2023 Week 8 Newsletter - Term 1

Weekly Focus - Understanding the Learning Pit

From the Principal - How do students learn?

Dear Families

I was talking with my darling mother the other day about some of the amazing things we have seen invented over the years.  She remembers space travel and I will never forget learning about this thing called the World Wide Web!

For me though, one of the most amazing discoveries that has impacted so many areas of our lives, is in the area of Neuroscience.  This is a field that was only in its infancy when I went to University, but its effect on our classrooms is now really starting to be felt.

Our teachers recently spent time with Bron Ryrie Jones exploring the Science of Learning, trying to understand the very core of our work.  We can’t see how children learn but we know it takes deliberate work to help them move from engaging with a concept, rehearsing it in their working memory and encoding it for future access in their long-term memory.  

Learning takes purposeful effort, and our students need opportunities to explore the new information in a variety of situations as well as opportunities to help them make connections with their prior knowledge.  In this way we can help them engage in learning that actually sticks.

One of our core goals this year is to help the students understand how their brain works and give them opportunities to think deeply and critically, helping their brain to fire up more connections and make more solid pathways of learning.

You might hear your child talk about being in the Learning Pit which we are teaching them as a useful learning tool, especially in the area of Mathematics.

The Learning Pit occurs when we are faced with learning that requires us to think deeply about a new concept or skill.  We might experience a hard struggle and a feeling that we cannot get past this difficult new idea.  

Good learners accept that learning should be challenging from time to time and that the Learning Pit is necessary.  This is where students require the necessary skills to question and reflect so their knowledge can move from surface level to deep understanding and begin to build new pathways of understanding in their brains. 

You can help them in their learning by encouraging them to think more deeply, not accepting one-word answers but encouraging them to expand their ideas and ‘sell’ their answer to you.  You can also model being in the learning pit yourself by engaging in some side-by-side learning in an area of mutual interest.

Have a look at this week’s video message for a bit more insight into the Learning Pit.

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

OSHC Coordinator

Please spread the word and help us fill this role.

Position Vacant - Casual Groundsperson

Share your thoughts on Catholic Education

The Queensland Catholic Education Commission (QCEC) is conducting an important survey with parents and carers about the Catholic education system in Queensland. QCEC would appreciate your feedback via a short online survey to gain a better understanding of the factors that influence families in choosing a Catholic school. QCEC are working with Market & Communications Research and the Online Research Unit to compile feedback. You can complete the survey online by clicking on the link below. All responses are anonymous.  The survey will be open for two weeks, closing COB Monday 20 March 2023.

SURVEY LINK
Thank you for your contribution.

2023 School Goals

From Our APRE

We move into the third week of Lent this week. 

Written by Michael McGirr

Every summer seems to get a little longer and a little hotter. We have all become conscious of issues surrounding water. Either there seems to be too much, as during last year’s summer floods or when the sea levels rise in the Pacific. Other times, there seems to be too little water as when the rivers in our country run low or members of God’s family around the world experience drought.

Caritas Australia, through Project Compassion, has been responding to the dire needs of places such as Ethiopia and Somalia where a cruel drought, compounded by a shortage of grain from Ukraine, has led to dire consequences.

The readings from Sunday may well cause us to reflect on the current state of God’s creation. In the book of Exodus, we heard that people are complaining to Moses because they are dying of thirst. In the Gospel, Jesus met a woman in a Samaritan town. She had come to draw water from the well in the hottest part of the day. In both cases, access to water is precarious. Yet God responds not only to a thirst for water but to a deeper thirst as well.

Moses’ people are thirsty for direction, leadership and hope. The woman in John’s Gospel had a thirst for love and acceptance which, Jesus told her, will come from within if she is able to accept him and his message of life. As the story unfolds, we learn of her loneliness and see her reconnecting with her community.

This week, the Caritas Australia focus is in response to a water shortage in Zimbabwe. Thanks to our support for Project Compassion, Caritas is involved in providing access to water in many places. It seems such a basic thing. One we mostly take for granted. But once a community has access to water, it grows in every possible way. People have more time for healthcare and education. People find energy to build their future.

This week’s scripture readings have a strong sense of a hope-filled future. May we too, in our time, be sources of hope for all future generations.

God Bless

Kellie Richardson

Assistant Principal: Religious Education

kellie_richardson@rok.catholic.edu.au

Catholic Identity

Catholic Social Teaching – Care for our Common Home

The earth and all life on it are part of God’s creation. We are called to respect this gift. We are responsible for taking care of the world we live in and for sharing all the wonders and resources the earth gives us.

Our changing environment prompts us to stop and think about how we live on our planet. We are called to respond and to adopt new ways of living as Pope Francis highlights in his encyclical, Laudato Si': On the Care for our Common Home.

It is the world’s poorest communities who are affected by changes to our planet. Caritas Australia’s development programs are attentive to environmental concerns and seek to promote care for the earth and its resources.

At Star of the Sea we have a number of projects to help raise awareness about taking care of our Common Home.  We are a Reef Guardian School, encourage students to take good care of the environment they work in, have a gardening club that is about to be formed, recycle our poppers and plastics through the containers for change scheme and collect food scraps daily to save them going into land fill.

The amount of food waste daily is quite alarming and may be worth a conversation in your household.  The animals that get the scraps each day are grateful, but I am certain that you are not sending good food to school to feed the animals.  I am noticing whole pieces of fruit and vegetables, untouched sandwiches and other food being thrown out daily.  We do speak to students about this, but a backup conversation from home may have more of an impact.

Sacramental Information

Enrolments are now open for the Sacrament of Confirmation and First Holy Communion.  Catholic children who have already celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation are invited to begin the journey for the Sacraments. Enrolments are due by Wednesday 22^nd March. If you would like an enrolment form please contact the Parish or School office.

Parish Faith Coordinator

Hayley Lanzon

adfaithsos@rok.catholic.net.au

Phone: (07) 4972 1025

In Our Prayers

From the APC

Last Friday I was lucky to be a part of the 2023 PJ Marsh Cup Carnival.  Our team was made up of some very talented and keen rugby league players, both boys and girls, who should be very proud of their efforts.  The team dug deep and performed very well and impressed our coaches, Dave Ahern and Katy Gowers. 

Our students believed in themselves, played for each other and nailed the number one rule “HAVE FUN”.  As the carnival progressed, the confidence in each player increased, they buzzed from the belief we had in them all and we came 4^th overall.   Congratulations to Kurt Taylor for being selected as part of the Port Curtis Team. 

Anthony King

Assistant Principal: Curriculum

anthony_king@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.

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

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 

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).

Emmaus College 30Year Anniversary

Thank you to our Caulfield Sponsors