18 August 2015

Newsletter Articles

"Kind words are short and easy to speak,
but their echoes are truly endless."
Mother Teresa

From the Principal

Parents,

One of my Husband's favourite prayers is the Serenity Prayer however it was only last week that quite by accident I was surprised to learn of its historical origins. The prayer has worked its way into so many cultural outlets that many non-Christians know it, or at least the beginning. The prayer is commonly attributed to Protestant theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, who composed it in the 1940s. According to its website, Alcoholics Anonymous adopted the Serenity Prayer and began including it in AA materials in 1942, which may have done more to canonize it than any other cultural use of the prayer. The language of the prayer is humble, its lessons simple and its history not particularly romantic. But its messages are both personal and universal; easy to understand yet difficult to execute.

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
forever in the next.
Amen.

The prayer reveals five timeless truths (and no doubt more!) that challenge us to re-imagine what serenity really is:

1. Acceptance is not laziness.

When we devote inordinate attention to the things we cannot change, we expend physical, emotional and mental energy that could be directed elsewhere. Accepting that there are some things we cannot change does not make us complacent. It constitutes a leap of faith -- an ability to trust, as the prayer goes on to say, "that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will." We thus make the choice to let go and have faith in the outcome.

2. We must have courage to change ourselves.

One of life's greatest challenges is imagining how our lives could be different than they are now. Often, our deeply-ingrained habits are our own worst enemies, and simply identifying them is half the battle. Since habits gain power through repetition, it takes real focus and perspective to take a look at ourselves and our habits and ask, "Is this how I really want to live?" As the prayer states, this act of self-investigation is nothing less than an act of "courage." As Alexander Solzhenitsyn asked in The First Circle: "If you wanted to put the world to rights, who should you begin with: yourself or others?"

3. Hardship can be good for you

As the prayer states, we must accept "hardships as the pathway to peace." Every person confronts obstacles in the course of his or her life. When we view these obstacles not just as frustrations or failures, but as opportunities for growth and learning, we can transcend our circumstances.

4. Surrendering requires courage, too.

The word "surrender" has mostly negative connotations; we associate it with resignation, failure and weakness. But the Serenity Prayer reframes the notion of surrender as an act of faith and trust. The wisdom of the prayer lies in exchanging a life of endless "what ifs" for a life of trust in powers beyond ourselves.

5. Happiness is attainable -- now and in the future.

The prayer's ending has something very profound to say about happiness: if we follow the prayer's advice, we may be "reasonably happy in this life." Just reasonably? At a time when our culture measures happiness and success mostly in terms of money and power, that word "reasonably" stands out as an appealingly modest definition of a successful life. Rather than wondering why we aren't happier, or picking through every minute aspect of our lives, the prayer asks us to focus on the present, "Living one day at a time" and "enjoying one moment at a time." Whether or not you believe in God or an afterlife, and whether or not the prayer's ending -- a vision of being "supremely happy with Him forever in the next" -- appeals to you or not, there's something universal in the prayer's quiet celebration of understanding our own potential, our own limits, and our capacity for transcendence. (The Huff Post – The Third Metric, Aug 16 2015)

I look forward to meeting up with many of you during the week.

Enjoy your week.

Blessings

Wendy Manners
Principal – Holy Cross Catholic School

2016 Tuition Fees

APRE News

CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK AWARDS

Each year staff members have the opportunity to vote for a teacher, school officer and parent for the Spirit of Catholic Education Awards for Holy Cross. This year, nominees illustrate one or more of the themes; engaging minds, igniting hearts and serving others. At assembly and morning prayer, Natalie Martin, Jodie Vincent and Kelly Carter were presented with their certificates in front of the school community. Congratulations to these people and thank you for all your efforts. Thanks also goes to each and every member of the Holy Cross school community, who, in some way, give of themselves to help our students and our school.

LITURGICAL LIFE OF THE SCHOOL

Mass was again celebrated as a whole school last Friday, for Feast of the Assumption. It is a Holy Day of Obligation for Catholics, one of only two in the liturgical calendar. The other being Christmas Day. We celebrated a day early, as it fell on a Saturday this year. The liturgy choir sang a beautiful version of, "I Sing to Mary", as a reflection after Communion. It was a delight to see all students participating in the singing, actions and prayers during Mass.

