Principal's Report

CONFIRMATION

Dear Parents,

Over the past few months I have met with parents who are seeking to join our community for Kindergarten in 2018. Parents, whose first child is beginning their educational journey, talk about choosing a Catholic school because of a sense of community, a commitment to social justice and a recognised standard of values and behaviours that a Catholic school offers. Many parents of other faiths also seek a Catholic school. For some it is because our values, although grounded in the teachings of the Catholic faith, are shared by all members of the community. For other parents, there is a need to provide an environment that will support theirs, and in turn, their children’s search for meaning and spiritual awakening.

At the foundation of our existence as a Catholic school is this key belief from our Mission Statement:

Infant Jesus School is a place where every individual is welcomed, cherished, respected and valued. Our Catholic ethos ensures that a Christ-centred approach is at the heart of all we do. We live and learn within a community that is caring, loving, compassionate and forgiving. Meaningful relationships form the basis of all our interactions.

As a Catholic community, we promote Gospel values and strive to develop life-long learners who actively contribute to society. The Catholic school shares in the mission of the church to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. Infant Jesus School seeks to nurture the faith of young people through its religious education program and through the faith environment it cultivates. Our challenge is to endeavour to be a community that believes, worships and celebrates together, is welcoming and accepting and offers quality teaching and learning.

“Catholic schools have grown more complex, but at their heart lies a great and

simple truth . . . . they exist primarily to

give saints to the world.”

(St John Paul II, 2000)

Our celebration last weekend of the Sacrament of Confirmation was a very special and memorable ceremony. The celebration was the culmination of many weeks of preparation, which involved Religious Education lessons, student retreats and parent meetings. We recognise and thank the many people who have been involved in the candidates’ preparation.

Congratulations to all involved

Archbishop Costelloe, Father Sunny, Fr John & Fr Tadgh who conducted the ceremony on Saturday afternoon and ensured it was meaningful to the candidates and their families.
The Year 6 teachers, Mr Colangelo, Mrs White and Mr Sheridan who have been involved in every aspect of the preparation of the Confirmation students. They are to be congratulated on their excellent efforts.
Mrs Faith Rico and the members of the Parish Sacramental Team (Angela Youens, Sue Goodwin, Adrian Doesberg) for all their help and assistance in coordinating the sacramental program
Mr Lenny Ong and the members of the choir who enhanced the Confirmation ceremony with their singing.
The staff for their support at events leading up to the Confirmation and their attendance at the celebration on Saturday afternoon.
The parents, as prime educators of their children, who have helped them on their faith journey.
The Parish community for their involvement and assistance with the Mass.

How to Raise your Child to be a Giver

Michael Grose highlights why it is so important to teach your child to be a giver not a taker, and gives five practical ways to develop a sense of generosity in kids.

Young children are egocentric by nature. As any three-year old knows only too well the world revolves around them. “I want...” “Give me...” “It’s mine!” and other variations are the mantras for this age group. This self-centredness is developmental, which means its something they grow out of...or they’re supposed to.

But some kids never bridge the gap from self-centredness to generosity. They become takers with an inflated sense of entitlement rather than givers who do all they can to accommodate the needs of others. While it can be argued that some children maybe self-centred by temperament I’m not convinced that we can blame Mother Nature entirely. There is no doubt that parenting impacts enormously on a child’s propensity to give rather than take.

In the eagerness to get kids off to a good start in life, a spirit of generosity is one quality that parents can easily overlook. Developing children’s personal competencies tends to be higher on most parents’ wish lists for their kids than developing a generous spirit.

But developing a sense of sharing in kids has plenty of positives. Children who are able to share their time, their space and themselves generally have more friends and experience more success than those who are self-centred and mean- spirited. Quite simply, they are leadership material!

Like most facets of child rearing developing a community ethos in kids can be a frustrating task but perseverance, modeling and expectations are parents’ greatest allies when it comes to things that really matter.

Here are the practical ways to develop a sense of generosity in kids:

1. Expect kids to help .

With families shrinking, kids get fewer opportunities to help at home than before. With this in mind expect your kids to help without being paid. Regular chores and activities that benefit others such as setting the meal table or helping a younger sibling get dressed teaches them that their contribution is valuable and very much required.

2 Think ‘gang’.

It’s a quirk of modern life that parenting is an individual endeavour. “What’s in the best interest of my child?” has replaced “What’s in the best interest of the family?” as a key parenting principle. Encourage children to make allowances for each other which may mean everyone watches a sibling’s special concert rather than some children missing it because ‘it’s boring!’ ‘We put ourselves out for each other’ is a wonderful family strength that often needs to be reinforced by parents.

3. Don’t let them get away with meanness. Children wear L-Plates when it comes to behaving generously. They don’t always get it right, which means that parents as the wise adults need to remind children when their words and actions are intolerant or mean-spirited, or when they need to put their own needs behind the needs of others.

4. Develop a sense of other.

 Children and teenagers don’t live in a bubble. The socialisation process demands that kids be accountable for their poor behaviours. “What does this social situation reasonably require of my child at his or her age and stage of development?” is a great question to ask yourself to develop a sense of other, rather than entitlement in kids.  

