13 March 2018

Newsletter Articles

FROM THE ACTING PRINCIPAL

Our St Joseph’s whole school Feast Day Mass followed by our Grandparents Morning Tea will be held this Friday, the 16th of March commencing with the mass in OLHC Church at 9:00am followed by the morning tea in the MPA till 11:00am.

As we share Friday’s mass with the Parish I request that we leave the parking spaces directly outside the church vacant for the use of our parishioners.

Please remember that during all of these celebrations that we not use the parking in the mall car park as retailers in the mall have previously complained that there is no parking for their patrons. In an effort to try and alleviate these parking issues we will be making parking available on the grassed area beyond the end of the Multi-Purpose Area for this Friday’s celebration.

We have also nominated Joey’s to take part in this Friday’s National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence. Even though this topic is tremendously important, as you know the date is also the biggest on our calendar for the year. After the Grand Parent’s Morning Tea, our Upper school students will still be participating in inter-school sport and fete preparations while our Prep to Year 3 students will be taking part in age appropriate activities to both support this important cause and continue to educate our students in respecting, loving and caring for each other just as Jesus did.

Last Thursday afternoon I took the opportunity to meet with the entire student body to discuss a couple of topics. First of all, Mrs Senini and I demonstrated the new fire drill and code black sounds for the students. We want the staff and student body to be aware of what these new alarms sound like while in a nice, safe and calm environment. We also took the opportunity to quickly highlight and discuss our procedures as well as making the students aware, that by law we will also be scheduling in some drills to practice using these procedures throughout the year.

I personally am still getting used to the new bell myself. We are still waiting on some additional speakers in the MPA so the bells and message system can be heard during high traffic times.

The second topic was for our students in Years 1-6 and highlighted the requirements needed to achieve the five academic awards that we will begin presenting at the end of each Semester. As I highlighted at the Parent Information Nights earlier in the Term, the awards are a Navy Certificate for effort and Maroon, Bronze, Silver and Gold Certificates for academic achievement. I highlighted the requirements and challenges for all of our students to strive towards and openly said that I would love in a perfect world to be presenting over 300 Navy Certificates at the end of this Semester. If you would like further clarification on these awards or the criteria on how the students can achieve them, please contact me through the school office.

A Parent Lounge information night with Bernadette Handley from the Catholic Education Office of Rockhampton will be held tonight, Wednesday, March the 14th at 6:00pm in the MPA. Bernadette has a wealth of knowledge in regards to Parent Lounge and will be coming in to show everyone how to make best use of its many features and to answer any questions you may have.

The Parent Lounge tool will soon be live. It is also widely used by Emmaus and TCC where the majority of our students attend for their secondary schooling, so getting to know how to use this valuable tool will be essential for your child’s future education.

Finally, a reminder that our car park can become very congested of an afternoon and seems to be filling up before 2:30pm on some days. I realise that many families have after school commitments that they have to attend but the car park has been designed in such a way that it is meant to be a flow through area. This means a couple of things should be adhered to. First of all, if you are toward the front of the line and your child is delayed for whatever reason, you should either park or drive around to the back of the line. Very rarely are students kept in after the bell and more often than not they are being tardy in getting to the pick-up area on time. If your child does this, please have a talk to them at home about our expectations of them being prompt. If your child is purchasing icy-cups on a Friday afternoon then it would be best for whoever is picking them up to park and wait for them to arrive.

The line of cars in the afternoon should also not extend past the school office and around the bend near the church. If you arrive early and this is beginning to happen, again we ask that you park in an available bay so the flow through movement can still proceed. Remember the car park design will only work if everybody is mindful of everyone in our community. In saying that, there is usually no congestion at all after a matter of only 10 minutes, so if you are not in a huge rush, coming a few minutes later if you are able to would also help. Thank-you in advance for your support in this matter.

Don’t Forget…

• School Board Meeting, Wed 14th March @ 5:00pm
• Parent Lounge Information Night, Wed 14th March @ 6:00pm
• Sacrament of Penance, Thurs 15th March @ 6:00pm Holy Family Church
• St Joseph’s/Grandparents Day Mass, Fri 16th March @ 9:00am in OLHC Church
• National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence, Fri 16th March
• St Pat’s Race Day, Sat March 17th
• Rockhampton Catholic Education Leadership Conference, 20th – 23rd March
• Fete Meeting, Wed 21st March @ 3:15pm

Have a great week.