Upcoming liturgies and Masses:

• Prep & Year 3 Liturgy of the Word Wednesday 26th of August 9:00am
• Years 2 & 5 Mass Wednesday 2nd of September 9:00am
• Year 1 & 6 Mass Wednesday 9th of September 9:00am
• Holy Cross Feast Day, Exaltation of the Cross, Monday the 14th of September at 9:00am

SEL: RESILIENCE PARENT SESSIONS

This week sees the first Resilience parent session at Holy Cross. Our Parents and Friends committee received a grant towards funding this valuable program and I thank them for their support of this, in particular Tracey Cook who has provided much of the groundwork.

As part of the grant funding, child care will be available for the day session, at OSHC. Please email Tracey at timtraceycook@bigpond.com.au or text on 0413 089 679 with your booking. There will also be simple refreshments. I ask that the evening session be adults only, so that parents can fully engage with the session.

There will be another one or two sessions in this 8-part program next term, so keep your eyes out for details if unable to attend this session.

SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM

We keep in our prayers the candidates for First Reconciliation, as they continue their preparation. If your child is ready to receive this Sacrament and they are in years 3, 4, 5 or 6, please collect an enrolment form from the office ASAP, along with a student booklet for $10. The preparation sessions can be done at home as a family, or with Helen Bozzo, the Sacramental Co-ordinator, on a Tuesday afternoon, at St Andrew's.

Parents are asked to attend a final preparation meeting on Tuesday the 1st of September, 6pm at St Andrew's. The children will then receive First Reconciliation at Holy Cross on the 8th of September, during school time.

For further information, please contact Helen Bozzo via email at hlockwoodb@standrewscc.qld.edu.au or myself via phone or email.

Dates for the diary:

• Final preparation session at All Saints' Chapel, St Andrew's, 6pm on 1st September
• First Reconciliation Tuesday 8th of September 12pm, Holy Cross Church

PRAYER GARDEN UPDATE

You may have noticed that our prayer garden is coming along beautifully. Although a work in progress, classes have been utilising this as a place for meditation, prayer and liturgy. Thanks to Mr Terry Whouley, for continuing to help us manage and create this space. Some bromeliads have been added to the area and our large sign has been erected, with an apt quote:

"God looked at everything he had made, and he was very pleased." Genesis 1:31

Mr and Mrs Martorella helped to plan for and have this sign created in 2014. Mrs Martorella came to see the progress of the garden last week and was impressed.

I would ask that parents help us to keep this a special place, by reminding your children not to run through there. You are welcome to sit with them (or without them) and use it as a place to relax and 'be', while you are waiting for your children, or after you drop them off at school.

PRAYER FOCUS FOR THE WEEK:

Leader: Christ Jesus, you long to share your bread that gives us life.
All: Feed us, heal us.
Leader: Christ Jesus, we long to share your saving cup that stills our thirst.
All: Feed us, heal us.
Leader: Christ Jesus, we long to share your love with those we see today.
All: Feed us, heal us.
Amen.

From GPBS (Gather, Break, Proclaim, Send) website http://www.gpbs.com.au

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

Teacher's Guide to Digital Citizenship

Below is some pieces of an article that is very relevant in our classrooms and in the wider community at this current time. I highly recommend reading the whole article, I have only included some of the points in the newsletter. Often it's the aspect of using ICT's that seems to be largely forgotten or overlooked in education that impact daily on our teaching and learning time.

The horror stories of young people not grasping the reach and influence of the content they put online are familiar to all of us. From the loss of job opportunities due to unprofessional pictures or comments on social media, to the more serious threats of abduction, and even the self-harm inspired by cyber bullying, the stakes are high.

Teaching digital citizenship means embracing the reality that we're all interconnected through the Internet, and that we therefore need to understand the responsibilities and risks that come with life online.

Why Digital Citizenship Matters

Neither educators nor parents have the means to completely control how students use technology. That only makes it more important for teachers to address digital citizenship in the classroom, so students will have a better idea of what they're getting into once outside of it.

Lessons in digital citizenship are about both teaching students how to protect themselves and their own futures online, and also how to be thoughtful citizens who are respectful of others. By now, most of us have seen ample evidence of how the anonymity the web seems to offer a level of vitriol and cruelty people don't usually practice with those they see face to face.

