St Kieran Newsletter Term 1, Week 7 - 20th March 2025
- Principal's Message
- Staff News
- St Kieran C Centre Blessing and Acknowledgement
- Kindy 2026 Enrolments
- Late Students
- Parking
- Swimming Carnival
- Packed with Goodness - Save The Date!
- Easter Colouring Competition
- Feast of St Joseph
- Enact of The Stations of the Cross for all children
- School Holiday Program
- StarKick
Principal's Message
I
Father in heaven,
Thank You for allowing me to share in,
Your creative power as a parent.
May Your Spirit be with me,
in Your gifts of wisdom,
understanding and courage.
Amen
Here is a story about three people who went on the same walk. One person felt the warmth of the sun and observed how the breeze moved from tree to tree rustling the leaves. The second noticed how much shade the trees gave and how cool it was when you passed under. The third was amazed by the number and variety of birds and insects that the trees attracted. Just then a dog appeared and the first person wondered where it was going; the second looked about for its owner and the third was concerned that the dog was limping. The same walk was perceived differently by each walker.
Sometimes we parents, out of no ill intention, might interpret our children’s words and actions through our own perspective. However, our children act on their perspective not ours and if we assume that our perspective is “right” and theirs is “wrong”, there can be a problem.
We are greatly influenced in what we enjoy doing and how we like to do it, because of the personality type we are, it is through this filter that we form the basis of what is “right” or wrong with other people, the way things are done and situations that might arise.
In as much as life is good for us if our needs are met, so it is with our children. Perhaps:
- We have a child who is outgoing and task-oriented; this child could be determined, decisive and even dominant and thrives on choice of activity and challenge but needs control.
- We have a child who is outgoing but people-oriented; this child can be inspiring, interested in people, maybe influential and thrives on popularity, approval and recognition.
- We have a child who is reserved and people-oriented; this child is probably steady, stable but maybe shy and needs appreciation, affirmation and security.
- We have a child who is reserved but task-oriented; this child could be cautious, contemplative, maybe calculating and needs serious conversation, strong value systems and high-level achievement.
- We have a child who struggles with friendships and social situations which impacts on their behaviour, and everything it seems to them is challenging.
No matter the “mix” of our children, we should accept them in gratitude. We should enjoy the positive changes we observe in them, regard them as natural developments and an opportunity for us to grow and learn in new ways. Parenting is not easy and neither is the judgement of others - we all have our own steps to take and our own journey to take - look after each other as we never know the path someone else is walking.
I hope the week has been good to you all and remember if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask.
Best wishes and take care.
Mr Daine Burnett
Principal
daine.burnett@cewa.edu.au
Staff News
We had some wonderful engagement news last week for another one of our staff members - the staffroom has been buzzing! Congratulations to Miss Taylah Conti and her fiancé, Peter. This is fantastic news for you and we wish you both all the very best.
St Kieran C Centre Blessing and Acknowledgement
On Friday 28th March we will be officially blessing the C Centre Refurbishment and Extensions. This will start at 9am and conclude around 10am. The students from Pre-Primary to Year 6 will be attending. Parents are also welcome to attend. We look forward to welcoming wider members from our school community and CEWA as we acknowledge the formal conclusion of this process.
Please note on this day parking will be restricted at the front of the school and in the staff carpark.
Kindy 2026 Enrolments
We are accepting Kindy Enrolments for 2026, with interviews to begin later this term for students to start at St Kieran next year. All parents need to submit an application to make sure your child is enrolled at St Kieran Catholic Primary School for 2026.
If you have any questions or would like clarification, please ring the school Administration.
Late Students
The main school gates are closed and locked at 8.40am for PP- Year 6 students, this when the bell goes to begin lessons, this includes the Morgan Street drop off. Once the bell has gone students are expected to be in class and therefore the teachers take the class roll indicating if a child is at school or not at school, this is all done through SEQTA. Once this is done by the class teacher a child arriving after this time is considered late and will need to sign in at the office to confirm their attendance.
As you can see there is a process for this and while it may be frustrating when we close the gate, in actual fact classrooms have started and students are present. We understand things happen in the morning, which is fine but please beware of the process, as staff members holding open the gate creates a flow on effect for the school and the children will still need to go to the office to sign in.Parking
We again need to remind parents about parking at St Kieran, unfortunately, this seems to be an ongoing concern and while many families do the right thing for everyone it continues to create frustrations for many. The school staff do not have the legal ability to enforce parent driving behaviours, however, if you are putting a child at risk by not following our very simple instructions we will follow up with you and address this.
- DO NOT turn right into the Kiss and Drive - please wait your turn in the queue down Tyler Street.
- DO NOT overtake the queue and push in front of the Kiss and Drive line. Be respectful of others.
- Keep the Corner of Tyler Street and Morgans Street free from all traffic.
- DO NOT pick up or drop your child off on the road outside of the Administration - find a legal parking bay or use the Kiss and Drive.
- If you DO NOT have an ACROD Permit, please don’t use these bays.
