3 September 2020

Newsletter Articles

IMPORTANT DATES

Thursday 3rd September - Father’s & Mother’s Day Breakfast
Friday 4th September - CTJ Day - Curriculum Teacher Judgement Day (This is a day off for the students, Pupil Free Day)
Monday 7th–Friday 11th September - Child Protection Week
Tuesday 8th September - No Tuckshop
Tuesday 8th September - High Jump (10:40am)
Thursday 10th September - 800m Race (10:00am)
Friday 11th September - Athletics Carnival
Friday 11th September – Final Camp Payments Due
Monday 14th September - Walk to School (Meeting at 7.30am at Sunset Oval)
Tuesday 15th-Thursday 17th - No Tuckshop (Week 10)
Friday 18th September - Last Day of School
Tuesday 6th October - First Day of School (Term 4)

PRAYER

Considering that next week is Child Protection Week, below is a prayer in reflection to this.

PRINCIPALS REPORT

Dear Parents and Carers

As educators, we are constantly looking at ways to keep us up to date with latest trends and strategies to ensure your children get the very best in educational pedagogy and practice. This Friday is an opportunity for teachers and leaders to come together and share good practice and gain important understandings in regards to how we teach and how we assess tasks authentically and consistently when students complete and hand in items that are assigned by teachers. We will listen to strategies that will enable us to fully implement the Learning and Teaching Cycle into classrooms and also look at the new workings within the area of Religion. School Officers will be given an offer to look at how feedback can be implemented into classrooms effectively as well as other aspects which will enhance their ability to support the teacher in reaching students’ needs on a daily basis. It is essential and important that we as professionals are able to provide opportunities to share with others to ensure we are on the same page. That is why each year we have a Reflective Practice Day provided by the system to do this very thing. It is also why it is a Pupil Free Day so that all teachers and support staff are afforded the time to complete the goals of the day. The school will be closed for students this Friday.

Over the past two weeks I have had the opportunity to speak with a diverse group of people about all of the wonderful things that are happening in our school. We have had the opportunity to welcome Chris Watts and James Brunker to have a discussion for our stage 3 solar project. Anne Spinks came in to give the teachers some ideas and strategies for our ASD students and also had a visit from our TCE school consultant Mary-Ellen Patterison. This was the last time I will be having a meeting with her as she will be taking over Ross Horner’s job at the end of the year. It was also an opportunity for us to discuss not only what is happening in our school at the moment but also to begin our planning for the 2021 school year.

Together with our school Mrs Laffin, we will continue to develop central programs to expose our students to works of social justice. Such programs include our involvement with Mini Vinnies, Catholic Mission and Caritas. Information will be coming home soon in regards to the students plan.

We are at a point in the term when assessments are being completed. Please ensure that your children are at school so they are able to complete these important tasks. Behaviour starts to creep in as students become tired. Support us in a real way by reminding your children that nothing but best manners and actions will be accepted at school.

Take Care and God Bless

Claudine Dank

APRE

This Sunday is Father’s Day, we wish all of our father’s a very happy day with your family. We hope that you get breakfast in bed and spoilt on this day.

The birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary on its traditional fixed date of September 8.

Mary is the first among the saints. It was through Mary’s openness to the Holy Spirit that the gift of Jesus Christ came into the world. She has many important names like ‘Mother of God’, ‘Queen of Heaven’, and ‘Our Lady of the Sacred Heart’. Our Lady Help of Christian’s’ is the patroness of Australia. Mary is always ready to help her children when they call on her.

PARISH INFOMATION

CIA: Catholic Youth Group - James Coghlan can be contacted on 0427192273.

Parish Library: The Parish Library catalogue is now available on the Parish website. To view please visit the link below.

Irish Club Bingo: We need volunteers for Bingo Sunday at 3.30pm. It is worth $12,000 for the Parish for volunteers working there each Sunday. Please see the parish if you are able to help out.

Planned Giving: If you would like to contribute to planned giving for the Parish please contact the parish.

DIOCESAN INFORMATION

Clergy Foundation Appeal

This weekend is Father’s Day and also the annual Clergy Foundation Appeal for Sick & Retired Priests. The Clergy Foundation currently support seven retired Priests in the Townsville Diocese. Today we appeal to your generosity and ask for your donation to support the needs of these retired Priests who have ministered around the Diocese for many years. Donations can be made to the Clergy Foundation Appeal via cash or credit card using envelopes available in your Church. Please also consider the Clergy Foundation when discussing your Will. Contact the Diocesan Office for more details. We thank you for your continued generosity.

