Dear Parents and Carers,

This week is National Reconciliation week and it highlights for all Australians the importance of the concept of reconciliation in our nation. I discussed with the students at assembly what this week means for us in Australia today. Sometimes we speak of ourselves as a young nation, but we have  one of the world’s oldest living cultures in the world in Australia. We are beginning to realise and appreciate how lucky we are to be associated with the oldest continuous culture in the world. However, our history shows that this has not always been the case. There have been some great injustices done to Aboriginal people in the past and it is still happening in parts of society today.  As a nation, we have the opportunity in the very near future to take steps to help right those wrongs and take meaningful action to recognise the truly wonderful gift our First Nation peoples’ culture and history are to all in Australia. In this National Week of Reconciliation, I’d ask that you spend time speaking to your daughters about what should happen to help put an end to the great disadvantage many Aboriginal communities find themselves in.

The Prime Minister Mr Albanese stated in a speech last week “that the referendum is our chance to add weight and meaning, cementing our pride in our nation, and making a real and lasting difference in the process. Words are important, but we give them their truest meaning through our actions.” This of course is a sentiment that we can relate to given our own motto of “Action not Words”.

The referendum on the “Voice to Parliament" will be held later this year. In it, people of voting age will be asked to vote “Yes” or “No” to the proposal to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.

The Australian Bishops argued that the fact First Nations Peoples have lived in Australia for many thousands of years but their custodianship of the land isn’t mentioned in the Constitution is “an omission which needs to be rectified”. A Voice to Parliament isn’t the only way to achieve that outcome, the bishops wrote, but it “is the way requested by those who gathered at the historic meeting at Uluru”.

“This could be a significant step towards a more just and equitable Australia,” the statement says. “We want to encourage all Australians to educate themselves as well as possible concerning the proposal to establish the Voice.

“This is an important moment in the history of the nation, and it can help us to move towards a deep and just reconciliation. It also offers a mechanism to improve the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.”

The bishops call for a meaningful debate on the issue, acknowledging that “people may, in good faith, have differing concerns and perspectives”.

“We are an open democracy, and this is a moment to use our democratic institutions to produce a high-quality debate shaped by a genuine concern to do justice and bring healing to First Nations Peoples,” they wrote.

“We ask those drafting the changes to the Constitution to work together in a spirit of cooperation, so that the proposal presented to the Australian people will appeal to a wide range of the population.”

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference endorsed the Uluru Statement from the Heart in 2021, with the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia taking the same step last year.

https://mediablog.catholic.org.au/bishops-issue-statement-on-indigenous-voice-to-parliament/

How this referendum came about goes back to May of 2017 - six years ago this week. What happened then was, a representative group of 250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander delegates came together at the foot of Uluru in Central Australia which lies on the lands of the Anangu people. These delegates brought with them the views of the majority of First Nations people that were gathered throughout Australia from Regional Dialogues. From this meeting came what is now known as “Uluru Statement from the Heart”. This statement is not a demand from Aboriginal Australians but an invitation to all of us to participate in a great act of reconciliation. Essentially it calls for the establishment of a ‘First Nations Voice’ to be enshrined in the Australia Constitution and for the establishment of a ‘Makarrata Commission’ to supervise agreement-making and truth-telling between governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Makarrata is a word from the language of the Yolngu people in Arnhem Land. It means two parties coming together after a struggle, to heal the wounds of the past, and to live again in peace – in other words, Reconciliation. The word’s core message is to acknowledge that something wrong has been done and to seek to make things right. The word captures the aspirations for a fair, truthful and reconciled relationship between First Nations and the people of Australia, and for a better future for First Nations’ children based on justice and self-determination.

The words of the complete Uluru statement create a powerful call inviting all Australians to share equally in our society. I hope that all families will strive to understand the significance of this vote to the future of our country.

I wish all families a very relaxing and enjoyable midyear break. I also wish all students and staff travelling overseas at this time to Cambodia, Europe and New York all the best. I hope these travels will enrich their lives and they come back to us with a greater understanding of the world.

