Term 3 - Week 10 (16th 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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Scholastic Book Club Organiser Required (Voluntary Role)
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Tuckshop
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The Uniform Shop
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St Saviour's College Principal's Tour
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TRC Scavenger Hunt
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Sacred Heart Parish
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Community News
Student Protection Contacts
From The Principal
Dear Families,
Parents as Co–Creators in Learning— At Sacred Heart we aspire to create resilient, lifelong learners. The ‘we’ in this is very important as it implies to exactly what is required to support the progress of every child – a partnership. The strongest formula for this partnership is where parents are engaged in this progress. When we were at school, you may have experienced your parents only paying any attention to what you had been doing at school when the report card was sent home at the end of the semester. This is not the engagement in student progress we are talking about.
The terms ‘Parent Engagement’ and ‘Parent Involvement’ are often used to mean the same thing. They are not. Both are good, however one has much more of an impact on student learning progress than the other.
Parent involvement in schools includes attending events, volunteering in class or other activities, and serving on school councils and parent committees. Parent engagement in learning encompasses parent involvement in schooling as well as a broader range of activities, including parent support for children’s learning at home, at school and in community contexts—recognising the cultural and social diversity of families and communities.
Why is parent engagement in learning important? There is strong evidence that parent engagement is associated with improvements for students of all ages. This includes early literacy, school adjustment and student attendance, motivation, self-regulatory behaviour, social skills, retention and graduation rates. This evidence confirms the importance of valuing and supporting parent engagement in learning.
School effectiveness research has identified positive home-school relations as a characteristic of schools with high academic standards, regardless of student background variables. Highly effective schools regard parents as partners in education and promote home-school partnerships.
Research has shown that there are elements of engagement that have the greatest effect on academic achievement. This good parenting includes:
- Providing a safe, secure and intellectually stimulating home environment.
- Modelling educational values and aspirations, has a significant and positive effect on achievement and a child’s ability to adjust to change.
School-based parent involvement is very important and helps create good relationships between schools and families, facilitating positive teacher-child interactions. The good news, is that many of our families do this regularly by:
- Taking a keen interest in what their child and what they are currently learning at school;
- Being invested in their child’s current learning goals and assisting them in developing a growth mindset that focuses on progress over product.
For more information go to Parent Engagement in Learning - Department of Education, Australian Government.
Year 4 and 5 Camp – Last week I had the privilege of attending the Year 4 and 5 camp. These camps are run by extremely experienced instructors and supported by teachers. The focus of last week’s camp was ‘resilience’. Each of the activities that the children participated in were aimed at pushing children out of their comfort zones. Resilience and how to ‘get it’ for our children is tricky to explain but was easy to observe in our children. Examples we observed last week included:
- Children ‘having a go’ at something. Children must not be given the option of ‘opting out’ without at least trying.
- Children talking about their learning. Following some of their activities, children talked about what they succeeded at, what they found challenging and what they would do differently next time. This ranged from the activity itself through to how they would work better with others.
- Time management – children that were happiest on camp were organised. When we are organised with what we need for a task, it reduces anxiety and allows us to focus on the task at hand.
- Persistence – children understanding that there is more than one way to solve a problem and that the world won’t stop spinning if they don’t succeed. These children didn’t give up and were the most successful. They had a ‘I can’t do it – YET!’ attitude.
Thank you to our families who supported their children in attending what was a very rewarding experience for your children. Thank you to Mrs Lucas and Ms Campbell for their organisation and preparation of the students for camp.
Have a great end-of-term break.
God bless,
Mr Tyronne Maher
From The APRE
Hunger Fighter Free Dress Day for Foodbank Queensland
Imagine not knowing where your next meal will come from. That’s the reality for thousands of Queensland families who are facing hunger right now. But we can help!
At Foodbank Queensland, every dollar donated creates 2 meals…but during Hunger Drive, the funds we raise will have DOUBLE IMPACT* creating an incredible 4 MEALS for a Queenslander facing hunger.
