St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Wandal Newsletter

Boring Kindness

I recently saw Nomadland¸ the picture which did so well at the Academy Awards – Best Picture, Director and Actress.  It tells the story of a 60ish woman who loses her home and her income and ends up living in a van, travelling around the country, looking for work which is invariably low paid. The centre of the story is the kindness and community she encountered amongst the other poor ‘nomads’.  Most of the actors were real people who lived this very real, often hard, life.  And I found the movie boring. My sister told me she fell asleep and she NEVER sleeps in movies.  It was as though kindness killed the narrative arc.  Compare that with most entertainment on offer now.  Violence and tension in varying sorts channel the story and capture peoples’ time, money and interest.

How different it is in normal life.  It is kindness that fulfills us and sustains our relationships, not violence and anger.  Like Fern, in Nomadland, we need people to treat us gently when we are broken, to help us when we are in difficulty.  And we need to do the same to others.  Our deepest fulfillment depends on the give and take of kindness in our lives.  Yes, there are times when we need to take a stand, but if we have the habits of kindness, we will do that in a positive way.  The challenge in our modern lives is that ‘tension based’, even violent, entertainment is close at hand, no more than a phone away.  We can be so easily distracted when life, especially family life gets hard.

The words for patience and passion come from the same root.  Feeding a toddler attentively can be boring, hearing the same story over and over, either from a child or elderly person, can be hard, watching our spouse or partner do that annoying thing yet again is so frustrating.  But these are the times when we can be passionately patient, when we can be kind.  It won’t make for the most interesting story but it will make for a fulfilled life…in the long run. 

Loving God, we are made in your image. We are made to be kind and loving to each other yet doing so can be hard.  Often because it is boring.  Give me a deep share in Jesus’ passionate patience that I may truly love my family, friends and community.  I ask this in his name, confident that you will hear me.

Sr Kym Harris osb

St Joseph’s Wandal will once again participate in the Premier’s Reading Challenge. The reading period for the 2021 Premier's Reading Challenge commences on Monday 10 May.

Record how many books your child has read on the reader record form (distributed by class teachers) and return to their teacher by 27 August. Every student who completes the challenge will receive a Certificate of Achievement signed by the Premier. 

To complete the challenge:

·         Prep to Year 2 must read or experience at least 20 books,

·         Years 3 and 4 must read at least 20 books, and

·         Years 5 to 9 must read at least 15 books.

Experiencing books can include shared reading, listening to stories, or reading picture books. The aim for the 2021 challenge is to engage more students to read than ever before.

For more information about the Premier’s Reading Challenge, please visit: readingchallenge.education.qld.gov.au

You can play a big part in your children’s future by encouraging them to be part of this positive initiative. I look forward to seeing as many of our students as possible take part in the 2021 Premier’s Reading Challenge and thank Mrs Anna McKenzie for coordinating this year’s challenge. 

We wish our 10, 11 and 12-year-old school representatives the best  of luck, as they compete in the District Cross Country competition this Thursday.  Miss Hinz and Mrs Lau will be in attendance to cheer on our students. Families, please refer to the communications sent to you earlier in the term with regards to transport, uniform and supervision expectations.

Our 2021 Sports coaches and assistants met this morning to plan our upcoming sports events, which will include next Fridays’ Capras CQ Challenge, the upcoming Friday afternoon sports season for all students in Years 4-6 and the three-day Challenge Cup which will be held early in Term three.

A couple of notes:

• Parents/carers, please note that age restrictions are not set by the school.  While we understand that some children may be disappointed in not gaining selection on a team due to their birth date, this is outside of our control.
• Development Cup -  Families of successful students will be notified by email before the end of this week.
• Trials for Year 5 Netball teams will occur on Monday 10 May, on the Sunken Court at 8.15am.
• Trials for Year 6 Netball teams will occur on Friday 7 May, on the Sunken Court at 8.15am.

Once teams are finalised, training dates and times will be communicated.

We do not hold trials for hockey.

Signed Code of Conduct paperwork must be signed (see attachment) before your students participate in sport. Thank you to the families who have already completed this paperwork. (So far we have only received completed paperwork from two of our Year Four students!)

Thank you to the small but enthusiastic group of parents who joined me for last week’s P and F Meeting. A range of topics were discussed, and I thank the group for not only their commitment, but their support and advice too. Meetings will be extended to 1.5 hours from now on, in order to give us more time to fully discuss proposals and topics as they arise. Our next meeting will be held on Thursday 17 June at 5.15pm in the staffroom. A reminder that anyone with a child enrolled in our school is an automatic member of the P and F – please come along.

In exciting news, it has been decided that our High Tea for 2021 will go ahead. The High Tea has been a major fundraiser for our school in years past and is a lovely occasion to come together and enjoy an afternoon of fine treats, drinks and company. Bev Van Nunen has offered to coordinate this year’s event and will be assisted by P and F Executive Member Ryan Scott. Stay tuned for a date claimer!

Next week our Years 3 and 5 students will sit their NAPLAN tests. NAPLAN is a point-in-time assessment that allows parents to see how their child is progressing in literacy and numeracy against the national standard and compared with their peers throughout Australia. At the classroom level, NAPLAN provides additional information to support teachers’ professional judgement about student progress. While NAPLAN provides our school with useful data, we describe it as being just ‘one piece in the feedback pie.’ We encourage our children, as always,  to ‘strive for excellence’ whilst recognising that NAPLAN does not measure  skills in communication, collaboration, creativity,  problem solving  or compassion. Your child’s teacher is always best placed to provide with you with a comprehensive overview of your child’s progress. 

