Term 4, Week 1 - 7th October, 2021

From the Principal

Dear families,

Welcome back to school for the last term of the school year.

Parent Involvement & Engagement

Our school is more than a school; we are a community. We are on a journey with you and your child during an important time of learning and development. We enjoy sharing that journey with you, valuing the involvement of our parents, grandparents and caregivers, to make the school community a place of partnership. Quality partnerships require a reciprocal commitment from staff and parents to work together to improve student learning and wellbeing. There are many opportunities for you to be involved – from volunteering in classrooms or school events, to the Parent Partnership Forum. Children love to see that those who care for them are a part of their school life. If you would like to volunteer at St Maria Goretti, please contact us. Or if you would like to get involved in another way, please feel welcome to reach out to us.

Teaching & Learning

This term teachers and students are working hard to ensure that the curriculum for each year has been taught with multiple opportunities for the students to have understood and apply their skills, knowledge and thinking to meet the expected standards. This is important also as the Australian Curriculum is sequenced to build on each year. For these reasons, there is great emphasis on the early years of learning – 0-5years (learning at home) and what skills the child brings to school, and the continuation of that learning from Prep onwards as the curriculum is taught. This is why we encourage attendance as regular absences or long periods of absences means that students will have gaps in their learning.

Small Schools Sharing of Practice

Next week, we will be visited by teachers and leadership from St Joseph’s in Tara and St Patrick’s in Mitchell, as well as our INSPIRE Maths EO Kerri Shooter. Both Mrs Osborne and Mr Zahner will be observed teaching a math lesson. We will then work on analysing NAPLAN and PAT M data and setting goals and planning for 2022.

The purpose of this visit is:

• To be accountable to Inspire Maths Pedagogical Practice in Number Talks, Thinking Routines. Collaborative Inquiry and Data Analysis.
• To continue to build supportive partnerships in small schools.
• To build the leadership capacity of classroom teachers to be able to support a school environment that continues to maintain practice and sustain practice by mentoring new staff.
• To analyse current data to impact student growth.
• Curriculum clarity around short cycle planning.
• To set professional SMART Goals around practice and student improvement.

Math Task (YouCubed.org)

Welcome to new staff

It is my great pleasure to welcome a new staff member to St Maria Goretti this term. Welcome to Miss Imogen Bankes, who will be taking over the position of School Officer: Assisting Student Learning in the 3-6 classroom while Mrs Zalae Smith is on long service leave. Imogen brings many skills to the role, and I wish her well for a successful transition to our school.

I wish our students a great start to Term 4 and a positive transition back to school.

Yours in education,

Casey Robinson

“Truly our great God will be gratified by the love and zeal of many” (Mary MacKillop, 1873)

Swimming starts tomorrow!

Students will once again be receiving swimming coaching through the Inglewood Aquatic Centre. Due to funding received from Sporting Schools Australia there is no cost for the coaching. Parents are reminded to advise the office if their child is not swimming.

Students need to bring the following in a bag and all labelled with student's name. Please remember to also label the sports uniform, including underwear and socks:

• Togs
• Swim shirt
• Towel
• Goggles (optional)
• Swimming cap (optional), or long hair must be tied up

Cent Sale - Major PPF Fundraiser

Our Cent Sale is just over a week away! This year we have asked each family to donate a prize or voucher to the value of $20. Please send these in as soon as possible. 

Next week a letter will be sent home with the list of what is required on the night. Set up will begin from 8:30am Saturday and then we ask everyone to return at 4:30pm before doors open at 5pm. We ask for at least one member of each family to help on the night. The Year 6 students will also be helping on  the night as part of their leadership role. If there is a particular job on the night that you wish to do, please contact Sara to let her know.

For those that have a list of businesses to contact for donations, please do this as soon as possible. All prizes will be displayed in Sutto's Newsagency from tomorrow afternoon.

Just a reminder that if children are attending the Cent Sale, they are to be supervised by their parents.

Thank you to everyone that has already offered to help out both in the lead up to, and on the night. 

