Verbis - Term 2, Edition 4 Verbis - Term 2, Edition 4
10 June 2021
Year of Hospitality - People of Welcoming Heart
From our College Leadership Team
Principal, Mrs Dale Morrow
Dear Parents/Caregivers
Last week was National Reconciliation week and we saw many sports codes playing an indigenous round. This was a way of recognising indigenous players in a multitude of sports and an opportunity for awareness raising for all Australians. These signs of recognition are important to our national psyche as we continue to write the story of relationships between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. The theme this year “More than a word” highlights that Reconciliation takes action and urges the reconciliation movement towards braver and more impactful action. As Australians we all have an obligation to walk beside our indigenous brothers and sisters as they respond to the challenges of modern day Australia.
When thinking about inclusivity I was drawn to thinking about how we best accept others by being happy and content ‘in our own skin’. I often speak to the girls about being themselves and recognising their own individual giftedness. It is a hard sell because not only do young people have difficulty accepting their own beauty but so too do older people. It seems that we are hard wired not to love ourselves completely and this can lead to us being judgmental of others.
Too often we allow ourselves to judge others without appreciating that we are all God’s children. We have been made in God’s image and likeness and everyone has the right to be respected. We have been created to be unique, to be in this world to make it a better place. We all have a reason for being here, and that reason may never be apparent, however, all our interactions with each other matter.
I would like to share a story about a young girl I was interviewing earlier this year. You might wonder how I would remember one interview from so many. The girl was in Year 4 and was wanting to come to St Rita’s. She seemed particularly nervous and I was wanting to make her feel comfortable. I asked her a number of questions about herself including what she liked doing. She replied that she enjoyed “art”. We talked a little more about her art and you could see she was starting to relax because this was her happy place. I asked her where she did most of her painting and drawing, was it at school or at home? She answered by saying I prefer to do it at home. I asked her why and it was this answer that saddened me. She said because when I do it at home there is no one there to judge me. She felt her artwork wasn’t good enough and she was worried that it would be made fun of by those at school. We talked about how art is just an expression of your own thoughts and that it should be whatever you wanted it to be. She was a lovely little girl, but she was already feeling judged. She was shy, she found it hard to make friends and she was worried already about how others might judge her. I reflected later on how we judge others and how it restricts them in doing what they love or becoming who they want to be. The pressure we put on each other to fit a certain stereotype is so unacceptable – it is actually cruel.
At Assembly last week I relayed this story to the girls and then asked them to ask themselves if they are denying someone the right to be themselves or if they are allowing others to influence the way they want to be. I asked them to be courageous in their actions.
I pray that we become a more tolerant society and allow each and every person to shine and reflect their beauty as a child of God.
God Bless
Mrs Dale Morrow
Assistant Principal - Mission, Mrs Erica Qureshi
Reconciliation Week
Last week we celebrated Reconciliation Week with various activities throughout the College on each of the days. The students enjoyed placing their thumbprint, as a symbol of their identity, onto a House terracotta pot and pledging their commitment to collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures and futures.
These pots have been placed in our Reconciliation Garden ready for our Climate Action Club students to plant with native plants in the coming week. Students and staff also started to write Reconciliation Statements to be placed into the Reconciliation Garden to serve as a reminder to us of our commitments to the valuable process and movement towards Reconciliation. We are also wanting to have a Parent Statement written and so I invite any parents who would like to be involved in this process to contact me.
Congratulations to Lana Gravenall and Maegan D’Souza who lead these celebrations for the whole College community!
PoTENTial
On 3 June, fifteen Year 10 students had the opportunity to travel to the Sofitel to attend PoTENtial: High Hopes, hosted by Brisbane Catholic Education. The day was centred around faith, connection and hope, and was packed full of workshops, prayer liturgies, guest speaker talks and live music. Overall, the most inspiring theme of the day was that hope is the key to faith and success, and without it, one cannot move forward.
