Issue 6 – 24 April 2018

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,

Welcome to Term 2 at St Rita’s! In the next eleven weeks of term, a full calendar of school events and new programs will be happening at school and in our local community. Dates have been set and plans are being finalised for whole school events of the Combined Schools Cross Country and Junior Fun Run, ANZAC Day Babinda commemorative events, our own ANZAC Day liturgy, Mother’s Day Pampering Afternoon, Under 8s’ Day, Excursion to Cairns Aquarium, St Rita’s Feast Day and the Interhouse Athletics Carnival. Classroom teachers are also preparing our Year 3 and 5 students for national testing, NAPLAN, in May. We’re going to be busy!

On Tuesday afternoon, 24th April, the St Rita’s ANZAC Day Liturgy will be held in the church. I thank Mrs Maureen Gaul for organising this significant event for our students and families who join us for this liturgical celebration in the church. On ANZAC Day, St Rita’s School will proudly participate in the Babinda community’s commemorative event. I strongly urge you to bring your children along to this very important event, with an extra thank you to the mums and dads of our Prep/Year 1 students who participated for the first time and of whom we were especially proud! Our active parent group must be congratulated for once again providing the morning tea which will follow in the R.S.L. Hall.

One of the highlights of this week will be the Combined Schools Cross Country for the senior students. This year, we have only a small team of ten to twelve year old runners who are eligible to compete in this very competitive event. Supported by Mrs Maryjane Masina and Miss Donna, the team will compete in the Combined Schools team against students from schools between Aloomba and Bartle Frere. Also on this day, we will hold our annual ‘Fun Run’, which is a non-competitive event aimed at showcasing the running and fitness skills of all the students at St Rita’s. The children thoroughly enjoy the morning, running distances between 1.5kms and 500m. Parents are most welcome to join us for either event.

It’s on again! Mother’s Day Pampering Afternoon! We are pleased to once again host this very special event to honour St Rita’s mothers, the very special members of our school community. It’s the children’s turn to look after you, so please keep Monday 14th May free in your calendar. On this day, all mums, aunties and grandmothers are warmly invited to indulge in an afternoon of pampering at St Rita’s, from 1:15pm - 2:55pm. Expect to receive your individually designed and produced invitation next week. I particularly look forward to Mother’s Day Pampering Afternoon each year, so I hope to see everyone there!

Social media provides schools with an additional opportunity to connect with their families and the interested community members and to share information and events quickly and easily. Miss Donna has been helping keep the St Rita’s facebook page more active this year, and I thank her for this extra effort. To make the page more public in our local community, Donna aims to ‘tag’ as many parents as possible when she makes posts. If you do use social media, you are welcome to ‘like’ our posts, and more so add your personal comments to the posts we will be regularly making.

An ‘extra’ that our school provides for all students is a weekly Homework Club after school. This session involves classroom teachers providing assistance to individual children to complete homework tasks. The St Rita’s Parent Handbook highlights the importance of homework:

“Homework is a valuable part of the learning process of every child. It is designed to give students opportunity for further practise of skills taught in class, to share learning with parents as well as to investigate interests and topics being studied”.

From 3:00pm – 3:30pm, Homework Club provides a quiet, structured environment for your child to do his or her homework. The main goal of the Homework Club is to develop solid work habits and organisational skills in every student, and to assist him or her in completing the required homework tasks for the week. I encourage you to take advantage of this ‘extra’ that we provide at St Rita’s!

Enjoy your week!

Regards,

Judy Billiau

A PRAYER FOR ANZAC DAY

O God, our ruler and guide,
In whose hands are the destinies of this and every nation,
We give you thanks for the freedoms we enjoy in this land
And for those who laid down their lives to defend them:
We pray that we and all the people of Australia,
Gratefully remembering their courage and their sacrifice,
May have the grace to live in a spirit of justice, of generosity, and of peace;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
One God, for ever and ever,
Amen

(A Prayer Book for Australia, p 628)

APRE THOUGHTS

ANZAC Day

St Rita’s commemorated the 101st anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli this Tuesday, at our whole school ANZAC Liturgy. We were most fortunate to have had Mr Ben Stone deliver the Commemorative Address during the ceremony and share his knowledge of the ANZAC tradition and the Australian Armed Forces. You may be interested to read of the meaning of the Rising Sun Badge, which is the official insignia of the Australian Army and fundamentally entwined with the notion of the Australian Digger. Personally, I found this information quite fascinating:

One of the mainsprings of an army is its esprit-de-corps - that spirit which gives a soldier purpose and the endurance to carry on when others might give up. In the prolonged and bitter struggles of World War 1 and World War 2, the soldiers of the 1st and 2nd AIF (Australian Imperial Forces) had this esprit-de-corps, and its focal point was a humble badge. The so-called ‘Rising Sun’ badge, worn on the upturned brim of a slouch hat, typified the spirit of ANZAC - the camaraderie of Australian soldiers to fight for the Crown and the British Empire.

