issue no 21 - St Mary`s Catholic Primary School Charleville
Transcription
issue no 21 - St Mary`s Catholic Primary School Charleville
Wednesday 30 July 2014 From the Principal Issue No. 21 Welcome to Week 3 and Happy Catholic Education Week! Today we farewelled Charlie McKellar and wish him and his fam- University of New South Wales – International Competition ily all the best with their relocation! and Assessment for Schools – Science Recently a number of our students sat the UNSW ICAS SciCatholic Education Week (27 July - 2 August, 2014) ence exam. The following students received awards that were This week at St Mary’s, we are very excited to be celebrating presented at assembly last Friday: Catholic Education Week. This week gives us the opportunity to Year 3 – Charlie Lines (participation) Hugo Schmidt reflect on what makes St Mary’s special. The theme for this (participation) Mali Dawson (merit) Year 4 – Charlotte Clarke (participation) Aiden Partridge year’s celebrations is: Come, live life in all its fullness. (participation) We thank Mrs Winters and Year 7 for presenting their Prayer Year 6 – Artyom Fufygin (participation) Assembly based around the theme of ‘Random Acts of Kindness’, last Friday. The Year 7 students gave a very clear example of ‘paying kindness forward’. All St Mary’s students are called this week to show kindness towards others…..something the majority of our students do every day. I am often witness to this when observing interactions between students with their peers, and interactions between students and staff. On Monday, to mark the beginning of Catholic Education Week, the staff travelled to Cunnamulla to celebrate ‘living life in its fullness’ with other colleagues across the diocese. This was a very worthwhile day and gave us the opportunity to connect with colleagues and focus on our direction within a catholic school and how we need to keep Christ at the centre of all we do. NAIDOC Celebrations Thank-you to everyone who contributed in some way to our NAIDOC celebrations last week. The winners of the Rainbow Serpent colouring/creating competition were: Prep – Zac Jones, Year 1 – Liam Hackwood, Year 2 – Madison Bew, Year 3 – Indie Everitt, Year 4 – Parker Pegg, Year 5 – Etosha Shipley, Year 6 – Artyom Fufygin, Year 7 – Renee Duff. Welcome Parents! As part of our Catholic Education Week celebrations this week, we would like to invite all parents to a shared morning tea in the staffroom tomorrow, Thursday, 31st July at 10.30am and at the conclusion of first break, parents are invited to visit the classrooms and assist and participate in the lessons with their children. We look forward to seeing you all…..even if you can just pop in for a quick visit! School Improvement Survey This year our school will be participating in a School Improvement survey managed by Research Australia Development and Innovation Institute (RADII). As well as school staff and students from Years 5-7/12, all parents are invited to participate in the survey. We hope the parent survey will help us to identify what we are doing well as well as areas for development. On Monday all parents should have been sent a personalized invitation to complete the survey online. If both parents' email addresses are on file at the school, the invitation was sent to both parents. However, the survey will close once the first person has completed it. The survey will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. You can complete the survey from anywhere you have access to the internet. The survey will close on Friday, 22 August. We encourage you to be very honest in your responses to the surveys. All responses go directly to RADII so they are confidential and anonymous. When the surveys are completed we will share the findings with you. QLD Cricket Visit Next Friday, 8th August our school is being visited by Bruce Deem, Regional Cricket Officer for Darling Downs and South West Queensland. Bruce will conduct a cricket skills clinic with all of our classes throughout the day. I invite any parents who do not have internet access at home, but would like to participate in the survey to come and see me Opti-Minds and we can organise for the survey to be completed at school. Once again this year we have students from Years 2 – 7 who are participating in the regional Opti-Minds challenge to be held in Roma on Sunday 24th August. Notes were sent home yesTop Secret Storyteller’s Club- terday with this year’s students who have been nominated by house their class teachers. This year, we have selected students who were not involved last year as to allow a variety of students to Just a reminder that the Top Se- experience the competition. When selecting students for this cret Storyteller’s Clubhouse are competition there are a number of factors that are taken into visiting St Mary’s for two perfor- consideration – behaviour, academic ability, creativity, confimances – this Friday1st August (Prep – 2, 9.30 – 10.30am) dence and the ability to be able to solve problems. Thank-you and Monday 4th August (Year 3 , 10.00 – 11.00am) to Erin Corcoran and Jessica Donnelly who have kindly offered There is also a Professional Development Workshop for adults to facilitate this year. Teams will meet this Monday at 3.00pm who have seen a performance. This workshop is this Friday in the Year 2 classroom. (1st August), 3.30 – 5.00pm. Please let me know by tomorrow afternoon if you would like to attend. P and F Meeting All parents are warmly invited to the P and F meeting in the Charleville Performing Arts Festival staffroom this afternoon at 5.30pm. We would love to see you All of our classes will be participating in the group verse speak- there! ing section of this year’s Charleville Performing Arts Festival. The festival is on Thursday 14th and Friday 15th August. Once Tuckshop the schedule has been finalised I will let you know of proposed This week Prep parents are rostered on to assist in the tucktimes for the class performances. shop. Even if only for an hour, your time is very much appreciated! St Mary’s Fete Last Wednesday, a fete meeting was held to get things under- Please take the time to read the article I have included in toway for this year’s annual St Mary’s Fete to be held on Friday, day’s newsletter that I found on the internet from the Washing12th September. The fete will have a ‘Drought Buster’ theme. ton Post. I think it is food for thought given our focus this week At the meeting classes were assigned either food stalls or activ- on ‘Random Acts of Kindness’ – Do our children know how to ities to organise and run on the night. In the very near future, be kind towards others? the class representative will be making contact with ALL parents to ask for assistance. Until next week, This is our major fundraiser for the year and much needed funds go towards directly benefiting our students in some way. God bless, Such an event is not possible without the help of many. Thank- Louise you to Selena Watts and Nicki McKellar for convening the fete this year. All class groups will be performing a dance at the fete to compliment the theme. Mrs Kirsty Lines, in her role as PE teacher, will choreograph each class dance. High School Transition We warmly invite all Year 6 and 7 parents to attend a meeting regarding the High School transition next Wednesday, 6th August at 5.30pm in the Performing Arts Hall. It is strongly encouraged that all parents attend this. Your valuable input and discussion is vital in this transition being a smooth one. NRL Visit Next Tuesday, Grant Bignell, NRL Game Development Officer, will be visiting our school to conduct a half hour session with each class. Are you raising nice kids? A Harvard psychologist gives 5 ways to raise them to be kind Earlier this year, I wrote about teaching empathy, and whether you are a parent who does so. The idea behind it is from Richard Weissbourd, a Harvard psychologist with the graduate school of education, who runs the Making Caring Common project, aimed to help teach kids to be kind. I know, you’d think they are or that parents are teaching that themselves, right? Not so, according to a new study released by the group. (Chat with Weissbourd here.) About 80 percent of the youth in the study said their parents were more concerned with their achievement or happiness than whether they cared for others. The interviewees were also three times more likely to agree that “My parents are prouder if I get good grades in my classes than if I’m a caring community member in class and school.” Weissbourd and his cohorts have come up with recommendations about how to raise children to become caring, respectful and responsible adults. Why is this important? Because if we want our children to be moral people, we have to, well, raise them that way. “Children are not born simply good or bad and we should never give up on them. They need adults who will help them become caring, respectful, and responsible for their communities at every stage of their childhood,” the researchers write. The five strategies to raise moral, caring children, according to Making Caring Common: 1. Make caring for others a priority Why? Parents tend to prioritize their children’s happiness and achievements over their children’s concern for others. But children need to learn to balance their needs with the needs of others, whether it’s passing the ball to a teammate or deciding to stand up for friend who is being bullied. How? Children need to hear from parents that caring for others is a top priority. A big part of that is holding children to high ethical expectations, such as honouring their commitments, even if it makes them unhappy. For example, before kids quit a sports team, band, or a friendship, we should ask them to consider their obligations to the group or the friend and encourage them to work out problems before quitting. Try this • Instead of saying to your kids: “The most important thing is that you’re happy,” say “The most important thing is that you’re kind.” • Make sure that your older children always address others respectfully, even when they’re tired, distracted, or angry. • Emphasize caring when you interact with other key adults in your children’s lives. For example, ask teachers whether your children are good community members at school. 