Term 2 Week 5 - May 23rd, 2023
From the Principals Desk
Dear Parents and Carers,
NSIT Review
We enter week 5 in the midst of our National School Improvement Tool (NSIT) Review. We have welcomed the panel of reviewers to the school today. They will be spending the next three days at St Joseph's interviewing and holding conversations with as many students, staff and parents as possible. External review processes like these are an effective means of assisting us to realise our current reality and the feedback provided will help guide us in our ongoing improvement planning for the future. I wish to extend our thanks to all students, staff and parents who participate in this important process.
Student Engagement in Learning - Wow!
At assembly last Friday I congratulated the students on their impressive and persistent engagement to their learning. As I walk around the school each day I have been so proud of our learning community here at St Joseph's. It is a pleasure to work among such dedicated learners and teachers. Student engagement has been an ongoing improvement focus for our school over the past few years, I am so proud to say that our school is in a great place at the moment. The teachers and teacher assistants must be acknowledged for their careful, targeted planning and delivery of learning content and activities, they are making learning meaningful, interesting and engaging!
Be sure to listen to the outstanding Stage 2 writing samples in today's newsletter (QR codes), this type of literacy achievement is testament to the wonderful work taking place in our school!
Mission in Action!
It has been wonderful to see our Minni Vinnies so active in their mission to raise funds to support those less fortunate than ourselves. The Stage 2 cake stall was an absolute hit at afternoon tea time today. Thank you to our families for supporting this cause. Teaching our students to care for others is a blessing for their future!
Have a great week!
Peace and blessings,
Jason Clarke
Principal
"You Can Do It!" Awards
CELEBRATING SUCCESS
Week 3
Kinder
Harriet Stovold for Persistence and “I Can Do It” Thinking.
Clara Polson for Confidence and “I Can Do It” Thinking.
Year 1
Macy Baker for Confidence and "I Can Do It" Thinking.
Olivia Skarpona for Confidence and ‘I Can Do It’ Thinking.
Year 2
Corey Bray for Perseverance and Working Tough.
Milania Jandura for Getting Along and Being Socially Responsible.
Year 3
Oscar Skennar for displaying Persistence and having a Positive Mindset.
Esther Cambridge for displaying Confidence and "I Can Do It" Thinking.
Year 4
Mica Rempis for Persistence, Working Tough and having a Growth Mindset.
Noah Bowley for Persistence, Giving Effort and having a Growth Mindset.
Year 5
Pearl Wilkinson for Getting Along and Accepting Others.
Ivy Hunt for Getting Along and Accepting Others.
Year 6
Asha Pahlow for Confidence and showing "I Can Be Independent."
Franki Todd for Resilience and Being Independent.
Week 4
Kinder
Leo Robinson for Persistence and Working Tough.
Koa Segrave for Confidence and “I Can Do It” Thinking.
Year 1
Fynn Holiday for Getting Along and showing Tolerance of Others.
Jasper Baartz for Confidence and showing "I Can Be Independent.
Year 2
Eli Rudman for Persistence and Working Tough.
Eli Folkers for Getting Along and being Socially Responsible.
Year 3
Xavier Workman for displaying Persistence and having a Positive Mindset.
William Owen for displaying Confidence and "I Can Do It" Thinking.
Year 4
Jaxon Mann for Persistence, Working Tough and Giving Effort.
Summer Neale for Getting Along, being Tolerant of Others and being Socially Responsible.
Year 5
Declan Behan for Persistence and Working Tough.
Holly Dorahy for Persistence and working tough.
Year 6
Taiis Brockbank for Confidence and showing "I Can Be Independent."
Amy Pham for Persistence and Giving Effort.
Living the Gospel
MOTHER'S DAY LITURGY
On Friday of Week 3, the St Joseph's community came together to celebrate mothers...and what a celebration it was! Thanks all for joining in, and a MASSIVE well done to Kindergarten for the confidence and enthusiasm that they brought to the afternoon. Who knew we had such talented singers in our midst?!
We love our mums!
Cirriculum News
Sports News
ZONE CROSS COUNTRY:
Last Friday at assembly, our St Joseph’s Zone Cross Country team were presented with their certificate of participation. Well done once again to our fantastic runners!
DIOCESAN CROSS COUNTRY:
Five students competed in the Diocesan Cross Country today (Tuesday 23rd May) - Lyla McMahan, Max Bourke, Zac Stuart, Sam Stovold and Ruby Carter. All five students have worked extremely hard to prepare for this event. I commend them on their commitment and dedication to their preparation. We look forward to hearing how they enjoyed their experience and sharing this in our next newsletter!
PE SESSIONS WITH OUR EXPERT COACHES!
We have been enjoying learning the finer points to Shot Put and Long Jump thanks to our expert coaches Imogen and Jess. Discus coming this week with Sheree! We have been able to book these professional coaches thanks to the successful application of the Sporting Schools Grant. This grant allows us to pay for expert coaches to spend the day with us during PE and runs for three weeks every Thursday. Any funds leftover will pay for Athletics equipment such as a range of discus (various weights of each age level) and other equipment for athletics. It has been wonderful to meet our coaches and learn from their extensive experience both as a top athlete and coach.
Imogen competed in New Zealand as part of the QLD team for Shot Put, Hurdles and High Jump whilst Jess has placed first at Nationals for Long Jump with an incredible 5m jump! We look forward to this week’s session where we learn all about Discus!
