2022 Week 1 Newsletter - Term 3

Weekly Focus

Each week we provide you with a short video supplying our key messages for the week.  

From the Principal - Recipe for a day full of learning.

Dear Families

Welcome back to Term Three.  I hope you and your children had a chance to relax and build some happy memories together.  

Unfortunately, Covid and other forms of sickness have been on the increase over the past few weeks.  Please be extra careful with monitoring symptoms, washing hands, maintaining distance and practising all the routines that have proven helpful for good health during the past couple of years.

It is with great sadness that we say farewell to our Year 3B teacher, Daniel Kerley, who has made the difficult decision to remove himself from full time teaching for the rest of the year due to personal health reasons.  We are very grateful for all Dan has given to Star of the Sea and we look forward to working with him again in the future.  We wish him all the very best as he takes this time to heal.  

One of our school goals this year is to build personal responsibility for learning in our students.  Teaching them how to be a learner is one of the most important things we do as parents and as teachers.  We cannot give them all the knowledge they need in life, but we can help them develop the learner attributes that will set them up to be lifelong learners.

At home you can help them develop responsible learning attributes by the routines and the conversations you surround them with. Every household looks different, but there are a few basic things we can all try to include: 

- Make sure your child has time to relax and play each day – whatever down time looks like for them – it is an important part of their day.

- Help your child to develop or maintain a good sleep pattern.

- Encourage them to do their homework at a similar time each day/week.

- Show an interest in what your child is doing, learning about, interested in.  Show that you value these things.

- Read aloud to your child no matter how old they are!

- Talk to your child and model for them active listening.

- Try to be sensitive to when your child is struggling and work out what they need – they might need you or they might need a break.

- Trust your child’s judgment and show them you accept them as a whole person who is learning their strengths and weaknesses and can make responsible decisions. Share in their excitement when they master something new and be patient when they’re having trouble.

Some possible questions to prime them ready for learning each day include:   

Have you eaten breakfast?

Have you had a good night’s sleep?

Have you got everything you need for school?

Have you completed your homework?

Have you set your learning goals for this week?

God bless you and Live Jesus in Your Hearts Forever!
Jennett Mullane
Principal
jennett_omullane@rok.catholic.edu.au  

Please spread the word and help us find a wonderful new teacher for our awesome Year 3 class.

2022 School Goals

From Our APRE - Go out and help your neighbour

Welcome back – I do hope you all had some time to rest and recharge over the holidays.  

Sunday’s gospel was the story of the Good Samaritan.  This parable was told in response to the question – Who is my neighbour?  Father Michael Tate’s reflection helps us make sense of the question in today’s world.

The Neighbourliness of Global Citizens
The lawyer asked a self-serving question: ‘Who is my neighbour?’ He could then set the limits, the boundaries of those close enough to merit his concern. Jesus replies with a story to show that the better question is: ‘To whom should I be neighbourly?’

The answer is: To any person who is wounded in any way – physically, psychologically, socially, economically. And we have to do so overcoming the labelling, even bigotry, which can conveniently put a person outside the range of our concern. When we act like the Samaritan, we deserve the title ‘Catholic’ which means universal.

Pope Francis says that Christ is constantly inviting us, as he invited Thomas, to touch His wounds which are to be found in the wounded of our own time.

We could pause for a moment to thank God that we live in an age of technology which can enable us to be truly Catholic global citizens practising Mercy Without Borders. ‘Do this and you will live.’

One of my holiday reads was a book by Hugh Van Cuylenburg - The Resilience Project.  His way of finding happiness through Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness sure helps answer the question of ‘who is your neighbour?’

Go out and help your neighbour,
Kellie Richardson

Assistant Principal: Religious Education

Kellie_richardson@rok.catholic.edu.au

Term 3 Liturgies and Assemblies

WEEK 2
Year 3 invite you to their Liturgy on Tuesday 19th July at 9.30am in the Star of the Sea Church.    

WEEK 3
Everyone is invited to join us for our Catholic Education Week Whole School Mass on Friday 29th July at 9.00am in the Star of the Sea Church.  This Mass will also be a special celebration for our Grandparents.

Year 5 invite you to their assembly presentation on Thursday 28th July at 8.35am in the Covered Courts Area.

WEEK 4
Prep invite you to their assembly presentation on Friday 5th August at 8.35am in the Covered Courts Area.

WEEK 5
Year 2 invite you to their Liturgy on Tuesday 9th August at 9.30am in the Star of the Sea Church.    

Year 6 invite you to their Mass on Friday 12th August at 9.00am in the Star of the Sea Church.  

Year 3 invite you to their assembly presentation on Friday 12th August at 8.35am in the Covered Courts Area.

WEEK 6
Year 1A invite you to their MJR Assembly on Friday 19th August at 8:35am in the Covered Courts Area.

