We have enjoyed a terrific start to the year in Junior School. Students have had time to get to know their teachers and have been meeting new friends daily. For our new students, starting at St Edmund’s represents a significant change, and we acknowledge that transitioning to a new school is different for everyone. Please reach out to your son’s classroom teacher if you believe we could support your son with settling in.
This week parents/carers had the opportunity to meet with their son’s/sons’ teacher/s. This was the first official chance to meet and open up positive communication channels for the year ahead.
As mentioned last week at our new families’ orientation session, Term 1 is always full of events and generally moves very quickly. I have included below some important events/information that will impact on Junior School students and/or their families over the next few weeks.
Co-Curricular Activities – You have received an email regarding the onboarding process for co-curricular activities via Clipboard. Once we have all students’ data you should hear from your son’s activity coordinators. Generally speaking, Junior School activities such as debating, chess, etc. begin in Week 4 or Week 5 and Winter Sports around Week 5 or 6. Homework Club begins in Week 3. If you decide you would like your son to join another activity, please do not hesitate to contact the activity coordinator. Your son’s classroom teacher can assist you with this as can Lee Boswell (lboswell@sec.act.edu.au)
Tuesday – Cultural Club (Yuko Leffers yleffers@sec.act.edu.au) 3.30pm-5.00pm, Debating (Julia Roche jroche@sec.act.edu.au) 3.30pm-4.30pm, Homework Club (Holly Ellem Hellem@sec.act.edu.au) 3.30pm-4.30pm
Wednesday – Sports trainings 3.30pm-5.00pm (training times/match days will be visible on clipboard), Homework Club 3.30pm-4.30pm (Holly Ellem Hellem@sec.act.edu.au)
Thursday – Steam Club 3.30pm-4.30pm (Margie Maher Mmaher@sec.act.edu.au)
Friday – Chess Club 3.30pm-4.30pm (John Bell Jbell@sec.act.edu.au)
Please be aware that some activities, such as sports, require official registration (usually via an online platform) in order to be accepted into that activity. More information on this process will be sent from the specific sport coordinator.
Year 4-6 After School Homework Club
Tuesday & Wednesday after school
3.30pm – 4.30pm
Junior School Library lab
Boys are to bring work with them that they may need assistance with. This could be homework, assignments, extension work or additional work set by their classroom teacher.
Email hellem@sec.act.edu.au should you wish your son to attend.
Year 6 Runners Program – As a part of our Year 6 into High School transition program, we will be enlisting the assistance of Year 6 students to help as runners. As runners, the students will get to know the school layout very well ahead of Year 7. The students will work in pairs for a full day (learning remotely between jobs). The students will rotate through on a daily basis so each student gets a couple of exposures throughout the year. This program begins Term 1, Week 2, beginning with 6 Gold.
Thursday 13 February – New Families Welcome Evening (5.00pm-6.00pm in the Br RJ Wallace Hall).
Thursday 20 February – Opening College Mass 9.45am – 10.45am. On this day, all students Years 4-12 will gather for our opening Mass in the RJ Wallace Hall. Junior School and Senior School Leaders will also be officially inducted during this ceremony.
Wednesday 5 March – Ash Wednesday.
Monday 24 February – Wednesday 26 February – Year 6 Camp – Narrabeen. Parents/carers have received detailed information regarding this excursion. Consent for the excursion will be given through the parent portal and students have been placed in bunk rooms. There will be varied activities on camp and students will be given a hard copy of the packing list to bring home next week.
Friday 28 February – Junior School Swimming Carnival at Queanbeyan Pool. Permission notes and entry forms have been sent home. Please me mindful this is a swimming carnival so accurate indications of swimming ability are vital. We would also ask parents/carers to provide consent in the parent portal. Hard copy forms are due back Friday 21 February.
Tuesday 4 March – Moderation Day (Pupil-free Day)
Friday 7 March – Junior School Athletics Carnival. More information to come. Students are currently completing long jump, discus and shot put trials in PE classes. If they make the final (approximately top 10 per age group) based on performance, they will be able to compete in these disciplines on the day. There are no qualifications for the sprint races or 800 metres event and all are welcome to enter these events on the day.
Hair Policy – Thank you to all parents/carers for keeping your son/s haircuts in line with the school’s uniform and hair policy. At times barbers may make mistakes. If they are informed of their mistake, many will fix the haircut (in line with our policy) at no extra charge. Could I please ask that all parents/carers familiarise themselves with the hair policy so that students can get about their daily work without teacher’s asking them about their haircuts. Thank you for your assistance with this.
Hair should be kept neat, tidy and clean at all times and not grown or styled into an extreme or exaggerated fashion.
Hair should be uniform in length (or blended gradually) and no shorter than a number ‘two’. Longer hair (below the collar) needs to be tied back during the school day.
Students are not allowed to have lines or designs shaved into their hair nor grow long sections of hair that can be fashioned into ‘top buns’, plaits, undercuts, braids, ‘rats tails’, ‘mohawks’ or ‘mullets’ etc.
Student Drop Off and Pick Up – Please do not use the staff carpark (off Canberra Avenue) to drop or collect students before and after school. This is a dangerous place for our students to be moving through and we would like to keep this area for staff only. Thank you for helping to keep our community safe.
David Kelly
Assistant Principal – Junior School