14 October 2021

Newsletter Articles

IMPORTANT DATES

Sunday 10th - 15th October - Year 5 Camp to Paluma
Sunday 10th - 15th October - Year 6 Camp to Townsville
Friday 15th October - Rock Pop
Monday 18th and Tuesday 19th - Yr 6 transition Days to GSCC
Wednesday 20th October - Family Lunch
Monday 25th to Friday 29th October - Book Fair
Friday 29th October - World’s Teachers Day - Australia
Thursday 4th November - Prep night for 2022 parents
Wednesday 17th November - Family Lunch
Friday 5th November - Show coming to school- “Bits and Pieces”
Thursday 25th November - St Kieran’s End of Year Mass
Monday 29th November - Yr 6 Graduation Dinner
Tuesday 30th November - St Kieran’s has Talent Show
Wednesday 1st December - Wet Wednesday
Thursday 2nd December - Year 1 Nativity Play
Friday 3rd December - Last Day of School @ 12pm

St Kieran’s Community Gatherings Term 4

Week 1 Christian Meditation
Week 2 No Assembly
Week 3 Mission Month Year 4
Week 4 Feast of All Saint/All Souls
Week 5 Assembly Year 3 (Sunday Reading)
Week 6 Remembrance Day Year 6
Week 7 Thank you Assembly/ Advent
Week 8 St Kieran’s End of Year Mass 2021 (Good Shepherd Church)
Week 9 Thursday the 2nd Nov 8.30am Year 1 Nativity Play

PRAYER / SPECIAL MESSAGE

The Francis Factor(Reflecting on theWords & Wisdom of Pope Francis)How to Proclaim the Gospel Without Soul

A new evangelisation, a Church which evangelises, must always start with prayer, with asking, like the apostles in the Upper Room, for the fire of the Holy Spirit. Onlya faithful and intenserelationshipwithGod makes it possible to get out of our own closedness and proclaim the Gospel with parrhesia (courage). Without prayer, our acts are empty, and our proclamation has no soul;it is not inspired by the Spirit.(Pope Francis,General Audience, 22 May 2013)

Reflection: Do you make prayer a priority each day? How healthy would it be for a married couple to go for days without speaking to each other? Enkindle your relationship with Godinmeaningful prayer time

PRINCIPALS REPORT

Dear Parents, Grandparents, Carers and Friends,

Welcome to Term 4.

It is hard to believe that we are now entering the last period of the school year. This year has been very rewarding and challenging at times, but it has also gone very quickly. As we move towards the end of the year let us work hard together to ensure the children end on a positive and memorable note. Your support is invaluable and needed if we are to be successful. St Kieran’s is a great school and if we finish off together, we will be able to look back and say we have done our best. Let's make sure it becomes a reality.

I hope you all had a great break and were able to spend some quality time with your children. It was very encouraging to see the children smiling and enthusiastic the last two weeks. I thank you for the encouragement and support you give your children to enable them to be the confident and resilient girls and boys we see each day. The future looks very bright.

This term will be filled with some very important and special events. Please make sure you read the newsletter and mark on your calendars any important dates so you can remember and won't be disappointed. We will publish these dates as soon as they are confirmed to enable you to organise the time to be present.

I would like to thank the P&F and the School Board for their generous time to have discussions about the school and how we can move it forward in a positive way. The P&F have been currently looking at different suggestions to spend their funds. If you have any ideas please come to a meeting or send me an email.

We are constantly being contacted by new families wanting to join our family at St Kieran’s. I believe we have created an inclusive and welcoming school in the true sense of these words. Anyone you know who may be thinking of a school to send their children, please send them our way. We have plenty of room from Prep to Year 3 in 2022. We would love to have new members.

RELIGIOUS LIFE OF OUR SCHOOL

Term 4 is very busy for the Religious Life of Our School. Below I have outlined all the information that you need to be aware of.

Mission Month - October

Catholic Mission Australia has launched its annual World Mission Month Appeal, focusing on the work of the Good Shepherd Sisters in Thailand supporting children from vulnerable and disadvantaged backgrounds through the Kindergarten Centre.

