Issue 15 - 13 September 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.

APRE THOUGHTS……..

CHILD PROTECTION WEEK

National Child Protection Week has been celebrated this past week, from September 3rd-10th. This initiative provides us with an opportunity to think about ALL children for a bright future ahead! Creating safe environments for our children to thrive in is essential, and there is much that adults can do to facilitate this on both a community and personal level, for example: building strong local communities, acting as a good role model to children, being friendly and helpful, taking time to listen and being aware of support services available if someone needs help. It is important that we look out for all children, and not just our own, and remember that we’re all trying our best, so being kind and caring is more helpful than judging. Small actions can make a big difference for a happy future in the life of a child!

Gracious God,
provide us with a listening heart
that we see and hear the voice of each of our children.
Let your grace and love fall gently on our children
giving them the inner strength, peace and resilience
to seek out assistance when required.
We ask this through Christ our Lord,
Amen.

GALA DAY SUCCESS

Congratulations to our St Rita’s cricket teams who participated with such enthusiasm and energy in the T20 Blast School Cup matches held at Babinda State School recently. Selected students from the Years 4-6 classes were involved in some specialised skill development under the careful tutelage of both Mrs Maryjane Masina and Mr Rob McEwan in preparation for the event, and spent some lunch times involved in extra practice sessions. No doubt, this contributed to their success, with both teams presenting competitively in the Gala Day competition. On this occasion, our boys’ team were the day’s overall winners of the event and have been selected to play at the next level of the competition in Cairns on 13th October. Many thanks staff and parents who were involved in supporting our students at the sporting event.

SENIOR SCHOOL CAMP

The measure of a school camp’s success can be attributed to the level of excellence displayed in the organisation and personal behaviours of the adults from both the school and camp and the students. We scored a hat-trick on all three of these, and as such, our Senior School Camp at Daradgee Environmental Education Centre was a challenging, yet fun and rewarding experience for all involved, albeit a little tiring! The Year 5/6 students were accompanied by Mrs Marissa Savaglio, Mrs Bernadette Anthony, Mrs Jenni Stone, Mr Chris Wiles and myself, and had the pleasure of sharing the camp experiences with a group of year 5 students from St Clare’s, Tully. It was evident that both school groups enjoyed the novelty of being in each other’s company and our supervising staff delighted in sharing many fun (and funny) moments together.

At camp, the children participated in a host of experiences that required active problem-solving, negotiation and cooperation to accomplish the challenges set by the instructors and encountered opportunities to test their personal limits and apply ‘life’ skills. There was much healthy determination, helpful encouragement and happy chatter. A number of staff commented on how proud they felt of our children whilst on the stay and throughout the activities. What a lovely testament to the character of our students. Personally, I was thoroughly entertained by some hilarious camp skits performed by the adults and children on the final evening of the camp and pleased with how well the class attended to the instructors and engaged in the activities, as well as how considerate and respectful the children were for the duration of the camp. An extra-special thanks goes out to all of the adults who attended, for their nurturing caring and guidance, humour, and playfulness too. Following is a reflection, written by Melina Musumeci:

“Children, welcome to Daradgee!” Tania said, as we sat awkwardly next to the Year 5 students from St Clare’s who we would soon become great friends with. Camp was filled with different activities that we all could learn from to grow as a team. There were the low ropes, the Mohawk Walk (which was a very hard challenge at first), pizza-making, a snake talk, rock climbing, catapults, team activities and boating.

I loved the farm with the new-born goats which we had the privilege of naming, the piglets, the day-old turkeys and the baby chicks and ducklings. We got to see a turkey that had only hatched hours before, and one that sadly, didn’t make it. We buried this turkey and named it ‘Sunshine Pappadum’, placing a brick and a flower on its grave.

Every night after dinner, the teachers set activities for us, like playing ‘Capture the Flag’, or toasting marshmallows over a bonfire. But it was the last night that must have been the funniest night of my life! The students and the teachers rehearsed and performed skits that sent the whole room laughing so much that tears ran down our eyes! Camp 2017 will always be remembered!

COMMUNITY CARERS VISIT BABINDA HOSPITAL

To top off a full week for the Year 5/6 students following camp, eight children from the Community Carers group ventured downtown to the Babinda Hospital to share a little St Rita’s joy and spirit with others. Andy, Georgina, Jack, Jamie, Harper, Leon, Melina and Roisin captured the attention of the residents and their carers by performing some entertaining skits learnt while at camp, and were well-rewarded for their efforts with hearty applause and laughter. Not to be outdone, one sprightly lady – 91 years young – gave a solo singing performance. Though the tune was unfamiliar to us, it was delivered with much aplomb and excellent tone, so the applause and laughter was reciprocated!

