Week 10 - Term 2 Newsletter 2021

Principals Message

Dear Parents,  

Thank you all  for another great term of learning, it is hard to believe we are halfway through the year already. I would like to commend all our families for their support throughout this Semester as we are all very grateful. 

NAIDOC Day

This Wednesday the school had the wonderful opportunity of celebrating NAIDOC Day prior to heading off on holidays (as NAIDOC Week is celebrated from July 4th - July 11th this year). This day focused on both acknowledging and celebrating our local Indigenous culture, history and achievements.

Students partook in a number of activities that allowed them to gain a greater sense of understanding of Indigenous Culture, these included: dreamtime story-telling, dot painting, indigenous games & a cultural bus tour. The day began with a smoking ceremony & aboriginal dance performed by our local high school students. Thank you to our Yagel Elders, our community visitors and to Mr Randall, Mrs Waghorn, Mrs Senz & Miss Moore for organising the day.

Talent Quest 

Thank you to everyone who attended our St Joeys Talent Show for 2021 yesterday. It was a wonderful afternoon; full of wonder, laughs, and awe! Congratulations to all our student finalists who performed on the day as well as classes who were able to perform their music items they have been practicing all term.

• 1ST PLACE- Jemima Adamson (piano)
• 2ND PLACE- Ethan McLean (martial arts)
• 3RD PLACE- Huron McLennon and Tommy Hourigan (comedy skit/jokes) 

Staff Development Days

Thank you to all our families for supporting our staff as they undertook Professional Learning today as well as immediately after the holiday break on Monday 12th July. We acknowledge the difficulty this places around care minding for families, however these days are invaluable for staff in the developing themselves as learners.

Today's learning was focused on our whole-school approach to Digital Technologies. This involved developing agreed belief statements amongst our staff to ensure there is consistency in our approach to utlising and integrating technology into our classrooms. The staff were also able to part take in a number of hand-ons experiences using equipment loaned from the Catholic Schools Office. Next term staff will be engaging in some Professional Learning around Guided reading and how to further implement our Mercy values into our school community.

COVID-19 - School Holiday Travel to Hotspots - Students and Families

Parents and caregivers, please we aware that should you enter a known hotspot during the school holiday period or if a hotspot has been declared while you were travelling in a particular area or following your return home, students and staff will be required to adhere to requirements of the Public Health Order in place at the commencement of Term 3.

Please be reminded that it is your responsibility to stay informed of COVID-19 hotspots, particularly during this school holiday period. (School) will communicate with you prior to the commencement of Term 3 with any changes to the current requirements or restrictions that may impact the school.

I wish you all the best over these upcoming holidays & trust that you enjoy this time with your families. As always if you have any questions or concerns please don't hesitate to contacting Deb Bailey as she takes on the role of Acting Princpal for Term 3.

Thanking you

Dale

Leaders of Learning

Learning in Infants 

Over the past fortnight, teachers have been hard at work planning Units of Work for Term 3. Kindergarten and Stage 1 will be learning how to read, view and create both informative and imaginative texts. Both classes have planned experiences to kick off their units with a bang! Stage 1 will launch into their learning with a visit to the Macadamia Castle and Animal Park to engage in real-life, hands-on experiences to learn about topics such as animal habitat health, threatened species, life cycles and conservation. Kindergarten will experience the magic of The Peach Farm and learn all about the animals and plants there.

Mathematics is planned in 2-week cycles where students build on prior knowledge and apply what they learnt in Rich Tasks that encourage persistence and creative and critical thinking. Teachers use the NSW Maths Syllabus and work samples to plan learning that challenges and supports students conceptual understanding of maths. It is always exciting to work with our teams as they try and make learning as engaging and exciting as possible for all our students. 

Mrs Bailey

Learning in Primary

The teachers in Stage 2 and 3 have participated in a Forward Planning Day and are well prepared for another term of rich and rigorous learning in Term 3.  Their English units have a focus on Informative Texts; reading and composing information reports. Stage 2 will be visiting the Macadamia Castle and Animal Park to gain first-hand experience to learn about animals whilst Stage 3 will be focusing on exploring informative texts through a unit called Who are our neighbours? Their unit explores Asia and their final assessment task is the construction of a website on their chosen Asian country.  Did you know there are 48 countries in Asia? Students in both classes can look forward to engaging in lots of interesting learning tasks. 

I would like to thank all our staff for their hard work and dedication they demonstrate to the students in their care. I also wish all families a happy, safe, and restful holiday.

Mrs Mullins

Mission & Values

Sacrament of Reconciliation

Congratulations to our Year 4 students who completed their Sacrament of Reconciliation last week with Fr. Nicolas.   The students participated in a retreat the day before to prepare for this healing sacrament.   Even though they were all a little nervous, they did a great job and are eagerly looking forward to making their First Holy Communion next term on Sunday 12th September, 8:30 am at St. Mary's Church in Maclean.  We pray for Reef, Thomas, Alexander, Huon, Ziggy, Harrison, Kavanna and Billy (absent).

