Issue 18 - 23 November 2021

Newsletter Articles

VISION STATEMENT

PRINCIPAL’S PEN

Dear Families,

The last newsletter for the year, where has the time gone. I’d like to thank everyone for welcoming myself and my family into our wonderful school community this year. I’m very excited about the direction in which our school is heading and look forward to improving the learning outcomes for our students at St Rita’s. I hope in between the busyness of the Christmas season we can all count our blessings and remember the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ, who came to bring peace to the world. I hope to catch up with everyone in the next few weeks to wish you all a happy, safe, and holy Christmas break.

Staffing

We are excited to announce that Ms Shelley Douglas will be joining our staff from next year. Shelley was the successful applicant for our vacant teaching position and will be moving from the Sunshine Coast after Christmas. Shelley has a wide range of skills and experience that made her an ideal candidate for the position. We are still finalising class groupings and teachers, a note will go out to families before the end of the year to explain our structures and teachers for next year.

Farewell

I’d like to take this opportunity to farewell Mrs Maureen Gaul who is leaving us at the end of the year. Maureen has been a big part of our school community, taking on many roles including APRE, Curriculum Support Teacher, and classroom teacher. Nobody can doubt the commitment Maureen has had for our students and families, spending long hours at school and on holidays working to improve the outcomes of our students. She has been an enormous support for me personally across the year as I’ve found my feet at our wonderful school. I wish her the very best as she begins a new chapter.

Graduation Mass

This Thursday night we are looking forward to the graduation of Elijah, Jack, and Eva. We encourage all our families to attend to celebrate these students and their journey at St Rita’s. Families will have got an invite in the last week, please remember to RSVP if you haven’t already done so. The Graduation Mass kicks off at 6 pm followed by speeches and supper.

NAIDOC Day

This coming Monday we will celebrate our school NAIDOC Day. We invite all of our families to join us for this wonderful celebration of our First Nations People and their culture. Mrs Gaul and Miss Karen have organised a number of cultural activities for our students to partake in. I encourage everyone to attend, please RSVP to the office.

End of Year Mass

Next Wednesday will be our End of Year Mass in the Church. We will celebrate a wonderful year at St Rita’s, and reflect on our learning and growth. After Mass at 9 am, we will return to the school for a shared morning tea, and then our students will be performing some Christmas Carols. We hope as many families as possible can make it.

Last Day

A reminder that on our last day, Friday the 3rd of December school will finish at 12 midday. There will be a final Assembly at 11:15am, where the Minnie Vinnies Christmas hampers will be presented to Babinda’s St Vincent De Paul’s representative Mr Tony Densmore. There will also be a guard of honour to farewell the graduating students as they leave the school for the last time.

Michael Rowe
Principal

APRE THOUGHTS

ST VINCENT DE PAUL’S CHRISTMAS HAMPER APPEAL

Next Friday 3rd December, at our final assembly for 2021, St Rita’s will present our Christmas hampers to a local representative from the St Vincent de Paul charity. If you have not yet had the opportunity to do so, please continue to use the final days of the school year to donate any suitable non-perishable items for the hampers. The winners of course, are the local people in need, to whom these donated goods will be distributed, and our children who will learn the gift of giving at Christmas!

ADVENT

Currently, we are in the final weeks of the Catholic Church’s Liturgical Calendar, and nearing the end of Ordinary Time. On Sunday, 28th November, the Church will begin a new liturgical year with a four-week season of Advent. It is a time of hope, focusing on the coming of our Lord, with the joyous expectation of the season culminating in the celebration of the birth of Jesus at Christmas.

In Catholic Churches, each Sunday during Advent, a candle is lit as a sign of longing for the light of Christ to come into our world and into our daily lives. Scripture readings during this season reflect fruitfulness at the end of difficult times, healing and the realisation of promises to God’s people, for example, the birth of Jesus to a young mother, Mary. Advent challenges us to be watchful for the coming of our Saviour, and to be fully alive to the presence of God around us, amidst our human struggles. It is a time to celebrate Christ - both human and divine - who came into our world in the humblest of circumstances, as God among us.

SAVE THESE DATES

St Rita’s will host two significant events in the final week of the term, to which you are warmly invited to attend. On Monday 29th November St Rita’s will hold our NAIDOC celebration commencing with a prayer liturgy at 9am, followed by cultural activities.

“NAIDOC 2021 invites the nation to embrace First Nations’ cultural knowledge and understanding of Country as part of Australia's national heritage and equally respect the culture and values of Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders as they do the cultures and values of all Australians.”

