NEWSLETTER Issue 9 – 3 June 2015

Hello Everyone, In the spirit of the Athletics Carnival next week, and from a PE teacher background who loves what sport teaches children, I would like to share with you one of my favourite poems:

WINNERS VERSUS LOSERS The Winner is always part of the answer; the Loser is always part of the problem.

The Winner always has a program; the Loser always has an excuse. The Winner says, “Let me do it for you”; the Loser says, “That’s not my job.”

The Winner sees an answer for every problem; the Loser sees a problem for every answer. The Winner says, “It may be difficult but it is possible”; the Loser says, “It may be possible but it is too

difficult.” When a Winner makes a mistake, he says, “I was wrong”; when a Loser makes a mistake, he says, “It

wasn’t my fault.” A Winner makes commitments; a Loser makes promises.

Winners have dreams; losers have schemes. Winners say, “I must do something”; losers say, “Something must be done.”

Winners are a part of the team; losers are apart from the team. Winners see the gain; losers see pain.

Winners see possibilities; losers see problems. Winners believe in win/win; losers believe for them to win someone has to lose.

Winners see the potential; losers see the past. Winners are like a thermostat; losers are like thermometers. Winners choose what they say; losers say what they choose.

Winners use hard arguments, but soft words; losers use soft arguments, but hard words; Winners stand firm on values but compromise on petty things; losers stand firm on petty things but

compromise on values. Winners follow the philosophy of empathy: “Don’t do to others what you don’t want them to do to

you”; losers follow the philosophy, “Do it to others before they do it to you.” Winners make it happen; losers let it happen.

Author Unknown

What message are we as parents sending to our children? Are we going with our natural instinct to protect our children from failure so they can feel good about themselves and can taste at least some success? Or, are we saying get out there, have a go and don’t be afraid to make mistakes and learn from them? What is a better life lesson; winning when you only compete if you know you are a good chance of succeeding or working hard and not winning but knowing you worked hard and you got better? I realise this poem is more about a philosophy of life rather than an athletics carnival but in the high pressured environment of a sporting field you can often see the best and worst of people – and that’s just the spectators! The message from this poem is one which can be used to ensure our children become people who make a positive contribution wherever they go, rather than winning a couple of races. It would be wonderful to see as many of you, as possible, present at our first athletics carnival next Friday. I know Mrs Hinschen will be looking for parents to assist and Ms Raisbeck is looking for people to help out with the catering for the day. But above all it is a great day to come along and just be part of our great community.

I hope you have a great week, Mr David Paul Principal

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On Friday June 12th we will be holding our first St Brendan’s Athletics Carnival at Cathy Freeman Oval, Slade Point. The children are asked to come to school in the morning and travel to the event by bus. Parents have the option of taking their children home with them at the completion of the event. The children are able to wear a sun safe shirt the colour of their house on the day if they wish. High Jump will be held at school on Wednesday June 10th form 1pm to 3pm. If there are any parents willing to help with the running of the carnival please leave your name with Mrs Faloon in the office. The school will be running a canteen at the carnival and a menu for the day will be included in the newsletter. Please see article below under Tuckshop heading for more information.

Athletic Carnival Program Friday June 12th 2015 Cathy Freeman Oval

Time Event Age Groups

9.30am

800m

9 – 11 Years

10am

Field Events – Shot Put, Discus & Long Jump

9 – 11 Years

Field Activities

5 – 8 Years

11am

200m

9 – 11 Years

Lunch Break

11.30am

Sprints & Relays

5 – 11 Years

12.30pm

Ball Games

5 – 11 Years

1pm

Presentations

* Please be aware these are only estimated times and the times may vary slightly.

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We are now accepting Prep enrolments for 2016. If you have a child who will be attending Prep next year or know someone who does, enrolment packs can be collected from the office or emailed. Please contact Mrs Faloon for any enquiries. St Brendan’s Pre-Prep expressions of interest are still available at the school office for anyone wanting to book a place for 2016 and beyond. Pre-Prep and Kindy spots are filled in the order expressions of interest or applications are received. Enrolment packs will be sent out to families who have returned an expression of interest for 2016 in the near future. Applications for the position of Pre-Prep teacher will be advertised in the coming weeks. A reminder to parents we have now set up a closed parent group only for parents of enrolled students only to assist with sharing information in a secure way. The settings only allow information on this site to be seen and shared with others within the group. The page has also been renamed ‘Parents of St Brendan’s Mackay’ to avoid confusion. The link for the closed parent group is:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/stbrendansmackaynorthernbeaches/ We will be re-establishing our public page to promote our school to the wider community. Your assistance with sharing posts will be greatly appreciated. The link for the public page is: https://www.facebook.com/pages/St-Brendans-Catholic-Primary-School-Mackay-Northern-Beaches/638968652870460

