14 May 2020

Newsletter Articles

IMPORTANT DATES

Friday 12th June – Term Two School Fees Due

PRINCIPALS REPORT

Dear Families

This week it was announced that our Prep and Year 1 students will return to school. So on Monday it was a great day for us. There were so many happy students with smiling faces. Most of them were excited to see their friends, but not so much completing the school work.

Thank you to the families who sent in their ‘Learning from Home’ photos. It was lovely to see so many happy faces working away so diligently from home.

Just a reminder for the students that are now currently at school - Return to School Arrangements

We are attending to a range of strategies that will assist how schools will be implementing the transition back to school-based learning. This includes hygiene practices such as effective hand hygiene, cough and sneeze etiquette, restricting visitors to the school and reminding you to notify our school if your child will not attend. We seek your support in assisting with these measures by discussing them with students prior to them returning to school.

I ask parents and carers to pay particular attention to the requirement for adults to maintain physical distancing of 1.5m at all times if you need to be on school grounds. Parents and carers should not gather in areas around the school such as carparks, at the school gate and outside classrooms during this time.

Please make use of our stop, drop and go area wherever possible. Myself or Mrs Laffin will be stationed in our drop off area over the next two weeks to allow parents and carers of young children the option to use the stop, drop and go facility.

It is essential that you keep your child home from school if they are unwell. In accordance with Queensland Health Directions parents or carers of any child showing signs of illness will be asked to collect them immediately from the school.

At St Kieran’s, if your child is in Years 2 – 6, their teacher will continue to deliver prepared lessons and materials, as they have over the last two weeks.

As previously stated this arrangement will be reviewed by the State Government on 15 th May 2020.

Dear Families

This week it was announced that our Prep and Year 1 students will return to school. So on Monday it was a great day for us. There were so many happy students with smiling faces. Most of them were excited to see their friends, but not so much completing the school work.

Thank you to the families who sent in their ‘Learning from Home’ photos. It was lovely to see so many happy faces working away so diligently from home.

Just a reminder for the students that are now currently at school - Return to School Arrangements

We are attending to a range of strategies that will assist how schools will be implementing the transition back to school-based learning. This includes hygiene practices such as effective hand hygiene, cough and sneeze etiquette, restricting visitors to the school and reminding you to notify our school if your child will not attend. We seek your support in assisting with these measures by discussing them with students prior to them returning to school.

I ask parents and carers to pay particular attention to the requirement for adults to maintain physical distancing of 1.5m at all times if you need to be on school grounds. Parents and carers should not gather in areas around the school such as carparks, at the school gate and outside classrooms during this time.

Please make use of our stop, drop and go area wherever possible. Myself or Mrs Laffin will be stationed in our drop off area over the next two weeks to allow parents and carers of young children the option to use the stop, drop and go facility.

It is essential that you keep your child home from school if they are unwell. In accordance with Queensland Health Directions parents or carers of any child showing signs of illness will be asked to collect them immediately from the school.

At St Kieran’s, if your child is in Years 2 – 6, their teacher will continue to deliver prepared lessons and materials, as they have over the last two weeks.

As previously stated this arrangement will be reviewed by the State Government on 15th May 2020.

Mother’s Day

Below is our winner of the Mother’s Day raffle. Congratulations to Mr Taffy Jones for winning $1,000.

I hope that all of our mother’s got spoiled on Sunday with lots of love and kisses and maybe breakfast in bed.

I had a beautiful day and was blessed with my beautiful family. I was also lucky enough to be given a homemade gift from my son. I love it and I know that a lot of love went into it.

Keep safe and God Bless,
Claudine Dank

APRE

The Word

Jesus said, “Do not be worried and upset. Believe in God and believe also in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s house, and I am the way, the truth and the life; no one goes to the Father except by me.”

(John 14:1-12)

IF we believe in Jesus, he promises us a place in heaven with him. It’s more than just accepting that he lived two thousand years ago in Israel. It means being open to the Holy Spirit, breathing in the life of grace that empowers us to follow Jesus and live our lives according to his teachings.

At St Kieran’s we are lucky to have two staff members (Mrs Peta Laffin and Mrs Agnes Lagiono) trained to deliver this Educational Program. Seasons for Growth is an innovative grief and loss program that uses the imagery of the seasons to illustrate the experience of grief. The program was first developed 20 years ago and has been revised and updated to incorporate new evidence and ensure that it continues to provide relevant and valuable experience for participants. It does not provide counselling or therapy.

What does it do?

Seasons for Growth aims to strengthen the social and emotional wellbeing of children and young people (aged 6-18) who are dealing with significant life changes by:

Exploring the impact of the change and loss on everyday life

Learning new ways to respond to these changes

Who is it for?

Anyone who is living with the effects of change and loss. Many factors can cause change such as:

• Friends can come and go
• Loss of someone or something you love
• Parents and families separate
• Moving to a new place
• Impact of illness
• Family work-life changes

Change affects everyone differently, as does grief. It’s the impact of the change, not the event itself that Seasons for Growth focuses on. We suggest that anyone affected by bereavement wait 6-12 months before participating in a Seasons for Growth program.

How does it work?

Seasons for Growth is a small group program that combines psychology and education with peer support, within a person centred learning approach. It uses the metaphor of the seasons to explore the cyclic nature of grief, and is underpinned by William Worden’s tasks of grieving. The Children and Young People’s program contains developmentally appropriate discussions and activities. Seasons for Growth normalises participants’ experiences, and can increase protective factors (including building personal resilience and social skills) while minimising some risk factors (including isolation) that influence mental health and wellbeing. The program also supports the development of communication, decision making and problem solving skills.

