Term 2 Week 3 2023

From the Principal

Dear Parents and Carers,

Today is Office Professionals Day.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank Debbie and Areti for all that they do in the Office.  Their hard work, dedication and positive attitude make my job easier and I am grateful for their patience and willingness to lend a hand and help me whenever needed. The work that these ladies do holds everything together. 

Teachers Professional Development

Over the coming weeks, many of our teachers will be attending a variety of Professional Development days. The importance of ongoing learning and development for our staff cannot be overstated. Some of the professional development that our teachers have attended and will be attending over the coming weeks include:

• Australian Curriculum Version 9 English and Maths
• Participation in the Writing and Maths Project 
• Early Career Teacher Professional Development
• Disability Courses
• E-Learning Courses
• Spirituality Retreats such as Art in Spirituality and a Walk on Country in Winton
• Religious Education PD on World’s of the Text and Caritas Earthcare
• Student Protection

TED Talk

A few months ago I was scrolling through Facebook and came across a TED Talk that caught my eye not only for its title but also for who was presenting it. This TED Talk was being delivered by 7-year-old Molly Wright on the topic ‘How every child can thrive by five’. The talk almost brought me to tears and I have come back to it several times over the past few months and shown it to various members of our staff. While the majority of our students are older than five, I believe that the messages in this talk still apply. I encourage you to take 7 minutes and watch this TED Talk. It is certainly challenging as well as inspirational.

Molly Wright: How every child can thrive by five | TED

FACE Meeting

At the FACE Meeting last night we discussed using some of the money from the FACE fundraising account to help pay for the new AV upgrade that is happening in the Samaritan Centre. This upgrade includes new projectors, microphones (both handheld and lapel), microphone stands, lectern, AV controls and servers. The overwhelming response was that people were happy to spend $7000  on the upgrade to the Hall with the school covering the remaining costs. Also, it was agreed upon that $10 000 would go towards the upgrade of our Senior Playground with the school contributing the majority of the costs.  I would like to thank the families that were able to come along to our meeting last night and contribute to these discussions. 

Have a wonderful week.

Take care and God Bless

Amanda

Religious Life of the School

May is the month of Mary. It is a month that traditionally is dedicated in a special way to honouring and seeking the intercession of Mary as the Mother of God and Mother of the Church. Mary is Mother; your mother, my mother, everyone’s mother. St Marcellin Champagnat, founder of the Marcellin Brothers and part of St Francis’ charism, possessed a strong Marian devotion.

Mary has a special place in the hearts of Catholics all over the world. In St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City, there is a sculpture by Michaelangelo titled, ‘Pieta’. It depicts an ageless Mary holding the body of her son Jesus Christ after his death. For me this sculpture showcases Mary’s strength, courage, faith and mother’s love. It is quite a spiritual experience to stand in front of it and take it in. The sculpture provides a Christian view of human suffering but one feels peace and tranquility in the space. Maybe what is really being conveyed through this artpiece is that with Mary’s intercession, some great sufferings of life and its pain can be eliminated.

Class Masses

There is a Mass on Thursday next week for Years 3 and 4. We will be celebrating ‘A Mother’s Love’. We would love for you to join us.

Celebrating Mass together is a great way to build community!

God bless

Nicole

Learning Corner

Did you know the Australian Curriculum is 10 years old?

The concept of an Australian Curriculum was introduced in 2009  when The Shape of the Australian Curriculum, was first approved by the Council of Commonwealth, State and Territory Education Ministers. This was in response to the 2008 Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians.

On 8 December 2008 ACARA ( Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority) was established under the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority Act (Cth).  They are an independent statutory authority with a national leadership role for a national approach to setting educational expectations for all Australians. Their work is set and agreed upon by all of Australia’s education ministers in the form of the Education Ministers Meeting.

Although first approved in 2012 it wasn’t until September 2015, that Australia’s education ministers endorsed the Foundation – Year 10 Curriculum. The curriculum provided teachers, parents, students and the community with a clear understanding of what students should learn regardless of where they lived or what school they attended.

The Australian Curriculum was introduced to improve the quality, equity and transparency of Australia’s education system.

