19 June 2024

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Welcome to Week 10 of Term 2.

Dear Parents & Guardians

Last week I was very privileged to attend a Mass of Thanksgiving along with staff and students to celebrate Miss Leesa Jeffcoat’s wonderful 23 years as Diocesan Director.  Miss Jeffcoat has always been a champion for our Catholic schools, striving to ensure that all schools and colleges provide both a safe, nurturing environment while also offering a wide variety of educational opportunities for our students.

During last week’s celebration it was mentioned that during Leesa’s 23 years in the role, she has had more than 75,000 students pass through our Diocesan schools.  It is absolutely amazing how profound Leesa’s impact has been on the advancement of Catholic Education in rural Queensland.

I personally thank Leesa for her support and all that she has done for our Joey’s community and wish her all of God’s blessings as she enters this new phase of her life, exploring new and exciting opportunities.

Yesterday we hosted Bruce and Denise Morcombe as we were the first school they visited as they kicked off their ‘Time To Talk Road Trip’ in what will be their 20^th Day for Daniel and the 20^th anniversary of the Daniel Morcombe Foundation.  Joey’s will be the first stop in a 20-day journey that will cover 7200kms and reach over 1600 students.  It was great to see our community decked out in red to support this very important initiative in keeping our children safe.

A reminder that Semester 1 report cards will be available on Parent Lounge as of today.  The new format that was introduced last year lends itself to students being able to reflect on where they can improve as students in Semester 2.

These reports contain personalised challenges for each student to achieve greater success in the classroom through ‘next steps’ which is a term they should be becoming more familiar with.

We want our children to always strive to be the best version of themselves and the presence of these ’next steps’ suggestions is to help them grow in their efforts as learners.

It was wonderful to see so many awards handed out on Monday morning as we celebrated the academic achievements of our students.  We had 18 Maroon Awards on Monday which is an excellent effort for students to achieve all A’s and B’s across all eight key learning areas.  Well done to all students who received an award on Monday.

For parents dealing with students disappointed in missing out on an award, that is normal but please encourage them not to give up. Students should talk with their teachers about what they can improve upon in the classroom and refocus on their Semester 2 studies and aim for an end of year award.

Best of luck, even though they do not need it, to our students performing in the Rockhampton Catholic Schools Gala Concert tonight.

We look forward to a wonderful Under 8’s Day tomorrow with lots of smiles and laughter.  In the afternoon our Year 6 class will be holding our first ever ‘Day Disco.’ Information on these events have been sent home. 

Have a great mid-year holiday break with your family, and I look forward to seeing our students safe and sound for a 10-week Term 3.

Don’t Forget …

• Prep Interviews for 2025 continue
• Semester 1 Reports posted to Parent Lounge. Wed 19^th June
• Under 8’s Day. Thurs 20^th
• Semester 1 Concludes. Fri 21^st
• Term 3 Commences. Mon 8^th
• Challenge Cup. Wed 10^th – Fri 12^th July @ St Brendan’s Yeppoon.

Have a great week.

Kindest 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

Bruce and Denise Morcombe Visit

Yesterday we were very blessed to be visited by Denise and Bruce Morcombe as part of their safety tour around Central QLD.  We thank them for visiting us and reminding us of the importance of always listening to our body and staying safe.  It was a very exciting morning with lots of cameras and local media present.  Congratulations to all the students who, as always, made us proud by their exceptional behaviour. 

Well done and thank you to Mrs Ivers for co-ordinating the design and production of the indigenous art piece we presented to the Morcombe family on behalf of St Joseph’s.  We hope it will serve as a reminder of the positive impact they are having on students in schools all over our wonderful state.

Academic Awards

Congratulations to all students who received an Academic award on Monday.  Thank you for always putting in your best efforts and prioritising your studies.  It’s great to be able to recognise the hard work of our students.

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Semester One Reports

Semester One Reports have been posted to Parent Lounge today.  Please ensure you log on to your Parent Lounge account to access these reports.