- Sarah Gallagher, Year 10
What You Need to Know
Early Departures
Commencing Monday 24 May, parents will be notified via email when their daughter departs College early. This email is required under the College’s Duty of Care to cross reference the departure with the parent/guardian in cases where their daughter has been picked up by an authorised person other than the parent/guardian or the student is driving themselves.
Upcoming Term Dates, Events and Meetings
Details of all Events and Meeting can be quickly accessed in the date entry on the MySRC Calendar.
Year 10 Careers Day Wednesday 16 June 9:00am
Year 11 2022 (current Year 10) Subject Selection Evening Wednesday 16 June 6:00pm
Interhouse Track & Field Carnival Friday 18 June
Term 2 ends Friday 18 June, 3:04pm
Carnival Meeting Monday 21 June 6:00pm
Student Free Day Monday 12 July
Year 10 Set Plan Interviews Monday 12 July 9:00am
Student Parent Teacher Interviews Monday 12 July 1:30pm
Term 3 Commences Tuesday 13 July
Sports Subcommittee Meeting Tuesday 13 July 6:00pm
Parent Daughter Tennis Match Saturday 17 July
Carnival Bring In Day – Clothes, Books, Wine, Beer Only Saturday 17 July 9:00am
Student Parent Teacher Interviews Tuesday 20 July 3:30pm
Rita's Longest Lunch
Sunday 13 June 12:30pm - 4:30pm, Hogan Place, St Rita's College
Tickets $30 each
With entertainment by Jordy - Hot off the 2019 season of The Voice!
Rita’s Longest Lunch is presented in the traditional European Long Lunch style where parents, alumnae and friends of St Rita’s can indulge in their preferred culinary experience along one grand table. Skilled food and wine lovers, contemporary cuisine artisans, or those who prefer a home brought hamper or even Uber Eats, will delight in this day out on Hogan Place at St Rita’s enjoying time with friends and live music.
Tickets cost just $30.00 by pre-purchase only.
Rita's Longest Lunch is a BYO food event with EFTPOS bar. Food purchase is not offered at the function. No BYO beverage is permitted, including non-alcoholic. It is an 18+ years event.
Click here to book tickets.
Service Rosters
Big Brekky Roster
Students are to meet the supervising staff member at Student Services by 5:55am. Students are to wear modest clothing and enclosed shoes.
Tuesday 29 June (school holidays): Mrs McGrath will accompany Mia Cartwright, Giorgia Dixon, Bella Went and Gabby Moore
Tuesday 6 July (school holidays): Mrs Timcke will accompany Sona Thomas, Joknna Joseph, Mary Ajo and Adiva Ali
Tuesday 13 July: Mr Ryan will accompany Lily Mitchell, Isabella Cremer, Iris Brady and Brooklyn Hatton-Whimp
Tuesday 20 July: Mrs Trims will accompany Annalie Sikora, Freya Caine, Bronte Lord and Chloe Anderson
Ecumenical Coffee Brigade Roster
Students are to meet the supervising teacher at the ECB premises, corner of Isaac and Rosa Streets, Spring Hill by 6:00am.
Monday 19 July: Supervising staff member TBC: Heidi Lynch, Sarah Rees and Georgia Walsh.
Update required to Parent Details in MySRC
The College is required to report annually to the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) on
a. nationally comparable reporting on student achievement, disaggregated by student background characteristics.
b. the compilation of student population profiles for performance reporting at the individual school level.
All parents are asked to update their details in MySRC by Tuesday 15 June to enable the College’s Data College for ACARA. The guidelines below will assist in accurate completion of the information.
PARENT/GUARDIAN Census Information tab:
Home Language- Please respond to the below question for each parent/guardian/carer
Do you speak a language other than English at home?
Select English if “English Only” otherwise select the other language that is spoken most often at home.
Occupation Position:
Please select the appropriate parental occupation group from the List of Parental Occupation Groups (1,2,3,4). Click Here to view.