2. Provide opportunities for children to practice caring and gratitude Why? It’s never too late to become a good person, but it won’t happen on its own. Children need to practice caring for others and expressing gratitude for those who care for them and contribute to others’ lives. Studies show that people who are in the habit of expressing gratitude are more likely to be helpful, generous, compassionate, and forgiving—and they’re also more likely to be happy and healthy. How? Learning to be caring is like learning to play a sport or an instrument. Daily repetition—whether it’s a helping a friend with homework, pitching in around the house, or having a classroom job—make caring second nature and develop and hone youth’s caregiving capacities. Learning gratitude similarly involves regularly practicing it. Try this • Don’t reward your child for every act of helpfulness, such as clearing the dinner table. We should expect our kids to help around the house, with siblings, and with neighbours and only reward uncommon acts of kindness. • Talk to your child about caring and uncaring acts they see on television and about acts of justice and injustice they might witness or hear about in the news. • Make gratitude a daily ritual at dinnertime, bedtime, in the car, or on the subway. Express thanks for those who contribute to us and others in large and small ways. 3. Expand your child’s circle of concern. Why? Almost all children care about a small circle of their families and friends. Our challenge is help our children learn to care about someone outside that circle, such as the new kid in class, someone who doesn’t speak their language, the school custodian, or someone who lives in a distant country. How? Children need to learn to zoom in, by listening closely and attending to those in their immediate circle, and to zoom out, by taking in the big picture and considering the many perspectives of the people they interact with daily, including those who are vulnerable. They also need to consider how their decisions, such as quitting a sports team or a band, can ripple out and harm various members of their communities. Especially in our more global world, children need to develop concern for people who live in very different cultures and communities than their own. Try this • Make sure your children are friendly and grateful with all the people in their daily lives, such as a bus driver or a waitress. • Encourage children to care for those who are vulnerable. Give children some simple ideas for stepping into the “caring and courage zone,” like comforting a classmate who was teased. • Use a newspaper or TV story to encourage your child to think about hardships faced by children in another country. 4. Be a strong moral role model and mentor. Why? Children learn ethical values by watching the actions of adults they respect. They also learn values by thinking through ethical dilemmas with adults, e.g. “Should I invite a new neighbour to my birthday party when my best friend doesn’t like her?” How? Being a moral role model and mentor means that we need to practice honesty, fairness, and caring ourselves. But it doesn’t mean being perfect all the time. For our children to respect and trust us, we need to acknowledge our mistakes and flaws. We also need to respect children’s thinking and listen to their perspectives, demonstrating to them how we want them to engage others. Try this: • Model caring for others by doing community service at least once a month. Even better, do this service with your child. • Give your child an ethical dilemma at dinner or ask your child about dilemmas they’ve faced. 