Issue 10 - 25 June 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,

Since our last newsletter, groups of St Rita’s students have ventured away from their classrooms to widen their educational experience. In Week 8, children in Years 4, 5 and 6 travelled to the Cairns Performing Arts Centre to view ‘Billionaire Boy’, a stage production of David Walliams’ novel of the same title. Everyone reported that the production was “awesome” and “so funny”, and the participants appreciated the support of the P & F and parent supervisors who assisted with this excursion. Year 4 student, Eva Masina, has contributed her recount of the excursion in this newsletter’s ‘Awesome Authors’ section. I hope you enjoy reading the children’s writing pieces as much as I do!

The senior class practised their reading skills of junior fiction texts last week as they prepared for their class’s excursion to the Babinda Community Kindergarten. Before the visit, each student had the task of choosing an appropriate picture book for three-to-five year olds, learning how to read to a young audience by holding the book correctly, and lastly practising in front of their class. As Wednesday 19th approached, the seniors were well-prepared and extremely excited to visit the kindy to read their books to small groups of children. Mrs Jago and Mrs Calcagno reported that the visit was a huge success for everyone!

Semester One is drawing to a close this coming Friday. Although it has been especially busy at St Rita’s, students and staff are happy with the highs and lows that we have experienced during this second term. As your school leader, I appreciate that one of the criteria of school success is measured by what has been achieved; the success of students in their learning journey, the professional skills developed by staff, and the building of positive relationships in our school community. Our group of younger students, the Prep and Year Ones, has particularly blossomed this year. Mrs Masina and Miss Donna, and the wonderful mums who come in to read each morning, should be very proud!

At the end of semester, I acknowledge the wonderful teaching staff who has continued to provide a rich and meaningful learning environment for our students. A rigorous professional development schedule ensures that teachers at St Rita’s are also learners. Throughout the semester, staff has participated in professional development sessions on the development of Writing skills, moderation of assessment tasks in Maths, NCCD (Nationally Consistent Collection of Data) Training, and most recently, CPR Training. I will be undertaking a tertiary level Diploma in Positive Psychology and Wellbeing course, and as it begins on Friday 28th June, and continues during the first week of the school holidays, I have to travel to Toowoomba this Thursday.

At St Rita’s, classroom teachers continue to be supported by a dedicated group of school officers who work together to make a happy and cohesive team. Most days, our Administrative Officer, Library Officer and School Officers go ‘over and beyond’ to ensure that the students they work with are provided with the best possible support in their learning. This generosity of spirit and willingness to help others is also evident in our group of parent volunteers who have assisted in classrooms, worked in the tuckshop, participated in the mowing roster, transported children on excursions, organised the disco and attended parent meetings. Thank you! Your support and involvement is very much appreciated at St Rita’s!

Two staff members will be enjoying time away from our classrooms in the coming weeks. This week, both Mrs Jago (Year 5/6) and Miss Donna (Prep/Year 1) are taking periods of their Long Service Leave. Additionally, Mrs Jago will be having the first three weeks of next term as part of a total four-week period of leave. We wish both ladies a very restful and enjoyable holiday break, and we’re looking forward to hearing all about their adventures upon their return. I’m sure you will join me in welcoming two very familiar faces to St Rita’s. Mrs Debbie Carrigan will be replacing Mrs Jago, and Ms Laura Kirwan, a relief school officer, will assist Mrs Masina in the Prep/Year 1 classroom.

Classroom teachers were relieved, I am certain, to finalise their Student Reports last week. It is no longer practice for schools to print and distribute hard copies of each student’s Report. Rather, on Wednesday 26th June, all Reports will be uploaded to the St Rita’s Parent Portal for parents to view, and also print if desired. Please ensure you follow the instructions on how to log in to our Parent Portal if you haven’t already done so this year. If you have any queries regarding your child’s Report, you will have an opportunity to discuss these with your classroom teacher during the parent-teacher interviews to be scheduled early next term.

