Newsletter - 15 August 2024

From our Principal

Dear Parents,

I pose for you the following question, ‘Are you a competitive parent?’ It seems that there is quite a culture of competition out there, with many of you becoming increasingly aware of society’s tendency to reduce the meaning of life to how much can be produced and consumed. Many people want to get off the treadmill which has them trying to keep up with others. They are tired of the stress this puts on everything from friendships to finances and parenting.

Of course, it is not only parents feeling the pressure of this worldview of accumulation and competition; children are also feeling it. And why wouldn’t they, when they are surrounded by the symbols of status that come at them from all angles, from their peers, the television and social media. It’s hard to escape when multi-million dollar advertising campaigns convince us that we can’t live without whatever it is they are selling. Does every child really need a smart phone? Brand-name clothing and shoes? The latest gadget? Half a dozen activities after school? It takes a strong awareness of what is important, a strong sense of moral purpose to hold firm against the inevitable pressure. In a world that has become so busy, so time-poor, so focussed on money-making and having everything now, on image and symbols of success, it is easy for children and their accomplishments to get sucked into the competitive mix.

Why not get back to the basics? Mums and Dads spending real time with their children, on activities that cost little (or nothing). Real time together – just talking while baking a cake, digging a flower bed or going for a walk along the beach.  What about talking in the car instead of children watching a movie or using the ipad on the backseat? Why not ride the bikes and teach the children road safety? Watch a great movie together and discuss its meaning and moral. Aren’t children today in the care of others long enough? Isn’t it time to reclaim parenting by spending time with the children, to really get to know them, and they, you? To have fun, relax and chill with them just because you love them and like them and want to be a positive influence.

Is it any wonder there are so many anxious kids today? So many anxious parents? Life is so busy and adults so distracted, that perspective is easily lost with the smallest matter catastrophized and a scapegoat sought. Maybe it’s time to step back and take stock.

When these children are grown up, what will be remembered (and valued) more – the new Nike sneakers or the regular Saturday afternoons with dad? The expensive birthday parties or the daily family meals around the table discussing life matters that changed as the years passed? The gymnastics lessons or the cartwheels and chasing games in the backyard with mum and siblings? Perhaps your family can do both? Great. But maybe you can’t and then the questions are, Do I need to provide these things to be a good parent? To keep up appearances? Am I stressing myself and the budget to provide these things for my children? Is this what my children really need? What really matters here? What am I teaching my children in the process?

Have a great week everyone. Enjoy time with your wonderful children. I know the best parts of my week are those spent talking with students about the ups and downs that affect their lives.

It’s a privilege.

Wishing you every blessing for the coming week,

Geraldine Rostirolla

Principal  

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

HE NEEDED ME – A REFLECTION

A nurse escorted a young man to the bed side of an elderly man. "Your son is here," she whispered to the patient. She had to repeat the words several times before the patient's eyes opened. He was heavily sedated, and he could not see his visitor clearly. He reached out his hand and the young man quickly grasped it, squeezing a message of encouragement.

The nurse brought in a chair and all through the night the young man sat holding the old man’s hand and offering gentle words of hope. The dying man said nothing as he held tightly to his son.

As dawn approached, the patient died. The young man placed on the bed the lifeless hand he had been holding, and then he went to notify the nurse.

While the nurse did what was necessary, the young man waited. When she had finished her task, the nurse began to offer words of sympathy to the young man.

But he interrupted her. "This man was not my father. I have never seen him before in my life."

"Then why didn't you say something when I took you to him?" asked the nurse.

He replied, "He was waiting for his son, and his son was not here. When I realized he was too sick to know the difference, I knew how much he needed me..."

(Author Unknown)

THE ASSUMPTION

On 15 August each year the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  This feast reminds us that having completed her earthly life, Mary was ‘assumed,” body and soul, into heavenly glory. In this way, Mary was honoured as the mother of Jesus and of the Church.

Today classes will add a Marian prayer (Hail Mary, The Angelus) to their daily devotions, and the Chapel will be open for classes to visit and at lunchtime for The Rosary. 

Next Thursday we will celebrate the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

THE EMMANUEL GAMES

While the eyes of the world are turning to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, we are hosting our 14th Emmanuel Games.  Students in all year levels are currently ‘competing’ in their class events.  These are not the conventional sporting events of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, but rather virtues, qualities and behaviours which are within the potential of every student, enhance everyday relationships and our call to be all that God created us to be.

Competition will continue next week, and classes will be preparing banners and practising cheers ready for the Medal Presentations on Friday 23 August. Parents are welcome to join the fun.

Please Note: Teachers will not be advising parents if their children are receiving a medal. We all have to be patient, just like the students in 1N.

CELEBRATING FATHER’S DAY

We will be celebrating and thanking God for the gift of fathers at a special prayer celebration on Thursday 29 August.  It will be held in the Marist Centre at 9:45am.

This time of prayer will be followed by a picnic and all dads are invited to join us in the playground between the library and Year Two/Prep building at 10:30am. Please bring a chair or rug and morning tea to share with your child/ren.

We look forward to welcoming lots of fathers and father figures to our prayer celebration and picnic. Hope to see you there.

