Newsletter - 25 August 2022
From our Principal
Dear Parents,
Parents are the primary carers of children and our influence on them is far stronger than anything that the school or wider community can provide. The way we speak to each other and the words we use to talk about others are absorbed by our children and at some stage will be copied for good or the not so good.
We are made in the image of God “whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing” John 14:12, is the challenge set down by Jesus. It challenges us to be accepting of the outcasts, accepting of the poor, accepting of the marginalised. Jesus challenged his disciples, and that includes us, to lead the way by following in his footsteps. What does this mean for us in our community? The way we greet each other, the way we speak about each other, the way we are, is always being watched and being put under the scrutiny of those around us and by our God. It is confronting to realise that as human beings we are influencing those around us all day, every day.
What do our children see, hear and experience whilst at school and at home? What support and guidance do we offer them to help them grow into the adults we wish them to become? The poem below gives us much food for thought.
Children Learn What They Live
If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn…
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight…
If a child lives with fear, he learns to be apprehensive…
If a child lives with pity, he learns to feel sorry for himself…
If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy...
If a child lives with jealousy, he learns to feel guilt…
BUT
If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient…
If a child lives with encouragement, he learns to be confident…
If a child lives with praise, he learns to be appreciative…
If a child lives with acceptance, he learns to love…
If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves…
If a child lives with honesty, he learns what truth is…
If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice…
If children live with recognition, they learn to have a goal…
If children live with sharing, they learn to be generous…
If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith in himself and those about him…
If a child lives with friendliness, he learns the world is a nice place in
which to live…
WITH WHAT IS YOUR CHILD LIVING?
Wishing you every blessing for the coming week,
Geraldine Rostirolla
Principal
RE Matters
ALL YOU WERE CREATED TO BE – A REFLECTION
A young parrot came home from school upset and confused.
“What’s wrong?” his mother asked.
“My beak is what’s wrong!” Parrot shouted.
“What’s wrong with your beak? I think it’s beautiful,” his mother reassured him.
“All of the other birds have much cooler beaks - ibis, pelicans, kookaburras and budgerigars, all of them!”
“You should go and talk to Cockatoo, he’ll know what to do. He’s the wisest of all the birds in the bush,” said Parrot’s mother. So Parrot flew to the tallest tree in the bush and found Cockatoo.
“Excuse me Cockatoo, I have a problem,” said Parrot.
“What is it Parrot?” asked Cockatoo. “How can I help you?”
“I have a silly beak” stated Parrot. “Why can’t I have a cool beak like an ibis or a pelican, a kookaburra or a budgerigar?”
“You’re right,” agreed Cockatoo, “they do have cool beaks! Tell me Parrot, do you like eating worms and frogs?”
“Yuck! That would be disgusting!” replied Parrot.
“Well, that’s what the ibis’s beak is designed for,” said Cockatoo. “What about fish?”
“I couldn’t think of anything worse!” declared Parrot.
“So, a pelican’s beak wouldn’t suit you either,” reasoned Cockatoo. “What about snakes and mice?”
“No way!” cried Parrott.
“Okay, so maybe you shouldn’t aspire to have a kookaburra’s beak. Small seeds?”
“They’re not so bad, but almonds are my favourite!” exclaimed Parrot.
“That’s lucky, I think I have a few here. Would you like one?” asked Cockatoo.
Parrot’s eyes lit up. “Yes, please.”
“Tell me Parrot, if you had the beak of an ibis, pelican, kookaburra or budgerigar, do you think that you could eat that almond?”
“I guess not,” said Parrot with his mouth full.
“You see Parrot, you have been designed a certain way, with certain skills, attributes and tastes. Don’t waste your life comparing yourself and being envious of others. Make sure that you know who you are and strive to be the very best version of yourself.” Parrot nodded his head in understanding and happily flew home to tell his mother what Cockatoo had taught him.
We are all made in the likeness and image of God. May we be all that we were created to be.
(Author Unknown)
SOCIAL JUSTICE SUNDAY
The last Sunday of August is designated by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference as Social Justice Sunday. On this Sunday every year the bishops release their annual Social Justice Statement, which outlines the application of the Church's social principles to critical issues of the day.
The 2022–2023 Statement, Respect: Confronting Violence and Abuse, points out that the roots of domestic and family violence “lie in the abuse of power to control and dominate others” and that “this stands in contrast to the relationships to which God calls us”.
Our relationships should be “marked by equality and reciprocity rather than domination and violence, respect and freedom rather than coercion and control”.
For further details about the Social Justice Statement, visit the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council website at www.socialjustice.catholic.org.au or click on the tab below for this year’s statement.