I hope you have a happy and safe holiday beginning on Friday 28th June. Put away those lunch boxes, library bags and uniforms, and encourage your children to play outside and have fun in the great outdoors. The June/July school holidays are perfect holiday weather in FNQ and were my favourite time of year when I myself was a school mum. Following my study in Toowoomba, my husband and I are looking forward to a short holiday with my children and grandchildren in Brisbane. With six grandchildren under four, I imagine it won’t be a very restful one!

School resumes on Monday, 15th July with a short week due to the Cairns Show Holiday being on the first Friday of term. If you are driving these holidays, please take care on the roads. Stay safe and happy, and I look forward to seeing everyone’s smiling faces at the start of the new term.

Happy holidays!

Regards,

Judy Billiau

PARENT PORTAL

St Rita’s School has a Parent Portal for the purpose of engaging with the parent community. Access to this portal is restricted to parents and guardians of students at our school, so an individual logon is required. An account has been created for you using the email address you have provided the school, and the details on creating a password are outlined in the attached set-up document.

The Parent Portal will enable easy access to information about happenings in the school, permission slips that need authorising, contact details for staff, forms, documents and much more. There’s also a special section to allow you to check the details we have recorded in our enrolment system about your children, and if necessary, advise us of any changes. You can also check on information about your child’s Attendance, academic Student Reports, teachers, timetables, and NAPLAN performance (if applicable).

We will be making increasing use of the Parent Portal to provide a range of information to parents in the future. The initial login requires you to verify your identity and create a password. The attached document will lead you through the process. Please follow the steps carefully, and enjoy using the St Rita’s Parent Portal in the future!

APRE THOUGHTS

Dear Parents,

Prayer to the Holy Trinity

Glory be to the Father,
Who by His almighty power and love created me,
making me in the image and likeness of God.
Glory be to the Son,
Who by His Precious Blood delivered me from hell,
and opened for me the gates of heaven.
Glory be to the Holy Spirit,
Who has sanctified me in the sacrament of Baptism,
and continues to sanctify me
by the graces I receive daily from His bounty.
Glory be to the Three adorable Persons of the Holy Trinity,
now and forever.
Amen.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday 2019

The following is an excerpt of a letter from Bishop Columba Macbeth-Green in regard to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday 2019, which the Australian Catholic church is soon celebrating:

“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday falls on the first Sunday in July and is a significant celebration on our Church’s calendar. Whilst providing us with an opportunity to acknowledge our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander brothers and sisters, the celebration also signifies that we are united as one in God’s love and care.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholics number over 130,000 and are a growing demographic in our Church today. We must continue to reach out and provide opportunities where we may be enriched and nourished by their deep spirituality, culture and love for Jesus Christ by open the doors to our hearts and our homes.

In the Gospel of the day Jesus says “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Just as Jesus did, we must meet people where they are and walk alongside our First Nation’s peoples on their journey to reconciliation and justice.

The NATSICC website below has information on how to contact your local groups as well as resources and articles on faith, culture and spirituality. As Catholics we can set an example for the rest of Australia to follow by coming together as equals and friends in our Schools, Parishes and Organisations in the name of Jesus Christ and in the spirit on mutual respect and unity as one people.”

Blessings for a Happy Holiday!

Looking back over students’ work, and reflecting on their growth as reports were prepared, I must admit to feeling very proud to witness such exciting progress and achievements! The beginning of the term always seems so daunting, yet here we are at the end of another successful semester, and the children seem to have matured so beautifully in their learning journeys. Of course, it has not been easy road - particularly for parents who have to attend to the end-of-the-day nurturing. Congratulations to our young students (and our wonderful families who support them along the way) for their diligence and perseverance. May your holidays away from school be rejuvenating and refreshing!

