Issue 11 - 24 July 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,

Welcome back to all St Rita’s students and families to the new term. Term 3 is bound to be another busy one, so we were pleased to see the smiling, happy faces of our students last Monday morning. This term we have a plethora of whole school events we hope to share with you; NAIDOC Week, a cultural excursion for the Prep – Year 3 students, Catholic Education Week, Gala Sports Day, Science Week, Children’s Book Week and the senior camp. Parents and staff will also begin planning for the Babinda Harvest Festival event, which occurs in the first week of next term!

Staff has also returned to school looking refreshed and invigorated, with Mrs Jago and Miss Donna both enjoying periods of Long Service Leave in the last weeks of term. Vicki is continuing with another three weeks of leave to have a holiday down south with her husband Lesley. Mrs Debbie Carrigan will be teaching Year 5/6 during her absence. Our new Indigenous Liaison Officer, Miss Ebony, will be extra busy this term with the additional days of support she will be providing to St Rita’s South Johnstone and St Clare’s Tully. Ebony will be personally contacting our indigenous families to see how she can further support their children’s educational needs.

The AFL lunchtime coaching program was completed at the end of last term. The group of students who registered for the program benefited from the weekly sessions run by Ryan from Cairns AFL. This term, following the successful application of a Sporting Schools Australia grant, we will be scheduling weekly tennis lessons for the Years 3 – 6 on Friday mornings. To begin the term, Mrs Masina’s PE lessons for the senior students will focus on developing futsal skills. Futsal is the team sport that the students will be playing at the Gala Day competition with other schools in the district in week four.

As the national NAIDOC WEEK is celebrated each year during the school holidays, St Rita’s organises our own celebration at the beginning of the new term. NAIDOC celebrations are held around Australia each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This week, St Rita’s will celebrate NAIDOC with a liturgy in the church followed by NAIDOC-themed activities which have been organised by APRE, Mrs Maureen Gaul, and ILO Miss Ebony Lowah-Jia. Parents and families are most welcome to join us for one or both of these activities on Friday 26th July.

During Week 3, CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK will celebrate and highlight the significance of education in Catholic schools in Queensland. I invite all families to join us as we celebrate this event in a variety of school activities that will be taking place during the week. Further details can be viewed in Mrs Gaul’s APRE article in this newsletter. At St Rita’s, CEW begins with an excursion for the Years 4, 5 and 6 students next Tuesday 30th July. Our senior students will travel to Good Counsel Primary in Innisfail to celebrate mass with the other five schools in the southern cluster. If applicable, a permission note will be posted on Ed Smart this week for your approval of your child’s participation in this excursion.

We are excited to commence Dance lessons this week, with local Cairns company, ‘Step It Up Crew’, owned and managed by Ms Sian Whouley. The ‘Dance Fever’ group, which has been teaching Dance at St Rita’s for several years, had decided not to travel up to Cairns schools this year. We were fortunate to learn that Sian has been teaching dance at Mother of Good Counsel, Cairns North, and St Therese’s, Bentley Park. Dance is one of the five elements of the Australian Curriculum: The Arts. For your interest, we have shared information on the teaching of Dance in the Curriculum Corner section of this issue.

As we commence Term 3, I would like to once again remind you that St Rita’s is a community of staff and families who, in partnership, provide a holistic education to our students. I have always connected with Adam Voigt’s analogy of a school being like a brain, with each brain cell representing an individual in the school; a teacher, a school officer, a leader, a student or a parent.

“….. it is not individual strength, but the connections and relationships between the individuals which will determine whether your community of learners reaches its potential”.

I encourage all members of our school community to help us continue developing a strong ‘brain’ throughout this second semester. I believe that we have had a positive start to achieving this goal in 2019, as each and every one of our ‘cells’ builds a strong culture of community and relationships at St Rita’s. The staff works exceptionally well together and I am proud to be a member of this team. I urge you to ‘get on board’ as an active member of our school’s parent team and to participate in all that we offer at our wonderful little school.

Regards and blessings for a happy Semester 2,

Judy Billiau

NAIDOC WEEK 2019

VOICE. TREATY. TRUTH.

We invite you to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future.

The Indigenous voice of this country is over 65,000 plus years old.

They are the first words spoken on this continent. Languages that passed down lore, culture and knowledge for over millennia. They are precious to our nation.

It’s that Indigenous voice that include know-how, practices, skills and innovations - found in a wide variety of contexts, such as agricultural, scientific, technical, ecological and medicinal fields, as well as biodiversity-related knowledge. They are words connecting us to country, an understanding of country and of a people who are the oldest continuing culture on the planet.

And with 2019 being celebrated as the United Nations International Year of Indigenous Languages, it’s time for our knowledge to be heard through our voice.

For generations, we have sought recognition of our unique place in Australian history and society today. We need to be the architects of our lives and futures.

