Newsletter - 18 July 2024

From our Principal

Dear Parents,

Would you like to hear some consoling words? “There is no such thing as the ‘Perfect Parent’!” Thank heavens for that! The reason for this bold statement is that being a parent is one of humankind’s most difficult tasks. Of course, there are many pleasures and rewards but parenting can be demanding, challenging, exhausting - and there’s no time off.

What makes it challenging and demanding is that every day we act as a model for our children. Every day they are watching and learning from us; they learn from our actions and conversations, they absorb our attitudes and copy our expressions. They are doing this mostly without us being aware that it is taking place.

Our family is the first school for our children and we parents are powerful models. What we say and do, is recorded by our children and possibly used as evidence against us, if we are seen to be inconsistent in our expectations of them, yet fail to have an equal expectation of ourselves. Because we are the main caregivers, we provide the major influence on our children’s lives. We constantly demand respect from our children but it is not something that we should take for granted. Like most things of real value, respect has to be earned. The best way for us to earn respect is to give respect.

Our children, want to see us express real feelings in a healthy way, they want to see us handle anger in an appropriate way, they like to see us making healthy choices about our lifestyle, they like to hear us speaking positively about other people, they like to observe us showing respect when it comes to alcohol, prescription drugs and gambling. They like to witness positive reinforcements as to how they would like their life to be.

The Chinese have a saying that, “A young branch takes all the bends you can give it”. There is no doubt that our children will, in their adult life, be most appreciative of our parenting, if they bear no mental scars or character distortions because of our good intentions as their nurturing parents.

It is not easy to be a model for another human being but it is a big part of every parent’s role. There is a saying that, “Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been”. Hopefully that will be the explanation for our wrinkles as our turn of role model gives way to our children making their own grown-up choices and, perhaps, taking upon themselves the mantle of role model.

Wishing you every blessing for the coming week,

Geraldine Rostirolla

Principal  

WELCOME TO EMMANUEL

Today we welcomed Mrs Alison Wales, Acting Assistant Director Schools – Northern Region, to Emmanuel. It was a wonderful opportunity to introduce her to our students and staff and to show her our fabulous facilities. Allison enjoyed reading a storybook to our Preps and chatting to them about their investigations.

SCHOOL FEE ADVICE #4

Dear Parents and Carers,

Please find attached Advice #4, developed to inform our Catholic Education families of the school fee structure, from 2025 onwards. Previous Advice pieces outlined the new Federal Government Funding model (Gonski model), the impact on School Fees for Catholic Schools, and the need to align with the Federal Government’s means-tested Capacity to Contribute assessment of the school community. 
As outlined in Advice #4, CEDR School Fees will be presented as an “All-Inclusive Fee”, rather than the 
previous school fees model of Tuition Fees, plus several school-based levies and charges.

RE Matters

FRECKLES - A REFLECTION

A woman and her young grandson, whose face was sprinkled with bright freckles, spent the day at the zoo. Lots of children were waiting in line to get their cheeks painted by a local artist who was decorating them with tiger stripes and leopard spots.

"You've got so many freckles, there's no place to paint!" a girl in the line said to the grandson.

Embarrassed, the boy dropped his head. His grandmother knelt down next to him. "I love your freckles. When I was a little girl I always wanted freckles," she said, while tracing her finger across the child's cheek. "Freckles are beautiful."

The boy looked up, "Really?"

"Of course," said the grandmother. "Why just name one thing that's prettier than freckles."

The little boy thought for a moment, peered intensely into his grandma's face and softly whispered, "Wrinkles.”

(Unknown Author)

‘GRANDPARENTS ARE A TREASURE!’ (Pope Francis)

On 26 July each year we celebrate the feast of St Joachim and St Anne. They were the parents of our Blessed Mother, Mary and the grandparents of Jesus.  Their feast reminds us of the love, support and wisdom of our grandparents and that we should appreciate and give thanks for the blessing they are to each of us.

We will give thanks for the gift of grandparents at a special prayer celebration on Wednesday 24 July.  It will take place in the Marist Centre at 9:30am.  All grandparents welcome.

CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK (21-27 July)

Catholic Education Week will be celebrated across Queensland 21-27 July this year. This annual event is held to promote the special ethos of Catholic schools and to highlight the great things that take place in Catholic schools every day.

The 2024 theme is ‘Communities of Faith, Hope and Love.’

Catholic Education strives to make a difference in the lives of those in our schools and in the wider community by challenging young people to live out the message of Jesus and to reach their full potential as compassionate, contributing, life-giving members of society.

The Diocesan Catholic Education Week Mass, with Bishop Michael presiding, will be live streamed from St Joseph’s Cathedral Rockhampton on Thursday 24 July at 12 noon. To join the celebration, follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kGYRPhzrzg&ab_channel=CatholicEducationRockhampton

At Emmanuel we will be celebrating Catholic Education Week with a number of activities.

