19 May 2015

Newsletter Articles

It is faith that steers us through stormy seas, faith that moves mountains and faith that jumps across the ocean.

Mahatma Gandhi

From the Principal

With NAPLAN competed again for another year, I was happy to witness so many of our students enthusiastically giving their attention and best effort to this task during testing days. It is important to remember that this week of testing while a requirement is just one of the many ways that data if gathered about our students.

And what better a way to celebrate finishing these tests than with a Disco on Friday!! It was great to see so many students at the Disco which is also a P& F fundraiser. Thanks especially to the team of parent volunteers who assisted with selling food, glow products, managing the entrance and generally assisting to ensure our students were kept safe and happy during the event. Thanks also to parents who came along and stayed and mingled with others while their children danced the evening away. A special thank you also to our teachers who gave up their Friday evening to come along and assist.

This week is another busy one with teachers engaged in the annual Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). The NCCD is a joint state and federal government initiative. The Data Collection is an annual national count of the number of students provided with educational adjustments as a result of their disability as defined broadly under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA).

The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability will provide Australian schools, parents, education authorities and the community with information about the number of students with disability in schools, where they are located and the adjustments they receive.

Parents, schools and classrooms are busy places and every day is generally a hive of activities. From time to time, children can experience a variety of issues in their daily experiences at school and we work carefully with children to building their resilience in being able to manage any issues as they arise.

Communication is of paramount importance with any issue. With children, we focus on skilling them to be able to express themselves so that they are able to verbalise to their peers, their teacher and parents what may be creating a concern. If children are unable to resolve issues within their daily interactions with their peers by expressing their concerns about an issue in the correct manner, then their next point of contact is to report their issue to an adult in the school. This may be the teacher on duty at playtime or their own classroom teacher or a specialist teacher. Dealing with issues on the day is important to allow all surrounding facts to be gathered before any opinion or action is taken.

If children report incidents to parents without having informed an adult on the day, it is an important practice at this school that you touch base with your child's teacher first before taking any actions or making judgements. There are always two sides to the story and children generally provide their side to their parents.

Parent issues of concern need to be handled with respect and dignity within the boundaries of our parent code of conduct. The teacher is always the first point of contact with student issues as teachers are the main carer of your child during the day. In dealing with issues, it is asked that the respect for a teachers' responsibilities to their class are considered. Teachers can be contacted directly to set up appointments to allow them to be made aware of an issue you may wish to discuss and to allow necessary preparations for the meeting to be made. Our office staff can also set up these appointments. Issues of major concern need to be directed to the member of Administration team in charge of your child's year level.

Thank you to those parents who have shown commitment to our school community by taking the time to share their opinion in our recent behaviour framework and Catholic Identity Project surveys. I ask that parents now carefully consider taking the time to contribute to our School Renewal Survey which will provide feedback to assist in guiding our next goal setting and planning phase. Please go to the link to share your views in this survey.

As I am meeting prospective Holy Cross parents and students at the moment during Prep interviews, one of the things that I am sharing is my personal expectation as Principal at Holy Cross, that all families become active and involved in their child's learning journey in some way. Research backs up this involvement as a valuable and worthwhile contributor to student outcomes. It is the reality however, that no two family situations are alike and therefore, it is not possible for all families to contribute in the same way. I remind all families that your commitment to just one thing will help to build and improve our school community. We have many, many committed parents who assist throughout the year. The P& F work tirelessly to gather volunteers to assist them with their fundraisers during the year. Some parents come along to our P&F meetings, others help out at school events, tuckshop or at our fair, some work in the library, help to set up sports events, others train sports teams or assist in our classrooms. Sadly, however, there are still many families who rely on others for this involvement. If you have not yet found a way to help out, please consider the "just one thing" drive that our P&F are co-ordinating and find a way to be part of your child's school community. If we all share the load collectively we help make our school the very best it can be. All families will be asked next term to nominate one thing that they will consciously contribute to our school community for the remainder of the year.

