17 June 2016

Newsletter Articles

From the Principal

Dear Parents, Carers and friends of Holy Cross,

As the end of Semester One fast approaches, and with it the end of Semester One reports, I thought I'd share a short story…

Two friends flew to Canada on a hunting trip. They chartered a small plane to take them into the Rockies to hunt moose. They managed to bag 6 but as they were loading the plane to return, the pilot said the plane could carry only 4 moose. The two friends objected strongly: "Last year we shot 6. The pilot let us take them all and he had the same plane as yours."

Reluctantly, the pilot gave in and all six were loaded. The plane took off but, while attempting to cross some mountains, even on full power, it couldn't handle the load and went down. Somehow, surrounded by the moose bodies, only the two friends survived the crash. After climbing from the wreckage, one friend asked, "Any idea where we are?"

His friend replied, "I think we're pretty close to where we crashed last year!"

Although amusing, this story does not fit the category 'learning from mistakes', because a mistake is an unintentional error or misunderstanding. Mistakes can be painful when they occur, but as time goes by they become known as experience and worthwhile if we learn from them.

Albert Einstein, one of my all-time favourite scientists, was once questioned about his many scientific failures. His reply was, as you would expect, pure genius. It is reported that he simply stated, "I have not failed; I've discovered ten thousand ways which do not work." Failure is often the forerunner to success; without errors being made, much of our modern knowledge and way of living would not exist.

Mistakes are not bad, they are part of the way in which we learn, grow and mature, but unfortunately in today's society, failure is often frowned upon. I was chatting with some students whilst on duty only last week about the importance of making mistakes, when the movie Zootopia sprang to mind. During our synopses, we pulled apart the messages entwined throughout the movie, summarised so beautifully in the sound track, Try Everything. The lyrics are definitely worthy of some attention, containing phrases such as "nobody learns without getting it wrong," and, "sometimes we come last but we did our best." It would make great holiday viewing for you and your family if you haven't already yet seen it.

Mistakes need to be regarded as experiences, because they provide valuable information from which we can learn and make improved decisions – provided we don't take them too seriously. Likewise, we can only learn from a mistake if we take ownership of it and admit that we made it. As soon as we start to blame other people for what occurred, we begin to distance ourselves from any beneficial outcome. Accepting responsibility makes learning possible and though we can't change mistakes, we can, if necessary, change how we respond to them.

My reason for sharing these stories just short of the arrival of the end of semester reports, is to try and shape thinking prior to reading them. So much can be gained if we are able to discuss things that may not have gone quite as planned in a manner that looks towards making improvements. Children need to be assured that mistakes can be fixed, and that these mistakes can be used as a way of learning how to find better ways to be successful. And even if your child's report makes your heart swell with pride due to their amazing efforts, a conversation about the importance of making mistakes and taking risks would still be fitting, because in the words of Albert once more, "A person who never made a mistake has never tried anything new."

I spoke about mistakes at the P&F Meeting last week. I explained to the assembled party that our hope at Holy Cross is for our students to take risks and put themselves into situations which may result in error whilst under the ever watchful eyes of their teachers. And if we, as parents, have the courage to not take responsibility for the mistakes that take place along the way, and prevent the urge to remove the burden of responsibility by accepting it as our own, our children will learn the lesson of consequences. By extending a gentle guiding hand and supporting our children in fixing their mistakes and solving their own problems, we will give them the skills they require to be happy, and enable them to grow into productive and responsible young people.

And don't forget, children learn most effectively by example, so, if we demonstrate the proper responses to our own mistakes, our children will in turn mould their own behaviour and expectations after our own. Some rather inappropriate behaviour was witnessed in the school car park the other day which saddened me greatly. Upon reflection, I thought what an excellent platform this would have been to have modelled this exact point. We all have bad days when our tolerance levels are at an all-time low, and the opportunity for an error in judgement significantly increased, but if we model respectful behaviour, apologise and take responsibility for our actions, our students will quickly learn the correct way to treat others. You are, after all, the most important people in their lives, and therefore the most influential.

Before I conclude, I ask once more for you to review your child / children's footwear over the school holidays. As outlined in the Holy Cross Parent Handbook, students are required to attend school wearing black runners or formal leather shoes which provide appropriate support for the arch of their foot. Canvas shoes are NOT acceptable. Please replace inappropriate footwear during the two week break.