St Brendan's Mum's and Staff night out! Friday 12th June - Pre-dinner drinks for those interested at the Northern Beaches Bowls Club from 6.30 pm (place your name on the list for the free shuttle bus home!) Dinner at Sky Phoenix (near Woolworths) 7.30pm Cost $32.00 for the banquet RSVP to Karen Phillips 0407 772 545 by Tuesday 9th June.

The school has recently received information from the Queensland Professional Standards Office in regard

to the Towards Healing Abuse Complaint Management Process. If you would like more information about

this process please contact the office for a brochure or contact our Catholic Education Student Protection

Coordinator (Anne Czekanski – 4931 3600) or the Diocesan Professional Standards Coordinator (Melissa

Davey – 1800 830 113) directly.

A reminder for all in our community that the male and female toilets in the undercover area and near the classrooms are for our students only. Adults and parents with younger children are most welcome to use the disabled signed toilets and the toilet located in the sick bay in the office. These requirements are in line with our Workplace Health and Safety and Student Protection regulations to ensure our children feel safe.

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To assist with catering at the Carnival, I am asking parents to prepare some of the items to be sold and for some helpers throughout the day. Please see Mrs Faloon in the office for a list of items required. There will be a paper bag system operating for the Prep and Year 1 students. Their orders can be placed at the Tuckshop on Wednesday or can be collected by their Teacher on the day of the Carnival. The Year 2 to 5 students will order directly from the canteen at the Carnival.

Sausage Sizzle …………… $2.00 Sausage Rolls …………… $2.50 Pies …………… $3.00 Fresh Sandwiches …………… $3.00 Chicken Caesar Wraps ………… $5.00

Lollies bags $2.00, Chocolates $1.50, sweet slices $1.00, Chips $1.50,

Chocolate crackles $1.00, Sherbert $1.00 Ice blocks $1.00 (Zooper Doopers)

Tea & Coffee $2.00, Water $2.00, Softdrinks $2.00

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CALENDAR

• Monday 8th June – Queen’s Birthday Public Holiday

• Wednesday 17th June – Anointing Mass at St Brendan’s Church

• Thursday 25th June – Show Holiday

Finding God in

All Things Shaye Gaviglio: APRE

Interesting Facts about our Holy Father: Pope Francis

*Pope Francis is the first Jesuit Pope, and the first Pope from the Americas *Before he became a Jesuit priest, Pope Francis worked as a bouncer in a

bar to help pay for his studies

*He chose the name Francis in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, a 13th

century monk known for his charity and kindness to animals.

*He is known for leading a simple life, and lives in a modest apartment and

cooks his own meals.

*He rode mass transit in Argentina, and chose to take a minivan with the

other cardinals, after he was elected pope, rather than ride in a special vehicle

*In his youth, he enjoyed dancing the tango with a girlfriend before

discovering a "religious vocation."

*He has a master’s degree in chemistry

*He is one of five children and his parents were from Italy

*He speaks 3 languages fluently: Spanish, Italian and German

*He is a huge soccer fan Sources: http://abcnews.go.com and www.telegraph.co.uk

“The first door is praying to Jesus. We must pray to Jesus to get to know him better. Pray to Jesus! …we’ll never

know Jesus without praying. Never!”

Pope Francis

www.news.va

The Most Holy Trinity

Year B Sunday, 31 May 2015

READINGS:

1st Reading: Deuteronomy 4:32-

34, 39-40.

2nd Reading: Romans 8:14-17.

Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20.

