Dear Parents and Friends,

Did you know that a large percentage of Australians can’t read newspapers, follow a recipe, make

sense of timetables or understand the instructions on a medicine bottle, because they lack the

literacy skills to do so? Wow! Not being able to read has a profound effect on people’s lives, as it

limits their life chances and so can have serious consequences for their overall quality of life. It

affects the way individuals feel about themselves and their abilities and makes it virtually impossible

for them to be properly educated and thus be capable of rising to a better job.

The National Year of Reading 2012 is about encouraging children to read and encouraging keen

readers to find new sources of information. It’s about helping people discover and rediscover the

magic of books. Most of all it’s about Australia becoming a nation of readers. Being able to read well

and write well, is more than an enhancement of life in our developed and modern world.

That wonderful provider of insightful comment, “Anonymous”, is credited with saying, “There are

those who read to remember and those who read to forget”. This was never so true than in Haiti

after the January 2010 earthquake, when children experienced tremendous trauma both physically

and emotionally. Many children lost their homes, members of their families and their basic security;

many were so traumatised they could not sleep at night.

A month or so after this incomprehensible disaster, volunteers began a “Read to Children”

programme which consisted of a person reading to a small group of children for one hour per day.

“The purpose of the programme was to engage the children’s imaginations by bringing them into

stories and showing them the way that reading can transport one’s mind, spirit and heart and so

bring some peace even in the midst of a tent city.” Melinda Miles

Last year marked the 400th anniversary of the translation of the Bible into English. In 1620 the

Mayflower set out from Plymouth, England, with the Plymouth Pilgrims and the King James Bible on

board bound for the Americas. They set up a small colony and called it Plymouth in what is now the

State of Massachusetts. The education system that ensued over the years was provided by the

churches and inevitably it was Bible-led. By 1700, Richard Middleton, a historian of Colonial America,

tells us that about 70% of men and 45% of women could read and write. When in 1850

Massachusetts became the first State to introduce mandatory education, literacy levels were at 98%

in that State!

Walt Disney once said, “There’s more treasure in books than in all the pirates’ loot on Treasure

Island”. This type of treasure, parents are quite capable of providing for their children. When parents

read aloud to children, especially from a book with no pictures, children have to use their minds to

picture what is happening in the story. Well-written stories challenge children to go beyond their

own experiences and put themselves into someone else’s place. A child can listen to a captivating

story for a long time and this practice increases their ability to pay attention and focus on an activity.

Reading aloud to children gives parents a chance to choose timeless, appealing stories that will grab

a child’s interest and attention. And of course there’s nothing so influential as “parallel reading”

which is when parents and children read independently at the same time; this allows parents to

demonstrate their love and respect for reading. In this, an Olympic Year, how appropriate is it that

the theme for Children’s Book Week is “Champions Read”!

Peace and Best Wishes,

Sue

Week 16, 24th May 2012

Sun 27 May Family Mass

9:30am

Wed 30 May Class Mass 9:15am

Y7’s & Buddies

Wed 30 May to

Fri 1 June Year 5 & Year 6

Camp at Mapleton

Wed 6 June Qld Day Activities

Mon 11 June Queen’s Birthday

Holiday

Wed 13 June Zone Cross Country

DATE CLAIMER

Pentecost

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2: 1-4)

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.

And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind,

and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them,

and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages,

as the Spirit gave them ability.

Send Down the Fire Marty Haugen

Send down the fire of your justice, Send down the rains of your love. Come send down the Spirit, breathe life in your people, and make us the people of God.

Call us to be your compassion. Teach us the song of your love. Give us hearts that sing, give us peace that rings, Make us ring with the song of your love.

Call us to learn of your mercy. Teach us the way of your peace. Give us hearts that feel, give us hands that heal, Make us strong in the way of your peace.

Call us to witness your kingdom. Give us the presence of Christ. May your holy light keep us shining bright, Even shine with the presence of Christ..

GGGGo in peace this weeko in peace this weeko in peace this weeko in peace this week

BenBenBenBen

FROM THE APRE

STUDENTS LEAVING DURING THE DAY

Parents, this is a reminder that if your child needs to attend appointments during the day, first of all the child

needs to be signed out from the School Office. Once that is done, then Mrs Orr will call for your child to meet

you in the Reception Area. Please do not go and collect your child from the classroom or from the playground

yourself. As you can imagine, this has caused some panicked moments until your child’s whereabouts has

been verified via a phone call.

QUEENSLAND CATHOLIC CUP FOR NETBALL

On Monday 21 May, two Year 6/7 teams competed in the Queensland Catholic Cup for netball . This event

had been organised by Nicky Ganter who took this on and had other parents to help on the day. A big thank

you Nicky and all her helpers.