5. Guide children in managing destructive feelings Why? Often the ability to care for others is overwhelmed by anger, shame, envy, or other negative feelings. How? We need to teach children that all feelings are okay, but some ways of dealing with them are not helpful. Children need our help learning to cope with these feelings in productive ways. Try this Here’s a simple way to teach your kids to calm down: ask your child to stop, take a deep breath through the nose and exhale through the mouth, and count to five. Practice when your child is calm. Then, when you see her getting upset, remind her about the steps and do them with her. After a while she’ll start to do it on her own so that she can express her feelings in a helpful and appropriate way. NOTIFICATION FROM PARENT/GUARDIAN (please print) Dear ________________________________, As the parent/guardian of ______________________________ class __________, I wish to advise that the • Absence from ______________ to ________________ • Late arrival ______________ a.m./p.m. • Requested early departure ________________a.m./p.m. • Out of uniform • Failure to complete set work Medical cer$ficate available YES/NO (please circle) on __/__/__ was/is due to _______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________ Parent/Guardian signature _____________________________ Teacher’s signature My Bali Experience When I first heard about it, the offer seemed interes$ng, and gave no indica$on of what was to come. Cath Ed. is looking for expressions of interest concerning a language immersion course being run in Bali in July. Well, I enjoy languages, and learning another seemed to fit right into my bucket list, so I readily put my name forward. Li9le did I know that the innocent offer veiled a myriad of experiences! The July holidays came around sooner than expected, and I found myself on a plane out of Brisbane, heading for Bali. On board were other teachers from the diocese, none of whom I had met before. We landed safely at Denpasar Airport on Sunday, and were whisked to our hotel by a deligh<ul local. Monday morning found us at the language ins$tute, and before we realised it, we were having our first Bahasa Indonesia lesson! What a learning curve that turned out to be; full of laughter, hard work, camaraderie and tears. Most a?ernoons were filled with cultural ac$vi$es; from silver work to tradi$onal dancing, from mask pain$ng to a temple visit. Although free $me was sparse, it was filled with the regular things that are expected of a tourist in Bali – shopping and bargain hun$ng in the various markets! In all, the experience was one I am grateful for , and I can relive it every $me I teach a Bahasa Indonesia lesson to the Year 6’s and 7’s! Leigh Winters Library News Students are continuing to borrow and read with great enthusiasm, which is so wonderful to see. Just a reminder the Year 5, 6 and 7’s classes are able to access CME Web online. This site has all the catalogued resources in the school library as well as websites and resources from the State Library. There are also links to various educa1onal sites from P-12. As with all internet usage parents need to monitor sites visited to ensure they are age appropriate. Students are also able to reserve any required books. The search for books and informa1on research made easier with CME WEB! Enter using the St Mary’s web page and simply use the curriculum tab, click on library and then click on the link or visit h7p://stmc.twbceo.cmeweb.libcode.com.au Grade 4 Grade 4 is learning the tricky art of frac ons in Maths at the moment. Everyone is trying very hard to understand equivalent frac ons and are able to count in halves, thirds and quarters. In English we are learning about how to write and iden fy the features of informa on reports. In history we are looking at pre 1770, when Indigenous people lived in Australia. Pending good behaviour, in week 5 we aim to go on an excursion to a property, where we will explore some of our history concepts in more depth. Our groups and behaviour have been opera ng very well, however we do need to concentrate our efforts into including each other in the playground and keeping hands to self!!! On a posi ve note, I was incredibly proud to see how mature and responsible the grade 4’s were marching with their buddies in the NAIDOC week parade – it’s mes like this I believe we have the BEST CLASS! Year 7 – The Awesome Class a poem by L N Winters Year 7 is an awesome class: they’re called the very best – For they’re the masters of their trade who rise above the rest. They’re the pride of Mrs Winters, although it’s not too fair For when these pupils are at school – they really are not there! Year 7, Year 7, there’s no class like Year 7, They’ve used up every library book; they know the laws of heaven. Their powers of understanding would make a teacher stare, Yet when you reach the scene of work – Year 7 is not there! You may seek them in the classroom; you may look up in the air – But I tell you once and once again, Year 7 is not there! Year 7 is a range of kids, some very tall and thin You would know them if you saw them, for their work‘s not handed in! Their brows are deeply lined with thought, their heads are not confused Their pens ae dusty from neglect, their rulers are unused. They sway their heads from side to side, with movements like a snake And when you think they’re half asleep, they’re always wide awake. Year 7, Year 7, there’s no class like Year 7, For they’re a group in $p top shape, a class above eleven. You may meet them in a