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.

All Saints Parish School Vision

All Saints Parish School Community is centered in Christ and as partners in Catholic education; we pursue fullness of life for all.

Principal's Message

It is very hard to believe that we only have 2 weeks of school remaining before our first term is over. I would like to congratulate all of our students on their achievements so far this year. Whether they be big or small we have all grown in some way. A special congratulations must go to our Foundation students who have done such a wonderful job navigating school for the first time. They have all settled in well and I thoroughly enjoy my visits to the Foundation rooms.

Term 1 ends on Friday April 4 at 2:15pm. There will be no assembly on this day. Term 2 begins on Tuesday April 22. Just a reminder that the first week of next term is only two days, Tuesday and Wednesday as we have a Pupil Free Day on Thursday April 24 for the DOBCEL collaboration days regarding 'DOBCEL Strategy 2035- Pursuing Fullness of Life for All'. Staff will be travelling to Warrnambool on this day to work with other schools from the Southern Zone. Friday April 25 is a public holiday for ANZAC Day.

I would like to encourage families to read the section below regarding the ECSI survey. This is a very important survey for us to collect input from all stakeholders in our school community regarding our Catholic Identity. We really value this information and it helps us when making future plans for the students of All Saints. Unfortunately we have only had 6 families complete the survey so far. The data is much more meaningful if we have a wider contribution from our school community. If you would like the survey information and instructions sent to you again please contact the office.

We look forward to a very productive and enjoyable last two weeks of term as we look forward to a well earned break for everyone. Good luck to those students who are representing All Saints at the Western region Swimming Carnival in Horsham on Wednesday and the PHDSSA Athletics Carnival in Portland on Thursday this week.

Thank you all for your support and encouragement this term. We really appreciate our families and the contributions that you make to our school community.

We are Respectful! We are Responsible! We are Safe! We are Nurturing!

Regards

Jamie

Congratulations

CONGRATULATIONS to Erin Hollis-Compton (Yr 6) and her family on the recent arrival of her new baby sister Hazel Grace.

What wonderful news for you all.

Catholic School Culture

Project Compassion 2025

This Lent, we are called to Unite Against Poverty through Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion.

Families have had the chance to collect a Project Compassion box last week, there are some still available at the office if you would like one at home. There is also a Project Compassion box in each classroom if students have some money they would like to donate. This is an opportunity to collect change for those less fortunate around the world. The money will be sent to Caritas Australia for use in their projects. Some of these projects will be highlighted on the newsletter in coming weeks.

Your generous support this Lenten season will enable Caritas Australia to provide life-changing support to communities facing poverty, food insecurity, lack of education, and water shortages, while building resilience against future challenges. Together, through faith and action, we can bring compassion and opportunity to those most in need.

Thanks for your support.

Third Week of Lent

We pray for anyone who lives with disability, especially people who are judged unfairly in any way.

May we do all we can to support their flourishing as truly equal participants in the human family.

May our work this Lent with Project Compassion help to create greater justice.

Amen

This week we meet Project Compassion shares Lam's story. Lam is a young man from rural Vietnam. Lam’s disability made his upbringing difficult. Sometimes people look at those with disability and judge them quickly by what they see. They judge them and dismiss them.

Through the I-SHINE program, supported by Caritas Australia’s partner in Vietnam, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Lam was able to pursue his dreams and become more independent.

He enrolled in a six-month IT Technician training course in Da Nang that not only equipped him with professional skills but also rekindled his social connections and confidence. Today, he is a successful graphic designer, serving clients locally and internationally and earning astable income every month. He has a creative life. The money we raise through Project Compassion helps people like Lam.

Easter Egg Raffle Donations

As we near the end of term and the Easter holidays it is time for our annual Easter raffle. Books of tickets will be sent home this week with students. If you don't get your tickets or would like more to sell please contact the office.

Thank you to those families who have already made some donations. We are still seeking some more donations so if you can please consider donating something Easter themed (Easter eggs, chocolate, toys, colouring books or craft activities) to make up our prizes for this raffle.

The more donations we get the more prizes that we can have. A donation box is located in the foyer.

Raffles will be drawn on the last day of term (Friday April 4).

ECSI Surveys for Families- we need your input!

We would really appreciate your support by completing this survey. All families should now have received a letter to invite you to participate in the ECSI Survey which will assist us in better understanding how our Catholic identity is expressed in work and practice here at All Saints Parish School.

In appreciation of your time taken to complete this survey, once you have completed your survey please take a screen shot of the final page to say that it has been submitted and email it to principal@asportland.catholic.edu.au to go into the draw for 1 of 5 vouchers on offer.

School Information

Assembly Timetable

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

Assemblies for Term 1

Week 10: No assembly due to last day of term and early finish.

Assemblies for Term 2

Week 2: 5/6BS

Week 4: 3/4JS

Week 6: 5/6RV

Week 8: 3/4AJ

Week 10: 1/2DW

End of Term- Friday April 4

Term 1 will end on Friday April 4 at 2:15pm. There will be no assembly on this day due to the early finish.