Residents, carers and children spent time together chatting happily, and tested their board-game skills against each other. As we left, there was an air of excitement and elation, with much gratitude expressed by both the hosts and visitors alike.

BEARS, BEARS EVERYWHERE!

Preps and Year Ones, if you go down to St Rita’s this week, you’re sure of a big surprise! Yes, it’s the Teddy Bears’ Picnic to celebrate after the bear hunt. Well, actually, the Prep/Year 1 class will be visiting the Tanks Arts Centre for a performance of ‘Going on a Bear Hunt’ on Wednesday, and then on Friday ‘every bear that ever there was, will gather’ for the St Rita’s Teddy Bears’ Picnic. The Years 2-6 classes will join in with them for a shared lunch on the final day of school to celebrate the end of Term 3. Enjoy your bear-y fun adventure!

FESTIVITIES AHEAD

Both the School Trivia Night and Harvest Festival are scheduled to occur in the first week back following the holiday break. Notes were sent home last week with details on both of these events for your easy reference to further information, so come along and join into the festivities.

The Trivia Night will be held on Wednesday 4th October, with doors opening at 6:30pm and ‘first question’ taking place at 7:00 pm sharp. We are seeking your assistance by way of organising to be a part of a team and contributing to the event through a prize donation and/or baking for the supper. Team bookings can be made through the school office on 4067 1467.

The Harvest Festival float is under construction, thanks to Mrs Donna Lauridsen and her careful instruction to our keen painters during lunch times. Families, please support our school float by coming along with your children dressed in their beetle costumes. We will assemble at Abbeyfield from 3pm on Saturday 7th October for the parade. The P and F Committee would also be appreciative of any assistance you are able to provide with the Mexicana Taco Wrap stall, so please consider your availability for this.

WORLD TEACHERS’ DAY

St Rita’s would like to acknowledge the outstanding efforts of our motivated and dedicated teachers who nurture our students and share their knowledge and understanding of the world with our children every day. As a profession, teaching is becoming increasingly complex to meet the changing needs of our modern multicultural and technological society. World Teacher’s Day is officially celebrated on the 5th October, so we thank our fine teaching staff for their devotion and commitment to our school community, as they offer of themselves whole-heartedly on a daily basis, and strive to make a difference in the lives of our children. Thank you also to the parents and children for their continued support of our staff members; it does feel special to be working in such a vibrant and caring community!

REFLECTIONS ON TERM 3

St Rita’s would like to acknowledge the outstanding efforts of our motivated and dedicated teachers who nurture our students and share their knowledge and understanding of the world with our children every day. As a profession, teaching is becoming increasingly complex to meet the changing needs of our modern multicultural and technological society. World Teacher’s Day is officially celebrated on the 5th October, so we thank our fine teaching staff for their devotion and commitment to our school community, as they offer of themselves whole-heartedly on a daily basis, and strive to make a difference in the lives of our children. Thank you also to the parents and children for their continued support of our staff members; it does feel special to be working in such a vibrant and caring community!

HOLIDAY BLESSINGS

Parents and friends of St Rita’s, thank you most sincerely for your continued support of our staff and students, for it is through even the smallest acts of kindness and friendliness that our school community becomes so alive with joy of Christian living! Looking forward to the two week holiday ahead, may I wish all staff, children and their families a wonderful break time. I hope that it is a refreshing and rejuvenating experience for you all, whatever your plans. Take care, stay safe and enjoy! School resumes for Term 4 on Tuesday 3rd October.

O Father of goodness,
We thank you each one
For happiness, healthiness,
Friendship and fun,
For good things we think of
And good things we do,
And all that is beautiful,
Loving and true.

Blessings,
Maureen Gaul

CASTING THE NET

RUOK? Am I OK?

Many years ago I heard an image presented that describes how many (dare I so most of us – definitely me) react when life throws one of those lumps of …manure at them. Instead of dealing with the issue they throw it behind them. But the problem is that it doesn’t go away. It lands in the backpack we all have for ‘things I am avoiding’. At first, it may not cause us too much trouble – it doesn’t weigh much and as the smell is around all the time we may not notice it too much. Trust me, our family, friends and work colleagues do. (But they love us and we all have to put up with irksome qualities in each other.) Life goes on, more …manure comes our way till one day, the backpack is too heavy, the smell too overbearing and we fall under the load. Overwhelmed, ashamed and paralysed, we too often see no way out of our problems.

