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- Principal's Corner
- FROM THE APA
- APRE News
- ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
- Holy Spirit School Choral and Instrumental Competition 2021
- Festival of the Arts
- Year 7 Orientation Day
- Tuckshop News
- Breakfast Program
- Pastoral Chaplain's Chat
- Parenting Ideas
- Defence
- Date Claimers
- Term Dates 2021
- Uniform Supplies
- Assembly and Bell Times
- Absent from School
- Our Mission Statement
Today our Administration Block and staff room were blessed by Bishop Tim and officially opened.
This building has been in the pipeline for a number of years and I am most appreciative of the financial support of the Queensland State Government, it would not have been possible without their significant contribution.
The Master Plan to rebuild our school is finally complete. In 2018, we saw the construction of the Out of Hours School Care facility along with twelve learning spaces for Prep, Year 3 and Year 4 students.
Throughout 2019 another eight learning spaces for Year 5 and Year 6 were constructed and finally throughout 2020 and 2021the administration block was erected and a refurbishment of the staff room (to allow us all to fit in) were completed.
Thank you for your patience and resilience over this period of time, some days throughout the building program, finding your way through the school grounds was indeed a challenge. It is wonderful to know that while our school is more than fifty years old, our students have the benefit of learning in modern facilities.
Did you know, our School Board Members, in particular current Chair, Fred Nucifora and past members Damien Farrington and Matt Lyons advocated for our students and staff so that we could enjoy the benefits of our new buildings. We often don’t see the actual work of Board Members but they have worked to ensure Holy Spirit students would not be disadvantaged by out of date classrooms. Take a bow, Board members!
On Friday, we have asked students to wear red to support the ‘Day for Daniel’, where possible, we ask students to bring in a gold coin. While our staff will use this day to yet again remind students about personal safety, it is another opportunity for parents to have a conversation - child protection is everybody's business. Reminding children of the key message - the three Rs - Recognise, Respond, Report is just one way that might just keep a child safe.
Funds raised will support the ongoing and important work of the Morcombe Foundation, thank you for your support.
God bless,
Geraldine
With only 5 1/2 weeks left of our 2021 school year, we still have so much happening around the school.
Next Wednesday we have our thank you liturgy, to acknowledge the many helpers that regularly contribute to the classrooms and around our school.
Week 6 is our Orientation day on Tuesday 9th November, to welcome our new students for 2022 and also sees the Year 5 and 6's head off to camp.
Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 will be attending swimming lessons later this term. Permission notes and swimming ability forms have been sent home. The staff are super excited about this next adventure and we love the opportunity to demonstrate to our little ones the importance of water safety, particularly in NQ. Thank you for your support with this program.
Week 8 will see our HSCS Carols night on Thursday 25th November and then the Interhouse Swimming Carnival on Friday 26th for years 3-6.
I would like to take this opportunity to remind our families about before and after school supervision. A teacher is on duty from 8am in Bibi Goo Yumba (Prep-Yr3) and the Hall ( Yr 4- Yr6). Students will then move towards their classroom at 8.15 when the second bell rings. ANY STUDENTS ARRIVING BEFORE 8AM NEED TO GATHER IN BIBI GOO YUMBA UNTIL THE SUPERVISING TEACHER BEGINS AT 8AM.
Albert St:
The afternoon supervision begins at 2.50 and students can move to either Albert St (down the service road) to gather near the tree.
Hatchett St:
The Hatchett St pick up zone is where an admin person will call over the PA system to students gathered in the Hall. They will move promptly when they are called.
Church:
Students gather in the covered area of the Church and are supervised by a teacher. A second teacher patrols the crossing to ensure the safety of the pedestrians. A third staff member will call family names so students can make their way to the pick up zone for a safe departure.
Get in the Spirit
Paul Martin
Scribes were very religious and spent much time studying the scriptures and carefully obeyed every commandment of the Jewish law. A scribe asks Jesus which commandment was the most important in Mark’s gospel this Sunday. Jesus answered, “To love God with all your heart and all your mind and all your strength, and to love others as much as you love yourself.” Jesus showed his love by caring for all he met; spending time with them, listening, talking, helping the sick, making the lonely feel welcome and loved, being forgiving and not judging others. We too can put the two greatest commandments in action in our lives by treating others in the same way as we would like to be treated ourselves.
This week at Holy Spirit we value generosity. Generosity has been described as: “ready to give freely, unselfish, free from smallness or pettiness of mind or character:” Generosity is simple, kind and readily available. It's about treating people the way you'd want to be treated. Everyone loves being around generous people. We can teach our children to live a life of generosity whether they are financially secure or not. They don’t have to wait to have an income and our generosity doesn’t have to be limited by our income. The only thing that limits our generosity is our mindset and our character.
Day for Daniel is a National Day of Action to raise awareness of child safety, protection and harm prevention. Our students will be engaged in activities during the week that educate children regarding their personal safety and empower them to Recognise, React and Report if they feel something is not right. Friday will be a casual day with students encouraged to wear red.
