2022 Week 1 Newsletter - Term 4
- Weekly Focus - Finishing Strong
- From the Principal - Habits for a successful finish.
- We need your help with Caulfield please
- From Our APRE - Being True to Ourselves
- Term 4 Liturgies and Assemblies
- In Our Prayers
- From the APC- ThinkUKnow Presentation
- THINK U KNOW PRESENTATION
- Socktober – Friday 21st October
- All are welcome - Parent Engagement Day in Rockhampton
- Student Absentee Line
- Thank you to our Caulfield Sponsors
Weekly Focus - Finishing Strong
From the Principal - Habits for a successful finish.
Dear Families
Welcome to Term Four. We hope you and your family had some opportunities for rest and happiness together over the past couple of weeks.
Term Four is such an important term and my article this week asks for your help in making it a success for your child and our whole school community. It is a busy term so please make sure you check the term planner and read our newsletters and emails carefully.
“Finishing strong is an everyday occurrence as there will never be a race, goal, day, quarter or year that does not come to an end. This means finishing strong is not an act…it’s a habit…
Be the hero of your own story. Show the world the quality of your character, the strength of your resolve and the size of your heart by finishing strong.” – Gary Ryan Blair
Term Four is the pinnacle of our year, bringing to a culmination all that has been worked for both individually, and as a class and school. It is so important that we keep up momentum, not letting go of the grit and growth mindset that are such important parts of being an effective learner.
Maintaining this momentum carries across every aspect of what we do in schools including our academic, social, spiritual and community endeavours and the habits we build will help keep up this momentum.
Our expectations for behaviour, work habits, homework, attendance and uniform help the students maintain habits that will carry them to a strong finish at the end of this term and teach them habits of endurance for life.
Wearing our school uniform shows a commitment to the values and expectations that are part of an enrolment at Star of the Sea. We ask your assistance in ensuring the full school uniform is worn right up until the end of the year please. If some children start to wear the incorrect uniform, others soon follow suit and this lapse in meeting expectations slowly seeps into other areas of school life.
Wearing correct uniform includes:
• Shoes must be completely black - no logos, white bottoms etc.
• No make up is to be worn.
• Socks must be white and must cover the ankles
• Sports shorts must only be worn with the sports shirt – not the school polo.
• Hair must be neat and tidy and hair that reaches the collar should be pulled back neatly with the school colours (blue, white and gold) or black. No tracks are permitted.
• Jewellery should be simple gold or silver studs or sleepers with only one piercing per ear lobe to be used.
• Pull up skorts are only to be worn up to Year 2. The button up skorts must be worn from Year 3 upwards.
• Skorts must not be too short. The length of the skorts must be closer to the knee than to the thigh please.
If you have any problems in dressing your child in the correct uniform please contact the school to discuss this.
God bless you and Live Jesus in Your Hearts Forever!
Jennett Mullane
Principal
jennett_omullane@rok.catholic.edu.au
We need your help with Caulfield please
Hello everyone
Our Caulfield event takes place next Saturday 15 October. It is our one HUGE fundraiser that is organised by a whole team of volunteers keen to raise money to help our students and to show the community how awesome our school is.
We are in desperate need of your help for this event please:
1. Please return the book of tickets that was sent home with your child last term. We totally understand if you have not sold them but we need to account for them. Leave the front page with your name on them and return back so we can mark you off. All books that are returned sold by the end of this week will go in a draw for some great prizes. The class with the most sold books will also win a prize.
2. We need your help on the day for as long or as short as you can give. There are lots of different jobs that need doing from selling tickets to collecting used glasses and it gives you a chance to see the day in action. We also need help at about 6pm Saturday night to pack up.
3. We need your help at 9:30am on Sunday to pack up and clean up. Come and stay for as long or as short as you can.
4. You will see us beginning set up during the day on Friday and after school as well. We also need volunteers to help with this. You will need to do your volunteer induction through the office if you have not already done so.
This is your event that benefits your children. The playground that is being built at the start of the year is 100% thank you to the efforts of the Caulfield volunteers.
We really need your help with as many of the tasks I have listed as possible please. If you are able to do any of the volunteering roles, please phone us or email myself or the office to let us know.
The photos below of last year's event show what a great job our Caulfield volunteers do to transform our school and make the day such a great success.
Many thanks.
Jennett
From Our APRE - Being True to Ourselves
Welcome back – Term 4 is possibly my favourite term. It is a time when we can reflect on how far we have come in such a short time, celebrate our successes and set goals ready for what might be coming next.
Each week I receive a reflection by Sister Kym Harris and this week’s particularly spoke to me. One of the hardest things to try and work with students on is not succumbing to peer group pressure and that it is ok to be true to yourself – even if, at times, there are people who like to make fun of that or choose to put you down.
As we enter into our final term for the year, I hope Sr Kym’s words speak to you too.
