St Maria Goretti School, Inglewood eNewsletter

From the Principal

Dear parents and carers,

It's Week 10 and our last newsletter for semester 1.

There is so much to be proud of this semester. Below I have shared some of our many achievements in relation to our 2024 Annual Action Plan in a 'mid-year' check in.

Annual Action Plan Mid-Year Check In

Engaged Students & Personalised Learning

- Our teaching team have implemented various expected and effective elements of the Toowoomba Catholic Schools' Diocesan Approach to Reading (DAR). Because of this, we have seen significant improvement in student engagement, and our student achievement results are reflective of a high- quality Literacy approach.

- As a school we have now embedded Version 9 English, and we're implementing Version 9 Maths & Technologies.

- We continued supporting our students and their needs through fortnightly Student Support Committee meetings. Thank you to Maree Twidale and our teachers for their ongoing work in this area to ensure learning is personalised for all our students.

Being distinctively Catholic

- At the beginning of the year, we worked with St Patrick's Allora on the topics of Service Learning & Catholic Social Teachings. We endeavour to continue this partnership with St Patrick's Allora.

- We outreached to community, including a visit to Owen Brook Aged Care, followed by a reflection on the impact of our visit.

- We started exploring the 'Making Jesus Real' language.

- We continued working with Lee Ann Weekes from TCSO to ensure our religion curriculum is delivered in a contemporary, authentic and rigorous way.

- Both staff and students have engaged in a variety of prayer experiences, including whole school Mass, Liturgy, classroom and staff prayer.

Valuing our people

- We ran various parent information sessions on our new approach to reading at St Maria Goretti.

- We worked alongside our Parent Engagement Network to run a successful disco for the students.

- We hosted a 'Meet the Teacher' afternoon.

- We have engaged in weekly Professional Learning Communities (PLC) to ensure teaching staff are supported to develop and maintain the effective and expected practices at St Maria Goretti.

I'm looking forward to semester 2 where we can continue working towards our 2024 priorities and goals and build on our current successes.

Small Schools' Athletics Carnival

Congratulations and thank you to everyone for a fantastic Athletics Carnival last Friday. I was extremely impressed with the level of sportsmanship, persistence and friendship on display by all students. Thank you again to all of our staff for the assistance throughout the day and to Yelarbon State School for hosting a successful day.

A special thanks goes to Mrs Olivia Osborne for her work in preparing the students through our PE program and in helping to organise the carnival with Yelarbon State School. We will let you know as soon as possible if your child is progressing to the Macintyre Zone trials, which will be held at the end of July in Inglewood.

MacKillop Way Awards

Congratulations to our Term 2 MacKillop Way award recipients - Ellie, Poppy and Pippa! Their written nominations are below. Well done and keep shining your lights!

"We must teach more by example than by word."

Mary MacKillop

Poppy Brown

Year 1

Nominated by Miss Spencer

For the MacKillop Way award this term we focused on the quote, we must teach more by example than by word. This is in terms of a student being a shining example through their goodness and love towards themselves, their peers, their teachers and the school. I have chosen to give this special award to Poppy Brown. Poppy consistently follows school rules without being reminded several times. Each day in the classroom, she shows students the correct listening and learning behaviours by sitting with her hands in her lap, having her eyes on the teacher, putting her hand up if she has a question, and will oftentimes take on the initiative to remind her peers to face the front. Poppy wears the school sports and formal uniform with pride whether that be at school, sporting events, or other extra curriculars. Throughout the schooling year, we leave our classroom and go to Library, assembly, the Church, sporting events and on field trips. It doesn’t matter if we are going for a bathroom break outside the classroom or going to one of those previously mentioned places, Poppy consistently shows the class how to move around the school; by walking and staying in line. Poppy truly is a prime example of a student that sets an example to her peers by her actions at school and at school related events.

Ellie Pattison

Year 2

Nominated by Miss Barnes, Mrs Osborne & Mrs Smith 1

Mrs Smith 1 – In the library Ellie wanted to borrow a book 'Cat Science Facts' which she frequently borrows. Talen explained to her that he would like to borrow that book as he had never had it before. I heard Ellie say to Talen "You may have it, because I always get this book, so it’s somebody else's turn." This made Talen very happy and put a smile on my face.

One morning Ellie knocked on the library door, excused herself for interrupting me which was lovely and held up $2.00. She said, "Mrs Smith I have found $2.00 and the person who owns it may be looking for it, and they will be very sad for losing it, so what should I do?" I can see that Ellie is putting others first before herself. She is showing care, kindness, honesty and many more attributes.

Miss Barnes - Ellie’s dedication to school shines brightly throughout the school day. She doesn't wait to be told – she acts, moving around safely and lining up quietly, demonstrating respect for herself and others. Her kind words create a welcoming environment for classmates and teachers alike. Ellie's pride in her school is evident in how she always wears her uniform with a beaming smile, inspiring those around her to take pride in their appearance as well. These are more than just following the rules; Ellie's genuine spirit embodies the very essence of Mary MacKillop's message: leading by example through goodness and love. Ellie serves as a true role model for her peers.

Mrs Osborne - Ellie has been the most encouraging and supportive student during PE lessons. She always claps for others and says how well they did. Ellie is also leading by example in that she is proud of herself when she achieves a new skill or even just has a go. She is always open to feedback and will listen and apply this when she tries again.

Pippa Draper-Garner

Year 5

Nominated by Miss Key

Pippa is always a generous role model, both at school and within the community. Each day Pippa comes to school in the correct uniform which she wears with pride. Pippa follows the school rules without being reminded and encourages others to do the same. Pippa shows respect to others during interactions and as she moves around the school. Pippa shows reverence during religious celebrations which inspires others to do the same. Pippa is a shining example for others to follow.

School reports cards will be issued tomorrow and will be available via the Sentral Parent Portal app. Printed copies are available on request.

See you in Term 3!

Yours in education,

Casey Robinson

Principal

Life in the Library

Over the last few weeks, all classes have been working on the skills to locate information for their learning tasks. We have used library books, atlases, globes, Britannica school online and selected websites. Along the way, Prep and Year 1 have been learning the difference between fiction (story) and non-fiction (facts) books.

Using Information Sources

We all enjoy sharing what we have read and what we have chosen to read!

Sharing our Love of Books

Families can access online reading and information sources anytime here;

St Maria Goretti School - Inglewood (accessit.online)

Happy Winter Break Everyone!

Anne Anderson

Teacher Librarian

Students of the Week - Week 9

Students of the Week - Week 10

Sight Word Certificates

Singing Spirit Award

Sportsmanship Award

Happy birthday!

Parent Engagement Network (PEN)

Parent Engagement Network

Congratulations to our 2024 Parent Engagement Network Executive -

Chairperson	Melissa Callaghan
Secretary	Gabe Groves
Fundraising Coordinator	Michelle Walker

Our next PEN meeting will be on:

Wednesday the 24th of July in the

school library at 3:30pm

Please contact Casey, Melissa, Gabe or Mandy to add an item to the agenda.

All parents are very welcome to attend the PEN meeting as a rewarding way to get involved with the school community and keep up to date with school events, policies and projects.

________________________

Strategic Plan 2023-2026

Strategic Plan.pdf

Notices

Family Engagement Resources

Be You Support Contacts

We are currently looking for relief teachers to fill vital roles at our wonderful school. Relief teaching offers you the flexibility to take on work to match your lifestyle and the opportunity to continue to make a difference in the lives of our students and staff.

Please apply here: https://bit.ly/3HlXcIX or contact our office directly.

PDF Details

Noticeboard

Term 2, Week 10 - 20th June, 2024