Issue 12 - 1 August 2017

Newsletter Articles

MISSION STATEMENT

St Rita’s School mission is to create a community which inspires a love of holistic, life-long learning grounded in the Catholic Christian faith. Childhood is celebrated and nurtured by caring adults. A student’s capacity for their best future is realised in the context of our small rural community. We provide a safe and supportive environment, characterised by strong, life-giving and respectful relationships with students, staff, families, parish and the wider community. The school strives to ensure we are living out the Mercy values.

PRINCIPAL’S PEN

Dear Parents and Carers,

What a busy start to the term we have had in the past three weeks! The children have settled into the new term with ease, teachers have finished working on their curriculum plans and our team of parent volunteers has been busy assisting in the classrooms and tuckshop, and keeping the grounds and gardens looking superb through the grounds roster. Well done everyone!

Since our last newsletter we have celebrated the first of many significant events for Term 3. St Rita’s School engaged in a wonderful celebration of Catholic Education Week last week. Our students participated enthusiastically in a wide range of special activities focused on this year’s theme, ‘Sharing the Journey’. The theme enabled us to engage in a broad range of activities which showcased the opportunities that Catholic education provides.

As a school community, it was a time to appreciate what makes a Catholic school different and to feel pride in being part of Cairns Catholic Education. We were especially proud to belong to St Rita’s School during our whole school excursion to Good Counsel Primary last Tuesday. At the Mass, the St Rita’s wooden figure was used as a pictorial representation of our school’s journey this year. It was carried into the church by Snowball and placed on the altar with those of the other five schools and college in the Southern Deanery.

We finished the week with a special Assembly, a highlight of which was my presentation of this year’s ‘Spirit of Catholic Education’ Awards to students nominated by the staff. Certificates were presented to Nathaniel McEwan, Teelah Geery, Cooder Postic, Rhya Maxwell, Jamie Brose and Roisin Stager. On behalf of the whole school community, I congratulate these students for their outstanding demonstration of our school values both in the classroom and playground.

A lunchtime Sausage Sizzle and a games afternoon on Friday concluded our Catholic Education Week celebrations. Special thanks to Daniel Masina (Eva’s dad) who cooked the sausages for the hungry children and for other parents who contributed food items for the shared lunch. An afternoon of games was then organised by Mrs Masina, and the afternoon was capped off with ice-creams supplied by the P & F. Altogether, our school community enjoyed a successful CEW 2017.

Letters from your classroom teacher were distributed last week informing parents about what is happening and what is being taught in your child’s class in Term 3. This important source of information sharing is recognised as being an integral part of enabling the partnership between home and school to be most effective. If you have any queries regarding what your teacher has planned for this term, please arrange a meeting soon. For your diary, Semester 2 parent-teacher interviews are scheduled for Week 8.

Our parent group, the St Rita’s P & F, is a dedicated and active group of parents whose common goal is to support the school. I firmly believe that all parents contribute in some way to our school community. Our P & F meets monthly at 5:00pm to present reports, discuss issues and provide feedback to the school, and organise special events, such as the School Disco, social evenings and the Harvest Festival. I hope you are able to spare a short time attending the meetings this semester to show your support of the P & F. The Committee does an awesome job!

Could I please take this opportunity to remind you of the St Rita’s uniform policy, as I do not enjoy having negative conversations with children about wearing incorrect uniform, jewellery and nail polish. If your child is ‘out of uniform’ for a specific reason, please let your teacher know by writing a short note of explanation in the Student Diary. As tennis lessons occur on Tuesday this term, the house polo (red or blue) is worn on this day only. As a gentle reminder, the St Rita’s Uniform Policy is as follows:

St Rita’s has a school uniform for the purpose of school identity, spirit and pride. It is also about creating an equitable environment. Much consideration has gone into making the uniform functional, attractive and suitable for students of Primary School age.

St Rita’s Uniform

Hats: Navy blue broad-brimmed or legionnaire cap
Shoes: All black closed in shoes or joggers
Socks: Navy ankle socks
Girl’s Uniform: Navy skort with teal and navy shirt with school emblem
Boy’s Uniform: Navy shorts with teal and navy shirt with school emblem
Sports Uniform: Navy shorts/Navy skort, green and navy polo shirt with school logo
House Uniform: Navy shorts/Navy skort, blue or red house polo
Winter Uniform: Navy tracksuit pants and navy taslon jacket
Jewellery: Watch, earrings (studs or sleepers only), plain religious medallion
Hair: If hair is longer than the shoulder it must be worn up with plain, simple hair accessories of school colours
Nails: Kept short and clean for safety, and nail polish not permitted

(Excerpt: St Rita’s School Parent Handbook)

We have many exciting and engaging school events planned for this term and I hope you can join us for as many of these as possible. This Friday, St Rita’s has planned a wonderful NAIDOC celebration beginning at 12:00pm. A special thank you must go to our Indigenous Liaison Officer, Miss Alannah Dewis, for working so hard in the past weeks organising this significant event. Please RSVP to the Office, by phone or email ( secretary.babinda@cns.catholic.edu.au ), if you are joining us on Friday afternoon.