Now I Become Myself
The quest to become ourselves is a drama that lasts a lifetime. In the past week, I have been pondering May Sarton’s poem Now I Become Myself.* She beautifully alludes to how easily we can be taken in by trying to conform to other people, by thinking and rushing to be somewhere else in the quest to uncover who we are. Then, in one magnificent insight, she shows that it is only by living fully in the present, this moment, can we enter into the full dignity and richness of who we are. Only here, now, can I touch my deepest dignity. Yes, I may be mired in mundane work, I may be caught in a situation that needs challenging, I may be so tired I don’t know what I want, I could be so content I want nothing to change. But only in this moment can I become myself, owning my free dignity.
And it is in these moments that we most truly know God. God will not be found by us in a church, in a service, when we are better people, when we have done the right thing unless we can stop and be the unique person we have been created to be. As one spiritual guide says, the present moment is a sacrament – a means by which God comes into our lives. When we stop, still to this moment, we may discover not only the mystery of ourselves but of God as well.
Loving Father, you are fully present to me at each moment. Let me become present to myself, that I may discover the richness and dignity that is mine. I ask this in Jesus’ name confident that you will hear me.
Sr Kym Harris osb
*Can be found on the internet by googling the title and Mary Sarton.
Traditionally October is the month of The Rosary. The Rosary is a prayer to remind us that Jesus loved us so much that he died on the cross for us.
The rosary tells the story of Jesus’ life in four parts:
The Joyful Mysteries
The Sorrowful Mysteries
The Glorious Mysteries
The Luminous Mysteries
Catholics have been given a very special gift in the rosary. Each time we pray the rosary we should focus on Jesus’ life as well as a special person or intention that we want to pray for.
Be true to yourself,
Kellie Richardson
Assistant Principal: Religious Education
Kellie_richardson@rok.catholic.edu.au
Weekly Wondering....
What are the little things we can do if we believe in Jesus?
Term 4 Liturgies and Assemblies
WEEK 1
Year 2B invite you to their MJR message on assembly on Friday 7th October at 8:35am in the Covered Courts Area.
WEEK 2
Year 6B invite you to their MJR message on assembly on Friday 14th October at 8:35am in the Covered Courts Area.
WEEK 3
Prep invite you to Liturgy of the Word on Tuesday 18th October at 9.30am in the Star of the Sea Church.
Year 4A invite you to their MJR message on assembly on Friday 21st October at 8:35am in the Covered Courts Area.
WEEK 4
Year 1B invite you to their MJR message on assembly on Friday 28th October at 8:35am in the Covered Courts Area.
WEEK 5
Year 4 invite you to their assembly presentation on Friday 4th November at 8.35am in the Covered Courts Area.
WEEK 7
Year 5 Leadership Speeches will take place this week – please keep an eye out for more details closer to the dates.
WEEK 8
Year 6 invite you to their FINAL assembly presentation on Thursday 24th November at 8.35am in the Covered Courts Area.
Everyone is invited to attend our annual Christmas Concert on Friday 25th November.
WEEK 9
Everyone is invited to attend our Year 6 Graduation Liturgy Monday night 28th November at 6pm in the Star of the Sea Church.
Everyone is invited to attend our End of Year Mass on Friday 2nd December at 9am in the Star of the Sea Church.
In Our Prayers
Let us pray...
• We pray for our students as they begin this final term for 2022: May they be supported to develop habits that will help them finish the year successfully.
• We pray for those children who are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time: May they come to know the peace that is found in God’s mercy and love.
• We pray for peace in our world: In particular, we pray that leaders will lead with wisdom and love in a world facing conflict and distrust.
• We pray for all in our world and in our community who suffer in any way because of illness, disaster, war or injustice: May they always know they are not alone.
From the APC- ThinkUKnow Presentation
Our Parents and Friends group (which you are all a part of) do a wonderful job in working to ensure a quality education for our children. As part of that, they also seek to support parents in their important role.
Digital Technology / Social Media play a massive role in the lives of our children and the impact is not always positive.
Our school has been extremely fortunate to obtain the services of Jessica McLaren from the Gladstone Police to run the ThinkUKnow Presentation next Tuesday 11th October @6pm in the school library.
ThinkUKnow is a program run through the federal police and is a wonderful opportunity for parents to gain education and support in the important role they have in keeping children safe on line.
The ThinkUKnow program does the following:
Incorporate up-to-date research, real case studies and examples from reports made to the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation.
The program is pro-technology and addresses topics including self-generated child abuse material, online grooming, image-based abuse, sexual extortion, and importantly encourages help seeking behaviour.
It is never too early to be aware and prepared to navigate things that can occur on the internet. The real case studies show that it does happen and not always obviously. Come and learn the best way to navigate it all. It is open to all and useful to parents of children from all year levels.
This presentation is not child friendly but child minding is available if needed. Please contact the office if this service is required so we can plan appropriate supervision.
Have a good week everyone.
Anthony King
Assistant Principal: Curriculum
anthony_king@rok.catholic.edu.au
THINK U KNOW PRESENTATION
Socktober – Friday 21st October
Get your crazy socks ready to wear to school.
Each year we hold this event to raise funds for Catholic Mission.
Please wear your crazy socks and bring a coin donation.
All are welcome - Parent Engagement Day in Rockhampton
This will be a brillant opportunity for all of our parents. For more information about the program and the speakers and to register please visit the following link:
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).