Source: https://www.naidoc.org.au/news/2021-naidoc-week-theme-announced-heal-country Accessed 22nd November 2021

As well, our 2021 Thanksgiving Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday 1st December commencing at 9:30am. Families are invited to join us, to thank God for the year gone by and to ask for guidance to prepare for the Christmas season. It will be a time to remember, and a time to look to the future with hope, as God wants us to. We will have the opportunity to remember all those who have been a part of our lives this year: our families and friends, our schoolmates and teachers, and the people in our wider community, and farewell those who will be leaving our school this year. We welcome Father Kerry Crowley, who will be presiding at our Thanksgiving Mass, and invite friends of St Rita’s Parish and School to join us afterwards for a shared morning tea.

PRAYER TO END A SCHOOL YEAR

At the beginning of each new school year, with four new terms looming ahead, one can often feel a little overwhelmed at the journey that lies ahead. Very gradually though, days give way to weeks and months, terms, and semesters. It feels slightly confusing when faced with the final days, causing one to wonder where the time has gone! Indeed, it feels surreal that I have been a part of school this wonderful school community for the last five years!

During this time, I have been richly rewarded by the presence of so many people who have enriched me, challenged me, and generously let me share in their life journey. I have been blessed, and wish to thank you. In writing my final newsletter for 2021, may I leave you with a fitting quote by Leo Christopher, “There’s only one thing more precious than our time and that’s who we spend it on.”

Blessings,
Maureen Gaul

COUNSELLOR CORNER

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

With school holidays coming up, your child may request more screen time than usual. This article, by Hannah Sheldon-Dean from the Child Mind Institute, provides advice on parenting strategies around screen time limits, tips for prioritizing kids’ wellness and keeping fights to a minimum.

How to Set Limits on Screentime

Setting rules around screen time is never easy, but since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, it may feel impossible. Lots of kids are used to extra screen time at this point — is it time to cut back again? How do you know how much is too much? And is there any way to get kids on board if you do need to change the rules?

There’s no one right answer when it comes to managing screen time during this ongoing crisis. But our experts have some tips to help you set reasonable expectations, support your child and — most important of all — cut yourself some slack.

Start with wellness

When you’re thinking about the role that screen time plays in your child’s life, it can be tempting to start counting hours of TV or TikTok. But David Anderson, PhD, a clinical psychologist at the Child Mind Institute, recommends thinking in terms of your child’s overall health and how they spend their time in general.

Dr. Anderson suggests that parents use the idea of a “developmental checklist” to consider whether a child is engaged in activities important for healthy development. The exact items on this checklist will vary depending on your family’s circumstances (and any COVID restrictions that might affect daily routines), but the idea is to list the activities that your child needs to spend time on in order to stay happy and healthy. Try asking yourself:

• Is my child sleeping enough and eating a somewhat balanced diet?
• Are they getting some form of exercise every day?
• Are they spending some quality time with family?
• Do they keep in touch with friends?
• Are they invested in school and keeping up with homework?
• Do they spend time on the hobbies and extracurriculars that matter to them?

If you can answer yes to most of those questions, then it’s probably not a huge deal if your child watches an extra episode (or three or five) of their favourite show.

The reverse is also true. If your teenager is spending all their time alone in their room, scrolling through social media, “that could be a sign of depression — pandemic or not,” says Dr. Anderson. Or if your child is spending so much time gaming that you can’t get them to exercise or eat properly, that’s a sign that you need to intervene. “If the worry is that your child is having too much screen time, it’s not about how much time that actually is,” Dr. Anderson notes. “It’s about what it infringes on.”

Set reasonable limits

After working through the developmental checklist, you may decide that you do need to set some new limits on your kids’ screen time — or get serious about limits that have fallen by the wayside. But rules don’t need to be rigid or extreme to be helpful. Try these techniques to set healthy boundaries and keep conflict to a minimum:

• Start with compassion. Unstructured screen time is an important source of comfort and entertainment for many kids. Letting your kids know that you understand their needs is a simple way to reduce stress for everyone. “You can say to your kids, ‘Look, I know you need a break. I know you need to relax,’” says Dr. Anderson. “Let them know that a certain portion of their screen time is theirs to do what they like with.”

• Offer additional screen time as a bonus. Try using extra screen time as an incentive for good behavior. If you go this route, be sure to let your child know exactly what is necessary to earn the extra time. For example, getting ready for bed without complaining might earn them an extra ten minutes the next day. You and your child can even write down the goal together and post it somewhere prominent as a reminder.

• Brainstorm alternatives. “When we tell kids not to do something, we almost always need to tell them what to be doing instead,” says Stephanie Lee, PsyD, a clinical psychologist at the Child Mind Institute. Dr. Lee recommends developing an “activity menu” with your child that lists their preferred non-screen activities (like crafts, reading or playing with a pet). That way, when they’re feeling bored or overwhelmed, they’ll have easy choices at the ready.

• Keep a schedule. It can also be helpful to set specific times of the day or week when your kids know they’ll be allowed to use their screens. For instance, maybe the 30 minutes before dinner are always open for screen time. That kind of structure helps kids know what to expect and cuts down on their requests for screens at other times. Plus, it gives you space to schedule your own tasks at a time when you know your children will be busy.

