23 October 2024

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Welcome to Term 4, Week 4

Dear Parents & Guardians,

Last week, we welcomed many new Prep students to for the first time during our Prep Orientation Day. I would like to thank our student leaders who helped on the day as well as all of the staff who helped make the day so successful.

Our school’s Finance Secretary, Megan Crosthwaite will be taking some well-deserved long service leave over the next couple of weeks.  We will have an extra person in the office during that time, however, some of the more detailed queries that Megan is usually able to help with may have to wait until she returns in Week 6.

Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, and I thank-you for your ongoing understanding.

Regretfully, Mrs Debbie Rooney has informed me that she intends to finish her time as the school’s Tuckshop Co-ordinator at the end of this Term.  Debbie has been a great addition to the staff and has continued to attend P&F Meetings at the school well beyond the time in which her children attended the school.

Debbie has graciously offered to train the incoming Tuckshop Co-ordinator before the end of the year.  To facilitate this changeover as smoothly as possible, we will be advertising the position in the next week.  The position will be advertised as Monday – Thursday, 18 hours per week.  If you are interested or know someone who may be interested in the position, please keep an eye in our newsletter as well as on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

Don’t Forget….

October

• 25^th World Teachers (Staff) Day
• 25^th Canteen Day
• 31^st Swimming Carnival

November

• 1^st All Saints Day
• 2^nd All Souls Day
• 5^th Melbourne Cup Day
• 8th Leadership Team Offsite Strategic Planning Sem 2
• 14^th Emmaus Graduation Mass
• 14^th P&F AGM (due to Leadership Gathering & Mass)
• 20^th Board Meeting
• 21^st Emmaus 2025 Year 7 Orientation Day
• 25^th Semester 2 Performing Arts Assembly
• 27^th Board & P&F Executive Meal
• 28^th Presentation Night

December

• 2^nd Semester 2 Academic Awards Assembly
• 4^th Graduation Mass and Dinner
• 4^th Semester 2 Report Cards posted to Parent Lounge
• 5^th Year 6 Fun Day
• 6^th End of Year Mass & Leadership Handover
• 6^th Term 4 Concludes

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

Chess

Wishing our chess team all the best for the competition tomorrow.  Congratulations to the students who made the team.  Thank you to Mr Smith for the time he has spent preparing the team for this competition.  We look forward to hearing how they go.

Day for Daniel

Yesterday we celebrated our annual ‘Day for Daniel’.  It was lovely to see so many students in red helping to bring awareness to the importance of child safety.  Thank you to all who were able to bring in a donation for the Morcombe Foundation.  This money helps the foundation to continue their work with educating students and families on how to stay safe.

World Teachers Day

This week we also celebrate World Teachers Day.  On this day we celebrate the wonderful work that all our staff do each and every day.  We are blessed with extremely dedicated staff who go above and beyond what is expected of them to ensure our students are safe, happy and learning.

Regards
Deanne Senini
Assistant Principal Curriculum

RELIGIOUS NEWS

The 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Whoever aspires to greatness must serve the rest.
Mark 10:35-45

Have you thought? Integrity

Who do you really admire? Who would you really like to be like? Aside from sports stars, models and actors whose particular skills you might admire or even envy; who is a person who lives their life in a way that you would like to emulate? Perhaps it’s not that you want to do exactly what they have done but rather it’s the way they’ve gone about living their life. I would bet that there is a close match between what they hold to be true and the way they live their life – integrity!

@Liturgy Help – by Greg Sunter

Catholic Missions Month

Socktober is a journey towards and celebration of World Mission Month. It is a comprehensive education, formation and fundraising program that engages the heads, hearts, and hands of entire school communities in the global work of mission.

Socktober uses the world game of soccer to form a connection between students in Australia and the children they support with their fundraising, while also incorporating formation and education components throughout its entire structure. Through Socktober, students are invited to learn about, pray, advocate for, and financially support children and communities in need around the world.

This week began with Catholic Mission Sunday and Pope Francis has used the gospel of Matthew “Go and invite everyone to the Banquet” Matt 22:9 for his message and the theme of Catholic Mission Sunday 2024. Tomorrow, we will be making our support for Catholic Missions visible. Students are invited to bring in coins for Catholic Missions which will be added to our annual Coin Line.