To make this occasion stand out, we are asking staff and students to wear RED as stated on the Daniel Morcombe Foundation website. A gold donation is welcome as support for this wonderful foundation and shows ‘kindness’ (fruit of the Spirit) and ‘generosity’ (our value for the week).
This morning, our Opening and Blessing was held. Our school community was led by Bishop Tim to official open and bless our Administration Building and Entrance. A special thank you to all our invited guests who joined us this morning. As part of the ceremony, a number of symbols were blessed to go into our new rooms. Our school was very fortunate to have a commissioned cross and flame by ‘Mosaics by Jo’ to go up in our staff room.
God bless
Caroline Fuller
CHANGE OF DATE FOR ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Due to unforeseen circumstances we have had to change the date and venue for the
finals of Entertainer of the Year for this year. We apologise for these changes but it is
out of our control.
The finals for Entertainer of the Year will be held on Saturday 13th November 2021
at RYAN COMMUNITY CENTRE – MORINDO DRIVE, KIRWAN.
The Junior Section- Primary School Students will perform at 9.30 a.m. - with the Senior
Section - Secondary Students performing from 11.30 a.m. Students should be there a
few minutes before their section to confirm their piece.
Please note that food and drinks are not allowed in the Centre.
Holy Spirit School Choral and Instrumental Competition 2021
An invitation is extended to all students in years 4, 5 & 6 to enter the above competition.
- Students entering the unison section and the duet section (choral) must choose a song that they have worked on in choir. This includes Eisteddfod songs, Christmas songs or Graduation songs. Please see Mrs Laing if your song selection does not fit the criteria.
- Students entering the unison section (instrumental) may select their own music.
- Students entering the duet section (instrumental) may select their own music.
The competition will be held in the Music Room on Friday 19th November.
Entries close on Monday 15th November.
A copy of the song or instrumental piece being performed must accompany the ENTRY FORM.
Please attach the entry form to your music and return the form to the school office or Mrs Laing.
Holy Spirit School will be hosting a ‘Festival of the Arts’ morning on Sunday 21st November in the Lynch Family Hall.
We would like to invite all instrumental, vocal and drama students to take part in this
‘Celebration of the Arts’.
Throughout the morning children will have the opportunity to showcase their talents in the areas of Woodwind, Brass, Percussion, Guitar, Orchestral Strings, Voice and Drama.
The morning’s entertainment will commence at 10.00am with Session 1 comprising children in the Woodwind, Brass, Percussion, Vocal and Drama Program.
Children in this session are to arrive at the hall at 9.45am.
Session 2 will commence at 11.30 am comprising students in the Guitar and Orchestral
Strings Program.
Childen in this session are to arrive at the hall at 11.15am.
Forms will be distributed to students this week. Please complete forms and return to Mrs Laing by Monday 15 th November.
Forms may also be left at the school office.
Holy Spirit Catholic School uses Flexischools ordering system. To register, login or to place orders, please click this link:
ROSTER |
|||
28.10.21 |
Margaret Vaughan |
||
29.10.21 |
Sue Viviers, Virginia Novinetz | ||
01.11.21 |
Brook Vass, Nicole Boon | ||
02.11.21 |
Anne Fisher, Tina McDonough |
||
03.11.21 |
Christine Nash, Sandra Farrington |
||
CAKE (We are kindly accepting donations of packet cakes only at this time) | |||
29.10.21 |
Mayleen Nona | ||
01.11.21 |
Belinda Tuckett, Majella Purcell, Petrece Dwyer-Sayers | ||
03.11.21 |
Kat Harrington, Taane Morris | ||
FRUIT |
|||
01.11.21 |
Martina Mylrea, Petrece Dwyer-Sayers | ||
02.11.21 |
Bernadett Bryant | ||
03.11.21 |
Kat Harrington, Taane Morris |
We are open Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 8am in the Hall.
Your support with donations of bread, spreads, vegemite, jam etc. (excluding peanut based spreads) would be appreciated.
Bouquets to the parents who generously answered the call for donations...thank you!
First borns are a complex bunch. Achievement-oriented, bossy, perfectionistic and anxious are common traits. But there’s so much more to know about this fascinating cohort who love to rule the family roost.
Effective parents work with the differences in children rather than use a 'one size fits all' approach. Understanding how first borns tick helps parents and teachers adapt their approaches to suit the psychology of this fascinating group.
Michael Grose presents: Using birth order knowledge for a parenting edge
Effective parents and carers are always looking for an edge to help them raise happy, confident, resilient kids. Many people do a brilliant job of learning on the run, but can miss a rich vein of knowledge that’s right in front of them – a child’s birth order position.
In this webinar, Michael Grose explains how birth order position impacts on a child’s personality, attitudes and behaviour. He provides insights to help bring out the best in every child, reduce destructive sibling rivalry and increase family harmony.
