Roblox, Fortnite, and TikTok may already be familiar names in your household.  How safe are your kids when using the Internet?  

Last week, our Year 4 - 6 students, staff and parents attended presentations by Brett Lee from Internet Safe Education. We received positive feedback from the parents who attended and our staff. A few students provided feedback that I thought you might find interesting.

The internet is public and permanent, Adrian 

Not everyone is who they say they are, so never give out personal information. Arya

You should not share your personal information, like passwords. Ellie

We are pleased to inform you that our school community now has access to a 24-hour Cyber Safety Hub provided by Internet Safe Education (ISE).  What does this mean for you and your family?

You will have exclusive access to all the support, resources and education needed to raise your child in the online world and create a safe, fun, education and productive family.  The HUB is available to you on any device and applies to school-aged children of all ages. This comes at no cost to you as a member of our community. 

The Cyber Safety Hub is the only one of its kind in Australia and is designed to provide all you need and nothing you don’t.

What you and your family will have access to:

•   Courses for you as a parent or carer that will guide you to set up the ideal home technology environment.
•   Dozens of targeted downloadable resources, including conversation starters, victim indicators and a home technology contract for computers and phones.
•   Live webinars throughout the term.
•   Webinar library covering specific topics.
•   Monthly articles that are recent, accurate and relevant.
•   Latest App updates. 

To access the HUB:

1. Click on the link below or copy and paste the website into your browser -

https://www.internetsafeeducation.com/hub-home/

2. Enter our unique password -  HSCS25

Have a great week!

Nicole Lennox

Lent begins this week today, Ash Wednesday. This is a season to ask for forgiveness and search our heart to also show mercy to those who have hurt or offended us. God shares his mercy and forgiveness with us so that we may share it with others. Children in Year 4-6 attended Mass with parishioners this morning in the Holy Spirit Church. Our Preps to Year 3 attended a Liturgy where they received the ashes.

The Gospel of the First Sunday of Lent (this Sunday) offers us a promise with the story of Jesus’ temptation in the desert. Jesus spent forty days praying and fasting in the desert. He was tempted 3 times; to change stones into bread, to become King of all the land and to jump off the roof of the temple to prove God’s love. But Jesus trusted in God’s love. With God’s help, he could turn away from temptation and choose to do the right thing. We can begin the journey of Lent with confidence, for this Gospel shows us that we, too, can change and turn back to God’s love. It is not always easy to turn away from temptation and choose to do the right thing. We, teachers and parents, can encourage our students to do their best and not give up so that they can achieve great things in their learning and in their behaviour.

This week at Holy Spirit, we value courage. Most often, we associate courage with physical prowess or bravery. Courage can also be seen in the form of being honest, fair, not giving up, being a peacemaker. This type of courage often requires us to sometimes step out of our comfort zone and do something we might not usually do but know we must as it is the right thing. This week we encourage our students to think how they can be courageous and help others. 

Project Compassion is Caritas Australia's annual Lenten fundraising and awareness-raising appeal. Millions of Australians come together in solidarity with the world's poor to help end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity. Over the coming weeks, a feature story from the Caritas Australia website will be shared.

The theme of Project Compassion 2025 is ‘Unite Against Poverty’. This year is an exciting time in the life of the Church. A Jubilee year only comes around once every quarter of a century and it brings with it a special invitation for each one of us. That invitation is close to the heart of Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion. The theme of Jubilee 2025 is Pilgrims of Hope. It is hope that calls us to come together and Unite Against Poverty.

Project Compassion shares feature stories on their website. Toefuata'iga (Toy-foo-ah-tah-ing-ah) is a 13-year-old student in Samoa, who faced frequent early dismissals and missed lessons due to severe water scarcity at her primary school. Teachers often had to leave class to fetch water, impacting health and hygiene for students.

The situation changed dramatically when Caritas Samoa, in partnership with Caritas Australia, installed a 10,000-litre water tank at her school. With clean reliable water access, attendance and enrolment rose, students health improved, and parents felt reassured. The new tank lifted financial and logistical burdens, allowing the school community to focus on education rather than the constant struggle for water. For more, please visit https://fundraise.projectcompassion.org.au/stories 

PROJECT COMPASSION BOXES: Each family will receive a Project Compassion box. We encourage our students to give up some foods they enjoy such as MacDonald’s, lollies, soft drink etc. or spend time doing jobs for family and placing the money saved into the boxes to help others in need. Boxes can be returned to the Office at the end of Lent. For more information about CARITAS and its work go to www.caritas.org.au 

Loving God,

In the life of Jesus, You have shown us the way of love.

Teach us to follow this way in the great and small events of life.
Grant us a spirit of self-denial and greater love this Lent.
Guide us in the way of compassion, to help our brothers and sisters in need.

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord

Amen.
( www.cathnews.com.)

