Guardian Angels' Update Term 1 Week 6 2024
Coming up @ GA
Parent Teacher Interviews - 18 March - 22 March
Bookings open on Monday 4 March. Bookings for Parent Teacher Interviews can only be made via the Parent Portal and BCE Connect app. Now is a good time to check your access to the Parent Portal or download the BCE Connect app.
Week 7
Monday 4 March
Uniform Shop open 7:30am - 10:30am
Yr 1 - Yr 6 Singing Program (Creative Kidz)
Wednesday 6 March
Sports Aerobics - Hall - 7:30am
Choir - Music Room - 7:45am
Tuckshop (Orders must be in by 7:30am)
Year 5/6 Camp
Roar Active After School Program - 3.15pm - 4.15pm - Bay Tce Oval
Thursday 7 March
Tuckshop (Orders must be in by 7:30am)
Year 5/6 Camp
Uniform Shop open 1:00pm - 4pm
Yr 1 - Yr 6 Instrumental Music Program (Creative Kidz)
Friday 8 March
Tuckshop (Orders must be in by 7:30am)
Year 5/6 Camp
Week 8
Monday 11 March
Uniform Shop open 7:30am - 10:30am
Yr 1 - Yr 6 Singing Program (Creative Kidz)
Wednesday 13 March
Sports Aerobics - Hall - 7:30am
Choir - Music Room - 7:45am
Tuckshop (Orders must be in by 7:30am)
Roar Active After School Program - 3.15pm - 4.15pm - Bay Tce Oval
Thursday 14 March
Tuckshop (Orders must be in by 7:30am)
Uniform Shop open 1:00pm - 4pm
Yr 1 - Yr 6 Instrumental Music Program (Creative Kidz)
Friday 15 March
Tuckshop (Orders must be in by 7:30am)
From the Principal
On Wednesday, we welcomed Brett Lee to our school. Brett is a professional speaker who provides education to communities with respect to Internet Safety and Cyberbullying. He facilitated multiple sessions for our community, including a session for the students from Prep - Year 6, as well as sessions for our staff and parents.
Brett was able to draw on his personal experiences from 22 years in law enforcement to deliver simple and yet powerful messages to our students, staff and parents. Messages that had an important focus for each member of our community, with an emphasis importance of working together to navigate the technological world that we live in.
A key message from the sessions focused on the need to support students to use technology safely, rather than non-engagement. This requires strategies that enable parents and staff to take control and to work together to set rules and boundaries that support internet safety. As in so many areas of life, students need to be given guidance and have a clear understanding of expectations for technology use, just like any other area in the real world. Importantly, messages were shared from the perspective of ‘think before you post’, how to problem solve when issues or uncertainty arises and how not to be a ‘bystander’ when cyberbullying is occurring.
While there were many great learnings, one that I found particularly powerful, was the challenge that was presented to our students to recognise that the ‘cyber world’ and the ‘real world’ are two parts of the one ‘space’ that we are all a part of; that we are all one ‘community’. In the ‘real’ world, we can clearly articulate choices that we make in differing situations, why we would make these choices, and ways that we would choose to interact from the basis that they are ‘expected’ behaviours by most people in our community. The ‘cyber’ world is no different.
Often, we experience the same emotions in the cyber world as we do in real life, and, just as in the real world, these emotions support the choices that we make in our responses, our interactions, our sharing and in the way that we solve problems. Our students had the opportunity to share in the knowledge that choice made from behind the screen have the same consequences as face-to-face interactions. They could clearly respond to the prompt of how important it is to ‘think before you post’ and how this aligns to the choices we make because we are part of a community in real life. Some of their responses are shared below in response to the prompt of “I wouldn’t do it because…
- …there would be consequences for the choices made.”
- …it could hurt the feelings of others.”
- …our choices could disappoint family and friends.”
- ..we would feel disappointed about ourselves.”
- …people might think that I am that person all the time.”
Below are some of the key messages that our students, staff and parents received from their session with Brett Lee:
First message: Internet is permanent and public.
- The internet is the most public place that you will ever be, and you cannot expect that it is private, even if you are using what you believe is a ‘private’ domain.
Second message: I protect my personal information online.
- You would never choose to give your information to a stranger and the internet is no different. If someone isn’t a part of your physical world, your real world, then they don’t require your personal information.
- You need to protect yourself in the cyber world in the same way that you do in the real world. The cyber world and the real world are two parts of the same space – life.
Third message: Who do I give trust too? Who are my trusted adults?
- The biggest group of people that we meet online are strangers. It is important that we know who the trusted adults are and that we talk to them regularly about our actions in the cyber world as well as those in the real world.
The above messages are important, and I encourage all parents to access the links referenced below for more information and ways of supporting internet safety for all children. Brett Lee: https://www.internetsafeeducation.com/
This is a great resource and contains actionable tools and information. Once accessing the website, click on ‘Parent Hub’.