Professional Coaching
1500m RACE:
The 1500m race has been postponed and a new date will be set / communicated soon. It is going to be held on the school oval on a Thursday afternoon after school. Parents are welcome to attend. Students may stay after school to compete without parent supervision but will need a guardian to collect them by approximately 4pm. I will communicate the new date in the next newsletter. The Zone 1500m is set for Tuesday 20th June – week 9.
Library News
Reading Gives You Wings...
Congratulations Year 4
Our Year 4 class has returned all their library books on time this week. They are the first class this year to be so very organised! As a reward they all received a bookmark and a class certificate too proudly display in their room.
Way to go!
General News
GOD MOMENTS
When Poppy spoke so kindly to Mrs Ryder and when Darcy W picked up sports equipment and put it away in the right place.
The St Joseph’s P & F School Forum is holding a Pie Drive.
The pies are kindly being made by Casuarina Bakery.
Below is an order form which needs to be returned to school with payment by Friday 2 June. Your payment can be made by attaching correct cash, or by transferring money to the P&F bank account (details contained on the pie drive form.)
Orders will be delivered on Thursday 15 June, and can be picked up from the school from 2:00-3:30pm.
Your support is kindly appreciated.
St Joseph’s School Forum
MISSING JACKETS AND HATS
Please check your child's zip jackets and hats to ensure they have their name on them. Some students are missing these items as they may have been mistakenly taken home by another child.
Canteen News
Orders - All lunch orders will now close at 3:30pm the day before the canteen day. i.e. If you are ordering for Wednesday’s canteen then the orders will close on Tuesday at 3:30pm. For Friday, the orders will be closed on Thursday at 3:30pm.
Cancellations - If you have ordered lunch for your child and they won’t be attending school that day, you are able to cancel your order up until 8:45am on the day of the order.
Reimbursements of cancelled orders - If you cancel an order, or if the school cancels an order, the funds from the order will be transferred to your Compass Wallet.
You can access the funds in your wallet when you go to finalise your order in the Compass app.
Reminder - The canteen is cashless and therefore items cannot be ordered at the canteen, including snacks after lunch. These can be ordered with their lunch order.
CONGRATULATIONS
Mr Ray Nihill was presented with a 40 year membership recognition with the IEU by Richard Ryan.
Parent News
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLANNING
The safety of our students, families and staff is our highest priority. In order to best ensure this, the St Joseph’s leadership and staff, supported by the Catholic Schools Office, plan for a number of possible incidents, emergencies or natural disasters that could take place at school or during the school term. The events of recent years have reinforced how important this planning is and we all have a role to play when it comes to emergency management, including families.
Our students participate in various safety drills and staff participate through training and safety drills. We’d like to share with you the role of parents and families in emergency management.
School Lockdown
A number of the situations we plan for include a school lockdown as one of the immediate safety actions to ensure the safety of our students and staff. We understand that some may understand the word ‘lockdown’ to mean there is an immediate safety risk to all students. It is important to understand that when a school initiates a lockdown this may not be the case.
Depending on the situation, the purpose of a school lockdown will differ. A school lockdown may be a preparation step for an evacuation, or a school lockdown may allow emergency services access to an area of the school without having to navigate past students. Regardless of the purpose of a school lockdown, no one can be admitted to the school grounds other than emergency services.
Should we initiate a school lockdown, parents and families will be informed via a Compass notification. We will also inform parents and families as soon as the school lockdown has been lifted or if there are any actions required of parents and families. It is important that you do not attempt to attend the school during a school lockdown. We understand that you may be concerned however attending the school may also add risk to a possible emergency situation, block emergency services or impede an evacuation.
Natural Disaster
In the event of a natural disaster, such as flood or bushfire, the school leadership, supported by the Catholic Schools Office, will determine if it is safe for the school to open. If there is a probability the school may have to close part way through the day, the school will not open for that day as it is extremely difficult to evacuate a school site and ensure all students are able to go directly home safely.
In a bush fire or flood event it is important that parents and families have a plan to get your child/ren home from school, or into your care, at short notice. Please be aware that school buses may not be running and the school cannot allow your child/ren to go home to an empty house or home with another parent without your permission.
Family Preparedness
How can you help us prepare for emergency situations? Please ensure that:
● You have downloaded the Compass app and have allowed notifications.
● Any changes to your contact details or custodial arrangements have been updated with the school.
● You have a bush fire/flood plan in place that all members of your family understand.
● In the event of a school lockdown or evacuation, directions in the parent notifications are followed.
It is always our hope that these measures will never be needed but it is also our responsibility to ensure our school community is prepared and informed should the need arise. We thank you in advance for your support and cooperation.
Jason Clarke and Nigel McIntyre, Work Health and Safety Manager, Catholic Schools Office
Child Safeguarding Commitment Statement
Our school as part of the Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools Limited (DLCSL), like all child-safe organisations, is implementing the Child Safe Standards (see attached flyer below). As a part of this work, we share our Child Safeguarding Commitment Statement which reinforces our dedication to the safety and wellbeing of all children.
Please take the time to read the commitment statement and if you have any questions please discuss with the school leadership team. We will continue to engage with you on this important matter.
Parish News
Tuesday 23 May 5:30 pm - Mass
Wednesday 24 May OUR LADY, HELP OF CHRISTIANS
5:30 pm - Mass
Thursday 25 May 8:15 am - Mass
Friday 26 May 12 noon - Mass
Saturday 27 May 9:00 am - Rosary
5:30 pm - Rosary
6:00 pm - Vigil Mass
Sunday 28 May PENTECOST SUNDAY - YEAR A
8:30 am - Rosary
9:00 am - Mass
Health & Wellbeing
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