24th February 2025

Term 1-Week 4

• Monday 24th February 2025
  

  • School Liturgy & Assembly let by 5A @ 9.00am - Family & Friends welcome

  • School Choir @ 8.35am in the Library
  • Agriculture Club @ Recess
• Tuesday 25th February 2025
  • Mini Vinnies @ Recess 
    
• Wednesday 26th February 2025
  • Guitar Group @ 11.00-11.40am (Early recess in classroom at 10.50am)
  • Year 2 Ukulele Group @ 1.10pm
  • Didgeridoo Group @ 1.40pm
    
• Thursday 27th February 2025
  • Senior Band @ 7.50-8.50am 
  • Junior Band @ 11.00-11.40am (Early recess in classroom at 10.50am)
  • School Chaplain Visit - Year One @ 11.40am
  • Parish Sacramental meeting @ 6.30pm in Parish Centre
• Friday 28th February 2025
  
• Sunday 2nd March 2025
  
  • Cathedral Parish Multicultural Celebration starting with 10am Mass

Term 1-Week 5 2025

• Monday 3rd March 2025
  

  • Eastern Regional Swimming Carnival - Bathurst Aquatic Centre 9.20am- 2.30pm

  • School Liturgy & Assembly led by 4W @ 9.00am - Family & Friends welcome

  • School Choir @ 8.35am
  • Agriculture Club @ Recess
    
• Tuesday 4th March 2025
  • Shrove Tuesday
  • Mini Vinnies @ Recess 
    
• Wednesday 5th March 2025
  
  • Ash Wednesday Mass
  • Guitar Group @ 11.00-11.40am (Early recess in classroom at 10.50am)
  • Year 2 Ukulele Group @ 1.10pm
  • Didgeridoo Group @ 1.40pm
    
• Thursday 6th March 2025
  • Senior Band @ 7.50-8.50am 
  • Junior Band @ 11.00-11.40am (Early recess in classroom at 10.50am)
    
  • School Chaplain Visit - Year 6
• Friday 7th March 2025
  • P & F Welcome Picnic Evening @ 5.30 Family & Friends welcome to bring along a picnic to enjoy

Important Dates

More important dates listed here 

School Calendar Handy Hints

Google Calendar is an easy way to keep up to date with the school events.  This can be found on our school website under the Parents and Families tab. Below is the link that will take you straight to the Calendar section of the site, where the calendar can be displayed by month. If you click on the event, more details (if confirmed) will be available for the event. 

Most end of year events and special celebrations have already been added to the calendar and all other events appear as soon as we can confirm the details.  Website Calendar Link

For those with a Google Account the calendar can be added to your Google calendars for easy access
on your phone or device. Google School Calendar Link

Update your Details

Update your email, phone number, address, your child’s medical details or emergency contacts by emailing the information to cathedral@bth.catholic.edu.au

From the Principal

Multicultural Event

This weekend our Parish have organised a special Multicultural event to acknowledge and celebrate the many cultures represented in our community. We encourage all families to join in this celebration on Sunday from 10am in the Cathedral followed by food and entertainment in our Mother Ignatius Croke Hall.  

We thank the many volunteers who have organised this event and Mrs Whitmore for preparing the fabulous decorations which will also be used to celebrate Harmony Day later in the term. 

Parent Information Session 

Thank you to the many parents who joined us last week for our Annual Parent Information Session. It was wonderful to have the time to present our vision for the year, for parents to meet with their child’s teachers, receive some IT support at our admin station and to be inducted as a volunteer for the year. 

For any families wishing to volunteer throughout the year who missed this induction, please make an appointment at the office to complete a brief induction before the event. 

Our Newsletter will be published fortnightly in 2025 and we encourage you to access the Google Cathedral Community Calendar so that you can stay current with school dates and celebrations. 

Camille Tavares   | Principal

Congratulations

A huge congratulations to Hannah (Miss Chapman) and Evan. We wish them many blessings as they embark on the special gift of married life. 

