Issue 1 - 5 February 2019

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,

I extend a very warm welcome to all for the 2019 school year! I hope you have had a restful and happy school holiday. I had a holiday in China and then welcomed another grandson to our growing family. As we welcome new families to St Rita’s, I wish all members of our school community an enjoyable and fulfilling experience during the coming year. I encourage you to be an active part of our school community and enjoy being involved in your child’s growth and development at school.

The staff has been back at school for two weeks already, and in that time teachers have organised classrooms, established timetables and rosters, and completed four full days of professional development. We began by attending a curriculum-focused PD session in Week 0 at Tully, ‘Teaching Writing’, by renowned educationalist and author, Beverly Derewianka. This informative session was enhanced by further PD at school, with a Reading Strategies workshop for both teachers and school officers facilitated by CES Curriculum Education Officer, Mrs Gloria West. Like our students, staff at St Rita’s are continuously learning and improving!

Our new Prep children have also made a rapid transition into their Prep/Year 1 class, and this was helped by their participation in the Term 4 ‘Get Set for Prep’ program. I must thank Mrs Masina, our dedicated Prep/Year 1 teacher, for organising and conducting this innovative prep readiness program last year. The parent sessions which were part of the program were especially well-received by many mums and dads of our new students. Welcome to St Rita’s 2019 Prep children!

Although I have been lucky to catch up with many parents visiting school last week, I am looking forward to welcoming parents to our first whole school event next week. We have scheduled our annual Parent Information sessions on Tuesday 12th February beginning at 3:30pm. During these sessions, which are held in each of our classrooms, you will be able to meet classroom teachers and learn about the curriculum and classroom routines of your child’s class.

I strongly encourage all parents to attend these sessions as they provide valuable information to you as partners in your child’s education. Topics discussed include important Term One dates, Homework requirements, classroom routines, curriculum overviews and how you can help in the classroom. Specific session times can be found on the Term 1 Calendar in this newsletter issue.

Beginning this week, Mrs Masina will be teaching PE lessons in all classes on Tuesdays. Sports uniform, polo and shorts, are to be worn on this day only. For your information, we have included the St Rita’s School uniform requirements in this first newsletter. We are proud of our smart school uniform, both dress and sports, and encourage parents to ensure children come to school every day wearing the correct uniform. I thank you for your continued support of St Rita’s uniform policy.

Lastly, please remember that St Rita’s is your school and parent feedback is vital in order for us, as a TEAM, to continue to provide a quality primary education for your child. Together Everyone Achieves More. Please contact your teacher if you have any questions or concerns, as the classroom teacher is your first ‘port of call’. Additionally, you are welcome to contact either Maureen, our Assistant Principal, or myself should you have any questions about our wonderful school. I strongly believe that communication between home and school is vital for us to work as partners in your child’s education.

Blessings for a wonderful 2019 at St Rita’s School. I hope to see you at next week’s Parent Information sessions.

Judy Billiau

Parents' Prayer for Students

Father I pray for my children today as they leave for school, I pray that you will keep them in your care.

Send your Holy Spirit to open their minds to all that is true and beautiful and good.

Help them to see the gifts and talents you have given them and to use them well.

Help them to grow in knowledge and wisdom.

Help them to be kind to others and lead others to be kind to them.

Give their teachers patience and understanding and help them teach what is just and true.

Send your angels to guide and guard my children and to keep them from all harm.

Open their hearts to your presence and surround them in your peace and protection.

Hold them in the palm of your hand and bring them home safely at the end of today.

APRE THOUGHTS

Dear Parents and Carers,

WELCOME TO ALL AT ST RITA’S!

As we observe the beginning of the 2019 school year at St Rita’s, we welcome familiar friends, and we welcome our new friends too! St Rita’s is welcoming to all, and we pride ourselves on our friendly, hope-filled and happy school community! Often, as a staff, we reflect on our marvellous small school, and wonder what it is exactly that makes us so special…which is why I thought to share our unique and beautiful school prayer with you:

O Compassionate God,
look on me today with tenderness
and give me the grace
to walk on the path of mercy and kindness.
May all I do today reflect our school values of
learning, respect, community and faith.
St Rita, pray for us.

It is not only our school values of ‘learning, respect, community and faith’ that set us apart, but even more so, at our core, it is that we aspire to work courageously and equitably for all, inspired by the example of Jesus. As a Christian community, we are challenged to continue in our call to serve others, and make known the immense love that God has for each of us, despite our frailties as humans.