PRAY FOR OUR WORLD
Pope Francis has designated 1 September as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. He calls on us, to join with other Christian churches around the world, to pray for our common home.
Creation is not a property, which we can rule over at will; or, even less, is the property of only a few: Creation is a gift, it is a wonderful gift that God has given us, so that we care for it and we use it for the benefit of all, always with great respect and gratitude. (Pope Francis 2014)
On this day our prayers should focus on the environment, our stewardship of the world’s resources, people and places affected by natural disaster and those who are devastated by famine and exploitation. We also offer praise and thanksgiving to God for all His gifts of life and the blessings bestowed upon us.
To hear Pope Francis’ message and call to prayer go to
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19v0A19DDXs
A Prayer for Our Earth, from Laudato Si’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJz0ZuxxMI0
This World Day of Prayer also falls at the beginning of the Season of Creation, which ends on 4 October, the feast of St Francis of Assisi. This is an ecumenical season dedicated to prayer for the protection of creation and the promotion of sustainable lifestyles.
“Listen to the voice of creation” is the theme and invitation of this year’s Season of Creation.
In his 2022 message, Pope Francis calls us to use the season to "cultivate our ecological conversion” and to pray together in “the great cathedral of Creation”. He warns that we are reaching “a breaking point" and must act decisively so that "we and future generations can continue to rejoice in creation’s sweet song of life and hope."
MISSION FAIR
Our annual Mission Fair will be held on Wednesday 7 September. The staff has been busy organising stalls and we are all looking forward to another fabulous fair. A list of stalls and activities will be included in next week’s newsletter.
Please encourage your child to do some jobs at home to earn their spending money for this exciting event.
Tickets in the multi-draw raffle will be on sale on Monday. They are great value at a cost of 50 cents each or three for $1.00. Our Year Six Leaders will be selling the tickets before school and at lunchtime each day. The raffle will be drawn after the Mission Fair.
TRASH AND TREASURE
The Year Six students will be running a Trash and Treasure stall at the Mission Fair and are looking for donations of pre-loved books, puzzles, toys, games, collectables and knickknacks to sell. They can be sent to school from tomorrow. The Year Six students will collect them from classrooms daily. Thank you for your support.
CELEBRATING FATHER’S DAY
We will be having a picnic and all dads and grandads are invited. It will take place in the playground between the library and Year Two/Prep building at 10:30am on Monday 5 September. Please bring a chair or rug and morning tea to share with your children.
We look forward to sharing this time with as many fathers and grandfathers as possible.
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.
It is important that these key safety messages 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:
https://education.qld.gov.au/curriculums/school-curriculum/Pages/danielMorcombe.aspx.
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 – EXCELLENCE
The road to EXCELLENCE is always under construction. (Unknown)
Excellence is doing your best. It is giving your very best to any task you do or any relationship you have. Excellence is effort guided by a noble purpose. It is a desire for perfection. It is giving careful attention to every job, and to the people you care for.
Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better. (Pat Riley)
Noeleen Kliese
Assistant Principal Religious Education
Curriculum Corner
BOOKWEEK
This year the theme of the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book Week is “Dreaming with eyes wide open…” We are looking forward to celebrating Bookweek tomorrow Friday 26 August with a “Dress as your favourite book character day”. On this day all parents are invited into classrooms at the beginning of the day to read or listen to a student read their favourite books. Each classroom will have a display linked to one of the CBCA Shortlisted Books for 2022 for you all to see when you visit your child/ren's classroom.
YEAR 4 INCURSION
Students in Year 4 have been studying a HASS unit entitled ‘Wipe Out Waste’ which centers around the key concept of sustainability and the impact of humans and their actions on the environment. As part of this unit, students were offered the opportunity to participate in an incursion with experts from the Mackay Regional Council’s Material Recovery Facility and Water Management Departments. During this incursion, students completed a Waste Audit, where they sorted and discussed items that were headed for landfill and the impacts this has on the environment. The water session gave students an insight into the water story of the Mackay region as well as the water cycle and how water is treated. This was an invaluable experience for students and has inspired them to think about ways that we can better manage our waste and water conservation efforts. We thank Kelly and Bruce from Mackay Regional Council for their time and sharing their expertise with our students.
OPTIMINDS
This Sunday is the 2022 Optiminds Challenge Day. We wish our team all the very best. They have worked very hard over the last six weeks in preparation. We will let you know more details of our experience in next week’s Newsletter. Goodluck to everyone involved!
Janine Refalo
Assistant Principal Curriculum
APA News
DANCE FEVER SHOWCASE – PREP TO YEAR 2
We invite parents of Prep, Year One and Year Two students to attend their child’s Dance Fever class on Monday, 5 September. These lessons will take place in the Marist Centre and provide an opportunity for students to showcase their newly taught dance moves to family.
