By Mr Simon Fleming - Principal

It is about this time of term that some students become challenged by their schoolwork, especially for students in Years 11 and 12 as assessment tasks or drafts become due. Also, students in Junior years can become distracted and lose focus on their learning. At assembly I mentioned that when we are under pressure, we must draw upon our character strengths. These include our resilience, adaptability, resolve, determination and even pride in our achievements. However, we all need some support to reach the end point. As parents we need to be aware of what is happening at school and in lessons so that we can assist as best we can. This does not mean we supply all the answers but just to be aware, listen and provide the right learning environment at home.

I have had some interesting conversations of late. One local commented that I should not expect too much as it is only Warwick. Another family expressed concern that Assumption only focussed on League and Netball. This was a provoking cultural estimation and one that should be addressed. My expectation and that of the staff is that learning comes first. As a Catholic school our priority is to uphold the dignity of each individual and to do this we are obligated to provide the best possible opportunities for students to reach their potential. At the Principal Forum last week, Dr Pat Coughlan provided evidence of what ranked highest for parents as far as schooling was concerned. Enabling students to realise their future potential ranked number one followed by quality teaching. These are the two areas that we have a moral imperative to realise in our schools.

There are a number of opportunities available for students at Assumption. Why is it important for students to join clubs and participate in school events? Research has shown that students’ sense of belonging is linked to many long-term educational benefits including school completion. When students feel a sense of belonging, students’ engagement in their learning is enhanced. This is especially true for important transition times in a student’s education, when they start secondary school, when they change school or when they move into senior school. If students have a strong sense of belonging, they will see the benefit of school even when they find the work hard. Encourage your son or daughter to make the most of the opportunities available at Assumption to participate in extra-curricula activities to build their sense of belonging. 

In staffing news, we would like to wish Rebecca Bastion all the best as she journeys around the globe for the rest of the Year. Mrs Natalie Bennet will be taking over Ms Bastions classes and we welcome Ms Hannah Barclay who will take over Mrs Bennet’s classes. I am confident that disruption will be minimalised as these classes transition. This week we received news that Mrs Kirstie Andrews has accepted a position as teacher librarian at St Joseph’s College in Toowoomba to begin next term.

Have a lovely week.

Simon

 

By Mrs Anna Hardy, Acting Deputy Principal

A number of staff from the College are engaging in a Mental Health First aid course offered by the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office throughout this term and next.  The purpose of the course is to help identify the needs of others in mental health.  As a society we are well versed to administer first aid in the practical sense; bandages, bites and heaven forbid CPR but do we know how to help someone with mental health issues?  I thought I would share some wisdom that we have been learning in this course throughout this newsletter article. 

One area of interest to me is Anxiety.  As a Secondary College we are seeing many students who suffer from anxiety and anxiety related disorders.  We also see a lot of behaviours labelled as anxiety.

Anxiety is a really intense worrying which is hard to shake off.  It is often a feeling of nervousness and a feeling of dread.  Anxiety is very common.  One in six young people will suffer from an anxiety condition, (The Road Ahead, 2020).  Everyone experiences anxiety at some time.  Anxiety is mostly caused by perceived threats in the environment, but some people are more likely than others to react with anxiety when they are threatened, (Standard Mental Health First Aid, 2017). 

Anxiety can vary in severity from uneasiness to panic attacks and can also vary  in how long it lasts.  Anxiety can affect a person’s thinking, feeling, behaviour and physical well-being, (Standard Mental Health First Aid, 2017).

People most at risk of Anxiety are those who:

• Have a more sensitive emotional nature and who see the world as threatening
• Have a history of anxiety in childhood, adolescence, including marked shyness
• Are female
• Misuse alcohol
• Experience a traumatic experience
• A difficult childhood (physical, emotional or sexual abuse, neglect or over-strictness)
• A family background which involves poverty or lack of job skills
• A family history of anxiety disorders
• Parental alcohol problems
• Separation and divorce

(Standard Mental Health First Aid, 2017).

There are many strategies for dealing with anxiety:

• Concentrating on breathing – slow breaths in and out
• Doing something that relaxes your muscles, hot bath, stretching, massage etc
• Do something that relaxes your mind, mediation, talking to someone, playing music etc
• Exercising
• Getting enough sleep
• Eating healthy foods and drinking enough water
• Reduce the amount of caffeine, energy drinks etc
• Seeking professional help – GP’s, Psychologists, Mental Health Nurses, Counsellors, Psychiatrists, Occupational Therapist and social workers with mental health training.

(Standard Mental Health First Aid, 2017).

 

Mental Health First Aid Australia. (2017). Standard Mental Health First Aid (1st ed., pp. 42-47).

Strategies for Managing Anxiety. (2020), 1(1), 6. Retrieved 3 March 2020, from.

