St Clare's Catholic School TSV eNewsletter

Dear St Clare’s Families,

Feast of St Clare

Tomorrow, we look forward to celebrating the Feast Day of our patron, St Clare of Assisi – a joyful occasion for our whole school community.

Our celebrations will begin with a Whole School Mass, giving thanks for the life and example of St Clare. We will reflect on her legacy and the inspiring work of The Poor Clare Sisters, whose lives of prayer, humility, and service continue to guide our mission.

Following Mass, families are warmly invited to join us for a Family Picnic on the Year 1 Lawn, a wonderful opportunity to connect and enjoy time together. The middle session will be filled with Feast Day activities for students, centred on the values of service and compassion, and supporting Catholic charity organisations that live out St Clare’s spirit in the world today. Our day will finish with the annual Staff v Students Touch Game, which is sure to be a very competitive event!

We look forward to sharing this special day with all our families as we celebrate our faith, our community, and the example of St Clare.

School Renewal Update

At the end of Week 3, we welcomed the Verification Team to our school as part of the review and planning process for the next phase of our strategic improvement journey.

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the staff, students, and parents who participated in the community consultation sessions. Your honest reflections, ideas, and enthusiasm provided valuable insight into the strengths of our school and the areas we will continue to develop.

A special thank you also goes to every classroom for the warm welcome extended to our visitors. The team greatly enjoyed their tours of the school and the learning conversations with students, which showcased the pride, engagement, and depth of learning that happens each day.

The feedback from the Verification Team was incredibly positive, reaffirming the wonderful learning environment we provide and the high-quality teaching and learning taking place across our school.

Importantly, the team has verified our draft strategic improvement goals. The next step is for the Leadership Team, in further collaboration with our Service Team from Townsville Catholic Education and the School Board, to refine these goals and begin the strategic planning process that will guide our direction over the next four years. In 2026, we will welcome back Ross Horner, external validator, to validate that our updated strategic plan reflects the strategic goals identified through our rigorous process of review and verification.

I am immensely proud of our school community and grateful for the contribution of everyone involved in this process. Together, we continue to grow and strengthen our shared vision for the future at St Clare’s Catholic School.

Leadership Team Arrangements - 20 - 22 August

The St Clare’s Leadership Team (Helen Wade, Keegan Tudehope, Jacqui Loader and Donna Jack) will be travelling to Cairns next week (Wednesday - Friday) to attend the Australian Catholic Education Conference - Hope anchored in Faith.

The conference offers an engaging professional learning experience for Catholic educators, leaders, clergy, parents and others from the broader Church involved in Catholic education across the country.

With the theme ‘hope, anchored in faith’, the conference will focus on the strategic vision and mission of Catholic education across three key areas – Faith, Excellence and Access. A broad range of speakers, presentations and workshops focused on Catholic identity, mission and formation; learning and teaching; leadership and governance; parent engagement; parish and community engagement; resourcing and infrastructure; advocacy and marketing; and more, will be scheduled across the three days.

The Leadership Team will remain available via email if required, with matters relayed to the teachers deputising in the leadership roles across our time away. Thank you to Mrs Kate Greinke, Mrs Alicia Moorhouse and Mrs Evon Downie for deputising in our absence.

2026 Class Placement

As we begin planning for the 2026 academic year, we are mindful of the importance of thoughtful class placement to ensure the best possible learning environment for all students.

The process of forming class groups is a detailed and careful one. Our aim is to create balanced classes that consider a range of factors, including gender, learning styles, support needs, academic levels, and social-emotional capacities.

If you believe there are specific educational reasons that we should take into consideration when placing your child, we welcome you to share this information with us by emailing ktudehope@stclarestsv.catholic.edu.au by Friday, September 19, 2025.

While we are unable to accommodate requests for particular teachers, we will do our best to ensure your child’s needs are thoughtfully considered as part of the process.

Thank you for your understanding and for supporting our efforts to create balanced and positive learning environments for all students.

May God bless your and your family

Helen Wade

Principal

“Boyfriends and Girlfriends” in Primary School: Understanding and Supporting Young Children’s Social Development

It’s not uncommon for young children in primary school to refer to one another as “boyfriend” or “girlfriend.” These declarations are often innocent and light-hearted, driven more by curiosity, play, or imitation than by any mature understanding of romantic relationships. However, while this stage of social development can be harmless for some, it can also lead to confusion, emotional challenges, and distractions in the classroom setting.