Buses will run for students at 2:30pm.

Quite often on the last day of term we have students who are a little unsure of their after school arrangements. Can you please make sure that your child/ren are aware of the pick up arrangements for the last day early finish.

We look forward to seeing everyone back at school for term 2 on Tuesday April 22.

School Closure Days

Please add the following dates to your calendars. There will be no school for students on these days.

Term 1

Wednesday January 29 - SWPBS (completed)

Tuesday March 11 - Structured Literacy (completed)

Term 2

Thursday April 24 - Southern Zone Collaboration Day (DOBCEL determined date)

TBC- Curriculum Day- Maths

Term 3

TBC- Faith Formation & Religious Education

Term 4

Monday October 6 - Structured Literacy

Monday November 3 - Report Writing & Assessments

Please note: We will notify families of the TBC dates as early as possible so that any arrangements for supervision of your children can be arranged.

School Closure Day Thursday April 24:

Thursday April 24 is a school closure day as all staff will be attending the presentation of the DOBCEL Strategy 2035, titled "Pursuing Fullness of Life for All." This comprehensive plan aims to enhance the performance of Catholic schools in the Diocese of Ballarat over the next decade. The strategy will be presented to all staff members of DOBCEL schools by Executive Director, Tom Sexton, throughout Term 2. All schools in the Southern Zone will gather at St Joseph's Primary School, Warrnambool, on April 24th to ensure everyone in the Zone has a clear understanding of this strategy and its vision. This day will be a School Closure Day for all schools in the Southern Zone.

The full Executive Summary of the DOBCEL 2035 Strategy is available on the DOBCEL website or hard copies can be obtained from the school office.

Important Dates

Term 1

Week 9

Wednesday March 26 - Western Region Swim Carnival in Horsham (for selected students)

Thursday March 27 - PHDSSA Interschool Athletics Carnival (for selected students)

Week 10

Wednesday April 2 - Sacrament of Penance 6:00pm

Thursday April 3 - GRIP Leadership Conference for Student Leaders

Friday April 4 - Last day of term 1- School finishes at 2:15pm

Term 2

Week 1

Tuesday April 22- First day of term 2

Thursday April 24 - Student Free Day: Southern Zone Collaboration Day (DOBCEL determined date)

Friday April 25 - ANZAC Day public holiday- No school for anyone

Week 2

Monday April 28 - SCHOOL PHOTOS - sports uniform to be worn

Learning & Teaching

Year 4 Camp to Dunkeld: A Great Adventure!

On March 12th to 14th, our Year 4 students had an amazing time at camp in Dunkeld. The warm weather made it perfect for outdoor fun, and the students took on lots of exciting challenges.

One of the biggest highlights was the Giant Swing. Many students, like Atley, went straight to the top for a thrilling ride! Skye said it felt like she might fall into a tree, while Ava and Mia were proud of themselves for giving it a go, even though they felt nervous.

The Flying Fox and Ropes Course were also big hits. Judd and Liam had a great time zooming along the Flying Fox, while the Ninja-style Ropes Course tested balance and courage.

The students also tried Hut Building, where they worked in teams to build a shelter. Briellah's group had fun designing their hut, which was tested with a leaf blower! Even though they got wet, their hut stayed standing!

Another challenge was the hike up Mount Picaninny. Some, like Skye, found it tough, but Liam loved reaching the top and seeing the fantastic view.

At night, the students went on a Night Walk. Everyone had to find the best sticks for roasting marshmallows before heading out to spot reflectors in the dark. The student enjoyed being in the bush at night.

Of course, camp food is always important! Jaxson loved the spaghetti and ice cream, while Liam couldn’t get enough of the chocolate self-saucing pudding. Chaz also enjoyed the fresh, juicy watermelon.

Overall, Year 4 Camp was full of fun, challenges, and new experiences. As Mia put it, “I was nervous, but it was fun, and I’m glad I did it!” Many students are already looking forward to their next camp adventure!

Students of the Week

Term 1 Week 8 Assembly

FCL: Jack Lindsay

FYW: Ollie Inman

1/2DW: Hunter Jennings

1/2ID: Kaden Holland

1/2MS: Layla Smith

3/4DL: Skye Holt

3/4JS: Noah Kempton

3/4KD: Hunter Strom

3/4MN: Emilia Bailey

5/6AJ: Peyton Marshall

5/6BS: Dolly Buchner

5/6DC: Zayden Kavanagh

5/6RV: Varia Green

Digi Tech: Celeste Lysczarz

Indonesian: Ilaria Toohey

Phys Ed: Lola Ford

The ARTS (Music): Indie O’Dea

Principal’s Award: Xavier Lindsey

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

SWPBS Awards:

Respectful- Charlie McRae

Safe- Willow Sutton

SWPBS- School Wide Positive Behaviour Supports

School Wide Expectations

School Wide Positive Behaviour Support is: A multi-tiered framework for establishing the social culture and behaviour supports needed for a school to achieve behavioural and academic outcomes for all students.