© Warrant Officer C. JOBSON 1998

Each ANZAC Day, Australians and New Zealanders remember those who fought and died for freedom during times of conflict and strife. This annual celebration of our nation is of course, not to glorify war, but to honour the selfless sacrifice of men and women who have served to protect our country. That this day falls during the Church’s Liturgical Season of Easter, seems to be of little coincidence. In fact, the sacrifice in service made by the fallen appears to be accentuated by the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus, who also offered Himself through death as our Saviour freeing us from sin.

Jesus replied,
“Now the hour has come for the Chosen One to be glorified.
The truth of the matter is, unless a grain of wheat falls on the ground and dies,
it remains only a single grain;
but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest.”
(Jn 12: 23-24)

As we continue to enjoy the benefits of a peaceful existence in Australia, let us pray for those who continue to work for peace, and thank God for the extraordinary gift bestowed upon us through the death and resurrection of Christ:

God of Life,
In this season of Easter,
We rejoice in the New Life your Son the Risen Jesus gives us.
You offer us hope. You offer us peace.
We thank you for this treasured land of ours, today
As we remember the ANZAC soldiers who fought to protect our country.
Help us to strive for peace in all we do.
We make our prayer in the name of our Risen Lord.
Amen.

Sacramental Program

St Rita’s Parish Sacramental Program, held biennially, is about to commence this term, and we would still welcome candidates! Currently, four students are enrolled to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Confirmation this term, and then First Eucharist next term. Please keep these participants and their families in your prayers through their sacramental journey.

In order to prepare for each Sacrament, children, along with their parents/carers attend two information sessions, held on pre-determined Thursdays from 3:30pm – 4:30pm in the school library. While the date to receive Reconciliation is yet to be set, the Parish Confirmation Mass is scheduled for celebration on Thursday 21st June from 6pm. All parish and school families and friends are welcome to attend this significant occasion. If you are interested on behalf of your child/children, or know of any families who are, kindly contact Maureen Gaul through the school office on 4067 1467 by the end of this week.

Holy Week Liturgy and Easter Assembly Prayer

On the final day of Term 1, St Rita’s students presented a Holy Week Liturgy which retold the main events of the Passion of Jesus. Through music, dance and drama, the story portrayed both the ecstasy and agony of the final days in Jesus’ humanly existence, beginning with the exultant Palm Sunday procession and ending in sorrow at His death following the crucifixion. The Liturgy was a touching spectacle, and it is with sincere gratitude that I would like to thank both the staff and students for their preparations and practise in order to depict this significant event so beautifully. My thanks also to the Year 5 and 6 students, who then completed the Easter story of Jesus’ resurrection through Scripture reading and prayer at our first Assembly for Term 2.

Project Compassion Success

Parents and friends of St Rita’s, once again our efforts to share our gifts with others must be acknowledged; our fundraising for Project Compassion’s 2018 Lenten Appeal has exceeded expectations, nearing $270! Caritas Australia, this year, has targeted projects in Nepal, Cambodia, Jordan, Australia, Mozambique and the Philippines, offering vulnerable people opportunities to create change in their communities. Thank you for your support! Though we are a small school, we have mighty heart!

Blessings,
Maureen Gaul
Assistant Principal (Religious Education)

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING

CASTING THE NET

Serve and Honour Each Other

One of my younger brothers has his birthday on Anzac Day. When he was little, we told him we had the holiday for his birthday and that the people marched through the streets crying, ‘Hooray for Michael!’ We would sit him in front of the TV and he was rapt. In a strange way, there was some truth his reaction. Each person is that special and deserves to be acknowledged as such.

Each of the service personal marching on Anzac Day has a special story to tell. Nearly all would involve sacrifice, many would be awful experiences hard to recount and often those incidents would leave scars that would be carried for life. We cannot individually honour each one but when we celebrate Anzac Day, we try to make some gesture towards all so that we honour each one’s sacrifice.

During the Good Friday service, we have the Veneration of the Cross, when all are invited to come to show their love for his crucifixion. It is a long and seemingly tedious part of the ceremony but one which often brings me to tears. As the long queue of people shuffles to the front, one can sense that each one is dragging their own cross with them.

In venerating the cross of Jesus they are honouring their own. At times, life is hard and difficult for each of us and we all need ceremonies that recognise and honour this. As we do so, we soften our hearts, making ourselves more sensitive to each one’s sorrows and needs. As we stop this week to honour those who served in time of war, let it draw us in to that great mystery of care and service to which each of us is called. As we honour the many, may we recognise the role each of us has in building a community of love.

