Issue 14 14 September 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,

As term 3 draws to a close it is important to take stock of how fortunate we have been in FNQ to get through another term of (almost) uninterrupted learning for our children. I understand that COVID-19 has had a negative impact on our economy and employment in the region however I see it as a massive blessing that our children have been able to attend school, to learn and interact with their peers freely. I pray that everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday break and look forward to seeing you all refreshed and ready to go for the final term of 2021. Please note that term 4 starts on Tuesday the 5th of October due to the Queen’s Birthday Holiday on the Monday.

Resignation

It is with great sadness that I accepted the resignation of Mrs Maureen Gaul, who will finish at St Rita’s at the end of 2021. Maureen has been at St Rita’s for the past 5 years and has been an integral part of the Leadership team and Teaching team during this time. She has fulfilled the roles of classroom teacher, APRE and Curriculum leader with great distinction and professionalism. Maureen has been an enormous help for me personally as I’ve settled into the role of principal in an unfamiliar diocese. She has certainly left our school in a better place, and I wish her the very best as she takes on her new position at Our Lady Help of Christians school in Earlville. Our loss is their gain.

We will begin advertising for an APRE/ classroom teacher this coming week.

Attendance

Some good news this term, with our overall attendance improving dramatically from last term with almost a 30% improvement. This improvement has positively impacted on our children’s learning, and we hope to beat this again next term. I’ll be presenting some special awards at Assembly on Friday to acknowledge those children who have an attendance over 95% for the Term. Well done everyone.

Father’s Day Breakfast

Thanks to our wonderful staff and P&F group who organised and provided a delicious breakfast for our dads last Monday. It was great to see so many take up the offer to join us and the children certainly enjoyed your company, especially the dads that couldn’t help themselves getting involved in the handball games.

Parent Teacher Interviews

Thanks to all those who have attended or are planning to attend our parent/ teacher interviews this term. It presents a great opportunity to touch base and discuss the progress of your child/ren. Please remember you can book an appointment at any time of the Term to meet with your child’s teacher if you have any concerns or queries.

Leave

Please note that both Mrs Gaul and Mrs Jago are both on leave this week. Mrs Carrigan will be teaching in the 2/3/4 class this week.

Michael Rowe
Principal

APRE THOUGHTS

CHILD PROTECTION WEEK

National Child Protection Week has been celebrated this past week, from September 5th-11th. This initiative provides us with an opportunity to think about ALL children for a bright future ahead! Creating safe environments for our children to thrive in is essential, and there is much that adults can do to facilitate this on both a community and personal level, for example: building strong local communities, acting as a good role model to children, being friendly and helpful, taking time to listen and being aware of support services available if someone needs help. It is important that we look out for all children, and not just our own, and remember that we’re all trying our best, so being kind and caring is more helpful than judging. Small actions can make a big difference for a happy future in the life of a child!

Gracious God,
provide us with a listening heart
that we see and hear the voice of each of our children.
Let your grace and love fall gently on our children
giving them the inner strength, peace and resilience
to seek out assistance when required.
We ask this through Christ our Lord,
Amen.

WHOLE SCHOOL MASS

In Australia, the month of September heralds the season of spring and, in the Catholic Church, September is a month of prayer for the care of Creation. The very first piece of Scripture in the Bible from the book of Genesis, the story of creation, is a fascinating piece of text! You may be quite surprised to know that it is written in the style of a literary poem; it was a creation story for the Hebrew people, and is not considered an historical account or scientific treatise by scripture scholars. Filled with cleverly-written patterns of language and sequences of repetition, it emphasises some important biblical truths for Christians, namely, that out of God’s abundant love for us, God is our Creator. Further to this, it emphasises humankind’s role in honouring the gift of Creation through careful stewardship of the earth’s resources and protection of the environment.

At our whole school mass last Friday, we prayed for continued protection of the Earth’s resources, and to remain attentive to the needs of the poor. I felt very proud of our students for their uplifting singing and wonderful participation in our mass. It was a happy occasion to celebrate our wonderful gift of Creation. May I extend thanks to Father Kerry for officiating at the service, and to the parents and parishioners for joining us in praise of our Creator.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Parents and friends of St Rita’s, once again poised at the end of a fun-filled term, thank you most sincerely for your continued support of our staff and students. Thank you for your smiles, your presence, your conversations and your care and concern. It is very evident that together, we are all striving to be the best we can be, and are very focused on building a happy and friendly place for all. Looking forward to the two week holiday ahead, may I wish all staff, children and their families a wonderful break time. I hope that it is a refreshing and rejuvenating experience for you all, whatever your plans! Take care, stay safe and enjoy!

Blessings,
Maureen Gaul

NQ PHOTOGRAPHY

I have been in contact with NQ Photography regarding our school photos. There are still quite a few families that haven’t placed their photo order. It’s definitely not to late to get your orders in. They will still accept orders this week.

Parents can order online using the code JHS547JK at any time on their website

Thank you.
Debbie Kurucz

DATE CLAIMERS

P & F News

Dear Parents,

A big thank you to all the dad’s and grandfathers who came to our Father’s Day Big breakfast last Monday. It was a very successful fundraising event for the P&F and we thank you for your support.

As we have secured the Canteen at this year’s Harvest Festival, we will be calling on all parents to assist us with the running of the food stall and our school float in the procession through town. We will need as many hands as possible to make our stall a successful fundraising event. This week we will be asking for you assistance in filling the ‘Help needed’ rosters for the float and stall.

Many thanks,

Maryjane Masina
P&F Secretary

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

MUNRO THEATRE

JUNIOR CRICKET SIGN-ON

Well Women’s Clinic – Babinda Hospital

(This clinic is available to Medicare eligible clients)

Tuesday 28th September 2021.
All services are provided by a specially trained Women’s Health Nurse.
For appointments phone 4067 8200