15th February 2019
Opening School Liturgy
As we gathered together as a whole school community, we listened to the parable from
Luke 10:25-37 ‘The Good Samaritan’.
‘Love the Lord your God with
all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your strength
and with all your mind’; and,
‘Love your neighbour as
yourself.’
FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK – CHRIS BARTLETT
It was about 6 years ago, not long after my family made the move from Chinchilla to Toowoomba, that we had a great experience of an act of kindness. My wife came home one weekend with a one dollar scratchie, given to her by a complete stranger, as an act of appreciation for a kind gesture received. While lining up at the (crowded) checkout in the local shopping precinct, a checkout operator opened up a new lane. This generally creates a bit of a rush to jostle for new position in the line up. In the confusion, the person in front of my wife became disoriented and ended up in the wrong laneway to access the checkout. We know this is a rookie mistake that will have you shuffled mercilessly to the end
of the line. To exasperate this situation, she did not want to end up in line behind my 2013 family shopping collection of groceries – food for five growing kids, two of them teenage boys. Now my wife has a passion for shopping etiquette, that apparently means coming from behind in line to jag pole position in a newly opening checkout is selfish behaviour. Graciously, my wife redirected the lost shopper from the maze of chrome rails, to her rightful place in front of her, in the new lane created by the checkout operator.
A few minutes later in the carpark the same lady, found my wife and kids and presented her with a scratchie for her kind act. This type of giving is what we are about in Catholic schools - unconditional giving. There was the possibility that we could win significant money from the ticket and have substantial gain from this person. However, it was not on the agenda of the friendly stranger to stipulate conditions with the gift, instead she gave a sincere thanks and moved on. In the end two people had a fleeting interaction that made the day brighter. In the end our family shared a good story and for the record, we were able to take $3.00 off the grocery bill.
FROM THE AP’S DESK – JULIE HENDERSON
The Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office has designated Week 3 of each term as a focal point for
sponsored professional learning opportunities. Consequently, several of our staff attended a diverse
range of training sessions to support the implementation of Diocesan and National priorities and
positively impact student learning outcomes.
Two of our new classroom teachers, Fiona Penfold (Year 4) and Pam Wells (Prep) attended two days of
Reading Improvement Strategy training which focused on the prescribed effective practices for the
planning, teaching and assessing of Reading based on current research.
Learning Support Teacher Jackie Cash and Middle Leader Julie Henderson participated in workshops specific to their roles
that highlighted strategies and ways of working with our teachers to build capacity in providing twelve months learning
growth for a year’s schooling for all students.
Jackie and Julie also took part in a seminar that focused on building data literacy among our classroom teachers; by
deepening capabilities with data collection and analysis processes to determine student learning needs and next steps in
the progression of learning.
Chris Bartlett joined Jackie and Julie at NAPLAN online training provided by the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment
Authority (QCAA) designed to support schools in providing the optimal testing experience for students in the National
testing scheduled for May.
FROM THE APRE’S DESK – VANESSA HORTON Opening School Liturgy Last Friday we gathered to celebrate our opening school liturgy. It was wonderful to see so many members of our Mater Dei community with us to celebrate. Thank you to Fr Brian for joining us on this special occasion. Our year six students made their commitment pledge as leaders of our school and we listened to the parable of the Good Samaritan. Jesus’ message to us through Luke’s Gospel;
‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all
your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’
Year 6 Retreat Today our year 6 students gather in the Parish Centre for their first leadership retreat. The retreat will begin with Parish Mass and conclude with our school assembly after lunch. The students will be working with Mrs Coren, Mrs Martlew Miss Horton and Mr Bartlett to gather, listen, reflect and respond. Our student leaders will focus on activities to support and develop their strengths and goals as part of developing their leadership skills for 2019. We wish them all well.
