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Tonight, we formally acknowledge and send forth our current Year 6 cohort to their next schooling adventure. Their time with us has come to a closure but they will always be Spirit kids; great examples of what it means to display our Mercy values. We wish them every success as they take the challenge of high school with both hands. Thank you Year 6 for your positive influence on our next generation.
As we come to the end of another school year, I again am thankful for the wonderful students, families and staff who have contributed to another successful school year. Last week, we presented our awards across our year levels for areas such as Christian Leadership, Diligence and for academic achievements. Congratulations to all our awardees. I would like to acknowledge our Preppies for displaying 'Our SPIRIT Way' throughout their first year of schooling. Our future is bright at Holy Spirit.
We are reminded, particularly this week, of how we need to appreciate our loved ones and to tell them how much they mean to us. We want to continue to pray for the Blaik family and those close to them through the coming weeks.
Enjoy your Christmas break, celebrate and stay safe. We are already planning another eventful year in 2024 and we invite you to join us in this next adventure.
Blessings from our Spirit family to yours
Happy Days
Paul Martin
With only a few days left until the end of the school year, I would like to take a moment to extend my warmest wishes to everyone for the holiday season. It's a time for reflection and togetherness, and I am thankful for the strong sense of community that exists in our school. For most of us, it will be a time of joy and celebration.
However, I want us to remember and embrace those families who have lost loved ones, and whose Christmas will not be the one they had planned for. May this holiday season serve as a reminder for us to share moments of laughter, love, and connection with our family and friends.
I would also like to express my gratitude to all the parents and carers for their support and partnership, which is invaluable. Together, we create a nurturing and enriching environment for our students to thrive.
Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May the coming year bring new opportunities, exciting challenges, and continued success.
Thank you for being a part of our Holy Spirit family.
Warmest wishes,
Nicole.
Jesus said to His disciples: ‘Be on your guard, stay awake, for you do not know when the time will come’ (Mark 13:33-37). We should watch in the same way as those apostles: looking out for each other and helping each other, watching for Christ in each other, in the poor, in the sick, in the hungry and those in need. We watch for Christ not just as individuals, but as part of a community, His Church. So during the last week of school, we encourage everyone, especially our students, to look out for each other, share and celebrate each other’s achievements and take a giant step towards ‘Peace on Earth’ starting in our own hearts and community.
This week at Holy Spirit, we value hospitality, which is about opening one’s home and heart to those who need a place to belong. Hospitality is at the heart of many of the gospel stories. Being kind, generous and welcoming to our friends, family and those we know is easy. It takes courage to welcome or help the stranger by extending hospitality to those in need. Our school community responded to the needs of those less fortunate through our two recent fundraisers, especially at Christmas time with our donations of hampers to St Vincent de Paul. We pray that our students continue to recognise the needs of others and be generous toward others, especially those who need help.
ST VINCENT DE PAUL HAMPER: A BIG THANK YOU to all who generously donated items for our annual Christmas Hamper that was given to St Vincent de Paul this morning during our liturgy. What a wonderful way to start the Christmas season by showing care and mercy for those less fortunate in our community.
ST WENCELAUS: Legend surrounds the brief life of Saint Wenceslaus 1, Duke of Bohemia (907-935), originally venerated because of his martyrdom but most remembered today because of a Christmas carol from the 16 th century that celebrated him as a model of generosity. Separating fact from fiction may be difficult after 1000 years, but your own track record with regard to generosity should be easier to tally. Will anyone sing praises of your generosity a millennium from now? A hundred years? Ten minutes after you are gone? If not, what can you do today to start building your own lasting legacy as a disciple of Christ? (from Take Five for Faith)
ADVENT: Advent wreaths are a tradition used to mark the four weeks of Advent as we prepare for the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day. Its usual form is a horizontal evergreen wreath holding four candles. Each week a candle is lit. The underlying symbolism is that the accumulation of light is an expression of the growing
anticipation of the birth of Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world. Three of the candles are violet-coloured to symbolise faithful expectation and the one rose candle symbolises joy and hope. Finally, the circular wreath represents God’s eternal love which has no beginning or end. Making an advent wreath and praying a blessing each week with your children is a wonderful way to countdown to Christmas.
Lord God, Your Church joyfully awaits the coming of its Saviour,
who enlightens our hearts and dispels the darkness of ignorance and sin.
Pour forth your blessings upon us as we light the candles of this wreath;
may their light reflect the splendour of Christ,
who is Lord, for ever and ever. Amen.
Today we farewelled staff leaving us at the end of the year, including Fr John who gave a blessing to them all.
