Newsletter - 3 October 2024

From our Principal

Dear Parents,

Welcome back everyone! I hope your time together over the past two weeks has been both enjoyable and relaxing. The start of a new term is always an exciting time for both students and staff, particularly the final term of the school year. I just love seeing all the children come back to school and to hear the buzz of excitement as they happily share holiday stories with their friends and teachers.

With only nine weeks to go before another school year ends, there is much happening between now and 06 December. The end of year is always a very hectic time filled with orientation days, farewells, graduations, report cards and so forth. Our Year Six students are eagerly preparing for their School Camp which will take place in the fifth week of term.

In the next few weeks we will be sending home order forms for School Packs – next year’s booklist, stationery and text books, already prepacked and delivered to school. Any orders you place will be delivered to school before the end of the year for you to collect, and our school will receive a percentage of the value of the orders. This is a great service to parents sponsored by our Parents and Friends Association. Thank you to those wonderful people who work so tirelessly for our school community.  Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

At this time of the year, plans are also being made for 2025 and the key factor upon which planning is based is enrolment facts and figures.  Whether it’s class composition, number of classes, number of staff members or budget planning, it is essential to be as accurate as possible in predicting the number of students at Emmanuel come January next year.  Can I ask then that you keep us informed about potential moves between now and the beginning of the year?  Thank you for helping us to be well-prepared for the year ahead.

Next Monday, 07 October, we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.  October is the special month devoted to praying the Rosary.  Over the next few weeks let us ask Mary to pray for us through the prayer that we all know.  Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.  Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.  Amen.

SOMETHING TO REFLECT ON                          

Wishing you every blessing for the coming week,

Geraldine Rostirolla

Principal

FIRST DAY SMILES - TERM 4

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THE LUCKY ONES – A REFLECTION

If you have food in your fridge, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep,

you are richer than 75 percent of the world.

If you have money in your bank, your wallet, and some spare change,

you are among 8 percent of the world’s wealthy.

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness,

you are more blessed than the million people who will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the agony of imprisonment or torture or the horrible pangs of starvation,

you are luckier than 500 million people alive and suffering.

If you are free to attend any meeting or gathering you want (political, religious, social)

then you are luckier than 3 billion people in the world.

If you can read this message,

you are more fortunate than 3 billion people in the world who cannot read at all. 

(Unknown)

Check out this great clip that puts our lives into perspective:

OCTOBER - WORLD MISSION MONTH

This month we will be celebrating SOCCERTOBER.

It is an opportunity for us to focus our attention on those less fortunate than ourselves and to be grateful for all that we have. Students in all classes will explore Catholic Social Teaching and participate in activities that promote justice, prayer and action. Together we can make a difference and help others.

With a focus on Mongolia, ‘Go and Invite Everyone to the Banquet’ is the theme of Catholic Mission 2024 appeal. Their goal is to help sustain and enrich the lives of vulnerable children by providing vital food, clothing, education and health support.

All classes will be setting goals related to ACTION, ATTITUDE AND GIVING. Students will be encouraged to be generous with their time, patience, assistance, cooperation and consideration. ‘An Attitude of Gratitude’ will be our MJR focus.

We will be having a SOCCERTOBER raffle. Tickets are 50 cents each or 3 for $1.00. They will be on sale from Tuesday. The winner will win a soccer ball for themselves and a soccer ball for their class.

OCTOBER - MONTH OF THE ROSARY                                                                                   

During October we are encouraged to pray this beautiful prayer and to reflect on the mysteries of our faith which it memorialises. 

The Rosary is the story of the New Testament. Through the beads we recall the joyful, sorrowful and glorious times in the life of Mary and Jesus. We follow Mary from the Annunciation, when the archangel Gabriel came to ask her to become the Mother of Christ, to the day she was crowned Queen of Heaven. We follow Jesus from the moment the Holy Spirit came upon Mary, through his childhood, his cruel death on the cross, the joy of Easter when he rose from the dead, to the day he ascended to Heaven in glory. We reflect on the teachings and miracles of Jesus.

We celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on 7 October each year. Tomorrow classes will visit the chapel to pray the Hail Mary, meditate on the Mysteries of The Rosary and listen to some beautiful ‘Mary’ songs.