Blessings,

Maureen Gaul
Assistant Principal (Religious Education)

CASTING THE NET

Think Twice

‘I tell my children and I try to do it myself: “Think twice about what you are doing and going to do. You can even use it in learning people’s names”.’ So said a neighbour, while chatting recently. They are wise words, words to live by. Children can drift through situations, not noticing what is happening and then explode, overt react or get into trouble when things move beyond their control. But a little thought along the way, a little mindfulness can make their lives and ours a richer, better experience.

Jesus tried to provoke such thoughtfulness. His whole way of teaching wasn’t a series of straightforward, black and white rules. Rather his parables, his short sayings, some of which seem to contradict each other, are meant to challenge us to ask ourselves, ‘What does God want me to be, to do in this situation?’ We need to use thought and prayer to discern what to do in changing circumstances. Our brains are not there just to keep out ears apart. Along with our heart, we are meant to use this precious gift so that we can live as humanly as possible in the varying events of life.

Loving Father, send us your Spirit that we may know how to apply the teachings of Jesus to our lives. Filled with his Spirit may we have loving thoughts and wise hearts. We ask this in his name, confident that you will hear us.

Sr Kym Harris osb

SCHOOL COUNSELLOR

Make Family Time

It was as I watched the children’s movie “Storks” over the weekend that I decided I would write about the importance of making time to connect with our children. The moment in the movie where the little boy says “you blink and I’ll be in college”….and…. “you know how when I was a baby it felt like one minute ago” was my epiphany moment! My children are five and six years old, and it really does feel like one minute ago they were newborns. They are already one-third of their way to being independent eighteen-year-old adults! Scary but true!

As parents and caregivers, we can make choices to ensure time spent with our children is high-quality. Here are nine tips for busy families:

1. Have a daily “connect” time with your child. Do this face-to-face, if possible; but if this isn’t an option, create a routine for doing so in other ways, such as leaving a note in your child’s lunch bag, posting a note by their toothbrush, or writing an encouraging saying on a shared whiteboard in the house.
2. Create a special ritual for you and your child—something that can be done every day. For example, let your child choose and read one book with you at bedtime.
3. Tell your child you love them every day. And tell them how important they are to you and how they make you feel.
4. Reinforce positive behaviour. For example, if your child completes their chores without your asking, acknowledge it with words of appreciation—even if you don’t have the chance do so until the next day.
5. Make and eat meals with your children whenever possible. If time is limited, look for simple meals that require very little preparation, or grab a healthy snack such as an apple and sit for a few minutes and chat with your child.
6. Schedule time for doing an activity of your child’s choosing. Be sure to follow through and complete the activity without any distractions.
7. Play with your child, even if it’s during chore time or outside before you drop them off at school. Every little bit of time makes a positive impact!
8. Laugh and be silly with your child.
9. Turn off technology when you spend time with your child. Try not to text, answer calls, scroll through social media, or watch television.

Meaningful connections are about quality of time, not quantity of time. Keep it simple and connect with your child in ways that make sense for your lifestyle and relationship. Each connection has a lasting impact and provides the support and reassurance that your child needs.

If you are looking for activities to do as a family during the school holidays to allow you to spend time and have fun with your child or children – check out this website for some options or google what’s on Cairns or Innisfail etc.

Oh, and the “Storks” clip that got me thinking about this topic if you want a humorous reminder about what’s important in life:

Have a safe and restful June/July holiday break and look forward to seeing you all next term.

Larissa Juniper
Guidance Counsellor

CURRICULUM CORNER

As you know, the improvement of Writing skills is one of the St Rita’s School Annual Improvement Plan (SAIP) goals for 2019. The specific ‘Smart Goal’ for Writing is: ‘By the end of 2019, 90% of students will attain “demonstrating” or “working beyond” in at least two of the school-focused Writing elements, as per the Writing Results Data in B.I. Tool’. To achieve our goal, one of the strategies we are using is the implementation of the ‘Seven Steps to Writing Success’ teaching resource that was designed by author, Jen McVeity.

