Queen of Apostles School

The celebration of Halloween is becoming increasingly established in Australia. Although now, a secular event, historically Halloween has its roots in Catholic traditions.

The term Halloween comes from ‘All Hallows Eve’, (hallow meaning holy), the evening before All Saints Day, a day where we celebrate all the holy members of the Catholic Church. Allhallowtide is the season that incorporates Halloween, All Saints Day and All Souls Day - a time to remember all those who are close to us that have died.

The tradition of dressing up has its roots in medieval practices where people wore costumes to ward off evil spirits. Trick or treating comes from the custom of going door to door to offer prayers for the souls of the dead in exchange for treats.

As children prepare to go ’trick or treating’, parents have the opportunity to educate them on the connections to our great feasts - All Saints and All Souls Days, to celebrate not only in fun but in faith.

Heavenly Father,

Congratulations to all the students who participated in the Inter-school Carnival last Friday. We finished second overall, which reflects the commitment to before school training by the students. Thank you to Mr Bridgeman for his preparation of our athletes. We are very proud of everyone!

Tomorrow, we celebrate World Teachers’ Day - a day to celebrate all our educators here at Queenies.

Teachers and EA’s do an incredibly important job. They wear a number of hats and are expert multi-taskers who juggle constantly to make sure schools run as smoothly as possible.

Parents and carers trust them to not only teach their children reading, writing and arithmetic – from early childhood right into young adulthood – but to share life’s broader lessons.

They teach kids how to think strategically, how to manage relationships in the playground and can even be a welcome life mentor for some students.

Not everything can be taught from a textbook, and we are fortunate at Queenies to have so many teachers and EA’s who go the extra mile to ensure that our students receive the best and most rounded education possible.

I would like to invite everyone to say a kind word or pen a note to a staff member who is making a difference out there in our community. A special thank you to the P&F who are supplying morning tea tomorrow for our staff. It is very much appreciated.

Our Year 1 class is ‘chomping at the bit’ to show the community some of their ‘learnings' from this year. It is so wonderful to see the confidence displayed by our young ones when presenting, whether at assemblies, dance performances or musical opportunities. I look forward to the Year 1 assembly tomorrow. Everyone is invited to attend.

Congratulations to the students who represented Queen of Apostles at the Inter-school Spelling Bee yesterday. All students from Years 4-6 were given the opportunity to participate. The students who rose to the challenge by participating in the in-class competition should be commended for their willingness to spend their own time practising the spelling of some very tricky words.

Well done to the following students:

Year 4: William and Aryana

Year 5: Meloshan and Cornelius

Year 6: Thomas and MinHa

Special congratulations to Meloshan who placed third.

The Annual Community Meeting for the School Advisory Council and P&F will be held on Wednesday November 19th in the Undercover Area, commencing at 6.00pm. There will be pre meeting drinks and nibbles starting at 5.30pm.

Reasons you should come to the ACM:

• Show your support of the hard-working School Advisory Council and P&F
• There will be a brief review of 2026 School Advisory Council and P&F activities
• Office bearers for the P&F will be elected
• 2026 school fees will be presented
• Focus areas for 2026 will be shared
• You will be able to mingle with other parents, relax and enjoy a drink and some nibbles

At this stage there will be three vacancies for the School Advisory Council for next year. If you are interested in becoming an Advisory Council Member and would like more information, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Nomination forms are available from the office or in this newsletter. We also have two vacancies available for the P&F Executive. Parents are encouraged to nominate.

Congratulations to our athletics team who competed last Friday. Queenies finished equal 2nd thanks to so many brilliant individual and team performances throughout the day. With just 2 weeks of practice to prepare the team, it seemed to certainly pay off, as indicated by the abundance of place ribbons on Queenies shirts by the end of the day. Special mention goes to our medal winners: Gabby (yr 6) and Taylah (yr 5) brought home champion medals, while Georgia (yr 5), Hudson (yr 5) and Charlotte (yr 3) collected runner-up medals.

Thank you to the army of parents and grandparents who came along to support our team. Thank you to Christian (Gabby's brother) who was finish marshal all day, and to Mr. Ellis and Mrs Spadaro for organising the students for their events.

The Advisory Council is established to support the Principal to fulfil their responsibilities in leading the Catholic Identity, Education, Community and Stewardship functions of the Catholic School in pursuit of CEWA’s vision to be Christ-centred and child-focused. The Advisory Council comprises of between four and six persons, with skills and experience relevant to the needs of the school community,

School Advisory Council Function:

· Support planning for the present and future operation of the Catholic school.

· Provide membership, at the Principal’s request, on selection panels for the employment of staff to the Catholic School in accordance with the relevant CECWA Policies and Executive Directives;

· Provide membership on the panel that recommends the appointment of a principal in accordance with the relevant CECWA Policy and Executive Directives.

