Welcome back to another great term at Christ the King School. I hope you've had an enjoyable school holiday break and are ready for a busy and exciting Term 3.
Catholic Education Week
We will celebrate Catholic Education Week in Week 3 (Monday, 22 July to Friday, 26 July). Celebrations will mark 179 years of Catholic Education in the Archdiocese of Brisbane this year. Celebrated annually in Week 3 of Term 3, Catholic Education Week is an opportunity for all Catholic schools in Queensland to celebrate and promote their distinctive mission and ethos.
Catholic education strives to make a difference in the lives of those in our schools and the wider community by challenging young people to live out the message of Jesus and to reach their full potential as compassionate, contributing, life-giving members of society. I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to all involved in our Catholic schools – students, parents, dedicated educators and committed staff.
Please read Mrs Halpin's APRE News to see some of the wonderful ways we will be celebrating at Christ the King School.
This year's theme for Catholic Education Week is 'Communities of Faith, Hope and Love'.
As we gather to celebrate Catholic Education Week, may we who are called to mutual respect and solidarity in our mission to educate and parent, be ever mindful of the Spirit's active participation in our lives. Amen.
Enrolments 2025
CTK School enrolments for 2025 are well underway. By early August I will need to submit to Brisbane Catholic Education our projected student numbers for 2025 so the staffing process can begin. These numbers are needed so that teacher places can be offered across the Brisbane Catholic Education system for next year.
If you are aware that your child will not be attending Christ the King School next year, please advise the School Office by Friday, 19 July. This information was requested from parents and guardians of students in Years 3 and 4 via a Parent Slip in Term 2. My thanks to those families who have already informed us of your intentions.
NAPLAN Reports
NAPLAN is a 'point in time' test for students in Years 3 and 5, and helps schools identify strengths as well as areas we can work on improving. NAPLAN also provides a general indication of how we are travelling as a school compared to other schools. Schools have now received most test data, including information on how our cohorts have performed.
The results show that our Year 3 and Year 5 students have performed very well, and we will share this with the school community as further information becomes available. Congratulations to all our students for their efforts, and to all our teachers for the wonderful work they do for your children in ensuring the best learning outcomes.
Individual student NAPLAN Reports are being sent home with Year 3 and Year 5 students on Thursday, 18 July, and will soon be available for download from the Parent Portal.
Commonwealth Census
This August our school is required to provide both student and staff data to the Commonwealth Government as part of the annual Census process. This data enables the government to determine our annual recurrent funding allocation. Student and staff names are not provided as part of this process. For your information, please find attached the Commonwealth Government's privacy notice for your review and record.
Damien Sullivan
Principal
From the Assistant Principal Religious Education
Catholic Education Week
Catholic Education Week will be celebrated in Catholic schools across Queensland from Sunday, 21 July to Saturday, 27 July.
This annual event is held to promote the special ethos of Catholic schools and to highlight the great things that take place in Catholic schools every day.
The theme for this year’s celebrations is 'Communities of Faith, Hope and Love'.
Catholic education strives to make a difference in the lives of those in our schools and in the wider community by challenging young people to live out the message of Jesus and to reach their full potential as compassionate, contributing, life-giving members of society.
There are 312 Catholic schools in Queensland that educate around 154,000 students and employ more than 22,000 teachers and staff, and most will celebrate Catholic Education Week in some way.
CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK ACTIVITIES
At Christ the King School we are planning a number of exciting and engaging activities next week. Please see below and our Catholic Education Week posters and social media for more information.
- Monday, 22 July: Catholic Education Week Assembly, 1:30pm.
- Tuesday, 23 July: 'In Their Shoes Experience' for Years 5-6 students. BYO mug and canned goods donation.
- Thursday, 25 July: Student v Staff Handball Match, 12:50pm. Students are encouraged to bring a Gold Coin Donation for the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal to be collected at half time.
- Friday, 26 July: NAIDOC Liturgy, 8:30am-9:30am. Students are encouraged to wear NAIDOC colours for the day and bring a Gold Coin Donation. All CTK School families are invited to attend this special liturgy.
Celebrating NAIDOC
NAIDOC Week is traditionally held outside of the school term. CTK School places significance on this national celebration. For this reason, we celebrate NAIDOC as part of who we are as a community and place our celebrations in Catholic Education Week.
This year's NAIDOC Week theme is 'Keep the fire burning! Blak, loud and proud'.
National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year (Sunday to Sunday), to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth. Please see the activities planned for Friday, 26 July.
Vinnies Soup Kitchen
Next Tuesday, 23 July, our Years 5 and 6 students will participate in a social justice initiative to raise awareness of homelessness and the vital work of Vinnies, both locally and in our wider community. They will gather in the Under Cover Area for an 'In Their Shoes Experience'. This will take place in conjunction with various activities designed to raise awareness of those who are struggling to provide basic necessities such as food and shelter.
Students will go home and settle into bed, hopefully with increased awareness and the knowledge that they too, can make a difference.
Prayer
Dear Faithful, Loving and Hope-giving God,
We thank you for the gift of Faith, may it grow in us each day so that we too may become examples of your faithfulness to all.
We thank you for the blessing of love, may it grow in us each day so that we too may become examples of your never-ending love for all.
We thank you for the wonder of eternal hope, may it grow in us each day sot that we too may become examples of your living hope to others.
Help us to use your gifts of Faith, Love and Hope so that we may serve others in your name.
We ask this through Jesus, your Son.
Amen.
SOURCE: Adapted from Catholic Education Week Resources
Suzannah Halpin
APRE