Term 3, Week 2 - 18th July, 2024
From the Principal
Dear parents and carers,
I hope all our families had a nice term break. The beginning of a new term brings fresh opportunities. We have the ability to build upon our successes from the first semester of school and learn from any particular challenges that we encountered.
Let’s use the beginning of Term 3 to renew our commitment to our school motto Let Your Light Shine so we can continue to grow in love and understanding for everyone in our school community.
Catholic Education Week - Week 3
Catholic Education Week is an annual event that brings together our community in celebration of Catholic education in Queensland. This week is an opportunity to reflect on and share all the things that we love about St Maria Goretti School and what makes our community special.
Communities of Faith, Hope and Love is once more the theme for Queensland’s Catholic Education Week. I am now in my eighth year of working at St Maria Goretti and every day I have witnessed faith, hope and love being developed and nurtured in the hearts of our young people. There's something very uniquely special about our own little piece of Catholic education and we have so much to be proud of.
In light of Catholic Education Week, I would like to take this opportunity to share our recently contemporised Vision, Mission and Values.
Our Vision
To empower each individual to realise their full potential through living out the school's motto Let Your Light Shine.
Our Mission
At St Maria Goretti School we commit ourselves to being an inclusive learning community that adds life-long value to every student. We do this within the tradition of the Sisters of St Joseph, founded by Mary MacKillop, where Christian values are a lived experience.
Our Values
Faith, Hope, Service, Respect and Kindness guide our thoughts, words and actions.
Below are the events we have scheduled for Catholic Education Week this year:
- Catholic Education Week Liturgy - Monday the 22nd of July at 2:30pm in the 5/6 classroom
- FREE Hot Milo at lunchtime (thank you Miss Spencer & Mrs Robinson!) - Tuesday the 23rd of July
- Netball & lawn games with the teachers - Wednesday the 24th of July at lunchtime
- Random Acts of Kindness mission (all week)
- Toowoomba Catholic Schools Netball Carnival (5/6 students) - Thursday the 25th of July
- Bishop's Inservice Day (Pupil Free Day) - Friday the 26th of July
The Reading Rope (Toowoomba Catholic Schools)
This year, we are prioritising the implementation of Toowoomba Catholic School's Diocesan Approach to Reading (DAR). This approach is based on Reading Theory. An example of Reading Theory is the Reading Rope. Toowoomba Catholic School's Reading Rope (above) is a modification of Dr. Hollis Scarborough's Reading Rope model. Dr. Hollis Scarborough invented the concept of the Reading Rope in the early 1990s. She originally used it to help parents understand the various skills their children needed to master to become proficient readers.
Scarborough’s Reading Rope contains two main sections: Word Recognition and Language Comprehension. Each of these comprises several smaller strands. Woven together, these strands become the rope that represents complete skilled reading. All the components are interconnected and interdependent. If just one strand is weak, it affects the rope (and the reader) as a whole. For instance, a child may be very good at sounding out the words on the page but lack the vocabulary or verbal reasoning to make sense of what they’re reading.
Learning to read is a complex process, and our teachers use the Reading Rope when planning for comprehensive and targeted English instruction.
What can you do to support your child in developing the strands of the Reading Rope at home?
Phonics & Phonemic Awareness
- Play sound-based games and practice learned letter sounds using flashcards or post it notes
- Use sound/Elkonin boxes to practice writing words
- Help your child identify the start, middle and end sounds of words e.g. What sound does your name start with? What sound is at the end of ____?
- Have your child read the Decodable Readers Australia text assigned to them every night
Read aloud to your child
- Read the books borrowed from the library, and other quality literature to your child
- Reading aloud to your child helps with vocabulary building, and understanding of languages structures
Discuss books and ask questions
- Encourage spoken reasoning and comprehension
- Ask your child questions before, during and after reading: What do you think this book might be about? Why do you think that? What happened at the Beginning, Middle, and End of the story? What did you like about the book? Tell me more about the character ____? Why do you think that happened?
Exposure to a variety of texts
- This will build background and literacy knowledge
- Some students prefer to read about the world around them, therefore nonfiction books may be a better choice
Have patience and give encouragement
- Please remember that developing these skills take time and we are here to help!
If you would like more information, or some advice on how you can support your child at home, please contact your child's classroom teacher.
Winter Uniform
The weather is particularly chilly at the moment!
Please ensure your children are coming to school dressed in the correct winter school uniform, including the school jumper or spray jacket and navy tracksuit pants or navy/black stockings. We have jumpers, jackets and tracksuit pants available to purchase at the uniform shop. Beanies, scarves and gloves can be worn, but must be in school colours. Thank you for supporting our uniform expectations at St Maria Goretti.
Enjoy your weekend and keep warm.
Yours in education,
Casey Robinson
Principal
Students of the Week - Week 1
Students of the Week - Week 2
Sight Word Certificates
Happy birthday!
Library News
Welcome to Term 3 when we celebrate all things books and reading with the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) theme;
“Reading is Magic”
Once we have the skills to decode the words on the page, reading can indeed be magical as it opens our eyes to the amazing world around us and fires up our imagination. Reading sets us on a path of learning and success as we grow and take our place in the world. It is the sort of magic that never ends, it does not trick or disappoint us, it only enriches our lives!
Over the next few weeks, students will reflect on how reading is magic for them and may choose to enter a colouring and writing competition (details available in the library). Library lessons for all students will focus on the CBCA short-listed books and our whole school dress-up parade will be held on Thursday 22nd August (Week 7).
I hope you can experience a little magic around reading this term! Thanks for encouraging and enabling reading magic in your home always!
Anne Anderson
Teacher Librarian
Physical Education Lessons with Mrs Osborne
Term 3 Overview
This term in PE Lessons we will be covering a wide range of sports in short blocks.
Weeks 1-3 will see students learn the basic skills and rules of Netball in the lead up to the Catholic Education Week Netball Carnival (Years 5/6 students).
Weeks 4-6 we will focus on Cricket for Years 2-6 and T-Ball for Prep/1. The Years 3-6 students will be participating in the Goondiwindi Cricket Cup carnival at the end of Week 6.
To finish off the Term over weeks 7-10, the Prep/1 class will focus on League Tag while the Years 2-6 students will be introduced to the basic skills and rules of Tennis!
I can already see the positive impact it is having on our students by exposing them to such a wide variety of sports through their PE lessons with their eagerness to join after-school social sports or just play netball during their lunch breaks!
Netball Photos
Pyjama Day
PJ Day Photos
2024 Non-Government Schools Census
Parent Engagement Network (PEN)
Parent Engagement Network
Congratulations to our 2024 Parent Engagement Network Executive -
| Chairperson | Melissa Callaghan |
| Secretary | Gabe Groves |
| Fundraising Coordinator | Michelle Walker |
Our next PEN meeting will be on:
Wednesday the 24th of July in the
school library at 4:00pm
Please contact Casey, Melissa, Gabe or Mandy to add an item to the agenda.
All parents are very welcome to attend the PEN meeting as a rewarding way to get involved with the school community and keep up to date with school events, policies and projects.
________________________
Strategic Plan 2023-2026
Notices
We are currently looking for relief teachers to fill vital roles at our wonderful school. Relief teaching offers you the flexibility to take on work to match your lifestyle and the opportunity to continue to make a difference in the lives of our students and staff.
Please apply here: https://bit.ly/3HlXcIX or contact our office directly.