Term 4 Week 1 Newsletter

From the Principal

Dear Parents/Caregivers

Welcome to Week 1 of Term 4, the final term of the 2021 school year. I hope all families were able to spend time relaxing and enjoying each other’s company over the holiday break, whether at home or away from home. 

Term 4 is not only a term when there are ceremonies to mark transitions to the next phase of learning journeys, but also a term when we plan for the following year. Next week I will be attending Principals’ Meetings, where one of the sessions will focus on strategic directions. Principals will engage with systemic strategic directions, which are those directions set by the Townsville Catholic Education Office for a system of schools. The systemic strategic directions assist principals in the development of an Annual School Improvement Plan, which is a plan for school improvement in their own school. I will be taking a consultative approach in developing the 2022 School Improvement Plan for St Joseph’s Mundingburra, and will be asking for input from staff, students, parents/carers and other stakeholders. Please be on the lookout for feedback / suggestion forms which will be sent out via COMPASS in the coming weeks. Your input to the school’s annual planning process will be much appreciated.

As you are all well aware, COVID-19 Stage 2 restrictions are upon us and I thank all families for their adherence to these restrictions. From a teaching perspective, the current restrictions are more difficult than those we have had in the past. Teachers are required to wear masks while teaching, with the exception of where visibility of the mouth is essential and where a mask needs to be removed to clearly communicate. As you can imagine, it is quite difficult to teach with your mouth covered, however our teachers are doing their best to teach while following restrictions currently in place. I have provided below information from the Queensland’s COVID Safe Future document as it relates to mask wearing requirements:

Outdoors: you must wear a mask when unable to stay 1.5m apart from people who are not part of your household. Indoors: must wear a mask including workplaces (even where physical distancing is possible) unless it is unsafe or you are working alone in a closed office. Schools and early childhood services: masks must be worn by staff, teachers, educators, and high school students at all times indoors, unless alone in a room, and outdoors at all times when unable to physically distance.

This Thursday, 7th October,  is the anniversary of the death of Julian Tenison-Woods who co- founded the Sisters of St Joseph with Mary MacKillop. Father Julian was a man of many talents: an environmentalist, scientist, priest, explorer, campaigner for social justice and the rights of Indigenous people, among many others. He is an inspiration to all of us.

Living in harmony with nature and with God gives us full happiness and purpose (JTW 1887)

Have a wonderful week.

God Bless

Tracy

APRE News

Welcome to Term 4 2021.

I hope you all had a happy and restful break and are ready to hit the ground running! Term 4 is shaping up to be a busy time.

October is the month devoted to the Holy Rosary. 

Throughout this month the children will be saying the Rosary with their teachers.

This is the perfect time for us to reflect upon the meaning of the Rosary and its significance in our faith.

According to pious tradition, the idea of the Rosary was given to Saint Dominic when the Virgin Mary appeared to him in an apparition in the year 1214. This Marian apparition is given the title of Our Lady of the Rosary. 

The Rosary inspires us to meditate on the mysteries of the lives of Jesus and Mary. 

The Rosary is a devotion in honor of the Virgin Mary. It is made up of a set number of prayers. 

At the start of the Rosary are the introductory prayers which are composed of one Apostle’s Creed, one Our Father, three Hail Marys and one Glory Be, however we often start the Rosary simply by saying one Our Father, ten Hail Marys  and one Glory Be. 

In the 16th century, Pope Pius V established the standard fifteen Mysteries of the Rosaries which are grouped into three, the Joyful Mysteries, the Sorrowful Mysteries and the Glorious Mysteries. In 2002, Pope John Paul II added a set of five to the existing fifteen mysteries and these became known as the Luminous Mysteries. 

These mysteries represent the significant events in the life of Jesus Christ. The Rosary Prayer tells us about the life of Jesus and his Mother, Mary. The number three has such a huge significance in Christianity it is the - Blessed Trinity. The children will pray the Rosary in their classes but it is also a lovely prayer to pray as a family.  Just a spare 5 minutes.