Classes will explore the theme and pray daily for all students, families and staff of Catholic schools. Throughout the week, students in all year levels will participate in ‘Acts of Kindness’.  They will be encouraged to make an extra effort to Make Jesus Real in the way they Greet, Speak and Treat others.

Wednesday 24 July will be a busy and exciting day at Emmanuel: 

• Coffee and a Chat (7:30am – 8:30am) Parents are invited to meet staff and other parents on the concrete area between the Year One and Year Five classrooms for a coffee treat.
  
• Grandparents Prayer Celebration (9:30am) Please join us in the Marist Centre to give thanks for the gift of grandparents.
• 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 parents as possible joining in this celebration.

At our 8:00am Chapel Mass on Thursday 25 July, we will join with Holy Spirit College and Fr Andrew to celebrate and give thanks for the contribution our AMAZING staff make to our school and college communities. All welcome!

NAIDOC WEEK 2024

We have had a wonderful week celebrating our First Nations People. 

On Tuesday some of our indigenous students and staff, school captains, student leaders and Leadership Team participated in the Mackay Catholic School’s NAIDOC Mass at St Joseph’s Church. Remy (3H) was part of a beautiful Welcome to County, which included Yuwi language, and Sophie (6D) read beautifully. All who attended participated prayerfully and proudly represented themselves and our school.

On Wednesday students in all classes participated in a morning of NAIDOC and cultural activities, shared stories in Peer Support groups and Walked for Reconciliation. A big THANK YOU to Mrs Penola, Mrs Refalo and all who organised, prepared and lead our celebrations.

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. Recognise is about being aware of your environment. Children, young people and adults can all learn to take notice of what is happening around them to help keep themselves safe. Everyone can use clues, such as the things we see, hear, smell or feel to help protect us from harm and keep ourselves safe. Clues can be simple things that warn us about a danger, like hearing a fire alarm or seeing smoke, that prompt us to react. We can also use clues to prepare for potentially unsafe situations.

When we recognise that there might be a safety problem, we can take steps to move away or reduce the risk or develop strategies that can help keep us safe.

It is important that the key safety messages of the Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Curriculum: Recognise, React and Report 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, updates and to book for weekend Masses go to the Catholic Parishes of North Mackay and Farleigh   Facebook page.

Please Note: Weekend Mass at St Brigid’s Farleigh returns to Saturdays at 6:00pm.

VIRTUE OF THE FORTNIGHT – ENTHUSIASM

Enthusiasm is being cheerful, happy and full of spirit. It is doing something wholeheartedly, with zeal and eagerness – giving 100% to what you do. Being enthusiastic is being excited about something, looking forward to something. When you are enthusiastic, you have a positive attitude and people like to be around you. Enthusiasm makes life more enjoyable.

“Enthusiasm is the match that lights the candle of achievement.” (William Arthur Boyd)

Noeleen Kliese

Assistant Principal Religious Education

Curriculum Corner

SAVE THE DATE – PLEASE JOIN US IN OUR CLASSROOMS – THURSDAY 22 AUGUST

This year the theme of the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book Week is “Reading is Magic”. We are looking forward to celebrating Book Week on Thursday 22 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 2024 CBCA Shortlisted Books for you all to see when you visit your child/ren's classroom.

We are delighted to inform you that  Emmanuel Catholic Primary School will be participating in the world-renowned ICAS competition this year.  

What is ICAS?  

ICAS is an online academic competition that is designed to assess students’  higher order  thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Writing, Spelling  Bee and Digital Technologies.  This year, students in years 5 and 6 have the opportunity, to participate in English (12-16 August) and Mathematics (26 - 30 August).

Each assessment celebrates students’ accomplishments by providing opportunities for recognition and development. Every student who participates will receive a printed certificate and an online results report. Top performers will be eligible for medals.  

We encourage you to consider entering your child into ICAS this year.  All students must be registered by Friday 15 July, 2024.

Learn more about  ICAS here. (https://www.icasassessments.com/products-icas)  

How to participate in ICAS  

If you wish for your child to participate in ICAS this year, please:  

1. Read about ICAS subjects and prices here: (com/products-icas) 
2. Read the terms and conditions here:(icasassessments.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/2023-ICAS-Assessments-Parents-PPS-TsCs_final.pdf) 
3. Go to  Parent Portal to purchase tests here: https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps
4. Enter our school’s access code – YKT454
5. Enter your child’s details, select the tests you would like to purchase, then proceed to payment. 

Please note that the ICAS tests shown for selection are at the school’s discretion.   

After payment is made via the Parent Payment System, you will receive an order confirmation email, please keep this for your records.