WEEK 7
Year 2 invite you to their assembly presentation on Thursday 25th August at 8.35am in the Covered Courts Area.

Everyone is invited to attend our Book Character Parade on Friday 26th August at 8:35am in the Covered Courts Area.

WEEK 9
Year 1 invite you to their Liturgy on Tuesday 6th September at 9.30am in the Star of the Sea Church.    

Year 4 invite everyone to attend our Feast Day Mass on FRIDAY 9TH SEPTEMBER at 9am in the Star of the Sea Church.  

WEEK 10
Year 6A invite you to their MJR assembly presentation on Friday 16th September at 8.35am in the Covered Courts Area.

In Our Prayers

Kindness Project - Winter Appeal

From the APC - ICAS Competitions Explained

The International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) is an independent, quality skills-based assessment program which rewards and recognises student achievement. ICAS is designed to target students’ higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Spelling and Digital Technologies.  

These competitions are optional and are open to students in Years 3 -6.   

Each student receives: 

• an individual diagnostic report highlighting strengths and weaknesses and year to year progression 
• login details to access their online results which can be analysed and downloaded 
• a High Distinction, Distinction, Credit, Merit or Participation Certificate acknowledging their level of achievement 
• the chance to receive an individually-engraved UNSW medal for the highest scoring student in each year level for each subject. 

In 2022, children have the opportunity to participate in Science, Digital Technology, English, Mathematics and Spelling at a cost of $19.25 per test.   The Writing test is $23.65 

 If your child would like to participate please register and pay at this link.   

Registrations and payments close on the 15th July.   

Anthony King

Assistant Principal: Curriculum

anthony_king@rok.catholic.edu.au

Parents & Friends Meeting - All welcome

We invite all of our Parent Community to our P and F Meeting today-  Tuesday 12th July at 6:30pm in the staff room (entry via the front office).
Although the meeting starts at 6:30pm you are welcome to join us a little earlier for a chat and a glass of something if you can.
We ask that you follow the following guidelines please:
o Not to attend the school site if unwell.
o Maintain physical distancing requirements.
o Practice good health and hygiene etiquette.
o Wear a mask if mandated. 

2022 GISMA Workshop

GISMA (Gladstone Independent Schools Music Association) is a group of volunteer parents and music teachers providing opportunities for music students from independent schools to further develop their music as well as promoting the value of music in student learning.   Every year they generously donate their time, talent and good humour to provide an intensive musical workshop experience for students across our Catholic and Independent schools.  Once again our students had a wonderful time and impressed us all by how much they learned in such a short time.  The event culminated in a fantastic concert that showcased all their hard work.  A huge thank you to all the generous members of GISMA who made this valuable opportunity possible for our students.

Star of the Sea Caulfield Event - Date Claimers

Our Caulfield Event is an important part of our school year, being our one major fundraiser for the year.  It is run by a sub-committee of our Parents & Friends group and raises significant funds for the year as well as providing a great day out and a wonderful showcase of our school. 

The event takes place on Saturday 15th October.

Tickets for the event go on sale on Thursday 11th August at 6:30pm.

Robotics Challenge

Our Robotics Club spend lunch times practising their computational thinking skills through the use of our EV3 Robots.  Their work together culminated in the Robotics Challenge at Chanel College where they put their skills to the test.  The event brings together students from our local Catholic Schools and some of our local State Schools to practice working collaboratively and extend their experiences with coding.  The challenges involve students coding an EV3 robot through an obstacle course and using sensors to follow a directed pathway. It was a really great day and we are grateful to Chanel College for hosting the event.  A huge thank you also to Miss Erin and Mrs Sedgwick for the generous time they give to our Robotics Club and to preparing them for this event.

PREP 2023

Children born between 1^st July 2017 and 30^th June 2018 are eligible to commence Prep in 2023.  If you have a child eligible for Prep in 2023 please visit the school website and complete the Online Application Form.

http://www.staroftheseagladstone.qld.edu.au/enrolment/enrolment-information.html

All current families with a child eligible to commence Prep 2023 are required to complete and online application form.

Strengthening Fathers and Sons Event

Our thanks to St Francis Primary School who have invited us to be a part of their 'Strengthening Fathers and Sons' Project.  The aim of the project is to recognise and support our Dads in the important role they play in the lives of their sons.  The game at Star of the Sea will be played on the top Courts area.  

Student Absentee Line

If your child is not attending school, you can call us, 24/7, to leave a message to report the absence. The  phone number is 4994 8301.  This designated phone line gives you the opportunity to call the school at a time that is convenient to you.

As always, absences can be reported using Parent Lounge or by emailing your child’s teacher and  SOSG_Absentee@rok.catholic.edu.au).

Thank you to our Caulfield Sponsors