Book: Why first-borns rule the world and later-borns want to change it
Why is it that children in a family can share the same gene pool, a similar environment and experience similar parenting styles yet have fundamentally different personalities, interests and even careers as adults? Birth order!
First published in 2003 to great acclaim, this fully revised and updated 2021 edition seeks to increase the reader’s understanding of birth-order theory. It addresses multiple births, blended families, only children and birth-order balance in the workplace, and the rise of the standard two-child family, where the second-born is simultaneously the last-born.
Defence Member and Family Support (DMFS)
With Telstra upgrades to our old phone lines, our local office phone number has changed, so please update your records J
Our new phone number is 07 4430 3879.
The Townsville office email address is dmfs.townsville@defence.gov.au
Gecko’s Posting Party – Wednesday November 3
Gecko’s annual posting party is here for Defence families posting out of the Townsville region in 2021.
Come along in your brightest tropical attire and get ready to party together to help your little ones to shake off their posting jitters with games, party food, face painting and great company!
Where: Geckos Family Centre, Lavarack Barracks
When: Wednesday 3rd November 5pm-7pm
Register now @ http://www.trybooking.com/BTKLK
Defence Families of Australia (DFA)
Defence Families of Australia (DFA) is the official body appointed by the Government to represent the views of Defence Families.
What we do:
· Inform the Government and Defence on the needs of ADF families (DFA team members are partners of current serving members)
· Advocate on behalf of families across a range of issues
· Provide a forum for families to raise issues and concerns
· Inform families on assistance and services available.
Do you need someone to advocate for you? Reach out to the Northern Queensland delegate:
Larissa Ostermann
T: 0418 796 561
Facebook: DFA Northern Queensland
Defence Special Needs Support Group (DSNSG)
DSNSG provides support, information, assistance and advocacy for all ADF families who have a serving member, or an ex- serving member, with a Special Need or who have dependants (child, spouse or other dependant) with Special Needs.
Cherie Davis is the local DSNSG Townsville Coordinator as well as the Assistant National Coordinator for DSNSG.
DSNSG provides:
· Advocacy to liaise with Defence and other Federal and State Departments concerning the issues that affect families with special needs, particularly those being mobile.
· Assist families with housing/posting issues, liaise with Defence Housing Australia, Toll Transitions, Defence Community Organisation, Defence Families Australia with family’s circumstances.
· Programs: Computer 4 Kids, Drive Safe, FYI, Posting Plans, Grants, Family Events
· Support Local Area Coordinators, Closed Facebook page for families to connect with other special needs families, unlimited resource of information
For more information, visit the DSNSG website, contact Cherie at townsville@dsnsg.org.au or phone her on 0417 182 233.
RSL QLD Scholarships – 2022 Applications now open
Defence Member and Family Helpline
For advice, support or local community information, contact our all-hours Defence Member and Family Helpline. Run by Defence Member and Family Support, the Helpline is the best way to access the programs and services that we offer to help Defence families manage the military way of life.
The helpline is available 24/7 and is staffed by qualified human services professionals including social workers and psychologists.
Phone 1800 624 608, or email memberandfamilyhelpline@
Date |
Event |
October |
29.10.21 |
Day for Daniel (Wear Red) |
29.10.21 |
World Staff Day |
Date |
Event |
November |
03.11.21 |
Thank You Liturgy |
08.11.21-12.11.21 |
Year 2 Swimming Lessons |
09.11.21 |
Orientation Day |
Term Dates 2021 |
||
Term 4 |
Tuesday 5 October 2021 |
Friday 3 December 2021 |
Term Dates 2022 |
||
Term 1 |
Monday 24 January 2022 |
Friday 1 April 2022 |
Term 2 |
Tuesday 19 April 2022 |
Friday 24 June 2022 |
Term 3 |
Monday 11 July 2022 |
Friday 16 September 2022 |
Term 4 |
Tuesday 4 October 2022 |
Friday 2 December 2022 |
Pupil Free Day: Friday 2 September 2022 |
All uniform supplies are available at The School Locker, Domain Central (close to Bunnings).
Phone 1800 826 155
Uniform days for students:
Monday and Wednesday - Formal uniform
Tuesday and Thursday - Sports uniform
Friday - own choice
Senior shirts may be worn on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
Wednesday Assemblies |
|
Prep – Year 2 |
8.40am |
Years 3 – 6 |
2.10pm |
Whole School Assemblies |
8.45am |
Daily Bell Times |
|
8.15 am |
Students are allowed to move to class |
8.30 am |
School day commences |
10.30 am |
Morning tea bell |
10.55 am |
Five minute warning bell |
11.00 am |
School day resumes |
1.00 pm |
Lunch bell |
1.30 pm |
Five minute warning bell |
1.35 pm |
School day resumes. |
2.50 pm |
School day concludes |
If your child is going to be absent, please enter the details through Compass, as this is the most efficient way to inform the school.