Mission Market Day

Thank you to all our families who contributed to Missions Market Day whether it was through donations for our stalls and or by providing money for your children to spend and therefore donate to Catholic Missions. We were able to raise well over $1000 (final calculations are not complete yet). Our Year 2 Lorikeets led a lovely assembly this morning where all students were able to learn about the work of Catholic Missions especially in Cambodia at the moment.

Classroom Profiling

This week you may have noticed some disruption in classes as we conducted a Classroom Profiling Sweep.This means we have had some specially trained staff from Townsville Catholic Education come and observe our teachers for 30 minutes each to identify areas for improvement or for commendation in terms of behaviour management. The Classroom Profiling ‘program’ refers to the Essential Skills for Classroom Management- 

• Establishing expectations, 
• Giving Instructions, 
• Waiting and scanning
• Cueing with parallel acknowledgement
• Body language encouraging
• Descriptive encouraging
• Selective attending
• Redirection to learning
• Giving a choice
• Following through

Through this Classroom Profiling sweep, we also get whole school data that we can review in terms of common patterns that could be improved as a whole school. Each teacher was released to discuss their own data with the profiler and our leadership team will discuss the whole school data to consider anything we need to do moving forward. Safe, supportive classrooms where students can learn to their best of their ability is always our goal and our priority.

Playgrounds update

This week we have seen some contractors on site building a small fence and arbour around our maze and we have had our contractors who are doing more shade sails for the new playground get the poles in ready. As always our playgrounds are a work in progress. We still have two more sets of swings coming too- one to replace the ones we have and another set going up near the chicken coop.

Book Fair

Thank you to everyone who has made purchases from our Book Fair this week. A percentage of your purchases goes toward opportunities for our school to get some free books to add to our collection. 

Please have a fabulous week.

Cheers

Penny Collins

Principal

Welcome to the end of Week 3!

We started off today being led in a beautiful assembly by the Year 2 Lorikeets on the topic of Catholic Mission Month.  During the assembly, they spoke about the difficulties people in communities around the world, such as Cambodia, face, and highlighted the ways that Catholic Mission Australia has helped them to “live life to the fullest”.  We also had Tom and Helen Tarttelin, the Townsville Diocescan representatives for Catholic Mission, who were thoroughly impressed by the message being shared by the Lorikeets.

This was followed in the middle session with our Mission Month markets. After seeing how Missions Australia support people around the world, our staff and students did a wonderful job in organising and enjoying all of the activities on offer, with a large amount of money being raised - all of which will be going to support Catholic Mission Australia.  

I would like to highlight a moment from this event which I found touching.  During the event, a boy in Year 1 dropped his money (he had both play and real money with him).  A few older students from Year 5 and 6 stopped to help him pick up and organise all of his money and even gave him some tips on where would be good places to spend it.  It was great to see this spirit of giving and supporting others isn’t lost in our own community and in how we treat one another as well.

SAVE THE DATE

An announcement about our annual ‘O Holy Night’ Christmas Carols event.  With some restrictions easing prior to the event, we are able to invite our whole community to attend our outdoor version of O Holy Night!

It will take place on the low oval on Wednesday 2nd December.  People will be invited to set up from 6:00pm with the show beginning at 6:30.  

Families will be invited to bring their own picnic rugs, camp chairs, dinner and nibbles to enjoy the festivities and farewell the year together.  Fingers crossed that restrictions will stay that way as we are very excited at the prospect of being able to have everyone together before the end of the year!

Pax

Nick

Prep Koalas have begun busily engaging with our new Mentor Text: The Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly by Pam Adams. Our students are exploring the text through oral innovation, and play opportunities using various props. Storytelling promotes language development, listening comprehension, and writing composition skills. Each retelling increases the children's familiarity with the story and offers more opportunities for their participation during the learning experience.

Last Saturday Maddy, Cooper, Layla, Evie and Charlotte all competed in an in-house Muay Thai Tournament at Oceanic Martial Arts. Well done to all of you for having the confidence to get in the ring and give it your all!