by-street; you may see them in the square – But when there’s homework to be done, Year 7 is not there! With acknowledgement to TS Elliot Year 6 News What a busy start to the term it has been! We have been working extremely hard in Maths learning all about the proper$es of angles. We integrated an art ac$vity within one of our Maths lessons to assist us learning about acute, obtuse, right, revolu$on and reflex angles. Our photo below shows us crea$ng angles with our angle clappers! We briefly thought we were in a film and television class! This week we are on Prayer Assembly. We will be celebrating Catholic Education Week. We invite any available parents to come along and watch our presentation. A reminder that next week, parents are invited along to the High School transi$on mee$ng. This mee$ng is at 5.30pm in the Staff Room at St Mary’s. At this mee$ng, you will have the opportunity to ask any ques$ons that you may have about your child’s transi$on experience and what High School will look like for Year 6 & 7 in 2015. Un$l next $me, Year 6 & Mrs Kingsford. Year 5 News Yesterday, the Year 5 students had the fortunate experience of a9ending a retreat held by Sharon Collins from the Catholic Educa$on Office. This was a wonderful opportunity and the students truly benefi9ed from the experience. Here is what some of the students had to say about the retreat: Libi Barker – ‘I loved how we got to find out about what other students are like and what they like about you.’ Josie McPhee – ‘It was interes ng reading what other people thought about me.’ Etosha Shipley – ‘I like finding out the posi ve things that other people think about me.’ Samuel Elmes – ‘I liked how Sharon did lots of ac vi es in circles and did ac vi es about how special we all are.’ Zoe Radnedge – ‘I really enjoyed ge8ng to know what others thought about me and ge8ng to know what everyone thought were my good quali es.’ Jack Schulz – ‘It was fun dancing on stage!’ 6. My child and me The Na$onally Consistent Collec$on of Data on School Students with Disability will provide Australian schools, parents, educa$on authori$es and the community with informa$on about the number of students with disability in schools, where they are located and the adjustments they receive. The na$onal data collec$on on students with disability reinforces the exis$ng obliga$ons that schools have to students under the Disability Discrimina on Act 1992 (DDA) and the Disability Standards for Educa$on 2005 (the Standards). It counts the number of students who are supported under these obliga$ons based on the professional judgement of teachers and their understanding and knowledge of their students. The na$onal data collec$on on students with disability acknowledges the work already being undertaken in schools to support students with disability. It assists schools to iden$fy and support students with disability so they can access and par$cipate in educa$on on the same basis as students without a disability. Posi$ve feedback has been received from many schools that have par$cipated in the data collec$on. Schools viewed it as an opportunity to consolidate and raise awareness of the needs of individual children and the class as a whole, as well as support their families. For more informa$on visit the following website: h9p://educa$on.gov.au/na$onally-consistent-collec$on-data-school-students-disability Uniform Shop News Charleville Scouts A reminder that the Uniform Shop is open on Tuesday mornings from 8:00-8:30. Cubs meet every Saturday from 3:00-5:00p.m. and the Scouts meet from 5:00-7:00pm on Saturdays at the scout den. Homework Club News A reminder that Homework Club will be held on Thursday only this week. If you are interested in joining, please contact Joe Tully on 0427 561 179, 4654 1179, rhi57955@bigpond.net.au or joe@westernrural.com Yoga Classes Saturday yoga classes have started again from 8:009:00am. Everyone is welcome. Lost Property…. There is a huge amount of clothing & other items in lost property. If your child is missing something, please check this. It is located outside the school staffroom. LOSE YOURSELF IN THE MUSIC AND FIND YOURSELF IN SHAPE AT THE DANCE-ULTIMATE DANCE FITNESS CLASS DATE: Mondays 5:30pm, Wednesdays 5:30pm, Saturdays 4:00pm and Sundays 5:30pm PLACE: St Mary’s Performing Arts Hall Any queries call Linda Hawcro? 