As we come closer to Advent (this Sunday December 1), it is important to remind ourselves the message of advent is around preparation and then the celebration of the birth of Christ. This year, the theme is Peace. In our uncertain world, now more than ever, we need to pray for peace and calm in our society and across the world. As we light the advent candle on Sunday for Hope, please say this little prayer "Come, Lord Jesus" as we invite Christ to be in our hearts, minds and actions for a better world.

Next week, we invite our families to join us on Tuesday at 8.45am for our final gathering as a school for our Christmas Liturgy and presentation of hampers to St Vincent De Paul. We demonstrate to our students the gift of giving to those in need. Having had many conversations with staff from St Vincent De Paul, it is a small gesture from us, but for those families that receive these hampers, it is greatly appreciated and even tears are shed in gratitude.

Thank you to the parents and staff for the organisation of some key events recently. From Year 6 camp, swimming carnivals, Carols and awards, it is certainly appreciated. Your generosity of time is a special gift that we are always thankful for.

Finally, it was great to see so many families at our Carols this week. I appreciate this is a day event and I am aware this is not everyone's preferred time. But as we are always saying, our students are the ones that get to perform and having it during the day, every child has this opportunity, it allows every staff to assist in this very busy time of the year and families still get to join in (if they can make it - like swimming carnivals and athletics and Eisteddfod). This year, we are trying to set this up as everyone joining in the singing rather than a concert for people to view. Our Carols books are ready for those beautiful singing voices.

Next week, we will have our final newsletter for the year with some valuable information for families, particularly some key dates for 2025. 

Happy Days

Paul Martin 

As Christmas approaches and our children are writing their lists to Santa, I’ve noticed that smartwatches are highly sought after. I don’t own one because I appreciate the opportunity to disconnect. However, many of my friends love their smartwatches; they use them to send and receive text messages, check emails, set timers, track fitness goals, and check social media, among other functions.

But should a primary school student have access to this type of technology all the time, especially during school hours?

We need to consider the implications of our child having a smartwatch at school. Beyond being a constant distraction to their learning, smartwatches are also quite expensive.

While exploring the topic of smartwatches in schools, I came across some interesting viewpoints that I would like to share for your consideration.

Being too connected can interfere with a child’s development. Smartwatches not only serve as distractions, but when parents text their children during the school day, it can hinder normal child development. Depending on their age and maturity, kids should learn to manage their own schedules and responsibilities. If children can simply glance at their wrists for reminders about turning in permission slips, bringing home their math book, or attending basketball practice after school, they may not develop essential problem-solving skills or the ability to manage their lives independently. Emergency calls or changes to pick-up times and locations still need to go through the Office, with messages passed to teachers and students alike. While every parent wants to look out for their child, previous generations managed without 24/7 contact and constant reminders.

Secondly, smartwatches pose privacy and safety concerns. They often do not adhere to the same safety protocols or protection software as computers and phones, making them more vulnerable to hackers. This could allow unauthorised individuals to gain access to a child's personal information or even their location, potentially revealing the whereabouts of other children at school.

While smartwatches offer conveniences and connectivity, it’s important to weigh their potential impact on our children’s learning, development, and safety in the school environment.

Uniforms

This is another reminder that we will collect pre-loved uniforms for the School Savvy program.

Please check our Uniform Policy before purchasing uniforms and shoes ready for 2025.

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.

As we busily prepare for Christmas – planning, cleaning, spending, giving, attending breakups and concerts – we must take a moment and reflect on what it all means for us and our families.  The first Sunday of Advent is this weekend and marks the beginning of a period of preparation for celebrating the birth of Christ, our Saviour, at Christmas.  All the readings in the Mass advise us most urgently to make ourselves ready, to be on the alert, to turn aside from our errant ways, and to give more time to God in our lives.  The season of Advent encourages us to reflect and prepare for the coming of Jesus who came to show us a new way of being with God, ourselves and each other.  As we count down to the end of the year and participate in the prayer celebrations of the last week, our students will be reflecting on their achievements and spiritual growth during 2024.

This week at Holy Spirit, we value hospitality.  This 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 responds to the needs of those less fortunate through our two main fundraisers, especially at Christmas time with our donations of hampers to the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal.  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 have generously donated items and brought them in for our annual Christmas hamper.  Our classrooms are bursting with Christmas goodies which will be used in Christmas Hampers for those in our community who are in need at Christmas time.  Hampers will be presented at our Christmas Liturgy on Tuesday morning in the last week.  What a wonderful way to start the Christmas season by showing care and mercy for those less fortunate in the Townsville community.  On Monday, our Term 4 School Captains attended the SVDP Christmas Hamper Appeal at St Margaret Mary’s College with Bishop Tim and presented a hamper on behalf of our school community.

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 expresses the growing anticipation of the birth of Jesus Christ, who is the world's light.  Three candles are violet-coloured to symbolise faithful expectation, and the rose candle symbolises joy and hope.  Finally, the circular wreath represents God’s eternal love with no beginning or end.  Making an advent wreath and praying a blessing each week with your children is a beautiful way to countdown to Christmas.  

Blessing for the Advent Wreath

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.

God bless.

Caroline Fuller

Semester 2 Reports

Semester Two Reports will be published via Compass on Wednesday, December 4th, at 3:30 p.m. To access them, you will need your Compass username and password. Please see the office staff for this information if you still need it. 

If your child is in Year 6 or if you are leaving our school, please download your child's report from Compass before 30 December. Access via Compass will be available until 30 December.

Holiday Activities 

Here are some activity suggestions that beat any boredom that may creep in over the holidays. 

Townsville City Council - School Holiday Guide

Kristy Bates

Assistant Principal Pedagogy and Learning  (APPL)

This years Interhouse Swimming Carnival was a huge success with all students from Year 3-6 and staff having a fantastic day.

Stephen White House were the overall winners.

Congratulations to the following students who were awarded our age champions.

8yr old:  Charlotte Lobley & Matthew Davey

9yr old:  Imogen Sprott  & Walter Mulqueen

10yr old:  Amelia Myles & Chase Ogilvie

11yr old:  Charlee Douglas & Liam Ruddell

12yr old:  Ella Edwards & Hugo Mulqueen

The students were swimming superstars and the staff were spectacular life savers, starters, organisers, marshals and supervisors.

A huge thank you to the wonderful parents that helped with judging and time keeping througout the day.  It is because of your help and the enthusiasm of our staff that makes a day life this a huge success for our students.

SCHOOL INSTRUMENTS

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.

Lost Property will be cleared out over the holidays so please come in to check for anything you have lost.

December 2024:

The School office will close at 12pm on the last day of school (Friday 6th December)

January 2025:

Office will reopen Wednesday 22nd @ 8am.

Normal office hours resume from Tuesday 28th January - 8am - 3.30pm

Any enquiries can be emailed to crnbrk@tsv.catholic.edu.au

All medication held at the school office needs to be collected before 6 December 2024.

Medications to be administered at school in 2025 can be dropped at the office from 20 January, with a completed Consent to Administer Medication form, please click HERE to access form. Information flyer for parents is also attached HERE. 

If you require any information regarding Administration of Medication at school please read the attached information sheet.

Raising happy, healthy kids in a digital world.

New parent training program - click HERE 

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. Please refrain from calling schools before 7am as this causes disruption to vital communication networks.

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 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.

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 Tuckshop will be closed for Friday 6 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.

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.