Issue 3 9 March 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,

Well, using the leaf-blower last Sunday (before the storm) to tidy up around the school was a waste of time wasn’t it!

Our last week was very much interrupted and for me this was my first taste of a proper FNQ storm and the damage it can do. Despite the obvious challenges, it was heart-warming to see that even with no electricity on Monday, our teachers and students were still prepared to learn and teach, even while being in near darkness! We had candles going and teachers were trying to make the most of the little natural light they could find. At one stage we had all of the students working in the staff room as they were getting picked up by parents throughout the afternoon. A big thanks to all of our staff who professionally ensured our students safety, despite the wild weather, and our families for your understanding and action on Monday when we asked for students to be picked up. It was a pleasant relief on Wednesday night when the electricity was finally restored in the school and we could get back to business.

Last week we welcomed Mr Trevor Gordon to our school as he conducted our School Review. The school review takes place every 5 years and Trevor’s job is to meet with as many people in the school as possible to get an insight into the inner-workings at St Rita’s. He then presents us with a report highlighting both the affirmations and area’s for improvement. The content of this report will give us direction on where we need to head as a school in the future and we will share these finding with our school community when we receive the final report.

Over the last two weeks we have had a whole school focus on ‘Speaking Respectfully’. Myself and other staff had noticed over the last few weeks that some bad habits had started to creep in and we are making a big effort to speak respectfully to all.

We are encouraging students to:

• Be thoughtful to others feelings
• Use manners, please and thankyou
• Address mistakes with kindness
• Use the persons name when you speak to them
• Look the person in the eye, when talking
• Respond politely when prompted

I’d encourage families to reinforce these messages at home and will continue to inform you of any indiscretions at school. Together we can make a huge difference if we keep delivering this consistent message to our young people.

On a sad note, last week we received notice that our school counsellor, Larissa Juniper will be leaving us to pursue a new opportunity in Cairns. In the short time that I have known Larissa I have found her to be most friendly and more importantly a great support to our teachers and an outstanding advocate for our children. Larissa has been with us since late 2018 and we thank her for her service and wish her the very best in the future.

Larissa will be replaced by Wendy Smith who is an experienced primary school teacher and school counsellor. We welcome Wendy to the team, Larissa will conduct handover with Wendy over the coming fortnight.

Regards and blessings,

Michael Rowe
Principal

APRE THOUGHTS

PRAY, FAST, GIVE

The word ‘Lent’ is derived from an Old English word, meaning ‘to lengthen’. It referred to the gradual lengthening of days that was experienced in northern hemisphere over the six weeks leading into Easter.

In earlier times, Lent began as a time of preparation for adults who were to be baptised into the Catholic faith at Easter, and in an act of solidarity, the faith community observed a period of prayer and fasting before Easter too. Gradually, Lent changed to a time of penance – a sincere expression of sorrow or remorse for wrong-doings - through prayer, fasting and almsgiving as adult baptisms became less common, and still today Catholics are urged to reflect deeply upon their lives and their relationship with God to bring about a ‘conversion of heart’.

The practices of prayer, penance and almsgiving are certainly in evidence at St Rita’s where, across the school, students have been involved in liturgy, prayer and fundraising for Project Compassion. Our Year 4 class led the school in an Ash Wednesday Prayer Liturgy, to mark the beginning of Lent, and the senior class reminded us of the importance of ‘being love’ to others through the works of our hands, hearts and minds at our last assembly. This week, Prep and Year 1 children will share with us a moment of prayers.

When we take time together to pray - at Mass and at school, in classrooms, with our families or when we are alone - we can build bonds of love and friendship with those around us. Prayer is so diverse! There are times that we can pray in gratitude for life’s blessings; in worship to Praise God; for forgiveness in sorrow for our sins; or for others’ sufferings. Here is a prayer you may like to reflect upon:

You are my God, so be merciful to me;
I pray to you all day long.
Make your servant glad, O Lord,
Because my prayers go up to you.

You are good to us and forgiving,
Full of constant love for all who pray to you.

