Weekly
news
Term 2, Week 2
Coming up this week
Calendar
Upcoming Events
MISSION STATEMENT
To work under God in partnership with parents to provide an inclusive, nurturing and high quality education for every student.
VIsion
Flourishing through faith, belonging and the pursuit of excellence.
From The Principal
“Peace be with you.” John 14:27a
As I reflect on my calling to Lutheran School, Wagga Wagga I think of the day I was asked if I would consider taking up an Acting Principal Role. Unlike some other times when my answer has been “No, I said “Yes!” without hesitation and with a sense of peacefulness. God often has unexpected plans for us. And these plans felt right. During the past ten days I have felt the love and support of another wonderful Lutheran School. Please don’t hesitate to say “”hello” if you see me in the school grounds.
I would like to congratulate Mrs Kinning on her appointment as Principal in 2025. Mrs Kinning and I are already enjoying working together and we look forward to supporting students, staff and parents during Term 2.
I have pleasure in announcing the Acting Principal for Terms 3 and 4 will be Ms Sharon Kotzur. With two decades serving as a Principal at St John’s Lutheran School Jindera, Sharon’s dedication to the education community has extended beyond the confines school, with her my involvement with Lutheran Principals Australia and the Independent Schools Association of NSW. We pray that God will bless and keep her as she prepares for her move to Wagga Lutheran School for Terms 2 and 3.
I look forward to exploring the beautiful township of Wagga Wagga and the surrounding district during my stay here. The autumn leaves are beautiful! I wish you a wonderful week.
Anzac Day and School memorial service
It was great to see our students marching during the holidays to commemorate ANZAC Day. Our School Captains laid a wreath on behalf of the school during the service. Many thanks to staff who assisted in the march. It was also lovely to be a part of the memorial service held at the school and run by the students. They did a wonderful job!
Year 3 Bible presentation
On Monday 27th March Year 3 students were presented with their bibles by Mrs Rhonda Lieschke and Mrs Johanna Stanton from Bethlehem Lutheran Ladies. Thank you to Bethlehem for helping with the presentation and the purchase of these Bibles
Transition to winter uniform.
Just a reminder, it is now week 3 and that all students should now be wearing their full winter uniform.
Genevieve Clark
Acting Principal
From The LEARNING ENHANCEMENT COORDINATOR
Attendance Matters
We want to do all we can to be sure your child achieves their potential and enjoys being in school.
We know that school is the best place to learn. By attending school every day your child will get the most out of their learning and improve their career and life options.
When your child is absent, it is important you let the school know via the school app, including the reason why, on the day or the day before. This helps make sure we know where our students are and offer support for you and your family if needed.
If you are having trouble getting your child to school every day or on time, please
talk to your child’s teacher so we can work together, because every day counts. We can provide support, including help from our Wellbeing Coordinator and Counsellor if required.
Missing a day here or there may not seem like much, but absences add up and can
negatively impact your child’s learning and wellbeing. When your child misses one day a week, that’s 40 days of school and 8 weeks of learning in one year. Over an entire school journey, this adds up to 2.5 years of lost learning.
The Importance of arriving on time
Arriving at school and class on time:
-Ensures that students do not miss out on important learning activities scheduled early in the day
-Helps students learn the importance of punctuality and routine
-Give students time to greet their friends before class
-Reduces classroom disruption
Lateness is recorded as a partial absence and must be explained by parents.
What if my child has to be away from school?
On occasion, your child may need to be absent from school. Justified reasons for student absences may include:
– being sick, or having an infectious disease
-having an unavoidable medical appointment
-being required to attend a recognised religious holiday
-exceptional or urgent family circumstance (e.g. attending a funeral)
Travel
Families are encouraged to travel during school holidays. If travel during school term is necessary, please discuss this with our Principal and your child’s teacher . An Application for Extended Leave may need to be completed. Absences relating to travel will be marked as leave on the roll and therefore contribute to your child’s total absences for the year.
Lauren Forsyth
Learning Enhancement Coordinator
Curriculum Matters
Celebration of Writing - 3G
Students in Year 3G are exploring the process of writing to inform. They have been brainstorming in groups to gather factual information in preparation for writing Information Reports on their chosen topic. Here are their group mind maps.
ICAS Assessments
This year Lutheran School will again be participating in the ICAS assessments. Students in Year 2 to Year 6 are eligible to participate in these tests. ICAS will take place in Term 3 and are now available for purchase via the ICAS Parent Portal.
Your school access code is: HZC023
Your parent page link is
https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps
Play is the Way
We have had our official launch of Play is the Way this term. Students across the school are participating in regular play sessions each with a focus on behaviour education. Play is the Way is a social and emotional learning methodology using physically interactive games and activities, 5 guiding concepts, an empowering self-reflective language and 6 key virtues that form a pathway to empathy.
Further information about Play is the Way can be found on their website http://www.playistheway.com.au
Lutheran School would like to thank the P&F committee for their generous support of this wellbeing initiative. Through their support, the school was able to purchase all of the necessary sporting equipment for all students across the school. This has allowed us to run whole school games sessions which is a wonderful school community experience.
Premier’s Reading Challenge
The NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge is now open and Lutheran School Wagga Wagga is excited to be participating!
What is the NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge?
The PRC is a state-wide challenge that encourages students to develop a love of reading for leisure and pleasure in students and enables them to experience quality literature. It is not a competition, but a challenge to encourage each student to read, to read more, and to read more widely.
All students who complete the challenge and have their reading record validated by the school’s PRC coordinator will receive a certificate signed by the Premier of NSW.
How many books do students need to read?