Sacramental Program 2019 Information and enrolment forms for St Theresa’s sacramental program were sent home with students this week. The parent information night for Confirmation & First Eucharist is being held next Tuesday February 19th @ 6pm in the Parish Centre. If you would like further information please contact Monica Brennan in the Parish Office: [email protected] Ph. 4639 4688
Important Dates: Term One Tuesday February 19th Confirmation & First Eucharist Parent Information Evening
Parish Centre @ 6pm
Saturday March 2nd Sacramental Commitment Ceremony @ 6pm
Sunday March 3rd Sacramental Commitment Ceremony @ 9.30am
Monday March 4th Confirmation Preparation Begins
Wednesday March 6th Ash Wednesday 9am Mass Years 3 – 6 10am Liturgy Prep – Year 2
Friday March 15th Free Dress ‘Wear Green for Careen’ St Patrick’s Day
Sunday March 17th 9.30am Parish Family Mass – Early Years
CLASS AWARDS T1W2
Congratulations to the following students for receiving a class award:
T1W3
Congratulations to the following students for receiving a class award:
Maggie Carroll Gemma Montgomery Samuel Mullins Amelie Druce Peggy Lutton Xavier Bowdler Rosemary Wilson Archer Russell Claire Longmire Aidan Day Evelyn Braund Cooper Gane Beau Prirtchard Hamish McDonagh Cooper Brown
Charlie Edge Henry Surawski Helena Saunders Jock Braund Reegan Kelly Lucas Montgomery Lou McDonagh Dougal Carroll Xavier O’Connor Vivienne Pearse Lachlan Johnston Mia Riches Abigail Mills Willow Smith Abigail Webster Charlize Jones Gavin Kelly Isobel Henderson Eden Cubby Maxi Bracey Mitchell Sinuhaji
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION SCHOOL FEES You would have already received your statement for the 2019 School year. As per previous notifications, our School Fees were annualised this year. The only change is that you will receive one bill per year instead of four per term (apart from one off occurrences such as camp, Chess Club etc).
There is no requirement for you to pay your fees up front if you do not wish to. The same options of paying fees are still available, as is the options for frequency of payments. Please follow the link to our website http://www.mdpstwb.catholic.edu.au/documents/fees.html which includes more details on fees and payment options including direct debit. Please also note that our banking details have changed, for those families who deposit in to our account and can be found on the above link as well.
If you have not received your Fees yet, via your primary email address, or if you have any queries, please contact the school office.
BEFORE SCHOOL CARE SURVEY Mater Dei is serviced by Extend – Outside School Hours Care from 3 to 6 PM during term time as well as offering a holiday
care program. A number of years ago Extend enabled a before school care program. Unfortunately, the program was
unsustainable due to numbers not being consistent enough.
Currently we have had feedback from families about before school drop off times and possible before school care. We
would like to gather data from our parent group for Extend to consider a before school care program. If you are keen to
use a before school care program, please complete the survey via the link below before Friday 22 Feb. Hopefully we will
see enough support to enable Extend to provide this service to the school community.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ExtendBeforeSchoolCare
PARENT INFORMATION SESSION As part of our ongoing journey into Visible Learning we are aiming to increase awareness of what the learning looks like
in the classroom and have students demonstrate their understanding of this learning. Visible Learning is about “Seeing
learning through the eyes of the student”.
As a result, we would like to engage students to lead the information sharing about what learning looks like in each class.
To enable this we are trialling a new way of sharing this information.
Parent Info Session:
• Monday 4th March 3:00pm – 4:30pm
• Students guide parents through the classroom, talking about specific learning features. This means you will visit
classrooms at your own leisure with your children during the afternoon.
• The teacher will be available to assist with explaining the features of the learning, if needed.
Operational matters and events for year levels will be communicated through the fortnightly blurbs and not specifically
addressed in the session. However, if you wish to clarify any operational matters please ask your child’s teacher during
this time. If it is a more complex query and requires further follow up, it will be worthwhile to make a mutually convenient
time to discuss.
STEVE IULIANO IPAD INFORMATION SESSION On Monday March 4th Steve Iuliano from MAC1/School Locker is coming to work with the Yr 4 and 5 students and teachers. He will be focusing on how we can use the iPads in our classrooms to maximise teaching and learning opportunities. Steve will also run an information session in the evening (see blurb below) for any interested parents. Please RSVP by Fri March 1st to [email protected] if you would like to attend this session. The sessions will run in the library.