Congratulations to:

Abigail Schumann Caitlin Wood Amelia Boneham Charley Metale

Emma Shannon Ciara Morgan Esther Mann Emika Fale

Harriet Backstrom Gabby Ganter Lili Hewett Hannah Swaine

Maddy Cartwright Jessica Mann Rachel McCreedy Josephine Barr-Thompson

Sidney Hunwick Lauren Harding Sophie Gouveia Naomi Gray Zoe Mc Sweeney

for their participation in this event.

A VERY CRANKY BEAR

Thank you to Moira Meehan and all staff for making the National Simultaneous Story Time a wonderful

experience for our students. The organisation of this and use of digital technology certainly enhanced this for

the students’ including the Year 6/7’s who translated this story into Japanese. Look out for the Photo’s later in

this Newsletter.

P-2 DISCO

What a fantastic and energetic event – a Disco in PJ’s! I had fun and from all the faces I saw, so did everyone

else! This has been part of the Under 8’s Activities and the fun will continue today and Friday. I know the

children will have a great time. Thank you to the wonderful Team of Teachers who have organised these

events led by Therese Statham.

SCHOOL NEWS

SCHOOLZINE

We are transferring over to the SCHOOLZINE newsletter on June 21. From this moment the newsletter will be

circulated through this link and come out every fortnight.

All teachers now have an ipod to take photos and video streams to use in the Newsletter. At the next P&F

meeting Lisa Lum will outline what Schoolzine is and all the connecting factors. Mark this in your diary as the

Schoolzine has wonderful capacities that we as a school can utilize.

2012 NATIONAL CYBER SECURITY AWARENESS WEEK – TOP TIPS

1. Install and update your security software; set it to scan regularly.

2. Turn on automatic updates on all your software, particularly your operating system and applications

3. Use strong passwords and different passwords for different uses.

4. Stop and think before you click on links or attachments.

5. Take care when transacting online – check the supplier and use a safe payment method.

6. Only download “apps” from reputable publishers and read all permission requests.

7. Regularly check your privacy settings on social networking sites.

8. Stop and think before you post any photos or financial information online.

9. Talk with your child about staying safe online, including on their smartphone or mobile device.

10. Report or talk to someone if you feel uncomfortable or threatened online – download the Government’s

Cybersafety Help Button.

PREP A & PREP B: Under 8’s week has been so exciting! On Monday we were Palaeontologists and discovered fossils in our sand pit. On

Tuesday we ran in our first cross country and all participated very well. On Wednesday we had a Teddy Bear’s Picnic.

We cannot wait for the Jump Rope for Heart and Under 8’s Day.

YEARS 1A & 1B:

What a busy and exciting week this has been. On Tuesday we all did our best at the School Cross Country. We were so

proud of ourselves afterwards. On Wednesday we listened to the story of The Very Cranky Bear with the whole school,

for National Simultaneous Storytime. Then we came back to school Wednesday night for our pyjama party disco. Today

we had our Jump Rope for Heart skip-off. Tomorrow we will be having our final event celebrating Under 8’s Week, our

under 8’s fun day. We might need lots of rest this weekend please!

YEARS 2A & 2B: Wow! What a week we’ve had! We ran like the wind on Tuesday for our Cross Country. On Wednesday, Father Peter

helped us to celebrate our Class Mass. Our parents and teachers were very proud of us. After that, Mrs Meehan

organised great activities for the National Simultaneous Reading of “Cranky Bear”. On Wednesday night we danced and

grooved at our Pyjama Disco. On Thursday we participated in Jump Rope for Heart. We are great ‘skippers’ now!

Tomorrow is Under Eights Day. As we said, “ Wow! What a week!” Thanks Miss Statham and all the Prep, Year 1 and

Year 2 teachers.

YEARS 3A & 3B:

We had lots of fun this week with the National Simultaneous Reading of “The Very Cranky Bear”. We listened to the

podcast and a very funny interview with the Bear. Great exciting activities followed. It was so much fun working

together to re-create a scene from the story.

CLASS ROOM NEWS

YEARS 4/5A & 4/5B: Thank you to everyone involved in organising the Cross Country it was a great success. For the ‘National Simultaneous

Story Time’ activity 4/5’s performed for the Year 2’s as a Reader Theatre. We really enjoyed reading it and we were

thrilled that the Year’s 2’s did too. Year 5’s are looking forward to camp next week.

YEARS 6/7A & 6/7B: Yesterday we had our School Cross Country and we enjoyed the morning. It was great to see everyone try their best.

We really enjoyed cheering on all the classes, especially our buddies in Prep. We all had a fun morning. Miss Miles has

planned many activities for the children and continues to teach interesting lessons. The Year 6 students are getting very

excited about camp next week.

Gabby Florian Finbar O’Donnell

Hugo Fujimoto Clara Morgan

Frances Meggitt Erin Karol

Lukas Daly

Did you notice the sign at the front of the school that informed us that the Very Cranky Bear was coming to visit us at

school? Well at 11 am on Wednesday all year levels were involved in the National Simultaneous Storytime which is an

initiative of the Australian Library Information Association. Over 2000 sites around Australia were involved in reading

the book The Very Cranky Bear at 11 am in order to promote literacy and literature through the library. Our school had

a number of activities that were age appropriate in order to enjoy and respond to this very special story.