I hope you all have an enjoyable holiday, and I look forward to seeing you all next year in 2024 to start the year again. Best of luck to our Grade 6 senior students moving into High School and future endeavours. Your contribution to Holy Spirit Catholic School will be remembered.
Have a safe and happy holiday.
God bless.
Caroline Fuller
LAST DAY
Students are permitted to wear coloured clothes on the last day of school but must wear their school hats, sun-safe clothing and closed in shoes. Students will be dismissed at 12.00pm.
All uniform supplies are available at The School Locker, Domain Central (close to Bunnings). Phone 1800 826 155
In 2024, the days students can wear FORMAL and SPORTS uniforms are stated under:
Dear Parents, Teachers, Staff and my dear Students,
We are coming to the close of another fruitful, blessed and wonderful school year. It is obviously a time to thank the Lord for all the blessings He has showered upon our school community in the year 2023. It is a time to thank all our wonderful teachers and staff at the Holy Spirit School who had been working tirelessly to help our children grow in wisdom and knowledge, to live the gospel values and to follow the Spirit Way, finding strength in the Holy Spirit. It is also a time to thank the wonderful parents and carers for their support and encouragement.
I am sure that you all will be excited as you begin the summer holidays. It is also that beautiful time of the year when we celebrate the birth of Jesus, Christmas. I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and safe holidays. While you are in the festive mood and celebrations at Christmas please do remember that Jesus is the reason for this glorious season and our celebrations. Please find some time to make room for Jesus in your little hearts and come along to attend one of the three Christmas Masses at our Holy Spirit Parish: 6.00 pm and 9.00 pm on the 24th and 8.30 am on the 25th of December. Christmas is the feast of love and I pray that love be born in your hearts at this Christmas.
On another note, as most of you may know by now, this will be my last Christmas with you as your parish priest at Holy spirit. I will be leaving for Ingham after Christmas to be the parish priest there from the 1st of January 2024. Once again, I thank you for all the love and friendship you extended to me these last 13 years. It is very hard and difficult to leave you after all these years of being a part of your school community. But God has His plans for me and I surrender to His plans. Please do say a prayer for me as I embark on a new journey in my life. I will miss
you all very badly. But you all will be very close to my heart and may God bless you always.
Once again, Happy Christmas and a grace-filled New year and ADIEU…
Sincerely,
Your Fr. John
UNIFORMS
As part of our uniform policy, black shoes are required for all days including sports days. Black joggers are the way to go as they can be worn every day. Some examples of acceptable shoes are pictured below.
Some of the shoes that will not be acceptable are the following.
All uniform supplies are available at The School Locker, Domain Central (close to Bunnings).
The school office will be open Monday 04 December to Wedenesday 06 December - 8am to 3pm.
January 2024 -
The office will be open from 17th January 2024 – 8am to 3pm.
Office will be closed Monday 15th & Tuesday 16th January for training.
Normal office hours resume from 22th January 2024 – 8am to 3.30pm.
Any enquiries can be emailed to crnbrk@tsv.catholic.edu.au
SCHOOL INSTRUMENTS
Lost Property will be cleared out over the holidays so please come in to check for anything you have lost.
Please be aware that all medicine held at the school needs to be collected by the end of the school year.
Anyone requiring medicine in 2024 needs to bring it in next year, with a new Consent to Administer Medication form. Please click HERE for new form.
Please note: All ongoing medicine except ventolin requires the signature of a doctor on page 2 of the form.
Term Dates 2023 |
||
Term 4 |
Tuesday 3 October 2023 |
Friday 1 December 2023 |
Term Dates 2024 |
||
Term 1 |
Monday 22 January 2024 |
Thursday 28 March 2024 |
Term 2 |
Monday 15 April 2024 |
Friday 21 June 2024 |
Term 3 |
Monday 8 July 2024 |
Friday 13 September 2024 |
Term 4 |
Monday 30 September 2024 |
Friday 6 December 2024 |
First Day of 2024: Monday 22 January.
Pupil Free Days:
Friday 26th April, 2024
Friday 30th August, 2024
Severe Weather Event Advice to Parents
In the event of a cyclone or severe weather impacting on our Catholic schools, regularly updated information will be available on the following:
* Townsville Catholic Education website www.tsv.catholic.edu.au LATEST NEWS section on homepage.
* Twitter - you can follow us on www.twitter.com/tceo
* Facebook - you can follow us on www.facebook.com/TownsvilleCEO
* Listen to local readio stations (ABC in all regions) plus various local commercial stations for updates.
