Issue 6 - 6 May 2016

Newsletter Articles

All-loving God, we give you thanks and praise for mothers young and old.

We pray for young mothers, who give life and count toes and tend to our every need; May they be blessed with patience and tenderness to care for their families and themselves with great joy.

We pray for our own mothers who have nurtured and cared for us; May they continue to guide us in strong and gentle ways.

We remember mothers who are separated from their children because of war, poverty, or conflict; May they feel the loving embrace of our God who wipes every tear away.

We pray for women who are not mothers but still love and shape us with motherly care and compassion.

We remember mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers who are no longer with us but who live forever in our memory and nourish us with their love.

Amen.

PRINCIPAL’S PEN

Dear Parents and Carers,

Term 2 sport at St Rita’s had a terrific start with the recent cross country event. The Combined Schools Cross Country and the St Rita’s Fun Run were held simultaneously on Thursday 21st April. Those senior students who participated in the Cross Country really did St Rita’s proud. Running either 2kms or 3kms, every competitor from our school finished the course. Simply an outstanding effort! With more ‘Top 10’ finishers this year, we also had three runners who have progressed to the next level, the Mulgrave District Cross Country. Congratulations from St Rita’s to Billie Luce (2nd 10 years Girls), Ariah Salvestrin (3rd 11 years Girls) and Leon Schep (4th 11 years Boys).

Back at school, the Fun Run was also very much enjoyed by our younger runners. Ranging in distances from 500m to 1.5kms, everyone joined in this non-competitive running event. It was especially pleasing to see some children who had struggled with distance running last year make such an improved effort. Well done Hallie! The nine year olds are already looking forward to being able to participate in the Combined Schools event next year and tackling the 2kms distance.

Father Kerry Crowley presided over the St Rita’s ANZAC Liturgy on Friday 22nd April. I thank Mrs Burns for organising such a memorable event for our students, and it was made extra special by having parents join us in the church. On ANZAC Day, our school once again proudly participated in the Babinda commemorative event, marching in the parade and laying a wreath during the service. I appreciate the support of parents who brought their children along to represent St Rita’s. And thank you also to the parents of our Prep/Year 1 students who participated for the first time and behaved so proudly and respectfully.

This weekend, the second Sunday in May, we will celebrate Mother’s Day in Australia. It is a special day for showing our appreciation for the achievements and efforts of mothers and mother figures. Although Australians follow the Mother’s Day traditions that stem from observances in countries such as USA and the UK, it is an Australian who is credited with having started the tradition of giving gifts on Mother's Day. Janet Heyden, a resident of Leichhardt Sydney, started a campaign in 1924 to collect gifts for lonely aged mothers.

St Rita’s is excited to be hosting a special event for mothers next Monday 9th May. On this afternoon, the staff assists children in providing activities of pampering and relaxation for their mums, aunties and grandmothers. Craft activities, massages, story reading and afternoon tea are some of the pleasures you will be able to enjoy. We are very much looking forward to having you join us for this most important event on our term calendar.

Have a good week and I hope to see you next Monday for your pampering!

Regards and blessings,
Judy Billiau
Principal

APRE THOUGHTS …..

After two long weekends, I hope everybody has had the chance to spend some time looking after their own and their family’s wellbeing. The month of May gives us all plenty to celebrate in our schools and the Church’s liturgical calendar. Later this month, we celebrate Pentecost. Pentecost marks the end of the Easter Season and celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit onto the apostles. Next fortnight’s newsletter will contain more information about the celebration and meaning of Pentecost.

The Month of May is also known as the Month of Mary and we are invited during this month to spend time reflecting on the life of Mary, her role as a mother and her role in the life of Jesus. As we approach Mother’s Day we can look at Mary for inspiration in our own parenting. Relatable qualities are seen in the Gospels. The first is love. Mary, like all parents showed love for Jesus throughout his life, especially during his hardest times. John 19:25 states, “Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother” and this love is reciprocated in John 19: 26-27, “when Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

In the context of the time where women were largely restricted to their husband’s, father’s or son’s homes, this act could perhaps suggest his concern for his mother, after his death, indicating the bond between mother and child.

Perhaps we all have had times where we had to watch our children in situations we wanted to save them from, but couldn’t. Or knew it was a time or experience that they had to endure in order to learn or grow. Their first day at school, their first bad game or performance, watching a friendship break down – like Mary, we are there to support our children and show our undying love.

The second emotion shared by mothers and Mary is anxiety and worry. Luke 2: 41-52 tells us that Mary (and indeed Joseph) experienced great worry, when Jesus disappeared into the temple without their knowledge. All parents can relate to the worry they have over their children when we are concerned about their wellbeing.

