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How to be a saint like Mother Teresa without leaving home.
I knew two people who had met Mother (now Saint) Teresa and both gave interesting insights into her
sanctity. The first was an Australian nun, travelling in India. By happenstance, she was seated on a
train with a nun in the habit of the Missionaries of Charity. The Australian said both had a pleasant
time and she felt her companion was so interested in what she had to say that she ‘had made this
woman’s day’. Only afterwards, when the woman left, did she realise she had been speaking with
Mother Teresa and that it was the quality of her attentiveness that made the time so special.
The other, a friend, spent time working in her order and her experience was that St Teresa was not
necessarily soft and kind. She had a vision of what was needed for the poor and helpless, and those
who were there to help could be treated with a real tough love in order for them to learn how to serve.
True loving care of children requires both those qualities. As parents, teachers, guardians we need to
give our children a level of attentiveness that often is difficult and self-effacing but true care will never
take place without it. It is not enough to be around children. We need to stop, listen to the stories or
the reading, watch their reactions and just be with them. We have to go out of ourselves. As we get to
know them well, we come to realise where the ‘tough love’ needs to be applied. We are not our
children’s friends and, at times, for their good we have to make decisions, say things, take a stand in
ways our children will not like. Often, we will feel that we need to be a saint to rear with our
child/ren. And indeed you do …they are God’s way of making you a saint. May St Teresa pray for you
and for all parents who serve God with love when they serve their children in love.
Loving Father, thank you for the gift of my child/ren. May my care of them be the way you make a
saint of me. I ask this in Jesus’ name and through the intercession of St Teresa of Calcutta.
Sr Kym Harris osb
From the Principal
St Theresa of Calcutta – Over the weekend, Pope Francis declared Mother Theresa of Calcutta a saint.
Father Raj delivered a wonderful homily to celebrate this momentous occasion at Mass on Sunday, and
with his permission I include parts of this with this week’s newsletter:
“As an Indian, I am most grateful to Bishop Michael for asking me to preach on this great occasion of the Canonisation of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. ‘None of you can be my disciple, unless you give up all your possessions.’ These are strong words! Words which cause most of us to feel uncomfortable. How many of us have given up all our possessions? But as discomfiting as it is, there is also something attractive about this call to radical poverty. So many saints have imitated Jesus’ poverty down through the ages. St. Francis is one and Mother Teresa, who is going to be canonised as a saint by Pope Francis in Rome today, is another. Their poverty invariably stirred something in their contemporaries. Mother Teresa’s Canonisation today is a ‘Great Joy’ for all of India ‘For the world today, she has become the face of Christ’. The Year of Mercy seems like the perfect time for canonising Blessed Mother Teresa because of her major works of mercy. According to the calendar for the Jubilee of Mercy, September 4, 2016, is the “Jubilee for Workers and Volunteers of Mercy,” which would be one day before the anniversary of her
passing from this life to the next. Millions of people around the World believed Mother Teresa was “a living saint”. Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu of Albanian parents on August 26, 1910, in Skopje, in what is Macedonia today, Mother Teresa came to eastern India’s Kolkata city, in 1929, as a missionary nun. Christ had said to Mother Teresa in a vision: “Go into the houses, I cannot go alone, you be my face.” Indeed, “for the world today she has become the face of Christ,” Affectionately known as the “saint of the gutter” for her unconditional love for the poor and the abandoned, she founded her Missionaries of Charity congregation in 1950. She earned numerous national as well as international honours for her works of mercy, including the Nobel peace prize in 1979. She died on September 5, 1997 at the age of 87 and on October 19, 2003, Mother Teresa was beatified after Pope St. John Paul II recognized her intercession in the miraculous healing of an Indian woman with a tumour in her abdomen. And On December 17, 2015, Pope Francis recognized the miraculous healing from the late sister’s intercession of a Brazilian man with multiple brain abscesses. And now Pope Francis will declare her a saint. My mother often tells me that Mother Teresa is a “transformative saint” who “emanated the personification of Christ.” “She taught the world a lesson: Jesus lives in the hearts of the poor. We shall find His face in them”. Hindus in India are also convinced that she was a saint. “Some Hindus wonder why the Church needs to go through a canonisation process. They say, ‘Mother Teresa was a saint anyway. But if the Church needs these formalities, then so be it.’” Hindus also understand that “service to the poor is service to God.” Mother Teresa trusted in the power of the Eucharist, she started each day with Mass then went out, rosary in hand, to find and serve the Lord amongst "the unwanted, the unloved, the uncared for." Once she was cleansing the wounds of a man dying of leprosy. A journalist kept his distance because of the stench. "I wouldn't do that for a million dollars," he said. Mother Teresa replied, "Neither would I." She was a woman passionately in love with Jesus. “We can do no great things – only small things with great love.”