God bless

Mrs Dale Morrow

As we come to the end of our first semester with both Year 5 and Year 6, Primary staff and students have been reflecting on the busyness and excitement that has permeated Terms 1 and 2. We have doubled in size and, in turn, have doubled the excitement and energy that our Primary students bring to College life.

Our Primary Team have worked tirelessly in providing engaging and interesting learning opportunities for the girls across all subject areas. The students have given 100% effort in their learning and are to be commended for always trying their best. Although they are the youngest students in the College, our Primary girls work hard to further themselves in their studies and demonstrate determination, persistence and growing resilience when presented with learning challenges.

This semester has seen many Primary firsts – our first House Representatives and House Assemblies, the establishment of Mini Vinnies, the excitement of our new playground, excursions to Lone Pine Sanctuary and the Planetarium and our adventures in Canberra.

Primary staff and students are immensely grateful for the support of our College community and would like to thank all who have contributed to such a positive and successful Semester.

Year 6 Canberra Trip

Our very first Year 6 Canberra Trip was a tremendous success. The students enjoyed a wonderful week experiencing places of national significance and making memories that will last a lifetime. Our students had an opportunity to visit much of the Nation’s capital. 

At Parliament House, both groups were excited to be in the viewing gallery and witness a division, followed by a vote on a Bill of Parliament. We saw some familiar faces in the House of Representatives, including Prime Minister Albanese and former Prime Minister Morrison, and met the current Member for Brisbane, Mr Stephen Bates. 

Our visit to the Australian War Memorial was deeply moving as students listened to stories of courage, determination, and sacrifice. Students heard of the bravery of those who fought and died for their country and freedom.

When asked about other highlights from our adventures, student responses have included:

• Our tour of Government House and learning about the role of the Governor-General
• Our visit to the Australian Institute of Sport and seeing how the athletes train
• Visiting Questacon and learning about Science in Q by Night (when we had the whole building to ourselves!)
• Learning about the history of our currency and how coins are minted at the Royal Australian Mint
• Seeing snow for the first time at Thredbo!
• Voting in our mini-election at the National Electoral Education Centre (apples won both votes!)
• Seeing the view from Mount Ainslie and spotting Parliament House and the War Memorial from the top!

At each location we visited, our hosts commented on the beautiful behaviour and insightful questions of our students. Year 6 were exceptional representatives of the College community.

A very special thank you to Mrs Balfe and the team at Student Horizons for their time and efforts in organising such a memorable trip for our students and to Mrs Hukins, Miss Dawson, Mrs Skelton, Mrs Balfe and Mr Robinson for caring for and encouraging our girls in their Canberra adventure. 

Holiday Sports Clinics

Our Year 6 students are invited to join their future Year 7 classmates at our upcoming School Holiday Sports Clinic for our Year 7, 2024 class to be held on Wednesday 5 July and Thursday 6 July. 

This action packed sports clinic will provide a great opportunity for your daughter to try new sports, have fun, build confidence and meet and play with her new Year 7 classmates. Registrations close next Friday so be sure to register here. Full details were distributed to Year 6 parents earlier this week.

Our current Year 5 students will have a similar opportunity to connect with their future classmates over the September school holidays. Further details to follow.

Buckle up! The 2023 P&F Raffle is here and one lucky winner will drive away in a dazzling Mazda2 valued at $26,800! With only 2,000 tickets up for grabs get in quick before they all sell out!

Click here for prize details and to purchase your tickets

All funds raised will support the St Rita's College Parents and Friends' Association in their mission to support the College in providing exceptional learning environments and opportunities for all students. 

This term, Year 5 students are participating in a Literature Circles project as part of their weekly library sessions. A Literature Circle is a reciprocal reading strategy, which is used to develop collaboration, and promote wider reading, higher order thinking, and deeper comprehension of texts. In essence, it is a student-directed conversation about literary texts akin to a book club (Simpson, 2014). The goals discussed with the students are; to enjoy reading together, read something you might not usually pick, understand the book more deeply by working with others, and develop group work skills.