Awards

Cathedral Teaching Staff 2025

Kindergarten
KA - Genevieve Avinash 
KM - Aimee Morris 
Year One
1W - Kathryn Wilkinson 
1M - Danielle Mitchell  
Year Two
2IC - Esther Inwood (Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri) and Kerry  Cashen (Wed) 
2MG - Dee McGregor with Alice Gallagher (from Term 2) 
Year Three
3TJ - Cassie Toole (Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri) and Jerdin Jenkins (Mon) 
3MO - Courtney Muldoon (Mon, Tue, Wed) and Catherine O’Neill (Thu, Fri) 
Year Four
4W - Carolyn Wood 
4RS -  Danielle Rice (Mon, Tue, Wed) and Jane Hands (Thu, Fri) (Term 1)(Abbie Bowman from Term 3)
Year Five
5C - Anna Clayton 
5A - Antoinette Angelucci 
Year Six
6B - Julia Baird 
6LB - Ashley Boylan (Mon, Tues, Wed)  and Sonika Lata (Thu, Fri)

We welcome Mrs Jane Hands for the remainder of the term. Jane will team with Mrs Danielle Rice teaching 4RS. 

We are grateful to have had Mr Theodore Sadler assisting in the Year 6 classrooms. Thedore is looking forward to studying teaching at Charles Sturt University and we are so grateful for his support over the past weeks.

Teaching and Learning

Welcome back to another year at Cathedral! I am eager to highlight our key curriculum focuses, each aimed at nurturing academic excellence and personal growth in our students.

Continuing Curriculum Reform
This year, we continue our commitment to embedding the new curriculum areas of English and Mathematics across K-6, along with HSIE (Human Society and Its Environments) and PD, H, PE (Personal Development, Health and Physical Education). Our goal is to create a vibrant culture of learning, where we continue to elevate our existing practices to promote and support student learning.  By implementing high-impact teaching strategies, providing meaningful feedback, and designing and implementing quality assessments, our goal is to continue to develop our students into expert learners. 

Crucially, our teachers will be engaged in ongoing professional learning including drawing on the work of Dr Michael McDowell (High Impact Teaching Strategies) as well as working alongside Dr Sarah McDonogh (Literacy) and Mrs Tess Barnes (Whole Brain Thinking / Collective Efficacy). By empowering our teachers, we ensure that our students receive the highest quality education.

Our Focus on Writing
This year we embark on a new project to strengthen our students’ writing skills. Our Writing initiative aligns to the new NSW English Syllabus and aims to equip our students with strong writing abilities from the early years through to Year 6. Over the past few years, we have developed comprehensive English units with a particular emphasis on Writing and Literature across all classes K-6. We have observed significant improvements in our students writing capabilities, reflecting the effectiveness of these targeted efforts …  and we want to build on this success with a more structured approach to assessment and feedback.

To continue this positive trajectory, we are introducing benchmark assessments throughout the year, accompanied by tracking against rubrics, detailing standards and requirements from Kindergarten to Year 6. Our benchmark practices will enable us to monitor each student’s progress in Writing meticulously. While we have established assessment practices for Reading and Mathematics, a standardized approach for Writing has been lacking until now.

Our processes will allow for:

# Consistent and Comparable Judgements - Teachers will use detailed rubrics to assess student writing, ensuring consistency across classrooms and across the school. 

# Targeted and Specific Feedback -  Students will receive clear, constructive feedback tailored to their individual needs, helping them refine their writing skills.

# Better Support for Student Growth - Teachers can identify specific areas for improvement and provide targeted interventions.

Three-Way Conferences
In Week Eight, Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences will occur. These meetings provide the opportunity for students, teachers, and parents to come together to reflect on student progress and set future learning goals. Unlike traditional parent-teacher interviews, these conferences actively involve our students in the discussion. The student shares what they have learned, their next steps, and how they are progressing toward their goal. To support our school focus on Writing, our Three-Way Conferences this term will centre on setting student Writing goals.

