12 June 2024

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Welcome to Week 9 of Term 2.

Advice 3 – School Fees Communication

Dear Parents and Carers

Please find attached Advice #3, developed to inform our Catholic Education families of the new Federal Government Funding model (Gonski model) and the impact on School Fees for Catholic Schools. Advice #3 outlines the direct nexus between the Federal Government means-tested Capacity to Contribute of each school and School Fees. It also provides the CEDR School Funding Guiding Principles that inform the development of the new CEDR Adapted Cluster School Fee model, that will commence from 2025.

Spirit of Catholic Education Awards

Congratulations to staff members Kirsty McLeod, Sophie Noake and David Smith on being nominated for this year’s Spirit of Catholic Education Awards within the Rockhampton Diocese.  This is an acknowledgement of the hard work these staff members put in, their dedication to our Joey’s community and all of the opportunities they provide our students.  Best of luck to these staff members who will now be put forward with State winners being announced in a couple of weeks.  I am sure you will join with me in acknowledging how proud we are to have three nominees in these prestigious awards.

Joey’s Academic Awards Criteria

With our Semester 1 Academic Awards being presented next Monday, I thought it would be timely to make our Academic Awards Criteria available to the community again so that parents and students can reflect on their Semester Reports and discuss what efforts may be needed to achieve these awards in the future. 

Please note that moving forward we have removed Year 1 from our Academic Awards eligibility so that they can concentrate on their early years’ academic development without the added anxiety of these awards.  They will however still be eligible for the Navy Effort Awards which look to acknowledge a student’s ‘commendable’ efforts within the classroom.  Academic Awards will now commence in Year 2.

The Criteria for our Academic and Effort Semester Awards are as follows:

EFFORT AWARD

Navy Certificate – Effort Award minimum 4 ‘Commendable’ (All KLA’s from 4 Key Learning Areas and beyond where the student obtains an ‘Commendable’ will be listed)

ACADEMIC AWARDS

Maroon Certificate – A’s & B’s for all Key Learning Areas

Bronze Certificate – Minimum of 4 A’s across all Key Learning Areas (At least 1 must be in RE, Maths or English & a passing grade required in all KLA’s)

Silver Certificate – 5 A’s (At least 2 must be in RE, Maths or English & a passing grade required in all KLA’s)

Gold Certificate – 6 A’s (At least 3 must be in RE, Maths and English & a passing grade required in all KLA’s)

Gold Certificate recipients will receive a QBD book voucher as recognition for their hard work.

Academic Awards are always scheduled for the final Monday morning of each Semester.  If your child has met the criteria for an award, you will receive an invite to attend from the school.  Please be aware that these invites are non-specific and do not detail which of your children will receive an award or what specific award they will be receiving.

Don’t Forget …

• St Joseph’s Kindy Open Afternoon. Wed 12^th June 3:15pm – 5:00pm
• Show Holiday. Thurs 13^th
• Semester 1 Academic Awards. Mon 17^th June in MPA @ 8:35am.
• Challenge Cup Netball & Rugby League Warm-up games. Mon 17^th 4:00pm @ St Anthony’s
• Semester 1 Academic Reports posted to Parent Lounge. Wed 19^th
• Under 8’s Day. Thurs 20^th
• Semester 1 Concludes. Fri 21^st

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

Premier’s Reading Challenge

I am delighted to invite all students to join in the 2024 Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC).

The PRC is not a competition but a way to encourage students to develop a love of reading for life. Students are encouraged to select a range of fiction and non-fiction books suited to their reading ability and record books read during the reading period, from 7 May to 23 August. Attached to the newsletter is a reader record form to tally books read throughout the challenge.

To complete the challenge:

• Prep to Year 2 must read or experience at least 20 books
• Years 3 and 4 must read at least 20 books
• Years 5 to 9 must read at least 15 books.

Experiencing books can include shared reading, listening to stories, or reading picture books. The aim for the 2024 challenge is to encourage students to make time to read. Last year saw more than 110,000 children from around the state participate.

Book suggestions are available on the PRC website: 

Every student who completes the challenge, and returns the completed record reader form, will receive a Certificate of Achievement. I look forward to seeing as many of our students as possible take part in the 2024 Premier’s Reading Challenge.

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

Regards
Deanne Senini
Assistant Principal Curriculum

RELIGIOUS NEWS

The 10^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Those who do the will of God are family to Jesus

Mark 3:20-35

Living the Gospel – Who is my mother or brother?

