The Tradition of Advent 

Advent is the period of four Sundays and weeks before Christmas (or sometimes from the 1st December to Christmas Day!). Advent means 'Coming' in Latin. This is the coming of Jesus into the world. Christians use the four Sundays and weeks of Advent to prepare and remember the real meaning of Christmas.

God, there are times when we are so concerned about ourselves that we don't think of others. 

We ask for the gift of your Spirit that we may grow in awareness of others: noticing when someone is unhappy, sensing when someone feels cut of or isolated, knowing when to say the right word, expressing thanks and compliments, being thoughtful when someone is ill, giving words of encouragement, helping someone to feel welcome, realising when someone needs an opportunity to talk. 

May we grow in sensitivity towards others.

Amen.

Christmas for many of us is a time of happiness and celebration as we gather with our family and friends sharing meals, laughing and chatting as we open presents, however for people experiencing poverty and disadvantage, Christmas can be a challenging time. 

Each year during Advent, the McAuley community celebrate with a K-10 Gifting Mass. The K-10 Mass will be held next Wednesday 11th December. We are appealing once again for your generosity to help us give a little extra Christmas food for the poor, the lonely and the most in need.

Unfortunately there are many in our community who are less fortunate and having a really tough time with their lives and an even harder time providing for their families. These items are presented to representative from St Vinnies who are invited to our Mass.

Can you help us by contributing Food Gifts this year by way of donating generously in our Christmas Gifting Mass? Each child is asked to give one thing that would contribute to a family. Please remember that these generous gifts help create hampers for people within our own community.

We have provided some examples of items suitable below. However a really easy option is a non-perishable food item. eg: canned beetroot, corn, fruit, cereal, biscuits etc. 

Prayer for Human Rights

Loving God, 

Please refer to the links for the:

• McAuley Schedule of Fees for 2020  https://mcauleyccstumut.schoolzineplus.com/_download/media/2015/2020schoolfees.pdf
• McAuley School Fee Calculator https://mcauleyccstumut.schoolzineplus.com/_download/media/2016/mccsfeecalculator.xlsx
• CDF Direct Debit Request Form https://mcauleyccstumut.schoolzineplus.com/_file/media/135/directdebitrequest.pdf
• CDF Change Direct Debit Form https://mcauleyccstumut.schoolzineplus.com/_file/media/134/changedirectdebitform.pdf
• Qkr! ‘How To’ guide for parents https://mcauleyccstumut.schoolzineplus.com/communication/qkr-app

Please utilise our School Fee Calculator to check the appropriate payment amount applicable to your family. Please note that you do not necessarily have to pay weekly, you may choose to pay fortnightly, monthly or quarterly. School fees are emailed out to families by Week 3 of each Term.

Payment Options:

Direct Debit: If you choose to pay your school fees via direct debit, please complete the Direct Debit Form and return it to the school office as soon as possible.

If you currently pay your school fees via direct debit, your fee payments need to be updated and increased annually – please calculate your payments using the school fee calculator.

BPAY: If you choose to pay your school fees via BPAY, your reference details will be at the bottom of your fee statement.

Qkr! app: The Qkr! app (pronounced ‘quicker’) by MasterCard is a secure, convenient and easy way to make school payments. Receipts are automatically generated on your phone or sent to your email. Qkr! is also very convenient for canteen ordering and school excursion payments.

If you have any queries about your fee payments, please do not hesitate to contact Tricia Taylor at the school office.

Classroom Reading Literacy tubs

We are very pleased with our recent reading and comprehension results across our primary campus.

A sincere thank you, to the many parents who have covered books for us.

To ensure all these books make their way back to their classrooms please look at home amongst book shelves and under beds to return any of these book with the yellow sticker to the primary campus.

Our Community Council has volunteered our services at the annual Campdraft Canteen on Saturday 7th December from 2pm to 6pm.

The volunteer crew are all organised! Thank you to the following parents for giving their time to support us and our school: Emma Evans, Vicky Cribb, Liz Boxall, Wayne Skein, Sarah Roche, Anna Mather, Susie and Nat Bartlett :)  

Thanks for your support.

The McAuley Annual Awards Presentation Evening will be held in the school hall at 6pm on Monday 16th December. 