By Mrs Carol Sharp, APRE

Project Compassion

Second Week of Lent (School week beginning 9th March)

In Cambodia, 1 in 8 people live below the poverty line. This week through Project Compassion we learn about Phany (pronounded Parn-ee). Struggling to earn a living as a farmer in Cambodia, Phany was forced to leave her daughter behind in the village to take up construction work in the city. Thankfully, through a Caritas funded program, Phany learnt new farming techniques which enabled her to get a better yield from her vegetable crops and to conserve water in her drought-stricken region. Phany’s community also took part in training in health, nutrition, hygiene and disaster preparedness, arming them with better strategies to cope with environmental changes.

Learn more about Phany and others by visiting the Project Compassion website at https://lent.caritas.org.au/#blank

 

RE Congress 2020

Two weeks ago, I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in the RE Congress held in Anaheim, Los Angeles. This congress was a gathering of approximately 40,000 Catholics from around the world. We all came together to celebrate our faith and to listen to experts talk on the topic of ‘Live Mercy, Be Holy’ – the theme for the 2020 congress. It was an amazing experience and I have come away with a multitude of ideas and information that can inform both the RE curriculum at ACW and the broader Catholic identity of our school.

Over the coming weeks I will provide a summary of the information discussed in each of the sessions that I went to and some ideas of how this information can be implemented at ACW. So, here we go – session 1:

 

Dr Robert McCarty
How to Engage Young People in God Talk!

Dr McCarty talked about how our young people are experience rich but language poor. He cited the statistic that 1 in 3 people report a significant experience of God before the age of 16 however many are lacking the vocabulary to discuss this experience.

This is further compounded by the belief that God is actually beyond human language – there is no word or combination of words in any of the human languages that fully explains God.

What this means for us at ACW is that we need to build the religious literacy of our students – much like we build literacy in other areas of their study. Dr McCarty suggests using analogy and metaphors to engage people in conversations about God. His book ‘Faith Talk’ provides lots of practical activities to guide teachers in how they might do this.

Building the religious literacy of our students is a priority for 2020 and, as a curriculum team, the RE department will be working to engage our young people in God talk.

 

Prayer

God of goodness and mercy,
Hear my prayer as I begin this Lenten journey with you. Let me be honest with myself as I look into my heart and soul, noticing the times I turn away from you. Guide me as I humbly seek to repent and return to your love.
May humility guide my efforts to be reconciled with you and live forever in your abundant grace.
Transform me this Lent, heavenly Father. Give me the strength to commit myself to grow closer to you each day.
Amen.

By Ms Eliza Harris - Assistant Principal - Curriculum 

MYTHBUSTING NAPLAN

With NAPLAN looming closer and closer, let’s have a look at some commonly asked questions around one of Australia’s most publicly debated tests, debunk some common misconceptions and explore some handy hints and tips for both parents and students.

WHAT IS NAPLAN?

NAPLAN is a snapshot in time, showing teachers, parents and students what skills and abilities each student has in numeracy, reading, writing and language. Just like we have photos to record moments in our lives that we can look back on and see our growth, NAPLAN is one way to record and watch how individuals, schools and Australia are growing in their education. Teachers and parents can then look at these snapshots to help them make decisions about how to best help students learn more and how to gain the most from their education. Teachers and parents won’t only use NAPLAN to help students learn, but it’s useful to have a common starting point that students all around the country have used.

A main objective of the NAPLAN tests is to provide governments, education authorities, schools, teachers and parents with a standardised measure to assess the critical numeracy and literacy skills of young Australians. This helps identify national trends, highlight strengths and weaknesses in current education programs and identify areas to focus on in the future. NAPLAN is the only standardised test undertaken by young Australians and therefore is a useful measure for interested parties to gain a general sense of how the Australian education system is operating.

It is important for parents to remember that NAPLAN testing provides information at a specific point in time of a student’s progress in literacy and numeracy. While the tests are a national examination, they do not provide all information about your child’s numeracy and literacy skills. They are just one test your child will complete throughout their school life and are meant to complement other forms of school assessment.

Keeping this in mind, students should not be worried or anxious about sitting the NAPLAN tests, nor should they be disheartened or discouraged by their NAPLAN results. Instead students should think about NAPLAN primarily as a learning experience, and secondly as a way to gain hands-on experience in exam conditions – a crucial skill to take into their final eternal exams in Year 12.

WHAT IS EACH TEST ABOUT?

NAPLAN focuses on the areas of numeracy, reading, writing and language. Each of these are thought of as the important and foundational skills that students need to be successful in all areas of learning.

Numeracy

The Numeracy test is NOT a maths test. Instead the test aims to see how well students can work, think and solve problems with numbers and mathematical ideas. There are many questions that are similar to school maths tests and these are used to measure what sorts of skills students know well or need to improve. There are also questions that measure how well students can fit pieces of information together to solve problems.

Reading

The Reading test aims to measure how students think about what they read and how students navigate different styles of writing. During the test there are a few different articles to read in the Magazine, with questions to measure how well students can interpret meaning and context in what they have read.

Language

The Language test looks at how well students can work with the building blocks of the English language, which includes skills like spelling, using punctuation and constructing sentences.

