Week 10 - Term 1 Newsletter 2022

Principal's Message

Dear Families and Friends,

Welcome to our final newsletter for Term 1 2022; what a term it has been! Thank you to all our families who supported us as we worked through staff availability and student supervision both with Covid-19 Isolation & the recent floods. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with those affected by the flooding. Hopefully, Term 2 will be less disjointed. It was wonderful to see so many families at our Silent Disco & Welcome BBQ on Wednesday night. Thank you to the Parent Forum who organised this event as this was a great way to celebrate the wonderful community here at St Joey's and build upon that 'sense of belonging' that we strive to have. 

Anzac Day March

A reminder that St Joey's will be participating in the Maclean Anzac Day Parade on Monday 25th April. Whilst it does occur during the school holidays this year we are encouraging as many children as possible to “muster” at 10.30 am outside The Boulevard in River Street to represent our school community on this important National Day. Full school uniform, including a hat, is to be worn, and a drink bottle is highly recommended. A number of staff will be assisting and present on the day. 

Kiss N Drop Construction

Please note that our New Kiss N Drop Zone on Stanley street will begin construction next Monday, 11th April.

Council have advised that this will take approx 4 weeks thus, there will be a significant impact to our End of Day procedures for at least Week 1 & 2 (pending weather). During these initial weeks back, I am asking that families who collect their children at the end of the school day stagger the collection time between 3:15-3:30 to help reduce the congestion. Alternatively, I encourage you to consider parking slightly further away from the school grounds on either Woodford Street or Grafton Street (adjacent to the school oval). I understand that we will all need to exercise patience during these weeks, but hopefully, once the construction has concluded, we will have a safer and more efficient process for all.

Parent Contacts Details - Class Parents

After consulting with the Parent Forum and oour Class Parents for 2022, please be advised that at the beginning of Term 2, all Class Parent Reps that sit on the Parent Forum will be provided all families' email addresses and contact details for each of their classes. The purpose this request is to enable our class parents to create their own email/messenger/whatsapp group is to allow for further communication regarding both 'in-school' and 'out of school' events and most importantly for our new families to remain connected with and hold a sense of belonging.

If you feel that you WOULD NOT like your personal email & mobile contact shared with your Class Parents please reply to this email directly otherwise I will presume you are happy for this to occur.

I have listed our Class Parents below in the event of contact being made over the holidays:

• 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

Thanks again to our Parent Forum members for showing the initiative in this & I trust that this will ensure student wellbeing is at the forefront.

Maclean Show Day

Whilst Wednesday 4th May (Week 2, Term 2) has been declared a half-day public holiday, as in previous years we have decided to keep the school open as normal. All classes will continue to operate as per their timetable; however, families who wish to take advantage of this holiday are encouraged to attend and support our local Maclean Show.

Sadly I would like to thank  and farewell the following departing families who will be leaving our school community at the end of this term. We wish all of them well in their new school communities and thank them for their involvement and partnership with the school : the Cook Family (Sahara - Yr 4 & Kahiah - Yr 1), the Wells Family (Aiden- Yr 6) & the Venn Family (Ziggy - Yr 5, Blaise - Yr 3 & Saige - Kindy).

Lastly, please be aware that the first day for all students in Term 2 will be Wednesday 27th April.  Following Anzac Day, teachers will participate in a Spirituality Day in Yamba on Tuesday, 26th April.

I want to take this opportunity to wish all families a happy, safe and holy Easter and look forward to seeing you all upon our return in Term 2. 

Kind regards

Dale

Leaders of Learning

Learning in the Early Years - Reading at home 

We know it can be hard to find the time (or energy!) to read with your child each day BUT it is really important. Reading can take a backseat over the holidays as we get busy with family, friends and celebrations however this lack of practice can make it more difficult for students to start the next term well. Holidays allow your child to ditch readers and choose books that spark interest and excitement.

Why not:

• Take a trip to our local library
• Bring a book with you to the park or the beach
• Read a chapter in the morning, when your child is used to learning and before other plans cause distraction
• Create a reward system for finishing books and/or chapters

and help your child be ready to learn they return for Term 2.

Mrs Bailey

Learning in Primary - Maths

Stage 2 - Statistics and Probability - Chance

This week the students are learning about the likelihood of events occurring. Chance is always an interesting maths topic where students decide if things are possible, impossible or somewhere in between. They learn about outcomes and conduct chance experiments.  Even warm-up games such as Target Number allow students to develop concepts about the chance of landing a counter on a certain number.

