All Saints Parish School Portland eNewsletter

Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the traditional owners, the Gunditjmara people, on whose land we learn, work and play. We recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their elders- past, present and emerging believing that we can walk together for a better future.

Principal's Message

I hope everyone managed to stay dry over the unusually wet weekend. And thankfully it has cleared for our Family Christmas Carols and Picnic Tea.

I apologise for the length of this edition of our newsletter but we have so much information to share with you coming up to the end of the year.

Our new playground has been a huge hit with our Foundation students. It is certainly getting lots of use. We are now fielding lots of requests to replace our other two playgrounds for the older children. Huge thanks must go to our Deb Ball organisers, Carmen Scott from Portland WorkSkills and the All Saints Outreach Shop for your generous donations to support this project.

Our school choir have been rehearsing hard as they prepare for the Portland Community Christmas Carols this Sunday. Please see the flyer below for more information. Our choir, along with our Foundation students, will also be travelling to Seaview House and Harbourside Lodge on Wednesday to sing some carols for the residents.

I would like to take this time to acknowledge the hard work of our classroom teachers, especially at this stage of the year. They are spending countless hours of their own time preparing and writing student reports for our families, while still providing fun and engaging learning activities in the classroom. These reports will go out in the last week of school. We are also putting lots of thought into developing our classes for 2025. There are many factors considered when completing this process to make sure we come up with the best options possible to enhance to learning and growth of all students.

Our staff meeting this week will focus on our work with Anne Ruddell from Catholic Education Ballarat. We will working together on the development of our SWPBS (School Wide Positive Behaviour Support) Matrix and Behaviours list. This follows on from work we have been doing earlier in the semester. We will have more information to share about our SWPBS journey and how this will work in our school in future newsletters.

The weekend just gone marked the beginning of Advent, a time when Christians around the world focus on deepening their relationship with God. There are 4 weeks in Advent, the first being the week of HOPE. We light a purple candle during prayer times.

RESPECT YOURSELF, RESPECT OTHERS & RESPECT YOUR ENVIRONMENT!

Regards

Jamie

Catholic School Culture

School Information

Assembly Timetable

Assemblies commence at 2:30pm every second Friday afternoon.

Assemblies for Term 4

Week 10 - December 13 - 3/4MS

Final Assembly - Wednesday December 18 - Jamie & 5/6 team

2024 School Fees

Thank you to those families who have paid their school fees or those who have set up direct debits to make regular payments. We appreciate your support in this matter as school fees play an important role in us being able to provide engaging and high quality learning opportunities for our children.

A reminder that school fees should have been finalised by the end of November. Please contact Jo Drummond at the school office to organise a periodic payment plan if your account cannot be settled in full.

2025 School Fees

At our School Advisory Council meeting on Tuesday 29th October 2024, an increase in school fees for 2025 was approved. In order to meet our increasing costs and provide the learning programs that we do, it was agreed to raise the fees to the amounts listed on the schedule. This calculates to the following:
Family fee $1400 (Consists of $1160 tuition fee & $240 Capital Fee per annum)
Student fee $200

Please note that our fees only make up the difference between the Government (Federal and State) funding we receive and the amount the Government determines as the cost of educating a Primary student. Fees do not mean that we have extra money in our budget to expend on additional resources.
The Family Fee Assistance scheme will be available again in 2025 and is available to all families with a Health Care or Pension Card (card cannot be in child's name). Families who qualify for the scheme will pay amended fees for the 2025 school year.

The Fee Payment Terms preference letter, which indicates how you would like to pay your fees for 2025, will be sent out to families next week. We ask that families complete this and return it to the school office.

FEE SCHEDULE 2025

Families not returning in 2025

Thank you to the families who have let us know that they will not be returning to All Saints next year. We wish you all the best in your new schools.

Any families who know that they will not be returning to All Saints in 2025, and have not yet informed the school, are asked to please contact the office and let us know as soon as possible.