JUST ONE THING

Getting all families in the school to become engaged with their children's education is an issue facing all schools. Every educational study for decades has come to the same conclusion – parents who are more engaged in their child's education help produce better students, better results and better schools. In order to get families to become engaged we believe that we first need to get them involved in the school community.

'Just One Thing' is a concept that builds on this idea. It is simply a way of aiming to get all families involved in at least one community activity for the year.

THE EVIDENCE CONTINUES TO GROW: PARENT INVOLVEMENT IMPROVES STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

National Committee for Citizens in Education Special Report
Henderson, Anne T., Ed

This annotated bibliography cites 49 studies of effects of parent involvement on children's academic achievement and the performance of schools. The research tends to treat three broad approaches to parent involvement, namely those that attempt to: (1) improve the parent-child relationship in the context of the family; (2) integrate parents into school programs; and (3) build a strong relationship between school, family, and the larger community. In regard to the first approach, it is noted that the bulk of the research finds that a positive learning environment at home has a powerful impact on student achievement. The second approach is illustrated by Rhoda Becher's extensive review of parent education literature, which finds numerous studies documenting effects of school-based programs that train low-income parents to work with their children. Effects include significantly improved language skills, test performance, and school behaviour, as well as important effects on the general educational process. The third approach is illustrated by studies of community involvement which suggest that the degree of parent and community interest in high quality education is the critical factor in the impact of the school environment on the achievement and educational aspirations of students. Directions for future research are indicated.

ERIC Number: ED315199 Record Type: RIE Publication Date: 1987 Pages: 84 Abstractor: N/A Reference Count: N/A ISBN-0-934460-28-0 ISSN: N/A

This week we will have a number of special visitors at our school.

• On Monday we will welcome staff and students from St Augustine's and St Monica's for their introduction to high school talks for our Year 5 students.
• On Friday we will welcome the Federal Liberal member for Leichhardt, Mr Warren Entsch who will present leadership certificates to our Student Council.
• Also on Friday, Holy Cross will host the Term 2 Northern Cluster Primary Principals meeting in our school library. These meetings are a wonderful opportunity for Principals to gather to receive information from our Central Office and to also share best practice about what is happening around the Diocese.

Enjoy your week.
Blessings

Wendy Manners
Principal – Holy Cross Catholic School

APRE News

Liturgical Life of the School

Thank you to all for a well attended Mothers' Day liturgy and picnic. It was a great chance to think about, acknowledge and pray for all our mothers.

One thing we ask when attending any liturgical celebrations, whether they be in the church or multi-purpose area, is the need for respect and reverence. The students are working on this, with the support of their teachers, so we ask the parents also to support us with some great modelling too.

Upcoming liturgies and Masses:

• Years 3 & 4 on Wednesday the 20th May at 9am
• Years 1 & 2 on Wednesday the 17th June at 9am
• Prep & Year 5 on Wednesday the 24th June
• NAIDOC mini liturgy on Friday the 26th June

Sacramental Program

Candidates have started their preparation for The Sacraments of Confirmation and First Holy Communion. This preparation is done mainly as a family using the workbook, however, the appropriate year levels do have a focus on the Sacraments within their R.E. Curriculum. Our prayers are with these students and their families as they continue the journey of faith together.

Dates for the diary:

• Confirmation- Thursday the 23rd of July 7pm, St Monica's Cathedral
• First Holy Communion- Masses over the weekend of Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th of July, Holy Cross Church or All Saints' Chapel
• Parent information night- Reconciliation Tues 28th of July
• First Reconciliation Tues 8th of September 12pm, Holy Cross Church

S.E.L.

This term in classes, students will be focusing on the keys of 'Organisation' and 'Confidence'. In Term 1 all classes were working on establishing their class culture, rules and routines and on building relationships within the class. The key of 'Getting Along' was an emphasis in this and remains a continual focus throughout the year, in all year levels.