I thank you all for your continued support and look forward with great excitement to the upcoming Athletics Carnival on Thursday 23rd June. The P&F will be setting up a special tent for parents, carers and friends, we would so love to see it filled.

Wishing you God's blessings now and always and a safe and restful two week break with your children.

Sarah Hamilton
Principal

APRE News

LITURGICAL LIFE OF THE SCHOOL

Upcoming Liturgies and Masses

• NAIDOC Liturgy: Monday 20th June, 8:30am
• Catholic Education Week: Monday 25th July, 9:00am
• Feast of the Assumption of Mary: Monday 15th August, 9:00am
• Reconciliation: Tuesday 6th September, 6:00pm

SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM

Congratulations to all the students who received the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Holy Communion last week. They were part of a large group of over 90 children from all over the parish. Bishop James and Fr Neil presided over a simple but beautiful Confirmation ceremony last Tuesday night in the Cathedral. Children received their First Communion at one of three weekend Masses. As Father Neil said in his homily, hopefully it will be the first of many more to come. We are encouraged to be nourished by the Eucharist each time we come to Mass.

The Sacramental Program cannot operate in the Parish without our volunteers. Mrs Helen Bozzo is a teacher at St Andrew's Catholic College, as well as being the Sacramental Co-ordinator for the Northern Beaches Parish. She gives much of her time not only in the administrative tasks involved in a Sacramental Program, but also in the faith formation of the students and families. We thank her very much for all she has done so far this year.

For families of children in Years 3 and above, who are considering preparing their child or children for Reconciliation, there will be a meeting on Tuesday the 12th of July, 5:00pm at St Andrew's. I will let parents know further details next week, as the exact location and paperwork is finalised.

MENTORING PROGRAM

Over the past six weeks, a number of students from across year levels, have participated in the Mentoring Program. They came together weekly in a small group, to focus on developing their skills in one of the five keys: Resilience, Organisation, Confidence, Getting Along or Persistence. These groups have been facilitated by Mrs Vinter, Ms Cois, Mr Dunn-Oswald and Ms Martin, who also co-ordinates the program.

This program is able to be run each year at Holy Cross, thanks to the generous support from our Parents and Friends Committee, who fund the replacement of our teachers. We thank not only the Committee, but also the teachers involved, for their dedication to the development of our students, and the parents who commit to the program. Next week the families will come together for a celebration evening, to showcase the learning of all the students in the program and to acknowledge all their efforts.

This program will operate again next term. We hope to target those children who missed out in the first round, however, we have restrictions on how many students we can offer the program to. Part of this is due to the way students are grouped according to their needs and age. All those students who do not take part in the program, still have targeted learning in the five keys, through their classroom Social and Emotional Learning program.

PRAYER FOCUS FOR THE WEEK

(Taken from www.gpbs.com.au)

"Through our baptism, we have become clothed with Christ. We are one in Jesus. When we gather to celebrate the Eucharist as a community of believers, each of us stands tall. Colour, race, gender, age, status –those things which we may think make us different – no longer exist. Our baptism makes us one. Our common faith in Jesus makes each of us a new creation.

Together we share Christ's call to take up our cross daily and follow him. Luke is the only gospel writer who stresses that we must do this daily. Each of us knows the experience of being rejected by a friend or laughed at because of something we said or did. We have days when everything seems to go wrong, when it just seems too hard to do our work. Some days when we choose thoughts and actions, which are not Christlike, we even become disappointed in ourselves. It is not easy to take up our crosses and try to live a life for God and God's people. Yet this is the mission that we all share."

Dear Jesus, please stop butterflies in my tummy, which come when I have to do something hard.
Give me the right words at the right time. Please guide me through the whole day.
Thank you. Amen.

PARISH NEWS

Click on the link below to access your copy of the Northern Beaches Parish June Newsletter.

Parish Mass Times

Jacinta Roberts
APRE Holy Cross

APA News

2016 NAIDOC Celebrations

Miss Breanna Lyall has been working hard behind the scenes preparing for Holy Cross NAIDOC Celebrations to be held on Monday 20th June. The day will begin with a NAIDOC themed Liturgy at 8:30am. The theme for this year is 'Songlines'. Various other activities are planned throughout the day to immerse students in the culture and theme of NAIDOC 2016.

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the Dreamtime describes a time when the earth, people and animals were created by our ancestral spiritual beings. They created the rivers, lakes, plants, land formations and living creatures.

