Issue 3 - 6 March 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,

Last week marked the halfway mark for first term and it was an extremely busy week at St Rita’s School. The highlight of the week for some students was the beginning of Tuckshop being available at lunch. Thank you to those parents who have offered to assist with Tuckshop each Friday. The menu is healthy and simple, so an hour of preparation and clean-up is all that is needed by our parent volunteers. If you are able to assist on a Friday morning, we still have some days we are needing a helper.

On a topic dear to my heart, parent involvement at St Rita’s, the Annual General Meeting of our P & F will held next Monday afternoon beginning at 3:00pm. Please consider the importance of attending these ‘short and sharp’ parent group meetings. You will learn so much about our school, collaborate with staff, contribute to planning of whole school events for the year, and most importantly, meet other parents. I hope to see you there!

Classroom teachers are also calling on your support to assist with classroom activities, and it is wonderful to see parents asking to volunteer at St Rita’s. It is an enjoyable and rewarding experience for parents, and children especially like to have you helping in their class. I know Mrs Masina is organising a group of parents to assist with reading in the Prep/Year 1 class. Please see your classroom teacher soon to register your interest!

On Wednesday and Thursday last week I attended the two-day Primary & Secondary Principals’ Conference for this term. Although the days were lengthy, topics of discussion were focused on our implementation of a school Data Plan, the writing of SMART goals for the School Annual Improvement Plan, the System Improvement Priorities of Writing and Catholic Identity, and Policy Development and Review for 2019.

On the second day, the Professional Learning Day, Ms Marissa Clark from QELi presented two workshops focused on developing our understanding of the SEF (School Effectiveness Framework). We unpacked, in detail, the ten dimensions of the SEF; A Lived and Celebrated Catholic Identity; An Explicit Improvement Agenda; Analysis and Discussion of Data; A Culture That Promotes Learning; Targeted Use of School Resources; An Expert Teaching Team; Systematic Curriculum Delivery; Differentiated Learning and Teaching; Effective Pedagogical Practices; and, School Community Partnerships.

Later in the day, a supplementary workshop focused on school leaders developing a comprehensive understanding of the evidence required to analyse the school’s current performance within each of these ten dimensions, and strategically planning for the next cycle of continuous improvement. The two dimensions our school is working on this year are, A Lived and Celebrated Catholic Identity and An Explicit Improvement Agenda, specifically in Writing. You will hear more about our SAIP goals at next weeks’ P&F Meeting!

To end a busy week, classroom teachers participated in the annual TREWTH Conference in Cairns on Saturday. TREWTH, Topics on Religious Education and Wellbeing That Help, provides staff in Cairns Catholic Education a day of participation in a range of interesting and engaging workshops by local and interstate presenters. Topics included Teaching Scripture through Reading Stances; Contemporary Mission in Catholic Education; Healing Touch: Restoring Balance and Harmony to Mind, Body and Spirit; and Catholic Identity: Practical Recontextualisation.

The keynote speaker of the Conference this year was Brother David Hall, a Marist Brother who had actually taught at St Augustine’s College some years ago. Brother David is presently a professor at Australian Catholic University in Brisbane. His keynote address, titled ‘Catholic Schools and the Possiblitiy of God’, proposed what should be at the heart of a Catholic educational setting so that our schools can be ‘transformative beacons in our society’.

‘The past has never been less instructive and the future never less certain. There is the danger of seeing our current global situation, and indeed our Church, as something of a quagmire; life swarms around and past us while we search for new and better ways of building a more compassionate and tender society. As educators in the Catholic tradition, perhaps the way forward is to propose to our students, colleagues, their families and our wider communities a new way of being human. Our Catholic tradition offers rich resources that provide us with the opportunity to develop faith communities that propose to a secular world that indeed, God dwells among us.’

Thank you teachers for building your professional capacity on your precious day off! Professional Development is highly valued by our staff as we recognise ourselves as being life-long learners. I am looking forward to attending another important conference, the Safeguarding Children Conference, on Saturday 27th April with staff and parents of St Rita’s. For your interest, further information and registration details are available on this website:

Have a good week,

Judy Billiau
Principal

APRE THOUGHTS

Dear Parents and Carers,

Lent

This Wednesday 6th March marks the beginning of Lent. Known as ‘Ash Wednesday’, ashes are received on our foreheads as a symbol of the dust from which God made us. The ashes remind us also of the need to repent our failings, and stems from an ancient Jewish practice of penance. During the period of Lent, we are called to ‘inner conversion’ through a process of prayer and fasting – as Jesus did for forty days in the desert – and almsgiving, to nurture a deeper love towards God and others. Below, I have shared a short excerpt written by Rev. James Kubicki S.J. which you may like to take time to personally reflect upon:

A man who was lost stopped to ask a local how many miles it was to the town to which he was headed. The local replied, “Well, if you keep going in this direction, I’d say it’s about twenty-five thousand miles, but if you turn around and take a right at the next crossroads, it’s only about three miles.”