For our parents, Brett provided 5 key principles and actions for technology:
- Communicate with your kids
- Set clear rules and boundaries
- Stay current: Stay up to date with apps and programs
- Use management tools: Consider and use parental controls
- Parents take charge: Be the one who make the final decision
Thank you to our P&F for their financial support towards the cost of Brett Lee’s visit. It was wonderful to be able to engage so many in our community in such a relevant topic that provided excellent resources. These key messages and strategies need to be shared with all our students from an early age.
Term 1 Week 6 News
Fun Folding Friday
Year 5/6 students engaged in a paper folding activity where they had to use visual and creative thinking to reason and be convincing. Students were given the role of 🤨 skeptic or convincer 🧐 and alternated with each new task.
First task was to create a square out of their A4 piece of paper. There were lots of different strategies used to make this happen.
Another task was to create a triangle with ½ the area of a square. Then create a square with ½ the area of their original square. There were some really great conversations with justifications that convinced even the harshest skeptic. 🔺▪️🔹🟪
Year 5/6 Love Learning collaboratively.
My New Gallery
In other news ........
Staffing Update: Farewell and Thanks
Each person has an important part in our school community, and this is acknowledged as we prepare to farewell from our support staff:
• Trish Hardcastle (School Officer)
• Annalise Olm (Tuckshop Convenor)
Trish Hardcastle (School Officer)
Trish has advised of her intention to retire from Guardian Angels’ School, Wynnum. Trish’s transition to retirement means that she will not be returning to her role in Term 2. Trish has had a long history with Guardian Angels’ School that has spanned more than 20 years.
Trish has a beautiful presence that brings warmth and genuine care in all that does. Our community has gained much from her professionalism and knowledge over many years. She has made a valued contribution to our school community and her thoughtful and humble presence will be missed.
Annalise Olm (Tuckshop Convenor)
Annalise Olm has advised that she will be resigning her position from Guardian Angels’ School from 15th March 2024.
Annalise has worked in the role of Tuckshop Convenor at our school for over 12 years. Her calm and gentle manner has been a wonderful asset to our school, and her generosity of spirit will be missed.
I extend sincere thanks to Trish and Annalise for their commitment and dedication to our school community in their roles at our school.
As we farewell Trish and Annalise, we will do so in recognition of their service to our Guardian Angels’ community.
We pray for Trish and Annalise as they farewell our school community and move into new beginnings and are thankful to our God for gifting us with them:
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
May the rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God keep you in the palm of his hand.
Drop off and pick up zone volunteers
Thank you to those parents who have already so generously volunteered their time in the pick up zones. We truly appreciate your help.
We would love parent helpers in pick up zones this year. Pick up zones operate from 8:00am – 8:25am in the morning and from 2:55pm – 3:20pm in the afternoons. It's an easy 25 mins, opening car doors, helping little people in and out of cars.
If you can spare 20-30 minutes once or twice a week please email Fiona Vella fvella@bne.catholic.edu.au with your preferred day, time and campus.
A friendly reminder, before commencing your role as a volunteer or other personnel at our school, you are required to complete the online volunteer training. This training needs to be renewed annually and can be found here: https://www.bne.catholic.edu.au/students-parents/student-protection/Pages/Student-Protection-and-Code-of-Conduct-Training-for-Volunteers-and-Other-Personnel.aspx
You will need to download, print and complete your registration form, which is contained within your online training. Return it to the School Office prior to commencing your role.
From the Tuckshop
Wednesday 6 March - Helper Needed
Thursday 7 March - Helper Needed
Friday 8 March - Allison Collins
Wednesday 13 March - Helper Needed
Thursday 14 March - Kirsty Johnston
Friday 15 March - Karen Slater
Please contact Annalise Olm - aolm@bce.catholic.edu.au - if you are able to volunteer your time in the canteen in 2024.
Before commencing your role as a volunteer or other personnel at our school, you are required to complete the online volunteer training. This training needs to be renewed annually and can be found here: https://www.bne.catholic.edu.au/students-parents/student-protection/Pages/Student-Protection-and-Code-of-Conduct-Training-for-Volunteers-and-Other-Personnel.aspx
From the Church
St Patrick’s Day - Invitation to Mass
As St Patrick’s Day falls on a Sunday this year, the Mass of the Feast of St Patrick will be celebrated on Monday 18 March instead. The Mass on the 17th will be of that of the 5th Sunday of Lent and liturgically has precedence.
However, we, of the St Patrick’s Day Parade Association who have organised the Mass on St Patrick’s Day for some years now, nevertheless wish to acknowledge St Patrick’s Day and so we invite you to the 10am Mass this year in St Stephen’s Cathedral on the 17th and join fellow members of the Irish Community in celebrating Ireland’s National Day. While the Mass itself will not have the same “Irish” input as in previous years, it is still an opportunity to come together and pray for the well-being of all us in the Irish diaspora. And we will still give you the opportunity to meet up with new and old friends afterwards over the tea/coffee refreshments that we will provide.
Put also in your diary that the Annual St Patrick’s Day Parade will take place in the City on Saturday 16 March starting at 10.30am.