Newsletter - 05 September 2024
From our Principal
Dear Parents,
When I was a child growing up my family enjoyed nothing more than our extended family “get togethers” to share a meal. Even though my parents are no longer with us and our family structure has now changed, there are still certain times when all members of the family make every effort to not miss these opportunities to be with each other. These extended family meals are more than just a feed. These are times when we, as family members of whatever age or stage of life, deepen our love for each other. We eat together not just to nourish our bodies, but to nourish our relationship as a family. We ‘feed’ each other by spending time together, listening to one another, and retelling fond memories.
A family meal doesn’t have to be elaborate. It doesn’t have to be perfect or done a certain way. It just has to be a sincere attempt to say: I love you, we belong, we believe. Above all, family meals need to be a priority. Not just for families with young children, but for all of us. And not just on special occasions, but on the ordinary days as well. Without prioritising, planning and effort, this precious part of our family life can easily be overrun by sports, work, hobbies, study, household tasks, television or computer games.
So what does the research say?
Studies show that family meals deliver a host of benefits to both children and parents :
Improves vocabulary and reading.
Conversation around the family table teaches children more vocabulary and this advances reading.
Improves family relationships.
Children who have frequent family meals report better family communication, stronger family ties and a greater sense of identity and belonging. Many families use this time to catch up on each others’ lives.
Improves diet.
Family meals are associated with a lower intake of soft-drinks and snack foods and improved intakes of fruits, vegetables, grains, calcium-rich foods, proteins, iron, fibre and Vitamins A ,C, E, B6 and folate. Girls in these families exhibited fewer eating disorders or extreme diet behaviours. Consistent meals discourage snacking and model healthy eating habits.
Mary Story and Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, two well-known researchers on family meals, make the case that family meals really do matter and bestow a whole range of benefits on family members. They advocate the following:
“Families should be encouraged to make the family meal more of a priority and to try to have at least four family meals per week. It is often easiest for families to eat dinner together, but other mealtimes work as well. Meals can be simple with shared mealtime responsibility among family members. Teaching children the enjoyment of cooking and having them involved in mealtime preparation develop skills they can use for a lifetime. Shared meals can also be extended to friends and neighbors to build a stronger sense of community and help with meal preparation. … Regular family meals are key components of family life that may make a difference in the lives of children and parents.” (Story, M., and Neumark-Sztainer, D. A perspective on family meals: Do they matter? Nutrition Today, 40 (6), 261-266; 2005 .)
Wishing you every blessing for the coming week,
Geraldine Rostirolla
Principal
NATIONAL CHILD PROTECTION WEEK
National Child Protection Week (1-7 September) is an annual event starting on the first Sunday of September each year.
In 2024, the National Child Protection Week message that ‘Every child in every community needs a fair go’ will be complemented with the theme ‘Every conversation matters’.
Conversations are powerful tools to keep children and young people safe and well. Conversations can help us understand issues, craft solutions, value community knowledge, and build the brains and social connections of children and young people.
National Child Protection Week is all about the ways that we can work together to build communities that support children and families. Children are safest when they are listened to, respected and believed.
For resources and to find out more about this year’s campaign visit www.napcan.org.au
2025 SCHOOL FEE INFORMATION
All parents received a letter on Monday outlining the School Fees for 2025. I ask that all families take the time to read this so they are fully aware of the changes, which are necessary due to a change in government funding arrangements for non-government schools. Detailed information has been published in weekly newsletters over the past few months. If you have any additional questions about this, please let us know.
RE Matters
‘US’ NOT ‘ME’ – A REFLECTION
An anthropologist proposed a game to the children in an African tribe. He put a basket of fruit near a tree and told the kids that the first one to reach the fruits would win them all. When he told them to run, they all took each other’s hands and ran together. Then they sat together, sharing and enjoying the fruit.
Surprised, the anthropologist asked them why they had run like that, when one of them could have had all the fruit.
They replied, “UBUNTU! How can one of us be happy if all the other ones are sad?”
* Ubuntu (oo-boon-too) is a Zulu or Xhosa word. It means, "I am because we are."
(Author Unknown)
Be sure to check out Andrew Chinn’s beautiful ‘Ubuntu’ song:
VIRTUE OF THE FORTNIGHT – UNITY
“So powerful is the light of unity, that it can illuminate the whole world.” (Unknown)
Unity is inclusiveness. It helps people work and live together peacefully. When you practice unity, you feel connected to everyone and everything. It is achieved when we value each other. The joy of one is the joy of all. The hurt of one is the hurt of all. The honour of one is the honour of all.
“Where there is unity, there is strength.” (Unknown)
CELEBRATING OUR DADS
Last Thursday we hosted our annual Father’s Day picnic and lots of dads and grandads joined the fun. As promised, here are some photos of those who joined the fun.
ANOINTING MASS
Our Parish of North Mackay and Farleigh has a monthly Eucharistic Celebration to administer the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick to those who are unwell and/or elderly in the community. Yesterday students from Year 4D and Year 4M attended the September Mass and participated in the ministries. They read and sang beautifully and had a lovely chat with some of the parishioners at the morning tea which followed the Mass.
A big thank you to Fr Raju who lead the celebration and made it so special for our students and all who participated.
Our annual Mission Fair was held TODAY! Be sure to see next week’s newsletter for a full wrap of this fabulous justice activity.
MARY’S BIRTHDAY
On 8 September each year the Church celebrates Our Lady’s birthday. We do not usually celebrate the birthdays of the saints. Instead, we celebrate the day they died, because that is the day they were born to eternal life. But the birth of Mary is special. We celebrate her birthday because she came into this world full of grace and because she is the Mother of Jesus, Mother of the Church and our heavenly mother.
