7 June 2023

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Parents & Guardians

Thanks to all who contributed towards our Athletics days both on Monday and Tuesday.  Both days were not the best of conditions but were held in great spirit.  Thanks to all the staff who put in extra hours to set-up and prepare for the day, especially Mrs Carter who has put in a tremendous amount of time making the event a success.  Thanks to the parents who volunteered their time over both days.  We very much appreciate your commitment to the Joey’s community.I also have to mention the Emmaus community who always provide support to us and nothing was too much trouble yesterday.  It is a wonderful partnership we have with our local college.

Here are the results for the past two days.  Congratulations to Daly House as 2023 Champions.

9 Years:

Boy – Orlando Wyatt – Daly House
Girl – Elizabeth Compagnoni – Leahy House

10 Years:

Boy – Hudson Roati – Leahy House
Girl – Kaeli Kirkman – Daly House

11 Years:

Boy – Ryan Hallam – Mackillop House
Girl – Paige Toby – Leahy House

12 Years:

Boy – Finn Wyatt – Daly House
Girl – Maycie Zanette – Leahy House

Overall Points:

3^rd – Mackillop – 367 points
2^nd – Leahy – 468 points
1^st Daly – 625 points

Finally, the Catholic Parishes of Rockhampton are collecting for the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal.  If you have spare blankets, warm clothes or non-perishable food that can be donated, please drop it into the school office and I will make sure it gets to the Parish office.  Thank you.

Don’t Forget….

• Semester 1 Performing Arts Assembly. Monday 12^th June @ 8:35am in MPA
• Deadly Day Out for Year 6 Indigenous Students. Tuesday 13^th June @ Dreamtime Cultural Centre.
• Rockhampton Show. 14^th – 16^th June
• Rockhampton Show Holiday. Thurs 15^th June
• 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

The Most Holy Trinity

Jesus tells Nicodemus of the Father’s love.

John 3:16-18

Living the Gospel – Sign of the Cross

Every time we bless ourselves or begin prayer with the sign of the cross, we reaffirm our belief in the Trinity. That seemingly simple prayer, ‘In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,’ is, in fact, a confirmation of our belief in a triune God – three in one. The earliest use of the sign of the cross only involved tracing a small cross with the thumb or finger on the forehead as it is still done in baptisms or blessings today. Later, describing the shape of the cross on forehead, abdomen and shoulders became the common practice.

                                                                                                @Liturgy Help – Greg Sunter

The sanctity of our church.

We are so fortunate to have our church, Our Lady Help of Christians so close to our school.  It allows us to spend time with God and to celebrate the Eucharist with our parishioners.  We also use this space for Christian Meditation and to share Prayer Celebrations as a community.

It is important though to remember that a church building is not a multi-purpose space or another busy and noisy place.  It is a building that has been built and set apart expressly for the purpose of sacred things: for the celebration of the sacred mysteries, for the offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and of the Sacred Liturgy, for the worship and adoration of the Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and for quiet prayer in His Presence.  In the busyness and craziness of our lives what a gift it is to have such a place.

As a school, we will be taking some time to help our children as well as ourselves remember what our church building represents as well as the sacred items and traditions that are within it.

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

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:
   https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps
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:

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 message:
    

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:

• • 1. 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.
  • 2. 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. 

Regards,
Mrs Deanne Senini
Assistant Principal Curriculum

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Congratulations to the following students and staff who will celebrate their birthday this week.  They are: Kaiden S (Prep), Shauna WD (Yr 1), Robert L (Yr 6), Madelyn L (Yr 4), Jaxon S (Yr 2) Mrs Hancock, Ms Brosnan (Office).

Have a great day.

CLASSROOM NEWS

Yr 2

Year 2 has been busy little bees this term.  We reflected on what we enjoyed learning during the term, what we found hard, what we learnt and what we are looking forward to next semester.

Archie: My favourite thing that I’ve learned in Year 2 is Think Mentals. What was tricky about Think Mentals was the timetables. I’m looking forward to learning my division.

Briannah: This term my favourite thing was that I got to learn about kosher food in Religion. I found it hard in math extension. Next term I hope I learn how the Earth is made.

Emelia:  This term I learnt about Maths, and I found English hard.  I learnt a bit more about God.  Next term, I’m looking forward to learning more about Maths.  I really love school and I’m ready for the next term.

Sophie: I like Sound Waves and handwriting.  My favourite subjects are HaSS and Religion.

Marlowe:  I found my Religion Assessment hard, learned this term that Jewish people put a special thing called a tallit that they put on when they pray. I loved learning about crocodiles, and I learnt that crocodiles are mammals, and they are cold blooded.

Kruz:  My favourite thing to learn was Science. My favourite to do was testing of the toy car when it was doing the Loop-t loops. I learnt my shapes and it was really new for me like 3D shapes. I’m looking forward next term to learning a lot of new things and I have fun learning stuff.

Aurora:  My favourite thing I learnt this term is technology.  What I found tricky is making new slides in technology.  I’m looking forward to the maths assessment because I love maths so much.

Elijah P:  Think mentals my favourite thing this week.  We can do fun stuff in the classroom when we finish our work.  Independent time is fun because the people get to go on Studyladder and Matific.

ULTIMATE CHESS TOURNAMENT

By Wesley Johnson
Thursday 25 of May 2023

St Joseph's Park Avenue chess team participated in a chess tournament at Heights College. We went there to win and represent the school,  with the help of Mrs Farr, Mr Smith, and Mrs Roberts.

Each student had to play seven games. Every time you won a game you got a point.  If you didn’t win a game, you didn’t get a point and if you stalemated, you got half a point.

There were 200 kids at the chess tournament. Each school entered 2 or 3 teams.  After each game we said "Good Game" and before each game we said "Good Luck".

After each round, sheets were put up saying who we were playing next. 

Jimmy scored the highest points for our school, scoring 6 out of a possible 7. When asked how he felt about the day he said, ‘It was really fun, and I enjoyed the day.’ 

The team will keep practising to prepare for next term’s tournament.

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