Space Camp

Students who are currently in Year 9 and 10 are encouraged to submit an Expression of Interest to attend Space Camp in 2025. Further details can be found via News on MySRC.

Year 11 and 12 Parent Information Nights

Parents are able to access the presentation from these evenings on MySRC. If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms Morgan via mgn@stritas.qld.edu.au

Academic Assembly

We look forward to celebrating the Semester 2 academic achievements of many of our students at our College assembly on Friday. Congratulations to our students whose dedication will be recognised with presentations of Academic Improvement and Academic Excellence, with students receiving green, red and blue awards in Years 7 to 10, and bronze, silver and gold awards to celebrate Academic Excellence in Years 11 and 12.

We will also celebrate students who achieved Distinction or High Distinction in our SRC Honours Mathematics program. This program is a self-paced course which requires students to work through numerous topics at a higher level than their current curriculum and requires students to show initiative in researching how to complete set tasks. The course is offered through Education Perfect and overall results are determined in combination with their class results.

Finally, we also recognise students who successfully completed subjects at university in addition to completing their schooling subjects.

Sincere congratulations to all our award winners; all these students have displayed commitment, dedication and persistence to their study routines which has resulted in their success.

I encourage and challenge every student to achieve their very best this year, through active attendance and engaged participation in class. These are two simple strategies that students can employ to develop habits that lead to academic success.

Cyber Wellbeing

Young people and adolescents can sometimes spend a lot of time online. Instant messaging, sharing photos and videos, playing games, and using chat functions can be a big part of their social identity formation. As parents and guardians, you know your child better than anyone and have the best opportunity to guide them to have safer online experiences.

General Tips

• Talk with your child about their online activities and how they use their digital devices. Regularly check-in about who they chat or game with online. Create a family plan that balances time spent on devices with a variety of offline activities.
• Use parental controls to measure and set time limits on device use or internet access. Be open and honest with your child about why you wish to use these.
• Help protect your child’s personal information. Ensure their social media accounts are private. Delete unknown contacts on friends/followers lists. Set up multi-factor authentications or a strong password. Remind your child to never share passwords with anyone else. Teach your child to always double check URLs, check app reviews, and report scams to cyber.gov.au
• Promote self-confidence and saying ‘no’. Let your child know they don’t need to share or send anything online, particularly personal information. Teach your child about respectful relationships. Help them to understand how to interact with others online and the importance of respect.
• Talk to your child about who will be their ‘askable adult’ - an adult they trust who will respond in a non-judgemental way - and when your child should speak with them. Remind your child that there are many supports here at the College for your them to talk through concerns, for example, House Group Teachers, Heads of House, Pastoral Team.
  

Conversations with your Child

Plan
Work out what you want to say and how you want to say it, depending on the issue you want to talk about.

Listen
Let your child know you are there to help them, no matter what. Listening will also help you understand their attitudes and respond to specific issues. ‘You might not want to tell me all the detail, but if we can talk honestly about what's happened I promise I will listen and stay calm. No matter what happens, we can do this and I love you.’

Ask Questions
Asking questions about how they feel and what they know helps you to gauge your child's level of knowledge and keeps you from lecturing.

Helping your Child

Cyberbullying

Let your child know you care. Use emotion coaching techniques to talk about the issue. Help your child to report harmful content on the platform and to eSafety. If the cyberbullying occurs at school, contact your daughter’s Head of House.

Social Media Pressure

Remind your child to think critically about what they see online. People regularly use filters and photoshop, which are often not disclosed. Go through accounts your child follows with them and unfollow accounts that make her feel badly. Assist your child in turning off notifications and leaving her phone behind when she’s got other things to do.

Unwanted Contact

Assist your child in stopping unwanted contact by using in-app functions to ignore, hide or mute interactions. After collecting evidence of any unsafe or harmful interactions, your child can also block the person. Report harmful content to eSafety.

Stolen/Misused Personal Information

Your child should logout of her accounts on all devices and change passwords on all accounts. Accounts should be monitored for suspicious activities. Screenshot and report online concerns to the platform and eSafety. Where potential harm has occurred at school, contact your child’s Head of House.

Image-Based Abuse

Threatening to share an intimate photo/video of your child (including a fake), is a crime. Your child should stop all contact and collect evidence. Report what is happening immediately to eSafety and to the platform.