As parents and educators, it’s important to understand what might be behind these early “relationships” and how we can best support children’s emotional and social wellbeing. Children aged 5 to 12 are in a stage of rapid social learning. They begin to explore concepts of friendship, loyalty, and belonging. Often, the idea of having a “boyfriend” or “girlfriend” is learned through media, older siblings, or playground talk. At this age, these labels typically reflect admiration, close friendship, or a desire for connection, rather than a romantic relationship. In most cases, children don’t fully understand what the term “relationship” implies. However, the language they use can still influence how they interact with each other and how they’re perceived by their peers.

When children start labelling each other as boyfriends or girlfriends, a few social difficulties can arise:

Exclusion and Peer Pressure: Children not included in these pretend relationships may feel left out or worry that something is “wrong” with them. This can lead to unnecessary anxiety or efforts to “fit in” by rushing into similar labels before they’re socially or emotionally ready.

Social Tension: Young children often change their minds quickly. Today’s “girlfriend” might be tomorrow’s “not friends anymore,” causing hurt feelings and playground conflicts. These ups and downs can be intense for young children who are still learning how to manage emotions.

Distraction from Learning: At school, the classroom should be a safe space for learning, exploration, and building positive peer relationships. When romantic language or preoccupation with “relationships” becomes part of the day-to-day conversation, it can impact focus in several ways. Children might become preoccupied with who is “going out” with whom, especially if disagreements arise. These distractions can carry over into learning time and make it harder for some students to concentrate. Teasing, gossip, or arguments over who is in a relationship with whom can cause disruption and even lead to bullying. Some children feel confused or upset if they aren’t part of these “relationship” dynamics, diverting their energy away from developing healthy, age-appropriate friendships.

As parents and educators, our role isn’t to shame or punish children for exploring social ideas, but to guide them gently toward understanding appropriate relationships for their age. Here are a few ways you can help:

Talk Openly and Calmly: If your child mentions having a “boyfriend” or “girlfriend,” ask them what that means to them. Keep the tone light and open, avoiding judgment. Often, their explanation is more innocent than we assume.

Encourage Inclusive Friendships: Emphasise the value of all kinds of friendships regardless of gender. Encourage your child to make friends with many different children and focus on kindness, sharing, and cooperation.

Set Age-Appropriate Expectations: Explain that while it’s okay to care about others, primary school is a time to focus on learning, playing, and building strong, respectful friendships, not dating.

Limit Media Influence: Be mindful of what your child watches or plays. Many shows and games aimed at older audiences introduce relationship themes that younger children may not yet be ready to process.

Schools and families work best when they collaborate. Teachers will often address these topics in the context of respectful relationships and personal development. Together, we can help children develop the social and emotional skills they need, at the right pace for their age, so that they can enjoy healthy friendships and learning environments without unnecessary distractions.

Whole School Meditation

Last Friday for St Mary MacKillop’s feast day we all stopped at 12.45pm and participated in a whole school meditation. Classes positioned themselves around the school, there were classes around St Clare, St Francis and Mary. I was in the Year 2 and 3 Pod and the stillness was impressive. I hope the children had a prayerful experience!

St Clare’s Feast Day

As Helen mentioned we celebrate our Feast Day tomorrow. As part of the celebration the children and staff will be choosing to donate a dollar to one of the following charities:

St Vincent de Paul
Centacare NQ
Mater Foundation

The SRC presented the classes with 5 Catholic charities, and how the organisations were founded and what they do for communities. They then needed to vote for the one that they would donate to. It is amazing to hear how the children want to give back to our community, just like Jesus did.

Vinnies Sleepout

On Thursday 4 September the Mini Vinnies children are having a Sleepout experience. The purpose of this experience is to create awareness around the social justice issue of homelessness and help those in need just as Jesus did. The whole school can assist by donating items for the care packages. Here are the donations requested:

Donations for Year Levels

Assumption of Mary

This Friday is the Holy Day of Obligation for the Assumption of Mary, here is a prayer for this occasion:

The Magnificat

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him

in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,

he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,

and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel

for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children forever.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Mrs Jacqui Loader

Acting Assistant Principal Religious Education

Afternoon Collection Reminder – Safety First

We would like to remind all families that the official supervised collection point each afternoon is the Stop, Drop, Go (SDG) area. Recently, we have noticed an increase in the number of students, particularly in the younger grades, using the crossing without an adult and waiting in the middle thoroughfare or bus zone.