World Day of Prayer for Creation Retreat

Leading in to the World Day of Prayer for Creation (September 1) and Season of Creation (1 September – 4 October), Catholics are encouraged to participate in a first-of-its-kind retreat. The “7 Days of Creation Reflection-Retreat” has been prepared by Columban priest Fr Charles Rue, whose ministry has for many years had a focus on the Catholic understanding of care for the environment.

A complete resource guide can be found on the ACBC website -

Mass Livestream

Sunday Mass from the Sacred Heart Cathedral will continue to be Live Streamed for the community. You can find the stream here

Prayer resources and other important information can be found

SCHOOL RENEWAL PLAN AT ST KIERANS

CURRICULUM

Reflective Practice Day

Just a reminder that this Friday 4th September is a Pupil Free Day across the whole Townsville Diocese. On this day, our teachers and school officers will be taking part in valuable professional development. Our teachers will be looking at how we use data to know our learners and how we then cater for their individual needs. We will also be looking at the Religious Education curriculum and how to assess RE.

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 (www.skmtsv.catholic.edu.au) 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.

ESMART (CYBER SAFETY)

Next week on the 10th of September Prep to Year 2 will be watching a Child Safety lesson live stream.

They will meet Alex and Frankie, the main characters from the lesson! They’ll be exploring secrets and surprises in a way that is child-centred, engaging, gentle, and fun.

Australia’s Biggest Child Safety Lesson for early years and junior primary will be streamed live from the website below on Thursday 10 September at 10:00am AEST.

INDIGENOUS EDUCATION

This week we celebrate Indigenous Literacy Day. All of our classes will join children across Australia in an online event presented in collaboration with the Sydney Opera House. Our kids will move, shake and sing with a catchy melody sung by Jessica Mauboy - in two Indigenous languages, Tiwi, Mangarrayi, and English plus share a book reading of Yu Sabi Densdensbad? (Can you Dance?) in Kriol, by Cheryl Lardy and in English by Justine Clarke. Hosted by Indigenous author and performer Gregg Dreise and TV presenter Natalie Ahmat, this event gives our classes a celebratory experience of Indigenous language and literacy. There will even be a sneaky, cheeky visit by children’s author Andy Griffiths!

We have also partnered with Ngukuthati playgroup this week. Our Years 3-6 Indigenous students will visit their playgroup friends to share their love of books and reading.

LIBRARY

HPE

Our athletics carnival is fast approaching. Notes have gone home to all parents via email and paper copy. Please make sure that you let your student’s class teacher know if they have an injury or illness and cannot compete on the day. Students are encouraged to wear their house colours (make sure they have sun-safe clothing on). Please also make sure they have a large water bottle on the day.

MISSA - Congratulations to Fletcher Choyce who travelled to Longreach last weekend to trial out for the North West Region 10-12yrs cricket team. Fletcher successfully made the team so he will travel to Toowoomba in November to compete at the State Championships! Well done to Fletcher.

ECO WARRIORS

We have had a very successful few weeks in our garden space. We have harvested our carrots, zucchini, beans and beetroot and are ready to plant some of our seedlings in the now empty garden beds.

Some of our Eco Warriors have hit the kitchen and cooked up a delicious beetroot dip as well as carrot cake and zucchini slice which they shared across the school.

Our tomato crop is coming along beautifully, we just need to sort out a little grub problem first!

The staff are still beating the students at recycling but it won’t be long before our kids catch up - the recycled 138 containers last week, well done kids!! Some of our Year 5 students are working on a plan to add extra recycling areas around Prep and in classrooms. All money raised by recycling goes towards garden projects.

VOLUNTEER SHIRTS

St Kieran’s now have parent volunteer shirts for sale at the office for $40.00.

TUCKSHOP

Thursday Meal Deals

Term 3

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.

PLAYGROUP

Monday Mornings between 8.30am - 10am. Open for all community members’ ages between 1 - 4year olds. While we always have a plan for each week, activities are child directed, letting them explore, create and learn at their own pace.

Last week at Little K’s we had an amazing morning meeting new friends and getting busy doing some drawing and collage. We had a pop-up “Art Museum” followed by plenty of fun exploring the new big kid’s playground.

This week the children busied themselves with cutting and sticky tape, while the parents relaxed and shared their ideas and go-tos for music, both for their kids and for themselves.