19 August 2021

Newsletter Articles

IMPORTANT DATES

Wednesday 25th August - Book Week Dress Up
Monday - Wednesday - 6th - 8th September - Parent Teacher Interviews
Wednesday 1st September - 8.20 - 8.40am - Open Classroom
Thursday 2nd September - 7.00 - 8.15am - Father’s Day Breakfast
Friday 3rd September – Pupil Free Day
Monday 6th September - 10.30am - 11.15am - Family Lunch
Monday 13th - 15th of September - Year 4 Camp Winton
Friday 17th September - Last Day of School

PRAYER / SPECIAL MESSAGE

The Francis Factor (Reflecting on the Words & Wisdom of Pope Francis)

Feast of the Assumption of Mary

Never Gloomy

Christians are joyful; they are never gloomy. God is at our side. We have a Mother who always intercedes for her life of her children, for us, as Queen Esther did in the first reading (cf. Esther 5: 3). Jesus has shown us that the face of God is that of a loving Father. Sin and death have been defeated. Christians cannot be pessimists!

(Pope Francis, homily, World Youth Day, 24 July 2013)

Reflection

Do you struggle with pessimism?

Read the life of a saint. Ask God to help you see and live out his or her perspective.

PRINCIPALS REPORT

Dear Parents, Grandparents, Carers and Friends,

A few weeks ago I had the enjoyable experience of attending the Saints Athletics. I was very proud of our students and the way they competed and behaved. I am continually overjoyed by the achievements of our children, not only when they represent our school at events, but just in everyday situations daily. I am a firm believer that if you explicitly and intentionally create an environment where there is positivity and meaningful, but challenging feedback, you can change people for the better. If we lift the expectations and challenge students in a positive and encouraging manner, they will respond. This response may not be immediate but, in time, it will occur.

St Kieran's is an inclusive school that espouses this positivity. As parents, we only want the best for our children. We want them to grow up being the best versions of themselves so they can meet the challenges of society and live a great life. Sometimes there are obstacles in life that slows this process down. We sometimes are victims of our own environment. Life is sometimes not fair. Does that mean we give up or label ourselves as failures? I categorically say "No!" We find ways to experience success and persevere and don't give up. History will show that some of the great minds of our time had obstacles to overcome and that people judged them as failures. The tenacity they showed against all odds were testament to say that we all develop at different rates and that wanting things to change immediately sometimes is expecting too much too soon.

I have stated many times this year that the journey your children are travelling on in terms of education, is a joint relationship or partnership between yourselves and the school. It is based on trust and mutual understanding. We are human and we will always want more and judge if things aren't going the way we want. That is ok and you are entitled to feel and think that way. I always ask though, is the decision we are making about my child or is it about me?

There is no school that is perfect. You are kidding yourself if you think there is such an entity.

St Kieran’s, I believe, is gaining a reputation as a school that is truly inclusive (this means we accept you for who you are without judgement), sets high expectations and will work hard for students and families. You may think otherwise but if you fully trust us and give us a fair go, you may change your mind. At the centre of this mindset is open and honest communication. This can be confronting and challenging and hard to accept. It is the only way we can achieve success and move forward. It is not about us or you but your children. If we keep this at the forefront of our thoughts, then we can't go wrong. If you know anyone who is considering schools for next year, be it Prep to Year 6, please get them to contact the school for an appointment. We would be happy to have a chat.

We have Book Week coming up in Week 7. There will be activities and a grand parade on Wednesday 25th August. Please make the time to come and see your children. Starts at 8:30am in the Br Walker Shed.

Lastly is our annual Father’s Day breakfast. If you are free on Thursday the 2nd September, please come on in for a bacon and egg burger between 7am - 8.15am.

Enjoy your fortnight ahead, God Bless

Claudine Dank

RELIGIOUS LIFE OF OUR SCHOOL

The Word - Ordinary Time 21

Many of Jesus’ followers complained, “This reaching is too hard”. So he said to them, “Do you want to give up? The words I have spoken to you bring God’s life giving Spirit.” BUt many did not believe and they turned back. He asked the twelve disciples, “Do you want to leave also?” Simon Peter answered, “Lord, where would we go? You have the words that give eternal life.” (John 6:60-69)

The Gospel Challenges: when we don’t like God’s teaching, we need to ask, “Which is the way of eternal life?” Jesus never said that following him would be easy. Life will surely give us setbacks and heartache. The difference is in whether we suffer alone or with Jesus as our constant companion.

Your words, Lord, are spirit and life. Bring us closer to you.
Amen.

PARISH INFORMATION

$10,000 DRAW

tickets are now available in our Multicultural Major raffle. First prize is $10,000 cash with many other great prizes as well. Purchase tickets (cash only) from the Parish Office or online:

Winners will be drawn at the Multicultural Festival on 3rd September.

PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL

If you are interested in being a part of the Parish Council please let Lorna Fisher, Fr Mick or Fr Emene know. If you would like to help with seeing how we can implement the suggestions offered in the Belong Believe & Become – Renewing Ourselves in Christ, we have had this year please let us know too.