Sometimes, in order to get where you want to go, you have to turn completely around. The word conversion comes from the Latin word for turn. It means to get back on track and headed in the right direction. Sometimes that takes time. A large ocean vessel like the Queen Mary, going full speed, takes more than a mile just to stop. The weight of our years and accumulated habits often make it difficult to change overnight. We need an annual period of conversion to simply begin the process of changing into the person we were made to be.

During Lent, I ask myself if I am headed in the right direction. Are there things that are weighing me down on my journey to the heaven that Jesus opened up for me with his suffering, death, and resurrection?
(Source: “A Year of Daily Offerings” Indiana, Ave Maria Press 2016)

In the six week lead-up to Easter, Lent is a solemn season of penance, reflection and fasting, in preparation of the redemptive celebration of Christ’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday. We are grateful to Father Joseph Pullanappillil for presiding at Ash Wednesday Mass this year, one of the most important holy days in the church’s liturgical calendar.

PROJECT COMPASSION

The theme for Project Compassion 2019 “Give Lent 100%”, is based on hope. Pope Francis has been quoted to say: “Jesus has given us a light that shines in the darkness; defend it, protect it. This unique light is the greatest richness entrusted to your life.” This light, is the light of hope. Hope has the power to transform lives and is a powerful force for good. Hope sustains us through challenges and enlivens us. Hope is what is needed to enable communities to create a better future for themselves, and rise above their trials and fears.

Following the Caritas Just Leadership Day, the Year 5/6 students returned to school brimming with enthusiasm and some fun ideas to direct our fundraising for Project Compassion. St Rita’s first fundraiser occurred this week on Shrove Tuesday with ‘Pancake Day’. Our thanks extend to staff and families for their generous support of this, and to Mrs Jenni Stone and the senior students for preparing the delicious pancakes through the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program. Further fundraising initiatives will follow in the coming weeks, and all monies raised will be donated to Project Compassion, thereby enabling this organisation to continue its work in empowering young people to build a just future for themselves, their families and their communities.

Creator God,
You are our constant hope!
In the season of Lent, you call us
To prayer, fasting and love of those most marginalised.

As a community of faith and courage,
Let our gifts to Project Compassion be symbols of hope and solidarity
With our one human family.

Accompany us as we journey with Jesus
To bring ‘good news’ to all creation and
Ready our hearts to work for the
Common good of all your people.

We ask this in Jesus’ name,
Amen.

World Day of Prayer

Friends of St Rita’s School and Parish were invited to attend the 2019 World Day of Prayer, which was held last Friday 1st March at St Rita’s Church in Babinda. The World Day of Prayer is a global ecumenical movement which brings Christians of many traditions together to observe a common day of prayer each year. The motto of the World Day of Prayer movement is ‘Informed Prayer and Prayerful Action’ and is in response to issues of concern around the world. This year the focus was on Slovenia, and the theme, prepared by women was ‘Come – Everything Is Ready’. Students from Years 2, 3 and 4 joined the service for a short time to listen to some experiences of Slovenian women, and prayed for peace and justice. Next year, the prayer focus will be on the women of Zimbabwe.

Blessings,
Maureen Gaul
Assistant Principal (Religious Education)

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

CURRICULUM CORNER

THE AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM – An Overview for Parents

How is the Australian Curriculum organised?

There are three dimensions in the Australian Curriculum:

• Learning areas
• General capabilities
• Cross-curriculum priorities

1. Learning areas

The Australian Curriculum is organised into learning areas and subjects. Some learning areas bring a number of subjects together: Humanities and Social Sciences include History, Geography, Civics and Citizenship, and Economics and Business; The Arts include Dance, Drama, Media Arts, Music and Visual Arts; Technologies includes Design and Technologies and Digital Technologies. There is also a choice of 15 languages.

Learning areas contain content descriptions that detail knowledge, understanding and skills to be taught each year or across a bank of years. These content descriptions are accompanied by achievement standards that describe what students will know and will be able to do as a result of teaching and learning in the classroom.

