This week we look forward to our first formal academic assembly of 2023. It will be wonderful to celebrate academic achievement and effort over the first half of Term 1. Congratulations to all our award recipients. We also look forward to Friday’s swimming carnival which represents the first major opportunity for our House captains to lead their houses. Our House captains have already run House assemblies and now get to enjoy a fun day at Queanbeyan pool – leading the House chants and cheering. Good luck to all our swimmers for this Friday.
School Sport ACT Representative 12/U Opportunities – School Sport ACT has changed the process for applying and participating in Sporting Trials.
Anyone interested in trialling for the various regional sports, now need to log onto the ACT Sports Website and register for the sport that your child wishes to trial. It is the responsibility of parents/carers to monitor the website for any upcoming sporting events, if your child is interested in competing in the regional competitions.
Please also note if your child is successful in being selected for an ACT team to participate in a national or regional tournament, a formal written letter is required, addressed to the College Principal to seek permission for absence from school during this period. Once the College has received such a request it can then be formally approved for your son’s participation in this activity with School Sport ACT. Secondly, we will also be able to acknowledge his achievement here at school.
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@stedmunds.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 for semester 1 only.
Friday 10 March – Junior School Swimming Carnival. Notes have been sent home but information is also available on the parent portal.
Wednesday 15 March – Forensic Science Incursions for Year 4 and Year 5 students. Please note students will have the opportunity to attempt to solve mysteries using Forensic Science as part of this incursion. Year 4 will participate in the middle of the day and Year 5 will participate after lunch.
Wednesday 15 March – Monday 20 March – Naplan Testing. Naplan numeracy and literacy testing will occur during this time. Any catch-up testing can take place in the days after the above dates. Please reassure your son that these tests are a basic snapshot of how they are performing at the time of testing and that the school uses the information and data to help inform future decisions around curriculum design and areas for improvement. They are certainly not anything designed to cause stress or anxiety. If you require exemption forms or more information, please email Zach Holmes: zholmes@stedmunds.act.edu.au
Naplan Testing Timeline – Year 5
Wed 15 March: Writing
Thurs 16 March: Reading
Fri 17 March: Conventions of language (spelling, etc.)
Mon 20 March: Numeracy
Tues 21 March – Wed 23 March: Catch-up opportunities
Monday 27 March – Experience Eddies Day. If you know of any current Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 or Year 6 students interested in coming to St Edmund’s, please feel free to draw their attention to the Experience Eddies Day and Open Evening Information on our various social media outlets.
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 above the shoulder in length (above the bottom of the school shirt collar) and no shorter than a number ‘two’.
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