Sport Days

Monday Stage 3

Tuesday Kinder

Wednesday Stage 2 Eagle

Thursday Kinder and Stage 1

Friday Stage 2 Turtle

Week 6

Sunday 16th - Second Sunday of Lent

Week 7

Monday 17th - St Patrick’s Day

Monday 17th - PP Meetings

Monday 17th - NAPLAN Day 1 Writing

Tuesday 18th - NAPLAN Day 2 Reading and Conventions of Language

Tuesday 18th - PP Meetings

Wednesday 19th - NAPLAN Day 3 Numeracy

Wednesday 19th - PP Meetings

Thursday 20th - International Day of Happiness

Thursday 20th - Kinder Parent Catch Up afternoon

Thursday 20th - NAPLAN Catch Up Day

Friday 21st - NAPLAN Catch Up Day

Friday 21st - Harmony Day - Free Dress with orange or cultural dress

Friday 21st - Earth Hour

Friday 21st - World Down Syndrome Day

Friday 21st - Digital Agreements to be completed by today

Friday 21st - Kindergarten Sound Scouts Hearing Assessments

Briton Rivière — The Temptation in the Wilderness

Live a worthwhile life by considering other people, ecology and the world.

Last Wednesday we held an Ash Wednesday prayer service for the whole school. Students wrote individual Lenten prayers and placed them on the prayer table.

Due to the impact of Tropical Cyclone Alfred, our school will commence NAPLAN testing on Monday, 17 March. All Year 3 and 5 writing tests will take place on this day. This delay allows us to focus on ensuring our students are ready and supported. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the school.

Our School Annual Improvement Plan for this year falls under 4 Domains. Please see these domains and the outcomes below. These outcomes will form the direction of our planning, professional learning and main focus throughout 2025.

1) Enlivened Catholic Identity

• Deepen students' understanding, knowledge, and lived experience of Catholic Social Teachings
• Provide opportunities to build and strengthen our community member’s relationship with Jesus

2) Thriving Learners

• Integrate pastoral care into school-wide practices, using data-informed methods for identifying, planning, and monitoring student progress, adjusting as needed, and communicating effectively to all stakeholders
• Uplift student learning, engagement, and wellbeing at a rate that suits students and is manageable for staff

3) Sustainable Futures

• Build staff capacity through increased pedagogical content knowledge and self-reflective practice to enhance student learning and wellbeing

4) Engaged Communities

• Provide effective, relevant, and timely communication that informs, empowers, and strengthens family and school partnerships.

The Diocesan swimming carnival was held in Murwillumbah on Tuesday March 4th. The carnival was a great success. Our very own Year 4 student, Noa Kfir, achieved the position of 8th overall in the Diocese.  Well done Noa!!

Thank you for your patience as we have worked through the unknown of the recent weather event. We are including wellbeing resources and strategies to support families at home. If you require additional information or feel that your child requires additional support please contact the school office.

1. Monitor media exposure
   Children can become anxious after listening to or watching repeated stories about weather events. Limit their exposure to news and other programs with potentially distressing images and sounds.
2. Listen to understand how they are feeling and thinking
   Gently encourage (but don’t force) children to talk about their thoughts and feelings. Reassure them that their emotions are normal. Be prepared for them to ask the same questions repeatedly as they try to process events. Stay patient, offering simple, honest, and thoughtful explanations that help them build a realistic understanding. If they have any misconceptions about the situation or potential risks, gently correct them with clear and accurate information.
3. Provide children with opportunities to express their feelings
   Children need comfort, reassurance and support, and to know that they are safe and are being looked after. Conversation starters:
   • ‘The weather forecast says there might be heavy rain and winds, so we are getting ready to keep everyone safe.’
   • ‘We have a plan to keep safe.’
   • ‘How can I help you feel better?’
   • ‘It’s okay to feel worried. Want to talk about it?’
4. If your family has had previous experience of an extreme weather event?
   Children are best supported when somebody important to them knows how they are feeling. Nurture your family with time and attention and be ready to have open, age-appropriate conversations about what they are thinking and feeling and how they are responding to talk about a weather event.You might try conversation starters like:
   • ‘I notice you seem a little quieter/more anxious/a bit edgier) than usual. I wonder why that  is?’
   • ‘People seem to be talking a lot more about a weather event again. How is that making you feel?’
   • ‘I can see you are feeling a bit worried about the rain as it might be reminding you of when we were flooded. It could be a while before we feel completely safe in wet weather, but why don’t we just snuggle together and do a jigsaw/watch a movie/play a game to  help ourselves feel better.’
   • ‘What would help you feel calmer right now?’
5. Be aware of how you talk in their presence
   Shield children from in-depth adult discussion about these events, especially if they cannot join in at their own age or stage of development.
   