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

JOEYS GALACTIC ENCOURAGEMENT AWARDS

This week, the Encouragement Awards for Joeys Touch goes to the following students: -

Tayte M, Hudson S, Oscar W, Kelsie C, Reuben B, Kruz H, Blake M, Grace L, and Carter V.

CLASSROOM NEWS

Yr 2

In Year 2, we have been busy learning a range of new skills and filling our brains with new knowledge.  This week, the students reflected on what they have loved learning and participating in during this term and over the year.

Creed:  I have loved learning about quarters, halves, eighths and whole fractions. I love PE because you can skip and Art, because you can do paintings, drawings and dance.

Amalia:  This term, I enjoyed Think Mentals and how Mrs Gabriel teaches us different ways to solve problems. This year, my favourite thing to learn was how to make a sentence properly using who, what, where and when.

Walt: This term in PE, I learned how to skip better than I did last year because Mr Smith helped me to skip on the long ropes. I liked learning my 3 and 5 times tables in Maths. 

Lexianna:  I like doing Claymation because it’s fun and enjoyable. I also liked when we got to make a mask because I got to choose my favourite colour, which is hot pink.

Harrison B:  I like doing Think Mentals because we‘re doing stuff we’ve already learnt, and we are relearning it. People who didn’t really get it can learn it better. In Media Arts, we are learning Claymation and one day, we are going to play with the clay, which is going to be fun because Carter and I are going to design a pizza in an oven.

Nadia:  I enjoyed learning about the old phones and technology from the olden days with Mrs Gabriel. In Maths, I have fun splitting blocks and paddle pop sticks into even groups with Mrs Paap.

Georgia G: I liked reading Stellarphant and learning about space and Ivan Ivanovich. My favourite activity this year was the Cowboy Cowgirl Disco because we got to dance with the teachers.

Ayla:  My favourite thing that I have learned this term is Think Mentals because it helps my brain get stronger. This year my favourite thing to do is Quick Writes because I like writing.

James:  My favourite thing that I have learnt this term is Scratch Junior. We can change the background and use whatever animal we want. I also liked doing Rumble’s Quest because it is very fun.

Keyboard lessons

Leanne Voss will continue to offer Keyboard lessons in 2025 for interested students in grades 1 – 6. 

Lessons are of 30-minute duration and will be conducted weekly at school. Keyboards will be provided at school for lessons.

Students will be required to have access to a keyboard for practice and purchase a music tutor book and theory book.   Lessons will generally be given to groups of 2 or 3 students with some individual lessons available when it is not possible to match students of similar musical ability. The lessons will focus on developing note reading and counting skills and using a chord bass accompaniment.  There will also be an emphasis on utilising keyboard features such as different tones and rhythms.

Playing keyboard is an excellent extra curriculum activity to develop not only musical skills, but creative thinking, hand-eye coordination, concentration and commitment to task.

Enrolment forms are available for both new and continuing students.   

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC in 2025

Enrolments are now being accepted for new and continuing students to learn the following instruments at St. Joseph’s Park Avenue.

FLUTE, CLARINET, SAXOPHONE, TRUMPET, TROMBONE, PERCUSSION, VIOLIN, VIOLA, CELLO, GUITAR & VOICE.

Instrumental Music provides so many benefits to a child – please watch the attached link to a fantastic video about Music and the Brain: Instrumental Music Learning and Brain Fireworks

Please see the attached information letter for details on required year levels for each instrument, and a downloaded version of the enrolment form.

Enrolment link is included here: Instrumental Music Enrolment 2025

Further information is available online via the link below.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Congratulations to the following staff and students who will celebrate their birthday this week. 

Flynn K (Yr 6), Joanna N-J (Yr 5), Koby N (Yr 6), Ava B (Yr 4), Harper C (Yr 6), Mace H (Prep), Lilah K (Yr 6), Stella K (Yr 4), Ashtyn S (Yr 2), Isla S (Yr 1), and Miss McDonald (Yr 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