Our annual Mission Fair will be held on Thursday 5 September. The staff has been busy organising stalls and we are all looking forward to another fabulous fair. More details 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 next week. 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.

FEAST DAY CELEBRATIONS

Our Beach Day, walkathon and picnic at Bucasia Beach was lots of fun. A big thank you to everyone who helped to make it such a wonderful day. The sun was shining, the beach was long, the sausage sizzle was delicious and a great time was had by all.

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MICHAEL MANGAN, MUSIC, SINGING, DANCING, ACTIONS AND LOTS OF FUN

Yesterday, Australian composer, teacher, performer and liturgist, Michael Mangan, visited our school.  He shared and taught us some of his fabulous songs. Everyone enjoyed singing along and doing the actions. ‘Come Together’, ‘123 God Loves Me’, ‘O Emmanuel’, ‘Create a New Heart’ and ‘Easter Alleluia’ were some of the highlights and joined other confirmed favourites like ‘Holy Spirit Rock’ and ‘Hearts on Fire’.  It was a wonderful celebration of faith and music.

We look forward to welcoming Michael back to Emmanuel in the not-too-distant future.

Be sure to check out some of Michael’s songs – they are available on various platforms.

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.

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.

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.

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.

                                                    “Do ordinary things with extraordinary love.”

                                                    (St Teresa of Calcutta)

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.

Janine Refalo

Assistant Principal Curriculum

APA News

NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION AGAINST BULLYING AND VIOLENCE - FRIDAY 16 AUGUST

This Friday 16 August we will recognise the National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence.

Our Student Council will address some of the ways we combat bullying here at Emmanuel. Each class will also participate in lessons about tolerance, respect and learning skills to resolve conflicts. We will also be wearing ORANGE tomorrow, as a reminder that we must all work together to stamp out bullying at our school.

CHOIR SUCCESS!

Congratulations to our Year 3 – 6 School Choir, who participated in the Annual Mackay Eisteddfod last Thursday 8 August.  The students sang beautifully and represented our school with pride. We congratulate them all on their hard work and commitment, and are pleased to share the following results in the two sections entered:

Choral Singing for Primary Schools (Open):  GOLD + TROPHY

Choral Singing for Primary Schools (Year 6 and Under):  GOLD

A big thank you to Mrs Jan Whelan, Miss Nicole Thomson and Miss Meg McDonald for their guidance and support in training our Choir this year.  Our School Choir will continue rehearsing each Wednesday morning from 8am – new members are always welcome. Next week, we will showcase our success at an Eisteddfod Concert to be held next WEDNESDAY  21 AUGUST at 8.40am.  All members of the Emmanuel school community are welcome to attend.

Finally, we would like to congratulate our Year 5 choir member Gabby Brown and Miss Meg on their recent success at last week’s Eisteddfod.  At the Major Awards ceremony on Sunday night, Gabby was awarded the Miss Noela Shepherd Memorial Trophy (12 years and Under) as the Competitor Most Deserving of Encouragement.  Miss Meg was awarded three major awards in the 17 – 25 years section:  Aggregate award; The Most Outstanding Classical Performance and Most Outstanding Performer.  Congratulations to you both!

BLACK FORMAL SHOES – REMINDER

Thank you to the large numbers of parents who have ensured their children are meeting the school requirements for black formal school shoes.  Please note the following styles of shoes are NOT acceptable formal footwear.

If your child is currently in breach of the Emmanuel uniform guidelines, we ask that this issue is rectified ASAP. 

NOT ACCEPTABLE

UNIFORM IN WARMER WEATHER

With the warmer weather approaching no tracksuit pants / tights are to be worn over or under school uniforms from next week.

CELEBRATING QUEENSLAND'S SCHOOL CROSSING SUPERVISORS FOR 40 YEARS OF SERVICE

This year, Queensland’s School Crossing Supervisor Scheme celebrates 40 years of keeping kids safe as they travel to and from school.

We'd like to say a big thank you to our wonderful School Crossing Supervisor, Peter, for everything you do for our students and our Emmanuel school community! You do a great job keeping our students and other pedestrians safe as they cross the road in peak drop-off and pick-up times.

Why not say a big thank you the next time you see Peter on duty! You can also show your appreciation for School Crossing Supervisors by slowing down, following directions and being courteous while travelling in our school zone.

Did you know?

• The School Crossing Supervisor Scheme is operated by the Department of Transport and Main Roads.
• There are more than 2000 school crossing supervisors who operate over 1300 crossings at more than 700 Queensland schools.
• There has not been a single fatality on a supervised crossing since the scheme started in 1984.

Amanda McDonald

Assistant Princiapl Administration

Strategic Priorities 2024

From our Counsellor

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

CRICKET NEWS

Last Wednesday three Emmanuel Cricket teams took part in the Wednesday afternoon cricket competition at Harrup Park.  This competition will continue until the end of term. Big thanks to Mr Simonsen, Mr Gustavsen and Mr Towner for helping manage our teams.

Lisa Bottcher

HPE Teacher

Around the School

SCIENCE WEEK FUN!

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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 now overdue.  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 immediately.

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

INFLUENZA VACCINCATION INFORMATION

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

SCHOOL APP

Community News