0402 235 418 or Mandy Roser 0421 980 733 (Licenced Zumba Instructors) $5 per class or $20 for 5 classes Parents&Friends Meeting ThisWednesday30July 5:30pminStaffroom AllWelcome Fete News Our first Fete mee$ng was held last Wednesday. Like previous years, we have allocated each year level a stall to run which are as follows: Prep - Hot Potatoes (with Yr 6) Year 1 - Curries and Ham wheel Year 2 - BBQ Year 3 - Drinks/Chips/Slushies etc. Year 4 - Lucky Jar and bulls eye Year 5 - Desserts and Coffee/Cakes and Confec$onary Year 6 - Hot Potatoes (with Prep) Year 7 - Hot Chips Staff - Hair Spray/Loom Bands/Show Bags Can the class reps for each year level please contact either Nicky (0417 744 722) or Selena (0411 601 998) to assist with geWng helpers for the respec$ve stalls. Our next Fete mee$ng is next Wednesday 6th August at 5.30pm. If you are unable to a9end but can assist on the night of Fete please let us know. Thank you. Exciting news regarding our new playground….. The P&F has been successful is obtaining a grant through the state government to kick start the new playground to the value of $35,000 (including GST). Contrary to local media reports Howard Hobbs (Member for Warrego) did not play any part in our success (although we would happily accept any money he would like to donate!). This wonderful success is solely due to the weeks of work last year’s P&F committee put into writing and re-writing our grant applications. Together with all the money you, our generous parents, have been fundraising tirelessly for the last 1-2 years, we are now ready to move to the next stage. What does that mean now? The P&F are looking for a parent or grandparent to work in a team to help coordinate the new playground for our wonderful school. The aim is to build a purpose built playground for our middle to upper year levels. We already have two fantastic parents who have volunteered to help however we are looking for more to lighten the load, bounce ideas to each other and brainstorm to get the most out of this project. This is your chance to do an amazing thing for your school and children, which will be enjoyed for many years. If you are interested please contact Lisa Shipley either in person or by email: lisa_shipley001@hotmail.com Friday 1 August 2014 The following people celebrate their Prep - Lira Mpofu, Thomas Peart birthdays this week: Yr 1 - Gabby Egan, Harrison Shaw, Nathan Thomas Luca Peters, Paige Einam, Mrs Sheehan Yr 2 - Madison Bew, Lilly Moore, Abby Peart, Liam Whiting Yr 3 - Josh Collins, Eloise Luxford, Lucy Watts Dates for your diary Yr 4 - Charlotte Clarke, Ethan Jones, Parker Pegg Yr 5– Haidee Burgess, Archie MacDonald Yr 6 - Artyom Fufygin, Malita Hall Yr 7 - Liam Saunders, Gabbie Worthington School Banking Update Student Banking will recommence on Monday 4 August. According to the school banking website the following children have 10 tokens - Isabella Pfingst, Ma9hew Hinz, Lucy Frousheger, Mali Dawson, Etosha Shipley, Cooper Clover, Declan Ryan, George Schmidt, Molly Toms, Zachary Irvine, Fred Schmidt and Sage McDonald. Please bring these tokens into the office to order your prize. Term 3 2014 30 July - P&F mee$ng 5:30pm in staffroom 31 July - Catholic Educa$on Week shared morning tea 10:30am in staffroom 31 July – Spirit of Catholic Educa$on awards dinner - for our nominee Sister Elizabeth O’Keefe (one of nine nominees across the diocese) 1 August—Bookclub is due 1 August – Secret Story Tellers Clubhouse (Prep- Yr3) 5 August - NRL visit 6 August - Fete mee$ng 5:30pm 6 August - Parent Informa$on Evening Yr 6 & 7 high school transi$on 5:30-7:00pm Performing Arts Hall 8 August – Qld Cricket Visit 10 August –First Holy Communion & Confirma$on Mass If your child would like to join the banking program, please collect a package from the school office. 15 August—Performing Arts Fes$val 27 August—School Photos Enrolments 2015 1-4 Sept - Prep 2015 enrolment interviews 12 Sept - St Mary’s School Fete We are currently taking enrolments from Prep - Year 6 for 2015. 19 Sept - End of term Please contact the school office on Tuckshop News 4654 1638 MILK or email: charleville@twb.catholic.edu.au for further information. Tuckshop will be held as per normal this week. Don’t forget to have your orders in on Thursday morning. YOG URT Have a great week, Tracey Adams Tuckshop convenor Charleville State High School Transition to Junior Secondary 2014 Parent Information Evening Time & Place Wednesday 6th August Meet the Team • 5:30 pm – 7:00pm • St Mary’s Performing Arts Hall • Principal – Marcus Jones • Deputy Principal (Junior school) –Jenni Peters • Junior Secondary Managers (Coordinators, HOD) • Junior Secondary teachers & Curriculum leaders • Senior Secondary school leaders • Junior Secondary school leaders • Student wellbeing – programs in place for your student Topics • Distinct Identity – what Junior Secondary will look like • Quality Teaching – talk to our Junior Secondary specialists • Parent and Community Involvement – have your say, get involved • Leadership – Junior leadership roles • Junior program tailored to meet local needs Flying Start – Join with us in preparation for 2015 ENROL NOW FOR 2015 Is your child turning 4 before June 30 2015? Limited places available Taking enrolments NOW!! Education Queensland Approved and Funded Kindergarten. C&K Charleville Kindergarten Phone: 4654 1843 Email: charlevillekindy@bigpond.com