Some of the specific skills you may hear your child talking about, or language they may use, could include:

• Being a good time manager
• Setting goals
• Working together well
• Encouraging others
• Being successful and happy
• Characters such as Charlie Confidence or Connie Confidence, Oscar Organisation or Gabby Get Along

We have our Peer Mentoring Program starting this week as well. This is a targeted small group program that works on particular areas of need with students. Our talented teachers, Ms Natalie Martin, Mr Tilmann Dunn-Oswald, Mrs Christie Vinter and Mrs Wendy Manners are all taking groups in this first set of sessions.

SOCIAL JUSTICE

As winter approaches, there are many people around Cairns without the resources to stay warm. The Justice Squad, in conjunction with Rosie's, will be collecting blankets and clothing this term. Please keep an eye out for their notices around the school.

For those interested in supporting those affected by the earthquake in Nepal:

The Friends of Himalayan Children Inc. (FHC) run by Cairns local Som Tamang, has been working hard to better the living conditions of Batase village in rural Nepal. The devastating earthquake has greatly affected his work and the lives of many in and around the area.

Donations can be made via

PRAYER FOCUS FOR THE WEEK

Some words of wisdom from Sr Kym Harris osb:

"This coming Sunday, we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit as Jesus' gift to us. We don't need cards or crystals to access the Spirit: the Spirit is within wanting, waiting, desiring to help us. All we need to do is to accept our need and ask for help, realising that the help we get probably won't be the help we think we need. Rarely will the Spirit take away our problems – rather we will be given the wisdom to work through them in a way that makes us more loving, more human and more spiritual. The essential thing is to ask: to ask for the wise word when relationships are stretched in the family, to ask for patience with the work colleague, for strength when we are tired. Indeed, we need to ask for the Spirit to uphold us in all the myriad of mundane things we do, so that through us our world will become a more Spiritual place."

Loving Father, send me your Spirit to guide and strengthen me in the challenging situations I face. With his love and life, may I live a richer, deeper Spiritual life. I ask this in Jesus' name confident that you will hear me.

Sr Kym Harris osb

Enhancing Catholic Identity Project Update

Thank you to those parents who have completed the surveys. We will draw the raffle next Friday. Unfortunately we have not yet had enough response and require more completed by next Friday, or the data will not be viable. Don't forget there are a few surveys that you make your way through, one at a time.

1. Go to the website – http://www.schoolidentity.net
2. Use the ECSIP Website password: Ghj654 to access the website.
3. Click on the To the Surveys button.
4. To access the surveys go to NEW USER and enter the Group Entry Code: Kr498W

NB. You can logout and come back in to the surveys at any time, provided you have kept a copy of your log in code.

As you complete your online surveys, drop 2 gotcha points into the boxes in the office and fill out a raffle ticket. You will go in the draw to win a $50 meal voucher at Chill Café, Palm Cove.

Parish Mass Times

Saturday Holy Cross, Trinity Park 6:00pm Sunday Sacred Heart, Freshwater 7:00am Holy Cross, Trinity Park 8:30am St Augustine's, Stratford 10:30am All Saints Chapel, St Andrew's Redlynch 5:30pm

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

APA News

As you may be aware through previous newsletters, Holy Cross is reviewing behaviour management and our current processes throughout 2015. In recent weeks our community has been asked to participate in a survey to help determine the values and morals that as a Holy Cross community we all desire to see in our children. Your responses along with those of the staff and students are invaluable in determining the direction and focus we take. In a nutshell as a Holy Cross community it was clear that we all desire; high expectations delivered in a clear, fair and consistent way that supports our students to grow to be successful people.

The underlying theme of School Wide Positive Behaviour or SWPB is teaching behavioural expectations in the same manner as any core curriculum subject. Typically, a team of teachers and administrators would drive this process in a school. The school will focus on three to five behavioural expectations that are positively stated and easy to remember. In other words, rather than telling students what not to do, the school will focus on the preferred behaviours. Here at Holy Cross our expectations are focused around:

Respect for Yourself, Respect Others, and Respect Property
Safety First
Right Place Right Time!