This information has an impact on our 2025 planning and if we know early it makes our planning a little easier.

$ 400 School Saving bonus

The Allan Labor Government’s $400 School Saving Bonus is rolling out this week for 2025. Catholic school students who will be in Prep through to Year 12 in 2025, and who are receiving the means-tested Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF), are eligible for the School Saving Bonus.

Catholic school students receiving the means-tested Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) in 2025 are eligible for additional support through the School Saving Bonus (SSB). The $400 bonus will be provided directly to each school and the school will apply it directly to your fee account. The $400 School Saving Bonus is available for each child. That means an eligible family with three school-aged children will receive a total reduction of $1,200 to school fees.

Families who have had their circumstances change (including new healthcare and concession card holders) and who may be eligible for the Camps, Sports and Excursion are encouraged to discuss this with the school. These are real cost-of-living supports.

For more information please contact Jamie or Jo at school.

Orientation Day: Tuesday December 10

On Tuesday December 10 we welcome our 2025 Foundation students for their first big day at school. They will be here from 9:00am until 1:15pm. We hope they have a wonderful experience at All Saints on this day and for future years.

All of our current All Saints students will also move into their 2025 classes on this day. They will be in their new classes from 9:00am until 1:30pm. Students will find out which class they are in at the end of the school day on Monday.

Our Yr 6 students who are attending Portland Secondary College and Monivae College will also attend their 2025 school of choice on these days. Students attending Bayview and Hamilton & Alexandra College have already had their orientation days at their respective schools.

Library Books

All library books need to be returned to the library by the end of this week (December 6). Children will bring home a list of any outstanding books that they have. Please hunt around the house and send them back. Families who are unable to find/return book will incur the cost of replacing the book in the library - this will need to be paid prior to the school year finishing.

There will be no more borrowing books from the library for this year to enable Super Shaz to re-shelve and stock take the books in the library.

Holiday Office Hours

Please note our school office will close Wednesday 18th December @ 4:00pm for school holidays, and reopen Tuesday 28th January 2025 @ 8.30am.

If you need to contact us over the holiday period, you can call the school on 55233654 and leave a message. If your matter is more urgent, please email principal@asportland.catholic.edu.au

This email will be checked regularly over the holidays but not every day so you may not get an immediate response, but we will get back to you.

Mini Fete

What a wonderful day everyone had a the Mini Fete last Friday! There was so much to do, eat, drink and enjoy. Thank you to everyone for your generous donations, we were very grateful for the support. With your help we had lots of prizes to be won and treats to purchase, making the event all the more fun.

Another big thankyou must go to Hayley, Loryn and Darcy who grew plants and succulents during the year for the plant stall, Super Shaz who did a lot to organise prizes and activities during the week and to the 5/6 students who confidently and successful manned the stalls during the fete. Huge thanks also must go to Miss O'Keefe for coordinating this event again this year with her team. Well done everyone!

The money raised during this event will go towards paying for buses for camps and excursions or purchasing resources for our school in 2025.

Mini Fete fun

TERM 4

Week 9

Monday December 2 - 2025 Foundation Transition Session 4 - Parent Information Session

Monday December 2 - School Carols Night & Picnic Tea 5:30pm

Tuesday December 3 - Bayview Orientation Day for Yr 6 students attending Bayview in 2025

Wednesday December 4 - Harbourside Lodge and Seaview House Carols singing (participating students)

Friday December 6 - Yr 6 Fun Day @ Adventure Park in Geelong

Sunday December 8 - Community Carols @ Bayview College 5:00pm-7:00pm

Week 10

Monday December 9 - Yr 6 Big Day Out @ Bayview (activity day for all Yr 6 students regardless of where they are going to school in 2025)

Tuesday December 10 - Orientation Day for all students

Thursday December 12 - Yr 6 Graduation Ceremony 6:00pm-8:00pm @ All Saints School Hall