· In consultation with the Principal, communicate about the Catholic School and about Catholic education to persons and organisations in the School Community;

· Endorse the Catholic School’s annual budget before submission to CECWA for approval.

· Advise the Principal on school financial matters such as performance against budget, sustainability, and capital and recurrent planning.

Criteria for Membership of the School Advisory Council shall be:

· A commitment and desire to promote Catholic education and give service to the Catholic School Community.

· A commitment to the safety, wellbeing and pastoral care of all students and staff.

· An ability to work cooperatively and constructively with the Principal, school leadership team and all other members of the Advisory Council.

· The possession of skills, competencies and experience that are reflective of, relevant and beneficial to the Catholic School Community.

· A sufficiency of time to devote to Advisory Council duties.

I urge you to give serious consideration to being on the School Advisory Council and to complete & return nomination slips by 4pm Friday 14th November 2025.

Queen of Apostles P & F Committee is the organisation of the school’s parent body. The P&F Committee is comprised of four to six persons and are appointed to the role for two years. The P & F meets at least once per school term and all parents are encouraged to attend these meetings.

Members of the P & F should:

· Collaborate with the Principal to plan, organise and promote social, sporting, cultural, educational and faith formation activities for the interaction of parents, school staff, parish and students and in doing so provide opportunities for community engagement, where relevant.

· Support the Principal in the facilitation of fundraising events for the benefit of

the students: these funds provide opportunities for students and complement the

school budget.

· Encourage parental participation in school programs, particularly those related to

parent engagement in learning.

· Act as a forum for ideas and discussion on any relevant issue that will benefit

the students.

· Act as a channel to CSPWA to seek advice or express opinion.

· Liaise with CSPWA and/or parish and other parties to organise guest speakers for the P&F members on current and suggested educational programs, faith development and other matters of interest.

· In consultation with the Principal, conduct an annual P&F event planning session to establish focus for the year ahead (support guidelines to be developed).

· Be positive advocates for the school in the local community.

· Represent the P&F as an invited member of the Catholic School Advisory Council.

· Follow the CEWA Guidelines for P&F Groups in a Catholic School.

Nomination slips should be returned to the school office no later than 4pm Friday 14th November 2025.

We look forward to your attendance at the Annual Community Meeting on Wednesday 19th November 2025 and sharing light refreshments with other community members from 5.30pm in the Undercover Area, with the meeting starting at 6:00pm.

Jennifer Anderson
Acting Principal

2025 Annual Community Meeting

Queen of Apostles School Advisory Council Nomination Form

I wish to nominate for a position on the Queen of Apostles School Advisory Council.

Name: _____________________________________________

Child’s name: _____________________________________________

2025 Annual Community Meeting

Queen of Apostles P& F Committee Nomination Form

I wish to nominate for a position on the Queen of Apostles P & F Committee

Name: _____________________________________________

Child’s name: _____________________________________________

Our canteen manager, Sharon is in need of assistance on Thursday and Friday mornings. If you can spare an hour or two on either of these days, please see Sharon. A reminder that the Volunteers Form will need to be filled out if it hasn’t already been submitted this year. Due to Child Safety regulations, only parents can volunteer in the canteen – friends or grandparents require a Working With Children Card.

The Government of WA have amended the Working with Children Act last year with the changes implemented to better protect children. Catholic Education WA has mandated this process for all volunteers, including parent volunteers in schools. This includes parents who wish to volunteer at sports carnivals, in classrooms and at P&F events. Could we ask that all parents fill in the Volunteer Declaration (link) even if you have no plans at this stage to volunteer at school. If you filled out the form last year you will need to do it again this year. Parents who wish to assist teachers on excursions will need to be on this list. Your information will be stored securely in accordance with CEWA’s Information Stewardship. We highly value parent volunteers' time and contribution to our school community and thank-you for taking the time to submit the form below.

Any grandparents that wish to volunteer in the classroom or assist in the canteen will need a Working With Children Check. Please note this does not include drop off, pick up or attendance at our Grandparents Mass and Morning Tea. Grandparents that would like to volunteer at school, please contact the school office and we can assist you in the process.

Microsoft Forms

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Term 1: Wednesday 5th February to Thursday 10th April

Friday 28th February - Pupil Free Day

Monday 3rd March - Public Holiday (LABOUR DAY)

Friday 11th April - Pupil Free Day - Parent interviews

Term 2: Tuesday 29th April to Friday 4th July

Monday 28th April - Pupil Free Day

Monday 2nd June - Public Holiday (WA Day)

Tuesday 3rd June - Pupil Free Day

Term 3: Monday 21st July to Friday 26th September

Friday 22nd August - Pupil Free Day

Monday 25th August - Catholic Day (School closed)

Term 4: Monday 13th October to Friday 12th December

This week, the P&F Committee are helping us celebrate World Teachers’ Day with a special initiative – Warm Fuzzies!

