Issue 4 - 14 March 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,

As part of a large group of Catholic school leaders, clergy, CES personnel and parish representatives from the Cairns diocese, I was fortunate to participate in the 2017 Religious Education Congress in Los Angeles recently. This annual event attracted over 37,000 participants world-wide and offered over 300 workshops presented by more than 200 speakers, with topics ranging from personal growth, music to spiritual development. I would like to thank Mrs Gaul for capably filling the role of Acting Principal in my absence. Maureen appreciated the support of our outstanding staff team of classroom teachers and school officers.

St Rita’s will be one of the four hundred and ninety schools throughout Queensland who will participate in the seventh NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION AGAINST BULLYING AND VIOLENCE this Friday. The National Day of Action is Australia’s key anti-bullying event for schools, and encourages all students to ‘take a stand together’ against bullying and violence in schools. This significant event provides St Rita’s with an opportunity to promote our own anti-bullying policy, strategies and programs. In our fifth year of participation, our school community gives out a strong and clear message that bullying “is NEVER ok!”

At a classroom level, students will participate in a range of NDA-focused activities, a whole school Assembly will promote the slogan of NDA, ‘take a stand together’ and ‘speak up’ against bullying, to keep our school a safe and happy learning environment. Although the National Day of Action provides an opportunity to highlight the programs and initiatives we use to counter bullying on one specific day, St Rita’s explicitly teaches a Social Emotional Learning program that fosters respectful, peaceful relationships between all members of the school community all year round.

That’s not to say that bullying does not occur at our school. If it does, however minor an incident may seem, parents play an important role in responding effectively to instances of bullying. Teachers need to be informed by children and parents so that the school can take necessary action to stop bullying, because stopping bullying at school involves everyone. “Bullying is NEVER OK!”

Twice a year, St Rita’s plans formal meeting sessions between teachers and parents to take place. In the next fortnight, classroom teachers will be meeting with you to discuss your child’s progress, identify specific difficulties, and set individual goals to guide learning and growth for the year. I have always been pleased that we have one hundred percent participation by parents in our planned parent-teacher interviews, with teachers reporting that their meetings are very productive. Thank you for being partners in your child’s education!

CONGRATULATIONS!

At the Annual General Meeting of the P & F Association held in February, a keen team of parents was formed to lead our parent group this year. I am sure you will join me in thanking the elected nominees for undertaking Committee positions this year and giving so generously of their time and energy to the St Rita’s P & F.

President: Mrs Shane Wiles
Vice-President: Ms Julie Parker
Secretary: Mrs Loretta Musumeci
Treasurer: Mrs Jenni Stone

The next monthly meeting of the P & F will be on Tuesday 28th March beginning at 5:00pm. I encourage you to join us for these brief and productive meetings to show your support of the school and to be involved in important decisions which are made by the parent group. Your apologies can be emailed or phoned through to the Office at any time.

Social media can provide schools with an additional opportunity to connect with their families and interested community members and to share information and events quickly and easily. I regularly update the St Rita’s School facebook page and it is pleasing to see this forum has been well-received by parents and friends in the Babinda community. If you do use social media, you are welcome to ‘like’ our page and add comments to the posts and photos I add.

Have a good week and I hope to see you around our classrooms.

Regards & blessings,
Judy Billiau

2017 SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN CONFERENCE

This year Catholic Education Services is excited to announce that their annual Safeguarding Children Conference theme is Every Child Matters. We hope that you are able to join us on Saturday, 6 May 2017 at the Pullman Cairns International.

Please note that there is no registration cost but places are limited. Conference information and registration details can be accessed via the conference website:

APRE THOUGHTS …..

Who’s listening?

Our modern lives are quite extraordinary! Through the media and access to technology, we are exposed to an enormous array of information, thoughts, voices and opinions from people across the globe. Constantly, we are told how to live, be happy, what’s important and who’s important also. From this barrage of social commentary, we need to decide for ourselves who is really worth listening to and how we can live authentic and fulfilling lives.

