Term 3 Week 7 2024

From the Principal

Dear Families,

Last week I was blessed to spend time with principals from Townsville schools for a conference centered around the theme “Reimagine and Reignite”. During our conference we explored concepts around leadership and wellbeing, mindfulness and emotional intelligence. We then participated in a retreat titled “A retreat in everyday life: Let your soul breathe” with the wonderful Marg Trevaethan from House of Prayer. One element of this retreat was exploring a piece called A Prayerful Exchange by mystic and theologian Howard Thurman who writes of the contemplative practice of making time to “centre down”. I would like to share it with you. 

How good it is to centre down!

To sit quietly and see one’s self pass by!

The streets of our minds seethe with endless traffic;

Our spirits resound with clashings, with noisy silences,

While something deep within hungers and thirsts for the still moment and the resting lull…

The questions persist: what are we doing with our lives? - what are the motives that order our days?

What is the end of our doings? Where are we trying to go?...

Over and over the questions beat in upon the waiting moment.

As we listen, floating up through all the jangling echoes of our turbulence, there is a sound of another kind - 

A deeper note which only the stillness of the heart makes clear.

It moves directly to the core of our being. Our questions are answered,

Our spirits refreshed, and we move back into the traffic of our daily round

With the peace of the Eternal in our step.

How good it is to centre down!

I challenge you to find some time over the next few days to “centre down”. It is amazing how clear things become when we take a few moments to stop, silence what is happening around us and contemplate our world. 

This week our Year 5 and 6 students headed off to camp at Virginia Park Station. School camps are a great way for students to learn outside the classroom, bond with peers, foster independence and develop new skills. At camp, students participate in activities that challenge them, help them develop resilience and problem solving skills. School camps don’t just happen. They take an incredible amount of meticulous planning and time in order to come to fruition. I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to our teachers, whose dedication makes camp such a wonderful experience for our students. Our teachers and school officers volunteer their time and energy to ensure that the students have an enjoyable and enriching experience where they can explore, learn and grow. Thank you to their families for also giving up their loved ones to ensure our students have an experience they won’t forget. Thank you to our parent volunteers who have also given up their time to support our Year 5 & 6 team on their camp experience. Without all of the behind the scenes planning, camps wouldn’t happen so from the bottom of my heart THANK YOU!

I had the privilege of attending Verification as part of the school renewal process at St Patrick’s Catholic School in Winton this week. It is always a wonderful opportunity to see what other schools do and come away with some new ideas. St Patrick's is a lovely little school with 40 students. The panel (made up of myself, another Principal, Director of School Development Services from TCE and an external validator) were all made to feel incredbily welcome. While we were in Winton we also took the opportunity to visit some of the local attractions. It is a great place to visit and if you've never been I suggest you put it on your bucket list.

Winton

Next week I will be participating in my final immersion session of my Fellowship Program so will be away Monday - Thursday. This final immersion sees us heading to Cairns where we will be staying at the Seville Centre and participating in advocacy workshops, rainforest explorations, visiting the Botanic Gardens, travelling to Fitzroy Island where we will visit the Turtle Sanctuary, participating in workshops and reflection sessions. I look forward to sharing more with you next week upon my return. Should you have any questions or concerns while I am away, please contact Nicole O’Connor.

Have a wonderful week

Take care and God Bless

Amanda

Religious Life of the School

Dear families,

I can not believe we have three weeks of Term 3 to go. Next week we have the Years 1 and 2 Class Mass on Wednesday at 9 am in the Church, everyone is welcome. It will be the last Class Mass for this year as in Term 4 we celebrate a whole school mass. The last day of school will be our Samaritan Day and we will begin the day with a school liturgy to which all families are invited.

Apparition at Knock

During my first year in Ayr, I travelled to Ireland to visit my daughter who was living there at the time. While there, we visited a place called Knock where there had been an apparition. The place is set up with areas of worship and a replication of the apparition.

The Apparition at Knock, Ireland, occurred on August 21, 1879, when 15 villagers in the small town of Knock witnessed a miraculous vision. The apparition included the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, and St. John the Evangelist, standing beside an altar with a lamb and a cross. The figures appeared in silence, surrounded by a bright light, and the vision lasted for about two hours. Unlike other Marian apparitions, there was no verbal message given. The event was thoroughly investigated and eventually approved by the Catholic Church, leading to Knock becoming a significant pilgrimage site. Today, the Shrine at Knock is a place of prayer and reflection for millions of visitors from around the world.

It is an interesting place to visit and very different to places of worship in Australia. If you ever have the chance to visit I recommend it.

God Bless and have a wonderful week

Nicole

Learning Corner

How is learning Mathematics the same as playing a sport?

Children are taught mathematical skills and techniques appropriate to their age and level of understanding. Similarly, children learning a sport are taught skills and techniques that suit their stage of physical development. The skills and techniques are practised until they are automatic actions before moving on to the next level of skills and techniques.

 The third stage is how well they can use the skills and techniques they have practised to play the game or solve problems. This requires thinking about the situation, identifying what needs to be done and then deciding on the actions necessary to succeed. This learning, practising and applying sequence applies to all sports and classroom learning.

I was fortunate to hear Rachael Whitney-Smith, Curriculum Specialist, Mathematics for ACARA ( Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority), explain why and how Version 9.0 of the Australian Curriculum in Mathematics was developed.

One of the reasons I found most interesting was that we are experiencing a Fourth Industrial Revolution globally. We are in an era of convergence and innovation and cyber-physical systems. Artificial Intelligence(AI) dominates most of what we do. Think of cars that let you know if you wander out of your lane, travel over the speed limit, or are too close to the vehicle ahead of you.

 In Year 5, children begin learning the foundations required to understand the responsible use and application of AI.

The ways of knowing, thinking, reasoning, and doing are taught and learned across Science, Digital Technologies, Design and Technologies, and Mathematics. Children are presented with tasks that allow them to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding, and their application incorporates the skills, processes, and techniques from all four subjects.

 Version 9.0 of the Australian Curriculum encourages teachers to make connections across the different subjects thus easing teacher planning workload and creating real-life relevance for students.

As we implement the AC V9.0, you will notice changes in how we teach and assess student learning. Please do not hesitate to ask if you have any questions or would like clarification on what we are doing.

 Enjoy your weekend!

Rita

P.A.T.H

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