17 May 2023

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Welcome to Week 5 of Term 2

I hope that all of the mothers and grandmothers in our community had a wonderful weekend.

Well done to our senior CAPRAS CQ Challenge team that played at Kettle Park last Friday.  The team came second in our pool with a win against St Peter’s 22-4 before narrowly losing to eventual winners, Frenchville SS 14-6 and ending the day in a 10-10 draw with St Joseph’s Wandal.  A big thanks to Miss Brosnan, Mr Hallam and all the players and parents for the effort they put into preparing the side for the day.  We now look forward to Challenge Cup in Week 1 of Term 3.

Also, congratulations to Kate Ellis and the Joey’s students who competed in the Rockhampton Eisteddfod as a part of the combined Northside Catholic School on Friday night.  The group placed first!  Well done for all the hard work you put in and for your very well-deserved achievements.

The School Board will be meeting in the school library this evening at 5:30pm.  The Board will be reviewing our school’s Behaviour Management policy as well as our Vision and Mission Statements over the next few meetings.

Once these documents have been reviewed, I will endeavour to make these available to the parent body on multiple platforms including the school website, app and official Facebook page.

Please be aware that there will be a crackdown on correct uniforms in the coming weeks.  Students who are consistently not wearing correct uniforms, especially shoes will have to miss play time.

All parents agreed to the school’s uniform policy via agreeing to the school’s enrolment agreement.  If you are struggling with elements of the school’s uniform policy due to financial constraints, please book time to see me and we can sort something out.  Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

As our Year 6 class prepares for the school disco next week, they are working on making the night an enjoyable but safe experience for all. 

As a part of this, we need to ensure that parents are staying at the disco and ensuring that their children remain inside the Multi-Purpose Area for the disco.

The disco will commence at 5:30pm with the Year 6 students and staff working on various ways to get people into the venue as quickly and safely as possible as we are aware that this has been a challenge in the past.

At approximately 6:15pm we will be judging the Prep – Year 3 best costumes, while the Year 4-6 class has their Pizza. Following that at 6:30pm, the junior classes getting their pizza while we award the best costumes for Years 4-6.

After this time the tone of the disco will change slightly with dances and music being aimed more towards the older students until the disco finishes at 7:30pm.  Hope to see you there in your best 80’s gear.

For those parents who have children playing inter-school Rugby League on Friday afternoons for the school, training will be at Colts Rugby Union grounds each Thursday afternoon from 3:30pm – 4:30pm.

Students are welcome to change at school and walk with the teachers at 3:15pm.  Students can be picked up at 4:30pm from Colts.  If parents are not there to collect their children, they will walk back to school with me and can be collected at approximately 4:45pm back at school.

Students are required to have full training gear to attend due to the safety surrounding a full contact sport.  Student unable to make training should see their coaches to let them know.

Don’t Forget….

• School Board Meeting. Wednesday 17^th May @ 5:30pm in library
• Interschool Sport commences for 10-12 years students Week 5 – Friday 19^th May
• Children’s Mass. Saturday 20^th May @ OLHC 6:30pm
• School Disco. 80’s theme. Week 6 – Thurs May 25^th
• Our Lady Help of Christians Feast Day Mass. Friday 26^th May @ 9:00am in OLHC Church
• State of Origin – Game 1. Wednesday 31^st May
• Field Events Day @ SJPA Oval Monday 5^th June (Week 8)
• Track Events Day @ Emmaus Brosnan Oval Tuesday 6^th June (Week 8)
• Rockhampton Show. 14^th – 16^th June
• Rockhampton Show Holiday. Thurs 15^th June
• Semester 1 Performing Arts Assembly. Monday, 12^th June @ 8:35am in MPA
• Children’s Mass. Saturday 17^th June @ OLHC 6:30pm
• Semester 1 Academic Awards. Monday, 19^th June @ 8:35am in MPA
• State of Origin – Game 2. Wednesday 21^st June
• Semester 1 Report Cards posted to Parent Lounge. Wed 21^st June
• SJPA Under 8’s Day. Thursday 22^nd June
• Term 2 concludes. Friday 23^rd June
• Term 3/Semester 2 commences. Monday 10^th July
• Challenge Cup. Wed 12^th – Fri 14^th July @ St Brendan’s Yeppoon.

Kindest Regards
Bernard Fitzgerald
Principal - St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Park Avenue

St Joseph’s 2023 School Improvement Priorities:

• Prayer Life
• Learning Dispositions
• Increased Learning Gain & Achievement

RELIGIOUS MATTERS

6th Sunday of Easter

Jesus promises the disciples the Paraclete.
John 17:1-11

Living the Gospel – Live in love

Throughout the gospel of John, we are reminded of the enduring relationship between Jesus and the Father. A number of times, Jesus announces that he and the Father are one. In today’s passage, Jesus also says to the disciples that they can share in this relationship of love. When Jesus speaks about anyone who ‘loves’ him, he speaks about anyone who lives by his message and seeks to be like him. Anyone who does that will share in the love that exists between the Father and the Son. That invitation is open for each of us today as well.