FETE IN CLONCURRY

The Parish and St Joseph’s School Fete in Cloncurry is Friday 27th August. If you would like to help out there, please let Fr Mick know.

ALTAR SERVERS

Good Shepherd Catholic Parish is inviting all young people who have received the gift of Confirmation and First Communion to become Altar Servers in our Parish. Altar Servers will receive training. Names will be placed in the weekly Bulletin Rosters. If you would like to participate in Church life as an Altar Server, please contact the priests or the Parish Office, providing contact details such as parent permission, phone or email address.

PREP ENROLMENTS 2022

IS YOUR CHILD STARTING PREP IN 2022?

Families seeking enrolment of their child into Prep for 2022 are invited to complete an Application for Enrolment, available on our website 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 2022, 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 2022. 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.

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN

Each fortnight we will profile a section of our Annual School Improvement Plan for 2021. This is the document that guides our plans and priorities for the year. We prepare this document based on initiatives set by the Townsville Catholic Education Office and through consultation with our school stakeholders: parents, staff and students.

LEARNING AND TEACHING

Semester Two parent-teacher interviews are approaching fast and provide an important opportunity to discuss your child’s progress with their teachers. Parent-teacher interviews are scheduled for Week 9, Monday 6th September-Wednesday 8th September (from 3:00-6:30pm on Monday/Tuesday and 3:00-4:30pm on Wednesday). Bookings will be made via COMPASS for the first time this semester, so please ensure you have your COMPASS login details ready to go. If you need your login details, contact our office staff.

INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

Join other local families to learn more about autism and ways to strengthen the home-school partnership. This online workshop is for parents, full-time carers and grandparents.

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During the online workshops, we will cover four topics:⁠

• Diversity of autism⁠
• Understanding sensory processing⁠
• Understanding behaviour⁠
• Working together with your child’s school⁠.⁠

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For more information about our Queensland online workshop and to register, click the link below

LIBRARY

Just 1 week to go until Book Week. We are looking forward to all the students dressing up either in theme (Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds) or as their favourite character from their favourite book on WEDNESDAY, 25TH AUGUST, 2021.

HPE

Over the last few weeks, we have attended two gala days – a touch football gala day where we had a team of Year 6 students attend and a soccer gala day where we had 2 teams of students from Years 4, 5 and 6.

As always, all students who attended were amazing sportspeople and have made our school very proud. They all played so well and were competitive in both sports so congratulations to all students who participated.

Last week we also had some representatives from Qld Cricket come to the school who held a cricket sessions with our Year 5 + 6 students.

Next week, we will have a visit from Football Qld (soccer) and they will run some fun soccer sessions with the Year 1 + 2 students.

Students love receiving visits from sporting organisations outside the school and we hope it improves sports participation in our community.

INDIGENOUS EDUCATION

This week our team worked with Mrs Janelle Knack from Townsville on our school’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). Our RAP gives our Indigenous Education Team a detailed plan forward for the next 12 months. We would like to invite all of our families to contribute their ideas to our RAP. Next week we will send out our draft RAP along with an invitation for an afternoon tea and feedback session before the end of the term.

YOU CAN DO IT

The students in Prep recently met “Ricky Resilience” and will look at Resilience in Action for the rest of the term. The students in Years 1 to 3 are also beginning to look at Resilience.

As parents and caregivers, here are some ways that you can help teach Resilience:

Step 1. Have Conversations with Your Child About What it Means to Be Resilient

1. It will be important to select a suitable time to discuss with your child what it means to be resilient. Sometimes, it can be after or before an event where your child is upset such as not getting invited to a party, having to take a test, or having been unfairly chastised by a teacher (or parent or sibling). The conversation can also occur at more restful times such as when your child is getting ready for bed, in the car on the way to school, or on a walk. It could also take place after both of you have seen a movie and are discussing the emotions of the characters and how the characters dealt with difficult situations. Say: “You know, one of the things that make us human is that we feel very strongly about negative things that happen to us and others when someone treats us badly or we have something really hard to do. We can get very angry, or worried or down about different things (we can also feel happy and curious). How we handle our feelings and behaviours at these times is very important. The thing inside us that helps us to cope with these sorts of situations and our emotions is called “Resilience.” Resilience means that when we are faced with a challenging or difficult situation or person, we are aware of how we feel, we try to stay as calm as we can be, when we do get very upset, we don’t let it get to us by fighting or staying away too long, we calm down within a reasonable amount of time and we bounce back to our work and our friends.”

2. After reading a book or watching a movie, discuss with your child the aspects of the character’s behavior that showed they were or were not resilient. For example, you can ask: “When the character was separated from his family, how did he feel and behave? Was there a time when he was not resilient and got very angry and depressed and acted in an un-helpful way? Later on, did the character display greater resilience by calming down and bouncing back?”

3. Indicate to your child that resilience is something that everyone can learn (adults included) as they grow up. Say: “From time to time, I’d like to discuss with you ways to think and things to do that can help you learn how to be resilient. Every young person growing up today needs lots of resilience to cope with life at school and home so that they can be as successful and happy as they can be.”