School Fees – Term Two fees were distributed Friday, 30 April and will be due on Friday 14 May. Please contact me should you be experiencing any difficulties in meeting your fee commitment.

We are busily taking enrolments for the 2022 school year. Our Prep Parent Information Session has been set for Thursday 15 July at 5.15pm. If you know of any families interested in a place at our school next year, please urge them to complete their online enrolment process as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. I hope to begin the interview process for existing families towards the end of this term and will start contacting existing families (who have completed their enrolment process) in the next couple of weeks.

On Wednesday 12 May, Year 6 students will travel via bus to attend a retreat at St Vincent De Paul Society on Gladstone Rd. Students will depart school at 8.45am and return shortly after 2.30pm. Students will have the opportunity to go behind the scenes and meet the volunteers who day in day out put their faith into action by serving the poor. 

Students in Year six will reflect on the following during their retreat:

What can people learn about faith?

Who has contributed to Social Justice in Australia?

How can Jesus' teaching be applied to contemporary issues?

Catholic Social Teaching - What does Subsidiarity and Participation mean?

Last week, students in Year 4 - 6 completed a short survey from Be You, a national mental health initiaive supported by the Catholic Education Office, Rockhampton. At our Staff Meeting yesterday, teachers unpacked and discussed the student informed data and contributed to the development of a whole school action plan. The action plan aims to improve knowledge, resources, strategies and increase mental health literacy for our students. 

For those interested, here is a link to access the Be You Website.

https://beyou.edu.au/ 

NAPLAN assessments will begin next Tuesday 11 May for students in years three and five.

Parents/caregivers who are requesting adjustments, exemptions or to withdraw a student will need to complete that paperwork as soon as possible. 

You will note that the Writing test is at a slightly later time than initially scheduled.  This is to accommodate staff who are attending the funeral of long-term supporter of our school, Mrs Loy Durkin. 

Students who are absent on a date when the tests are scheduled will be given a ‘make-up’ test session if possible.  Students may also need to complete a test during a ‘make-up’ session if they are late arriving for a session.  Please ensure your child is at school on time and with the necessary equipment ready for the tests.  Please check your child has working headphones as these are essential.  Chromebooks will also need to be fully charged (Year 5 students).  Students are not permitted to wear any assistive technology such as smart watches during the test sessions.  It may be beneficial for your child to have additional snacks on those days.

Congratulations to our students on their outstanding achievements.  Please click on the link for details.

Term Dates for 2021

Term 2      19 April - 25 June 10 weeks

Term 3       12 July - 17 September 10 weeks

Term 4      5 October - 3 December   9 weeks

Term 2 2021

MAY

6 May District Cross Country for nominated students

7 May Prep A Prayer Assembly

7 May Mothers' Day Gift Stall

9 May Happy Mothers' Day

11 May NAPLAN - Writing Yrs 3 & 5

12 May NAPLAN - Reading Yrs 3 & 5

12 May NAPLAN - Language conventions - Years 3 & 5

12 May Year 6 Social Justice excursion

14 May Year 5 M Prayer Assembly

14 May Ninja Dash - Onsite at Wandal

17 May NAPLAN - Numeracy Yr 5

19 May  National Simultaneous Story Time

21 May Year 3 I Prayer Assembly

21 May Friday Sport Commences for Years 4 - 6 (Rugby, Netball & Hockey)

23 May Pentecost Sunday

26 May The Midnight Gang at The Pilbeam Theatre Years 3 & 4

27 May Questacon school visit

28 May Year 2 R Prayer Assembly - Pentecost

28 May Years 4 - 6 Friday Sport

As you are aware every year Queensland experiences an influenza or flu season. As we enter this season it is timely to remind parents and care-givers not to be complacent about flu. Queensland Health advises that where possible, people need to be vaccinated for the flu every year.

Flu is a virus more serious than the common cold and can be spread through talking, coughing and sneezing. Symptoms include sudden fever, dry cough, muscle aches and pains, fatigue, headache, sore throat and a stuffy or runny nose.

If your child has flu-like symptoms, the following is advised:

·       Keep your child home from school;

·       Ensure your child washes their hands regularly with soap and water or sanitiser gel;

·       Encourage your children when coughing or sneezing, to cover their mouth and nose with disposable tissues which should be disposed of immediately;

·       Ensure they drink plenty of fluids and get lots of rest;

·       Consult your doctor if you are concerned about their symptoms.

Queensland Health Guidelines advise that individuals displaying flu like symptoms should  stay at home until such symptoms have passed (normally 5-7 days). 

Families should also reinforce the recommended protective actions listed above.

Increased awareness and ongoing attention to prevention and control measures, such as vaccination and good hygiene, are steps that we can all promote to reduce the impact of influenza.

Pumped Sport’s new Ninja Dash event is coming to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Wandal on Friday the 14th of May starting at 3.15pm and runs for 75 minutes. Cash or credit card payments can be made on the day. Children kindy aged and older are $15 and toddlers are $10. For more information and to register head to https://pumpedsport.com.au/events/ The easiest way to share the event is to go to your school’s page, Click on events, at the top you’ll see our request to co-host, click accept and then share the event to your school's page. If possible we will also send you the link for the event on Facebook. If you have any questions about this process please call me on 0449 591 606.

Check out the farm safety calendar competion.  See link.