7 February 2019

Newsletter Articles

Principals Report

I would like to welcome back all of our staff, students and families to St Kieran’s for 2019 after what I hope was an enjoyable and restful break. We welcome new and returning teachers: Miss Katherine Spring (Yr 5) and Miss Tarni Pereira (Yr 6). I especially want to welcome new family and staff members and please make them feel welcome into our school community. It was a pleasure to see all the fresh faces of our students on last Tuesday morning and from all accounts, we have had a peaceful but productive start to the year.

The year has started well for our community and we are looking forward to 2019 with anticipation. Clearly, the students, staff and parents are very proud of St Kieran’s and no doubt will continue working together to ensure that our children pass through our doors spiritually, academically, physically and emotionally equipped to meet the challenges of life.

The rain has been amazing for us, but it is sad with what has been happening over in Townsville which is part of our school dioceses. I am very much aware that we all have family and friends over there. Even though the schools have been closed they have not been affect at this stage by the flood. They have been used as evacuation points for some areas of Townsville. Please keep the residents of Townsville in your thoughts and prayers.

Enjoy your 2 weeks,

Claudine Dank

APRE Report

Welcome to 2019! I look for to working with the school community on our Catholic Identity. Our first journey as a whole school this term is finding about St Kieran himself. Please ask your child/children who St Kieran was as they have been discussing our patron saint in class activities. Gathering together as a community to pray is an important part of our Catholic Identity. Each Friday morning a class will lead the community in a prayer to open our assembly where we will also celebrate all of our students achievements. Please join us for these gatherings. Below is our assembly roster for Term 1:

The Word

St Paul wrote: If I speak like an angel , but do not have love, I am no better than a clanging cymbal. And if I can understand all mysteries, have all knowledge, and faith big enough to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give way all that I own, even my body, ut do not have love, I gain nothing.

The greatest of these is love….Love is the glue that keeps families together and gives us belonging and purpose. A lot of people think that love is simply a feeling. The scriptures tell us that love is not just a feeling, it’s a choice we make to put others first. Think about did you choose to do something loving for another?

Lord our God, you are the source of love.
Help us to love with you all
our hearts and to love each
other as you love us
Amen

Parish Information

JOB at the Parish

Good Shepherd Parish is urgently looking for somebody to fill the secretary position requiring both full-time for 3 months and part-time/job-share after that. School hours are negotiable. The position requires good computer and administrative skills, organisational skills, good liaison and follow-up with many people and an ability to prioritise tasks. For further information contact the Parish Office 4749 8555 or submit your resume to hr@nwqicss.org.

Ministries at Mass

We are finding that there are not enough people to roster so there are a number of people doing ministries each week, without a break. Could you please consider becoming a Reader, Leader or Eucharistic minister at our Masses?

Children’s Liturgy

Interested in being a teacher for Children’s Liturgy at Sunday 9am Mass? All literature and support is provided. Please contact Lorna - 0402934489.

Welcome

A warm welcome to Fr Vinoj Francis to Good Shepherd Parish. Fr Vinoj will arrive on Thursday, 7 February, to assist Fr Mick in this parish for some time.

Bishop Tim

Plenary Council

Thank you to everyone who participated in small groups and gave their voice to the Plenary Council 2020. If you want to #shareyourstory and contribute to the agenda, visit the link below to read about getting involved. Subscribe to the Plenary Council e-newsletter PlenaryPost for the latest updates and news of what’s happening across Australia

Diaconate Ordination of Emene Kelemete

Bishop Tim Harris will Ordain Emene Kelemete to the Diaconate on Friday 22 February at Holy Trinity Church, Mundingburra commencing at 7pm. All are invited to attend this important milestone for Emene and the Diocese.

2019 Mission: One Heart Many Voices

Australia's premier conference on mission is being held between the 13th and 15th of May at SMC Conference & Function Centre, 66 Goulburn Street, Sydney. The event offers a unique opportunity to listen, converse and experience the many and diverse voices that are an expression of the one heart of mission. Above all, the conference is a time to read the signs of the time with an aim of affirming what we do well, nurturing our growth and rethink and reformulate how we effectively live and lead mission today and tomorrow. To find out more and to register visit the link below or call 1800 257 296

Safeguarding Website

The Diocesan Safeguarding webpage is now live please see the link below This page has the latest policy and risk management strategy as well as helpful forms and links to website with information on how to keep our parishes safe for children and vulnerable adults. Your feedback or concern are directly submitted to the Diocesan Safeguarding Coordinator. If you provide your details, you will be contacted as soon as possible, and your information will be respected and managed in accordance with our Privacy Policy and legislative requirements.

