Term 2 - Week 2 (28th April)

Student Protection Contacts

From The Principal

Smart is not something you ‘are’  – This week on assembly, I took some time to talk with our learners on what it means to have a ‘growth mindset’ when challenged in our learning. We talked about the fact that even the adults in our lives, while well intentioned, try to lessen feelings of failure by saying something like: ‘Oh, you bombed out on your times tables test. Never mind, I was never any good at those either.’  When we tell our children this, they come to think that you’re either a Maths person, or you’re not. Or, another way this could be interpreted: ‘You’re either smart, or you’re not.’ This belief is not only wrong, but it is also damaging in that this is then used by children as an excuse to give up. They develop a fixed mindset against something that is challenging and it excuses them from having to do the hard work of learning.

In her book, ‘The Limitless Mind’, Jo Bowler explains the science of the brain’s ability to continue growing and learning beyond our teenage years, well into our adulthood. This science is not new and works against the idea that most scientists have held for a long time that the brain stops getting stronger when you reach adulthood. She goes on to explain, that every time our brain is challenged, we form new neuro pathways that are strengthened with practice. When we have a fixed mindset, and we ‘give up’, we are robbing our brains of the chance to learn something new. It is our job as parents and teachers to teach our children that the brain can be trained and retrained to do amazing things.

Last week I had the privilege of visiting one of our classes where, at the time, they were having a game to consolidate their multiplication knowledge. When the teacher asked them to stand, ready for the game, six or so of the children groaned. These children already knew what the outcome was going to be and didn’t want to play because they had already decided that they were no good at it. At the end of the game, the student who did quite well, explained that his Dad asked him his timetables all the time. I then told the children the story of a person, who through a medical condition, had half of her brain removed as a child. Her parents were told that she would not speak or walk again. This same young woman, through her own belief, and the urging of her parents, not only learnt to do the things she was told she would never do, but also went on to study psychology and has recently received her Masters degree. All with half a brain!

We need to let our children know that ‘smart’ is not something you are, it’s something that you become and that we grow every day as lifelong learners. When your child tells you that they can’t do something, tell them that they must put the word ‘yet’, on the end of the statement. Instead of saying: ‘I can’t tie my shoelaces’, the need to say: ‘I can’t tie my shoelaces, YET!’ Better still, share with your children your struggles and how you overcame them through hard work and persistence.

Congratulations Atem- Last week, ten of our children attended the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Chess Competition. All players reported a great day of competition and challenge. While all of our players are to be congratulated for their sportsmanship and efforts, Atem managed second place overall with only half a point separating him from the winner of the competition. Well done Atem! A big thank you goes to Mrs Bein for the supervision of our team and to our families who assisted with the transport of children to and from the event.

God Bless,

Mr Tyronne Maher
Principal

From The APRE

Welcome back to Term 2 to all our families and students! I hope you all enjoyed a restorative Easter break and feel refreshed and renewed for the term ahead.

ANZAC Day liturgy
Our first whole school assembly was led by our Year 6 leaders. Mrs Barrett, Ms Parkes-Moller and Year 6B did a wonderful job leading our ANZAC Day liturgy. Each class had representatives bring forward a wreath that was made by the class. Each wreath was so unique and really told the story of what ANZAC day meant to each class. Our Year 6 leaders helped tell this story too: the commemorating of the sacrifice and dedication of so many and a celebration of mateship, camaraderie and the achievement of the Australian and New Zealand militaries, past and present.

Mother’s Day 2023
Mother’s Day is just around the corner and with that comes our next whole school Assembly. Our two Prep classes and our Year 5 students have the special job of leading our Mother’s Day Liturgy on Monday 8^th May starting at 2 pm. All of the wonderful women in our students’ lives are invited to attend our Assembly so we can say thank you for everything you do!

As part of our celebration again this year, we invite Sacred Heart families to submit up to two photographs to be included in our reflection video for 2023. These photos can be sent to me via email alice.lucas@twb.catholic.edu.au up until Friday 5^th May. Photos sent after this will not be included in the presentation.