Called Out

If your child has been called out as hurting someone, it’s important to support them to reflect on what has happened. Encourage your child to think about their actions and delete the content that has upset another person. Encourage your child to take responsibility, apologise, and ask how the other person would like to move forward.

Helpful Resources

• eSafety Commissioner
• Umibot online safety chatbot
• Raising Children Network
• Parentline

2024 NAPLAN Online – Years 5, 7 & 9

This year St Rita’s College will be completing NAPLAN Online on March 13, 14, 15 and 18.

The schedule for the tests is as follows:

Participation:

St Rita’s College supports inclusive testing, so all students have the opportunity to participate in the national assessment program. Adjustments are available for students with diverse learning needs, and we will work with parents/guardians and students to identify, on a case-by-case basis, reasonable adjustments required for individual students to access NAPLAN. Where possible, adjustments will reflect the support normally provided for classroom assessments. Ms Burton and the Diverse Learning Team will be reaching out to students who may need to access adjustments.

Withdrawal:

Students may be withdrawn from NAPLAN testing by their parent/guardian. This is a matter for consideration by individual parents/guardian in consultation with the College – please contact Ms Burton or Mr Lobb if you would like to discuss this matter further.

Practice NAPLAN Tests:

We will be conducting practice tests on February 28 to test our own technical readiness, refine teacher administration training, and of course, to enhance student understanding and readiness for the tests. The schedule and rooming on this day will mirror the NAPLAN Tests. Therefore:

• Years 5s will conduct their practice tests in their classrooms before lunch
• Year 7s will conduct their practice tests in the bottom floor of Trinity in Periods 1 and 2
• Year 9s will conduct their practice tests in the bottom floor of Trinity in Periods 3 and 4.

QCE Review

All current Year 11 and 12 parents are invited to partake in a short survey conducted by the University of Melbourne regarding the effectiveness of the QCE system. Click here for further details.

Parents of past students who have completed their QCE post 2019 are also invited to have their say. Please click here to complete the short survey

Tuesday 13 February marked the 16th anniversary for the formal apology to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples made by former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, on behalf of the nation, in 2008. The apology formally acknowledged the injustices of past Government and acknowledged the long-term impact past laws, policies, and practices had upon Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Country and culture. Each year, it is a reminder of the importance of recognition and truth-telling. Each year, it is a time to reflect on these past wrongs and consider how we might individually and collectively ensure the same wrongs don’t occur again and in paving the road to reconciliation in Australia. As a Catholic community we can pray the reconciliation prayer from NATSICC the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Council

Holy Father, God of Love,

You are the Creator of all things.

We acknowledge the pain and shame of our history and the sufferings of Our peoples, and we ask your forgiveness.

We thank you for the survival of Indigenous cultures

Our hope is in you because you gave your Son Jesus to reconcile the world to you.

We pray for your strength and grace to forgive, accept and love one another, as you love us and forgive and accept us in the sacrifice of your Son.

Give us the courage to accept the realities of our history so that we may build a better future for our Nation.

Teach us to respect all cultures.

Teach us to care for our land and waters.

Help us to share justly the resources of this land. Help us to bring about spiritual and social change to improve the quality of life for all groups in our communities, especially the disadvantaged.

Help young people to find true dignity and self-esteem by your Spirit.

May your power and love be the foundations on which we build our families, our communities and our Nation, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

(Wontulp Bi-Buya Indigenous Theology Working Group 13 March 1997 Brisbane, Qld).

Ash Wednesday Liturgy

Wednesday14 February marked the beginning of Lent with Ash Wednesday. A time to remind us of our human nature and need to reconciliation with God. The ashes received on Ash Wednesday are a visible sign of repentance and the call to humility and faith in God. The Lenten season is a time set aside for spiritual examination focusing on Christ’s life, ministry, sacrifice and resurrection through prayer, fasting and service. During Lent, it is an opportunity to support Caritas’ Project Compassion. Students will be encouraged to make donations towards this annual campaign. This year’s theme For All Future Generations focuses on the stories of three remarkable, resilient people from the Philippines, Malawi and Samoa. Each story demonstrates the powerful impact each one of us can have to alleviate poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity in the most vulnerable and marginalised communities in Australia and the world and drive lasting change for a better tomorrow. 