 @Liturgy Help – Greg Sunter

OLHC Mass

This weekend we will join the Our Lady Help of Christians parishioners for Saturday night Mass at 6:30pm.  This occasion offers us the opportunity to be actively involved in the celebration of the Eucharist and to build important connections with our parish.  After Mass, we will share a meal together. It is lovely to see the children playing together after Saturday night Mass and I know the teachers and parents enjoy the opportunity to catch up as well.

Our Lady Help of Christians Feast Day

May 24^th is the Feast of Our Lady Help of Christians.  As the patron saint for our church and the patron saint of Australia, this is an important date in our Liturgical year.  On May 26^th, we will celebrate this feast as a whole school at 9:00am Mass. Caregivers and other members of our Joeys community are most welcome to join us too.

Liturgical Celebrations Coming Up

*SJPA – St Joseph’s Park Avenue
*OLHC – Our Lady Help of Christians church (next to St Joseph’s, Park Avenue)
*HF – Holy Family Parish Centre (next to Anthony’s School)
*MPA – Multipurpose Area (Basketball court)

Elizabeth Carter
Assistant Principal Religious Education

CURRICULUM NEWS

St Joseph’s Learning Spaces

We often have people ask us how our rooms operate and why we do what we do.  Over the term, I will share with you the reasons why we love our teaching and learning spaces and philosophy.

Reason Number One: Small group workshops allowing for target teaching according to need.
Reason Number Two: Our rooms enable students to move regularly. 
Reason Number Three: Our learning spaces enable regular collaboration opportunities. 
Reason Number Four: Our learning spaces help build positive relationships. 
Reason Number Five: Increased level of engagement.
Reason Number Six: Teacher Expertise.
Reason Number Seven: Pastoral Check Ins with students.
Reason Number Eight: Consistency of messages and content delivery.
Reason Number Nine: Choice of seating. 
Reason Number Ten: Short, direct lessons allow for extra time to be dedicated to student-directed exploration and practice of content/skills.

Reason Number Eleven: Structure.  We often hear from people looking into the rooms that there is no structure.  This is one of the biggest myth I’d like to bust as there has to be more structure and more planning from teachers than you’d see in a traditional classroom in order for these rooms to operate the way we expect them to.  Each room is extremely well structured and teachers produce very detailed planning to ensure each child is catered for at there particular point of need.

ICAS

St Joseph’s is offering ICAS assessments again this year.

What is ICAS? 

ICAS is an online academic competition that is designed to assess students’ higher order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Writing, Spelling and Digital Technologies. 

Each assessment celebrates students’ accomplishments by providing opportunities for recognition and development. Every student who participates will receive a printed certificate and an online results report. Top performers will be eligible for medals. 

We encourage you to consider entering your child into ICAS this year.   

How to participate in ICAS: 

If you wish for your child to participate in ICAS this year, please: 

1. Read about ICAS subjects and prices here: (icasassessments.com/products-icas) 
2. Read the terms and conditions here: (icasassessments.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/2023-ICAS-Assessments-Parents-PPS-TsCs_final.pdf)
3. Go to Parent Portal to purchase tests here:

4. Enter our school’s access code –  FPT347
5. Enter your child’s details, select the tests you would like to purchase, then proceed to payment. 

After payment is made via the Parent Payment System, you will receive an order confirmation email, please keep this for your records. 

Table 1: ICAS sitting windows per subject. 

Cut off dates to order tests are:
Digital Technologies and Writing – 1^st August
English – 7^th August
Science and Spelling Bee – 14^th August

If your child is away on the testing day, there is some flexibility for them to sit the assessment, but it must be in the same week as the scheduled date and fit in with the availability of staff trained in the implementation of ICAS assessments.

Premier’s Reading Challenge

The Premier's Reading Challenge (PRC) is an annual state-wide initiative for state and non-state schools and home-educated students up to Year 9, as well as children attending early childhood centres. Since the program’s inception in 2006, more than 20 million books have been read, and in 2021 alone, 168,000 school, early childhood and individual readers participated in the challenge reading more than 2.39 million books throughout the PRC reading period.

The challenge is not a competition but aims to improve literacy and encourage children to read widely for pleasure and learning. Students can participate in the challenge within their school or as individual readers (home-educated students or students whose schools are not participating in the program).

For a student to successfully complete the challenge they must read or experience the allocated number of books for their year level during the reading period. Students who complete the challenge have their efforts recognised through the receipt of a Certificate of Achievement signed by the Premier of Queensland.

Why read? Literacy skills are vital to ensuring children have the best chance to succeed in their schooling and life. The PRC is an opportunity for students to be enthusiastic about reading, writing, authors and illustrators. Reading a variety of books builds vocabulary and knowledge, improves spelling and comprehension, can improve confidence and is also a great way to relax.

