SCHOOL CLOSURE – as of tomorrow afternoon Friday 27th March
Category: From the Principal
Letter to the Community 26th March 2020
Letter to the Community 23rd March 2020
Letter to the Community 20th March 2020
Good afternoon families, Attached is a letter that went home today via email and SEQTA engage. The Weekly Reminders also contains additional information. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any further clarification or if you have a question.
All the best, Tania Thuijs Principal
Thinking of you all
Good morning everyone,
I will be sending out another information letter this afternoon to keep you abreast of updates in regard to COVID-19, however in the meantime, difficult times such as these present us all with an opportunity to pause and to lean on our faith for reassurance, comfort, direction and inspiration.
A parent shared this very comforting reflection with me yesterday and I now share it with you. I hope it gives you an opportunity to reflect on choosing ‘faith over fear’ and inspires you to be ‘a light’ among your family and friends during these unsettling times.
May your day be calm, mindful, and prayerful as you navigate your way through the weekend ahead. Take good care of yourselves, be gentle with one another and I look forward to seeing you and your beautiful children next week.
Yours sincerely
Tania Thuijs
Principal
Think about the disciples hanging out with Jesus on a boat when a life-threatening storm erupts on the water. They’re unprepared to face it and, panicking, realize they might die. The entire time this is happening, Jesus is sleeping peacefully.
Instead of looking at Jesus’ reaction to their situation, the disciples allowed their situation to dictate their reactions.
After begging Jesus to do something, He calms the storm… But not before asking them, “Why are you afraid?”
His gentle rebuke over their lack of faith wasn’t because they didn’t believe Jesus could save them from the storm, but because they struggled to believe He would see them through it.
When we find ourselves in storms we can’t control, how do we respond with faith? Here are three encouraging truths to remember:
1. God has power over every storm.
If the wind and waves don’t concern Him, then they shouldn’t frighten you. You might not be able to change your situation, but you can choose to faithfully trust God in the middle of it.
2. Fixing your eyes on Jesus leads to peace.
Are you looking at the size of the storm, or turning towards the One who can calm it? It’s only by focusing on God, who knows every outcome, that you can navigate any situation with His wisdom and peace.
3. Jesus is always in your boat.
It’s easy to focus on your fears when you can’t control your future. But thankfully, Jesus knows your future, and He’s always by your side. And, He calls you to live by faith, not by sight.
Whenever you find yourself overwhelmed by life, you always have two choices: you can focus on your circumstances, or fix your eyes on Jesus.
If you choose to look to Jesus above everything else, you will begin to see that the storms you face are not nearly as powerful as the Saviour choosing to walk through the storm alongside you.
Matthew 8:23-27
Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
NIV: New International Version
Anniversary – National Apology to Stolen Generations
Today, 13 February, is the anniversary of the National Apology to the Stolen Generations.
This is a day to commemorate this significant event, when Kevin Rudd – then Prime Minister of Australia – made a formal apology to Australia’s Indigenous Peoples whose lives had been devastated by government policies of forced child removal and assimilation.
Please take the time to watch the video here and read today’s article from SBS News “Twelve years since the National Apology, Australia’s ‘journey of healing’ has a long way to go”.
To learn more, read this article on the NITV website: 10 things you should know about the National Apology.
Corona Virus Fact Sheet – Health Department
Important Communication to all Families – Novel Corona virus
Notice to parents regarding the Novel Coronavirus
Dear Parents and Caregivers
As you may be aware, Novel coronavirus was detected in Wuhan, Hubei Province in China in late December 2019. There have been a number of recent cases of the virus confirmed in Australia, although to date there have been no confirmed cases reported in Western Australia.
The Department of Health advises that if a student has been in contact with someone who has contracted the virus, they should seek medical advice and stay away from school until they are clear of symptoms for 14 days.
As a further precaution, late yesterday, the Ministers for Education and Health requested that students who have travelled to, or transited through, China or Hong Kong in the past two weeks be asked to stay away from school for a period of 14 days from the date they returned to Australia. This request applies to children in all schools, including Catholic, Independent and Government.
Consequently, I am writing to request that you keep your child or children away from school should the above apply to them. Current medical advice is that while the risk of the virus being transmitted in Australia is low, this voluntary exclusion will cover the incubation period. Should your child not exhibit any symptoms for 14 days after returning to Australia, he/she may attend school.
I am providing this information today to give parents and caregivers as much time as possible to make arrangements for the care of their children during the period of non-attendance from school, should the above apply.
