Newsletter - 04 May 2023
From our Principal
Dear Parents,
Below is an extract from a speech given by Christian Tsoutsouvas, when he was a 13 year old student, to the Year 7 and 8 classes of his school. Christian has Asperger’s Syndrome and this speech is perhaps one of the bravest things I have ever heard of a student doing in a school.
“When I am walking alone through the school yard, I notice that many people start doing things such as pointing and laughing at me and talking to me as though I am 3 years old. I don’t know – although I would like to – whether it is just plain immature behaviour on their part or if there’s something about me that appears odd to those who don’t know me. I don’t want to embarrass those people by mentioning their names up here, but if any of you are in this room, do tell me privately if you think I’m an alien. I will not be offended after all the names I have been called in the past, but I would like to know. If not, I ask those people to please be more polite.”
Christian gave this speech because of the bullying he was experiencing and the way he was being made to feel disconnected from his school by a group of students. To do this as a young adolescent took an amazing amount of courage and certainly placed this student at risk of further harm and intimidation. The bullying stopped.
We are all different and I would wager that most of us at one time or another can remember feeling alienated. Perhaps not to the extent of Christian but to an extent where we did not feel we belonged or that we did not fit in with the others around us. Christian performed an extraordinary act of courage to change his situation however I don’t think that would be possible for all of us.
Schools have in place policies and practices which are intended to keep all students safe and make sure they do not experience intimidation and bullying. To the best of their ability, schools adhere to these policies and for the most part children are safe and feel connected. Schools can have all the policies, slogans and programs to try and get all those in the community to treat each other with respect and dignity but they cannot watch and intervene with every interaction that happens in schools.
We work hard to develop students who have empathy with others and treat others as they would like to be treated without supervision or intervention. We use Jesus as an example to our students and we hope that the Christian values of our Catholic Church are foremost in our student’s minds when they make decisions. In short, we endeavour to lead our community to be responsible Christian people who interact respectfully with each other.
“Let us love, not in word or speech but in truth and action.” (1 John 3:18)
Wishing you every blessing for the coming week,
Geraldine Rostirolla
Principal
RE Matters
THREE HAIRS – A REFLECTION
There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head. "Well," she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today." So she did and she had a wonderful day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.
"H-M-M, " she said, "I think I'll part my hair down the middle today." So she did and she had a fabulous day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head.
"Well," she said, "Today I'm going to wear my hair in a ponytail." So she did and she had a great day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head. "YEAH!" she exclaimed, "I don't have to fix my hair today!"
(Unknown)
I read this story to a teenager I know and asked him what he thought it meant. This is what he said.
It is about being grateful, being happy with what you have and not wishing for more. You have to make the most of what you have, accept the things you cannot change and choose to be positive. It’s about life.
What does it say to you?
MJR – MAKING JESUS REAL AT HOME AND SCHOOL
MJR emphasises the spirituality of the everyday, so lots of the things we do each day and week are Making Jesus Real in the world today.
We can’t always control what happens to us, but we can control what we think about it and how we respond to it! We can choose to be cooperative, considerate and kind or we can sulk, complain and blame others.
YOU ARE IN CHARGE OF YOUR ATTITUDE!
What will you do this week to Make Jesus Real in your home, workplace and community?
VIRTUE OF THE FORTNIGHT – POSITIVITY
Believe you can and you're halfway there. (Theodore Roosevelt)
Positivity is being happy and good-natured. It is having a confident and optimistic frame of mind. When we are positive, we enjoy the present moment and don’t worry about the future. We focus on doing and achieving and not on difficulties or failure. A positive attitude is one of joy, love and inspiration.
The most important thing you will ever wear is your attitude.” (Jeff Moore)
EASTER LUCKY DIPS ON SALE MONDAY
Our FARMITAS Lenten Challenge and raffle were great. We raised money for and awareness of those less fortunate than ourselves, and the life changing work of CARITAS. During the Easter season we will be selling ‘Easter Lucky Dips’. All monies raised will be added to our FARMITAS total.
