Term 3, Week 6 Newsletter 2023

Acknowledgement of Country

We respectfully acknowledge the past and present traditional owners of this land on which we stand, the Wulgurukaba and neighbouring Bindal people who are the custodians. We pray that we can walk together to a better future.

From the Principal

Dear Parents and Carers, Staff and Students

Welcome to Week 6 and the second half of Term 3. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all who attended and/or contributed to our recent combined centenary celebration with our Mary MacKillop Mundingburra Parish. 

The combined Parish and School Centenary Fair was a wonderful celebration of two important milestones, our parish turning 100 this year and our school celebrating its 100th year in 2024. The morning started with Mass at 8:30 am with Bishop Tim and Father Lijo presiding. This was followed by the launch of the Parish History Book and a cake cutting ceremony back at the school. The Fair was then declared open and all could enjoy food, entertainment, stalls and amusement rides. It was great to see our parish and school community coming together to celebrate such significant milestones. A copy of the Parish History Book, ‘United in Christ, Led by the Spirit’, was sent home to all families with the eldest child last week. 

One of the goals in our Annual School Improvement Plan is the strengthening of the School and Parish partnerships. Families play a part in this. Families are the first educators of their children and they continue to influence their children’s faith formation, learning and development throughout their whole lives. Developing School-Family-Parish partnerships requires commitment and time to enable all to experience deeper, rewarding and more meaningful pastoral relationships. Such relationships should be collaborative in nature and include activities which involve all members of the Mundingburra Catholic community. If these partnerships are to be effective, they must be based on mutual trust, respect, shared responsibility and good communication. In this way, the spiritual formation and education of the children at a school within the parish community can be fostered. Our Parish and School shared 100 year celebration was a great example of working together in partnership, and I thank Mr Ross Horner and Mrs Maureen Mosch for their contribution to the Fair’s success.

The Parish and school community came together yet again as we celebrated the Feast Day of our Patron Saint, Mary of the Cross MacKillop. Mary MacKillop was a woman whose faith led her to blaze untravelled paths and live a life in the service of others. A woman we can be truly inspired by to live the Gospel of Jesus. The morning started with Mass, and Father Lijo joined us as the presiding priest. After Mass we presented some of our students with Mary MacKillop awards. These awards recognise and celebrate students who respect the human dignity of all by being deeply compassionate, reaching out to others and fostering resilience. Feast Day cake was delivered to classes in time for morning tea, after which students participated in a variety of activities commemorating the personal qualities of Mary MacKillop. It was wonderful to see our Year 5 and Year 6 students looking after their buddies in Prep and Year 1. They were taking them around to each activity and ensuring they got to have a go at everything.

Have a wonderful week.

God bless

Tracy

APRE News

Blessed to Serve

Bear with one another, help one another, and ever strive to serve God in a generous spirit. ~Mary MacKillop

Parish Fair

Thank you to all families for supporting our recent Parish Fair. It was great to see so many families join us for the morning. We are also very grateful for all of the generous donations received for our stalls. 

Feast Day of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop

On Monday 7th August our school community celebrated the Feast Day for St Mary of the Cross Mackillop. Thank you to parents and family for joining us. 

Sacramental Program

Last Wednesday night  a number of our students in Years 3,4 and 5 completed the Sacrament of Penance (Reconciliation). Congratulations to all of those students, the feedback from Father Lijo and the visiting priest was that the students were very well prepared. They were also impressed at how reverent families were on the night. 

Our next lesson after that will take place on Sunday 20th August. This lesson will focus on Confirmation. 

Dignity Pack Appeal

On Friday 18th August some of our students will be participating in a homeless sleepout night with students and staff from Marian and St Joseph’s The Strand. They will spend time learning about what it means to be homeless and ways in which they can help. As part of this they will be creating Dignity Packs that will be supplied to the homeless. We are asking for donations of toiletries to help with this.

Assemblies:

Our assembly is held on Monday morning at 8:45am in our Shelter Shed. Parents, families and friends are all welcome to join us. Our next assembly will be: 

Week 7:   Book Week Parade 9:00am

Week 8:  1B Kindness

Christian Meditation will take place each Thursday morning at 8:00am in the Library.  Meditation is a form of sacred and silent prayer, known as prayer of the heart.  It is  a lovely way to start the day!  

May God’s blessing be with you. Have a wonderful fortnight.
Peta.

Mary MacKillop Parish News

Mary MacKillop Centenary Celebrations

Parish Lunches

The next Parish lunch will be held at the Rising Sun Hotel at 12 pm on the last Friday of each month. Next lunch: 25/08/2023. Bookings can be made with the parish office via email or phone.