2. General capabilities

General capabilities are included in the content of the learning areas. These are the skills and abilities intended to help prepare young Australians to learn, live and work in the 21st century. The Australian Curriculum has seven general capabilities:

• Literacy
• Numeracy
• Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
• Critical and Creative Thinking
• Personal and Social Capability
• Ethical
• Understanding
• Intercultural Understanding

3. Cross-curriculum priorities

In a similar way, there are three priorities critical to Australia’s future:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Histories and Culture
• Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia
• Sustainability

They build across the curriculum and allow students to connect the content of learning areas.

AROUND THE CLASSROOMS

Give Lent 100%

Have you ever wondered how much water you use in a day? The truth is, the average person living in Australia uses 285 litres each day! In other countries, such as Africa, people can only afford to use 10 litres each day. These are some of the amazing facts shared at our ‘Caritas Just Leadership’ gathering of Southern Cluster schools, held recently at St Rita’s South Johnstone.

Every day, women and young girls living in countries such as Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, make several long journeys through crocodile infested creeks just to collect five litres of muddy, disease ridden water. Thanks to Caritas Australia, those countries now have access to filtered water through the use of solar powered pumps.

Caritas has a core belief in social justice. This means people are able to live a life free from discrimination, with access to adequate water, sanitation, food and education; are able to rejoice in their cultural heritage; have prospects of employment and can enjoy good health and a life of opportunities.

During Lent, the students of St Rita’s Babinda, are lending a hand by raising money through a variety of activities. Beginning with Pancake Day and ending with our Caritas Café, we are raising money to support those in need, breaking down the walls of social injustice and discrimination. Give Lent 100 percent!

Written by Kylee Hansen, Hallie Lansdown and Cooder Postic
Year 5/6 class

SCHOOL COUNSELLOR

Do Our Kids Really Know How We Feel?

Experts will constantly tell us that good communication is a necessary element in any successful relationship. While we generally think of that advice in relation to spouses, friends and co-workers, one of the most important relationships to evaluate for good communication is with our children. Do our kids really know how we feel about them? Yes, they should assume we care about them, since we provide shelter and food, but are we really communicating our love, care and pride in them on a regular basis?

It's easy to do when our children are small. Babies and toddlers are easy to hug and whisper to, "I love you" , even when misbehaving. But that constant communication of love often diminishes as our children grow up, and may almost disappear as we face a grumpy teen whose response to most communication efforts is a grunt, eye-roll or that ever popular, "Whatever." But regardless of a child's age, or attitude, it's important to communicate our positive feelings in a variety of ways.

The easiest, and most direct, is simply to say, "I love you" on a regular basis. Even if the response is only, "Yeah, whatever," our children should know our bottom line is that we really love them. There are other important ways to communicate our feelings for our children. Simply demonstrating that we care about our child's world and its problems will always improve parent and child communication. When our children want to share, we need to take the time to listen to what he or she is saying. Our job isn't to judge, criticise, or dismiss the problems, but to really listen, to understand and to care about what we are hearing.

It's also vital that we let our children know we are proud of them. When a child puts in extra effort and is truly working hard, that's the time to tell him or her how proud we are of that effort and of what's being accomplished. Learn to praise the effort being expended, not just the final result, and we can help motivate a child to continue to work hard and be proud of their achievements. Communicating with our children can often be a difficult task, especially as they become teenagers, but putting a real, daily effort into communicating to our children the love, caring and pride we have for him or her can only result in a stronger, more positive relationship.

Larissa Juniper,
School Counsellor

DATE CLAIMERS

STUDENTS OF THE WEEK

St Rita’s School congratulates those students who were awarded ‘Student of the Week’ at Assembly on Friday 1st March 2019.

BIRTHDAY CONGRATULATIONS

St Rita’s wishes Latoya Ambrum all the very best for her recent birthday. We hope you had wonderful birthday celebrations. Congratulations Latoya!

P&F NEWS

At this meeting, the P&F President and Treasurer of the 2018 Executive Committee present their reports on what was achieved in the past year. Also, a Committee is elected to continue supporting the school throughout 2019.

You are warmly invited to join us for the first meeting of the St Rita’s P&F on Monday 11th March.

I hope to see you there!

Maryjane Masina
P&F Secretary

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

COMMUNITY NEWS

TRINITY COAST SOUTH BOYS BASKETBALL TRIALS

GOOD COUNSEL COLLEGE