21 June 2017

Newsletter Articles

From the Principal

Dear Parents and Carers,

With school holidays glowing brightly upon the horizon, staffroom conversation turned to plans and activities for the two-week break. The list was endless and varied, and it wasn’t long until the conversation turned towards the childhood memories of staff. My goodness, how times have changed!

Sydney born Australian T.V. host, author, critic and poet, Clive James, has a wonderful recall of his childhood memories, recorded in twelve verses of poetry, entitled, ‘When we were Kids’. Here are the first couple of verses to wet your appetite:

When we were Kids

By Clive James

When we were kids we fought in the mock battle
With Ned Kelly cap guns and we opened the cold bottle
Of Shelley’s lemonade with a Scout belt buckle.
We cracked the passion fruit and sipped the honeysuckle.

When we were kids we lit the Thundercracker
Under the fruit tin and we sucked the all day sucker.
We opened the shoe box to watch the silk-worms spinning
Cocoons of cirrus with oriental cunning.

When we were kids we were sun-burned to a frazzle.
The beach was a griddle, you could hear us spit and sizzle.
We slept face down when our backs came out in blisters.
Teachers were famous for throwing blackboard dusters.

When I read the poem, I had the distinct feeling that childhood for Clive James was a time for building pleasant and happy memories, an opinion mirrored in the Holy Cross staffroom.

But not all childhoods are pleasant and happy as is instanced in ‘Children of the Stolen Generations’ from years past, and many more examples of modern day hardship available on social media. There is no doubt that the experiences, feelings and thoughts from our childhood affect all of us; these experiences, feelings and thoughts sometimes being transferred into adult life.

In his book, The Strong Family, Charles Swindall has this encouraging thought to offer parents when he writes:

“Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory bank of our children.”

At first, this might not seem to be a statement that engenders a feeling of encouragement, but once the negative thoughts are out of the way, it becomes obvious that parents have, as it were, a blank sheet onto which they can write a list of positive deposits on behalf of their children.

Amazingly, throughout his poem Clive James never mentions any “big-ticket” memories such as an expensive gift or an overseas holiday. All his memories were of the simple things in life and the opportunities that he was given that allowed him to enjoy them. There was a mixture of mischief, adventure and being in touch with nature that influenced the bulk of his memories.

Of course, our children’s memories cannot to be the same as ours, for times have changed and the mischief, adventure and being in touch with nature won’t be the same for our children as they were for us. However, they should still be made available as we take advantage of the opportunities of today. There is a saying, ‘What a child doesn’t receive, he can seldom later give’. Perhaps this saying is suggesting that the effects of lots of physical and emotional love, besides providing security, will provide many positive deposits and some positive returns for parents.

When we were kids we climbed peppercorns and willows.
We startled stingrays when we waded in the shallows.
We mined the sand dunes in search of buried treasure.
And all this news pleased our parents beyond measure.
Clive James.

Take time to enjoy the gift of your children this holiday. I look forward immensely to the sharing of their ‘memory banks’ when they return to school on Monday 10th July.

Wishing you God’s every blessing now and always,

Sarah Hamilton
Principal

APA News

SEMESTER 1 REPORTING – IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Teachers have recently been busy preparing the end of semester reports. End of semester reports are a summation on each child’s progress. Please remember to look at all the positives in your child’s report and to celebrate their achievements, however small. Here are some ideas to consider when you open your child’s report:

1. Focus on strengths. Do you look for strengths or weaknesses first? The challenge is to focus on strengths even if they are not in the traditional 3Rs or core subjects.

2. Take into account your child’s effort and attitude to learning. If the report indicates that effort is below standard, then you have something to work on. If your child is putting in the required effort, then you cannot ask any more than that, regardless of the grading.