God bless.
Caroline Fuller - APRE

Parent/Teacher Interviews 

Please save the date of the parent/teacher interviews in Weeks 8 and 9. Please refer to the attached document to book an appointment in Compass. We encourage all parents to have an interview in Term 1 to meet your child's teacher (if you haven't already) and discuss your child's progress.  Bookings don't open until Week 7.

Parent Guide to Booking Parent-Teacher Conferences

Classroom Showcase - Save the Date

You are invited to come and visit your child’s classroom on Wednesday, 26th, and Thursday, 27th March.

Year 3 and Year 5 NAPLAN

Our Year 3 and Year 5 classes have been practicing in preparation for next week. 

When is NAPLAN?

The NAPLAN testing window begins in Week 7 of Term 1.

Our school schedule is a follows:

• Wednesday 12th March - Writing at 9 am
• Thursday 13th March - Reading at 9 am
• Friday 14th March - Conventions of Language at 11 am
• Tuesday 18th March - Numeracy at 9 am

Kristy Bates

Assistant Principal Pedagogy and Learning 

We’re excited to announce that HSCS is now on Instagram! We can be found at @holyspiritcatholicschool_tsv -  to stay updated on school events, student achievements, and community highlights. It’s a great way to connect and see all the wonderful things happening at our school!

Follow us today and be part of our online community! 

Yesterday some of our students attended the Interschool Chess Competition held at Ignatius Park College.

Adrian P, he won 7/7 games! 

Representative Trials:

If you have a student who is turning 10, 11 or 12 this year, they are eligible to trial for Townsville and Northern School Sport teams. All nominations must go through the school to be considered at these trials. This year there has been a change in the process for these nominations. Please see the attached information and expression of interest form.

2025 Representative Trials Information.docx (1)

2025 Representative Trials Expression of Interest form.docx (3)

Congratulations:

A huge congratulations to Sam in grade 4 who was selected for the North Queensland swimming team. He will represent our school and region as he competes in 5 events later this month. We wish him the best of luck. 

Baseball QLD

This week, our grade 5 & 6 students participated in a session run by Baseball QLD in their PE lessons. Students got the opportunity to play a game of baseball and earn a prize. Townsville Baseball is hosting a free come and try day this Saturday for all ages, see the flyer for more information. 

Our online web store is live! We will have this open until the 26^th March, week 9.

They will take approximately 6 weeks to be made and delivered around Week 3 of Term 2.

https://blackchrome.com.au/shop/holy-spirit-catholic-school/

We are open Tuesday and Thursday 8am-8.25am in the hall.

Your support with donations of spreads (not nut based) and bread are needed and appreciated, particularly honey and golden syrup, due to the increase in children accessing the program.

Donations can be dropped off at Tuckshop.

Just a reminder: The toasters will be turned off at 8.15am, so bread with spreads will be the choice once the toast runs out.  This allows both students and staff enough time to be ready for the start of the school day. 

Hello Defence families!

We have had a busy couple of weeks in defence club and have seen a few more faces turning up which has been great to see. We have been busy decorating a big group project to display in our room. The kids wanted to make a big snake which we cut into puzzle piece sections that they all got to put their name to. We will fit these all back together to show our sense of belonging together. We have also had a few karaoke stars showing us their talents which has been very entertaining! A minute to win it was heaps of fun, while some of us just enjoyed the cool and quiet room. We are now halfway through the term so please reach out if you need. I am getting around to classrooms (Mondays and Thursdays) to drop in and visit the kids as much as I can, but please let me know if there is anything else I can help with. If I can’t, I will endeavour to point you in the right direction.

Kat Jordan – Defence School Mentor

Save the Date - Barra Fun Park Family Day – 22 Mar 2025

ADF members and families, save the date and come along to our Family Fun Day at the ADF members and families, save the date and come along to our Family Fun Day at the Barra Fun Park!
Make a splash on the Aqua Park, maybe catch a Barra, and enjoy a relaxing afternoon.

When: Saturday 22 March 2025 Time: 4-7pm Where: Townsville Barra Fun Park

Tickets: Tickets will be available soon via Eventbrite.

Mates4Mates Townsville

Mates4Mates is one of Australia’s leading veteran charities actively changing the lives of current and ex-serving Australian Defence Force members and families. The Mates4Mates Townsville team are here to help you reconnect and recover through skills-based activities, including family-friendly school holiday events. Whether you need a coffee and a chat, access to support and rehabilitation services, or you just want to meet others who understand what you’re going through, you’re welcome at Mates4Mates.

For more information, head to mates4mates.org or call 1300 4 MATES (62837).

Kookaburra Kids

The Department of Veterans’ Affairs funds the Australian Kookaburra Kids Foundation to deliver the Defence Kids Program across Australia, which provides camps, activity days and age-appropriate mental health education focusing on coping skills and resilience, while allowing children to bond with peers who are facing similar challenges. For more information, please contact Hannah Elizabeth Gallinar, Community Engagement Coordinator & Program Lead (Townsville & Cairns). 

Email Hannah.gallinar@kookaburrakids.org.au Website www.kookaburrakids.org.au

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.