T1 W4 Newsletter 2021

From The Principal

On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, Australian Catholics are called to share a common penitential expression by fasting and abstaining (not eating meat).  On all other Fridays any one traditional practice should be chosen.  Following are some examples:

Prayer:  attending Mass, family prayer, a visit to  church, reading the bible, praying the Rosary.

Self Denial:  not eating meat, sweets desserts, giving up outside time to spend more time with the family, limiting food and drink so as to give to the poor.

Helping Others:  Special attention to someone who is poor, sick, elderly, lonely, overburdened, Supporting Project Compassion

The law of abstinence applies to those who are 14 years or over.  The law of fasting applies to those who are between their 18^th and 60^th birthdays.

Ash Wednesday is the starting point for the season of Lent.

Through our participation in this season, we can grow in our relationship with God and His church and prepare ourselves to celebrate the great feast of Easter.

Lent is a time for repentance, for turning to God once more.  From it's earliest days, the Church's practice of repentance has been through prayer, fasting and almsgiving.  As we celebrate this season, we are invited to live out in very practical ways this spirit of repentance.

How are you going to observe the Lenten Season this year?

As a family, you might like to try these suggestions:

• seek additional opportunities to pray as a family
• participate in the Parish Lenten Program and discuss the Sunday Gospel with your family
• pray for the people preparing for reception into the Church at Easter
• write on your calendars, your family resolutions for Lent eg We will pray for .....      We will write to .....      We will visit .....

• as a family support Project Compassion
• find a purple candle (the colour of the vestments for Lent) and use it at a meal each week during Lent
• plan to attend Reconciliation as family
• be present as a family at the Holy Week ceremonies and help your child to understand them a little more
• share hot cross buns after the ceremonies on Good Friday

Just what is it that you are going to do?  If you have some interesting suggestions and would like to share them with others please let me know.

Mr John Ballinger-Oches

Principal

Principal's Messages

URGENT SAFETY ISSUE FOR PARENTS  |  We have been noified by the Plane Creek Mill that there has been a number of near misses in the past few weeks, where parents from St Anne's have turned out of Noden St into Beagrie St without giving way to vehicles already travelling along Beagrie St.  Many mill staff travel along Beagrie St on their way to and from work, often at the same time as our drop off and pick up times.  Please ensure that you stop before exiting Noden St and give way to any oncoming vehicles.  These vehicles may not be turning into Noden St to come to St Anne's but rather proceeding straight through to the mill.  This request is for the safety of yourself and your children as well as the mill workers and needs your utmost attention.

TUCKSHOP REOPENING, HELPERS NEEDED  |  Who has missed our tuckshop?  WE SURE HAVE!  We’ve got news for you!  Our tuckshop will soon be re-opening and we are looking for your help!  Whether you can volunteer half a day a term or a day each week, we’d love to hear from you!

For our tuckshop to be on offer weekly to our children we need your support!  Please contact the office if you are able to provide us with your valuable time, no matter the amount!

Our tuckshop will be operating on Wednesday & Friday weekly, commencement date TBA!

SO PROUD  |  Yesterday our evacuation went to plan as if we had been implementing it daily since arriving back at school this year.  To say I am proud of the students is an understatement.  Once the signal was given to initiate our school's emergency procedures it ran like clockwork.  Thank you to all involved.  Thank you too to all staff, your swift action definately paid off.  

Again, I assure you that the safety of all our students is our number one priority.

Across The Curriculum

THE NATIONALLY CONSISTENT COLLECTION OF DATA aka NCCD  |  The NCCD is an annual collection of information about Australian school students with disability who receive adjustments to enable them to access and participate in education on the same basis as other students.

Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992   (DDA) and the Disability Standards for Education 2005    (the Standards), Australian students with disability must be able to access and participate in education on the same basis as their peers. To ensure this, students with disability may receive adjustments to access education, based on the professional judgement of teachers, in consultation with the student and/or their parents, guardians or carers.

The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) gives Australian schools, parents, guardians and carers, education authorities and the community information about the number of students with disability in schools and the adjustments they receive. The Australian Education Regulation 2013 requires all schools to report the data collected for the NCCD to the Australian Government on an annual basis.

What are my school’s obligations under the legislation?

The Disability Standards for Education 2005 (the Standards) require that all Australian schools:

• ensure that students with disability are able to access and participate in education on the same basis as students without disability 
• make or provide 'reasonable adjustments' for students where necessary to enable their access and participation
• provide reasonable adjustments in consultation with the student and/or their associates; for most students, this means their parents, guardians or carers.

The teachers at St Anne’s may be contacting parents this week if your child is on our NCCD data collection, they will explain the goals and adjustments for your child and then get you to sign an Individual Learning Plan ( ILP).  This is a great time to have a conversation with your teacher about your child and how adjustments are being made so that your child can be the best learner that they can be.  If anyone would like to contact me at any time, I am happy to explain if needed.  Thank you

Mrs Dawn Goodman (Learning Support Teacher)

AUTISM QUEENSLAND CONSULTANT  |  In 2021 at St Anne’s, we have an Autism Queensland consultant working in partnership with the staff, students and parents. 