Life and Learning in the Library

Book Fair Result

Our 2021 Book Fair was the most successful in recent years! Thank you all so much for your support. With the commission from your purchases, we have $407.00 worth of books to add to the student collection. These titles will be available for student borrowing in the next few weeks.

Term 4 in the Library

• Students will be given opportunities for personal responses during shared story time and the Year 3 - 6 novel read - aloud. Discusssion arising from shared reading is a valuable way to develop thinking, empathy and connection to the real world. Try it at home! 
• Year 3 - 6 students will continue to share their reading choices with book talks and written reviews in AccessIT.
• Year 2 students will continue to develop their search skills in the library database and will practise locating titles on the shelves using call numbers.
• Year 3 - 6 students will continue to develop their identifying, locating and evaluating skills by completing short information challenges.

Term 4 is always fast and furious so please keep your students 0n task with their weekly borrowing by supporting them to bring their returns and library bags each Thursday.

Remember, free choice reading has a powerful impact on literacy growth!

Happy Term 4 to you all!

Anne Anderson

Teacher Librarian

Important Dates

8^th October                        Pathway to Prep Transition Day

8^th October                        School Swimming begins

11th October                      Marty Savage SEL visiting

12th October                      SES Mascot visit

13^th October                       Prep Vision Screening

13^th October                       Parent Partnership Forum Meeting

15^th October                       Pathway to Prep Transition Day

16th October                      PPF Cent Sale

18th-22nd October         Casey away at ACU

22^nd October                      Pathway to Prep Transition Day

25^th October                       Mission Week begins

25^th October                       Socktober Liturgy

29^th October                       World Teachers Day

29th October                      Pathway to Prep Transition Day

29th October                      Day for Daniel

5^th November                    Pathway to Prep Transition Day

2nd November                  Melbourne Cup Day

3rd November                   Parent Partnership Forum Meeting

5^th November                    Year 6 End of Year Trip

5th November                   Pathway to Prep Transition Day

11th November                  Warwick Youth Parliament

8^th – 12^th November       Leadership Forum

8th - 12th November      Wellbeing Week

11th November                   Remembrance Day

16^th – 19^th November     School Camp

24^th November                 Graduation Mass and Awards night

26^th November                 Small School Swimming Carnival Goondiwindi

30^th November                 School Play

1^st December                     Last Day of Term 4

Socktober

This year our school is partnering with Catholic Mission by participating in Socktober. We invite our students to connect with young people experiencing challenges in the developing world through education and the world game of soccer.

This year, our collective fundraising efforts will support vulnerable children in Thailand through a kindergarten run by the Good Shepherd Sisters in Bangkok. The kindergarten provides a caring learning environment for the children and allows their parents, often single mothers, to work and support the family.

As a school, we have the opportunity to contribute in a special way, but only if all of our stars jump onboard. I’d like to invite you to take a moment to visit our fundraising page -

The good news is you don’t have to come up with all the funds. The fundraising works by sharing the page with family and friends and asking them to sponsor the effort.

Whatever we raise will support the basic needs of vulnerable children around the world, such as food, clean water, healthcare, and education.

$35 can help towards the cost of school supplies for a child for one year.

$102 can help towards the meals and snacks for one child at the kindergarten for a year.

$300 can help purchase milk for all the children at the kindergarten for two weeks.

$1500 could purchase one school uniform each for all 59 girls at the kindergarten for one year.

In Term 4, we’ll have a chance to come together at our school’s Socktober Event, where the children will be able to kick goals for kids in need around the world.

We will keep you updated in school newsletters and emails throughout Term 3 and Term 4 as we continue to build momentum towards our Socktober Event on the 25^th of October.

Thank you for your support and for helping your child/ren ‘sock it to poverty!’

Students of the Week

Happy Birthday!

Prep Transition Days

Parent Partnership Forum

Our Lady of the Southern Cross Parish - Mass Times

Saturday 9th October - 5:30pm - Mass

Sunday 17th October - 9am - Lay Lead Liturgy

Sunday 24th October - 9am - Mass

                                                         Sunday 31st October - 9am - Lay Lead Liturgy