8 May 2025

Vision Statement

St Rita’s school is a dynamic learning community strengthened by our Mercy heritage and inspired through the teachings of Jesus Christ. We are connected and compassionate to the needs of our community and are proud of our local Wanyurr-Majay culture. We engage our learners through relevant and hands-on experiences, bringing joy and confidence to learning.  

PRINCIPAL’S PEN

Dear Parents,

This Sunday is Mother’s Day—a day that has grown in personal significance with each year I grow older and, hopefully, wiser. I have been very fortunate to be surrounded by highly dedicated and exceptional mums throughout my life and am in awe of their capacity to love unconditionally.

My wife Rebekah became a mum for the first time at 25 years old. I remember thinking how impressive—and admittedly a little terrifying—childbirth was, and feeling grateful that I was born male. I nearly passed out in the delivery room, which goes to show I’m not nearly as tough as my wife, who bravely returned another three times. I was beaming with pride and gratitude each time and will never be able to repay her sacrifice for our family. Although motherhood began for her then, not a day goes by where her heart isn’t focused on the best interests of our children. She rides every high and low with them and can sympathise with their problems like only a mother can.

As I grow older, I am astounded to reflect on the strength of my grandmother, who raised eleven children on her own after being widowed while pregnant with her youngest. The eldest was just 16. All eleven children have led remarkable and fruitful lives in their own right, with families of their own. My paternal grandmother didn’t have as many children but showed her love by being an extremely hospitable and generous person to everyone she met. I saw the immense pain she suffered when my father died, selflessly wishing she could have taken his place.

My oldest sister became a mum at the age of 19 and was remarkably independent and resilient, despite being a single mother at such a young age. My other sister had five of her own before the age of thirty, and despite a busy household, ensures they have the best Book Week costumes in Australia—each and every year!

I am also fortunate to work alongside so many great mums at St Rita’s. They each bring enormous strength to the role of motherhood, and their children no doubt feel proud to call them "Mum." Sam, Maryjane, Vicki, Debbie, Jenni, Julie, and Sunni are all exceptional mums whose faces light up every time they speak of their children (and for some, grandchildren). Each of them has no doubt experienced the highs and lows of motherhood and regularly shares the wisdom they’ve gathered along the way.

My own mother turns 70 next week. She too became a mother at a young age and has overcome significant setbacks in life. She has always put her family first and continues to do so to this day. A deeply religious woman, she shows her love through seemingly endless acts of service and prayer. I am forever in her debt for the tender—and sometimes tough—love she has shown me throughout my life.

To celebrate this milestone in her life, I will be in Victoria to visit her from Thursday, 8th May, until Monday, 19th May. I plan to spend my time there cutting firewood for her, to help get her through the cold and harsh Victorian winter—a small token of appreciation. Otherwise, she would try to do it all herself!

In the Catholic Church, we place significant importance on the Virgin Mary, more so than many other Christian denominations. This is because Mary is called the Mother of God, a title bestowed upon her for giving birth to Jesus, whom Catholics believe is both fully God and fully human. Mary gives us the perfect example of a mother’s patient and undying love for her children. Her heartbreak was evident as she witnessed her son’s crucifixion.

Let us remember all the important women in our lives and the incredible impact they have had in shaping who we are. Let us keep them in our prayers every day and always acknowledge the many great things they accomplish. We are forever in their debt.

“The loveliest masterpiece of the heart of God is the heart of a mother.”
— St Thérèse of Lisieux

ANZAC Day 2025

A big thank you to all our students and families who supported the ANZAC Day march this year. It is always such a privilege to mark the occasion and remember those who have served—and continue to serve—our country. A special thanks to our school captain, Maddisyn Masina, who was a flag bearer on the day and did so with great distinction and reverence.

Sports Report

Last week, Jude and Abel travelled to Cairns to represent the Cassowary Coast district in the Basketball Gala Day. Both boys performed well, with Abel being among the youngest participants and Jude narrowly missing final selection for the team. Both played hard and represented our school with pride.