Lucky Dips will cost $2.00 each and will be on sale from Monday. Please encourage your child/ren to do a job, so they can earn some money to buy an Easter Lucky Dip and make a difference in the lives of people they don’t even know.
MAY – MONTH OF MARY
FROM MARY we learn to surrender to God’s will in all things.
FROM MARY we learn to trust even when all hope seems gone.
FROM MARY we learn to love Christ her Son and the Son of God!
(Pope Saint John Paul II)
When I was at school we prayed ‘The Angelus’ every day. The Angelus bell would ring at noon and we would stand for prayer. The Angelus is based on the Annunciation story. It recalls that Mary said ‘Yes!” to God, that she agreed to be the mother of Jesus. Mary was scared and unsure, but she trusted God and answered His call.
Traditionally this devotion was repeated three times a day and gave ordinary people the opportunity to sanctify their everyday lives with regular pauses for prayer.
The Angelus (Traditional) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xPERfvbpVg
CELEBRATING MOTHER’S DAY
Our Mother’s Day picnic will take place in the playground between the library and Year Two/Prep building on Friday 12 May at 10:30am. Please bring a chair or rug and morning tea to share with your child/ren. We look forward to welcoming as many mums as possible.
Students will thank God and pray for their mums at Assembly on the same day.
SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM
Please continue to pray for our students who are preparing to receive the Sacraments. They will be confirmed by Bishop Michael McCarthy in June and receive Eucharist for the first time in July.
Please Note:
The 2023/2024 Sacramental Program for students in Year Three and above will begin in Term Three.
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.
Noeleen Kliese
Assistant Principal Religious Education
OUR PRINCIPALS
Foundation Principal of Emmanuel Catholic School was Sr Joan Carmel McBride. She served our school community from 1983 – 1990.
Michael (Mick) O’Brien was principal of our school when it was Emmanuel Catholic School and Emmanuel College (1991-1995).
Emmanuel Catholic Primary School has had three principals: Margo Dixon (1996 – 2004), Michael McCusker (2005 – 2011) and Geraldine Rostirolla (from 2012).
Curriculum Corner
PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS
As many of you have met with teachers this term to discuss the growth and goals for your child/children, teachers will have been making many connections between the development of ORAL LANGUAGE and it’s impact on READING and WRITING. Whilst teachers work very hard to enhance the teaching and learning experiences within their classrooms to incorporate highly effective strategies, there are several messages that resonate strongly that I feel important to share with you, our parent community as we work in partnership to engage and enable your children to become successful life long learners.
- “Anything you can say, you can write” – The development of Oral Language is essential for a child to experience success with writing.
- “You can only write what you know” – It is important to share stories; involve your children in conversations; provide rich family experiences so as your child develops a broad vocabulary and knowledge of the world in which they live.
- Children who are read to once a day, up to year 12, will achieve better. The reason for this is that often the texts we read to children are at a higher level than their reading ability, this allows them to build their receptive language.
- Lack of prior knowledge can be confused for poor reading – if a child is not familiar with the content of what they are reading it will impact on reading conventions such as fluency, accuracy and comprehension. Before reading such texts, talk about unfamiliar vocabulary and content so as the child is more confident and more able to read the text.
- Sight words should be introduced after a child has a sound understanding of phonological awareness so as they are equipped to decode, if sight words are introduced too early children will rely on their visual memory to read which will only result in success during early years reading.
The links between oral language, reading and writing are crucial in your child’s development, please take the time to discuss, read and reflect on the home readers, library books and other reading stimulus your child shows an interest in. A good reader masters many skills that go beyond the ability to read the words on a page, they must also be able to: develop oral reading fluency, understand the many concepts of printed language, comprehend, and make meaning of the text, and all of these skills are broken into multiple smaller skill sets that are required. Reading is complex and takes time and exposure to many texts to be mastered.
