PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE

GO JADE!! As you no doubt read with pride in a recent edition of the newsletter, Jade Barratt was selected in the Queensland U12 Boys Softball team to participate in the Australian Softball Championships, to be held in Canberra from the 18^th – 23^rd November, 2007.

Selection in representative teams involves considerable expenses for students and parents at the beset of times, but as a State Rep these expenses are very high indeed.

First of all Jade and his mum have to fly to Brisbane and be accommodated for several days whilst the team practises together. Jade will attend a Brisbane school during this time. Then it’s on to Canberra and another week’s accommodation expenses, uniform expenses, etc.

Jade and his family have been greatly appreciative of the support provided to them to assist with the financial burden of attending the Mt Isa carnival, and just as we did then, its time to show our support once more for a rising local sports star with a big future ahead of him.

In this regard the Student Council will conduct a chocolate drive, with all profits donated to Jade’s appeal. As well, a free dress day with Ice-cream Spiders will occur on Halloween Day. With P & C and Calen Sports Association contributions, we expect to be able to more than double the amount raised to assist last time.

Chocolate Drive information will be sent home next week.

Following his return from Mt Isa Jade wrote, and read out on parade, a letter of appreciation which I have reproduced in this newsletter.

Pulling together as a community to support the aspirations of one of our own students is one of those ‘special’ acts that helps define who we are as a school. It is even more rewarding when we know our efforts are appreciated, as is obvious in Jade’s case.

Go Jade! Do your best for yourself, your school, and your state. Achieve your dreams!

Howard Frost

Principal.

SCHOOL PHOTOS: Thank-you for having your children at school on time and well presented for “Photo Day” this week. This enabled classes to be photographed quickly, with minimum fuss.

MIRANI YR 8 ORIENTATION: A reminder to year 7’s about the Mirani High Day 1 Orientation on Wednesday, with a parent information session scheduled for the evening prior. (See “Community Notices” for more info.)

CALEN YR 8 ORIENTATION: We have just received info concerning Calen’s Orientation Day on Tuesday 04 December, which will be passed on to perspective students.

SWIMMING: Following Monday’s sessions Mrs Berck has formulated groups in readiness for formal lessons on Monday week, the 29^th.

Thank-you to those parents who have indicated a willingness to assist as volunteers.

CHOIR: The countdown is on!! In exactly one week’s time the choir will be performing at the Entertainment Centre in their section of the Eisteddfod. More info next week.

STUDENT FREE DAY: A reminder that this Monday, 22^nd October, is the state wide term 4 student free day.

FLIPPABALL: Students in years 4-7 who expressed as interest in flippaball have been provided with information sheets concerning the ‘07/’08 season.

JUMBLE STALL: At the forthcoming Federal Election the Student Council will be operating a Jumble Stall. If you have any saleable items to donate please send them along to school.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

There are not shortcuts to any place worth going. --- Beverly Sills, opera singer

Every family needs a farmer – and we have some aspiring farmers in our Prep class this week! The children worked together to make models of farms. We had a crocodile farm, a dairy farm, a sheep and pig farm, a jungle farm and an undersea farm! The crocodiles were a mum and dad, so of course they laid eggs which hatched. Our dairy farmer took great care of his cows, sheltering them while they were being milked, providing sweet green grass for them to eat, and fences to show them how to get to the dairy. He also had vats to store the milk in and a truck to deliver the produce to market.

Our sunflowers are planted – not quite according to instructions. We had to plant them a little deeper than we intended, as the ants began to drag them away as soon as we put them in the holes! Good luck little seeds!

Year One students have been busily planning, composing, editing and conferencing as they develop their writing skills.

We are very proud of our ‘Sunflowers’ and ‘Holidays” acrostic poems we wrote as a class.

Sunflowers

Sunflower seeds are growing.

Under the ground the little seeds are waiting to shine out.

Nakita’s sunflower is up.

Fences are needed for our sunflowers to grow against, and…

Light for the sunflowers to follow.

Out will come the yellow sunflower.

We are still waiting for them to shoot.

Excited children watch the soil

Rain has already watered them.

Sunflowers are growing.

Holidays

Haircuts and having fun

On October holidays

Load up the car

Into the shops for something new

Dogs and cats and chickens and horses to play with

At home in the sandpit, on the play station, on my bike,

Yabbies in the creek! Yes! Yes! Yes!

Swimming in the sea, swimming in the creek. Swimming! Swimming! Swimming!

The P & C has been busy assisting with the organising of a Remembrance Dinner on Saturday 10^th November, and a Remembrance Day Ceremony on Sunday 11^th. SEE THE FLYERS WITH THIS NEWSLETTER.

Volunteers are required to set up the hall for Saturday night and to assist with the preparation of morning tea on Sunday.

TUCKSHOP NEWS

We are having a lunch date to thank all who have helped in any way during the year. To all who have served or baked food, Thank you, come and join us and have lunch where someone else is preparing and serving the food. Time to meet is 11.30 at the Austral Steakhouse, Austral Hotel, Victoria Street, Mackay, on Wednesday 31^st of October. I need to know numbers so can you please contact Steph Cruickshanks – Phone 49540333. RSVP – 29^th October (Monday).

GROUNDSCARE NEWS

Thank-you to Max Grov who has added his name to the mowing roster for November. We are now looking for an additional family to assist the Grovs and complete the November roster, as well as two families for the December roster.

Kathy Frost

Co-ordinator

MONSTER CENT SALE

Marian Community Hall

Sunday, 28^th October

Start 1.30pm

250+ great prizes, jackpot table, lucky door, snap raffles, afternoon tea with free tea and coffee.

For more information you can contact Maya Walz 49543414

MESSAGES FROM A “RISING STAR”

Softball – My Sport

By Jade Barratt

My chosen sport is softball. Softball is a winter sport usually played between the months on March through to October. Softball is quite a fast sport and you need to be on the ball all the time. I play in a club called South Angels; we play every Saturday afternoon. I play 2 grades, C grade and B grade.

My ability in softball is to play in all positions of the field and to play to the best of my ability. My main positions are catcher and 1^st base. I am also not bad on the bat.

My sporting goals have exceeded my expectations this year alone. Earlier in the year, in April, I was selected in the Mackay Under 14 side to play at Noosa. I then tried out for the Mackay Under 12 Schoolboy’s side and was successful in gaining selection. The Mackay side then travelled to Gladstone for trials for the Capricornia side, and once again I was rewarded by being selected in the Capricornia side to travel to Mt Isa.

I have just recently travelled to Mt Isa for the State trials for a 3 day carnival. At the end of the carnival a Queensland team was picked and my name was 1 of 13 boys called out. I now travel to Canberra in November to represent Queensland, something that I am very proud of.

My sporting goals are to try to go as far and to succeed in my chosen sport as I can.

Thanks Everyone

I would like to thank the staff, the parents, the P & C, the children and the community for supporting me in the raffle and getting me to Mt Isa. The total of $500 blew mum away! I would also like to thank Steph Cruickshanks for organising the prizes for the raffle.

As you all know I have been selected in the Queensland team, something I am very proud of. I would also like to thank mum for driving me to Mt Isa, just a short drive there and back, 2457kms.

Lastly I would like to wish Nadine all the best as she is selected to represent Mackay Under 16’s side in softball, to play in Townsville. And yes, mum is off for another weekend.

Thank-you everyone. And good luck Dino.

Issue no. 33, 19th October 2007

Issue no. 33, 19^th October 2007