Issue 6, Term 2, 17th May 2024

Principals Report

Dear Parents, Friends, and Community,

We are coming to the end of week 5, our halfway marker of the term. 
Teachers are busy moving into the rest of the term with report cards, assessments, and planning. 
If you see your teacher around over the following weeks pleas, offer a smile, be kind and remember to speak and act with the grace of God in all interactions. 
It is my expectation that all interactions between staff, teachers and our families be that of respect which demonstrates care and compassion towards each other regardless of the conversations. 
Leadership Forum
This week at leadership forum Dr Pat Coughlin addressed the Principals in regard to how the “stuff” of leadership inevitably occurs between the ‘real’ and the ‘ideal’. In all our schools we have policies, systems and procedures which are set in place and are anticipated to be the ‘ideal’ but most often than not we have situations that fall between that and the ‘real’. It was then mentioned the importance of knowing our strengths. “If you don’t know your strengths you can’t play to them”. This prompted me to cogitate on what the strengths of our school community are. My list was quite long and included things like the obvious, sense of belonging, community, valued and the list went on. But as I delved deeper these three strengths stood out to me:
-    Active PPF, who support us, not by just being there, but by physically supporting us with their ‘hands’ – they are doing the do for their school, actively. 
-    Expectations of our student’s behavior is based on solid foundations of someone who was an actual real-life person, Saint Mary Mackillop. She impacts us every day with how students think and behave. But, if I was to ask you what was the number one characteristic of Saint Mary Mackillop our students aspire to each day? I know you would say “To see and need and do something about it.”
-    And the final point I had time to consider was the entire school community’s desire to always continue to grow and aspire to greatness. There is no limbo with our staff, students or parents, everyone is always aspiring to continue to seek more and grow with our changing society, so we aren’t left behind. There is always, always room for growth, and if we stop and look around and think we don’t need to go any further, we aren’t looking hard enough. 
Mary Rutledge 
I want to take this time to sincerely thank Mrs Mary Rutledge for her commitment to St Finbarr’s. We are very lucky to have Mary come to Quilpie to deputise when I am away. It is a big effort for Mary to leave her own family in Allora, to come and work and play in Quilpie, and I would just like to pass on from all of us how thankful, blessed and grateful we are to have her guidance, humbleness and wisdom she shares when with us. 

Until next time
Mrs Kara Marsh

Daniel McDonough Award recipient - Kara Marsh

At the recent Queensland Catholic Primary Principals’ Association (QCPPA) conference, each Diocese had to nominate a recipient for the Daniel McDonough Award.

The Daniel McDonough Award is a peer-nominated leadership award sponsored by QCPPA to recognise the strong commitment in the fields of leadership and education in a Catholic rural and remote school. 

Kara Marsh, Principal of St Finbarr's School in Quilpie was this recipient from the Toowoomba Diocese and received her award at the recent QCPPA conference. Her fellow primary principals explained, "Kara, is an emerging leader, and has brought a fresh perspective to Catholic Education in her rural and remote community.  

"Kara embraces all aspects of her community by engaging and fostering connections, relationships and a shared ownership for a successful learning environment."

"Kara leads with authenticity, integrity, compassion and a great sense of humour."

Emma Timmins | Principal: St Mary's Primary School, Warwick

APRE

Parents if you have a Caritas Project Compassion box at home please send it back to school as soon as possible so that any donations to can be sent on. Thankyou to those who have bought back their box.

Caritas Australia | Donate to Caritas Australia

Student of the Week & Gotcha Winners Term 2

Gotcha tickets are given out each week when students are seen to be following our school rules and values.  Actions may include caring for each other, greeting other students, staff and parents warmly or showing respect and responsibility.                                                                                                                                           Actions may also be following the words of Mary Mackillop -  'Never see a need without doing something about it'.                                                                                                                                                                                                            All the Gotcha  tickets a placed in the 'Gotcha box' and two names are drawn out each week, the remaining names stay in the box and are added to each week.

No awards were given out during Week 4 

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday these April babies, Maldon ,George, Amber, Sadie,Walter & Henry. 

Prep Classroom

P-2 Classroom

P-2 have had a beautiful start to the term and are busy in our classrooms. Students thoroughly enjoyed creating artistic hearts and practising their reading skills to share at the Mother’s Day Liturgy on Friday the 10th of May. St Finbarr’s Community shared a wonderful Liturgy to remember and focus on the importance of our motherly women in our lives. It was very special time to share a game of bingo, discussion, tea and yummy treats  together. 

In the classroom Year 2’s are continuing to show leadership to our Prep’s in the afternoon. Students are very excited about our upcoming experiment in Science. We are beginning to look at properties of substances and how they change when they become a mixture. Please stay tuned for the excitement of these experiments in the coming weeks. Year 1 and 2 have thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated the support of Mrs Rutledge during my absence. Mrs Ruteledge  has done a stellar job with my  students who have stayed on track and kept their focus in a classroom of fun. It is wonderful to return and be back into the swing of things. Our Narrative Unit is well under way and the ideas and imagination is increasing in the classroom with each lesson. I am very proud of our reading and spelling progress. The enthusiasm for learning is fantastic, 1-2 are a warm, productive, and focused group of little people which I am grateful to nurture every day. 