Year 3 Success Criteria

• I can explain what an outcome is
• I can list all possible outcomes of a simple chance experiment
• I can conduct a chance experiment

Year 4 Success Criteria

• We can use the correct terms equally likely, likely and unlikely.
• Compare familiar events occurring and describe the events as being……
• Order events from least likely to most

Year 5 - Measurement and Geometry - Angles

This week the students are mastering the measuring of angles using a protractor. They are measuring, recording using the degree symbol, and classifying angles using mathematical language.  

Success Criteria:

We will:

• recognise the need for a formal unit for the measurement of angles
• record angle measurements using the symbol for degrees (º) 
• measure angles of up to 360º using a protractor
• explain how a protractor is used to measure an angle

Year 6 - Measurement and Geometry - Circles

This week the students have been learning about the properties of circles. We find one of the biggest challenges for students in maths is understanding mathematical language. Students need to become proficient at explaining and demonstrating their knowledge and skills using the correct terminology.

This week the students have learned to:

• identify and name parts of circles
• create a circle by finding points that are all the same distance from a fixed point (the centre)
• identify and name parts of a circle, including the centre, radius, diameter, circumference, sector, semicircle and quadrant.

Mrs Mullins

Mission & Values

Easter Liturgy

What a great way to finish off our term, sharing the story of Jesus’ life with our school community. Thank you to all the staff for their time and effort to prepare the students for their re-enactments of scripture, and to the families and friends who were able to attend and provide the children with a real-life audience…it’s so nice to have you back!

Next week is Holy Week, which marks the end of Lent. Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday and finishes when we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection on  Easter Sunday. The Season of Easter extends for 50 days, closing with Pentecost Sunday.

I wish all our families and friends a safe and happy Easter and hope you return in Term 2 feeling renewed and refreshed for the Season of Easter.

Year 6 Incitare Retreat - The retreat was postponed due to recent weather conditions. At this stage, the retreat has not been rescheduled but I will contact Yr 6 families if and when a future date has been selected. 

Sacramental Program

Year 3 - Confirmation Thursday 30th June (Week 10)  

This term, any baptised students can make their Sacrament of Confirmation. The students will participate in preparation lessons in Religious Education Classes at school and will also attend a Retreat prior to the sacrament. Confirmation is scheduled for 5:30 pm, Thursday 30 June, 2022 with Bishop Greg Homeing. More details will be shared next term with the families of Confirmation Candidates.  

Year 4 - First Holy Communion 

Students who have undertaken Baptism and Confirmation are eligible to receive the Sacrament of First Holy Communion. This sacrament will be held in Term 3 and more details will be shared next term.

Mercy Value - COURAGE

As we lead into the most important liturgical events and season of the year; Holy Week and Easter, I thought we would take a moment to think about the Mercy Value of COURAGE. 

Jesus is a perfect example of being courageous. Throughout His life on Earth, He constantly showed courage when he was faced with challenges. Through his actions on the cross, we see the ultimate act of courage. The courageous person is not someone who feels no fear but who faces their fears anyway. 

As we reflect on Easter and reflect on what Jesus did for us on the cross, we are reminded that Jesus shows us bold and courageous actions by knowing his fate and following through in God's plans.

How did Jesus fight the fear of emotions and agony? Through prayer and petition to God, as he presents his requests to his heavenly father. As we reflect this Easter season, may we see the bold example of Jesus and become more like Him in all that we do.

Mothers Day Photos 

In preparation for our Mother’s Day Celebration next term, I am asking once again for photos for our slideshow, which will be played during the liturgy. Photos can be of mums, children with their mums, grandparents, aunts etc…anyone that you want your child to acknowledge for Mother’s Day. From past experience, the slideshow (iMovie) IS the highlight for our students; they love to see themselves with their loved ones on the big screen, and it is important that every child is featured as part of our school community.  

The process is fairly simple; just email me a digital photo with a caption of who is in the photo, so I have names to go with faces. Putting the slideshow together is quite a lengthy process, and therefore I require the photos well before the day of the celebration.

Please send your photos to deborah.mullins@lism.catholic.edu.au as soon as possible.