3. Broaden your focus away from academic performance to form a picture of your child’s progress as a member of a social setting. How your child gets along with his or her peers will influence their happiness and well-being, as well as give an indicator to their future. The skills of independence and cooperation are highly valued by employers so don’t dismiss these as unimportant. Take note of student self-assessment. Students are generally very honest and will give a realistic assessment of their progress. They are generally very perceptive so take note of their opinions.

4. Discuss the report with your son or daughter talking about strengths first before looking at areas that need improvement . Ask for their opinion about how they performed and discuss their concerns.

There is not a single student not worthy of praise, and even though there may be areas requiring a little more attention and effort, set this as a positive goal for next term, and not a sticking point in your conversations with your child. Harsh words do not always create the desired effect with young children, and can sometimes be the cause of the creation of a lack of confidence and heartfelt sadness preventing their ability to bounce back and take up new challenges. As always, if you have any concerns regarding grades or comments made, please contact your child’s class teacher and arrange a convenient time to meet early next term.

Reports on Parent Portal

This semester Academic Reports will not be posted out to families. All Academic Reports will be uploaded to the parent portal under the ‘MyStudents’ tab.

Once the report upload has been completed, you will receive an email from Holy Cross advising the availability on the portal. We are expecting to have all reports uploaded by the end of week 10 (Friday 23rd June 2017).

Please see attached the ‘how to guide’ on accessing the parent portal.

Thank you for your commitment to your child’s education at Holy Cross. We remain committed to providing the best possible partnership with you as their parents and carers.

Cairns Festival Float Entry

Expressions of Interest

Are you interested in participating in the Cairns Festival Grand Parade Float? Have you filled out your expression of interest? It’s not too late. If you are interested in participating, please complete the attached form to assist in planning and preparing. More information and details will follow in the coming newsletters.

Positive Behaviour Focus

Congratulations to Week 8 and 9 Holy Cross Heroes:

“We were caught BEING GOOD SPORTS”

Below are a number of key dates for Term 2 2017 to consider:

Many blessings for the week

Brad Henry
Assistant Principal - Administration

APRE News

Congratulations to the children who received the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Holy Communion last week. This completes their Sacraments of Initiation, enabling them to participate as full members of the Catholic Church. Well done Zoe, Lucy, Maddax, Rebecca, Ronan, Lucas R, Lucas F, Mary, Maddison, Rose, Jahley, Harry, Sebastian, Aaron, Jacque, Sampson, Rhianna, Ruby, Jack, Nicholas, Lachlan, Betty, Ava, Alivia, Rachel, Jai, Katelyn and Siannah.

LITURGICAL LIFE OF THE SCHOOL

Upcoming liturgies and Masses:

• NAIDOC Week Celebration Liturgy Friday 23rd June at 9am in the Multipurpose area.
• Catholic Education Week Mass Monday 24th July at 9am
• Feast of the Assumption Tuesday 15th August at 9am
• First Reconciliation Holy Cross Tuesday 5th September at 6pm
• Exaltation of the Cross (Feast Day) Mass Thursday 14th September at 9am
• Class Masses and Liturgies T.B.A.

PARISH SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM

The Program for the Sacrament of Reconciliation will begin soon after the holidays. The First meeting will be held at St Andrew’s on Tuesday 11th of July. Similar to Confirmation and First Holy Communion, this will be a parish-based family program. Children can work through their booklets with their families at home. Sessions will also be offered at Holy Cross and St Andrew’s, for those who want to prepare in a group environment. Helen Bozzo is the Sacramental Co-ordinator for Northern Beaches Parish and she will oversee the administration of this program.

REFLECTION AND PRAYER FOCUS FOR THE WEEK

Think Twice

‘I tell my children and I try to do it myself: “Think twice about what you are doing and going to do. You can even use it in learning people’s names”.’ So said a neighbour while chatting recently. They are wise words, words to live by. Children can drift through situations, not noticing what is happening and then explode, over react or get into trouble when things move beyond their control. But a little thought along the way, a little mindfulness, can make their lives and ours a richer, better experience.

