Thank you!

On behalf of the entire staff at St Matthew’s, I would like to thank the School Community Council for providing a beautiful morning tea for our team on Monday as a gesture from our parents and carers.

The morning tea was a thoughtful acknowledgment of the dedication and support our staff bring to our students daily, and it also served as a combined birthday celebration for our staff (in lieu of individual staff gifts). 

We appreciate the support and kindness shown by our parent body. Thank you for thinking of us and for making us feel so valued. We are blessed to be part of such a supportive community.

Expressions of Interest

The Catholic Education for the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn Board is seeking expressions of interest from individuals who are interested in becoming involved in the Ministry of Catholic Education as a Board Committee Member.

Board Committee members may have background or experience in Catholic Identity, Formation for Mission, Education, Health and Safety, Pedagogy and Curriculum, Finance, Accounting, Law, Building, Construction and Project Management, Governance, Information and Communications Technology and Cyber Security, Human Resources and Employment Relations, Audit and Risk or Executive Management.

Call_for_Expressions_of_Interest_Board_Committees

Contagious Illnesses at School

There are currently several contagious illnesses circulating, including influenza and gastroenteritis. To help keep our school environment healthy and safe for everyone, we kindly ask that you keep your children at home if they are unwell. For cases of gastroenteritis, please ensure your child stays home for at least 24 hours after their last episode of symptoms.

For further guidance, we have attached the "School Exclusion Periods" information flyer from Health Direct, which outlines the recommended time away from school for various illnesses.

School Exclusion Periods

The School Explorers - School Transition Program

This week's School Explorers session, 'Make it!', will focus on arts and crafts skills aimed at developing fine motor skills and creativity. This week, our 5M class will be working with our pre-school friends. 

We ask that when parents and carers arrive they sign the attendance sheet in the foyer and move into the school hall for the commencement of each session at 2.00 pm. Parents and carers are welcome to stay or drop off their children and return at the end of the session at 2.50 pm.

Do you know a child starting school next year? We would love for you to encourage them to visit! Please contact the office to book a tour and learn more about what St Matthew’s Primary School has to offer. We are currently accepting enrolments for our 2025 Kindergarten and Year One classes.

Friendology

St Matthew’s is proud to be a URSTRONG school. URSTRONG provides a friendship skills curriculum, Friendology 101, that helps students establish and maintain healthy relationships, manage conflict with kindness, and increase their overall resilience. 

Parent: “How was school today?”
Child: “Good.”
Parent: “What did you do?”
Child: “Nothin’.”

We’ve all had this conversation with our child. When it comes to challenging friendships, the reality is that children do not often tell their parents if they’ve had a Friendship Fire with a friend, are dealing with an up-and-down friend, or are having trouble making friends. Instead, children and teens often suffer in silence.

There are four reasons why children aren’t totally honest with their parents about their tricky friendships. 

1. Your child is worried you’re going to overreact. You might call the other child’s parents, you might call the school, you might say the wrong things, you might cry, you might say, “I knew that child was trouble!”  You might say and do all the wrong things and just make matters worse. Read this:10 Reasons to NOT Call the Other Child’s Parents.
2. Your child is embarrassed. They want you to think they’re cool and popular. Your child wants to make you proud! It’s a pretty vulnerable thing to respond to, “How was school today?” with, “Not very good. I feel like I have no friends. I sat by myself at lunch, and someone made fun of the bargain shoes you bought me.” Children and teens will not readily offer that information.
3. Your child knows it sounds silly or trivial. Children know that sometimes they’re upset or annoyed about things that aren’t that important, but they can’t stop thinking about it. When they think about telling an adult, they think parents and teachers won’t understand and will respond with, “Just ignore them! It’s nothing to worry about. Play with someone else.” These sentiments are obviously not helpful and diminish a child’s feelings.
4. Your child is so tuned in to you. They know if you’re stressed or have a lot on your plate, and they don’t want to add to your pile by unloading their friendship drama on you. They also know it will upset you – so they protect you from that.

There is, however, a fifth reason that has emerged: Your child is worried you’ll take away their device. If the friendship issue happens online, they’re worried you’re going to make them delete the platform or take their device away. In the past few years especially, this has become an enormous concern with children experiencing awful things online that they’re not sharing with grown-ups.

So, what can you do to encourage your child to open up and share freely with you?

First, think of yourself as a Friendship Coach. Coaches don’t go out there and play the game for their players. Instead, they give them advice and send them to play. Then, they stand back on the sidelines and watch. When they call their team in, they point out what they saw and give the players tips and guidance. It should work that way with parents, too, coaching your children through their friendships. Avoid jumping in to solve the problem. Instead, ask: “What can you do to make this situation better?” Empower your child with this activity: Keep it Cool!

Secondly, empathise. Sometimes, all your child needs to hear is, “That sounds really hard. Would you like a hug?” Sit with them in the discomfort, remind them their feelings are normal and valid, and show them you’re there. For teens especially, be a Potted Plant Parent.

Finally, if they’re a little older, let them know you’re there to talk but offer some advice from someone else. Leave a book, article or activity with them to consider. For example, print this activity and pop it on your child’s pillow. Who knows – maybe you’ll get invited to go for some ice-cream!?