Image source: www.holycrosscatholic.org

Gospel Reflection ‘Go preach the Gospel to all nations!” That directive is given to you and to me as much as it was to those disciples standing on the mountain in Galilee. Personally, the directive worries me, and I’m fairly sure it worries you as well. How are we, in a society cynical of religion, to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ? How are we to preach Good News to people who seem to enjoy bad behaviour? How are we to preach life to a ‘culture of death’? The clue to how we are to do this comes when Jesus tells us to base all we do on him, his preaching, commands, authority and presence, and to baptise in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is not our work but how we work that reveals what animates us. Quite simply we have to regularly enter into ourselves and ask: how central Jesus is to our lives? There, we must be honest, for dishonesty in the heart is the worst dishonesty of all. Jesus himself will not force change. But if we are truly focused on him, we will then allow his teaching to shine in the ways we relate. Jesus’ ways of relating will led us into the life of God, the loving community of the Trinity. There is an integral resonance between how we relate to each other and to God. On these relationships lies our ability to preach the Gospel to the people we meet.

Source: Sr Kym Harris

further links, readings and reflections

can be found at: www.prayasyoucan.com.au

Image source: www.loyolapress.com

At the moment we have two families in our school, who are going through a difficult time due

to ill-health. If you would like to help out by preparing a delicious home-cooked meal (pre-prepared and frozen in a disposable container), please contact the office, to be added to a roster

Image source: www.quotesvalley.com

Thank you to everyone who supported

‘Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea’ last

Friday. We raised approximately $220 for

the Cancer Council.

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NATIONAL RECONCILIATION WEEK The 27th May – 3rd of June is National Reconciliation Week which is a campaign held every year in Australia that works to build stronger ties between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians. The Week is timed to coincide with two significant dates in Australia’s history, which provide strong symbols of our hopes and aims for reconciliation: The 27 of May starts reconciliation week and is the anniversary of the 1967 Referendum.

The 1967 Referendum was about amending The Australia Constitution Act 1900. The passing of the 1967 Referendum is recognised as the date that Indigenous Australian's were finally allowed to become citizens in their own country. Before this time they were considered to be part of the Australian flora and fauna.

June 3rd is Mabo Day and marks the Anniversary of 1992 High Court of Australia decision that terra nullius should not have been applied to Australia. This decision recognised that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have rights to the land – rights that existed before the British arrived and still exist today. The Mabo decision was named after Eddie Mabo, the man who challenged the Australian legal system and fought for recognition of the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional owners of their land. The Mabo decision was a turning point for the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ rights, as it acknowledged their unique connection with the land. It also led to the Australian Parliament passing the Native Title Act in 1993. Reconciliaiton week is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements and to explore how each of us can join the National Reconciliation effort. In acknowledging Reconciliation week it is important for us to recognise that each of us has a part to play, no matter how small, to achieve justice for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples and to help heal our relationships. We need to not only recognise the richness and diversity of the first people’s cultures, but we also need to remember the past and make commitments for change.

Bree Sinn Indigenous Education Liaison Officer http://www.reconciliation.org.au/nrw/what-is-nrw/

Reconciliation Prayer Holy Father, God of Love You are the Creator of this land and all good things We acknowledge the pain and shame of our history And the suffering of our peoples. And we ask your forgiveness. We thank you for the survival of Indigenous cultures Our hope is in you because you gave your son Jesus To reconcile the world to you. We pray for your strength and grace to forgive, Accept and love one another, As you love us and forgive and accept us In the sacrifice of your Son. Give us the courage to accept the realities of our history So that we may build a better future for our nation.

Teach us to respect all cultures. Teach us to care for our land and waters. Help us to share justly the resources of this land. Help us to bring about spiritual and social change To improve the quality of life for all groups in our communities, Especially the disadvantaged. Help our young people to find true dignity and self esteem by your Spirit May your power and love be the foundations on which we build our families, our communities and our Nation. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen (Wontulp Bi-Buya Indigenous Theology Working Group 13 March 1997 Brisbane, Qld.)

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MACKAY DANCE FOR DANIEL WEIGHT WATCHERS

Weight Watchers Mackay Northern Beaches State High School, Rosewood Drive, RURAL VIEW Next Meeting at 8.00am Saturday – Contact Bernadette Badke for more information 0400 442018

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STUDENTS OF THE WEEK 2015

TERM 2 - Week 5

LEVEL REASON NAME

Prep V

For being such a great word detective in our room and for experimenting with writing. Willow Morris

Prep D

For the great way she has been working in guided reading groups. Sienna Brunker

Year 1

For producing a fantastic piece of artwork, Well done Lily.

Lily Taylor

Year 2

Summar for working extra hard during the writing activity this week. Awesome effort.

Summar McConkey

Year 3

Khadin, I am so proud of the effort you have been putting into your learning. It is great to see you have such a positive attitude towards school. Keep up the great work!