In mastering reading it is important to discuss the many purposes of reading with children so as they understand it is not a race to move through levelled texts but it is important to consolidate the skills reading requires before progressing to another level. It is important when practising reading skills a child is reading at their appropriate level as guided by the professional judgement of the classroom teacher. When reading for pleasure, children are able to choose a higher level text and will require a more experienced reader to support so as meaning is not lost and comprehension is maintained.
Marie Clay is a worldwide accredited researcher and practitioner in literacy development, her “Concepts of Print” paper continues to provide literacy teachers with the knowledge and foundation to develop best practice, she has many wise words, for all of us as both parents and teachers.
“Never do for the Child, what they can do for themselves…” Marie Clay
Also during parent teacher interviews many of you may have discussed with your child/children’s teacher, NCCD. Please see further information below…
NATIONALLY CONSISTENT COLLECTION OF DATA ON STUDENTS WITH DISABILITY
All schools in Australia are required to participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability.
In 2015, the first full national collection of data on school students with disability occurred in all Australian schools. From then on, this data collection occurs in every school, every year, along with other school data collections.
What does disability mean?
This national data collection reinforces the actions required of schools under the National Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005. The significant change with this collection is the use of a broader definition of disability than the one currently used to identify and allocate resources in educational systems. As a result, of this shift in the definition we believe that more students in our community, may be considered eligible for identification in the data collection. These laws mean that schools and education systems are required to make, where needed, reasonable adjustments for students with disability.
For further information please follow the link below which will take you to the Parent and Carers factsheet page from the NCCD Portal:
Janine Refalo
Assistant Principal Curriculum
APA News
ADDAMS FAMILY PREVIEW SHOW (SCHOOL CHOIR / ROCK POP MIME STUDENTS)
Notes have been distributed to students in School Choir / Rock, Pop, Mime groups to attend the preview of Mackay Musical Comedy Players production of The Addams Family on Wednesday 17th May. If your child is interested in attending, please return permission forms and $15 to the school office no later than Tuesday 9 May.
YEAR TWO AND YEAR FOUR CHOIRS
Last week, expression of interest notes were distributed to Year 2 and Year 4 students to join the year level choir in these respective Year levels. The choirs have been entered to compete in the Mackay Eisteddfod, with details outlined in the note. If you wish for your child to join the choir, please return the note to your child’s teacher ASAP. Please note, the groups have a limit of 50 voices, so the first 50 notes returned to school will be eligible to join.
If you have any questions in regards to the choirs, please contact Amanda McDonald.
NATIONAL WALK SAFELY TO SCHOOL DAY 2023 - DATE CLAIMER
SAVE THE DATE - SCHOOL PHOTOS 23 - 24 May 2023
School photography day is coming up soon on 23/05/2023-24/05/2023.
Group and portrait photographs can be purchased by following the link below.
Or visit: www.advancedlife.com.au
And enter online order code: R78 KWL A81
Students are required to wear BLUE FORMAL UNIFORM. Girls expected to wear dresses. Prep students to wear usual Prep uniform.
Amanda McDonald
Assistant Principal Administration
Strategic Priorities 2023
COVID Update
Sporting News
WHITSUNDAY FUTSAL TITLES
Emmanuel had a record seven teams participate in the Whitsunday Futsal Titles at Sarina State High School last week.
Players ranged from experienced to first-timers, and all students were fantastic representatives of our school, improving their skills and showing excellent sportsmanship.
Special thanks to the teachers who helped manage the teams, and the many parents who transported their students to Sarina and cheered them on!
SHOT PUT AND DISCUS PERMISSION - STUDENTS YEAR 3-6
Today, information was emailed to Parents of students in Year 3 - Year 6 to allow permission for Discus & Shot Put during HPE lessons in preparation for the Athletics Carnival. The instructions attached with the email sent are to allow permission via Parent Lounge. Permission is due by Thursday 11 May.