Foundational to the ‘Seven Steps’ program is the concept of organising writing into ‘chunks’, similarly to how we learn to play a new game. For example, when learning to play tennis this term, the students had to learn specific skills first, then practise these new skills regularly to keep them in their muscle memory. After continued practise, the students combine all of those skills learned to play a tennis match competently. For the skill of Writing, the ‘Seven Steps’ program chunks learning into seven steps, rather than expecting the student to write the whole story.

WHAT ARE THE SEVEN STEPS?

Think of them as the building blocks to great writing. Isolating writing skills into individual steps ensures students don’t get ‘bogged down’ with writing the whole piece. They gain confidence in each building block, and then they pull it all together to become creative and engaging writers.

Check out each of the Seven Steps below and see how together they lay the foundations in creating an engaging story in any form – written, spoken or even visual.

Step 1: Plan for success

How many times have you told your students ‘plan your work’ – and they ignore you? The biggest hurdle is to show thinking is far more important than physically writing. To be original you need to have LOTS of ideas, so brainstorm and practise generating ideas often.

A joke, a movie, a TV sitcom, a book and a great story – what do they all have in common? They all follow the same ‘story graph’. Start with a bang, slowly build up the tension and end on a real high point.

Step 2: Sizzling Starts

Do you get the same old starts, ‘One day … Once upon a time… I think that… In my opinion…’ over and over again? Teach students how to start at the ‘moment of change’ to gain a reader’s interest immediately.

Start where the action is. Not at the beginning of the day where nothing is happening. Begin when the volcano starts oozing lava or as you walk in the door to the big disco competition.

Step 3: Tightening Tensions

You must believe the hero (male or female) will fail. The tornado is too strong, the villain is too evil, the black forces of depression are too overwhelming. Yet, through strength, talent and determination, somehow our hero wins.

To persuade (not just set out facts) you have to build up momentum. Start strong, but save your best arguments and persuasive techniques for near the end.

Step 4: Dynamic Dialogue

Think of dialogue as a mini play in the story. Let your characters walk, talk or even stalk – that’s how we get to know them.

Quotations from experts, real words from a flood victim, concise sayings from famous people, even words from the people in your article (‘I thought I was going to die from fear…’) give strength and vibrancy to writing.

Step 5: Show, Don't Tell

If I tell you I am generous, do you believe me??? No way. But if I buy all 20 raffle tickets to help cancer research, are you more convinced? Actions really do speak louder than words.

If you were told children were dying from lack of clean water, would you send money? Most likely not. However, if you were shown one small skinny child, squatting by a polluted river, exhausted, hungry, and desperately needing water… would you help?

Step 6: Ban the Boring

Everyone gets up, gets dressed, travels to school…it’s not exactly exciting. So why write about it? Ban all mention of the ‘boring B’ words – bed, breakfast and bus trips. Think like the movies, the heroes never travel, they just arrive…

The first ideas are usually the worst – as everyone else is thinking of them too. Challenge students to be better than basic. They can be brilliant, not boring.

Step 7: Exciting Endings

Would you tell a joke without knowing the punch line? If you want to build to a big climax you have to know where you are heading.

First lines and last lines are what people remember the most. ‘In conclusion, I think…’ is writing by numbers. Be powerful in order to persuade.

AROUND THE CLASSROOMS

READING FUN AT KINDY

I saw kindy kids as soon as I got to the gate. They were having lots of fun playing on the swings and building sandcastles in the sandpit. As I walked through the gate, I met Cassie and Aiden. I introduced myself and said “Hi, my name is Clovel, I am eleven years old and I go to school at St Rita’s”.

We moved towards the garden area and I saw a sign that said Don’t step on the garden. I explained that worms are really good for your garden and we checked out the compost bin.

Soon after that, Conney and Cassie showed me their cool cubby house. It was made of wood and had a little picnic table inside it. There was a dry, white spider egg in the corner and we poked it to see if there was still a spider insider it.

I walked to the swings area and offered to push some of the children on the tyre swing and the sling swing. I made sure I pushed them gently because they were only small and I didn’t want them to fall off. They laughed and thanked me for their swing.