Students in Kindergarten to Year 2 are challenged to read or experience 30 books. 20 of these books must be from the relevant Challenge booklists, and up to 10 books can be personal choice books. Books can be read with a parent, carer, teacher or another student.
Students in Year 3 to Year 6 are challenged to read 20 books. At least 10 of these books must be from the relevant Challenge booklists, and up to 10 books can be personal choice books.
If a book is from an approved PRC series, students can enter up to 5 books as Challenge books and can read up to 10 other books from the same series as Personal Choice books. More information on the rules of the Challenge can be found at https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/home.html.
Books must be added to a student’s online reading record by Friday 23 August 2024 in order for their reading record to be validated and receive a certificate.
How do students log their reading?
Students can access the PRC’s Student Experience site using their PRC username and password. All login information will be sent home to participating students in Week 3.
Learning Links
Please refer to the following flyer regarding some upcoming free parent webinars which may be of interest.
Jane Antrim
Learning Innovation Coordinator
From The Sports Desk
Mortimer Legends Gala Day
On Monday, we sent five teams from Years 5 & 6 to the Mortimer Legends Gala Day playing both Rugby League and League Tag. All students played several games throughout the day against local primary schools and all showed impressive teamwork, sportsmanship and skill. We had a range of experience across our teams with some students playing League or League Tag for the first time on the day. All teams experienced wins and losses on the day with the focus being on having fun.
A huge thank you goes to Tim Sheather for assisting on the day by training and coaching one of our boys’ teams.
Southern Inland Rugby Union 10’s
Last Thursday, LSWW entered three teams into the regional section of the ACT Brumbies Rugby 10’s competition. This event saw teams from all across the Riverina compete against each other to qualify for the finals to be held in Canberra.
Our Year 3/4 team came up against very talented competition in their pool, yet came out undefeated through great skill and teamwork. In the Grand Final against Murrumburrah Public School, the boys unfortunately went behind early in the game. Yet they fought hard and drew level with less than a minute to go. In extra time, the boys defended well forcing a turnover which led to the winning try. A highlight for the day for this team was how they worked together and didn’t let their heads drop when the game wasn’t going their way.
Our Year 5/6 Lutheran White team worked really well together and made great progress as the day went on. Even though they were outnumbered and had no substitutes to rely on, they went on to record a couple of wins finishing the day 6th overall.
Finally, our Lutheran Green also performed well throughout the day against some well-drilled and capable opposition. They went undefeated through their pool matches meaning they went through to the Grand Final against Leeton Public School. Here, the boys displayed some outstanding running rugby to win the game by 3 tries to 1.
Congratulations to our Stage 2 and Stage 3 teams who will now represent us at the upcoming finals in Canberra.
A massive thank you goes to our parent coaches, Mick Davis and Tim Sheather. We are very grateful for your time training the boys at school and leading them on the day.
RAS Cross Country
On Tuesday 7 May our Cross Country Team travelled to Jindera Golf Club for the RAS Cross Country. There were 300 students from 10 local schools competing against one another in 2km and 3km events. Our team performed extremely well, winning two of the eight races and placing second overall behind Trinity Anglican College.
We wish the students who qualified for the NSW CIS Cross Country Championships in Sydney all the best. Thank you to Mrs Lauren Forsyth, Mrs Felicity Molineux, Mrs Renee McLachlan and our parents and grandparents for assisting with the organisation and transport.
Riverina Schools Orienteering Day
The Riverina Schools Orienteering Day was held on Tuesday 7 May at the Botanic Gardens. There were 50 students from local primary schools competing against one another in individual and relay events. Our students performed extremely well with many orienteering competitively for the first time.
A big thank you to Briohny Seaman and the Wagga Orienteering volunteers for coordinating this event. Thank you to Mrs Nicole Wadley, Mr Tristan Brown and our parent spectators for managing our team and supporting the students. It was great to see the students having fun, developing their orienteering skills, and encouraging one another throughout the day.
NSWCIS Touch Football Championships
On Wednesday 1 May Rex Benecke, Tom Bull, Charlie Forsyth and Harry MacGregor travelled to Sydney for the NSWCIS Touch Football Championships. There were 100 boys from across the state trying out for 14 positions. Rex, Tom, Charlie and Harry participated in a skills session followed by 30-minute games. All boys performed very well, demonstrating impressive skills, speed and teamwork. Congratulations to Rex and Tom who were one of the 14 boys selected in the NSWCIS Touch Football team. Rex and Tom will compete at the NSWPSSA Touch Football Championships in Sydney next term. Thank you to Lauren, Kate, Zoe and Scott for transporting and supporting the boys at this event.
NETBALL SCHOOLS CUP
On Wednesday 1st May 60 year 3-6 students attended the NSW Schools Cup Netball. For the first time we also took a Year 6 all boys team All the players enjoyed their time of playing netball and cheering on the other teams. Our boys and competitive girls team were both placed third in
their pool. All others teams performed strongly and displayed excellent sportsmanship and gained experience throughout the day.
Thanks to all our wonderful parents who supported us and especially our Year 3 parents who coached and added their knowledge to our girls. Thanks to the umpires who came from various high schools as no game happens without umpires.
Caroline Stewart
PE Teacher/Sports Coordinator
Other Information
Families leaving the school
Please note that one full term’s written notice is required if you are withdrawing your child from Lutheran School. We purchase learning materials based on projected enrolment numbers at least one term in advance. Hence, the enrolment contract you signed specifies that failure to provide a term’s notice will result in you being charged for the subsequent term.
Uniform Shop Orders
If you would like to purchase uniforms from the Uniform Shop, please email [email protected]
We will email you once the order is ready to be picked up from the office. Thank you.