17 August 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,

What an awesome way to end the week! Our school Disco held last Friday evening was such a huge success for the St Rita’s community. The children thoroughly enjoyed themselves dancing, joining in with games and socialising with each other. The involvement of so many parents once again showed what a wonderful community we are at St Rita’s. Thank you to all the disco supervisors, canteen helpers, the BBQ chef, the music and lighting director and the games organiser. There are too many generous people to mention individually, so please accept this as my personal thank you. I am already looking forward to the Term 4 disco!

On the weekend, staff members followed up the night with other activities that promoted our school. SAKG Coordinator Mrs Jenni Stone and a group of senior students represented St Rita’s at the town markets. They sold almost all of the jams and butters they had made in cooking class that week whilst showcasing what the school does in the ‘Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden’ program. Thank you Jenni!

Teachers attended the DLLC Conference (Design Led Learning Communities Conference) in Cairns showing outstanding commitment to their professional learning and growth by working on a weekend. We all chose to attend the Joanne Dooner session, ‘Learning Intentions and Success Criteria’, which will benefit student learning in the classroom. LI and SC are critical elements of our school’s Visible Learning Action Plan. Well done teachers!

This Thursday, 18th August, we will be celebrating National Science Week at St Rita’s by hosting our fourth annual ‘Science Fun Day’. The organisers of the event this year, Mrs Masina and Mrs Carrigan, have been very busy planning a day filled with mayhem and experimentation as the children rotate through a number of fun science activities. The goal of Science Day is to create an atmosphere that will inspire the children and ignite their interest in Science through practical activities, while at the same time teaching them the basics of different science phenomena through modelling and whole group discussions. The afternoon showcase will be the ’60 Second Science Show’ and the Year 5/6 class are excitedly preparing their scientific demonstration for this part of the day.

The P & F are planning a Working Bee and social event on Saturday morning 3rd September. Please join us for a few hours of gardening and grounds maintenance to be followed by a BBQ lunch. If you are unable to come on that morning, and would like to assist at another time, please see me and we can arrange a time and a small task to suit you. A combined effort by everyone ensures that our grounds and buildings are kept attractive throughout the year. A letter from the P & F with further details about the day will be distributed shortly.

NAPLAN Testing results were distributed to parents last week. Although we have yet to thoroughly analyse these results, it was immediately apparent that our students have achieved a very pleasing level of results this year. I suggest that the confidence and persistence displayed by our Year 3 students during the testing is reflected in these results. Our Literacy & Numeracy Action Plan for the past two years has targeted Grammar & Punctuation, and I was especially excited to see that this area of literacy has shown marked improvement. Congratulations Year 3 and Year 5 students!

Each year, across Australia, The Children’s Book Council of Australia brings children and books together celebrating Children’s Book Week. During this time, schools, libraries, booksellers and authors celebrate Australian children's Literature. We are excited to be celebrating Children’s Book Week at St Rita’s with the theme, ‘Australia! Story Country’. The focus of English curriculum will be on Book Week and classroom teachers have been busy planning stimulating and engaging lessons around the short-listed books that we have bought. The Book Chook advises against restricting Book Week activities to the 2016 theme.

“I think it's important not to get too fixed on what makes a book suit this 2016 Children's Book Week theme. Australia IS a Story Country. Our stories come from all over: from our own indigenous people, from migrants and refugees who have come to live here, from books, movies and orally transmitted stories. Let's encourage Australia's children to immerse themselves in a range of stories, to read them, listen to them, watch them, think about them, and go on to share them with others!”

The most exciting event for Book Week is our Dress Up Day which is planned for Wednesday 24th August. As we have the Babinda Kindergarten as our special guests for the morning, we will be combining Dress Up Day with an Open Morning this year. Beginning with a parade, which all families are invited to enjoy, the children will be participating in rotational activities in the middle session which explore some of the short-listed books. All students are encouraged to come to school dressed as their favourite book character and bring along the book to share. A change of clothes may be needed for the more ‘elaborate’ costumes.

Altogether we have an exciting few weeks ahead in and around our classrooms. I hope to have a super turn-out of families at all our upcoming school events. Come and have fun learning with us at St Rita’s!

Enjoy your week.

