13 March 2024

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Welcome to Week 8.

Only a short few messages this week.

Good luck to all Year 3 and 5 staff and students taking part in NAPLAN testing this week.

A Prayer for our NAPLAN Students

Loving God
We thank you for our beautiful students, for their talents and gifts and the opportunity to educate them. Be with our students as they sit NAPLAN. Calm their nerves and anxiety, help them to remember all they have studied, to express it clearly and to answer the questions the very best they can. Holy Spirit, sit with them in their exams and always. May they always know that their worth and value is not determined by an exam but, by your great love for us.
In Jesus’ name
Amen

A reminder that our next Children’s Mass will be celebrated this Saturday Evening at 6:30pm in Our Lady Help of Christians Church.  It would be lovely to see as many staff and students come together to celebrate the Eucharist.  We are also quite aware that significant sporting events have recommenced and that the Catholic Education St Patrick’s Race Day is also scheduled for this day.  All are welcome to come along and attend mass with us together.

Congratulations to Mrs Leonie Mooney who will be enjoying some well-earned Long Service Leave for the final two weeks of the Term.  Mrs Paula Roati will be filling in as the Inclusive Curriculum Case Manager for the Penola Precinct during this time with Mrs Shelia Thorn providing in class support for Prep and Grade 1.

Thanks to the P&F for running the Term 1 Meal Deal last week as well as starting a ‘Shoe Drive’.  Proceeds from both initiatives will go towards helping current Joey’s families in need.

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
• Children’s Mass in OLHC @ 6:30pm. Saturday 16^th March
• School Board meeting, Wed 20^th March
• Diocesan Principal’s Gathering. Tues 19^th -Thur 21^st 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
• Term 2 Recommences. Monday 15^th

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

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: 

Rotary Gift to our Prep Students

Thank you to the Rockhampton South Rotary Club for donating a brand new picture book to each of our prep students.  This is a wonderful and generous initiative by the Rotary Club to help promote a love of reading in our students. 

NAPLAN

This week and next week we will be undertaking NAPLAN in Years 3 and 5.  Please see the schedule below:

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:

Collaboration is the capacity to work together with others.

In Prep I am displaying collaboration when I:

• Make new friends through play and learning
• Listen to others
• Work with others on group activities

In Year One I am displaying collaboration when I:

• Work well in groups
• Share my ideas
• Listen to others with respect
• Learn from others and celebrate their achievements

In Year Two I am displaying collaboration when I:

• Work well with others
• Listen to others with respect
• Do my share of the work in group activities

In Year Three I am showing collaboration when I:

• Work in harmony with others 
• Communicate respectfully in group activities
• Positively contribute to group activities
• Respect the opinions and ideas of others

In Year Four I am displaying collaboration when I:

• Work well with others
• Communicate respectfully 
• Positively contribute to group activities
• Respect other people’s opinions and ideas

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

• Consider the ideas of others
• Use effective communication
• Recognise that working together can help get the job done more quickly
• Recognise that working together can help deepen my knowledge, understanding and skills

Regards
Deanne Senini
Assistant Principal Curriculum

RELIGIOUS MATTERS

4th Sunday of Lent

Jesus converses with Nicodemus.
John 3:14-21

Being God’s handiwork means God took great pride and care in creating us. What are some of your gifts and talents – characteristics that God takes great pride in? Do you feel awkward when you are asked to list your gifts and talents? Why or why not?

We were created in Christ to do good works. What are some good works you have already participated in? What are some needs in your school, in your family, in your neighbourhood, in your country and in your world? What is one good work you can focus on doing in the near future?

God created a path for us beforehand, so that we might walk on it. Do you think God created a very specific path for each individual? Or do you think God created a very general path of goodness so that each individual might find his or her own way to walk? 

@Liturgy Help – by Lisa-Marie Calderone-Stewart

PROJECT COMPASSION

All families should now have received a Project Compassion box for your home.

As a Catholic school, the opportunity to support the work Caritas allows us to act in a practical way according to our Catholic Social Teachings and to really be the hands and feet of Jesus. Each class has established a goal for their fundraising, and it will be wonderful to see these reached at the end of term.

Please remember that we only ask what you feel you can contribute as a family. There is no expectation but any donations to Project Compassion help to make a real difference in communities who do not have the resources we take for granted.

We would appreciate the money your family has been able to raise returned to school by Wednesday 29^th March (Week 10).

Please read the story below for a better understanding of the work of Caritas which is largely funded by their Project Compassion appeal.

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

SPORTING ACHIEVEMENTS

Congratulations and good luck to the following students who have been selected in Rockhampton District Teams to compete at Capricornia Trials over the next couple of weeks:-

Hudson & Logan 10-12 Years AFL

Jaison & Kelsey 10-12 Years Touch Football

Madeleine, Paige & Harper 10 -12 Years Basketball

CLASSROOM NEWS

Yr 2

As we embark on a journey through another year, it's time to reflect on the incredible learning experiences we've shared and the new horizons we've explored together so far. The start of Year 2 has been a period of growth, discovery, and innovation, as we delve into various realms of knowledge and expand our understanding of the world around us.

Here is a small glimpse of the journey we have had so far:

Addison – Reading King Pig and my favourite thing about it was that I got to read my letter to King Pig to my class.
Ayva – What life was like when Jesus was around.
Baylee – My favourite thing I learnt in Year 2 is Think Mentals.
Creed – I learnt how to be safe in Daniel Morcombe.
Georgia M – Forces was my favourite thing and when we saw Hot Wheels.
Evelyn – In Maths extension I am learning to solve hard maths.
Harper Y – We got to learn a new song for our Prayer Celebration.
Isla – In Geography, I loved learning about Australia because it’s cool.
Harrison B – In Science, the boats were my favourite because we got to experiment.
Nadia – Writing about King Pig.
Rosie – Learning about different countries.

As we look back on Term 1 with gratitude and pride, we eagerly anticipate the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. Together, we will continue to explore new horizons, expand our minds, and make meaningful contributions to the world.

Here's to another year of learning, growth, and discovery!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Congratulations to the following students and staff who will celebrate their birthday this week.  They are: Lachlan B (Yr 5), Tyson A (Yr 5), Riley R (Yr 1), Amalia Mc (Yr 2), Hudson S (Yr 4), Chloe B (Prep) and Miss Sloan (Prep).

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