The Scripture for the second week of Lent, from the Gospel of Matthew (17:1-9), provides us with a clear message: ‘Listen to him’. This reading tells of Jesus’ Transfiguration, where Jesus led Peter, James and John to the top of a mountain and, enveloped in dazzling light, Jesus ‘changes form’ before them. Here, the disciples were foretold of Jesus’ betrayal, rejection and crucifixion, and the glory of the Resurrection to come, Moses and Elijah appeared before them and the voice of God was heard to reveal Jesus as God’s beloved Son.

For the disciples, this confronting experience was a call to follow Jesus on His journey through death to resurrection, and gave them strength to endure the sorrow of the passion of Jesus. For us too, as we make the journey through Lent, we are called to personal transformation; to live in faith and love through continued discipleship and challenge ourselves to deeper relationship with God through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Our test is to ‘filter’ out modern distractions to hear the voice of God and ‘Listen to Him’ more closely. Empowered by God to transform our lives, who knows what goodness we can bring about as we try to live out authentic and spirit-filled lives?

CARITAS ‘Just Leadership’ Day

Were you aware that, if you have access to three seemingly very basic requirements: food from your fridge, a bed to sleep in, as well as a roof over your head, then you are amongst the richest 25% in the world? Last Tuesday, students who made a commitment to the St Rita’s Community Carers group had the opportunity to discover how they could ‘be more’ through the Caritas ‘Just Leadership’ Day. The day was generously hosted by St John’s Silkwood, and involved a number of students from Catholic schools across the local region. Participants were lead through a variety of activities to develop their understanding of how people in less fortunate life circumstances can improve their everyday living standards through Caritas community initiatives.

Our students are to be commended on their excellent engagement in the activities throughout the day, and have returned with some deep learnings. For example:

“Today I learnt how blessed we are to have the things we have.” (Jack Whitling)

“We talked about the characteristics that a good leader needs to have. Here are some of them: being trustworthy, being able to create an image about the future, doing good things all of the time, being inclusive and letting everyone have a fair go.” (Andy Pham)

“I can make a difference by helping others, being cooperative and having the strength to stand up and speak out.” (Georgina Stone)

Our students were brimming with ideas on how we can contribute to CARITAS Australia’s Project Compassion and showed a great deal of empathy for the plight of others. They also came to the realisation that the community projects were really about empowering people to create a better life for themselves and their community members, as Jamie Brose reflected, “It’s not all about giving money”.

As we prepare for the mystery of Easter during the season of Lent, a generous concern for those in need is indeed a focal point. The spirit of generosity is evident at St Rita’s through the fervent fundraising efforts seen in classes. Your continued efforts to support Project Compassion in enabling families and communities to develop self-sufficiency are valued.

Welcome aboard to Leon Schep as well, who has ‘opted in’ as a Community Carer this year. Stay tuned for more information on our two school initiatives for the Lenten season: Outside Learning Day and the Caritas Café.

St Patrick’s Day

Leprechauns, castles, good luck and laughter
Lullabies, dreams and love ever after.
Poems and songs with pipes and drums
A thousand welcomes when anyone comes…
That’s the Irish for you!
(Irish Blessing)

While admittedly lacking in castles and Irish song, St Rita’s has much to be joyful about on St Patrick’s Day! In typical Irish spirit, students are invited to join into the fun and frivolities, with all encouraged to wear green free dress on Friday 17th March. Please note that sun-safe clothing and appropriate footwear must be worn for any free dress day.

TREWTH Conference

This Saturday, teachers from St Rita’s will join together with other staff members from across the Cairns Diocese and attend the annual TREWTH Conference, which focuses on topics related to Religious Education, spirituality and well-being. Engaging in such learning allows teachers access to current research and informs us of best practice in contemporary classrooms. Ultimately, this means positive benefits for our school students, value-adding in developing religious and emotional literacy. Our thanks extend to our dedicated staff members who commit their personal time to improving the wellbeing of the children in our care.

Maureen Gaul
Assistant Principal (Religious Education)

DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR CHILDREN ARE DOING ON THE INTERNET?

Primary school children use an extensive range of technology that we could never have imagined when we were their age. As part of our ICT lessons at school, all students at St Rita’s will be learning about cyber safety and the correct use of iPads, iPods, Chromebooks, computers and digital cameras. The challenge for both teachers and parents is to keep up with the rapidly changing world of technology, and to learn as much as we can about what our children are using and how we can keep them safe while using a range of technology.

