17 March 2016

Newsletter Articles

From the Principal

To our wonderful Holy Cross Parents and Carers,

With Holy Thursday just over a week away, the end of our Lenten journey (and the end of term) is fast approaching. Our journey to date has led us through a time of prayer, penance and the giving of one's self in preparation for Christ's Resurrection on Easter Sunday. This week, we have started to reflect on forgiveness and the acknowledgement of our own failings as we work towards renewed promises at Easter time.

In this week's Gospel reading, Jesus saves a woman from being stoned to death. He refused to condemn the woman, and instead offered forgiveness and invited the woman to a new life. It can be easy to miss the last words Jesus spoke to the woman: "Go, and from now on do not sin anymore." We are each called to do likewise.

At Holy Cross, we try to articulate to our students an appreciation and acceptance of our vastly different backgrounds, and nurture an understanding that we all have made mistakes, and will continue to throughout our lives. Mistakes are both inevitable and unavoidable, and we encourage our students to extend the hand of forgiveness, just as Jesus did, when others make mistakes around us, even if their mistakes have a direct impact upon ourselves and cause upset and sadness.

In addition, we try to instil into the hearts of all of our students a deep understanding of God's dream for – that we each embrace who we are, and work towards becoming the very best version of ourselves that we can be.

This theme is very much at the heart of our acknowledgement of this Friday's National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence. Forgiveness and mercy is both fitting and appropriate because conflict between children is unfortunately a normal part of growing up and therefore to be expected. This initiative is managed by the Safe and Supportive School Communities (SSSC) Working Group and includes education representatives from the Commonwealth and all states and territories, as well as national Catholic and independent schooling representatives.

The definition of bullying provided by this organisation on their website is as follows:

"Bullying is an ongoing misuse of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical and/or social behaviour that causes physical and/or psychological harm. It can involve an individual or a group misusing their power over one or more persons. Bullying can happen in person or online, and it can be obvious or hidden."

I believe the hardest and most challenging part in addressing bullying, is the provision of a safe means for students to share their reasons for not feeling safe. Often they are concerned that in the reporting of an incident that has made them feel unsafe, the situation may get worse rather than better. As adults, of course, we know that by addressing concerns in a careful and compassionate manner a successful outcome can be instigated, but young children do not have the life experiences to know this to be true. This is where the role of parents and carers is crucial. Often these incidents are shared with loved ones first, frequently at bedtime or even at the dinner table. If this situation arises in your home, these tips may be of use:

Staff at Holy Cross are committed to working with our students to ensure that every child feels safe and supported whilst in attendance at our fine school. We will carry on the messages shared from the National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence for the duration of this school year and beyond as we work towards equipping every child with the skills they need to put an end to this anti-social behaviour. If you are able to, we would love for you to join us at our special assembly on Friday 18th March at 1:50pm to hear about the work the students have been doing throughout the week in preparation for this day.

The Working Group has put together a truly excellent website filled with an abundance of resources to help students, staff and parents in their unpacking of what bullying is, why bullying takes place, and what can be done to stop it. I urge you to take a look and work through some of the suggestions with your child / children – it would be time very well spent.

Before I conclude, I would like to wish you all a happy and restful holiday with your beautiful children. They are certainly in need of a rest after their consistent efforts throughout the term. There are many Masses and celebrations being held throughout Holy Week and Easter within our Diocese. Again, it would be lovely to see you there. The complete list is outlined below in the Parish News for your information.

Wishing you God's blessings now and always,

Sarah Hamilton
Principal

Parish News

This week is the most solemn in the Catholic calendar.

Each day has a particular focus on the trial of Jesus leading up to, and culminating on, Good Friday with the three o'clock service commemorating his suffering and death on the Cross; that which redeems human kind and sets us free from sin.

The Liturgy at tree o'clock contains in it the haunting invitation to venerate and worship the crucified Lord, Our Saviour:

'Behold the wood of the Cross, on which hung the salvation of the world.
Come, let us adore.'

