14 March 2019

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Message:

By Mr Kort Goodman - Principal

Dear Parents, Caregivers and Students

In an online blog that I read recently, Maggie Dent commented on how it is a wonderful time to be a father now that the restrictive and limiting social norms around the roles of mothers and fathers has softened, and being a wonderful, passionate and engaged father is now very accepted. Furthermore, she highlighted that as a result of the changes, parenting has become more of a team effort, where both mums and dads work together to create the best outcomes for their own family.

Dent emphasised that, dads want to be good dads, not lousy dads, just the same as mums want to be good mums and this is where fathers are currently struggling with their roles. In a lot of cases fathers are uncomfortable and powerless and they feel that they are letting their families down and that they should be doing better. Men are biologically wired to be the protectors and defenders of their loved ones and to fail to do this often cuts quite deeply. Many men find this difficult to express and articulate and often go quiet or withdraw.

A couple of tips that Dent provides for dads who have teenage girls include;

Lighten up – make it your mission to help your kids laugh, cringe and roll their eyes at your ridiculous antics because it will defuse some of the tension in your house. Do fun stuff with them and help them do what makes them feel better – it really makes a difference.

Be kind and generous – offer to pick your kids up and their friends and randomly take them for ice creams or hot chips just to cheer them up. Ask if they need your help and do this often without words. Silent hugs or gestures of encouragement and support are really appreciated by our troubled teens.

Show affection and support to their stressed mum during these years because she will be seriously stressing every waking moment she has. Let your kids see what a loving, mature relationship looks.

Dr Bruce Robinson in his wonderful book, Daughters and Their Dads, writes about the importance of the connection between fathers and daughters and he argues that if this connection is strong daughters will be more confident, self-assured and assertive, and will manage mixed gender environments much more effectively. It is important to encourage your daughter’s resilience and capacity rather than give her the perception that she will need a man to protect her.

The importance of building these positive relationships and the impact they will have in future years on your daughter can not be underestimated and I highly recommend you take the time to read some of the material available to help reinforce these positive relationships in your families.

Best wishes for the week.

Kort

TERM 1 – 2019 DATE CLAIMERS

TERM 2 – 2019 DATE CLAIMERS

Pastoral Care News:

By Mr Craig Frattini, Deputy Principal

Parenting Ideas Insight

Balancing extra-curricular activities for flourishing kids

By Dr Jodi Richardson

Busyness seems to have become a way of life for modern families. It’s unlikely you’ll ever hear a parent talk of having plenty of free time on their hands. Unfortunately, that’s a statement unlikely to be heard from a lot of modern-day kids either.

The afternoons on family calendars are increasingly filling up with organised after-school activities, and in families with multiple children the logistics of keeping up with all this can be complicated. The strain of ferrying children back and forth, often in different directions, saps families of energy, resources and time.

We have great intentions

Recent research from the United Kingdom found that the desire for children to succeed is a strong driver for many parents, sometimes causing them to load their children up with extra-curricular activities. While the intentions are good, the method of keeping kids busy is probably questionable.

Other reasons for encouraging extra-curricular activities include: giving kids the best start in life, making friends, keeping fit and healthy, developing interests and preventing boredom. Anecdotal evidence suggests the findings are similar in Australia.

The cost of busyness

We live at a time where rates of mental illness, particularly anxiety, are climbing. One in seven Australian children have a diagnosed mental illness. That’s three in an average classroom. Many more go undiagnosed.

Rushing to activities, late nights and stressed parents aren’t the conditions for family members to enjoy flourishing mental health. Too many organised activities detract from time to hang out with friends, to comfortably complete homework tasks, to spend time with family, to get bored and, importantly, to simply play.

Free play is serious business

Author and research professor of psychology Dr Peter Gray attributes the rise in anxiety, depression, suicide and narcissism among children to the decline of play. Unstructured play is vital for the healthy development of children and teenagers. Through play kids learn to interact with others, develop physical skills necessary for school success and gain confidence they need to interact with peers.

How much is too much?

Some children can cope with busy schedules, while others flounder. As a rule of thumb, if your child or young person is struggling in any of these three areas: i) mental health, ii) schoolwork and studies, iii) their participation in family-life then it may be time to reduce their extra-curricular load.