The Internet has the capacity to bring the worst out in people. You don't want your students to be victims of that – not on the giving or receiving ends.

Online Safety

This is probably the most important topic to cover when teaching digital citizenship lessons. The Internet is great for making new connections and befriending people all over the world, but it also opens up students to contact with online predators. Students should be taught the kind of warning signs to look for when it comes to interacting with strangers online, and the kind of information they should never give out.

Understanding Digital Footprints

School-ages students see the world as being contained to the people they see every day. Even if they understand, in a general sense, that the Internet is public, it might seem impossible that anyone outside of their immediate circle would care to find out anything about them

As educators, you know better. Students need to understand how their digital footprints will follow them in life and how important it is to start caring about what those footprints look like early. Examples of how past online behavior influences people's job prospects or verdicts in court can help students better grasp just how big of a deal digital footprints are.

Acting with Respect Online

Cyber bullying has hurt many people and even caused many children to take their own lives. Students need to understand that their actions, even those taken online and behind multiple computer screens, can and do have enormous consequences.

The emotional results of behaving disrespectfully online are arguably the most important thing to stress here, but there can be professional and legal consequences for bad online behavior as well. If you say hurtful things on social media that future potential employers (or friends, for that matter) can see, it will have long-term effects on what people think about you and may impact the opportunities you have.

Information Literacy

The Internet is the go-to place for most research that students do today and they need to learn how to use in the most beneficial way. The ability to find good information online is a skill in and of itself, as is being able to recognize which sources aren't reliable.

The web is filled with information that can be useful to anyone wanting to learn about just about anything. But they have to learn how to get around the stuff that's counterproductive or outright inaccurate in order to enjoy that benefit.

Legal Restrictions Online

Your students probably already have some familiarity with concepts like illegal downloading and plagiarism, but may underestimate the potential consequences of these actions. You can discuss with them both the morality of taking actions online that break laws, as well as the risks they take if they do so.

The link to the full article is below. I do encourage you to have a full read. Whilst the article is aimed at teachers much of the topic is directly related to our home and to our older students. The points above are regular conversations I have had and will continue to have with students as well as parents.

POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR FOCUS
Week 5 – Think before you SPEAK, Think before you ACT.
Week 6 – Think before we SPEAK,
"Is that what Jesus would say?"

Congratulations to Week 4's Holy Cross Heroes

Prep	Pia G, Zahra B
Year 1	Chloe J, Jessica A, Natallie R
Year 2	Abby L, Lily M, Betty C
Year 3	Bella R, Jorja, Lachlan B
Year 4	Matthew C, Harry C, Cheyenne
Year 6	Ethan S, Kit M

"We were all caught THINKING before ACTING."

Congratulations to JULY's Holy Cross Super Hero: Lukah B (Prep 0H)

KEY DATES
Friday 21st August	Year 4 Excursion to Fitzroy Island
Wednesday 26th August – Friday 28th August	Year 6 Camp to Lake Tinaroo
Friday 28th August	12/U Fowlers Group Netball Carnival
Saturday 29th August	Working Bee 2pm – 5pm
Friday 4th September	School Disco
Monday 7th September – Friday 11th September	Parent Teacher Interviews
Saturday 21st November	Christmas Fair

Many blessings for the week

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

Learning Support News

How to increase your child's achievement through a "growth mindset"

How do we motivate a child to work hard and achieve? Is there a secret? How does one teach a child about motivation?

How to motivate a child? Everything we say and do sends a message to children. Some of these messages will increase a child's level of motivation, whilst others will be the complete opposite. Research suggests that the most resilient and motivated children are the ones that believe that intelligence something that can be developed through effort and learning.

The fixed mindset

A child with a fixed mindset will limit his or her chances to achieve. They want to look "smart" at all costs and do not like to undertake a task that may provide some challenges for them. Children with a fixed mindset tend to follow three rules:

1. Don't make mistakes
   A child with a fixed mindset believes that making mistakes shows a lack of ability. They would believe that the mistake indicates that they are not good at that particular area and would try to avoid it in the future.
2. Don't work hard
   A child with a fixed mindset believes that intelligent people should not have to work hard. If you work hard, it means that you have low intelligence and indicates a limited ability. This is one of the worst beliefs fixed mindset children can have.
3. If you make mistakes, don't try and repair them
   A child with a fixed mindset is only interested in whether an answer is right or wrong. If they get an answer wrong, they do not want to correct their errors or understand the concept for future learning.