The theme for this term’s project is Adventure Fiction. This genre invites us to embark on journeys of discovery by following along with characters who experience great personal development over the course of their quest. However great or small their obstacles, the protagonists of Adventure Fiction demonstrate important traits including courage, loyalty, and growth. These stories allow young readers to connect with characters who face their fears and overcome challenges.

For each meeting, students complete a different role, which encourages them to develop deeper connections with the text and to build their reading comprehension skills.

The four roles are:

• Discussion Director: lead the discussion by creating two open-ended questions, and summarise the groups’ insights.
• Super Summariser: summarise the most significant parts of the story.
• Critical Connector: make one type of connection to the text; either text-to-text (does the story connect to another?), text-to-self (does the story or theme or person connect to the students’ own life?), or text-to-world (does the story connect to current events?).
• Word Wizard: define one interesting or new word from the story and select one literary device or interesting sentence and explain the effect it had on the story.

It is important the students complete their assigned reading and role (using the worksheet in their orange Literature Circles journal) before meeting with their group to ensure active and worthwhile discussion. Students are encouraged to read for 20 minutes each night and their Literature Circles book provides the perfect opportunity for this.

So far, the Year 5 students have had three meetings with their Literature Circles group during their library sessions. The students are currently engaged in the thick of the action and are on their way toward the resolution. There has been lively discussion about the texts and lots of predictions made! In Week 9, during their final library session for the term, the students will create a 2-minute Book Review with their group and will have the opportunity to share that with the rest of their class.

We know many families are reading along with their children and are on the journey as well.

Literature Circles is always a highlight of our year with Primary and we are thrilled to share this experience with the Year 5 cohort.

Noni Harrison                                      Penny Waring
Head of Library                                   Teacher Librarian

Over the weekend 22 of our music students participated in the State Honours Ensemble Program South-East QLD 2023. Students are nominated by the school and then selected for entry into this program that brings together students to work in an intensive environment of musical excellence with their peers offering a unique opportunity to extend and develop their musical skills. Our students were involved in Wind Ensembles, String Ensembles, Vocal Ensembles and Guitar Ensembles led by a team of eminent conductors from Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University. We are sure that all participating students will have lots to share from their experience.

It has been a busy time for our CaSSSA Term sports, with our current term nearing finals, and trials happening last week for our Term 3 Sports. As we head into Round 7 fixtures this week, it has been fantastic to see the improvement in our junior players since the start of this term. Watching our Junior Volleyball players hit overheard serves with such strength, and our Touch players gaining confidence on the field is awesome to see. A huge thanks to our current students who are filling our referee allocations for Touch & Volleyball. If there is anyone who is interested in gaining their Level 1 Referee badge in any sports and working in our CaSSSA Wednesday afternoon sports as a referee, please email ncallanan@stritas.qld.edu.au

Term 3 CaSSSA Sport

As communicated to all CaSSSA registrants via email, we have now added a compulsory final grading session on Wednesday 12 July for all Touch, Football and Basketball players to attend. Teams will then be announced ready for the first round of play the following week. Please ensure the correct uniform items stated in the Terms & Conditions online here are purchased ready for your Round 1 fixtures. 

Don't miss out on our exciting EOFY sale on supporters gear! Show your school spirit and get your hands on the merchandise at unbeatable prices! Click here to view the gear and place your order. There are also great deals on sale uniform items. 

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 (2019).

Information provided about students to the Australian Government for the NCCD includes:

• Year of Schooling
• Category of disability: physical, cognitive, sensory or social/emotional
• Level of adjustment provided: support provided within quality differentiated teaching practice, supplementary, substantial or extensive.

This information assists schools to:

• Formally recognise the supports and adjustments provided to students with disability in schools
• Consider how they can strengthen the support of students with disability in schools
• Develop shared practices so that they can review their learning programs in order to improve educational outcomes for students with disability.

The NCCD will have no direct impact on your child and your child will not be involved in any testing process. 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. To find out more about these matters, please refer to the Australian Government’s Privacy Policy.

Further information about the NCCD can be found on the NCCD Portal.

If you have any questions about the NCCD, please contact the school.

Click here to access the NCCD Fact Sheet for parents, guardians and carers.