Week 8 - Term 1 Newsletter 2022

Principal's Message

Pupil Free Days

Throughout this year the school will be undertaking a number of Professional Learning Days which will result in Pupil Free Days. These days are essential in ensuring staff are able to not only develop themselves as educators but, also support the direction of the school. As you can see from below all of these days are aligned to our Vision as a school and come under our 3 Domains, that is, Teaching & Learning, Catholic Identity & Mission and Pastoral Care & Wellbeing. Whilst we understand the implications these may place on our families, we appreciate your support for these days:

• Term 2 - Staff Parish Retreat (Tuesday 27th April)
  
• Term 3 - Literacy PD Day  (Monday 18th July)
• Term 3 -Indigenous Cultural PD Day (Friday 23rd September)
  

Please note that we had initially scheduled a Pupil Free Day on Friday 8th April, however due to impacts of the recent floods which resulted in numerous families being unable to access school as well as the time off a number of families have had a result of Covid-19 Isolation requirements, we have decided students will attend for a full week in Week 10, resulting in our Easter Liturgy & Raffle being our final day for student on Friday 8th April. 

Additionally this year, all staff will be attending twilight PD later in the year. 

School Cross Country

As you may be aware students have begun Cross Country training on Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays. Whilst normal uniform should still be worn on these days, students may wear joggers to and from school to allow them to participate comfortably in the training.

Please note that our School Cross Country will be held on Wednesday 6th April at 9:30am (final events should conclude by 11:30am). All parents and family members are welcome to attend and cheer on the students. Please see an order of events to assist with parent attendance:

• Kindy (1 lap)
• Stage 1 (2 laps)
• 8yr & 9yr (4 laps - approx 2km)
• 10 yr (4 laps - approx 2km)
• 11 yr (6 laps - approx 3km)
• 12 yr  (6laps - approx 3km)

Silent Disco

Just a reminder that in our final week of Term 1, on Wednesday 6th April at 5-7pm, our Parent Forum will be hosting all families to a Silent Disco and Welcome BBQ. After two years of restrictions, many new families have joined our school community, including our new Kindergarten families. I want to thank the Forum for this initiative, and we look forward to sharing a fun night and meeting new faces.

Further information regarding this event's cost and other details can be found in our Compass App.

Have a restful weekend and looking forward to seeing you through our final weeks of Term1.

Kind regards

Dale

Leaders of Learning

Learning in the Early Years - Maths

A major component of learning about Maths in Infants is using MATHEMATICAL LANGUAGE. By discussing, explaining, describing and defending their thinking students learn that their words have power and that in Maths you need to be very specific about the words you use. 

This past fortnight Kindy has been learning about Whole Numbers and Data. They have been explaining their thinking using these words: count forwards, count backwards, the number before, the number after, more than, less than, zero, ones in Whole Number and information, collect, group, display, objects when they are learning about data.

Stage 1 have been learning about Addition and Subtraction. Year 1 use these words to explain their thinking: counting on, counting back, combine, plus, add, take away, minus, the difference between, total, more than, less than, double, equals, is equal to, is the same as, number sentence, strategy. Year 2 use these words to explain their thinking: plus, add, take away, minus, the difference between, equals, is equal to, empty number line, strategy.

Mrs Bailey

Maths in the Early Years

Learning in Primary - Reading 
This week as I visited each classroom, it was wonderful to see high levels of student engagement in reading. Reading is an area in which we have worked hard to develop ‘Whole School Beliefs and Practices’ to ensure each teacher uses a consistent approach to the teaching of reading. Research states that whole school practices are one of the best ways to improve student outcomes, and it is a real credit to our staff, both new and existing, who take time to plan and implement quality reading programs carefully. All students are closely monitored regarding their reading progress, and we have several different levels of support programs for students who may need a little extra help in this area.

Reading occurs in the Literacy Block between 9 and 11 four days each week, and it is encouraged in every other Key Learning Area to ensure our students are exposed to a wide range of texts.
The Reading component of the Literacy Block consists of Shared, Modelled, Guided and Independent reading. Students read a range of digital and hard copy texts. They have become very adept at reading material on screens and understanding how to navigate digital texts. Digital texts have the added bonus of audio and other supports that allow students to read texts they may not have otherwise been able to access.  
To encourage reading hard copy texts, each class has an allocated library time each week where Mrs Waghorn plans activities to further encourage a love of books and reading.   We are very lucky to have such a beautiful library with an ever-changing display! 
If you haven’t had a chance to visit our library yet, I encourage you to pop in for a visit.