At the end of today’s gospel passage, Jesus states, ‘Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.’ Family bonds were critically important in First Century Palestine. Jesus does not deny his family kinship, but expands it to include anyone who does the will of God. All those who work to bring about the Kingdom or Reign of God share a bond with Jesus, they share a familial link with him. Whenever we act to bring about God’s dream for this world, we join our efforts with those of our brother, Jesus.

                                                                        @Liturgy Help – by Greg Sunter

What are Virtues?

At Joeys, we acknowledge students each week for demonstrating virtues. But do we really understand what a virtue is? Virtues are much more than strength of character; they are God-given, and when we recognise them in others, we recognise God in them.

Think of someone you admire, someone who is a person of integrity and goodness. You may recognise their virtues.

A virtue is a power or habit that enables us to live a good life: a firm disposition to do good. Virtues are strengthened by repeated actions, guided by faith and reason.

Virtues reflect our entire person, our intellect, spirit and physical selves. As such, we practise virtues that guide our intellect and will towards genuinely Christian ways of acting as well as virtues that relate us to God and help us return to God. Some virtues allow us to live full lives, to use the unique gifts we have been given by God as best we can. When we practise virtues in everyday moments, we help to make God’s Kingdom on earth.

Caritas Australia’s Papua New Guinea Landslide Disaster

Remote communities in Papua New Guinea have been devastated by a catastrophic landslide that struck at 3am on 24th May. The timing of the landslide meant most people were sleeping at the time of the disaster, with little time to escape.

Thousands are feared dead. Although the initial estimate from the United Nations was that at least 670 people may have lost their lives, this number could climb dramatically from recent reports. The total population of the entire affected ward is near 4,000 people, but this number could be higher due to an increased number of displaced people who have been living in the area in recent times.

The ongoing search and rescue operations are facing challenges due to the hazardous terrain and the continuous threat of landslides. As rescue efforts continue, those who have lost their homes urgently need our support now, and in the weeks and months ahead.

Please act now.

You can donate online at www.caritas.org.au/png or phone 1800 024 413

Liturgical Celebrations Coming Up

*SJPA – St Joseph’s Park Avenue
*OLHC – Our Lady Help of Christians church (next to St Joseph’s, Park Avenue)
*MPA – Multipurpose Area (Basketball court)

Elizabeth Carter
Assistant Principal Religious Education

CLASSROOM NEWS

Inclusive Curriculum

Reading skills are an important part of all learning so encouraging a love of reading at home can support your child to be their best in all subjects.

Here are some simple yet effective strategies to empower their reading skills:

1. Read Aloud Together: Even a small amount of time spent reading aloud with your child will encourage not only their listening skills but also expose them to new vocabulary and sentence structures. They are never too old to appreciate reading with you!

• • Audiobooks are another great avenue for building a love of reading - Use Sora to access books for free!

2. Create a Reading-Friendly Environment: Designate a cozy corner in your home or room as a reading nook. Fill it with a variety of books and magazines to pique your child's interest.

3. Ask Questions: Engage your child in discussions about what they're reading or the sound they are learning at school this week.

• You can find their Soundwaves chants on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tVXu68V_Ak
• Play eye spy to encourage them to think about the sounds and spelling of words they already know

4. Lead by Example: Let your child see you reading for pleasure. Be a reading role model and demonstrate the joy and importance of reading in your own life.

Together, let's cultivate a love for reading that will last a lifetime!

SJPA Track & Field Athletics Carnival

Thank you and congratulations to everyone who was involved in our Track and Field Athletics 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 both Aggregate Points and Team Spirit Trophies.

9 YEARS AGE CHAMPIONS

Addison & Mason

10 YEARS AGE CHAMPIONS

Elizabeth & Orlando

11 YEARS AGE CHAMPIONS

Ella & Tasharn

12 YEARS AGE CHAMPIONS

Paige & Mason

Aggregate Point Winners

Leahy House – Koby & Paige (House Captains)

Team Spirit Winners

Leahy House – Koby & Paige (House Captains)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Congratulations to the following staff and students who will celebrate their birthday this week.  They are: Blake F (Yr 5), Lilianna L (Yr 5), Remee H (Yr 6), Parker I (Prep) and Mrs Brosnan (Office).

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