If you, or someone you know, has been abused, or you are concerned about conduct that may amount to a criminal offence, you should report the incident directly to the police.

For more information regarding the Safeguarding policy and risk management strategy, please contact Mr Craig Brereton on 4726 3264 or cbrereton@tsv.catholic.org.au.

Curriculum

It has been wonderful to see all of our happy children back from their holiday break, and to meet all of our new students across the school. This year I will continue to support curriculum in the school as well as work with students across the school in Learning Enrichment.

STEM CLUB

The fun and excitement of STEM Club will continue this year. STEM Club will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at second break. This term we will continue programming with Ozobots and Beebots as well as completing Maths, Science and Engineering challenges. STEM Club is open to all students from Years One to Six, they just need to come along with their lunch to the classroom beside Prep.

Reading Club

To support our strong focus on reading this year we will be replacing Homework Club with Reading Club on a Monday afternoon. Reading Club will be held in the library from 2:45 to 3:30. Children can come along and read with a buddy, listen to stories read by teachers or chill with a book in a comfy spot. If you would like your child to attend they must have returned a completed permission slip to the office prior to attending their first session. They will be given a snack to eat before Reading Club begins. Anyone that would like to come along to read with children is also welcome, there will be a roster in the office, alternatively you can email me at msiemer1@skmtsv.catholic.edu.au.

Have a lovely start to the year,

Mel Siemer

1,2,3 Magic and Emotion Coaching

St Kieran’s Catholic School is introducing the 123 Magic™ and Emotion Coaching Program in 2019. All school staff (teachers and school officers) have undertaken extensive professional development in the program in the January PD days.

This approach involves teachers and school officers putting limits on undesirable behaviour by a counting or signalling method. Students are taught what behaviours are not OK; these are known as STOP behaviours. Stop behaviours are the mid to lower level behaviours which occur regularly in primary school classrooms and playgrounds. If the child stops at 1 or 2 then nothing else happens. If the child reaches the count of 3, the child will be directed to ‘take 5’ (5 minutes for students in Years 2 to 6) or 'take 3' (3 minutes for students in Prep and Year 1), in a thinking space in the classroom or playground. At the end of this time, the child will re-join the class activity and will be given a fresh start.

On occasions and on the count of 3, instead of ‘taking time’ the child may briefly lose a privilege i.e. if the child was misusing a computer they may lose access to the computer for a short period. The child would be informed about the alternative consequence prior to reaching a 3 count.

It is important that parents know that the counting is used by staff to set limits and because children are still learning to manage their own behaviour counting will be used regularly. A teacher saying “That’s one” is just like saying “please stop teasing him, it’s not OK”. So, if your child gets counted or reaches a 3 count it may concern you, but it is not the end of the world. If you have any concerns about your child’s behaviour, then we welcome you to make an appointment to see their teacher.

For serious misbehaviour, a child will be sent to a representative of the Leadership Team and a lunchtime ‘Timeout’ scheduled. Parents will be notified via COMPASS/email or phone call depending on the situation when a child has attended timeout, with reflection form sent home for parents to sign. Repeated instances of serious misbehaviour or extreme incidents will be handled in accordance with the Levels in the St Kieran’s Guide to Behaviour Management.

Emotion Coaching is a complementary strategy to the behaviour management techniques of 123 Magic™. Emotion coaching sees teachers using empathy to help children reflect on and identify with their emotions, so they can get better at managing those emotions, which in turn develops increased self-control of their behaviour. The desired outcome is that children improve their emotional intelligence and thus learn to respond more flexibly to environmental triggers. Emotion coaching, together with the behavioural strategies encompassed within 123 Magic™, provides teachers with a balanced approach to managing children’s behaviour while teaching them skills to better manage their emotions and take more responsibility for their own behaviour.

Physical Education with Mrs Lloyd

Welcome everyone to a very active 2019! I hope all students are well rested and ready to start lots of sports programs the Mount Isa District is offering this year.

I am extremely grateful and excited to be taking on the Physical Education Teacher role this year at St Kieran’s and look forward to a wonderful, active year for our students.

In PE this term, the Year 3-6 students are doing a combined PE/Arts unit based on dance and students are already showing lots of energy and enthusiasm which is wonderful.

Prep-Year 2 students will be doing fundamental movement skills (FMS) this term focusing on running, hopping, jumping and galloping.

Health curriculum is covered in class by classroom teachers.