On Holy Saturday the Church faithfully waits at the tomb of the Crucified Lord. This ends in the joyful sound of the Alleluia which at the Easter Vigil is sung for the first time since Ash Wednesday.

On Easter Sunday at Mass we joyfully hear the proclamation of Mary Magdalene in the ancient hymn Victimae Paschali:

'Tell us, Mary: say what thou didst see upon the way.
The tomb the Living did enclose;
I saw Christ's glory as he rose!
The angels there attesting;
shroud with grave-clothes resting.
Christ, my hope, has risen: he goes before you into Galilee.
That Christ is truly risen from the dead we know.
Victorious king, thy mercy show!'

Have a happy and Holy Easter!

Father Neil Muir PP

APRE News

LITURGICAL LIFE OF THE SCHOOL

Thank you to all the families who attended the Years 1 and 2 Mass last Sunday. The children sang beautifully in front of the parish and I am sure everyone enjoyed staying around for a drink and piece of cake, pikelet or biscuit. All year levels will have a special focus at a parish Mass this year:

Term 2 – Prep
Term 3 - Year 6
Term 4 - Years 3 and 4

Next Week is Holy Week. It begins with Palm Sunday, or Passion Sunday. It is a joyful celebration of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Jesus was welcomed by the crowds of people, who worshipped him and laid down palm leaves. The crowd called out, "Hosanna!" or, "Praise God. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord". We will celebrate Palm Sunday as a school next Monday morning at 8:30am. Prep students will have made some palms to wave during this reflection and students from other year levels may bring along a small palm branch to wave as well. Parents are welcome to join us on Monday morning.

The next significant day is Holy Thursday, which is the commemoration of the Last Supper of Jesus Christ. Jesus celebrated the dinner as a Passover feast. The Last Supper was the final meal Jesus shared with his Disciples in Jerusalem. During the meal, Jesus predicted his betrayal. He also washed the feet of His disciples, which reminds us to be people of service. Every time we celebrate Mass, we re-enact the Last Supper. On Thursday 24th of March, the school will gather in remembrance. We will watch, pray and sing as a group. Parents are welcome to attend this celebration from 2pm on this day.

Friday is known as Good Friday. It is a solemn commemoration of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. We hear about, or re-enact the journey of Jesus carrying His cross on the way to Calvary. It is a day of fasting within the Church. Traditionally, there is no Mass and no celebration of the Eucharist on Good Friday. There are no church bells on this day and the altar is bare.

Easter Sunday marks the end of Holy Week and is the celebration of Christ's resurrection. Easter is not just a day, but a liturgical season within the Church. It is the most important feast or celebration, as it highlights the fulfilment of God's promise. It is a day when we share signs of new life such as eggs, butterflies, light and colour. The word, "Alleluia" returns to the Mass and to the songs we sing. It is a word of praise and joy.

Upcoming Liturgies and Masses

• 21st March Palm Sunday prayer reflection 8.30am
• 24th March Holy Thursday Reflection 2.00pm

FUNDRAISING

Project Compassion

Please keep putting money in your home and classroom Project Compassion boxes.

Caritas

SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM

Confirmation:

Tuesday 7th June at 6pm
St Monica's Cathedral

First Eucharist:

Saturday 11th June at 6:00 pm
Holy Cross Church, Reed Rd, Trinity Park

OR

Sunday 12th June at 8:30 am
Holy Cross Church, Reed Rd, Trinity Park

Preparation for these Sacraments involves some discussion and activities to be completed as a family, or through weekly sessions with Helen Bozzo or myself. Please put all dates on your calendar.

The Sacrament of First Reconciliation, will take place on Tuesday 6th September, at 6pm. This will allow for parents to be part of the service. The information night for this Sacrament will be held on Tuesday 12th July, 5:00pm, at All Saints' Chapel, St Andrew's. Please mark this date on your calendars, if relevant to your family. The program will also involve family or group preparation sessions and a practice session.