Why not celebrate Mary’s birthday by spending time as a family and offering a prayer for each other? There are lots of beautiful ‘Mary’ prayers to share, including the Hail Mary and The Rosary.
Follow the links to listen to some lovely ‘Mary’ songs:
Hail Mary – Gentle Woman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RERoQ1biLdE
Ave Maria
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66zUY8UZn4M
The Chapel will be open at lunchtime on Monday for prayer and reflection and classes will be invited to visit during the day.
CELEBRATING WITH THE MARIST SISTERS
The Marist Sisters celebrate the anniversary of their congregation on 8 September, the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was on that day in 1823 that Jeanne Marie Chavoin and Marie Jotillon, with the permission of the Bishop of Belley, came to live together in the parish of Cerdon, France, as a religious order. Since then, the Sisters have shared their love of God by living the Gospels as Mary did. They have served in many countries and communities in many different ways.
In 1983, at the invitation of Bishop Bernard Wallace, the Marist Sisters established Emmanuel Catholic School and Sister Joan Carmel McBride was our founding principal. We thank the Sisters and continue to pray for those who established and staffed our school and continue to share God’s love in the world today. Please include the Sisters who have worked in our school, and are listed below, in your prayers and give thanks for the gift they have been to our community.
Marist Sisters who ministered to Emmanuel Catholic School/College (1983-1992):
Sr Joan McBride, Sr Joan Sheppard, Sr Laurentia, Sr Austin, Sr Julia, Sr Bartholomew, Sr Maureen, Sr Clare, Sr Carmel, Sr Bernadette, Sr Marie Patricia, Sr Noelene, Sr Marie and Sr Judith.
To find out more about the Marist Sisters and their work in the world today click on the tab below.
AUSTRALIA’S BIGGEST CHILD SAFETY LESSON (ABCSL)
Each year the Daniel Morcombe Foundation produce Australia’s Biggest Child Safety Lessons. This year, the lessons are all about consent. They revised how to Recognise, React and Report, and practised strategies to seek, give or deny consent affirmatively.
Both editions (Prep - Year 3 and Years 4-6) of ABCSL were live streamed on Tuesday and students in all year levels participated. This has also coincided with the implementation of the Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Curriculum at Emmanuel this term.
For more information about ABCSL and to view lessons from previous years go to:
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.
Please note the change of Mass time at St Brigid’s Church, Farleigh returns to Saturdays at 6:00pm.
Noeleen Kliese
Assistant Principal Religious Education
APA News
STUDENT ATTENDANCE - EVERY DAY COUNTS
Going to school every day is the single most important part of your child’s education. Students learn new things at school every day – missing school puts them behind.
Why it’s important
We all want our students to get a great education, and the building blocks for a great education begin with students coming to school each and every day. If students miss school regularly, they miss out on learning the fundamental skills that will set them up for success in the later years of school. There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind, and can affect their educational outcomes. Each missed day is associated with progressively lower achievement in numeracy, writing and reading.
Getting in early
Attendance patterns are established early – a child regularly missing days in kindergarten or in the early years of school will often continue to miss classes in the later years, and receive lower test scores than their classmates. It’s vital that students go to school every day – even in the early years of primary school. In Queensland a child is considered to be of compulsory school age from 6 years and 6 months until they turn 16, or they complete Year 10 (whichever comes first).
It is a parent's responsibility to ensure that their child attends school on every school day for the educational program in which they are enrolled. EVERY DAY COUNTS!
TRAFFIC REMINDER
Parents / Carers are reminded when driving into HSC to give way to traffic entering from your right. Please be considerate of other road users to ensure the smooth flow of traffic.
Amanda McDonald
Assistant Princiapl Administration
Strategic Priorities 2024
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.
Around the School
DISCO
The Disco was Fabulous!! Everyone danced and had fun! A big THANK YOU to our staff and P&F for making it possible.
School Choir
PLEASE NOTE: THERE WILL BE NO SCHOOL CHOIR PRACTISE IN WEEK 10, WEDNESDAY 11 SEPTEMBER
Vacation Care
Please see below Vacation Care Plan for the September School Holidays.
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
NEEDED URGENTLY - MONDAY VOLUNTEERS
Please contact Ang in the Tuckshop or the office on 4994 8255 if you can assist
Please Note: It is imperative that volunteers DO NOT attend tuckshop if they are unwell or have anyone at home who is unwell.
Lost Property
There are a large number of school jumpers and items located in Lost Property.
Unclaimed items will be donated at the end of Term 3.
Notices
SAFETY ISSUE – MACKAY BUCASIA ROAD
Parents who park in the parkland along Baxter Drive (ie: the grassed area opposite the Emmanuel Bus Stop) are asked to ensure they DO NOT enter or exit this area via Mackay Bucasia Road. We have been advised by Queensland Department of Transport that this is a significant safety issue and we ask that this practice does not continue. Mackay City Council have advised us that this area should not be utilised for parking in the morning or afternoon and that all vehicles need to park within the designated areas assigned for parking purposes outside Emmanuel Catholic Primary School and Holy Spirit College.
We appreciate and understand that there are considerable parking issues across both campuses, but would like to take this opportunity to remind parents that the preferred drop-off / pick-up site for Emmanuel students is the STOP, DROP, GO area, and parents are strongly encouraged to use this facility. Students are supervised until 3.30pm allowing for parents to delay pick-up of students so as to ensure a smooth flow of traffic within a timely manner. We thankyou for your assistance and cooperation in ensuring all members of our school community experience a safe and stress-free arrival to and departure from school.
CASH ONLY - Please remember to bring small change when purchasing from the Uniform Shop.
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