In representative sport, the North West Region will not be holding trials or hosting a team in the state competitions for the sports below, so individual students are invited to nominate to attend another region’s trial. Students should only consider attending the trial if they are suitably skilled in the sport. NOTE: In 2019 there will be NO President’s Teams.

Other Regional Trials your child can attend:

Please email me for a nomination form.

I believe it is really important to recognise and celebrate ALL exercise/sporting achievements for our students - even if this is a personal best exercise session at home, if they’ve stepped outside their comfort zone and tried a sporting activity they wouldn’t normally do or they’ve been selected in a representative team. So please, please brag away by emailing me so we can recognise the efforts of every student!

Dates for our Athletics, Cross-Country and Swimming carnivals will be sent out shortly.

School Sports Gala Days will also be set in the next few weeks.

If you have any concerns or queries, please do not hesitate to email me or call the school.

Kind regards,
Carla Lloyd
clloyd@skmtsv.catholic.edu.au

You Can Do It

Indigenous Education

ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL APOLOGY -Wednesday 13th February.

On the 13th February in 2008, marked an important historical day in the lives of Indigenous Australians.

Kevin Rudd delivered a speech formally to the Indigenous people of Australia. This was an important starting point in healing the wounds of the past and an historic step forward for our nation.

The Apology was not an expression of personal responsibility or guilt by individual Australians but it does reflect our Australian values of compassion, justice and a fair go, and allows the victims of bad policy to feel that their pain and suffering has been acknowledged.

It’s important that Australians understand the background to the Apology so they understand why it’s a step towards reconciliation. It’s this understanding that will realise the great potential of this historic moment to move our nation forward.

St Kieran’s will acknowledge this important event on Wednesday within the classrooms.

The National Apology is also framed and displayed in our foyer.

Get to know our staff – Miss Tarni Pereira

Hello St Kieran's Community,

My name is Ms Pereira (Per-rare-rah) I am the new year 6 teacher. I was born in Melbourne and spent my early childhood in the western suburbs before my family relocated to south east Brisbane in 2008. In 2014 I made the solo move to Townsville to study at JCU. I am really enjoying Mount Isa so far and the staff at St Kieran's have made me feel very welcome. In my spare time I enjoy doing crafty activities like sewing. I am a visual kinesthetic learner, I like to make bright colorful posters and work with tactile items when I am learning and teaching.

I am looking forward to working in the community and becoming a part of the St Kieran's Family.

Welcome to Year 5 – Miss Katherine Spring

Welcome to Year Five!

We have had a fantastic start to the year! The students have been getting to know our new classmates, setting goals and establishing expectations – and enjoying the rain!

This term we will be learning about many things! In English, students are learning to write persuasively. At the end of the unit, they will demonstrate their understanding of advertising texts through written responses to comprehension questions and the creation of their own digital advertisement. In Maths, students will explore a variety of maths concepts and apply them to real-life, life-like and conceptual situations. In Religion, students will be learning about the life of St Kieran. For the second half of the term, they will be learning about different types of prayers, with a particular focus on the Psalms. In Science, students will be investigating the properties of light and the formation of shadows.

We are looking forward to learning and growing throughout the term!

Miss Spring & Year 5

Little K’s

We are starting “Little K’s” next week on a Monday from 8:30am - 10am. Everyone is welcome to attend. The room is located next to Prep. Mrs Jo Schlencker will be running the playgroup. She is very excited to provide our school with this opportunity. If you have a child between baby to pre kindy age, please come along and bring a friend. We are very happy to open this up to the public. They do not have to attend St Kieran's to attend.

Keep Safe

Can you please talk regularly with your children about ‘Stranger Danger’ and to reinforce the message of “Yell and Tell” – ‘Yell Help or I don’t know you to get someone’s attention. Then tell someone you trust what has happened’.

Please remind children/young people to exercise caution when walking/travelling to and from school without an adult. It is important that young people to remain vigilant when walking whilst using headphones or on their mobile phones.

Please immediately report any concerns you may have regarding suspicious behaviour to the Principal or in an emergency, call Police. Please also report any suspicious persons or behaviour on or around school grounds immediately to the Principal.

Thank you for your support in ensuring the safety of all of our students.

School Events

P&F Dates

We would love for all new and old families to attend the school P&F meetings. Times starts at 5:30pm in the school staffroom.

Below are the dates;

September - 3rd
October - 8th
November - 5th

Buy, Swap, Sell St Kieran’s

School desks are still available for $5 each and all money raised will be going towards charity.

If you have something that you would like to Buy, Swap or Sell please let us know and we are happy to place it in the newsletter.