Our Leadership Team
From The Principal's Desk
Welcome to the new school year! I wish everyone a joyful and positive 2020. It has been wonderful to have the students arrive at school this year in a calm and settled manner and I thank all parents and carers who have played a significant role in allowing this to occur. I especially welcome all our new families, who have joined us this year and together with our amazing staff team, I look forward to another rich and fruitful year at Liwara.
A very special welcome is extended to our new members of staff, Miss Lisa Lenzo, Miss Olivia Homer, Mrs Nadia Jurey and of course back for the full year this year, Mrs Tracy Lewis and Mrs Suzan Nash.
We warmly congratulate Mrs Federica Huntington (nee Longo) who was married on
Saturday 11th January 2020. The Mass was held at St Patricks Catholic Church and the reception at the Miami Beach Botanical Gardens in Florida USA. The day was a joyous celebration and we wish Mr and Mrs Huntington (Mrs H to our students) all the best for their happy life together.
Mrs Susan Venaille who has been on leave for the past eighteen months, will not be returning to Liwara and we bade her a warm farewell last week with a special morning tea. Susan has been a member of the Liwara staff team for the past twenty-five years and made a valuable contribution to our community.
On behalf of the Liwara Staff Team, I look forward to working alongside you as we journey together in 2020 to engage our students in purposeful learning opportunities. With the full support of our parents, we are dedicated to educating the students in our contemporary and collaborative spaces so that they can take safe risks and develop into confident and faith filled individuals. I look forward to seeing you next Tuesday 11 February at our Parent Information Evening – details below:
All parents are strongly encouraged to come along and meet their children’s teacher and learn about how their classes will be managed. There will be two sessions with the first session commencing at 5:45- 6:20pm in the child’s classroom. Then there will be a 15-minute meeting for all parents in the Ahern Centre run by the Principal, Mrs Millar, from 6:25-6:40pm. This will be followed by the second session to be run from 6:45-7:20pm for those parents with a second child. Parents with more than 2 children enrolled at the school are invited to make an appointment with the teacher for any relevant information.
Parent Information Evening
Tuesday 11 February
Parent Information Sessions x 2 choices
Session 1 in the classrooms - 5.45pm—6.20pm
Principal’s Welcome Ahern Centre - 6.25pm—6.40pm
Session 2 in the classroom - 6.45pm—7.20pm
Our 2020 School Calendar is available on the school website: https://www.liwara.wa.edu.au/. Please use this calendar to keep abreast of events and important dates scheduled for the school year. Please add our first event, Parent Information Evening, to your diaries so we see you all there and we especially welcome all our new parents.
P&F events and times will be confirmed after the first meeting on Monday 10 February. P&F meetings are held in the Sr Leonie O’Brien Learning Centre (Library) and entry is from gate #7 situated at the top drive through carpark.
As student well being is paramount in all our decision making, we have been calling 'extreme weather' when the temperature reaches 37 degrees. On these days students are involved in supervised, passive play during their lunch break in their classrooms, where they eat their lunch and have the options of playing board games, reading, chatting with peers and just 'chilling-out' and keeping cool in our air conditioned learning areas. Sun block is available in each of our classrooms.
New Initiatives Completed In The School Holidays
Our Early Childhood Playground was re-grassed during the holidays which has given this play space a brand new facelift and we had another section of the Bush Tucker Garden planted out by our OSHC children in late January. We are now the proud owners of three brand new flagpoles with the support of Kardan Construction, a proud part of the Kaya Group. Kardan supplied and installed the flagpoles so we can fly our three flags, Australian, Aboriginal and West Australian at all times. We have relocated the poles to the garden bed between the Ahern Centre and the Year Four classes so we now have an outside ‘gathering place’ where the whole school can meet together for important events and occasions during the year.
Kardan Construction is proudly part of the Kaya group and the Aboriginal Construction Alliance (ACA) and are dedicated to providing real and diverse employment opportunities for Aboriginal people. As part of the Kaya group their goal is to provide apprenticeships for Aboriginal people whilst also supporting existing aboriginal businesses, such as sole traders and subcontractors by providing them with work. “ We are devoted to establishing sustainable and meaningful employment that will bridge the gap and bring indigenous and non-indigenous communities together.”
From The Assistant Principals' Desk
Opening School Mass
We celebrated our first Whole School Mass today, Friday 7 February, at 9.00am to welcome the new school year. It was lovely to have so many parents there.
The first Certificate Assembly will be held on Friday 14th February starting at 2:30pm in the Ahern Centre. We welcome all our community members to attend.
Whole School Prayer
The Year 6 students will lead the first Whole School Prayer on Monday 17th February commencing at 2:40pm in the All Saints’ Church. Please come along and join in. If you are new to our school community, access to the church is via Orkney Road or a walk through the school grounds, past the Year 1 & 2 block.
School photos will take place on Tuesday 3 March and Wednesday 4 March. These include class, individual and family portraits. Students are expected to wear the full Liwara Summer uniform. Further details, including order forms, will be circulated soon.
The Liwara Swimming Carnival will be held on Thursday 12 March. A note has been sent home with all the necessary details. Please return your child’s permission slip, with their swimming capabilities, to their class teacher by Wednesday 12 February.
Theology of Sacrament Parent Meeting
The Theology of Sacrament Parent Meeting, for any parent whose child is receiving a sacrament this year (Years 3, 4 & 6), will be held on Tuesday 10 March in the Ahern Centre commencing at 7pm. This year’s presenter will be Dr Karl Brown. Please make every effort to attend this very informative session.
9th - 15th February - Week 2
Monday - P&F Meeting
Tuesday - Parent Night
Friday - Library Lovers' Day & Certificate Assembly
16th - 22nd February - Week 3
Monday - School Prayer Year 6
Tuesday - Board Meeting
Friday - Certificate Assembly & New Parents Sundowner
Saturday - P & F Camp Night
Sustainable Living At Liwara
Welcome back to the 2020 school year! Sustainability continues to be a constant focus at Liwara. Our new junior primary garden beds have arrived and we look forward to setting these up during the next fortnight and getting the Year 2 children involved in planting, watering and harvesting.
Our existing garden beds have been dug over, all but the sweet potatoes which were planted last year by our Year 3 students. As they are a slow growing crop, we look forward to harvesting them around April this year.