We also have Children’s Book Week, Science Week and National Literacy & Numeracy Week in the near future. I encourage you to be actively involved in these whole school events. And join in the fun of learning!

Have a good week,

Regards,
Judy Billiau

EVERYONE’S GOOD AT SOMETHING!

At the end of last term, we had younger students who competed in the Combined Schools athletics carnival for the first time. Although they had been well-prepared by our PE teacher Mrs Masina, some children were challenged by the new and unfamiliar experience and found the carnival “out of their comfort zone”.

Children who lack confidence in their abilities sometimes try to avoid even trying at some things. This can get frustrating for teachers and parents. It can stop children from developing skills they need to tackle tasks confidently. On the sporting field, young children are not always confident in their abilities even though they have been well-prepared in PE lessons and have participatedi n training programs. How can we help develop confidence in children?

KidsMatter maintains that young children typically start out with high expectations. When they see how well they do things compared to others, their view of their own abilities often changes. They learn that they are good at some things and not so good at others. They also see how other children and teaching staff respond to what they do. These things influence children’s confidence in their abilities. They also influence how willing they are to have a go in situations where they feel unsure.

Parents have a significant role to play in supporting the school in developing a child’s confidence. Encouraging children to ‘have a go’ and valuing individual improvement supports this development. KidsMatter suggests specific ways parents can help by:

• explaining to children that skills develop with practice
• encouraging children to persist when they don’t succeed straight away
• praising effort, persistence and improvement
• making sure that goals are achievable by breaking down large tasks or responsibilities into small steps
• being ready to help when necessary, without taking over

(Excerpt from KidsMatter Social and emotional learning for students)

PRAYING

Living God, Draw Us Into Unity

Creator of all things,
both seen and unseen,
speak to us in your great wisdom.
Make us strong as we seek
your help and guidance.
Teach us to love all people
Regardless of race or colour or belief.

May we listen with great care
to the heartbeat of this land
and to its people
who cared for it so well
and for so long.

May the peace these people and their land
have always enjoyed
continue to be strengthened and preserved
by all who wish to come and be part of
this country and its ‘Ancient Dreaming’.

Glory to you, God of Life,
Creating, nurturing, reconciling.
Glory to you forever.

Elizabeth Pike

Source: www.sosj.org.au

APRE THOUGHTS

Excitement levels were elevated last Tuesday as staff and students from Catholic Schools in the Southern Deanery gathered to celebrate Catholic Education Week. Children from St Rita’s Babinda, St John’s Silkwood, St Rita’s South Johnstone, Good Counsel Primary School and St Clare’s Tully met together in Innisfail for the festivities, graciously welcomed by staff and students of Good Counsel. Mass was indeed a highlight, and certainly an experience of ceremony on a larger scale with Fr Neil, Fr Kerry and Fr Nathan as co-celebrants to a congregation of over 600! It was a joyous occasion for all who attended, and even the sound of the falling Innisfail rain could not be heard over the vigorous and hearty singing at the conclusion of Mass!

Happy and smiling faces brightened up the grey skies as students engaged in a number of fun activities in the surrounding areas of the school. Our thanks must be extended to the combined efforts of the Principals and Assistant Principals of both Good Counsel Primary School and Secondary College, who co-ordinated the day’s events superbly and achieved such smooth organisation for us all. Congratulations as well go to our fine group of students who participated in the excursion with such pride and zeal – they were certainly a credit to our school, modelling the life-giving joy and love that we value so highly in our Catholic Schools.

This year’s celebration of Catholic Education Week was a signature event for the Diocese of Cairns, as it was the first time that the State-wide Official Launch of Catholic Education Week was conducted outside the area of Brisbane. These proceedings were held at St Andrew’s College in Redlynch last Wednesday. Spirit of Catholic Education Awards to recognise the outstanding contributions within the Catholic education community across the Brisbane Archdiocese were also presented at this ceremony. At last Friday’s school assembly, St Rita’s presented their own Spirit of Catholic Education Awards to our students. Congratulations to the recipients of these awards – it certainly was difficult to choose these few when we have such a strong community of exceptional students who are all worthy contenders themselves!

Following is a short prayer for reflection, which was shared by the Year 5/6 students at our School Assembly:

Are you there God? It’s me…
In my journeying with you,
may I never lose my sense of direction,
never lose sight of the place towards which I travel.
And should cloud or rain obscure my vision,
may I draw closer to you,
so that my feet may tread in your footsteps,
your words be my encouragement,
and your love my protection
against any storm that encounters me.
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

NAIDOC Day Celebrations at St Rita’s

This Friday 4th August, St Rita’s staff and students will gather as a faith community to celebrate and honour the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and to recognise the contributions that they make to our country and society. The importance, resilience and richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages are the focus of national celebrations for NAIDOC Week 2017.

This year’s theme, “Our Languages Matter”, aims to emphasise and celebrate the unique and essential role that Indigenous languages play in cultural identity, linking people to their land and water and in the transmission of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, spirituality and rites, through story and song. In a spirit of understanding and acceptance, we pray that we may support and encourage the efforts of indigenous people to hold on to and pass on their culture and heritage. Family and friends of St Rita’s School and Parish family are most welcome to attend our celebrations. Please RSVP to the School Office by phone or email

Blessings,
Maureen Gaul

CASTING THE NET

Our Choice: ‘out of control’ or ‘not in control’.