Please note that Sacramental preparation in this parish is parish based. That means that preparation is the responsibility of the family and parish, rather than the school. This may be different to what you, as parents experienced growing up. The Religious Education Curriculum focuses on the relevance of all Sacraments at different stages, from Prep to Year 6, however, the emphasis is on education, rather than preparation.

PRAYER FOCUS FOR THE WEEK

Jesus straightened up and said, 'Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her'. (John 8: 7)

Adults

Have you ever been willing to 'cast the first stone' when you disapproved of someone's behaviour? How can you resist these feelings?

Children

When have you criticised or made fun of someone?

What could help you act differently?

God, thank you for your forgiveness. In your mercy we are made new again. We follow in your footsteps. Amen.

Parish Mass Times

Jacinta Roberts
APRE Holy Cross
jroberts1@cns.catholic.edu.au

APA News

National Day of Action Against Bullying Harmony Day

The sixth National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence is being held on Friday, 18 March 2016. This annual day is Australia's key anti-bullying event for schools, and encourages all students to 'take a stand together' against bullying and violence in schools, the classroom and beyond. At 1:50pm we will have a special whole school assembly in recognition of this day. Students have been working hard on posters for a 'Poster Competition" as well as putting together skits and raps as part of this assembly. Help deliver a powerful message that bullying and violence is never okay.

Harmony Day

Harmony Day, 21 March, celebrates Australia's cultural diversity. It's about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone. It is a day for all Australian's to embrace cultural diversity and to share what we have in common. The central message for Harmony Day is that 'everyone belongs', reinforcing the importance of inclusiveness to all Australians.

Orange Accessories Day – Monday 21st March

To help raise awareness of both of these days, all students are invited to have some fun by wearing orange accessories (orange socks, headbands, ties, wristbands etc) over their uniforms. No donation required.

Positive Behaviour Focus

Congratulations to Week 6 and 7's Holy Cross Heroes:

"We were all caught encouraging others and helping out"

Congratulations also to our February Holy Cross SUPER HERO:

Many blessings for the week

Brad Henry
Assistant Principal - Administration

Counsellor News

This week at Holy Cross we have been encouraging children, staff and families to engage in those important and sometimes difficult conversations about bullying as part of the NDA National Day against Bullying and Violence. This will culminate in our assembly on 18th March at 1:50pm 2016

– If you are stuck for how you might approach this topic you could ask your children to tell you about how they access or experience some of the initiatives which are embedded in our pastoral care here at Holy Cross such as:-

• Peer Support Program
• Playground Guardians
• Buddy benches
• Peer mentoring
• Unlocking the power of the keys cards to collect
• SEL 'You Can Do It!' Program
• Program Spirit Award each term (1 per class)
• Class prizes and incentives such as dojo points.
• Buddy classes and whole school buddy activities
• Gotcha points for houses
• Positive Behaviour Matrix
• Weekly positive behaviour focus
• Student of the Week
• Holy Cross Heroes
• Inside and outside options for play
• Opportunities to be part of committees in Year 6-Justice Squad, Environment, leadership etc.….

Our focus is on the positives, ie. Behaviours and attitudes towards being a good friend and looking out for one another. Do also visit the site www.bullyingnoway.gov.au for further information, great interactive resources and support pathways.

Parenting Workshops

"Help", I've got a Teenager Workshop

"HELP", I've got a Teenager 6 week parenting course for people with children twelve years and older. Click on the link below for further information.

Bringing up Great Kids Workshop

"Bringing up Great Kids", 4 week positive self-identity workshop promoting positive and nurturing parent-child relationships.

Parenting Beyond Violence

Cairns Regional Domestic Violence Service (CRDVS), Parenting Beyond Violence Group commences May 2016. Please click on the flyer link below for more information.