The growth mindset

A child with a growth mindset is focused on the learning instead of the grades. Their main aim is to build on previous understanding and push themselves to the next level. Although they are not fixed on achievement, achievement usually goes hand in hand with this mindset. Children with a growth mindset tend to follow three rules:

1. Take on challenges
   A child with a growth mindset often accepts many challenges that they could fail at. They want to stretch their abilities and learn new things.
2. Work hard
   A child with a growth mindset believes that the harder you work at something, the better you will be at it. They do not believe that you are born with high intelligence or low intelligence but you can work hard and get success
3. Confront your mistakes and correct them
   A child with a growth mindset is very eager to remedy their mistakes and learn from them. They want to focus on their mistake and get feedback to show them where they went wrong.

Let us return to the initial questions I posed at the beginning of the article. How do we get our children to be motivated and work hard in order to achieve? The new question that we should ask ourselves is "How do we get our children to have a growth mindset and not a fixed one?

As parents and educators we need to focus on the process or journey that the child undertakes instead of the finished product. We can give praise to a child in regards to their persistence, strategies used, their change of thinking due to new learning, their questioning, critical thinking and creative ideas.

We can celebrate how a child solved a problem or how they undertook a difficult challenge. This is what will motivate a child to have a growth mindset. They need to see us as the parents and educators going through this process as well and observe how we deal with difficult and frustrating setbacks within a task.

It is great to praise a child's finished task (a child loves this intelligence praise) however, praising a child's process which could be their effort, concentration, choices and persistence is more powerful to help a child achieve, have confidence and be a motivated learner.

Leigh Ovens
Learning Support Teacher
lovens@cns.catholic.edu.au

Curriculum News

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

School Notices

Pets on School Premises

Whilst Holy Cross is a pet friendly school, in the interest of all students and staff well-being, dogs should not be on school premises without previous permission being granted from the school office. We thank parents for their attention to this matter.

Woolworths Earn & Learn 2015

Dear Parents,

This year we will be participating in the Woolworths Earn & Learn program. Through this program we will be able to get new educational resources for our school – and all we need you to do is shop for your groceries at Woolworths.

From Wednesday 15th July to Tuesday 8th September, we are collecting Woolworths Earn & Learn Stickers. You will get one Woolworths Earn & Learn Sticker for every $10 spent (excluding liquor, tobacco and gift cards). Place the Woolworths Earn & Learn Sticker onto a Woolworths Earn & Learn Sticker Sheet and when it's complete, the Sticker Sheet can be dropped into the Collection Box here at the school.

If you can't fill in the whole sheet, please bring in the stickers and they can be added to another sheet. Sticker Sheets can be obtained from Woolworths stores, downloaded by clicking on the link below or collected from the School Office.

At the end of the promotion, we'll be able to get some great new equipment. The range is extensive and offers lots of items ideal for our students – including resources for Maths, English, Science and some fantastic fun supplies for Arts & Craft, Sport and for our library. If you'd like to know more visit woolworths.com.au/earnandlearn

GOTCHA Points

Congratulations to Mallon House who were the Week 5 Gotcha Point winners.

TERM 3	DILLON	MALLON	PETERSEN	ROBINSON
WEEK 5	220	275	274	215

P & F News

Hello to all families of our great Holy Cross School Community,

Just a very quick note to introduce myself and to advise you of what your P&F have been up to and what we are looking to achieve for the end of the year...

My name is Damian and I am your new P&F President. Please, if you see me say hi and let me know how you are going, your thoughts and feelings on our school in general and possibly how we can work together as a community to make our school even better!

If you have had the opportunity to wander through the school lately, you would see a number of new metal picnic style tables for the younger year groups. We are yet to finish this task and will therefore continue until there are enough suitable lunch tables for students in the eating areas.

We have this year's new Entertainment Books in the school office, as well as few spare car park advertisements available both of which assist in generating funds for our school. Please collect information if you wish to take up either of these opportunities.

