6 November 2024

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Parents & Guardians

With this week being Week 6 of a 10-week term, we are well and truly on the home stretch of the 2024 academic year.  We are still collecting for the Vinnies Christmas Hamper collections with information sent home to all families by Mrs Carter. 

The P&F are also launching their Christmas Raffle with appeals for prizes currently happening.  This raffle will help fund the P&F’s subsidy of all our student booklists for the 2025 year.

Well done to all the students who competed at our annual swimming carnival last Thursday evening.  It was great to see our students get in and compete in the pool.  A special shout out to the team of ‘Dads’ who won the 25m pool relay as they pipped one of the staff teams to take out 1^st place.

Thanks to all the staff who helped on the night.  It was great to see so many of Joey’s staff there both in and out of the pool.  Well done, and thanks to Mrs Rachael Duncan who put so much preparation into making it such a wonderful event.

It is with a heavy heart that I inform you that Mrs Megan Crosthwaite has stepped away from her role as Finance Secretary of St Joseph’s after nine and a half years in the role.  Megan has been a wonderful presence in the front office and has worked tirelessly to serve the Joey’s community over that time.  Megan has also personally been a tremendous support to me as we both came into our new roles at around the same time.  Megan, you will be a tremendous loss to the school community, and I have loved working with you.

Advertising for the role of Finance Secretary for 2025 will be happening as soon as possible.  The role will be advertised for 35 hours per week.  Please, if you know of someone suitable, please pass on the relevant information as it comes to hand.

The P&F Annual General Meeting will be held in the school library next Thursday evening.  It will be held on Thursday due to the annual Rockhampton Leadership end-of-year gathering and mass being scheduled for Wednesday evening on the 13^th.   The AGM will be held at 6:00pm to elect the P&F Executive for 2025, followed by a normal meeting.  Hope to see you there.

Don’t Forget….

November

• 8^th Leadership Team Offsite Strategic Planning Sem 2
• 11^th Remembrance Day. School Assembly at 10:30am.
• 14^th Emmaus Graduation Mass
• 14^th P&F AGM (Thursday due to Leadership Gathering & Mass)
• 20^th Board Meeting
• 21^st Emmaus 2025 Year 7 Orientation Day
• 25^th Semester 2 Performing Arts Assembly
• 27^th Board & P&F Executive Meal
• 28^th Presentation Night

December

• 2^nd Semester 2 Academic Awards Assembly
• 4^th Graduation Mass and Dinner
• 4^th Semester 2 Report Cards posted to Parent Lounge
• 5^th Year 6 Fun Day
• 6^th End of Year Mass & Leadership Handover
• 6^th Term 4 Concludes

Have a great week.
Regards
Bernard Fitzgerald
Principal
St Joseph’s Catholic School, Park Avenue

St Joseph’s 2024 School Improvement Priorities:

• Christian Virtue – Dignity
• Increased Learning Gain & Achievement
• Learning Dispositions

CURRICULUM NEWS

Smart Energy Academy

Last week our staff and students were treated to an entertaining and educative production by two members of the National Theatre for Children.  Throughout this performance the students were taught about the importance of conserving energy.  It was a very entertaining show which taught some very important messages.  Each child received a survey to complete.  If your child wishes to complete those and return them to school, please do so this week so I can post them off. Each student has also received a booklet full of fun activities to complement the show.  Hopefully you will see some small practices change around your house like the kids turning off lights when they leave a room and perhaps even some shorter showers. 

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Regards
Deanne Senini
Assistant Principal Curriculum

RELIGIOUS NEWS

The 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jesus gives sight to Bartimaeus.
Mark 10:46-52

Gospel Focus – First of all

Jesus is asked which commandment is first and he provides two commandments as his answer. However, he doesn’t bundle them together as one overarching commandment – he very distinctly identifies them as first and second. Sometimes we can feel the way to express love for God is through demonstrating our love for other people in charitable or justice-focused actions. However, Jesus makes clear that the first commandment of all is the love of God with all our being – that God is worthy of love in God’s own right. Our love of God may inspire us to action for others but the first step is loving God for who God is.

@Liturgy Help – by Greg Sunter

Vinnies Christmas Appeal

The Vinnies Christmas Appeal is well underway at Joeys! Thank you for your support so far and keep those donations coming in! This initiative of St Vincent de Paul is all about bringing joy and festivity to families and individuals who may be in need of some extra support.

For most of us, Christmas is a time of celebration with family and friends; the joy of exchanging gifts, making precious memories together and enjoying delicious Christmas treats to eat. However, for 2.2 million Australians, including families and 750,000 children living below the poverty line, Christmas can be a time when meeting their most basic needs, like putting food on the table or a place to call home, is a real struggle.

Before the school year winds up, we are again inviting you to join us in making this Christmas one filled with joy and happiness for families across Queensland. Thank you so much for making this possible in Rockhampton. Our donations make a very real difference to the Christmas celebrations of vulnerable and disadvantaged families.