Jesus tried to provoke such thoughtfulness. His whole way of teaching wasn’t a series of straightforward, black and white rules. Rather his parables, his short sayings, some of which seem to contradict each other, are meant to challenge us to ask ourselves, ‘What does God want me to be, to do in this situation?’ We need to use thought and prayer to discern what to do in changing circumstances. Our brains are not there just to keep out ears apart. Along with our heart, we are meant to use this precious gift so that we can live as humanly as possible in the varying events of life.

Loving Father, send us your Spirit that we may know how to apply the teachings of Jesus to our lives. Filled with his Spirit may we have loving thoughts and wise hearts. We ask this in his name, confident that you will hear us.

Sr Kym Harris osb

Jacinta Roberts
APRE Holy Cross

Look What’s Been Going On …

Spelling Bee

Wow! Wow! Wow!! What spelling bee champions we have at Holy Cross! We had teams from Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 enter in the Mt Sheridan Plaza Spelling Bee heats a fortnight ago. Our young Year 3s enjoyed the adrenalin ride while our Year 6s went through the torture of four tie breaker rounds with abattoir, cholera, forfeit and myriad. That was after words like bamboozled, mystique and ensemble! Our Year 5s experienced a definite jump in word difficulty moving into the Year 5-6 category with tricky words like cellophane, limousine and grievance. Our Year 4 team won their heat tie breaker with the word fatigue and battled it out in the semi-finals on Saturday. Unfortunately, they did not make it to the grand finals but had an exciting time with other children who love spelling. We all can't wait for next year's Spelling Bee.

Robots in Cairns

Twelve students from Year 5 and 6 had a fabulous time at "Digital Skills for all Queenslanders Roadshow" on Wednesday 31st May. They investigated using virtual reality technology and coded a wide range of robotics. Students coded Spheros to zoom around the room, Ozbots to follow lines and Ubtech robots to dance. They had a virtual field trip to Mars and the moon through virtual reality glasses. They also had fun programming a robot to dance and sing 'Gangum Style'. Thomas (5C) is quoted as saying "It was the best day of my life!"

Readers Cup

"You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend" - Paul Sweeney

This was very true of the 2017 Readers Cup books. Our team just loved hanging with like-minded people who also can't get enough of books and reading. We had some enthusiastic conversations about the books over the course of the term while they were reading their six books to be ready for the Reader Cup challenge on 8th June at Redlynch College. The children developed interesting questions to quiz each other. A special thank you to our reserve, Mistaya, and our student coaches, Mathew and Emma for their additional quiz mastery.

Our team came 15th out of 41 schools with a score of 53. The winning team attained 72.5 points. Our students in Reserve Team 1 scored 43, which would have placed them 27th. I was extremely proud of the way our students emulate the Holy Cross Way in working together, respecting adults and including other children from different schools.

The children particularly loved Escape from Mr Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein; Eagle in the Snow by Michael Morpurgo and London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd.

Book Covering Working Bee

Our first Book Covering Working Bee was a huge success with many new books covered and friendly conversations had. Thank you to everyone who came along. If you didn't come this time, we would love you to consider joining us for some coffee and cake at our next Book Covering Working Bee in Week 4 Wednesday 2nd August.

How did you Read Aloud More in May Challenge go?

One of our enthusiastic Prep readers, Amelia B. (0C), excitedly showed me her complete challenge. What reading stamina Amelia!!

Jo Neil
Teacher Librarian / Learning Enrichment

Holy Cross Shining Stars

Holy Cross Shining Stars is a new initiative being introduced to provide a forum to acknowledge the outstanding achievements of our students. We encourage parents, carers and members of the wider community to complete the Shining Stars Template when there is exciting news regarding one of our students. A photograph would be a wonderful addition if possible. We look forward to filling our newsletter with many “Shining Stars” in the weeks that follow. Please click on the link below and forward completed forms and attached photos to mthorpe@cns.catholic.edu.au.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Annabell H 4S who recently competed in the Judo National Championships held at the Gold Coast. Annabell is now the new National Champion in the Under 29kg division. Well done Annabell!

