6 March 2024

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Welcome to Week 7.

It was with great pride that I was able to attend the Year 12 Indigenous students’ commencement mass last Wednesday.  It was wonderful to see past students preparing for their Year 12 journey with our current senior indigenous students also taking part in the celebration.  Well-done to the students who attended the event.  They were beautifully behaved and represented Joeys with great pride.

With NAPLAN testing in Years 3 and 5 in the coming weeks we will be attempting to give those students every opportunity to do their very best.  To help with this we ask that the whole community try and avoid any unnecessary disruptions or distractions.  Please ensure that students get adequate sleep and nourishment in the lead up to the testing dates.  We must also remember that NAPLAN is only a snapshot of our students and is not the ‘be all and end all.’  We do however want to do the very best that we can as the data helps us develop future school improvement priorities.

All the best to the Year 3 & 5 students and staff taking part.

This year we are looking to run our school Cross Country on Friday, 19^th April in early Term 2.  More information about the event will be coming from Mrs Rachael Duncan will be coming home shortly.  In the lead up to the event we will be holding a couple of training sessions for students turning 9-12 years in 2024.  Those before school dates will be:

• Week 8. Wednesday 13^th 7:30-8:15am in MPA (Students 9-12 in 2024)
• Week 9. Wednesday 20^th 7:30-8:15am in MPA (Students 9-12 in 2024)

For students who make the Joey’s team, there will be an addition training session held before competing at the inter-school event.  This date will be:

• Wednesday 24^th 7:30-8:15am in MPA (SJPA cross country team)

Recently all families would have received information from Miss Black regarding students from Years One to Six participating in Rumble's Quest this term. This is an online game that has been designed to measure student wellbeing.

When children participate in Rumble’s Quest, they complete fun challenges and answer questions about how they experience the world.

The factors explored in this activity underpin learning and are building blocks for a wide range of skills, such as forward planning and the ability to set and achieve positive goals, manage our behaviour and emotions, and consider consequences before engaging in action. They are fundamental to making responsible decisions, getting along with others, and coping with difficult circumstances.

We use this measure at St Joseph’s as part of our student wellbeing program. Rumble’s Quest is a one-off activity that takes students approximately 45 minutes to complete. It will be undertaken in class groups this term. The information we gather will help our school set directions for student support and inform teaching and learning strategies. We can use the game again in the following years to gather information about the effectiveness of our student wellbeing strategies.

For more information about Rumble’s Quest, you may like to view the following video at

This week welcome new staff member Miss Harriet Walker to our community.  Harriet will be working in the Prep room for the remainder of the Term while Mrs Beth O’Brien is on leave.  I am sure you will all join me in making Miss Walker feel very welcome.

Don’t Forget …

• Personal and Social Development Education Year 6 Parent/Carer Session. Mon 11^th March in Library @ 5pm-6pm
• Year 6 PSDE Sessions. Tues 12^th March
• P&F meeting, Wed 13^th March @ 6:00pm
• NAPLAN, 13^th-25^th March
• St Patrick’s Race Day. Saturday 16^th March
• School Board meeting, Wed 20^th March
• St Joseph’s Feast Day Mass/Grand Parents Day, Fri 22^nd March
• Palm Sunday, Sun 24^th March
• Year 6 Camp, Mon 25^th – Thurs 28^th March
• Term 1 finishes, Thurs 28^th March
• Holy Thursday, Thurs 28^th March
• Good Friday, Fri 29^th March
• Easter Sunday, Sun 31^st March
• Easter Monday, Mon 1^st April

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

EMMAUS ENROLMENTS FOR YEAR 7, 2025

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Enrolments for Year 7 2025 are now open via our online enrolment process.  

Enrolments for Year 7 2025, submitted by Friday 8 March 2024 are guaranteed an enrolment interview.  Applications submitted after this date, will only be granted an interview at the discretion of our Principal, Mr Eamon Hannan.

To begin your application, visit Enrol Your Child at our college website 

Essential documentation required:

copy of latest school report card
certified copy of Birth Certificate or Extract or original must be sighted by Emmaus College.
copy of Baptismal Certificate (for those of a Christian denomination)
documents relating to special needs or medical conditions (any reports, action plans or assessments)
any court orders or parental plans (if applicable)
immunization records
An application administration fee of $100 (non-refundable) is payable upon submission of the application.

Students applying for entry into Year 7 in 2025 at our college are encouraged to attend the Welcome to Emmaus information session on Tuesday 20 February from 3.30pm to 6.00pm on our Middle Campus, Yaamba Road. This event is a relaxed opportunity to take a tour of our Campus, see our facilities, experience our co-curricular activities and enjoy a BBQ dinner with your family. 

Enrolment Interviews for Year 7 2025  will be held as follows:

Term 1 – Tuesday 19, Wednesday 20 and Thursday 21 March,  between 3.20pm and 6.00pm
Term 2 – Tuesday 30 April, Wednesday 1 May and Thursday 2 May, between 3.20pm and 6.00pm.

The student and at least one parent should be in attendance for their pre-scheduled interview with a member of our college staff.

Emails to parents/carers, indicating the outcome of the enrolment application will be sent out in the afternoon on the last day of Term 2, Friday 21 June 2024.  A $400 Acceptance fee is payable on acceptance of any offer made, in order to confirm your child's position. This fee will be credited to your 2025 school fees upon commencement at our college.

