Term 2 Week 5 2022

From the Principal

Dear Parents and Carers,

It is hard to believe that the end of this week sees us halfway through Term 2!  Time is certainly flying.

It was wonderful to have so many families join us at our School Mass on Sunday.  The students did an amazing job with leading the readings and actions to the recessional song.  It is always special when we can join with the Parish to celebrate the Eucharist.  Thank you to all those who were able to join us.  If you weren’t able to attend, our next School Mass will be on Sunday 19th June at 5:30pm.

Just a reminder to drive carefully and slowly in the carpark.  The teachers on duty will not allow students to walk through the carpark to reach a parked car.  We ask that families collect their children from the school side of the carpark.  Please remember that the Stop, Drop and Go area is purely that.  The driver and passengers are to remain in the vehicle.  If your child requires help with their seat belt we ask that you park and help them in order to keep the pick up line moving.  We also ask that students access their cars from the passenger side, as it is quite dangerous for students to be walking around cars to enter on the driver's side.  I thank you for your assistance with these matters as they will help keep our students safe.

Over the past few newsletters, I have been writing about some of the topics that we addressed at our Parent Information evening.  This week I would like to address some easy ways to be engaged with your child’s learning.  

• Have high expectations for your children - let your children know that you think it is important that they do well in school.  High, but realistic, parental expectations have the greatest impact on student achievement.  When parents consistently express belief in their children’s potential and tell them to do their best academically, students do better. 
• Talk about school - talk with your children about what’s happening at school - activities, programs, and what they are learning.  Surprisingly, this has a greater impact on academic achievement than monitoring homework, being at home after school or limiting the time they are allowed to watch TV.  
• Help your children develop a positive attitude toward learning and good work habits - Research shows that the greatest influence you can have on your children’s chances for success in school lies in how you influence their attitudes, their sense of personal competence, and their work habits, including persistence, seeking help and planning.
• Reading together - reading is one of the foundations of all education, and you can make a big difference by reading and talking about books and stories with your children.  Reading with children is the best way to turn them on to reading.  This doesn’t mean you should be forcing them to sound out words - instead of focussing on teaching your children the mechanics of reading, teach them to love reading.  Make reading fun and enjoyable.  

Just a reminder that Catholic School Parents Queensland is holding a Parent Engagement Day on Saturday 4th June in Townsville.  This is a wonderful opportunity and I encourage you to consider attending.  If you plan on attending, please let me know.  I will be going to this event.  Register your attendance here https://www.eventcreate.com/e/townsvilleparentengagement2022

On Friday Prep are holding their annual Prep Bike Day.  For safety reasons we will be closing the car park from 8:50am to 11am so that our Prep students can participate in this morning of learning.  I thank you for your understanding.

We are currently taking Prep enrollments for 2023.  If you have a child beginning school next year or know someone whose child is due to begin Prep, please get your enrollment forms in ASAP.   Don’t forget about our Prep Open Days on the 10th and 16th of June.  Parents and students of 2023 Prep students are invited to join us on either day to get a taste of what a day in the life of Prep is like.  Please RSVP to the Office so we know you are coming.  

Have a wonderful week.

Take care and God Bless

Amanda

Religious Life of the School

In the readings for the sixth Sunday of Easter, Jesus promises the disciples that the Holy Spirit will teach them everything and remind them of all he has said to them. (John 14:23-29) At confirmation, we learn of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that give us; knowledge, understanding, wisdom, courage, right judgement, reverence and awe. Jesus asks us to let the Holy Spirit live in our hearts so we are close to God and filled with his peace and goodness. 

We encourage our students to stay positive, use their gifts well and when things become difficult or challenging, whether it is in friendships or learning, not to give up but keep trying until the situation is resolved or they achieve success.  In this way, they develop resilience and have the ability to meet life’s challenges positively.

Laudato Si: Twelve years ago, Pope Francis wrote an encyclical “On Care for Our Common Home; ‘Laudato Si’. The Holy Father’s message was very clear: caring for our environment is a fundamental tenet of our Catholic faith. The Catholic principle of Care for God’s Creation is one of the seven principles of Catholic Social Teaching. We are called to love and respect all creation and to work together to ensure the health and sustainability of our common home for all peoples and creatures.

