Week 6 - Term 2 Newsletter 2023

Principal's Message

Sorry Day & Reconciliation Week

Last week, we united to commemorate 'Sorry Day' and observe National Reconciliation Week. Sorry Day allows us to pay tribute to the members of the Stolen Generation and honour the memory of those who have transitioned into the Dreaming. The recommendation to establish a national Sorry Day originated from the 1997 'Bringing Them Home' report. We extend our gratitude to our student leaders for guiding us through this meaningful liturgy, reminding us of the importance of acknowledging our past and, more significantly, ensuring a future where we collectively cultivate relationships and communities that value the histories, cultures, and futures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Reconciliation Australia's theme for 2023, "Embrace the Journey," inspires the reconciliation movement to embrace the path towards equality and justice for all, fostering hope for impactful change. Furthermore, our Stage 3 students will be attending the 'Closing the Gap' Day next Thursday at the Yamba Sporting Fields. This event offers our students an immersive experience in Indigenous culture and aims to raise awareness of the 'Close the Gap program' among the youth in the Clarence Valley.

Semester 1 Reporting

During this time of the year, teachers are completing students' assessments and Semester One reports. I often overhear them engaging in conversations and deliberations regarding the covered coursework, achieved results, and the effort exerted to determine the final grades. The reporting process is not easy and requires a significant amount of time, careful consideration, and thoughtful evaluation to arrive at a conclusive outcome. It becomes even more challenging for teachers who must teach throughout the day and then dedicate their after-school hours and weekends to working on these reports.

I express my gratitude to all the staff members for their unwavering commitment to ensuring that the students' reports truly and accurately reflect their progress. When these reports are distributed later in the term, I strongly encourage you to schedule a meeting with your child's classroom teacher to discuss and explore their report in detail.

School Athletics Carnival

I want to extend our heartfelt thanks to all those families that were able to attend our  School Athletics Carnival held yesterday at Maclean Showground. Your support and cheering added an extra level of excitement to the event, making it a memorable day for all involved.

It was wonderful to see students, parents, and guardians coming together to celebrate our school's sporting achievements. The positive energy and camaraderie displayed throughout the carnival created a lovely sense of 'community & belonging'. We are proud of each and every student who showcased their talent, determination, and sportsmanship on the field.

On this note, we would also like to congratulate the exceptional students selected to represent our school in the upcoming zone team.  We wish you the very best of luck as you embark down to Coffs Harbour in Week 10 to compete at the Clarence Zone Carnival. 

Lastly, we would like to thank Mr. Hitchings for his organization and seamless running of the athletics carnival. His planning and commitment ensured that the event ran smoothly and was enjoyed by all. 

Staffing Changes - Year 5 Classroom Teacher

With Miss Lauren Ross finishing up last week and heading off on maternity leave, I am pleased to announce that Mrs Emalee Kinsella has been appointed Year 5 Classroom Teacher for the remainder of the 2023 School Year.

Emalee has recently been working in our Stage 2 space in a part-time capacity and will be a wonderful addition to our Stage 3 Team. A recruitment process is currently in place to fill the part-time role in Stage 2, and until this is finalised, Mrs McLennan & Miss Zietsch will cover this role for the remainder of the term.

On behalf of the school community, I wish Lauren all the best as she enters this wonderful new phase of her life, and I congratulate Emalee on her appointment.

Kind regards

Dale

Upcoming School Dates

• 'Close the Gap' Day - Stage 2 & 3 (Thursday 8th June)
• The King's Birthday Public Holiday (Monday 12th June)
  
• SVDP Winter Appeal - 'Pyjama Day' (Wednesday 14th June)
• Semester 1 Class Reports go Home (Monday 19th June)
  
• NAIDOC Day at Brooms Head (Wednesday 28th June)
• Clarence Zone Athletics Carnival (Thursday 29th June)
  
• PUPIL FREE DAY (Friday 30th June)

Leader of Learning

Teaching children to lose gracefully...

Having written previously about how teachers use healthy competition to increase student engagement, and in light of our Athletics Carnival, I wanted to discuss how we can teach children to lose gracefully.

Managing the feelings that come with losing can be challenging. No one likes to lose, but we can help children learn how to manage their feelings when they do while also helping them practice good sportsmanship. Here are a few strategies That may help:

Acknowledge disappointment from losing

Teach your child that it’s okay to feel disappointed after losing. Feeling disappointed is normal, but there are different ways to express that disappointment. Some may be ready to jump back in and play. Others may need to step away, take a break, ask for a hug, spend a little time alone, listen to music, or read a book to calm down. Let your child know there are lots of ways to show disappointment but that it’s never okay to say mean, disparaging, or untruthful words about others just because your feelings are hurt (e.g., “I’m supposed to win – not them! They must have cheated!”). Even if your child wins, talk about how those who lost feel. How do you think they are feeling? Have you ever felt that way?