Regards

Bernard Fitzgerald
St. Joseph’s PA Acting Principal

APRE REFLECTION

This week in Project Compassion we are much closer to home. When Evangeline left high school, she had a limited vision for her future. But the training she received while working at the Djilpin Arts Ghunmarn Culture Centre helped her develop new skills and ignited her passion for the promotion and preservation of her Aboriginal culture.

Evangeline is strengthening Aboriginal culture, while making a living for herself and creating opportunities for her community. This year, Evangeline is busy guiding tourists, coordinating cultural activities and helping community members to practise and market their arts, such as weaving and jewellery-making.

Watch Evangeline's Story below

With our support, we can help people have a say in the decisions that affect them. Please donate to Project Compassion boxes in classrooms.

Bernadette Brennan
Acting APRE

RELIGIOUS MATTERS

St Joseph’s Feast Day/Grandparents Day Mass – 16th of March

Our annual St Joseph’s whole school Feast Day Mass followed by our Grandparents Morning Tea will be held this Friday, the 16th of March commencing with the mass in OLHC Church at 9:00am followed by the morning tea in the MPA till 11:00am.

Families are asked to contribute to the morning tea and celebrate this very special day as a whole community.

• eldest children in Grades 3 – 6 plate of sandwiches to share
• eldest children in Prep to Grade 2 -plate of biscuits, cakes or other sweet to share.

Hope to see you there.

Bernadette Brennan
Acting APRE

Mass times

Weekday

Tuesday 9.00am Holy Family
Wednesday 12.00 Noon St Mary’s
Thursday 8.00am Emmaus College (Yaamba Rd)
Friday 9.00am Our Lady Help of Christians

Weekend

Saturday – Vigil
6.00pm Holy Family
6.00pm Our Lady Help of Christians
Sunday
7.00am St Mary’s
9.00am Holy Family

Bernadette Brennan
Acting APRE

SPORTING MATTERS

Rockhampton District Selection Trials

Term 1

Below are the Rockhampton and District Trials (RDS) for the following Primary School sports happening in Term 1. If your child has the prerequisite skills and you wish for them to trial in the following sports, you can contact me through the school office to obtain the appropriate trial forms. Alternatively, the forms can be downloaded in the Parents Notes section of the Skoolbag App.

• Rugby Union – Boys (10-12yrs)        Mar 19 Frenchville SS 4pm
• Tennis – Boys & Girls (10-12yrs)      Mar 19 Rocky Tennis 9am – 3pm
• Touch F/ball – Boys (10-12 yrs)        Thursday Mar 22 Touch Fields 4pm – 6pm
• Touch F/ball – Girls (10-12 yrs)         Friday Mar 23 Touch Fields 4pm – 6pm

Please be aware that for your child to attend these trials as a 10-year-old student that they would need to be exceptional as they will be competing against students up to 12 years of age.

School Cross Country/Fun Run

We are holding a School Run4Fun for the students as a fundraiser next term so we do ask for your support. The event will be held on 19th April (Week 1 next term). The day’s focus is on fun and fitness with the added benefit of raising funds for our school.

This event will be the trial and selection for the school cross country team that will go on and compete at the RDS trials on 1st May.

It’s all about participation, with students treated to a great day as a reward for their fundraising efforts. Family support is key to our fundraising success and we encourage all students to participate. The more money we raise the more we can provide for the students through vital school projects, in particular interschool team fees, playing uniforms and athletics equipment.

The fundraiser commences in the next week, so keep an eye out for the Sponsorship Form each student will receive to help raise funds for our great school.

Friday Sport

Oz Tag

Boys

St Joey’s Blue v Glenore on field 4 at 12:38
St Joey’s Maroon v Frenchville 2 on field 6 at 12:38

Girls

St Joey’s Maroon v RGS White on field 5 at 1:50
St Joey’s Blue v St Mary’s 1 on field 5 at 1:15
St Joey’s Navy v Mt Archer 2 on field 2 at 12:38
St Joey’s White v RGS Black on field 3 at 12:38

Soccer

Yr 6

St Joey’s Blue v Lakes Creek SS 5 at Pilbeam Park @ 1:35
St Joey’s Maroon v Mt Morgan 5 at Norbridge Park 3 @ 1:35

Yr 5

St Joey’s Navy v Lakes Creek SS 5 at Pilbeam Park @ 12:40
St Joey’s White v Mt Morgan 5 on field 3 at Norbridge Park @ 12:40

Bernadette Brennan
Acting APRE

CURRICULUM NEWS

Important Curriculum Dates – Term 1

PARENT LOUNGE INFORMATION SESSION

Beginning in 2018, as a way of moving our school forward in the technology realm and aligning with other schools in the Diocese, we will be implementing Parent Lounge.

