Issue 6 - 27th April 2023

Newsletter Articles

VISION STATEMENT

PRINCIPAL’S PEN

Hello Family and Friends,

Welcome to Week two of Term two

My wife Sharyn and I came down to Babinda yesterday for the ANZAC service in the hall, it was great to not only be present but also stand with our students who attended and paid their respects for our Australian men and women who have served and are serving in the Australian Defence Forces: Navy, Army and Air Force. What an honour it was to see Zoe and Yazmin represent St Rita’s and be the flag bearers for both the Australian and New Zealand flags. This Friday we will be having our own ANZAC Day liturgy in the church for our school to acknowledge the significance of the sacrifices others made for all who are fortunate to call Australia home.

Last week Ms Benvenuti and I attended a two-day conference with world recognised educator Dr. Lyn Sharratt who specialises in school improvement. During these two days we looked closely at our school and student data and looked at ways of improving. We also discussed and shared some of the things we do here at St Rita’s, other leadership teams were very interested in our success with our integrated curriculum and the project based learning our students presented at the end of last Term.

We have Marcus from AFL Qld visiting next week who will be with us for the remainder of the Term every Tuesday developing our students AFL skills. I am sure by the time Mr Rowe comes back he will be very happy to see our students newfound love for his chosen sport.

A very BIG thank you to Matt Owens and Gavin Lansdown for their continued support in maintaining our school grounds – we are very grateful. If there is anyone else who would like to assist in our groundskeeping, please contact Debbie in reception.

Another Big thank you to all our St Rita’s staff for their continued efforts with our students, they all go above and beyond – we are very lucky to have them in our school.

They shall grow not old,
as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them,
nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun
and in the morning
We will remember them.
Response: We will remember them. Lest we forget.

Many thanks
God Bless
Brendon Napier
Acting Principal

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL

Dear Parents and carers,

Last week Brendon and I were fortunate enough to attend “Clarity – What matters most in Learning, Teaching and Leading – by Dr Lyn Sharratt. The day consisted of valuable learning intentions which we are eager to implement here at St Rita’s. During the session we were able to review Assessment “for” and “as” as an integral way at understanding students knowledge. With a focus on Parameter 1 last year, it should be noted that our teachers have worked hard to ensure clarity is consistent amongst our students. Last year we endeavored to understand that:

• We believe that ALL students can:
• Co – determine assessment “Success Criteria” with the teacher
• Provide formative Descriptive feedback to self and peers
• Define strengths and areas for personal growth
• Set personal Learning Goals
• Monitor their own progress

This term our aim is to consistently use six high – impact instructional approaches to inform our teaching:

1. Gradual release of Responsibility: knowing how students learn
2. Accountable Talk: using oral language experiences and social interaction as foundational scaffolds for learning
3. Differentiated Instruction: adjusting for abilities, talents, learning styles ad preferences
4. High – Order Thinking: using Bloom’s Taxonomy, graphic organizers, strong questions and answers
5. Robust Tasks – Developing open – ended tasks that are cognitively demanding.
6. Writing: Across all areas

CTJ- Mathematics Moderation

On Tuesday the 9th of May, our teachers will be moderating Math assessment with other schools in the diocese. Moderation enables teachers within a school to develop and apply a consistent and precise language of assessment which can be used by teachers, students, and families to describe and discuss student learning. During this session teacher will upload one “At standard” summative assessment student work sample, criteria sheet, and task sheet to google drive. During this process teachers will:

1. Outline their task and the context it sits within.
2. Show the evidence of student work that supports the “at standard” judgment.
3. Discuss the findings.
4. Complete the moderation reflection sheet.
5. Provide feedback to the group a summary of the discussion.

Kind regards,
Sam Benvenuti
Deputy Principal – Leader of Learning and Teaching

Counsellor’s Corner

Welcome Back to School and the Start of Term 2

I hope you had a relaxing break and smooth return to school routines for Term 2. I have had several parents ask for information on how to manage lying, which is a normal developmental experience in childhood. There are many reasons why children lie. For example: to get what they want; to avoid a consequence or action they don’t like; to avoid confrontation; for fear of embarrassment; to cover up a mistake; to protect their privacy (often in teens); to project something they wish was true; in response to stress or parental pressure; self-control issues. These are just a few reasons. In all situations it is best to determine what is the behaviour driving the action to lie.

