Week 2 - Term 1 Newsletter 2023

Principal's Message

Dear Families and Friends,
Welcome back to another year of learning at St Joseph's. These past two weeks have been a very settled period for students and staff It has been a wonderful time for the students to build a rapport with their classroom teachers and get to know their new learning spaces.

We also welcomed our new Kindergarten students into our School Community & it has been so pleasing to see their cheerful, cute faces beaming with excitement each day. I, and all the school, look forward to getting to know each student and ensuring they have a settled start to their schooling life. Along with our Kindergarten students & their families, we also welcome the Brett family (Zoe - Yr 5), Black family (Tyler - Yr 1), Cooper family (Bear - Yr 1), Harris family (Noah - Yr 6), Lennon family (Zac - Yr 1 & Jimi - Yr 4) and Nicols family (Asher - Yr 6) into our school community. We trust that you will begin to feel part of our community & gain that sense of belonging that we, as a school, strive for.

Parent Information Night - Tuesday 14th Febraury

Please be aware our Parent Information Night is on next Tuesday 14th February from 5:00 pm. 

We will be holding two classroom sessions at 5:00 pm & 5:45 pm focusing on what our learning space will look like this year for your child. By offering two separate sessions, it is anticipated that this will reduce the number of adults present in each session and allow those parents who have children in multiple classes to attend other sessions as well.

In between these sessions (5:45 - 6:15pm) we will be gathering together under the shelter for some beverages and platters to help build that sense of community. There will also be babysitting provided on the night.  

If you intend on attending, to assist with catering & babysitting, we ask that you indicate your attendance via the "EVENTS' tab in Compass ASAP (please note that numbers will be capped on each session). 

If you cannot attend either of these sessions due to after-school commitments, all materials shared will be sent home via Compass or in hard copy. 

Beginning Year Mass - Friday 17th February

I would like to warmly invite all our families to our Beginning Year Mass which will be held in St Mary's church (adjacent to the school) next Friday 17th February at 12:00pm (Week 3). This Mass is a wonderful time where we acknowledge our School Leaders (Year 6 Captains & SRC Leaders) for 2023 & officially welcome our new Kindergarten students into our school Community.

Term 1 - Parent Forum Meeting - Tuesday 21st February

Please be aware that  our Term 1 Parent Forum AGM will  be held on Tuesday 21st Febraury (5:00pm-6:30pm). This meeting will not only be an opportunity the elect our Parent Forum Exec for 2023 &2024 but to plan out the year ahead as a group, making sure it is focused on 'Parent VOICE, Parent COMMUNITY & Parent LEARNING'.

I would like to reiterate that ALL PARENTS are welcome to attend our Parent Forum Meetings each term, it is not a closed meeting, so please if you are even interested in finding out more, make sure to attend our Term 2 meeting.

Strengthening our Parent Partnership is one of our goals as a school and part of doing this is ensuring we are able to provide regular opportunities for parents to meet and share their insights into the ways our school can continue to improve and develop.

School Uniforms

Just a reminder as we begin our school year to ensure your child is in the correct school uniform, particularly socks and footwear (black shoes). Wearing the correct uniform sets high expectations for our students and develops a sense of pride in our school. I could ask that all student belongings are labelled, not only uniforms but also hats, drink bottles, lunch boxes etc. Please check labels regularly to ensure they are still visible, as many tend to wear/come off over time. Labelling everything ensures minimal upset for the child, teacher and parents.

Again, welcome back to our 2023 School Year and as always if you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate in contacting me.

Thanking you,

Dale

Leader of Learning

Welcome back!

The beginning of the school year is one of my favourite times of the year. There are smiles galore as the students and staff greet each other after a long break, pleased to be back in a place where they feel they ‘belong’. Year 6 nurture their Kindy buddies and coax them to play and follow school routines. Our St Joey’s school spirit shines abundantly!

During the first few weeks, teachers focus on getting to know their students, who they are, how they learn, what they like and how to get the best out of them.

There are a few things you can do to help your child get back into the swing of school life. 

1. Re-establish sleep times. Students are often very tired at the beginning of the year (the heat doesn’t help!), so adequate sleep is more important than ever.
2. Create a morning routine. Sometimes a simple chart helps remind children what they need to do each morning to get ready for school. As a bonus, it creases independence and organisational skills.
3. Label belongings. 
4. Establish an after-school routine. Creating a calm, quiet space for homework can make it easier for your child to do their homework.