Dreaming tracks crisscross Australia and trace the journeys of our ancestral spirits as they created the land, animals and lores. These dreaming tracks are sometimes called 'Songlines' as they record the travels of these ancestral spirits who 'sung' the land into life.

These Songlines are recorded in traditional songs, stories, dance and art. They carry significant spiritual and cultural connection to knowledge, customs, ceremony and Lore of many Aboriginal nations and Torres Strait Islander language groups

Through learning more about Songlines and how they connect people to Country and the Country to people – we celebrate the rich history and diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures - the oldest continuing cultures on the planet.

Positive Behaviour Focus

Many blessings for the week

Brad Henry
Assistant Principal - Administration

Curriculum News

STUDENT ATTENDANCE

EVERY DAY COUNTS

Student attendance is absolutely vital to the attainment of the best possible learning outcomes. When your child is absent or late they miss schoolwork and regular absences or lateness can have an extremely detrimental impact upon their progress. It is a school requirement to have every student absence explained. Therefore, we ask that you contact the school and inform us if your child is going to be away from school for any reason. If your child is genuinely ill they should not be at school.

STUDENT ABSENCES

When students are absent from school it is a requirement that parents contact the school to communicate the reason for absence either via email to: secretary.trinitypk@cns.catholic.edu.au, by phone 4057 6920 (message may be left if after hours) or via the Skoolbag App. It is important that this information is received early on the day of absence so that students who are not at school can be accounted for.

If after the class rolls have been marked and the school has not been informed of a student absence, the child's main contact will be alerted via text message and be prompted to contact the school to explain the absence.

Absences longer than ten days must be submitted formally in writing to our Principal, Sarah Hamilton, prior to students leaving. The information will be passed onto your child's teacher.

LATE ARRIVAL

The bell to start class rings at 8.25 a.m. Students should arrive at school from 8.10 a.m. so that they are adequately prepared to commence learning at 8.30 a.m.

Late arrival for all students is processed through the school office. Students arriving late to school are required to come to the office with an adult who is to sign them in, giving the reason for the late arrival. A late pass will be issued to students for presentation to their classroom teacher.

EARLY DEPARTURE

We understand that specialist and medical appointments cannot be made outside of school hours. If a student is required to leave school during the day, a listed contact adult must present at the school office to sign the child out. The office staff will then telephone the classroom and request that the child come to the office with their belongings ready for collection. For legal and safety reasons, adults not listed as an emergency contact do not have authority to collect students. In the event of an unlisted adult needing to collect your child, written notification is required from the parent/carer clearly stating the adult's name, and the presentation of photo ID to office staff upon collection. It is important to ensure that your emergency contacts are current.

RECORD OF PARTIAL DAYS ABSENT

Arrival to school after 10.30 a.m. and departure before 1.00 p.m., is considered a half day absence and will be recorded as such on a student's report card.

School News

Cairns Show Photography Competition

Students interested in entering the Cairns Show Photography Competition could be in the running to win $200 for your school. Further information can be accessed on the Cairns Show Association website (link below) where you can see the show rules and on-line entries forms. There are two age groups in the photography section and rules that must be adhered to. Should you require additional information, please feel free to contact the writer or speak directly to the Cairns Show Association office. The Show Competitions co-ordinator can be contacted on 074042 6630 or email competitions@cairns-show.com On-line entries are now available on the Cairns Show Website or entry forms can be printed, completed and handed into the Cairns Show Association office before the closing day 1st July, 2016.

Holy Cross Bike Bus

The Holy Cross Bike Bus runs every Wednesday (weather permitting) from Trinity Park Boat Ramp to school and back each week. The route is particularly suited to younger riders because it is flat and there is a very wide shoulder on the road. Please note, however, that younger riders must be competent riders who are able to stop and start with ease. Parents are encouraged to accompany younger riders. Students can be collected and dropped off along the route.

Age Suitability: Prep to Year 6
Morning Departure: 8am
Location: Trinity Park Boat Ramp, Reed Rd
Afternoon Departure: 3pm (ETA at boat ramp is 3:15pm)
Location: Holy Cross Bike Rack

PLEASE NOTE: The Bike Bus will not run if it is wet, or if it looks like it is about to rain.

For concerns or queries, please email Jo Van Ewyk jvanewyk@cns.catholic.edu.au

Host Families Wanted

Holy Cross School is looking forward to hosting Japanese students from Josei Primary School, Osaka, Japan.

