18 March 2016

Newsletter Articles

Principal's News

Dear Parents and Carers

On Monday night, Daniel Sims and Lillian Manahan competed in the local Lions Youth of the Year Competition. Both students presented exceptionally well, and were a cut-above their competition. Lillian won "Best Speech" and was declared the overall winner. Lillian now moves on to the Regional Final in Goondiwindi on Saturday.

Further to student success, Isabel Kay (Swimming), Ally McLellan and Anika Spiller (Football) and Shania Newman (Netball) have been selected to the respective Darling Downs teams. The State titles for these sports take place in the coming weeks and months, and we wish these students all the best. Selection in to a Darling Downs team is no mean feat, given that the trials are highly competitive, attracting only the best athletes from the region.

This is the final newsletter for the Term, and it is an opportunity for students and their families to reflect on students' academic progress. Secondary students will receive a written Interim Report, which will be posted during the last week of school, and all P-12 families will be invited to Parent-Teacher interviews early in Term 2. Of course, as is always the case, parents and carers are encouraged to contact their child's teacher with any concerns or for an update on progress as required. Contact by email is the preferred method, initially.

Easter is upon us and this celebration is the major feast in the Christian calendar. Easter comes at the end of 40 days of sacrifice. Some have given up something they normally enjoy, or have gone without non-essential things. At school, we have focused on the idea of 'sacrifices of love': ways in which we can put others ahead of ourselves. The idea of 'sacrifice of love' comes to fruition in the death of Christ – the ultimate act of selfless love. At Easter, death turns into life, which is a new life forged by God through the death and resurrection of His Son. It's all a pretty complex theological concept, which is difficult to understand and requires some explanation particularly for young children. So here is a summary:

• God promised that good would triumph over evil; death would be defeated by life. Read the Our Father: "thy Kingdom, thy Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
• Jesus's death on the cross and his resurrection is God keeping the promise. All those who believe in God and accept Christ will have eternal life.
• This belief is at the heart of our Christian belief. Without it, we are no longer Christians. So goes the saying: "We are Easter people."
• The Easter season runs for 50 days and concludes at Pentecost. So we can say Happy Easter to one another every day. And it is happy: because it represents the promise of eternal life.
• Custom has it that we give Easter eggs to one another. This is an important symbol of new life – the new life we all have in Christ because of His death and resurrection. We shouldn't lose the significance of the symbol of the Easter egg, which is often sidelined by consumerism.

I encourage all families to go their chosen places of worship over this Easter season. Catholics are obligated to receive communion during the Easter season, so why not celebrate the Easter Vigil (a spectacle of light and full of wonder, especially for children) or Easter Sunday. It is the most joyful time of our Christian faith; even Christmas is considered preparation for Easter. Enjoy this special time with your family.

Dr Michael McCarthy
Principal

Lillian Manahan and Dan Sims at the Lions Youth of the Year

Leader's News

How quickly did that Term go by? In all the rush and hustle and bustle of school and family life that Term, to me, has literally flown by.

On the Primary Campus we have had students attending numerous sporting trials for inclusion in Granite Belt and ultimately Darling Downs or even State teams. All students have settled into routines with new teachers and new classmates and the work I see going on as I visit classrooms is impressive. Each class is abuzz with learning and the happiness of the students is evident.

Sometimes with all the rush to fill our lives with activity and 'busyness' we can fail to take time to reflect on how our lives are going and the blessings that surround us every day. One way that this reflection can be undertaken in a spiritual sense is through the Ignatian prayer practice of the Examen.

The Daily Examen is a technique of prayerful reflection on the events of the day in order to detect God's presence and discern his direction for us. The Examen is an ancient practice in the Church that can help us see God's hand at work in our whole experience. If you are interested in exploring this reflective prayer practice please follow this link for a video explaining the practice.

During the school holidays that follow I wish you all time to rest, relax and enjoy the company of your families without the rush of school life and enjoy the special time of the church year that is the Easter season.

Examen
Time to be with each other

David Fleming
Assistant Principal Primary

Primary Students Celebrate PI Day

School News

Year 2B Newsletter

Our Year 6 Buddies!