All donations of $2 and over are tax deductible. There are many ways to consider how to raise your donation. Perhaps, giving up all or some of daily coffee or special treats purchases between now and Easter. $25 can support a farmer to buy a pack of disaster resilient seeds in Malawi. $35 can provide hand sanitiser to increase hygiene and sanitation for community members in Samoa. $50 can support a young mother in the Philippines to attend basic education classes to assist with acquiring employment. Donations can be made online. Click here for further details and to make a donation. 

In the Primary Years, our students learn about our College Pillars of Courage, Compassion, Justice, Hope, Simplicity and Hospitality and, most importantly, learn how to demonstrate these values in their everyday actions. We are proud of how the Primary girls have immersed themselves in College life and the way in which they actively seek to live lives of action, not words. We celebrate and recognise students who have actively demonstrated the College Pillars in their classrooms and on the playground and are pleased to announce the following students as our first Pillar Award recipients for 2024:

Emma K, Eva M, Eve M, Sophie D, Caitlin D, Elainah D, Jacqueline R, Millie F, Molly M, Stella M, Isabella B, Isabella C

Our Year 6 students have hit the ground running in their Science lessons and they have been excited to explore the Solar System. Last Friday, students were immersed in an educational and entertaining experience at the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium. They had an amazing day discovering the extensive astronomy and space exploration display and particularly enjoyed a special show at the Cosmic Skydome. A learning focus in Year 6 has been studying the relationship that planets have with the sun. Following these learning experiences, students can articulate how Earth’s rotation and relationship with the sun are the reason we have day and night and different seasons. Thank you to Mrs Hukins, Mr Robinson, Mrs Skelton, Miss Dawson, Mrs Star and our wonderful parent helpers for all of your efforts in providing this learning opportunity for our Year 6 students.

Our House Prayers are on display in our shared Primary space and are lovely examples of the House spirit that our Primary girls share. At each of our House Assemblies, students will pray these words together to strengthen their bonds as a House community and reflect on the inspiration of their House patrons.

The Music Support Group committee is in urgent need of new members to continue their wonderful work of supporting the music program. This group is an essential part of the music program that runs the Rita’s Longest Lunch and organises hospitality at Music events to raise funds to assist with the provision of instrumental resources, large scale productions and special workshops.

The Music Support Group AGM will be held online on Wednesday 6 March and 7.00pm. As there will be several essential committee positions being vacated by incumbents, we are appealing to all parents of our music community to consider attending and nominating for a committee position. With the prospect of committee positions not being filled, we are hopeful that more parents will become involved to assist in continuing the valued support the group has given to many previous music students over many years.

The MySRC calendar entry to this meeting contains the online link to join the meeting on the night. The committee looks forward to welcoming many new faces at this meeting.

Click here for further details regrading upcoming Music events.

Vicki Wilson Trials begin next week, sign ups will close tomorrow. Click on the links if you have not registered. A reminder these are high level teams and you should be playing high level club or Rep Netball to sign up.

• Vicki Wilson Junior Trials Year 7-8 
• Vicki Wilson Inter Trials Year 9-10 
• Vicki Wilson Cup Trials

Our specialist clinics are also coming up, click on the link to register for these, the cost for these is $75 for 3 clinics, sign up here. These clinics are run by Netball Revolution and were a big hit last year, our coaches are also attending some workshops with them, we are looking forward to an amazing year of netball.

Good luck to all our players attending the City District Netball trials next week and North Independent Netball trials this week.

CaSSSA has kicked off with nine teams playing and we are already at Round 3 of the competition. Please see the College Mobile App for draw dates and venues.

We are happy to have 47 students across Years 5-9 in our Tennis Development Program. Reminder that Term 2 Development sign up is now open, with a change of training days for Year 5 & 6 to Wednesday, 6.30am-7.15am or 7.15am-8.00am and Years 7-9 to Fridays 7.00am-8.00am.

Training has kicked off and all are welcome to join in, no sign-up required. See details attached. Click here for further details. 

Camp will be Saturday 20 April & Sunday 21 April, at the Sunshine Coast Recreational Centre. Nominate for this via the APP or MySRC. Click here for further details. 

This year St Rita’s College hope to enter a team into the UHL sport & ISSA Cups. These competitions are run by ISSA and sanctioned by Football Queensland. 

Click here for further details and here to register your interest.

Please contact Nikki Sackree, Sports Coordinator for additional information. 

