Dear Parents, Caregivers and Community Members,
“Love one another as brothers and sisters should, and, have a profound respect for each other,
if you have hope, this will make you cheerful.”
The above scripture quote offers us all a marvellously optimistic and challenging philosophy towards life. As teachers and parents we may not have any chance of influencing the world’s major events, but we can be powerful in our school and our home to instil in our children some of the great positive Gospel values such as love, respect, kindness, tolerance, sacrifice of self for another, gentleness, sharing and the list can go on.
These values are rarely taught by intellectual persuasion but by the manner in which Christ did it himself – he let the people feel his own personal power or conviction going out to them; he told them that there was so much good in them, that with his help they could be persons capable of reflecting God’s goodness onto others.
Human behaviour is driven by social values, so the development and presentation of a Christian values system will help children become happy, well balanced and positive human beings, capable of loving and caring for one another, their cultural heritage and their environment. Children will be able to do this, when they live within a desirable social pattern which reflects responsibility and partnership rather than self-interest. As a school we see our role as one of support of parents in these most precious life skills, attitudes and behaviours.
Lord, we thank you for people who bring hope to our lives
Help us to be like them for others
Help us to be contributors to a positive
Environment – whether it be at home, school or workplace –
by actions which are helpful, considerate and respectful.
Amen.
Feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop
Today, August 8th we celebrate the life of Mary MacKillop. Mary MacKillop was canonised by Pope Benedict XVI on 17th October 2011. Mary MacKillop became Australia’s first saint.
Mary MacKillop was born in Melbourne in 1842. After what was considered a challenging childhood, Mary was forced to leave home at the age of fourteen to work and provide money for her family. By the time she was fifteen, Mary had decided she was going to become a nun. She wanted to devote her life to God and to assist the poor. Mary MacKillop truly lived and passed on the Gospel values. Her love, faith, trust, commitment and enthusiasm live on in our lives today.
Mary is a wonderful inspiration and model for all. Mary MacKillop truly lived and ‘passed on’ the Gospel values. Her love, faith, trust, commitment and enthusiasm live on in our lives today. Mary is a wonderful inspiration and model for all.
Mary MacKillop Prayer
God of the pilgrim Mary MacKillop
trusted your guidance in her journey of life
and deepened her confidence in your will.
May we renew our trust in your Providence to lead us in hope.
May we relish the sacred in the ordinariness of our lives.
May we grow in the fullness of your love and the depth of your mystery.
We ask this through Jesus Christ the way, the truth and the life.
Amen
Feast of the Assumption
Next Thursday, 15 August, we will join with the Parish to celebrate the feast day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary with a special Mass commencing at 9.15am in the school hall. This feast day celebrates Mary’s Assumption into heaven and the Church has made this a Holy Day of Obligation.
Mary loved God and always trusted in Him, doing all that God would want of her. Although she became the Mother of Jesus, Mary was a simple woman who lived according to the customs and traditions of her Jewish faith. On the Feast of the Assumption, we remember and celebrate that Mary was taken to heaven, body and soul, by God. This special privilege was given to her because of her sinless and exemplary life and total trust in God.
Currently, our school is needing to lock all gates around the entrance to the school as we have a health and safety concern regarding one of our students. If you need to attend the school please phone the office and someone will let you in. Health and safety of all children in our school is paramount over any inconvenience to others. Please be patient and understanding and hopefully we will have a resolution soon.
QCESR School and Principal Review
From Next Wednesday, 14 August Christ the King School will be visited by a panel of four members from Catholic Education to undertake a School and Principal review. This review involves meeting with staff, Advisory Council, P&F Executive, Parish Priest and students. A report will be completed and submitted to the Executive Director of Catholic Education who will meet with me to determine if I will be appointed again as principal from 2025. The review process happens every 3, 5 and 4 years depending on how long I remain as principal at Christ the King School.
The panel members are:
Mrs Tamara McGougan (Retired Principal)
Mr Daine Burnette (Current Principal)
Mrs Karmela Messino (School Improvement Advisor)
Mrs Tracey Duffy (Special Needs Consultant)
We look forward to welcoming them to our school next week.
SNAFL Carnival
We wish selected students from Years 5 and 6 who will be representing our school at the SNAFL Carnival this Friday the very best as they will be competing against other Catholic schools.
Make a Difference
Can you recall some time in your life when you were asked to give your opinion about “Why did the chicken cross the road?” Here are a few samples of answers provided – fictitiously – by some “leading lights” who glow brighter than their contemporaries in their particular field of endeavour:
Aristotle: it is the nature of the chicken to cross the road
Einstein: did the chicken really cross the road or did the road move beneath the chicken?
Martin Luther King: I envisage a world where all chickens, be they black or white or brown or red or speckled, will be free to cross roads without having their motives questioned.
Bill Gates: We have just released eChicken 10.0 which will not only cross roads but also file your important documents, and balance your cheque book.
