Newsletter - 31 July 2025

From our Principal

Dear Parents,

‘To be Trusted is a greater compliment than being loved’

George Macdonald

Trust in individuals is vital in an era where trust is no longer a staple of common life. Through sport, politics and international relations, levels of trust have decreased and cynicism has often taken its place.

In Education this trend is no different. As a student my parents and the majority of parents had a complete, respectful and distant association with the school. The school was backed ahead of the child often at the expense of the child. Students were exceptionally resilient, often harshly done by and with the use of corporal punishment; by today’s expectations, some would argue, physically assaulted. The curriculum was much narrower with things like social, emotional and mental wellbeing rarely, if at all, ever focused on. There were much more consistent (rightly or wrongly) parenting approaches and expectations on students, their sleep time, their chores and what good manners were!

During my time, almost 50 years in education, I have seen the pendulum swing significantly in the other direction. Schools and teachers are now in a culture of justification, accountability and documentation. There is often a belief now in the child ahead of the school. Schools provide and accommodate and differentiate more than any other time, we are much more positive in our focus than any other time in history, more broad in curriculum exposure whilst being criticised much more readily through the media than ever before. Parenting approaches vary much more broadly and expectations around sleep times, diet, pocket money, outside school commitments for students are also much more varied.

In terms of the pendulum swinging, somewhere in the middle of these two extremes would be ideal from my point of view. Neither extreme is close to what I would believe is an ideal climate or culture. I hope that we are still and will keep aspiring to get the ‘best of these worlds!’

What level of trust do we place in our child’s school?

What level of trust does the school deserve to receive?

What level of trust do parents deserve from the school?

What effort do we expect of ourselves and of others in making this happen?

If we all just tried 2% harder to live out the second quote above, I really believe this would transform any school community culture for the better!

Wishing you every blessing for the coming week,

Geraldine Rostirolla

Principal  

RE Matters

GOD WITH US – A REFLECTION

 The man whispered, "God, speak to me."  
And a meadowlark sang, but the man did not hear.
So the man shouted, "GOD, SPEAK TO ME!"
And the thunder rolled across the sky, but the man did not listen.
The man looked around and said, "God, let me see you."
And a star shone brightly, but the man did not notice.
And the man shouted, "God, show me a miracle!"
And a life was born, but the man did not realise.

So, the man cried out in despair, “Touch me God, and let me know that you are here!"
Whereupon God reached down and touched the man, but the man brushed the butterfly away

……. and walked on.

(Author Unknown)

God is with us – We just need to open our eyes, our ears, and our hearts to see, hear and love him in the people we meet, the life we lead and the world we share.

This is our recontextualised Mission Statement. This visual simplified child-friendly version is accessible and easy to understand by all members of our community. Teachers regularly unpack this statement and discuss what it looks like, sounds like and feels like at Emmanuel with their students.

FEAST DAY

On 6 August each year the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Transfiguration of the Lord.  It is the Fourth Luminous Mystery of The Rosary and tells the story of Jesus being transformed, and of God proclaiming from heaven that "This is my beloved Son."

This feast celebrates the revelation of Christ's divine glory on Mount Tabor (Mark 9:2-10, Matthew 17:1-9, Luke 9:28-36).

The Transfiguration is our school feast day and each year we gather to remember and celebrate that ‘God is with us.’

Please join us in the Marist Centre on Wednesday 6 August to celebrate. Our Mass will begin at 9:00am. Fr Andrew will be presiding.  All welcome! 

A reminder to parents that the school office will be closed from 9.00am - 9.45am as ALL STAFF will be attending our Mass.

BEACH DAY – WALKATHON

Our annual beach day and walkathon will be held on Wednesday 6 August at Bucasia Beach.  Each year this walkathon is held in conjunction with our Feast Day Celebrations and raises awareness of and money to support a justice initiative.  All students are asked to bring a gold coin donation.  All monies raised will be added to the funds raised through our ‘THE BIG WALK' and ‘Walk for Water’ challenges to support those who do not have water security.

Students travel to and from Bucasia Beach Park by bus. They participate in the walkathon and beach activities before enjoying a sausage-sizzle lunch, kindly donated and cooked by the Emmanuel P&F Association.

Students are to wear their SPORTS UNIFORM and bring their morning tea and a water bottle. Every child must wear their SCHOOL HAT and is encouraged to apply SUNSCREEN.

‘COMMUNITIES OF FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE’

HAPPY CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK EVERYONE!

This week our school community has been celebrating Catholic Education Week with a number of activities.