Liturgical Celebrations Coming Up

Elizabeth Carter
Assistant Principal Religious Education

SPORTING NEWS

SJPA Swimming Carnival

Thank you and congratulations to everyone who was involved in our Swimming Carnival last week. It was great to see so many students, parents and teachers participating and cheering.

Special congratulations to our Age Champions for 2024 and Leahy House for winning Aggregate Points.

9 Years Age Champions

Willow & Jack

10 Years Age Champions

Kiara & Logan

11 Years Age Champions

Abigail & Hudson

12 Years Age Champions

Eugenie & Callum

Aggregate Point Winners

Leahy House – Koby & Paige (House Captains)

CLASSROOM NEWS

Yr 1

What a busy term 4 year 1 has had!

As we approach the end of the year, we reflect on the incredible progress made by our young learners in their educational journey. This year has been a fantastic one, filled with growth in countless areas of classroom learning. 

In English, we have dedicated time to fostering a love for reading by practising different phonics strategies to help with our reading fluency. We have been learning all about procedures and have had a lot of fun in the process. We’ve learned how to make an ice-cream sundae, tiny teddy race cars, face biscuits & fairy bread. 

Our exploration of the features of different places and how we care for them in Hass has sparked curiosity and an appreciation for geography.  

In Religion, we have dived into the significant practice of Baptism & caring for God’s creation. 

We are so proud of the enthusiasm our little learners have shown this year!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Congratulations to the following staff and students who will celebrate their birthday this week. 

Kaeli K (Yr 5), Wyatt P (Yr 4), Zanden H (Yr 4), Dominic R (Yr 1), Hunter A (Yr 6), Jack M w(Yr 4), Maggie W (Prep), Willow B (Yr 3), Declan R (Yr 3), Isla S (Yr 2), Carter V (Yr 1), Mrs Tennyson (Yr 3) and Mrs Crosthwaite

Have a great day.

JOEYS GALACTIC ENCOURAGEMENT AWARDS

This week, the Encouragement Awards for Joeys Touch goes to the following students: -

Due to the Red Rooster Carnival, there were no games last weekend.

KEYBOARD LESSONS

Leanne Voss will continue to offer Keyboard lessons in 2025 for interested students in grades 1 – 6. 

Lessons are of 30-minute duration and will be conducted weekly at school. Keyboards will be provided at school for lessons.

Students will be required to have access to a keyboard for practice and purchase a music tutor book and theory book.   Lessons will generally be given to groups of 2 or 3 students with some individual lessons available when it is not possible to match students of similar musical ability. The lessons will focus on developing note reading and counting skills and using a chord bass accompaniment.  There will also be an emphasis on utilising keyboard features such as different tones and rhythms.

Playing keyboard is an excellent extra curriculum activity to develop not only musical skills, but creative thinking, hand-eye coordination, concentration and commitment to task.

Enrolment forms are available for both new and continuing students.   

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC in 2025

Enrolments are now being accepted for new and continuing students to learn the following instruments at St. Joseph’s Park Avenue.

FLUTE, CLARINET, SAXOPHONE, TRUMPET, TROMBONE, PERCUSSION, VIOLIN, VIOLA, CELLO, GUITAR & VOICE.

Instrumental Music provides so many benefits to a child – please watch the attached link to a fantastic video about Music and the Brain: Instrumental Music Learning and Brain Fireworks

Please see the attached information letter for details on required year levels for each instrument, and a downloaded version of the enrolment form.

Enrolment link is included here: Instrumental Music Enrolment 2025

Further information is available online from the link below.

ROWING

Emmaus Rowing will be conducting "Come and Try" sessions on Friday 1st November and Friday the 8th 2024.

All are welcome

Dates: Term 4 ~ Friday 1st November and Friday the 8th 2024.
Time: 3.30pm – 5pm
Address: Emmaus Rowing Shed, 30 Harman Street, Wandal, QLD 4700
Come and Try Registration: FREE

Please return form to 220_sport@rok.catholic.edu.au or can be handed in on the day.
What to bring? Hat, socks, and water bottle.
If you are unable to attend this session another session will be held early next year.
If you have any queries, please email 220_sport@rok.catholic.edu.au.

DRAKES SUPA IGA

Drakes Fundraiser for St. Joseph's Cathedral

I thank you for your support of this project which has raised over $40,000, of which the school community has played an important role.  Please continue to support the Cathedral by shopping at DRAKES using your key tag and receiving the benefits.

If you have not been part of this fundraiser you are invited to get a key tag from your local School or Church and shop at your local Drakes, one cent in every dollar you spend will go to the Cathedral.  No Fuss, only benefits.

Hoping to see you at Drakes 
Stay Safe

Shirley Hopkins,
Co-ordinator, Drakes Fundraiser for St Joseph's Cathedral