Week 6 - Term 1 Newsletter 2023

Principal's Message

NAPLAN 

Next week students in Years 3 & 5 will be sitting their NAPLAN Assessments, which is slightly earlier than previous years, with testing taking place next Wednesday 15th & Thursday 16th. These test sessions will take place as follows:

• Wednesday 15th March - Writing (Year 3 will be a pen & paper test) & Reading 
• Thursday 16th March - Language Conventions & Numeracy

We wish these students the best of luck, and I know their classroom teachers have made it clear to the students that these tests are merely an opportunity to showcase what they know and can demonstrate and what they can improve on. Whilst I acknowledge  NAPLAN can be contentious in some households and that it only shows a snapshot of a child's learning profile, as a school, we use this data further to inform our teaching & learning in the classrooms & particularly look at long-term trends and areas to improve as a school. 

 Seeing our 2022 School NAPLAN results highlighted recently in the local media was very gratifying. For those unaware, St Joseph's was ranked 3rd (out of 17) in the Clarence Valley Primary Schools (Grafton, Yamba & Maclean surrounds). This is a wonderful achievement and acknowledgement for our staff, students and the wider school community.

Parent Forum AGM & Class Parents Contacts

Thank you to all our parents who could attend our Parent Forum AGM in Week 4. It was lovely to meet as a group and set out the direction for 2023 with regard to Parent Voice, Parent Community and Parent Learning. I want 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.

As this meeting was also an AGM, we were able to elect the Executive for the 2023 & 2024 School Year, and I am pleased to announce the following parents have accepted positions on the Forum:

• Chairperson: Lauren Kirkland
• Secretary: Bec Upston
• Treasurer: Sarah Hourigan
  
• Parent Assembly Rep: Bel Chapman (assisted by Lauren Kirkland & Bec Upston) 
• Parish Rep - VACANT

An equally important role within the Parent Forum is our Class Reps; please find below our Year Level Representatives:

• Kindergarten: Alesha Tipler
• Year 1: Liz Bailey
• Year 2: Michelle Firth
• Year 3: Belinda Davis
• Year 4: Jessica Elms
• Year 5: Bec Bennett
• Year 6: VACANT (Parent Volunteer Required)

After consulting with the Parent Forum and our Class Parents for 2023, please be advised that all Class Parent Reps that sit on the Parent Forum will be provided with all families' contact details for each of their classes. The purpose of this request, which is done each year, is to enable our class parents to create their own email/messenger/WhatsApp group, allowing 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  WOULD NOT like your personal contact details shared with your Class Parents, please contact the School Office directly; otherwise, I will presume you are happy for this to occur.

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

St Joseph's Feast Day
As you may be aware, I am pleased to let you know that we will be celebrating the Feast Day of St. Joseph next Friday, 17th March, as a school community. We warmly invite you to meet us at Brooms Head Beach to help us celebrate this day as a school community.

During this day, students will participate in a Liturgy by the beach, a beach walk & organised class activities. It is anticipated that this will be a day of reflection and relationship building amongst all students & staff and an excellent opportunity to strengthen our community.

We will start with our Whole School Liturgy at the Lagoon (beach-side) as you pass the Bowling Club upon entering the town. Students will walk down the beach from the Caravan Park to the Lagoon and, following the liturgy, will proceed to walk back and participate in some class-based beach activities. We intend to set up an organised area (dependent on campers) near the undercover BBQ area. Any parental assistance to help with serving lunch would be greatly appreciated.

Parent-Teacher Interviews

Please be advised that our Term 1 Parent-Teacher Interviews will be held in Week 9 this term (Monday 27th - Friday 31st March). Please note Interviews are strictly 20 minutes, and spaces are limited. All parents/caregivers are encouraged to attend these meetings to discuss your child’s transition into the new school year and, together, set important learning goals for Term 2 and identify ways we can each best support your child.

Information will be sent out early next week via our Compass APP. Interview times will be booked through the COMPASS PORTAL.

If you have any issues with the booking process, please ring the School Office on 66452340, and we can book you in.