Freud: The fact that you are concerned that the hen crossed the road reveals that you have underlying feelings of maternal abandonment and insecurity. How is your relationship with your mother?
Dr Seuss: Did the chicken cross the road?
Did he cross with a toad?
Yes, the chicken crossed the road
But why it crossed
I’ve never been told
A clever insight into the minds of half a dozen people, each of whom in their own right have made a difference to people’s lives. If you thought that it is only the rich or famous or the highly intelligent that can “make a difference”,then perhaps the following story will make a difference to your thinking.
A man was taking a sunrise walk along the beach. In the distance he caught sight of a young man who seemed to be dancing in and out of the waves. As he got closer, he saw that the young man was picking up starfish from the sand and tossing them gently back into the ocean. “What are you doing?” the wise man asked.
“The sun is coming and the tide is going out; if I don’t throw them in they’ll all die.”
“But young man, there is miles and miles of beach with starfish all along and you can’t possibly make a difference.”
The young man bent down, and picked up another starfish and threw it lovingly back into the ocean, past the breaking waves. “It made a difference for that one” he replied.
The young man’s actions represent something special in each of us. We are all gifted with the ability to make a difference. Each of us can shape our own future. Parents, especially, have the power to help the children achieve the goals by encouraging them towards commitments and away from unnecessary distraction.
Through commitments, children will develop the power, perseverance and the courage to face difficulties; these qualities will flow through all aspects of daily lives and build inner strength. What is done through external actions helps build strength in values that improve motivation and lead to harmony and a sense of well-being.
Children, like adults, have a basic desire to be happy, to feel a sense of harmony within themselves. But with polite, thoughtful, loving interactions, parents can offer emotional support to the children and so make a significant difference to their achievement prospects and their all-round quality of life.
Jesus,
What a difference you have made to the purpose and
meaning of the lives of so many people.
Help me to understand the human happiness is built upon spiritual behaviour based upon Gospel Values.
With your guidance may I have the determination to teach these values to people I mix with each day.
Amen
From My Readings . . .
Helping Kids Unwind
“Busy, busy, busy!” That seems to be the catch-phrase from everyone I talk to lately. When I ask “How are you?”, that is the answer I often get, even from children. It is not uncommon for some students to have four or five outside school activities a week. We do live in a world where things seem to move at a frenetic pace, constantly moving from work to home, to sport, to social activities with very little breathing space in between.
I have always been a believer in keeping my own children busy, especially with sports and outdoor activities. My mum always said it would “… keep them out of trouble!”
There is “nothing wrong with kids being busy as long as they have plenty of chances to relax and unwind.” He also points out that relaxation is the key to good mental health and well-being and is an important life skill for us all to learn. So how do we strike a happy and healthy balance?
One way to ensure busy kids unwind, is to make sure kids get bored every so often. There is a temptation to fill kids’ days with activities so that no time is wasted.
“I’m bored!” is the last thing most parents want to hear their kids say. Many parents feel compelled to do something to alleviate a child’s boredom. Boredom can be good for kids’ mental health and well-being, giving them the chance to muck around and take it easy for a time.
Here are 5 ideas to help you unwind your kids:
- Let your kids regularly stare into the ‘fire’.
Ever sat around a camp fire and stared at the flames? If so, you will know how calming it is. No exertion! No need to think! No need to talk to anyone! Just a chance to chill-out and relax. The TV is the modern version of the camp fire. Yep, TV used in this way is good for kids’ mental health.
- Let kids exercise without rules
Kids are the kings and queens of play. Always have been. Until lately that is, when their lives have become highly organised and scheduled. Free, child-initiated play is the ultimate in relaxation. Fun games, games with few rules and games that kids control help them to unwind.
- Let kids experience flow
Flow is a state we get into when we are so engrossed in an activity that time disappears. It is the ultimate unwind. We get flow when we pursue our passions so encourage teens to find activities that they truly love and get lost in. Free play generally takes young children to flow very quickly so opportunities for unstructured play are essential.
- Help kids calm down around bedtime
Have a bedtime routine that calms kids down rather than winds them up. You can become part of this routine by reading books, telling nursery rhymes, providing soothing back rubs and other ways.
- Unwind with your kids
Just think about your best memories from childhood. I am willing to bet that some of those would involve doing very little, or ‘just hanging out’ with family. These times are precious and a great way to rejuvenate and unwind with your children. We want our kids to be busy and involved rather than inactive and apathetic. However, activity needs to be balanced with unscheduled time so that perspective as well as everyone’s sanity is maintained.
Did you Know?
- The human eye blinks an average of 4,200,000 times a year.
- The average life-span of a taste bud is ten days
- The Amazon rainforest produces half the world’s oxygen supply
- We lose half of litre of water a day through breathing. This is the water vapour we see when we breathe onto glass.
There are ‘great things’ happening in our school due to the efforts of so many people; seek to be one of those people in the coming week!
Keep smiling and let’s do great things together!
Andrew Kelly
Principal