The goal of The Office of the Children’s eSafety Commissioner is ‘to empower all Australians to explore the online world safely’. The Office is committed to helping young people have safe, positive experiences online and encouraging behavioural change, where a generation of Australian children act responsibly online—just as they would offline. It provides online safety education for Australian children and young people, a complaints service for young Australians who experience serious cyberbullying, and addresses illegal online content through the Online Content Scheme.

The ever changing nature of the internet can pose enormous challenges for parents. iParent provides online safety resources targeted to the specific needs of parents and carers. Parents can learn about the digital environment and keep updated on their children’s technology use. Through iParent, you can find guidance for using safety settings on your family’s web-connected devices, tips for choosing movies and games and strategies for keeping young people safe online.

Research cited by the Commissioner indicates that only 66% of parents are confident in their ability to protect their child online. Are you one of the confident ones?

CASTING THE NET

Personal Stocktaking

Shops have stocktaking, businesses - audits, employees - job reviews, people - medical check-ups … and Christians have Lent. During this time we consider the quality of our life by taking up Jesus’ challenge to ‘Repent. This isn’t an invitation to be miserable and put oneself down. Coming from the Greek word meaning ‘having another think’, we are invited to really think about our lives, to notice what makes for happiness. Jesus doesn’t want us to just drift through life, as this so often leads to unhappiness and poor relationships.

Traditionally three practices are recommended for us to use for our ‘check-up’: fasting, alms-giving and prayer. Realistically, this means we look at personal disciplines, compassion for others and our relationship with God. That is me, others, God. It is useful to stop and seriously think about these three areas. This week, I’ll look at the first.

‘What in my life am I doing to make myself a better and happier person?’ The answer to that question almost always involves some form of constraint – even though we might not see it like that. For Lent this year, I’ve taken up making sure I get enough sleep each night. When I say that to people they laugh – how is that ‘fasting’? Well it is fasting from the book I want to read or the game I want to play. It is fasting from ‘fun’ in the evening so that I can be rested and ready for the next day.

What are the places in your personal life that you feel inadequate, angry or flustered about? What can you do to change? Perhaps that is the best place to fast, to allow God’s Spirit to move within your life and transform it.

Loving God, we rush through so much of life, not taking time to really think what impact our actions have on us. Give me your Spirit of Wisdom to see what I really need to do to live life fully. We ask this in his name confident that you will hear us.

Sr Kym Harris osb

PARENTING

Harvard Psychologists reveal: Parents who raise ‘Good’ children do these 5 things:

Times have changed greatly and with new times come new habits, sets of behaviour and attitudes that seem very different from the ones we were used to when we were children. Today’s generations are all geared up with the newest technology that seems to distract them from the need to go out and play, socialise in ways we used to, or just spend time having fun. All these changes have brought a great challenge to parents who, if you ask a child, weren’t fortunate enough to have the benefits of today’s modern technology.

The challenges vary in many ways, but the main thing is that today’s parents raise their children way more differently than they were raised and the outcome of those parents’ care is the greatest challenge. Will my child learn to be a complete person, the one who pushes forward and a person who can bond and communicate with others freely and openly. Every parent asks the same questions: Am I missing something? Am I doing everything right? Will my child succeed in life?

Psychologists at Harvard University have thought of the same questions and have found that there are several elements that are still very important and basic. The key to upbringing a well-adjusted child in these changing times is not as complicated as you may think.

THESE ARE THE 5 SECRETS TO RAISING A GOOD CHILD, ACCORDING TO HARVARD PSYCHOLOGISTS.

1. SPENDING QUALITY TIME WITH YOUR CHILDREN.

It’s not enough just to be physically around your child – you need to be with them completely. This means that no Xbox console or new iPhone can replace the bonding that the child truly needs. By communicating with them openly, listening carefully and doing the things they like together, your child will not only love you more, but will also learn how to be a considerate and caring person.