Choosing the activities to omit from a schedule can be tricky, as your child or young person may have a different motivation for each. In short, each activity can be ‘the one they love.’ Here’s a good question to ask your child or young person that can make decision-making easier:

‘If all of your after-school activities were cancelled, which one(s) would you plead with me to re-enrol you in?’

Their answers will reveal a great deal about their commitment to each activity. Ideally, kids should be choosing extra-curricular activities that nourish them rather than cause anxiety and stress. Aim for two activity-free nights each week so that your child or young person can meet their study and family commitments.

The same principle for balance holds true for weekends. Make sure your kids enjoy some time free from structured activity, so they can refresh and recharge, ready for the week of school that lays ahead

As your School is a Parenting Ideas Schools member, you can attend the upcoming webinar, Balancing extra-curricular activities for flourishing kids, at no cost!

About the webinar

Join Dr Jodi Richardson in this webinar to understand the trend towards increasing enrolments in structured after-school activities, the benefits and the drawbacks for kids, the importance of free play for children, the implications of over scheduling on children’s mental health and how to create balance in the lives of your children.

When

Tuesday 2 April 2019 8:00 pm AEDT

Price

This webinar is $37 per person to attend, and is free of charge to families at schools that have a Parenting Ideas membership. Use the voucher code below to register for the webinar.

How parents can redeem the voucher

1. Click this link: https://www.parentingideas.com.au/parent-resources/parent-webinars/webinar-balancing-extra-curricular-activities
2. Click ‘Add to cart’
3. Click ‘View cart’
4. Enter the voucher code BALANCING and click ‘Apply’. Your discount of $37 will be applied to the order. This voucher is valid until 2 May 2019.
5. Click ‘Proceed to checkout’
6. Fill in your account details. These are the details you will use to login to your account and access your parenting material
7. Click ‘Place Order’

Dr Jodi Richardson

Jodi is a happiness and wellbeing speaker and writer, and is mum to two primary school aged kids who light her up. For more great ideas on flourishing mental health for the whole family, subscribe to her newsletter at drjodirichardson.com.au and say hello on facebook.com/DrJodiRichardson. Enquiries to jodi@drjodirichardson.com.au

APRE News:

By Mrs Carol Sharp, APRE

The RE Classroom

This week a lot of classes will have had drafts of assessment due in. If these drafts were not submitted on time or did not meet the minimum requirements, then you would have received an SMS from the school to notify you. Teachers will offer these students additional support to ensure they are understanding the task and to gather some evidence of their work. You may like to contact your student’s teacher to discuss this matter further and, if so, I would certainly encourage you to do so. If you would like to talk to your student’s teacher, to me as the Curriculum Leader for RE or to the Junior (Years 7 – 9) or Senior (10 – 12) Program Leader, you can call the school directly on 4660 4000 or email using the email addresses listed on the school website.

Those students who have an exam for assessment this term should be studying and revising regularly in preparation for the exam. If you are unsure about what assessment your student has or when it is due, please refer to the Assessment Calendar, available on the student intranet – you can simply ask your student to show you on their device.

Social Justice News

Request for Cotton!

Our ‘dress for a girl’ group is up and running thanks to the generous donations of cotton fabric from members of the community. Please keep the donations coming! We will update you with some photos of the work being done in the near future.

Caritas Just Leadership Day

Recently I took a group of 6 highly motivated young people to Toowoomba for the Just Leadership Day. The day was a huge success, with students developing their understanding of what social justice is and how it differs from charity. They explored the attributes of great social justice leaders and participated in multiple activities designed to increase their awareness of, and empathy towards, social justice issues. One of the highlights of the day was playing a new version of the board game Monopoly called ‘Unfair Monopoly’ where each student was assigned a role for their character and given access to money and resources accordingly. It was a stark reminder that most people are born into poverty through no fault of their own and there are multiple barriers in the way for these people to improve their situation. Social justice is about removing those barriers.

Project Compassion

Students are continuing to donate money to Project Compassion and help those in need. An updated tally of donations will be announced on assembly on Monday so keep those donations coming. On Thursday, March 21, Baskoro from Caritas Indonesia will be visiting the Year 11 RE classes to discuss one of the Project Compassion stories that he featured in this year. We look forward to welcoming Baskoro and are excited about the opportunity our Year 11s will have to see directly how the money they raise is being spent.