Mother’s Day Stall
Our Parent Engagement Network (PEN) are kindly running a Mother’s Day stall to take the hassle out of ensuring your child can give a small gift to say thank you for playing such an important role in their life. This year we are keeping up with the times and going cashless! If you haven’t already got your Flexischools App set up, then this is the perfect chance to do this. A heads up that Flexischool orders will close at 9am on Thursday 11^th May. When children visit the stall with their class on Friday 12^th May, their teacher will have a printout of what each child will be able to buy from the stall. Children will be able to buy one or a selection of $1, $3, $5, $7 or $10 gifts (the $1 gift option will be a gift bag only).

Mother's Day Raffle tickets have been sent home with each child. All tickets, sold or unsold, need to be returned to school by Wednesday 10^th May. The raffle will be drawn on the Thursday 11^th May.

Gotcha!
Congratulations to all the students who were caught doing the right thing this week! Cohen M, Ruby H, Grayson and William S were all draw out of this week’s Gotcha draw and all received a Golden Ticket to the end of term party with Mr Maher.

Mrs Alice Lucas
Assistant Principal: Religious Education

Prayer of the Week

From the Learning Support Teacher

Personal Hygiene and Ear Health
As we are coming into the cooler months head colds and runny noses will become more common.

The Diocese of Toowoomba Catholic Schools in recent years has promoted a Healthy Ears Program.  It teaches children to BREATHE, BLOW, COUGH, WASH AND CHEW.

Fluid can build up when a cold, causes the small tube (eustachian tube) that carries fluid from the middle ear to the throat to swell and close. If this tube gets blocked, fluid builds up in the middle ear and hearing can be impacted.

It is important that children learn to blow their noses properly and safely.  Sniffing can lead to complications including fluid in the middle ear or damage to the ear drum. Blowing their nose too hard can also cause damage to the ear drum.

It is important to educate your child on good hearing practices around the home including wearing hearing protection for loud activities, practice BREATHE BLOW COUGH WASH CHEW daily and making them aware of dangerous volume levels when using personal music devices. Hearing health and associated hearing loss impacts everyone in your family.

We are currently conducting hearing screeners using the Sound Scouts App for students in all year levels.  If you have concerns about your child’s hearing and would like us to run a screener, please contact your class teacher. 

Mrs Genny McNair
Learning Support Teacher

From The Middle Leader/Curriculum Co-ordinator

At Sacred Heart our classrooms are full of learning, both from the mandated curriculum and in how to be an active, interested and engaged learner for the future, whilst demonstrating our core Mercy values of compassion, integrity, excellence and hospitality.

The Australian Curriculum is designed to develop successful learners who are confident, creative and informed young people prepared for their place in society. ACARA (Australian Curriculum & Assessment Reporting Authority) sets the goal for what all students should learn as they progress through their school life – wherever they live in Australia.

Our key learning areas are: English, Mathematics, Science, Religion, HaSS (Humanities and Social Sciences), Technologies, Health & Physical Education and The Arts.

Mrs Charlie Barrett
Middle Leader/Curriculum Co-ordinator

From the Guidance Counsellor

Autism Awareness
I hope that you all have had a great break over Easter with your families and loved ones. This newsletter I wanted to recognise that April is Autism Awareness Month.

Often students with Autism are misunderstood and whilst they often have many strengths, talents and interests, they can also experience many challenges or barriers that get in the way of participating or engaging in everyday activities at school and within the Community. 

Autism spectrum disorder, commonly known as ASD, affects how people communicate and interact with others. It affects how they make sense of the world.

Autism is a developmental condition that is typically life-long. People with autism experience difficulties with communication, social interaction and restricted/repetitive interests and behaviours. These are often accompanied by sensory issues, such an oversensitivity or undersensitivity to sounds, smells or touch. All of these difficulties may lead to behavioural challenges in some individuals.

The term “spectrum” is used to emphasise that autism presents differently in every single person. I often use the saying, that, if you’ve met one person with Autism, you’ve met one person with Autism, as every individual with Autism is different and they should be recognised for their individual strengths, interests and abilities.

If you’d like to learn more about Autism, I’d encourage you to read any of the resources written by Professor Tony Attwood, who is an expert in this field and has a wealth of knowledge on this topic.  I’d also encourage parents and carers to visit the Autism Awareness Australia website: https://www.autismawareness.com.au/ which has a host of resources to support students, adults, and the school community. There is also a free digital website funded by the Australian Government, to help parents navigate evidence-based resources on Autism. The National Autism Helpline is also another resource that families might find useful, Autism Connect - National autism helpline - phone, email or live webchat (amaze.org.au)

Thanks for reading, take care and be kind.