Although there are students at our school that may not be diagnosed with Autism, Autism Queensland can help us to assist students who have anxiety, school refusal and peer education.

We believe that the information and observations completed by Sheree from Autism Queensland will be valuable in assisting all.

Spelling In Our Classrooms!

Using a range of spelling strategies in a classroom or across a school provides a common language to support learning about words. Throughout 2020, this was one of our curriculum goals, and we achieved this through our spelling professional learning communities.

Good spellers use a variety of strategies such as sound, visual, meaning and etymological (which language the word originated from) knowledge. From the earliest of ages, students need to learn the strategies that effective spellers use to write and remember new words as they learn about the sound, visual and meaning structures of the English  language.

Over the next few editions of our newsletters, I will add a section explaining each of the strategies listed above, as a way that we can work together to grow our student's spelling skills. (The following is an excerpt from 'Effective Spelling: The Teaching Guide', by Christine Topfer, Emma Warren and Bethany Woolnough)

Strategy 1: The sound strategy: Focusing on hearing and recording sounds

The development of phonological awareness, that is learning to identify small units of sound such as syllables, rhyme and phonemes (smallest units of sounds in speech i.e. hat has 3 phonemes h, a and t), enables students to use the sound strategy when attempting to write unknown words. This learning is fast tracked if it is combined with learning about letters and letter-sound relationships.

Prompts to use when helping spellers to use the sound strategy:

• Say the word slowly, stretching it out. Write the sounds you hear.
• Say the word slowly. What is the sound you hear first? Which letter/s could you use to write that sound? Record all the sounds you can hear in the words.
• Clap the syllables, listen and write the word, syllable by syllable. Make sure you have represented each sound with a letter or letters.
• Check there is a vowel in every syllable.
  

Next week, we will look at the visual strategy: noticing the letter patterns in words. Have a blessed week!

The Good News

What is Ash Wednesday?

Ash Wednesday began our forty day season of Lent that leads to Easter. On Ash Wednesday, we come together like the people of the Old Testament to remind ourselves that we don’t always follow God’s ways and need to ask God for His mercy and forgiveness.

Like God’s people in the time of the prophets, we wear ashes to show that we want to turn away from whatever keeps us from God, and to have a change of heart, so that we can live in right relationship with God and each other.

On Ash Wednesday, the priest or person giving out ashes rubs them on our forehead in the shape of a cross while saying:  "Repent, and believe in the gospel"

For Catholics, Ash Wednesday is also a day of fasting and abstaining from meat. Fasting reminds us that food alone cannot make us happy. We must also be fed with prayer, with God’s Word and by meeting Jesus in the Sacraments, especially the Reconciliation and Eucharist (the Mass). The small sacrifices we make during Lent make room in our hearts to welcome the risen Jesus at Easter.

I would like to share some random acts of good and loving deeds to God, family, strangers and even yourself for Lent. These include: 

1. Fast and give what you saved to charity
2. Tell your family how much you love them
3. Pick up rubbish wherever you go
4. Spend quality time with the people you live with
5. Pray for the Church, the Pope, Priests and religious
6. Bring something to share with your class or workplace
7. Talk with someone you wouldn’t normally chat with
8. Make a child or an elderly person laugh today
9. Affirm somebody with the good that he or she has done
10. Buy lunch or dinner for a co-worker/classmate/friend

These are great ways of making Jesus real! 

2021 Bishop's Inservice Day

Last Friday, our St Anne's staff gathered for the annual Bishop's Inservice Day. The theme for the day was 'Our Catholic Schools Today' with sessions on what makes a school Catholic, the Catholic Church and its mission and missionary discipleship. 

The key messages from the day focussed on:

Receive the Spirit - open ourselves to God's Grace.

Open the doors to Christ - let him in to our hearts and welcome him. Do not be afraid. Receive the spirt with open arms.

Community - we need to live in the community of believers. Be coresponsible for Church's mission and support each other on faith journey. Remind ourselves to assist in the mission of the church. We need Catholic community.

Know yourself - come to Jesus to help us realise who we are. All good things come from him. Acknowledge our sins.

Yes - to the Word of God. Yes to our faith. Yes to Jesus.  Yes to living a life like Jesus.

The St Anne's Catholic Primary School staff are strongly committed to building a Catholic school community that is guided by the principles of missionary discipleship. This includes preaching Christ, witnessing to Christ, Serving Christ, engaging in worship and living a spirituality of communion. This allows for a deeper faith relationship with God, Church, self, others and creation. 

Have a great week.

Blessings,

Stuart.

Mr Stuart Presley

Assistant Principal - Religious Education

stuart_presley@rok.catholic.edu.au 

General News

ST Anne's Netball Team for the Sarina competition  |  The 2021 Netball season starts at the begining of March. One of our parents, Justeen Mcdonald, has kindly agreed to place a St Anne's team into the competition on our behalf. Any students wishing to play netball in the St Anne's team for 2021 please ring Justeen on 0418474560 to register your interest. Training will be at St Anne's in the hall on a day and time TBA. 