Consistency from class to class and adult to adult is very important for successful implementation of SWPB. The team create a matrix of what the behavioural expectations look like, sound like, and feel like in all the non-classroom areas. At Holy Cross this matrix is our 'Positive Behaviour Matrix' developed in Term 1, which by now, all children are becoming familiar with. A copy of this matrix is included in this week's newsletter for you to review. The language is purposely positive as well as in child language as this matrix is now a regular teaching tool in the classroom. We would hope that many of these expectations would not be dissimilar to those at home and therefore, reinforcement from home is a key component of our success.

Another primary activity for the SWPB team is determining how the behavioural expectations and routines will be taught in and around the school. Teachers will utilise and create lessons for teaching respect, responsibility etc. Many schools choose to use several days at the beginning of each year to take the students around the school to stations, where the skills are taught in setting specific locations. This will become part of our practises at Holy Cross. For example, students may be brought to the church and the children will practice lining up, entering the church, sitting and kneeling on the pews, being reverent and exiting the church.

The next activity the SWPB team will begin is the fine tuning of the discipline referral process. The team will decide "What behaviours warrant a trip to the office and what behaviours are taken care of in the classroom or by the teacher on duty." The success of SWPB is focused on teaching positive behaviours and reward students as much as possible for demonstrating the expectations. SWPB works on a 20:1 ratio; twenty positive, affirming statements to each reminder of a correct behaviour. With this approach the focus remains on the expectations desired by all with the necessary reminders delivered when required. A further key component is parent contact. Teachers will be asked to be in regular contact for both positive reports and reminders to ensure home and school are working together.

Throughout coming newsletters we will continue to unpack the journey we are on and share with you the points we have reached. There will be an opportunity at the June P&F meeting to come together as a community and share further this discussion. As at any time, I invite you to come and have a conversation with your classroom teacher or myself if you have any questions.

Many blessings for the week

Brad Henry
Assistant Principal – Administration
bhenry2@cns.catholic.edu.au

Coming Events

DATE	EVENT
20.05.15	Liturgy – Year 3 & 4 – 9am
27.05.15	National Simultaneous Reading Time
28.05.15	Year 5 & 6 AFL Gold Coast Suns Cup
05.06.15	Year 4 Excursion Tjapukai 8.40am – 1pm
08.06.15	Queen's Birthday Public Holiday
17.06.15	Liturgy – Years 1 & 2 – 9am
18.06.15	Year 4 Orator's Night
19.06.15	Holy Cross Sports Carnival
24.06.15	Liturgy – Prep & Year 5 – 9am
26.06.15	NAIDOC Activities

Curriculum News

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.

ABSENCES

Absence notification to:
Email: secretary.trinitypk@cns.catholic.edu.au
(Subject Line - 'student absence' with your child's name)
Office: (07) 4057 6920

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.

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

The preferred method of contact is via emailing secretary.trinitypk@cns.catholic.edu.au with your child's name, class, dates of known absence and reason. Alternative methods include:

• telephone, leaving a message if it is after hours
• Holy Cross Skoolbag App

If the school has not been informed of a student absence, we will alert the child's main contact via text message and prompt them to contact the school to explain their child's absence. This is important as we do not want a situation where you assume that your child is here when they are not.

LATE ARRIVAL

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. 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.

BOOK REVIEW

A Reading Rocket's Mini Book Review

The Australian novel 'Home to Mother' by Doris Pilkington Garimara is the children's version of the movie 'Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence'. It is the amazing true story of Daisy, Gracie and Molly's journey home after being taken from their mothers and put into a camp, just because their mothers were Aboriginal and their fathers were white. Society called them half-castes. We now know them as the Stolen Generation. The book brought me to tears to know how Aboriginal children were treated. My favourite character is Molly because she was brave and looked after Gracie and Daisy, even though she was scared herself. She protected them and made sure they made it back to their mothers.

Jo Neil
Curriculum Support
jneil@cns.catholic.edu.au

School Notices

Term 2 School Fees

Please note that Term 2 School Fees were issued via email on 24th April and were payable by the 8th May. Please make arrangements to finalise your account as soon as possible if you have not already done so.