This term 2B has been spending some time with the students from 5/6I. Every Monday morning our two classes came together to read, draw and play some games together. This is a great way for the students to make new friends within the school. It also gives the Year Two students someone older to look up to and to find if they need help on the playground.

The two classes have been reading to each other for the first two weeks, which is a great way for the 2B students to gain confidence! The Year 5 and 6 students also planned some games for the younger kids to play, which they loved. It has been really fun spending time with the older kids and we hope to continue our Buddy Time next term!

Fun Times with Art

This term 2B has completed lots of different artworks to decorate the classroom. It has also taught the Year Two students some wonderful art skills such as: cutting, collage, paper folding and creating artworks for a particular audience. The first artworks we completed this term were our entries for the show. The theme this year was 'Celebrations and Festivals' and each student picked something they liked about The Stanthorpe Show to draw. Magnolia did a wonderful painting which got her a second place prize!

We then began to work on collage. The first artwork we created was a drawing of an owl which we decorated with pictures from magazines. The students had to focus on what colours they wanted and be creative when drawing their own owl. We continued our work with collage by then creating a Valentine's Day card using the same technique – but instead the focus was on pink and red colours.

There have been three other art activities we have completed this term; accordion folded arm robots, stars for a classroom mobile and swirling snakes. These have all been put on display in the classroom. It has been great having some parents coming in during the term to help!

What have the year 10 students been doing this term for Pastoral Care?

This term the focus has been on the nature of the developing teenager and how this impacts on the young person's decision making process. We have together looked at choices that young people make and living a healthy lifestyle particularly with the inclusion of drug education. We have also had a visit by the local dietician, Charlotte Bush, to help the students look at their eating habits. Time has been made for organisation and management of their academic week. A very busy term!

Roamin' with St Joseph's at the Apple and Grape

The spirit of St Joseph's students was shown at the Apple and Grape parade with just over 100 students from both campuses participating in our school float and march on what was a beautiful and hot day! Going with the theme of the Apple and Grape ball of 'When in Rome', our students dressed up in the traditional Roman attire of togas embellished with waist ties and flags in our school colours of green, red and yellow. We wore green leaf head wreaths, made by the primary school students and marched proudly behind our float designed by Miss Cullinan. Our school captains Daniel Sims and Lilly Manahan became a gladiator and Roman goddess and stood next to our principal Mr McCarthy, our Roman senator who sat in a gold draped chair eating grapes. Either side of the red carpet sat our Roman ladies (Yr 9 students) and Roman soldiers (Yr 7 and 9 boys), guarding our leader. Our prefects – Sarah, Shannon, Sam, Caitlin - and other senior students carried signs in front of and either side of our float, showing our school emblem, sports houses, and our mercy values. It was a great day enjoyed by all.

A massive thank you to all the parents and families who donated fabric and gave time to help decorate the float. It was greatly appreciated.

Mrs Courtney Mason

Trade Training Centre Welding

Over the last 5 weeks, 10 Technology Studies have been visiting the Trade Training Centre to gain skills in MIG welding. The students have been welding a series of coupons, taking photos and analysing their welds. Students have gone from compete novices to being able to understand the welder's settings, the need for regular maintenance and safety considerations. In a few short weeks their welding skills have increased dramatically with many students showing potential in this area. Year 10 Technology Studies students should be commended for their ability to embrace the challenge of learning new skills and for their excellent behaviour during these visits.

Mr James Way

Sports News

Cross Country

The annual Cross Country will be held on Thursday the 24th of March at the Stanthorpe Sports Club (Golf Club)

Students are to come to school as usual in the morning and attend our Easter Stations of the Cross Liturgy. A full timetable for events are listed below.

EVENT TIMES

Our 5 to 8 years students will arrive at 12:50 and return to school at 1:20. All other students are expected to stay at the carnival and return to school for dismissal.

Matthew Brown and David Fleming

Darling Downs Representative

Good luck to Isabel Kay who will represent the Darling Downs at the Swimming State Titles from this weekend. Isabel will be competing in 50 metres Butterfly and Breast stroke.