If your child is using an iPad in their classroom, it is important for a parent or guardian to have a basic understanding of
how the technology is used within a classroom, but also, some effective ways of making sure your child is being “Cyber
safe” being a “Good digital citizen / ethics” and being aware of the "digital responsibilities" of both a student and a
parent / guardian.
This session will discuss ways of helping a parent to restrict inappropriate material, help manage screen time and in
extreme cases needing to lockdown an iPad by closing down browsers or limiting them to using only a certain app for
a specified duration.
For successful implementation of technology both in the classroom or at home, there always needs to be an
understanding between both the user and the parent / guardian that both have responsibilities, and it is good to discuss
what these responsibilities might look like even if they differ slightly from one home environment to another.
GOOD SAM ART We showed a sneak peak on our Facebook page of the amazing artwork
that has started to appear in our Good Sam area.
If you have the opportunity, come and take a look at the progress that is
being made by our very talented artist, Hayden.
We will be showcasing the completed work, and also the story it tells in the
coming weeks. Stay tuned!
SPORT BY DONNA PRESTRIDGE Swimming Carnival
Our school swimming carnival on Tuesday 5 Feb at Milne Bay was once again filled with many personal best efforts. It was
pleasing to see so many students competing and doing their best to get house points. Congratulations to the following
students who are the 2019 age champions.
⬧Molly Sander ⬧Lucas Montgomery ⬧Mackenzie Clarke
⬧Isaac Beverland ⬧Megan Treloar ⬧Max Primus (also fastest in the school)
⬧Bonnie Alexander ⬧Simon Day
Carroll worked hard in the stands to take the Spirit Trophy home but the most exciting part of the day was when Malone
were crowned as champion house for the first time since 1997!!! Congratulations to all members of Malone who swam
as it was a real team effort.
Our trophies provide a rich history of sport at Mater Dei – Cassie Montgomery found her
name on a trophy and then her son Lucas discovered he won the trophy his uncle Phillip
Duffy won in 1992!
Congratulations to Mackenzie Clarke (backstroke & freestyle), Lucas
Montgomery(breaststroke) and Molly Sander (backstroke) who all broke records on the
day.
We would like to wish the students representing Mater Dei at both the Catholic Carnival
(yesterday in Dalby) and the Range Zone carnival (Monday at Glennie) all the best,
particularly on Monday as they vie for selection in the Range Zone team to attend the DD
trials.
Representative Sport Throughout the year Toowoomba Primary School Sport and Darling Downs School Sport run trials in a variety of sports to choose representative teams. For a student to be eligible for nomination it is important that they have had a reasonable amount of experience and have a high level of skill in their chosen sport. In some cases, like touch football, where there are a number of interested candidates, the school will conduct in-house trials to choose players to be nominated for these trials.
All nominations for these trials need to go through the school, and decisions on which students are nominated are at the
sole discretion of the school. Please remember that in the majority of cases the teams being selected will be open aged
– i.e 12 years and under, therefore a 10 or 11 year old child would have to be as good, or better than their 12 year old
counterparts at school or club.
It is also important to note that this is for Regional representative sport, it is not for Mater Dei teams for interschool
sport. As a guide, the children who nominate would have played the sport for a few seasons and be one of the better
players in their team.
Applications forms can be found on the Skoolbag app under the heading 2019 Sport Information and Dates.
Nominations have already been called for boys and girls touch football, netball and boys rugby league.
Mater Dei students at Dalby with Dr Patrick Coughlan,
Executive Director: Toowoomba Catholic Schools.
Catholic Swimming Carnival, Dalby
Cross Country Training With the Cross-Country carnival fast approaching, there is no better time to start training. Mr. Philp is offering training sessions on Friday mornings. This is open to students in years P-6, commencing at 7:45am and finishing at 8:15am.