Other Events

Hatch Retreat

Last week our Year 7 and 8 students participated in the ‘Hatch Retreat.’ Here’s some of what they had to say about the day:

I was expecting lots of group activities designed to help us get to know each other as a group. Some of the things we discussed at the retreat were how to improve ourselves, how it’s good to get to know new people and how to work together as a team. I really enjoyed playing the game where you had to guess what the other person was acting or drawing. I think the main thing I learned was that team work is much better than doing it alone.

Lachlan Pierce Year 7

We discussed a lot of things at the Hatch Retreat, but we mainly talked about how to handle other peoples’ opinions, how to stay motivated and focused on our goals and how to deal with failure. I really enjoyed playing the games and then discuss how the game related to what they were trying to teach you. I learned the importance of having good motivation before you start tasks.

Tom Ryan Year 8

Lenten Prayer

Creator of my Life,
renew me: bring me to new life in you.
Touch me and make me feel whole again.
Help me to see your love
in the passion, death and resurrection of your son.
Help me to observe Lent
in a way that allows me to celebrate that love.
Prepare me for these weeks of Lent
as I feel both deep sorrow for my sins
and your undying love for me.

Amen.

Curriculum News:

By Mrs Anna Hardy, Assistant Principal—Curriculum

Elevate Education Study Skills Sessions:

It is our belief that students need to be fully equipped with appropriate study skills to be successful in their academic career. Consequently, to further support the skills taught in the classroom we have engaged a program called Elevate Education to deliver sessions to the students. Year 7, 10 and 11 students will all participate in the session during lesson time on the 3rd April. Our current Year 8, 9 and 12 students completed sessions last year.

While this is an integral skill to teach students at school, student’s study at home, hence we are also providing a parent information session for all year levels on the 3rd April at 6:00-7:00pm in St James’s Hall. It is highly recommended that parent/guardians attend this session in order to support the implementation of these skills in the home environment. Light refreshments will be provided. If you have any queries about this Parent Information session, please contact us.

UNSW ICAS testing:

Invitation letters have been sent to students. A reminder for any Year 7 student who wishes to participate to please let us know.

End of Term 1 Progress Report:

Term 1 Progress Reports will be posted to parents in the last week of term. This report is designed to give parents some indication of how their child is progressing in their studies. Please keep in mind that results are based on the Term 1 assessment only and may reflect only parts of the criteria and/or units being studied. It may also be a reflection on draft assessment not final assessment. In some Year 7 classes, it will be based on formative (in-class) assessment/work only. Whilst teachers may request an interview with parents, we also strongly encourage parents to request interviews with teachers. We understand that families have busy schedules; however we would really appreciate an opportunity to discuss your child’s education with you. Interviews for both days will be booked through our online SOBS program. An instruction sheet outlining how to do this will be sent home with reports for Year 7 parents.

Assessment Extension process:

If your child is unwell and cannot email their assessment in on the due date the extension process should be followed. For Junior students a note from home is required, for senior students it must be a medical certificate or other relevant documentation. Students can then complete the form either digitally (available on the student drive) or in hard copy (available from the office) and discuss it with their teacher. Junior students must then seek the final approval from the Junior Curriculum Program Leader - Mr Matt Kirby and seniors must seek the final approval from the Senior Curriculum Program Leader - Ms Eliza Harris, in their absence students need to see me. Extensions can also be granted in extenuating circumstances such as bereavement, injury or certain family circumstances.

Week 10:

Across all year levels and subjects week 10 will herald the beginning of all new units. This is an important week for all students to be in attendance as the foundations of the Term 2 work will begin. It is not a time for holidays or staying at home as integral learning will be happening across all classes.

NAPLAN:

NAPLAN testing will occur on the 14th – 17th May. Students will need earphones to complete the NAPLAN online tests. If you wish to withdraw your child from the NAPLAN testing, contact the College office for the appropriate paperwork.

Assessment calendars:

A reminder that assessment calendars are available via a shortcut on student’s I-pads/laptops. All students have been emailed the link.

Counsellor News:

By Mrs Jenny Gillespie, College Counsellor

Researchers from Monash University are calling for expressions of interest from parents of adolescents for their new online parenting program. This program is specifically designed to help parents reduce anxiety and depression in their adolescents. For more information see Monash’s flyer below.

Sport News:

By Mrs Julie Collins, Program Leader Sport

Darling Downs Trials:

Congratulations to students who have been attending various Darling Downs trials over the past weeks.