* Instagram - townsville_catholic_education
Please make sure your compass details are up to date as this is the avenue the school will use to contact parents directly.
If a decision is made overnight to close schools, this message will be broadcast from 7am, earlier if possible.
Parents should be advised that on occasion it is difficult to call through to radio stations, so patience is appreciated if message broadcasts are delayed in any way.
Please refrain from calling schools before 7am as this causes disruption to vital communication networks.
Please refer to the above methods of communication as your first source of information. Please use your best discretion in the interests of safety at all times.
Playgroup has finished for 2023, we will be back 2024
on a new day.
In 2024, the Spirit Playgroup will begin on Friday 2nd February commencing at 8.30am to 11am and be held in the current location OHSC. Please see below.
We wish all families a safe, healthy and peace-filled Christmas
and New Year.
How do you choose tech gifts that are both fun and safe for your kids? The eSafety Gift Guide is here to help. We've gone through the latest tech trends to bring you straightforward advice to help make smart and safe tech gift choices for children and young people.
This year, the digital playground has evolved, especially in the world of online gaming. Read our guide for the latest updates and find practical tips on a range of tech gifts - from gaming memberships and virtual currencies, drones, smartphones, wearable tech and more.
Remember, the gadgets we choose do more than entertain; they can influence personal safety and the wellbeing of our families. That's why healthy online habits are important right from the start.
Choose tech gifts wisely this holiday season, ensuring they're fun, safe, and age-appropriate for your child. Gift smart, gift safe, and be online safety conscious when giving gifts this holiday season.
eSafety Youth Council applications close next week
We're looking for young Australians aged 13 to 24, to join the eSafety Youth Council.
It's an opportunity for young people to have their say on online safety issues that matter most to them. They will help us understand what young people experience online and how their experiences and safety can be improved.
Applications close 4pm (AEDT) 1 December 2023. If you know someone who might be interested, encourage them to apply today!
Meet Wizz: The new app teens are talking about
Discover Wizz, the latest app gaining popularity among teenagers and young adults. It's a social media platform designed for real-time global chat, similar to dating apps.
Users can swipe through profiles that show a person's photo, first name, age, location and interests.
Wizz uses an external age-verification tool to estimate age with AI technology when a selfie is uploaded so that people are matched with people of a similar age. However, it's important to know that the app can match adults with children, and some content is for mature audiences.
Stay informed about the apps your children use with The eSafety Guide.
Celebrate International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD)
International Day of People with Disability is on 3 December 2023. The day is dedicated to promoting awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with disabilities worldwide.
You can get involved by holding or attending a IDPwD event in your workplace or community, or by raising awareness of the day and promoting inclusion.
Did you know we're supporting some projects for this audience through our Online Safety Grants Program?
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Online Safety Training by Interaction Disability Services - Free online safety training for people with disability and their parents or carers.
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Healthy video gaming resources supporting autistic young people by Amaze - These guides have been developed to support parents and carers with practical strategies to support young people to have a balanced, positive and fun relationship with gaming.
We also have resources in Easy Read format for people with low literacy, or with intellectual or cognitive disability.
Join us in celebrating IDPwD and promoting online safety and inclusion for all.
Event |
|
December |
Date |
29.11.23 |
Rite of Passage @ 6.30pm |
|
01.12.23 |
Last day of School - finish @ 12pm |
The Tuckshop will be closed for Friday 1 December, the last day of the school year.
A special thank you to all of our volunteers who have supported the tuckshop all year - and for all the donations, your help is very much appreciated.
Merry Christmas from Gayle, Linda & Kate
As the cost of living crisis continues, many young people are feeling the impacts, and may be struggling to look after their mental health and wellbeing during this time.
The good thing is, self-care doesn’t have to be expensive. In this activity, students discuss different low-cost ways to chill out, and develop simple and practical strategies for self-care.
Help your students to get better sleep
In recent research, we found that 52% of young people reported trouble sleeping, or changes to sleep patterns, due to stress about the cost of living.
As students navigate a time of rapid mental, physical, social and emotional development, getting good-quality sleep is so important. Find out what you can do to help them improve their sleep during this time.
We are open Monday, Wednesday and Friday 8am-8.25am in the hall.
Your support with donations of spreads (not nut based) and bread are needed and appreciated, due to the increase in children accessing the program.
Thank you to students who continue to help with toasting and service to the community
Donations can be dropped off at Tuckshop.
No toast on the last day of school, Friday 1 December
Happy holidays and safe travels to all defence families.
Friday Assemblies |
|
All assemblies in the hall |
8.40am |
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 |
1.25 pm |
Five minute warning bell |
1.30 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.