Term 1

WEEK 8

Mon 12th

– 18th

Mar Thurs Swimming

Carnival Fri Lenten Prayer

Assembly Yr 4C National Day of

Action against Bullying and Violence

WEEK 9

Mon 19

th – 25

th Mar

Wed Harmony Day Fri Lenten Prayer

Assembly Yr 5K

Newsletter No: 8 Wednesday, 14th

March, 2018

Dear Parents and Friends,

SWIMMING CARNIVAL The 2018 MacKillop Swimming Carnival is scheduled for tomorrow Thursday 15

th March at the

Pioneer Swimming Pool. This is always a wonderful day and an opportunity where we as a school community, can display team spirit through participation in swimming events, cheering on the competitors and having an enjoyable day. All students are expected to attend the swimming carnival, to participate and have a go. If there is a

reason that your child is unable to swim then please send in a note. They however, will still be required to attend the carnival and participate in cheering for their peers. Thank you to all the staff who have assisted with organising this event and the parents that have volunteered their time to help out at our carnival. Students are reminded, as in previous carnivals, that they must sit in the stands with their team and NOT with their parents. If students wander off to sit with parents we can take no responsibility for

them missing their races. Please help us marshal the children effectively by encouraging them to stay in the correct area. Some general organisation notes about the carnival:

All students in Years 3 - 6 are required to remain at the pool for the duration of the carnival and support fellow team members.

Year 1 and 2 students will be travelling back to school at approximately 11.15am. During their stay with us the teachers are organising them in their swimming events as well as alternating with some rotation activities this year. Year 1 & 2 students are not allowed to remain at the pool to watch older siblings they must go back to school.

Children will need to bring their morning tea and lunch to the pool. The canteen will be open for snacks during the day (drinks, lollies).

All students are expected to come to school first on Thursday morning for a roll call and then travel to the pool via the bus with their class.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the P&F for their generous donation to cover the hire costs for the pool for our carnival.

Thank you for your support with this. We look forward to seeing you all at the carnival. It should be an enjoyable day.

PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS

Thank you to those parents who attended Parent Teacher Interviews last night. I hope you found them beneficial and that they allowed you to see how your child is developing socially, emotionally, physically, spiritually and academically in class. Thank you to the dedicated teachers who have spent many hours preparing for the evening. Your commitment and professionalism is appreciated.

LEADERSHIP TEAM CONFERENCE Next week from lunchtime Monday until Friday, Helen Privett, Kristy Cundell and I will be joining other leadership teams in our Diocese for a Leadership Teams Conference in Rockhampton. During this time please see Veronica Martin for any urgent queries or concerns.

VACATION CARE If you are requiring a position at our Outside School Hours Care program for the holidays coming up, can you please contact Larissa on 0417291439 to secure a place. The program can be found at the back of the newsletter.

P&F ASSOCIATION

Many thanks to all of the parents who attended our Annual General Meeting for the P&F on Monday night. My sincere thanks goes out to our 2017 Executive: Mrs Melissa Durnsford (President), Mrs Paula La Gerche (Vice President), Mrs Kristy Doumergue (Secretary) and Mrs Penny McGuiness (Treasurer).

These ladies will continue on in these roles for 2018 and we thank them for so generously taking on these positions again this year. Paula La Gerche has also volunteered to take on the role of Regional Delegate.

I look forward to working with you this year and offer you our best wishes and support as well as looking forward to your help and contribution towards our school.

PREP PICTORIAL FEATURE IN DAILY MERCURY It is that time of the year again when we have been invited to participate in the Prep Pictorial Feature to be published in the Daily Mercury on Wednesday 21

st March. This is an

opportunity for our Prep students to have their photo in the paper.

NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION AGAINST BULLYING AND VIOLENCE

Our school will be participating in the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence on Friday 16

th March. All classes will be completing lessons focusing

on strategies to deal with situations that involve bullying and exploring the role of bystanders as well as the reporting of incidents of bullying. We also invite all students to wear ONE orange item of clothing with their sport’s uniform. This could be an orange t-shirt,

ribbon, socks, shorts etc. Please remember clothes must be sun-

smart. Because the term has been used so frequently in our society in recent years, many children misunderstand the true meaning of the term – bullying. The definition below comes from the Australian government website and is most helpful in giving children the true meaning of the term, bullying. We encourage you to read through this with your children. This definition will be discussed during class lessons on the topic. This is a most important subject and we appreciate your support in helping us to educate our students in dealing with it, in an informed way.