Veronica Sandall
School Counsellor

School Notices

Year 1 Dr Seuss Day

Last week the Year One students celebrated their love of reading by participating in Dr Seuss day. The children spent the day reading the iconic books and participating in a number of Dr Seuss inspired activities. They created drawings of 'The Cat in the Hat', used their imaginations to create their very own 'Wocket in my Pocket', played 'Green Eggs and Ham' noughts and crosses and decorated 'Green Eggs and Ham' cupcakes. Many children brought their own Dr Seuss books from home to share with their classmates. There were murmurs throughout the day of 'this is the best day ever!'. I think spending the day reading and enjoying Dr Seuss books would definitely have to go down as one of my 'best days ever' too. Happy birthday Dr Seuss and happy reading Year 1s!

Bernice Gubby

Smithfield Shopping Centre / Scholar Dollars Campaign

Please help support Holy Cross School every time you shop at Smithfield Shopping Centre.

Simply present your receipts/dockets to the Customer Service Desk located by V Pharmacy to allocate points to Holy Cross School, or alternatively, drop them into the school office.

The school could be in the running to win:-

1st Prize $10,000
2nd Prize $5,000
3rd Prize $2,500

WE ARE CURRENTLY SITTING IN 2ND PLACE!!

Double bonus points are also given every Thursday evening from 5.30pm until 9pm and Sundays 10.30am until 4.00pm during the campaign. Campaign closes 5.30pm, Thursday 24th March 2016.

2017 Prep Enrolments

If you currently have children attending Holy Cross School and wish to enrol a sibling in Prep for 2017, please collect an application package from the school office or click on the links below to download and return as soon as possible.

2017 Prep interviews will commence in Term 2.

High School Enrolments

Dear Parents, a reminder that many high schools are now starting to conduct interviews for the Year 7 intake for 2017. If you currently have a child in Year 6 and have not yet applied for them to attend a high school it would be advised to think about doing this as soon as possible. Keep an eye out for further information advertised from high schools around the region.

St Monica's College Year 7 2017 Interviews

St Monica's College will be conducting interviews for Year 7 2017 from early March. If parents have not already submitted an application and would like to obtain a prospectus, please phone the College on 4042 4800 to have this mailed out to you.

It is not an automatic process of progression for students who have siblings already at the College. An application form needs to be submitted for every student by the closing date of 24 March 2016.

Smithfield State High School Year 6 into 7 Parent Invite

Year 6 into 7 Information Night will be held on Wednesday 23rd March from 5.30pm – 8.00pm. Click on the link below for further details.

2016 School Fees and Levies

Term 1 School Fees

Term 1 school fee payments are now overdue. If you have not yet made payment please make arrangements to do so as soon as possible.

If you are currently paying your fees via Electronic Funds Transfer please update your amount for 2016 and ensure that you are using your correct reference number as it appears on your Term Invoice, for example: 963_ _ _ _ _ _ _

If you currently have a direct debit arrangement in place continuing from 2015 and have not already made contact with our Bursar, Carolyn Mealing, to update the amount for 2016, please do so at your earliest convenience.

GOTCHA Points

Congratulations to our Week 4 Gotcha Point winners – Petersen and our Week 6 winners – Dillon

Tuckshop News

P and F News

Hi all Parents and Carers,

The P & F Disco last Friday was a great success. A massive thanks to all students and parents who attended. I hope a fabulous evening was had by all.

I must thank; Rachel Bowe and Susie Dobson for their outstanding organisation, Terry the Gardner and Keith for helping setup the lighting, Meat@Mickeys for donating the sausages and those who helped however they could; Julia, Yvonne, Jim, Ezra, Giselle, Sasha, Rachel, Kelly, Deb, Kym, Vicki and Joe.

Also a big thanks to those parents who offered. It is much appreciated. Without you no disco would have happened.