The final common thread that parents have with Mary is our desire to raise our children with our values and traditions. Not much is known about the Holy Family, except that they lived in Nazareth and followed the Jewish tradition. Their commitment to Jewish traditions and practices are found in passages in the bible including Luke 2:22-24, where Mary and Joseph present Jesus in the Temple and ransom him for a pair of turtle doves as prescribed by Jewish law. Even in the above story related to worry was set during Passover where Mary and Joseph were practising their beliefs.

We pass on our values and traditions to our children both explicitly and implicitly. We can tell them what we think and what we believe about life and faith and children will gain some understanding. However it is our actions and interactions that truly show our children our values and faith belief.

It is wonderful that the month of Mary is celebrated in the same month as Mother’s Day. This Friday we will be celebrating a Mother’s Day liturgy with the Prep – Year 3 children. You are all more than welcome to join us. I hope this Mother’s Day all mums are treated with love and respect, and the special relationship between mother and child is celebrated in ways which reflect your family’s traditions and values.

Bec Burns
Assistant Principal (Religious Education)

NAPLAN TESTING

NAPLAN testing will take place this term from May 10th to 12th for students in Years 3 and 5. Results from the tests provide important information about children's progress in literacy and numeracy, as both the school and student will receive a statement of performance in relation to the national minimum standards. There will be four tests for Years 3 and 5: Language Conventions, Writing, Reading and Numeracy.

Parents of students who are participating in national testing for the first time often ask teachers how they can help “prepare” their children. The Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA), in its article ‘NAPLAN Guidelines’, discourages the purchase of workbooks by parents and the setting of NAPLAN Homework by teachers. Rather, APPA suggests, “The best preparation for NAPLAN testing parents can provide is ensuring their child has a good night’s sleep of between 10-11 hours and a healthy breakfast on the morning of the test”.

Please see your classroom teacher or Mrs Bernadette Anthony, Learning Support Teacher, if you would like further advice or information about NAPLAN testing at St Rita’s.

MOTHER’S DAY PAMPERING AFTERNOON

We are pleased and excited to once again host a very special event to honour the mothers of St Rita’s. It is the children’s turn to look after you for an afternoon, so please keep Monday 9th May 2016 free in your calendar. All mums, aunties and grandmothers are warmly invited to indulge in an afternoon of ‘pampering and relaxation’ from 1:15pm - 2:55pm. We do hope to see you there!

CASTING THE NET

‘You give them wings to fly…

… and then you want to clip them,’ said a mother whose older children have left the nest and are pursuing their own lives in very different ways. And that is what happens being a mother, and even a parent. You watch over those first steps, and then see them walk away; you teach them to ride a bike and then they insist they can go to school on their own. All that you do to teach them to grow up is leading them to be adults, independent, separate from you as mother, as father, and yet in your deepest heart, you want to protect them as much as the moment they were put into your arms as new-born babes.

This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension, when at the end of Jesus’ time on earth he left the disciples, returning to heaven. But he didn’t leave them to be alone, bereft of his care. No, he left them so that they could really grow up and live by his teaching…that they could show his love and life in their own lives. This is really what good parenting is about. As mother, father, guardians, you want to pass on the best of yourself, so that in your children’s lives they may learn to express goodness in their own, exceptional way. You want them to learn the lessons lovingly taught and mirror these in the reflection of their own lives.

To do that takes sacrifice in many different ways: you have to be prepared to watch them make mistakes, even ones that hurt. You have to be prepared for them to reject you, at least occasionally, and you have to trust them to do it their way. No, the wings cannot be clipped but your heart must learn to widen and fly to encompass them always in your love.

Loving God, you are father and mother to us. As we care for our children, may we encourage them to live and love in all fullness and may we be prepared for them to grow beyond our arms but never out of our hearts. We ask this in Jesus’ name confident that you will hear us.

Sr Kym Harris osb

COUNSELLOR’S CORNER

Building children’s resilience

What does resilience really mean?

In general terms, resilience refers to being ‘mentally and psychologically tough’, being flexible and able to cope with changes, not giving up and ‘bouncing back’ when disappointments are experienced.

Even though we might feel that our children struggle with resilience, the good news is that resilience can be nurtured and developed.

I hope that if you or your child is experiencing challenges with resilience that these tips and ideas might help to begin to nurture and develop resilience further. These ideas are from the book, ‘Teach Your Kids to Shrug’ by Michael Grose. I highly recommend this book if you would like further information.

