Guardian Angels' Newsletter Term 2 Week 1 2025

Coming Up at Guardian Angels

WEEK 2

Monday 28th April
Uniform Shop Open, 7.30am - 10.30am

Tuesday 29th April
Guardian Angels' Open Morning, 8.50am-10am
Mini Pros Soccer (Make up session) 3.15pm - 4.15pm

Wednesday 30th April
Sports Aerobics, 7.30am - 8.15am (GA Hall)
Senior Choir Rehearsal, 7.45am (MC Music Room)
Cross Country (Competitive runners only)

Thursday 1st May
Creative Kidz Instrumental Lessons 
Prep Hearing Screening
Uniform Shop Open, 1.00pm - 4.00pm

Friday 2nd May
P-2 Dance Lessons

WEEK 3

Monday 5th May
Labour Day Public Holiday

Tuesday 6th May
Mini Pros Soccer (Make up session) 3.15pm - 4.15pm
Flexischools ordering closes, 8pm (Mothers Day Stall)

Wednesday 7th May
P&F Mothers Day Stall (P-2)
Sports Aerobics, 7.30am - 8.15am (GA Hall)

Thursday 8th May
P&F Mothers Day Stall (yr 3-6)
Creative Kids Instrumental Lessons
Class Mass, 1.45pm (GA Church - led by 1 Red and 2 Red)
Uniform Shop Open, 1.00pm - 4.00pm

Friday 9th May
P-2 Dance Lessons
P&F Mothers Day Picnic Breakfast, 7.30am - 8.10am
Mothers Day Liturgy/Assembly, 8.50am (MC Shed - All welcome to attend)
San Sisto Presentation to Yr 3 girls

In Memoriam: Pope Francis (1936 - 2025)

On Monday the 21^st of April, the news came of the passing of Pope Francis, the beloved leader of the Catholic Church, who died on Easter Monday, at the age of 88.  Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, served as the 266th Pope and was known for his humility, dedication to social justice, and efforts to make the Church more inclusive.

Pope Francis' life was marked by his commitment to the poor and marginalised, and his teachings emphasised mercy, compassion, and love. He was a transformative figure who sought to bring the Church closer to the people, often shunning the traditional pomp and privilege associated with his position.

The Vatican has announced that his funeral will take place on Saturday, April 26, and his body will lie in state at St. Peter's Basilica for three days prior, allowing the faithful to pay their respect.

In his final days, Pope Francis continued to inspire millions with his messages of hope and peace. As we reflect on his legacy, let us remember his call to live the values of the Gospel with courage and universal love. Pope Francis' impact on the world and the Church will be felt for generations to come.

From the Principal

A very warm welcome to the term to all in our Guardian Angels’ School Community. 

As we commence our first week together, we do so with the news of the passing of Pope Francis to eternal life on Easter Monday.  Pope Francis inspired many with his humble ways and compassion for all, his support of all who work in service to benefit others, and his concern for the unity of the Church.  In remembrance and thanks for the life of Pope Francis, we pray:

Eternal rest give to Francis, O’Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace. Amen.

Lest We Forget:  ANZAC Day 2025

As we prepare to participate in ANZAC commemorative events tomorrow, it is at this time that we are reminded of the ‘Spirit of ANZAC’.  The ANZAC Spirit, although intangible, is reflected so often in our communities, ANZAC Day being one of those times.

I know that I have often shared reflections that honour this spirit.  A spirit that is to be admired and to be grateful for, and to always be remembered with honour and pride. 

I would like to share an excerpt from the ANZAC Day speech of the President of the Wynnum RSL.  We had the honour of sharing this reflection during our ANZAC Liturgy today:

The ANZAC Spirit
The ANZAC tradition began on the 25th of April 1915 on the shores of Gallipoli in Turkey. This year marks 110 years since these landings.  The ANZACs, a name given to the united Australian and New Zealand Army Corps were about to take part in war for the first time. 10,000 ANZACs would not return home to their loved ones.
Although their Gallipoli campaign would not end in victory, the remarkable bravery, endurance and courage shown by the ANZACs during that time will long be remembered. Today and Tomorrow, we here at Guardian Angels’ remember and give thanks to all ANZACs.
We pay tribute to the 1.5 million service personnel for their contributions and sacrifice, and encourage Australians of all ages to reflect and honour the selflessness, unity and courage those individuals have embodied.
ANZAC Day is also an opportunity for us to reflect on the enduring ANZAC spirit – a legacy formed on the morning of the Gallipoli landing that lives on in all Australians, inspiring pride, camaraderie and mateship across generations.
This is a time to think about those who have served in Australia's armed forces, those who continue to serve, and those who have lost their lives.
Lest we forget.