All donations from our Free Dress Day yesterday went directly to Foodbank Queensland so they can support families who are experiencing hunger. Thank you to everyone who supported this worthy cause! We raised a total of $240.00.
Camp
Our Year 4s and 5s participated in a retreat experience on the second night of their Camp at Camp Cooby. At the start of Camp, the children were invited to select and bring along a symbol for our jointly constructed sacred space. This symbol was an item which the children connected to a special ‘God moment’ during the Camp. It was lovely to see the children taking the time to become aware of God’s presence on Camp – be it in the beauty of nature or in a time of joy or even struggle. Some of the students may still have their symbols with them at home and some have brought theirs into school to be placed on their class’s prayer table.
Keeping Safe
Over last couple of weeks our students have been exploring the importance of child safety in a variety of settings - road, fire, cyber, stranger safety. As always, conversations at home can help to reinforce their learning at school. Having open conversations and reassuring your child to speak up if something is upsetting them or hurting them is very important for student safety and wellbeing.
Going into the holidays this is a good time to talk about:
- Who are the Student Protection officers at school - Who are they? Locate the posters around the school and in their classrooms.
- Who are your Safe 5 (often drawn on a handprint) – Who are the 5 people we trust to tell if something is upsetting us, hurting us or making us feel yucky or uncomfortable?
- Keeping secrets about surprises like birthday presents is ok. We don’t keep secrets about our bodies, and no one should tell us to keep secrets.
- Everyone has the right to feel safe.
- No one has the right to touch our private parts without good reason.
- A rule that comes from a picture book read at school is: From my head to my toes, I say what goes (Everyone’s Got a Bottom book)
- NO means NO!
- Recognise, React, Report (Daniel Morcombe Curriculum).
o Recognise – recognise when something is not right, how does my body feel.
o React – tell them to stop, get yourself away from the danger quickly.
o Report – tell an adult or one of your Safe 5
I hope you all have a lovely break over the holidays and come back recharged for Term 4!
Mrs Alice Lucas
Assistant Principal Religious Education
Prayer of the Week
A prayer for Term 3 by students from 5L:
Loving God,
We are thankful for the term we have had and for the fun experiences throughout this term. We thank you for the gift of hospitality and the people who’ve gone out of their way to make people feel welcome and appreciate.
Send us your spirit to make us stronger in faith for the upcoming term.
We ask this through Christ our Lord,
Amen.
From The Middle Leader/Curriculum Co-ordinator
WHY IS HANDWRITING IMPORTANT?
Handwriting is an essential life skill. For example, children who can write smoothly and clearly are better able to use writing to record their thoughts and ideas. When handwriting is automatic, their ideas can flow. Children also need to write for many school lessons and tasks.
Handwriting skills help children develop reading and spelling skills. It also helps with the ability to recall and remember information. We need handwriting skills to do many tasks later in life like filling in forms, signing important documents and writing birthday cards.
HOW DO CHILDREN LEARN HANDWRITING?
Handwriting is a complex skill that develops over time. To learn handwriting, children need to combine fine motor skills, language, memory and concentration. They also need to practice and follow instructions.
Handwriting starts with scribbling and drawing then moves on to forming letters and words.
You can encourage your child to develop an interest in handwriting by giving them opportunities to draw, scribble and write. This prepares your child for the formal handwriting they will learn at school.
LEFT HANDED WRITING IN CHILDREN
Most children choose to write and draw with their right hands but some children choose their left hands. This is OK. When children choose their left hand to write with, there is no need for them to swap hands.
Mrs Charlie Barrett
Middle Leader/Curriculum Co-ordinator
From the Learning Support Teacher
Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD)
As discussed in the last newsletter all Australian schools gather information for the National Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD).
Many students who need support or adjustments at school can be counted in the NCCD. For example, students with e.g. specific learning disability or reading difficulty, health problems, physical disability, vision/hearing loss and social–emotional problems.
Letters from doctors or specialists can be very helpful for schools as they plan how to support students with their learning. Schools do not need to have these letters before they can count a student in NCCD. Teachers can use all that they know about the child’s learning and the records that they have collected over the year to decide if a student can be counted in the NCCD.
