St Mary’s School Warwick Newslettersmwarwick.catholic.edu.au/documents/nlarchive/2018/1018.pdf · The last school day for 2018 is Friday 7th December. Reports and the final newsletter

18th October 2018 Term 4 Week 2

St Mary’s School Warwick Newsletter

THIS MONDAY

22nd

OCTOBER

Important for next week:

Monday

PUPIL FREE DAY

Tuesday & Wednesday Lower Campus

Swimming lessons

Friday World Teacher Day

Parish Mass 9am Year 4 to attend

Dear Parents/Caregivers,

On Monday of this week, Year 1W reminded us that an important part

of our Catholic tradition if the dedication of the month of October to

the Rosary. Year 1W told us that the reciting of the rosary is a

wonderful way to pray to Mary, the Mother of Jesus and pray for the

needs of others. They reminded us that the rosary is also a wonderful

meditative prayer.

The praying of the rosary was a very important part of my dad’s prayer

life. He received great peace of heart praying for help with his

problems and prayer for the needs of others, usually his family and he

shared his faith in the rosary with me. When Dad passed away earlier

this year, I found 4 pairs of rosary beads. I know he would have

received a pair of rosary beads at the celebration of sacraments – his

Baptism, his First Communion, his Confirmation and on his wedding

day. Each set of rosary beads were well worn and as a child, I can

remember Dad always having a set with him. One of our family rituals

each night as we grew up in the family home was to say the Rosary

together. For the three of us – my sister and brother and me, at times

it was a chore. But for Dad, it was a time of contemplative prayer – a

time for gathering as a family and an opportunity to take time to pray

for others.

In today’s hectic and often unruly world, there is a need for families to

take time to pray – to pray for themselves as a family that they may

grow stronger together; to pray for others as there are so many people

who need to know that we are praying for them and that they are not

alone with the crosses they have to bear. At times we might think,

“How can prayer help others?” It is simple really. By taking the time to

pray, often the answers to our problems and ideas of what we can do

for others, come to us in the stillness of prayer.

October is also Mission month. Perhaps in our prayer time or

meditation time, we can say the rosary while thinking of ways to help

those far less fortunate than us. That becomes Prayer in Action.

Have a great week and take some time. Margaret

163 Palmerin Street (PO Box 555) Warwick Qld 4370 Phone: 4661 1872 Fax: 4661 4809 Email: [email protected]

Website: http: //www.smwarwick.catholic.edu.au

At St Mary’s we will:

RE News How to Pray the Rosary

Family Mass Thank you to the children who participated in last Sunday’s family mass. It was a joyful occasion with

uplifting readings and beautiful singing. Our next family mass will be Saturday, 24th November at 6pm.

This will also be the night of the St Mary’s Parish Christmas Party – so put it in your diary as a fun night

out for all the family!

Curriculum Swimming is a lifelong skill

One thing that we are passionate about at St Mary’s is supporting our students to

be lifelong learners and providing a curriculum that builds lifelong skills. The most

obvious of these skills are reading, mathematical thinking, creativity, cooperation

with others and an ability to communicate ideas effectively. One of the less obvious

lifelong skills a school provides is swimming and safety around water.

Swimming and water safety is a statutory part of the National Curriculum, with the aim that by the age of 11 all pupils should be taught to:

• pace themselves in floating and swimming challenges related to speed, distance and personal survival

• swim unaided for a sustained period of time over a distance of at least 25 metres • use recognised arm and leg actions, lying on their front and back • use a range of recognised stroke and personal survival skills (such as front crawl, backstroke,

breaststroke, sculling, floating and surface dives)

As Australians we participate in many activities in and around water, it is important children are

prepared by knowing how to swim. During the first 3 weeks of this term the WIRAC instructors have

been or are at present teaching your child the many far-reaching benefits of swimming.

These 5 lessons are a great start or refresher for your child but to keep any skill development going

your child will need further exposure to swimming either with an instructor or with you just taking

them to the pool and playing around with them in the water.

Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Curriculum

Adults are ultimately responsible for keeping children safe. However, there is evidence that safety education can result in important learning with lasting positive benefits for students. Learning about safety can help students become more confident to take steps to avoid unsafe situations and tell someone if they are in situations that are unsafe. The Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Programme is being taught by Mrs McCray as part of the health curriculum. These lessons combine to teach your child how to react in unsafe situations. The Daniel Morcombe Foundation sends this important message to children using three simple rules.

Recognise – Listen to your body clues.

React – Run to a safe place.

Report - Tell an adult why you felt unsafe.

Further information about the Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Curriculum can be found at www.education.qld.gov.au/child-safety-curriculum.

Administration Transition To support the transition of students beginning Prep next year at St Mary’s we are continuing our transition program this term. We encourage all parents to bring their children along on a Wednesday from 10:30-12:00. Please bring a hat, water bottle and lunch. Students who attend St Mary’s Kindergarten will attend with Mrs Sullivan on the Wednesdays that they are at Kindy. This is a wonderful opportunity for your child to become more familiar with school and excited about starting ‘big school’.

Up Day On the 27th November we will hold our annual ‘Up Day’ where everyone spends the morning in the classrooms where they will be the following year. This includes the Year Six students spending the day at Assumption College. This article is an excellent article about the transition from primary school to secondary school – https://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/families/enewsletter/interview-supporting-transition-high-school

Planning for 2019 We are currently making plans for 2019. If possible, we wish to have accurate details

with enrolments. If your child will not be returning to St Mary’s for the 2019 school year,

please contact the office as soon as possible. Families leaving prior to their children

completing Year 6 at St Mary’s are invited to complete an exit form giving details of

where children will be attending school in the future. This excludes the current Year 6

classes.

DRESS UP DAY

FRIDAY, 26TH

OCTOBER 2018

Day for Daniel & Rodeo Dress Up

Wear something RED Please bring a gold coin donation to be shared between the

Daniel Morcombe Foundation and the Drought Appeal

❖ Shirts must have sleeves and a collar.

❖ Closed-in shoes must be worn.

❖ Hat needs to have a full brim.

❖ No spurs, whips, toy guns etc. to be brought to school.

The last school day for 2018 is Friday 7th December. Reports and the final newsletter for this year will be issued on Thursday 6th December. Parents and caregivers are reminded that this term is only 9 weeks and will go very quickly. Assessment activities will be an important part of our school calendar in the coming weeks, along with assemblies, class Masses and Liturgies, intensive swimming programs, swimming carnivals and end of year activities. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to regularly read children’s diaries and newsletters for updates regarding classroom and school activities as well as keeping up to date with upcoming events through the school newsletter.

2019 Early Date Claimer: School recommences for students on Tuesday 29th January. Monday 28th January is a Public Holiday.

Chess Club We have been enjoying games of Chess on a Thursday at Snack time at the Upper Campus. Learning new skills and making new friends. All are invited to attend.

We have also been invited to participate in Chess Coaching and a Chess Tournament at Assumption College. Information will be given out to students who attend Chess Club with the required skill level to participate in the tournament. If your child is interested and they are not already attending Chess Club please encourage them to come along.

Visit by Registered Nurse for Free Prep Vision Screening Good vision is important for a child’s educational, physical and social development. Vision screening is therefore vital in early childhood, particularly for conditions such as ‘lazy eye’, which if not detected early can lead to blindness.

A Registered Nurse will be visiting the school in 2018 to commence vision screening for all Prep Year children. If you wish to have your child participate in this free vision screening program, please complete and sign the consent form sent home with your child and return this to your child’s class teacher as soon as possible. You will be advised in writing of the outcome of your child’s screening.

Please note that if your child has had a vision assessment in the past 12 months it is not necessary for him/her to participate in this screening program. If this is the case, please complete the consent form and indicate that you do not wish for your child to participate and ensure that you follow the schedule of reviews recommended by your eye health professional.

Term Dates for 2019

Term 1 Tuesday, 29 January – Thursday, 4 April

Term 2 Tuesday, 23 April – Thursday, 27 June

Term 3 Monday, 15 July – Thursday, 19 September

Term 4 Tuesday, 8 October` – Friday, 6 December

Congratulations to this week’s RISE UP Award recipients.