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN)
NAPLAN will take place this term for Year 3 and Year 5 students beginning on Wednesday, 12th March (Week 6 and 7). NAPLAN is a literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. It is the only national assessment all Australian students have the opportunity to undertake. As students progress through their school years, it is important to check how well they are learning the essential skills of reading, writing and numeracy. NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through the school curriculum and allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national proficiency standards. NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process. It does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance, but it can provide teachers with additional information about students’ educational progress. NAPLAN also provides schools, education authorities and governments with information about how education programs are working and whether young Australians are achieving important educational outcomes in literacy and numeracy. 

All tests, apart from Year 3 Writing are completed online. Research into online assessment indicates that students engage well with online tests as the questions are tailored to their achievement levels. Tailored testing provides a more precise assessment of a student’s performance. Students at each year level start the tests with a similar set of questions. Depending on the number of questions they answer correctly, the next set of questions may be more, or less, difficult.

Students are not expected to study for NAPLAN. You can support your child by reassuring them that NAPLAN is a part of their school program and reminding them to simply do their best. Some explanation of NAPLAN is useful to help students understand and be comfortable with the format of the tests; however, it is not necessary for parents/carers to do this. Teachers will ensure students are familiar with the types of questions in the tests and will provide appropriate support and guidance.

From 2023, NAPLAN results are reported against proficiency standards. There is a standard for each assessment area at each year level. Proficiency standards provide clear information on student achievement. They are set at a challenging but reasonable level expected for the child at the time of NAPLAN testing, based mainly on what has been taught in previous years of schooling. Student achievement is shown against 4 levels of proficiency: Exceeding, Strong, Developing and Needs additional support.

The proposed timetable for NAPLAN is detailed below:

NB Thursday 20th March to Friday 21st March will be used as catch up days for students who have missed tests due to absence on scheduled days.

Morning Drop Off

School supervision begins at 8:30am.

We ask that students are not dropped of at or around the school before this time as adequate supervision can not be provided. 

Catherine O'Neill   | Assistant Principal

Afternoon Pick Up

Our students have been practising their going home procedures to ensure student and family safety. Our students have some important safety messages to share with their families which includes the use of pedestrian crossings and walking when entering and exiting the school.

Below are our afternoon procedures that we ask students and families to follow. 

Walkers - Only students walking to a workplace or home should join the walkers. If you are picking your child up and you are parked across any nearby road, then you need to walk over to school to collect your child from the William St or George St collection point.

Teachers only escort students across the crossings on William, Keppel and George Sts. Students are then left to make their way home. Please ensure that your child has the knowledge of and ability to walk the safest route home before allowing them to cross busy streets. Please note that not all streets around the school have pedestrian crossings.

George St - If collecting students on the George St exit, please walk to students who will be seated on the pavers for collection. Students are not allowed to meet you on the street. If parked on the opposite side of the road, please use the pedestrian crossing and do not cross in front of or behind buses.

William St - If collecting students on the William St exit, please collect students from the gate. If parked on the opposite side of the road please use the pedestrian crossing on William St.

Please hold your child’s hand when exiting the school grounds.

We thank you for supporting these procedures and for modelling safe and calm behaviors at pick up time.

Religious Education & Catholic Life

Opening School & Commissioning Mass: Thank you to everyone involved in our wonderful celebration to begin the new school year and to induct our student leaders. It was lovely to see so many parents and families at our Mass and a special thank you to Mr Paul Hughes who led our music ministry with our school choir and newly installed Year 6 Liturgy & Worship Committee.

School Chaplain Visits: Fr Karl, along with our pre-seminarian, Duc, will spend time in the coming weeks visiting Years 2-6 as a way of welcome, connection and provide information on the Rite of Penance / Reconciliation. Year 2 enjoyed this time last week and after their beautiful praying and singing of the hymn ‘Lord I Need You’ have unanimously voted that this will be our Opening Hymn at next week’s Ash Wednesday Mass.