At our fortnightly school assemblies, and in the classrooms, staff and students pray our St Rita’s School Prayer. For us, it exemplifies our identity as a Catholic school, and amplifies our Mission to act in service of others. Together, as we commence the journey into our 2019 school year, we pray that we are strengthened by the grace of God, and resonate God’s abundant love and mercy so to create a rich, faith-filled school community at St Rita’s.

This Friday, 8th February at 12:00pm, Father Kerry Crowley will officiate at our 2019 Commencement Mass, to which all parents and friends of St Rita’s School are warmly invited to. We welcome you to join with us in St Rita’s Parish Church to celebrate Eucharist together, and to commission our 2019 school leaders.

Blessings,
Maureen Gaul
Assistant Principal (Religious Education)

CASTING THE NET

‘I try to take one day at a time….’

‘…but sometimes several days attack me all at once’, said Ashleigh Brilliant. That was my experience earlier this week. I was overwhelmed by what needed to be done in the rest of the day so much so I was getting a little frantic. I stopped, sat down, tried to make myself calm…and then spent a few minutes counting my blessings and thanking God for them. What a difference it made. I got up, worked steadily through the rest of the day, got most of the work done and then didn’t worry about the rest. Civilization wouldn’t end because I hadn’t ‘succeeded’ in my tasks.

In counting my blessings, I changed my perspective. When we are very busy, we can begin to feel put upon: ‘Why is this happening to me? It is so unfair. Nobody appreciates all I do.’ You catch my drift. We each have our own ‘poor me’ script that can spoil even a good day. But by focussing on what is good in our lives, we open our vision to reality. We choose the big, good picture of life.

By thanking God, we acknowledge that we really aren’t in control of our lives and that God is looking after us. To remember and realise this, we need to constantly ‘refresh our browser’. It is so easy for our hearts and minds to slip into negativity, especially when we are overworked or when things aren’t going our way. Counting our blessings and thanking God isn’t being Pollyannaish and ignoring the challenges we face. Rather it is looking at reality the way it is: me, with all my gifts and talents, the situation with its good and bad and God, alongside me, on my side.

Loving God, when know what happens to me when life overwhelms me.
Give me the wide wisdom of your Spirit to open my heart and mind to see clearly and peacefully how I can serve those I love.
I ask this in Jesus’ name confident that you will hear me.

Sr Kym Harris osb

AFTER SCHOOL ROUTINES

As we are beginning our second week at school, it is important that we revisit our after-school practices to ensure the safety of St Rita’s students at the end of each day. When the bell sounds at 2:55pm, all children move to the front of the school to catch one of the buses, ride or walk home, or be picked up by their parents.

For your information, we ask that the following procedures be observed:

• Parents who pick up their children are asked to park on the school side of the street to reduce the risks associated with students crossing the street.
• Students who ride bikes or walk leave the school promptly after the last bell.
• A list of students who catch the bus has been compiled from the student information forms which have been returned to school. It is parent’s responsibility to inform the school in writing of any permanent variations to the normal routine. A phone call can be made for last minute or unexpected changes for that day.

SCHOOL UNIFORM

St Rita’s has a school uniform for the purpose of school identity, spirit and pride. Much consideration has gone into making the uniform functional, attractive and suitable for students of primary school age. If students are out of uniform, parents need to provide a reason by way of a note in your child’s Student Diary or email to the Office.

• Hats Navy blue broad-brimmed hat or legionnaires cap
• Shoes All black closed-in shoes for dress uniform and joggers for Sports uniform
• Socks Navy socks for both day and sports uniforms
• Girl’s uniform Navy skort or skirt with teal and navy shirt
• Boy’s uniform Navy shorts with teal and navy shirt
• Sports uniform Navy shorts/Navy skorts with green and navy sports polo

For the convenience of parents, the School Office stocks all items of the St Rita’s uniform. It is a service we provide for your convenience, and our uniforms are sold at the purchase price with a small delivery charge. Let’s keep St Rita’s students looking smart in their school uniform!

CURRICULUM CORNER

About Safer Internet Day

Safer Internet Day (SID) is an annual, worldwide event which will be held on Tuesday 5th February this year to help encourage a better internet. This year's theme, 'Together for a better internet', encourages individuals to create a better internet by developing four, critical skills. We call these skills the 4Rs: Respect, Responsibility, Reasoning and Resilience.

