From the Principal – Term 2, Week 11

Dear Parents, Caregivers and Community Members,

End of Term Prayer
We thank you Lord, for this term.
For the challenges, the successes, and the mistakes from which we have learnt.
Be with us as we spend our time with family and friends.
Give us strength and courage to do what is right: to be witnesses of our faith.
Help us to be practical a Christian these holidays, to appreciate what others do for us, to give time and effort to help others.
To be peacemakers in our family.
Keep us safe in our activities; gives us good rest and good fun.
Bring us back refreshed and ready for a new term.
We thank you for our classmates, teachers, parents and a community that cares for us.
May we always be conscious of you in our lives.
Amen

As we approach the end of another school term we can reflect on some enriching, memorable and successful events that have taken place at Christ the King School. We have many very committed and enthusiastic people, including staff, parents and children, who give their own time and talents to create a positive atmosphere at this school.

Since starting in 2022 (now two and half years on), I have maintained we are a Christ-Centred, Student Focused and Research Informed school. Through various events and activities this term, we feel that this focus continues to be achieved. The efforts of the students and the staff to reach out and assist those in need, whether that be through the funds raised with the various Mission activities, work in the classrooms, pastoral or extra-curricular work in the community – all members of Christ the King School are striving to meet this call. Congratulations and keep up the tremendous work.

NAIDOC Week

NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee.

National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year (Sunday, July 7 to Sunday, July 14), to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth. You can support and get to know your local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities through activities and events held across the country. The 2024 National NAIDOC Week theme is Keep the Fire Burning. Across every generation, our Elders have played, and continue to play, an important role and hold a prominent place in our communities and families. Yesterday’s visit by the Seton students, Erin Tapp, Nita and Jonathon to help showcase and celebrate NAIDOC Week at our school was a fantastic experience for all staff and students. Thank you, Mr Geaney, Mrs Gibson, Mrs Salerno, Taniwha, Mrs Dunn and Mrs D’Onoforo for leading this Tuesday.

Thank you, Miss Zugaro, Mrs Anderson, Miss Purtell, Mrs Darch and Miss Darch for making this last week a great Wellness Week for our students. Super work, planning and effort!

To all our EAs, thank you as you have once again worked so solidly as a team. I observe all the outstanding work each of you do and the role you play. You are the heartbeat of our school and we all admire, respect, value and appreciate the work you have done and continue to do, bravo ladies and gents!

Thank You Staff – As we approach the end of Semester One, I thank the staff of Christ the King who are an exceptional group of dedicated professionals. I am constantly in awe of their commitment. The depths of their conversations reflect professionals who have a highly developed understanding of good pedagogical practice. I wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge all their wonderful work. May God bless each and every one of them and may they find comfort in the knowledge their vocations as teacher, sages and educators are a lofty and most honourable calling.

I wish to congratulate our students on their commitment to their learning. Their resiliency and tenacity are certainly a wonderful example to us all. I sincerely thank our parent community for their support and encouragement throughout this semester. It has been a privilege to work alongside the children as they define our TRUE values of Christ the King School.

A very big thank you also to our P&F who have worked tirelessly once again this term. I really enjoy our meetings as the discussions are always around improving school resources and the learning journey of all children in our school. You have achieved so much for our community and it has been great fun!

Thank you to the Advisory Council for their support in my endeavours to have a future focus for our school. All our SAC members do a tremendous job in making many important financial decisions and keeping our school financially viable. It is exciting to see the SAC involving themselves in sub-committees like Risk Audit and Maintenance, Marketing and Capital Development.

Thank you, Mr Dom for doing so much around our school. We are all so grateful for the amazing work you do, well done young fella!

Thank you, Mrs Reardon, Mrs Seaward and Mrs Barrett for being such a great leadership team. It has been wonderful seeing you take on tasks and complete them with such precision and professionalism, awesome job!

A reminder, staff commence term three on Monday, 15 July for our Berry Street PD. Students start on Tuesday, 16 July.

School Holiday Ideas

The holidays provide time to have a rest and a break from the busy schedule of school days. There is also time to do some things that there may not be time for during the school term. The following is a list of ideas that may be useful during the next two weeks. Plan for some ‘lazy’ days and have quieter days around the house.

Read a book, or three. The best thing about holidays, and going slowly, is the ability to bring the adventures read in literature alive in many exciting ways; drawings, dramatisation, collage, painting, box construction, filming etc… are all ideas that can be sparked from an interesting read.

Visit a local park – perhaps not just any park, go on the internet and find a park that you haven’t been to before. Many of the new Council playgrounds are fantastic. There is water play, flying foxes and all sorts of equipment. A lot of them are fun for parents too. You might even ride your bike to the park or take a cricket set, soccer ball or footy and play a game.

Go to the movies — at home. Rent or download your favourite kids movie, make some popcorn, dim the lights and enjoy the cinema at home.

Play board and card games – they are always loads of fun and can keep kids amused for hours. Think of games like: Game of Life, Monopoly, Scrabble, Cluedo, Mouse Trap, Jenga and many others.

Play puppet shows at home – puppet shows have always been the cornerstone of imaginative play for children and you can make your own puppet show at home too. You could collect all your socks that you´re no longer using and get out the glue and have fun creating.

Do some gardening – replant part of the garden with some new flowers. You could also try and grow some of your favourite vegetables at home.

Did you Know?

During his or her lifetime the average human will grow 949km of hair.
Your foot and your forearm are the same length.
Your smell is unique: your body odour is unique to you unless you have an identical twin. Even babies recognise the individual scents of their mothers.

I leave you with these thoughts for the holidays. A time when you may need a little more patience and understanding of your children.

Always remember to:

Listen with love
Listen with eyes as well as ears
Listen with understanding and
Listen often and God will ensure your family has a wonderful time together for the holiday and always.

Wishing all staff, children and families a very safe, relaxing and well-deserved holiday from the busyness of school. See you all term three!

Andrew Kelly
Principal