Each newsletter we will share one aspect for each of our school wide expectations. We will focus on these at school and they may present an opportunity for some discussion with your children at home. You may ask them when they demonstrated one of the expectations or a time when someone displayed the expectation towards them.

We are RESPECTFUL! - Use school appropriate language, tone and volume.

We are RESPONSIBLE! - Be accountable, honest and helpful.

We are SAFE! - Respect personal space.

We are NURTURING! - Help one another.

Leadership & Stewardship

2025 SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL

This year we welcome 5 new members to our School Advisory Council. I would like to thank our new members for volunteering to support our school in this role.

Our 2025 SAC members are: Bonita Silva, Cam McCallum, Tam Jennings*, Shannon Thomas*, Stacey Tait*, Chris Watson* and Alyssa Bicknell*.

The School Advisory Council is intended to:
• provide a voice for members of the school community
• actively support, in collaboration with the local parish, the Vision and Catholic Identity of the
School
• provide input into and support for strategic planning and directions
• actively support and promote child safety practices including the National Safeguarding
Principles for Child Safe Organisations
• provide input and contribute advice in the processes of school improvement and school
review
• support the Principal in meeting his/her responsibilities and accountabilities for educational
outcomes, effective stewardship of resources, and annual reporting
• actively support the Principal in the encouragement of family engagement
• support the ongoing sustainability of the SAC and its members in its succession and learning

Community Engagement

Working With Children Checks

It is a legal requirement that any person wishing to volunteer in our school must have a valid WWCC. This includes volunteering in the canteen, helping in classrooms, assisting with garden club and going on school camps or excursions. You can obtain a WWCC by visiting the following website:

https://www.vic.gov.au/working-with-children-check

All you require is a 'volunteer' WWCC which is free.

Once you have received your confirmation and your WWCC card please bring it to the office so that we can take a copy and add it to our records.

We would love to see you involved in our school community.

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:

ownloadExternal linkDownload

Download

Student Attendance

It is a legal requirement for schools to contact families if students are absent from school without an explanation. As a result, our office staff are required to contact you from 10:00am if your child is absent from school and you have not let us know. Please phone, email or add Parent Notified absences through PAM. Thanks!

Safe on Social: Parent Library- free access

We have purchased a fabulous resource from cyber safety experts, Safe on Social, for families to use for the next 12 months. With the increase in online activity in everyday life it is important to be aware of and equipped to deal with any issues that may arise.

This resource is free for All Saints families under our school license but it cannot be shared with other families outside our school community.

It is all about keeping our students safe online.

As this is a new resource for our school we would really appreciate any feedback from families who use it.

SchoolTV - Wellbeing Platform

Because parenting doesn’t come with a set of instructions, SchoolTV is a wellbeing resource that can support you in the challenges relating to modern-day parenting.

This award-winning resource helps build relationships, foster connections, enable understanding and break down barriers to navigate a pathway towards better mental health and wellbeing for young people. It can assist in starting conversations on topics that are sometimes awkward or difficult to tackle.

Below is a URL link to the All Saints SchoolTV 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 - Friendship & Belonging

Learning how to make new friends and keep them involves a number of skills every young person needs to understand and develop. For some these skills will come very naturally, allowing them to easily move between different friendship groups, sharing their experiences and opening up to new people. For others, this can be much harder to navigate. Belonging to a group that is like-minded with similar interests is highly beneficial to a young person’s wellbeing. It gives them a sense of security helping them feel valued which in turn builds their confidence.

Positive friendships are an important part of the journey to adulthood. Adult carers can support their child or teenager by providing guidance in the many social and emotional skills required for a healthy relationship. This will help them to obtain, retain and maintain friendships. However, not all friendship are regarded as positive. Sometimes young people develop negative or toxic friendships. Therefore it is also important for them to learn how to identify, avoid or deal with such a friendship.

In this edition of SchoolTV, adult carers can learn how to support their young person’s friendship so that they experience a sense of belonging.

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 Friendship & Belonging edition of SchoolTV
https://asportland.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/friendship-belonging

Happy Birthday

MARCH BIRTHDAYS

STUDENTS: Aubree Johnstone, Alice Vassiliou, Ezra Chase, Samantha Lyszczarz, Caleb Mayer, Van Mayer, Logie Tomkins, Isla Reid, Jarvis Toohey, Victor Vassiliou, Edward Blood, Isabella Camilleri, Lola Ford, Tayah Jackson, Lucas Kerr, David Staples, Indiah Gray-Brewster, Mia Tobolov, Trinidy Brewer, Charlotte Hawker, Billie-Lee Johnson, Amelia Tait, Noah Hill, Jayden Jackson, Banjo Mewburn. Ruby Patrono (Feb 24)

STAFF: Boo Roberts, Jess R, Miss Mall, Mrs Anderson

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.

4th Sunday of Lent

5th Sunday of Lent

Palm Sunday

Easter Sunday