Administration News

2017 Fee Concessions

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, please present your card to the school office for verification. The school will make a copy of your card and provide a Health Care Card Tuition Fee Discount Scheme Form for you to complete. The fee discount will then be applied to tuition fees on future term invoices.

The discount arrangement will expire on the expiry date of the card or at the end of the school year. Parents and carers receiving the discount have a duty to inform the school of any renewal or change in eligibility for the card.

Unfortunately, due to system requirements we are unable to backdate concession card discounts, so all applications and cards must be presented to the school office prior to the fees being issued for the discount to apply to that term.

P and F News

P & F Meeting

The next P & F Meeting will be held on Wednesday 12th July at 6.30pm in the school library. We look forward to seeing you there. If you have any items that you wish to discuss at a P & F meeting, please complete the Agenda Item Request form and email to the P & F President or Secretary indicated on the form, or leave at the school office at least two days prior to the meeting.

Entertainment Book Fundraising

Help support our school by buying the NEW 2017 / 2018 Entertainment Booklet. Entertainment Membership provides access to hundreds of valuable offers for everything you love to do, and you’ll be helping our school fundraise at the same time.

Click on the link below to order your book or digital membership now. Books are also available for purchase at the school office for $60 (cash only).

Tuckshop News

Change to Monday Tuckshop Operating Hours

A reminder that the Tuckshop now offers a meal service and over the counter snack purchases for first break only on Mondays. Regular meal services will continue as per normal Tuesday to Friday.

Volunteers required

Always on the lookout for an extra set of hands in Tuckshop! At the moment though I am in particular need of volunteers who may be available Fridays from 11am until approximately 1pm, to assist with order preparation. If you think you can assist, pop into the Tuckshop and let me know. Or contact Belinda via Mob: 0422 712 461 or email bpatmore@cns.catholic.edu.au.

A big thankyou to those families currently utilising the Flexischools online ordering service, your support is very much appreciated! For those who may be unsure of how to set up an account, please pop into the Tuckshop during opening hours and I will be happy to set up your registration for you. Flexischools can be accessed by clicking on the link at the bottom of the School Website or directly via the link below

The Term 2 menu is available on the link below and hard copies may be collected from the Tuckshop if required.

Music News

Instrumental Lessons

Do you want to join the Holy Cross Band? We have Trumpets, Trombones, Saxophones, Flutes and Clarinets waiting for some keen young musicians. If you are interested in learning to play one of these instruments and to join the Holy Cross Band, then collect a green “Instrumental Lesson Request” form from the main school office and we can start the ball rolling with your enrolment. If you are unsure which instrument is for you, come and see us on Friday mornings in the French room and we can help.

Mr Hurdley and Mrs Mcintyre

French News

Families needed!

Host a French student from CEI - Centre d’Echanges Internationaux

A great opportunity to host French students aged 15-19 is available to families for 5 weeks from 12/7/17 to 13/8/17. The French students attend local schools such as Smithfield High School during their stay and families are paid a fee to cover expenses. It is a great way for families to make international friends and share cultural experiences.

If you would like more information about hosting a French student contact:

Jo Cawood: M: 0417 330 045 E: cawoodsmith@gmail.com

Sports News

Tennis

Tennis Holiday Clinic

Netball

Term 3 NetFun Program

Cairns Netball’s School based NetFun program is designed for boys and girls aged 5-10 years. The program offers an opportunity for children to increase their social and motor skills in a friendly and fun environment. The program creates a positive and fun experience of netball for each participant and builds a pathway into the Cairns Netball Association to encourage continued involvement in the sport.

This program will be offered again after school in Term 3 from 3.05pm to 4.05pm at the Multipurpose Court. Sessions commence on Thursday 27th July through to Thursday 7th September 2017.