In 2019, the vision of the Australian Curriculum was reviewed and updated through The Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration which set out a vision for a world class education system that encourages and supports every student to be the very best they can be, no matter where they live or what kind of learning challenges they may face. This led to a review and updating of the Australian Curriculum, to future proof our students in the face of a rapidly changing world. What will the world look like in 2035 when our current Prep students graduate?

Thursday and Friday of this week, representatives from schools attended a QCAA (Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority) workshop to become familiar with the updated structure and content of the Version 9 Australian Curriculum for English and Mathematics. These are to be implemented in 2024, with other subjects following progressively.

There has been a rearrangement of some sections of the current curriculum, some additions and deletions to reflect the changing educational demands and current research on how children of today learn.

Next semester, staff will become familiar with the changes and reflect these in their planning.

Next semester, these changes will be regularly shared with you through the school newsletter.

Rita Cranitch

Learning and Teaching Adviser

Inclusive Practices Teacher

Guidance Counsellor

A SPECIAL REPORT: Celebrating Mother's Day

Mother’s Day originated from humble beginnings in 1908 as a simple tradition to honour all mothers, living and deceased. However, it did not take long for florists, confectioners and card companies to jump onboard and commercialise the day, much to the disappointment of its founder, Ann Jarvis.

Mother’s Day is a good annual reminder to say thanks to the mums and other special carers who play an important role in our lives, but it is essential we mark the day with love and sincerity. This year is especially important due to the recent pandemic, where mothers played multiple roles over recent months providing care and support to those they love under difficult circumstances. Mothers will often put the needs of others above their own, so it is paramount to remind them to take care of themselves also, especially when it comes to mental health.

Research has shown that women experience some mental health conditions more so than men and at much higher rates. There are many factors that can impact a woman’s wellbeing physically and emotionally. Seeking effective treatment can enable her to engage more readily in everyday activities and fulfil the needs of her children and family.

This Special Report highlights the role mothers play in the developmental growth of her children and the importance of self-care for good mental health.

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/celebrating-mothers-day

Class in the Spotlight -2A

• We have been focusing on the ‘sh’ sound during some of our reading groups. Students have been practising segmenting words with the ‘sh’ sound. 
• We have been drawing detailed pictures to assist us with our writing. We improve the detail of our picture each lesson and then write about it at the end of the week. 
• In Maths, we have been learning about three digit numbers and what comes before/after as well as 10 more/10 less and 100 more/100 less. 
• In HASS we have been focusing on Geography. We are learning about the 7 continents and 5 oceans. This week we learnt about longitude, latitude and the equator. 
• In Technology we have incorporated Mathematics by collecting data and creating picture graphs to show our information. 

2A

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P.A.T.H.

Tuckshop

Tuckshop are seeing help on Fridays.  If you are available to help out please complete the form below and return to the school office.

Mother's Day Stall

Prep Open Day

Eisteddfod

Library

Birthdays

Reflection

Mother’s Day! Breakfast in Bed?

What do you plan to do for your sweet mother on Mother's Day?  Google must be tired of proposing recipes for breakfast in bed because we all google to cook the best breakfast for mothers on Mother's Day. All our plans for Mother's Day and all the preparations seem inadequate because nothing compares to what our mothers have done for us. It just shows how powerless we are when we want to show our love for our mothers in return. Today, we all want to find the perfect way to tell our mothers what we owe them.

However, when I talked to some of your mothers or many other mothers, I realised that we don't need to give her the world to make a mother happy. First of all, it's enough that we call her MUM with great affection. She's fond of being treated like a mother. She longs to be called Mum. Secondly, our mums want our presence more than our presents. There's nothing you can return to her for what she's been to you so far.   That's why I said that mums are the easiest people to satisfy. They are so loving and lovable.

People in your school or society may not be constant in their attitudes toward you, but you are still your mother's precious child. Mothers love us, not always because we are the best but because they are the best.

With all your plans for Mother's Day this year, try to make your love for your mother more genuine. Please appreciate her for all she did for you and apologise for all those times you failed to love her back.

Happy Mother’s Day, dear mums! 

Fr. Manoj Mathew, C.Ss.R.

Administrator, Burdekin Group of Parishes

Community