Past supporters Optus, ANZ, nbn and Brumbies Women’s Rugby have already signed up. Schools across Australia, such as ours, have joined them with our support.

Celebrated globally in 130 countries, Safer Internet Day is coordinated by the joint Insafe/INHOPE network, with the support of the European Commission, and national Safer Internet Centres across Europe.

SID2019 Resources

In the spirit of the Safer Internet Day 2019 theme, ‘Together for a better internet’, we are encouraging all Australians to collaborate with their communities and support each other in developing the critical skills required for navigating the online world. These skills can help us in all areas of life, online and off. We call them the 4Rs of Online Safety:

• Respect – I treat myself and others the way I like to be treated
• Responsibility – I am accountable for my actions and I take a stand when I feel something is wrong.
• Reasoning – I question what is real.
• Resilience – I get back up from tough situations.

Parents are encouraged to get involved and support our young people in developing the critical skills required to successfully navigate the online world.

These skills take time to develop but they can help us in all areas of life - online and off.

St Rita’s Babinda is supporting Safer Internet Day by including SID school resources and activities into our curriculum planning this week. Help spread the word about creating a safer, more positive internet — start a conversation with your child about which of the 4Rs of online safety is most important to them and how they can help build a better internet for everyone.

The eSafety iParent site is packed with resources to help you address online safety with your children. Download ‘The Lost Summer’ video game for a fun way to learn and practice the 4Rs. Or take the Screen Smart Parent Tour to help your child manage online issues should they arise. To see what others are doing, or to find out how you can get involved, visit the link below:

LUNCH BOX LESSONS

All children, no matter what their weight, height, gender or age need to eat from the five core food groups every day. To do this, aim to include in your child's lunchbox, fruit, wholegrain bread, salad or vegetables, meat or a meat alternative and reduced fat dairy such as cheese.

A healthy lunch will give your child the essential nutrients and sustained energy they need to concentrate throughout the school day.

Take these lessons to make your child's lunch box healthy, interesting and appetising.

Lesson 1 - Keep it cool

Use an insulated lunchbox or bag to help keep your child's lunch chilled and fresh. Using frozen bread and rolls helps keep your sandwiches cool and fresh. Adding a frozen water bottle to the lunchbox will not only keep the lunch cool but also hydrate your child during the day.

Lesson 2 - Mix it up

Making the same lunch day after day can become a little boring for both you and your child. Try to mix it up by having some lunchbox items cooked beforehand and frozen. Mini muffins, both sweet and savoury, and mini quiche are easy to make and freeze well. Try these sandwich filling combinations for a tasty change:

• ham, avocado, grated carrot and pineapple
• lean roast meat, chutney, lettuce and tomato
• tinned salmon, reduced fat cream cheese, shallots, lettuce and grated carrot
• chicken, grated apple and celery and reduced fat ricotta cheese
• mashed banana with thinly sliced dates or sultanas.

Lesson 3 - Get clever with fruit and vege

There's lots of fun and interesting ways to include fruit and vegetables in a lunchbox. Make up fruit kebabs on paddle pop sticks. Use small cookie cutters to make fun shapes such as hearts, stars and flowers. These work particularly well with watermelon and rockmelon. Cut up vegetable sticks such as cucumber, carrot or capsicum and add to the lunchbox with a dipping sauce such as salsa, hummus or avocado. Fill celery sticks with reduced fat cream cheese and top with sultanas.

Lesson 4 - Try turning your sandwich into sushi!

With sushi being so popular, try turning your sandwich into a sushi roll in a few easy steps.

Step 1: Take two slices of wholemeal bread and cut off the crusts. Flatten bread slices with a rolling pin.

Step 2: Spread each slice with reduced-fat cream cheese or a similar spread such as avocado, hummus or reduced fat mayonnaise.

Step 3: Lay your chosen filling at the bottom of each slice - If you're using vegetable sticks such as carrot, cucumber or capsicum cut them to approximately 15cm in length. You can also let the vegetables hang over the edges for that real sushi look.

Step 4: Roll up the bread, pressing gently to seal, then cut each roll in half. If necessary, use some more cream cheese to seal the roll if necessary. Serve with chopsticks for a great lunchbox surprise.

Sandwich sushi filling ideas

Sweet chilli chicken - reduced fat cream cheese, sweet chilli sauce, cucumber, carrot and chicken.