How is it delivered?

The Program is run over 8 sessions with small groups of 4-7 participants and is facilitated by trained adult “Companions”. The participants are provided with a safe space to learn, share and reflect and are supported by richly illustrated participant journals. Companions may be school staff, agency staff, endorsed parent volunteers or other suitable adults who have undertaken a two-day training workshop and receive a subsequent accreditation for Good Grief Ltd to deliver the program.

Outcomes

Seasons for Growth provides the support and space for children and young people to:

Learn about how different people respond to change, loss and grief
Understand that it is normal to experience a range of grief reactions
Explore new approaches to dealing with change, loss and grief in their lives
Build communication, decision making and problem solving skills
Participate in a supportive network of peers and adults
Integrate their new learning into their relationships with family, friends and others

Evidence

Seasons for Growth has been evaluated extensively over the last 15 years. The most recent evaluation was conducted by Southern Cross University in 2010 and concluded that the Seasons for Growth Program:

• Builds understanding and skills
• Improves participants’ emotional wellbeing
• Enables participants to express their views, thoughts and feelings
• Strengthens participants’ social and support networks.

The complete Southern Cross University Evaluation is available at

http://www.goodgrief.org.au/research

If you think your child would be eligible for the educational program please contact Mrs Laffin for more details. Further parent information is also available at the office. We would like to begin this program at the beginning of Term 3.

PARISH INFOMATION

DIOCESAN INFORMATION

Mass Livestream

During this closure of our Churches, there will be daily Livestream from the Sacred Heart Cathedral. This will happen at 10am Monday to Friday and Sundays. You can find the stream below or the Diocesan Facebook

Prayer resources and other important information can be found

Project Compassion

Thank you for your support of Project Compassion in 2020. In these difficult times we have proved that we can “Go Further Together.” You are invited to return your Project Compassion box to your local Parish or go online and make a donation

CURRICULUM

This week saw the kick off of the 2020 Premier’s Reading Challenge. The Premier's Reading Challenge is not a competition but a way to encourage students to develop a love of reading for life. Through the challenge children and students are given an opportunity to develop their appreciation of the English language, and additional languages, and are encouraged to explore and enjoy a wide range of literary texts.

Children who complete the challenge have their efforts recognised through the receipt of a Certificate of Achievement signed by the Premier of Queensland. Recording forms were handed out to all students last week and can be completed at home or at school. Please let your child’s teacher know if your child has not received a form.

PREP ENROLMENTS 2021

Families seeking enrolment of their child into Prep for 2021 are invited to complete an Application for Enrolment, available on our website below or alternatively collect an application package from the School Office.

As we are anticipating that there will continue to be strong demand for placements within our Prep groups for 2021, it is important that applications are received by the school as soon as possible.

Please note that if you have a sibling of a current St Kieran’s student you will also need to complete an enrolment application for your child for Prep 2021. Students enrolled at St Joseph’s Kindergarten or St Mary Mackillop Early Learning Centre are also required to complete an application form.

St Kieran’s Catholic School works in partnership with St Joseph’s Catholic School and Good Shepherd Parish to coordinate the Prep enrolment process so that the best opportunity is afforded to all.

Indigenous Education

In My Blood It Runs

In recognition of National Sorry Day and the start of Reconciliation Week we will be screening the acclaimed documentary In My Blood It Runs on Tuesday the 26th of May in the school library beginning at 3pm. The documentary tells the story of ten-year-old Dujuan who is a child-healer, a good hunter and speaks three languages. As he shares his wisdom of history and the complex world around him we see his spark and intelligence. Yet Dujuan is ‘failing’ in school and facing increasing scrutiny from welfare and the police. As he travels perilously close to incarceration, his family fight to give him a strong Arrernte education alongside his western education lest he becomes another statistic. We walk with him as he grapples with these pressures, shares his truths and somewhere in-between finds space to dream, imagine and hope for his future self.

All families are welcome to attend. As this is a family event, children will not be able to stay without a parent. We will have a pizza dinner at the conclusion of the film, please let myself or Miss Annette know if you would like to attend so we can organise catering. We hope to see you there.

Regards,
Mel Siemer
Indigenous Education Teacher

LIBRARY

National Simultaneous Storytime

National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) is held annually by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). Every year a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator, is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops and many other places around the country. Now in its 20th successful year, it is a colourful, vibrant, fun event that aims to promote the value of reading and literacy, using an Australian children's book that explores age-appropriate themes, and addresses key learning areas of the National Curriculum for Foundation to Year 6.

We will be celebrating Whitney and Britney Chicken Divas with the rest of Australia on Wednesday 27th of May. Our students will listen to the book together and have lots of fun with their buddy classes working on activities based on the book.

We will also be having a Whitney and Britney colouring competition leading up to the event.

ECO WARRIORS

Last Friday was a big day for our Eco Warrior team as we worked hard to put together our new garden space. Our afternoon consisted of constructing garden beds, filling with soil and compost as well as planting our tomatoes, beetroot and carrots. This Friday during both lunch breaks we will fill our remaining outside beds and plant the remainder of our vegetables. A huge thank you to all of our hard working children and staff for a top effort.

TUCKSHOP

Did you know the tuckshop could make cupcakes for your child’s birthday? $1.00 each, please enquire at the office for an order form.

COMMUNITY NOTICES

Instrumental music lessons are still on and we are still accepting new students. Please email cmotteram@goodshepherd.catholic.edu.au if you have any questions.