If you have any queries or require further information, please email 220_Enrolments@rok.catholic.edu.au

Kind Regards
Sonya Acutt

CURRICULUM NEWS

ICAS

Once again, St Joseph’s will be offering ICAS assessments for students who wish to participate.  ICAS continues to lead the way in international academic competitions. Over 10 million school students from 16,000 schools across 41 countries have been inspired, celebrated and challenged since the annual event began over 40 years ago.

ICAS recognises academic performance in a way others celebrate achievements in sport or the arts. Students can sit up to six literacy and STEM papers including English, Mathematics, Science, Digital Technologies, Writing and Spelling Bee. The questions are engaging and fun and have been designed by psychometricians, education measurement experts and experienced teachers to push students to their academic limits, as well as test higher-order thinking and problem-solving abilities.

More information on these assessments can be found at icasassessments.com

Purchases must be made before Monday, 29^th July

To sign your child up for any of these assessments and to pay for the assessment please log onto the following link and use the below school access code:

Your school access code is: WSO834
Your parent page link is:

Learning Dispositions

Each year, our students work on developing skills related to our school learning dispositions of Resilience, Persistence, Creativity, Independence, and Collaboration. You will also see these Learning Dispositions appear on our student report cards. So, what do they mean and look like in practice?  Over the next several weeks, I will break these down to help develop a shared understanding across all of our Joey’s community.

At St Joseph’s:
Independence is the capacity to complete tasks and solve problems without needing to rely on others.

In Prep I am displaying independence when I:

• Follow class routines
• Attempt tasks on my own
• Know who to get help from when I’m stuck

In Year One I am displaying independence when I:

• Do things for myself
• Make my own decisions
• Use strategies that suit my learning style
• Work to achieve my goals

In Year Two I am displaying independence when I:

• Work by myself to complete routine tasks
• Know who I can ask for help
• Use strategies to help myself when I’m stuck in the learning pit

In Year Three I am showing independence when I:

• Organise and manage my own time to ensure my tasks are completed on time
• Take responsibility for my own learning journey
• Use initiative when I get stuck in the learning pit

In Year Four I am displaying independence when I:

• Organise and manage my own time to ensure my tasks are completed on time
• Take responsibility for my own learning journey
• Do the right thing, even if no one is looking 

In Year Five and Six I am displaying independence when I:

• Identify my own personal qualities and strengths

• Understand myself as a learner
• Know how to get out of the learning pit
• Am self-disciplined and work towards my goals

Seek out feedback to deepen my understanding

Regards
Deanne Senini
Assistant Principal Curriculum

RELIGIOUS MATTERS

3rd Sunday of Lent
Jesus drives the money changers from the temple.
John 2:13-25

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

In Jewish tradition, the Temple marked the point of physical connection between God and humankind and between the past and the present. It was where God’s story and humanity’s story met. However, in the year 70 C.E. – some 40 years after Jesus – the Temple was destroyed by the Romans. The gospel of John is written another 20+ years later and so the reality of the Temple’s destruction is still trying to be absorbed by the people. It was a very powerful image for the gospel writer to suggest that Jesus was the new Temple – the new point of connection.

@Liturgy Help – by Greg Sunter

CHRISTIAN VIRTUE – DIGNITY

“It was you who created my inmost self, and put me together in my mother’s womb; for all these mysteries, I thank you: for the wonder of myself, for the wonder of your works.” Psalm 129:13-14

As being created in the image of God, Christians believe that we each hold an inherent virtue; Dignity. Dignity is a sense of worthiness and respect. We practise dignity by holding ourselves and others in high regard and recognising their value. Being mindful of our own and others’ dignity allows us to honour God, our creator.

We are thankful for the Virtue of Dignity.  It helps us to walk tall.

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)
*STM – St Mary’s Church (next to St Mary’s School)
*MPA – Multipurpose Area (Basketball court)

Elizabeth Carter
Assistant Principal Religious Education

CLASSROOM NEWS

Yr 3

Greetings from Year 3!

Year 3 has been abuzz with activity as we have been exploring new learnings and expanding our growing independence and positive mindsets.  With a focus on the learning dispositions of kindness, collaboration and persistence, we are working towards building strong, positive relationships.  Students are building sustainable practices as they tend to the worm farm and focus on reducing waste and recycling. 

In maths we have been focusing on number at the beginning of the term and have now started to investigate statistics and probability.  English has challenged our writing skills as we apply grammar skills to our writing.  This week has also seen the commencement of reading assessments designed to help teachers to provide tailored reading support. 

Science is generating a hive of excitement as we explore the states of matter and their properties.  We are participating in a range of science experiments, including looking at Oobleck, which has the properties of both a solid and a liquid.

Whilst in HASS, we are looking at important Australian celebrations and commemorations.  We are very proud of our Prayer celebration last Friday and we had lots of positive feedback from Mr Fitzgerald, teachers, parents and other students.  The whole class put in a huge effort and sang beautifully.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Congratulations to the following students who will celebrate their birthday this week.  They are: Melody C (Yr 3), Isabella P (Yr 2), Hudson S (Yr 3), Addison W (Yr 4), Hayley B (Yr 2), Marlowe H (Yr 3), Alexis L (Yr 4), Kasey S-H (Yr 3), Ethan E (Yr 1), Koby G (Yr 6), Zara W (Yr 5) and Mrs Duncan (Yr 6 and Sports Co-ordinator extraordinaire).

Have a great day.

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