Term 3 Week 7 2025

From the Principal

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Term 3 is always full of opportunities, from awareness weeks and special activities to celebrations that connect learning with who we are as a community. This week has been no exception! Our students have been busy celebrating their sacraments, working on assessments and welcoming our Cowboys NRL & NRLW players, who not only shared their skills but also reminded us about the importance of reading and staying healthy.

At assembly, 3A reminded us that this week marked National Action Against Bullying Week. As a school community, we play a key role in guiding children through these experiences. 

Pre-adolescence is a time of enormous growth and change. Our students are beginning to discover who they are, how they fit within a group, and how to navigate friendships that can sometimes be challenging. During this stage, children are developing independence, identity, and social awareness, which means that they may experience misunderstandings, conflict, or moments where poor choices are made in how they treat others.

This is also the stage where bullying behaviours can sometimes appear. Bullying, which we define as being “mean on purpose”, can cause real harm if left unchecked. It is essential that we help students learn the difference between normal conflict and bullying, and provide them with strategies to respond in positive and safe ways.

Programs such as Friendology and our PATH values help students practise skills like empathy, respect, and resilience. But just as importantly, they need the consistent support of the adults in their lives - parents, carers, and teachers - to model kindness, set clear expectations, and provide a safe space to talk about their worries.

God Bless,

Lisa Fitzsimmons

Religious Life of the School

Dear families,

As we move through this busy term, it is important to pause and remember the many blessings in our school community. Each day we see God’s love in action—in the kindness of our students, the dedication of our staff, and the support of our families. Gratitude helps us to see these gifts more clearly and to give thanks for all that we share together as a Catholic school.

Assembly

Thank you to 3A for hosting this week’s Assembly. They shared an important message for Anti-Bullying Week: Be Bold. Be Kind. Speak Up.

Prep and Year 6 Mass

Yesterday we celebrated our Class Mass with the Prep and Year 6 classes. Fr Truong spoke about the wonderful gift of water, which we are so fortunate to have here in the Burdekin. He also reminded us of the gift of thankfulness — that saying thank you to others helps us to be grateful and brings happiness. We also give special thanks to God for all that He has given us. Thank you to Fr Truong for celebrating this Mass with us, and to all the parents and friends who joined in our celebration.

Youth Mass

Don’t forget we have a Youth Mass this Sunday 31st August at 5.30 pm.  We will be celebrating the Mass with BCH. We would love to see as many of our students there to celebrate our Mass together.

Samaritan Day

On the last Friday of school this term, 19th September, we will be celebrating Samaritan Day.

The purpose of this special day is to acknowledge our school’s charisms and the history that shapes who we are. We celebrate the Good Samaritan Sisters, founded by Bede Polding; St Marcellin Champagnat, founder of the Marist Brothers; and St Francis Xavier, the namesake of our school.

Our day will begin with a Liturgy at 9:00 am. Following the Liturgy, the Samaritan Awards will be presented. One student from each class will receive this award, recognising those who live out our Catholic Identity through Love of God, Love of Neighbour, and Love in Action.

Throughout the day, our wonderful teachers will lead a variety of engaging activities for students to enjoy.

We warmly invite parents and families to join us for the Liturgy and Samaritan Awards.

With gratitude,

Maria 

Learning Corner

LEARNING and TEACHING

Every minute counts!

CHANGES! CHANGES! CHANGES!

Do you like changes?

The first response for many of us is a resounding NO! BUT…………..

Changes happen around us every minute of every day. The weather changes, the foliage on the trees changes, and the way we do things changes. Some changes occur, and we don’t notice them. Other changes are made because what we are already doing isn’t working as we hoped, or something has happened that requires a change in response. There is always a reason for a change. Sometimes the cause is easily understood, and at other times, usually because we lack all the background information, the change does not make sense to us. Just as not all changes result in improvements, not all changes are disastrous.

The Australia wide NAPLAN results showed that at least 30% of Australian students are below the expected standard for Literacy and Numeracy. It has been a steadily growing trend for several years which is an unacceptable situation and requires changing. How can the change be made?

Over the years, there has been a growing trend of expecting schools to take on roles previously undertaken in families, to address society’s shortcomings. The change in family structures led to these responsibilities being given schools. Over the last decade, schools have incorporated numerous additional programs into their instructional time to address societal needs. Although these programs are valuable and worthwhile, the time required resulted in a decrease in actual teaching and learning time, contributing to the eventual decline in Literacy and Numeracy standards. As a result, there has been a review of the expectations of schooling to ensure the Australian Curriculum is being implemented as it is intended.

In May, 2025 NSSAB ( Non State School Accreditation Board) released the updated guidelines every non state school will be expected to implement in 2026. One expectations is the allocation of a minimum of hours to each subject. There are a set number of hours that may be allocated to activities not specified in the Australian Curriculum. Before the need of the year, we are expected to complete an audit of how we have used school time this year. If the time spent on ‘extra’ activities (those not related to teaching and learning as specified in the Australian Curriculum) is greater that the time allowed, we will need to make changes to our familiar practices.

Our focus is the teaching and the provision for all students to access and learn what is prescribed in the Australian Curriculum within a Catholic context following the PATH of the Good Samaritan.

Please ask about the background and reason for changes. 

Final results coming next week, but at the moment it is tight between 1/2B and 5B.  It will be interesting to see how the books stack up in the end!

Have a wonderful week ahead

Rita

Guidance Counsellor

SchoolTV has a free Digital Media Literacy & Safety (Part III) Webinar for parents on Tuesday 2 September at 7:30pm.  Please follow this link if you wish to register.

P.A.T.H.

Students of the Week

Class in the Spotlight

What a great week of learning with Prep A

• Writing weekend recounts
• Writing about what we would do if Goldilocks visited our house
• Cohen Hess reading us a book and telling us about football
• Church visit with our Year 6 buddies
• Days of the week with the interactive calendar
• PLD - digraphs and dictation

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Father's Day Stall

Our fantastic Father's Day stall will be held on Wednesday 3rd September.  With their class group, students will have the opportunity to purchase a gift for their father and/or father figure.  Prices range from 50c to $10.  If you would like your child to make a purchase please send money to school with them on Wednesday.  It would be greatly appreciated if, for the younger students expecially, their money is in an envelope with their name.  

Assistance is required to help man the stall during the day. If you are available, even for a short period of time, please give the school office a call.

Community