20th August 2016 – 26th August 2016 (Holy Cross School)

Would you like to give your child/ren the opportunity to share in a wonderful cultural and educational experience?

• Host international students
• Japanese Primary aged children
• Remuneration: $200/week

For more information or to register your interest, please contact Jack at Sun Pacific College on (07) 4057 2100 or email accommodation@sunpacificcollege.com.au

2016 School Fees and Levies

Term 2 School Fees Reminder

The Term 2 School fees and levies were due for payment by the 23rd May, unless alternative arrangements are in place (e.g. periodic Direct Debits, approved repayment plans etc.), please attend to this payment.

If you are currently paying your fees via Electronic Funds Transfer, please update your amount for 2016. Please ensure that you are using your reference number and school bank account details 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.

The payment of school fees and levies is an important component of the income of the School. The School relies on these payments, in order to provide the high quality education enjoyed by your child/ren. In situations where there is genuine family financial hardship and if you are struggling to pay school fees, you are encouraged to contact the School for an appointment with the Principal and your circumstances will be treated with the utmost confidence.

Tuition Fee Discount Scheme for eligible Means-Tested Health Care Cards/Pension Cards

If you are a holder of an eligible Means-Tested Health Care Card or Pension Concession Card as outlined on the following attachment, please complete an application form below and present your card to the school office for verification. Please note Term 2 discounts have already closed on the 29th April and HCC Tuition Fee Discount Scheme forms received after this date, can only be applied to future invoices.

If you have supplied the school with a copy of your card and it is due to expire please complete a new application form and bring your new card to the school office for copying and verification. If your circumstances change throughout the year and you are no longer eligible to receive the tuition discount, it is the parent/carers responsibility to advise the school of the change in eligibility.

Library News

Hello everybody,

Congratulations to our Holy Cross Readers Cup Team who attended the Readers Cup Competition at St Joseph's last Friday. The Readers Cup is a team-based competition where students read six set texts and answer questions taken from these texts, testing their memory and comprehension.

The team finished 9th out of 28 teams and were only 5 points off third place. The result was testimony to how hard the team has worked over the term, meeting once a week to discuss their reading and to make sure they were on track.

2016 Holy Cross Readers Cup Team
(From left to right) Maya B, Patrick R, Holly M, Mathew C, Olivia C

The holidays are almost upon us and students and teachers are looking forward to a well-earned break. Holidays are a fantastic opportunity to spend quality time with our kids and what better way to spend some time with them than reading a great book!

Shared reading with your child is an extremely effective way to increase engagement and overall progress with their own reading. As well as creating a love of books children are learning fluency and expression from shared reading sessions with you.

Here are a few tips to help make your shared reading sessions enjoyable and focused:

1. Introduce the story by discussing the title, cover, and author/illustrator. Ask your child to make predictions regarding what they think the story might be about.
2. Read the story aloud to your child using appropriate inflection and tone. Pause and ask them to make predictions. Ask brief questions to determine how much of the story they have understood.
3. If it is a picture book take the time to look at the pictures with your child and discuss how the images are reflected in the text on each page.
4. Conclude the reading by having your children discuss their favourite and not so favourite parts of the book. Ask questions about the story and relate the story to similar experiences they may have had.

Michael Doherty
District Teacher-Librarian

P and F News

P & F Fundraising

Entertainment Books

Holy Cross School is very excited to announce that we will be fundraising through the Entertainment Memberships this year! The popular Entertainment™ Books contain hundreds of up to 50% off and 2-for-1 offers from top local restaurants, cafés, take-away chains, attractions, activities and hotel accommodation.

Entertainmentâ„¢ Memberships contain over $20,000 in valuable offers that you and your family can use from until 1st June 2017. In fact, you only need to use your membership twice throughout the year and it will have paid for itself!

These memberships can be purchased as either a book or a digital membership that is loaded to your smart phone. They are great value at only $55, with $1000 of savings inside and something for the whole family. The best part is that we receive 20% from each sale which goes directly to our school.

These can be purchased via: link below or in our front office at the school.

Thank you for your support.

Tuckshop News

Second hand uniforms available from the Tuckshop.
Plenty of stock, all sizes from 4 to 16 – only $5 per item!