Each Monday, Wednesday and Friday this month, students and staff are invited to gather in the chapel to say The Rosary at lunchtime. We will pray for peace in our families, our school and in our world

To find out more about The Rosary and how to pray it, go to: http://www.catholic.org/prayers/rosary.php

“The Rosary has a peaceful effect on those who pray it, leading them to see the face of Christ in others, to recognise other’s grief and to yearn to make the world more beautiful, more just, more closely conformed to God’s plan.” (Pope John Paul II, 2002)

CHRISTMAS RAFFLE

Our annual parish Christmas Raffle is back in 2024!  With $15 000 in Cash Prizes, tickets are great value at $5.00 each. The raffle will be drawn on Friday 20 December, just in time for Christmas. You’ve got to be in it to win it!

Tickets are available online, before and after weekend Masses and from St Joseph's Parish Office

(Monday - Friday 9am to 12:00pm - phone 49574855).

For weekly Gospel readings, reflections and meditations go to http://www.prayasyoucan.com.au/

Download this week’s parish bulletin @ https://rok.catholic.net.au/parish/mackay-st-josephs/#

For Parish News, updates and to book for weekend Masses go to the Catholic Parishes of North Mackay and Farleigh   Facebook page.

VIRTUE OF THE FORTNIGHT – JUSTICE

Justice is being fair in everything you do. It is standing up for your rights and the rights of other people.  It is taking responsibility if you make a mistake and making amends.  Justice means that every person’s rights are protected.  Without justice, people get away with hurting or taking advantage of others.  Without justice, the world can be a cruel and dangerous place – a place where people are judged by their gender, race, ability or religion.  When justice is practised, everyone has a fair chance to be seen for who they are.  With justice everyone gets a fair share.

“What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

 (Micah 6:8)

Noeleen Kliese

Assistant Principal Religious Education

APA News

STUDENT PROTECTION - SCHOOL CONTACTS

At Emmanuel any concerns or reasonable suspicions about a student’s safety and wellbeing or the behaviour of a staff member or volunteer which a student considers to be inappropriate, will continue to be managed in accordance with Rockhampton Catholic Education Student Protection Processes. The Student Protection Contacts at Emmanuel are:

Geraldine Rostirolla (Principal)

Amanda McDonald (Deputy Principal)

Noeleen Kliese (APRE)

Hayley Francis (School Counsellor)

Alex Martin (OSHC Co-ordinator)

Further information about Rockhampton Catholic Education's commitment to Student Protection is available here:  website: https://www.rok.catholic.edu.au/our-schools/student-protection/

STUDENT PROTECTION – USE OF TOILETS

At Emmanuel, we are committed to the safety of all students in our care.  It is imperative that students understand the importance of using the toilet facilities at school in an appropriate manner.  Classroom teachers regularly remind students of these behaviour expectations, and use this poster (located in all school toilets) to ensure all students understand these important messages.  We ask that you discuss these expectations at home with your child/ren, so that we are all doing our part to keep children safe at school.

DESIGNATED TOILETS FOR PARENTS

At Emmanuel we have lots of volunteers, parents and contractors visiting our school each week.  Therefore, it is important that we provide toilet facilities for their use.  From a student protection perspective, we ask that parents do not use the student toilets.  There are two toilets designated for the use of all parents, toddlers and visitors.  These are the disabled toilets which are located at the back of the Library and beside F Block (Year 6 Classrooms and OSHC room) and at the end of R Block (Year 1 Classrooms).  There is a yellow sign on the doors of these toilets advising parents that they are welcome to use this facility. 

CLASSES 2025

Term Four will see staff arrange classes for the 2025 school year. This process is very deliberate and time consuming, but also very important to creating balanced classes throughout the school. I would like to provide parents with some of the underlying principles that drive our decision making:

1. We always aim to create classes that are balanced in need. We consider the academic, social, emotional, and behavioural needs of the children when placing them in a class. This is never straight forward and often needs considerable thought. A past practice has been that students nominate a friend, but as you can appreciate this is very difficult to accommodate in a school with 587 students. This practice will not be a deciding factor in class placements.

2. We consider the gender balance within the group, the body of knowledge that we have gathered on each child and any parent input that may assist.

3. We always endeavour to be just, fair, and compassionate to the needs of each child.

I invite parents to write to me if you have information about your child that may assist the staff in placing your child. While I always stipulate that parents are not able to request certain teachers and groups of friends, there is often information that, as a school, we are unaware of and would benefit from knowing. Please put your consideration in writing and send to the office addressed to Miss Rostirolla by the end of Week Three, Friday 18 October. 

I would also like to stress that our staff know their students very well and will do their very best throughout this process. I urge parents to trust us in making informed decisions that we consider will be the best for each child.

