Issue 3 - 1 March 2016

Newsletter Articles

VISION STATEMENT

St Rita’s School will be a compassionate and supportive community built on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, specifically incorporating the Mercy Values which are lived out. We will be a values-based community reaching out to and welcoming the wider community. Our strong school spirit will shine. St Rita’s will be a school in which every member is respectful of self and others.

PRINCIPAL’S PEN

Dear Parents and Carers,

Last week marked the halfway mark for first term and it is has been an extremely busy fortnight at St Rita’s School. Since the last newsletter, we have had our Solar Energy system significantly upgraded by a further 10kws and received word that last year’s P & F Gambling Community Benefit Fund application was successful. Both great things for St Rita’s!

The Fund money will be spent on musical instruments and the classroom music program. We have already purchased two keyboards, and Mrs Jenny Marks is excited to begin tuition at St Rita’s on Wednesday. If you have missed the information note about keyboard lessons, please contact Debbie in the Office and she can provide you with another. I would like to especially thank Mrs Julie Godden, on behalf of the St Rita’s community, for submitting the grant application last year.

Last week, our APRE Mrs Burns left with a large group of other school leaders from the Cairns Diocese for the 2016 Religious Education Congress in Los Angeles. This annual event attracts over 40,000 participants world-wide, offers over 300 workshops presented by more than 200 speakers, with topics ranging from personal growth, music to spiritual development. St Rita’s will benefit greatly from Bec’s attendance at this extraordinary conference!

At the Annual General Meeting held on 5th February, nominations and elections resulted in several positions being successfully filled by parents. It was heartening to see parents new to our school join us for the meeting, and show their interest in being involved in our school in this way. I hope to see you again at the next meeting!

I would like to congratulate the elected 2016 P & F Executive:

President: Vacant
Vice-President: Vacant
Secretary: Mrs Loretta Musumeci
Treasurer: Mrs Jenni Stone
Tuckshop Coordinator: Mrs Jacinta Lansdown

As you can see, two positions have remained vacant. If you are interested, I urge you to chat to Loretta, Jenni or myself about the role and responsibilities of either President or Vice-President.

Classroom teachers are also calling on your support to assist with classroom activities, and it is wonderful to see parents volunteering at St Rita’s in the last fortnight. It is an enjoyable and rewarding experience for parents, and children especially like to have you helping in their class. Please see your classroom teacher soon to register your interest.

Enjoy your week!

Regards & blessings,

Judy Billiau
Principal

MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS CONSENT FORM

Last week we had a professional photographer working at school. With the support of Cairns Catholic Education Services, we plan to update all photos on our school website and post new ones on our recently established Facebook page. Parental consent to use photos, video and work samples is formally given to the school by the completion of the CES Media and Communications Consent Form.

The purpose of the Consent Form is described as:

“Photos, video footage and work samples of students are regularly used by schools for a number of reasons. These situations are generally for the purpose of acknowledging the efforts of the student or the school, or for promotion of the school or Catholic Education purposes and under current legislation this practice can continue. On occasion, the media may visit the school and may take photographs, video, or audio of school activities or newsworthy events”.

Parents who have completed the Consent Form, which is kept on file in the Office, are reminded that consent, once given, will be amended or revoked only upon receipt of written notification from the parent/guardian who gave it originally. If you do not wish your child’s photo to be used in either the school website update or on social media, please contact the Office to withdraw your consent. Thank you!

“FLOWERS OF ONE GARDEN”

Dear Community,

I have taken the liberty of letting you know about the following:

The video clip, “Flowers of One Garden”, can be viewed on YouTube free of charge for your enjoyment. It features Annie Wonga sharing place and her love for humanity. She has chosen Klare KuOlga whom she named GHINDUN (Brand New Day) to sing in the ancient archetype of the rainbow serpent with a message of unity expressed in beautiful metaphors. It is sung from the Boulders, a powerful and spiritual place that Annie has blessed again with love and respect.

Klare has an EP for sale, “Blessings”, which features “Flowers of One Garden” and four other equally lovely songs.

Blessings,

Cecily Musumeci

HEALTHY LUNCHBOXES

How can families create healthy lunchboxes?

The Department of Health and Human Services Pick & Mix 1-6 poster provides a range of ideas and practical tips to inspire families to create healthy school lunchboxes. The message is simple: For a healthy lunchbox pick & mix, something from each group 1 - 6!