We sincerely thank the following business houses who have provided sponsorship for this evening (as of yesterday's date). 

Snowy Valleys Council, Australian Catholic University, Martin Farrell Memorial, Caltex Australia, Rueben F Scarf Foundation, Australian Defence Force, Snowy Hydro, G & J Groves Logging, Allan Kelly Solicitor, Pie in the Sky, Club Tumut, Tumut Newsagency, Mitre 10, Tumut Lions Club, Tumut Rotary Club, Tumut Vet Clinic, Goodes Coaches, Sportspower Tumut, Fulla Fresh Meats, Tumut Building Supplies, Panorama Accounting and Advisory, Snowy Smash Repairs, CWA Evening Branch, Dr Joe McGirr MP.

Our Year 7 students for 2020 were given a note regarding the Orientation Camp at Borambola in February next year. Parents are asked to ensure all forms are completed and returned and the deposit paid by next week at the latest to secure their attendance at this very popular camp.

If you require any more information, or your child has lost their note, please contact the office for a replacement.

What a great assembly last week, presented by our Year 5/6C students. Congratulations to the students and Miss Cole on a very entertaining presentation. Thank you all parents and friends who were able to come along and support us.  

Congratulations also, to the children who received weekly awards during this assembly. 

What a great way to finish off last week, for our Year 1 students!

As a reward for their hard work and efforts this year the children enjoyed a session of 'water play'. Great fun had by all!

Ceramics are generally made by taking mixtures of clay, earthen elements, powders, and water and shaping them into desired forms. Once the ceramic has been shaped, it is fired in a high temperature oven known as a kiln. Often, ceramics are covered in decorative, waterproof, paint-like substances known as glazes. Year 7 students have been enjoying dabbling in this wonderful art form with some really creative results. 

Thank you ladies:

Friday 6th December - Mel Pearce and Anna Mather, Monday 9th December - Toni Laney, Wednesday 11th December - Susie Peacock, Friday 13th December - HELP NEEDED PLEASE, Monday 16th December - HELP NEEDED PLEASE. 

The following information has been provided by Simon, our IT Consultant. It may assist parents with their choice of device for next year....

"Chromebooks seem to be the best fit at the moment for BYOD. There isn't too much difference between Chromebooks, but there is no need to go for a high end one. If you decide to use a Windows based laptop I would avoid anything the 32 or 64gb eMMC storage and aim for 250Gb + hard drive space. Also Windows 10 S has proven to be a pain as you can't install Chrome and lots of actions are blocked without parent approval. Provided you are aware of this it may still be suitable - however we do suggest the device can run Google Chrome as the browser".

All students will receive their Semester 2 reports on Thursday 12th December. If a parent requires a second copy of a report, for any reason, please contact either school office by emailing below or a quick phone call. 

Last week, lucky Year 9 students attended a three day camp at the South Coast of NSW, which was a highlight of the year, for both the students and staff. Mr Ellison, Mr Turnbull and Ms Wyse were the lucky teachers who supervised the students

The camp was run by Coastlife Adventures, which is a privately owned Outdoor Education and Recreational Business - established to provide safe, quality experiences to a wide range of groups. Activities included a surf lifesaving program, stand up paddle boarding, kayaking, learn to surf lessons and many more camp activities. The program was well structured for all areas of expertise.

The evenings were filled with lots of activities to develop peer relationships and self-confidence. 

What a great excursion. 

Our intensive swimming program continues next week. Hopefully the weather is much kinder to us! Monday 9th, Thursday 12th, Friday 13th and Monday 16th December. 

Remember all children will need to wear a rashie or a T-shirt while participating in this program. Students need to wear school shoes to school and change into their thongs if required. 

Please also remember no refunds will be given - even if your child cannot attend all the lessons. We thank Narelle Buckingham, Pool Manager, Snowy Valleys Shire, for her support with this program. 

Student lockers will need to be emptied by this FRIDAY 6TH DECEMBER. Lockers will be refurbished and ready for use again in 2020.

If your locker contents are not emptied by Friday, the locker will be opened and contents will be removed by staff.

Thank you for your support. 

We are looking forward to hearing speeches from current Year 5 and Year 9 students, who will be nominating for leadership roles in 2020. 

Peers and teachers will vote, with election results announced at our Awards Night on Monday 16th December.