Week 4 - Term 3 Newsletter 2022

Principal's Message

Dear Families and Friends,

NAIDOC Day

After a couple of postponements, last Thursday, the school had the opportunity to celebrate NAIDOC Day. This was a wonderful day in which our school community 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 & dancing. The day began with a smoking ceremony & Welcome to Country by Aunty Di and Aunty Lenore. Thank you to our Yagel Elders, our community visitors, Mr Randall, Mrs Waghorn, Mrs Senz & Mrs McMahon for organising the day.

Parent Learning Night - Writing Workshop

Thank you to all our families who accepted the invitation to attend our Parent Learning Night on Tuesday. It was lovely to spend a bit of time 'building community' over dinner and allow our teaching staff to unpack with you how we teach writing to your children and explain the 'what & why' of our Whole-School Agreed Writing Process. I trust this night was rewarding and created better awareness of some of the 'skills & strategies' that we employ when teaching writing to your children. 

Please also be advised that next term's Parent Learning Night will be on Tuesday 8th November, and we will be hosting Simon Richardson, from 'Safe on Social', and he will presenting a Parent Workshop on 'Cyber-safety'. As per all our Parent Learning Nights, babysitting and dinner will be provided.

Science Week 

Next week is National Science Week - Australia's annual celebration of science and technology. It provides an opportunity to acknowledge the contributions of Australian scientists to the world of knowledge. It also aims to encourage an interest in science pursuits among the general public, and to encourage younger people to become fascinated by the world we live in.

As part of celebrating Science Week, all classes will be participating in a Science Activity afternoon on Tuesday 16th August at 1:45pm. Students will take part in a variety of science experiments/design tasks to encourage and celebrate the importance of scientific & inquiry skills in our children. We would love as many parents as possible to attend our afternoon sessions and join in this wonderful experience!

Public Speaking Competition & School Spelling BEE

Please keep a look out next week for information being sent home regarding the Innugral Clarence Public Speaking Competition (Yr 3-6) and our Annual School Spelling Bee (K-6). Both of these initiatives are a way to recognise the talents and importance of developing a high level of literacy skills, particularly within the Speaking & Listening strand of English.

Whilst further information will be sent out via Compass next week, please save the following dates in your calendar: Wednesday 7th September (Public Speaking Finals) & Friday 9th September (Spelling Bee Finals).

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Kind regards

Dale

Leaders of Learning

How to support your child in writing

You don't have to be an expert to help your child with writing. Simply supporting your child with the areas of writing that you feel confident with will benefit them. When you're writing something down, such as the shopping list, sending an email or filling in a form, talk to your child about what you're doing, why you're writing it and who you expect to read it. Make it purposeful and interesting for yourself and your child.

Ways to encourage your child to write

• Read your child's writing or have them read their writing to you and make positive comments such as, 'I really like the way you've described this'.
• Praise your child for having a go at writing words that are new and show them how to spell harder words that they may not have been able to spell correctly.
• Talk to your child about why an author or filmmaker might create a book, play or film in a particular way. What ideas or opinions are presented? What is the author's purpose?
• Read and talk about the writing that your child brings home from school. Praise them for things they have done well. For example, writing an interesting story using colourful words using clear, neat handwriting.
• To develop spelling and vocabulary for writing, play word games such as ‘I spy', Scrabble, Boggle, Scattergories and do crossword puzzles.

Helping with writing at home

• Have your child label and describe things that they design or make.
• Compile a photo album or scrapbook with your child and have them write captions for the photos and pictures.
• Encourage your child to keep a diary of special events, eg a holiday diary with details of how and where they went and what they enjoyed, etc.
• Make writing notes, letters and stories on paper or on the computer a normal part of family life.

Many thanks to the parents who were able to attend our Parent Writing Workshop this week. We hope it gave you a deeper understanding of how we teach writing at St Joseph's. You were a fantastic bunch of learners!  I would also like to thank the staff for all their hard work in preparing for the workshop and Dale for providing babysitting and pizza.