“Each year the second last Sunday of October is dedicated as World Mission Sunday and this is a formal reminder of the importance of the work of mission,” says Catholic Mission National Director Fr Brian Lucas. “Through prayer and material support we reach out to the mission churches, those that are persecuted, fragile and lack the resources we often take for granted. “This is why the Kindergarten Centre, run by Sr Chalaad and the Good Shepherd Sisters, is so important. Opened to provide care for the children of women working at the Good Shepherd Sisters Fatima Training Centre –a skills training workshop for women from disadvantaged backgrounds - the Kindergarten has expanded to take in local children who would otherwise miss out on crucial early childhood education. Our fundraising efforts for Catholic Mission through Socktober (see details below) will go towards supporting Sr Chalaad and the Good Shepherd Sisters.

Mission Month Mass at St Joseph’s in Cloncurry

Friday 22nd of October (week 3) students from Good Shepherd, St Joseph’s Mount Isa and St Kieran’s will head to Cloncurry to celebrate Mission Month Mass at St Joseph’s, Cloncurry. The bus will leave at approximately 11am and return by 3pm. There will be a small number of students attending this mass. This list will be sent out closer to the date.

Socktober

Mission Month encourages students across Australia to kick goals on and off the pitch to make a difference in the lives of vulnerable children in Thailand and around the world.

Each year the College supports Catholic Mission in their Socktober fundraiser. This year we will have Socktober events taking place week 5 (Monday 1st – Crazy Socks Day) with the Socktober Shootout Competition at the end of the week.

Mini Vinnie’s Social Justice Evening 2021

This term, St Kieran's students from years 2 - 6 have the opportunity to participate in a Mini Vinnies Social Justice Evening.

The Mini Vinnies Social Justice Evening will help raise awareness about what is means to be homeless and the types of homelessness experienced by both adults, young people and children. Students will be engaged in a range of activities to help give them get a sense of what it is like to be homeless and an understanding of how life circumstances can change. The evening also discusses with the students how we can help in regards to fundraising, volunteering and being an advocate for those in need.

Every year St Vincent De Paul donates baskets of essential items to those in need throughout the Mount Isa and surrounding districts. This year St Kieran’s students are asked to help with this and collect as many items as they can to go into these packages. Putting together the packages will formulate the Social Justice Action part of the evening. All St Kieran's students can contribute and be involved in preparation for this evening.

Each class is asked to begin to collect the following essentials (non-perishable) items over the next few weeks. These include: soaps/ body wash, face washers/ hand towels, shampoo & conditioner, deodorants, tin foods, disposable wipes.

PARISH INFORMATION

Bishop Dinner - on the 28th October is the Bishop’s Dinner. Tickets are on sale for $40 each. Please call the Parish if interested in going.

Church Cleaning - If you are able to help with the cleaning of the church on a rostered basis. Please call the Parish office.

Volunteers Wanted - If you can assist with meal preparation and serving in the Jangawala Kitchen please call the Parish Office.

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 (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 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.

LIBRARY

Book Fair is approaching fast. Week 4 (25th-29th October) is when students and parents/care givers can visit the library and check out our Reading Oasis. There’ll be lots of books to buy along with cool posters and stationery.

Watch this space for more details...

YOU CAN DO IT

Family information: Humour - This topic is being covered in Years 4 to 6.

Enjoying a laugh with others is a unique human bond that helps us connect with others. Finding something funny about a difficult situation can also help us to feel more hopeful. Humour helps us gain a sense of perspective on our problems, because it can throw a little light on an otherwise dark situation. It reminds us that life goes on. It allows us to release the tension created by strong and uncomfortable feelings such as sadness, disappointment, anxiety and anger. Having a laugh also helps us to stay healthy because of the positive changes that laughter creates in our bodies. The use of laughter in children’s hospital wards is an example of how humour can help people cope and deal with hard times.

Key messages to communicate to your child about humour

Humour helps us to stay healthy.