Should you be experiencing financial difficulty and are unable to meet your financial obligations please contact the school to make an appointment with our School Principal, Mrs Wendy Manners. A reminder that all fees are to be paid in full (unless direct debit arrangements are in place) in order for reports to be issued at the end of this term.

Semester 1 Report Cards

Please note that Semester 1 reports are due to be mailed out on Friday 26th June to those families who are financial or have a current payment plan in place.

Please notify the school office if you have changed your address details to ensure delivery.

We are happy to provide second copies of school reports, if requested by parents, in the case where parents live apart. If you wish to receive a second report, please fill out the request form below and hand in to the class teacher or the school office by Friday 5th June 2015.

2nd REPORT CARD REQUEST
Child's name 1:	Class:
Child's name 2:	Class:
Child's name 3:	Class:
Name Parent/Carer 1:
Address:
Name Parent/Carer 2:
Address:

EFT Transfer Customers

If you currently use this method of payment please check that you are using our NEW bank details and reference number as shown on the Term invoice to ensure your funds are receipted to the correct account. See below:-

BSB: 084-352
A/C #: 000017443
YOUR REF: 963000 _ _ _ _

Currently there are a number of families who have not included a reference number and are using the incorrect bank details.

Mothers' Day Poem

MY MUM
Mum loves me very much,
she has a very loving touch.
My Mum loves me every day,
in a very special way.
I really love my Mum,
she is lots and lots of fun.
My Mum's the best,
she beats all the rest.
Written by Year 2C

Mothers' Day Picnic

Prep 2016 Enrolments

Prep interviews for the 2016 intake have begun and will be conducted throughout this term. All sibling applications should now have been finalised. A gentle reminder to families with siblings who may have neglected to submit an enrolment application, to do so as a matter of importance in order to secure your child's placement in Prep next year! Please note that interviews for Prep siblings will NOT be required unless there is a specific request due to learning needs.

GOTCHA Points

	DILLON	MALLON	PETERSEN	ROBINSON
Term 2, Week 4	350	353	400	355

Bike Bus

Holy Cross Bike Bus will commence next week, Wednesday 13th May.

P & F News

Mothers' Day Stall

Business of the Week

Tuckshop News

TUCKSHOP ROSTER
WEEK 5		WEEK 5	SLINKY HELPER
WED	20th May	HELP REQUIRED	Ty C 4C
			Bella Y 4H
THU	21st May	HELP REQUIRED	Nadia K 4S
			Madison J 4S
FRI	22nd May	Tracey Cook 8.30am-11.30am	Phoebe A 5H
		URGENT HELP REQUIRED	Ebony D 5H
WEEK 6
WED	27th May	HELP REQUIRED	Jordan H 4H
			Nicole X 4H
THU	28th May	HELP REQUIRED	Mia P-S 4C
FRI	29th May	Tracey Cook 8.30am-11.30am	Akasha W 4S
		URGENT HELP REQUIRED	Madison J 4S

Secondhand Uniforms

Secondhand uniforms and green jumpers are available for purchase at the tuckshop for $5.00 each.

If you can assist in the tuckshop we would love to hear from you. Please contact the Tuckshop Convenor, Kylie Gowlett on 0439 933 980, email: kgowlett@cns.catholic.edu.au or leave your number at the office.

Music Notices

Dance Drama & Music

Instrumental Music News

Music Tuition

Brass/Woodwind

If you are interested in learning a brass or woodwind instrument (including trumpet, trombone, flute, clarinet or saxophone), please contact Julia Russell via email:
julia.russell@standrewscc.qld.edu.au

A reminder that instrumental tuition & hire contract agreements state a 4 week's written notice period is required if your child wishes to cease lessons. In the event of cancellation the full amount of the term fee will remain due and payable for that notice period. All instrumental fees should remain paid in advance.

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

We are currently seeking a strings teacher for our violin lessons. Please contact the school office if interested.

Message from the Indigenous Liaison Officer

OSHC News

Community Notices