T4 W2 Newsletter 2021

From The Principal

I'm not sure if the following is true or not.  At best, it's an amazingly true story, at worst it's a great reflection for those of us are educators and those of us who are parents.

Dr. Frank Mayfield was touring Tewksbury Institute when, on his way out, he accidentally collided with an elderly floor maid.  To cover the awkward moment Dr. Mayfield started asking questions. "How long have you worked here?"  "I've worked here almost since the place opened," the maid replied.  "What can you tell me about the history of this place?" he asked.  "I don't think I can tell you anything, but I could show you something."

With that, she took his hand and led him down to the basement under the oldest section of the building.  She pointed to one of what looked like small prison cells, their iron bars rusted with age, and said, "That's the cage where they used to keep Annie Sullivan."  "Who's Annie?" the doctor asked.  Annie was a young girl who was brought in here because she was incorrigible—nobody could do anything with her.  She'd bite and scream and throw her food at people.  The doctors and nurses couldn't even examine her or anything.  I'd see them trying with her spitting and scratching at them.  "I was only a few years younger than her myself and I used to think, 'I sure would hate to be locked up in a cage like that.'  I wanted to help her, but I didn't have any idea what I could do.  I mean, if the doctors and nurses couldn't help her, what could someone like me do?

"I didn't know what else to do, so I just baked her some brownies one night after work.  The next day I brought them in.  I walked carefully to her cage and said, "Annie, I baked these brownies just for you.  I'll put them right here on the floor and you can come and get them if you want."  "Then I got out of there just as fast as I could because I was afraid she might throw them at me.  But she didn't.  She actually took the brownies and ate them.  After that, she was just a little bit nicer to me when I was around.  And sometimes I'd talk to her.  Once, I even got her laughing.  One of the nurses noticed this and she told the doctor.  They asked me if I'd help them with Annie.  I said I would if I could.  So that's how it came about that.  Every time they wanted to see Annie or examine her, I went into the cage first and explained and calmed her down and held her hand.  This is how they discovered that Annie was almost blind." 

After they'd been working with her for about a year—and it was tough sledding with Annie—the Perkins Institute for the Blind opened its doors. They were able to help her, and she went on to study and she became a teacher herself.  Annie came back to the Tewksbury Institute to visit, and to see what she could do to help out.  At first, the Director didn't say anything and then he thought about a letter he'd just received.  A man had written to him about his daughter.  She was absolutely unruly—almost like an animal.  She was blind and deaf as well as 'deranged.'  He was at his wit's end, but he didn't want to put her in an asylum.  So, he wrote the Institute to ask if they knew of anyone who would come to his house and work with his daughter.  And that is how Annie Sullivan became the lifelong companion of Helen Keller.  When Helen Keller received the Nobel Prize, she was asked who had the greatest impact on her life and she said, "Annie Sullivan."  But Annie said, "No Helen.  The woman who had the greatest influence on both our lives was a floor maid at the Tewksbury Institute."

Behaviour that we don’t understand, is not always what it seems on the outside.  How do your interactions change the actions of others?  We know that punitive methods do not change behaviour.  They may stop it, but without replacement interactions these behaviours will most likely be repeated.  What are your chocolate brownies?  If this reflection strikes a cord with you, I would love to hear from you.

Principal's Messages

CONGRATULATIONS  |  Congratulations to our Year 1 and 2 Combined Speaking Choir.  Yesterday they took out first place in their section at the Eisteddfod.  Congratulations to these students who have worked so very hard and to the staff who worked with them.  Your vision and dedication are amazing.  We are so very proud of you and your persistence in undertaking this.

Across The Curriculum

ICAS

International Competitions and Assessments for Schools is a suite of full-colour online competitions designed specifically for primary and secondary students, made by UNSW Global, a wholly-owned subsidiary of UNSW Sydney. Most of our students completed their ICAS competitions before the holidays. The remaining spelling and writing ICAS competitions will be held this coming week. Please watch this space for information regarding the arrival of results and certificates.

Annual Safety Circus For Year 3- Monday 15th November.

Each year, our Year 3 students attend a Safety Circus performance as part of our Health and Safety program at St Anne’s. The Safety Circus has performed 10 tours to thousands of grade three students since its beginning and is a project supported by the Mackay Crime Prevention Unit.

