Newsletter Week 10, Term 4 2021
Principal's Message
Dear Families,
This is the last newsletter for 2022, in what has been an extraordinary year.
Whilst I do not want to dwell on COVID, from a school perspective it has caused a high degree of upheaval throughout the year. In addition to the 4 weeks that we had in school lock down the disruption to the students extended to the cancellation of school camps, excursions, talent quest, aspects of music tutoring/classes, external sporting events and school assemblies. Probably the most significant impact was not being allowed to have parents and families on site and the cancellation of events such as Fathers Day, Grandparents & Friends Day and our School Spring Fair.
As a school we did manage to navigate ourselves around most of the obstacles placed in front of us. We still had a school Athletics and Cross Country Carnival, one school disco, our Book Fair and Easter Bonnet parades all went ahead, albeit, without family participation.
On the whole student learning was not significantly interrupted (compared to Sydney & Melbourne), having been away for four weeks. During these weeks the school was able to maintain online blended learning, following this students then phased seamlessly back into class routine.
Thank you to all families regarding your support in accepting these restrictions - at times it was not easy! A massive thank you to the staff who at all times had the students as their core consideration in ensuring that meaningful and effective learning was maintained.
Last Week our K, Yr 1 & 2 students completed their two intensive swimming lessons - from all reports there were some very tired students, in saying this they al had a fabulous time. Also last week the Yr 4, 5 & 6 students had some fantastic activity days. These days were in lieu of missing out on school camps. Although not as good as a camp, they had a great deal of fun experiencing a wide variety of activities. On Monday we celebrated St Ambrose Feast Day with some slippery slides. A big thank you to the Parent Forum for supplying the slides and a school sausage sizzle. On Thursday our Yr 6 students had their end of Yr Fun day at Murwillumbah pool. Somewhere in between Yr 3 had a fun picnic day with Fish and Chips!! All in all, the children have had a wonderful end of year celebration!!
A BIG THANK YOU to the Parent Forum who were very diligent in continuing to plan and provide as many opportunities for family engagement as possible. It was so disappointing that the School Fair, which had been organised and an enormous amount of hours had been consumed in its planning, did not take place. In saying that, please put aside the 2nd April 2022 - when it will be staged! It was great to see so many “Grade Get Togethers" at the end of the Year, thank you to the Parent Reps. for coordinating these. Our Parent Forum meetings continue to be live streamed through Facebook - this seems popular with very high engagement.The Parent Forum have done so much behind the scenes supporting the school - we are all very grateful.
Last Tuesday morning we had our Yr 6 Graduation. It was a very special occasion whereby we farewelled our Yr 6 students which contained many Foundational Kindergarten students. The Yr 6 teachers created a beautiful video of the students time at the school and the Kindergarten students performed to “An Irish Blessing” song - it was a lovely celebration. In 2015 we started with 33 students and seven years later 29 of these students were still with us. Below are a list of those families who are leaving us and the Yr 6 award recipients. At the graduation we also announced our school leaders for 2022 - see below.
On Wednesday the school had its annual end of year presentation day. Unfortunately due to the size of our hall and with the current restrictions, parents / families were not able to attend. Again, below, is a list of award winners. Whilst families could not be in attendance we did take photos of each child and the class groups, which have been posted.
This year we farewell not only our Yr 6 students and families who are moving elsewhere we are also farewelling some staff. We bid farewell to Mrs Vick Purser (Drama Teacher), Miss Dani Ey (Yr 2 Teacher) and Mr Lock (Yr 6) teacher. I thank them sincerely for their commitment to the school and wish them every success in their future endeavours.
We also bid a temporary farewell to Mrs Tori Martin (Kindergarten) who is taking Maternity Leave at the end of this Year. We wish Tori and husband Josh, all the very best as they prepare for the arrival of their first child. All going to plan we hope to see Mrs Martin back at the school in October 2022.
I have included the 2022 Teaching Staff List in this newsletter and on Tuesday all children will be involved in a Transition Day, whereby they will meet their teacher for next year. The teachers new to the school have sent a short introductory video!!