Listen, Lord, to my prayer;
Hear my cries for help.
I call to you in times of trouble,
Because you answer my prayers.
Psalms (8:3-7)

Thank you to all members of our school community who have shared of their time, effort and resources to be actively involved in our Lenten initiatives. Together, we have already raised a total of $ 65.00 from Shrove Tuesday. Project Compassion collection boxes have been placed in all classrooms and in the front office for further donations, should you wish to take the opportunity.

BULLYING. NO WAY!

At St Rita’s, we aim to create a safe and supportive school community for everyone, and promote respectful relationships to honour the dignity of each other. Next Friday 19th March the National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence. As such, teachers will focus explicitly on how to identify bullying behaviour, and share strategies to empower children.

Sometimes, it can be difficult for parents or carers to know what to do when their child talks to them about bullying. You are an important part of our work to prevent bullying and to respond effectively if it happens. Stopping bullying involves everyone.

If your child talks to you about bullying:

1. Listen calmly and get the full story. Your calm response is important to allow your child to tell you all about the situation. After they’ve told you their story, ask questions to get more details if you need to: who, what where, when. Although you may feel some strong emotions about your child’s experience, try to keep calm to avoid more distress to your child.
2. Reassure your child they are not to blame. Many children blame themselves and this may make them feel even worse. You could say things like, ‘That sounds really hard to deal with. No one should have to put up with that!’ or, ‘I’m so glad you told me. You should be able to feel safe at school; that’s not fair at all’.
3. Ask your child what they want to do and what they want you to do. A critical part of your response is to avoid jumping in to solve the problem. While it is natural to want to protect your child, helping them to find their own solution is a better option. It helps them feel they have some power in the situation.
4. Visit www.bullyingnoway.gov.au to find some strategies. The website has tips and ideas for different bullying situations. One idea is to practise strategies at home to help your child feel more confident.
5. Contact the school. Your child may be reluctant for you to do this, so discuss the idea and reassure them that the school would want to know and is able to help. Make an appointment to meet with your child’s teacher and, if you need to, ask to talk with the principal. Contact the school immediately if you have a concern about your child’s safety.
6. Check in regularly with your child. Keep the conversation going. It can take time to resolve issues, so check in regularly with your child about their experiences and their feelings. Your ongoing support is important.

If you are looking for support for yourself to deal with a bullying situation, you will find ideas on the Bullying. No Way! Website for parents. As well, please contact the school if you would like to discuss any aspect of our approach to preventing bullying.

Thank you for your support to make our school a great school for everyone!

Blessings,
Maureen Gaul

SPORTS NEWS

Congratulations

Eva and Latoya who represented St Rita's Babinda at the Cassowary Coast Swimming Carnival in Tully on Friday 19th February. Huge effort from both girls.

A year ago, was Eva's and Latoya's first school district swimming competition and both girls were very nervous. They arrived early last year for some warm-ups but they wouldn't even take their school shirts off to hop into the pool. Eva's exact words "What are we doing? Why are we doing this?"

What a difference a year can make and a few competitions under their belt. Eva and Latoya self-marshalled themselves to track their events and they were ready with their caps and goggles. Latoya came second for the Under 11’s Age Champion category and she qualified for Peninsula in the 50m Freestyle with a time of 38.22 seconds.

Maryjane Masina
Sports Coordinator.

DATE CLAIMERS

STUDENTS OF THE WEEK

St Rita’s School congratulates those students who were awarded ‘Student of the Week’ at Assembly on Friday 26th February 2021

BIRTHDAY CONGRATULATIONS

St Rita’s wished Latoya Ambrum all the very best for her recently celebrated birthday.

We hope you had a wonderful birthday celebration Latoya!

P & F News

Dear Parents,

Due to the weather event last week, our P&F meeting and AGM have been postponed until next Monday. At this meeting, the P&F President and Treasurer of the 2020 Executive Committee will present their reports on what was achieved in the past year. Also, a Committee is elected to continue supporting the school throughout 2021. Please consider the importance of attending these ‘short and sharp’ parent group meetings. You will learn about our school, collaborate with staff, contribute to planning of whole school events for the year, and most importantly, meet other parents.

You are warmly invited to join us for the first meeting of the St Rita’s P&F on Monday 15th March at 3:00pm.

I hope to see you there!

Maryjane Masina
P&F Secretary

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

MUNRO THEATRE

Good Counsel On Show