The Arts News

Dance Drama Music

Eisteddfod – Band

The band travelled to St Andrew's last week to participate in a music workshop to improve their music playing and work on their Eisteddfod item. They all had a great time and we are eager to continue the partnership with St Andrew's for many future events. I had the pleasure of watching the band's rehearsal this week and listened to them perform their "Suncatcher" piece. It sounded great! They showed determination, commitment and passion in what they do. We have 22 wonderful band students working hard towards their performance for the Eisteddfod next Tuesday, 21st June. The band will be performing in the afternoon and will assemble in the Instrumental Room at 11:30am and depart on the bus at 12:30pm to go to the Eisteddfod at the Bishop's Centre, Trinity Anglican School, White Rock. They will perform between 2:00 and 3:00pm and arrive back at school just after 4pm. A lot of hard work has gone into this performance and we would like to give them a big Holy Cross thumbs up for their excellent effort. Good job, guys!

Eisteddfod Choir

On Tuesday 21st June, the choir will assemble in the Instrumental Room at 8:30am and depart school at 9:45am. They will perform between 12:00 Noon and 1:00pm. The choir will arrive back at school just after 2:00pm. It has truly been amazing to watch our students improve and grow with each rehearsal. We had Maureen Cameron (Head of Music, St Andrew's) come and join us for our rehearsal last week. She worked with our 40 students to help improve their vocals and get us synchronised in our actions. We had a great time together and we were thrilled to be told that Holy Cross Choir is a very competitive act. Students should feel comfortable in our performance and concentrate on having fun on the day. Well done, everyone!

Eisteddfod Tickets

If you are wanting to purchase tickets for the Eisteddfod, you will need to get them from the Cairns & District Junior Eisteddfod Hall at 67-71 Greenslopes St Edge Hill Cairns THIS SATURDAY between 10:00 and 2:00pm. The Eisteddfod is being held in different locations around Cairns due to the refurbishment of the Civic Theatre. The Holy Cross Choir and band will be performing at Trinity Anglican School (TAS) on Tuesday 21st June. Tickets are $18.00 each for the music sections.

Alternatively, a day pass can be purchased through Ticket Link for $27.00 (+transaction fee).

Morning Melodies - Instrumental Students

Students who play instruments are invited to team up and deliver a casual or low key performance before school (8:10am - 8:25am) for their fellow students over a two week period early in Term 3. You can play by yourself, or team up with other instruments. You can play something you have learnt in your music lessons or a piece you have composed yourself. We are keen to hear any student play any piece of music they feel comfortable in performing. If you are interested, discuss it with your music teacher/parents and email your details to cwight@cns.catholic.edu.au . Performances will be in the round garden between the Year 1 and 2 classrooms if the weather permits, or in front of the tuckshop when it is raining. Some students may like to invite their peers into the Instrumental Room (drum kit) or piano room if your instrument is not moveable. Once you have emailed your details (name, class, instrument, day most suitable to perform) to Mrs Wight, then a draft roster will be drawn up for you to view and make changes if necessary. This will be followed by a final roster for students to commit to and be advertised so people can plan to attend the performances. Can't wait to hear you all!

Holy Cross Has Got Talent Finals - Friday 24th June

What a spectacular lot of talented students we have here at Holy Cross! There has been over 60 contestants in the Talent Show, 12 judges, 6 stage crew and over 50 student audience members turning up for each performance. Over the last month of auditions and heats we have had over 30 instrumental, dance and singing acts that have been put together by our committed students (and parents). This is a wonderful achievement with many hours of hard work. It has been noted that we have many female participants but not enough male participants in this year's competition. A fact that I will intend to change next time. I would like to congratulate and thank everyone who has been involved in any way. It has already been a truly inspiring and emotionally moving experience. Please view the photos we have taken so far of some of the acts!

On Friday 24th June we have eight acts competing in the finals of the talent show. The assembly will begin as normal and then we will go straight into the Talent Show. We have a junior section and a senior section that are competing for gold, silver, bronze medals within their respective sections. The finalists are shown below. Please congratulate them with me!

Junior Finalists

Senior Finalists

DDM Lesson Update

Prep - "Book Imaginarium" – I think that we have some budding actors in our midst. We gave the Prep students the Three Little Pigs story to improvise and they just loved changing their voices for the deep, loud big bad wolf and high pitched little pig parts. They were all giggling with excitement each time we practiced and swapped roles. We will finish our unit this semester by learning some common dances like the "Chicken Dance." Next semester, students will be starting their music unit titled, "Musical Beginnings." This unit includes a lot of singing, chants, percussion instruments and finding the beat of the music.

