Term 3 Week 2 2022
From the Principal
Dear Parents and Carers,
While the weather may have been cold on Thursday and Friday, the action on the track at the Athletics Carnival was red hot. What an amazing two days of events we had culminating in the students vs staff relay. This relay turned serious when the students found out that if they won, they would earn the whole school a homework-free week. It was a close race and there was a lot of cheering from the rest of the student body when the house captains crossed that finish line first! Congratulations to our age champions and those students who will now be selected for the Districts Carnival in the coming weeks. While we saw many wonderful achievements throughout the carnival, what I want to focus on today is some of the phenomenal displays of courage and resilience that I saw throughout the two days of events. This started Thursday morning during the 800m. We had students who knew they would struggle with this event but still chose to participate as they recognised that it was about having a go and getting a point for their team for participating. These students ran/jogged/walked past me with huge smiles on their faces and one student even told me afterwards that they knew it would be hard but were proud of themselves for giving it a go as they aren’t a runner. I saw some of our littlest students giving themselves a pep talk before their sprint race telling themself that they could do it. A Prep student told me that it didn’t matter how they did, they just wanted to have fun. I saw friends helping each other when they had cramps, students congratulating each other and students from all houses cheering for people who were just out there giving it a red hot crack and smiling even though they were coming last. We even had one student who knew she wouldn’t be able to run her final but still wanted to earn her house a point so she walked the track. It is this sort of grit, resilience, sportsmanship and courage that we need to continue to build in our students. In life, not everyone can win first place or be successful when interviewing for a job, but it is about having that inner fortitude to give something a go, know that you have done your best, and be able to deal with the disappointments that life throws at you and continue to grow as a person. I was very proud of these students.
Events such as the Athletics Carnival don’t just happen. Many hours of preparation and a lot of work go into organising events such as these and it is due to a few people that our students were able to have such a wonderful experience over the two days. A massive thank you to Cate Eathorne for all of the time and effort she put into preparing this event. Cate spent PE lessons preparing the students so they were familiar with the events and how the days would run. She also created the program, ensured that the equipment required for each event was sorted and teachers had everything they needed and set up and packed up the carnival. Another huge thank you to Peter Pattinson for preparing the track for us. Peter has spent many weekend hours marking out the track, the shot put and discus areas and preparing the long jump pit. Thank you to Janette Pattinson for setting up the races and being our recorder for the two days. Finally a massive thank you to Kylie for the wonderful food that she and her army of helpers provided in the tuckshop.
Yesterday saw the beginning of Mulkadee for 2022. This year Mulkaadee is a variety show format with the theme Into the Unknown. For those who don’t know, Mulkadee is an arts festival that provides students with the unique experience of learning from industry experts in their chosen area and it culminates in a performance on Friday night which Mary and I will be attending. We have 10 students from Years 5 & 6 participating in Mulkadee this year. I am sure that they will be having a wonderful week and I am looking forward to seeing them perform on Friday night. Keep an eye on Facebook for daily updates to learn a little more about Mulkadee.
This Wednesday we will be at the Ready, Set, Go Event at Anzac Park. This event is hosted by The Burdekin Early Childhood Network in partnership with the Burdekin Shire Council. It is bound to be a great morning so pop down and see what is on offer.
Next week we celebrate Catholic Education Week. During this week we celebrate the distinctive mission of Catholic schooling. Catholic schools are wonderful places where we challenge our students to live out the message of Jesus and to develop into compassionate, contributing and life-giving members of society. The theme for Catholic Education Week 2022 is Communities of Faith, Hope and Love. Mary and I will be taking the school captains and vice captains to Townsville on Monday with BCHS and St Colman’s for the Catholic Education Week Mass at the Cathedral. We will be having a Catholic Education Week Liturgy on Monday at 2:15pm. All families are invited to attend. On Tuesday we will join together with BCHS and St Colman’s for our Founder’s Day celebrations.
The Good Samaritan’s PATH
Yesterday we drew our first Positive Praise Note winners. Congratulations to Ronan (Prep A), Riley (3A) and Stephanie (5/6B) for being drawn out as our winners for this week. It has been wonderful to see so many students bringing their praise notes into the office. We would like to thank Red Rooster Ayr for kindly donating vouchers for our winners.
Prep 2023
If you have a child due to start Prep next year and you haven't yet put in your enrolment forms, please do so as soon as possible. I will be starting interviews for Prep 2023 on the 1st of August. If you have put in your enrolment forms, you will receive a phone call from the Office in the next week to schedule your interview time.
Father’s Day Stall
Please save the date for the Fathers Day Stall to be held on Wednesday 31st August. Bhree-Ana and Teena are currently seeking donations for the stall and these include chocolates, home-made treats (fudge, etc) and lollies (jellybeans, liquorice, smarties, etc). Can you please send an email to butteen08@hotmail.com with items that you may like to donate so that a list of donations can be compiled. More information to be provided over the coming weeks.