We encourage you to join URSTRONG for free and support our school by sharing the same messages and teaching the same skills we teach here at St Matthew’s. URSTRONG provides simple but meaningful language and skills to open up a dialogue with your children. Parents can join URSTRONG for free at https://urstrong.com/.

Petra Cole

Assistant Principal ┃Child Safe Advocate┃Classroom Support Teacher

Gospel Reading

Mark 12:41-44 Jesus notices a poor widow’s offering and commends her great sacrifice.

Background on the Gospel Reading

In Mark 12:41-44, Jesus sits near the temple treasury and watches as people put money into the offering box. Many rich people give large amounts, but then a poor widow comes along and puts in just two small coins. Jesus tells His disciples that this widow has given more than anyone else because she gave all that she had, even though it wasn’t much.

This teaches us that it's not about how much we give but the heart behind our giving. The widow’s sacrifice shows us that every act of kindness and generosity matters, no matter how small it may seem!

Family Connection

Talk about what Jesus observes about the generosity of the poor widow. Ask family members to share what it means to be generous (giving or sharing money and other goods, time, or talent, often more than is expected). Invite family members to give examples of ways we can be generous. As we begin to prepare for the season of Advent, make a plan of one way each member can be generous and give of their time, resources or talents to help others.  Thank God for all he has given your family and ask him to help you to continue being generous like the widow who gave the two coins. Then close by praying the Glory Be to the Father.

Crazy Sock Fundraiser 

Get ready for a fun and colourful day to support a great cause! On Friday, November 15th (Week 5), we’re hosting a Crazy Sock Day in honour of Socktober. Wear your wildest, wackiest socks and join us in making a difference!

To participate, simply bring a gold coin donation. All funds raised will go directly to support Catholic Mission Australia and its incredible work around the world. This year Socktober focuses on children who have been abandoned, who are homeless, or who come from vulnerable backgrounds in Mongolia.

Let’s get creative with our sock styles and show our spirit for this important cause! We can’t wait to see your crazy socks!

Thank you for your generosity and support!

Upcoming Events 

Parental controls and safe search options

Parental controls are software tools that allow you to monitor and limit what your child sees and does online. They can be used to filter harmful content, such as inappropriate material, and to monitor, time-limit or block your child’s use of connected devices and functions such as cameras.

While parental controls can be effective tools to help control and limit what your child does online, they are not foolproof. There is no substitute for active parental engagement and oversight of a child’s online activities. Helping your child build good online safety habits is just as important.

How do I use parental controls?

• Check if your wi-fi router has software that allows you to set up parental controls across your whole family wi-fi network.
• Search online for reputable child-friendly wi-fi products using terms like ‘child friendly routers’, ‘child friendly wi-fi’, ‘family friendly routers’ and ‘child safe wi-fi’.
• Check out the parental controls available on most tablets, smartphones, computers, TVs and gaming consoles.
• Use the PIN code locking feature on smart TVs or disconnecting the TV from the internet if you are not using the ‘smart’ features.
• Use parental controls to limit your child’s cellular/mobile data usage.
• Use the parental control measures on streaming services and gaming consoles to help manage gaming activity. Search for the streaming service or console name and ‘parental controls’ to see your options.
• Download or purchase family safety controls or filters. To find a filter that is right for you, search online using terms like ‘internet filters’ or ‘family filters’ and check out its reviews.
• Set up child-friendly search engines or select safe search settings on digital devices to help prevent your child from stumbling across inappropriate sites and content.

Safe browsing tips

• Encourage younger children to always ask an adult before clicking on an ‘Accept’, ‘Allow’ or ‘OK’ button on a website, as sites may display other messages or disclaimers that require a response.
• Set up bookmarks in your child’s browser for sites you would like them to use.
• Learn how to adapt filtering tool settings to reflect each user’s age and skills if multiple members of your family share a device or program.
• Be aware that many search engines also contain advertising, and know there is always a risk that inappropriate material could still slip through.

More information

Enable parental controls on Apple devices, can be found here: Use parental controls on your child's iPhone and iPad – Apple Support (AU) or by viewing this clip: How to Set Up Parental Controls on iPhone 2024 

Enable parental controls on Android devices, can be found here: Manage your child's screen time - Google For Families Help or by viewing this clip: How to Set Up Parental Controls on Android devices

Canberra Raiders League Tag Gala Day

Congratulations to the Years 5 and 6 students who participated in the annual Canberra Raiders League Tag Gala Day. The students who played should be commended for their skill and fair play. It was a great social day!

Soft Ball Coaching Clinics

All students at St Matthew's have started coach-run soft ball clinics. These will run for the next four weeks. Thank you to Coach Matt and Coach Kai for coming out and teaching the students!

Sports Superstars!

This week we feature a number of sports superstars.

Summer and Violet recently played representative OZTAG in Coffs Harbour. Well done, girls!

We also congratulate Frankie who will have a very busy start to the year. He has been selected for the following competitions:

U12 ACT State Futsal team to compete at the Australian Futsal Association (AFA) National Championships in Sydney from 4-7 January.

U12 Capital Football Representative Futsal team to complete at National Futsal Championships (NFC) in Melbourne from 8-12 January.

Well done, Frankie!

Contributions

If your child has any sporting accomplishments throughout the term and is happy to have them featured in the newsletter, could you please send information/pictures to Mr. Payne at dillon.payne@cg.catholic.edu.au?