Parish Scripture Group

Every Tuesday morning, a group of parishioners meet in the Parish Office to study and discuss the scripture for the following weekend’s mass. This is a wonderful way to enrich their understanding of the message of Jesus and the implications for daily living in a worshipping community. You are most welcome to join this band of dedicated people who experience much enjoyment amid the solemnity of their study. Meetings commence on Tuesdays at 10.00 am. You will be most welcome.  

Children’s Liturgy
Children's liturgy takes place every Sunday mass at 7:30 am (during the school term) Members of our parish take the children out and complete activities related to the weekly gospel. This is a wonderful opportunity for children to engage with and understand the meaning of the gospel. All children are welcome.

Diary Dates

The Joey's Way

Star Students

Uniform Information for Parents

Uniform Shop Times

From the Office

Term 3 school fees have been issued.

Payment is due 19th August.

Please contact the office if you have not received your fees (sometimes they can go to junk/spam).

Special group photos taken on photography day are now available for purchase online directly through Advanced Life.  A message with a direct link to the school portal will be sent out on Compass today.  Families can view and purchase at 20% off the normal price until 29/08/2023.

Groups are:  Piano class, Woodwind, Combined Choir, Student Representative Council, Year 6 Cohort, Year 6 Muckup, Guitar Class, Violin.  (Bimbi Wadja is still to come - we will notify families once these are available.)

Is your child absent from school?  Please notify the office via

• emailing absent@sjmbtsv.catholic.edu.au
• calling the office and leaving a message at the absent option
• parent/guardian can note the absence through Compass
  
• Students arriving after 8.30am must come through the office for a late pass.

Celebrating the Matilda's

It was great to see students wearing 'yellow' today in support of the Matilda's making the semi final. Go Matildas!

Interschool Athletics Carnival

St Joseph's Mundingburra Wins!

Congratulations to our Joey's Athletics team who cleaned up at the Interschool Sports Carnival today. St Joseph's won all four trophies, the averages trophy, both the girls and boys trophies and the trophy for overall winners of the carnival. We are so proud of how enthusiastically our students participated in their respective events, representing our school with pride. Their hard work in training sessions leading up to the carnival paid off. A huge thank you to Miss D and our staff volunteers, without who such training sessions would not be possible. Thank you also to parents/carers who ensured their children were present at the early morning trainings. Success in events like these is a team effort. Well done to everyone!

Congratulations Harper

Congratulations to Harper who broke the 800 m track record by 13 seconds today at the Townsville Sports Reserve. An amazing effort! She also improved her time from last year's carnival by 10 seconds. We are all so proud of you Harper. Well done!

Inclusive Education Matters

IEP Meetings  

We are currently organising our Semester Two IEP (Individual Education Plan) meetings.  IEP meetings are an important time for you and your child’s teacher to discuss your child’s progress and identify future goals.  Your input is extremely valuable in this process.   Please contact Mrs Diane Engert if you have any queries.

Inclusive Education Committee

Our next meeting will be Thursday the 14th September at 3.00pm.

Guidance Counsellor

In this edition of SchoolTV - NEURODIVERSITY

Neurodiversity emphasises the natural variation in how an individual's brain functions and how they perceive and interact with the world, leading to diverse ways of learning and communicating. While most young people are neurotypical, some exhibit variations in brain development, such as ADHD, autism or dyslexia, making them neurodivergent.

Embracing neurodiversity involves accepting, celebrating, and supporting neurodivergent children and adolescents without attempting to change or treat their differences. Using respectful language, challenging unhelpful attitudes, avoiding assumptions, and actively promoting inclusivity can help embrace neurodiversity effectively.

Acknowledging the unique ways neurodiverse young people do things and then adapting tasks and activities to ensure their full participation will encourage them to develop strategies that feel natural to them. It will help improve their mental health, wellbeing and sense of self. By recognising and nurturing their strengths, parents and caregivers can contribute to building an inclusive and compassionate society where all young people can thrive.

Learning more about neurodiversity, equips caregivers with insights into effective communication techniques, educational strategies, and parenting approaches tailored to the specific needs of their neurodivergent child.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback. If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to the Neurodiversity edition of SchoolTV

https://sjmbtsv.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/neurodiversity

Julie and Lena

Japanese

In Japan, August 6th is known as Hiroshima Peace Day and it is a day to remember the victims and promote "peace politics" throughout the world.  The crane is a symbol of peace and the Year 4's and 6's folded origami cranes to commemorate the day Hiroshima changed forever.

Bimbi Wadja

Last week I attended the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Education Conference on the        7th -9th August.  It was hosted by Brisbane Catholic Education Diocese.  It was an amazing experience and so much was learnt from the incredible speakers and workshops I attended each day.  