Warm Fuzzies are little notes that you and your child can fill out with kind words, messages of thanks, or special memories for our wonderful teachers. It’s a simple but meaningful way to share appreciation and positivity across our school community.

What to Do

· Look out for the Warm Fuzzy note coming home this week

· Take a few minutes with your child to write a kind message or draw a picture

· Please hand out your completed Warm Fuzzies tomorrow, Friday, 31 October.

To make the day even more special, the P&F will also be providing a morning tea on Friday for all our amazing teachers to enjoy.

Thank you for helping us celebrate our dedicated staff and for taking part in the joyful school tradition. Together, let’s make our teachers feel appreciated for all they do!

The Parents & Friends Committee is excited to host our upcoming School Disco on 14 November 2025, at Queen of Apostles Parish Hall,

Details

• Junior Disco - Year Pre-Kindy to Year 2: 5.30pm to 6.45pm

• Senior Disco - Year 3 to Year 6: 7.00pm to 8.30pm

• Cost: $6.50 this includes 2 slices of pizza, cordial and party bag

There’ll be music, dancing, games, pizza and plenty of fun.

Dress code: Fun & appropriate – thinks bright colours, neon, and glitter!

Ticket available from TryBooking https://www.trybooking.com/CYHQC

Volunteers needed! Please register at https://signup.com/go/ikAqebc if you can assist

Let’s make it a night to remember!

Your purchase of an Entertainment Membership contributes to our teacher's wish lists and school resources. Help us achieve our goal by sharing this link with your friends and family. Thanks for your support!

Become a member today: https://subscribe.entertainment.com.au/fundraiser/8325j6

For a limited time only, your Entertainment Membership comes with two incredible bonuses – at no extra cost!

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BONUS $30 Airwallex Visa Gift Card – Spend it your way at a wide range of popular retailers, dining spots, or experiences – it’s our little extra thank you for joining.

Plus, 20% of your Membership will be donated to your chosen fundraising group.

With thousands of 2-for-1 offers, up to 50% off dining, activities, attractions, travel, and more, your membership will pay for itself in just a few uses.

Don’t miss out – this exclusive deal is available for a short time only.

Aquinas College invites Years 4–6 families to a special Parent & Student Information Evening on the impending Australian social-media age restrictions and what they mean for young people, parents, and schools.

Event details

• Host: Aquinas College, Salter Point

• Audience: Students in Years 4–6 and their parents/carers (parents are welcome to attend without their child)

• Date & Time: Thursday, 18 November 2025, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm (AWST)

• Venue: Veritas Centre, Aquinas College, 58 Mount Henry Rd, Salter Point WA 6152

• RSVP / Tickets (free): Register via Humanitix: (RSVP by 16 Nov)

Why attend?
Australia is about to change how young people use social media. This session — delivered by former WA Youth Ambassador and Director of Levitate Learning, David Castelanelli — will unpack:

• What the new law means (Under-16s will no longer be able to keep accounts on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, etc) as of December 10.

• How social media really affects students’ focus, sleep, self-esteem.

• Family-friendly, practical strategies to build healthy tech habits and support digital wellbeing at home.

Event Ticket Link (free): https://events.humanitix.com/parent-and-student-information-evening-junior-school

Early detection of scoliosis is crucial for managing child’s spinal health and ensuring the best possible outcomes. Scoliosis is a condition where the spine twists and curves sideways. It is more common in girls than in boys and typically becomes noticeable during growth spurts.

Most cases of scoliosis develop in otherwise healthy children, and the exact cause is often unknown.

Parents and children can look for signs such as uneven shoulders, uneven shoulder blades, a slightly tilted head, a noticeable curve in the back, or one hip being higher than the other. These can be spotted with a simple examination of your child’s back.

For more details on scoliosis and how to check for it, please see Raising Children Network.

If you have any concerns, please contact your School Health Nurse, on 92588053 or General Practitioner for advice.

This free event features plenty of have-a-go activities aimed at children aged 1 - 16 (though of course all are welcome!).

Event Highlights Include:

🌿 Nature crafts, mud play, and immersive hands-on activities
🪱 Learn about local flora, fauna, and sustainability
🎨 Mud-free activities, stage entertainment, “Quiet Spaces”, food trucks & more
🥗 Plus all the local favourites from the Canning River Café

Mud Zone Features (thanks to Nature Play WA):
🌱 Mudster Chef Kitchens
🌱 Two Mud Pits (for big and little kids)
🌱 Hose Down Station for post-mud cleanup

Event Details:

• Date: Saturday 22 November 2025
• Location: Kent Street Weir, Kent Street, Wilson
• Event Time: 10am-3pm