Thank you to everyone who attended the P & F Annual General Meeting last night. The following members were appointed to the P & F Executive Committee for 2016:-

Damian Martin-Blakey
P & F President

The Arts News

Dance Drama Music

Liturgy and General Choirs

Thank you to all the students who have auditioned for the choir. You are so brave to briefly learn a song and then sing it, without music, for me. I truly felt honoured to hear all your lovely voices. Unfortunately, I can't open up the choir to everyone as there are teacher- student ratios and other restrictions to consider and so I've had to cap the number of children in each choir. We are working with 18 students in the Liturgy Choir and 30 in the General Choir. We have had some student movement in/ out and between choirs still but this will settle down and by the beginning of Term 2, we should have two stable choirs.

We have begun weekly rehearsals with Liturgy Choir rehearsals on Mondays at 2nd lunch and General Choir rehearsals on Tuesdays at 2nd lunch. Each student has been given a school choir folder to use for home practice. These folders remain the property of Holy Cross and need to be brought each week to rehearsals.

The General Choir has been asked to lead the school in the National Anthem during this Friday's assembly. We had our final rehearsal for this today and I'm impressed with how the choir sounds and is responding to the challenge of a performance so quickly after forming. Well done everyone!

Finally, we have upcoming performances in Term 2 in which we will be working towards. They are ANZAC Day services, Mother's Day and EISTEDDFOD!

Ukulele (Years 5 & 6) and Recorder (Years 3 & 4) Clubs

We have had a strong start to Thursdays Recorder Club at 2nd lunches. We have 30 eager students who can't wait to learn to play the recorder. We have already learnt the different parts of the recorder, how to clean our recorders, how to play a few notes on the recorder and some basic music theory. These students need to supply their own folders and remember to bring both their folder and recorder to each Thursday's lesson.

Ukulele club has had a slower start. Some seniors who wanted to play the ukulele have had other school activities to attend and so we are trying to work around some timetabling issues. However, we've had two very eager students who started their first ukulele lesson last Wednesday at 2nd lunch. They used the school ukuleles and learnt two chords, a song and how to tune their instruments. We have many spots available for any year 5 & 6 students who still want to learn to play the ukulele.

Holy Cross Has Got Talent! (Back by popular demand!)

Holy Cross Has Got Talent returns in Term 2, 2016!

Auditions will be held during weeks 6 & 7. Heats will be run during weeks 8 & 9. The finals will be shown across weeks 10 & 11.

There will three different competitions being run according to year levels. Preps will have their own competition. Years 1-3 will have their own competition and Years 4-6 will have their own competition.

Each individual student or student group (2-4 members only) can nominate to compete in one of four different sections. (1) Poetry Recital (2) Dance (3) Music (singing and/or playing an instrument) and (4) Drama (short skit).

Each competitor/ group will only have 3-5 minutes to wow the judges. Over the holidays, plan your performance and practice, practice, practice!

Drama Resources – we need your donations!

We now have a small arrangement of props and costumes for drama and dance performances in the DDM room. We are still in need of gathering more costumes and props for plays and dances. If you can donate anything from the list below, we would really appreciate it. THANK YOU!

• Men's business shirts, suit jackets, ties, hats, belts
• Women's small dresses, coats, hats, belts, necklaces
• Normal and novelty sunglasses
• Costumes of any sort – needs to be sizes 8-14.
• Retro or old fashioned clothes
• Plastic princess crowns, fairy wands etc…
• Shawls or scarves
• Novelty hats eg: cowboy, police, fireman, witch
• Wigs
• Old dial telephones
• Plastic, but realistic, mobile phones
• Toga costumes
• Etc…

DDM Lesson Update:

Prep - "Book Imaginarium" – Preps have been eagerly participating in drama and dance games each lesson. They have also been using their imaginations to pretend to be in a different world each week. Over the past few weeks, we have been in Pirate World, Birthday Party World and Bumble Bee World. This unit connects with the Prep Australian Curriculum humanities subjects where students explore special places and events in their lives.