Learning in the Early Years

Over the past two weeks, teachers have used the recent excursions to stimulate students to write. Each day, teachers model exactly what they want the students to do and explain the purpose of the task. Before they begin to write, students know exactly what they need to do and how they will know they are successful. 

Kindergarten have been describing the park they visited and designing their own Dream Park. They are building their vocabulary by learning to use adjectives and adverbs and giving their opinion.  

Stage 1 are learning about personal pronouns (I, my, her) and time connectives (first, then, yesterday, this morning) to make sure their writing is well structured, connected and makes sense.

Mrs Bailey

Learning in Primary

Our students in Stages 2 and 3 are learning about Informative Texts this term.  The students in Stage Two have drawn on their experiences from their excursion to the Macadamia Castle to write descriptions and information reports.  They will publish their texts as an e-book in google slides, complete with hyperlinks within the text, taking the reader to various parts of the text.

Stage 3 students are conducting research to plan, draft and compose their informative texts about the effects of climate change upon animals in a particular Asian country.  They are revisiting the structure of information reports and composing paragraphs based on the PEEL structure; Point, Elaborate, Example, Link. 

All writing lessons adhere to our whole-school agreed practices of:

• shared or modelled reading,
• modelled writing,
• independent writing, and 
• guided writing.

Mrs Mullins

Mission & Values

Mercy Value - Respect 

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”  Matthew 7:12

To show respect is to be responsible for your actions and choices. This week, I witnessed three students show respect for their schoolmates through the simple act of returning a ball that went through their game, stopping their play, picking the ball and handing it back to their peers. A very simple act of kindness and a sign of respect for another person.

Thank you, Zee, Jesse and Seth, for demonstrating one of our Mercy Values through your actions.

 Liturgical Events: Mary of the Cross Liturgy

On 15th January 1842, Mary Helen MacKillop was born in Melbourne, Victoria.

This week, we gathered to remember and honour her, an Australian Sister of St Joseph who was born in 1842. She opened orphanages, hospitals and schools and helped find homes for the homeless. Mary grew old, became unwell, and passed away on the 8th August 1909. In 2010, Mary became Australia’s first saint.

Thank you to our School and Mission Captains, Hugh, Emily, Sonny, Luca, and Makayla, for leading us in a beautiful liturgy.

Sacraments: Reconciliation and First Holy Communion

Congratulations to Ash Hitchings & Reece Bennett, who participated in the Sacrament of Reconciliation with Fr. Nicolas this week.  The sacrament of Reconciliation is also known as Penance or Confession and occurs before First Holy Communion, which will be held on Sunday, 11th September, in conjunction with our School Parish Mass.

All families and friends are warmly invited to attend this very special mass.

Congratulations, Ash and Reece.

Father’s Day Photos

To celebrate Father’s Day each year, it is a school tradition to feature a photo of all our students with their special male/person/s in a slideshow during our Father’s Day Celebration.  I would very much appreciate your photo sooner rather than later.  Please send them to deborah.mullins@lism.catholic.edu.au with the names of the people in the photo. 

Religious Education Dates to Save

• Week 6, 7 and 8 - First Holy Communion Preparation  Classes (in school time)
  
• Week 7 - Father’s Day Celebration: Friday 2nd August 
• Week 9 - Parish School Mass and First Holy Communion: Sunday 11 September 
  
  

Mrs Mullins

Class Awards

Our Principal's Award winners are:

• Kindy - William Ceissman
• Stage 1 -  Bella Camilleri
• Stage 2 - Roo Coulson
• Year 5 - Seth Hausler
• Year 6 - Ryley Bultitude

Our Class Award winners are: 

Class News - Stage 1

We have gotten straight into some fantastic learning in Stage 1 this term!

We kicked off our learning for English, Science and Geography with an excursion to Dolphin Marine Conservation Park in Coffs Harbour. Everyone had so much fun, and we all learnt some amazing facts about a range of sea animals. We even got a photo with a seal!!