Please see the Dance Fever lesson times below:
- Prep – 11:40 to 12:10 pm
- Year One – 11:10 to 11:40 am
- Year Two – 9:15 to 9:45 am
DANCE FEVER CHALLENGE – YEAR 3 TO 6
A note was sent home, highlighting the upcoming Year 3 to 6 Interschool Dance Fever Challenge. This event provides an opportunity for students and families to gather as a school community and showcase Emmanuel’s team spirit, as well as the newly taught dance moves. At the base of the letter, is a permission slip, which needs to be returned to the front office asap.
Please note the due date for return of permission slips is
Friday 26 August
YEAR 5 CAMP
In Week 6, the Year 5 students, teachers and volunteer parents ventured to Kinchant Outdoor Education Centre for a fun-filled, activity packed three days of camping and team building. The students all had a fantastic time and it was great to see them step out of their comfort zone and embrace new challenges. The students participated in activities such as Rock Wall Climbing, the Giant Swing, Low Ropes, Team Challenges, Catapults and Archery.
Many thanks to our fantastic parent helpers Nathan Bow, Luke Galea and Christo Hudson who came along to support the teachers and students, as well as Mr Steel and Mrs Wheeler who took time away from their school roles to join us.
Here is what some of the students had to say about their camp experience:
Claire Bell (5S): My favourite activity at camp was definitely the Giant Swing because I felt like everyone at camp was terrified at first, but after they did it we all wanted to do it again! I learnt about myself that I can sometimes face challenging activities even if I am scared. It's good to try new things!
William Creedon (5G): My favourite activity was the Rock Climbing Wall because you could cheer on your friends and challenge yourself to try out harder levels. I learnt that believing in yourself to try new things can help you become more confident, and whatever you believe, you can achieve! A big thanks goes out to the KOEC staff and all of the teachers who made the camp possible. I had lots of fun!
Jack Northam (5WD): My favourite activity on camp was the Giant Swing. I learnt that even when I am feeling hesitant, I can do anything I put my mind to.
CAR PICK UP & BUS STOP – DESIGNATED AREAS
Emmanuel has one designated Car Pick Up area, which is supervised by staff until 3:30pm. Any students remaining after 3:30pm are taken to the front office where they remain supervised until parent collection. Students will be unsupervised and at risk should parents seek an alternate car pick-up area that is not designated by Emmanuel.
We have one designated Emmanuel bus stop, which remains under supervision until the last bus departs. It is important to note that this is not a designated car pick up zone. It is zoned for buses only. Cars parked or stopped in this bus zone cause disruptions to routine bus loading practices and put students at risk.
DISCO DATE CLAIMER
Karla Falzon
Acting Assistant Principal Administration
Strategic Priorities 2022
COVID Update
The Arts
CELEBRATING THE ARTS
Our Rock Pop Mine Team and Eisteddfod Choirs will showcase their talents with a special concert in the Marist Centre on Friday 26 August at 9:00am. These performances will follow our Book Week Reading Time. All welcome!
Starting Monday 29 August 2022
Sporting News
SWIMMING SUCCESS
Kaiden has just returned from the Australian Swimming Championships where he represented Queensland in six events! He had a massive program over two days, swimming heats and finals in all events. Placing 4th in the 100 Backstroke and 200 Individual Medley, he missed out on bronze/silver by hundredths of a second. His other results include 6th in the 50 Backstroke and 100 Butterfly, 7th in the 100 Freestyle and 9th in the 50 Butterfly. Add to this a SILVER MEDAL in the Medley Relay and you must agree that Kaiden is an AMAZING TALENT whose HARD WORK AND DEDICATION to training has earned him FANTASTIC RESULTS.
P & F News
FATHER'S DAY STALL
Principal's Awards
Congratulations to the students who received a Virtue Voucher in Week 6.
Term 3 School Fees
Term 3 School Fees are now overdue. We would like to thank those families who have paid. However if you have not paid your account, it would be appreciated if you could do so immediately. If you are experiencing difficulties, please contact Therese in the Finance Office.
CONCESSION CARD DISCOUNT
Parents/Carers with an eligible means tested Australian Government Health Card or Pensioner Concession Card will automatically receive a 70% discount against the Tuition portion of their fees. Please follow the link for further information regarding eligible cards. If you require any further information, please contact the Finance Office.
Tuckshop News
Our very busy Tuckshop is ugently in need of more volunteers. At this point we have no one on our emergency list to cover volunteers who become unavailable. Please phone the office if you can help.
Please Note: It is imperative that volunteers DO NOT attend tuckshop if they are unwell, have anyone at home who is unwell or have been in contact with anyone who has COVID-19.
Angie & Carly
Tuckshop
Notices
Community News