This is the foundation of it all. Your child would very much prefer (above everything else) having a real person to talk to and to share ideas and experiences with, even if they may not seem aware of it. Ask them how their day was, listen carefully and discuss the dilemmas they may have in their head – be careful not to ‘dogmatise’ lessons from your experiences though, they need to experience these things through their own perspective. We’ll talk about this later in this article.

See what their favourite things are and try to learn from them how to play the games they like – they would enjoy sharing their ‘fun’ with you!

Practically speaking:

• Devote some time of your day to play their favourite games with them.
• Read them a bedtime story and enjoy the whole story with them.
• Ask them questions about their day, include questions:
  What was the best part of your day? The hardest part?
  What’s something nice someone did for you today? What’s something nice you did?
  What’s something you learned today – in school or outside?

2. LET YOUR CHILDREN SEE A STRONG MORAL ROLE MODEL AND MENTOR IN YOU.

Children learn the most from their surroundings especially at a younger age. What you do is what they will become. This is why you should always pay close attention to your actions and be ready to admit faults and mistakes. Show your child that you care and that you are ready to accept your faults and work on them. The result you wish to see in your child comes from the effort you put into yourself on this one.

Practice fairness, honesty and care for yourself. This picture will teach your child to do the same habits. The key to all this is to talk these things through with your child.

Acknowledging your mistakes, especially those that involve your child in them, and speak openly about things. The aim is to show your child humility and honesty, and with that they will feel a lot more comforted and encouraged to look to a positive outcome in their problems.

Your child will look up to you only if you earn their trust and respect. Achieving this is showing your child that you are as human as you can be, and that comes with faults too.

Practically speaking:

• Admit your mistakes, apologise and show that you wish to make up for them and plan to avoid it next time.
• Tell your child how you plan to avoid that mistake and what you learned from it.
• Make time for yourself and re-energise yourself during that time. You will need that energy to be more attentive to and caring with others.

To be continued….

(Excerpt: The Federation of Parents & Friends Associations of Catholic Schools in Queensland:

Parent Chatter, 23rd February 2017)

SPORTS NEWS

The Year 5 & 6 students are presently learning a new game, European Handball, in Physical Education lessons this term. Last week we also began our training and preparation for the Cross Country event which will be held early next term. We will once again be running our Junior Fun Run simultaneously with the Combined Schools event for 9 – 12 year olds.

European Handball will feature at our first Gala Day competition on Monday 27th March and our Netball skills of ‘attacking’ and ‘defending’ will be our strength as the game is similar to Basketball and Netball. Check out some of the action in our sports photos and ask your children about the rules of the game. It’s a great game to play!

Mrs Masina
Sports Coordinator

DATE CLAIMERS

STUDENTS OF THE WEEK

St Rita’s School congratulates those students who were awarded ‘Student of the Week’ at Assembly on Thursday 9th March 2017.

ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

We congratulate Hallie Lansdown who successfully contributed to the Cairns Post ‘Inspire’ feature on Tuesday 7th March 2017. Hallie’s article, ‘Twits make us titter’, explored her thoughts about this famous author Roahl Dahl. “I love reading Roald Dahl books because they are so entertaining and make me laugh”, commented Hallie. We loved your published article Hallie!

BIRTHDAY CONGRATULATIONS

St Rita’s wishes Jack Whitling and Caleb McEwan all the very best for their recent birthdays. We hope you had wonderful birthday celebrations. Congratulations Jack and Caleb!

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

GOLF CAMP

MyGolf is Australia's introductory golf program for 5 to 12 year olds. MyGolf Camps run over two days and participants learn new skills, make new friends, and most importantly, have fun! It includes tuition from Golf Queensland PGA Professionals, food, course green fees, prizes and lots of fun! Participants are required to bring a hat, water bottle, golf clubs and buggy (equipment can be supplied if required)

Venue: Atherton Golf Club
Date: 3 - 4 April 2017
Time: 9.30am - 3.30pm
Cost: $80 for 2 days

Entries close: Friday 24 March 2017

For more information, contact Scott on (07) 3252 8155

COMMUNITY NEWS

Well Women’s Clinic – Babinda Hospital

(This clinic is available to Medicare eligible clients)

Wednesday 29th March 2017

All services are provided by a specially-trained Women’s Health Nurse.

For appointments phone 4067 8200