Week 10 - Term 4 Newsletter 2022
Principal's Message
Dear Families and Friends,
It has been a busy couple of weeks to finish off our year, from our Year 5 Leadership Speeches to our Christmas Concert performances and this week where we held our Year 6 Graduation Dinner & our End of Year Prize Giving. Thank you to all of our families for your support this year. It has been a wonderful year of learning where we as a school have continued to strengthen our Vision for Learning - "Learning Begins with Me - Head Heart & Hands".
End-of-Year Awards & Prize Giving
On Tuesday, we held our End of Year Awards & Prize Giving, which was a wonderful time as a school parish community to acknowledge our school leaders for 2022 and recognise students in all classes under the following categories: Academic Achievement, Faith in Action and Learning Begins with Me.
Our 2022 Award Winners:
- Year 6 - St Joseph's Award - Josie Chapman
- Year 6 - Faith in Action Award - Kayla Ellis & Jack Robinson
- Year 6 - Leadership Award - Emily Upston
- Year 6 - Sportsmanship Award - Tasmyn Norris
- Year 6 - Dux - Olivia McIntyre
- Year 5 - 'Academic Achievement' Award - Harry Cook
- Year 5 - 'Faith In Action' Award - Gabriella Quarello
- Year 5 - 'Learning Begins with Me' Award - Billy Opalniuk
- Year 4 - 'Academic Achievement' Award - Reece Bennett
- Year 4 - 'Faith In Action' Award - Grace Bell
- Year 4 - 'Learning Begins with Me' Award - Jesse Maycock
- Year 3 - 'Academic Achievement' Award - Shilo Grivins
- Year 3 - 'Faith In Action' Award - Emily Dahlenburg
- Year 3 - 'Learning Begins with Me' Award - Jack Kirkland
- Year 2 - 'Academic Achievement' Award - Zee Coulson
- Year 2 - 'Faith In Action' Award - Isaak Bailey
- Year 2 - 'Learning Begins with Me' Award - Cooper Want
- Year 1 - 'Academic Achievement' Award - Lawson Bell
- Year 1 - 'Faith In Action' Award - Oliver Want
- Year 1 - 'Learning Begins with Me' Award - Dotti Kemp
- Kindy - 'Academic Achievement' Award - Alexander Trethowan
- Kindy - 'Faith In Action' Award - Kingston Thoms
- Kindy - 'Learning Begins with Me' Award - Erin Murth-Clough
2023 School Starting Dates
- Years 1 - 6: Monday 30th January
- Kindergarten: Monday 6th February
Just a reminder for all families to please note our starting date for students (Year 1 - Year 6) next year will be Monday, 30th January 2023. The preferred and suggested model from Catholic Schools Office is for schools to have a staggered start for 2023 school year, with students to come in for a scheduled Maths Assessment Interview. However, we are conscious of the stress & complications this model places on our families (particularly after a lengthy summer holiday).
Similar to this year, during Weeks 1/2, students will be withdrawn from classroom learning to participate in a Maths Assessment Interview. Teaching staff will schedule these interviews during normal school hours. Please note that for this to occur, students may not have their regular classroom teacher for the full day.
Please note the starting date for all Kindergarten students will be Monday 6th, February.
Early Term 1 Dates to Remember
Swimming Carnival (Years 1-6) - Week 1, Friday 3rd February
Parent Information Night - Week 3, Tuesday 14th February
Beginning School Mass - Week 3, Friday 17th February
Departing Families
Lastly, I would like to thank and farewell the following departing families who will be leaving our school community at the end of the year. A couple of these families, who have Year 6 students moving onto to secondary education, have been with us for over 10 + years. We wish all of them well in their new school communities and thank them for their involvement and partnership with the school : Horan family (Kyah - Year 1), King family (William - Year 2), Barretti family (Marina - Year 3), Norris family (Tasmyn - Year 6), Robinson family (Jack - Year 6), Adamson family (Jai - Year 6), Adamson family (Xavier - Year 6), Campbell family (Dane - Year 6), Bultitude family (Ryley - Year 6), McLean family (Ethan - Year 6), and the Carroll family (Sam - Year 6).
Staff Farewells
It is also with mixed emotions that I inform our school community that this year we farewell Mrs Kate Duncan, Mrs Kate Naylor & Mr Ben Clarke, who will all not be continuing at St Joseph's in 2023. All three of these staff members have decided to take up other professional opportunities elsewhere, and we wish them all the best as they continue their educational journeys. I would particularly like to thank Mrs Duncan who has been with our school community since 2015, not only taking on a number of classroom teaching roles, but has also supported and led our social media presence in the community. I would like to thank her for all the efforts and passion she has put into our school community over the years and for her to know that she will be sorely missed.
Wishing everyone a safe and enjoyable Christmas break with your familes & I look forward to working alongside everyone in 2023.
Kind regards
Dale
Leaders of Learning
Rediscovering the joy of reading this summer
We know it can be hard to find the time (or energy!) to read with or encourage your child to read each day, BUT it is really important for all children from Kindy to Year 6. Reading can take a backseat over the holidays as we get busy with family, friends and celebrations; however, this lack of practice can lead to the ‘Summer Slide’. Studies show that reading four-to-five books over the summer is enough to have a positive impact. Holidays allow your child to ditch readers, choose books that spark interest and excitement and develop a love of reading that will bring them much joy throughout their lives.