School Renewal
Townsville Catholic Education has a 5 year cycle that each school within the diocese participates in for School Renewal and Improvement. 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
Communities of Faith, Hope and Love is the theme for Catholic Education Week next week. What better models of faith, hope and love do we have than our grandparents and the elderly of our community. Next Sunday, July 24, 2022, the Second World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly will be celebrated by the Catholic Church. The theme chosen by Pope Francis for the occasion is; "In old age, they will still bear fruit" (Psalm 92:15) and intends to emphasize how grandparents and the elderly are a value and a gift for our communities.
Their experience of life and faith and their commitment to their families and church are of great value. Our grandparents and elderly are true models of faith in God, hope for the future and love in action as they work in the church and in loving and supporting their families. Their stories, knowledge of our history, good counsel and generosity of time enriches all our lives.
How important grandparents are for family life, for passing on the human and religious heritage which is so essential for each and every society! How important it is to have intergenerational exchanges and dialogue, especially within the context of the family. Pope Francis
There will be a special grandparent’s mass at 9 am mass at the Sacred Heart Church next Sunday. Your family may like to celebrate the mass with your grandparents or an elderly neighbour who may enjoy a family outing. I hope all families can take time to make this a special day for grandparents and the elderly who enrich your families and our communities.
Look with love on grandparents the world over.
Protect them!
They are a source of enrichment
for families and for all of society.
Support them!
As they grow older,
may they continue to be for their families
strong pillars of Gospel faith,
living treasuries of sound religious traditions.
Make them teachers of wisdom and courage,
that they may pass on to future generations the fruits
of their mature human and spiritual experience.
May they always encounter respect and love.
Help them to live serenely and to feel welcomed
in all the years of life which you give them.
Keep them constantly in your care,
accompany them on their earthly pilgrimage,
and by your prayers, grant that all families
may one day be reunited in our heavenly homeland,
where you await all humanity
for the great embrace of life without end.
Amen!
St Joachim and St Anne pray for us.
CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK: Next Tuesday, all students will travel by bus to BCHS for Founders' Day. The day will begin with a liturgy at 9:30am where students will acknowledge the Founders of each school and celebrate the richness of living in Catholic communities of faith, hope and love. After the liturgy students will participate in activities involving sports and games, music and drama and digital technology. Founders' Day is a great opportunity for our students to get to know students from our other Catholic schools and know they are part of a wider Catholic family.
Consent forms were sent home yesterday. Please ensure these are returned by Thursday.
God Bless
Mary
Aiming for Excellence
Ready Set Write!
This week, during our Ready, Set, Write, time teachers will be giving students feedback on how they are applying their phonological skills to spell unfamiliar words.
Children are always Children and their challenges to learning have not changed over the years but the way we address these learning needs changes with every new research and government legislation.
In the last four decades, we have seen the appointments of Learning Support aides and Learning Support teachers. This evolved into Learning Enrichment Teachers to cater to all students’ needs and now in response to government legislation, we have Inclusive Education Advisers, based at Townsville Education Office, who visit schools to offer support and help Inclusive Practices Teachers in schools to ensure that processes are in place so that ALL children are accessing the curriculum.
Funding models have also changed as a result of government legislation. When funding was provided based on the number of students in a school, Learning Support Teachers would take groups of students out of the class and run their own program. Connection to the children’s classroom activities was minimal and if a child was ‘failing’ it became the responsibility of the Learning Support Teacher.
This then changed to funding for students who were diagnosed with a disability that interfered with their learning. If this disability was verified by the Education System all children were initially allocated a set number of hours based on the degree of the verified disability. This then changed to an allocation of five hours for each verified student but the school decided how the hours were to be allocated to the individual students. The funding was for support staff to assist the child at set times during the day. Our funding is now based on NCCD ( Nationally Consistent Collection of Data). As mentioned in previous newsletters, this requires schools to provide evidence of a diagnosed or evidenced disability, communication with parents about the disability, the adjustments that are being provided for the child to access the curriculum and that the progress is being monitored and changes made to the adjustments if there is no progress. The amount of funding provided is determined by the frequency and quality of the adjustments.
The driving force behind the changes was the 1992 Disability Discrimination Act (DDA0 and the 2005 Disability Standards for Education (DSE). The DSE clarified the obligations of education and training providers, to ensure that students with a disability can access and participate in education on the same basis as students without a disability.
In December 2010 The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers referred to as the AITSL standards were endorsed by the Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (MCEECDYA). The Standards make explicit the elements of high-quality, effective teaching in 21st-century schools so that the DSE are met for all students.