- If the person is not currently in paid work but has had a job in the last 12 months or has retired in the last 12 months, please use the person’s last occupation.
- If the person has not been in paid work in the last 12 months, select 8.
STUDENT:
Home Language- Please respond to the below question for the student
Do you speak a language other than English at home?
Select English if “English Only” otherwise select the other language that is spoken most often at home
Is the student of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin?
No- leave blank
Yes- Aboriginal (select)
Yes- Torres Strait Islander (select)
For persons of both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin, select both responses.
St Rita's College Carnival
St Rita's College Carnival - Sunday 25 July
Carnival season is in full swing and the Committee and Stall Coordinators are doing wonderful work to ensure we have a great day in store for everyone. Each fortnight we will provide you with an update of what’s happening and what’s needed.
Thanks to everyone to came to the fore during the last fortnight for product donations. We reached the targets for some stalls due to your generosity.
Thank you!
Raffle - 9 amazing prizes including $8,000 in cash to be won
The Raffle is up and running and tickets are flying off the screen! This year we’ve gone online and Tickets may only be purchased via the RaffleTix site. You must be 18 years or more to purchase tickets. Purchase tickets here.
A massive thanks goes to Mrs Pattie Pozzebon for coordinating the Raffle and to all our Raffle donors. Please visit the Verbis community section to click into their advert or logo and explore their businesses.
The Raffle prizes this year are outstanding
1st Prize - $8,000 Cash – put towards your St Rita’s school fees or whatever you desire value $8,000
2nd Prize - $3,000 Clayfield Jewellery Gift Voucher value $3,000 donated by Clayfield Jewellery
3rd Prize - Apple Pack (iPhone 12 128GB, Series SE GPS & Cellular iWatch, 2nd Gen AirPods) value $2,117 donated by Right at Home
4th Prize - A 2-night Weekend Getaway at Treetops Seaview Montville value $1,100 donated by Treetops Seaview Montville
5th Prize - $1,000 cash value $1,000 donated by Harcourts Clayfield | Ascot
6th Prize - Sabene or a Samsara Gown valued up to $899.95 donated by When Freddie Met Lilly
7th Prize - 12Rnd Fitness Clayfield 3 month gym membership & boxing gloves value $680 donated by 12Rnd Clayfield
8th Prize- $500 Opa Bar + Mezze Restaurant Voucher value $500 donated by Opa Bar + Mezze
9th Prize - iPad 8th GEN 32GB 10.2” WIFI Silver value $499 donated by Datacom
Pizza Party Offer
The Year level that sells the most tickets by Thursday 22 July at 4:00pm will be rewarded with a Pizza Party, sponsored by Domino’s! Just make sure you use the QR code unique to your daughter’s Year level when purchasing, so that your ticket purchase supports that Year level’s ticket tally.
Purchase your tickets
Tickets start at just $10.00 each. Click on your Year level link to purchase tickets and have your purchase count towards that Year level’s sell tally:
Year 7: https://www.raffletix.com.au/?ref=esaxf&sref=44w9f2af
Year 8: https://www.raffletix.com.au/?ref=esaxf&sref=4s89cc4h
Year 9: https://www.raffletix.com.au/?ref=esaxf&sref=9g8kpyy7
Year 10: https://www.raffletix.com.au/?ref=esaxf&sref=4cetrwts
Year 11: https://www.raffletix.com.au/?ref=esaxf&sref=exnefyeh
Year 12: https://www.raffletix.com.au/?ref=esaxf&sref=gwtrwcup
Carnival Bring In Morning – Saturday 17 July
Carnival Bring In Morning for Books, Wine, Beer and Clothes - Saturday 17 July 9:00am-11:00am
- Donations of Clothes or the Pre-Loved Clothes stall can be accepted if items have been washed/pressed or drycleaned and are neatly folded.
- Donations of Books for the Book Stall can be accepted if items are clean and in saleable condition.