   Children may respond to the anxieties felt and expressed by the people around them. They often see and hear far more than adults are aware of, and they will take their cues for how to respond from you.  Signs that your child has been negatively affected by information about a weather event might include:
   • becoming clingy towards a parent or carer.
   • changes to sleeping or eating patterns, or both
   • the emergence of new physical complaints – such as stomach ache or headache.
   • changes in mood – such as being more easily irritable, or shutting down
   • appearing on edge and frightened.
6. Increasing Sense of Safety
   Focus on how you are keeping your child and their loved ones, including pets, safe during the event. Show them the preparations you’ve made—such as candles for a power outage or securing loose items outside—so they can see proactive steps being taken. This can help them feel more protected. Talk with them about simple ways they can manage their worries, like cuddling with a loved one, wearing headphones to block out loud wind, or soothing a pet. Giving them their own plan of action increases their sense of control and helps reduce anxiety.
   
   Prayer, meditation and practising deep breathing can all help children find calm amidst anxious feelings. Try these activities with your child to help find comfort and a release from feelings of worry.
   
   Accept your child's responses, reactions and feelings. Don’t tell them to ‘stop being silly’, or to ‘be brave’. Do not make behavioural or emotional demands or have expectations the child might not be able to meet at this particular time.
7. Understanding Real Word Events - Birdie's Tree
   You may like to use the Queensland Health Birdie Resources:

• Link to Birdie and the Cyclone Flipbook and video
• Link to Birdie and the Flood Flipbook and video
• Link to Birdie and Mr Frog Online Game
• Children and stressful events video for parents (4 minutes).
• Read the story and talk about the pictures. Help students to understand what a cyclone is, and what happens after. 
• Help your child to name their feelings. Help them to understand they will feel safe and happy again. Use the Relaxing with Birdie resources to practice coping strategies.

Marg Coutts

School Counsellor

Libby Fowler

Student Wellbeing Officer

Lisa McLauchlan

Office Manager

Georgia Bennett

Finance Officer

Dannyel Greenaway

Canteen Manager

Terry Ho

Maintenance & Grounds

Wellbeing Assistant

Vincent Fox

ICT Support

Jaimie Garson

Aboriginal Education Worker

Save the Date! Come to school wearing free dress with orange or cultural dress.

All students will have a digital agreement that needs to be signed to continue using technology at school. Please talk with your child about this. Teachers will be talking with their classes about the importance of appropriate use of technology. The last date for these agreements to be signed is March 21st.

The Stage 2 Turtle classroom has been a hive of activity this Term. Mrs Frost has been very impressed with how well the children have taken on their class jobs, making our classroom run very smoothly. The plant and prayer table job was undertaken so enthusiastically and regularly, that we had a real life lesson and laughed that plants can indeed have too much water (may the prayer table plant rest in peace). To the delight of all of the other plants, a plant watering roster has now been implemented.

The children’s creativity has shone in all areas of our classroom, not just in the artworks featured below, but also in the engaging written pieces that have been constructed as part of our Tim Winton, Blueback unit. Interestingly, our Science unit has been encouraging the students to switch off their ‘cute, creative’ drawing mode and tune into their scientific drawing mode. Their scientific drawings have been both impressive and detailed, particularly those of more complicated creatures like the Freshwater Shrimp.

The children showed their pancake flipping prowess in our Religious Education, Lenten unit. As they skillfully flipped over their pancakes, they reflected on how they could ‘turn their lives over to Jesus’ this Lent and make a positive difference e.g. giving their time to others. Harriet wrote about how we can give others a boost and I keep thinking of how the many forms of almsgiving do exactly that.

Last week students in K/1/2 participated in an incursion with the Dirtgirlworld Get Grubby Program.  Students were able to get their hands dirty and learn about sustainability with Scrapboy.  They took home lettuce seeds in their own egg carton holders ready to plant - let us know how they go!

Week 4

Kinder - Olive Taylor & Cameron McQuilty

Stage 1 - Reg Fielding & Milton Fielding

Stage 2 Eagles - Archie Keen & Cooper Nichols

Stage 2 Turtles - LuLu Northcott & Digby Bruce

Stage 3 - Minka Neale & Monty Scott

PBS - "I have a growth mindset"

Kinder - Letti Ellis-Cluff & Theo Wadick

Stage 1 - Maddi Moodie

Stage 2 Eagles - Henry Hart

Stage 2 Turtles - Malkia Wamara

Stage 3 - Vida Wamara & Leon Webber

Good Samaritan - Kohan Phoenix

Happy Birthday to Freddy Tsang 12/03, Benji Mills 13/03, Anurag Sharma 13/03, Francis Newton 14/03, Lenny Shenfield 23/03 and Aoife Tsang 24/03.

Piano = Victoria Christie 6655 8782

Brass/Piano = Kate Butcher 0419 789 078

Guitar = Katie Crane 0431 151 987