Sacramental Program: Parents of students in Years 2, 3, 5 & 6 are invited to the Parish Centre this Thursday at 6:30pm where I will be joined by Fr Paul and RECs from our other parish primary schools to outline the parish coordinated and school supported Sacramental Program for this year. We also invite parents who had children in Years 2,3 & 5 last year to attend if their child didn’t enrol last year for one of the sacraments (First Penance, First Holy Communion or Confirmation).

Coming Up: Please always reference the School Community Calendar for the latest event details and changes:

IN OUR PARISH
We are proud to be an important part of the Cathedral Parish of Ss Michael & John.   For information about our parish please click here. This includes Mass Times, Ministries, Sacraments and current edition and archived stories from the Catholic Observer and Parish Bulletin.

“I hope that during this Jubilee, we practice kindness 

as a form of love to connect with others” Pope Francis

Ashley Boylan | Religious Education Coordinator

SPB4L-School Wide Positive Behaviours for Learning

Julia Baird   | On behalf of the SPB4L Committee

Wellbeing

The Council of Catholic School Parents is offering this free webinar on SchoolSpeak to all parents and carers.

Don’t forget to check out the Parent & Carer Hub for the Resilience Project too!

Merryn Sadler   | Wellbeing Coordinator

Library

Great news! Our school has a subscription to World Book Online! This means you have FREE access from home or on the go with any internet-connected device.

Our password and username is cathedralcps

What is World Book Online?

A safe, trusted, 21st-century learning environment for students.

Merryn Sadler   | Teacher Librarian

Sports

Congratulations to the following students who are competing at the Eastern Region Swimming Carnival next Monday 3rd March in Bathurst:

2MG: Archie, Willow, Finley

2IC: Elizabeth, Poppy

3TJ: Travis, Evelyn, Noah, Ava

3MO: Pearl, Teo, Corbin, Flynn, Luca

4RS: Harry, Primrose, Trisha, Ethan, Jasper, Franklin, Max 

4W: Lilly, Mitch, Tessa

5C: Audrey, Wyatt, Scarlett

5A: Jack, Sophie, Oscar, Ella

6B: Emilia, Harrison

6LB: Azura, Lara, Jaxon, Ethan, Maya, Joseph, Lucy, Carter

Cassie Toole   | Sports Coordinator

Mini Vinnies

Everyone is welcome to join Mini Vinnies and I look forward to another exciting year ahead serving others. Please just come along to the Kinder A classroom each Tuesday at recess. 

Genevieve Avinash   | Mini Vinnies Coordinator

Uniform

We ask that families support the school in presenting a positive image to our community by encouraging the wearing of the correct school uniform. 

Shoes

We ask families to ensure that their children are wearing the correct shoes. 

• Joggers may be worn on your child’s sport day only. 
• On all other days, we ask that students wear covered in black leather shoes. Black joggers are not suitable on these days nor are other joggers.
• If students are wearing boots, we ask that they do not wear boots with a reinforced toe. If students wear boots with a reinforced toe, we will need to request that they sit out of games throughout the day as these pose a safety risk to other students. 

If at any time you are experiencing financial difficulty and this is a barrier to providing your child with the correct uniform we ask that you contact the office so that we can assist you.  Our school uniform expectations are clearly set out upon enrolment and so we ask that you please adhere to these.

A message from Marietta's: 

Tunics -If your little girl needs a new tunic this year, orders at Marietta's need to be in by the first week of March.  All the tunics in the Pool out now for sale as most people look there before ordering new. If you have an outgrown tunic (or any other winter uniform) please bring it to the Pool this week – instructions at https://www.holyfamilykelso.catholic.edu.au/uniform-policy-sales   Other winter uniform items can wait another month to buy. We have excellent stocks of tracksuits in the unifrom pool for the three in-town schools and a good selection of sport shorts and skorts.  Also  remember to bring in outgrown winter uniform items to sell. 

