Term 4, Week 4 - 26th October, 2023

From the Principal

Dear families,

It's hard to believe we are nearing the end of week 4 already! School camp is less than a week away and we have many excited students who are looking forward to making memories with their peers and teachers. After school camp we have Awards Night & Graduation Mass to look forward to, and planning of these events are well underway. 

Cent Sale Success!

I am thrilled to announce that our Parent Engagement Network raised approximately $10,000.00 at the Cent Sale on the weekend! This is a new record for our now annual fundraising event.

It goes without saying that successful events like these don't happen without a dedicated team working behind the scenes. I want to extend my gratitude to our Parent Engagement Network, and in particular Michelle Walker, Melissa Callaghan and Mandy Mead. These three fantastic people put in so many hours of work to ensure that the Cent Sale ran smoothly. I want to thank them for their ongoing commitment and dedication to our school and students. I also want to say a huge thank you to the parents, carers and staff who volunteered their time on the night - setting up, selling tickets, serving and preparing food, working behind the bar, running prizes, and cleaning up. Thanks also goes to the parents, community members, and businesses who donated to the Cent Sale and to the people who attended and supported our event. We wouldn't have experienced such success without all of you! 

Day for Daniel

"Day for Daniel" is an annual event organised by the Daniel Morcombe Foundation. This special day is dedicated to raising awareness about child safety and protection. The foundation's mission is to empower children and families to recognise, react to, and report unsafe situations, ensuring that the safety and well-being of children remain a top priority.

At St Maria Goretti we take the safety of our students very seriously. Today we participated in "Day for Daniel." Our activities included:

1. We Wore Red & Donated: In honor of Daniel, all students and staff wore red, which was his favourite colour. This simple act helped us show our support for child safety.

2. Classroom Activities: Teachers engaged students in age-appropriate discussions and activities related to personal safety. 
   

We believe that fostering an environment of awareness and education is essential for the well-being of our students. "Day for Daniel" is a meaningful way for our school and the broader community to come together and champion child safety.

Let us remember Daniel Morcombe and honor his memory by ensuring that every child has the knowledge and tools to stay safe. Together, we can make a difference.

Thank you for your support and participation in "Day for Daniel."

Learning Dispositions - Persistent Platypus

One of our school priorities for 2023 and beyond is To build and embed a consistent language and a common understanding of what makes a good learner at St Maria Goretti through adopting Learning Dispositions (St Maria Goretti, 2023 Annual Action Plan).

This week, we have introduced our second Learning Disposition - Persistent Platypus. Please see our poster below which details what we will be focusing on when nurturing persistence in our students. 

How can you encourage persistence at home?

• Talk about persistence and its benefits
• Resist rescuing and letting children solve problems
• Nurture a hobby and a growth mindset
• Praise effort and respect failure
• Remind children of their successes and goals

________________________________

I will be in Toowoomba next week at the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Leadership Forum.

I hope all students, staff and parents who are attending school camp next week have a wonderful time! I can't wait to see photos and hear your stories! 

Upcoming Term 4 dates

26th October - Day for Daniel

27th October - Crazy Sock Day!

27th October - World Teachers' Day!

1st-3rd November - Whole School Camp

10th November - Remembrance Day liturgy

Yours in education,

Casey Robinson

Principal

A Prayer for Palestine & Israel

God of Comfort, send your Spirit to encompass all those whose lives
are torn apart by violence and death in Israel and Palestine.
You are the Advocate of the oppressed and the One whose eye is on the sparrow.
Let arms reach out in healing, rather than aggression.
Let hearts mourn rather than militarize.

Library News

Great Book Reviews and Book Talks being shared in Years 2-6

Students have practiced and edited their talks and reviews of a book they have read. Here are some of the great work that has been shared to date;

Isabelle's Review of Parvarna

Want to have the best adventure you have ever had in a book? Then read book “Parvana”.

This book is set in Afghanistan and it is about a girl called Parvana with a mama, a sister, a brother, and a crippled papa. Parvana’s Papa, Nurllah Alizai, was arrested for having forbidden books and for teaching women in his home when he actually wasn’t doing any of these things.  Little Parvana changes her name, she cuts her hair and she works every day just to make enough money to free her father. Luckily Parvana has some help along the way from a friend.

I love this book because of the action and the cliffhanger plot. I expressly love the way the facial expressions are drawn and that some of the frames show you what’s happening without words. Will Parvana be able to free her father? If you want to know if Nurllah Alizai is freed, you must flick though the pages of this amazing book.

Riley's Review of Secret Agent Mole

A super cool graphic novel full of adventure!