Years 1 - "Acting Animalistic" – The year 1 students have shown much enthusiasm when playing their dance and drama games and exploring how animals move. We now know the difference between locomotor and non-locomotor movements and have used these to represent many different reptiles, mammals, birds and insects. We have been looking at different creature's features through different fiction and non-fiction texts. Last week we dramatised, "The Gruffalo" and this week we will be creating a Gruffalo dance. This unit connects with the Year 1 Australian Curriculum Science subject where students explore different animals and animal habitats.

Years 2 - "Bunyip Jigs" – Year 2 have been exploring Australian Aboriginal myths and dances. We have been using drama and dance games to get us ready for our lessons. We now know the difference between locomotor and non-locomotor movements and have used these to represent how different animals move. Students have studied the story of "Tiddilik the Frog" and have both dramatised the story and put it into a dance to Aboriginal music. We then moved onto how cranes move in the wild and created our own version of the Aboriginal Crane Dance. This week we looked at the word "jig" and danced the "Heel and Toe Polka" as a kind of jig. Next week we will begin to look into the fabulous stories of Bunyips and begin the journey of creating our own Bunyip Jig through dramatizing the stories, miming the stories and then dancing the stories. This unit connects to the Year 2 Australian Curriculum Humanities subject teachings about Australian history.

Years 3 - "Blast Off! Life in Space." - Year 3 have been studying all things space. We have been watching YouTube clips about space, playing space drama games, reading space scripts and will also create a space dance. Students will get to create a space play next term and be able to write their own ending to the play. This unit connects with the Year 3 Australian Curriculum Science subject teachings about space.

Years 4 - "Australian Stories." - Year 4 have tied in some Geography knowledge to help them gain an insight into how Aboriginals are connected to Dreamtime and their land. We have studied this connection and used this knowledge to explore our own connections to the different places in our own lives. Students have been using drama and dance games to build their repertoire of acting and dance movements in preparation of creating their own unique dance about themselves and their connections to the Cairns environment. Thus, creating many personalised stories about the Australians in our very own school. This unit connects with the Year 4 Australian Curriculum Geography, History and English subject teachings, which include a sense of "place", Aboriginal history, and oration.

Years 5 – "Theatre Sports" – This unit is VERY POPULAR with the students. Some weeks there is a sense of urgency to get through the warm up drama games so students can get on with Theatre Sports lesson. We have looked at how Theatre Sports has been played all around the world. We are now learning the technical terms that help us describe the improvisations we create each lesson and how we can progress past our mistakes. Students have been studying the Theatre Sport game called "Space Jump" and have been eager to get a chance to have a go at it. Each lesson we practice aspects of the game, practise, laugh out loud a lot and then analyse ways in which we could improve our improvisations. Next we will be looking at the game "Death in a Minute", followed by "Slow Motion Commentary." This unit connects with the school's Social and Emotional Learning programs in team building, empowering confidence and getting along with others.

Years 6 – "Storytellers" – Year 6 has been giving me some strange and confused looks as we progress into this unit. These confused looks are about how I expect them to tell a story through dance when you are 11 years old and in need of keeping up the respect of your fellow peers. However, as we started delving into the wonderfully rich world of folktales from around the world and begin to study the underlying themes of courage, wisdom, bravery and kindness found in them, students change their attitude to one of enthusiasm. Last week we toyed with the story of Pandora's Box. The students were enchanted by the tale and all wanted to be Zeus the King of the Greek Gods. Then we had problem solving as a group of boys wondered how they were going to get around the fact that no-one wanted to play Pandora. The students were then held spellbound by a YouTube clip of a high school dance group's portrayal of the story of Pandora. We will continue to explore the world of how to dance the story of Pandora's Box for a while before students will be tasked at choosing their own folktale from around the world and teasing out a group dance to perform back to their class. This unit connects to the Year 6 Australian Curriculum History and English subject teachings about world culture.

Thank you for all your support! God bless!
Christina Wight

Music Tuition

Drums/Percussion

Are you interested in playing the drums or learning a percussion instrument?