Many thanks to all in our Guardian Angels’ community; staff, students and parents for the commitment to honour our nations service men and women, past and present, through our ANZAC Liturgy that we shared in today.  For the classroom learning and teaching activities that our students have engaged in, and in anticipation of attendance at the Wynnum RSL ANZAC march tomorrow.  

Honouring the tradition of the ANZAC fills us all with intense feelings of thanks, gratefulness, pride and, from our Catholic perspective, hope.   Hope that we may understand significant values, like equality, unity, mateship, courage, love and respect, while having an intense commitment to peace and value for all life.

Lest we forget.

From the Assistant Principal Administration

Good afternoon lovely families,

Welcome back to Term Two; a term full of wonderful learning and fabulous fun.

I’d just like to take a moment to genuinely thank you all for supporting us throughout Term One. We are all part of a significant relationship (yourselves, your beautiful children and the school); a privilege and responsibility we take very seriously. Thank you all for always working with us in true partnership to celebrate the successes and work through any concerns so that we can make Guardian Angels the most wonderful place for your little angels and your family.

CURRICULUM NEWSLETTERS

The classroom teachers and specialist teachers have been working to prepare the CURRICULUM NEWSLETTERS for Term Two. I know at times we can become inundated with emails and correspondence from so many places/people. The Curriculum Newsletter (released at the beginning of every term) is a really worthwhile read; providing information about the incredible learning that will take place in Term Two, as well as important excursion and date/event information.

The Curriculum Newsletters will be uploaded to the Parent Portal next Monday 28 April.

DANCE SUPERSTARS (Prep-Year 2)

Yes! Yes! Yes! …. One of my favourite times of the year!!!! The Superstars dancing lessons will begin with our students in Prep – Year 2 next Friday 2 May. Every Friday until 20 June (Week 9) our little ones will enjoy a specialised dance lesson with our friends from Superstars. This culminated in, what I like to call, a DANCE EXTRAVAGANZA! You may think I am talking it up a bit … I AM NOT. This is one of my favourite days of the year because when you see those little angels dancing their little hearts out, showcasing the dance they have been learning all term, it will make you cry with happiness and pride … well, that could just be me … I ALWAYS cry when I watch the concert at the end of the term.

Of course our beautiful parents and families are invited to join us for this concert so be sure to pencil it in to your diary and come along if you can. Friday 20 June at 2:15pm in the MC Shed. I have timetabled the concert so that it should finish just before 3:00pm. Please note that students in Prep – Year 2 will be expected to return to class following the concert for the end of the school day. They will be released from class when the bell sounds at 3:00pm as usual and will not be permitted to leave the school early (requiring the leave early process through the office). Of course the exception to this will be appointments etc. I will provide more information and reminders about this as the event draws closer … but trust me … if you ever want to see me cry … oh and of course see your little ones dancing … then be sure to join us for this great celebration of learning.

LIFE EDUCATION

We are so excited to welcome our friends from Life Education back to Guardian Angels in a few weeks’ time. From Thursday 5 June our Life Education friends (including Healthy Harold) will join us at GA for just over a week.

Life Education has been working with Queensland students for over 30 years; empowering our wonderful children with knowledge and skills that encourage healthy, safe lives.

In the world around us, these life skills are as important as ever. Through the Life Education programs, the students learn about key influences on health and well-being; including nutrition and body systems, bullying, friendships, emotional health and relationships. This is done in an informative, age appropriate and entertaining manner .. and the students really love to ‘chat’ with Harold the Healthy Giraffe.

We will soon begin the process of selecting the most appropriate modules for our students from Prep – Year 6. When this information is finalised, I will communicate all details about the modules with you via the next full newsletter.

SCHOOL PHOTOS

Our official school photos day is scheduled for Wednesday 28 May. School photos will be taken on one day only. I just want to let you all know as I know that some people make appointment plans around the photo day.

There will not be any catchup photo days at school so it would be wonderful to have as many of our beautiful students here as possible.

It is an expectation that all students wear their FULL FORMAL SCHOOL UNIFORM for School Photo day. Of course this includes correct hair ties, shoes and socks. Our Prep students will wear their sports uniform as usual.

I have contacted our School Photo contractor to get the instructions for ordering so that I can communicate these with you. I will forward ordering instructions to you as soon as I receive them.