- said Mother Theresa. Like St Mary of the Cross the first Australian saint, St Teresa of Kolkata had great compassion for vulnerable children. Both of these saintly women had a passion for the children’s education and welfare. In 1986 Pope John Paul II visited Mother Teresa’s Home for the Poor in Calcutta. Mother Teresa later called it the happiest day of her life. In an address following the visit, the Holy Father called the home a place that bears witness to the primacy of love. In spite of increasingly severe health problems towards the end of her life, Mother Teresa continued to govern her Society and respond to the needs of the poor and the Church. By 1997, Mother Teresa's Sisters numbered nearly 4,000, they had established 610 foundations in 120 countries; today the order is present in 139 nations and the number of sisters has increased from 4000 to 5161. I think Australia is blessed to have 85 Missionaries of Charity sisters working in the country. When Mother Teresa's earthly life came to an end she was given the honour of a state funeral by the Government of India and her body was buried in the Mother House of the Missionaries of Charity. Her tomb quickly became a place of pilgrimage and prayer for people of all faiths, rich and poor alike. When Our Bishop Michael and Fr Don White travelled to India earlier this year to visit our superiors, Bishop Michael celebrated Mass at the tomb of Blessed Mother Teresa to pray for our diocesan family. And Bishop Michael often says Mother Teresa is “an icon of Mercy”. St Mother Teresa and her sisters continue to be a prophetic witness to the Gospel and sign of God’s love among us. Today, I wish all fathers present here a Happy father’s day. I invite you all to meditate upon the graciousness and mercy of God our Father, and thank Him for giving us generous and kind fathers who dedicate and sacrifice their time and energy to make us strong, wonderful and responsible citizens in the world. Let us thank God for fathers who raise strong and faith-filled children and who dedicate their lives to their family. May God bless all fathers. May St Teresa of Kolkata help you and guide you. St Teresa of Calcutta pray for us” Father Raj
Where’s Kellie? This week I am in Toowoomba for the state conference of the Queensland Primary
Principals’ Association. Please direct any queries to Mr Robertson in my absence.
Touch Football Sponsorship Our touch football jerseys are not only quite aged now, but with our
growing numbers, we are running short of jerseys to disperse. Please take note of the P and F’s request
for sponsors. Thank you in advance for your support!
Father’s Day – I hope that all of our dads and grandads had a very
enjoyable Father’s Day on Sunday. Thank you to everyone who
supported our Father’s Day breakfast and stall. We raised $468
from the breakfast which goes towards the graduation costs of
our Year 6 students, and $1152.55 which will be presented to the
P and F to spend on resources for our students. A great effort by
our school community!
Congratulations – to Sarah Wadsworth who has won the Morning Bulletin’s Young Writers’
primary school award for August, with her short story, “Lucidity in Dreaming.” We are very
proud of you Sarah!
Welder Needed – We are hoping that someone clever in our school community will be able to build/weld
some sort of trolley to help store and move the tables that we use for functions and events such as the
High Tea. These tables are very heavy, and it is a big job to move them from one place in the school to
another! If anyone has any ideas or would like to volunteer their services, please see the school office.
Change to school fees 2017 – Please note the information included with today’s newsletter regarding
some changes to 2017 Fees and Levies, in particular fee discounts and the introduction of a means tested
Concession Card discount initiative. Kathy Fishburn or I are only too happy to answer any queries about
this that you may have.
Parking Notes – I have been made aware of the fact that some people parking in the church car park
have received ‘reminder notes’ on their cars. Please note that these flyers are not from the school or
parish. Out of consideration for our neighbours’ requests, we do encourage people not to reverse park
against the boundary to the house in the church car park.
Reminders:
Year 2 excursion – Next Monday, 12th September, our Year 2 classes are exploring some heritage
listed buildings in Rockhampton. Please ensure the excursion fee is paid to the office before this
date
Debating – Round 3 of the Debating Competition will be held here next Tuesday, 13th September.
Whole School Mass – To celebrate the end of term, please join us for a whole school mass in the
hall on Wednesday 14th September at 9am.
Now that Friday afternoon sport has concluded, Years 3-6 are to wear their formal uniforms on PE
day (Monday) only.
Good Luck – To the SJW staff touch football team who will be seeking fame and glory in the Catholic
Schools’ Staff Touch Football competition this weekend. We are hoping to go one further than our
second place from last year. Go team!