For more information contact our friendly drum/percussion instructor Jen Fengler on ph: 0431461812 or email: jenfengler@hotmail.com

Piano

If you are interested in piano lessons please contact: Paul Brimstone on ph: 40551105

Guitar

If you are interested in guitar lessons please contact: Peter Drazic on email: pjd.guitar@bigpond.com

Sports Notices

Cross Country Postponed

Due to the monsoonal rain this week unfortunately we have to postpone the Cross Country tomorrow, for safety reasons. We will reschedule this event for Thursday 14th of April (Term 2, Week 1).

Assembly for the National Day of Action Against Bullying Day will still occur at 1:50pm in the multipurpose area.

Ayton Russell
Health and Physical
Education (HPE) Teacher

Holy Cross Rugby League

MATCH REPORT RUGBY LEAGUE – Round 3

The boys laced the boots up for their last game against a very fast White Rock primary. The game started with the boys on the back foot with White Rock boys scoring some long range tries but in true Holy Cross fashion the boys were only warming up!

It was a steamy afternoon with the little men doing a lot work. Seth was heavily involved early and as it was both Michael, Joe, Lachie and Lewis showing how hard they were working with the mass amount of sweat dripping from their shirts. Rhys, Jack and Christian where busy as normal and William was directing the boys around the park.

The boys started the second half like a new side and muscled up in defence and put pressure on in attack with James scoring in the corner. Leon and Thomas finish the game just as strong as they started but it was a really strong team performance. It was extremely difficult to single out a single player but man of match went to James W.

Gregg Dawson and I would like to thank all the players for efforts over the last few weeks with some playing Rugby League for the very first time, we hope you enjoyed yourself.

Thanks to Mr Russell and Ms Judd for the support and the parents for bringing the boys in each Wednesday.

Thanks Ben and Gregg
Coaches

Congratulations to James W. who was Man of the Match last week.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Peninsula Representative Kai who attended the State Aquathon Championships in Hervey Bay and came 25th in the State, well done!

Barron River District School Sport Trial Notices

To access Barron River trial dates and regional information for Queensland School Sports please click on the following link at: www.pensport.eq.edu.au and go to District Information / Barron River to view the latest calendar of events.

Please note: For students wishing to trial for Barron River in any sport, parents are required to complete the Parent Consent Form which is found in the sport's trial notice link for that particular sport, as well as the following Peninsula Region Paperwork and bring these with them to the trials.

Boys Basketball Trial Notice (students born 2004, 2005 & 2006)

Trial dates: Tuesday March 15th and Tuesday March 22nd 2016 at Peace Lutheran College (Undercover Basketball Court), Cowley Street, Kamerunga. Time: 3.30pm-4.30pm

Click on the link below for more information and consent forms.

Girls Basketball Trial Notice (students born 2004, 2005 & 2006)

Trial dates: Tuesday March 15th and Tuesday March 22nd 2016 at Freshwater State School, Corkill Street, Freshwater. Time: 3.30pm-4.30pm

Click on the link below for more information and consent forms.

Girls Football Trial Notice (students born 2004, 2005 & 2006)

TRIALS TODAY 17th MARCH POSTPONED DUE TO WEATHER

Trial dates: Thursday March 10th and Thursday March 17th 2016 at Holy Cross School, Reed Road, Trinity Park. Time: 4.00pm-5.00pm

Click on the link below for more information and consent forms.

Boys Football Trial Notice (students born 2004, 2005 & 2006)

TRIALS TODAY 17th MARCH POSTPONED DUE TO WEATHER

Trial dates: Thursday March 10th and Thursday March 17th 2016 at Holy Cross School, Reed Road, Trinity Park. Time: 4.00pm-5.00pm

Click on the link below for more information and consent forms.

Girls Hockey Trial Notice (students born 2004, 2005 & 2006)

Trial dates: Monday March 21st 2016 at the Cairns Hockey Association centre, Rutherford Street, Cairns North. Time: 4.00pm-5.00pm

Click on the link below for more information and consent forms.