SEMESTER ONE REPORTING

Semester One is an important time in the formal reporting cycle at Guardian Angels. Our parents enjoyed some valuable time with the classroom teachers at the end of Term One in the Parent Teacher Interviews. These interviews will be offered again at the end of Term Three. Terms Two and Four see the formal Summary of Achievement (reports) for each student. All classroom and specialist teachers will be working extraordinarily hard over the next several weeks, preparing and completing these reports. These reports will contain important information about your child/ren’s Academic Achievements and efforts over the course of this past semester (Terms One and Two). They will also contain some important information about the manner in which our students exemplify our school framework LIVE THE GA WAY.

BCE schools use and updated online system for student reporting called THE LEARNING DASHBOARD (TLD). Parent access to the reports will be via the Parent Portal. Parent access to student reports will be uploaded to the Parent Portal on the Wednesday of the last week in Terms Two and Four. This is when our parent community will be able to access the student reports.

As in previous years, it is important to know that, as these reports exist in an online and BCE systemic environment, parents should always download save and/or print your copies for future reference. Of course I will provide more information regarding the reporting cycle and access to reports as Week Ten draws closer (it seems so far away now; however it will be here before we know it).

AMENDED CROSS COUNTRY

As communicated to the parent community last term, the Guardian Angels' Cross Country has now been postponed on two separate occasions due to the weather and resultant conditions of the grounds.

We acknowledge the importance of this event and understand that many students look forward to running in the Cross Country Carnival. For the competitive runners, it also provides the basis for student selection for Lytton District and Invitations Catholic Cross Country events. 

Opportunities for Competitive Runners

• To enable our competitive runners to compete and have their times recorded for possible selection in school teams, we will run a school-based adjusted Cross Country on Wednesday 30 April (Term Two Week 2).
• The event will take place at school during a regular school day.
• Parents have been able to nominate students who wish to participate in the age-grouped race events.

Please note: we will only be running race events according to age groups who are eligible for the representative Cross Country carnivals referenced earlier. 

• Prep and Year 1 students will not run on this day 
• Only those students who have been nominated via the parent slip will participate in the race events. 
• This really is only for our competitive distance runners. Students who cannot run the designated distances (or who need to stop to walk the race) should not be nominated for this event in this case.

The organisation of this adjusted Cross Country day is dependent of course upon the weather.

How Will the day Run?

• Students will be called out of their classes (in age groups)  in time to warm up for their event.
• Races will be run in age groups beginning with 11/12 Year Boys and working down to 8 Year Girls (estimated timing of events, and distances listed below).
• Races will be timed with individual times recorded for the fastest eight students in each age group. This will form the basis of selection in District and Catholic events in Term Two, as well as Age Champions for this event.
• Age Champion medallions will be presented to students at the whole school assembly on Friday 9 May (Week 3).
• Any student who is running in the race events should wear their school sports uniform for the duration of the day.
• In their role as school leaders, Year 6 students will participate in the day as support (cheering and encouraging) for all students. House Captains are able to wear their House Captain accessories.

What Do Parents Need to Do?

• We ask that you have discussed this event with your child/ren to ascertain their interest in nominating for their respective races.
• If you wanted to nominate your child/ren for their race, you were required to fill in the PARENT SLIP that was sent to parents last term (Parent Slips will only be sent to parents of students in Years 2-6). These parent slips closed on Tuesday 22 April.

Whilst we completely understand that parents would like to come to cheer on and support your beautiful children, please be aware that, whilst you are always welcome to join us, running this at school on a regular school day means that space will be quite limited. Parents who do attend, please be aware that you will need to stand in the designated area on the day. We encourage you to only attend at around the time/s for those races that impact you and please do not bring chairs etc as we are limited for space. 

ESTIMATED OUTLINE OF THE DAY (Please note: these times are estimations only and will work around the regular school day)

SENIORS (Distance: 3km)
8:50        RACE 1: Warm Up
9:00        RACE 1: Senior Boys (born 2013 & 2014) (11/12 years)
                   RACE 1: Senior Girls (born 2013) (12 years)

9:20        RACE 2: Warm Up
9:30        RACE 2: Senior Girls (born 2014) (11 years)

INTERMEDIATES (Distance: 2km)
9:40        RACE 3: Warm Up
9:50        RACE 3: Intermediate Boys (born 2015) (10 years)

10:00       RACE 4: Warm Up
10:10       RACE 4: Intermediate Girls (born 2015) (10 years)

10:30-11:10       SCHOOL LUNCH BREAK

11:15       RACE 5: Warm Up
11:25       RACE 5: Intermediate Boys (born 2016) (9 years)

11:25       RACE 6: Warm Up
11:40       RACE 6: Intermediate Girls (born 2016) (9 years)

JUNIORS (Distance: 1km)

11:45       RACE 7: Warm Up
12:00       RACE 7: Junior Boys (born 2017) (8 years)

12:00       RACE 8: Warm Up 
12:10       RACE 8 Junior Girls (born 2017) (8 years)

12:20       RACE 9: Warm Up
12:30       RACE 9: Junior Boys (born 2018)
                   RACE 9: Junior Girls (born 2018)

Our most genuine thanks to you for your kind understanding and support as we needed to be flexible with regards to the weather.