Secret Agent Max Mole is the leader and the main character, and he is on a mission to defeat the cities villains with the two other characters, Helena Hippo and June Bug. The story is set in the mountains where the three intelligent detectives are looking for villains. This is a fabulous book with great descriptive language and the pictures are astonishing as James Foley has used humorous detail.

I think the purpose of this book is to entertain younger readers. I was intrigued when I read a little bit of the book because there was a lot of action, so I wanted to find out if they caught the villains and to see what happened at the end.

*We will be learning to evaluate online information and use our online resources, Britannica School and ClickView for the remainder of the term.

Borrowing This Term

All classes have borrowed free choice books this week and the last opportunity to borrow for the year will be in Week 6. All student loans are due back in Week 7. The library will not be staffed after Friday in Week 8 so we thank you in anticipation for your assistance to have loans back no later than Thursday of Week 8 (23rd November).

Life in the Library

Happy Reading Everyone!

Anne Anderson

Teacher Librarian

APRE Reflection- World Teachers' Day! 27th October

Context of World Teachers Day

World Teachers Day is a day to acknowledge the work that teachers do in our schools in helping to form the minds and hearts of our young people. This day recognises that teaching is so much more than a job. It is a vocation that requires skill, passion, dedication, and flexibility to adapt to an ever-changing world. Whenever we reflect on how and why we think in a particular way, it is often a special teacher who comes to mind, reminding us of how a lasting impression was made, or why we view the world through a particular lens. Teachers in Catholic Schools have the added privilege and responsibility of inviting our young people to encounter the Catholic World View and to enter dialogue with learners from all faith backgrounds and traditions, providing a safe space to inquire and experience their spiritual self.

Scripture – Gospel reading

Jesus Heals the Man with Dropsy [Luke 14:1-6]

On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely. Just then, in front of him, there was a man who had dropsy. And Jesus asked the lawyers and Pharisees, ‘Is it lawful to cure people on the sabbath, or not?’ But they were silent. So Jesus took him and healed him, and sent him away. Then he said to them, ‘If one of you has a child or an ox that has fallen into a well, will you not immediately pull it out on a sabbath day?’ And they could not reply to this.

Reflection

Perhaps the first thing you notice when you read this Scripture is the word Dropsy. You may have heard of this term before, or you may have needed to google the meaning. The medical dictionary explains it as a swelling of soft tissue due to excess fluid and linked to heart disease. In modern times we may say the person was suffering from edema. Whatever the case was, Jesus noticed the need for the person to be treated as an individual and to be helped in a way that would enrich his life and take away some of the barriers he lived with daily. Jesus had to take several steps to help this person. Firstly, he had to look and notice the human being. Secondly, he had to decide to take action, it may have been easier just to eat his meal, and not upset the balance of power that was held by the Pharisees. Thirdly, he had to defend this action before challenging others to reflect on what they would do if their own child or beloved, or working animal was suffering. This is the work of teachers every day. They notice. They see the learners in their space as human beings who need care and individual attention. After this they take action. They may try different classroom strategies, seek the help from leadership and specialists, meet with parents, make adjustments and listen to the child to ensure they have the best possibility to grow and flourish. Teachers also do not work to set time schedules. Teachers often live the famous quote from Mary MacKillop, “Never see a need without doing something about it” which sometimes requires work and advocacy outside regular hours of schooling.

At St Maria Goretti all members or our education community endeavour to ensure that the best services and expertise needed for every learner is provided.

Prayer

Giver of all wisdom and greatest of all teachers, look upon our teachers with love.

Grant them the resolve to nurture our eager minds and to never give up on us who fall behind.

Bless their hearts for they rejoice when we succeed and encourage us when we fail.

Bless them with gentle patience for the path of learning is never easy.

Kindle a spirit and passion in them it is the flame that ignites the love of learning in us.

Help them see the potential in each student as their belief in us means much.

Instil in them a commitment to keep on learning as it shows us to not fear new knowledge.

Inspire them to touch the future as they influence how big we dream for ourselves.

Bless our teachers who have come before for their work endures to this day.

Let the light of your example shine upon all teachers to build up with their words, to love with their mind and to share with their heart.

Amen

Students of the Week - Term 4, Week 3

Students of the Week - Term 4, Week 4

Sight Word Certificates

Happy Birthday!

Parent Engagement Network

Notices

Our Lady of the Southern Cross Parish - Mass Times

Sunday 29th October - 9am Liturgy

Sunday 5th November - 9am Liturgy

Saturday 11th November - 5:30pm Mass

Sunday 19th November - 9am Liturgy

Sunday 26th November - 9am Mass

Sunday 3rd December - 9am Liturgy

Saturday 9th December - 5:30pm Mass

Sunday 17th December - 9am Liturgy