In English, we have been learning about a range of informative texts. So far, we have explored descriptions, recounts and procedures. This week, we had to write a procedure for Mrs McMahon on how to brush her teeth! We learnt very quickly that we have to be very clear and precise with our instructions otherwise, they can become confusing for the reader!!

In Maths, we have been doing some great new learning. We have been learning all about time (calendars, digital and analog clocks) and fractions over the past fortnight. In Year 1, we have been practising reading and writing o’clock and half-past in time and halves in fractions. In Year 2, we have been practising reading and writing quarter-to and quarter-past in time and quarters and eighths in fractions.

Mrs McMahon & Mrs Kinsella

School Sport

Diocesan Athletics Carnival

Congratulations to Josie Chapman, Matias Ward, Roo Coulson, Reece Bennett & Jessica Dalton, who all competed & represented the Clarence Zone this week at the Diocesan Athletics Carnival held in Coffs Harbour.  The carnival was held for students from all catholic primary schools from Tweed Heads down to Laurieton. From all reports, the students performed admirably and represented our school proudly. We acknowledge their efforts in making it to this level, which is a wonderful achievement.

North Coast Netball Gala Day

Congratulations to the following Year 6 students: Kayla Ellis, Emily Upston, Makayla Elms, Olivia McIntyre, Tasmyn Norris, Tanesha Anderson, Hugh Bell, Ryley Bultitude, Jai Adamson & Jack Robinson, who competed on Wednesday at the Far North Coast Netball Gala Day in Casino. 

The students progressed to this day after participating in the Lower Clarence Netball Gala Day last term and as a team, finishing second in the final to Maclean Public. Whilst the team was unable to secure a win from any of their pool games, they had a wonderful, jam-packed day and enjoyed the experience of playing against other quality netball teams. Thank you to Miss Zietsch & Miss Bowcock for taking the students to this opportunity.

Mr Hitchings

Pastoral Care - School Counsellor

Building Relationships

“Children and young people learn about the world around them, others and themselves from key people in their lives.

In relationships, we form beliefs about what we know to be true of ourselves and the world around us that we carry into adulthood.

Parents and carers have unique opportunities to change the experiences of children through the power of their relationships. It is never too late to help children feel special and important.” Australian Childhood Foundation

To complete an exercise with your child, check out the following link:

Kate Naylor - School Counsellor & Art Therapist

Pastoral Care - School Chaplain

Community Leaders

Congratulations to our wonderful Community Leaders for your outstanding service at our Little Joey’s morning tea on Friday. You conducted yourself in such a loving manner and demonstrated true leadership. Your help was endless, from the set-up to the clean-up. I know our Parent Forum and families would be so grateful to you, as are the staff at St Joseph's. You should be very proud of yourselves.

Fundraiser

Sister Of Mercy Value- Justice

The Catholic Charity Aid to the Church in Need is conducting an emergency appeal to support the church in Ukraine. Funds are being sent to clergy and religious who are on the ground assisting refugees fleeing the combat zone.

On Wednesday, 17th August, the SRC are fundraising for this worthy cause. The SRC are:

• inviting students to wear the Ukraine colours of yellow/blue and donate a gold coin.
• selling Jelly Cups at recess for $3. This will include yellow/blue jelly with cream.

Please send money in with your child on the day. 

Ms Mead

School Chaplain

Library News

Book Week

Book Week at St Joey's is being held this year from the 22nd to the 26th of August. We spend one glorious week celebrating books and Australian children’s authors and illustrators during this time. Students will have a chance to check out the books available through our annual Book Fair when they visit the library with their class before Book Week. The library will then be open from 8.30 am - 9:00 am and 3.15 pm - 3.45 pm Monday to Thursday during Week 6 for parents to join us in exploring the many different titles on offer and make purchases. 

We will run activities and competitions during Book Week, and on Friday 26th Aug we will have our costume parade, where students can dress up as their favourite book character. Parents are invited to join us in the amphitheatre at 2:00 pm.