It is reassuring to know that access to education by all students is at the centre of all the changes to date.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me through the school office or email rcranitch@sfatsv.catholic.edu.au
My appreciation to all parents for your questions and participation in quick discussions as you provide the topics for this section of the newsletter.
SCIENCE EVENT: - Have YOU nominated?
August 13 - 21st is NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK. - with the theme, GLASS- More than meets the eye.
As part of the celebration of Science Week we will be hosting a Science Brain Break Quiz on Friday, August 19 at 9.00am. Last year this was an enjoyable activity for all who participated or watched.
We are looking for teams of four parents to compete against students and teachers. To nominate please contact the office.
ICAS
ICAS is a competition designed to recognise and reward academic excellence.
Students in Years 2-6 are invited to participate in the online ICAS assessments for English, Science and Mathematics. The cost for each assessment is $19.25 with the school subsidising $9.25 per test. Final day for registration is Wednesday, July 27, 2022.
If your child is interested in participating complete the registration form below and return with payment to the office by Wednesday, July 27, 2022.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call me on 47832877.
Rita Cranitch
Leaning and Teaching Adviser
Inclusive Practices Teacher
From the Guidance Counsellor
In this edition of SchoolTV - MANAGING SCREEN TIME
As a result of the global pandemic, there has been a noticeable shift in the amount of time people spend on screen-based devices. Families are transitioning back to pre-COVID routines but many are still struggling to re-establish the boundaries and rules around screen use. Some continue to deal with digital conflict and tech-tantrums on a daily basis. The latest research found that 77% of teenagers spend more than five hours on screens per day, but it is important to note that not all screen time is considered equal.
Parents play a crucial role in modelling a positive and healthy approach to using screens and assisting children to navigate the content they watch. It is better to model and mentor screen use, rather than monitor it. Children tend to do more of what they see us do, and less of what we tell them to do. However, it is still important to outline the risks and highlight the benefits of screen use to ensure you keep a balanced attitude. Encourage discussions around the issues that people experience in monitoring their screen time and be honest about your own difficulties.
Parents need to remain firm in their approach to managing screen time. Excessive screen time can be detrimental to a child’s overall wellbeing. Ensuring the correct privacy settings are in place is vital to prevent children from being inadvertently exposed to inappropriate content or online predators. Parents need to also be mindful of the potential impact screen time can have on a child’s social, emotional, educational, behavioural, and even physical domains.
In this edition of SchoolTV, care-givers will be provided with a range of guidelines and strategies to help manage screen time at home. 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 Managing Screen Time edition of SchoolTV
https://sfatsv.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/managing-screen-time
Reflection
Happy World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly.
As I visit your school, I often see Grandparents dropping you off. Some of them carry your school bag. Sometimes they hold your hands to help you cross the road safely. I wonder if you or your Grandparents are coming to school to learn!
They take so much interest in your life, wanting it to be easier than they had as a child. Grandparents look out for you because seeing you happy is the best feeling in the world for them. They often support you at assemblies and school events because they want you to be the best you can be at school. They want to feed you well. For some Grandparents, food was scarce, but they don’t want that for you. Grandparents never seem to say no, so sometimes it is easier to get things from your Grandparents than from your parents. Ultimately, they love you.
Our elderly are the best teachers. They have seen much more of the world than we have. Their lived experiences are incomparable. I take pride in saying that my Grandparents have greatly influenced me as a priest. I will never forget the days they would wake me up as early as 5 am to go to church for mass with them. They taught me to pray. They helped me with my homework and taught me to read and write. They supported me. I feel privileged growing up with my Grandparents. I miss them dearly but take comfort knowing they are proud of me.
Pope Francis declared the fourth Sunday of July to be celebrated as a Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. It is on Sunday, 24th July this year. It is a day to express our gratitude to them. We live in a time where everyone is so busy that we tend to forget to spend time with our Elderly. They have so much excitement when young children find some quality time to sit with them. If you love stories, the Elderly are great storytellers. Grandparents can provide advice if you have worries. They are caring and understanding people. Suppose you seek wisdom, approach older people. Their knowledge and experiences make them walking encyclopaedias.
Sometimes they feel lonely and ignored. Sometimes they are unloved and uncared for. Some of them are bedridden or in nursing homes; however, it is beautiful when I see you care for your Grandparents and the Elderly in our families. I have seen children in our schools visiting them and spending time with them whenever possible, and when I talk to the Elderly, they feel overjoyed and loved. So, if your Grandparents and Elderly family live away from you, don’t forget them- call them. Tell them you love them. Remind them of how special they are to you. Not only will you feel wonderful after making the call, but it will be the highlight of their day.
Let us continue to love them and care for them. Their role in our lives is irreplaceable. May God bless our Grandparents. May Jesus bless them in their old age.
Fr. Manoj Mathew, C.Ss.R.
Administrator, Burdekin group of parishes.
Community
