Term 3 - Week 8 (2nd September)
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Student Protection Contacts
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From The Principal
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From The APRE
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Prayer of the Week
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From The Middle Leader/Curriculum Co-ordinator
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From the Learning Support Teacher
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From the Guidance Counsellor
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Class Awards
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Class In Focus
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From The Arts
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BOOK WEEK 2022
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Tuckshop
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The Uniform Shop
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School Crossing Safety
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National Tree Day
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Sacred Heart Parish
Student Protection Contacts
From The Principal
Dear Families,
Strategies for life’s challenges – it’s time to get into the ‘pit’! – We all tend to know what resilience is, yet how do we build this for our children? In a world of information overload and ever occurring change, we need to nurture people towards understanding and interpreting the world around them and their part in it. Our part in this as a school community is clearly defined when we say that we want to ‘nurture resilient, lifelong learners’.
As parents, we are aware of how our children feel and we naturally worry when they worry. From a very young age, children learn how to get what they need from us as an integral part of their survival. When they are hungry or in pain, they cry, and we tend to them. As they get older, they can put into words how they feel and do this so that we can help them. But what should this ‘help’ look like as they get older? For adults, this is a tricky space to navigate. Sometimes we choose the path of least resistance and do the work for them and before we know it, we have fallen into a habit that we did not intend forming. If you have ever had a sick child that crawled into bed with you one night and two months later, that same child is still in bed with you, then you know what we’re talking about. You learn quickly, that if both of you are going to get a good night’s sleep, the next time they are unwell, getting them back to bed as soon as possible, is best.
At Sacred Heart, our learners are very familiar with language to do with ‘being in the pit’. This ‘learning pit’ image is a way of explaining and reflecting with children on what strategies lifelong learners need when they find themselves challenged. Talking about what strategies they’ll need for a particular lesson or day, or going over what they had to use when challenged, helps them to understand what ‘tools’ they might need next time. This is not just applied to Mathematics or Reading (for example), this is as relevant when talking about life’s challenges in general.
Take, for example, the scenario of a child having friendship difficulties. Now, you could do the work for them. This could mean going into the school and trying to solve the problem for them or keeping them at home until they are feeling better about these things. Now, these are both strategies, but neither of them actually have the child doing any of the work; they are not being challenged and therefore they don’t learn anything about how they deal with this in the future. On the other hand, providing your child with an example of when you were challenged and ‘in the pit’ with a similar scenario, and discussing with them what you did to solve the problem before encouraging them to have a go, does build strategies and resilience. Couple this strategy with a quick email to your teacher and you now have a ‘wrap-around’ of support for your child that allows them to safely have a go at working through this problem. We would go back to our first strategy of following up with the teacher if we felt that these strategies were not working for our children. Always keep your child’s teacher in the loop and partner with them in building these strategies for your children. This work pays massive dividends towards ensuring our children have the tools to tackle challenges as they continue along life’s journey.
Communication is key- At Sacred Heart, we believe that spotting and acknowledging good learning and social choices brings about more of these behaviours in all. We also believe in the learning associated with making the right choices. Part of this learning begins with a consequence, followed by the conversation that includes what they should have been doing at this time and what they will do differently next time. This work is most impactful when both school and home are having these conversations. To achieve this partnership, communication is key, and we have changed our process to ensure that this is consistent.
When a child receives a minor behaviour consequence, you will receive a text message from the school and your child will have 5 minutes out of play. Encourage your child to explain to you what happened and what they’ll do differently next time. If you need some clarification on this, send an email to the school. When a child receives a major behaviour consequence, you will receive a call from a member of school leadership. A voice message may be left or an email indicating our attempt to contact you will be sent. In both minor and major cases, the intention is to let you know what has happened so that the conversation can begin at home.
Parent Engagement Network – On Monday night, it was voted that our school’s ‘Parents and Friends Association’ and school ‘Board’, be merged into the one ‘Parent Engagement Network’. This new model will see a streamlining of financial responsibilities but more importantly, will allow a more intensive focus on building community and engagement in how we work as a school to progress your child. This engagement is integral in building the partnership required to rapidly progress the learning of all children at our school. This is important work that will no doubt be challenging. Thanks to the work of you and the families that have gone before you, Sacred Heart has become a warm and outreaching community. We aim to build on this so that student learning is also impacted.