Mrs Mullins

Class Awards

Our Principal's Award winners this week are:

Kindy: Erin Murtha-Clough

Stage 1: Jesse Bennett

Stage 2: Jesse Jae Maycock

Year 5: Tom Hourigan

Year 6: Aiden Wells

Our Class Award winners this week are: 

Class News - Year 6

This term, we have been exploring narrative text types to enter and create other worlds. Students in Year 6 have been using ‘QUEST’ stories as a pathway for representing, understanding and engaging with their ideas. There have been many wonderful imaginative stories that Year 6 students have crafted and filled to the brim with engaging language forms and features to entertain and hook our readers.

Have a read!

“With a swing of Zachery’s sword it magically turned into a blaze of fire, snaking behind it.  With each and every slash it felt like the raging sun. Spitting fire flew everywhere.”
- THE LEGENDS OF THE ELF: Aiden Wells

“SLAM! I aggressively dunked the shiny new basketball through the orange hoop.”
- THE GREAT GAME: Jack Robinson

“After dinner Poppy strided up to her dimly lit room, chucked on her sky-blue nightgown and collapsed in her cushinony bed. Sleeping wasn't one of her favourite things to do. So instead, she thought of how to sneak out of the house and climb her favourite tree. 

She thought and thought until she eventually drifted off into her own dream land.”
- FOREST: The Ants: Jos Chapman

“She was walking for a bit in the forest then saw a tiny white clay house, with a dark brown roof with wooden windows that had small holes and the chimney had smoke spurting out of it. There was a whole crowd of crows on top of the roof. Cleo could smell something very weird like it had 70 different things in one pot.”
- THE SECRET GEM: Tanesha Anderson

“My final test for my power increase,” he thought grimly as its shadow cascaded over him. The Rolcher belligerently attacked with a savage swipe of his goopy blood-stained claws. The blistering heat of the deserted, desolate desert was draining Goblins' strength, fast! He only just side-hopped in time, staggering as he landed. 

• GOBLIN’S QUEST: Nathaniel Frame

Including our brilliant writing; Year 6 has also been exploring various Visual Arts styles, artists and genres over the term. 

Ms Zietsch & Mrs Duncan

Year 6

Pastoral Care - School Chaplain

Student Representative Council (SRC)

The Easter Bunny himself couldn't deliver a more perfect Easter hunt than our Joey’s one! Students hopped around and found assorted eggs throughout our school. A fun way to end our term thanks to our wonderful SRC.

Community Connect

Term 2- With the generosity of our Parent Forum, our Community Leaders will be serving tea/coffee/juice at parent pick up,  to our parents every Friday. This service will be available from 2.45pm- 3.15pm. All are welcome. 

Ms Mead

Easter Egg Hunt

School Sport

It was wonderful that we could run our school Cross Country on Wednesday 6th April. The determination, persistence and sportsmanship that were on display were exceptional. Congratulations to all our students who had-a-go and gave it their all on the day.

House winners on the day were Bundjalung on 128 pts, followed by Gilbraltar = 100 pts and Yuragir = 84 pts.

St Joseph’s Cross Country Carnival Results for 2022

Parent Forum

Thank you to all our families that attended our Silent Disco this week. It was a wonderful event to come together and build relationships amongst our families.

Please be aware that our next Parent Forum meeting in Term 2 will Tuesday 10th May at 5pm and will be held in the School Library. 

The following positions on the Parent Forum that are currently vacant & we will be seeking to fill these if possible at our next meeting. If you are interested in being involved or would like to know more, please contact Dale:

• Parent Forum Chairperson - VACANT
• Parent Assembly Parent - VACANT
• Parish Rep - VACANT

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!

Library News

This week we announced the winner of the Term 1 library competition, which was ‘Teachers Read Too…Can You Guess Who?’. Students were asked to guess which teacher chose which book for the display, and amazingly we had five joint winners!. Congratulations to Kavanna, Meesha, Georgia, Josie and Emma. The teachers managed to keep all the students guessing as all five winners only guessed three correct matches each. There were definitely a few surprises in there!

And so, as we move into the school holidays, I would like to remind students (and encourage them with your help) to get busy reading for the Premiers Reading Challenge this year. We have a fun afternoon planned for all those who complete the challenge with a movie, pizza and popcorn in the library. I hope all 107 St Joey's students can make it! If students are looking for books to charge through the challenge, click this link to search for your next PRC book. 

A very happy Easter and happy reading to all!!      

Reading makes the world big! Author unknown

Mrs Waghorn

Notes Sent Home

Community Notices