Loving God, we thank you for those who have served our community in war and in peace.
Let us appreciate their sacrifice.
As we honour it, may we strengthen our own communities in service.
We ask this in Jesus’ name confident that you will hear us.

Sr Kym Harris osb

CURRICULUM CORNER

LESSONS IN THE LIBRARY

Commonwealth Games Reading Challenge

It’s not too late to earn yourself a medal in St Rita’s Commonwealth Games Reading Challenge! Please return your completed Recording Forms to the library by the end of Week 3 (Friday 4 May) to receive your medal.

Happy Reading St Rita’s!

Prep and Year 1 have been busy making wombats talk and emus speak using the Chatterkid app. Chatterkid is a fun and interactive animation app. It enables students to add a mouth and voice to any image and is fantastic for developing students’ speaking and listening skills. The Prep and Year 1s have presented their research on Australian animals through some very entertaining Chatterkid creations.

Michelle van Dugteren
District Librarian & Resource Teacher

SPORT REPORT

FUTSAL GALA DAY

It was Round 3 with only minutes on the clock. “You are running out of time,” were the shouts from the side line. I was in attack position with Max by my side, and the goal line was clear. “I’ve got this!” I thought. I pulled my leg back, turned my foot and booted the ball.

BANG! A sudden loud noise came from below. Thud, thud, thud… the ball came to a slow roll and stopped before the goal. The soccer ball had ruptured with its internal orange lining spewing from its stitched opening. Laughter roared all around me.

We had to stop the game just at that moment. I had been ready to kick a goal, but the ref blew the whistle for the end of the game. It was the perfect shot and I probably would have scored another goal!

By Hallie Lansdown & Georgina Stone

GALA DAY AT A GLANCE

On the last day of Term 1, Thursday 29th March, St. Rita’s Babinda students Jamie Brose, Max Schep, Harrison Stone, Cooder Postic, Georgina Stone and Hallie Lansdown participated in the Futsal Gala Day. We joined Riley, Jarrah and Josh from Mirriwinni State School to make up the ‘Small School Rabbitohs’.

Futsal is a fast-paced indoor soccer game that requires excellent ball control and teamwork. We had a fantastic last day of term playing against other schools in our district. Mrs Calcagno and I were very proud of the effort and sportsmanship displayed by our St Rita’s players on Gala Day. Well done futsal players!

By Mrs Maryjane Masina
Sports Coordinator

LIBRARY LINKS

The Importance of Imagination

Oh….the possibilities, when we use our imagination! Albert Einstein told us ‘Imagination is more important than knowledge. For while knowledge defines all we currently know and understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create’.

As we commence Term Two, our library focus is fixed firmly on the importance of imagination and what this wonderful gift can bring us. We know that as we read, everything changes; we gain knowledge and enjoyment. Gaining knowledge empowers us and broadens our outlook on life. Reading stimulates our imagination (right side of the brain) and we begin to look at life differently; in a more open, colourful and interesting way.

The best way to develop imagination in young people is to provide them with opportunities to develop it for themselves. Playing with crayons and paints, reading interesting and imaginative books, dressing up in costume or pretending to be something fascinating (like a pterodactyl gliding through the air in search of its prey) will stimulate that treasured sense of imagination.

Over the coming weeks, our library will showcase some of our most imaginative books. Please feel very welcome to come in and browse.

The next time you hear “I’m bored!” try challenging your child by asking them to use their imagination and surprise you with what they can come up with.

Until next time…..Happy Reading!

Lisa Calcagno
Library Officer

COLES ‘SPORTS FOR SCHOOLS’ PROGRAM

This year, the ‘Sports for Schools’ program started on 7th February 2018 and ended on 3rd April 2018. We have been pleased with the support we have received from our families and the parish community. Thankyou Mrs Masina for collecting our box from Coles in Innisfail. We are still accepting vouchers as the cut-off date is a few weeks away yet.

St Rita’s thanks you for your continued support.

DATE CLAIMERS

STUDENTS OF THE WEEK

St Rita’s School congratulates those students who were awarded ‘Student of the Week’ at Assembly on Friday 23rd March 2018.

ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

We congratulate Hunter Bell who successfully contributed to the Cairns Post ‘Inspire’ feature on Tuesday 17th April 2018 with an article describing our school’s visit by ‘Zoo To You’, and his close encounter with a live crocodile. Well done Hunter!

BIRTHDAY CONGRATULATIONS

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

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

COMMUNITY NEWS

Well Women’s Clinic – Babinda Hospital

(This clinic is available to Medicare eligible clients)

Wednesday 2nd May 2018

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

For appointments phone 4067 8200

MULGRAVE SOCCER