Friday December 13 - End of Year Mass @ All Saints Church 11:00am

Week 11

Wednesday December 18 - Final day for students - 3:25pm finish

Thursday December 19 - Final day for staff

2025

Term 1

Week 1

Tuesday January 28 - Staff First Day

Wednesday January 29 - Student Free Day: Staff Professional Learning- SWPBS

Thursday January 30 - Students return to school

Learning & Teaching

From the 5/6 Classrooms- Year 5/6 Surfing

Once again, this year, the Year 5/6 students enjoyed attending surfing lessons with the ‘Go Surf’ crew at Cape Bridgewater. The students have attended 3 sessions where they participated in water and surf safety, proper surfboard care and use and how to “pop” up onto their surfboard. Some days were sunny and beautiful while others were full of rain, but that didn’t stop our keen surfers from getting out there and hanging 10! But don’t just take the teacher's word for it, here are some quotes from our students…

I enjoyed surfing very much! 10 out of 10!- Payton

I really enjoyed it. I love getting into the water, even when it was pouring with rain!- Addy

I loved standing up on the waves, and the instructors taught us all about safety in the water.- Archie

It was fun, even when you fell off your board!- Baylee

Enjoy some of the amazing photos we took!

Term 4 Week 8 Assembly

FCL: Zimi Lyons & Kaden Holland

1/2YW: Hailey Schlemmer & Layla Richardson

1/2DW: Kacy Clements & Faith Edwards

1/2ID: Liam Webb & Blake Taylor

1/2MR: Nate Looker & Ollie Peters

3/4DL: Judd Jennings & Sophia Budde

3/4MS: Atley Sutton & Hamish McMahon

3/4JS: Lance Chase & Ella Jarrett

3/4MN: Savannah Sutton & Amity-Beth Schmidt

5/6AD: Whole Class

5/6BS: Aleks Litowschenko & Harry Rogers

5/6RV: Ebony Hawker & Noah Hill

5/6DC: Alicia Iddon & Zena Howman

Science: Austin Silva & Austin Annett

Physical Education: Lola Ford & Zade Edwards

‘Never see a need without doing something about it!’

Congratulations to these students for the wonderful work and effort that others have seen from you. Keep inspiring and encouraging those around you.

Leadership & Stewardship

2025 Classroom Teachers

Our classroom and specialist teaching teams have been finalised for 2025.

Foundation Team:

FCL- Clare Levings (Mon-Thurs) & Amelia Mahon (Fri)

FYW- Yasmin Wood

1/2 Team:

1/2DW- Danielle Walsh (Mon-Thurs) & Ben Staples (Fri)

1/2ID- Isaac Debono

1/2MS- Mallissa Sealey

3/4 Team:

3/4DL- Danielle Lambert (Mon-Thurs) & Kendl Roberts (Fri)

3/4JS- Jeanette Simpson

3/4KD- Kathryn Dart (Mon-Thurs) & Ashlee Anderson (Fri)

3/4MN- Marcia Nicholls (Mon-Wed & Fri) & Ashlee Anderson (Thurs)

5/6 Team:

5/6AJ- Andrea Jennings (Mon-Thurs) & Paul White (Fri)

5/6BS- Bonita Silva

5/6DC- Debbie Cobby

5/6RV- Rita Vecchio

Specialist Team:

The Arts- Fiona Arnott

Digi Tech & Science- Ben Staples

Indonesian- Kendl Roberts

Phys Ed- Paul White

Intervention Team:

Literacy Support/Intervention- Josie Englezos

BOOST- Janette Mottram

Administration Team:

Rochelle Bailey- Administration Officer

Jo Drummond- Business Manager

Leadership Team:

Jamie Walsh - Principal

Kerri-Ann O'Keefe - Deputy Principal & Religious Education Leader

Danielle Walsh - Learning & Teaching Leader (Junior)

Bonita Silva - Learning & Teaching Leader (Senior)

Christine McMahon - Learning Diversity Leader & Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader

We will now be working on where our LSOs will be placed to best support our students and their learning.