This week is a great opportunity for us all to do something special to care for our world. Here at school, we encourage our students to care for the environment in small ways through prayer particularly for those affected by changes in their environment, Thursday’s nude lunches and putting their rubbish in the correct bins. Some ways you can celebrate as a family are through prayer, gardening or going somewhere special in nature such as the beach and contemplating the wonders of God’s creation. 

Thank you to all students and their families who came along to the 5:30 pm mass on Sunday. The readers were very clear and fluent and everyone sang beautifully. The Parishioners were very impressed with our children’s participation and enjoyed having so many celebrate with them.  Well done everyone!

God Bless

Mary

A prayer for our earth

All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth,
so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives,
that we may protect the world and not prey on it,
that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.
Touch the hearts
of those who look only for gain
at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,
to be filled with awe and contemplation,
to recognize that we are profoundly united
with every creature
as we journey towards your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle
for justice, love and peace.

- Pope Francis

Aiming for Excellence

Ready Set Write! 

This week students in years two to six will focus on writing a plan for 3 different stimuli. On Thursday they will choose their best plan and spend the next 2 days writing the text for the plan. They will work on increasing their speed at planning and writing a text. 

NAPLAN will be completed this week. All students are to be commended on the ease with which they dealt with the momentary loss of connection and continued with the task at hand. Intermittent interruptions to connections were widespread throughout the state, perhaps a consequence of the weather last week? 

I am sure you have all heard “ School isn’t fun!”  OR  “ School is boring!’

We have recently come out of an era where schooling had to be ‘fun’ to keep the students engaged. With the dress ups, group activities and lots of hands on activities school for the majority of children was fun. Learning had to be more entertaining than challenging. The emphasis was mostly on children doing interesting activities.

It was eventually realized that for the majority of children the learning was superficial and short lived. Children who have a natural drive to learn will learn well in any setting but for children who need guidance, support and encouragement to learn, entertainment in education did not help them make the connections between the activity and the learning.

Did this mean we had to move to a stringent regime of direct teaching with absolutely no ‘fun’?

Most children find learning ‘fun’ when they know what they will be learning, why they need to learn it and what their learning will look like when they are successful. They have a clear path to success and can track their own progress to achieve success. When children have a  clear purpose and a destination that is relevant to them, the ‘fun’ in schooling comes from the sense of achievement. We have seen children believing they were not making progress until they compared their work samples from the beginning of the learning journey to the final product and were able to describe their progress. When the activities have a clear purpose and a goal, the ‘fun’ is limitless but it is definitely education rather than edutainment. This is not enough motivation for children who have never been given responsibilities for tasks in the home with the expectation that they will be completed to the best of their ability and in a timely fashion.

This is the beginning of learning the skill of self monitoring progress, a skill that is essential across all aspects of life and especially for a positive attitude. Parents have a vital role in helping children identify their progress and name their success.

 Rita Cranitch

Leaning and Teaching Adviser

Inclusive practices Teacher

From the Guidance Counsellor

In this edition of SchoolTV - SLEEP

Students today have extremely busy schedules, with ever increasing responsibilities at school and at home. Many kids, especially adolescents, are going to bed later and later and are at risk of sleep deprivation. This affects three areas of a child’s development: psychological, physiological and psychosocial. All three are essential to a child's growth, learning ability and overall wellbeing. Sleep is vital to a child’s overall development and is as important as diet and exercise.

Sleep also strengthens a child’s immune systems and supports their ability to function properly on a daily basis. Children who do not get enough sleep show increased levels of aggressive behaviour, are less attentive and are much less active. Trying to catch up on sleep on weekends is not the answer and can still lead to severe sleep deprivation.

In this edition of SchoolTV, parents will learn about the importance of sleep and how sleep deprivation can have adverse effects on a child’s health and wellbeing.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback. If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school guidance counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to the Sleep edition of SchoolTV
https://sfatsv.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/sleep

Lost Property

Please see the school office if this lost property belongs to your family.

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