A few dates for events to support which will be happening in the very near future:

• Our P&F working bee is on the 29th August taking place from 2.00 – 5.00pm. Any assistance with this would be most appreciated and as a thankyou the P&F supply pizza and light refreshments afterwards.
• Another event that will take place on 4th September is our Term 3 Disco night.
• The final date to remember is 21st November which will be our Holy Cross School Christmas Fair.

So again, please do not be afraid to say hi or email me, and let me know your thoughts or ideas about our school. By the same token, if you feel you would like to contribute in any way to the school community and have not yet found your place, please step forward as any and all assistance, no matter how small, makes a difference and is always appreciated.

Damian Martin-Blakey
P & F President
dmartinblakey@gmail.com

Tuckshop News

Fortnight Special

4 x Chicken Nuggets with Tomato Sauce sachet - $2.00 (DEAL NOT AVAILABLE FRIDAYS)

TUCKSHOP ROSTER
WEEK 6		PARENT HELPERS	SLINKY HELPERS
WED	19th August	Karen Hepburn 12.15-13.30	Nicole X 4H
			Jordan H 4H
THU	20th August	HELP REQUIRED	Hannah C 5S
			Chloe M 5S
FRI	21st August	Lisa Ponds - cashier	Charleigh W 4H
		Janelle B. 8.30-11.30am	Holly M 4H
WEEK 7
WED	26th August	Karen Hepburn 12.15-13.30	Grace 4S
			Charlize C 4S
THU	27th August	HELP REQUIRED	Matthew 4H
FRI	28th August	Jo Comper - cashier	TBA
		Ray Beerenfels 8.30-10.50
		Leanne Woodley 11.00-close

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.

The Arts News

Dance Drama Music (DDM)

BARBARY COASTERS ! – LOCAL BAND VISIT WITH YEARS 5 & 6

On Wednesday 12th August at 8:30am we had the Barbary Coasters visit our school. The students were given the opportunity to ask them pertinent questions about how their band formed, about their music and about the instruments they use. There were some very interesting discussions about what is involved in being in a band and students were able to interact with Nikki and Vance after the question time was over. Check out The Arts Gallery included in this section for some less official photos of the students having fun dancing to the band's music.

The Cairns Post was also there to take photos. Matthew (6C) then wrote a news article that will accompany the photos in the next PostEd section of the Cairns Post. Keep a look out for our students' happy faces posing with Nikki and Vance from the Barbary Coasters!

ARTS ALIVE! – NEW SECTION

I've had a brilliant welcome to Holy Cross this year and I have discovered that we have some wonderful talent at our school in the areas of Drama, Dance, Visual Arts and Music! I wanted to share with you these shining gems in our school who keep the Arts Alive in the Holy Cross Community. I will put a brief Arts Alive profile in our newsletter each fortnight of a person or two who I have discovered actively participate and improve their knowledge and skills in the Arts. To start us off this week we have two ballroom dancers who get dressed up each week and shake their tail feathers.

Presenting our ballroom dancers, Jo Neil and Sara Stanley! I asked them some quick questions about their dancing and I've included their answers below.

Jo Neil
Curriculum Support Teacher
Ballroom Dancer
(+ many other hats!)

Why did you decide to start dancing?

I started dancing to practise being me and not a mum. Now I dance because it makes me happy. It makes me present in now because you can't think about yesterday or tomorrow. You can only think about the figure or step you're doing with your dance partner and keeping in time with the music.

What type of dancing have you done? Or do now?

I've been doing ballroom dancing for the past 3 years. In Australia we have 3 styles – Modern, New Vogue and Latin. When I was little and we lived in Cairns, I did ballet and jazz for a couple of years in what is now the Catholic Education Services building.

How many hours do you practise a week/ fortnight?

I usually dance for about 8 hours / week.

What is your happiest memory/ achievement in your dancing experience?

I think the most memorable and happiest memory in my dancing experience would have to be the first night I went to the Just Dance Cairns studio. I was extremely nervous and had to use some dutch courage to get there. Once there though, I danced with one of the studio's seasoned dancers and felt like I was gliding around the dance floor and knew what I was doing. I couldn't stop smiling.

What is challenging about dancing?

In the beginning: wearing heels and dresses.

