Dear Parents, Carers and Friends of All Saints

Week 4 already and the end of the school year is fast approaching.

Last Friday we celebrated All Saints Day with a whole school liturgy in the Hall. This day is very special for us at All Saints Catholic Primary School as we remember the saints who have gone before us, particularly our school saints:  St Mary MacKillop, St Francis of Assisi, St Mother Teresa and St John Bosco. The celebration of our school name, this year, was extra special as the Year 6 children carried out their Market Day as well on this day. They worked hard creating their businesses and setting up their stalls after the liturgy. The children had great fun taking part in the games and buying the different things the Year 6s had created. Well done to all the Year 6 children and staff for the success of this enterprise. We were also treated to the All Saints Talent Showcase in the afternoon, which was a brilliant success again and showed a variety of wonderful talents from the children.

This term over 40 of our 2021 Reception children started our Reception Transition Program which sees the children visiting All Saints on Friday mornings in preparation for starting school. The children have been learning about school as they listen to the Reception teachers and ESOs read stories, play games and teach songs, as well as going on walks to familiarise themselves with the school. We believe that these visits will help the children to develop confidence and settle into school successfully next year. They will continue to transition into school on Friday mornings for the rest of this term. 

In addition to transition visits, Thursday, 19 November is Orientation for the 2021 Reception children and their parents/carers. On this day the children will visit their teacher and classmates until recess time. At the same time, we will be holding a meeting for the parents/carers as we officially welcome them into the All Saints community. The children will return again on the following Thursday, 26 November, when they will stay until after recess time. 

Have a great weekend everyone.

Best wishes

Nick Wright
Acting Principal

I often speak with parents about how to support children who are having anxious thoughts or feelings. Sometimes as adults, we want to step in and solve the problem for them. It is important we help children learn strategies to deal with their anxious thoughts or feelings.

The ten strategies below are suggested to try with children if they feel anxious in order to support them in developing coping skills when faced with the anxious thought or feeling:

1. Start by slowing down
2. Make time to worry
3. Climb that ladder
4. Encourage positive thinking
5. Have a go
6. Model helpful coping
7. Help your child take charge
8. Be upfront about scary stuff
9. Be BRAVE
10. And finally, check your own behaviour

Please click here to read the article by Beyond Blue which describes each of the above strategies and supports families in helping children learn how to cope with anxiety.

Kind regards,

Megan Lovering
Acting Deputy Principal

On Wednesday morning the children who represented the school in Out of School Hours Sport (OSHS) this season were part of a special presentation to acknowledge their achievements.  The children participated in either Soccer, Basketball or Net Set Go and were all very excited to receive their medals and be congratulated in front of their peers.

A special thanks to all the coaches and volunteers who helped make this season such a great success.

We look forward to seeing them all out playing again next year.

Assemblies will be held with only parents of the year level presenting. While this is disappointing, if we had all children attend we wouldn’t be able to have parents in the hall as well. So we are trying to be as flexible and accommodating as we can be. Please also be aware that these arrangements may be subject to change.

Please see the following dates for your child’s year level below:

Year 3
Week 6 - Friday 20 November

Year 6
Week 8 - Friday 4 December 

VACSWIM SA is a South Australian Government supported initiative which provides primary school aged children with opportunities to develop a range of skills and positive experiences in the areas of water safety, confidence and competence in the water, personal survival activities and basic aquatic emergency procedures.

VACSWIM online enrolments are now open!  Click here to find out more details. 

The School Dental Service offers dental services for all children under 18 years who live or go to school in South Australia. Dental services are provided by teams of dentists, dental therapists and dental assistants at clinics throughout South Australia.

Click Here to find out more information on how you can access the dental service or to book an appointment. 

November is the month of remembrance. 

It begins with All Saints Day on the first day of November, a special day in the Church calendar when we pray for all the saints and angels in heaven. For us here at All Saints Catholic Primary School the day takes on extra meaning as it is our namesake. Even before I arrived here at the beginning of last year I imagined a day full of celebration and joy. This year I feel we got there.

Our liturgy in the morning combined elements of All Saints Day and All Souls Day. It was respectful and reflective as we remembered loved ones we have lost, particularly Sienna, and their place with the Saints and Angels. The children were beautiful during this celebration. 
After this time of stillness and quiet the children got into the swing of the day as a big, fun, noisy celebration. Our Year 6 children created a real festival feel by setting up stalls in the gym for their ‘Market Day’. Children from Reception to Year 5 played games, bought trinkets, had their nails painted, consumed sugar and had a great time. 

After lunch the whole school gathered and enjoyed watching fourteen different acts show off their talents. The audience did a great job supporting their peers who were brave enough to stand up in front of the whole school. And it was so much fun!

All Souls Day is on the 2nd of November each year. It is a time to remember those who have died. We have a special book in the Front Office containing the names of family and friends who members of our community have specifically asked to be remembered. Our Year 5 children celebrated All Souls Day Mass at the SEM this week and our special ‘Book of Souls’ had a place on the altar. 

Please email me if you would like names added to this book, which we will keep in the office throughout this month.

When people you love die it is painful. I miss my dad and my grandma every day. Knowing they are in heaven with all the Saints and Angels gives me peace. 

God bless.

Tamara Smith
APRIM

4 Bevans has been busy creating, inquiring, discussing and producing work in all areas of learning. Money has been our topic in Math and our journey has been one of curiosity and discovery, from making 3D items to include in '4 Bevans Mart', to purchasing and calculating money spent and working out how much change we would get.

In English we been using our skills to create texts and writing pieces. We have produced interesting narratives and information reports using our research skills and ICT.

The children in 4 Bevans have shown a keen interest with our learning in Biological Science, wherein we have discussed the effects of human impact on our environment, animal habitat and ecosystem. 

At All Saints we believe in recognising positive behaviour.  Mr Wright regularly invites the learners who have continually gone over and above, to share a drink and a chat together.

Join us in congratulating Hayley (Year 6) for being chosen as one of the top rated designs in the Museum of Discovery’s “Space to Dream” Digital Challenge. Hayley’s amazing design titled “Superfun Space Suit” will feature in the Space to Dream exhibition at MOD, UniSA during November 2020

Children and young people were challenged to design a toy or gadget for someone their age who is ‘moving to Mars’ using a design-thinking process.

SUPERFUN SPACE SUIT
While their parents are busy flying spacecraft around their new home, Mars, children get to wear a fluorescent spacesuit so they can always be seen. The Superfun Space suit is a fun gadget to take to and wear on Mars. It is for all ages and comes packed with fun and games attached. Its purpose is to entertain and teach young children about their new home, Mars. It has a speedometer and current temperature reader to help children with their metric measures. It develops your efficiency when moving and flying in a space suit for when you are working as adult. While the spacesuit is giving you readings of the current weather situation to keep you safe from the unpredictable weather, you can play with the ball attached to your suit by a cord to stop it from moving away due to the atmosphere.

Advanced notice of a 20% off sale on uniforms at Lowes next week, 12-13 November 2020.  To receive the discount you will need to have a Lowes Zero Card or Lowes Rewards Card.  If you do not already have a loyalty card, you can apply for one online or instore.