Our ‘Coffee and a Chat’ yesterday was a wonderful occasion enjoyed by all who participated. It was great to see so many parents and staff joining the fun and enjoying the treats.

Yesterday the State’s Catholic Education Week Launch was live streamed from St Joseph’s Cathedral, Rockhampton. Bishop Michael presided at the Mass which was attended by representatives from schools, colleges and Catholic Education Offices from around the state. Following the Mass, the Aunty Joan Hendriks Reconciliation Award and the Spirit of Catholic Education Awards were presented to state winners at a ceremony at The Cathedral College. Congratulations to Shaye Gaviglio, APRE ST Brendan’s Catholic Primary School, on being the recipient of the Rockhampton Diocese Award.

This morning, staff, students and members of the Emmanuel family gathered with Fr Andrew and members of the Holy Spirit College community for Chapel Mass. Certificates were presented to those nominated for Spirit of Catholic Education Awards. A morning tea followed the Mass.  A big THANK YOU to Holy Spirit College staff who planned and organised this special treat.

Tomorrow, Friday 1 August, we will gather in the Marist Centre to pray for and thank God for the gift of grandparents. Our prayer celebration will begin at 9:30am. We are looking forward to welcoming lots of grandparents.

Our time of prayer will be followed by Open Classrooms (10:00am) and our annual Catholic Education Week Family Picnic (10:30am). This morning tea will take place in the playground between the library and Year Two/Prep building.  Please bring a chair or rug and some treats to share with your child/ren. We look forward to as many members of our Emmanuel Family as possible joining in this celebration.

Please note that rain is forecast tomorrow and this may interrupt our picnic plans. Be sure to keep an eye on our Parent Orbit App and social media for any necessary changes and/or updates.

SR NOELENE’S VISIT

Last week we welcomed Sr Noelene Simmons back to Emmanuel. She shared the Marist story and answered questions about the history of our school and her life and mission as a religious sister with students in all year levels. Sr Noelene explained how Marists look to Mary as their model and encouraged us to do the same.

‘Follow Christ and live the Gospels as Mary did.’

Sr Noelene talked about modern slavery and explained that choosing Fair Trade and Rainforest Alliance approved chocolate, coffee and tea can make a real difference to the lives of children and adults working in these industries. Look at the excitement on the face of one of our Preps when he discovered that his packet of biscuits had the Rainforest Alliance logo.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

This term, our Year Five class has been learning about the Sacrament of Confirmation and our Year Four classes have been learning about The Trinity. A big THANK YOU to Fr Andrew who has worked with these students, sharing his knowledge and answering their questions.  He is an important part of our teaching team and we really appreciate his time, expertise and ongoing support.

Fr Andrew is at school for Chapel Mass each Thursday and is always willing to put on his teacher hat and contribute to the teaching and learning of Religion and the Religious Life of our school.

DANIEL MORCOMBE CHILD SAFETY CURRICULUM

Throughout this term, our school will be implementing the Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Curriculum with students in all year levels. The curriculum is based on principles of best practice in child safety education and centres around three key messages: Recognise, React and Report. Through a series of lessons, students will learn how to recognise, react and report when they are unsafe or find themselves in situations that can have a significant detrimental effect on their physical, psychological or emotional wellbeing.

The focus of lessons in all classrooms next week will be Recognise - the first key safety message of the curriculum.

It is important that the key safety messages of the Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Curriculum are reinforced, both at school and home. I encourage you, wherever possible, to talk with your child about safety to help them stay safe now and in the future.

Information about the Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Curriculum can be found at:

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 go to the Catholic Parish of North Mackay and Farleigh Facebook page.

VIRTUE OF THE FORTNIGHT – SERVICE

“Give your hands to serve and your heart to love.” (St Teresa of Calcutta)

Service is giving to others and wanting to make a difference in their lives. It is looking for ways to be helpful instead of waiting to be asked. The needs of others are as important to you as your own. When you work with the spirit of service, you give any job your best effort. You make a real contribution. People who want to be of service can change the world.

“For we are co-workers in God’s service.” (1 Corinthians 3:9)

Noeleen Kliese

Assistant Principal Religious Education

Curriculum Corner

Brooke Tomkinson

Assistant Principal Curriculum (Acting)

APA News

SCHOOL PHOTO UPDATE

School Photos have arrived and we are in the process of sorting them into classes. They will be distributed early next week. Please see below message from Qld School Photography.

VOLUNTEERS AT EMMANUEL

We love our volunteers at Emmanuel and cannot operate without you. We have a large number of parents/grandparents who assist in various ways around the school including reading in classrooms, assisting in the tuckshop and helping in the Library.