Laughter helps our body to fight disease and illness. Humour is like exercise for our mind and our feelings.

Humour can help you to feel better.

Having a laugh and finding the funny side of a situation can help you feel a little bit better when you are feeling unhappy, sad or worried, or when things are difficult.

You can use laughter and humour to help someone else feel a bit better.

You can cheer someone up when they have a problem, or they are feeling sad or worried, by being funny in a kind and gentle way. Stop doing it if they don’t like it.

Humour shouldn’t be used to pretend that you don’t feel sad or worried.

Even though laughter can help you feel better when you have a problem, you still need to try to solve the problem, or deal with the unhappy feeling. Laughter doesn’t make problems go away. It just helps you to cope with them a little better.

Humour shouldn’t be used to hurt someone’s feelings.

It’s unkind to laugh at someone else’s problems or bad luck, or make fun of the way another person looks, thinks, speaks or acts.

What can you do to help your child learn about humour?

• Share funny songs or movies and TV shows with your child. This is a great way to connect and enjoy each other’s company.
• Read funny stories or poems to your child and enjoy the humour together.
• Share riddles and jokes that don’t rely on put-downs or insulting humour.
• Help your child learn how to tell a riddle or joke well.
• Encourage your child to make a funny card, drawing or banner to cheer up a family member or a friend who is sick or having a difficult time.
• Create opportunities for your child to have fun and enjoy some laughs with their friends (e.g. when your child has friends around to play you could show a funny movie, encourage a joke-telling session, play silly or fun games, provide funny dress-ups or encourage them to put on a funny skit).
• Point out to your child when they are using humour in an inappropriate way (e.g. to put down someone such as their younger brother or sister, or to trivialise something important, or to deny a problem or a feeling they are having). Discuss this with them.

ECO WARRIORS

We have had our most successful year in the garden so far! After the holidays we came back to a bumper crop of pumpkins, potatoes, cherry tomatoes, beans and strawberries. The kids are always so excited to pick the veggies and now we just need to plan what to cook. Our grape and passionfruit vines are both growing well and it is always great to come back from a break and see how much they have grown.

We would like to extend a huge thank you to Bunnings for their donation of new worms for our worm farm, the worms are always a big hit with the kids and a great way to use our fruit scraps.

We will also kick off our Staff Vs Students recycling competition this week.

ESMART (CYBER SAFETY)

THE 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 Positive Parenting

Positive parenting is about being responsive and recognising what your child needs at a given time and providing that in an effective way.

A reoccurring theme in the positive parenting literature is that a warm, yet firm, parenting style is linked to numerous positive child outcomes.

While both parents have an important role in helping children grow and thrive, a father’s relationship with his children is especially important in fostering resilience. When children experience positive and supportive parenting, they are far more likely to thrive.

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 4 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

Jeff Horn Community Hub Resilience and Empowerment program is running in the Jeff Horn Derrick’s Boxing Community Hub .

Jeff Horn is a former teacher and well-known sporting icon in Australia, and as you may be aware, he is passionate about teaching kids how to positively deal with conflict and bullying. To meet this challenge, we have created a centralised community-based program called the Jeff Horn Community Hubs.

Recently, Jeff visited Glencore Mines Mt Isa, to promote this initiative and rouse community support for the program. The response from the community was fantastic, raising funding for 100 kids to do the program!

We are launching the next program on 27th October, 2021 for 8 weeks at Derricks Boxing and we are looking for 20 children that would benefit from this program in years 4-6. The placements are fully sponsored and the benefits of the program are priceless.

• Link to our website https://www.amayda.com.au/community-hub-programs explaining the initiative;
• Link to the registration page: https://form.jotform.com/211528386725461
• 100% discount Coupon code: Mtisoff@100

Should a parent wish to book a spot, they need to tick the box that asks them if they have a coupon code! They then need to enter the above code for a FREE booking (normally the cost is $249.00 per child).

Please note: the registration process is entirely online via the QR code on the flier. Should anyone need assistance on this process please contact Brett Welland manager@amayda.com.au