Issue 8 - 31 May 2016

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S PEN

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to winter in FNQ! I was amused with a social media post that I read recently. It went along the lines of, “Winter is here!” with a picture of wintery weather and then, “last Wednesday!”. I especially love this time of year for our school gardens. Jenni Stone and the children planted seeds and seedlings only a short time ago and these are absolutely thriving in this beautiful weather. Next term, the SAKG program will be cooking up a storm with our fresh produce!

Last week, three whole school events were thoroughly enjoyed by St Rita’s School. Beginning on Tuesday, we continued the celebration of St Rita’s Feast Day that we had started on Monday afternoon. Father Crowley presided over a special Feast Day Mass which was attended by both school and parish communities. Thank you to Loretta and Cecily Musumeci who organised the red roses which were blessed and distributed to everyone following the Mass. Later, parishioners visited the school to enjoy afternoon tea with Father Kerry, Father Grundy and staff.

Beginning on Wednesday, the Year 4 - 6 students participated in a three-day camp at Echo Creek Adventure Centre. The children had an awesome time and the adults were exhausted. Both signs of a successful school camp! On behalf of the school, I pay tribute to the extra work put in by Maryjane Masina and Debbie Kurucz who once again organised the senior camp. Parent assistants, Ben Stone and Paul Mellick, were super helpful with catering and supervision of activities. Thanks also to parents who provided transport; Kim Kross, Alicia McEwan and Shane Wiles. Many thanks!

On Thursday last week, our Prep - Year 3 children participated in the annual Under Eights’ Week event at Babinda State School. We enjoyed outdoor cricket, games, obstacle courses, biscuit decorating, bubble blowing, threading, painting, dress ups and riding in the police car and fire truck. It was a fun day to share with other young children in the district and recognising the importance of early year’s education in schools. Thank you Vivian and Alicia for joining with the St Rita’s group and helping with supervision on the day.

It has been wonderful to witness the progress the children have made with Miss Bowie’s athletics training this term. High Jump training has been very popular, with the focus being on achieving a higher P.B. even of one centimetre. A focus on improvement and skill development during Physical Education lessons has enabled all children to feel a sense of personal achievement regardless of their physical abilities. Last week, the children practised Ball Games with Miss Bowie and ball handling and team building skills were developed.

The highlight of the term’s lessons is, of course, our Inter-house Athletics Carnival on Wednesday 8th June. After completing a program of track events at Bill Wakeham Park, we will return to school for the field events, followed by the fun of ball games in the afternoon. Parents and families are most welcome to join us on the day. The older students (9 - 12 years) will go on to compete at the Combined Schools carnival at Babinda State School the following Thursday 16th June 2016.

This term, the children have enjoyed participating in ‘Dance Fever’ dance lessons once again. The two new instructors, Molly and Lindsay, have successfully engaged the children in their weekly classes. Even those who were a little reluctant, and didn’t participate fully last year, have had an amazing turnaround! I take this opportunity to thank the P & F for providing financial support of the ‘Dance Fever’ program to reduce the cost of the curriculum activity levy for parents.

Molly and Lindsay are keen to showcase the specific dances they have been teaching the children at the annual ‘Dance Fever’ Showcase. As the team was not booked to do lessons in the last week of term, and we have a Tanks excursion and Combined Schools Athletics Carnival on successive Thursdays, we have had to change the date for the Showcase. This will now be held on Tuesday afternoon 14th June, beginning at 5:00pm. Last year we had a huge turn-out of parents and friends, so I hope you can once again take time out of your busy day to visit St Rita’s for this wonderful whole school event.

Have a happy week!

Regards,

Judy Billiau

COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES FOR PARENTS

Although I endeavour to keep up to date with all that is happening around the school, through teaching groups, playground duties and classroom visits, I do not see or hear everything that happens during the course of each school day. I would like to take this opportunity to revisit the protocol which should be followed for the most effective communication between home and school.

St Rita’s staff members feel privileged to be walking the journey with parents in providing the best possible education for their students. Good communication between home and school is a dual responsibility shared by parents and staff. The school communicates regularly with parents in a number of ways through newsletters and class notes as well as meetings and interviews. Parents are invited to communicate with the school, if and when it is necessary to do so. To assist parents in knowing how and with whom to best communicate, we provide the following guidelines.

