Week 9 Term 1 2023

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. 

Key Dates

Week 9 (20th - 26th March)

• Friday 24th - Prep Assembly
• Friday 24th - Interschool Sport - Year 5/6

Week 10 (27th March - 2nd April)

• Thursday 30th - Easter Bonnet Parade 9am 
• Friday 31st - Holy Week Liturgy
• Friday 31st - Interschool Sport - Year 5/6
• Friday 31st - LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

TERM 2 Week 1 (17th - 23rd April)

• Monday 17th - TERM 1 STARTS
• Thursday 20th - Sacramental Program Information Session 6pm

Principal & Teaching and Learning Update

Dear parents and friends, 

Term 1 is almost done and it has flown by ! Thank you to everyone who has helped make the term so successful full of learning and a variety of activities to ensure that every child is succeeding. 

It has been wonderful to have Mrs Vass and Mrs Weston join us and they have truly added value to St Colman’s School. Mrs Jasmine Vass is doing an amazing job in the Creative Arts and Sports area. The art work that the students are creating is truly amazing.  Below are some of the work produced over the term. 

Mrs Weston has brought a deep knowledge of Prep and it is wonderful to see the children progressing so well and forming solid knowledge in the area of phonics and number. The work displayed on the classroom walls has been wonderful. 

Last Week Mrs Weston and Miss Fox received the results from our recent Early Years Testing in the areas of Numeracy and Literacy. A speech pathologist and the Learning and Teaching Consultant feedback the information to the teachers. From the testing the teachers will be able to ensure that any concerns with students learning are addressed.

All of our teachers have been working very hard this term and this is very evident in the quality of the work the students are producing. Thank you for all your hard work teachers - they go aboev and beyond !

NAPLAN-changes to reporting

Last week and this week students in Years 3 and 5 sat their NAPLAN assessments. The QCAA has informed schools of the national changes to reporting NAPLAN results to schools, students and their families. Below is a summary of the changes from the QCAA:

As part of the National School Reform Agreement, education ministers agreed that a proficiency standard be introduced for literacy and numeracy assessed by NAPLAN.

The new proficiency standard has four levels of achievement for each year level and replaces the previous 10-band structure and the national minimum standard used across the four domains. The four levels of achievement are:

• Exceeding 
• Strong 
• Developing 
• Needs additional support. 

From 2023, the individual student report (ISR) will change. The ISR will be based on the four levels of achievement. It will also continue to show the national average, the range of achievement for the middle 60% of students in each year level, and a dot placement for the student comparing their achievement against these measures.

The results will be posted later on in the year. For further information on the changes please refer to FAQs on the ACARA or QCAA websites (www.acara.edu.au and www.qcaa.qld.edu.au).

Please talk to your teacher or myself if you have any questions about this issue. 

Easter Hat parade 

On Thursday 30th March (Week 10) all students are invited to create an Easter bonnet or hat. What is an Easter hat parade? Hats or bonnets have been part of Easter celebrations for generations. Once upon a time women would get dressed up in their finest clothes and bonnet to attend church on Easter Sunday. Over time, making a new hat for Easter became a tradition.

The hat can be any theme and style of hat. Prizes for each class will be awarded in the area of best decorated and most unique or creative use of resources. Parents are welcome to join us at 9.00am for the Easter Hat parade.

Jewellery

A gentle reminder that students are not to wear necklaces and bracelets. This is a safety issue as we would hate a student to get caught up on the playground and injured.

Student Awards

Religious Education News

During Lent this prayer is a timely reminder of giving up something is not the only way to prepare for Easter.

• fast from judging others; feast on the Christ dwelling in them
• fast from emphasis on our differences; feast on our oneness
• fast from the darkness around us; feast on the light of Christ
• fast on words that pollute; feast on words that purify
• fast from discontent; feast on gratitude
• fast from withholding anger; feast on sharing our feelings
• fast from pessimism; feast on optimism
• fast from worry; feast on trust
• fast from guilt; feast on freedom
• fast from complaining; feast on appreciation
• fast from stress; feast on self-care
• fast from hostility; feast on letting go
• fast from bitterness; feast on forgiveness
• fast from selfishness; feast on compassion for others
• fast from discouragement; feast on seeing the good
• fast from idle gossip; feast on spreading good news
• fast from being so busy; feast on quiet silence
• fast from problems that overwhelm us; feast on prayerful trust
• fast from talking; feast on listening
• fast from trying to be in control; feast on letting go

Loving God, let us fast from anything that leads us away from you and teach us to feast on all that brings us closer to your love. Amen

Sport

Burdekin AFL 

Congratulations to Noah who has been selected in the Burdekin AFL team.  Noah will travel to Townsville on the 29th March to compete for selection in the North Queensland Team. 

Burdekin Netball

Congratulations to Indy Jacob who was selected in the Burdekin Netball Team.  Indy will travel to Townsville on the 23 & 24th April to compete for a spot in the North Queensland Team.  Indy played extremely well as there were over 30 girls competing for 9 spots on the team.  Well done Indy.

Library Corner

Craft Roach

Craft Roach is an exuberant story about an artsy little bug who lives life a little differently.

Written by Rachel Burke (@imakestagram) and with art from best-selling illustrator Daniel Gray-Barnett, Craft Roach is a fun, rhyming picture book about standing out, fitting in and having the courage to be your most joyful self. 

Craft Roach makes the other bugs  feel very tense and stressed. Standing out? Being seen?  They do not think it best.   But Craft Roach sees things differently, has more than just an inkling – that crawlies wouldn’t be so feared, if all of them were twinkling …

Craft Roach is a story that will change your mind about cockroaches, and will delight and encourage young readers to be bold and never dim their light.

Have you got your tickets for our Cowboys Raffle?

All profits from the raffle go towards our Grade 6 Graduation.  Tickets available from the office. 

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Community News

Child Dental Benefit Scheme

Did you know that your child could be eligible for Medicare funded dental services such as
check-ups, cleans, x-rays, fillings, root canals and extractions at the dentist of your choice?
“The Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) provides dental services to children aged
between 2 and 17 years. Dental services are capped at $1000 over 2 consecutive years. The
two year cap period starts when a child or teenager first gets an eligible dental service.
The CDBS doesn’t cover orthodontic, cosmetic dental work, or dental services provided in
hospital.
There are some restrictions for dental services. These are listed in the Guide to the Child
Dental Benefits Schedule on the Department of Health’s website.”
To be eligible for the CDBS, your child must:

● Be aged 2-17 years for at least 1 day of the calendar year
● Be eligible for Medicare on the day of service
● Get, or be part or a family getting, certain Australian Government payments.

Go to servicesaustralia.gov.au for eligibility and more information.

Bin Chicken’s Eggcellent Easter Bonanza

To celebrate the release of Kate Temple’s latest Bin Chicken Story ‘Bin Chicken’s Eggcellent Easter’, we’ll be running a First 5 Forever event at Anzac Park on Tuesday 4^th April from 9am – 11am.
During this session, Kate will read a few of her stories (with a special black and white feathered guest) and will be available to meet families, please note the author reading with take place at 9:30am sharp!

 Some other fun activities on offer will include a coffee van, free face painting, fun activities from the Play2Learn team, an easter egg hunt, craft activities and free giveaways.

Bookings are required and can be made via our Eventbrite page - https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/bin-chickens-eggcellent-easter-bonanza-tickets-570288537367