Boys Hockey Trial Notice (students born 2004, 2005 & 2006)

Trial dates: Tuesday March 22nd 2016 at St Andrew's Catholic College, Redlynch Time: 3.30pm-4.30pm

Click on the link below for more information and consent forms.

Basketball

The Taipan's Alex Loughton visits Holy Cross

Netball

Wildcatz Netball Club

Wildcatz Netball Club is urgently seeking netball players in the following age groups to play matches in at the Cairns Netball courts, Martyn Street, Cairns. Training will be held at Holy Cross School.

Netta 7-8 years old, 10 & Under, 11 & Under, 12 & Under, 13 & Under

Also in need of players in the 14 to 17 years age groups for those who may have older siblings.

Please contact Julie Kessler, Wildcatz Netball Club, Phone: 0414 526 982 if you are interested.

Hockey

Surf Lifesaving

Ellis Beach Surf Life Saving Club will be holding their sign on day on Sunday 20th March 2016 from 10am – 2pm. Free sausage sizzle, everybody welcome. There is something for everyone at Ellis: Nippers, Cadets, Seniors, Masters, Surf Sports, Lifesaving, Bronze Medallion, great location! Come and join us. ellis.slsc@bigpond.com

Community Notices

Parenting Workshops

The Benefits of Reading to Children

A free, one hour presentation on the benefits of reading to children and tips and strategies to make reading an enjoyable and relaxing experience, will be held at the Uniting Care Community Centre, 98 Birch Street, Manunda, Tuesday April 26th, from 10.30am to 11.30am. Click on the link for more information.

Guiding Gifted Children: Parent Seminar

One day seminar for parents filled with practical information, with a solid research base, presented by experts in the field with real life experience, to help you understand giftedness and how to help your gifted child thrive. Saturday, 23rd April, 9am to 4pm, Whitfield State School, Cairns. For further information please click on the flyer below.

Marriage Encounter Weekend

Worldwide Marriage Encounter: A weekend away for married couples in peaceful, picturesque surroundings – away from the distractions of everyday living. Take time out of your busy schedule, to invest in your most precious asset . . . your marriage! This is a unique opportunity to recharge your relationship batteries, refocus on each other and fall in love all over again!

Weekend date: 3 – 5 June 2016

Venue: Santa Teresa Spirituality Centre, Ormiston QLD (on Brisbane's bayside)

For bookings/details contact: Maria and David Murphy, ph (07) 3342 1456, dandmmurphy@optusnet.com.au Information website: www.wwme.org.au

Drama Workshops

TYCs Easter School Holiday Drama Activities 5yrs – 12yrs

Spin along to TYC for our upcoming Awesome Autumn Drama Programs (5yrs - 12yrs) these Holidays and get your early bird saving & TYC Student Discount! First up we have our Four-Day Drama School Program, Around the Bend with Adventure Timez: The Magic is Back! (29/3 – 1/4: 9am - 3pm) with Special National Guest Artist, Australian Theatre for Young People. Next up with have our Autumn Drama One-Day Program with Zany Impro (4/5: 9am - 3pm). Then to finish off the holidays we have another Four-Day Drama School Program, Wizarding Worlds: Fantastic Beasts and Treats (5/4 - 8/4: 9am - 3pm), with Special Local Guest Artist, Hayley Gillespie. Explore acting, costumes, lighting, sound and multimedia elements, finishing with a creative performance on the final afternoon. Learn the essentials of stage performance through improvisation, role-play and characterization activities and then perform in front of a live audience with costumes, sets, props, sound effects, live projections and theatrical lighting!! Book today and get your Early Bird Saving before Sat March 19. For more information phone 40414066, email info@theyoungcompany.com.au or visit our website www.theyoungcompany.com.au

Cartoon Workshops

School Holiday Cartooning Workshops will be held in Cairns on Monday 4th April to 8th April 2016.

For more information please click on the link below.