National definition of Bullying for Australian Schools What is Bullying? - "Bullying is an ongoing misuse of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical and/or social behaviour that causes physical and/or psychological harm. It can involve an individual or a group misusing their power over one or more persons. Bullying can happen in person or online, and it can be obvious (overt) or hidden (covert). Bullying of any form or for any reason can have long-term effects on those involved, including bystanders. Single incidents and conflict or fights between equals, whether in person or online, are not defined as bullying."

Website for further information – www.bullyingnoway.gov.au

At MacKillop Catholic Primary School, we aim to create a safe and supportive school community for everyone. Sometimes, it can be difficult for parents or carers to know what to do when their child talks to them about bullying. You are an important part of our work to prevent bullying and to respond effectively if it happens.

Stopping bullying involves everyone. If your child talks to you about bullying: 1. Listen calmly and get the full story. Your calm response is

important to allow your child to tell you all about the situation. After they’ve told you their story, ask questions to get more details if you need to: who, what, where, when. Although you may feel some strong emotions about your child’s experience, try to keep calm to avoid more distress to your child. 2. Reassure your child they are not to blame. Many children blame

themselves and this may make them feel even worse. You could say things like, ‘That sounds really hard to deal with. No one should have to put up with that.’ or ‘I’m so glad you told me. You should be able to feel safe at school; that’s not fair at all’. 3. Ask your child what they want to do and what they want you to

do. A critical part of your response is to avoid jumping in to solve the problem. While it is natural to want to protect your child, helping them to find their own solution is a better option. It helps them feel they have some power in the situation. 4. Visit www.bullyingnoway.gov.au to find some strategies. The

website has tips and ideas for different bullying situations. One idea is to practise strategies at home to help your child feel more confident. 5. Contact our school. Your child may be reluctant for you to do

this, so discuss the idea and reassure them that the school would want to know and is able to help. Make an appointment to meet with your child’s teacher and, if you need to, ask to talk with the principal.

Contact the school immediately if you have a concern about your child’s safety.

6. Check in regularly with your child; keep the conversation going.

It can take time to resolve issues, so check in regularly with your child about their experiences and their feelings. Your ongoing support is important. If you are looking for support for yourself to deal with a bullying situation, you will find ideas on the Bullying. No Way! website for parents. As well, please contact our school if you would like to discuss any aspect of our approach to preventing bullying. Thanks for your support to make our school a great school for everyone.

URGENT - We still need a class coordinator for 6PG Co-ordinators would usually organise a social event for their class each term/semester, welcome any new families to your class and in fete years assist with co-ordinating your class stall for the fete. If you would like to take this role on, please complete the following and drop it into the office. I can send home a brochure outlining your role. Yes – I ________________________ would love to volunteer to be Class Co-ordinator in 2018 for my child’s class. Year Level _______________.

Thanks to those parents who have already volunteered to be class coordinators this year.

Class Name Class Name Prep J

Kym-Maree

Abell Year 1P Kerry Davis

Year 2D Kimberley Hill Year 2N Jodie Hopton

Year 3CR Justine Harriott

Year 4C & 4M

Shayne Dlask and Nicole Peever

Year 5K Kristy Doumergue

Year 6PG Year 6R Mina Ackerman

COLES 'SPORTS FOR SCHOOLS' PROGRAM

MacKillop has registered for the 2018 Coles Sports for Schools program. Now all you have to do is collect as many vouchers as you can from 7th February to 15th June. This is how it works:

Step 1: For every $10 spent a Coles you will receive one Sports for Schools voucher

Step 2: Bring your vouchers to school and place them in the collection box in the office

Step 3: Every voucher received will go towards a tally. MacKillop will

then be able to order the sports equipment to the value of the vouchers.

Start collecting now!

PRAYERS

Please remember in your prayers anyone who is

sick within our community.

William Ramshaw (Beau’s brother) who is unwell

at this time. We pray for God’s healing.

PREP ENROLMENTS 2019 Enrolments for Prep are currently being taken for the 2019 school year. If you have a child due to commence Prep next year born between July 1, 2013 and June 30, 2014 please complete an enrolment form available from the school office or download from the school’s website. Enrolments for Years 1—6 are also currently being taken for 2019. When returning the enrolment form, please ensure there is a certified copy of your child’s birth certificate,

baptismal certificate & immunisation records. It is essential that we have our current families accounted for so that we know the number of places available for new families. We need to sight the original birth certificate or have a certified copy please.

OFFICE DISPLAY BY YEAR 1P

Our current office display is presented by Year 1P. Please come in and have a look.