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 11^th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Parable of the Mustard Seed
Mark 4:26-34

Living the Gospel – Seed on the land

The first parable in the gospel passage describes the unerring work of the kingdom. It is like the seed that almost magically transforms into a fully grown plant that may be harvested – apparently without any external forces. Of course, we know that plants need to be fed, watered, weeded and nurtured to ensure their proper growth. However, the kingdom of God works in our lives in a similar way – if we feed and nurture it, the kingdom will produce a great harvest. Even if we don’t pay it attention, the kingdom is present and acting in our world.

@Liturgy Help – by Greg Sunter

Holidays – Disconnect to Connect

It can be hard to fit in quality time together when family schedules are packed with work, school and extracurricular events. Activities together are a good way to build joy and connection into your family dynamic. The holidays provide an opportunity for us to ‘Disconnect to Connect’. By taking time away from the pressures of weekly routines, families can do things together, things to help them reconnect.

Below is a list of ideas for families. Of course, you might have other things that are special to your family, things you all love to do together. These ideas are appropriate for the whole crew — start by adding a few to your family calendar for the next two weeks. Post the list and ask each family member to add a star next to their favourite activities or take these ideas with you when travelling and discover new ways to spend time together.

Close to Home                                 Get Outdoors                                                Fitness Fun
Obstacle Course                                 Go to the Park                                                Run a 5K        
Gardening                                           Nature Walk                                                    Walk a 5K
Scavenger Hunt                                  City Walk                                                         Do Yoga or Tai Chi
Bake something                                  Go to the River                                               Breakfast Workout     
Walk the Dog                                      Stargazing                                                       Frisbee
Visit a museum                                   Creation Meditation                                         Bushwalk                       

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

Literacy Club

Term 2 has seen the conception of our very own lunchtime Literacy Club! Students in Years 2 to 6 have the opportunity to attend Literacy Club every Monday at first break. The aim of Literacy Club is to give students the opportunity to improve their writing skills in a fun and relaxed environment.

This term we have been focussing on writing Sizzling Starts, a skill that helps students start their stories off with a bang! We’ve had a lot of fun experimenting with different techniques that will hook a reader into reading more of our writing. In week 9 we had the opportunity to enter our Sizzling Starts into our first SJPA writing competition. These entries will be judged in the coming weeks and winners will be announced on assembly early in Term 3.

Each term, students will have the opportunity to opt into Literacy Club. We can’t wait to celebrate our creative students and see what they achieve next term!

Tarina Hancock
Writing Extension Teacher

Maths Club

Once a week, invited Year 5 and 6 students show dedication by giving up their lunch time to participate in Maths Club.

During these lunchtime sessions, the students prepare for various extension maths competitions offered throughout the year. Maths Club offers a range of activities aimed at enhancing their mathematical abilities. The students engage in both individual and group problem solving tasks, which foster teamwork and collaborative thinking. They also complete estimation activities and speed tests for fluency.

The commitment of our Year 5 and 6 Maths Club students is truly commendable. We are incredibly proud of their hard work and look forward to seeing their continued success in upcoming maths competitions.

Alice Wayman and Catherine Farr

Art & PE News

Term 2 was a busy time for specialist teachers and their students.  Mrs McCutcheon and Mr Smith joined forces at the beginning of the term working together to bring fundamental movement skills to the crowds.  Students enjoyed building incredible movement sequences from their knowledge which then led them to doing Dance with The Arts and Field Event skill building in P.E.  Our personal highlight was watching 50+ students dancing the Macarena and the Nutbush.  Fun had by all. 

Meanwhile our younger students enjoyed the weekly warmups using both our Moververse program and the Australian Ballet warmups.

Arts & P.E. are integral subjects in our school’s curriculum.  We help to develop creative cognitive skills, use of imagination, team building, fine and gross motor skills and using knowledge and creativity to problem solve.

Term 2 was all about moving and boy did we move…

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Congratulations to the following students who will celebrate their birthday this week.  They are: Aubrey V (Prep), Jayse P (1), Jack W (3), Charlotte M (4), Theo P (5) and Layla W (5).

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