On Friday, Samuel, Jack, Abel, Leo, and Riley travelled to Innisfail to compete in the Cassowary Coast cross-country event. All of the boys did exceptionally well, with Riley achieving a first-place result, qualifying him for the Peninsula event at Lake Tinaroo. All the best, Riley!

This Term, we have the team from AFL Cairns teaching us the skills of Australian Rules Football each Wednesday. This will take place during normal PE time, so students need to remember to wear their sports uniforms on these days.

St Rita’s Feast Day

We are looking forward to celebrating St Rita’s Feast Day this year on 28th May (her actual Feast Day is 22nd May). This year, we will host St Rita’s South Johnstone and celebrate a Thanksgiving Mass in our Church. After Mass, we will have cake and a play on our school grounds, before heading over to Babinda Picture Theatre for a showing of the new Christian animation, King of Kings. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks.

Thanks

Thanks again to Matt Owens and Gavin Lansdown for maintaining our lawns and gardens at St Rita’s. Both men dedicate hours of their own time, and it is certainly much appreciated. If you are able to help with maintenance in any way, please enquire at the front office.

Leave

As I will be away next week and again later in the term, Ms Benvenuti will be Acting Principal in my absence. To allow her time to focus on school administration, we welcome Mrs Bernadette Anthony and Mrs Deborah Carrigan, who will be teaching the senior class during this period.

Kind Regards
Michael Rowe
Principal

COUNSELLORS CORNER

Maggie Dent reacts to popular parenting advice

Story by Ruth Barber for The Role of a Lifetime 

Parenting is hard. Like, really hard. 

It's almost impossible to know what advice to listen to and what to ignore. 

And it doesn't help when you're constantly bombarded by contradictory "expert" opinions on seemingly every topic.

That's why we asked beloved, no-nonsense parenting author and educator, Maggie Dent, to share her wisdom on some of the most popular and widely-touted pieces of parenting advice. 

'A child's life should be good, not easy'

On this, Maggie believes the shift in parenting styles over generations has meant many have become hesitant to expose their children to various hardships.

• "We've moved from punitive, fear-based parenting, which was often really hard and challenging, right through to this lovely tender respectful responsive parenting," she says. 
• "[Respectful responsive parenting] is wonderful because we can raise really great kids."
• However, Maggie says it's sent the message that kids are meant to be happy all the time and consequently, their emotional buoyancy has suffered.
• "We need to not rescue our kids from discomfort," she says.
• "They are all opportunities for our kids to grow in the confidence to manage themselves.
• "If we allow them to experience life's particular risks, you will have a kid that can navigate the bumpy journey to adulthood."

'Routine is everything'

Maggie says routines are a great guideline, but parents need to have some routines with flexibility or risk becoming "naggy" parents. 

• "I think sometimes routines make us shift into the need to control our children rather than be in charge of our children — there's a big difference between that," she says. 
• "Routine and predictability is incredibly helpful but it's not everything.
• "Every child has their own sense of autonomy and if you want to really create some tension in a home, try to be a controlling parent trying to force routines."

'Stay together for the kids'

Maggie says that while it might sound like a great idea, it can actually be an "awful burden" for children to carry.

• "I can tell you from all the counselling I've done over the years ... the kids that know their parents don't like each other and they're in that house, [it's] a difficult environment for them to navigate," she says.
• "If they feel the emotional tension ... many of them bring that up in counselling later on that 'they only stayed together for us but it was awful.'"
• But, Maggie acknowledges that separation may not be possible for some families due to financial circumstances.
• In this case, she says it's important for parents to treat each other with honesty and compassion. 
• "That's the way going forward ... 'We don't love each other but we are the co-parent and we're committed to being the best co-parent we can be.'"

'Your children don't belong to you'

• "That's a wonderful, wonderful phrasing," Maggie says.
• It can be easy for parents to see themselves, or want to see themselves, in their children.
• But Maggie says children are like puzzles that parents have to work out. 
• "We actually don't know who the heck the child is we brought into this world," she says.
• "Our job as parents is to allow them to become the person they've come here to be — not the person we think they should be."