- Wine and Beer of all varieties and quantities for the Bar and Wine Wheel are gratefully accepted, as are Dan Murphy's or BWS gift cards.
- The College is not hosting a Trash N Treasure stall this year and as such items in this category will not be accepted.
- Entry via Stafford Street only directly into Nagle Building Car Park for drop off point.
Please note: Plants for the Plant Stall cannot be accepted on this Bring In morning as the College has no suitable storage. Plants will be gratefully received on Saturday 24 July from 10:30am onwards to the Tennis Court area.
Stall Spotlights
Second Hand Books
My name is Sharon, mother of Alexandra (Year 12). I am the Coordinator of the Second Hand Book stall for this year's Carnival. I'm looking for donations of used books, so that we can make the Second Hand Book stall as successful as past years. Fiction, non-fiction and children's books are very popular. If you are thinking of doing some cleaning over this school holiday break, please send used books my way. Books can be donated at College Main Reception (open over the holiday period) or donated on Bring In Day on Saturday 17 July. Any queries, please contact me on 0478 036 206.
Thank you.
Bar and Wine Wheel
A huge call out for Dan Murphy gift card donations so that we can purchase wines and beers for the Bar and for Wine Wheel, which this year will be a feature of the Bar. Always a popular resting place, Naomi and her team are keen to extend the best of hospitality to everyone who visits the Bar. But we desperately need donations.
You can either donate product to Main Reception (Open over the holidays. Please do not allow students to carry alcoholic beverage to school.) or on Bring In Day on 17 July, or hop immediately online to the Shout Out portal and ‘virtually’ donate $10 or $20 Dan Murphy Gift Cards. We will then use the to purchase product to stock the Bar and Wine Wheel with. Click Here
Ring-O-Coke
The wonderful Ellen and her team are presenting a good old favourite of Carnival – enjoyed by all ages. But they need product, or they will have to shut up shop very early in the day! We’d love you to help by donating the following drink items either the Main Reception or using the Shout Out portal and we will purchase product with your donation. Please hop on to the donation portal to ‘virtually’ donate. Click Here
1.5lt Iced Tea 36 required $4.00
1.25lt Coca-Cola 144 required $3.15
Go Potty with Plants
Winter is such a wonderful time for potting and we’re asking you to go potty with your cuttings and seedlings. Rachel and Sean are gearing up for a bumper crop at this year’s Carnival.
They firstly wish to thank the wonderful donor who came to the rescue and donated the cost of the potting mix needed.
Now we’re asking everyone to pot a plant ready for sale – anything at all; big, small; shrub; tree; annuals; daisies, violets, herbs, fruits, veges - whatever takes your fancy. Bring them in on the Saturday before Carnival, 24 July, or on the day of Carnival. If everyone helps Rachel and Sean will have an amazing array for us to take home, love and enjoy.
Thank you to our Prize Donors
Follow the Carnival Story
Follow us on Facebook (click here) and the College App (Community Tag). The Carnival webpage will very be filled with the kaleidoscope of happenings that Carnival brings, particularly the coveted Raffle prizes. We’ll let you know very soon.
For all enquiries please contact the Carnival organising team at carnival@stritas.qld.edu.au
College News
Kildare House News
Tomorrow (Friday 11 June) Kildare Year 12 students will be selling the Rocky Road at both lunch time and afternoon tea outside of the Orana Room. Six different delicious Rocky Road recipes will be available, specially crafted by each Kildare House Group.
All profits will go towards funding our Kildare initiative, St Joseph’s Primary School Murgon, from which we will be welcoming later in the year for the Country to City Weekend.
Don’t miss out!
Diverse Learners
Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD)
Every year, all schools in Australia participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). The NCCD process requires schools to identify information already available in the school about supports provided to students with disability. These relate to legislative requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, in line with the NCCD guidelines. The school will provide data to the Australian Government in such a way that no individual student will be able to be identified – the privacy and confidentiality of all students is ensured. All information is protected by privacy laws that regulate the collection, storage and disclosure of personal information. For further information please refer to the Australian Government’s Fact sheet for parents, guardians and carers.
