Term 2 Week 9 Newsletter 2 7 T H J U N E 2 0 1 8 Principal s Message Principal s Message 27th June 2018 We must teach more by example than by word. St. Mary of the Cross Mackillop School Banking THURSDAYS Student Protection Resources for Parents: For Free Legal advice- 1300 651 188 Child Safety Services You can make a report of voice your concerns- 1300 683 390 SCHOOL STUDENT PROTECTION CONTACTS Mrs Janine Butlin Mrs Suellen Dennis Mrs Anna Lee School Councellor Rebecca Holmes What a wonderful finish to term 2. Last week we had three visitors to our school, Mr Hunter a consultant from Brisbane, Mr Poulton, Principal of St Monica s School Oakey, and Mr Murphy, Senior Education Leader from Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office. During the week the three men interviewed parents, staff and students from the school to discuss what they thought we did well as a school and what they thought we could improve on. On Thursday afternoon the panel met with the staff to give us feedback about the process. A full report will be sent to the school in approximately two to three weeks. Overall the feedback was very positive. The panel said there was not doubt in their minds that St Stephen s was a very good school. Staff found the process very affirming and many parents commented to me about how they too felt the process of giving parents the opportunity to commend the school about positive things they see happening and make recommendations about other areas they would like to see improve, as a worthwhile process. Team work and a strong sense of community was probably the main thing that stood out to the panel. Staff, students and parents working alongside each other for the common good of the school. This sense of community was seen again at our Athletics Carnival yesterday at the Bridgman Oval. We are truly blessed with a strong collective efficacy. Parents commented to me about how well organized the carnival was and how lucky I was to have such hard-working staff. Similarly, the teachers commented to me how lucky we were to have such committed parents who support the school as we work alongside each other with the teaching and learning of our students. I would like to thank all of you for your support. We are a strong, proud community here at St Stephen s School. Our little country school is surely the jewel in the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Crown. Enjoy your break God Bless, Janine 1
APRE News Sports News From the APRE Please note: Whole School End of Term Mass will take place at 9am Thursday (instead of Friday) as Fr Thomas can not make it on Friday. Our year 5/6 class will conduct the ministries at the Mass but every class will attend. Parents, please come along to celebrate the term with our school community. MacKillop Club organised a successful Bullying Awareness Day for Dolly's Dream. The classrooms were a- buzz last week with the theme, Say No Way to Bullying. Children have developed an awareness of what bullying is and how we can speak up, even if our voice shakes. It was a wonderful coincidence that on the 18 th of June, the song Speak Up was launched by Tom Curtain and Sara Storer. We began our Anti-Bullying Awareness Week on parade by listening to this song. Feel free to download this from itunes or Spotify The message is certainly worth listening to and talking about. Happy Holidays to all our St Stephen s families!! I wish you all a safe, restful break and look forward to hearing about your adventures when you return in Term 3. Inner Downs Rugby League Trials On Tuesday 12th June, Nicole Robertson represented the school at Inner Downs Rugby League Trials. Development Cup Success Charlie Markey has had recent success in the Darling Downs Under 12s Development Cup. They went through undefeated and won the final against OLOL 18-0 in Dalby. They progressed to Super 4s in Toowoomba. They made it the grand final but were unsuccessful against St Thomas More s. Prayer for Restful Holiday Father, I thank you for the opportunity to take a holiday and be enabled to have a complete break from the daily rounds and the many responsibilities and routines that govern our lives. It is such a joy to have this break and I pray that it will be a time of rest and refreshment where I am enabled to go quietly through the day without having to plan for the many things that have become the norm in our busy daily schedule. I pray that during this holiday I will enjoy both spiritual and physical renewal and find rejuvenating rest for my mind and spirit as well as enjoy relaxation and respite for my body as well. God Bless, Thank You Father in Jesus name, Amen Yours in sport, Kristy Cameron Kristy Cameron Acting APRE 2
Athletics Carnival 3
PE News Athletics Carnival! Congratulations to all of our children who participated in the Athletics Carnival yesterday. The rain stayed away and we were able to have a great day. All students showed a fantastic level of sportsmanship, always cheering, clapping and congratulating fellow students. Another big thank you to all parents who helped make the carnival a success. It was fantastic to see all the students collecting house points, with Ryan finishing with 671 points and Mackillop not far behind on 628. Congratulations to our 2018 Athletics Age Champions: 9 Years Boys: Ben Bourke 9 Years Girls: Madison McDonald 10 Years Boys: Thomas Croft 10 Years Girls: Chloe Thompson 11 Years Boys: Charlie Markey 11 Years Girls: Charlotte Thompson 12 Years Boys: Matthew Smith 12 Years Girls: Chloe Denning 4
Student of the Week Week 9 Olivia, Sophie, Savannah, Emily Student of the Week-Week 10 Abbie, Mya, Skye, Hayley, Amelia, Clare, Faith 5
At the commencement of Term 2 all classes from Prep to Year 6 were introduced to the program Reading Eggs. Reading Eggs is a fun and interactive program that can be used on a variety of devices to support student learning in spelling, comprehension and decoding in an individualised way. This in turn supports students in both their reading and writing. Each student at St Stephen s has their own unique login to this program and are able to independently work through the various tasks at their own pace and level. As with any quality program, Reading Eggs comes at a cost. We would like to sincerely thank the P & F for supporting the students by donating a cheque for $2600 to cover the costs of this program for the 2018 school year. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed Reading and Writing are life long skills, encourage your child this holidays to log onto reading eggs and continue practising their spelling, comprehension and decoding skills to gain mastery in the area of Literacy! Father s Day Breakfast Survey After the success of the Mother s Day breakfast in May, we are looking at the possibility of having a Father s Day breakfast on Friday 31st August 2018 7.30am to 8.30am. Could you please fill out the survey and return to school by Friday 29th June. Name: I would/would not support a Father s day breakfast on 31st August at the school. 6
Secondhand Uniforms Secondhand uniforms are available every Wednesday afternoon immediately after school. Please phone the school to confirm a time to purchase. You can also call Kym on 0402 842 462 if you would like to arrange another time. 7
ST STEPHEN S PARISH PITTSWORTH RENOVATION APPEAL The engraved pavers will be installed into the pathways upon entry of the grounds of the church to create a Walk of History. The profit from the engraved pavers will be used for the restoration of St Stephen s Church Pittsworth. If you have any queries regarding the project please contact: Lloyd Cronin (07) 4693 1650 or 0428 220 617. Offer 1: $70 Single paver Offer 2: $140 Double Pavers Order forms available at the School Office 2018 Calendar of Events -Term 2 28 th June End of Term Mass-5/6 9am-Church 29 th June Last Day of Term 2 3:10pm 16th July First day of Term 3 Due to unforeseen circumstances, the end of term mass will be celebrated tomorrow, 28th June 2018 at 9am NOT 29th June as previously advertised 8