Last week our CaSSSA Round 1 Volleyball fixtures kicked off, and while disappointingly three of our teams faced forfeits from their opponents, we applaud the fantastic spirt and attitude which was shown. Those teams who did play were in tightly contested battles, with some close wins and near misses, but overall, we saw our students have lots of fun and show some great team spirit!

This week we see our in-house social Beach Volleyball program start at Shaw Park, which is run separate from our CaSSSA Volleyball program. Overall, this means we have close to 150 students participating in Volleyball this term, which is very exciting. We encourage all parents and supporters to attend our home or away CaSSSA Volleyball matches and cheer on our teams.

We look forward to cheering on our Five home games for Round 2 and remind all students to please ensure they are representing St Rita’s with pride by wearing the correct uniform. We please ask for all our Seniors CaSSSA Volleyball players to not wear their white rugby shorts during Wednesday afternoon fixtures.

This week we saw terrific numbers out at Gibson Park for the second week of BMTA Touch Training and our Years 5-7 Touch Development Program. Our Touch program has grown considerably this season, and we look forward to our 6 BMTA teams kicking off their season at Whites Hill, Camp hill this Thursday 15 February. Please ensure you read all correspondence carefully and are aware of meeting/game times and are representing the College in correct uniform.

The Sports Sub Committee are seeking new members and parent volunteers to support Cocurricular Sport initiatives.

The Committee meets five times a year to arrange activities for our students and to support the Sports program at the College. Parents and guardians are also encouraged to sign up for our volunteer roster for events.

Visit MySRC for further information and to register your interest

The St Rita's Study Skills Program is up and running for the year. Study Skills Information Sessions for parents and guardians will be held in the coming weeks. They will be held via Zoom as follows:

Year 5 and 6 parents: Wednesday 28 February, 6.00 -7.00pm

Year 7-9 parents: Wednesday 6 March, 6.00-7.00pm

Year 10-12 parents: Thursday 14 March, 6.00-7.00pm – this is a change of date. The calendar has been altered to reflect this.

This year, all Year 7 students will have a Study Skills lesson per cycle.

Years 11 and 12 have a study skills lesson each week. Other year levels receive study skills segments during lesson times as required by classroom teachers, during some house group times or House Assemblies. We also offer individual coaching sessions for students who are struggling with completing study in a timely and effective manner.

The first sessions will focus on goal-setting, creating effective study planners and setting up their Assessment Calendars for the term. Creating clear, specific goals is essential for students to remain on track and achieve their academic potential. Once they have done this, it is important that these goals are revisited on a regular basis so that they can be amended if necessary. Parents can play a key role by taking an interest in their daughters’ academic and wellbeing goals. However, these goals must come from the student as an individual, rather than from someone else, or they will not have the impact necessary to drive the student to achieve them. 

Creating an effective home study planner is also vital. All students except Year 7s have been given an A3 laminated copy of the St Rita’s Home study plan. (Year 7 students will get them in their next Study Skills lesson). If your daughter is new to St Rita’s, she can collect one from outside Ms Wallas office. We encourage you to ensure your daughter plans out her week carefully each Sunday night, ready for the week ahead, putting in non-negotiables, such as sport, music lessons, family celebrations in first and “chunking” their study around these in 20-25 minute segments with a 5 minute break in between. Phones should be turned off completely and either given to you, or placed in another room. Studies repeatedly show that mobile phones are the number one cause of distraction during study time.

Students should also use the term shell that has been sent to them to create an Assessment Calendar. They were given time to do this during extended House Group time this week, but we will be revisiting this for Year 7 in their Study Skills lessons. Students have been map out assessment dates and enter checkpoints along the way up to the due date. Again, parents can play a role in ensuring their daughter has completed their assessment calendar in a way that is realistic and achievable. If your daughter is struggling with this, Ms Wallas is happy to assist.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Ms Amanda Wallas if you have any questions relating to the Study Skills program here at St Rita’s College.

Hogan House invites everyone to purchase a dozen (or more) Krispy Kreme donuts, for the annual Hogan Donut Day. All profits go to the Presentation Sisters of PNG and the donuts can be collected at lunchtime on Friday 8 March from the Orana Room. Individual donuts are also available for sale on the day for $4 with eftpos and cash available. Click here to purchase your Krispy Kreme donuts today!

Orders close Monday 26 February at 3.00pm so get your orders in!

Any questions, please email Ms Bradbury.

Thank you for your support,

Molly and Abby
Hogan House Captains

Big Brekky

Students are to meet the supervising staff member at Student Services at 5.55am. Students are to wear modest comfortable clothing.