4. Have a discussion about the pros and cons of being resilient. Say: “Do you think being calm and being able to calm down and bounce back is a good thing? What are the consequences for someone who gets extremely furious, depressed or worried?” See if you can gain agreement with your child that extreme upset while normal and natural in the face of disagreeable events is not helpful and is counter-productive and that resilience is the ‘way to go.’

Step 2. Describe Examples of Resilience to Practice

Select two or three examples of resilient behavior that you want your child to practice. Say: “Here are some examples of resilient behaviour that are good to practice to strengthen your resilience (select two or three from the following list): not getting extremely angry and fighting when someone is mean or acts unfairly; not worrying too much about taking a test; not avoiding meeting someone new; not get extremely down after receiving a bad mark or if someone is mean or excludes you; calming down quickly when upset; bouncing back to work or play after having been very upset.

Step 3. Discuss Ways to Think as well as Coping Skills that will Help Your Child to Be Resilient

1. Introduce your child to the idea of an Emotional Thermometer and explain that feelings like physical temperatures can go from being very low/weak in intensity to very high/strong: “When something happens to you that you think is bad like someone doesn’t say hello or you get a bad mark, you can feel extremely upset, medium upset. A resilient person tries to manage his/her emotions so that he/she stays in the medium range of upset and when he/she gets to the top of the thermometer, he/she calms down quickly.

2. When you are talking with your child about something that happened at school or home where they were upset, say: “Honey (or son), there are some helpful ways you can think about what happened that can strengthen your resilience. One way is not to let your thinking get the better of you by blowing the badness of what happened out of proportion (making mountains out of molehills). Things that happen can be truly awful and terrible like war, terrorism or death of a loved one. Other events are not quite as bad as when you have a fire in your house, your best friend moves away or you have a car crash. Still other events are just bad or a bit bad like you are late for an appointment, you get a bad mark on a test, someone laughs at what you say in class or you forgot lunch. When you are thinking about something bad that happened, it’s good to think: “This is bad but it could be worse. It’s not a catastrophe, the worst thing in the world.” Thinking this way helps you to be calmer.”

3. Share with your child additional ways to think about what happened or what might happen that he/she can think to help him/her to stay calm, calm down and/or bounce back including: “I don’t like it but I can stand it” “If I make a mistake or someone is mean to me, I still have my good points.” “People who behave unfairly are not totally bad. They may just be making a mistake.” Have your child say which way of thinking he/she could use to be resilient.

4. You can also share with your child different things they can say and do to be resilient. You can discuss and illustrate using examples from your own life and the lives of others the following coping skills for being resilient in the face of events children perceive as negative: being aware of how upset you are and deciding to keep calm, relaxing (taking slow, deep breaths), finding someone you can trust to talk to, and finding something fun to do to take your mind off it.

Step 4. Provide Behaviour Specific Feedback

When you catch your child demonstrating resilience, you can acknowledge your child by saying the following: “You seemed pretty resilient when you didn’t get so upset about what happened.”

“You didn’t let yourself get too angry.” “You’ve learned how not to get too nervous.” “You didn’t let that setback stop you from trying.” “Keeping your cool really helps.” “You did not upset yourself about what happened.” “You can get through the tough stuff.” “ Even though you didn’t do as well as you wanted, you are still positive in many ways” “You seemed not to have blown that negative event out of proportion.”

ESMART (CYBER SAFETY)

PRINCIPAL AWARDS

Sponsored by Mount Isa Coffee Club

Congratulations to:

Ellyse Morrisby
Tobie Pfeffer
Scarlett Pritchard
Alliyah Blackman
Lennox Dank
Ryan Price x10
Kepa Villanueva
Lily Bold x10
Louis Choyce
Elias Smith
Casey Rose
Steward Horwood
Stevie Coe
Gabe Kelly
Ayden Siemer
Urijah Riches x10
Dezso Sipos
Ayla Coles x10
Boh Baillie
Hayley Kleinman
Harlee-Rose Moore x10
Lareece Daley-Kennedy
Lucia Rodriguez
Meaghan Hayes
Stephanie Paul
Christopher McNamara-Day
Dean Hicks
Alana Rackham
Mason Ring

These students have worked so hard with their learning and the effort they have placed in their work. We are all super proud of them.

FATHERING PROJECT

Each fortnight there will be some information for Father’s from the Fathering Project. There will also be future events for dads and kids at the school. The first part is about Fathering Fundamentals. Each newsletter will be a different fundamental.

Fathering Fundamentals

More engaged dads. Improved futures for kids.

Our aim is to build stronger families and communities by giving men the resources, guidance, and support they need to take on the responsibilities of engaged parenting.

Our research team has defined the Fathering Fundamentals as the core elements of fathering. They’re applicable every-father, to every day.

The fundamentals are Connecting, Communicating, Family Values, Learning, Positive Parenting and Wellbeing.

Below is information in regards to Communicating.

TUCKSHOP

All tuckshop orders are to be made online through Flexischools by 9.00am on the day required.

2020 Families - Please remember to change your child's classroom to their 2021 class prior to your first order this year.

In the app go to the profile tab - students - select student - click on the pencil and update the year level first and then class and press save.

Thursday Meal Deals

Term 3 Meal Deals

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