Science Week

Next week we celebrate Science Week with a series of interactive Science activities being set up in our Country Farm play area. The theme this year is ‘Food- Different by Design’. We are very grateful to our JCU Scientist in Schools, Louise Costanzo and our Learning and Teaching Advisor, Aleesha Rockemer for creating some fabulous learning experiences for our students. There will be opportunities to engage the senses, make bread and butter, get creative with grape structures and mushroom printing amongst many other things.

Book Week

We celebrate Book Week from 23-27 August with our Book Week Parade on Friday morning after assembly. This event has become quite a highlight on our calendar each year with many students dressing up as their favourite book characters. The theme this year is Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds so basically the world is your oyster as far as ideas. Please don’t feel pressured with costumes; simple is usually best.

Pupil Free Day

Please be aware there is an upcoming student free day on Friday 3 September. This is a statewide day for schools to use for reflective practice and moderation. Our OSHC service will have some places available for the day if required.

Young Speechmakers Competition

Congratulations to Emmalisa for winning the Year 6 division of the Young Speechmakers Competition at Southern Cross last night. This is a wonderful achievement for Emmalisa. We are very proud of all our participants, Declan, Chloe, Emmalisa and Lilliarna for representing our school so well in a very challenging contest. It takes a lot of confidence and preparation to compete in this contest. 

Photography

Photos of children participating in school activities and with their friends are a great source of enjoyment for many families and they are a way of creating future memories for us all to look back on. When taking photos on school grounds, please be respectful of the right to privacy for members of our community. If you are invited to school for an event like an assembly or for Burgers by the Billabong, it is commonplace to take group photos and this is generally acceptable. Please know, you cannot however photograph individual children who are not from your own family or small groups of children without the consent of someone at school or from their parents.It would certainly be inappropriate to share photos of other children on social media. Let’s be mindful of this and continue building a supportive community.

Have a fabulous week. 

Cheers

Penny Collins

We’re now half way through the term, where’s that time gone!? We started this morning being beautifully led in assembly by Prep Wombats, with their prayer commemorating Australia’s first saint, St Mary MacKillop.  One thing that most people understand about Mary is her passion for school and the provision of a quality education for ALL students, no matter their location or background.  She was instrumental in setting up schools throughout the country, including within our own diocese.  The Wombats prayer asked God to help us be like St Mark MacKillop, to welcome those who feel unloved, uncared for and unaccepted and to help us to reach out to others who need our love and support, just as Mary would have.  I’d like to finish my article this week with a well known saying of Mary MacKillop’s, and one which a truly believe gives us a great way of reflecting on how we live our faith:

“Never see a need without doing something about it”   

Pax,

Nick 

Diverse Abilities and Talents

It was wonderful to have such a diverse display of our school talents today.  A big congratulations to our Wombats on delivering such a confident assembly.  We all loved listening to the speeches of our Young Speech Makers - Congratulations to them all for showing Persistence, Keeping us all Engaged and their demonstration of Accountability to write, practice and learn by heart all their speeches.  We had two students achieve the Black Belts in Recorder Karate today under the careful guidance of their Sensei Mr Roberts.  Well done to Ruby and Ella on their hard work and persistence with the Recorder Karate Program.  Our Challenge Gamers also received the medals today and proudly presented Mrs Collins with the trophy they were awarded.  Well done to Owen & Jackson, Andrew, Hunter, Richard, Tanaka.  We look forward to hearing about the involvement of our Inter-School athletes next week and recognising our Run Clubbers.

Mobile Phones at School

We have noted an increase in students, particularly in our senior years, bringing mobile phones to school.  We would ask that phones are not sent to school with
students.  Should there be a need for a student to bring a phone to school, mobile phones are to be given to the office in the morning to be safely kept in the school safe.  Students may then collect their phone as they leave for the day.  This is for the safety of all students as well as the technology itself.

P&F - Father’s Day Mini Golf Challenge

We are looking forward to our upcoming Mini Golf Challenge.  Tickets are on sale now via the online link (https://townsvilletickets.com.au/event/14019).  There will be family, fun and food a plenty.  We hope to see as many families participate as possible.

Look at the amazing harvesting happening in our gardens this week.  Our vegetable gardens have produced yummy produce, so in Technology we can make our healthy lunchbox snack of 'Veggie Fritters.'  In Literacy, we have been learning how to write a procedure and this is just like the recipe we will follow to make our fritters. We have enjoyed the cooler weather, and are amazed by the various sizes and shapes especially the potatoes.  We can't wait to get cooking! Thank you to Mrs Trigg for all her help and assistance with the Year 3 gardens. 

Parent/Teacher Interviews 

We will be holding optional parent/teacher interviews on Monday 6th September from 3:30pm - 5:30pm, and Tuesday 7th September from 3:30pm - 5:30pm in the Hall. If you would like to book an interview, you will be able to book a 10-minute time slot using the ‘Compass Parent Portal’ from next Friday the 20th August, around 2pm and will close at midday on Friday 3rd of September. In the meantime, please ensure you are able to access the Parent Portal and contact the office for any assistance. We look forward to discussing your child’ progress. 

Information about Compass Kiosk in the Office for parents.

If your child is LATE, after 8.30am it is a requirement that a parent or guardian must sign the child in via the Compass Kiosk, which is located at the front counter of the Administration Office.  A late slip will be issued to the student to take to the teacher.

EARLY DEPARTURE If you are signing your child out early a parent or guardian will need to sign the student out via the Compass Kiosk.