Please contact the school office on 92569696 if you will be keeping your child at home because of recent travel to or transiting through China or Hong Kong. I would also request that you provide us with the anticipated period of absence.
We understand that this situation has the potential to cause significant issues with respect to care arrangements for your children however we also hope that you will understand that the option to keep your child at home during any potential incubation period is precautionary and designed to minimise the potential transmission of the Novel coronavirus.
Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA) is working closely with the Department of Education and health authorities to monitor the situation, and further advice will be provided as required.
Should you wish to access more information about the virus, including a parent factsheet, please visit the Department of Health website ww2.health.wa.gov.au/coronavirus or call the Healthdirect helpline on 1800 022 222.
Thank you for your support in this significant public health matter. Like all schools, our ultimate goal is to ensure that our school community has taken every precaution to keep our children as safe as possible.
Kindest regards
Tania Thuijs
Principal
Final Two Weeks …
Dear Families,
Wow! What a busy time it is at this end of the school year! We are hoping you are all managing to stay calm, grateful and happy amidst it all, as we are also aiming to do 🙂
We are now entering the Advent period – a time of great patience and expectation.
The challenge for us all is to support our children, amidst the worldly noise and clutter of tinsel, toys, shopping and rushing, to slow down… to listen with our hearts… to understand the Jesus message – that God broke into our world to remind us that we are so loved and that God promises us love, hope, joy and peace – a peace that every human soul yearns for… 
Here at school we are challenged to focus on this big picture amidst the hustle and bustle of this time of year. Being mindful each day is the key … we are called to try to act with kindness, gentleness and integrity, and this can be challenging at times.
Over the next fortnight students and teachers are finishing off the year, Admin staff are in the middle of AoS professional learning and a Financial Audit, and leaders are finalising accountability requirements, planning for next year and trying hard to be as available as possible to children, staff and families.
We are of course are also busy preparing to farewell our wonderful Year Sixes, who graduate next Monday evening.
With Two-Way meetings finishing this week, it will be important that parents please allow staff the time and space they need to simply finish off well with students. We now need to preserve the energy we have left in our tanks, for kids!
In regards to next year, we cannot stress enough, the importance of downplaying who your child’s teacher will be and which of their peers may or may not end up in your child’s class. While staff have once again worked very hard on creating class lists that take a myriad of factors into account, in the final analysis, all children need to learn to navigate their way through different teaching styles and different peer personalities.
Our job as significant adults in a child’s life, is to model confidence in their ability to work through any perceived worries or challenges. We are all here to support them to do this and are looking forward to a wonderful 2020!
Have a great week everyone – if you would like to recharge your battery, you may consider coming along to the Community Mass this Wednesday, 4th December at 8.00am – all welcome.
Monday 9th Dec
Year 6 Graduation Para-liturgy 5.00pm Supper 5.45pm Presentations - 6.30pm
Tuesday 10th Dec
Pre-Primary Celebration Day
Wednesday 11th Dec
Kindy Celebration Day Edudance Concert 1 - Gold families 1.15pm - 1.55pm Cuppa in the Learning Hub for any families who would like to stay and wait for the end of the day. Edudance Concert 2 - Blue families 2.10pm - 2.50pm
Thursday 11th Dec
9am Whole School Thanksgiving Mass - all welcome! 10am P&F Community Morning Tea - all welcome! 11am Science Inquiry Presentations - students and parents Semester 2 Reports online PM - Year 1 to 6 Water Fun Celebration for students
Friday 12th December
Last day of school! Year Six Big Day Out! 2.30pm Guard of Honour - farewell to Year Sixes :)
A huge Walkathon THANK YOU
Dear Families,
A huge thank you for all your support in making our only P&F fundraiser for the year such a great success!
Despite the weather, your fantastic children managed to complete the event with a smile on their dial and a spring in their step!
We are currently waiting on a few families to send in their SPONSOR MONEY and then on Monday Week 4 – the 4th November the Raffle Prize of a Bike Voucher will be presented to the lucky winner at our mini assembly.
Over their time here, every St Emilie’s child has, (or will ) benefit from the many projects, capital works, resources, programs and opportunities that the P&F money helps us to achieve.
On the school holidays we have a brand new play space being constructed in the PP area – replacing the original equipment which has now reached the end of its life. We also have two very large shade sails going up over the Year 3-6 playground equipment. These represent a significant amount of money and the P&F Levy and Walkathon money will go some way to offsetting this cost.
These exciting projects will be available for you all to see when you return in 2020 next year!
Wishing you all a great term ahead,
Kindest regards
Tania and Stuart (Leadership Team) and Rachel Davies(P&F President)