Guidance Counsellors
Resourceful Adolescent Program (RAP)
Building resilience and promoting positive mental health in teenagers
This year, the College Guidance Counsellors are pleased to offer the opportunity to participate in the Resourceful Adolescent Program (RAP). RAP has been developed to promote positive coping strategies amongst adolescents and help parents provide support to their children through the teenage years. More information may be accessed at: http://www.rap.qut.edu.au/
In Term 3 this year, RAP will be an optional program offered to students in Year 7 along with their parents/carers. The students will participate in RAP-Adolescents (RAP-A) and parents/carers will participate in RAP-Parents (RAP-P). Participation is voluntary.
The proposed program schedule is as follows:
- RAP-A (10 sessions): Thursday 15 July from 8:00am-8:55am weekly until Thursday 16 September.
- RAP-P (3 sessions): Monday 26 July from 8:00am-10:00am; Monday 2 August from 8:00-10:00am; Monday 9 August from 8:00-10:00am
Cost: There is no cost to attend the program. Each participant will require a workbook. These are at a cost of $18 per parent/carer and $15 per student. These costs will be added to your College account.
If you would like to register your interest, please email pmatheson@stritas.qld.edu.au. Numbers are limited and places will be allocated as the registrations are received. Please only register if you are able to meet the attendance commitment for all sessions.
Ms Gail Murton, Ms Claire Fardoulys, Mrs Rebecca Rylands, Ms Philippa Matheson
Study Skills
Perfectionism
I have written before in Verbis about perfection paralysis, but a recent article by school psychologist Kelly Rump (2021) in the latest issue of SCAN magazine has prompted me to write again about this aspect of study with which so many of our girls struggle.
Rump points out that while perfectionism means students pursue excellence and set high personal standards that can be beneficial, “maladaptive” perfectionism is linked to negative psychological and emotional outcomes.
Here at St Rita’s, I work with many students who find that their perfectionism means they suffer from stress and anxiety, which leads to procrastination, and of course, further stress, because their inability to complete – or even begin – tasks means they leave everything until the last minute. This vicious cycle is difficult to break.
How can parents help? Rump’s article points to research from 2014 by Coren and Luthar which shows that “students who receive parental pressure to perform highly are more likely to display maladaptive perfectionism at school, including less tolerance of mistakes”.
Some strategies you may like to try with your daughter if she struggles with perfectionism include:
- be aware of the difference between encouragement and pressure
- prioritise the development of your daughter’s intrinsic values so she can set and attain healthy goals
- model acceptance of failure and mistakes (encourage her to see these as learning opportunities)
- encourage your daughter to understand the difference between excellence and perfection
- help her to recognise the detrimental effects of perfectionism
- promote self-determinism – that is, autonomy over her learning, including attempting different approaches to tasks
- model and foster self-compassion
- help her to develop a growth mindset
- explore stress management techniques, such as meditation and mindfulness.
If you would like to read the full article, you can find it here.
If your daughter struggles with perfectionism or would like help with any other aspect of her study skills, please ask her to contact me and I can arrange an individual coaching session. If you have any queries regarding our Study Skills program at St Rita’s, please don’t hesitate to contact me on wls@stritas.qld.edu.au
Reference:
Rump, K. (2021). Pressure to be perfect: How schools can identify, target and reduce maladaptive perfectionism in adolescents. Scan, 40(5)
Ms Amanda Wallas
Head of Study Skills
Sport
Cross Country
The 2021 Cross Country season culminated in an historic victory for St Rita’s College when our team ended a 17-year drought of winning one of the big three CaSSSA cups (Swimming, Track and Field and Cross Country) to claim the CaSSSA Large Schools Cross Country Championship for the first time since 2001.The result reflected many years of hard work, particularly from the Seniors who had not expected this result after six years of second place. The fact the Interhouse Carnival and some training sessions also had to be modified due to Covid-19 restrictions, also showed the resilience of the team.
