Term 2 Week 9 2022
From the Principal
Dear Parents and Carers,
We had a wonderful morning at our Prep Open Day on Friday. It was great to welcome so many potential students and families to our school and it was very cute to hear a few of the children already calling St Francis their school. The children had a jam-packed morning experiencing some of the activities that they will engage in once they begin ‘big school’. We are looking forward to our second Prep Open Day this coming Thursday.
Friday afternoon I attended Burdekin Catholic High Schools Expo afternoon. The opportunities that are on offer at BCHS are so varied that it almost made me want to go back to high school myself. From hospitality to technology and everything in between there was so much to see and experience. I enjoyed watching some of our St Francis students attempt cupcake decorating in the hospitality centre (some looked like masterpieces), listening to Sofia play the keyboard and viewing art pieces being created. For our Year 6 students don’t forget that BCHS have their Transition Program starting next Tuesday the 21st of June. All of our Year 6 students will attend this transition afternoon. I’m sure that they will have an amazing time.
The last few mornings have certainly been quite chilly. Just a reminder of the uniform policy in regards to winter clothes. Students may wear a plain navy blue or maroon jumper and on colder days, girls have the option of wearing navy blue tights while the boys may wear navy blue tracksuit pants.
There is a range of illnesses, including COVID, circulating around our school community affecting both students and staff. Please keep your child at home if they are displaying any symptoms. We will continue to send children home who present at the Office as unwell. In classes, teachers are reminding students of good hygiene practices and we ask that you follow this up at home. As I have previously mentioned when our teachers are away we always try our best to maintain the same relief teacher in a room, however, at times this is impossible as relief staff are often booked at other schools or at the moment are sick themselves.
As we come towards the end of Term 2 there are still a number of events happening. On Friday, Years 5 & 6 will be hosting their Learning Breakfast. We also have our next School Youth Mass on Sunday 19th June at 5:30pm. Next Monday we will be having a special showcase of some of our Eisteddfod performances from 1:55pm in the Samaritan Centre. I hope that you can join us for this showcase. Thursday of Week 10 is our first ever Parent Reading Challenge. We invite all parents to come in and read with their children/group of children from 8:30 - 9am and finally we will finish off the term on Friday 24th with our NAIDOC celebrations.
School Renewal
Townsville Catholic Education has a 5 year cycle that each school within the diocese participates in for School Renewal and Improvement. As we are in our 4th year, we will be engaging in a part of that process called Verification this year and concluding with Validation next year. This year will involve a lot of reflection and consultation. It is very valuable for us as a school to have our parent community contribute to this process as we will always strive to meet the needs of our community and aspire to provide the best learning community we can. We will be holding 2 parent events in Term 3 to gather feedback from families. Firstly we will be holding a coffee morning on Wednesday 27th July at 8:45am and a wine and cheese evening on Thursday 4th August at 6pm. I hope that you will be able to take up one of these opportunities to have your voice heard around our successes and help us identify areas for improvement as we move into our next 5 year cycle. Please RSVP to the Office for catering purposes.
I hope you all have a wonderful week.
Take care and God Bless
Amanda
Religious Life of the School
The feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, ‘Corpus Christi’ will be celebrated next weekend. In the Gospel (Luke 9:11-17) we listen to the story of Jesus feeding the crowd with 5 loaves and 2 fish. Jesus had made the crowds welcome and talked to them about the Kingdom of God. Instead of sending them away, when it grew late, he sat them down, raised his eyes to heaven, blessed the food and broke it to share with the large crowd.
When we share the Eucharist, which means “thanksgiving”, we remember the meal Jesus shared with his friends the night before he died when he broke bread and shared it with his disciples. At Mass, we share the Eucharistic meal with our community which nourishes and strengthens us to go forth and live good lives.
SCHOOL YOUTH MASS: This Sunday on the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) let’s all try to come together to celebrate at our last school youth mass for the term. We would love to have students come along to the 5:30 pm mass next Sunday to read, participate in the singing, or in bringing up the offertory. Everyone in the school community is welcome to come along and join us.
REFUGEE WEEK: Next week from Sunday 19th June to Saturday 25th June is Refugee Week. The theme of the week is ‘Healing’. The importance of human connections has been underscored by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Healing can occur through storytelling, through community and also through the realisation of our intrinsic interconnectedness as individuals.
As Catholic Australians, we are called to be welcoming to those who have sought safety here, listen to the refugee’s stories to share and understand their issues, learn from each other and pray regularly for those displaced around the world. Openness to one another creates a dialogical space where we can discover the richness present in other religions and cultures and help deepen our own Catholic belief and faith. So during this week, enrich your life by reaching out, sharing a meal and telling your stories!
Prayer
Lord, make us bearers of hope,
so that where there is darkness,
your light may shine,
and where there is discouragement,
confidence in the future may be reborn.
Lord, make us instruments of your justice,
so that where there is exclusion, fraternity may flourish,
and where there is greed, a spirit of sharing may grow.
Lord, make us builders of your Kingdom,
together with migrants and refugees
and with all who dwell on the peripheries.
Lord, let us learn how beautiful it is
to live together as brothers and sisters. Amen.
Pope Francis: Rome, Saint John Lateran, 9 May 2022
God Bless
Mary
Birthdays
From the Guidance Counsellor
A SPECIAL REPORT: Respectful Language
In today’s world, it is common to hear socially offensive language on the streets, on social media channels, streaming services and in some forms of modern music. While swearing is becoming more common and less taboo, the use of derogatory language or the act of swearing at someone, or about someone, is a form of verbal violence. It transgresses the usual rules of social interaction by impinging on an individual’s self-image and sense of dignity.
It is becoming apparent that some young people are being influenced by the language they hear. Proliferating the use of swear words can sometimes normalise, glamorise and desensitise their impact for kids who may misunderstand the true meaning of some derogatory terms. Whilst some students may use swearing or derogatory terms as a misguided attempt at belonging, others may use it simply because they are still learning how to moderate their language and are not accustomed to making adjustments to suit different situations.
Although many schools enforce a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to swearing and derogatory language, parents need to also play an important part in enforcing this approach. Parents and carers can be proactive in monitoring what their children are viewing or being exposed to. Discussing the use of words or the origin of some derogatory terms and gaining insight into the reason behind their child’s use of such language can help prevent inappropriate or disrespectful language filtering into the classroom or the school yard, which is turn helps to build more tolerant, safe and connected communities.
This Special Report offers a number of guidelines to help manage a suitable approach when discussing the importance of respectful language.
We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.
If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.
Here is the link to your special report:
https://sfatsv.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-respectful-language
Library
Book of the Week in the library
Students are invited to enter their name into a weekly draw to win a book. A book is displayed for students to share why they like reading the selected series/genre. Below are our winners to date this term.
Students of the Week
Sports
Nate Giddy respresented Burdekin at the NQ Cross Country trials and was successful in qualifying for the NQ team.
Athletics Carnival
Please see below for Athletics Carnival details. Student bag orders for tuckshop would be appreciated by Tuesday 12 June. Please note your child's House on the bag order. Food will be available for parents to purchase over the counter on the day.
Athletics Carnival Themes
Community
School Holiday Activities