The following students have been selected in DD teams.

Senior Boys Cricket

By Carly Cooper

The senior boys were defeated in their match against St Mary’s College yesterday in Toowoomba. The boys showed great sportsmanship through their efforts in the field, restricting St Mary’s to 154. The boys shared the roles with the bat falling 50 runs short after the 20 overs. Stand out performances from Tom Bell and Pat Gordon wrapped up the round competition. Congratulations to all players across the three games.

Showjumping

The showjumping season on the Darling Downs is well and truly under way for 2019. This year Assumption College year 9 student Darcey Tait is representing our school in showjumping.

So far this year, Darcey and her horse Secret Account (Andre) have had success at the TDSJG Australia Day Championships in Toowoomba, Stanthorpe Show, Allora Show, Killarney Show and most recently the Pittsworth Show. At Pittsworth, Darcey placed 2nd in the 75cm class and 4th in the 90cm competition.

The pair have formed a great partnership and their skills are continuing to improve. Next up for the pair is the Warwick Show where they will be competing in the Qld State Country Showjumping Championships from the 21st to the 24th March, followed by the first Interschool Competition for the pair which will be hosted by the Glennie School and held at the Toowoomba Showgrounds on the 6th & 7th April.

Library News:

By Mrs Mary-Anne Driver

Mrs Hughes has offered to share her time and skills by coming into the library on a Monday to teach students who are interested in plaiting keyrings.

On Tuesdays Liam is helping out with coding/robotics and students are having lots of fun working out how to write a program and getting the sphero to complete a set task.

Mrs Gillespie is also popping into the library on Wednesdays for craft and conversations. This is always popular as Mrs Gillespie is a great listener.

Mr Lunn and Mr Baker are running chess club every Friday.

We appreciate the time that is given by others to help make the library a place where students can come and connect with others, make friends, find a listening ear, learn a new skill, practice existing skills or just chill.

We do have a quiet work area and noise reduction headphones available, but as we come into assessment time there will be another room opened a few days per week in first break to allow a quieter space to work.

We have our new management system, that is accessible online from any device, up and running. This allows students to search and reserve books from our collection, access our digital collections and manage their library profile. Please encourage your students to use this new system for research tasks as well as selecting books for pleasure. Students are also encouraged to write reviews of books they have read from our collection. The first student to do this was Megan Blake from year 7. Thanks Megan!

General Notices:

Plastic Pots Wanted for Agriculture Classes

It would be greatly appreciated if anyone would like to donate any spare plastic pots that they have lying around not being used. This might be a good opportunity to clean out the old garden shed on the weekend.

Thank you in advance.

Debating March 6th

On Wednesday 6th March, our fabulous Year 7 and Year 8 debating teams travelled to Toowoomba to take part in their first debates. The Year 7 team: Amity Willet, Indiah Fishburn, Cameron Martin, Joey Bronger and Sophie Hart, coached by Mr Dawson, competed against Downlands College. They were the affirmative team, arguing that living in the country is better than living in the city. With this being the first debate for our Year 7 students, they were quite nervous despite being well-prepared. In the end, they were narrowly defeated by their opponents but they should be very proud of their first attempt.

Our Year 8 team: Tasmyn Walters, Laura Shiewe, Keeley Byrne and Erin Walsh, led by Ms Harris and assisted by Taylah Hoffman, won their debate against the Scots PGC College in which they argued that testing on animals should be banned. The adjudicator was very impressed with our Year 8’s recognising that their points were strong and clear, and their speeches were very engaging. She also commended their level of preparation and were impressed by their use of statistics and reference to reports within their rebuttal. Well done Year 8!

Open Day Friday 17 May

St Mary’s Catholic Parish:

Community News:

2019 Next Step survey

The Queensland Government is conducting its annual statewide survey of all students who completed Year 12 in 2018. The Next Step survey is a brief, confidential survey that gains a comprehensive picture of the employment, study and life choices made by Queensland school completers in the year after they finish Year 12.

Between March and June, all our students who completed Year 12 last year can expect to receive instructions to complete a web-based survey or a telephone call from the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office. Please encourage them to take part. If their contact details have changed, please assist the interviewer with their updated details or forward the survey to their new address so they can participate.

Thank you for your support of the Next Step survey in 2019.

Further information on Next Step is available online at the link below or on toll free telephone 1800 068 587.

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