Once the school decides that the student should be counted in the NCCD then the Teachers and Learning Support Teacher determine the disability group (sensory, social/emotional, cognitive, or physical) and the level of support given to a student
(Quality Differentiated Teaching Practise, Supplementary, Substantial or Extensive).
What sort of help does the school give students?
Students need different types of help at school. Some students need a little help for specific difficulties while other students need significant support nearly all the time. The type of support or adjustments given depends on the needs of the student. For example, the support can include extra help within the class, special learning programs, differentiated class work, curriculum modified programs, or targeting a specific difficulty in a small group with a Teacher or School Officer.
What happens to the NCCD data?
After Teachers have collected their information then the Principal and Learning Support Teacher must check the NCCD data in July/August of each year. The school will give the information to the Toowoomba Catholic Education Office to check before they give the data to the government. The government will not be given the names of any students or any letters or records. The government will use the NCCD data as part of the funding to schools.
Mrs Anne Robinson
Learning Support Teacher
From the Guidance Counsellor
How our thoughts influence how we feel.
Many children and adults mistakenly believe that what happens to them (the situation) determines how they feel. In the 1960s Psychiatrist Aaron Beck theorised that this is not the case instead he put forward that:
It is not the situation but what you think about the situation that determines how you feel.
For example, if you miss the train and think, ‘Oh great now I’m going to be late, my day is ruined’ you will feel frustrated and angry, if however, you think, ‘Oh well, another one will be along in 5 or 10 minutes, I might still make it on time’ you will feel okay.
This does not mean you need to change your thinking to being positive all of the time. This can also be unhelpful. We do however need to teach children to think accurately about a situation. When we think negatively about a situation, for example, ‘I always spell poorly, I’m stupid’, we are not thinking accurately. We are not ‘stupid’. We might be having trouble today remembering how to spell all of our spelling words, but we are not ‘stupid’, we may just need more practice spelling the word.
Teaching children that what they think determines the way they feel, AND that with practice they can change how they think about a situation, to see it more accurately is one of the most important lessons in building resilience. It important as it provides children with some control over situations in which they feel powerless (for example when their parents fight, or a child calls them names). Teaching children that they can learn to control the way they think about a situation, which can in turn help them adjust how they feel and act, can be very powerful.
Teachers and parents can help children to think more accurately. Some strategies include:
- Teach children to recognise their own thoughts. Talk to children about their thoughts or ‘self-talk’ that comments on what they and others are doing. If a child has trouble identifying the thoughts, have them look into a mirror and ‘listen’ to what they are saying in their mind as they think about themselves or others.
- Teach them that it is not what happens, but what you think about it that determines the way you feel. Provide examples to illustrate the point, for example, thinking to yourself ‘I am ‘dumb’ at maths’, can be changed to ‘I’m still learning to do this part of maths’ or ‘I’m not there yet, I’m still learning’.
- Teach children to be detectives and look for clues. Ask, ‘Is the thought that is making you feel upset really true?’ Ask them to state the evidence? What are the clues telling you?
- Ask children to state accurate thoughts based on clues. Children may need help to do this. The more they practice the easier it will become.
- Ask children how they feel now. If children are thinking accurately and productively, they will report feeling okay, or better than they originally did.
Source: Psych4schools
Mrs Sarah Jackman
Guidance Counsellor
Class Awards
Class In Focus
Fact: Over 80% of camp attendees loved it!
Camp Cooby Recap
Written by Jye Ridley (5L)
Last week our Year 4s and 5s took up the challenge to go on Camp to Reflections: Camp Cooby. We all had an amazing time and have some moments to share!