5. Encourage giving .

During the Victorian bush fires a few years ago I heard the story of a nine-year old whose mum went into his bedroom to growl at him for being up too late. She found him busy emptying his money-box into little plastic bags, ready to donate at the school bush appeal next day. There were plenty of stories like this showing the generosity of Australian kids, we just need to encourage them in everyday life, rather than wait for a tragedy, to give their generosity a kick start. You can begin by encouraging them to give toys, books and clothes away when they have finished with them, or doing a good deed by a neighbour or friend.  

The skills that kids need for future success are changing as technology, greater flexibility and mobility, and new economic forces are transforming workplaces at an astonishingly rapid rate. But the basic attitudes and character traits needed to succeed such as teamwork, initiative and generosity haven’t changed too much over time. Ask any employer and I’m sure they’d say they’d hire a giver over a taker any day as they are just so valuable to have on a team. Hopefully they are not becoming a rarity as well!

Noah's Ark

All I Really Need to know about life, I learnt from Noah’s Ark:

Don’t miss the boat
Don’t forget we’re all in the same boat
Plan ahead – it wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark
Stay fit – when you’re 600 years old someone might ask you to do something really big
Don’t listen to critics, just get on with what has to be done
For safety’s sake travel in pairs
Two heads are better than one
Build your future on high ground
Speed isn’t always an advantage, after all, the, snails were on the same ark with the cheetahs
When you are stressed, float a while
Remember, the ark was built by amateurs: the Titanic was built by professionals

Remember that the woodpeckers inside are a larger threat than the storm outside.

Faction Cross Country

As you are aware our Faction Cross Country Carnival is tomorrow. The children are so excited and they have worked extremely hard on their fitness and they should be very proud of their efforts. Long Distance Running is an integral part of the Physical Education Curriculum and all children in Year 1 – Year 6 are required to participate. The aim of the carnival is participation so all children are encouraged to give it a go.

Cross Country Carnival Details:

Venue: Lightning Park

Date: Friday 16 June 2017

On the day, a bus will shuttle each year level to and from Lightning Park. The timetable for the day is attached; however, please note that these times are a guide and we may be running ahead or behind time.

The children need to bring:

a hat and drink bottle with them on the bus
a jacket (if they need it)
a white school sport shirt and school jacket to put on after the race if it rains.

The children are allowed to wear a t-shirt in the colour of their faction to school on that day (similar to last year’s Athletics Carnival). If they are unable to find a shirt we will provide coloured bibs. Our Year 6 Wellness Ministry will be providing support throughout the day.

Any permission slips not returned need to be returned to your classroom teacher tomorrow morning.

Parents are welcome to attend and cheer on their children. There is plenty of parking and parents are asked to use the steps/pavilion for watching the children race and avoid going near the track. The P&F will be selling tea and coffee out of the canteen and some light food.

Any parents coming to support please enter the ground off Della Road via Benara Road. Tonkin Highway has been closed recently because of the roadworks. A map has been attached with this newsletter.

As this is a winter event we will go ahead if there is light rain. The Carnival will not proceed in the event of a storm.

A small assembly will take place at school at the end of the day to present the winning faction with the Cross Country shield.

We are looking forward to tomorrow and wish all the runners the best of luck.

Cross Country Timetable.pdf

Cross Country Map.png

Prayer

A smile something that we can all give and all receive. A smile is something that makes us all feel special.

The following prayer celebrates something that costs nothing but gives much.

A SMILE

A smile is something that costs nothing but gives much.

It enriches those who receive, without

making poorer those who give.

It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever.

None is so rich or mighty that he can get along without it and none is so poor

that he can be made rich by it.

A smile creates happiness in the home,

fosters goodwill in business and is the

countersign of friendship.

It brings rest to the weary, cheer to the

discouraged, sunshine to the sad and is

natures best antidote for trouble.

Yet it cannot be bought, begged,

borrowed, or stolen,

for it is something that is of no

value to anyone until it is given away.

Some people are too tired

to give you a smile.

Give them one of yours,

as none needs a smile so much

as he who has no more to give.

We hope there is the opportunity for you, your family and your friends to give and receive lots of SMILES over the ensuing weeks.

Interschool Winter Carnival

Next week our Year 6 children will be competing in Football, Soccer and Netball against other schools in our Association. This carnival will be held on Thursday 22 June with Netball at Noranda Netball Courts and Football and Soccer at Carine Open Space. The Year 6 children have already chosen their sports and are beginning to prepare for the day.

More details can be found in the School News section of the school newsletter.

Car Park

Parking Restrictions

Please be aware of the parking restrictions around the school. Adhering to these restrictions keeps all in our community safe. The well-being and safety of all people occurs when following these procedures in a cautious and responsible manner.

We ask that you please;

- adhere to the speed restrictions.

- leave the 'Disabled Parking Bay' to be used by people who need it.

- park sensibly within designated bays.

- follow and keep the flow of traffic running smoothly.

- use the school drive throughs at Peter's Place and Russell Street if you would like to drive through and pick up your children.

- use the church car park and walk down to collect your children.

We thank you for your assistance and co-operation with this matter.