Tuesday 13 February: Mrs Qureshi will accompany Emma P, Maisy G and Millie A

Tuesday 20 February: Mr Guthrie will accompany Annabelle R, Phoebe S, Kate B and Ava D

Tuesday 27 February: Mrs Trims will accompany Georgia L, Olivia R, Lilli M and Amelie D

Homework Club

Students will meet their supervising staff member in classrooms S07 and S08 after school. 

Tuesday 20 February: Lucy S Emma R, Bridget B, Maddie P, Elyse O, Izzy B, Isla R, Liliana Z, Ella M and Sophie D

Tuesday 27 February: Isabelle O, Claire R, Sara S, Izzy B, Isla R, Amelia P, Jade M, Hannah D and Adelaide B

Parents and Guardians are encouraged to view our MySRC Parent User Guide accessible via the MySRC Parent Hub > Parent Instructions to assist you in navigating new features:

• Parent Dashboard
• Parent Hub
• News Feature - available via your Parent Dashboard
• Primary Years Parent Hub

Additional information will continue to be added to this guide to optimise and support usage of this important College information and communication platform.

We are confident that these improvements will contribute to a more efficient experience for all members of our College community and we look forward to sharing the rollout of further technology and communication enhancements with you.

Principal, Mrs Maree Trims warmly invites all St Rita’s College Parents and Guardians to our 2024 Welcome Function.

Join us to create new connections and reconnect with members of our College Community.

Light canapes will be provided and a cashless bar will be available.

This adult only event is proudly hosted by the Parents & Friends Association.

Purchase your tickets by Friday 8 March. 

Term 1

• Tuesday 20 February - P&F Meeting - 6.00pm Stanley Hall Staffroom (opposite the Pantry) 
• Tuesday 12 March - P&F AGM and election of new committee - Orana Room Trinity Building - 6.00pm. 2024 P&F Committee Nomination Form 
• Friday 15 March - Parent Welcome Function 7.00pm - 9.00pm, Cove Lane, St Rita's College $30.00 per person - adults only

Term 2

• Tuesday 16 April - P&F Meeting - 6.00pm Stanley Hall Staffroom (opposite the Pantry)
• Friday 3 May - Primary Mother Daughter Event
• Saturday 18 May - Mother Daughter Dinner
• Tuesday 21 May - P&F Meeting - 6.00pm Stanley Hall Staffroom (opposite the Pantry)
• Saturday 9 June - Rita’s Longest Lunch (proudly supported by the Music SubCommittee)

Term 3

• Tuesday 16 July - P&F Meeting - 6.00pm Stanley Hall Staffroom (opposite the Pantry)
• Tuesday 20 August - P&F Meeting - 6.00pm Stanley Hall Staffroom (opposite the Pantry)
• Wednesday 28 August - Father Daughter Breakfast
• Tuesday 10 September - P&F Meeting - 6.00pm Stanley Hall Staffroom (opposite the Pantry)

Term 4

• Tuesday 15 October - P&F Meeting - 6.00pm Stanley Hall Staffroom (opposite the Pantry)
• Saturday 19 October - Rita’s Race Day (proudly supported by the Sports SubCommittee)
• Saturday 16 November - Mother’s Luncheon
• Tuesday 19 November - P&F Meeting - 6.00pm Stanley Hall Staffroom (opposite the Pantry)

The updated 2024 College Uniform Policy can be found here

More SALE items have been added to the SALE section on Qkr! Jump online and have a look.

• Monday – CLOSED
• Tuesday to Friday – 7.30am to 9.00am & 11.00am - 3.30pm (closed between 9.00am and 11.00am). 

 The Boutique is closed during school holidays throughout the year.

Online Orders can be made any time via the Qkr! App and collected during Boutique opening hours.  

Orders received prior to 9.00am Tuesday-Friday will be available to collect from the Boutique from 11.00am the same day. Orders received after 9.00am will be available for collection the following business day after 11.00am. 

The Boutique is staffed by Ms Laurinda Plant who can be contacted on 3860 7119 or via email at boutique@stritas.qld.edu.au. 

Parents wishing to seek out second hand uniform and school items are encouraged to try the St Rita's Buy, Sell, Swap, Giveaway Facebook Group. 

The site is parent administered and new items are being added regularly by families.

The College Boutique does not trade in second hand items.