2023, Term 3, Week 9

Principal Message

Dear Families,

Dear Families,Firstly thank you to those families who were able to attend our recent "three way conferences" with your child's teacher. The three way conference is a wonderful opportunity for your child to share their learnings with you and for you to develop an understanding into what is being taught in the class and how you can support them at home. In addition to this you would have received a "fridge magnet" reminding you of the questions you can ask your child each day:1. What did you learn today?2. How did you do?3. What did you do if you didn't understand?4. How can you improve your learning?5. What are you most proud of?By engaging in these questions you can have meaningful conversations about your child's learning.

Next week we have our Yr 4, Yr 5 and Yr 6 students all heading off on their overnight excursions. Yr 6 leave Sunday morning for Canberra, Yr 5 leave Monday morning for the Sunshine Coast and Yr 4 head to Camp Goodenough at Bilambil. All students will return home on Wednesday. On your behalf I would like to thank all of the teachers who have so generously given up their time to be with the students - all day and all night. Taking a large group of children away at any time is very demanding, let alone caring for them 24 hours a day for 3 or 4 days!! I am sure the children will have a wonderful time and hopefully return with some lifelong memories!!

On Friday we welcomed Mr Michael Piccoli to the school, Mr Piccoli will be the Acting Principal at St Ambrose for Term 4 this year, as I am taking leave. I am sure you will all make him feel very welcome.

This will be my last newsletter for the year before I take leave. My leave will entail a "sabbatical" component whereby I will be visiting the "Holy Land" and parts of the Middle East where I will experience many significant Christian sights - e.g. Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jerusalem, Sea of Galilee, Hagia Sophia, Petra and much more. Having spent most of my life in Catholic Education I am so excited to actually visit many of the places that I have always read and heard about.  In saying this on my return I am also looking forward to a rest and hopefully work on my golf handicap!!

I would like to thank all families for your support and encouragement that you constantly provide me. I trust that your children will continue to flourish at St Ambrose and that you will always feel welcomed and valued.
I look forward to returning to St Ambrose in 2024!
Many thanksBrian

CONGRATULATIONS
Mrs Chelsea Carter gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Lara Carter born Saturday 9th September. Mum and baby are doing well

Enjoy the weekend,

Brian Laybutt
Principal

POSITION AVAILABLE: School Crossing Supervisor

Role: School Crossing Supervisor - Part-time - Regional NSW -St Ambrose Primary School, Pottsville

The Role: The role of School Crossing Supervisor is held in very high esteem in our communities. In taking on this role, you’ll become vital to the safety of our kids, parents and teachers, and be an important second pair of eyes for local motorists. You’ll also grow to be a much-loved familiar face around the school with a unique opportunity to touch the lives of countless families.

St Ambrose Primary School crossing requires 20 hours of supervising per fortnight. Shifts fall between 8:00 - 9:30AM and 2:30 – 4:00PM, Monday to Friday Morning and Afternoon shifts during the school term.

If you would like more information please contact the school office 02 6676 0099 or email sapot@lism.catholic.edu.au

Award Recipients

Religion

SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION  2023
A reminder if you have enrolled your child in this Sacrament:

• Attend the Confirmation Celebration at 6.00pm on Wednesday 11th October at St Anthony’s Church, Kingscliff.
• Attending the School Family Parish Mass on Sunday 15th October at Sts Mary & Ambrose Church, 7.30am​ *At this mass celebration students who made their Confirmation during the week will be able to collect their confirmation certificates. 

SAVE THE DATE: SCHOOL FAMILY PARISH MASS
SUNDAY 15TH OCTOBER
We hope to see many St Ambrose families at this Mass celebration.
At this Mass celebration staff from St Ambrose will be attending to the ministry duties and there will be children’s liturgy.
Sts Mary & Ambrose Church, Pottsville 7:30am

Memorial of Our Lady of The Rosary – 7^th October

Our Lady of the Rosary, also known as Our Lady of the Holy Rosary,

is a Marian title. The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, formerly

known as Feast of Our Lady of Victory and Feast of the

Holy Rosary is celebrated on 7 October

Confirmation Retreat Day

On Tuesday Year 3 had their Confirmation Retreat day. Seb, Claire, Eden and Ayla from the ministry class at St Joseph's Secondary College and Jacob the ministry leader guided us through activities about the Holy Spirit. We really enjoyed doing craft activities, singing songs and having a prayer service. We got to wear clothes that were red, orange and yellow and have pizza for lunch. We would like to thank Sacha Vereker for delivering our delicious lunch. It was a very special day. 

By Isabella, Harrison and Angelica

Year 3 and 4 Excursion

Last week, Years 3 and 4 traveled by bus to Murwillumbah to see a show called Hiccup. The main character was a sleep deprived camper who had to help cure a koala's hiccups. The show was funny and the actors were so talented.
By Fraser and Piper

Yr 1 Soft Toy Day

On Thursday, Year 1 celebrated becoming more independent and resilient learners. They know that some of the best learning happens when they are challenged or even when they make mistakes!  