For generations, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have looked for significant and lasting change.

Voice. Treaty. Truth. were three key elements to the reforms set out in the Uluru Statement from the Heart. These reforms represent the unified position of First Nations Australians.

However, the Uluru Statement built on generations of consultation and discussions among Indigenous people on a range of issues and grievances. Consultations about the further reforms necessary to secure and underpin our rights and to ensure they can be exercised and enjoyed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

It specifically sequenced a set of reforms: first, a First Nations Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Constitution and second, a Makarrata Commission to supervise treaty processes and truth-telling.

(Makarrata is a word from the language of the Yolngu people in Arnhem Land. The Yolngu concept of Makarrata captures the idea of two parties coming together after a struggle, healing the divisions of the past. It is about acknowledging that something has been done wrong, and it seeks to make things right.)

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people want their voice to be heard. First Nations were excluded from the Constitutional convention debates of the 1800’s when the Australian Constitution came into force. Indigenous people were excluded from the bargaining table.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have always wanted an enhanced role in decision-making in Australia’s democracy.

In the European settlement of Australia, there were no treaties, no formal settlements, no compacts. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people therefore did not cede sovereignty to our land. It was taken away from us. That will remain a continuing source of dispute.

Our sovereignty has never been ceded – not in 1788, not in 1967, not with the Native Title Act, not with the Uluru Statement from the Heart. It coexists with the sovereignty of the Crown and should never be extinguished.

Australia is one of the few liberal democracies around the world which still does not have a treaty or treaties or some other kind of formal acknowledgement or arrangement with its Indigenous minorities.

A substantive treaty has always been the primary aspiration of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander movement.

Critically, treaties are inseparable from Truth.

Lasting and effective agreement cannot be achieved unless we have a shared, truthful understanding of the nature of the dispute, of the history, of how we got to where we stand.

The true story of colonisation must be told, must be heard, must be acknowledged.

But hearing this history is necessary before we can come to some true reconciliation, some genuine healing for both sides.

And of course, this is not just the history of our First Peoples – it is the history of all of us, of all of Australia, and we need to own it.

Then we can move forward together.

Let’s work together for a shared future.

CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK

Catholic Education Week will be celebrated across Queensland from 28 July – 3 August 2019. This annual event is held to promote the special ethos of Catholic schools and to highlight the great things that take place in Catholic schools every day. The theme for this year’s celebrations is: Many Voices. One Spirit.

Catholic education strives to make a difference in the lives of those in our schools and in the wider community by challenging young people to live out the message of Jesus and to reach their full potential as compassionate, contributing, life-giving members of society.

There are 306 Catholic schools in Queensland that educate around 149,000 students and employ more than 20,000 teachers and staff, and most will celebrate Catholic Education Week in some way. St Rita’s School will be joining with the five other schools and college in the southern deanery to celebrate CEW on Tuesday 30th July.

We hope you are able to join in the celebration of Catholic Education Week 2019 with us.

MYP SCHOOL SURVEYS

As part of our ongoing commitment to continuously improving the school, we believe it is critical to seek each parent and guardian’s opinion on a range of issues relating to St Rita’s School Babinda. Your feedback is very important to us as we continue to build a successful school and strengthen our reputation as an ‘educator of choice’.

Each year, Cairns Catholic Education engages the professional services of MYPCorp to undertake a strictly private and confidential School Results Survey on our behalf. The survey should take approximately 10 - 15 minutes and will need to be completed online between 22nd July and 5th August 2019. There are no right or wrong answers and we ask that you respond honestly to each statement.

Please note that this survey will be confidential. No member of the leadership team at St Rita’s School Babinda will have access to your individual responses. We will be provided with a summary of collated results only.

MYPCorp will undertake the following process to ensure anonymity:

1. Parents and guardians will be emailed individual survey logins.
2. Results will be collated externally.
3. A summary of collated results will be provided to the school leadership team.

On the survey start date, survey instructions and a personalised login link will be emailed to all parents. You will continue to send friendly reminders during the survey period until you have submitted the survey. If you do not receive your survey instructions on the survey start date, please check your spam and junk email folders before contacting the school.

While we strongly encourage you to participate, the survey is not compulsory. If you decide that you do not want to complete the survey, simply click ‘Unsubscribe’ in the instruction or reminder email.

Thank you for your assistance in helping to shape the future direction of St Rita’s School Babinda.

Judy Billiau
Principal

APRE THOUGHTS

Dear Parents,

God of all peoples,
You have created each one of us in your own image and likeness.
Help us to acknowledge and celebrate the rich contribution
of the many people who make up our world.
Lead us closer to one another,
so that together we may be instruments
of love, faith and unity in our world.
Amen.

