St Colman's School - Home Hill eNewsletter

Acknowledgement of Country

We would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land the Birri-Gubba Juru people and pay our respects to the elders past, present and future for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and hopes of Indigenous Australia.

Principal & Teaching and Learning Update

Welcome to Term 4 ! I am sure this term will fly past and as it is a very busy one. Although very busy it will still be a time of important learning and ensuring that each child is achieving their best.

The students will be reminded to RISE - through everything they do at school

R - respect - are they showing respect to their teachers, classmates and the St Colman's Community

I - inspire - is their behaviour inspiring others to be the best who they can be ?

S - safe - is their behaviour safe to others and themselves?

E - effort - are they giving 100% effort to their work and relationships?

Staffing Announcement

St Colman's School is very happy to announce that Mrs Jodie Weston (Prep teacher formerly from Home Hill State School) will be joining the St Colman's School community in 2023. Jodie in 2023 will teach the Prep class.

Jodie is a passionate and energetic teacher with experience in developing and implementing curriculum across a wide range of subject areas. With 19 years experience in Prep Jodie using positive encouragement and reinforcement of key concepts has an ability to help students develop strong literacy and numeracy skills.

Jodie has an excellent knowledge of the Burdekin community through her attendance at St Francis Ayr, Burdekin Catholic High School and her work at Home HIll State School for nearly twenty years.

We welcome Jodie to the St Colman's team and are very excited to have her joining the school in 2023.

St Colman's School will also be advertising for a classroom teacher position. Classing details will be announced later in the term.

Reading

Over the last week of Term 3 each child was retested for their reading age. It was extremely positive to see good growth of the students with their reading skills. The work that the staff have been doing over the year in the area of Guided reading is reflected in these good results.

Reading with your child 3 or 4 times a week is another way to develop your child's skills.

Reading provides a wonderful opportunity for you and your child to connect.
Listening is a skill kids must acquire before they can read themselves.
Reading books to kids helps expand the number and variety of words they use

In our busy term don't forget to do your Home Reader with your child and enjoy some bonding time.

Class Assemblies & Liturgy and Shared lunch

Each Term every class gets a chance to host a class assembly - we try to have them on Friday afternoon at 2.15pm. Assemblies are a wonderful time for you to find out what they have been doing in class. The following dates have been set for class assemblies

Prep Friday 11th November

Year 1/2 Friday 28th October

Year 3/4 Friday 4th November

Year 5/6 Friday 18th November

In Term 4 each class have a class liturgy and shared lunch. Parents and friends are very welcome to join us at 10.15am in the classroom where a small liturgy is held. The children then have a class party as a celebration of their year together. Each child is asked to bring a plate of food to share.

Prep Friday 25th November

Year 1/2 Wednesday 23rd November

Year 3/4 Year 3/4 Class liturgy and shared lunch

Year 5/6 Wednesday 16th November

Father's Day Celebrations

Due to a large amount of our dads working during the crushing we have realised that most will be unable to attend a Father's Day breakfast. To still celebrate our wonderful dads and the importance they are in our life we would like to host the following for them:

Friday 28st October (Week 4 Term 4)

5.30pm - Pizza and drinks ($2.50 per person)

6.30pm - Disco ( Dad can stay and chat or dance or come back to pick up the kids)

7.30pm - End of disco pick up time.

A note will be sent home this week to ask for numbers for catering. Please return as soon as possible.

Next week on Monday we welcome our Preps for 2023. Mrs Keys will take the Connecting to Prep session in the Prep room. Our present Prep class will move to the Technology/Italian room during these sessions. The sessions enable our new preps to get used to big school ! Enrolments are still open.

Welcome to St Colman's School

Welcome to our new students for Term 4

Isabella Year 1 Fletcha Year 3 Matilda Year 5 Stirling Year 2

You are very welcome to our family at St Colman's School.

Religious Education News

St Colman's Feast Day Mass - Sunday 23rd October

On this day the parish has changed mass to 8am to encourage more people to come and celebrate together our feast day of St Colman's.

During the mass it would be wonderful if students could come and take a part through reading, singing or liturgical dance. Afterwards families are welcome to the morning tea and games will be held for the children. (Sack races, relays, running races etc) A note will be sent home this week asking for volunteers. Please come along and make the day a wonderful community day.

Feast Day of St Francis of Assisi - Tuesday 4th October

Yesterday we celebrated the Feast of St Francis of Assisi. Francis was known for his love of nature and animals. There are many stories about Saint Francis and his preaching to animals. It is said that one day he was talking to some birds when they began to sing together. Then they flew into the sky and formed the sign of a cross.

It was also said that Francis could tame wild animals. One story tells of a vicious wolf in the town of Gubbio that was killing people and sheep. The people of the town were frightened and didn't know what to do. Francis went to the town to confront the wolf. At first the wolf growled at Francis and prepared to attack him. However, Francis made the sign of the cross and told the wolf not to hurt anyone else. The wolf then became tame and the town was safe.

Many people would know the beauitful prayer (or hymn) from St Francis.

St Colman's School students were very lucky to have a visit from the Missionaries of Charity on Tuesday. The Missionaries of Charity are a Catholic religious congregation established in 1950 by Mother Teresa.

A DECADE A DAY KEEPS THE DEVIL AWAY

“The Rosary is a priceless treasure inspired by God”- St Louis De Montfort.

Welcome back to Term 4. I am sure you had a wonderful holiday with your family and friends. Welcome to the month of October- the month of the Holy Rosary. I remember watching with beauty and excitement when each of you made Rosary beads on Founders Day at BCHS in July this year. All of you made a colourful decade of the Rosary for each of you to take home. Some of you have them on your wrists or around your neck and some on their school bags.

The month of October is a special time to take them up and pray. It is an easy method for anyone, especially for children. It is more than a devotion for the old and the dying. It is like a gun in the hands of a soldier. Saint Padre Pio, who was ill in bed one day, asked his colleagues to fetch him his Rosary by commanding, “Get me my weapon!” The Rosary is a weapon, a sword, or a shield used for warfare for the devil if you want to tackle him easily.

It is very much Biblical. It is a meditation on the life of Jesus Christ as we find it in the Bible. Throughout the week, we are exposed to the four mysteries of Mary and Jesus- the joyful, sorrowful, luminous and glorious. Each mystery tells a story of important events in the life of Jesus. It gives us a chance as Catholics to reflect, remember and recall these events through the power of prayer.

Catholics have traditionally found it a very powerful prayer in moments of their spiritual and physical needs. Praying the Rosary can bring healing or answers to your life. Never underestimate the power of prayer in your life.

If you ask your parents or grandparents, they will recall praying the Holy Rosary as a family every evening. As Catholic families, it would be wonderful for you to share your decades of the Rosary and restart that beautiful family tradition and pray the Rosary either as a family or even individually. Have a Blessed Month of the Holy Rosary.

Fr. Manoj Mathew, C.Ss.R.

Parish Administrator, Burdekin Parishes

Sports News

Inter School Sport

Year 5/6 this term will be participating in Interschool Sport. The boys will be participating in Basketball at various sites and the girls will be playing Netball at Home Hill Netball courts. Mrs Keys and Mrs Anderson will be accompanying the students.

Interschool sports aims to give students an experience of a sport that they might not usually play. All students are encouraged to participate to the best of their ability and have a go at the sport.