God bless,
Mr Tyronne Maher
From The APRE
Student Protection Week
Toowoomba Catholic Schools Primary Students Art Competition
As part of Queensland Student Protection Week, students were invited to enter an artwork in the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Primary Students Art Competition. Our Year 6 class combined their ideas into one artwork which has been awarded the winning artwork! The class will share in a $50 gift voucher. Congratulations to our Year 6 class!
Australia’s Biggest Child Safety Lesson
We’ll be participating in Australia’s Biggest Child Protection (ABCSL) lesson this year. Next Tuesday 6th September, our classes will gather to view the live stream of the ABCSL. This lesson will explore concepts of personal safety and removing the secrecy, stigma and mystery around private body parts, while also teaching children about body ownership. These lessons are proudly produced by the Daniel Morcombe Foundation.
Diocesan Feast Day Mass
On Thursday 1st September, our Year 6 leaders and I participated in the Diocesan Feast Day Mass. We gathered with representatives from most of the Toowoomba Catholic Schools to celebrate our Diocesan patron, Mary of the Southern Cross. Bishop Robert McGuckin lead the Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral to mark to commemorate this important celebration.
The House and School captains represented our school beautifully. Special thanks to Lachlan and Alana who brought forward the gifts of bread and wine in the Offertory procession.
Camp
Please keep the Year 4s and 5s in your thoughts and prayers this week as they prepare for Camp next week. They will depart on Wednesday 7th September and spend three days and two nights building resilience at Camp Cooby! We’ll feature our Camp experience in our Week 10 newsletter.
Mrs Alice Lucas
Assistant Principal Religious Education
Prayer of the Week
Dear God,
Please be with our students and teachers throughout our Camp experience.
Help them to live out our Mercy values of Hospitality, Integrity,
Compassion and Excellence in their interactions with others.
Take them safely to Camp Cooby and give them health and strength
To undertake this Camp experience.
We pray for the families of the Year 4 and 5 students
That they can use this time to build resilience in their children.
We ask this in Your Precious Name.
Amen
From The Middle Leader/Curriculum Co-ordinator
MATHEMATICS IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS
Families are a child’s first educator and this role does not halt on day one of school. Families lay the foundation for future educational success. They make a difference to a child’s attitude, motivation to learn and academic achievement through showing their positive attitude towards mathematics and being engaged in mathematics and numeracy at home.
Many people openly claim they don’t like Math or they are not good at it, and then unintentionally convey the message that it’s ok to not like Math. This can have a detrimental effect on children who hear this message. As a parent, be conscious of displaying a positive attitude towards Mathematics. Acknowledge that it is ok to not be able to do something “yet”.
Tips for parents:
- Understand that Mathematics today is about understanding number patterns
- Know there is always more than one way to get the right answer
- Children are taught mental strategies to figure out problems in their heads, encourage this with asking simple real life Mathematical questions i.e. How many cars in our street today? How much milk is in that bottle?
- Practice the times tables – multiplication is one of the building blocks of Math
- Don’t jump in with the answers – it’s ok to work on getting there
- Stay positive and talk positively about Mathematics
- Talk to your child’s teacher if you want to know more about what your child is doing in Mathematics in their class.
Mrs Charlie Barrett
Middle Leader/Curriculum Co-ordinator
From the Learning Support Teacher
With the support of teachers, the Learning Support Teacher is integral in providing information for:
Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with a Disability (NCCD)
What is the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data?
Schools must now complete the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) every year. It counts the number of students who receive additional adjustments or ‘help’ at school because of a disability.
Australian students with disability must be able to access and participate in education on the same basis as their peers. To ensure this, students with disability receive adjustments to access education, based on the professional judgement of teachers. At Sacred Heart, students with learning needs, a diagnosed disability or social/emotional difficulties have their adjustments recorded on a Personalised Learning Plan which teachers share with parents during interviews.
What is the purpose of the NCCD?
The NCCD collects data about school students with disability who are receiving adjustments across Australia in a consistent, reliable and systematic way. Funding for children with a disability or special needs is provided by the Australian Government and is based on the NCCD; schools will continue to manage their total resources to meet the learning needs of their students.