Now: Learning new routines or figures; finding a permanent dance partner; when the brain knows but the feet, arms, body and smile don't.

In five words or less, describe what dancing is to you.

Joy for the soul.

Sara Stanley
Prep Teacher
Ballroom Dancer
(+ many other hats!)

Why did you decide to start dancing?

I saw my cousin dancing on stage when I was 3 and wanted to start because it looked like fun!

What type of dancing have you done? Or do now?

I began learning Ballet when I was 3 years old, then I started Modern, then Tap, then Ballroom. I still do Ballroom Dancing.

How long have you been dancing?

24 years.

How many hours do you practise a week/ fortnight?

I usually practise about 5 hours per week.

What is your happiest memory/ achievement in your dancing experience?

A Ballroom competition at the Gold Coast earlier in the year. There were so many amazing dancers there, and it was so much fun to be out on the dance floor!

What is challenging about dancing?

There are lots of challenges, but I guess the main one for me is getting out of bed the day after a comp. It hurts!!

In five words or less, describe what dancing is to you.

Fun!

CONGRATULATIONS!

Please let Mrs Wight know of any people in our community who are achieving in the Arts!

BAND & CHOIR UPDATE – MARLIN COAST NEIGHBOURHOOD CENTRE PERFORMANCE

On Tuesday 18th August, the General Choir and 12 brass instrumentalists are walking next door to the Marlin Coast Neighbourhood Centre. The centre is hosting the Seniors Expo in which our students will be performing. They will be having an earlier lunch on this day and then perform during their 2nd lunch break between 1:15 – 1:45pm. All students will be back in class at 2pm. Photos of this event will be in the next school newsletter.

Performance Schedule

Brass Instrumentalist Section

1) The Pink Panther – Tyler, Mathew.
2) Chopping Block - Lauren, Emily, Caden.
3) Little Swinger – Christian, Max, Harry.
4) Supercalifragilistic - Taaj, Lian, Riley, Lachlan.

Combined Section

5) Amazing Grace – All students (instrument playing and singing)
6) Head Heart Hands – All students. (Singing with backing track)

Choir Section

7) Arthur Theme Song – General Choir
8) Try a Little Kindness – General Choir

DRAMA CLASSES – NIDA WORKSHOPS IN SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2015

The Australian Institute of Dramatic Art is a centre for excellence in education and training for theatre, film and television. Mrs Wight has NIDA booklets available for any interested students or parents that have all the details of these courses for your perusal.

They are offering short courses on acting in Cairns at Tanks Arts Centre on the following dates;

Acting Boot Camp – Monday & Tuesday, 28th & 29th September, 9am-4pm. Grades 3-6. $310
NIDA Drama School – Monday 28th Sept to Thursday 1st October, 9a-4pm. Grades 7-10. $495
NIDA Acting 101 – Wednesday 30th Sept to Friday 2nd October, 9am-4pm. Grades 11-12. $390.
Acting: An Introduction – Friday 2nd Oct, 9am-4pm. Adults. $160

DRAMA RESOURCES – WE NEED YOUR DONATIONS!

THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO HAVE DONATED ALREADY! But we need more!

Many of the items below may be your trash and our treasure! If you can donate any of these items, please send them into school and deliver them to the DDM room.

• 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
• Retro or old fashioned clothes
• Plastic princess crowns, fairy wands etc…
• Shawls or scarves
• Novelty hats eg: cowboy, police, fireman, witch
• Wigs
• Etc

THE ARTS GALLERY

A big part of the teaching of The Arts is performing and taking photos of students interacting in their lessons. I have included photos in this week's newsletter of some of the lessons from last semester and the beginning of this semester. I hope you enjoy viewing these images as much as we have enjoyed making them!

DDM Lesson Update:

Prep- "Nursery Rhymes" – Students have been experimenting with pitch and dynamics of sound through singing the nursery rhyme "Little Sally Water." They have enjoyed playing the games that are associated with this song and relish in the moment when they get to stand in the circle by themselves with everyone singing around them. We will move onto "Sally Goes Around the Moon" and other variations of this song next week.