Blessings to you all for the coming weeks.

Nicole Waller

From the Assistant Principal Religious Education

Dear Families

Peace and Welcome to Week 1 of Term 2.

I hope you all had a refreshing and lovely break over the Easter period and enjoyed your time with your family. As a community, we started the term celebrating in prayer the Easter Season on Tuesday 21st April and today ANZAC Day.

We gathered today as a school community to honour ANZAC Day; a day when Australians and New Zealanders give thanks for our free and peaceful country. We remember and honour those who fought to protect our beautiful land. It is also an important time to stop and pray for peace – peace in our world, peace among people in our country, peace in our families and peace in our hearts. We know that war brings sadness, grief and death. It is also fitting that ANZAC Day falls in the Easter season. By his death on the cross, Jesus gave us new life. Like Jesus, the soldiers who died in war gave their lives to ensure that we would live in a country of freedom and opportunity

Please see below a prayer for ANZAC Day:

Loving God,
Have mercy on your people,
and open our hearts to peace and love.
Reward all who have died for their country,
and grant that all nations may continue to work for peace and justice.
Bless us in your service,
and help us to follow Jesus Christ.
Who is our Saviour and our Lord,
For ever and ever.
Amen

Anzac Ceremony Photos

ANZAC Day Community March Information

The annual Wynnum RSL ANZAC Day Commemorative March and Ceremony is taking place on Friday 25 April 2025. Guardian Angels’ School students have a proud tradition of representing the school at this ceremony, and this year we will again participate in the Wynnum RSL ANZAC Day March.

Meeting Time & Meeting Place: 8:45am. Participating students/families are required to gather opposite Blue Hemp Cafe on Bay Terrace. Parents and siblings are very welcome to march with us or to meet us at the Wynnum RSL carpark.

March & Service Times: The march to Wynnum RSL (carpark), commences at 9:15am and then the service follows. Our Guardian Angels’ School Leaders will lead our march, carrying our school flag. Once we are at the RSL, we will participate in the ceremony, with our School Leaders laying a wreath on behalf of all of us at Guardian Angels’.

Uniform: Children are required to wear their formal uniform with clean shoes and tidy hair. They must also wear their school hat. Your child may like to bring a water bottle with them as it may be hot.

After the Ceremony: Children can be collected after the ceremony, which should be completed by around 10:00am (approximately). Please ensure you advise a teacher when you pick up your child.

Myself, Mrs Waller and Mrs Tomerini-Smith will be accompanying the children on the march & at the service.

If you plan on attending the march, please ensure you have completed the Online Permission Form sent via email to all families on Tuesday 21^st April.

Thank you to our families for your generous donations to our Project Compassion Appeal.
Together we were able to raise $1889.00 to donate to Caritas to support this initiative.

God Bless, 
Nicholas Cotter

From the Primary Learning Leader

Welcome back to Term Two.  I hope you all had a wonderful Easter break, with the change to relax and recharge the batteries for another busy term.   

With the Year 3 students taking their iPads home this term, I thought it would be timely to outline some reminders around iPad use, both at home and at school, for all students in Years 3-6.  Teachers regularly remind students of appropriate iPad usage, and the beginning of each term is a great opportunity for us to revisit these guidelines. Your support in also reminding students of their responsibilities helps to ensure our students are safe online. 

As each class/year level uses their iPads slightly differently, it is important to read communications regarding iPad use from your child’s classroom teacher.  Teachers will communicate with you the expectations of iPad usage for homework or assignments; however, the school iPad is to be used for learning purposes only.  This is made very clear to the students through the Oli Program, along with regular reminders and monitoring of devices.  If you ever have any concerns around your child’s iPad usage, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher.   

ICAS Assessments

Information regarding ICAS Assessments will be communicated via email in the coming weeks.  Please keep an eye out for this, if you are interested in entering your child in some or all of these Assessments.

National Simultaneous Story Time

Guardian Angels has been registered for The National Simultaneous Story Time Event on 21st May at 12pm.  

The book that has been selected this year is called The Truck Cat. With illustrations by multi-award-winning artist Danny Snell and words by acclaimed new writer Deborah Frenkel, The Truck Cat is the perfect book to inspire kindness and compassion in young children everywhere.

