Issue 4 – 15th March 2023

Newsletter Articles

VISION STATEMENT

PRINCIPAL’S PEN

Hello Family and Friends,

Welcome to Week eight, hasn’t the term just flown by.

This week saw us as a school host our first P&F meeting for the year, a very big thank you to the families that came. We were able to start with the AGM and successfully filled all roles. We discuss several proposed events for the coming year and set the date for our next meeting on 24th April 2023. With so much notice, I would love to see more families come and engage with our school community…as the saying goes…“many hands make light work”.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Jacob from Cricket Australia, he has been visiting St Rita’s now once a week for the term engaging all our students in an hour session of cricket skills. Today marks his last day with us, as a school we are very grateful for him sharing his time and knowledge with all of us, his enthusiasm and love for the game of cricket is infectious. Jake presented his ‘Big Bash Champions’ trophy to Jax, Annabelle, Kodi and Tia for a competition that has been running over the past 4 weeks.

This Friday will be Debbie’s last day with us for the term, Debbie is taking some leave to visit 3 of her children in Brisbane. While Debbie is away, Julie who works every Monday in the library will fill in for Debbie in her absence. We wish Debbie safe travels and look forward to having her back at the start of Term two.

Next week we will have some representatives from Little Athletics running a program called LAPS with all our students, this is a wonderful opportunity for our students to engage in some athletics.

Can I please ask that students arrive on time each day, this allows for routine and transition into class a lot easier. If your child/children will be late, can you please text the school mobile 0400 698 414 or leave a message on the school phone 4065 9580, so as we can inform their classroom teacher.

My first couple of weeks with St Rita’s has been such a blessing and everyone has been so welcoming and accommodating. I am looking forward to the next two weeks so we can all finish the term on an even more positive note.

Many thanks

God Bless

Brendon Napier
Acting Principal

Prayer

Come, My Light

Come, my Light, and illumine my darkness.
Come, my Life, and revive me from death.
Come, my Physician, and heal my wounds.
Come, Flame of divine love, and burn up the thorns of my sins,
kindling my heart with the flame of your love.
Come, my King, sit upon the throne of my heart and reign there.
For you alone are my King and my Lord.
Dmitri of Rostov, d. 1709

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL

Dear Parents and carers,

As the Term nears and end we ask you to remember the importance of reading. Our teachers are working closely with students to develop fluency and comprehension and will continue to test students for these skills. It is vital to consider the teaching and learning that teachers must consider when apply reading. Research has shown that there are six key components that contribute to successful beginning reading. Because of the importance of these components, they have become known as the 'Big Six’: oral language, phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. In the early years of schooling, literacy lessons will incorporate the Big Six. A child's reading skills are important to their success in school as they will allow them to access the breadth of the curriculum and improve their communication and language skills. In addition, reading can be a fun and imaginative time for children, which opens doors to all kinds of new worlds for them.

Why is reading so important?

Studies show that reading for pleasure makes a big difference to children’s educational performance. Likewise, evidence suggests that children who read for enjoyment every day not only perform better in reading tests than those who do not, but also develop a broader vocabulary, increased general knowledge and a better understanding of other cultures.

In fact, reading for pleasure is more likely to determine whether a child does well at school than their social or economic background.

What difference can I make as a parent?

You can make a huge difference! Parents are the most important educators in a child’s life – even more important than their teachers – and it is never too early to start reading together.

Even before they were born, babies learn to recognise their parents' voices. Reading to your baby from birth, even for just a few minutes a day, gives them the comfort of hearing your voice and increases their exposure to language.

Building vocabulary and understanding

Learning to read is about listening and understanding as well as working out what is printed on the page. Through hearing stories, children are exposed to a wide range of words. This helps them build their own vocabulary and improve their understanding when they listen, which is vital as they start to read. It is important for them to understand how stories work too. Even if your child does not understand every word, they will hear new sounds, words and phrases which they can then try out, copying what they have heard.

Irrespective of whether your child is only just beginning to learn to read or whether they are fluent, you can play an important role in helping to keep them interested in books. Find out what interests them, help them to find books that will be engaging and fun, and spend time reading the books they bring home from school together.

Reading as Homework

Well done to students who are completing their readers each night. We love seeing students continue to work on “the big six” skills both inside and outside of the classroom. If you have any questions or queries about reading expectations please ask your classroom teacher, or alternatively you can ask me.

Kind regards,

Sam Benvenuti
Deputy Principal – Leader of Learning and Teaching

Counsellor’s Corner

Dear parents and carers,

How do you want to be remembered by your children?

A wise woman said to me the other day “we only have 18 summers with our children”. So, as you approach the school holiday’s, take time to enjoy each other. Children do not measure time like adults. It is the quality of our relationship and special moments together that matter and will be recalled for generations to come. Laugh, have fun and create positive memories. They may not remember exactly what you said but they will remember how they felt when they were with you.

When we are Mean, Weak or Gone our children feel afraid of the person they most need to turn to. When this happens repeatedly, our children learn not to turn to us or other safe adults. It’s the relationships (and only the relationship) that will build our children’s capacity to organise their feelings. I have heard some people say their child’s problem looks like something that is being done on purpose. But at its root, it’s a matter of unmet needs and feelings. It is the needing to reconnect and learning to handle difficult feelings in a safe and secure way. For parents, being calm, present and shifting our perspective with an approach of “together we are going to figure out what you need” children will realise that an adult who is Bigger, Stronger, Wiser and Kinder is in charge and safe. This will reassure her/him that feelings will settle, can be organised and the relationship will be repaired (2018, Cooper, Hoffman, and Powell; Circle of Security International).

Warm regards,
Miss Jo

DATE CLAIMERS

STUDENTS OF THE WEEK

St Rita’s School congratulates those students who were awarded ‘Student of the Week’ at Assembly on Friday 10th March 2023.

P&F NEWS

Turn Your Trash into Cash for our school

The P & F is contributing to the St Rita’s sustainability initiative by organising the collection of recyclable containers that earn 10c upon return to Cash 4 Containers FNQ. The school is keen for parents to begin collecting at home and bring them into the recycle bin at school.

Although it seems like an insignificant amount paid for each container, it ‘all adds up’ if all families start collecting and sending in their containers. We thank you for your interest and support of this fundraising activity! So far this term the cans, drink bottles and poppers have raised $ 44.50.

Thank you,

Maryjane Masina
P&F Secretary

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

MUNRO THEATRE

PIANO LESSONS AND THEORY OF MUSIC

Expressions of interest and enquiries for piano lessons and Theory of Music on Saturday’s

Please phone :- Bernadette Anthony on 0499 180 022

Or email :- bernanthony19@gmail.com

GORDONVALE SUNS AFL

MUSIC LESSONS WITH JENNI