- Ciaran Centre Families are the only families welcome to use the parking at the front of Administration.
- DO NOT park at the Servite Friar’s house of residence and business - this is private property.
- DO NOT park on verges that are sign posted.
Swimming Carnival
Dear Parents / Guardians
The 2025 Faction Swimming Carnival will be held at Bayswater Waves on Friday the 21st of March. The carnival is for students in Year 4 - 6 only.
More information regarding times and details of the day will be sent out closer to the date.
At the carnival, students compete in races based on their swimming level and only compete against students in a similar level.
We will be using these levels to place each student into the appropriate races based on the swimming and water safety continuum from the Department of Education.
The following table outlines the races each level will compete in.
Level | Kick board and noodle | Freestyle | Backstroke | Breastroke | Butterfly (optional) |
1, 2 and 3 | Yes | ||||
4 and 5 | Yes | 25m | |||
6 and 7 | 50m | 25m | 25m | ||
8+ | 50m | 50m | 50m | Yes |
If your child is new to St Kieran in 2025 or has completed swimming lessons in the holidays, could you please send their certificate through to matthew.taylor@cewa.edu.au.
Kind Regards,
Matthew Taylor
Physical Education Teacher
Packed with Goodness - Save The Date!
Packing children's lunches is like trying to predict the weather—one day they love sandwiches, the next day they act like you’ve packed them a live snake. To help out, Mrs Pusey has organised a presentation for parents from the Packed with Goodness team. During this session, parents will be provided with new ideas to make lunchbox packing easier.
There was so much positive feedback from the session last year, Mrs Pusey has worked hard in getting the team back.
Date: Friday May 16
Time: 9am
Location: Upper Learning Area.
Easter Colouring Competition
It's back again for another year. We are delighted to announce the return of our Easter Colouring Competition! This is a fantastic opportunity for students to showcase their artistic talent and celebrate the joy of Easter.
How to Participate:
Templates: Students can participate by colouring in one of the Easter templates on the competition website.
Submission: Please submit entries to projects@cewa.edu.au
Prizes: The most creative entries will have the chance to win fabulous prizes. A winner and a runner-up will be selected from all primary levels.
For more details, please visit the competition website at www.cewa.edu.au/easter.
We look forward to seeing the wonderful creations of our talented students. Happy colouring and good luck to all participants!
Feast of St Joseph
The Feasts of St. Joseph
St. Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, is celebrated with two special feasts in the Church’s calendar: one on March 19 and another on May 1. A third feast, the Feast of the Holy Family, also honours him and takes place the Sunday after Christmas.
St. Joseph’s Journey to Fame
At first, St. Joseph wasn’t widely honoured in the Church. In fact, for about 1,000 years, not many people focused on him, except for some Christians in Egypt. However, in the Middle Ages, devotion to St. Joseph began to grow, especially during difficult times when people needed a strong and protective figure. By the 1400s, the Church officially set aside March 19 as a feast day for him.
A Model for Today
Over time, St. Joseph became a model of kindness, patience, and quiet strength. In today’s world, where many people struggle to understand what true masculinity looks like, St. Joseph reminds us that real strength comes from love, trust in God, and caring for others.
Enact of The Stations of the Cross for all children
Dear Parents,
The Children’s Liturgy Team at St Kieran’s Parish are planning an enact of the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday. The Liturgy will take place on Friday the 18th of April and it will begin at 10:00am. All children are invited.
There will be three practice sessions on Tuesday the 15th, Wednesday the 16th and Thursday the 17th of April from 9:00 am to 10:00 am. Your child will need to meet us in the St. Kieran’s church. If your child participates in this Liturgy and is preparing for the Sacraments this year, the hours will go towards their community service. We would like children from different grades to perform in the play and we would like children from Years 5, 6 and over to help with the readings.
If you would like to participate, you can contact one of us from the St Kieran Parish or turn up on the day to the St Kieran church.
Barb 0411309266
Ruby 0433636476
Thank you,
Ruby Wijethunga
School Holiday Program
StarKick
Come and be part of something special! Stirling Junior Football Club are excited to launch our StarKick All-Abilities football program, and we’re inviting kids of all abilities to join us for a Come & Try Day!
📅 Wednesday, March 26
⏰ 3:30pm – 4:30pm
📍 St Kieran’s PS – Park opposite the school on Tyler St, Tuart Hill
What is StarKick? StarKick is a multi-award-winning, non-contact AFL football program for boys and girls from Pre-Primary to Year 12. Designed to promote inclusion, equality, and opportunity, StarKick welcomes children who may find it difficult to participate in a traditional sporting team environment.
If you want to play, we will find a way! Our StarKick program will run alongside our Auskick program on Saturdays, 9:00am – 10:30am, at Richard Guelfi Reserve, Balcatta. Come down, have a kick, and experience the fun and supportive environment of Saints StarKick!
For more info, contact our StarKick Coordinator Michael at starkick.stirlingjfc@gmail.com
