2023 Week 7 Newsletter - Term 1

Weekly Focus - Feeling overwhelmed?

From the Principal - Finding inner peace.

Dear Families

Norma Tanna’s funeral takes place this Friday at 11am in the Star of the Sea Church.  It will be a very large funeral and you will see them setting up for it as the school day begins.  There are a few things we ask from you to help us support the prayerful farewell to Norma by her family and friends:

• Please do not park in the entranceway to the top playground.  We will be removing the bollard so that people can park up there.
• Please try not to visit or call the school between 10am and 12:30pm. It will be very busy and we need as many car parks spare as possible.
• Please do not drop off children near the Church in the morning as the Port Authority will be setting up marquees and seating.
  

One of the favourite parts of my role is talking with parents and I often come away very inspired by all that you are doing to support your children and balance all that is asked of you.  

I encourage you all to watch the weekly video message in this week’s newsletter.  It recognises how overwhelming life can be and offers practical tips as to how to cope when it all seems too much.

It is vital that we practise dealing with these overwhelming feelings as a way of modelling to our children.  Too often these days we are seeing our children struggling with feelings of stress and being overwhelmed and they need our example and support to learn how to care for their mental health.

I heard a psychologist once talking about how our brain doesn’t define us.  We are bigger than the messages our brain chooses to send us and we do have the power to control what we think but it does take hard work.  They described the negative thoughts we are sometimes swamped with as being like social media adverts.  The brain shows us what it thinks we want to see but we get to say, “No thank you brain, please show me something more positive.”

God wants for us to have peace of mind but personal peace is something we need to work hard for:

-    Say no and set boundaries.
-    Don’t take things too personally.
-    Maintain a healthy work/ life balance.
-    Calm your mind through prayer and meditation.
-    Be grateful for what you have.
-    Take time for you.
-    Let go of the negative – focus on the positive.
-    Remember that you can’t change other people.
-    Declutter your physical space.
-    Take a break from your virtual life.
-    Connect with nature.

We will never stop being overwhelmed from time to time but practising these strategies can help. They could also provide a place to start if your child needs help with finding their inner peace also.

Have a wonderful week everyone!
God bless you.
Jennett Mullane
Principal
jennett_omullane@rok.catholic.edu.au

Year 4, 5 and 6 Student Survey

As part of efforts to create a learning environment supportive of student wellbeing we are wanting to survey our Year 4,5 and 6 students to ascertain the support needed.  The survey is accessed via the Be You Portal and is completely anonymous.

Be You is the national mental health in education initiative delivered by Beyond Blue, in collaboration with Early Childhood Australia and headspace.

All parents have been emailed information from our APRE, Kellie Richardson.  The email explains that we require you to log in and give permission for the survey.  Alternatively you can email Kellie directly to give your permission via kellie_richardson@rok.catholic.edu.au 

Your support in making this possible would be greatly appreciated.

OSHC Coordinator

Please spread the word and help us fill this role.

2023 School Goals

From Our APRE

Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.  Ps 90

The Responsorial Psalm really spoke to me this week.  As we enter into the season of Lent there is no better time to remember that the Lord is with us, even in times of trouble.

As you contemplate the difficult periods of your life you may become aware of how they led you to new understandings about yourself and others, and GOD. 

In our world at the moment there is a whole lot of ‘bad news’, people are struggling to find peace, have been affected by recent weather events or may be suffering due to illness or upset.  There is no better time than now to reach out to someone around you who may be experiencing a difficult time in their lives.  Can you help them to see Jesus at work?

God Bless

Kellie Richardson

Assistant Principal: Religious Education

kellie_richardson@rok.catholic.edu.au

Dear Lord

Let peace fill our hearts, our world and our universe. Let us dream together, pray together and work together, to build one world of peace and justice for all.

AMEN

Caritas Australia - First Week of Lent (Week beginning Monday 7th March)

We begin our annual Lenten Project Compassion journey by learning about Anatercia, a 12-year-old girl living in a small village in southern Mozambique. She began to take on more and more adult responsibilities as her mother has chronic health issues. She did most of the household chores and had to travel up to five hours every day to collect clean water. Water scarcity also meant that harvests were poor and there was never enough to eat.

With your support, Caritas Australia’s local partner, Caritas Regional Chokwe, was able to help Anatercia’s family to irrigate their farm to improve their food security. They also improved water access for households in the village, delivered sustainable farming training, and provided Anatercia with essential school supplies.

Anatercia’s health, education and quality of life have improved, along with the outlook of her whole community for all future generations.

Watch a short film about Anatercia’s story here.