Keep Smiling

Allison Blakey

Principal

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT – Weekend 17/18 March Readings: Yr B: Jer 31:31-34; Heb 5:7-9; Jn 12:20-33 The readings remind us that our relationship with God is one that is deep and lasting – at least from God’s viewpoint!

The prophet Jeremiah speaks of the emergence of a ‘new covenant’ and offers us these words: “Deep within them, I will plant my law, writing it on their hearts.”

Let's pause for a few seconds and reflect on the implications of these words. God calls us into a mature and deeper relationship that will grow as we grow. The Gospel story has Jesus speaking to two of his disciples, Andrew and Philip, of his own imminent death. He

uses the image of the grain of wheat which must die to yield a rich harvest. Together these readings can help us appreciate and understand the depth of love and faithfulness required to live in right relationships with God and others. The weekly Project Compassion Lenten story from Caritas Australia this week revisits Ditosa’s story from 2013. With your contributions to Project Compassion, Caritas Australia was supporting the Matuba Children’s Centre in Mozambique which provided vulnerable children with study help, food, and training in activities such as sewing and growing vegetables. Five years on, Ditosa is now 17, has completed her education and is looking forward to a bright and just future. This program reflects the strength of Caritas’ long term commitment and willingness to allow ‘new green shoots’ to ‘yield a rich harvest’- which is so obvious in the changes in Ditosa’s life and the maturing partnerships which began five years ago. For Ditosa and many other young people, a just future started with education. A thought to take away. What seeds lie dormant in each one of us and within our communities that could grow into a new harvest yielding a more just and peaceful future?

Fifth Week of Lent

Ditosa, a young girl from Mozambique, went to live with her grandmother after her parents died of AIDS-related illnesses. Featured in Project Compassion during 2013, Ditosa faced a challenging future with food scarcity, little education and few job prospects. Ditosa and

her grandmother found support through the Caritas Australia supported Matuba Children’s Centre. Ditosa has now graduated from school and hopes to go to university and secure an even brighter future.

Please donate to Project Compassion 2018 and help young women like Ditosa have a just future.

A Just Future starts with your support! You can donate through

Project Compassion boxes/envelopes, visit

www.caritas.org.au/projectcompassion or phone 1800 024 413..

SACRAMENTAL DATES!

Family Workshop –Repeated tonight - Wednesday 14th

March 7pm – St Joseph’s Church

Take some time to reflect on where Jesus

has been in your life today.

God Bless,

Helen Privett

Assistant Principal Religious Education

MACKILLOP HALL OF FAME

Congratulations to Kelsey Waldon who has been selected for the Qld Indoor Cricket U14 girls team. They play in the Australian Underage Championships in Toowoomba in July. Well done Kelsey! Rory Franklin was selected for the Under 11 Mackay Rep side and went to Rockhampton a few weeks ago. They won, resulting in Mackay retaining the Hans Mark Shield for another 12 months. Awesome effort Rory! Matilda Richards will be going to the Mackay District Trials after making it into the Cumberland Rugby League Team. Way to go Matilda

SWIMMING CARNIVAL

Our annual swimming carnival will be held tomorrow at the Pioneer Pool. Starting time is approx. 9.30am. Children will be required to come to school first and catch the bus to the pool. Thank you to staff and parents for their continued support and help. Lifesavers are generally required until 11.00am. Medals will be given for Age Champions for 2009 - 2005 boys and girls. The John Lyons Medal is based on the best time. Students who do compete in this event will still get points to go towards Age Champion. Ribbons will be handed out back at school, so they do not get wet or damaged. In the event of wet weather, a text message will be sent out in the morning. Thanks again and looking forward to a fabulous day.

CATHOLIC SWIMMING CARNIVAL Depending on your child’s performance at the school swimming carnival, they may be invited to attend the Catholic School Swimming Carnival on Wednesday 28

th March at 6.00pm at the

Pioneer Pool. Your child will get a letter early next week if they are eligible to attend this event.

If you are excelling in a Sport or Physical Activity

outside school please let us know!!!!!!!

This is definitely worth celebrating!!

YEAR 2N SOCIAL

Sunday 25th March

Meet at John Breen Park at 3.00pm

Bring along your scooters, feed the ducks…..

RSVP by Thursday 22

nd March

Jodie 0487 285 216

Prep J Heremia Le Bas

For your tremendous improvement in your have-a-go attitude. This is one of our MacKillop mottos and you are achieving it in Prep. Keep it up! Proud of you!

Oliver Paskins For always going about your activities in a quiet

manner, never making a fuss and giving everything 100% effort. I like the way you complete one activity fully before going on to the next activity. Super work!