To successfully complete the PRC, students must read or experience the number of books indicated on the reader record form.

Please see the link below for the reading record form if your child is interested in participating.  All forms need to be returned to the office by 25^th August to be eligible for a certificate.

Under 8s Day

Our annual Under 8s Day will be celebrated on Thursday, 22^nd June.  If you know of anyone who might be interested in setting up a display with some activities on that day please let either Mrs Senini or Mrs Mooney know.  More information about the day will come out closer to the date.

Other Competitions:

• Farm safety calendar competition. This is run by Workplace Health and Safety Queensland.  Students are invited to draw and colour a picture to illustrate one of these farm safety messages:

Electrical Safety

• Overhead powerlines are dangerous. Don’t play, park equipment, operate machinery, or plant trees or crops under them.
• Safety switches save lives – ask an adult to get them fitted on all electrical circuits and test them regularly.

Animal Safety

• Make sure you are properly trained and understand animal behaviour before entering a stock yard.
• Always wash your hands after touching or playing with animals as they carry diseases that can make people very sick.

Tractor and machinery safety

• Have a safe, fenced play area to keep children safe from machinery and water hazards.
• Don’t have passengers on farm vehicles unless there is a designated seat and seat belt for them.

Quad bike safety

• Children under 16 should never use an adult sized quad bike.
• Always wear a properly fitted helmet when you ride a quad bike.

Water safety

• Stay away from flood waters – there can be hidden dangers like strong currents, logs and other rubbish.
• Always have an adult with you when playing near or in dams, creeks and rivers.

Health and wellbeing

• Make sure you’re ready to help out on the farm by eating healthy meals and getting plenty of sleep.
• Stay sun safe when you’re outside – wear a hat, drink water and take rest breaks in the shade.

This competition is now open and closes on Friday, 23^rd June.  Please see Mrs Senini for more information.

• The Independent Education Union (IEU) annual competitions are now open:
  • Award for Excellence in Art Design invites entries from preschool, primary and secondary school students and teachers in non-government schools throughout Queensland and the Northern Territory. Entries close: 21^st July.
  • Queensland’s longest running literary competition, the QIEU Literary Competition invites Queensland and Northern Territory students and teachers to share their literary prowess by submitting either poetry, short stories or non-fiction prose. Entries close: 16^th June.
  • 2023 Premier’s Coding Challenge Students in years 3-10 are invited to enter the 2023 Premier’s Coding Challenge. The challenge aims to inspire the coders of the future. This year the theme is #digitalinnovationqld. Students are invited to help create change by examining real-world problems and responding with an innovative digital solution. The challenge in 2023 is to develop an interactive digital solution to create change in your local community or beyond. Students can develop an app, game or website and they must also submit a short video to explain and evaluate their entry. 

Please see Mrs Senini for more information if you are interested in entering these competitions.

Regards,
Mrs Deanne Senini
Assistant Principal Curriculum

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Congratulations to the following students who will celebrate their birthday this week.  They are: Fuller Chapman (Yr 3), Sonny Kirkman (Yr 1), Bentley McClintock (Yr 4), Izabella Lukic (Yr 2), Kalani Ivers (Yr 4) and James Lill (Yr 1).

Have a great day.

CLASSROOM NEWS

Prep

This term in Religion prep has been investigating ways that believers strengthen their friendship with God and learning all about Prayer.  We have heard stories from scripture and learnt about how people pray and where people can pray.  We have been singing Prayers and creating them ourselves.

We have also started to listen to stories and identify the beginning, the middle and the end.  At the moment we are reading books by Aaron Blabey and investigating the characters and the setting.  We enjoy learning in our workshops especially our soundwaves letters, formation and investigating sentences and guided reading groups.

In maths we have created our first learning wall where we can go and see strategies for problem solving and develop our knowledge of mathematical concepts.  We are learning so much through interactive, hands on activities.

We wanted to say a special thank you to all the mums and other special people that joined us for our Penola Picnic.  There was an abundance of food shared and it was wonderful to be able to introduce our mums to the new friends we have made at school.

DISCO

Grade 6 is excited to be holding a whole school disco on Thursday the 25th of May from 5:30pm - 7:30pm.  The theme for the disco is 80s.

All food and drink for the disco can be ordered through Quickcliq - you can order pizza, chips, lollies, soft drink, poppers and chocolate.  Orders need to be in before 8:45am Wednesday 24th May. QuickCliq is the preferred way of ordering for the night, but there will be limited cash only sales for food and drinks on the night, in the tuckshop.

The entry fee for the disco is $2. Everyone is welcome to attend the whole disco from 5:30pm - 7:30pm but music will be more suited to 5:30pm - 6:30pm prep - year 3 students and 6:30pm - 7:30pm years 4-6 students.

We hope to see you there in your best 80’s costume.

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