How does the NCCD assist families
All schools must record the adjustments and share this with families, so they are aware of the support their child with a disability or special needs is receiving to access and participate in education on the same basis as their peers.
Mrs Anne Robinson
Learning Support Teacher
From the Guidance Counsellor
What is Mindfulness and the Smiling Mind App?
Have you ever driven somewhere and wondered whether you’ve locked the door, put down the garage door, or forgotten where you put your keys? Sometimes we are in a state of automatic pilot that we don’t think about what we are doing mindfully. By taking notice of our surroundings and learning to slow down, mindfulness can help reduce stress and reduce anxiety. Mindfulness is defined as paying attention to the present moment with openness, curiosity and without judgement.
Now there is an easier way to do mindfulness in the comfort of your home, on any device and it's free. Try having a look at the smiling mind app with your children.
www.smilingmind.com.au
Smiling Minds is an evidence based mental health program which promotes wellness through a series of meditations and is used by over 6 million Australians. It can help students learn new coping strategies and ways of thinking. There are meditations for both children and adults, and they are approximately 5-10 minutes long.
You can watch a clip to learn more about mindfulness and its benefits. Please watch this short clip by Associate Professor Craig Hassed from Monash University. https://youtu.be/IsXxvPWd_k4
Take care,
Mrs Sarah Jackman
Guidance Counsellor
Class Awards
Class In Focus
YEAR 2/3A
Welcome to Week 8 in 2/3A.
This week in Mathematics we have been learning all about 3D shapes with Miss Veenstra. We are now able to name the different shapes, identify and describe their features. For example, a cube has 6 faces, 12 edges and 8 vertices. We made our own rectangular prism from a net which was loads of fun.
In English we have been learning the skill of predicting. This reading strategy allows us to understand the context of the story better by making connections, asking questions and being literary detectives, reading between the lines for text clues.
In Visual Art we created the Rainbow Serpent. This tied in beautifully with our Religion unit ‘The Creation Story’ and supported our HASS unit – The First Maps – Stories and Songlines – where we learnt how the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people passed on their traditions through songs, dances, artworks and stories.
Over the past two weeks in HASS Miss Veenstra has been busy teaching us all about some of the rivers, mountains, deserts and rainforests found in Australia. Our focus for this week was on the Great Barrier Reef. We have been looking at the types of flora and fauna found, what types of activities people undertake and ongoing threats and effects on the reef.
In our Science unit – Feathers, Fur or Leaves - we have been learning that Scientists have developed a classification system for animals so they can try to understand the diversity of life and how species are related throughout history.
In Religion through the study of the creation stories (Genesis.1:1-2, Genesis 2:4b-25 and Genesis 9:8-17) we have learnt:
- God created the world
- All creation is sacred
- Humans are the stewards of creation.
On Thursday 1st September we swapped our winter formal uniform for our summer formal uniform. The summer formal uniform will be worn from now until the end of the year on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Next Wednesday 7th September at 1:50 pm, we will attend the “Who’s your five safe people?’ performance presented by Act 4 Kids. This will form part of the Queensland Child Protection Week.
Don’t forget: Parent Teacher Interviews have been scheduled for next week. For most families this meeting is non-compulsory however some have been emailed an invitation to meet with me.
As the term is nearing to a close I would just like to thank you all for your support throughout Term 3. Enjoy the remaining two weeks.
God bless.
Mrs Jacque Armstrong
YEAR 6B
This week our Year 6 class undertook their lessons around puberty and the related changes in their emotions, relationships and bodies. These lessons are a part of the Australian Health and Physical Education (HPE) Curriculum of our school and all schools across Australia. We invite you to have a discussion with your children around these topics as well to clarify any new questions that may arise from these lessons.
Next week is Queensland Child Protection Week and our students have created works of art showing: what a great day looks like; what makes them feel happy and safe; what is wonderful about growing up in Australia or what makes their families special. Please check out the artworks attached. They have all been entered into the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Art Competition being run during this week.
In class, students have now all received their feedback in both Math and English, and individual goals have been set to work on into Term 4. Speeches are currently being finalised and in Weeks 9/10 we will start having students present, with the top four taking part in our annual Speech Competition in Term 4.