If you have any concerns or questions about how your child is coping with the transition back to school, please reach out to their teacher - after all, we are here to help!

Mrs Bailey

Leader of Mission

Mercy Values 

Welcome to 2023. 

For our new families, I would like to share some information about the history of our school and provide some context for the values which we embody at our school. 

Our school was founded by the Sisters of Mercy, meaning we are a ‘Mercy School’.  That means, we follow the Mercy Charism and have certain values that we use to guide us in our Head, Heart, and Hands; that is, our thoughts, words, feelings and actions.  These are known as the Mercy Educational Values and include;

1. Service
2. Hospitality
3. Justice
4. Compassion
5. Courage
6. Respect

You will see and hear us refer to these values throughout the year, and I will explore each in greater depth fortnightly in the newsletter. As a school within the Lismore Catholic Diocese, we also incorporate the Foundational values of; 

1. Evangelisation
2. Community
3. Tradition
4. Worship
5. Witness 
6. Service

You can see these values displayed alongside our Mercy Values around the school accompanied by a quote from Catherine McAuley who believed that all problems could be solved whilst sharing, ‘A comfortable cup of tea.’

Sacramental Program

Baptised students are able to undertake Confirmation in Year 3, and students who have been confirmed are able to complete Reconciliation and their First Holy Communion in Year 4.  The sacramental program is run by myself with the assistance of another staff member and involves preparation classes and a retreat. More details will be shared at a later date. If you are interested in having your child baptised, please contact me for further information.

Beginning Year Mass and Leadership Induction Ceremony - Friday 17th February

Next Friday we will celebrate our Beginning Year Mass to welcome our Kindergarten students and families, followed by the presentation of badges to our school leaders. Mass will be held in St Mary’s Church at 12:00 pm and all families and friends are welcome to attend.

Liturgical Dates for Term 1

• Beginning Year Mass - Friday 17th February 12:00 pm at St Mary’s Church
• Shrove Tuesday - Tuesday 21st February - celebrated at school
• Ash Wednesday - Wednesday 22nd February - Whole School Liturgy
• Lent (Liturgical Season) - Weeks 5-9
• St Joseph’s Feast Day - Friday 17th March
• Holy Week - Sunday 2nd April - Sunday 9th April
• Easter Liturgy - Thursday 6th April
• The Easter Season - Sunday 9th April - Sunday 21st May

Mrs Mullins 

Class Awards

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

Class Awards:

Class News - Kindy

Welcome to 2023!

Kindergarten has had an enjoyable and smooth transition into school life. These first week we have been getting to know our classroom and whole school routines. We have been lucky enough to have our amazing Year 6 buddies who have helped us during eating and playtime. We have really enjoyed getting to know them! Learning in our Kindergarten classroom so far has consisted of drawing, writing, counting, fine motor activities and so much more. 

In English, we are learning to make connections between our own life and the text. We have been reading a story about getting ready for school and identifying the different things we can do to be ready each day. We are able to convey our connections to the text through discussions, drawing pictures and writing. Students have loved being chosen to share their work as a reflection at the end of each lesson. Each day we explore different ways to make our fine motor skills even stronger with activities such as bead threading, clay making, cutting, and sorting objects using tongs. In mathematics, we are learning to identify and describe different attributes so we can sort them into groups. We started by exploring our playground to find natural objects such as leaves, rocks, stick, and shells to count and sort. We have found that there are various ways to sort based on different features objects and shapes have. 

Well done Kindergarten to a fantastic start to the year and getting in and having a go at everything! I look forward to having a fantastic year together and supporting them as their learning journey begins here at St Joseph’s. 

Miss Lovegrove

Pastoral Care - School Counsellor

COUNSELLING CONNECTION - Increasing our affirmation vocabulary

How amazing is it that we get the opportunity to speak positively into our kid’s lives?

It’s great when you have the words to say:

“You are amazing Robert”

“I loved your cooking tonight Esther”

“I’m so proud of your efforts Justin”

But often our affirmation vocabulary can be lacking, due to the brain fuzz that is PARENTING!

Here are some easy affirmation GO TO’s for when all you can muster is a thumbs up and a smile.