Years 1 - "Acting Animalistic" – We have been viewing some Pixar short films and studying how the animals move in them. We have created short mimes, focusing on facial expressions from certain scenes of the film and then added dialogue to create plays. We then learned dances, like the Sid Slide Shuffle, where we had to dance like Sid the sloth from the movie Ice Age. We have role-played and imitated over twenty different animals in our dance and drama classes this semester. Students have definitely been acting animalistic!

Next semester, we will start our music unit titled, "Carnival of the Animals." In this unit we will be listening to how composers have used different musical instruments to symbolise animals such as the wolf in Peter and the Wolf and Saint-Saëns' "Carnival of the Animals."

Years 2 - "Bunyip Jigs" – We completed planning and performing our Bunyip Jigs and moved onto dramatisations. Students have been rehearsing their roles for the Aboriginal play "Tiddalik the Frog." Everyone seemed to want to role-play either Tiddalik the Frog or the eel, Nabunum, who dances around to make Tiddilik laugh. Students got to use some props and costumes to symbolise the flood and Tiddalik's green skin. We filmed our plays and dances and will have a good time viewing them in the last two weeks. Next semester, we are starting our music unit titled, "Aussie Characters." Students will be studying how famous Australian character's such as the farmer and swagman, have been represented in Australian songs such as Waltzing Matilda. Students will learn how to play an Australian song on the glockenspiel.

Years 3 - "Blast Off! Life in Space." - Students have been busily acting as astronauts and aliens in a play called, "Trip to Moles." This is where a team of astronauts have to solve the mystery of the missing food on the international space station. Astronauts have to travel to Moles on Mars (instead of Coles on Earth) to stock up their food supplies and keep a hungry group of aliens from eating their space suits. Students have also planned and performed their space dances which demonstrated their understanding of a given dance structure and how to perform in unison or in a cannon. Next semesters music unit is called, "Celebrate This!" Students learn about national and global community celebrations that have songs associated with them. Such as, Australia Day, ANZAC Day, St Patrick's Day and Christmas. Students will learn to play a song of celebration on the recorder as part of a musical ensemble.

Years 4 - "Australian Stories." - While this assessment activity took a little while to germinate in students, it has turned into a wonderful story of student's lifestyles being lived out in the Cairns environment through a series of monologues. Students expressed their love and enjoyment of all the things, places and people they felt connected to in their world. They have then chosen specific elements of their monologues to use as inspiration in choreographing a group dance to celebrate these connections to a short but upbeat piece of instrumental music. Next semester's music unit is titled, "Rainforest Walks." Students are tasked with tuning into the feel and sound of the rainforest and ocean areas surrounding Cairns. They are to create a musical poem, or soundscape, to express these experiences using both percussion and recycled (hand made) instruments. Students will learn how to use boomwhackers and recorders to help create a melody to layer their soundscape.

Years 5 – "Theatre Sports" – We are entering our final round of Theatre Sports in our in-class competitions. Scores are close and any team still could take out the Year 5 Theatre Sports class tournaments. We have played, "Death in Minute", "Slow Motion Commentary," "Dance Practice," and we are completing the "Space Jump" round this week. If there are any teams that are tied at the end, they enter into an additional "Double Figures" game to secure an overall winner. Students are judging each other and giving great feedback to the teams. There are always a lot of laughs, memorable one liners and creative performances that have students engaged and wanting more each lesson. Next semester's music unit is titled, "Weird Wild Wusic." The unit takes students out into the world by listening to and learning about jazz and African music. Students will learn how to use the ukulele and percussion instruments to recreate jazz and African rhythms and play in a small group ensemble.

Years 6 – "Storytellers" – We have created and performed dramatisations of stories from Ireland, India, Spain, France, Germany and the Middle East. Students have used props and costumes to create authentic and comical characters to entertain their peers. They then chose one part of their cultural play to inspire a dance that has elements of the cultural heritage of their story. We had a comic take on Aladdin whose wild dream turned into a dance about his real family. There were four Chinese brothers who did a kung fu dance in celebration of their freedom. We also watched a lion turn back into a prince and then there was another entirely different dance of celebration. There was an Indian play about two friends fighting over the Princess Savitrii that turned into a heated dance to win her over. It was truly lovely to see how students used their imagination and the elements of dance and drama to tell their stories. This unit has to be another one of my favourite units to teach!