'If you give your child too much love and attention, they won't be able to handle the real world'

In a similar vein to thinking a child's life shouldn't be easy, Maggie says parents need to relinquish some control to allow their children to develop healthily.

• "There's no such thing as too much love," she says. 
• But she says this looks very different when they're under three years old compared to over five or six — because that's when they recognise they're a completely separate human. 
• "You cannot over love your kids. However, you can struggle to let them do those steps of stretching away," she says.
• Maggie says the transition from absolute dependence, to complete independence is confusing for a lot of parents.
• "What actually happens is when they're ready to step into independence, they do it on their own terms and they will step away when they're ready," she says. 
• She says this is linked to the child's temperament and attachment style, which research shows plays a big role in determining how they grow and thrive.
• "[When a child] feels securely attached to their parent, they know they're always going to be able to land on that safe base," she says. 

'It’s never too early to teach your kids about consent'

• "No, it's never too early," Maggie agrees.
• She says parents can introduce their children to the basic concept of consent when they're toddlers — through their toys. 
• "We don't hit another kid 'cause they've taken our toy. [That is] a form of consent," she says. 
• She recommends when children reach age three or four to start giving them choices around how they want to be greeted by friends and family. 
• "Do you want a 'Hi'? Do you want to smile? Do you want to hug, high-five, or nothing at all?," she says. 
• "It's OK to say 'No, thank you, I don't like it,' and that's the same towards our families who think it's OK to sweep in and grab a toddler and hug them when they don't want it."
• Maggie says this is important as children begin to recognise and practice bodily autonomy and their personal boundaries.
• "It's not hard to weave that in but it's not a part of what previous generations have considered, they just think it's disrespectful," she says.
• "Sometimes just checking in or giving choices ... what happens later is you have a healthier tween or teen who is used to being able to negotiate boundaries or to have conversations about what feels right for them, and what doesn't."

'Sleep when baby sleeps'

Maggie says that while it might sound like great advice, the reality is quite different.

• "Usually when the baby is asleep, that is a really good time to have a shower by yourself and have a wee in peace or drink a whole cup of tea," she says. 
• "Sometimes it's really difficult to sleep when you've got ... one million things that haven't been done that will make it easier when the baby is awake.
• "I think rest rather than necessarily sleep."

 'Everything is a phase, it will pass'

Maggie says at every age and stage there'll be a blessing and a challenge. 

• "It's like you can't wait for your child to be able to walk and then you can't find them. You can't wait [for them to] talk and then wish they'd shut up!" she laughs. 
• "You can't wait for them to able to do things for themselves and then you wonder what they're doing cause you want to do it [with them]."
• Maggie says there'll be times when parents will just have to let their child's energy shift into a different space, and this is especially true for adolescence. 
• "Today, adolescence is starting earlier than ever. Some girls are menstruating at nine. Even boys are [moving] into puberty earlier because they're eating so much and they're heavier," she says.
• "It is a very long bumpy phase of confusion and heightened attention and unfortunately it doesn't pass as quickly as would like it to.
• "Welcome to a very long phase that has different stages to it."

'You need to put your own oxygen mask on first'

• "Absolutely," Maggie says.
• "We're biologically wired to put our children first, but parental burnout has escalated over the last few years because we're not taking care of ourselves.
• "If you've got a full cup, you've got more for your children when their cups are empty."

How do parents know what advice they should listen to and what they should ignore?

• "The best people to know what choices to make for your child are you and whoever you co-parent with," Maggie says.
• "There's no parenting book being written about your child."
• But she says when parents are seeking another opinion to pay attention to anyone who normalises how difficult it is to raise little humans — particularly in a digital age.
• "Just know that yet no one's nailing it. Absolutely no one," she says.  

Yours in Counselling,
Kind regards,
Carmel

DATE CLAIMERS

STUDENTS OF THE WEEK

BIRTHDAY CONGRATULATIONS

Congratulations to Riley who celebrated his birthday during the school holidays. St Rita’s hopes you had a wonderful birthday celebration.

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

MUNRO THEATRE

Tuning into kids

LITTLE PEOPLE, BIG WORRIES