School Hats – We have noticed of late, a resurgence in our students wearing alternate hats instead of the
approved school uniform hat. We take pride in our uniform and the school hat is as compulsory as the
shirts. Please note your children will neither play or participate in PE without their school hat as per our
school’s uniform policy.
Please name your child’s hat clearly so that if lost, it can be returned to them immediately! There are
currently thirteen (yes thirteen!) unnamed winter jumpers in the lost property box.
“Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.”
Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Have a great week everyone,
Kellie
APRE News
PRAYER CORNER
“Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love,”
Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta
THE LITTLE THINGS IN LIFE ARE OFTEN THE BIG IMPORTANT THINGS Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays and Christmas are great times of giving and receiving. We plan to pick the perfect gift that the person will be impressed with and will appreciate. These are four days in the year that we make a special effort. If we had the choice of having four big presents a year and encouragement for the remaining days of the year, or a daily life of smiles, friendly welcoming, greetings, thank yous, encouraging words, phone calls, emails etc and no big presents, the choice amongst most people would be the latter. We can become givers of compliments, smiles, thank yous, sorries, winks, nods etc – it makes our home life and school life so much easier. These are great people skills to practice – everyone likes the cheerful giver. It is a WIN WIN situation as the giver of smiles, compliments and thanks is happy and so is the receiver. © Catholic Education Office Hobart
PRAYER ASSEMBLY with Prep L Please join Prep L, Mrs Lidster and Mrs Kerrisk for their Prayer Assembly on practising Prayer. Assembly will be held at the Hall at 8.35am this Friday.
PREPARATION FOR THE SACRAMENTS OF CONFIRMATION AND EUCHARIST (First Holy Communion) for primary-aged children who have been baptised will soon begin in the Catholic Parish of Rockhampton South. It is not too late to register your child/children in this process. Registrations for this years’ preparation for Sacraments will close on 16 September. Please contact the Cathedral Centre 49276744 if you still wish to register your child/children Also a reminder that the first step to our Sacramental Journey begins with Ritual of Remembering Baptism. Ritual of Remembering Baptism
Sat 10 September Sun 11 September
Ritual of Remembering Baptism (during Mass) (Registration forms to be handed in during the Ritual)
St Mary’s Church St Joseph’s Cathedral (for St Paul’s, St Joseph’s Wandal and St Peter’s)
Vigil Mass at 6.00 pm Mass at 10.00am
CHILDREN’S LITURGY OF THE WORD A reminder that Children’s Liturgy is held most Sundays at St Peter’s Church 9am and St Joseph’s Cathedral 10am during the school term. It is wonderful to see our students attend. If any parishioners would like to assist in the leading of Children’s Liturgy, please feel free to contact me at school.
Father’s Day Breakfast
Thank you to our Year Six parents for
being great chefs and parents for
supporting this fundraising event.
Convict Day
During the term, Year Four students have read and researched
many records and historical documents about the First Fleet and
last Tuesday, they had the opportunity to spend the day in
character as a Convict from the 18th Century.
To begin their day they
were children attending
school in England,
learning what life was
like for a privileged child
to go to school. During
this session the children
discovered that many
children at their age
would have been working
as chimney sweepers, as
miners, in warehouses or even be in jail. You could not attend high
school unless you sat and passed an exam and life at school was
much harsher than our schooling now. We were very grateful to Mr
Ken Stewart (Sir) for giving up his time to provide us with rich
knowledge about our history.
Later in the day, students were exposed to the living conditions,
daily routines and transcripts of convicts aboard the First Fleet. As
convicts in 1787, they committed ‘crimes’ wrote their very own
conviction notice ready for Captain Phillips. Following this, it was
time to board the ship the class had built earlier in the day. Each
student was given a designated living space similar to that of the
convicts on board this method of transportation. Rations of food
were provided for the students to experience and this is where they
spent the remainder of the day. A students completed a journal
entry about their eight month journey, before making landfall on
Botany Bay in 1788.
Year Three Excursion:
On Monday the Year Three students travelled to the
Dreamtime Centre
to further their
History work into
Australia's first
people. The
students went to
the Torres Strait
Islander Hut
where Grace spoke to them about how her ancestors lived off
the land. They listened to a story about how the Milky Way was
formed and how to keep your children safe. While they were
there they learnt how to make a variety of noises on the
didgerdoo and how to throw a boomerang. All of the students had an enjoyable time and learnt more
about the history of Australia.