Practice good sportsmanship

Share with your child that even if they feel upset or disappointed, they can practice good sportsmanship by congratulating those who did win. Find meaningful ways to be a good sport, whether you win or lose. Shake hands. Say, “Good game!” Share a genuine compliment with the other player or players to let them know something they did that was positive or showed skill/improvement. Thinking about others’ feelings can often help children manage their own (e.g., “They worked really hard – just like me!”).

Be a role model for your child

Whether you win or lose, use these opportunities to be a positive role model. Share with your child when you feel disappointed or frustrated after losing, and show them how you manage your feelings (e.g., “Sometimes I take a deep breath and tell myself that it’s okay to be upset. Then I remember how much I enjoyed playing with you. Just because I lost doesn’t mean I didn’t have a good time, too.”).

Use a growth mindset and focus on effort

When children prepare for a competition, praise them for their effort and hard work (“You have been practising a lot! I can tell how much you’ve learned.”). Focus on effort, whether your child won or lost, even after a competition ends. This encourages children to recognise that they can practice, improve, learn, and grow, making it more likely they will try again. Focusing on winning as the most important outcome can negatively impact a child’s self-esteem. Rather than believing they have the potential to grow, children may turn hurt feelings inward, believing they are a failure or not good enough. These types of feelings can make being a good sport especially hard.

Turn losing into an opportunity to reflect and learn

After calming down from initial feelings of upset or disappointment, reflect together on the game or competition. Ask questions like, “What went well?” “Is there something you learned that will help next time?” These types of questions might be especially helpful for games that require skill (e.g., chess, physical sports). For competitions grounded in ideas, beliefs, values, and/or popularity (e.g., a school or presidential election), it may be helpful to practice positive reframing (e.g., “My opponent had ideas that resonated with more people than mine did. Maybe those ideas are a better fit for what is wanted and needed. Maybe I could learn from those ideas, too.”).

Being a good sport after winning or losing comes more naturally to some children than others, but all children can learn these skills with practice and support.

Mrs Bailey

Mission & Values

Liturgical Calendar

Pentecost  - The Birth of the Church

Last Sunday, 28th June, we celebrated Pentecost as the end of the Easter Season, 50 days after Easter Sunday. The Holy Spirit gave the apostles the courage to be missionaries and united them as one body. For this reason, Pentecost is seen as the birth of the Church.

Reconciliation Week - Mercy Value: Justice 

Justice means understanding the difference between right and wrong, being reasonable, and ensuring that people are treated equally. Throughout his life, Jesus taught justice. He fed the hungry, defended the oppressed, and loved the outcast. This week, our Indigenous students, together with the assistance of Mrs Senz, Mrs Waghorn and Mr Randall, led the school in liturgy to celebrate Reconciliation Week and acknowledged justice for First Australians.

At St Joseph's Maclean, we acknowledge we all have a role to play in reconciliation, and in being a part of it, we build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, histories, cultures, and futures.

Mercy in Action Award

This week our St Joey’s Mercy In Action Award goes to Adam Smith-Khan in recognition of displaying the Mercy Value of Hospitality, demonstrated by consistently greeting and acknowledging people you encounter, showing that you value their presence. This simple act of saying hello can go a long way in making others feel welcome and appreciated. Congratulations Adam.

Mrs Mullins

Class Awards

Our Principal's Award winners this week are:

Our Class Award winners this week are: 

Class News - Stage 3

This term, Stage 3 have been learning to identify persuasive features so they can use those features to convince their audience. They have researched and written texts on shark culling, school uniforms and whether or not school should start and finish an hour later. The students have loved forming their own opinions on given topics, conducting their own research, and experimenting with different features to convince their audience. They had a great time viewing a VR tour of the Great Barrier Reef as a writing stimulus earlier this week. They then had to come up with an opinion and go through the writing process to compose a text that convinces their audience to agree with them.

Stage 3 have also been enjoying experimenting with different types of art media and techniques to create some eye-catching artworks that involve shading. We created a 3D cake artwork and used watercolours to create some beautiful geometric hearts for our Mum’s on Mother’s Day. The kids were fascinated to learn that to blend oil pastels, you don’t actually have to use your finger!

Mrs Senz & Mrs Kinsella

School Sport

School Athletics Carnival

We were blessed with a glorious day for this year's Athletics Carnival at Maclean Showgrounds yesterday. I would like to thank Maclean High School for the use of their Long Jump and Shot Put facilities and all parents for helping and coming to support their children. The students really love having you there, and the support you gave the staff was a major reason for the event's success. 