Who: Open to all Mater Dei students from P-6
What: Running fitness
Where: School Oval When: Friday Mornings @ 7:45-8:15 Starting: Week 2 (8/2/19)
Finishing: Week 8 (22/3/19)
TUCKSHOP
TUCKSHOP VOLUNTEERS
Tues 19th February Thurs 21st February Tues 26th February Thurs 28th February
Mellisa Johnston Jenna Taylor Fiona Lucas Sarah Keeley
Eli Primus Kathy Pikrameno Vicky Rowbotham Vicki Rowbotham
Vicki Rowbotham Help Needed
A huge THANK YOU to the people that have
signed ups to volunteer for a day or more in the
tuckshop.
Tuckshop is a fun filled day drinking coffee, eating
muffins, packing lunches, supporting your lovely
children and our wonderful school. It is a great way
to meet other parents if you are new to the school.
We would love to see some of the new parents as
some of our regulars have finished up with their last
child. Everyone is welcome, Mum’s, Dad’s,
Grandparents, etc.
In 2019 we will need VOLUNTEERS to carry on this
great service to the school. So if you can help out,
you are able to put your name on our On-Line
Rostering System which makes it easy to pick the day and date you are available. If you can’t make a whole day maybe
work out with a friend to share a day.
Simply follow the link below and sign up:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0e45a9a629a1fc1-mdps4
Please see the following link to access our Volunteer Declaration Form
If you have any questions, please feel free to call me on 0408 986 383.
Many thanks
Anne Denman
Thanks Gemma and Vicki for a double shift this week and also
to Glynnis for helping out on Thursday.
GOOD SAMARITAN’S TABLE
For some years now, our school community has embraced the teachings of St Benedict and has tried to live up to his challenge to be people of sincere hospitality and generosity. The Samaritan’s Table is one practical means by which we can let families who are experiencing some kind of hardship know that we care about them.
We have all been in need of a little kindness. People will often not remember what we say or even what we do, but they never forget how we made them feel. A very big Thank You to all the wonderful volunteers at Mater Dei who, in the past, have offered the gift of generosity to others by preparing meals for families. Last year we were able to provide well over 100 home cooked meals to Mater Dei families.
If you have been a volunteer for the Good Samaritan’s Table in 2018 and you would like to continue this year, could you please text our facilitator:
Katie Mills on 0407291903
If you would like to join the Good Samaritan’s Table as a volunteer cook this year please feel free to contact Katie or any of the teachers below:
[email protected] Yr 6 Rosella [email protected] Yr 1 Flame [email protected] Yr 6 Rosella [email protected] Prep Jade
In anticipation of your generosity, The Good Samaritan's Table
MATER DEI P&F
This year with the new P&F committee we look to continue the excellent work of past committees. Together with our
Treasurer Tony, Vice President Trish, and yet to be filled secretary we are excited to work closely with the school
representing the parent body. Anne Denman (Tuckshop) and Naomi Deignan (Clothing Pool) return on the committee
bringing their wealth of knowledge!
Our class parent representative Coordinator, Marissa will also be a valuable part of a team connecting the P&F, school
and the class parent representatives.
We have a very busy start of the year with three events within the next month. First we have the welcome barbecue on
the 16th February followed by the Ladies night on 1 March. Then we have the memorial golf day on the 15th of March.
These events are a wonderful opportunity to meet fellow parents and support our wonderful school. Further details of
these events will be sent in the near future.
Please feel free to attend any of our P and F meetings which are held on the 3rd Monday of each month. Our major event
this year is the school fair which will be in October. If you're interested in assisting in any way for this event please contact
the P&F committee.
PARENT REPRESENTATIVES FOR 2019
Thank you to all of the parents who have volunteered to help as a Parent Rep this year. There have been some changes
and also additional volunteers since the last newsletter. If you are happy to receive communication from your Parent Rep
regarding important school information as well as social events, please email them with your best email address.