From Miss Tahlia Derry 

3-6 Classroom

Change Detectives Unit - future CSI Investigators

Sphero undeniably-cool, programmable robots

Free Verse poem by Nate McConnell

H Y E N A 
Written by Nate McConnell

Greedy and rabid,
He savagely laughs at his prey.
Jaws as strong as a vice,
Teeth as sharp as daggers.

Wild and ravenous,
He viciously guards his territory.
Claws like long, sharp needles,
Scratching and ripping his prey to death.

Strong and Fierce,
He eagerly chases down his prey.
Laughing like a lunatic,
It is a siren to absquatulate.

Evil and murderous,
A heart made of stone.
His hind legs short and stubby,
These legs do not hold him back.

Promotional Photoshoot

Last week we had Matt come to school in conjunction with the TCS Office and take a series of photos that will be used on our website and for other school advertising, its was a long morning being a supermodel, but the results will be worth the wait. 

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Mothers Day High Tea 2024

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Thank you to all those who were able to attend our Annual Mother's Day High Tea, it's always a very special day and we love to see all the wonderful mothers/grandmothers/sisters etc. from the community attend. While some photos were posted on Facebook there are alot more here for you to see from the day.

TERM 2 SCHOOL FEE'S

Catholic Education Week

Things are gearing up for Catholic Education Week from 21-27 July 2024.
The overarching theme of CEW this year is Communities of Faith, Hope and Love. In our Toowoomba Catholic Schools, we will be highlighting the theme of ‘love’.

This theme, referencing 1 Corinthians 13, provides schools with an easily adaptable theme, clearly linked to their Catholic ethos. To learn more about the connection of love to our Catholic

13And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love.

Band practice

Mrs Harris has returned early and so Band practice will resume this coming Friday the 24th May, 8am in the Mary Mac room.

School Absences

Tuck-Shop 2024

Please make sure you read the  Operating Procedures in the Tuck shop to familiarize  yourself with how it runs, always ask Office questions if your not sure.                                                                                                                     10am Council provinding Snack Attack   T2                                                                                                                                  11am  Fruit/veg option and  homebake  - morning tea                                                                                                     1pm   Lunch and dessert   

Parents on Tuck shop will not be sent home an envelope for their student. Please see the office if you have any issue's or need some money to pay for items (please bring receipt)

Please note : Please dont send PEANUT related snacks to school. Peanuts only are not permitted, other nuts are fine.                                                                                                                                                                                              A link to the Operating Procedures can be found below.                                                        

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School Grounds Working Bee This Sunday 9am

This Sunday 9am

Volunteer Declaration

Can parents who haven't returned their form please do so. Please speak to the office if you need another form . These forms are  a conformation of you having understood what behaviour is required from parents in regards to dealing and interacting with students when on Tuckshop.

Assembly

Dont forget each Friday we have assembly in the Mary Mackillop room, where student awards are presented and School notices are shared with students and families present , at 8.45am when the bell rings please head on into the Mary Mackillop room 

PPF 2024

The next scheduled meeting is 

 this Thursday 23rd of May 5pm 

All are welcome to come and have some input into our school.

President -Mr. Sam Bartlett
Vice president-Mr. Dan Hoch
Treasurer - Mrs. Amy Kuhn
Secretary – Ms. Kerri Thompson
Fundraising C0-Ordinator - Mrs. Lousie Hoch

School Website & Calendar

Please make youself familiar with our School Website, below is the Website link and a direct link to the school online calendar which has future dates on it that may not have been included in the Term planner, such as AGM and Fete dates.

Below shows you in 4 steps on how to subscribe the school online  calendar onto your phone's calendar, when reading school newsletter via your phone 

 St Finbarr's School, Quilpie, Calendar 

 St Finbarr's School, Quilpie Website

District & Regional Sport

Below is a copy of the Regional sport calendar for those students 10years and over.

2024 Term Planner

Please find the Term Planner for T1 and T2, please also keep a look out on our website for other dates or subscribe to school calander as shown above.

School Yard access

School Bell Times

Term Dates 2024

St Finbarr's Student Protection Contacts

It is a legislative requirement that all non-state schools have at least two nominated staff members to whom a student can report the behaviour of another staff member that the student considers inappropriate.  We call these specially trained staff members School Student Protection Contacts, or SSPCs.  Each SSPC has been nominated by the principal in recognition of their integrity, approachability and knowledge in the area of student protection.  Whilst students are encouraged to speak up to any trusted adult in the school community, it is important that they know they can access these specific staff members at any time should they have worries, queries or concerns. You will have noticed posters throughout the school depicting our current SSPCs.  The SSPCs are also published on our school website along with information about our student protection processes.  In everything we do at St Finbarr's student safety is our highest priority, therefore the SSPCs at our school are key personnel in our overall safeguarding processes.  Please see the poster depicting our current SSPC team.