Most importantly, thank you to all students for your wonderful performance on the day. It was inspiring to see the effort you all put in. Thanks again, and I hope everyone enjoyed the day. 

Due to the short turn around, Age Champions and the Clarence Zone team will be announced next week. Zone Athletics will be held on Thursday, 29th June (the last day of  Term 2).

House Champions:

1. Yuraygir 
2. Gibraltar
3. Bundjalung

Mr Hitchings

Pastoral Care - School Chaplain

St Vincent De Paul Winter Appeal

As the cool air blankets us, we are reminded that winter is approaching. We think of those people less fortunate this winter. 

Vinnies NSW supports tens of thousands of individuals and families each year experiencing financial and housing insecurity. Through support offered by Vinnies Conferences and homelessness services, Vinnies strives to rebuild lives and dismantle the communal constructs that lead to disadvantage in the first place.

This year, the Vinnies Winter Appeal focuses on the issue of older women experiencing homelessness. St Joseph’s contributions to the Winter Appeal will allow Vinnies to continue supporting older women who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, to have access to the support they need to get back on their feet and to be safe and well.

Proudly, St Joseph’s will again participate in Vinnies Winter Appeal on Wednesday 14th, June. 

We invite all students to wear their pyjamas and purchase a toastie and hot choc via compass.

More information will be available over the coming weeks via Compass.

‘Let’s help end the homelessness crisis together.’

Seasons For Growth- Stage 1

We are pleased to offer the Seasons for Growth program for Stage 1 students. This is an opportunity to help young people cope with the effects of a significant loss or change in their lives. Change may occur within our lives due to many experiences, including death, separation or divorce.  Such changes can result in feelings of loss, which can be difficult to cope with or discuss.

The Seasons Program will focus on finding ways to accept what has happened, take charge of behaviour, develop self-esteem, and allow your child to build support networks.    

It is not counselling, but rather a small group of students with a trained Companion who meets for one session per week, over eight sessions.

Confidentiality is strongly emphasized.

Seasons for Growth is an education program that uses a wide range of creative activities to help your child learn how to manage well in times of change.

If you are interested in this program for your Stage 1 child, please use the link via Compass.

Thanking you

Ms Mead

Pastoral Care - School Counsellor

Bel Chapman – School Counsellor 

Library News

Book Club

Term 2 Book Club is now open. There’s so much more to Book Club than just buying books. Parents are making a huge difference to your child’s life through books and reading, and each purchase gives Rewards back to our school for additional learning and literacy resources. You are contributing to the success of many Australian authors and illustrators, and children love receiving their new books at school – books they’ve chosen themselves, sparking wonderful reading adventures.

Ordering is easy. You can visit scholastic.com.au/LOOP or download the LOOP app - add your child's details and find our school ‘St Joseph’s Primary School - MACLEAN’, then enter the books. Your order will be electronically linked to the rest of your school’s order. You do not need to complete the form.

Mrs Waghorn

Parent Forum

Fete Update

Amazing news on our school fete planning progress! We have now got our rides and fireworks booked!! New Time: We have updated our Fete time(due to having fireworks) to 3 pm- 8 pm. This will also allow for attendance at sports and then coming to the fete for dinner, fun and fireworks!

Sponsorship: We are currently seeking sponsorship from local businesses to assist with paying for our fireworks and rides. We already have had some businesses from our school community come forward to offer support. If you can help, please contact Rebecca Upston at becuppo@gmail.com.

Donations and Parent Support: We have several stalls, and food trucks lined up. The fete can not run without parent participation. We will be circulating a roster for the day and a list of donations and ideas for how you can help. Please allocate yourself a position on the roster! If you have any other ways to contribute to our school fete or perhaps you have a family member that can help, please contact Bec on the email above.

The Parent Forum Team

Pastoral Care - Family Connect

Creative Kids Vouchers expiring soon…

A message from our Family Connect in Schools Worker Skye Pullen

A reminder that if you haven’t already redeemed your Creative Kids Voucher for 2023, it will expire at the end of this month. That means if you redeem your voucher now, it could still be used for an activity occurring after 1 st July if it is applied before the 30 th June.

The $100 vouchers can be used to contribute to registration, participation and tuition costs for performing arts, visual arts, coding, languages, literature, music and other creative and cultural activities with approved activity providers and there are dozens of providers in the Clarence Valley. Research has shown that children’s engagement with creative activities has positive effects on their interpersonal, intellectual, social and emotional development. Look out for school holiday activities too, such as at the art gallery.

To find a provider or to claim the vouchers go to the website
https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/creative-kids

If you would like any assistance to access vouchers or do find out about other supports, contact our Family Connect in Schools worker.

Skye Pullen 0417 004 779.

Community Notices