NATIONAL APOLOGY  |  On 13 February 2008 former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered a National Apology to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for the injustices of the past government policies, in particular the Stolen Generations.  The apology itself was seen by many as the first step towards Reconciliation and continues to be the platform for understanding and recognition that these policies continue to have a long-lasting affect upon the First Nation’s people today.

Want to know more?  There are wonderful resources and online platforms such as Reconciliation Australia. Have a look at what is happening locally to mark this event.

Karlie Tatchell (Regional Indigenous Education Liaison  Officer)

Students Of The Week

Congratulations To Our Students Of The Week  |   Preston H, Max D, Jorja G, Xander BJ, Sophia C, Khloe S, Addison W, Brooklyn K, Benjamin B, Marcus S, Matilda W, Dylan G, Carter R, Stacey G, Gus G, Mia Z, Nataya F, Kaiden W, Shayli W, Renae G, Bella G, Connor O, Zane L

Crossing Supervisor Position

CASUAL POSITION VACANT

A casual position exists for a School Crossing Supervisor at ST Anne’s School.

The School Crossing Supervisor may be required to work five days per week in all weather conditions. The hours of work for School Crossing Supervisors are 1 hour a day and usually comprise of 40 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the afternoon Commencement date to be advised a Pay Rate of $30.34 per hour.

The successful applicants will be dependent on:

• The suitable outcome of a health assessment carried out by a GP of your choice according to the guidelines in the “Notes for Medical Practitioner” on the School Crossing Supervisor Scheme – Health Assessment Form; (this is paid by the Department)
• A Positive  Blue Card Notice (This is also paid by the Department and means you do not need to have a blue card to apply for the position)

If you are interested in the position please collect an application form from the School administration or contact Karen Cantoni (Road Safety officer) on 49 518331.

The School Crossing Supervisors Application is to be returned to School for the school principals' recommendation.

Prep Vision Screening

From The Counsellor

What an exciting year we have ahead for us at St Anne’s!!!  This year, we have been fortunate enough to earn a sponsorship with the North Queensland Cowboys to partake in The Resilience Project Curriculum.  We are very privileged to have this opportunity.  This is an emotionally engaging program that provides practical, evidence-based,positive mental health strategies to build resilience and happiness.

The Resilience Project was founded by primary school teacher Hugh van Cuylenburg.  For more information regarding his story and the “why” behind the program, head to the website (https://theresilienceproject.com.au/).  

Why is it so important that we teach this in school?  Let’s look at the current state of mental health in young people:

• 1 in 4 adolescents will experience mental health problems this year
• 1 in 7 primary school students will experience mental health problems this year
• Mental Health Disorders carry the largest burden of disease for 15 – 24 year olds
• 1 in 5 adults will experience mental health problems this year
• 65% of adolescents will not seek help

This highlights why it is so important to educate our students that looking after their mental health is as important as their physical health.  The Resilience Project Curriculum supports young people to form evidence-based habits now that will increase their capacity to deal with challenges, changes and stressors in the future.  If our children can learn to manage challenges and stressors now, they will be more successful adults. 

The Resilience Project curriculum focuses on four evidence based positive mental health strategies:

1. GRATITUDE - Daily gratitude activities can rewire your brain to start scanning the world for the positives and to pay attention to what we have right now, and not worry about what we don’t have.
2. EMPATHY - Putting ourselves in the shoes of others to feel and see what they do.  We practise this through being kind and compassionate to others.  Everytime we do something kind for someone else, our brain releases oxytocin, which will automatically make us feel happier, more confident, increase our energy levels and make us more positive.
3. MINDFULNESS - Our ability to be calm and present at any given moment.  We practise this by slowing down and focusing on one thing at a time.  There are so many positive impacts of mindfulness, including lower anxiety, depression and stress levels, and improved ability to focus.
4. EMOTIONAL LITERACY -  Our ability to name our emotions as we experience them. Labelling our emotions helps us to manage them.  Emotional literacy gives the students the ability to understand and express their emotions.

On Wednesday the 24th of February, Ray Thompson and Gavin Cooper from the Cowboys are visiting St Anne’s to talk to the students about The Resilience Project.  This is going to be an exciting opportunity for our students and our school community. 

Further information regarding the program will be coming out through the newsletter.  Or if you have any other questions discuss them with your classroom teacher or contact me through email (donnetta_trannore@rok.catholic.edu.au)

Thanks,

Mrs Dee Trannore

School Guidance Counsellor

General Information

Community News

East Funnel Creek & Blue Mountain Conveyance Committee AGM (Bus Committee for Sarina Range)

4:00pm Sunday 21st February 2021

At 2819 Marlborough-Sarina Road, SARINA RANGE

We will be discussing the following:-

• Service Timetable
• Route Design
• Student Discipline
• Operator's Report on Service

If you wish to contribute to this discussion, or have any feedback to provide, please either attend this meeting or contact Loren Hauwert (Secretary) on Home 4950 4294, Mobile 0488 560 413 or loren_jane@hotmail.com with details of the issue or your feedback.