It is going to be one of those weeks. I’ve written the list. That’s just the things I know will happen, not the possibilities. Then as I finished, a friend rang to cancel an event I had forgotten. Phew! But what else might have I forgotten? So facing me this week are certainties, possibilities and forgottens! So what did I do? I stopped to pray – even a little longer than usual. Why? Because this week, I will need to keep calm and focussed. By praying, I am reminding myself that I am not in control of my life. Oh, we know that most of the time if we have any sense but being out of control and not in control can be two very different outlooks.

With life ‘out of control’ we can panic, make foolish decisions which compound our stress. Being ‘not in control’ because we have recognised the presence of God in our lives strengthens and focusses us. We can do what we have to do at each moment and then leave the rest to God, knowing that in some strange way God can bring good out of even the worst situations. With such an attitude, I don’t have to succeed, I just have to try to do good – and not even my best – God doesn’t want to put such pressure on us. It is we who try to be perfectionists and expect too much of ourselves. So I take up the list, work my way through it, with a short prayer before I begin each item. I remain calm when my plans are hijacked by life and recognise my forgetfulness when the forgottens loom out of the blue. God is in control.

Sr Kym Harris osb

NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK 12 – 20 AUGUST 2017

The school theme of National Science Week this year is ‘Future Earth’. Future Earth launched in 2015 and is a major 10-year international initiative to advance global sustainability science. Future Earth is a global community of tens of thousands of world-class researchers, projects and institutes brought together around an international research agenda focusing on sustainability science.

Future Earth’s 2025 vision addresses eight key challenges to global sustainability:

• Deliver water, energy, and food for all
• Decarbonise socio-economic systems to stabilise the climate
• Safeguard the terrestrial, freshwater and marine natural assets underpinning human well-being
• Build healthy, resilient and productive cities
• Promote sustainable rural futures
• Improve human health
• Encourage sustainable consumption and production patterns
• Increase social resilience to future threats.

Source: www.scienceweek.net.au

As part of National Science Week for schools, St Rita’s School is excited to be holding its annual Science Day on Thursday 17th August. The students from McDonnell Creek State School will also be joining us for a day of learning and fun in Science. The theme of the week, ‘Future Earth’, will be the focus of the learning activities that will be planned for this event.

AROUND THE CLASSROOMS

Learning About Fire Safety in Prep/Year 1

Last week, our Prep/Year 1 class at St Rita’s had a visit from the local Fire Brigade. Fire Officers Luke, Mark and Natasha came to teach us all about ‘good’ and ‘bad’ fires.

A supervised camp fire is a good fire which must always be put out with water only. A bad fire is a bushfire because it can spread quickly and kill people and animals. It can also destroy houses.

Fire Officer Luke told us what to do if we see a fire. The first thing we do is call 000 and ask for the Fire Brigade. If we are in a fire we must ‘Drop down low and go, go, go’ to get out and stay out! We do not go back in for anything, not even our toys or pets.

Then Fire Officer Mark dressed up in a fire suit. When he had his oxygen mask on, he sounded like Darth Vader. But we weren’t scared! Our class then had a fun photo with the fireman in his suit.

They left us with homework to do and they will be back for another visit soon. We are excited to have them come again to St Rita’s and to have a look inside their fire truck. Maybe we will get wet!

By Nathaniel McEwan & Latoya Ambrum

WOOLWORTHS ‘EARN & LEARN’ PROMOTION

St Rita’s School will once again participate in the Woolworths Earn & Learn program. Through this program we will be able to get new educational resources for our school and all we need you to do is shop for your groceries at any Woolworths supermarket. If your extended family and friends do not have a school to support, we encourage you to ask them to collect for St Rita’s too!

From Wednesday 26th July to Tuesday 19th September, we are collecting Woolworths Earn & Learn Stickers. You will get one Woolworths Earn & Learn Sticker for every $10 spent (excluding liquor, tobacco and gift cards). Place the Woolworths Earn & Learn Sticker onto a Woolworths Earn & Learn Sticker Sheet and bring it to the school office when it is complete.

At the end of the promotion, the school is able to order new equipment and resources from an extensive range of Maths, English, Science, Arts & Craft and P.E. equipment. Our school really does benefit from being able to purchase additional teaching resources from the Earn & Learn program.

DATE CLAIMERS

STUDENTS OF THE WEEK

St Rita’s School congratulates those students who were awarded ‘Student of the Week’ at Assembly on Friday 28th July 2017.

BIRTHDAY CONGRATULATIONS

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

CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK AWARDS

We congratulate Roisin Stager, Jamie Brose, Cooder Postic, Rhya Maxwell, Nathaniel McEwan and Teelah Geary for being awarded ‘Spirit of Catholic Education Week’ Awards on a special Catholic Education Week Assembly last week.

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

COMMUNITY NEWS

MULGRAVE CRICKET TRIALS