Preps, Year 1’s and Year 6 enjoyed watching the story as a podcast in the library and then sang bear songs and did

movement activities associated with bears. Mrs Surawski took Prep B to the Bolton Centre where they went on a Bear

Hunt whilst Prep A enjoyed an interactive ebook of The Very Cranky Bear on the ipads. We also had some marvellous

drawings of their favourite part of the book with lots of rich discussion based on the events of the book.

Preps and Year 1’s in the library watching the podcast, discussing the book, sharing their drawings and using interactive

ebooks

BIRTHDAYS

RESOURCE CENTRE NEWS

Year 2’s were read the story by Year 4/5’s using a technique known as Reader’s Theatre where all children are given a

part and read this in a dramatic manner. I was assured by the Year 4/5’s that the Year 2’s loved their reading of the

story and asked for it to be read again and they were very proud of their performance. Year 2’s are busy making

puppets to retell the story and are busily hunting for rhyming words from the book.

Some of the Year 4/5’s Reader’s Theatre group

performing for the Year 2’s.

Year 3’s watched a podcast and an interview with the very cranky bear and worked in groups to make scenes from the

story which will be displayed in the library. They have done a marvellous job so come on in and see their great efforts.

Year 7’s incorporated this activity with their Japanese time, busily making masks and translating the story into Japanese

so that they can do a reading of this book and perform for other classes.

A day like this does not happen without the efforts of many people. First I would like to thank the marvellous teachers

who willingly joined in with the intent of the day and worked with their classes to produce such great results. A very

special mention to Mrs Davis, our Japanese teacher, who worked with the Year 7’s in such a creative way. A big thank

you to Mrs Jones, our Library Aide, who worked tirelessly in preparing materials for the day, always with a smile. To

Merrett Pye, mother of Hannah Year 4/5 and Fraser Year 2, who organised for the City North News to come and cover

this event. To Mrs Branson and Mr Campbell who are always so supportive of our library program and of course a big

thank you to our wonderful students who are always so enthusiastic and positive in their approach to their work. We

are so proud of their efforts.

From Moira Meehan

Teacher/Librarian

Last Tuesday we held our Annual School Cross Country. We were blessed by great weather and great atmosphere. All

students ran well and we saw many smiles. Results of the winning team and the names of those who made the Zone

Cross Country Team for our school will be given out early next week.

Thank you to all who assisted on the day and to the parents who showed up to give us support and cheering.

We look forward to next year’s event.

Mrs Surawski and Miss Statham

SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY

ACTIVE SCHOOL TRAVEL

Last week was very busy with two days of being active to school. Wednesday was our usual

day to walk to school and earn a sticker. Friday was a bonus sticker day to celebrate National

Walk Safely to School Day. Students across Australia were encouraged to walk to and from

school and use this as an opportunity to talk about road safety. Our school had even more fun

by coming in crazy shoes and socks. The Year 7 Community Group took over 100 photos and

had quite a job to select winners. Two groups of siblings need special mention.

Dominic Schnitzerling 1A

Louis Schnitzerling 3A

Georgia McKeering 2A

Charlotte McKeering 1A

Overall the best boy prize was awarded to Jake Davidson Prep A

And the best girl prize was awarded to Stella McKenna 3B

The gold coin donation was collected and we raised over $160

to put towards mailing the educational posters to the East

African Mission Orphanage. Thank you to all students for

participating and we hope that you had fun.

See you at the Davidson St on Wednesday

WALKING WHEELING WEDNESDAY

WE LOVE NETBALL!!

On Monday, twenty one Year 6 &7 girls competed in the QCNA Netball Carnival. The girls were split into two

teams; a straight Year 7 team and a composite Year 6/7 team. Each team played 8 games, with everyone

putting in their very best effort.

The year the Year Seven Team was undefeated and won their division. YEH!!!!! The Year 6/7 team fought

courageously and came 5th in their division. YEH!!!

A big thank you to all the Mums and Dads who coached, umpired, scored, transported and cheered on the

girls. It couldn’t have been done without you.

The undefeated Year7 team. The Year 6/7 team

Thank you to those parents and children who purchased books from issue 3. We received $224 worth of free

books and vouchers for teachers to spend on resources as a result of your support. You will find the issue 4

catalogues coming home with your child by the end of this week. The orders are due to the office by next

Friday, 1st

June. The books should be delivered to you within two weeks.

If you wish your purchases to be a secret, just write your request on your envelope along with a phone

number or email address and I will contact you when the books have arrived.

Methods of payment

If paying by credit card please pay online as per the instructions on the order form and then submit the

receipt number on the credit card coupon.

You are welcome to pay in cash. If paying by cheque please make your cheque out to Scholastic Australia.

Thank you for your support.

Carmel Swaine

SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB

QCNA NETBALL CARNIVAL