For the safety of all children, we ask parents to avoid instructing their child to wait in unsupervised areas for collection. If you are collecting your child without queueing for SDG, please park in the parent carpark and walk across the designated crossing to the SDG area to meet them directly, rather than have them navigate the busy carpark alone.

Thank you for helping us ensure every child’s safety during the busy afternoon pick-up time.

P&F Meeting and Father’s Day

Our next Parents and Friends (P&F) meeting will be held on Wednesday, 27th August. We would love for you to join us to hear about upcoming events and share your ideas. Your involvement helps us create a stronger school community for our children. If you have any questions or items you would like to discuss, please feel free to contact us via pandf@stclarestsv.Catholic.edu.au We look forward to seeing you there!

Prep Art Gallery

We are so excited to invite our Prep families to a very special event: the Prep Art Gallery evening! On Tuesday, 26th August, our Prep students will be showcasing the wonderful artwork they have been creating this term. It's a fantastic opportunity to admire their creativity and celebrate their hard work. Please join us for a magical evening to share a special memory with your child as they proudly show you around their gallery.

National Day of Action Against Bullying

This week, our students have been focusing on important lessons about kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. These activities will help reinforce the message that no child should ever experience bullying. The theme for the year, "Be Bold, Be Kind, Speak Up," is a powerful reminder for all of us to be bold in our actions, to be kind in our words, and to speak up for ourselves and for others. Let's work together to create a safe and caring school community where everyone belongs! Please see below the top three posters from the poster competition and the winner of the video competition.

1st Place Poster - Adeline 6B

1st Place Video - Kiara, Mia, Poppi and Sophie 6C

An honorable mention is presented to two posters who had also made great designs.

Honorable Mention - Elliana 5A

Honorable Mention - Isobelle and Matilda 5D

Book Week

Get ready, everyone! Book Week is just around the corner, and we are so excited! Starting in Week 9, we'll be celebrating this wonderful event and the joy of reading. This year's theme, 'Book an Adventure,' invites us all to dive into new worlds, meet amazing characters, and explore exciting stories. Get your imaginations ready—it's going to be an unforgettable week of reading and fun!

Father’s Day Breakfast

To celebrate all the wonderful dads and father figures in our community, we are hosting a special Father's Day event on Thursday, 4th September, starting at 7:30 a.m. Join us for a morning of breakfast and fun activities with your children. For just $5 per family member, you can grab a plate of delicious breakfast treats. We'll be accepting payment on the day via cash or card. Even if you're not joining us for breakfast, you're still very welcome to come along and spend some quality time with your child. The Library will be open for some activities and enjoy a game of handball on the paths. A coffee van will also be on-site with hot drinks available for purchase (TBC).

Staff Reflective Practice Day - Student Free Day

Just a friendly reminder that Friday, 5th September, will be a student-free day for all students. On this day, our staff will be participating in a reflective practice day to continue their professional development. We look forward to sharing our new learnings with our students. Thank you for your understanding and support!

Toys at School

This is a friendly reminder that we ask students to keep their toys, trading cards, and fidget toys at home. We know how exciting new toys can be, but to help everyone focus on their learning and ensure our classrooms and playgrounds are a safe and calm space, we need to limit these items during the school day. There has been an increase in large key chain toys on bags contributing to some of the issues. A small key chain that identifies a student's bag is all that is necessary. Teachers will be reminding students of this over the next week and monitoring going forward. If your child has an item for 'Show and Share,' please remind them to give it directly to their classroom teacher when they arrive in the morning. If a teacher finds a toy in the classroom, they will hold onto it for safekeeping and return it to your child at the end of the day. Thank you for your support in helping us create a great learning environment for all our students!

Controlled Backburn

Stockland Development has advised that they will be conducting a controlled back burn with the rural fire services for the following dates and times.

Commencing Saturday 16^th August – Friday 22^nd August 2025 with burns from 7.30am-3.00pm daily.

Mr Keegan Tudehope

Assistant Principal - Administration

Camp Quality Visit – Next Monday

Next Monday, we are excited to welcome Camp Quality to St Clare’s for a special puppet show. All year levels will have the opportunity to attend throughout the day.