1P Maitland Bray It is lovely to see that you are already discovering

your writing ‘voice’. You put lots of time and effort into planning your ideas and your writing is always interesting and enjoyable to read. Awesome effort Maitland!

Tiaan Slattery Thanks for always being happy to share your

thoughts when we are generating our ideas for writing. Your readiness to explain your thinking often helps your classmates with their ideas too. Keep up the fabulous effort Tiaan!

2D Matilda Donald Matilda, I am blown away by your improvements in

writing and reading. Each day you give 110% and do not ever give up. Keep on aiming for the stars Matilda, because one day you’ll reach them!

Max Gauci Max, this week you shared a lot of words that we

may use to solve our graph problem solving question. You explained to the class the meaning of “votes” and linked it with examples of graphs. Keep up your hard work Max!

2N Alice Cundell For always working well in class Alice. You have

listened carefully to instructions and completed your tasks in a timely manner with great care. I also love that you ask questions and show pride in your work. Awesome work!

Nate Vlekken I am so impressed Nate by your Mathematics

knowledge. This week you demonstrated that you can create your own graph and interpret other graphs very well. You were also able to solve the open-ended Mathematics Problem of the Week in many different ways. Great work!

3CR Jayden Cridland Jayden, you are a Mathematics champion! Not

only are you on track with using our CUBES strategy to solve daily mathematical problems, but this week you were the only person in 3CR to get one of the trickiest NAPLAN practise questions correct! You used a ‘process of elimination’ and great subtraction skills to find the correct answer. I was very impressed and so were your classmates!

Callum McKenzie Callum, you are full of wonderful surprises! I am

so impressed with your commitment to learning this term. You are really excelling with our class learning goal of writing a paragraph with a topic sentence, supporting details and conclusion. Each day, you write the “ultimate deluxe burger paragraph” and were the first 3CR person to win, “Harry the Hamburger”, for the day! I can’t wait to see what you can do next! Georgie Rentoul Georgie, I just love it when you read aloud! You approach even the trickiest of books with such confidence and the expression in your voice just brings the words on the page to life! You always work diligently during reading group time and strive to improve your personal reading goal. With

this commitment, you are bound to keep meeting success!

4C Declan Garnham For the way you use your Mathematical reasoning

to explain your thinking during our problem solving lessons. I also appreciate the effort you have put into improving your dreaming story this week. Well done Declan!

Bella McClarty For a fantastic effort with calculating change in our

Maths lessons this week. I was impressed with the way you persisted with your working out until you arrived at your answer. Keep it up Bella!

4M Eva Hooper For successfully using the CUBES strategy this

week. You stepped out of your comfort zone to try new things and it worked! Keep it up Eva!

Kallis Stevens You gave a very distinct picture of what you

wanted to communicate in your Dreaming narrative. We could tell it was your voice in the

story by the way you presented your ideas clearly, without frills and distractions. Way to go Kallis!

5K Rory Franklin Your inquisitive nature and determination are

positive qualities that will contribute to your ongoing learning journey. You willingly encourage and support others with their learning.

Amelia Hopton Your eagerness towards your assessment tasks is

inspirational. You are keen to share your ideas and check that you are on track. Keep up the good work Amelia.

6PG Harper Ford For your enthusiasm in finding out about the

survival stories presented by your classmates. You display a high level of interest in all presentations and have thoughtful questions and comments to offer at the end. Thanks Harper!

Jasslyn Laflamme For your comments and understandings in our

Religion lessons. You shared interesting stories regarding the biblical events we were discussing in class. Great work Jasslyn!

6R Abby Headland Your draft of your persuasive letter is right on

track! You are embracing the opportunity to ‘bump up’ your writing by using feedback offered to you through your Google doc to your advantage. You have started each paragraph with a statement that clearly outlines your topic and position, and you are using key words to signify the order of your ideas. It is wonderful to see you striving to produce your best.

Holly Pennisi You put a great deal of effort into producing work

that you are proud of and it shows. Your books are presented neatly and I commend you for your excellent attitude to work hard to do just that little bit extra. I love the way you have been confidently contributing during class activities.

PE Award Flynn Bailey For showing great ‘sportsmanship’ during PE

lessons. You are a great role model! Declan Garnham For showing great ‘sportsmanship’ during PE

lessons. Thanks for being a great role model! Media Award

Emeline Fletcher Wow Emeline! I love the way that you can now independently access our games to work on your mouse skills during our Media lessons. You were able to match up the shapes correctly to finish the building. Well done Emeline! Makadee Hamann I love to see the enthusiasm that you have had with our Media project! You and Olivia have worked really hard together with creating your digital story! I can’t wait to read the final finished story! Well done girls!!