Mrs Sarah Jackman
Guidance Counsellor

Classroom Awards

Class In Focus

Year 1J

Welcome to Term 2!  It was nice to see so many smiling faces back at school after the Easter break and ready for an exciting and busy term ahead.

Over the last two weeks, 1J has engaged in different activities to explore how powerful our brain can be by having a growth mindset. 

The children drew a cloud and in the middle of the cloud, something that they find challenging.  They then crinkled the paper, straightened it back out and drew over the crinkled lines.  It was explained to them that the crinkled lines are synapses/connections that our brain is creating when we are learning.  We also spoke about the power of saying, “I can’t do this… yet!”  Just one word drastically changes the meaning of the phrase and the outlook moving forward. 

I look forward to the children embracing mistakes, obstacles and challenges this term by using a growth mindset and the power of “…yet!”

Mrs Hannah Jesshope

Year 4G

4G is off to a cracking start in Term Two, beginning with the school cross country in Week One. 

We also commenced Week One with the introduction to our new Science unit ‘Material World’.  We have begun exploring the school to locate natural and processed materials and the physical properties that can influence their use.  To capture the student’s interest and to find out what they already know, they have been analysing a battered package received in the mail.  Students have been brainstorming what we need to do and find out, in order to design a more effective package. 

Over the next few weeks, students will consider why some materials are biodegradable and others are not, investigate how quickly processed materials will rot, explore the absorbency of different materials, investigate the tensile strength of different materials and inquire how materials are used to heat things or keep them warm.  This will culminate with students designing and creating their own package which will then be tested to ascertain its effectiveness of protecting a fragile item.

Sport News

Cross Country
Last Friday we held our annual whole school Cross Country. We are so lucky to have so much land here at school so we can run our races here at school. Believe me, this is a very rare thing to be so blessed with such vast grounds here at school! We had a great representation of parents and grandparents who were able to join us to cheer the children on and some were able to be convinced to participate in the Fun Run event at the end of the day. For many the Fun Run was the highlight of the day as it showed just how eager our school community is to have a go (even after just running up to 3 kilometers).
Here's the results of the day:

Congratulations to the Kelly House who were very convincingly victorious on the day!

From our Cross Country event, 13 students were invited to participate in the West Zone Cross Country trials which was held today at Kearneys Spring Ovals. 
Congratulations to Anita, Alia, Maxton, Benjimyn, Clare, Many, Benjamin B, Atem, Layla W, Taya, Justin and Ned for all doing their best and representing Sacred Heart so well.
Well done to Maxton and Justin for coming 8th and 7th respectively.  Both these boys are reserves for the West Zone Team that will compete at the Darling Downs Cross Country Campionships.

Football
Last week, we had a good representation of students trialing for the West Zone 10 -12 football (soccer) selection trials. Congratulations to the following boys for trialing for selection: Atem, Noah S, Ned C, Benjamin B, Benjamin S, Jayden, Liam F, Liam B, Kevin and Jack J. I am sure that all these boys were thankful for the opportunity to trial and play the game they love all afternoon!
In the girls’ trial we had just one student trial who was also successful in gaining selection in the Toowoomba Zones team! Congratulations to Clare Cox on taking your love of football to the next level. We wish her all the very best of luck when she travels to Stanthorpe on Tuesday 9^th May to represent the Toowoomba Zones and trial for the Darling Downs team.

Athletics
In PE lessons this term, I will be preparing students for the Athletics Carnival. We have received a grant from the Australian Sports Commission’s Sporting Schools program which will fund lots of new sports equipment for Athletics (nearly $3000 worth)! Please save the date for our Athletics Carnival on Friday 9^th June.

Mrs Alice Lucas
Sports Co-ordinator

From The Arts

I hope you have had a wonderful break and ready to head into Term 2. This term is going to be a very busy term for The Arts. I have listed to events below and more information will be sent out closer to each event. If you have any questions, please contact cherie.runciman@twb.catholic.edu.au

Easter Pageant - STATIONS OF THE CROSS

Congratulations to all the students involved in the Station of the Cross performance. This year we focused on incorporating Auslan (Sign Language) to our class prayers and some of our songs. Well Done to the 6B students who led the Stations with their readings and tableaus.