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 when they start 2023 and avoid the ‘Summer Slide’!
Mrs Bailey and Mrs Mullins
Mission & Values
As we enter our final days of school, I would like to wish our Year 6 students all the very best as they leave us and commence the next part of their education at high school.
On Tuesday we celebrated their milestones, their achievements, and the relationships and friendships they have formed with staff and most importantly, each other. It was evident at the Graduation Dinner the strong connections between families, and it was very special to celebrate the culmination of the student's primary school years together.
Anyone wishing to view the Graduation Video, please click on the video below, or use the link
I would like to wish all our families a happy, safe and fun-filled Christmas and I look forward to seeing everyone next year.
Mrs Mullins
Class News - Year 6
Well, Year 6 crossed the finish line in this last week, ticking off all their finalities as leaders at St Joseph’s in 2022.
- The final Gala Day for the year: Rugby 7s
- Christmas Concert
- End-of-Year Awards
- Graduation Dinner & Speeches
- Our 3 End of Year Fun Days
21 beautiful souls who will go on to high school, destined for greatness and success. Whatever you do, know that your St Joeys family loves you very much, and we are so proud of the young adults you became in our care and the growing you have yet to do.
The ever-popular Dr Seuss quote is always apt.
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose”
POETRY
The learning over this term ended with my personal favourite English topic of poetry. Students were exposed to limericks, ballads, free verse, concrete (shape) with their favourite song lyrics and many other types/ structures of poems. Students had to engage their audience/ peers with descriptive language, language features and emotive language to convey their ‘story’ or ‘theme’ through poetry.
Ms Zietsch & Mrs Duncan
School Sport
Stage 3 Rugby Gala Day
Stage 3 had a fabulous day at the Rugby Gala Day at Evans Head on Thursday, 8th December. The day started with a drills and skills session, which was valuable for all students but particularly for those new to rugby. After morning tea, the games were played with all students played three games. Seeing the confidence grow and skill levels improve throughout the day as they gained more experience was great. Thank you to all students for their efforts and behaviour. A teacher from Woodburn came over to our school and thanked them for the respect and integrity they showed throughout the day, which made Mr Randall and me very proud.
Mr Hitchings
Pastoral Care - School Chaplain
Student Representative Council
We wish to congratulate all of our 2022 members of the SRC/ Minnie Vinnies on a remarkable year of leadership for this year. The students have continued to lead their year groups, enthusiastically coordinated a number of highly successful fundraising initiatives and participated in leadership opportunities.
An overview of their achievements in 2022 are;
- Project Compassion
- Pancake Tuesday
- St Vincent De Paul’s Winter Appeal; Taco in a bag
- Mother’s Day High Tea
- Catholic Mission; Socktober
- Fathers Day
The SRC is supporting the St Vincent De Paul Christmas Appeal as our final project for 2022. Twelve hampers were presented to our local St Vincent De Paul representatives on Tuesday. We thank each and every SRC member for all they have given to their school, local and global community.
Well done!
Ms Mead
School Chaplain
Library News
Premiers Reading Challenge Certificates were handed out this week. Congratulations to the 61 students who completed this year's challenge. A special mention goes to Reef Crofton and Alexander Frame, who received a Gold Award for their fourth consecutive year completing the challenge, and Sonny Bennett and Emily Upston for completing seven years in a row!
A big thank you goes to the Maclean Show Society for their recent donation of LEGO to the school. The boxes were received and opened with much excitement, and I have no doubt they will provide countless hours of fun for all our students.
NAIDOC
Congratulations to Sophia Wright in Yr2, the recipient of the ‘NAIDOC Medal of Excellence’ in 2022. This medal is 1 of 25 across the state of NSW. Sophia submitted a colouring in, which was adjudicated by a panel including the patron of the NAIDOC Week 2022 School Initiatives, Aboriginal Elders, Agency Delegates, and other members of the community. The initiatives aim to give our kids a greater understanding of the importance of friendship and cultural diversity.
Congratulations again Sophia!
Mrs Waghorn
Parent Forum
What a wonderful end to the year it’s been with the end-of-year award and gift giving, the Year Six graduation and the fun days for the kids! I think everyone is ready and deserving of a good rest!
On behalf of the parent community, I’d like to extend a big thank you to the whole of our school staff- the amazing teachers, the wonderful teachers' assistants, our leadership team, the library staff, the essential and dynamic administration team, the pastoral care team, our marvellous canteen crew and the volunteers. You all make our school great and a wonderful place for our children to grow and learn.
I want to wish the Year Six graduates all the best for their future as they head off to secondary school and to the parents who are leaving us at St Joesph’s this year- we hope we will continue to see you around in the community.
Lastly, thank you so, so much to the parents who have been involved in the parent forum this year. As they say- many hands make light work. It’s been a lot of fun to work and learn together and whether you had a role in the events we held or whether you came to meetings to listen, your contribution is greatly valued. Can’t wait to see what we can achieve together in 2023.
A quick note- a reminder about the Lawrence Rodeo on December 30th . If you’d like to help on the
drinks stall and thus receive one free ticket into the rodeo please get in touch with Sarah Hourigan on email: Sarah@ajh.net.au
Merry Christmas everyone and have a safe and happy new year!
Lauren Kirkland
On behalf of the Parent Forum
Community Notices