Geraldine Rostirolla 

Principal

STUDENT COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES 

Congratulations to the following students who have been elected by their peers as Student Representatives for Term Four.

6K - Joleigh Strydom and Hudson Fussell

6D - Sophie Moss and Harry Crocker

6T - Indy Tongue and Archie Stevenson

Badges will be handed out at tomorrow's Assembly.    

MOBILE PHONES / SMART WATCHES

It is preferred that mobile phones remain at home and not be brought to school. However, if your child needs a mobile phone for travel purposes, the following conditions apply:

• All mobile phones are to be handed to the classroom teacher at the beginning of the day. Children may collect their phone at the conclusion of the school day. Phones are not to be used at the Bus Stop or Car Pick Up.
• Mobile phones are to be turned off before being handed to the teacher.
• Phones will not be accessed during school hours
• Ownership of mobile phones is to be clearly indicated
• The school accepts no responsibility for loss or damage to mobile phones which are not handed in.
• All personal devices (eg. iPads) are strongly discouraged from being brought to school. Children are sometimes tempted to photograph classmates which breaches our school media and privacy rules. If students are required to bring devices to school for educational purposes (eg. as part of an assignment), the same conditions apply as per mobile phones.

If your child brings a mobile to school, please discuss the above-mentioned conditions with them so they are fully aware of the school’s expectations.

Please Note: These conditions also apply to smart watches which have the ability to communicate with other devices. Students are not to call or message parents on smart watches during the school day.

MEDICATION AT SCHOOL

The following information is important for parents to know about the administration of medication to students. Please follow the guidelines accurately. They are quite specific in order to protect all parties concerned when administering medication to children.

1. When medication is prescribed by a medical practitioner and is required to be administered to students at school or school related activities, a parent/legal guardian must complete a Request to Administer Medication Form. This form is available on Parent Lounge or by visiting Administration. Once complete, this form needs to be delivered to Administration along with labelled medication. 
2. The principal appoints the relevant staff member (usually office personnel) to give medication to the student provided the request is in writing. The request should include details of the medication dosage, time, duration of course if it is a short term medication (eg 10 days for antibiotics), and form of administration (eg orally).
3. When medication is prescribed by a medical practitioner, dosage instructions should be clearly labelled on the container by the pharmacist at the medical practitioner’s direction. Instructions should include dosage and specific times for administration. This includes over the counter medication eg. Antihistamine.
4. Medication will not be administered to students without this information.
5. Medication which is administered by the school is secured in the school office, with the exception of asthma inhalers required to be kept with the student as per medical plan.
6. Students who carry asthma inhalers need a letter (Asthma Student Information Sheet) from a parent/guardian  informing the school and classroom teacher of the student’s needs.

Under no circumstances should medication of any type be sent to school in a child’s school bag for students to self-administer.

Amanda McDonald

Assistant Principal Administration

Strategic Priorities 2024

From our Counsellor

Welcome back!

Term 4 is the last big hill before the Christmas Holidays for your children.

At the end of the school year, our students are really tired, and this means their motivation and patience with one another is lessened.

For help with navigating friendship issues, I have found a website called UR strong.

UR strong helps you to discuss friendship problems with your child(ren) and provide support. Membership is free.

I have included a snip from their website below for those who are interested.

For Parents | URSTRONG

As always, I am happy to be contacted via email or telephone for help.

Hayley Francis

School Counsellor

SchoolTV

There are lots of amazing resources available on SCHOOLTV to support and empower parents to better deal with the challenges of raising happy, well and resilient young people.

For short video clips, articles and fact sheets, from leading specialists and key wellbeing organisations, check out the tab via the link below or on our school website.

Sporting News

SWIMMING CARNIVAL

Our Year 2-6 Interhouse Swimming Carnival will be held at the Pioneer Pool on Thursday 24 October.

Permission/Nomination Forms were emailed to the parents of students in Year 2 and in Years 3-6 on Monday.

Please complete the form/s giving permission for your child/ren to participate in the carnival. 

A form needs to be completed for each child, even if they are not participating in events.

Year 2 students will participate in NOVELTY EVENTS in the wading pool and on the grass. Students who can competently swim are also invited to nominate in a WIDTH EVENT.

Year 3-6 students may compete in either width OR length events, not both. Please Note: Points towards Age Champion are only awarded for length events, and only 50m swimmers are eligible to compete in the relay. Students swim in the age group that they turn in 2024.

Only students who are nominated by parents via the emailed form/s will be swimming on the day.

