Issue 9 23 June 2021

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 Families,

I can’t believe we are already half way through the year! As they say, time flies when you’re having fun and lots of fun has been happening at St Rita’s.

What an awesome night it was last Friday for the St Rita’s Disco. It was a real treat to see so many children having an absolute ball. Thanks to all our parents who helped with the organisation and set up of this event, Cyndel, Reid, Trudy, Jonathon and Rebekah. Our school officers and teachers who stayed to ensure the night ran smoothly, Joe on the BBQ, Miss Donna on the camera and Mrs Kurucz and Jacinta in the Tuck shop. A massive thanks to Mrs Masina (aka DJMJ) who not only was chief organiser but did a stellar job with the music and games, keeping everyone dancing and having fun.

AFL has been a big hit at our school this term, it’s a sport I grew up playing, and still play to this day. It was a pleasure to watch the Cassowary Coast Under 8’s play against the South Cairns Cutters last weekend. Kodi, Maddisyn, Leo, Joseph and Jude all played some great footy and the Super Coach (Mrs Masina) did a great job marshalling the troops. Our AFL at school program concluded on Tuesday. We have been lucky enough to have Marcus from AFL Cairns come down to our school to run the sessions with the children. If you’d like for your child to be involved in playing AFL, please see Mrs Masina for more information. It’s a great team sport for both boys and girls to get involved in.

Next term we are excited to launch our very own playgroup. The playgroup will take place at our school every Tuesday for parents and children that would like to come along. The playgroup will be run by Ms Benvenuti and will incorporate lots of play-based learning experiences for any pre-school aged children in our community. See our Facebook page or call us at school on 4065 9580 for further information.

From next Semester, Ms Benvenuti will also take charge of the Health & PE side of the curriculum. Mrs Masina has been doing this for a number of years and we felt it was a good time to give someone else a turn, allowing her to spend more time in her class. Sport uniform is still required to be worn on Tuesdays next Semester.

On Thursday, reports will go home for Semester 1. After reading them over the last few weeks it has become apparent, we have many things to celebrate as we’ve seen some tremendous growth amongst our students. Reports are accessed through the parent portal, information on how to access this is further in the newsletter. Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher if you need anything from the reports clarified.

I wish everyone a safe and happy school holidays and the children get a well-deserved rest. My family and I are very much looking forward to moving to Babinda over the holidays and being part of this wonderful community. Looking forward to seeing everyone back at school on Monday the 12th of July.

Regards and blessings,

Michael Rowe
Principal

STUDENT REPORTING

At this stage of the term, teachers have been extremely busy preparing Semester One Reports for the students at St Rita’s School. In the last week of term, on Thursday 24th June, these formal written reports will be available for viewing and downloading on the Parent Portal. I encourage you to review your child’s Report thoroughly and to contact your classroom teacher for an interview if you have any concerns or queries.

For your information, I am including an excerpt from the Cairns Catholic Education Services Guideline on Student Reporting document, which provides instruction to schools for complying with Australian Government and Diocesan requirements for reporting student achievement:

Rationale and expectations:

In Catholic schools, student achievement is recognised and celebrated in many ways throughout the school year; at informal meetings, through awards at school assembly, parent/student/teacher interviews, through class work that is sent home, through class oral presentations and through written reports.

Reporting communicates information that has been obtained from a variety of assessment processes and involves a professional judgment made on a body of evidence about a student’s progress and achievement against a set of clearly articulated standards. In Catholic schools in the Diocese of Cairns the key principles of reporting are:

• Teacher professional judgment is at the heart of reporting student achievement.
• Teachers’ knowledge and observation of the students’ progress contributes to this professional judgment.
• Teacher professional judgment is informed by assessment data and referenced to the curriculum framework.
• The teacher develops assessment tasks and identifies the criteria which inform judgments about the child’s achievement.
• Teachers utilise the evidence from a body of work to make a judgment against standards at a point in time.
• Teachers should keep a folio of the evidence of a student’s work.

When reading your child’s Report and reviewing, please keep in mind that these are only two sources of feedback about student progress. Throughout the year there are opportunities for parent-teacher interviews to provide parents with comprehensive feedback on individual student progress. This includes feedback on your child’s behaviour in class and discussion of potential learning goals that the teacher has targeted for the individual student.

Kind regards,
Michael Rowe

THE 3Rs: RIGHTS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND RULES

St Rita’s School-wide Positive Behaviour Framework, the 3Rs, is committed to providing students and staff with a safe and happy learning and working environment. The policy promotes the development of quality interpersonal relationships between all members of our school community through positive attitudes and behaviour.

The Framework provides set guidelines for student behaviour, helps students develop appropriate strategies for solving problems and resolving conflicts, and fosters positive relationships between all members of the school community. It includes an outline of a three-tier process for consequences of inappropriate behaviour that is used within the classroom and playground settings.