NAIDOC Day Celebrations at St Rita’s

NAIDOC Day 2019, under the theme – Voice. Treaty. Truth. Let’s work together for a shared future invites all Australians to walk with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in a movement of the nation for a better future. Voice. Treaty. Truth. were three key elements to the reforms set out in the Uluru Statement from the Heart, representing the unified position of First Nations Australians.

This month, Pope Francis has announced his prayer intention for July is to pray that those who administer justice may work with integrity, and that the injustice which prevails in the world may not have the last word. This Friday, at our NAIDOC Liturgy, we will pray that Christ’s mission of peace and justice is brought to all people, especially our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander brothers and sisters. Family and friends of St Rita’s School and Parish family are most welcome to attend our celebrations, which are outlined below:

2019 NAIDOC Day Schedule of Activities
Friday 26th July

To find out more about the 2019 theme on the NAIDOC website.

Source below, accessed on 20th July 2019.

Catholic Education Week

Catholic Education Week will be celebrated across Queensland from 28 July – 3 August 2019. This annual event is held to promote the special ethos of Catholic schools and to highlight the great things that take place in Catholic schools every day.

The theme for this year’s celebrations is: Many Voices. One Spirit. - chosen for its promotion and support of inclusiveness.

Next Tuesday, 30th July, children from Years 4, 5 and 6 will be travelling to Good Counsel Primary School, along with staff and students from St John’s Silkwood, St Rita’s South Johnstone, and St Clare’s Tully, for Eucharist at the Southern Deanery’s Catholic Education Week Mass. Following morning tea, students will return to school, and continue to enjoy our whole school activities to celebrate Catholic Education Week. Please join us if you are able to!

Our next whole school mass will be held on Tuesday 15th August to observe the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at a time to be confirmed. Parents and friends of St Rita’s are warmly invited to attend.

Blessings,

Maureen Gaul
Assistant Principal (Religious Education)

CASTING THE NET

Where do you focus?

Once when I was travelling back home from Melbourne I got caught in the chaos that was affecting air travel. Between an airline not running, engineering problems with a plane from another airline, bad weather and pressure from the beginning of school holidays, the homeward trip was a mess, beginning at Melbourne airport. There the queue for the Baggage Drop went back from the Domestic terminal right into the International terminal! What was amazing was how calmly and politely the overwhelming majority of people took the inconvenience in their stride. Amongst the hundreds of people, the number of people who made an unpleasant fuss could have been counted on one hand. Yet what was really amazing was how little attention those people were given. Everyone, but especially the staff, just got on with being calm and making the best of a difficult situation. I marvelled at what a difference such a focus can make.

In the ordinary challenges and circumstances of life, if we chose to focus on what is negative, we will become people who give out negativity: whingers and unhappy complainers. But if we make the best of a situation and try to find what is good, we will be happy and spread that happiness. At the heart of the Christian faith is the belief that not only has God created a good world but that God’s grace and power can bring goodness even out of profoundly sinful situations. We allow that divine power to work in our lives by what we chose to focus on. In life, in love and in relationships, we can only build on good. Focus on the good and then you will have the power to deal with the difficult challenges.

Loving God, you have made our world and each of us in love and goodness. When life is difficult and challenging, send us your Spirit so that we may be channels of Jesus’ life-giving power and love. We ask this in his name confident that you will hear us.

Sr Kym Harris osb

SCHOOL COUNSELLOR

Term 3 well-being goals!

How were the school holidays for your family? Quiet, restful and refreshing or noisy, hectic and action-packed? Maybe they were a combination of both. Now that the holidays are over, it is important to re-establish healthy routines to help your children be body & mind ready for a new term of learning & fun.

Wellbeing can be boosted if students are well rested, are eating a well-balanced diet and are given some responsibility. Three areas to focus on are bed-times, healthy eating and organisation.

Bedtimes are often relaxed during school holidays, with children allowed to stay up later and sleep in longer. According to the Sleep Health Foundation, children aged 6-13 years require 9-11 hours of sleep each night (see link below). When students are well rested, they arrive at school with an alert mind, and are more emotionally resilient.

Healthy eating - Now that the holiday treats have been demolished, you might like to visit the link below for ideas on packing a balanced lunchbox. Checkout what fruit and vegetables are in season now and enjoy them at their freshest.

Organisation - From Term 3 onwards, assist your children to be self-organised for school. As the routine is the same each week, this is a great opportunity for students to take on age appropriate levels of responsibility. For younger children, start with a picture chart to show what days to pack their library and homework folders. Upper primary students could make their own breakfast and pack their school lunch if they are developmentally ready.

These three focus areas can help support your children’s wellbeing and development and can help take the load off us busy parents a little bit. It might take a couple of weeks of hard work on our part to get our little treasures into routines and healthy habits but the short term pain of implementing routines and responsibilities will most definitely create long term gain for both children and parents whilst increasing our kids ability to become more self-directed and reliant.