Winter uniform for Girls
Marietta’s need to order their Australian made tunics by March 8.  We will have the uniform pool ones out before then as many people will want to check them out before deciding whether to buy a new one.  The rest of the uniform and boy’s winter uniform is best left till late March or early April.

Combined Catholic Uniform Pool
This pool is available to families from all Catholic Schools in Bathurst (and to anyone else who wears the same colours).  It is situated in two sites – at Holy Family School and behind Marietta’s in George St.  Both are basically self-serve. Both accept payment by bank transfer or cash – no cards.

Marietta’s Section – Cathedral Sports uniform, pink dresses, tunics, winter blouses and shirts, maroon and grey trousers, skorts, jumpers, ties and parkas.  Open when the shop is open.  (Open 9.00am-5.30pm Monday - Friday and 9am-1pm Saturday)

They are jointly run by volunteers and clothes can be donated or sold on commission.  Proceeds are used to help those in need either through the schools or Vinnies. 

Please do not bring clothes in during the April and October holidays – as the volunteers are very busy and don’t have time to process them or room to store them. Winter uniform can be brought in from mid-February.

Parents and Friends

Cathedral School Parents & Friends would like to welcome the new families and the existing families back for a great 2025 school year. We would like to introduce the school P&F committee President Alison Cornish, Vice President Liz Faber, Secretary Bianca Cutler, Treasurer Hollie Casey, Publicity officer Melissa Bray and Fete Coordinator Courtney Anderson.

DATE FOR THE DIARY:
Shrove Tuesday: 4th MARCH
Shrove Tuesday is part of our fundraising efforts for project compassion.
Gluten Free pancakes will be available.
Pancakes will be available in exchange for a gold coin donation on the day.

If your available to help on the Monday afternoon or the Tuesday morning, please send an email to:  cathedralpandf@gmail.com

Next P&F Meeting: Wednesday 5th March 5:30pm - School Library
Everyone is invited to attend our monthly P&F meetings, which are held on the first Wednesday of each school month at 5:30pm in the Library. For those who cannot attend in person, we have a zoom link, if you would like to join from home!
 https://bthcatholic.zoom.us/j62675200979?pwd=duYyV3M2MvdoTVVjclRKZE5jdnlMdzo9ID:62675200979@zmau.us  Password: 106688

Welcome Picnic: Friday 7th MARCH
We’re excited to invite our existing and new families to our Welcome Picnic to celebrate
the beginning of the school year.
This will be held from 6:00pm to 7:30pm at the school, it’s a BYO picnic (no alcohol please!)
Entry is through the George Street gate.
The Welcome picnic is a wonderful opportunity to meet other families,
and members of the school community in a relaxed setting.

SCHOOL BACKPACKS

The school backpacks can be ordered on FlexiSchools for $65 – click on shop, then your child’s name, then uniform shop. The back pack will be delivered to your child’s classroom along with the lunch orders so you can select a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday for delivery, then select backpack and finalise your order. 

BAG CAN ALSO BE BOUGHT THROUGH THE FRONT OFFICE

We have attached the flyer about the backpack here for your reference.

If you have any enquiries about our projects or would like to get involved, please email us at cathedralpandf@gmail.com

Melissa Bray   | P & F Publicity

Canteen

CAN YOU HELP?

The Canteen is open on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

We are in need of helpers in the Canteen on Wednesday, Thursday & Friday. 
For the canteen to run smoothly 3 volunteers are essential.

Please contact Alana Watson on 0417 044 116 if you would like to be included in the canteen roster,
any time offered is welcomed.

Thank you to all our friends and family for all your ongoing support of the Cathedral Canteen.

Community Notices

Bathurst Bus Lines - School Bus Tracking App
The school bus tracking app is available for parents to download on their phone and track their child's bus in real time.  This might alleviate some of the anxiety related to putting students on the bus. Please see instructions below.

Parents requiring any bus pass or general bus travel information are welcome to contact our office and we will be able to discuss their needs accordingly.

If you have any queries please contact us on 6331 2744

Kind regards,

Carolyn
Bathurst Bus Lines