Issue 12 - 10th August 2023

This week we celebrate the life and work of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop.  Mary MacKillop founded the Josephite Order of sisters, the founding sisters of our school. 

Mary MacKillop was an Australian nun who dedicated her life to the education of children, caring for the poor, and promoting social justice. Her tireless efforts and unwavering commitment to her calling make her a true inspiration for us all. She was a true role model to us in the values of perseverance, resilience, and her deep care for the less fortunate.

Perseverance:

Mary MacKillop faced numerous challenges throughout her life, but her unwavering perseverance helped her overcome them all. She encountered opposition from various individuals and even within the Church itself, but she remained steadfast in her mission to provide education and support to those in need. Her determination to establish schools in remote areas, where education was scarce, is a testament to her unwavering belief in the transformative power of education.

Resilience:

The life of Mary MacKillop was filled with trials and hardships, yet she consistently demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity. She had to navigate financial struggles, personal health issues, and even excommunication from the Church. However, she never wavered in her commitment to her mission. Instead, she drew strength from her faith and the support of her fellow sisters, continuing to serve the marginalised and disadvantaged, regardless of the obstacles.

Care for the Poor:

Mary MacKillop's deep care for the poor was a driving force behind her work. She believed in the inherent dignity of every individual, regardless of their social or economic background. She established numerous schools, orphanages, and shelters to provide education, care, and support to those in need. Mary's devotion to the poor reminds us of the importance of compassion and empathy, and it serves as a powerful example for us all.

Education of Children:

Mary MacKillop understood the power of education and its ability to break the cycle of poverty and disadvantage. She tirelessly worked to provide quality education to children, particularly in rural and remote areas. Her dedication to education ensured that countless children had access to knowledge, empowering them to create a better future for themselves and their communities.

We can draw inspiration from the life and work of St. Mary MacKillop. We can instil in our children the values of perseverance, resilience, care for the less fortunate, and the importance of education. By teaching them about the life and legacy of this remarkable woman, we can nurture their own sense of compassion, social justice, and their desire to make a positive impact in the world.

Mrs Kerrie Flynn

Principal 

Last week I was lucky enough to attend the Vietnam Veterans Remembrance Service with the School Captains. The service paid tribute to members of the Circular Head community who served during the Vietnam War. Macklen Coombs (Year 1) also attended, and read a short poem to honour those service members. Macklen’s great uncle Sapper Geoffrey Coombs served in Vietnam. I wish to thank the Class Captains for attending the service and I was impressed with their respect and reverence.    

 

On Tuesday of this week, the Year 5 and Year 6 students attended a special Mass celebrating Catholic Education Week and St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. It was a beautiful service hosted by Marist Regional College. It was a wonderful opportunity to get together with other schools in the region and celebrate all the good that Catholic Education has done and continues to do. During Catholic Education Week, many schools and staff are recognised for their commitment to Catholic Education. My thanks goes out to the students that attended, their behaviour and respect during the day was top notch. 

St Mary MacKillop Prayer 

Ever-generous God,
You inspired St Mary MacKillop
to live her life faithful
to the Gospel of Jesus Christ
and constant in bringing hope
and encouragement
to those who were disheartened, lonely, or needy.
With confidence in your generous providence
and joining with St Mary MacKillop, we ask that you watch over the St Peter Chanel community.

We ask that our faith and hope
be fired afresh by the Holy Spirit so that we too,
like Mary MacKillop, may live with courage,
trust, and openness.
Ever-generous God, hear our prayer.
We ask this through Jesus Christ.
Amen.

Mr Casey Moore

Deputy Principal/REC

It is with great sadness that we let our school community know that Mrs Jo Cartledge's husband, David has passed away after a very short and unexpected illness. David has been a part of our SPC family not only through Jo, but as a presence here at school as a driver of our school bus. Our thoughts and prayers are with Jo, Brock, Erryn & Blaid. 

A reminder that Issue 5 Book Club orders are due Monday, 14th August.

A reminder for families to please test your child for COVID-19 if they are showing symptoms, such as a congested or runny nose, sneezing, or a scratchy or sore throat, headaches or fever. If you require any additional RAT tests please contact the office.

The majority of students have appropriate hairstyles and are wearing the correct uniform. Thank you! There are more than a few, however, that do not fit expectations and policy. The uniform policy states: Smart Play Uniform - Students who wear the Smart Play uniform must wear it according to this policy, including shoes.

Compulsory items: SPC Polo Shirt, Short or Long Sleeved (with logo), SPC Track pants or shorts or skort, Softshell jacket (with logo), School socks (navy with two yellow stripes), School Hat (with logo). This means these items must be worn. If your child is wearing trousers, they are still expected to wear the Smart Play socks.