Choir

Toowoomba Eisteddfod: The choir will be performing at the Toowoomba Eisteddfod, Sunday 7th May, 1.30pm session at the Empire Theatre. I have sent information out to parents last week via email. If your child is involved in the choir, can you please fill in the online form below asap.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=_f1LV0RCBUK3EBaPWwxYDVbF2GR6D2hAo-dL1hpSKMRUNlFIOUtRQ0JNWkFPVVZRNlU5OVlSVVRFOC4u

Choir workshops for Eisteddfod: We are holding workshops. The first on was held yesterday and the next one is on 4th May from 12.00 - 1.00pm in the music room for the choir. This is needed to prepare the students and to also rehearse with the accompanist, Christine Lebsanft. Normal choir rehearsals will continue to run during these weeks as well on Tuesday after school.

Instrumental Program 

Lessons will be moved to Wednesday with Miss Joy, instead of Friday for Term 2.
There are still spots available for this year. If you would like to enrol your child, please fill in the online form below or contact me directly via email. Cherie.Runciman@twb.catholic.edu.au

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=_f1LV0RCBUK3EBaPWwxYDVbF2GR6D2hAo-dL1hpSKMRUQTBXNEcwWURNTk05MlgxNVJBRkRUQjI4Sy4u

Dance/Drama Concert (Week 5): School Hall

This year I have changed how I am assessing the students and wanting to engage them more in public performances and sharing their performances with other classes and parents. 
Tuesday 16th May: 1.50-2.55pm PN, PC, 1J, 1/2T, 2A: Each class will perform a small poem and dance routine.
Thursday 18th May: 1.50 - 2.55pm 3C, 4G, 5R, 6B: 3C/4G will have the finalists from the Poem in Pairs and a dance routine. 5R will be performing a First Nation Drama and Dance routine and 6B will be performing different Fairy Tales.

Lunchtime Concert: Tuesday 6th June 1.00-1.40pm

We will be holding a low-key lunchtime Concert in the hall on this day. The purpose of this performance is for the school band to have a practice of their songs before their big Arts Fest performance in Week 10, the choir to sing and for the students learning an instrument to have a chance to perform a solo if they wish.

TCSO Arts Fest: 19-22nd June

This event is very exciting and we will be having students involved in the following events:

Music Theatre Singing, Verse Speaking/Drama Workshop, Belief in the Arts Concert (School band) and Sing for Joy (Sacred Concert at St. Pat's with over 600 hundred students involved). More information will be available regarding this and what students will be involved in. Parents and friends will have the opportunity to attend performances which will be held at St. Mary’s College, Empire Theatre and St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Ms Cherie Runciman
Music Teacher

From the Library

LIBRARY EVENT
Coming up on Thursday May 11^th, we have 2 authors, Gus Gordan and Emma Mactaggart (local Toowoomba author) visiting our school and 1 author, James Foley, presenting an online workshop.
Each author will run a 60 minute workshop, talking about their writing / illustrating processes.
Being able to react with a ‘real live’ authors gives the students a great thrill and often provides a spark for their own writing.
During library lessons the students have already been introduced to these authors and some of the books they have written.

The program for the day is as follows:

James Foley – 9.00am – 10.00am (Years 4 – 6)

Gus Gordan – 11.30am – 12.30pm (Years 1 – 3)

Emma Mactaggart – 2.00pm – 2.45pm (Prep)

THANK YOU
Becc and I would like to say a huge thank you to the mums and dads who volunteered their time to help cover our new decodable readers.

Year 6 Winter Meal Deal Fundraiser

This term on the Wednesdays of weeks 5 & 7 (17/5 and 31/5) Year 6 is organising a MEAL DEAL consisting of a hot milo/chocolate (with marshmallow) and noodles for $4 at lunch time.
Gluten free options for both items are available.
Funds raised assist with the costs of the Grad Mag publication and end of year decorations for Graduation.
Please order on Flexischools as per previous meal deals.

The Uniform Shop

Thank you for your continued support of the school’s uniform shop.

PLEASE NOTE: WE CAN NO LONGER ACCEPT DONATIONS OF PRE-LOVED ITEMS
Thank you for your understanding in this regard.

*We accept EFTPOS only - NO CASH OR LAYBY*  

Normal Uniform Shop hours:
Mondays & Thursdays 8.00am - 10:30am.
If Monday is a holiday, the Uniform Shop will open on a Tuesday.

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.

Tennis Lessons

Sacred Heart Parish

Community Notices