PAT Testing

Each year, students across Australia complete Progressive Achievement Tests in various subjects in the first half of Term 4. The reading and mathematics assessment suite is a resource that our Catholic Education Curriculum team have provided in the past two years for all Year 2-6 students in the Rockhampton diocese. PAT testing compares students in similar year levels across the country and is an invaluable tool to see where our students are sitting nationwide, once the data becomes available.

This form of nationwide testing is a brilliant way to diagnose starting points for our students for the following year. They establish what students are capable of, then challenge them at the appropriate level for effective learning. We can use the data to monitor student progress from year to year, to measure learning growth over time and to highlight the areas across the school that need attention in these two subject areas.

This testing is required to be completed nationally by Week 4 of this term.

The Good News

Sacrifice is a term that gets used quite a lot in religion and yet it’s a term with which modern society is very uncomfortable. We’re not really ‘into’ sacrifice. We’re much more into feeling good about ourselves and comfortable in our existence.

Jesus called on the rich man to make a sacrifice – to let go of what he really loved and valued.

What Jesus really called the man to do was to place his trust in Jesus and not in material wealth – that was the sacrifice he was called to make.

Ultimately, the man couldn’t do that! He couldn’t let go of certainty and security and entrust his life and soul to Jesus.

He knows that what he genuinely desired was within his reach but he needed to let go of his position, his status, his wealth, to be able to grasp what he desired in both hands.

(c) Catholic Kids Media 2021. Video used with permission. 

During the month of October, our school community will be raising funds in support of Catholic Mission Australia. This important work links very close to the Catholic Social Teaching Principles (outlined below). We are called to live a life in Christ by reaching out to people who need help. As a Catholic school, we have the responsibility to ensure that we love support our neighbours through demonstrating kindness and compassion. Every little bit counts. 

On Friday the 29th of October, we will have our annual mission fair in which classes will have a set activity or stall. More information will be provided in next week's newsletter.  

Parish News

Enrolments For 2022 Now Being Taken

ENROLMENTS FOR 2022  |  Enrolments for Prep are currently being taken for the 2022 school year.  If you have a child due to commence Prep next year, born between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017, please complete an online enrolment form available from the school website: https://www.sasrok.catholic.edu.au/

Enrolments for Years 1—6 are also currently being taken for 2022.  Interviews will commence in Term Two. 

For all enrolments we need to sight the original birth certificate or have a certified copy please.

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.

Student Protection News

Daniel Morcombe - Child Safety Curriculum

Dear Parent/Caregivers,

The Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Curriculum (the Curriculum) has been developed to support Queensland state and non-state schools deliver key safety messages to students in Prep–Year 9. Students will learn how to Recognise, React and Report when they are unsafe or find themselves in situations that can have a significant detrimental effect on their physical, psychological, or emotional wellbeing.

The Curriculum has been developed by a working group comprising Bruce and Denise Morcombe; the Commissioner for Children and Young People and Child Guardian; officers from the Department of Education, Training and Employment; the Queensland Police Service; the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services and a network of senior academics involved in researching child abuse and its prevention.

There are three core messages we use across all year levels – Recognise, React and Report.  We believe these messages are just as valid for a prep student as they are for us as adults.

What these mean:

Recognise:  We start with teaching awareness of surroundings.  Using the clues around us can help to keep us safe or warn us about an unsafe situation.  We also encourage children and young people to respond to their own body clues.  These can warn us when something might not be right, and we want them to trust in the message their body is giving them.

React:  React is about making yourself safe again as quickly as possible.  It also includes selecting the best option when there are choices available.

Report:  Report is about encouraging children and young people to report to an adult when they are unsafe or have been unsafe.

Even if they have been able to make themselves safe, we still want them to report.  This is important where there needs to be some follow-up action by an adult, to resolve a problem or to ensure it does not happen again.

Safety lessons for students in Prep to Year 2 will include:

Recognise

• Safe and unsafe situations
• Safety clues
• Body clues
• Private body parts (using anatomical names)
• Body ownership

React

• Safety options

Report

• Safety helpers and persistence
• Phone and online safety

 Safety lessons for students in Years 3 to 6 will include:

Recognise

• Safety clues and situational awareness
• Risk taking
• Rules, rights and responsibilities
• Private body parts (using anatomical names) and body ownership

React

• Problem solving
• Strategies

Report

• Safety helpers and persistence
• Online and mobile phone safety
• Review of personal safety using self-confidence skills

Some content inclusions of this program may be considered challenging or even controversial, such as teaching children the correct terminology for their private parts and the rules about private parts, however these inclusions are based on current best practice guidelines. If these important sections were to be omitted from the program, children would be significantly less likely to identify and report abuse.  Students would be inadvertently taught that discussing sexuality is forbidden or embarrassing and “not okay” to discuss with adults.  This could be devastating for a child who has the courage to report their abuse only to find that adults do not understand what the child is trying to say.