Camp Quality’s Cancer Education Program, featuring the much-loved Camp Quality Puppets, travels to schools across Australia to deliver free, interactive, and age-appropriate cancer education. The program helps create a shared language within the school community, making it easier for students, staff, and families to talk about cancer with understanding and empathy.

To show our support for this valuable program, we will be holding a Crazy Sock Day next Monday. Students are encouraged to wear their craziest, most colourful socks to school and bring along a gold coin donation. All proceeds will go directly to Camp Quality’s Education Program.

Townsville Catholic Education Spelling Bee – Tonight

Tonight, eight of our talented Years 3–6 students will represent St Clare’s at the Townsville Catholic Education Spelling Bee, hosted by Marian Catholic School.

These students have been practising diligently in preparation for the competition, and we are incredibly proud of their commitment and effort. We wish them the very best of luck and look forward to sharing their achievements in our next newsletter.

ICAS English Testing

Yesterday, a group of selected students took part in the ICAS English Test. ICAS is an internationally recognised academic competition that has been running since 1981, with over 10 million students from 16,000 schools across 41 countries participating.

The competition challenges students with engaging and thought-provoking questions designed by education experts to assess higher-order thinking skills. ICAS not only recognises academic excellence in a way similar to sport or the arts, but also provides valuable insights into each student’s strengths and areas for growth, supporting teachers in enhancing learning outcomes.

We look forward to celebrating the achievements of our participating students once the results are released.

Matific

Prep - Year 2

1A

Years 3 - 6

4C

Mrs Donna Jack

Assistant Principal - Pedagogy and Learning

WEEK 6

Monday 18 August

Year 5B Camp

Camp Quality School Visit - Crazy Sock Day

Homework due

Tuesday 19 August

Year 5B Camp

5A & 1A Class Mass

Cricket Blast Afterschool Program (Selected students)

Homework distributed

Wednesday 20 August

Year 5B Camp

Year 5C Camp

Thursday 21 August

Year 5C Camp

Interschool Sport (Week 5)

Friday 22 August

Year 5C Camp

Assembly @ 1.45pm hosted by 3A

Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 August

Mass at St Clare’s 5pm Saturday and St Anthony's 9am Sunday

WEEK 7

Monday 25 August

Year 5D Camp

Homework due

Tuesday 26 August

Year 5D Camp

Prep Art GGallery

Homework distributed

4D & 2D Class Mass

Cricket Blast (Selected students)

Wednesday 27 August

Year 5D Camp

Parents and Friends Association Meeting

Thursday 28 August

Interschool Sport (Week 6 / Final Week)

Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 August

Mass at St Clare’s 5pm Saturday and St Anthony's 9am Sunday

Congratulations to the recipients of the Academic Encouragement Awards.

Congratulations to the recipients of the Principal's Awards.

A Schools Athletics Carnival

Well done to our St Clare’s Athletics team on their efforts at the A Schools Athletics Carnival last Friday. I am so incredibly proud of the students who attended and gave it their all. St Clare’s were winners of the Aggregate trophy and placed 2nd overall. Thank you to all the staff involved, it is always such a huge day involving a team effort. Students who placed in a first division race, a field event or relay will be presented their certificates during next week’s assembly on Friday 22 August.

A reminder to please return singlets as soon as possible to the PE office.

Congratulations to the following students who were selected for the North Queensland Athletics trials:

Lorella P
Michael B
Joshua F
Jayden O
Christopher M
Jaxon D
Pippa H
Kobi-Lee Q
Jack P
Grace L
Jordan C

On Tuesday 2 September, these students will compete against others from all across North Queensland for a spot on the NQ Athletics team. Best of luck!

Les Stagg Trophy game- Rugby League

There has been a change to the draw and our first game will be on Monday 25th August (Week 7) at 5:45pm vs St Anthony’s at the Brothers Rugby League grounds. This is an U12s knock out competition which involves all schools across Townsville. All are welcome to come and watch, I know the students get a huge thrill out of seeing parents, staff and other students there to support them.