Then what? We cannot save ourselves. We need others. We have to take the hard, scary step and speak to others of how we feel, of our failure, of our fears. And we have to accept that it will take time to work through these messes we have ignored. Our best hope lies in someone who can listen. Yes that is what we need at first – not solutions but the care of a listening person.

And what of us who have seen our spouse, our friend, our workmate fall? We can feel overwhelmed and think, ‘What can I do, I am not an expert?’ No, but you are a human being who can listen. You don’t have to give advice. We cannot underestimate the power of a listening person to someone in a dark and difficult place. A person simply being there for another has such a power to heal.

Loving God, we each have our dark and difficult places. When I am in need give me the humility and strength to seek the care of another. When another calls out for care, let me listen in love knowing that you are working in both of us. We ask this in Jesus’ name, confident that you will hear us.

Sr Kym Harris osb

AROUND THE CLASSROOMS

“Victory at T20 Big Bash League Cricket”

On Thursday 31st of August 2017, most of the Years 4, 5 and 6 students from St Rita's School Babinda eagerly walked up to Babinda State School to participate in the T20 Cricket Gala Day event. Mrs Masina and Mr McEwan were supervising the boys’ team, while Mrs Stone was supervising the girls’ team.

As we assembled at school, everyone seemed to be excited to be going somewhere to play sport. As we got onto the field, we all started to get a little bit nervous. There were two rounds of cricket which lasted between forty-five to sixty minutes each. The first match was St Rita's versus Babinda State School. It was a really close game, but we won! When we started to play it seemed impossible to get anyone out of the game, until one of our players got a really hard batsman out of the game.

Next, we versed Mirriwinni State School. It was the hardest game yet, but we won by just 5 points. We watched them play before we played against them. They seemed like a harder team to beat because they had gotten Babinda State School out a few times and their bowlers seemed more experienced. However, when we played against them they seemed less intense, maybe because they had just played a match beforehand.

At the end of the day Mrs Masina said she was really proud of our teamwork and she was impressed with how well we played. We practised on a 3/4 professional pitch which Mr McEwan happily prepared for us to train on. Mr McEwan was also really impressed, since two weeks ago a lot of us could not even catch a ball! The St Rita's boys’ team is now going to Cairns for the District Region Gala Day.

By Andy Pham

SWIMMING PROGRAM

Swimming is an integral part of the H.P.E. curriculum provided by St Rita’s. It is expected that all students participate in the six-week swimming program during Weeks 2 - 8 of Term 4. It is a safety requirement that slip-on style footwear (such as thongs) be worn when walking to and from the pool, and that a sunshirt or t-shirt be worn to provide sun protection during the lessons. Each class will have a minimum of three instructors; Mrs Masina, the accredited instructor, the classroom teacher and a school officer.

We encourage all students to have their own roll-on sunscreen in their school bags so it can be applied before leaving for the pool. Because of the possibility of allergies to specific sunscreen products, the school cannot provide sunscreen to students. H.P.E. is not an optional subject, so students will need to bring a note (written in student diary) if they are sick and unable to participate in a lesson.

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. Many thanks to those families who have already sent in lots of stickers!

DATE CLAIMERS

STUDENTS OF THE WEEK

St Rita’s School congratulates those students who were awarded ‘Student of the Week’ at Assembly on Friday 8th September 2017.

BIRTHDAY CONGRATULATIONS

St Rita’s wishes Georgina Stone and Amethyst Ripps all the very best for their recent birthdays. We hope you had a wonderful birthday celebration. Congratulations Georgina and Amethyst!

ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

We congratulate Snowball Jnr Snowball and Jamie Brose who successfully contributed to the Cairns Post ‘Inspire’ feature on Tuesday 22nd August 2017. Snowball and Jamie wrote an engaging article on their enjoyable weekly tennis lessons with Travis Farinelli. Congratulations and well done Snowball and Jamie!

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

COMMUNITY NEWS

SOCTOBER PHOTO SESSIONS

BABINDA RSL ART EXHIBITION

Congratulation to Roisin Stager who entered some of her art work at the RSL exhibition on the weekend.

Roisin was successfully awarded a 1st and 2nd prize. Well done Roisin.