Year 1 Podcast

Sports

Hockey Galal Day

On Friday 8th September, 14 students from years 5 and 6 attended the Fitzpatrick Hockey Shield Gala day held in Murwillumbah. The day was thoroughly enjoyed by all students. All students had fun competing against all schools in the Tweed District . All students grew in confidence and skill as each game was played throughout the day.  its was fantastic to see all St Ambrose students display great sportsmanship and encouragement to others throughout the day. 

Thank you to Miss Dicker and Mr Townsend for taking them to this fantastic event and sharing your knowledge. 

Year 5/6 Gala Day

Last Friday, Year 5 and 6 went to a mixed sports gala day at Arkinstall park in Tweed. There were 2 competitive teams, 1 for soccer and 1 for netball. There was also a rotation of non competitive sports, they were AFL, netball, tennis and NFL flags. Everyone had an amazing day and loved trying out new sports. Thank you Miss King and the teachers for organising this fun day. 

Elective Sport

All allocated sports have been sent out via Compass. Please check the resource section on the event to complete waiver forms for each sport.

Wellbeing

Inappropriate Content: Keeping Your Child Safe Online

As children explore the online world, they may encounter inappropriate content that can be harmful and disturbing. This content can have emotional consequences, causing nightmares or changes in behaviour, especially if it's vivid.

Inappropriate content includes prohibited or offensive material that is unsuitable for children's age and developmental stage. It can be accessed inadvertently through search engines, hyperlinks, pop-ups, junk mail, online games, or referrals from others.

Prevention

• Talk openly and regularly about online behaviour
• Let them know they should come to you or a teacher if they encounter online problems or see something wrong, emphasising that they won't get in trouble for seeking help.
• Avoid device threats that may discourage open communication. Children may fear losing their device, causing them to keep online problems hidden.
• Monitor the content your child accesses online, including video games and streaming services. Utilise parental controls for streaming platforms.
• Ensure children access online content in common areas like the lounge room, allowing for better supervision and reducing the risk of exposure to inappropriate content.

Talk About It

Start conversations with your child about their online experiences:

• Ask if they've ever seen something that made them feel uncomfortable, worried or upset.
• Discuss how to handle negative situations online and ensure their safety.
• Explore their knowledge of online safety and why it's important not to share inappropriate content with peers.

Take Action

If your child views inappropriate content:

• Determine if it was accidental or deliberate, and have an open conversation about their motives.
• Stay calm, listen to their feelings, and offer emotional support as needed.
• Seek advice from resources like NSW Parentline (1300 1300 52) if necessary.

Resources to use with your child

1. esafety kids: I saw something online I did not like.
2. Younger children watch: Swoosh and Glide and Rule Number 5 story time video
3. Hard to have conversations. Tips for parents.
4. ThinkUKnow I’m worried my child might see something inappropriate online

St Ambrose Digital Learning Portfolio - Seesaw.

Just a reminder that Seesaw is a comprehensive and engaging  digital portfolio of your childs learning at St Ambrose! It allows our families to view your child/ren’s work, leave voice or written message for them and  see how they are improving with their learning in all Key Learning Areas over time. 

Seesaw is also used as  digital platform for student engagement during their school day. Our teachers empower students to create, reflect, share their learning on Seesaw and allows them to “show what they know” using photos, videos, drawings, text, PDFs, and links. 

Parents and carers can use the parent magnets that were given during our recent 3-way conferences to stimulate learning conversations with your child/ren at home with they work they upload to Seesaw.  

Kimberley Mathewson
Acting Assistant Principal- Learning & Teaching

Jess Wilson
Acting Leader of Pedagogy

Parent Forum

Movie Night

The St Ambrose Social Committee wants to express our appreciation to the fantastic volunteers who generously gave their time to make last Friday's Movie Night a fabulous event for our school community. Your enthusiasm helped create a truly memorable evening for all the children and families who joined us.
Your contributions make a significant impact on the experiences of our students, and we are immensely grateful for your support.

Thank you 

Play Ground Concept 2023/2024

Together the School and Parent Forum are thrilled to share that one of our upcoming projects is the transformation of the courtyard sandpit area.

Based on the feedback and suggestions from the community a concept plan has been put together. The area will remain a nature-based playground with imaginative play concepts including enlarging and redesigning the sandpit, planting more trees for shade, adding a stage/deck area, new bins and artificial grass with mounds, etc.

Additionally, as part of our ongoing outdoor improvements, we're considering the construction of a BBQ area outside the school canteen.

We look forward to these improvements and enriching the lives of the students and families at St Ambrose. 

Assemblies