Khadin Williams

Year 4/5

For your efforts towards your writing. This week, I was blown away after reading such a well written and imaginative story entitled “Flying Blind”.

Krystopher Gakowski

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STUDENTS OF THE WEEK 2015

Term 2 – week 6

LEVEL REASON NAME

Prep V

For working so well with the other members of your group during literacy and numeracy rotations.

Jessica McLennan

Prep D

For the great way he is sounding out words during writing and reading sessions

Daniel Wood

Year 1

For the wonderful retell you wrote on „Rascal the Dragon‟. Well done Aston.

Aston Paganoni

Year 2

For always trying her very best in everything she does, Well done Brooklyn

Brooklyn McDowall

Year 3

You are such a quiet achiever. You always work hard no matter what the task may be. Keep up the great work!

Danielle Gallate

Year 4/5

For your efforts towards school this week. You have been trying really hard with your work, especially with maths. Well Done!

Galilee Zaloumis

3rd June 2015

Dear Parents and Carers

This letter has been sent to all parents and carers of students in our school to inform them of our

participation in the 2015 data collection.

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on Students with Disability

All schools in Australia are required to participate in the 2015 Nationally Consistent Collection of Data

on School Students with Disability.

What is the National Collection of Data on School Students with Disability?

All Australian governments have agreed to work together to implement a new annual national data

collection on school students with disability. This data collection process is being phased in over a three

year period from 2013-2015. The first two years were a transition period.

In 2015, the first full national collection of data on school students with disability will take place in all

Australian schools. From then on, this data collection will occur in every school, every year, along with

other school data collections.

What does disability mean?

This new national data collection will reinforce the actions required of schools under the National

Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005. The significant

change with this collection is the use of a broader definition of disability than the one currently used to

identify and allocate resources in educational systems. As a result of this shift in the definition we

believe that more students in our community may be considered eligible for identification in the data

collection. These laws mean that schools and education systems are required to make, where needed,

reasonable adjustments for students with disability.

What is an adjustment?

An adjustment is a measure or action taken to assist a student with disability to participate in

education on the same basis as other students. Adjustments can be made across the whole school

setting, in the classroom and at the individual level. Some students with disability, at particular stages

during their time at school, may not require any personalised adjustments beyond the differentiation

that teachers provide to all students on a day-to-day basis. Differentiation occurs when teachers use a

variety of teaching strategies to cater for reasonable adjustments for students with disability.

Differentiation is not the same as personalised adjustments made for individual students.

Differentiation is part of good teaching practice.

What will this mean for my child?

Determining the level and type of support needed for an individual student is not a new activity for

Australian schools. The information provided by this new data collection will enable all Australian

governments to better target support and resources to assist students with disability in both

government and non-government schools. More accurate information about school students with

disability will assist teachers, principals and education authorities to support access and participation in

schooling for students with disability on the same basis as students without disability.

What information will be collected?

In 2015 the data will be collected during August and will include:

• Total number of school students

• Number of students with disability by school level enrolment (primary/secondary)

• Number of students within disability type (physical, social/emotional, cognitive or sensory)

• Level of adjustment provided (Support provided within quality differentiated teaching practice,

supplementary, substantial or extensive)

Information will be recorded in such a way to be sure that no child can be identified. Student names

will not be collected by the Diocesan Catholic Education Office.

Further information

Further information can be found at the following website including parent/carer factsheets.

http://education.gov.au/what-nationally-consistent-collection-data-school-students-disability

Should you have questions, the school contact person is Janine Refalo, Learning Support Co-ordinator.

What do I need to do?

If, after reading this information, you decide that you do not want any information on your child’s

educational adjustments added to the data please complete the attached form and submit it to the

school office by 17th June 2015.

Kind Regards

David Paul

Principal

NATIONALLY CONSISTENT COLLECTION OF DATA ON STUDENTS WITH DISABILITY

PARENT/CARER WITHDRAWAL OF CONSENT FORM

I/we ______________________________________________________________ [Name of

parent/carer] have been informed of the purpose and extent of the Nationally Consistent Collection

of Data on Students with Disability process. Based on our understanding of the process as outlined by

the school and from the website http://education.gov.au/what-nationally-consistent-collection-data-

school-students-disability we choose for our child’s information on educational adjustments

implemented to be excluded from the Nationally Consistent Data Collection.

Parent/Carer signature: ______________________________ Date: _______________________