Larissa Juniper
Guidance Counsellor

CURRICULUM CORNER

SHAPE OF THE AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM: THE ARTS

An Introduction

An education rich in the Arts maximises opportunities for learners to engage with innovative thinkers and leaders and to experience the Arts both as audience members and as artists. Such an education is vital to students’ success as individuals and as members of society, emphasising not only creativity and imagination, but also the values of cultural understanding and social harmony that the Arts can engender (National Education and the Arts Statement, 2007). 5. Through studying and engaging in the Arts, students will develop specific knowledge, skills and processes, and also create art works. Through learning to appraise and critique art works, artists and artistic practices, they will learn to value the uniqueness of each art form, and to understand that all art forms are interconnected. Students will come to understand the social, historical and cultural contexts of art forms. Students will learn that the Arts are central to creative communities and cultures. The Arts provide evidence of the creative and cultural life of a community.

Overview: Dance F–12

In dance, students will develop knowledge, understanding and skills to communicate ideas using the elements of dance, including space, time, dynamics and relationships. They will work with the body as the instrument and movement as the medium of dance, using dance composition processes to explore, organise and refine movement for choreography and performance. In each year the starting point will be everyday movement. Students will develop their movement vocabulary, with techniques from simple to advanced skills in locomotion, balance, coordination, alignment and expression. Safe dance practices and technical skills will be used, relevant to body type and individuals. Through the integrated practices of choreography, performance and appreciation, students will develop aesthetic knowledge. These early dance experiences will lead to later participation in a variety of genres and styles, relevant to young people’s interests, capabilities and local context. They will understand that dances have always been created for multiple purposes, in past times and in contemporary life, and that social networks and technology can be used to contribute to innovation in dance. They will examine the influences of social, cultural and historical contexts, both past and present, on dance. This learning will provide a basis for composing and performing, and for the critical analysis of dance works.

STAFF INTRODUCTION

My name is Ebony Lowah-Jia. I am a proud Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, who was born and raised in Cairns. I recently re-located to Babinda, where I found a love for the creeks and wide-open spaces. I was lucky enough to get the Indigenous Liaison Officer position at St Rita’s Babinda, St Rita’s South Johnstone and St Clare’s in Tully. Due to working at three different schools, I will only be available on Thursday and Friday of each week, however I am more than happy to be contacted on any other day via email or phone. I’m very excited to be a part of St Rita’s school community and I look forward to meeting our indigenous families throughout the term.

Ebony Lowah-Jia
Indigenous Liaison Officer

LIBRARY LINKS

BOOK WEEK

Welcome back families!

Term 3 is always an exciting and busy time for the library, when we acknowledge all things reading related with our celebration of Book Week. This year we will hold our shared Book Week Parade on Wednesday 28th of August, focussing on the Children’s Book Council of Australia theme of ‘Reading is my Secret Power’.

As always, children are asked to dress as their favourite book character, bringing their book to school with them on parade day. I am so excited to hear about all the plans for favourite character costumes this year, as we count down to the big day! I will send home a note with some costume ideas in the next couple of weeks and a final information update closer to the date. Happy planning!

Until next time, here’s a favourite: ‘Books are a uniquely portable magic’ – Stephen King

Lisa Calcagno
Library Assistant

WINTER UNIFORM SALE!

We have noticed that several of our children have been wearing the long navy blue taslon track pants in the cooler weather. As our winter uniform is void of school logos, our long pants and jacket can also be worn outside of school hours. If your child is not wearing St Rita’s winter uniform, only navy-coloured jackets and jumpers (without branding), comply with the school’s Uniform Policy.

As winter draws to a close this term, we are selling our long pants at the reduced price of $15.00. All uniforms can be purchased from Debbie in the school office from 8:00am – 4:00pm Monday through Friday.

Thank you for assisting us in keeping our St Rita’s students looking smart!

DATE CLAIMERS

STUDENTS OF THE WEEK

St Rita’s School congratulates those students who were awarded ‘Student of the Week’ at Assembly on Thursday 18th July 2019.

‘INSPIRE’ AWARDS

St Rita’s congratulates Cooder Postic and Eva Masina for their published articles in the Cairns Post ‘Inspire’ section on Tuesday 21st June and Tuesday16th July 2019. Cooder wrote an interesting recount of our school disco last term, while Eva’s recount of the Year 4/5/6 cultural excursion to the ‘Billionaire Boy’ performance at Cairns Performing Arts Centre was an interesting read. Congratulations Cooder and Eva on showcasing your writing talent!

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

COMMUNITY NEWS

POSTER COMPETITION

Well Women’s Clinic – Babinda Hospital

(This clinic is available to Medicare eligible clients)

Wednesday 31st July 2019
All services are provided by a specially-trained Women’s Health Nurse.
For appointments phone 4067 8200