The highlight would be meeting Indigenous author Bruce Pascoe who has published many books, many of which are in our school library.  Some of his best know works are Dark Emu, Young Dark Emu and Loving Country.

The conference was attended by about 15 of our deadly staff from Townsville Diocese.  

Over the coming weeks as the Matildas keeps kicking goals, we will continue with World Cup activities - next week designing our own Indigenous Matilda shirts.

Miss Cindy

Reef Guardians

Containers for change

Did you know our school earns 10 cents from every eligible container collected?

Make change for our school by collecting and returning your eligible drink containers to our community drop off point (the yellow bin chained to the fence at the start of the drop and go area) or any other refund point, using our unique scheme ID C10021941.  We earn 10 cents for every container you recycle.

Find out more https://www.containersforchange.com.au/qld/

Library News

The Children’s Book Council of Australia have been celebrating children reading books for over 75 years. Since the first Book Week in 1945 with the theme of, ‘United Through Books’, to todays 2023 theme, ‘READ GROW INSPIRE’, Book Week has gained a reputation for inspiring children’s literature. Winners for Book Week 2023 will be announced next week in the shortlisted categories sections.  We also celebrate next week Australian School Library Day on the 24th August, another opportunity which centres on core literacy success, to developing children’s love of reading and inspiring them to a wonderful future, which this year’s theme builds upon.  This week the library also focused on our National Science Week 2023, Innovation Powering Future Industries.

Our fabulous Book Week Parade will be held on Monday the 21st August, at 9.00am in the shelter shed. Students and Staff will dress up as their favourite book character. Costumes can be selected from numerous books and stories in our Library.

Our national CBCA theme this year ‘READ GROW INSPIRE’, celebrates everything that is good about literature and reading, our children almost like trees growing with great literature, so they can grow and be inspired to do amazing things. We celebrate these special Shortlisted Books and their Australian Authors and Illustrators, with Book Week Parades, reading activities, story times in our library during the dates of 19th to 25th August 2023. This year we have special guests reading to our students throughout the week including our Adopt-a-School Cowboy, Jason Taumalolo and a TCC Landcare Officer, as well as our amazing teachers.

READ GROW INSPIRE

STUDENTS VOTE FOR THEIR FAVOURITE OVERALL SHORTLISTED BOOK        

Students from PREP to Year 6 have had an opportunity to vote for their favourite shortlisted book this year. Students enthusiastically made their votes to go with the theme ‘READ GROW INSPIRE’. A tree trunk has been displayed in the library and the many leaves from student votes are being displayed, and will GROW every day, to INSPIRE our children to READ more.

DONATIONS TO ST JOSEPH’S LIBRARY

May I thank the parents from St Joseph’s this week for their kind book donations and also to the Mary MacKillop Parish Mundingburra for the beautiful St Mary MacKillop cushions which now  live in the library.   

BOOK CLUB ISSUE 6

Issue 6 has been sent out to classes today and books are able to be ordered through our usual LOOP Scholastic link.  The 30th August 2023 is the cut of date for orders.

See you at the parade on Monday!

Tuckshop - Father's Day Breakfast

Fathers or significant father -figures are invited to our 2023 Father's Day Breakfast. Please RSVP to the office on 4779 1651 or email enquiries@sjmbtsv.catholic.edu.au with your order

Parents are reminded to contact the tuckshop if your child is absent or leaves school due to illnes.  If food hasn't been prepared it can be ordered for a different day.  If food is prepared due to not being notified of absence or if food is prepared and student goes home sick, we are unable to provide food on an alternative day.  Please let the office know if you are collecting a sick child who has tuckshop and if it is prepared, you can collect to take home.  Thank you for your assistance and understanding in this matter.

Flexischools offers a convenient way to order school lunches online. Please update your child's class to their 2023 class so that orders go to the correct place and children are not delayed in receiving their order.

Our Tuckshop list is also available on our school website.

Jeannine is our Tuckshop Convenor and is always appreciative of volunteers.  If you can spare even an hour of your time, please contact her on M:  0407 578 105

Volunteers are required to complete our Induction process.  This includes the Online Modules, Supporting Documents and Quiz.  Please follow the link below and follow the instructions.

Zarate Family

Please support Amanda in her efforts to raise funds for the Zarate family.  Amanda's  second swim, the Ship to Shore Swim, is happening on Sunday 27th August. The Go Fund Me page can be accessed by scanning the QR Code on the attached flyer.

Tech Club, BEBRAS, Junior Engineers

Zooper Doopers

P & F News and Events

Community Notices