We all moved inside and the kindy kids sang us a good song to welcome us and we sang it back to them. After we broke into groups, I sat on the carpet and read a fantastic story called, ‘Pigs Out’. I asked the little children some questions and they had fun answering. They enjoyed the story very much!

We all gathered together on the mat and sang a goodbye song. I said, “See you later alligator “, and we waved goodbye and walked back to school. I enjoyed visiting the kindy a lot and can’t wait until we can go back again.

By Clovel Puime
Year 6

AWESOME AUTHORS

BILLIONAIRE BOY

“Billionaire Boy, I can’t wait to see it!” I said, whispering as the teachers split us into groups. The Years four, five and six children were ready to travel up to Cairns to see the show. Walking to my mother's car with Jack, Isabella and my Mum behind me, I climbed into the car and we set off.

When we arrived at the Cairns Performing Arts Centre, we were the first group to get there, because Mrs Hansen had missed the turn. As we walked inside, we saw a chart that had all the five characters from the play on it. We pointed to the characters on the poster and tried to guess who each story character was.

After looking for our seats, that were in Row G, I eventually sat down on number 20. It was the best seat there! Soon, the production started. During the play, my favourite bit was when the bully did a 360 degree wedgy to Bob, the main character. My friends and I laughed really loudly! After the production, we walked outside and sat together on the bench to have our lunch. Soon after, we went back to the car and drove back to Babinda. It was rich, fun day at Billionaire Boy!

By Eva Masina
Year 4

LIBRARY LINKS

Happy Holidays

Our Dinosaur library display has been a big hit! Over the last few days I have been handed some outstanding Dinosaurs Love Underpants colouring in competition entries. Who knew that dinosaurs favoured polka dot underpants?

The Term Two I’m a Star tally has shown great results. I am proud to say most children have remembered to bring their library pouch and books for exchange each Tuesday. What a terrific effort!

There are many excited faces around the school with holidays just around the corner! Some are busily planning for an adventure filled break, while others are looking forward to a more restful, restorative holiday. Perhaps you may even be able to sneak in a little reading time together; great fun can be had sharing a good book. Whatever your pleasure, enjoy this special time with your families.

Happy holidays and happy reading,

Lisa Calcagno
Library Assistant

DATE CLAIMERS

STUDENTS OF THE WEEK

St Rita’s School congratulates those students who were awarded ‘Student of the Week’ at Assembly on Friday 21st June 2019.

‘INSPIRE’ AWARDS

Last month Braden Hansen, Hallie Lansdown and Edith Polzin wrote articles that were published in The Cairns Post ‘Inspire’ feature. Braden wrote an informative recount of his morning at the Under 8s’ Day excursion. Hallie’s interesting article featured the Small Schools Athletics Carnival, and Edith gave a touching personal recount of her mum’s visit to school for the Mother’s Day Pampering Afternoon.

Congratulations Braden, Hallie and Edith! St Rita’s was proud to see your articles featured in The Cairns Post in recent weeks.

ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

St Rita’s congratulates Leo Nelson, Maddisyn and Robert Freeman (Prep) for completing various levels of their M100W (Magic 100 Words) high frequency word lists. Leo and Maddisyn have successfully completed their Golden Words, whilst Robert has achieved the Blue Level of high frequency words.

Mrs Masina and Miss Donna are very proud of the wonderful progress that the Preps are making this year. The whole school congratulated these young students when they were awarded their M100W certificates on Assembly last Friday.

Well done Leo, Maddisyn and Robert!

BIRTHDAY CONGRATULATIONS

St Rita’s wishes Phoenix Polzin all the very best for his recently celebrated birthday. We hope you had a wonderful birthday celebration Phoenix! The Prep/Year Ones really enjoyed sharing your delicious birthday cake too!

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

COMMUNITY NEWS

RIO CARNIVAL UMBRELLA BALL