Alternate arrangements - END OF DAY PROCEDURES

If your child is being picked up by another adult not on our school records as one of your emergency contacts, you must notify the school of your alternate arrangements. Since transitioning back to school this year, we have had several incidents of confusion around the end-of-day pick-up. I ask that if you are having another parent collect your child on your behalf, you ring the Front Office on 66452340 before 3 pm to ensure that both staff and the student/s are aware of this change and that in the event of a regular arrangement being granted that the School Office has been provided permission in writing.

I trust you have a settled and safe weekend with your families.

Kind regards

Dale

Leader of Learning

What is Standardised Testing, and Why Do We Do It?

A standardised test, or standardised assessment, is a test that students take and score consistently. This is so that the results can be compared and judged by a mark scheme. Usually, the questions will be the same for all the test takers. Naplan is an excellent example of a standardised assessment, which children in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 complete. These cover what should have been taught from the national curriculum.

We recently introduced DIBELS testing in all grades based on advice from the Catholic Schools Office. The DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) measure assesses students on four of the five critical skills necessary for successful beginning reading, including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and vocabulary. The fifth essential skill, comprehension, is measured using a PROBE assessment later in the school year. 

Teachers use the data to

• make decisions about who to support and when.
• plan the next steps in instruction
• ensure students are on track compared to their peers
• check students are making progress.
  

Leader of Mission

St Joseph's Feast Day Beach Day - Friday 17th March

As part of celebrating our Patron Saint - Joseph, our school will celebrate St Joseph’s Day on Friday, 17th March. We would like to warmly invite you in helping us celebrate this day as a school community which will be held at Brooms Head beach & Caravan Park. During this day, students will take part in a Liturgy by the beach, a beach walk & organised class activities. It is anticipated that this will be a day of reflection and relationship building amongst all students & staff and a wonderful opportunity to strengthen our community.

A BBQ will be available to order. More details will be shared in the Compass App next week.

Term 1 School Parish Mass

Our Term One School Parish Mass will be held at 8:30 am, Sunday 26th March at St Mary's Church Maclean.  All families and friends are warmly invited to attend.  If there are any students (Kindy to Year 6)  who would like to assist with the Mass, please contact me at deborah.mullins@lism.catholic.edu.au.

The jobs include:

• Hospitality - welcoming parishioners at the entry and handing out hymn books,
• Readers (2 students) to read the gospel.

Thank you.

Incitare Retreat

On Friday, Mrs Senz accompanied Year 6 to McAuley Catholic College to participate in their first ‘off campus’ retreat. The students participated in hands-on activities and small and large group discussions where they talked about being brave and trying their hardest to live a Christian life.  

Thank you to Mrs Senz for attending the retreat with the students and ensuring they had a great day building relationships and connecting with students from other schools.

Mercy In Action Award

This week's recipient of our prestigious Mercy in Action award is Oliver Want. Oli receives this award in recognition of displaying the Mercy Value of Service, which he demonstrates through his commitment to taking care of our environment, in particular, our school garden.  Oliver is integral in keeping our garden watered and clean of rubbish and weeds. Thank you, Oliver. We really appreciate your help.

Wear Purple for Lent Mufti Day

Next Tuesday, 14th March we are inviting staff and students to wear purple mufti (regular clothes) for our first ever WEAR PURPLE FOR LENT day.  The students and staff are encouraged to wear something purple (or something with purple on it!) and donate a gold coin to support Caritas Australia, Project Compassion.  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. 

Your generous support can help change lives today - and For All Future Generations.

Mrs Mullins

Class Awards

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

Principal Awards

Class Awards

Class News - Stage 2

Stage 2 has been busy having lots of fun with our learning in the first half of Term 1. A highlight was our scientific investigation to find out where we can find bees and what attracts them. We went on a bee hunt where students observed bees, collected data (photographs), and sorted their data. They identified that bees were attracted to flowering plants and noted that they especially liked natives!

We have also been working on expanding our vocabulary and learning to use descriptive language in our stories. The students have impressed us with their talents for using rich language to compose their imaginative texts. We are sure you will enjoy reading these samples as much as we have enjoyed supporting students in writing them. 

Mrs Mclennan and Ms Zietsch

Pastoral Care - School Counsellor

Welcome to the Wellbeing Room!

It is a space that has been created for:

• Outside providers such as OTs and Speech Therapists to utilise
• Programs such as Season for Growth to run
• A space for small groups
• A counselling room
• A calm space for children who may need help transitioning from home environment to school
• A place where students are able to take “brain breaks” in a safe and monitored environment
  

It is a bright colourful room that is decorated and resourced intentionally to create a sense of calm and belonging.