Mrs Waghorn

Pastoral Care - Family Connect

Is the rising cost of living stressing you out?

Money Smart can help you.  They help Australians take control of their money with free tools, tips and guidance.  Go online to moneysmart.gov.au to access:
* tips on managing your money
* accessing financial counselling
* planning for the future
* urgent help if you’re struggling or in a crisis
* understanding options if you’re having trouble paying your bills
* budget planners and calculators

The Family Connect worker Skye Pullen can also connect you with local services to assist. Skye is at St Joseph’s each Thursday. You can contact Skye on 0417004779 or email skye.pullen@socialfutures.org.au

Skye can also give families a helping hand regarding:
* Parenting challenges
* Accessing NDIS
* Linking to housing support
* Help with accessing welfare supports
* Accessing counselling services
* Linking to domestic violence supports
* Finding culturally appropriate support

Skye Pullen

0417004779 or skye.pullen@socialfutures.org.au

Parent Forum

Parent Forum News
The Parent Forum met on the 2nd of August for the Term 3 meeting. It was lovely again to see new faces come along.

Little Joey's Morning Tea
Last Friday was the first day of Little Joeys, and the Parent Forum hosted a morning tea to welcome these families to our school community. It was a lovely opportunity for families to meet each other. Thank you to the parent forum members who attended and organised. Isn't it wonderful to have a new group of excited Little Joeys lighting up our library on Fridays!

Parent Forum Funding SRC Requests
The Parent Forum is very pleased to assist with the purchase of new sports equipment and library resources as requested by our SRC.

Ukuleles
The Parent Forum offered to purchase an additional 15 Ukuleles for our school after it was identified that there was a shortage of Ukuleles and that students had to share instruments during lessons. The school gratefully accepted this offer.

Canteen Volunteers Wanted
Melissa in our canteen does a fantastic job each week shopping, planning and preparing fresh and nutritious meals for our children (we appreciate the work you do, Mel!) Currently, Melissa has three parent volunteers who rotate to assist her for 2 hours on a Friday morning from 9:00 am-11:00 am to prepare and serve meals. Thank you to these marvellous volunteers! Of course, it would be lovely to have more helpers, if you are interested and can offer 2 hours of your time on a Friday morning once or twice a term, please contact the front office.

Trivia Night Term 4
We are planning a trivia night- (Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader!?) for Term 4, with the date to be confirmed. Our Principal of many talents will be hosting the evening, it should be lots of fun with prizes to win. This event will be open, so parents and friends from outside school will also be welcome to attend. It would be great if we could get tables of 10 together from each year level so please start having a think about groups.
If you have a business and think you could offer a prize for the evening or could sponsor a prize, please get in touch with either the Parent Forum Chairperson Lauren Kirkland by emailing lozzacdk@gmail.com or Secretary Rebecca Upston by emailing becuppo@gmail.com.

Resilience Workshops
I just wanted to raise parents’ awareness of our wonderful free resource within our school. Skye Pullen, our Family Connect Worker, is available at our school on Thursdays. Skye is incredibly knowledgeable and skilled in parenting strategies, she is also very kind and caring. Personally, I attended some workshops with Skye in Term 2 along with a couple of other parents around "Tuning In to Kids and Emotion Coaching". This was seriously good and useful information since parenting at times is really challenging- this has given me some new skills and ideas to try. Skye will be running some workshops around resilience in the coming weeks- dates to be confirmed- please keep an eye out; I highly recommend getting involved.

Thank you, Dale and Staff
Lastly, a big thanks to Dale and all the brilliant teachers for hosting a Parent Learning Night earlier this week around the writing process. It is always fascinating to get an insight into our children’s days and how they learn. I know I am not alone in my assessment of the evening- our teachers are seriously impressive! Thanks to Juana and Bobbie also for serving us a delicious dinner and looking after the children.

On behalf of the Parent Forum Team,

Lauren Kirkland

Chairperson of the Parent Forum

Community Notices