Sacramental Information

Enrolments for the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Holy Communion are open until Friday, 10th March 2023. These Sacraments are open to all children who are baptised Catholic and have already completed the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Penance). If you would like your child to receive these sacraments this year, please collect an enrolment form or contact adfaithsos@rok.catholic.net.au for more information. 

In Our Prayers

Caritas Australia Diocesan Director for Rockhampton

Caritas Australia is seeking a passionate Diocesan Director for the Rockhampton Diocese. This paid role is appointed by Caritas Australia in conjunction with the Bishop of Rockhampton and promotes the work of Caritas Australia through fundraising, advocacy and relationships with schools and parishes.

The role is flexible, working 1 day/7.6 hours per week on average across the year and involves engaging with communities across the Rockhampton Diocese, supporting Caritas Australia appeals and coordinating volunteers.

Duties include:

• Coordinating Project Compassion including the Diocesan Project Compassion Launch
• Providing a communications pathway between Caritas and the Catholic Diocese of Rockhampton parishes and schools
• General administration tasks

For more information, including a copy of the role description and overview, contact the HR Manager on 4887 3090. To apply for the position, submit your resume and cover letter to hr@rok.catholic.net.au. Diocesan employees are encouraged to apply.

From the APC

As part of our continued efforts to improve Literacy for all students in our school, we’re hoping to encourage some volunteers to come in and help with reading.  

Reading regularly to an adult has been shown to significantly increase the rate of progress that children can make with reading.  With as little as 10 - 15 minutes per student per day, we can enable students to feel more confident and reinforce and consolidate important skills.   

As there are many of you who bring your children/grandchildren to school, we are hoping that there would be some volunteers who would enjoy coming into school for the first 45 minutes of the morning (starting at 8:40am) to listen to children read. Typically, you would work with individual children, spending approximately 10 minutes talking about the book they’re reading and listening to them read. You would work with the same children each week, getting to know them and watching them progress.  It would be ideal if you would commit to a particular day/s each week (Tuesday and/or Thursday) so that a schedule could be drawn up as part of a regular school routine.  

 We also welcome our grandparents and parish members to join our Reading Stars program.  If you know of anyone who would like to be involved, please pass on this information to them.

If you would like to volunteer, please let me know or our Co-ordinator Virginia Blake.  virginia_blake@rok.catholic.edu.au

Anthony King

Assistant Principal: Curriculum

anthony_king@rok.catholic.edu.au

Position Vacant - Casual Groundsperson

Restrictions regarding Pets / Dogs on school site

Several concerns have been raised regarding pets (especially dogs) being brought onto school property when dropping off or picking up children. All parents should be aware that dogs should not be on school property unless the permission of the principal is obtained. This permission is only to be given in the case of requests involving assistance animals (guide dogs etc.) or requests involving dogs (pets) visiting classrooms for class activities. Dogs should not be present on school property without a leash and permission has been obtained.

Please Update Your Media Details

Dear Parents

We are asking your assistance in updating media consent for your child/ren.

Our system has been updated with more options that give us clarity with the myriad different ways your child's details can possibly be used.  If you completed a paper copy of the enrolment form, you will definitely need to update these media consent details please.  Parents who completed an online application are also asked to check their child's current media permissions to ensure it is correct.

This is a very quick task completed through Parent Lounge and below are some instructions to guide you with this task.  You will need to complete this task for each child you have at Star of the Sea please.

We appreciate your help in ensuring we have the correct information for your child/ren.

Student of the Week Award

Position Vacant - Parish Finance Secretary

Our parish is seeking to employ a Finance/Administration Officer and is calling for applications.

The role is part-time (3 days a week) and provides assistance to the Parish Priest in the administrative tasks of the parish.
 
 Principal duties include:
• General book-keeping and management of parish financial giving program
• Payment of parish expenditure
• Record keeping for parish finance council meetings
• Liaising with contractors and suppliers for maintenance and property matters
• Providing general admin/secretarial work in a job-sharing arrangement with another admin officer

The position would be suitable for someone with book-keeping experience or knowledge (especially of MYOB software), who is proficient with Microsoft Office software and is well-organised and attentive to detail.

A familiarity with some aspects of parish life and practice will be an advantage.  The successful applicant will be provided with in-house training and a hand-over period during which  s/he will work with existing staff.

A copy of the full position description and instructions for applying can be obtained by contacting the parish office (sosgladstone@rok.catholic.net.au or 49721025). Applications should be submitted no later than 10th March 2023.

Keep up to date on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/sosparishgladstone

Please do not hesitate to contact the parish office on 4972 1025 if we can be of any assistance.

2024 Prep Applications now open for Existing Families

We are experiencing strong demand for our 2024 Prep classes and do not want our existing families to miss out.  Please ensure you have registered your interest in enrolling your child for next year's Prep cohort by submitting your application online:

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

Community Notices

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