Tuna and salad reduced fat cream cheese, canned tuna, corn, avocado, carrot, cucumber.

Mediterranean hummus, baby spinach leaves, lean roast meat or ham and capsicum.

Lesson 5 - Plan ahead!

Think about what you will need for your child's lunchbox when doing your weekly shopping. When you plan before you shop, you will know what you have on hand to pack, and what you might need to buy. It will save you time and money!

SCHOOL COUNSELLOR

Welcome to our first school newsletter for 2019! My name is Larissa Juniper and I am the new School Counsellor at St Rita’s School, Babinda. I do hope that you and your family had a restful and enjoyable holiday break.

The purpose of the position of School Counsellor is to focus on student wellbeing and work collaboratively with school communities to promote and foster the development and mental health of all students. A counselling and referral service is provided in a school context to support student engagement with learning. This service promotes and supports the development of student life skills and resilience to deal with a rapidly changing and complex modern world.

A counselling, consulting and referral service is offered to meet the personal, social, emotional, and educational needs of students. This service is confidential within the limits required by student protection legislation and Catholic Education Services Policy.

The guidance counselling service provides the opportunity to discuss issues in a safe and confidential setting to explore unconsidered possibilities and opportunities to set goals and develop strategies for change. Issues include -

Stress management
Conflict resolution
Anger Management
Parenting skills
Communication Skills
Study skills
Time management
Decision making
Grief and loss
Mental health concerns such as depression and anxiety
Excessive use of screen devices
Any area of concern
Referrals may be made for further assessment and support

Community agencies provide specialist support for students and families impacted by domestic violence, trauma and abuse, divorce and separation, suicide ideation, self- harm and mental health concerns requiring clinical assessment.

I am looking forward to working with St Rita’s families this year. Appointments are available each Tuesday during school time by contacting Debbie in the school office.

Larissa Juniper,
School Counsellor

LIBRARY LINKS

A big ‘Welcome’ to our new families and a hearty ‘Welcome Back’ to our returning families. It has been a delight seeing all the children this week, getting to know each other and sharing holiday stories. I’ve had to hide some giggles as new children try to pronounce my name! We’ve decided between us that ‘Mrs C’ will be an easy alternative for now! I’m looking forward to an interesting, stimulating, and most importantly, FUN year in the Library.

Our St Rita’s library is always about colour, engagement and sharing of wonderful stories. 2019, here we come! I read a great quote recently, ‘Libraries are more than just a repository for information. They are a centre of our communities and a safe, inclusive space for everyone’ (Craig Burley, 2017, Thoughts on Libraries and Mental Health). What a comforting thought; that in this modern day, as in times past, each of us can visit a library free of charge and indulge our need to learn, or simply be ourselves, relaxing and enjoying a good read.

It is no secret how passionate I am about reading and libraries. I hope to continue sharing that passion with our St Rita’s children throughout 2019. Until next time, I’ll leave you with a few more quotes regarding the wonderful gift libraries can be:

“What a school thinks about its library is a measure of what it feels about education” — Harold Howe.

“Libraries store the energy that fuels the imagination. They open windows to the world and inspire us to explore and achieve and contribute to improving our quality of life. Libraries change lives for the better” —Sidney Sheldon.

“Libraries: The medicine chest of the soul” — Library at Thebes (inscription over the door)

Lisa Calcagno,
Library Assistant

DATE CLAIMERS

PERPETUAL AWARD 2018

At the final school Assembly for 2018, the Christian Leadership Award was presented to Year 6 student, Georgina Stone. This award is presented to a senior student who displays qualities of Christian leadership, contributes to the faith life of the school, and demonstrates our school values of Learning, Respect, Community and Faith in their relationships with staff and other students. Congratulations from St Rita’s Georgina!

BIRTHDAY CONGRATULATIONS

St Rita’s wishes Teelah Geary, Izaac Shaw and Leo Nelson all the very best for their recent birthdays. We hope you had wonderful birthday celebrations. Congratulations Teelah, Izaac and Leo!

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

COMMUNITY NEWS

INNISFAIL NETBALL SIGN-ON

Well Women’s Clinic – Babinda Hospital

(This clinic is available to Medicare eligible clients)

There are two clinic dates in February, Wednesday the 6th and Tuesday the 26th.
All services are provided by a specially-trained Women’s Health Nurse.
For appointments phone 4067 8200