Please click on the link below for further information and registration form. Registration forms may also be collected from the school office.

School Holiday Netball Clinics

Cairns Netball Association will be holding School Holiday Netball Clinics for boys and girls aged 8 to 12 years on Tuesday 27th June, Thursday 29th June and Monday 3rd July from 9:00am to 3:00pm. Cost is $20 per person per day, BYO lunch. Click on the link below for further information and registration form.

Parent Engagement

Influenza Vaccination and Prevention Measures

The Queensland Department of Health has issued a request to disseminate information to schools so that staff and parents/guardians are informed, prepared and proactive as we enter the influenza season. The Department of Health advises:

With the influenza season just around the corner it is an opportune time to actively encourage influenza vaccination. This year the vaccine covers two strains of Influenza A and two strains of Influenza B. The inclusion of a second Influenza B strain provides additional protection for staff, students and the school community as it is Influenza B that particularly affects younger age groups.

As you are aware, the sustained and close learning environment and boarding accommodation (when applicable) in schools increases the likelihood of infections spreading. We know that once influenza has been introduced to a school it spreads easily and can result in a significant number of affected students and staff. Increased awareness and ongoing attention to prevention and control measures, such as vaccination and good hygiene, are steps that we can all promote to reduce the impact of influenza.

Queensland Health is encouraging staff and students to be vaccinated for influenza as well as promoting other prevention and control measures, such as using tissues for coughs and sneezes and handwashing. Resources and information on seasonal flu can be found on the Queensland Health website.

Speech Plus Speech Pathology

Kath Bruno has re-opened her speech pathology practice with small group programs targeting:-

1. School readiness for children in the year before Prep.
2. Literacy development for children Prep – Year 6.

Places are limited so email or phone now for further information about individual or small group programs in 2017. Further information is also available on our website.

E. speechplus@bigpond.com
M. 0419390668

Children’s Eyesight Screening

Let’s detect vision problems before it affects a child’s learning

Catholic Education has teamed with Optometry Queensland to promote the screening of children’s eyesight before entering school and in the early years. Smart Eye Start is an initiative of Optometry Queensland that provides comprehensive eye examinations by member optometrists, for children entering the Catholic school system.

Without early detection, eye conditions can negatively impact on a child’s social and educational development, and in some cases, increase the risk of total blindness in adulthood. This comprehensive eye examination will ensure the one in four children with significant eye conditions do not go undetected.

Parents/carers, you are encouraged to take your child to an optometrist, either listed on the form or one of your choice, and return the form to the school office when your child starts Prep. Children who have already started school without screening are also encouraged to participate in the program, as soon as possible in the Early Years.

Girl Guides

For fun, friendship and adventure, join Girl Guides. Click on the link below for more information on how to join.

TYC’s Winter Holiday Drama Camps

Participating in TYCs action packed Winter School Holiday Programs engage our regions young performers to discover their electrifying creative abilities, develop their super charged social confidence and define their magnetic idea generation skills. Participants make lots of new friends while also improving on their acting abilities, self-confidence, communication and presentation skills, as well as their creativity. Throughout each program students can explore either scripted & improvised acting processes, costumes, lighting, sound & multimedia elements, finishing with a creative performance on the final afternoon in front of a live audience with costumes, sets, props, sound effects, live projections and theatrical lighting!! So dive right in to TYC for our Winter Holiday Drama Camps (5yrs - 12yrs) these school holidays. For more information or to book today, visit our website, phone 40414066 or email admin@theyoungcompany.com.au. Book early to receive your early bird saving before Friday 17 June!

St Joseph’s School Parramatta Park 90th Anniversary 2017

In 2017, St Joseph’s School, Parramatta Park will celebrate 90 years of Catholic Education in Cairns. Various events will be held to celebrate this important occasion from the 18th August to the 20th August 2017. All current and former staff, students and families are requested to save these dates in your calendar.