Mrs Mullins

Mission & Values

Incitare - Year 6 Retreat: Tuesday, 29th March
The Incitāre retreat has been rescheduled to next week. We will be travelling by bus with students from St James (Yamba) to McAuley Catholic College in Grafton. To ensure we arrive in time to commence the day, we are departing the school at 8:30 am but will be back by 3:15 for students to leave school at the regular time. It would be appreciated if students could be at school before 8:30 am.
Ms Zietsch will accompany the students. Permission forms have been previously shared through Compass, so if you have given permission for the first date, no further consent is required.

Dress: Sports Uniform, Hat, Joggers
BYO: Lunch, snacks, water
Depart: 8:30 am (Please arrive at school before 8:25 am)
Return to school: 3:00 pm

Please don’t hesitate to email me if you have any questions.

St Joseph's Feast Day

Last Friday our school community travelled to the Wooli Water Park to celebrate St Joseph's Day. It was wonderful to be able to share this day with our families and each other. St Joseph was a quiet, humble man who inspires us to be good and kind, and this day was an opportunity to do this and have fun together.

Once again, I would like to thank our School Captains and Mission Captains for doing a great job in leading the liturgy.

Easter Liturgy - Save the Date: Friday 8th April
This year our Easter Liturgy will be held on the final day of Term 2 at 12:00 pm, Friday, 8th April.
Parents and friends are invited to attend the liturgy and celebrate the most important event in the liturgical year.
Each class will re-enact a piece of Scripture to tell the story of Jesus’ life on earth through to his death and resurrection.

The Easter Raffle will follow after the liturgy and this is always an exciting highlight of the day.  Thank you to all families who made donations, sold or purchased tickets for this annual fundraising event. We have a display of chocolate goodness in our foyer which gets larger each day.  This year, our wonderful Parent Forum will also match the amount raised with their own funds.  All monies raised will go toward Woodburn Flood Relief.

First Holy Communion: Thomas Hourigan
This Sunday, we would like to wish Thomas Hourigan all the best as he completes his First Holy Communion. Thomas was unable to participate in the sacrament with his friends last week, so it is lovely that he will have the opportunity this Sunday.
Congratulations Thomas.

Wildfire - Music Workshop experience: Thursday 31st March
'Wildfire' is an Australian Catholic Worship Band created in 2018 within the Diocese of Lismore. Next Thursday, on the 31st of March,  Wildfire will visit our school to run a series of music workshops with all our students throughout the day. We are very fortunate to have this very talented band work with our staff and students to participate in a music workshop and compose a school song with input from our students.
PARENT INVITE - At 2:45 pm, Wildfire and our students will perform in the library for those parents who can attend or want to come a little early for 'pick up time' and be a part of the audience. It may be a little squishy in the library ( just like a rock concert used to be!), but we would love to have you there!

Mercy Value  - Justice 
The voice of mercy is truly authentic when it is the voice of justice.
Ethel Bignell

The mercy value of justice is about being responsible for one another and trying our best to be fair by taking our turn and sharing. It is about trying to make sure everyone is treated fairly and justly.
The parents, students, staff, and Parent Forum certainly demonstrate the value of Justice as they work together to assist the Woodburn Flood Relief. It is truly amazing to see such a small community gather together to provide relief and assistance to those in need.

Prayer for Justice
God, seeker of true justice: you call us to do what is right, especially for the poor and powerless. 
Let us join together to work for the good of all people. 
May no one be overlooked or left at the margins. 
May we look after the Earth, and use well the gifts you have entrusted to us. 
Help us to be good stewards of the world you have made, in Mercy’s name. 
Amen.

Mrs Mullins

Class Awards

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

Principal Awards:

• Kindy - Claire George
• Stage 1 - Sam Kirkland
• Stage 2 - Grace Bell
• Year 5 - Reece Marchant
• Year 6 - Tasmyn Norris

Class Awards:

Class News - Year 5

It has been a busy eight weeks in the Year 5 classroom, and all students have gotten off to an incredible start! Our writing has come along in leaps and bounds, as we have explored common story plots and the narrative conventions authors use to engage their readers. While following common story plots, the kids have experimented with using hook sentences, describing their characters inside and outside qualities, and using imagery (senses) to describe the setting, just to name a few. Below are some samples of how they have included these conventions in their writing….

“You broke it. I spent weeks on it, and you broke it!” He howled at me as he sunk to the floor, looking at his now destroyed lego dump truck. (Hook Sentence - Dialogue)  Gabbie

I’m known for my skill at surfing, my long salty hair and my green eyes that I got from my Dad. I love to surf. The waves are like big monsters, ready to fight. (Character description and simile) Dayla

It was a fine, sunny day in the Twirly Whirly Woods. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and it was turning out to be a glorious day until…. CRASH! went the cymbals, BANG! went the drums. (Describe the setting and onomatopoeia) Harry

In Science, we have also been exploring what it means to be sustainable and why this is essential to current and future generations. This week we planted some alfalfa seeds to grow them and keep them alive and thriving with as little water as possible. Wish us luck!