We will look forward to sharing this wonderful story as a school community.

Enjoy your long weekend.

Mel Paljakka

Guardian Angels' Open Day - 29th April

This year, Guardian Angels will be participating in the inaugural BCE Open Week.

We are looking forward to inviting new families to our Open Day on Tuesday 29th April (8.50am - 10.00am.)  
This is a fantastic opportunity to explore our campus, meet our dedicated staff and learn more about the amazing programs and activities Guardian Angels offers.

Event Highlights:
-Campus tour with our Principal
-Meet and Greet with teachers and staff
-Open Classrooms
-Coffee Van

Why Attend?
-Discover what makes our school community unique
-Learn about our Leadership Excellence Program
-Introduction to our new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) Program
-Learn about our exclusive on-site OSHC facilities
-Connect with other prospective families and current students. 

We encourage our Guardian Angels' families to spread the word - if you know someone considering Prep for their child, please invite them along!  

To register or find out more, please go to our website Guardian Angels' Wynnum Catholic Primary 

💚💙We look forward to welcoming our future Preppies to our Guardian Angels' School community 💙💚 

From the P&F

Flexischools ordering is now open for the Mother's Day Stall.  All gifts are $8 each, max 3 per child.  Cash will also be accepted on the day.

Arriving Late and Leaving Early (ALLE) Procedures

Early Dismissal
Our primary goal is the focus on student learning time. Unfortunately, when students are removed from class and wait for collection, this impacts their learning experience.

We deeply appreciate the effort that parents put into planning ahead, and we recognise that unpredictable external factors can sometimes cause delays. To help minimise multiple interruptions to classes as plans change, we kindly ask that you allow a few extra minutes upon arrival to process your child’s departure. Please note that a phone call to the class will be made once a guardian or carer has arrived in person and verified at the office. 

We appreciate your cooperation in helping us maintain a smooth, focused learning environment for all students.  We are always committed to working closely with families who may need additional assistance in these circumstances.

BCE Connect App
Use the app to submit the early departure, late arrival, or appointment.

Communication with Teacher
If the timeframe permits, inform the teacher of early pickups via their preferred communication method (e.g. email).

Allow extra time for students to pack up
Please allow extra time for your child to called and to pack up their belongings.

How do I notify the school of changes to going home at 3pm?
Please call us promptly to advise of any changes to the going home arrangements for the day. It is vital that these messages are received in person to ensure clarity.  Please do not email.

If you require any assistance with the BCE App please do not hesitate to contact us.

Our school day looks like this:

From the Parish

From the Tuckshop

A reminder that our tuckshop is currently CLOSED for maintenance.
Please refer to the email update sent this morning for more information.

Community Notices

BCE Connect App

Did you know…..

Student academic reports, absences, appointments, media permissions and much more can all be found on the BCE Connect App.

How to log an absence, late arrival, or appointment

If you're having trouble accessing the BCE Connect App or Parent Portal:

• Contact the office: If you're unable to log in or have any access issues, don't hesitate to reach out to the school office for support.   It is essential the parents can always access this resource and save their own copy of the student academic reports securely.
• Check your email: The email address linked to your account held at school is what grants you access.    If you've recently changed your email address, make sure the school has the updated one on file. You can contact the office to update it if necessary.

Volunteering at Guardian Angels

Volunteers are very welcome at Guardian Angels’ and play an important role in enriching students’ experiences.   
When parents and community members can get involved in activities like reading, excursions, P&F and events, it fosters a sense of connection and support.

Before commencing as a volunteer, you are required to complete online volunteer training at the start of each calendar year.  This takes approximately 30 minutes to complete.  This training ensures that all our adults who come into contact with our students will be fully informed of their roles and responsibilities when working with students.    

Please follow the steps below:

1. Click this link to complete online Student Protection Training Start training here
2. Complete the ‘Volunteer Registration and Declaration Form’ (this can be accessed at the end of the online training) 
3. Print and complete the ‘Volunteer Registration and Declaration Form’ and email to pwynnum@bne.catholic.edu.au
4. You will receive acknowledgement of your completed training and volunteer number for 2025.

Uniform Shop

The uniform shop is open Mondays 7.30am-10.30am and Thursdays 1.00pm-4.00pm.

Online orders are also available anytime – password to access this page is guardianangels2023

Disclaimer

Copyright in some materials appearing in this newsletter are owned by third parties and should not be used or reproduced without the authority of the third party.  The links to websites or webpages are for information purposes only.  To the extent that such third party materials are not owned by BCE, we accept no responsibility for such content.