30 July 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

Catholic Education Week

This week marks Catholic Education Week in Queensland—a time to reflect on and celebrate the rich history of Catholic education in our country. While it has its critics, Catholic education has stood strong in Australia for over 200 years. For many, it is the first and only opportunity in their lives to meaningfully encounter a man named Jesus Christ and begin to understand his enduring legacy. That alone is reason enough to preserve and protect this vital institution.

One of my favourite family stories is about my introverted grandmother, who had to work up the courage each year to meet with the various principals of her children’s schools. Widowed with 11 children—the eldest just 16—she placed immense value on a Catholic education. Despite her reluctance, she made appointments with the schools, swallowed her pride, and asked for school fees concessions due to the financial hardship of the family. The schools always obliged, demonstrating the Catholic virtue of charity. All 11 children received a Catholic education and went on to lead successful lives—as nurses, teachers, tradies, and even a neurologist. Most importantly, they all started families and became outstanding parents, grounded in strong family values and supported by their Catholic schooling.

Catholic education has changed significantly over the past two centuries, especially in the last 30–40 years. Catholic schools were once places where only Catholics were educated. In many communities, these children also played in Catholic sporting clubs on Saturdays and attended Mass together on Sundays, not often socialising with people outside of this bubble.

I remember Dad telling stories about rivalries between students from the government and Catholic schools—sometimes ending in the odd skirmish! When my parents married in the early ’70s, it raised a few eyebrows—Dad was Protestant, Mum was Catholic. So much has changed since then.

We’re fortunate to have Mrs Bernadette Anthony occasionally provide relief teaching at St Rita’s. Bernadette was appointed the first lay principal of St Rita’s in 1988, and the Mercy Sisters withdrew from the school in 1989. For the 63 years prior, the sisters were responsible for educating children in our region. There are fond—and not-so-fond—memories of being taught by the sisters, who did their best despite being under-resourced and managing crowded classrooms. It’s not a situation I envy.

Although much has changed, Catholic schools still educate around 20% of Queensland students. These students learn about the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, where academic excellence is balanced with moral and spiritual formation—regardless of background or financial status.

This week, we celebrate our Catholic schools and reflect on how blessed we are to have this option for our children, both in our town and across the country. At St Rita’s we are proud of our heritage, and the legacy of the Mercy sisters who started St Rita’s school almost 100 years ago. We hope we can thrive well into the future.

Catholic Education Week Mass

On Tuesday, we travelled to Innisfail to join other Catholic schools from Babinda to Tully in celebrating Catholic Education Week. The day began with Mass at Mother of Good Counsel Church, followed by a shared lunch at GCPS. The P–4 students stayed at GCPS for fun and activities, while the Year 5/6 students visited Good Counsel College for a secondary school ‘taster’ day. A big thank you to both Innisfail schools for hosting us—this day is always a highlight of our school year.

Little Connections Playgroup

Miss Sunni launched the ‘Little Connections’ Playgroup and Community Group last week. It will run each Monday from 1:30–3:00 p.m. in the junior classroom. Even if you don’t have preschool-aged children, we’d love for you to come and hang out with us. Please follow the Little Connections Community Hub page on Facebook or see Sunni or Bek for more information.

The Arts and PE

This Term, we’re thrilled to welcome Sian from Step It Up Crew back to teach the Dance component of our Arts program. Sian has worked with us for many years, and the children always look forward to their weekly Hip-Hop lessons. Dance will be held on Wednesdays from Week 2 to Week 7, with a final ‘Showcase’ in Week 7 for families. Students may wear their sports uniforms on these days.

As part of our PE program, we also welcome representatives from Football Australia, who will teach soccer skills on Thursdays from Week 3 to Week 9. Students may wear their sports uniforms on Thursdays as well.

St Rita’s Barn Dance

We invite our school and wider Babinda community to the St Rita’s Barn Dance this Friday! This year, the Babinda Harvest Festival has partnered with us to make it an official festival event. Please return RSVPs as soon as possible so we can finalise catering. A big thank you to Mrs Masina and our P&F team for organising what promises to be a fantastic night. Our students have been busy learning dances they’re excited to showcase!

Cassowary Coast Athletics

Congratulations to our students who qualified for the Cassowary Coast Athletics in Innisfail next week! These students placed in the top two at the Small Schools Athletics last term. Only students aged 9–12 were eligible to progress. We wish them all the best as they represent our school and region.

Special congratulations to the following students who set records at the Small Schools Athletics Day:

Warm regards,
Michael Rowe
Principal

COUNSELLORS CORNER

Feeding the 3 Brains

Reboot uses the metaphor of "feeding the 3 Brains" to imply efforts to effectively address the core needs of the brain areas. When all 3 Brains are 'fed' they work together in an integrated way and increase capacity to respond to life's challenges, create and connect with others. As all of humanity share a common neurophysiological need to address our fundamental Wild and Emotional Brain needs as a priority, we must "feed the Wild, then feed the Emotional to access the Smart." The resulting integrated brain supports a wide window of tolerance.

The window of tolerance is the zone of arousal in which a person is best able to think and respond to challenges. Within this zone, people have clarity and intention and are able to receive, process, and integrate information. Here it is easiest to rally resources to face a challenge and return to equilibrium quickly. Unmet needs, especially the primitive instinctual drives for safety, trust, relationship and predictability, narrows the window of tolerance and drives individuals into hyper and hypo-arousal. In these states the brain no longer perceives or responds in an integrated state resulting in lower stress tolerance and diminished capacity to find and enact solutions.

The following 3 Brains Table outlines each of our Brain's needs:

The Fed and Unfed Brain

Brain	Need	Symptoms of Unmet Needs
Wild Brain	Safety - physical and psychological Healthy attachment (safe and trusting primary relationships) Predictability Routine Rhythm Physical needs (sleep, water, food) Movement Relaxation time Touch Integration of multiple sensory inputs	Exhaustion Sleep problems Muscle inflammation Sore joints, headaches Anger or frustration Reactive Irritability Not present, accident-prone Excessive passive recharging Alcohol or sugar cravings Weight gain Anxiety/depressions Substance/screen misuse Restless and easily distracted Coordination problems Gut or immune reactivity
Emotional Brain	Empathy and validation Emotional safety Positive emotional experiences Positive social networks Inspiration and passion Co-regulation and self-regulation skills Attunement Emotional literacy Social comprehension Support to contain and process difficult emotions (e.g. shame, blame and guilt)	Numb or empty feelings Pessimism or cynicism Grief or sadness Feeling overwhelmed Angry outbursts Poor motivation/apathy Addictive behaviours Passive recharging Relationship breakdowns Lack of passion, curiosity or enthusiasm Anxiety or sadness/depression Social withdrawal or isolation
Smart Brain	Purpose Clarity Focus and attention Achievement and contribution Meaning Organisation Reasoning skills (problem solving) Cultural safety Appropriate level stimulus Aspiration and intention	Anxiety, rumination, circular thinking Lack of focus/easily distracted Procrastinating Poor memory or ability to comprehend Blaming Rigid thinking Feeling stuck/pointless Helpless/hopeless Sense of meaninglessness Confusion Lack of creativity

Yours in Counselling,  
Kind regards,
Carmel      

DATE CLAIMERS

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

MUNRO THEATRE

STUDENT WELLBEING SURVEY

RELATIONSHIPS AUSTRALIA