When you walk into the Wellbeing Room, you are:

IMPORTANT

RESPECTED

VALUED

ACCEPTED

HEARD

Bel Chapman - School Counsellor

Pastoral Care - School Chaplain

Social Justice- Project Compassion Week 2 of Lent

St Joseph’s is participating in Project Compassion. 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 worldwide. 

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

This week our journey introduced us to Tereesa, a Gamilaroi woman from Western Sydney who struggled with homelessness while raising her four children. Through the Baabayn Young Mums and Bubs Group, Tereesa could reconnect with her culture and create a better future for her children.  

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, or you can donate by visiting the link below.

SRC - St Vinnies Breakfast Club

With the generosity of our local St Vincent De Paul, we are once again running our Vinnies Breakfast Club. With the help of our wonderful student volunteers, our breakfast club will be on every Thursday morning from 8.30 am-8.50 am. We serve healthy breakfasts such as cheese toasties and yoghurt/fruit cups. 

All students are invited to join us in our Sister of Mercy Value of Hospitality every Thursday for free breakfast.

Ms Juana Mead - School Chaplain

School Sport

Lismore Diocesan Swimming Carnival Kempsey

Congratulations to Sam Kirkland on his achievement in representing the Clarence Zone at the Lismore Diocesan Swimming Carnival. We would like to thank Sam and his family for making the long journey down to Kempsey on Friday 3rd March to compete in this event and represent the school at such a high level.

Lismore Diocesan Winter Sport Trials

Good luck to Jacob McIntyre who will be attending the Lismore Diocesan Winter Sports Trials in Grafton tomorrow. Jacob will be participating in the Hockey trial and we wish him all the best in his endeavours.

Luke Hitchings - Sports Coordinator

Library News

Scholastic Book Club

Scholastic Book Club has started up again for 2023, and catalogues went home with excited children earlier in the week! There's so much more to Book Club than just buying books. You are making a huge difference in your child's life through books and reading, and your purchase gives Rewards back to our school for additional learning and resource materials.   

Ordering is easy. Simply log in or create an account at scholastic.com.au/loop 

1. If you are new to Book Club, follow the Wizard to set up a profile 
2. Click on the ORDER tab, and select our school and your child's class- St Joseph's Parish School Maclean
3. Add your child's name and class
4. Enter the product item number shown in the Book Club catalogue
5. Make payment via credit card

This year we are trialling one Book Club catalogue per term (in previous years, it was 2), and the current issue closes on the 23rd of March. This ensures free delivery to the school on your purchase. Orders can be accepted after this date. However, parents will be presented with a home delivery option for an additional fee of $7.50.    

Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions regarding Book Club. I look forward to seeing all the wonderful books our students are keen on exploring! 

Mrs Waghorn 

Pastoral Care - Family Connect

Skye Pullen

0417 00 4779 or skye.pullen@socialfutures.org.au

Parent Forum

Silent Disco Thank you

Thank you so much to everyone who came along to our welcome BBQ and Silent Disco. It was lovely to see all the kids busting a move and having a wonderful time. Special thanks to the year-level Parent Reps for organising a BBQ roster and to the parents for volunteering to serve the BBQ on the night, it shows what a wonderful community we have in our school with parents willing to help out.

A special thank you to Liz Bailey from Flourish Allied Health for her extremely kind donation of bread for the BBQ.

Easter Raffle

We are now accepting donations of Easter eggs for our Easter raffle to be held at the end of Term 1. Please drop off any donations of Easter eggs at the Front Office. Raffle tickets will go home with children in the near future.

Winter School Fete

Please mark Saturday 26th August in your calendar for our School Fete. The fete will raise much-needed funds to contribute towards the upgrade of our school canteen. More on this in Term 2.

Lauren Kirkland - Chairperson of the Parent Forum

Community Notices

JUNIORS, JUNIORS, JUNIORS!

Our first Junior sign-on for this year will be held THIS SUNDAY at the Yamba River Markets.

If you can't make it to the markets, come and see us at Kane Douglas Rugby Field between 5 pm - 6 pm on Monday, 27 February.

Don't forget, we're also looking for volunteers to help run the club.