All staff and families are warmly invited to attend this special celebration at Sunday Mass.

Sacrament of Confirmation

Next term, three of our students from Year 3 are being Confirmed - Ash Hitchings, Sahara Cook and Reece Bennett.   The candidates will be participating in a retreat with St. James students during the first week of next term and completing their sacrament with Bishop Greg Homeing at 6:00 pm, Thursday 22nd July, at St. Mary's Church, Maclean.  The children are also very excited to complete this special sacrament to choose a Confirmation Name based on a Saint.  A note with more information regarding this Sacrament was sent home yesterday.

Welcome Mrs Senz

I would like to warmly welcome Mrs Senz, who will be the Leader of School Evangelisation and Catechesis for Term 3.  I wish her all the best and am certain she will do an amazing job, just as she does in the classroom.  Next term, I will be focusing on supporting teachers in Learning and Teaching across K-6 whilst Mrs Bailey will be Principal when Mr Layland is on leave.  We wish Mr Layland a restful but productive break as he completes his 'job list' of further studies and home renovations.

Mrs Mullins

Class News - Stage 1

This term, Stage 1 have been learning all about the different ways information can be presented. We have composed informative reports, infographics and then used our infographic to help us present our information orally. It was a fun challenge for the kids to try and present their information more creatively in an infographic, using pictures, colours and different fonts to present their information. They also had an opportunity to practice their speaking and listening skills by presenting their infographic and listening to the presentation of others. They learnt how to use a loud voice, use expression and make eye contact with their audience. 

Throughout the unit, they have also been learning how to use the writing process to improve their texts, make several drafts, edit, revise, and conferencing with each other to bump up their work.

We have had such a fun term with everyone, and we look forward to hearing all the holiday stories at the start of next term!

Mrs Senz & Ms Moore 

Class Awards

Congratulations to the following students recognised at this fortnight's Awards Assembly:

Principal Awards:   Kyah Horan,  Zachary Turner,  Dayla Chapman,  Matias Ward

Class Awards:

Pastoral Care - School Counsellor

What is respect?

Respect is treating each other in a way that shows them we value what they have to say and feel. If you are growing respect, you try to speak to people in way that honours their dignity and you give them a chance to be heard.  

What does it look like in practice? 

• We raise our hands when we have a question or comment  
• We give people our attention when they need it  
• We say excuse me when we need to get past someone  
• We make sure we give people personal space  

How can we encourage respect in our children? 

To help children develop respect this is a great resource. And some more ways to model respectful behaviour and teach our kids can be found here.

Kate Naylor – School Counsellor & Art Therapist

Pastoral Care - School Chaplain

Breakfast Club

In Term 3 we are continuing our Friday Breakfast club, all thanks to the generosity of St Vinnies Maclean. Wholemeal cheese toasties will be back along with fruit cups, milk, yoghurt cups and smoothies. Renee Arringer Schools and Youth Engagement Officer, St Vincent de Paul, shared this interesting story on her Winter Appeal/Pyjama Day visit. 

Seasons for Growth

A Seasons for Growth Group will start for Stage Two in Term 3. Please return notes to the office if you would like your child to participate in this program.

Ms Juana Mead

NAIDOC Celebrations

On Wednesday, we celebrated NAIDOC 2021 with a wonderful day of storytelling, traditional Indigenous games, art, and much more! We were honoured by the presence of many Yaegl Elders and community members, and our sincere thanks go to; 

Aunt Diedre, Uncle Ron, Aunty Noleen, Uncle Ferlin, Aunty Beatrice, Aunty Joy, Uncle Vernon, Uncle Michael and the Maclean High School Indigenous Dancers. 

At St Joseph's, we value our relationships with our Yaegl families, people, history, culture and future.  

Our day started with a Smoking Ceremony and Welcome to Country, after which students moved into their Stage groups to enjoy three activity sessions. These included: 

• a guided bus trip with Aunty Diedre Randall to the Pinnacles, the Lookout, and the Maclean showground to learn the significance of these sites. 
• Storytelling with Uncle Ron Heron where we heard the creation story of the Clarence River and other important stories, and 
• Boomerang art in the art room led by myself. 

The students were excited to welcome past St Joseph's students, Jordan Adamson, Jimmy and Peter Hammond, who assisted with sport-based Indigenous activities. 

We were treated to delicious homemade dampers during lunch whilst the Maclean High School Indigenous Dancers provided live entertainment of traditional dance and didgeridoo playing. 

It was a very special day, and we hope it ignites conversations with your families regarding our Yaegl country, history and people.  We encourage everyone to attend NAIDOC Week Celebrations happening in the Maclean/Yamba area during the school holidays. 

Many thanks again to everyone involved. 

Mrs Waghorn  

School Sport

Mr Hitchings

Notes Sent Home

Community News