ICAS Results and Certificates 

We will  notify you of the date(s) that we run ICAS at the school  and  when your child’s ICAS results are ready. Once we have received your child’s ICAS certificate, we will send it home with your child. The back of the certificate shows ICAS results and the login details, “TAP ID and Pin”, that you and your child need to enter the Results Portal orti.icasassessments.com/ortiStudent  

Janine Refalo

Assistant Principal Curriculum

APA News

STUDENT COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES

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

6D:      Rhys Phegan and Juliet Trannore

6K:       Fletcher Johnson and Chloe Lawrence

6T:       Maxie Dolan and Harper Tanner

Term Three Student Council badges will be presented at Assembly tomorrow.

TOYS AT SCHOOL

We are noticing that students are bringing toys and some sporting equipment to school. Please note, that these items are not to be brought to school unless being used for a ‘Show and Tell’ session in the classroom. Toys at school for a classroom presentation, are to be handed in to the teacher and will remain in the classroom for the day, where they will then be sent home with students at the end of the school day. We ask parents to support the school in ensuring this practice is followed.

PARKING REMINDER

Please be considerate of our neighbours. Thank you for your co-operation.

ARRIVING TO SCHOOL EARLY

Amanda McDonald

Assistant Princiapl Administration

Strategic Priorities 2024

From our Counsellor

Welcome to Term 3.

As the continues, our Year 6 classes come ever closer to the end of their primary school journey.

This can be an exciting and nerve-wracking time for both students and parents.

It's a big step towards students becoming more independent.

Headspace are offering free online webinars to support parents and carers with this transition. If interested, please scan the QR code in the flyer below to book a session at a time most suitable to you.

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 POSITIVE PARENTING tab via the link below or on our school website.

Sporting News

CHALLENGE CUP

The skies were clear, the wind was cold and everyone was excited for the Challenge Cup in Yeppoon last week. Two netball teams and a rugby league team made the trip south this year.

The Emmanuel Gold team of Juliet, Leela, Linsey, Ivy, Anaya, Brooklyn and Emmy played extremely well, displaying amazing teamwork and sportsmanship. Going down in the semi-final but coming home with a lifetime of memories. The Emmanuel Blue team of Sophie, Pyper, Mila, Isla, Lily, Maddi, Claudia and Evie came home with the Vase, winning their grand final in a nail-biting game. Well done to all the girls on their amazing enthusiasm, co-operation and participation. You all made the school proud!

The Emmanuel rugby league team included Koby, Channing, Fletcher, Archer, Beau, Zali, Kayden, Archie, Archie, Lucas, Jimmy, Roman, Henry, Rhys, Ryan and Connor. The team played strongly the whole carnival, displaying excellent skill and enthusiasm. The teamwork displayed whilst away was fabulous to see.

Thank you to all the parents who helped make this carnival a valuable experience for all of our students. Special thanks to Collen Downie for umpiring all of Emmanuel Gold’s netball games and Paul Johnson for assisting with the running of the Rugby League Team. It was very much appreciated. Miss Kirwan, Mrs Tomkinson, Miss McDonald and Mr Dodson had as much fun as the teams and thoroughly enjoyed the experience of taking away our Year 5/6 students.

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MACKAY DISTRICT SCHOOL SPORTS TRIALS

Students who have been given Mackay District School Sports nomination forms are reminded that they need to be completed and placed in the SPORTS BOX in the LIBRARY by the due date with levy payment.

• MDSS 10-12yrs Boys CRICKET (DUE Friday 26 July)

Students who wish to nominate should be clearly competent and have played a reasonable amount of the sport. Due to MDSS restrictions, there will need to be a school trial for some sports. Please see Mrs Bottcher for more information.

INTERSCHOOL CRICKET COMPETITION - Years 3-6

MDSS will be running an interschool cricket competition this term for boys and girls in Year 3, 4, 5 and 6. This is separate to the trial mentioned above. A meeting will be held in the Year 6 classrooms on Monday 22 July at morning tea for any students who wishes to register their interest in this competition. At this stage we are only taking expressions of interest to see if we have the numbers to form teams. No cricket experience is necessary to play in this competition. Queensland Cricket Participation officers will supply all equipment and be on hand to assist coaches and players as necessary.

When: Begins Wednesday 7 August and will run until Wednesday 11 September.

Time: Games will begin at 3:45pm and finish at 5:15pm. Games will be 90 minutes in length.

Where: Harrup Park

Cost: $10 per player

If your child is unable to attend the meeting on Monday please email Mrs Bottcher to register your child's interest.

Lisa Bottcher

HPE Teacher

Awards

Congratulations to the students pictured below who received a Principal's Award in Week 1.

School Choir

PLEASE NOTE: School Choir will be held on a WEDNESDAY until further notice.

Finance

TERM 3 SCHOOL FEE STATEMENTS

Term 3 School Fee Statements were emailed to all families on Monday 15 July, with payment due by 29 July. 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

SWAP IT

We are now a SWAP IT school! Look out for weekly SWAP IT messages to help you 'swap' for healthier lunchboxes! Find tips on the SWAP IT website:

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

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

SCHOOL APP

Community News