• Teach your kids to SHRUG sometimes. (To shrug their shoulders in a nonchalant way and say, “Oh well” and walk away.
• Make time for ‘Mooching’ – relaxation, reading. This is particularly important if life is very hectic.
• Word kids up for resilience – teach kids words for identifying and managing their emotions.
• Teach kids not to jump to conclusions – to slow down, stop and think through the reasons why things have happened and not automatically think the worst.
• Encourage alone time – allow children to learn to be comfortable with who they are.
• Make persisting a family trait – teach children to stick at things by modelling this as well – showing them how to.
• Promote good health habits – good sleep patterns, exercise, help others, talk and relaxation.
• Communicate confidence – if you would like your children to be brave, courageous and confident, it is important that you are brave, courageous and confident! Assisting our children to build confidence is not only about encouraging, but about modelling. It is important to challenges kids with real responsibilities and to describe their successes to them.
• Let kids spend time where they feel confident – help them find a place or activity where they feel confident, to spend time in that place and to transfer that feeling of confidence to other activities and places.
• Make encouragement a daily habit – point out strengths, give some praise, give constructive criticism.
• Give kids a pat on the head for the right things – e.g. being cooperative, being brave, being helpful, being tolerant, being patient, being persistent, being friendly.
• Do enough, but not too much – allow your child to do some things themselves that are appropriate and assist them to build confidence in this way.
• Tell your story – share your own struggles and/or successes with resilience and confidence. Share your feelings sometimes.

There are even more wonderful ideas in the book that I am sure you would find as helpful as I have! Resilience is something I’m sure we can all use more of at different times in our lives. Let’s work together to make sure that our children all feel even more confident and happy in themselves and feel able to bounce back from all that life can sometimes challenge us with and so that they can feel the gifts presented as well.

Yours in counselling,
Natalie McKenzie

PIANO LESSONS

I am delighted to have started teaching piano at St Rita’s School this year. Thanks to the successful application of a grant, the school was able to purchase two new Yamaha electric pianos which we use for lessons.

Seeing your children love music is very rewarding. Last term, I saw confidence, progress, pride, creativity, feelings of success and great accomplishment. These are great skills that hopefully they will carry for the rest of their lives. That is why I believe TOMORROW’S SUCCESS BEGINS TODAY.

Kind regards,
Jenni Marks

AROUND THE CLASSROOMS

During the past few weeks, the Year 2/3/4 class has been writing expositions. The topic last week was: “Should only the Year 4/5/6 students go on camp?”

I believe that not just Year 4/5/6 should go on camp, but everyone should be able to go.

Firstly, everyone could learn new things like archery or about wild animals.

Secondly, the activities are fun. So everyone at school should go and have fun. Being altogether is also fun.

Finally, the kids left at school will be sad. It would be better if the sad kids could go.

In conclusion, I believe that the whole school should be able to go on camp.

By Cooder Postic (Year 2)

“Stop wasting money!” Yes, Year 4/5/6 should only go on camp.

Safety is important. For example P-3 are little and they could get hurt on the dangerous climbing wall, the narrow balance beam, archery, the bush walk and the laser tag at night time.

P-3 might also get lost. For example, they might be a slow walker in the bush and don’t follow directions. They aren’t old enough to stay away from their parents for three days and two nights.

In conclusion, I believe that P-3 should not be allowed to go on school camp because they might get injured, lost, and they are too young.

By Harrison Stone (Year 3)

Yes, it is fair that Year four and up should be the only grades to go on camp.

Firstly, it’s safer for older kids because the younger kids could throw plastic in the fire which lets out toxic gases and they could also get stuck in wait-a-while in the bush. The Obstacle Course is frightening for the little kids because there are high things that they have to climb up and they could get stuck up there and someone would have to go and get them. There is a plank that goes over a creek which is normally dry. They could fall off the plank and hurt themselves.

Secondly, if the whole school goes, there are not enough parents to transport kids there and the school would have to get a bus. The bus would cost too much money.

Finally, the younger kids are too young. In the night they might miss their parents and get scared from the noises outside. They are too small for some of the equipment and not strong enough to go on some of the equipment like the swing over the mud.

In conclusion, I think that only the Year 4s and over should go on the camp because the younger kids are too young.

By Jamie Brose (Year 4)

DATE CLAIMERS

STUDENTS OF THE WEEK

St Rita’s School congratulates those students who were awarded ‘Student of the Week’ at Assembly on Friday 15th April 2016.

BIRTHDAY CONGRATULATIONS

St Rita’s wishes Max Schep all the very best for his recent birthday. We hope you had a wonderful birthday celebration Max!

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

COMMUNITY NEWS

BABINDA CATHOLIC WOMEN’S GROUP ‘CENT SALE’

The ladies from the Catholic Women’s Group invite you to its Mother’s Day Cent Sale next month. It promises, once again, to be an afternoon of fun and games, with over 200 prizes, wonderful raffle prizes and a scrumptious afternoon tea.

Details as follows:

When: Saturday 7th May 2016
Where: Golf Club House, Hospital Street
Time: Doors open at 12.00pm for a 1.30pm start
Entry: Adults $4.00 Children $1.00