Professor Matt Sanders from Queensland University explains pre-schoolers sometimes mix up reality and fantasy, but we expect that by primary school, children will know the difference between the two. To discourage lying, parents need to explain to their child why lying is wrong and the consequences of lying.

For example, you could briefly and calmly tell your child: “Love, I feel disappointed when you lie. It makes it hard to believe anything you say. If you keep telling lies you will find that nobody will trust you.” It is not helpful to corner your kid in the lie. Instead try to open up a conversation and use active listening to unearth the truth, together.

Give your child opportunities to be honest and praise them for telling the truth. Your positive response will encourage them to repeat their honesty in future. For example:

• “Honey, honesty helps you build strong relationships.”
• “When you tell the truth, it shows you respect yourself and others.”
• “You’re my kid, and I want you to feel your best. Being truthful is freeing! No lies mean no secrets to hide.”

Even when a child admits to telling a lie, praise them first for their honesty, before proceeding with the disciplinary consequences. It may be tempting to punish your child for lying, particularly if this is not the first time they did it. Though this may be your initial response, you may want to stop — before you react — to consider what your goal is for your child. Your goal likely revolves around getting your child to stop lying and the importance of honesty. It’s best to avoid labelling him or her as a liar and choose natural / logical consequence that will support the learnings of being honest in the future.

If your child is finding it hard to be honest, Triple P’s Positive Parenting Program give suggestions of developing a written contract signed by you and your child. This contract should state what you expect your child to do and the rewards and consequences that will follow. If they have lied, the consequences for that behaviour are clearly listed in the contract. As your child learns honesty, you will no longer need a written contract as you and your child will have established a more permanent contract of trust. For examples of written contracts and other suggestions to promote honesty and trust, welcome to contact your School Counsellor Miss Jo for further information.

Finally, remember you can take positive steps to help them avoid future deceit. This can include giving them the chance to correct themselves and reasonable consequences for telling a lie. You may find it helpful to figure out the reasoning behind the lie. If you can determine the behaviour, it may help shape your response and help to encourage the truth in the future.

For further learnings and support please refer to:

Triple P Parenting
Raising Children
Child Mind Institute (childmind.org)

Yours in Counselling
Miss Jo

Library News

Week 6 of Term 2 will see our Book Fair arriving, sure to delight as it always does. This year Book Fair will take place in the library, over five (5) days, Monday 22nd May to Friday 26th May. For your convenience, the library opening hours will be as follows:

8:00am – 8:30 am each morning, Monday to Friday
3:00pm – 3:15 pm each afternoon, Monday to Friday

I would love to see each of our families visit at some time during Book Fair week. If you are hoping to find some inspiration for birthday’s, Christmas gifts, and would like to keep your purchases a surprise, I would be happy to help. Don’t hesitate to contact me in person or Debbie in the office.

Kind regards,
Julie Cross
Library Assistant

DATE CLAIMERS

P & F News

Dear Parents,

The P & F committee are organising a Mother’s Day basket this year. It would be greatly appreciated if you could donate an appropriate item to be added to this gift basket. Books of 10 tickets will be sent home with your children today. Your donations can be left in the office, if you require additional ticket books ask Debbie in the office.

Mother’s Day activities will be organised after the Assembly by Year 3/4 class at 1:45pm. The raffle being drawn at assembly.

Many thanks,
Maryjane Masina

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

MUNRO THEATRE

WELL WOMEN’S CLINIC – BABINDA HOSPITAL

(This clinic is available to Medicare eligible clients)
Tuesday 23rd May 2023
All services are provided by a specially trained Women’s Health Nurse.
For appointments phone 4067 8200

BABINDA GOLF LESSONS

BUILDING THE BABY BRAIN