Class Parent Representative Contact Details
Prep Jade Katie Mills Mel Primus
[email protected] [email protected]
Prep Garnet Liz Fusae & Kristie Bertolotti [email protected] [email protected]
Prep Topaz Sarah Keeley Anne Johnston
[email protected] [email protected]
Year 1 Banksia Nichola Martyr [email protected]
Year 1 Flame Michelle Von Pein [email protected]
Year 1 Grevillea Natasha Pascoe [email protected]
Year 2 Eucalyptus Amanda Kentish [email protected]
Year 2 Jacaranda Tracka Lutton [email protected]
Year 2 Wattle Anna Singleton Jessica Murray
[email protected] [email protected]
Year 3 Azalea Kelly James [email protected]
Year 3 Camelia Nenie Hick [email protected]
Year 3 Melaleuca Emily MacManus & Felicity Rickuss [email protected] [email protected]
Year 4 Kauri Nicole Winter [email protected]
Year 4 Magnolia Prue Braund [email protected]
Year 5 Currawong Michelle Vanzella & Margaret Lane [email protected] [email protected]
Year 5 Kingfisher Amy Dampney [email protected]
Year 6 Lorikeet Sally Sheppard [email protected]
Year 6 Rosella Libby O’Connor [email protected]
MATER DEI VISIBLE LEARNING
Visible Learning
What does Visible Learning look like at Mater Dei?
In May 2018, we gathered baseline evidence and from this
developed our Visible Learning priorities. Some of the key ideas
we have been focusing on are
• Developing a shared understanding of what an effective
learner looks like at Mater Dei
• Developing a shared language of learning
• Using Learning Intentions and Success Criteria to enhance
teacher clarity
• Using data effectively to track students’ progress, inform teacher planning and school programs
We are focusing on using language that encourages all students to see themselves as capable learners. Some examples
of our common language that you may be hearing at home include:
Learning Intentions (We are learning to…),
Success Criteria (I know I am successful when),
Glow and Grow (what you did well and what you will try to improve next time),
Learning Dispositions (persistence, growth mindset, having a go, collaborative)
Bump it up Walls – ways to improve our learning.
Our shared language of learning can be encouraged at home in some very easy ways.
• Instead of asking your child “what did you do today?” Ask them “what did you learn today?”
• Instead of asking “how was your day?” Ask, “What was the best thing about your day?”
• When reading with them, ask about their reading goal or what they think they ‘glowed’ at
• Ask them about the goals they are setting themselves in their learning.
• Ask them to teach you something they learned at school.
• Add ‘YET’ to something they say they can’t do.
• Talk with them about learning as a life-long process. We are all learners!
Kellie and Angela
FROM THE SCHOOL COUNSELLOR The Importance of Family Time Let’s face it—life is busy! Between work and life responsibilities, the days pass us by in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, this can have direct impacts on the time we spend with our children. A recent study in the Journal of Marriage and Family questions the impact the amount of time parents spend with their children has on the academic achievement, behaviour, and emotional well-being of their children. This is not to negate the importance of time spent with children, but rather, to reinforce the point that quality of time is much more important than quantity of time. Children need high-quality time with parents and caregivers—that is what is most beneficial to children and what can have a positive effect on them as they grow. It isn’t about endless hours of time—it’s about how you choose to spend that time that truly matters.
As parents and caregivers, we can make choices to ensure time spent with our children is high-quality. I encourage you all to watch this quick 2-minute video to discover new ways to make time with your children:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IljMvbKLM0
Meaningful connections are about quality of time, not quantity of time. Keep it simple and connect with your child in ways that make sense for your lifestyle and relationship. Each connection has a lasting impact and provides the support and reassurance that your child needs. Remember, every little bit of time makes a positive impact.
Anne Woodcroft-Brown School Counsellor
ST SAVIOUR’S COLLEGE ALUMNI EVENING
https://www.trybooking.com/463821
COMMUNITY NOTICES
Our office staff have created a page on our website to post notices that appear at the end of our newsletter. To view these notices parents are encouraged to follow the link:
http://www.mdpstwb.catholic.edu.au/documents/communitynoticeboard.html
These notices can now reach a broader audience as they are not restricted to our parent portal. All notices are to be related to activities that benefit Mater Dei Students, support Catholic schools and are suitable for our Catholic school ethos. ⚫West Wanderers Football Club ⚫Tigers Junior Rugby League ⚫Bookfest 2019 ⚫Peak to Park ⚫Garden City Raiders Football
TRIPLE P POSITIVE PARENTING PROGRAMS