Pick and mix one tasty option from each of the food groups below to create a healthy lunchbox every day:

1. Fruit (e.g. fresh, frozen, pureed and canned in natural juice)
2. Vegetables, legumes and beans
   Offer different types and colours
3. Milk, yoghurt, cheese and alternatives (e.g. soy, rice, oat and almond based products with at least 100mg of calcium per 100mL/g)
   Reduced fat options are best.
4. Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts* and seeds, and legumes/beans If your school has a nut-free policy, peanut butter and other nuts should not be included in your child’s lunchbox.
5. Grain (cereal) foods (e.g. breads, cereals, rice, pasta, noodles, polenta, couscous, oats, quinoa and barley)
   Wholegrain and/or high fibre varieties are best.
6. Plain water (e.g. tap, spring, mineral, soda and sparkling)

Offer water as the drink of choice.

For more information, please visit the link below

CASTING THE NET

The Works of Mercy

‘Mercy’ is a lovely word but it doesn’t amount to much if it isn’t made concrete. As a guide to making it real, the church recommends the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, ways of caring that touch body and spirit. Over the next few weeks, we will look at these and consider ways to make this year our personal Year of Mercy.

Feed the Hungry

In a recent Masterfoods commercial, a series of parents are asked who they would like to have dinner with. From Kim Kardashian to Nelson Mandela we hear the names of all sorts of celebrities. Then separate from their parents, their children are filmed being asked the same question and their parents’ hearts are touched seeing their response: they want dinner with their family or with their parents. There is no sense that these families don’t already eat together but what these children show is that they have understood the importance of sharing food together: it makes us feel that we belong to a community.

When Jesus advises us to ‘Feed the Hungry’, he did not imagine us giving to agencies serving the needy on the other side of the world. While we should do that, it is the people in want near us that we should serve. Few of us encounter people starving, but we often face people in need to whom we can show our care with food. While many schools have a food bank to help families going through a crisis we can also be alert to what is happening in our street, in our family and let the mercy of God flow through us.

Loneliness is a far greater hunger in our society than the need for food, and by occasionally inviting those who live alone to a meal we strengthen the bonds across our community. I heard of a family who used to invite my grandfather to eat with them on the nights he didn’t have a family member with him and even now across the years I feel moved by their care. Such love is simple, not necessarily easy, but when we do it, we reveal the face of God in our world.

Loving God, show me the ways I can use food to show love and foster community. Let the sharing of food be a way to touch with kindness the heart of those suffering loneliness. We ask this in Jesus’ name, confident that you will hear us.

Sr Kym Harris osb

COUNSELLOR’S CORNER

Dear Parents,

There are many articles, stories, poems and statues’ that talk about being a parent. I found this little prayer that I liked. I like it because it is simple, yet warm. This prayer does not lay blame, does not ask or infer someone has had to sacrifice to be a parent and is without prejudice.

It simply asks for strength, wisdom, patience, joy, love and forgiveness to be a parent.

Being a parent is a very special, yet challenging, job. Show love to yourself and your children on the journey you share together.

Yours in Counselling,

Carmel Parisi

STEPHANIE ALEXANDER KITCHEN GARDEN PROGRAM

Greetings from our very busy SAKG Kitchen! In recent weeks the children have enjoyed learning about some of the local seasonal fruit that is in abundance at present. A few weeks ago we made Passionfruit Butter which was enjoyed by all who chose to have it with their pancakes on Shrove Tuesday.

Recently the students received a few buckets of limes and so the Years 4-6 students learnt how to make Lime Butter. This delectable spread can be used on toast in the morning, with crackers during the day or even as a sweet tart filling. Not only did the children make the Lime Butter, but they also learnt how to sterilise preserving jars and bottle their finished product. I am very proud of the contribution each student makes during their time in the SAKG kitchen.

We have a number of exciting ideas from the children which we would like to implement into our SAKG program this year. The children have expressed their desire to contribute to the raising of the funds required to make some of their ideas a reality. In respect to this, the children wish to advise that parents and community members can purchase bottles of Lime Butter (approx. 200ml) from the school office for $3.

Thank you,

Jenni Stone

Important Dates

STUDENTS OF THE WEEK

St Rita’s School congratulates those students who were awarded ‘Student of the Week’ at Assembly on Friday 26th February 2016.

BIRTHDAY CONGRATULATIONS

St Rita’s wishes Timmy Pham and Latoya Ambrum all the very best for their recent birthdays. We hope you both had a wonderful birthday celebration. Congratulations Timmy and Latoya!

MULGRAVE SPORTS DISTRICT TRIALS

BABINDA HOSPITAL

COMMUNITY NEWS