As part of our WHS obligations, the volunteer requirements are listed below:

• Biological parents can volunteer without a Blue Card.
• Grandparents, step-parents, aunts or uncles will need to present a valid Blue Card to the office before assisting in the classroom.

Each volunteer is required to read a brief Volunteer's Induction before volunteering at the school and acknowledge that they agree to abide by these procedures. It is also very important that volunteers sign in and out of the school grounds at the office whenever they are assisting around the school. The Volunteer's Induction document is located at the front office. Should you wish to volunteer in any capacity you will be required to read and acknowledge these guidelines on your first visit to Emmanuel – please see the front office staff when you arrive. Thank you for your continued support and assistance. The students and staff truly do value and appreciate it.

Tuckshop Volunteers are asked to sign in at the office, and will complete a separate induction document in the Tuckshop when they arrive.

Amanda McDonald

Assistant Principal Administration

Strategic Priorities 2025

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 ‘ALL TOPICS’ tab via the link below or on our school website.

Sporting News

QUEENSLAND OZTAG

This week in PE lessons Emmanual got tagged and loved it! We were extremely lucky to have Courtney and Gordon from Queensland Oztag visit us to run FREE Oztag School Clinics. Our students learnt the basics of Oztag including the evasive manoeuvres of Twisting and Spinning along with how to make the perfect Tag. These lessons were fun, active and thoroughly enjoyed by all. Oztag Development Officers visited us to promote their upcoming season which is played on Wednesday afternoons in Term 4 and is open to all students aged five and above. Students can sign up with their friends by creating and nominating their own teams or students can make new friends by signing up individually and being placed into a team. For more info be sure to check out www.mackayoztag.com

Looking for more information on Qld Oztag?

• Qld Oztag Website: http://www.queenslandoztag.com.au/
• Qld Oztag State Cup promo video: https://youtu.be/n-1NWiepAHc
• Qld Oztag Youtube channel:https://www.youtube.com/@OZTAGQUEENSLAND

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Lisa Bottcher

HPE Teacher

Congratulations to Hunter who recently travelled to Brisbane playing for the Capricornia team in the State Championships for the sport of Rugby Union. You have achieved so much in sport this year Hunter. We are so proud of you!

Congratulations to Luke, Josie, Charlotte and Reid who were selected into the Mackay Track and Field team and have been invited to compete at the Capricornia trials.

School Choir

Awards

Congratulations to the students pictured below who received an award in Week 2.

Finance

TERM 3 SCHOOL FEE STATEMENTS- OVERDUE

Term 3 Parent Accounts were emailed to all families on 15 July. Payments are now overdue as of Wednesday 30 July.

If you are making fee payments by Internet Banking, please ensure you use the six-digit Parent Code that appears on the top right hand corner of your Statement as your reference. Please contact the Finance Office if you have not received your statement, or if you wish to discuss making payments via a regular Direct Debit Authority.

Do you hold a current ‘means tested’ Government Health Care or Pensioner Concession Card? Parents/Carers with an eligible means tested Australian Government Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card can receive a 40% discount on the All-inclusive Education fee of all eligible students from the family (after any family discount has been applied). 

2026 SCHEDULE OF FEES

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.

Parent Orbit

The Parent Orbit app, which is connected to Parent Lounge, will improve our communication with each other as it offers a quick and easy way to receive notifications, view academic reports, book Parent/Teacher interviews, add and acknowledge Student Absences, view and pay School Fees, accept or decline excursions via the Events and Payments tile, update student details, email class teachers and much more.

Notices

2025 NON-GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS CENSUS COLLECTION NOTICE

COMMUNITY SURVEY - PUBLIC INTOXICATION AND ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

The Office of Nigel Dalton MP / Member for Mackay are currently seeking feedback on the issues of public intoxication and anti-social behaviour in the Mackay region. Please see information below:

Our office is currently seeking feedback from the community on the issues of public intoxication and anti-social behaviour in the Mackay region.

 The insights gathered will help shape future policy decisions and inform local safety initiatives.

 We would greatly appreciate your support in sharing the following survey link with your school community.

 The survey is anonymous, takes less than five minutes to complete, and is open to all members of the public:

🔗 Survey Link: https://forms.office.com/r/YSa0gTaNY1

Your assistance in promoting this survey will play an important role in building a safer and more respectful community for all.

 If you have any questions or would like further information, please don’t hesitate to contact our office.

Regards,

Office of Nigel Dalton MP

Member for Mackay

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

Community News