Community Engagement

School Advisory Council

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge 2 of our members who have come to the end of their time on our SAC. A massive thank you must go to Mel McKenzie and Dean Beckman who have both served 4 years (two terms of two years) on our SAC. Just because your time on our SAC has ended this does not mean that we do not want to hear your wonderful ideas. Your input, thoughts and support have been greatly appreciated. Thank you.

We have some vacancies on our SAC. If you are a parent who is interested or would like more information please contact me at school via email at principal@asportland.catholic.edu.au

Relay for Life

In 2025 we will again be participating in Relay for Life on March 1. If you would like to be a part of our team please use the following link to register. More information will be shared in future newsletters. https://www.relayforlife.org.au/fundraisers/AllSaintsParishSchool6008

Portland Christmas Cheer 2024- The Salvation Army

For over 135 years, The Salvation Army Portland has continued to support our community members who have been experiencing hardship, and will continue to do so during this Christmas period.

As the celebration of the birth of Jesus draws near, it is important for us to remember those doing it tough and we are truly blessed to be able to support others during this time.

Enclosed is some information about this years Christmas Cheer. Please read it carefully and take note of the dates so you don’t miss out. If you have any questions please contact The Salvation Army Portland by email at corpsofficer.portland@salvationarmy.org.au or by phone on 03 5523 3749.

Have a wonderful Christmas and may you be Blessed,
Heather Stamp
Corps Officer- Portland Salvation Army

Christmas_Cheer_FAQ_2024_1_.pdf

Christmas_Cheer_Form_2024.pdf

Child Safety & Wellbeing

At All Saints Parish School we hold the care, safety and wellbeing of children and young people as a central and fundamental responsibility of our school.

Webinars for parents and carers

https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/webinars

Join one of our free webinars for parents and carers.

These live webinars give parents and carers the knowledge, skills and tools to support their children to have safe online experiences.

On this page:

Download the schedule

eSafety-Term-4-2024-Parent-carer-Webinar-Flyer (PDF, 93.84KB)

2024 parent and carer webinar schedule (PDF, 155.03KB)DownloadExternal link
Download

Download

eSafety Term 4 2024 Parent Carer Webinar Flyer

SchoolTV - Wellbeing Platform

All Saints Parish School’s ‘School TV’ can be accessed using the following link: https://asportland.catholic.schooltv.me

In this edition of SchoolTV - School Transitions

Whether it is starting school for the first time, moving up to a higher grade or embarking on a journey through secondary school, there is no doubt that any school transition is a very exciting time for children and parents. It means your children are growing up!

However, transitioning is an ongoing process. It can continue long after students have entered their new environment and may encounter difficulties at a number of different stages. These stressors may appear as anxiety and frustration and result in negative or disruptive behaviours. Such behaviours can become problematic making the transitioning process even more difficult for children and parents.

In this edition of SchoolTV, parents will learn practical strategies to assist your child during the transition process and reduce stress and anxiety levels.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback. If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to the School Transitions edition of SchoolTV
https://asportland.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/school-transitions

Happy Birthday

DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS

STUDENTS: Lucy B, Melodi F, Oliver C, Fletcher B, Tyler L, Charlotte N, Dylan R, Ella J, Archie M, Tilly F, Charlotte U-S, Georgia H, Holly K, Sunnie C, Danny W, Harry R, Henry M, Summer C, Ciarah L, Briellah L, Zade E, Travis B, Aliyah L.

STAFF: Rosie, Jess L

Praying With Children

Praying with Children resources offer an insight into the scripture readings from mass on the weekend. It is a wonderful opportunity for families to discuss the Gospel stories and complete some related activities if they wish.

Please click on each of the flyers below to access the activities.

childrens_liturgy_of_the_word_1_december_2024_1_advent_c.pdf

childrens_liturgy_of_the_word_8_december_2024_2_advent_c.pdf

childrens_liturgy_of_the_word_15_december_2024_3_advent_c.pdf