Years 1/2 - "Lonesome Boatman" – Students have been listening to a piece of instrumental Irish folk music called, "The Lonesome Boatman." Students have completed their ocean instrument activity but I'm holding onto some of these instruments until later in the term. We are now getting ready to create our own class soundscapes of the ocean, which includes finding sounds to represent different elements such as rocking waves, boats, birds, thunder and lightning. When each class has identified the sounds of the ocean environment they want to imitate, they create symbols and movements to associate with these sounds. They write their soundscape using their created symbols and follow this arbitrary music score to record their own movement soundscape. Then we take this soundscape idea onto the computer where they individually create their own digital soundscape.

Years 3/4 - "Calypso Rounds and Sounds." - Students have learnt a hand clapping rhyme called, "Miss Mary Mack". They have enjoyed the challenges of this immensely. Also, students have learned the song, "Calypso." They have begun creating their own class version of this song that includes singing this song in a round. We have recorded their singing practises and then reviewed them to identify opportunities for improvement. When we get past laughing at ourselves, we generally can locate the areas for improvement easily. Once we have practised this a little, students will begin to add percussion instruments to the song, which includes learning a syncopated rhythm common to reggae music.

Years 5/6 – "Local Community Music" – Student have viewed a video on the Cairns Brass Band and have already learned a lot about bands that we didn't know. The highlight of this last fortnight was the visit from the Barbary Coasters in which will be included in this week's PostEd section of the Cairns Post. We have only started learning about local community bands but have already gathered a lot of information. Students are also working on playing the "Lion Sleeps Tonight" on the Ukuleles. If any students own a ukulele at home, please bring it in on Wednesday's for your music lessons.

Thank you for all your support! God bless!

Christina Wight
Dance Drama Music Specialist Teacher

Instrumental Music News

WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS TERM

YOUNG MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR

This term all instrumental students will be competing in the St Andrew's "Young Musician of the Year" solo competition. This is an initiative of our partner music school, St Andrew's Catholic College, and gives our students the opportunity to improve their performance skills in a friendly and encouraging environment. Dates have changed for this event so please amend your diaries:

Junior (year 1 – 5) – Wednesday 2nd September
Middle (year 6) – Thursday 3rd September
Novice (year 1 – 6 beginners) – Friday 4th September

Students will need to find their own transport to and from this event. Exact times of solos will be released closer to the event.

Julia Russell

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

Sports Notices

Sport and Recreation Services Get Started Vouchers

Round 6 of the Sport and Recreation Services Get Started Vouchers Program is now open. Under this program vouchers of up to $150.00 are provided to eligible children to help pay for the cost of sport or recreation club membership and or participation fees through registered clubs. Please click on the link below for the parent fact sheet for further information and eligibility requirements.

Community Notices

Courage to Care Exhibition

Courage to Care Exhibition - 14th August – 11th September 2015, Seville Mercy Conference Centre, 35 Bauhinia Avenue, Earlville

This inspiring and interactive exhibition uses living historians (Holocaust survivors) to demonstrate the positive impact of bystander intervention in the face of racism, prejudice and bullying.

For more information visit www.couragetocare.com.au

Email courage2care@cns.catholic.edu.au or phone 4050 9700.

All are welcome and entry is free.

Well Women's Clinics (available to Medicare eligible clients)

Service includes Pap Smears, Sexual Health Screening, Breast Awareness, also info on Contraception, Continence, Menopause, Lifestyle Issues, Bowel Health, Domestic Violence, etc. All services are provided by a specially trained Women's Health Nurse.

Smithfield Community Health Friday 21st August Ph: 4226 4800
James Cook University (JCU) Monday 17th August Ph: 4226 4812

The Young Company

TYC Drama Classes for 5yrs - 11yrs

Join in the dramatic adventures at The Young Company Theatre this semester now on the Northern Beaches. Develop confidence, explore your creativity, develop articulation and communication abilities, make new friends and learn the essentials of stage performance through improvisation, role-play, scripts, and characterization activities and then perform in front of a live audience with costumes, sets, props, sound effects, live projections and theatrical lighting!! Classes in Trinity Beach, Kamerunga, Freshwater and Cairns City. For more information phone 40414066, email info@theyoungcompany.com.au , visit our website www.theyoungcompany.com.au or visit us 169 Bunda St, Cairns City.

Girl Guides

Interested in your child being part of Girl Guides please click on the link below for more information.