Writing

The Writing test gives students an opportunity to demonstrate how well they can present their ideas in writing. Students are given an idea or topic to write about and the aim is to see how well they can communicate their thoughts and construct their thinking.

How much preparation is required for NAPLAN?

In the classroom some of the best learning opportunities come from the preparation and revision we do in the lessons before a test than from the actual test itself. It is on these occasions that students can reflect on their learning, identify the skills and techniques they’ve been using and see their learning as a journey rather than a series of isolated lessons. During term 1 & 2, as SKILLS classes begin completing selections of questions from past NAPLAN papers, many useful learning opportunities will present themselves. Students are able to discuss strategies for solving the problems and are able to analyse why some of the multiple-choice options seemed viable when really they were there to test common misconceptions. Students will receive an “insider’s” view to NAPLAN as well as having a guided discussion on how and where they could prepare themselves further.

TIPS and TRICKS

There are many sensationalised stories in today’s media, ranging from students spending hours and hours sitting practice tests, refusing to go to school and experiencing sleepless nights from the worry and stress caused by the very thought of NAPLAN to students receiving no preparation at all. The good news is that there is a middle ground and the following is some advice parents and teachers can use to plan some useful NAPLAN preparation.

TOP 5 TIPS FOR STUDENTS

1. Try to do your homework every night – a little revision goes a long way.
2. Think strong – grit and determination will play major factors in how you push forward.
3. Speak Up – if you are feeling worried, talk to your parent, carer or teacher.
4. Prepare yourself – Go to bed early the night before NAPLAN tests, have breakfast, take a water bottle and a healthy lunch.
5. Relax – NAPLAN won’t hurt. It will be over before you know it!

TOP 6 TIPS FOR PARENTS

1. Encourage your child with their homework, short sessions of classwork revision and NAPLAN revision during the year.
2. Encourage confidence. Encourage your child to “give it a go’’, “try your best’’, “do what you can’’. Reinforce that your expectations are that the child does his or her best.
3. Discuss feelings and concerns. Let your child know that feeling anxious is normal; show empathy and listen to their fears, concerns and worries; reassure them of your expectations.
4. Maintain a caring, positive attitude. Be approachable; encourage interest activities as well as schoolwork. Your child needs to feel safe and secure at this anxious time.
5. Prepare your child. Have your child go to bed early, have breakfast, and have their water bottle and a nutritional lunch prepared. Make sure they have their test materials and requirements ready beforehand. Try to keep minimal stress levels at home. Arrive at school on time.
6. Keep perspective. This is just a test in time; just one form of assessment; success is not just determined by a test.

By Mrs Julie Collins - Program Leader Sport

By Mrs Mary-Anne Driver 

Our robotics club is up and running on a Friday with Mr Dudin.  The group is starting with spheros – coding them to navigate a room full of furniture using ipads.  The challenges are going to increase as the weeks progress.  We also have a lego robot that the students are looking forward to being able to program!

One of the many classes that use our space is skills lessons.  Skill lessons are designed to increase our students’ knowledge and ability in the base areas of reading and writing, but also tackle other important skills on a needs basis - such as those related to critical and creative thinking, technology, and research. Today, Mrs Rohan brought her Year 8’s in, and as you can see from the pictures below, they enjoyed four different activities focusing on different skills.

Our discussion board for this term focuses on ‘Life is a Team Sport’.  We asked the students who is on your team and how do they help you? There are some lovely responses including friends, family and God! 

By Mrs Alison Porter, Program Leader Student Pathways

Pink Stumps Day 2020

This year, Pink Stumps Day was held on the 14^th of February and it was a cracker. We raised $2186.00 for the McGrath Foundation which exceeded our already high goal of $2,000. It was great to see so many people wearing pink and supporting the McGrath Foundation, especially seeing as all the money raised was going to a great cause.

The event was such a hit that a reporter from the Warwick Daily News came to Assumption to take photos of all of us having fun and wearing pink. The event could not have happened without the help of the teachers and senior students, we truly appreciate you giving up lessons and break time to make the day possible.

The teachers beat the Grade 12 students again in the Student vs Teacher cricket match this time by a whopping 38 runs, but everybody had a lot of fun. The day was a huge success, and everyone seemed to enjoy it (even the weather).

Thank you to our sponsors N & T Cox Floor coverers & Back to Health Chiropractic (Students socks). Thanks once again to everybody who contributed to Pink Stumps Day and I hope that it will be just as fun, if not more so, next year.

-Olivia and Dan

Hatch Retreat

In week 5, our Year 7 and 8 students had the opportunity to retreat from the daily work of classes and assignments. They were lead in a reflection on areas such as:

• Team building
• Motivation
• Dealing with failure
• Positive interactions

The day was a great opportunity for students to start the year on the right foot and for our Year 7s to really get to know each other as a cohort.

St Mary's Race Day

Bowling for Brain Cancer

Warwick & District Netball