This is forward notice that during week 4, this term (Monday 25/10/21 to Friday 29/10/21), all year levels will be looking at the content which discusses body parts.

As your child explores these messages at school, you are encouraged to reinforce them at home by answering their questions honestly, talking about the concepts and testing their skills. Modelling that you are comfortable to discuss these issues with your child provides the most valuable means of encouraging them to report abuse, should they ever need to do so.

I welcome the opportunity to further discuss with you the program’s implementation and/or your child’s involvement in the program.

Yours sincerely,

Mr Stuart Presley

Assistant Principal (Religious Education)

stuart_presley@rok.catholic.edu.au

Sports News

PCQ State Show Jumping and Equitation Championships  |    

One of St Anne's Year 5 students, Marli, competed in the PCQ State Show Jumping and Equitation Championships over the holidays.  Her parents said the school would have been incredibly proud of Marli and her pony Russell Pocket Rose, not only for the way she rode but for her sportsmanship, behaviour and the encouragement she gave to both her Zone 10 team and other Zone riders.

Marli received a 10^th overall for show jumping and received a  ribbon for her efforts. She also placed 17^th overall in the jumping equitation section.

There were participants from all over QLD competing, with 25 riders just in the Mackay Zone 10 team, of which Marli and Rose were a part.   

Congratulations Marli. We look forward to hearing of more successes to come in future competitions. 

P&F News

Disco

The St Anne’s FOCUS Group are holding a NEON Disco for our students in Term 4 on Friday 15^th October.  The cost per student will be $5.00 each, payable to the school office or class teacher by Wednesday 13^th October.  The $5.00 will cover the entry fee, sausage sizzle and cordial on the night, with the FOCUS Group putting on a guest DJ for the night’s festivities.  Glow Sticks and other items will be for sale on the night, ranging in price from $2-$10.  The disco will start at 6PM and conclude at 8PM.  Parents are welcome to stay and there will be a coffee van on site if you wish to purchase drinks.

Tuckshop Volunteers

Student Leadership

Leadership is a quality that all students of St Anne's Catholic Primary School are encouraged and supported to develop.  These experiences ensure that students perceive themselves as leaders and have the opportunity and confidence to take on leadership roles and find their voice.

Newsletter Report By Brianna  |   Welcome back to another term.  Just a reminder that there has recently been baby plovers in one of the play areas.  During this week, the grounds have been really tidy and I have only seen a little bit of rubbish.  Make sure you guys wear your uniform correctly and with pride.  Just a reminder to always wear your hat when playing so that it is sun safe.  Enjoy the rest of your week.

Students Of The Week

Congratulations To Our Students Of The Week (Week 10, Term 3)  |   Prep V, Xander B, Payton H, Lillie P, Charlotte W, Jemma M, Cally O, Matilda W, Wyatt H, Stevie M, Makinley M, Lilly H, Tate C, Mitchell A, Stella B, Nataya F, Mia Z, Lucas C, Zeva L, Xanthyia M, Eva V, Brady K

Congratulations To Our Students Of The Week (Week 1, Term 4)  |  Max M, Tia F, Bryce G, Sophia C, Rylan B, Payton H, Addison W, Jayde C, Brooklyn K, Zane L, Samson M, Carter R, Lahni K, Lilly Z, Stacey G, Sienna W, Ben M, Nataya F, Dain M, Mitchell A, Bella G, Jaxon K, Shayli W

Birds of a Feather

General Information

New Schoolzine App for Reading Newsletters

Schoolzine SZApp  |  As you are aware, at St Anne’s we have implemented a new format for our newsletter this year called Schoolzine. We encourage families to download the free SZApp which will enable you to easily see our newsletter on any device and receive alerts when the latest newsletter is available. The newsletter link will also continue to be emailed out to parents. 

Once thge SZApp is downloaded, please complete your registration, using our school passcode 4818. More instructions on how to install the SZApp are below.

Community News