Olivia Pennisi

I love to see the enthusiasm that you have had with our Media project! You and Makadee have worked really hard together with creating your digital story! I can’t wait to read the final finished story! Well done girls!!

Principal’s Award

Year 3CR

In recognition of your hard work learning how to write effective paragraphs. Well done Year 3!

Mar 12 Luke Devitt 12 Amelia Phillips

These children have been ‘Making Jesus Real’ at MacKillop.

Congratulations!

P & F AGM

Our AGM was held on Monday night, thanks to those who attended. The following positions were elected. President – Melissa Durnsford Vice President – Paula La Gerche Secretary – Kristy Doumergue Treasurer - Penny McGuiness Regional Delegate – Paula La Gerche

CENT SALE & RAFFLE PRIZES

We are starting to collect cent sale and raffle prizes for our fete this year. If you wish to make a donation please drop off at the office. If you own a business this may be a great way to promote it.

FAMILY PHOTO FUNDRAISER

Our family photo fundraiser has been booked for Sunday 13th May.

Photos are $20 and include a free keying. There is no generation rule, and it is open to everyone, not just our families. Please contact Justine Harriott on 0431525904 to book your spot. What a great way to commemorate Mother’s Day.

DATE CLAIMERS

Swimming Carnival – Thursday 15th

March

Pizza Meal Day – Monday 26th March

Fete Meeting/P&F Meeting – Monday 23rd

April

Family Photo Fundraiser – Sunday 13th May

If you have any suggestions for the P & F, please fill out a suggestion form available in the office and pop it into the red box. Alternatively you can email your suggestions to secretarymackillop@gmail.com Remember to check out the MacKillop P & F page on the website where you can find our contact details and the latest meeting minutes. MacKillop

Catholic Primary School.

Mel, Paula, Kristy & Penny

TUCKSHOP ROSTER Fri 16/03 Ashleigh Lindner Tiffany Barrow Tui Eddison Wed 21/03 Mary Bruce Kim Hill

TUCKSHOP HELPERS - PLEASE WEAR CLOSED IN SHOES

MARCH SPECIAL OF THE MONTH

Hotdogs $3.00 each With cheese & sauce extra 30c

Blueberry and American Choc Chip muffins are currently available in the tuckshop for $1.50 ea

Please ensure tuckshop orders are written on brown paper bags and remember to write your child’s name and class on

the bag so their lunch goes into the correct box. If you are unable to work your rostered day could you please contact Jo Oliver by phone or text 0413 672 920.

MacKillop Catholic Primary School Swimming Carnival

15th March 2018 – SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Approx. times only

War Cry Competition

9:30am John Lyons Medal (50m Breaststroke and 50m Freestyle)

9:50am Junior Program (children born 2013-2011)

- Kickboard races

- 25m Freestyle races

- 25m Breaststroke races

- 25m Backstroke races

- 25m Butterfly races

10:50am Senior Program (children born 2010-2005)

- 25m Freestyle races

- 25m Breaststroke races

- 25m Backstroke races

- 25m Butterfly races

12pm LUNCH BREAK

12:30pm Senior Program continued (children born 2010-2005)

- 50m Freestyle races

- 50m Breaststroke races

- 50m Backstroke races

- 50m Butterfly races

1.15pm Relays

- Junior race (Mixed girls and boys BORN 20010-2008)

- Senior race (Mixed girls and boys BORN 2007-2005)

- Parent/Staff/Student Novelty Relay Race (if time permits)

1:45pm Presentation of Trophies

2018 Sports Captains BLUE GOLD GREEN

Marshall Hokins Chelsea Kitchin Toby Reid

Holly Pennisi Saskia Allen Jude Ackerman

Thanks to Kym Abell

for organising the

disco, P&F, parents

and staff who

assisted on the

evening and the SRC.

It was a great night.

QUEEN’S BATON RELAY Next Tuesday 20th March our two School Captains Ben Devitt and Hayley O’Neill will be representing MacKillop at the Queen’s Baton Relay at PCYC. This will be a wonderful experience for these students. Please be aware there may be traffic delays around town which may affect pick up time as various roads are closed. Road closures, traffic delays and traffic diversions are expected from 1pm-3pm surrounding Norris Road and Malcomson Street and from 3pm - 6pm in the Mackay City Heart Centre (including the River Street Boat ramp) You can visit www.mackay.qld.gov.au/qbr for further information.