The euphoric response from the team when the result was announced encapsulated the magnitude of the occasion. St Rita’s also finished 2nd in the Percentage Trophy. All age groups succeeded beyond expectation and finished in the top three places of their age. The results for each age group was: 19 Years and under 3rd, 16 Years 1st, 15 Years 1st, 14 Years 1st, 13 Years 1st and 12 Years 2nd. There were also several exceptional individual performances, with the following girls finishing in the top ten in their races:
19 Years: Abby Vickers 3rd, Claudia McMahon 9th
16 Years: Stella Kay 3rd, Sophia McCarthy 5th
15 Years: Nina Vickers 2nd, Tilly Hughes 4th, Izabelle Cooper 5th, Gracie Turner 8th
14 Years: Caitlin Mahar 4th, Isabella Farkas 5th, Sophia De Angelis 10th
13 Years: Romy Vickers 1st, Rose Acklin 2nd, Ruby Crowther 6th, Eliza Macgroarty 9th
12 Years: Sophia Perkins 2nd, Ava Ferguson 6th
Special mention must also be made to those students who ran up in higher age groups to help balance our team.
We would like to thank the 2021 coaches Mr Michael Hillardt (Head Coach), Ms Kavita Maharaj, Ms Kimbra Winburn, Ms Amy Bartkowski and Mr Anthony McSweeney, for their hard work, early mornings, late afternoons and weekends assisting the girls, and to Mr Robinson (Director of Sport) and Mrs Schubert (Sports Assistant) for their tireless efforts behind the scenes. The continued support of the Sports Sub-Committee providing breakfasts is also much appreciated.
We look forward to continuing to improve and maintaining this success in 2022.
Mr John Mundell and Mr Shaun Barry
Teachers in Charge
Netball
Our Vicki Wilson Cup and Shield team recently competed at the Vicki Wilson Championships with some amazing results.
The Cup Team lost one close game throughout the day and made it into the playoff finals where they emerged victorious to be crowned the champions of the day and earn their position to compete in the Vicki Wilson Championship finals, to be held on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 August.
The Shield Team went through the rounds undefeated, however, fell just short in the finals. A heartbreaking loss after such a high performing day.
The comradery and support from the girls were incredible to watch, and a massive congratulations to all the girls in the Vicki Wilson Squad that have assisted in the team’s achievements.
A special thank you must go out to Mrs Brennan, Head Coach of the Cup team who once again did a fantastic job coaching the team, and Mrs Ross who assisted the Shield team.
Term 3 CaSSSA Sport
Trials have been completed for Term 3 CaSSSA sport with the following sports on offer for Term 3:
- Basketball: Junior and Senior
- Football (Soccer): Junior and Senior
- Touch: Intermediate and Open/Senior
Teams will be posted on MySRC. Looking forward to commencing Term 3 with some new sports.
Keep up the fantastic work!
Mr Dane Robinson
Director of Sport
Pantry
Fortnightly Hot Menu
Week beginning Monday 14 June
Monday
Beef empanadas $4.50
Special fried rice $5.00
Veg fritters with tomato relish (v) $4.00
Penne pasta with sausage in napoli sauce $5.50
Tuesday
Butter chicken pies with chips $7.00
Beef massaman curry and rice $8.00
Steamed dim sum $4.00
Penne pasta with basil pesto (v) $5.50
Wednesday
Steamed pork buns $5.00
Pork in plum sauce with steamed rice $7.00
Arancini balls with aioli (v) $6.00
Penne pasta with sausage in Napoli sauce $5.50
Thursday
Honey chicken with steamed rice $7.00
Beef burritos with potato gems (v and gf avail) $7.00
Wontons $4.00
Penne with bolognaise $5.50
Community Notices
St Ignatius Parish - Women's Night of Spirituality