Regards and blessings,

Judy Billiau

STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS 2016 - 2019

Direction 1: Lived and celebrated Catholic Identity

Evidenced by:

• Families engaged and empowered in the identity and mission of the Catholic school within the Parish, and the spiritual development of their children
  Catholic schools acknowledge the partnership between school and the family in the faith development of the child and recognise the parents as the first educators of the child in the Catholic faith

• Staff invited and engaged in a deeper understanding of Catholic identity and expression of Faith
  Staff members in Catholic schools are engaged in a deeper understanding of the Catholic faith as they learn more about the Catholic tradition through professional learning and by participating in prayer and liturgical experiences

• Young people inspired by the Gospel actively making a difference in the world
  Students in Catholic schools are involved in social justice initiatives and look beyond themselves to be of service to others. Our students are able to articulate the gospel values embodied within the gospel stories and what they mean for us today

At St Rita’s School, we live and celebrate our Catholic identity through our participation in Masses, prayer, liturgies, assemblies and through our engagement in our parish community. We encourage all members of our community to have respectful and positive relationships with others. We reach out to others through our ‘Community Carers’ student group and through our many acts of kindness such as CARITAS, St Vincent de Paul and the support of other local organisations.

Judy Billiau
Principal

PRINCIPAL APPRAISAL

By this time all families of St Rita’s will have received a letter providing information on my upcoming Principal Appraisal. During the fourth year of a principal’s five-year appointment, principals in the Diocese of Cairns are required to participate in an appraisal process which reviews their performance as school principal. I will be undertaking my appraisal at the end of this term, 8th and 9th September 2016.

A very important part of this process is for all members of the school community to be provided the opportunity to give feedback on my performance since the beginning of 2013. A parent survey has been prepared by Cairns Catholic Education Services and this can be accessed using this link,

I thank you for taking the time to complete the survey. If you are unable to access the online survey, for your convenience paper copies will be available at the school office.

Judy Billiau

APRE THOUGHTS …..

It has been another couple of busy weeks in the Religious Life of School. Two very special feast days this fortnight remind us all of the importance of women in the Catholic Church. The first was celebrated last Monday, 8th of August. This Feast Day, St Mary of the Cross, celebrates the life and work of Mary Mackillop, Australia’s first saint. This is still a very new celebration as Mary was canonised in 2010. Her work in Australia with the poor, especially in terms of education, has had a lasting impact. My favourite saying from Mary Mackillop is “never see a need without doing something about it.” This reminds us that living in the life of Christ is an everyday occurrence, not something we save for Sunday Mass. Our life as Christians is in our everyday interactions, and by taking the time to see the needs in our world, our community and within our own families and having the courage to take action to make our world a better place.

The second Feast day is the Feast of the Assumption, Monday 15th August. This Holy Day of Obligation, celebrates the time, according to our faith, the Holy Mother, "having completed her course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory". Although defined as an article of faith by Pope Pius XII just over half a century ago, the Assumption of Our Lady into heaven has been accepted from back to the earliest of Christian times.

There is a difference between the Ascension of Jesus and the Assumption of Mary. Our faith believes Jesus was resurrected from the dead and sometime, after his resurrection, he ascended into heaven. Mary, on the other hand was taken to heaven, body and soul, to be reunited with Jesus, via the power of her Son. This only happened to Mary, which shows us the significance of her life with Jesus and the importance of Mary to the Catholic tradition. We celebrated this special event with a Mass on Monday, and we are very grateful to Father Grundy for presiding over this Mass.

The next two weeks will see our Sacramental Candidates take part in their First Holy Communion Mass. This will take place at our church on Saturday 27th August at 6:00pm. This is very much a part of our school faith life and we would love to see as many families there as possible. The children and their families have attended a number of preparation sessions to deepen their understanding of what it means to be a full member of the Catholic Church and explore their own faith life further.

This Mass would also provide an opportunity for families to see the wonderful building works that have taken place in the Church over the past couple of months.

Have a great week everyone!

Bec Burns
Assistant Principal Religious Education

CASTING THE NET

Changed Expectations

It seems to happen every four years. We come to the pointy end of the Olympics and find many have to come to terms with changed expectations. Some are the competitors who worked so hard and seemed so certain to do well. Many are spectators who feel disappointment in the athletes and question the funding given to sport. (That is a realistic question but not for now – wait till the emotion subsides.) But if ever there is a time when sport can teach us something realistic about life, this is it. Rarely do things turn out the way we want them to.

What I find heartening is hearing the athletes working and struggling to own what they learned in not winning the expected medal. They come to appreciate that their training bore fruits in things other than the medal: it improved their health, gave them a sense of community – both with other athletes and their supporters, and they had the privilege of representing their country.

We have to do the same. When we commit ourselves to a partner, have a child, start a job or project, we have such hopes that, almost inevitably, don’t turn out the way we wanted. Sometimes we might be like the athletes who take home the unexpected gold medal. More often than not, we are left with an experience to learn from. Frequently, it is only with the wisdom of God’s Spirit that we are able to find gold in the dust of our disappointment. But it can be found, and down the years, we may be able to come to the realisation that failure can sometimes be the best thing that could happen to us.