• I’m grateful for you
• You don’t have to be perfect to be great
• This family wouldn’t be the same without you
• I’m excited to spend time with you
• Seeing you happy makes me happy
• I learn new things from you every day
• Watching you grow up is the best
• Not everyone will like you, and that’s okay
• You are beautiful inside and out

For a more extensive list of affirmations follow this link

Bel Champman– School Counsellor

Pastoral Care - School Chaplain

Community Connect

Learning Assistance Program- LAP 

LAP is a student-centred and volunteer-based mentoring programme designed to assist schools to implement one-to-one learning that supports, guides and enriches the wellbeing and learning outcomes of their students from Reception–Year 12.

It focuses on the wellbeing, academic, social needs of students through the powerful and positive contribution of mentors.  Time spent with a mentor is intended to enhance the educational experience of the child, by providing them the opportunity to learn in an interactive and creative way that they enjoy and is more individualised to their interests and needs than is possible in the busy classroom setting. 

Our wonderful  LAP volunteers will be returning again this year with one-to-one 20 minute  sessions with selected students. We warmly welcome our back volunteers.

Student Representative Council (SRC) Fundraiser

Caritas Australia-Project Compassion Fundraiser/Pancake Tuesday

Once again St Joseph’s will be participating in Caritas Project Compassion. Starting with Shrove Tuesday by serving pancakes to all our students and then spanning across the six weeks of Lent each year.

Project Compassion brings thousands of Australian schools, parishes and supporters together to raise funds for people living in some of the most vulnerable communities across the world. 

We get involved by watching the stories of Project Compassion, hosting  fundraisers, joining a Caritas Conversation, and downloading resources.

Your generous support can help to change the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable people. Join us this Lent to raise much-needed funds for people living in poverty.

Together, we can make a difference now, and For All Future Generations. 

Each class has a donation box where students can donate to this fundraiser. 

More information will be available on Compass in the coming week

Ms Juana Mead - School Chaplain

School Sport

Swimming Carnival

Thank you to all students, families and staff for making our school swimming carnival a great day for our school community. Despite the very hot weather, it was a good opportunity for us to celebrate our students and for them to socialise in a fun and relaxed environment. Congratulations to all of the students for their behaviour and efforts on the day.

Congratulations to our Junior Age Champions: Zion Coulson (absent) and Alice Davis.

Congratulations to our Senior Age Champions: Reef Crofton and Olive Ardrey.

Swimming Carnival Results:

House Results:

Zone Swimming

Congratulations to those students that qualified for the Zone Swimming Carnival, which will be held at Maclean Pool on Monday 27th February. Qualfying students will be invited via a compass event which will require consent.

Luke Hitchings - Sports Coordinator

Library News

The St Joseph’s library is open Mon-Thurs during lunch and recess breaks and is a lovely cool refuge on these hot summer days! When the library is open, students may borrow and return books, join one of the many clubs we have at St Joeys, play dress ups or imaginative play, or simply sit and colour in. 

This year each class has been allocated class time to visit the library, to further encourage a love of reading and instil good reading habits. Students may borrow up to 2 books per fortnight which can be taken home and read/shared with parents, grandparents, pets or whomever they like! We ask that each student have a library bag on their designated library day (can be as simple as an old pillowcase or Coles bag) to transport books to and from school. Class borrowing times are listed below.

Monday - Stage 2

Tuesday - Stage 1

Wednesday - Year 5 & 6

Thursday - Kindergarten

During class borrowing time this year I will also have 2 special helpers known as “Book Bosses”! These helpers will assist me in checking out the books for their classmates and keeping the books tidy and in their correct place in the library. Many thanks in advance to my many helpers! 

Mrs Waghorn – Librarian

Parent Forum

On behalf of the Parent Forum, I’d like to welcome all new and returning families along to the first Parent Forum Meeting for 2023 on Tuesday 21 st February at 5pm-6.30pm in the school library.
Parent Forum is a wonderful chance to have your parent voice heard in our school. There is no obligation to take on a formal role.
The Executive positions of Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer will be open for re-election for the 2023-2024 period at this meeting.
If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact the front office.

Canteen Volunteers!
Would you like to get involved in helping in our wonderful Canteen? Canteen Volunteers are always needed and hugely appreciated. Fridays from 9am-11am once or twice per term. If you would like to get involved, please let the front office know.

Lauren Kirkland
Chairperson, Parent Forum.

Community Notices

"Scouts Australia NSW provides young Aussies aged 5 to 25 with fun and challenging opportunities to grow through adventure. With over 17,000 youth and adult members from various cultural and religious backgrounds and with varying abilities, Scouts is one of the largest and most successful youth organisations in the state."