• Model healthy screen use. If you make a point of setting aside your own screens during set times, your children will be more likely to do the same without putting up a fight. Plus, taking breaks from tech has the added benefit of helping you limit your own media intake and giving you moments of mindfulness with your kids.

• Emphasize connection. “The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time for kids under the age of two — except for FaceTiming with relatives,” Dr. Anderson says. “FaceTime with family may be a source of connection for you, and it may also provide a way of maintaining relationships, especially for young kids.” Setting your children up to chat with relatives can also give you a chance to relax or get other things done, which can benefit the whole family.

Stay the course

Once you set up a system, you may find that your kids push back against it. “Maybe they’ll be moody for the first few days,” Dr. Anderson says. “They’ll ask you a thousand times, they’ll get angry. That’s what’s called an extinction burst.” Dr. Anderson explains that it’s natural for children to test new boundaries to see if they’re firm, but if you can stick to your plan and tolerate their irritation for a few days, pushback will likely fade as kids settle into their new routines. As much as you can, avoid making exceptions to rules for the first week or two after you set them.

Here are some more tips for making new (or reinstated) rules stick:

• Don’t debate. When it comes to screen time, reasoned arguments and careful rationales aren’t likely to matter much to kids. “The reality is that parents want to place limits and kids don’t really see a reason why those limits should be there,” says Dr. Anderson. So don’t get bogged down arguing with kids about what the rule should be. Once it’s set, it’s not up for discussion.
• Skip the guilt trip. Kids often turn to tried-and-true arguments that tug on your heartstrings: “All my friends get to play this game as much as they want! Do you want me to be left out?” Know that your rules aren’t harming them and that they’ll let these arguments go once they see that you’re not budging.
• Pick the right time. Changing the rules at a time when other things are changing may make it easier for kids to accept. For example, try starting fresh the first week after a school vacation — not on a busy Wednesday.
• Gather data and re-evaluate. To get older kids and teenagers to buy into a new screen time rule, it can be helpful to compromise based on their wishes — with the understanding that you’ll start with a trial run. For example, your teenager might swear that using screens after a certain time doesn’t affect their sleep, or that homework is easier with a friend on FaceTime. In cases like those, you can give their version a try and track how it goes for a couple of weeks. Do they wake up on time in the morning? Does all the homework get done? See what you learn, and then readjust as necessary. “If they can show you that these goals for their wellness can still be accomplished, even as they engage in these screens, that’s great,” says Dr. Anderson.

Go easy on yourself — and your kids

As with so many aspects of life during the pandemic, it’s impossible for anyone to be the perfect parent right now. If more relaxed rules around screens give you time to work, exercise, or just take time for yourself, accept that that may be the best decision right now.

Dr. Anderson gives the example of wanting to limit your child’s TV time, even though one more episode would give you time for a workout. If you tell your child they can’t watch the episode, they’re cranky and you don’t get your workout. “In that case,” he says, “you can probably be more emotionally available if you give your child that extra screen time, take care of yourself, and then come together afterward.” Thinking in terms of everyone’s needs and stress levels (especially your own!) can help you set realistic limits that work in practice.

It has been a pleasure getting to you the wonderful students at St Rita’s this year and I wish you all a safe, restful, and blessed holiday break.

Wendy Smith
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 12th November 2021.

ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

We congratulate Prep/Year 1 students Jack Schulz, for completing Level Gold, Level Red and Level Blue. Samuel Shaw, for completing Level Gold, Level Red and Level Blue. Flynn Lansdown for completing Level Red and Level Blue. Julia Camm, for completing Level Red and Level Blue. Michael Burrows for completing Level Gold of the M100W high frequency words. Jack, Flynn, Samuel, Julia and Michael were presented with their M100W Certificates at Assembly on Friday 12th November 2021. Well done everyone!

BIRTHDAY CONGRATULATIONS

St Rita’s wished Annabelle Ford, Eva Masina, Tia Thomson and Kodi Petryzsyn (on 18/12/21) all the very best for their recently celebrated birthdays and future birthday.

We hope you all had wonderful birthday celebrations Annabelle, Eva, Tia and Kodi!

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

MUNRO THEATRE

ST RITA’S SWIMMING STARS

Last weekend our very own Year 5/6 girls Latoya Ambrum and Eva Masina, plus Katara Ambrum in Year 4, competed in the Dimbulah Swim Club meet. By all accounts Latoya, Eva and Katara cleaned-up in many of their events. Latoya and Eva improving in their 100 metres freestyle and backstroke. Katara competed in her second carnival, successfully swimming 50 metres in all four strokes.

Congratulations Latoya, Eva and Katara. Well done girls!