U10s Blackhawks Trials- Rugby League

Trials for the U10s Blackhawks Rugby League team will take place in Week 7 on Friday afternoon on 29 August. These trials will start at Second Break and run into the afternoon session of school. They will conclude by the end of the school day. Students interested can nominate through either myself or their class teacher. Students nominating to trial must have experience playing Rugby League and believe they have the skill level worthy of selection in the team. This is not a “come and try” trial. Students need to be willing to tackle and often, against much larger students from other teams. Only students who are 9 or 10 years old are eligible for these trials. Students will need to wear a mouthguard and football boots and it is highly recommended that they bring a spare shirt to play in. Please note that students who are 10 years old will take first preference over students who are 9 years old.

For students selected, The U10s Blackhawks Carnival is being held on Friday 19th September (the last day of the term) at Brothers.

We are thrilled to celebrate Ryder’s recent incredible achievement in Flat Track Motorcycle racing. Over the weekend, Ryder competed in Tamworth and placed first place overall. Outstanding!

This year, Ryder has achieved:

Queensland Champion - twice
New South Wales Champion and also 3rd in another class
Australian #2 - twice
Australian #3 - twice

Congratulations, Ryder on a phenomenal year!

A huge congratulations to Sophia who represented Australia at the BMX National Championships recently in Denmark for the second year in a row. She was racing incredibly well but unfortunately had a crash which ended her day early. The St Clare’s community is very proud of you, Sophia!

Mrs Nicole Accatino

Physical Education Teacher

Defence Club

Hi all. Check out the flyers below. There may be some events happening that may interest you. Partner Support information evening, Billabong Sanctuary day and 80th anniversary-Victory in the Pacific day.

Geckos Family Centre - North Queensland

Army Partner Support Program

Geckos Family Centre and Defence Member and Family Support are collaborating to present an amended version of the Army Partner Support Program at Geckos Family Centre.

This will be run over 2 evenings and participants are required to attend both nights.

Presenters include: DMFS Townsville, Open Arms - Veterans & Families Counselling, HQ 3 Bde Padre, RSL Queensland, and Kookaburra Kids.

When: September 3 & 4 (Wednesday & Thursday)

Time: 6-8pm

Where: Geckos Family Centre, Lavarack Barracks.

Please note:

- you will be required to organise a ticket to both sessions

- children are welcome; however, there will be NO babysitting service

- children do NOT require a ticket

- light refreshments, tea, and coffee will be supplied.

To book:

https://www.trybooking.com/DEAPY

Partner Support Information flyer

Lunch time Kids Club

The Prep and year 1 students will be picked up on Monday’s at lunchtime.

Our Kids Club Days are on as follows;

Monday 1st Break - Preps

Monday 2nd Break - Yr 1

Wednesday 1st Break - Yrs 2 - 6

Parental Absence

If there are parents deployed or out on exercise and you find that your child is struggling with parental absence please give me a nudge with either an email mbrennan6@stclarestsv.catholic.edu.au or pop in to the hub, which is the classroom off the multi-purpose hall and let me know so that I can offer some support to your child.

If your Defence member is discharging or discharged could you also let me know as it helps me support your child with the changes that are happening within the family, as they can be affected by these changes as well.

Absence support packs available from Defence Member and Family Support

Defence Member and Family Support currently have absence from home packs available from their office at the Nathan business centre on Ross River Rd across from Stocklands. You just need to pop in and pick one up. All you will need is the member's PM keys number. They are a valuable resource for primary aged students to help with managing parental absence.

Defence Member and Family Support (DMFS)

If you need help during a crisis or support during deployment, posting or relocation, Defence Member and Family Support offer a range of support to help ADF members and their families manage challenges when they arise.

The DMFS Helpline – 1800 624 608 – is the first point of call for Defence families seeking support, information or connection with their community. It is available 24-7 and staffed by qualified human services professionals including social workers and psychologists.

Defence social workers help you to address personal and family issues through brief counselling services, referrals to community providers, long term support planning and crisis intervention.

DMFS support services are free for ADF members and families. Emails received by the Helpline will be responded to within 24 hours. memberandfamilyhelpline@defence.gov.au

Families with Special Needs

Moving can be a challenging process for any family, but when you have a family member who has special needs, the complexity and stress can be even greater.

Defence offers additional assistance to Defence families who have a resident family member with special needs. These practical support services are designed to make the relocation process smoother and more accommodating.

Families can also access support through the Defence Special Needs Support Group (DSNSG). The DSNSG serves as a national support network for families with special needs, offering resources, guidance, and a community of individuals who understand the unique challenges faced by Defence families.