Forms must be submitted by 2:00pm on Wednesday 9 October.

We are looking forward to another wonderful carnival. Parents and friends are encouraged to attend and cheer on the students as they vie for house points and a day of friendly competition.

PREP AND YEAR 1 - BLUE WATER LAGOON VISIT

While the rest of the school are at the pool, our Prep and Year One students will enjoy a visit to the Blue Water Lagoon. Information and permission forms have been sent home to the parents of these students.

CAPRICORNIA AQUATHON AND TRIATHLON TRIALS

Any student born in 2012 or 2013 who are interested in competing at the Capricornia trials for Aquathon and Triathlon please register your interest by speaking to Mrs Bottcher this week. The competition is held in Tannum Sands on the 27th October and nominations are due to Mrs Bottcher by 19th October.

LEAGUE STARS PROGRAM

This week in PE lessons students were lucky to have NRL game development staff visit our school to promote the upcoming League Stars Program. Carly, Leila, Madi and Tenzin delivered high quality, skills based lessons to our students. These lessons were thoroughly enjoyed by all.

All Emmanuel students are invited to participate in the League Stars program which will be held at Northview State School on a Wednesday afternoon from 3:30-4:30pm. The first session will be on the 16 of October and it will run for 6 weeks. The program is aimed at students aged 5 - 12 years and introduces them to the game of Rugby League. No Rugby League experience is necessary. All lessons will be fun, active and non-contact. There will be no tackling in these sessions. The cost of the program is $79 which includes 6 x 1 hour sessions and a League Stars pack. For more information or to register your child please visit https://www.playrugbyleague.com/league-stars/

NETBALL GALA DAY

On the final day of Term 3, Miss Kirwan, Mrs Bottcher, and Miss Meg accompanied three netball teams to participate in the Annual MDSS Netball Gala Day. The event was highly enjoyable, featuring numerous goals and camaraderie among the players. The girls demonstrated exceptional effort and showcased remarkable sportsmanship throughout the day, highlighting a diverse range of skills and abilities. A massive thank you to Colleen Downie (Linsey’s mother) for her assistance in coaching one of our teams.

STEVE JACKSON GALA DAY

On the last day of Term 3 two teams of Year 4 to 6 students represented Emmanuel at the Steve Jackson Gala Day. The students played 5 games and were highly competitive, showcasing their talent and teamwork.

It was fantastic to see the students support and encourage one another throughout the day, demonstrating the strong sense of community within our Emmanuel football family.

A big thank you to the teachers and parents for their support and ensuring the students could be a part of this event! 

School Choir

Awards

Congratulations to the students pictured below who received a Virtue Voucher in Term 3, Week 10.

Tuckshop News

Please Note: It is imperative that volunteers DO NOT attend tuckshop if they are unwell or have anyone at home who is unwell.

Notices

NON STATE SCHOOLS TRANSPORT ASSISTANCE SCHEME

The Non State Schools Transport Assistance Scheme provides financial assistance for families transporting students to non-state schools in Queensland. To find out more about eligibility requirements click here: 

CATHOLIC SCHOOL PARENTS AUSTRALIA (CSPA)

Please find below flyer with details of the Catholic School Parents Australia (CSPA) National Parent Survey 2024 on student wellbeing and learning.

The information from this survey will provide national, state and diocesan data which will be shared with  Directors of Catholic Education and others as appropriate.

SAFETY ISSUE – MACKAY BUCASIA ROAD

Parents who park in the parkland along Baxter Drive (ie: the grassed area opposite the Emmanuel Bus Stop) are asked to ensure they DO NOT enter or exit this area via Mackay Bucasia Road. We have been advised by Queensland Department of Transport that this is a significant safety issue and we ask that this practice does not continue. Mackay City Council have advised us that this area should not be utilised for parking in the morning or afternoon and that all vehicles need to park within the designated areas assigned for parking purposes outside Emmanuel Catholic Primary School and Holy Spirit College.

We appreciate and understand that there are considerable parking issues across both campuses, but would like to take this opportunity to remind parents that the preferred drop-off / pick-up site for Emmanuel students is the STOP, DROP, GO area, and parents are strongly encouraged to use this facility. Students are supervised until 3.30pm allowing for parents to delay pick-up of students so as to ensure a smooth flow of traffic within a timely manner. We thankyou for your assistance and cooperation in ensuring all members of our school community experience a safe and stress-free arrival to and departure from school.

CASH ONLY - Please remember to bring small change when purchasing from the Uniform Shop.

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