Spotted RISING UP Congratulations to all the students who have been ‘Spotted Rising Up’ this week. Last week our weekly prize winners were Brooke & Cathryn Ryan and Annabelle Gleeson. Please celebrate with your child if they have brought home a Spotted Rising Up slip.

School Fees for Term 4 will be emailed shortly. Families paying fees regularly through Direct Debits may need to make an extra payment (cash or EFTPOS) in order for your accounts to be paid in full, by Friday 7th December, 2018. If you are unsure of your amount still owing, please contact the School Office.

Queensland Ready Reading Program The Department of Education and Volunteering Queensland are working together to implement the Queensland Ready Reading (QRR) program. Parents and community members from Catholic schools can register to take part in training to becoming a Ready Reading volunteer. Volunteers undertake two modules of training to learn about the components of reading and strategies to develop independent reading skills. Volunteers can register at - volunteeringqld.org.au/readyreading.

Prep D Amirah De Luna, Ashton Williams

Prep L Levi Harmer, Xyreece Saunders

1B Makayla Sturgeon, Harry Tattam

1W William Cantwell, Summer Taylor

2L Alexis Byrne, Jett Rigney

2S Shiloh Cottee, Logan Hallman, Isabel Paynter

3K Brandan McNair

3N Ruby Cheney, Samuel Black

4G Billy Bange, Carly Cantwell, Lachlan Corney, Meghan Crothers, Ava Salmon

4M Katety Going, Adam Harmer, Faith Henderson, Williams Ross, Summer Scanlan, Ryan Totman

5O Mark Hallman, Isabella Sullivan

5S Lachlan Bruton, Alivia Hallman

6D Cameron Martin, Alexis Weitzel

6R Xavier Byrne, Noah Pollard,

Charlotte Stevenson, Tiger Windle

Survey for Music Programme in Year 4 & Year 5 2019 The Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office is currently conducting a survey across the Diocese to investigate the feasibility of a future Instrumental Music programme in schools. Parents of Year 3 and Year 4 students in 2018 are invited to complete this short survey, which is open now: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FR6B2JJ

Sport Swimming Lessons Upper Campus swimming lessons have now concluded. Lower Campus students still have swimming tomorrow, Friday 19th October, Tuesday 23rd October and Wednesday 24 October. Children are required to wear their sports uniform every swimming day.

Swimming Carnival The Annual Swimming Carnival will be held in week 9, Monday 3rd December.

Warwick & District Interschool Sport Commencing next week, the Year 6 students will be travelling every Friday to other schools to participate in either Cricket or T-ball. Those students who opted out of these sports will be involved in regular Friday afternoon sport at school.

A letter of consent has been sent home to be filled in and returned by Tuesday 23. There is no cost associated with this activity but please ensure your child, if participating, brings plenty of water, food, hat, sunscreen and a willingness to be a reliable team member. The draw for week 3 - St Mary’s V Killarney @ Killarney

Tuckshop News Roster Fri 19/10: Rebecca Mack, Fiona Ralph, Michelle Nolan, Melissa Owens

Thurs 25/10: Leesa Latham, Marg Walsh Fri 26/10: Clare Blake, Wendy Ryan, Lee Collins

Library News #StudentsNeedSchoolLibraries campaign has been launched. Check out this video on YouTube about the importance of School Libraries. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B_SD7W_nRA Well-known children’s authors are interviewed for their opinion on school libraries (Jackie French, Jack Heath, Morris Gleitzman)

COMING EVENTS October 24: Year 3 & 4 Reading Competition. Those competing need to return their permission forms. We will gather at Warwick State High School from 3.30 pm for a small snack. November 7: Book Fair arrives and is open Wed, Thursday and Friday.

Notices

Assumption College Assumption College will be closing their 2nd hand uniform shop at the end of this year. If there are any Year 6 parents who wish to access this service, please do so before the end of this term.

Warwick Blue Light Disco The next Blue Light Disco will be held this Friday, 19th October at Leslie Park, Outdoor Event, between 6.00pm and 8.30pm. Entry is $5.00. Year 9 students and below may attend. Children under 6 years must have parental supervision. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at drop off and pickup. This event is fully supervised. Some free passes are available at the school office.