Depending on the concern or question that a parent may have, the following process should be used:

Firstly, identify the most appropriate person to respond to the matter. Apart from P&F, the first person parents are asked to make contact with is the classroom teacher, as indicated below:

(Excerpt from St Rita’s Parent Handbook)

WINTER UNIFORM

The cooler weather has arrived and so has the need for parents to find the St Rita’s winter uniform that has been stored away during summer. We stock navy blue jackets and long pants which are our winter uniform at St Rita’s.

As stock is available in all sizes at the School Office, we ask that you please ensure your child is wearing the correct school uniform to school during the winter months.

• Navy blue jacket ($30)
• Navy blue long pants ($25)

APRE THOUGHTS …..

Welcome to Week Eight! The time is flying by, and I always find this time of the year extremely busy. I think it is in these times of busyness that it is even more important to stop, sit still and reflect on the goodness of God. I was certainly reminded of the beauty in our world this week when I visited the senior children on camp. The setting was spectacular and it is hard to be anything but amazed by the wonder of God’s world when you see the sun rise over green fields or a moon covered by amazing clouds of all shapes and sizes.

This week is such an exciting time for not only the children of St Rita’s School but for many of the children of our Parish. On Thursday evening, at 6pm we will celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation for seven local children. All are welcome at the Liturgy which will be presided over by Bishop James. Please keep these children and your families in your prayers. Nicholas, Georgina and Harrison Stone from our school are three of the children participating in the Sacramental program this year.

Last week we also said goodbye to Sr. Patricia Butterfield, or Sister Pat, as she was fondly known. Sr. Pat passed away on May 17th. She had a long association with the St. Rita’s Parish and School and she will be fondly remembered.

This week St Rita’s will be participating in the ‘Loud Fences Movement’. This movement is supported by the Diocese and information from Catholic Education Service was sent home last week. The school has a supply of ribbons so none are required to be bought to school. As stated in the Parent Information letter our children will be told we are participating in Loud Fences Day to remind adults to listen to children when they come to them with a problem and to remind children they can talk to adults they trust when they don’t feel safe.

Finally, I would like to thank all of the children for their participation in our St Rita’s Feast Day activities and Mass last week. The Mass was lovely and I would like to thank all the children who participated so enthusiastically with various jobs and their wonderful singing voices. We also thank Fr. Kerry who gives so much of his time for our school. It was also lovely to welcome the parishioners over to the school for a cuppa and cake after the Mass. It is certainly a great community!

SEL NEWS

This term the focus has been very much on the Seven Keys of Communication. These keys, as discussed in a newsletter earlier this year are important for our children to form and develop relationships with peers and adults.

In addition to this we are looking towards next term at truly discussing what SEL skills are required to be a good learner. We have found that many of students relate good learning to just listening and doing what the teacher asks. This is important but is only one step in the skills required to benefit children as life-long learners. Persistence, Resilience and communication (Getting Along) are also vital. I have recently starting coaching a Prep – Year Three hockey team, (long story…..but I did get a free shirt). We had our first game as a team last week. It was not very successful in terms of winning (Truth be known we lost 11 - 0).

On the bright side, it was a fantastic opportunity for me to use SEL language in a setting outside the classroom. Faces were beginning to drop (around the 5 - 0 mark), and one child even chose to sit down. At half time (at about 9 - 0) I talked to them about being “in a dip.” This is a statement I took after watching SEL clips with my own class to describe when something is so hard that you never think you will be able to do it and you just want to quit. I explained to the children that it is “in the dip” where learning really happens. If we quit, we can’t learn. If we keep trying and try new ways of doing things we may get better and get out of the dip.

The response was unexpected. We didn’t quite get up and score, however they ran, tried new things and did not quit. In fact, there were tears from players on the winning team (not sure why) but not from us. Every time they did something right they yelled “Are we getting out of the dip?” At the end of the game one little boy from the other team who was very proud of himself, continued to shout the final score at the top of his voice over and over. One of our team members just turned and said “you won but we learnt more.” SEL Gold in my book. Our aim next time is 10 – 0 or under – that way we will be showing growth.