ATHLETICS CARNIVAL - DATE CLAIMER
Tuesday 13 June - Half Day Athletics Carnival
Wednesday 14 June - Full Day Athletics Carnival
SPORTS NOMINATION FORMS
In 2023, there are a large number of sports which students will be able to nominate for and compete in. Please discuss the following list of events with your child. It will be crucial students collect and return permission notes before closing dates to ensure they do not miss out on their opportunity. Students will be notified via the morning bulletin when notes become available for collection. These notes will be available from Mr Dodson each day during lunch eating periods.
If you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me on my school email: luke_dodson@rok.catholic.edu.au
Luke Dodson
HPE Co-Ordinator
From our Counsellor
HEALTHY EATING AND NUTRITION
Following on from last week’s news item about exercise, let’s talk about healthy eating and nutrition! We are all time poor and with easy access to processed and fast foods, children may develop unhealthy eating habits, which can lead to various health problems long term.
Encouraging your child to make healthy food choices can help them maintain a healthy weight, boost energy levels, improve concentration, and enhance overall health. Developing healthy eating habits, starts with a balanced diet that includes whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and dairy. If you follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, you can still obtain all the nutrients you need from plant-based foods. Also, of course, limit the intake of sugary drinks and junk food.
It's a great idea to involve your child in meal planning and preparation, as this can help them develop an understanding of healthy food choices. Also, make mealtimes a family experience, as this can promote healthy habits and prevent the development of emotional eating.
There is a whole section on School TV devoted to healthy eating. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to ask.
Kindly,
Sharon Martin BVA, GDLT, MEd
School Counsellor
Around the School
WONDER - RECYCLING REWARDS
Help us collect bread bags so we can earn points to redeem on new RHSports equipment. Keep your empty bread bags and send them to school with your child/ren to place them in the Wonder's pink collection box located outside the Front Office, Prep area and Library.
Please ensure all crumbs have been removed from the packet prior to placing in the collection box.
Awards
Congratulations to the student's below who received an award in Week 2.
Congratulations to the following students who have been elected by their peers as Student Representatives for Term Two.
6K: Talia Kirby and Tristan Trannore
6SG: Maya Webb and Jaxon Mills
6T: Isabella Baretta and Flynn Coyte
School Choir
P & F News
Our P&F Association will be running a Mother’s Day Stall on Thursday 11 May.
There will be a variety of gifts available, and they will range in price from $3 to $10 (one gift per child).
It should be lots of fun! The students always love shopping at the stall for their mums.
Why not give your child/ren a job so they can earn the money to buy a gift?
URGENT help required to support our Mother's Day Stall. The stall will be open from 8:30am-3:00pm. Please phone the office on 49948255 if you can assist.
Tuckshop News
TUCKSHOP NEWS
Due to rising prices and an increase in transport/delivery costs, the price of some menu items will be increased in the coming weeks (particularly ice-cream range). We try very hard to keep our prices to a minimum for our students and families however in the current climate we can no longer absorb the increases.
Thank you for your understanding,
Angela McGowan & Carly Nicholas
Tuckshop Conveeners
Please Note: It is imperative that volunteers DO NOT attend tuckshop if they are unwell or have anyone at home who is unwell.
Finance
TERM 2 SCHOOL FEE STATEMENTS
Term 2 School Fee Statements were emailed to all families on Monday 25 April, with payment due by 8 May. Statements can also be viewed via parent lounge using the ‘make a payment’ tab from the menu bar and clicking on the paperclip. If you did not receive your statement, please advise the finance office.
Notices
Prep enrolment details for 2024 are NOW required from our existing families. If you have a child due to commence Prep next year - born between July 1 2018 and June 30 2019 – you are asked to complete an ONLINE enrolment form available from the school website – https://enrol.enmrok.catholic.edu.au/primary-school-enrolment/start . Existing family enrolments are to be completed by the 26 May 2023. ALL ENROLMENTS MUST BE COMPLETED ONLINE. Once enrolment applications have been received and processed by our Administration staff, you will be notified to schedule an Interview early Term 3 2023.
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