that a loving God is also present in darkness so deep that nothing can possibly assuage it. It is the call to faith in the God of Timelessness in a time of total defeat. It is trust that the God who created us and loves us will hold us up through this moment so that the darkness does not break our hearts.

The question with which the eleventh station confronts us is whether or not we are spending our lives, our hopes, our emotions, on something great enough to make the pain of losing them worthwhile. The great task of the spiritual life is to choose to spend it on something big enough to risk the pain of its loss.

There is a great freedom that comes when the cross we refuse to accept becomes the cross we embrace. When we give up the struggle against life, life begins to lighten in us. We become indestructible. Nothing more can hurt us now. We learn to live in ways we never imagined possible and find ourselves made new. Being handicapped is not a death knell anymore. Being alone is not a burden now; it is an opportunity to start over again. Being blocked by one impasse in life, we discover whole new ways of being alive. We find new life in the small deaths of the day. We sink into the ultimate liberation. Now there is nothing in life but the freedom of choosing again.

—from The Way of the Cross: A Path to New Life (Orbis Books) by Joan Chittister

Read Less

Bucket Filler Award

Congratulations to Heather Fox for being a kind, caring and welcoming friend to someone who is new at St Peter’s. What a wonderful bucketfiller you are Heather!

Ride/Walk 2 School

Our first Walk and Ride2School day in Term 2 will be held on Wednesday 15^th May!

PARENTING IDEAS by MICHAEL GROSE

Michael Grose, founder of Parenting Ideas, is one of Australia’s leading parenting educators. He’s the author of 10 parenting books including Thriving!, the best-selling Why First Borns Rule the World and Last Borns Want to Change It, and his latest release Spoonfed Generation: How to raise independent children.

Click on the link below to read the latest article: Top five strategies to improve your parenting this year.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8IsZ9pU28TqWkVrSzF1TkhIU202aHpjT0gxNXBldnBVVERR/view?usp=sharing

Year 5/6 Winter Sport starts in Week 3 this term with a home game against Oakleigh South. Please consult the Bentleigh District for all details including the fixture and venues on the link below rather than calling the office:

http://websites.sportstg.com/assoc_page.cgi?c=1-4215-0-0-0&sID=49019

St Peter's play Soccer at St James, Netball at school and AFL / Rounders & Sof-crosse at Centenary. The only exception to this is Thursday 23rd & 30th May when we will play Rounders and Sof-crosse at Mackie Reserve.

Congratulations to Mitch Langworthy who was part of a Representative Baseball Team during the school holidays that has progressed to the National Little League titles in June this year. The winner goes through to play in the Little League USA competition later this year so we wish Mitch and his team mates all the best.

Well done to Daisy Nousis, Emma Bielovich (Basketball), Max Matthews and Mitch Langworthy (AFL) who attended the Beachside Division trials last week. Daisy, Emma and Max were selected to represent the Beachside Division at the Regional trials whilst Mitch just missed out however he has another two years to trial again being in the younger age group.

Good luck to Daisy, Emma & Max at the Regional Trials.

Regards,

Justin McCarthy

Sport & Specialist Coordinator
jmccarthy@spbentleigheast.catholic.edu.au

SAVE THE DATE

Mother’s Day Stall - Friday, 10^th May

Year 4-6 Movie Night- Friday, 10^th May

Mother’s Day Breakfast - Friday, 17^th May

Trivia Night – Saturday, 22^nd June

Welcome back to Term 2! We hope you had a lovely Easter and enjoyed some special family time. As you can see from the Save The Dates, we have a busy term ahead.

Family Portraits Fundraiser

A Reminder to please pick up your Family Portraits from the School Office if you haven't already done so.

Mother’s Day Stall- Friday, 10^th May

The Mother’s Day Stall will once again be held the Friday before Mother’s Day. The stall has items from $1 to $5. Please send your children with $5-$10 dollars only and a bag to put their purchases in. We will call out to volunteers shortly through the P&F Facebook Page.

Year 4-6 Movie Night- Friday, 10^th May

The children will vote on a movie this week and then an invite will be emailed home via Caremonkey. It is always a great night that the children look forward to so we hope you can make it!

Mother’s Day Breakfast- Friday, 17^th May

The Dads of St Peter’s are once again putting together a Mother’s Day Breakfast to spoil our Mums.

Bookings will be via FlexiSchools. This event is only for children attending school and not younger siblings due to seating capacity.

Please note the breakfast is the Friday after Mother’s Day, so we don’t clash with the Secondary Schools who do Mother’s Day Breakfast.

Trivia Night- Saturday, 22^nd June

Lights, Camera, Action!

The St Peter’s P&F is rolling out the red carpet for our 2019 Trivia Night!

Preparations are well underway for this year's event which will be held on Saturday, 22nd June and will have a Hollywood Red Carpet Dress Up theme!

Tickets will be available from the School Office very soon but in the meantime, here a few things you need to know:

Tickets - $25 each
Groups of 10-12 per table
Cash door prize to be won
Prizes for best dressed
Lots of games, silent auction items, lucky keys & envelopes.... and trivia!!