If hair reaches the collar (boys and girls), it must be tidily pulled back. Ribbons, bows, ties must be in school colours (navy, gold). Hair colour must be natural, cut neatly and washed regularly. Hair must be off the face. The following hairstyles are not permitted - variations of mohican style, mullets (short or long), shaved hair with logos/designs and colours, distinct differences in length, any type of extreme style.

Make-up, including nail polish, is not to be worn. The only jewellery permitted to be worn to school includes a watch and/or one plain stud or sleeper per ear, in the lobe only. No other piercings permitted. Earrings should be plain silver or gold studs or sleepers, no dangly earrings, diamond/gem studs or black discs. Small religious symbols in gold or silver on a necklace. Any culturally significant jewellery should be discreet and be worn with the permission of the Principal.

All students are required to wear a school hat for all outside activities in Terms 1 and 4. Smart Watches with phone, photo or recording capabilities are not to be worn. There are students in some classes with shaved sides distinctly different to the length of the tops and/or backs and others that replicate a short mohican style or mullet.

A copy of the current policy was sent out via SeeSaw earlier this week.

Congratulations to last week’s Aiming High award recipients!

Kinder - Willa Nielsen & Hudson Crawford 

Prep - Ellsia Dawson & Maddelyn West

Year 1 - Brock Hardy & Cienna Bell 

Year 2 - Isla Burke & Reegan Poke

Year 3 - Harry Dawson & Ethan Braid 

Year 4 - Archibald O’Neil & Chayse Collins 

Year 5 - Jordana Pay & Jack Dawson 

Year 6 - Sabannah Wilson & Harvey Vander Laan

Thank you to all families who were able to attend Parent Teacher meetings last Tuesday. If you were unable to attend but would like to meet with your child’s teacher, please contact them to arrange a suitable time.

Congratulations to Lucas on winning last week’s bake raffle! The next bake raffle will be on 31st August.

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend the last meeting. 

Donut orders were due back today! Thank you to everyone who was able to support this fundraiser. The recipient of the $50.00 voucher will be contacted shortly.

On Friday, 18 August St Peter Chanel is participating in the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence (NDA). 

The NDA is Australia’s key bullying prevention initiative for schools and provides an opportunity to connect with students, staff and our school community to implement workable solutions to prevent bullying.

The 2023 NDA theme, Growing connections, promotes the importance of school, family and community connections in building safe and supportive learning environments where all students can belong, feel accepted and respected.

Research has shown that strong school connections and positive relationships can help to prevent bullying. When students feel a sense of belonging and connectedness at school, they are more likely to enjoy school, to trust and respect their teachers, and be concerned about and help others (Australian Education Research Organisation 2023).

At St Peter Chanel we will help grow connections by promoting inclusiveness, respect and community belonging for all students. Our students will participate in a number of activities on this day. 

This year's book fair theme is ‘Bookaneer - Books are the Treasure’. Our book fair will be held over book week, 21st - 25th August. Students will have the opportunity to look with their class at the book fair display to complete their ‘wishlists’. The fair will be open to families from 8.30am - 9.00am and 3.00pm - 3.30pm during this week. The fair will conclude on Friday morning. 

Our annual book week dress up day will be Thursday, 24th August. Students are encouraged to come along to school dressed as their favourite book character. There will be a parade on the basketball court at 9.00am or in the Josephite centre should the weather be inclement.  

Students will receive a book fair catalogue this afternoon.

Dyscalculia, a specific learning disorder with impairment in mathematics, is associated with significant difficulty understanding numbers and working with mathematical concepts.

An educational assessment or diagnosis can be an important step in identifying strengths and weaknesses, assessing the best approach to intervention to best support their difficulties in Mathematics.  Those diagnosed with dyscalculia require daily repetition to help them build confidence with familiar numbers, number facts and concepts in order to build accuracy and fluency for easier recall. 

Mrs Brooke Lardner

Student Support Coordinator

Over the past term, the Preps have been working very hard on their addition and subtraction skills. 

They have been learning about different strategies to complete addition and subtraction problems. They have embraced techniques such as counting on, where they build upon their existing knowledge to solve sums step by step. Additionally, the use of number lines have sparked their curiosity, enabling them to visualise the sequential nature of numbers. They have also been using concrete materials like counting blocks to complete their sums.   

The Preps have also been enjoying playing addition and subtractions games in pairs to help further build on their knowledge.

Food plays an important role in ensuring students are happy, healthy and resilient. Fuelling children with healthy food not only supports their growth and development, but also their mood, mental health and learning. Eating healthy lunches and snacks helps children concentrate and can also improve academic performance. To achieve positive outcomes in the classroom our students should be eating plenty of good nutritional and minimal processed foods. A good balance is to offer a variety of foods from the five good groups as suggested in the flyer. We are finding many students do not have enough food packed for their day and are complaining they are still hungry. Please ensure your child has a sufficient amount of food. This may be 2 sandwiches or an extra piece of fruit.