More information on assistance measures can be found on the DSNSG website https://www.dsnsg.org.au/

or by emailing

Memberships:
memberships@dsnsg.org.au

National Administration and Liaison Officer:
nalo@dsnsg.org.au

Partner Employment Assistance Program

Are you an ADF partner looking to enhance your employability?

There have been some positive changes to the PEAP program. Partners can now claim $1500 every financial year that can go towards professional employment services, professional licenses and many things that will enhance your employment skills.

We also pay re-registration fees for those partners whose jobs require them to be registered.

To find out more and to ensure you meet the eligibility criteria: visit

https://www.defence.gov.au/adf-members-families/family-programs-services/support-for-families/partner-employment-assistance-program

Maree Brennan

Defence Mentor

Book Week 2025

Parents a reminder that here at St Clare’s we will be celebrating Book Week

during week 9 of this term. This year’s theme is "Book an Adventure”. If you would like to find out more about the theme and the artwork for this year feel free to watch a video of Jess McGeachin talking about his artwork. Book Week at St Clare’s will run from 8th-12th of September and our annual Book Week parade date is Friday 12th September at 8.40am in the MPH. We will also have our year levels decorate the library based on this year’s theme, it will be amazing to see.

Online Reading Groups

Qualified teacher librarian Sarah Hodgson runs inclusive online reading groups for students from lower primary to high school. Whether your child is wanting to expand their reading across genres or hasn’t yet found the right type of books, these sessions foster a lifelong love of reading in a relaxed, welcoming environment. Students can participate in the way that suits them best — reading aloud, joining in discussion, or simply listening.

Find out more at https://sarahhodgson.com.au/reading-groups.

Story Box Library - Mrs Dollisson’s Favourite

My favourite books on Storybox Library at the moment are the wonderful shortlisted books for CBCA Book Week 2025.

Beetles are clever, diligent environmental engineers, working away under our very noses. What’s not to love about beetles?

Follow along as One Little Dung Beetle counts all kinds of fascinating creepies and crawlies. How many can you see?

Written by Rhian Williams, illustrated by Heather Potter and Mark Jackson.

Listen to Klay Cameron read ‘One Little Dung Beetle’ on Story Box library today.

To access Story Box Library at home:

1) Visit www.storyboxlibrary.com.au

2) Choose Log In from the top right corner of the screen

3) Log in using the username and password provided below

4) Enjoy the library of stories on any device with internet connection

Username: stclaresburdell

Password: readingisfun

Parent Borrowing

Parent borrowing this Thursday, please come along and borrow some extra books to read at home. Parents are allowed to borrow up to 10 books. The school library is open from 2.45-3.15pm for parent borrowing. We look forward to seeing you!

Mrs Naomi Dollison

Stronger Smarter Approach

Earlier this term, Miss Renee Butler, our Year 5 teacher, attended the Stronger Smarter Leadership Program up at Abergowrie. The Stronger Smarter philosophy honours a positive sense of cultural identity, acknowledges and embraces positive community leadership, enabling innovative and dynamic approaches and processes that are anchored by high expectations relationships. I had the privilege of attending this a few years ago and I continue to implement and promote many of the processes with staff and students. I look forward to working with Renee to embed more of the Stronger Smarter Approach at St Clare’s. If you are interested in knowing more please head to this website: https://strongersmarter.com.au/

Prep Art Unit - First Nations Artist

This term our Prep students have been examining, interpreting and replicating techniques from different artists for their Visual Art Unit. In preparation for the Prep Art Gallery, students have been asked to create a canvas, using one of the techniques taught. To incorporate First Nations perspectives, we were very lucky to have one of our amazing parents, Clare Jaque Vasquez, come to share her unique art style with our students. This is our third year that we have had Miss Clare and we are so glad she is back with us again, we absolutely love her art. Miss Clare shared with each of the Prep classes a special slideshow explaining her story of being an artist and how she creates her special art pieces. Clare is an Indigenous artist from Gomeroi and Kamilaroi Nation. Her works capture stories and weaving practices in a raised textural form leveraging natural art tools to apply texture. These tools include different natural brushes, branches and sticks through to palm tree fibres and are specifically used to connect the works with Country. Clare works in layers to embed and protect stories by weaving with paint and uniquely concocted textual mediums which appear to be etched, embedded and scarred onto the canvas. The process of creating the mixed-media, textural works is timely and can take up to 7-12 weeks to complete.