While the night is always lots of fun, the night is also our biggest fundraiser for the year! In 2019 the P&F plans to use the money we raise towards creating an engaging play space for our students, between the Junior School Building and the Main School Building!

Our Trivia Night Committee are still busy sourcing donations and seeking sponsors, so if you own or know of a business who would like to make a donation or become a sponsor, it’s not too late to get involved!

Please send us an email to pnf1@spbentleigheast.catholic.edu.au

Entertainment Books

Thank you to the families who replied to the CareMonkey regarding the Entertainment Book. For those families that selected to view the book at home your Entertainment Book will come home in your eldest child’s school bag after the 7th May.

Books are also available to purchase from the School Office or via the payment link below. Digital copies are best ordered via the payment link below. There is also a display book in the Office.

Please go to the link below to order your book.

https://www.entertainmentbook.com.au/orderbooks/1879g67

Next two P&F Meetings – Tonight, Monday, 29th April - 7.00pm - All Welcome (Meeting Room off the Breezeway)

Then Monday, 27th May

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

P & F Committee

CANTEEN ROSTER

Week Beginning Monday 29th April

Wednesday, 1st May - Chris Kell & Joanne Melita - 1.30pm - 2.15pm

Thursday, 2nd May - Foula Voukelatos - 1.30pm - 2.15pm

Friday, 4th May - Julie Eyles & Amanda O'Connor - 9.00am - 10.30am

Emma O'Connor, Monique D'Zilva & Maree Deeth - 1.00pm 2.15pm

_________________________________________________________________

Week Beginning Monday, 6th May

Wednesday, 8th May - Shefali Janssens & Nicole Clark - 1.30pm - 2.15pm

Thursday, 9th May - Sandra Biviano - 1.30pm - 2.15pm

Friday, 10th May - Colleen Dowling & Trudy Fitchett - 9.00am - 10.30am

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

________________________________________________________________

Week Beginning Monday, 13th May

Wednesday, 15th May - Michelle Monaghan & Sharon Odlum - 1.30pm - 2.15pm

Thursday, 16th May - Leanne Johnson - 1.30pm - 2.15pm

Friday, 17th May - Julie Eyles - 9.00am - 10.30am

Nicki De Lorenzo & Felicity Gallagher - 1.00pm - 2.15pm

_________________________________________________________

Week Beginning Monday, 20th May

Wednesday, 22nd May - Kirsty Lentine & Irene Major - 1.30pm - 2.15pm

Thursday, 23rd May - Michelle Bridges & Nicole Catania - 1.30pm - 2.15pm

Friday, 24th May - Colleen Dowling & Vanessa Lawless- 9.00am - 10.30am

Ana Vranesic, Yvonne Gower & Trudy Fitchett - 1.00pm - 2.15pm

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

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8IsZ9pU28TqY08xei1Hc0cyUFBRS3dMZHpvUmxYOXBUVHdz/view?usp=sharing

The Scholastic Bookclub Brochures have been distributed to students today. Please note that orders are due back no later than Friday, 10th May.

Payment can be made by cash, credit card online or cheque (made out to Scholastic Australia).

Woolworths Earn & Learn Stickers will be available from Woolworths Stores from 1st May to 25th June. A single Sticker will be given to a customer with every $10 spent in a single transaction at Woolworths Supermarkets, Woolworths Metro and Woolworths Online (www.woolworths.com.au).

So shop at Woolworths and start collecting stickers and support St. Peter's to receive some great rescources.

ST. PETER'S FOODBANK

St. Peter’s Primary School Food Bank was established in 2013 with families volunteering to cook meals for other families in the school community during a time of need. Whether there is illness, hospitalisation of a family member, bereavement, the arrival of a new baby, moving house or even if someone is in need of a little extra TLC, the Food Bank can help.

We would like to invite parents to consider becoming one of our volunteer cooks. We anticipate each volunteer would only be required to cook 2-3 times per year. Of course, you are welcome to cook more often if you like.

We also encourage you to think about your friends and classmates at the school and keep the Food Bank in mind if they are going through a tough time. It is a completely confidential service and you can access it through us or through a staff member at St. Peter’s. If you would like more information about the service or volunteering, please download our electronic brochure below.

Thank you to all the volunteers that have cooked for us in the past. We are now looking for some new parents to sign up as volunteers to start cooking for our Food Bank in 2019. We love to have as many volunteers in our Food Bank pool as possible.

If you have not cooked for our Food Bank before, please ensure you email us prior to cooking, at sppsfoodbank@spbentleigheast.catholic.edu.au, and ask us for a Food Bank information pack.

If you become aware of someone in the school community needing a little help or TLC, please contact us. You can contact us confidentially at: sppsfoodbank@spbentleigheast.catholic.edu.au or call Karina Clement 0404 057 522 or Katrina Chapman 0488 386 088 (Program Co-ordinators) or your class teacher, school office or Michael Hanney directly.