The overarching emphasis of the Framework is the concept that RIGHTS and RESPONSIBILITIES go ‘hand in hand’. Put simply, for every right that a child has at school, there is a related responsibility. Rights, responsibilities and rules are therefore linked together to ensure a safe, caring and positive learning environment for all members of our school community.

• I have the RIGHT to be respected in our school.
  And it is my RESPONSIBILITY to respect self, others and the environment.
• I have the RIGHT to learn.
  And it is my RESPONSIBILITY to allow others to learn and to do my best.
• I have the RIGHT to be safe.
  And it is my RESPONSIBILITY to act safely and not to hurt anyone.

The aim of the 3Rs Framework is for students to take ownership and responsibility for their own actions and behaviour, to respect the rights of others and acknowledge their responsibilities towards others, and to support positive relationships within the whole school community.

Regards,

Michael Rowe

APRE THOUGHTS

Prayer for Refugee Week

A moment of Grace God of our Wandering Ancestors,
Long have we known
That your heart is with the refugee:
That you were born into time
In a family of refugees
Fleeing violence in their homeland,
Who then gathered up their hungry child
And fled into alien country.
Their cry, your cry, resounds through the ages:
“Will you let me in?”
Give us hearts that break open
When our brothers and sisters turn to us
with that same cry.

Then surely all these things will follow:

Ears will no longer turn deaf to their voices.
Eyes will see a moment for grace instead of a threat.
Tongues will not be silenced but will instead advocate.
And hands will reach out—
working for peace in their homeland,
working for justice in the lands where they seek safe haven.
Lord, protect all refugees in their travels.
May they find a friend in me
And so make me worthy
Of the refuge I have found in you.

AMEN

Catherine McAuley: The Inspiration for our Mercy Values

Experiencing hardship and poverty early in life was perhaps the catalyst for Catherine McAuley to establish schools and shelters for girls and young women in Ireland in the early 1800s. Born in Dublin in 1778, Catherine lost her father at the age of five and her mother at the age of 20. Alone and destitute, Catherine survived on the mercy of others; Catherine felt that she survived on the mercy of God.

In 1803 she found employment in managing a household for a wealthy, childless couple, and what began as a position of carer for an elderly couple, became a role as a trusted companion. Catherine’s fortunes changed when Mr and Mrs William Callaghan bequeathed their house, estate and some savings to Catherine, leaving her considerably wealthy.

Her inheritance was used to build a large house on Baggot Street in Dublin in 1824, which served as a school for poor girls and a shelter for homeless girls and women. She employed co-workers to assist her with continuing her ‘works of mercy’, though was criticised for tending to the needs of the poor, uneducated and sick outside the realm of a religious order.

Not to be deterred, Catherine set about founding the congregation of the Sisters of Mercy, professing her vows alongside her two co-workers in 1831. As a result of her tireless efforts, the order expanded rapidly and responded to the need to service the poor. Catherine herself endured emotional burden, losing many of her family members to consumption, and suffered ill health too with a severe cough. She chose to embrace her suffering as the ‘Cross of Christ’.

In 1841, fatigued and bed-ridden, she passed away – just six months after receiving approval for the Sisters of Mercy’s ‘Rule and Constitutions’ by Pope Gregory XVI. Upon her deathbed, she made a request to the community to “get a good cup of tea … when I am gone and to comfort one another”. She had faith that they would be comforted by God.

Out of the life story of the foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, and based on her faith in God who is mercy, the Mercy Values were borne: Compassion, Justice, Respect, Hospitality, Service and Courage. And, as a Mercy School, these are the values that we also aspire to.

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

ST RITA’S MERCY SPIRIT AWARD

St Rita’s School congratulates Edith Polzin who was presented with the ‘St Rita’s Mercy Spirit’ award at Assembly on Friday 11th June 2021. This award acknowledges students who consistently demonstrate the Mercy Education values throughout the term. We especially congratulate Edith Polzin!

CURRICULUM CORNER

SEMESTER 1 REPORTS

On Thursday 24th June, your child will receive their formal Semester 1 Report. Teachers must report on the parts of the Achievement Standards that have been taught, and are therefore assessable, in each Learning Area. They will be a true reflection of content that has been delivered, and depth of understanding that has been demonstrated by your child/ren.

Maureen Gaul
Curriculum Support Teacher

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 is 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!

DATE CLAIMERS

STUDENTS OF THE WEEK

St Rita’s School congratulates those students who were awarded ‘Student of the Week’ at Assembly on Friday 11th June 2021.

ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

We congratulate Prep/Year 1 students Abel Rowe, for completing Levels Green and Levels Orange, Izaac Shaw, for completing Level Red and Julia Camm for completing Level Gold of the M100W high frequency words. Abel, Izaac and Julia were presented with their M100W Certificates at Assembly on Friday 11th June. Well done everyone!

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

MUNRO THEATRE

COMMENCEMENT OF CANE CRUSHING SEASON