Year Four Excursion:
On Monday the Year Four students went
to the Rockhampton Botanical
Gardens. Ranger Mark took us around the
gardens and spoke to the students about
plants. He shared with us about the life-
cycle of a plant, showed us ways that
seeds are dispersed by different plants,
how plants reproduce and how fruits are formed by plants. He also took us to the
rain forest, desert and tropical plant areas. After our time with Ranger Mark we
went for a walk around the Zoo.
P & F News
“Are you a local business? Would you like some fantastic exposure for your business? Well we have a deal
for you.
St Joseph’s P & F wish to invite local businesses within our school community, an opportunity for
sponsorship too good to miss. We are about to provide our Junior Touch Football teams with new playing
shirts and would like to offer you some advertising, with great exposure. You don’t need to be involved
in Junior Touch Football in Rockhampton to know just how popular it is. You just need to drive by Cyril
Connell Fields on a Saturday morning to see for yourself!
The amount a sponsor may contribute is flexible. You could assist us through one of the following
options:
$300 – Your name, and logo to appear on the front and back of our team shirts
$150 – Your logo to appear on the sleeves of our team shirts
We are looking for at least 6 major sponsors, as we are aiming for 6 new sets of playing shirts.
If you are interested in sponsoring St Joseph’s Wandal Junior Touch Football or would like some more
information, please advise the office by close of business this Friday 9th September 2016 so that we can
get the ordering process underway. Thank you very much for your time.”
P & F Committee
The Importance of Writing
W riting is such an important
part of your child’s
education. It is a process that begins
even before the first day of school and
continues throughout their lives. The
Australian Curriculum: English aims to
create confident communicators,
imaginative thinkers and informed
citizens.
.
this issue
In this issue… The Importance of Writing The Six Traits Model The Benefits of the Six Traits How can you help? The Writing Process
Writing Guide for Parents
September 2016 St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School Wandal
The Six Traits of Writing
This brochure contains information to
help you support your student writers
at home. We use the Six Traits Model of
writing and school, and you can use the
same language and approach to support
your writers at home.
The six traits of writing provide a
language for describing the qualities
that are the basis of good writing.
What are the Six Traits?
The six traits are a way of teaching and
assessing that improves written expression
by focussing on quality examples of
literature and identifying the key building
blocks of writing that are necessary for
effective communication.
Writing at St Joseph’s Wandal
provides opportunities for our
learners to be creative and
competent communicators
through engaging with the
Australian Curriculum, using
the Six Traits Model of Writing.
The desire to write grows with writing.—Erasmus
The Six Traits Model
in Summary
Organisation is the framework of the writing. It is what holds the ideas together to convey meaning.
Word Choice is choosing
exactly the right words to
get the message across to
the reader.
Sentence Fluency is about
sentences making sense.
Sentences need to be easy
to read, vary in length and
structure and be easy to
read aloud.
Conventions are the
mechanics of writing.
Conventions are spelling,
grammar, paragraphing
and capitalization.
A trait is a specific characteristic
of a successful performance.
The traits a successful musician
might need would include a sense of
rhythm, a love for the music,
technical skill, and dedication to their
craft. The traits of good writing are
Ideas, Organisation, Voice, Word
Choice, Sentence Fluency, and
Conventions.
Ideas are the main message. They are the thoughts, the content, or the main story line of the piece.
Voice is when writing becomes unique and personal. Writing should be individual in ideas, tone, and style.
What are the Benefits?
1. It gives teachers, parents and
students a common language to
talk about writing.
2. It breaks down the complex process
of writing into easier to manage
‘bits’.
3. Students know what quality writing
is.
4. Teachers (and parents) have a way
to respond to student writing.
5. It establishes consistency from year
to year and teacher to teacher.
6. It gives a framework for editing.
7. It allows students to become more
responsible for their own writing.
8. Teachers have a framework for
providing feedback.
9. It moves away from the ‘lock-step’
approach of teaching text types in
isolation, and moves towards a
more integrated approach of teach-
ing writing.
Editing
Revising
Pre-Writing
Evaluating
Publishing
The Writing Process
Thinking, brainstorming
and planning
Drafting Putting thoughts on
paper
Rewriting to
improve ideas,
sentence fluency
and organisation
Revising to improve
conventions
Student and teacher
assessment of
writing
Share your writing with
others
How can you help?
Encourage your writer to share their writing
aloud.
Encourage—writing is tricky and takes time
to get right.
Coach—don’t write for your child. Question,
listen and suggest. Don’t rewrite whole sec-
tions for your child.
Let them see you write.
Focus on ideas and content first—conventions
are not the most important part of writing.
Read, read and read with your child.
Provide a suitable place to write.
Create a climate for writing. Share emails
with family, write plans for events and write
about things done as a family.
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