This is the shift we want for our children, from how they compare themselves to others to how they measure their own growth. This is for our lower and higher students. What is the point of a child getting an A in maths at the end of the year if they would have got the same mark from the same task at the start of the year? To grow we do need to enter into places that are not always comfortable or easy. Hard work and challenging situations is one way of becoming a life-long learner.

Bec Burns
Assistant Principal (Religious Education)

CASTING THE NET

What do you hunger for? For what do you thirst?

Food and drink are the obvious answers but we want so much more. A person who had rarely seen TV, commented after watching a few programs with ads, ‘I never knew there was so much I needed!’ We all know that advertising plays on our emotions, turning wants into needs, making us hunger for things beyond our pay packet and then creating a sense of discontent. But even Jesus did a bit of advertising when he multiplied the bread and fish to feed the hungry crowds in the wilderness. The crowd missed the point, wanting to make Jesus king so he could become their 1st century fast food outlet – with no cost to themselves. Jesus had to escape from the crowds for a time for he wanted to give them something far deeper, and more important, than food and drink. He wanted to feed the heart, to sustain the depths of their being.

This is what the makers of ads play on; our deepest needs. We see contented families on holidays, a satisfied man driving a sports car (it is always a man) to surf mid-week, cats that come on call for the gourmet tinned food – all of it unrealistic but still speaking to the profound need we have to love and to give ourselves in love. This coming Sunday we celebrate the Feast of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. This is Jesus’ multiplying of the food in the desert was really pointing to: him giving himself totally to us, loving us to the depths of our being and calling to give ourselves in love. Each Sunday this is what we celebrate at Mass. In the Eucharist, we believe that Jesus gives himself totally to us, inspiring and sustaining in our love for him, our family, friends and the community in which we live.

Loving Father, let me ponder on my wants and desires and let me realise that they really point to my deepest need; to love and be loved by you. I ask this in Jesus’ name confident that you will hear me.

Sr Kym Harris osb

QUEENSLAND PREMIER’S READING CHALLENGE

The Premier's Reading Challenge is an annual statewide initiative for state and non-state schools and home-educated students up to Year 9, as well as children (aged up to five years) enrolled in an early childhood centre, and individual home readers. The reading period for Prep - Year 9 students is 16th May - 26th August 2016.

The Premier's Reading Challenge is not a competition, but aims to improve literacy and encourage children to engage in reading for pleasure and learning. This year, the Premier has challenged students from Prep - Year 4 to read or experience 20 books, and Year 5 to read 15 books. Experiencing books can include shared reading, listening to stories or reading picture books.

St Rita’s School is once again registered to participate in the Challenge, and we encourage all students to be part of this initiative through our regular Home Reading and library borrowing programs. Every student who participates will receive a Certificate of Achievement signed by the Premier. Parents are encouraged to play a part in improving children’s literacy by assisting their children in the Premier’s Reading Challenge 2016.

Let’s get reading now!

CURRICULUM

UNSW Global Educational Assessment Australia: ICAS Testing

If you are interested in your child sitting the ICAS English and Mathematics tests this year, registrations are now open for testing on 2nd August and 16th August 2016. The cost per test is $8.80. Please contact the Office if you wish to register your child for ICAS Testing this year.

DATE CLAIMERS

STUDENTS OF THE WEEK

St Rita’s School congratulates those students who were awarded ‘Student of the Week’ at Assembly on Monday 30th May 2016.

BIRTHDAY CONGRATULATIONS

St Rita’s wishes Leon Schep, Nicole Bland, Tony Pham and Havana Postic all the very best for their recent birthdays. We hope you had a wonderful birthday celebration Leon, Nicole, Tony and Havana!

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

GUITAR TUITION

Jenni Marks, who currently teaches keyboard at school, is very keen to start guitar lessons for our students. If you are interested in knowing more about guitar tuition, please phone Jenni on 4067 6157.

COMMUNITY NEWS

CENSUS