Mrs Senz

Pastoral Care - School Counsellor

Character Strengths - LOVE OF LEARNING

What is LOVE OF LEARNING?

Love of learning means you delight in finding out new things whether in class or on your own. If you are growing this you might use this strength to persist through any challenges because you have an appreciation of what is involved in mastering something new.  

What does it look like in our school?

• We ask questions without fear of sounding silly  
• We learn something new every single day  
• We love hearing different ways of playing games  
• We take joy in finding out new information from our friends  

To learn more about character strengths and to access the resource that these “Exploring Character Strengths” Newsletter articles have come from visit:

 https://growyourmind.life/

Kate Naylor – School Counsellor & Art Therapist

Parent Forum

Parent Forum met for the first time in 2022 on the 15th of March. We had a great turnout with new faces attending and lots of ideas and actions discussed. For those wondering what Parent Forum is, you may be more familiar with the term P&C - Parent Forum is very similar. 

Who are we? 

The 2022 committee carries over from last year. Committee members are as follows:

• Chairperson: Nicky Venn 
• Secretary: Lauren Kirkland
• Treasurer: Sarah Hourigan 
• Parent Assembly Rep: VACANT 
• Parish Rep: VACANT

Class Parent Representatives:

• Kindergarten: Rebecca Upston
• Year 1: Michelle Firth
• Year 2: Belinda Davis
• Year 3: Steve Kirkland
• Year 4: Bec Bennett
• Year 5: Sarah Hourigan
• Year 6: Amelia Bell

There are two positions on the Parent Forum that are currently vacant. If you are interested in being involved or would like to know more, please contact Dale. 

All parents are welcome and encouraged to attend Parent Forum meetings. Your year level Parent Rep can also pass information, ideas and feedback to parent forum on your behalf if you can’t attend. We’d like to think we are pretty approachable, so please don’t hesitate to reach out!

What’s Happening in Term 1?

Silent Disco & Welcome BBQ

We are so excited to be able to organise a social get together for our school community on the 6th of April- a silent disco and welcome BBQ- to welcome new families who have commenced at the school during restrictions and our new Kindergarten families. If everyone could please have their BBQ orders completed on Compass by Tuesday 29th April- this will allow us enough time to organise catering. We are so looking forward to seeing everyone on the night. Kids, don't forget to bring your dance moves!

 Easter Raffle

The Easter Raffle is always a big hit with the children and would not be possible without our school community's generous donation of Easter eggs and prizes. We appreciate any donation no matter how big or small. This year, proceeds from the Easter Raffle will be donated to St Joseph’s Woodburn School Parent Forum. We hope that this donation will help the Parent Community at Woodburn get back on their feet after the catastrophic flooding. 

Next Meeting

The next parent forum meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 10th May at 5 pm in the school library. All parents are welcome to come along! 

Thanks for reading along! 

The Parent Forum Team 

School Sport

Here at St Joey’s, we have sporting superstars in the making! Olivia McIntyre (Hockey) and Ryley Bultitude (Rugby League) have recently made it through to the Polding Trials. These students compete against others from the Polding region (which comprises 6 Dioceses: Armidale, Bathurst, Broken Bay, Lismore, Maitland/Newcastle and Wilcannia/Forbes) for a place in the team to compete at State titles. Good luck, Olivia and Ryley!

Library News

Our school library is not just about books. We have a wonderful catalogue of literature that has been created with care at St Joey’s, but our library is so much more than just a bunch of books! The library is also the place we come together for many of our school clubs. These clubs change regularly throughout the year and operate at lunch and recess play times for students. Some examples of the clubs we have at Joey’s are singing club, craft club, chess club, trivia, card club, drawing club, STEM club, Tournament of the Minds meetings, and many more!  

As well as clubs operating in the library, for children who do not feel like playing on the playground, we have puzzles and building blocks, imaginative play and lego, colouring-in supplies, dress ups and board games. We aim to give students as many options as possible at playtimes.  

The library is also home to our STEM area (which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), where we encourage students to think, question, design, create, invent and reflect, and allows students to connect classroom activities to real-life opportunities in these subjects.  

With the recent flooding events in the Northern Rivers and seeing so many schools and town libraries losing their precious treasures, I think it’s highlighted how lucky we are and how much we appreciate our amazing school library at St Joseph’s! 

“The only thing you absolutely have to know is the library’s location”. Albert Einstein. 

Mrs Waghorn

Notes Sent Home

Community Notices