The children absolutely loved this experience and enjoyed exploring the different textures created within her pieces. Some of our Prep children chose Clare’s art style of mixed-media for their own canvas piece. These children worked with Clare on an additional day to make their own artwork. In our first session, the children spread glue onto their canvas and manipulated string with their hands to create their own map lines. The canvases had to dry for several hours before adding the layers of paint. The children loved getting their hands messy and manipulating the string. During the afternoon, the children applied their first application of the thick gesso paint. You will absolutely be in awe of these pieces as they have done such an incredible job.

We thank Clare for devoting her time once again to support our Prep students with their Art Unit. If you are interested in knowing more about Clare’s artwork, you can check out her page here.

Indigenous Literacy Day

This year Indigenous Literacy Day will be held on Wednesday, 3rd of September. For this, we would love to invite families/parents in to read. If you are interested in helping to read in classes please let me know.

Mrs Deanne Guerra

Learning Connections Program

Prep C and Prep D have combined together on a Thursday to trial a Movement Circuit . Last week was our first trial of rotations and the children had an absolute ball participating in a variety of activities. The children had 6 activities to complete consisting of a Run Club, Obstacle Course, Core Learning Connection Movements, Painted Pathways and Midline Movement Games. We look forward to sharing more of our Movement Circuits throughout the term.

Moving our Bodies, Boosting our Brains, Ready for Learning

Mrs Deanna Guerra

Learning Connections Coach

Music Eisteddfod Preparations in Full Swing!

Our Eisteddfod preparations are well and truly underway! We commend our students for their extra commitment and dedication. Their hard work is setting the stage for what promises to be impressive performances.

Pupil Free Eisteddfod Music Workshops

We are eagerly looking forward to our Pupil Free Eisteddfod Music Workshops, which will be held on Friday, 5th September, here at school.

These workshops are a valuable opportunity for our students to fine-tune their skills and collaborate with their peers.

On the day of the workshop, students are permitted to wear appropriate, sun-safe free dress with closed in shoes. Please ensure that all children are signed out and collected from the Tuckshop Shed, located just outside the Music room (E2), at the end of their session. All students are encouraged to bring a snack and water bottle on this day.

Below is the schedule for our upcoming pupil-free day at school. You will be required to provide consent for the relevant sessions via COMPASS by 21st August 2025.

Wk 8 - EISTEDDFOD PREPARATION WORKSHOP- Friday 5th September

Time	Group	Rehearsal Room
8.25 - 10.00am	Junior Choir	Music Room
8.25 - 10.00am	Guitar Ensembles - combined practise with St Joey’s Mundingburra.	Guitar Room/MPH Stage
9.30 - 10.00am - 10.00- 11.00 -	Clarinet Quartet Woodwind Ensemble	MPH - Piano room
10.00 - 11.45am	Treble Makers - “Ease on Down the Road”	Music Room
12.00 - 1.30pm	Senior Choir	Music Room

Eisteddfod Musical Events - Save the Dates!

Notes have gone home to all Musical Eisteddfod groups. Please check the timetable below for your child’s performance dates.

I’m very proud of our students’ hard work and commitment, and I thank you for your ongoing support. If you have any questions, feel free to email me.ctodd3@stclarestsv.catholic.edu.au

Mrs Carmel Todd

We’ve loved every second of our last year of primary school so far in 6A! So much learning has taken place, from reading awesome class novels such as Rivet Boy, Us Mob and Once, to learning about percentages, fractions and decimals! We had an incredible time on Magnetic Island for our Year Six Camp and blew everyone away with our moves on Dance Night. Despite getting emotional about the end of the year rapidly approaching, we are all still very excited for what the next term and a half has in store for us!

My favourite thing about Year Six so far…

Vienna: Camp and buddies

Xavier: Playing the harmonica to calm my classmates (and my teacher)

Oliver: Camp

Malachi: Archery tag at camp

Jasmine: Camp

Claire: Having the best teacher!

Grace: Fun with my class!

Sophie H: Learning new things

Tiffany: Sport and P.E.

Ethan: Interschool Sport and P.E.

Sophie: SWAPS lessons!