As of Thursday 1st September, we are back to our summer uniform, and it is still an expectation of year 6 students to wear the correct uniform at all times. (If there are any exceptions, a note must accompany the student to school please) There are still 12 weeks of school and it is vital that seniors set the standard for the rest of the school.
Wishing everyone a fabulous fortnight ahead.
Mrs Charlie Barrett & Mrs Mallory Anderson
From The Arts
CHOIR
If your child loves to sing, we would love to see them at choir!!
We rehearse Tuesday 2:55-3:30pm in the music room.
If you have any questions, please contact me at
cherie.runciman@twb.catholic.edu.au
INSTRUMENTAL LESSONS WITH MISS JOY
If your child is interested in learning an instrument, please contact Ms Runciman. We will have some spots available with Miss Joy in Term 3. Get in early to make sure you do not miss out.
DANCE AND DRAMA
All classes are currently exploring different aspects of Drama and Dance during their “Arts” lessons. I hope they are coming home telling you about the wonderful creations they are making in class. There will be short plays performed at the end of the term showcasing Year 5 and 6. They will be able to share their talents with the Prep classes.
BOOK WEEK 2022
Children’s Book Week was celebrated at Sacred Heart with some great activities. It was wonderful to see both staff and students take part in the Book Week character dress-up parade. Clearly a favourite activity! A huge thanks goes out to families for the hard work that was put into students’ costumes.
Our Book Warehouse Fair ran smoothly and was very successful, with sales totalling $2580.99.
As a result of this great effort, the library will gain new resources to the value of $774.30
A HUGE thanks to all students and families who contributed to the success of the Book Fair by making a purchase during the week.
Our Readers’ Cup Challenge competitions were held once again during book week. All students were keen to share their knowledge of the picture books and novels they had been studying.
Congratulations to all students who participated.
The 2022 winners for each class are:
- Prep C - Samantha, Jakobi, Acacia, Fateh, Frederick
- Prep J - Jakobi, Sophie, Thon, Theia, Ella
- 1J - Lilah, Ally, Paul, Ella N
- 1/2T - Frankie, Lucy, Phoebe, Hudson
- 2/3A - Ellie, Juac, Tiffany, Blake
- 3/4G - Kevin, Oliver, Harper, Jett, Charlotte
- 4C - Anita, Noah, Ada, Liam F
- 5L - Layla G, William B, Layla W, Kristina
- 6B - Charlotte, Oliver, Tyce, Indiannah
Division Finalists to represent the school in Round Two (details to follow)
- Prep/1 - Lilah, Ally, Paul, Ella N
- 1/2/3 - Frankie, Lucy P, Phoebe, Hudson
- 3/4 - Kevin, Oliver, Harper, Anita
- 5/6 - Layla G, Charlotte, Oliver, Tyce
Thank you, again, to everyone for supporting our 2022 Book Week
Jan Watkins & Rebecca Wheeler
Library Staff
Tuckshop
From Term 4, Tuckshop orders need to ordered by 8.30am on the day of tuckshop instead of the previous time of 9.00am. Please be aware of this when ordering tuckshop next term.
The Uniform Shop
Thank you for your continued support of the school’s uniform shop.
Normal Uniform Shop hours:
Mondays & Thursdays 8.00am - 10:30am.
If Monday is a holiday, the Uniform Shop will open on a Tuesday.
Red anklet socks (sizes 2-8 & 8-11) are $5.00 on special.
SCHOOL BAGS: School Bags are COMPULSORY to the WHOLE SCHOOL. Do you have the correct bag? Available from the Uniform Shop for $39.50
SCHOOL PULLOVERS - This is a compulsory uniform item for Years 1 to 6.
SPRAY JACKETS are compulsory for students in Years 1-6 only.
PREP STUDENTS DO NOT REQUIRE SPRAY JACKETS!
FREE BUTTONS available for Boys’ red shirt, girls’ red and white blouse & Prep red polo.
The uniform shop carries donated pre-loved items (including Prep).
Thank you for all the donations to the uniform shop these are greatly appreciated. Please continue to support the uniform shop with donations. These can be left at the office.
*We accept Cash, EFTPOS or Layby* Please note: this is at the Uniform Shop ONLY
Ms Betty Davison
CONVENOR