From the Principal
Dear families,
We have just finished celebrating a wonderful week of Catholic education at St Maria Goretti as part of the broader celebrations for Catholic Education Week 2021 across Queensland.
Catholic schools have long held that education should be directed not just towards personal enrichment for the individual student but also to community contribution. In his recent encyclical, Fratelli Tutti: On Fraternity and Social Friendship, Pope Francis commented that schooling is a right for all children and that a good education can make an enormous difference in the lives of young people, setting them up for life. Among other things, Catholic schools and universities should offer an education in human solidarity and Christian fraternity and make it possible “for each human being to shape his or her own future”. Teachers must therefore “be conscious that their responsibility extends also to the moral, spiritual and social aspects of life. The values of freedom, mutual respect and solidarity can be handed on from a tender age”.
We have so much to celebrate at St Maria Goretti in terms of the quality education we offer, the talents of our staff and students, our community initiatives, and our Christian, Catholic spirituality. It is a privilege to be part of this wonderful community every single day.
School Song Launch
Monday the 2nd of August, 9:45-10:00am
Our fantastic new school song “Let Your Light Shine” is now available to listen to on Spotify! Josh Arnold will be officially releasing the video clip on Monday the 2nd of August via his Facebook page and YouTube.
We will be viewing the video together as a school at 9:45am on Monday in the P-2 classroom. All families are more than welcome to join us. We can’t wait to see it!
Mary MacKillop Open Classroom Morning
Friday the 6th of August, 9:30 – 10:40am
Mary MacKillop Feast Day is held every August 8th, in honour of the revered Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop. She was the first Saint of Australia, and her influence in the country has spread far and wide. She is recognised for her commitment to the poor, helping those who needed it the most in any way she could.
To celebrate and honour Mary MacKillop, we will be holding an Open Classroom Morning in the P-2 and the 3-6 classrooms next Friday the 6th of August from 9:30 – 10:40am. Please come along to join in on some fun activities with your chil/dren. We will be providing a morning tea afterwards.
Math Chat
Leo the Rabbit (source: Youcubed.org)
Leo the Rabbit is climbing up a flight of 10 steps. Leo can only hop up 1 or 2 steps each time he hops. He never hops down, only up. How many different ways can Leo hop up the flight of 10 steps? Provide evidence to justify your thinking.
Shout Out
I would like to take the time to extend my appreciation and ‘shout out’ to Jo Vickers and Alycia Williams. They make a huge contribution to our school community by providing our students and staff with tuckshop each week and their efforts are always greatly appreciated. Thank you also goes to our parents who regularly provide delicious home cooking to be purchased. All money raised through the tuckshop goes toward our Parent Partnership Forum (PPF).
Communication
If you have any questions regarding the academic performance of your child, classroom/homework/etc. expectations, or other general queries, I encourage you to use the appropriate means of communication.
Appropriate means of communication with the classroom teachers include:
- Calling the school on 07 4652 1109 between 8:20am – 8:40am, and 3:05 - 3:30pm.
- Visiting the classroom teacher within the times above.
- Making an appointment through the office for a meeting with your child’s teacher.
- Emailing your child’s teacher on their work email. Email addresses can be found below.
TCS Leadership Forum
Week 5
In Week 5, I will be flying to Cunnamulla to attend the Toowoomba Catholic School’s Leadership Forum. In my absence, Olivia McNamara will be deputising. I’m looking forward to sharing my Cunnamulla experience upon my return.
Mac Zone Athletics
Congratulations to Mitchell, Daniel, Riley and Kaylah who participated in the Mac Zone Athletics carnival yesterday for various track and field events. We can’t wait to hear about your day.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Yours in education,
Casey Robinson
Principal
“God’s will and glory and in these the good of our Australian children, is alone what we seek.” (Mary MacKillop, 1873)
Life and Learning in the Library
We are examining the 2021 Book Week theme OLD WORLDS, NEW WORLDS, OTHER WORLDS during library time by discussing the types of stories and topics that fit into each world.
Prep – Year 2 are listening to the nominated books and spending time enjoying the illustrations. Check out some of the short-listed stories on Storybox Library
http://www.storyboxlibrary (SMG stories).
We are also practising returning books to their correct position on the shelves during browsing time.
Year 3 – 6 students have been reading and viewing information to form a response to the question;
“What have new worlds learnt from the old worlds of ancient nations and peoples?”
DATES FOR THIS TERM -
Book Week dress-up parade: Thursday 26th August (Week 7) at Assembly
2021 Scholastic Book Fair: Wednesday 8th - Tuesday 14th September (Week 9)
Happy reading everyone!
Anne Anderson
Parent Partnership Forum
Chairperson: Christine Apted
Secretary: Jade Johnson
Next meeting: Wednesday 18th August at 3:30pm in the Prep-2 classroom.
Please see Casey, Christine or Jade if you would like anything added to the agenda.