Loving God, I know failure in my life. Sometimes it has been made harder by the expectations that I carried. Send me your wise Spirit to let me see and realise that in every situation you are working for my personal best. I ask this in Jesus’ name confident that you will hear me.

Sr Kym Harris osb

COUNSELLOR’S CORNER

RESILIENCE BY MICHAEL GROSE

Resilience is a 21st Century parenting concept that every parent needs to understand.

Some children are resilient by nature – their temperament helps them to be mentally and psychologically tough. You know those children. They get straight back up after a setback or disappointment. Rejection in the playground doesn’t faze them. Unfortunately, not every child has such natural resilience.

The good news is that most of the research shows that resilience can be nurtured and developed, particularly when parents themselves are resilient and they actively foster it in their children.

Resilient kids share four basic skill sets; independence, problem-solving, optimism and social connection.

Building Resilience

From a resilience perspective, parents need to coach kids through some of their more challenging moments and reviewing what they may have learned for next time. Avoid solving all their problems for them.

You can promote a lasting sense of resilience in your children by:

1. Having a positive attitude yourself. Your attitude as a parent impacts on their ability to bounce back from some of the difficulties they face. Make sure you model a ‘you can do it’ attitude for your child when he meets some of life’s curve balls.
2. Look for teachable moments. Many children's learning opportunities are disguised as problems. Make the most of these opportunities so that kids can grow and learn from some of the challenges they face.
3. Make children’s active participants in the family. Active participation in a family develops the self-help, problem-solving and independence skills of children that are necessary for resilience.
4. Build children’s coping skills. There are plenty of strategies you can pass on to children to help them cope when life doesn’t go their way, including acceptance, getting away for awhile, and normalisation.

Promoting resilience in children is a not a single event but a continuous process that requires adults to be supportive and empathetic when things don’t go their way. It also requires you as a parent to have an understanding of resilience, so you have faith in yourself and your child’s ability to cope.

Yours in Counselling,

Carmel Parisi

AROUND THE CLASSROOMS

VISITING ABBEYFIELD HOUSE

On Friday 5th August, St Rita’s Year 5/6 class walked to Abbeyfield Independent Living Centre in Babinda with Mrs Burns and Mrs Masina. It was a foggy day when our class walked to visit Abbeyfield. On the way we saw two dogs that looked like Lachlan’s dog, Pippi. It was a long walk and we felt very tired.

When we arrived, we could smell lots of food that smelled delicious, but we decided to talk to the elderly people first, before we ate. We talked to the elderly people about stories, we sang a song and spent time with them.

Firstly, we spoke to an elderly man who was interested in finding out about our lives. Lachlan told him that his dad owns a shop and that he won a gold trophy for having the best shop.

Harper spoke to a 50 year old man about what his job was before he came to Abbeyfield. He told him that his mum works at the Babinda Police station and his dad works for Telstra in Cairns. Glen was the youngest resident and Edgar was the oldest at the age of ninety.

Next we sang the ‘Catholic Schools in Queensland’ song. We were surprised how well we sang and the residents really liked our singing.

Morning tea was next and there were lots of delicious things to eat. There was a table prepared with cupcakes, sandwiches, bananas, nuts and heaps more. Our favourite food was the chocolate brownies.

We left Abbeyfield after morning tea and the lady in charge said we could come back next term. Our experience at Abbeyfield was fun and educational. We think the rest of our class enjoyed the visit and the people who live there had a good experience too.

By Lachlan Mellick and Harper Wiles (Year 5)

WHAT WONDERFUL SUPPORT!

A HUGE thank you to our wonderful families for giving such enthusiastic support to last week’s Book Fair. I had so many favourable comments, from students and parents alike, throughout the week. Students are already asking when next year’s Book Fair will be held! Such support makes it possible for us to continue holding a Book Fair each year, and the commission we receive is always put to good use, supplying additional library resources for the continued enjoyment of all. THANK YOU!

Lisa Calcagno
Library Assistant

DATE CLAIMERS

STUDENTS OF THE WEEK

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

BIRTHDAY CONGRATULATIONS

St Rita’s wishes Saffron Ripps all the very best for her recent birthday. We hope you had a wonderful birthday celebration. Congratulations Saffron!

ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

We congratulate Georgina Stone and Sorayah Salvestrin who successfully contributed to the Cairns Post ‘Inspire’ feature on Tuesday 9th August 2016. Georgina and Sorayah wrote recounts of the recent visit to St Rita’s by Matilda Bishop, a budding author and illustrator. Well done Georgina and Sorayah!

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

COMMUNITY NEWS

ST JOSEPH’S 90 YEARS CELEBRATION