I would like to conclude by thanking the staff at St Ambrose. We are all truly blessed to have such a dedicated and highly committed staff that work tirelessly for your child. Much of what the teachers do is over and above what is expected e.g. the weekly videos that are posted, the class assemblies that are recorded and posted, the samples of work that are issued out, the end of year photos and accompanying photo collage - the list goes on. These are not something that you find at other schools - this is something that the teachers at St Ambrose do so as to try and keep you connected to your child’s learning. The teachers put an enormous amount of their own time - weekends/after hours - to put these together. If you have a chance, you might want to thank your child’s teachers for their dedication and commitment.
This year we received the enormous accolade of becoming an “Apple Distinguished” school. There are approx. 730 schools across 34 countries who have this title. I said at Tuesday’s Yr 6 Graduation that from our humble beginnings in 2015 we have grown from a tiny regional Catholic Primary School to a school that now has significant global recognition!!! This is all because of the highly talented staff that educate your child!!
Finally, to you the parents, thank you for your support and encouragement throughout the year.
I trust that you will be able to spend some quality time over the Christmas period with your family and friends and that the New year will bring you great happiness, good health and contentment.
I look forward to welcoming back to the 2022 school year.
Thank You!
Brian Laybutt
Principal
Religious News
Congratulations to our Graduating Class of 2021
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields
and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Mini Vinnies
Eight weeks ago some of the Mini Vinnies team met to discuss what we could do for families this Christmas who might be struggling financially and away from their families. The response from this call to action was wonderful and the Mini Vinnies team got to work on the St Ambrose Christmas Appeal. They worked in small teams and made a video, designed posters, decorated baskets, spread the message to every class in the school and made lovely gift cards.
The response was amazing and we were able to fill 14 baskets with beautiful gifts of stationery and small toys from the donations. The Mini Vinnies team carefully and thoughtfully put the gifts together and were proud to know that they might make a child happy this Christmas.
On behalf of the Mini Vinnies team we would like to thank all families who donated. You have helped spread joy and happiness this Christmas to those in need.
Merry Christmas from the Mini Vinnies team, Maree Spamer and Tori Martin.
School News
*Please make sure you have booked you childs MAI Assesment - Cut off is Tuesday 15th Decmeber. Please call the office if you need assistance 02 66760099.
Year 6 Fun Day
On Thursday Year 6 headed off to the Murwillumbah pool for a fun day!
The kids enjoyed the slide, swimming,volleyball in the pool and Pizza for lunch.
This was a great day to end our year with many laughs and memories made.
Dates for uniform orders are as follows:
Last Uniform Orders for 2021 Order by 5pm Wednesday 8th December - Uniforms sent home Friday 10th December.
1st Orders for 2022 Order by 5pm Wednesday 26th January - Uniforms ready for collection in Classroom when attending MAI or Best Start Testing.
Parent Forum
THANK YOU
Last week the Parent Forum recognised the contribution made by our Class Parent Reps. We thank you for your efforts, organisation and communication throughout the year to ensure fun events for the school community continued to take place. We look forward to working with you next year!
HELPING HANDS SURVEY
Keep your a look out for a Parent Forum Helping Hands survey in early 2022. This survey is aimed at harnessing the talents and contributions our families can make to the school through their involvement across all facets of the Parent Forum.
SUNDAY SUMMER SOIREE
St Ambrose Family Sunday Summer Soirée is on 27th February 2022 at 4pm on St Ambrose Oval. A chance for families and friends to get together and celebrate the start of a new school year. More details to follow but SAVE THE DATE!
2022 CALENDAR
Parent Forum has recognised the need for meetings to be accessible for all. Please access the school calendar for all the Parent Forum, associated committees and grade led events scheduled meetings for 2022. We encourage and welcome everyone to join any or all of these meetings and look forward to your involvement.
Have a safe and merry Christmas. May these holidays bring you and your families many opportunities to enjoy fine food and each other's company.
Community News