Socktober - kick goals for kids in need this Mission Month

Catholic Mission is Pope Francis’ personal mission agency in the Catholic church that seeks to support those less fortunate to lead full lives.  The Catholic Mission vision is that all may have life in Christ… “ I have come that they may have life and have it to the full” John 10:10

This year the Mission’s focus is on the work of the Good Shepherd Sisters in Thailand who are helping vulnerable mothers and their children to be educated and to flourish.

As a child, growing up in Argentina, Pope Francis was an avid footballer.  The children would make their own football from rubbish tied with string.   During this October we have been invited to make our own footballs.   Each class will use recyclable materials...old socks, Tshirts, paper, plastic bags and then use these balls to have a fun time kicking goals for coins.  Start saving your coins and practise your Shoot Outs!!

Sacramental Programme

Our 7.30am Mass on Sunday 10th October sadly has had to be cancelled due to Covid.  We hope to invite all children and their families to the Mass on Sunday 31st October when the children will receive their Confirmation Certificates and share a cake.  Many apologies for this change of plan and we hope to see as many as possible at the Mass.

Just a few happenings for the month of October but I hope you all become involved and enjoy these wonderful opportunities to be part of your child’s journey in faith.

May God Bless You and in this Covid period take care and keep safe.

Clare

Save the Date

Information for Families

Wagtails Coffee van will be attending St Joseph's during Term 4 on Thursday mornings. Staff, parents and carers are welcome to purchase coffee for take away.  Due to WHS policies, coffee is unable to be taken inside the school grounds.  Please help support this local business.

Prep Vision Screening

Parish News

Library News

Next week (Week 2), we will resume our “Let’s Talk about Books” at lunchtime on Wednesdays with Mrs H.   As well, next Thursday, we will commence an “eBook Hub” in the library at lunchtime, where students can read and learn about our new and exciting eResource tools like Sora!!

Have a great week…. And remember though the literacy advancements for reading are well known…don’t forget…reading is fun!! Happy Reading!

Eco Warriors Day

On Tuesday 14th September, Mrs Lazzaroni and five of our Reef Guardian students, Chase, Phoebe, Darcy, Grace and Felicity, attended the Eco Warriors Day at St Clare's Catholic School, Burdell. By all reports it was an amazing day, and the behaviour of all five students was nothing short of exceptional. They used beautiful manners all day, were kind and respectful to students and teachers from other schools and, despite being so excited to get their hands into activities, patiently waited their turn at each activity.  Mrs Lazzaroni was very proud of the way they represented our school.

Some of the activities students encountered were making solar powered lights, making beeswax wraps (to wrap food in), encountering how coral gardening and reef restoration is conducted and making recycled, biodegradable and compostable paper.

First, students made solar powered lights which were being sent to countries with energy poverty, in this instance lights were being shipped to Papua New Guinea. The solar  lights will assist students with their education and homework beyond daylight hours, as many students are from remote villages without any electricity, running water or basic necessities. 

Students then went on to learn how to make reusable beeswax wraps. These not only smell great but keep food fresh without the need to pollute our environment further with single use plastic wrap or lunch bags. 

Next, students practiced coral gardening, housing and rope beds which assist in the restoration and reproduction of coral to boost coral growth on our reefs. They learned about the  growing evidence that ‘many reefs are showing signs of limited or slow recovery’ (Reef Ecologic, 2021) and the degradation of reefs has led to an increased demand for restoration which will play a key role in the future of the Great Barrier Reef.

Lastly, students made recycled paper gift cards which are biodegradable. Natural food dyes were used to colour the paper.  Students decorated their gift cards  with items such as natural plant seeds, feathers and leaves, all of which can be put back into the garden where the paper will degrade easily and the seeds can then grow into plants. This was such an exciting and fun activity. 

P & F Fundraising

Community Information