Day 1: Start of Camp 🏕
The day started normally, birds chirping and then when we came to school, everything changed, we saw a BUS! Not any bus; it was the bus that took us to camp. We farewelled our families and I’m not going to lie there were some tears shed. From here we took a big exhale as we had officially made it on a big adventure! After 30 or so minutes we got to camp. We sat down at the campfire and met our “parents” for the next 3 days; Mark, Tess and Katelyn. We played “dead ants” the best family game that exists! We were split into 3 groups and made our way to the cabins. Then Mrs Lucas told us who was in our cabins, some were chaotic, and some were calm, but overall a great experience. Then we split into our groups and got to play some games. I don’t remember what games we played except for a fun game called “ACID RIVER” where we had to use mats to get to Tasmania from Australia. We also played “NAME SLAPS” to get to know each other. Then wham! It was morning tea, we had the most delicious chocolate cake and fruit (yum!) and then we played some more. After that was lunch! We got to make our own burgers! We then went for afternoon activities. We made rafts or catamarans, did a crate staking ropes challenge, learnt the craft of camping and went on a hike to do ‘Survivor’ style challenges.
Day 2: Middle of camp 🏕
When we woke up there was cabin inspections, we didn’t even know this was happening and so our cabin was very messy. Then we set out to the brown Marquee to eat breakfast (toast and/or cereal) then we split up into our 3 groups. After lunch we got together for fun activities like “A Giant Waterslide”, “fill the tube” and a game like "Rob the Nest" but epic. We them had showers before 2 hours of free time. It started raining so we did a little retreat where we were asked to find a symbol to bring to the prayer space. It had started to rain but we were all in good spirits. It was nice to go to bed listening to the rain.
Day 3: Last Day
We woke up to a big clap of thunder at 6am. We then had to clean our cabins for one final inspection. Then set out to the brown Marquee to eat breakfast (bacon, eggs, hash browns and/or cereal). Mrs Lucas had told us some sad news, Queen Elizabeth II died. After breakfast we went back to our cabins to get dressed, we got our day bags and set off for our final few hours at Camp Cooby. We had a “camp debrief” where we checked our goals written on our group mascots. We said our farewells and collected our stuff. We had an awesome bus driver called Iseek (I - SEEK) who was definitely the best bus driver we've ever had!
We said goodbye to our friends and teachers and returned home.
Special mentions from a student survey
5L: “Camp was good! It brought people closer to me it also challenged me to show more resilience, HICE [our Mercy values of Hospitality, Integrity, Compassion and Excellence] and more” A student in 5L
“I really loved this trip to Camp Cooby; the people were nice, the activities were fun and the food was awesome. A bad thing was the bed was a little uncomfortable.” Another student in 5L
“It was great! I was a little homesick but it was really fun I loved everything that happened!” Yet another student in 5L
4C: "Crate stack was so fun because it felt like you were flying. I loved the water side you go so fast & I loved the steep slopes and the raft building was also fun." A student in 4C
3/4G: “I loved camp especially because of the cabins and activities. My favourite activity was the raft building.” A student in 3/4G
Scholastic Book Club Organiser Required (Voluntary Role)
Unfortunately our current Scholastic Book Club organiser Shanna Toombs is unable continue in 2023. Shanna has been doing this for some time now and we wish to thank her for continued efforts in this role. Shanna is happy to assist the new organiser with the Term 4 Book Club catalogue distribution, ordering and order distribution.
Scholastic Book Club not only enables us to boost our home and school libraries, but also to improve children’s reading skills and encourage at-home reading.
You can help ensure Book Club continues at our school!
We are looking for a new Book Club Organiser to manage Book Club. You can keep the reading momentum rolling at our school by helping provide children with more access to self-selected independent reading material all year long.
Plus, when you run Book Club, everyone benefits—every Book Club order earns 20% in Scholastic Rewards to help purchase additional learning and literacy resources for our school!
When the catalogues arrive at your school, a Book Club Organiser distributes the catalogues to students and advises them of the date that orders are due.
As a Book Club Organiser, placing your orders is simple online. When the orders are placed by class, the books arrive back at the school pre-sorted, which makes your job of distributing the books easy!
Interested in making a difference at our school?
• Provide continuous access to the best books at the best prices for families!
• Help to feed readers with regular access to independent reading material.
• Earn free books for the school
Please contact our office if you are interested and/or require futher information.
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
St Saviour's College Principal's Tour
TRC Scavenger Hunt
Sacred Heart Parish
Community News
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