Next semester's music unit is titled, "Sound Garden." Students are asked to tune into many musical sounds from around the world. They will try and mimic these sounds using real (ukuleles and percussion) and digital instruments using Garage Band. Students will be tasked in creating a short cultural backing track to a dramatic performance. Students who have access to Garage Band on their home devices will be advantaged as they have the opportunity to have further time to familiarise themselves with the application.

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

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: link below 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.

Girls Rugby League Trial Notice –(students born 2004 & 2005)

Trial dates: Monday June 20th 2016, Ivanhoes Rugby League Club, Smithfield, 4:00pm to 5:00pm

Community Notices

School Holiday Fire Safety

With school holidays just around the corner, now is the time to learn the ropes and become a junior firefighter. Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) is urging parents across the state to ensure their children are aware of fire safety and risks. Keeping fire safety in mind by involving kids in fire escape plans and smoke alarm checks can be an easy way to ensure they are fire savvy. There are many fun activities you can do together, including playing the Triple Zero game, to communicate safety messages all children should learn. Be sure to check out Blazer's Kids Corner for more information, and to get your very own junior firefighter certificate

Parents in Touch Presentation

Parents are invited to an evening with Dr Ian Lillico discussing practical strategies relating to boys and ways of supporting them in school and life. Presentation will be held on Monday 25th July 2016 from 7:00pm to 9:00pm at Lennon Hall, St Augustine's College. Cost is $10.00. Please click on the link to view the flyer for more information.

AICE Club

After school Environmental Activity Program for children aged between 7 – 13 years of age.

Fun filled educational activities exploring beautiful places and ecosystems with in our local area.

Runs for 8 consecutive Monday afternoons from 3:00 – 3:15 pm drop off - 5:00pm pick up & 1 full Saturday over each school term.

Enrol your child on a casual basis and come any time or enrol for the term. Afternoon tea is provided & term members get a hat & t-shirt.

Visit link below for detailed information on activities, fees, dates, times & contact information. Feel free to register your child any time by downloading and returning an enrolment form.

Cane Train Safety Awareness

"Watch Out – Cane Trains About"

The commencement of the 2016 cane crushing season is approaching. Parents and students are reminded about the dangers of playing on or near cane trains and railway tracks. Please see attached safety message from MSF Sugar.

Host Families required for French High School Students

CEI Centre d'Echanges Internationaux, 1 Rue Gozlin, Paris, France

REQUIRES HOST FAMILIES FOR FRENCH STUDENTS

Students will be attending Smithfield SHS or St Andrews Catholic College

Dates: 11th July – 10th August

We are looking for families to host French students visiting Cairns in Term Three.

This is an 'immersion' program where students attend a local school and live with an Australian family, hopefully with children at the same school or one close by.

Students are in years 9, 10 and 11 and are very motivated to improve their English and experience everyday life with an Australian family. In return they are keen to share their French culture with you and help your children if they are learning French.

This is a wonderful opportunity to possibly make a French friend for life and maybe even receive an invitation back to France one day!

For more information, please contact your school representative

Samantha Weterkamp, sweterkamp@cns.catholic.edu.au or
Joanne Cawood-Smith (Australian Manager CEI) Phone : AH – 03 98573547 Mobile : 0417330045
Email: cawoodsmith@gmail.com

St Anthony's School Dimbulah 50th Anniversary

All past teachers, teacher aides, administration staff, parents, students and community members are invited to attend the weekend of festivities on Saturday 27th August and Sunday 28th August 2016. Click on the flyer below for more information.

School Crossing Employment

Currently seeking interested persons for a casual position, for a School Crossing Supervisor, approximately 1.5hours per day, on a rotating roster, school days only. Positions available throughout the Yorkey's Knob/Northern Beaches area.

Approved applicants will be required to undergo a medical assessment and pass a blue card application.

Triple P – Positive Parenting Program

Queensland parents can now get free parenting support. The State Government is giving parents and carers of children up to the age of 16 free access to the evidence-based Triple P – Positive Parenting Program. Triple P helps parents use positive feedback and encouragement to guide behaviour and give children the best start in life.

Families can sign up for as much or as little support as they like by going to www.triplep-parenting.net . New sessions are added regularly.