Parent Lounge will enable parents to log in to a secure site where they will be able to complete a variety of tasks including:

• Access and print student reports
• Book Official Parent Teacher Interviews
• Update contact details
• Make fee payments
• View student attendance records

To assist parents to learn how to navigate this site we are offering a parent information session on Wednesday, 14th March beginning at 6pm.

Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Curriculum

Throughout Semester One, our school will be implementing the Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Curriculum with students in all year levels. The curriculum is based on principles of best practice in child safety education and centres around three key messages: Recognise, React and Report. Through a series of lessons, students will learn how to recognise, react and report when they are unsafe or find themselves in situations that can have a significant detrimental effect on their physical, psychological or emotional wellbeing. The Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Curriculum links very closely with the Australian Health Curriculum. Therefore these lessons will be delivered by Miss Tennille Kerrisk as part of our Health Curriculum on a Tuesday and Wednesday. The Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Curriculum has been mandated by our Diocese to be actively taught in all of the Rockhampton Catholic schools each year.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this program please don’t hesitate to contact either Miss Kerrisk, Mrs Senini or Mr Fitzgerald.

Information about the Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Curriculum can be found below

LITERACY CORNER

Reading:

Learning to read involves children learning skills in comprehension, fluency, accuracy and expanding on their known vocabulary. This week’s skill comes under the heading of Fluency.

Strategy – Read good fit books

To help develop a student’s fluency it is important that they are reading books which are a good fit (not too easy but not too difficult). If a book is too easy for a child they are not coming across new words or getting the opportunity to practise a variety of reading strategies however if a book is too difficult they will be constantly stopping to work out unknown words which will then make fluency very difficult to achieve. It is therefore important that what they read is a good fit for them.

Spelling:

Strategy: Dots game

Make a square of 4 rows of dots with 4 dots in each row. Before taking a turn, the player must spell a spelling word correctly. If the word is correct, the player can connect two dots. When a player forms a square by connecting dots, he/she can write their initials in the box. The player with the most squares at the end of the game is the winner.

Regards

Deanne Senini
Assistant Principal Curriculum

FINANCE NEWS

TERM 1 FEES were due on Tuesday 13th February

Fee Accounts for Term 1 were due for payment on Tuesday 13th February.

If your account remains unpaid, these are now FOUR weeks Overdue and require immediate attention.

If paying by Direct Deposit, please use your Account Number (6-digit number on your Fee Statement) as the reference.

If you are unable to settle your account, your immediate contact with either Bernard or Megan is requested to advise when the account will be settled.

CLASSROOM NEWS

Yr 4

2018 has been an exciting year so far for us. We are getting used to the language of Flexible Learning including workshops instead of lessons and learning space instead of classroom. Fun is being had in all areas of our learning. M & M’s and shopping from catalogues for maths, NRL for PE, Caritas for Religion and special learning times like African Drumming.

Next week and week 10 we look forward to our Prayer Assemblies. They will look a little different than usual. The Boys of Year 4 will lead us in our Palm Sunday Prayer Assembly and the Girls of Year 4 will lead us in the Good Friday reflection on the Wednesday morning of Week 10. Hope you can join us for either or both.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Congratulations to the following students and staff who will celebrate their birthday this week. They are: Heidi Nembach (2F), Blair Andjal (2F) and Miss Sloan (Prep G).

Have a great day.

YEAR 6 EASTER RAFFLE

As you may have already seen, Yr 6 is holding an Easter Raffle to fundraise for their annual camp. We will be selling tickets in the Multipurpose area in the mornings and in the area outside Yr 1 & 2 of an afternoon. Tickets are $1 each. Please keep in mind that if your parents give you money for Caratas, you need to put that in the Caratas money box in your classroom.

FESTIVAL OF COLOUR – 29TH APRIL 2018 – SAVE THE DATE

Our $25 Unlimited Rides passes have arrived!

The Festival of Colour will be showcasing various rides. These include a Merry-Go-Round, Spinning Cannibal Pots, The Sizzler, a Rock Climbing Wall and 2 Jumping Castles. For $25, you can buy a wrist-band which will give you unlimited rides on the day.

Passes are available for purchase from the office, and the wristbands will be available to pick up at the ride counter on the day. They will available right up until the fete, but be sure to get in early as if it’s left until the day, unlimited ride passes will cost $30 instead. Happy riding!

Sponsors of the week

This week it’s our turn to say thank you to Rockhampton Key and Lock for their valued support of the Festival of Colour.

The local experts in locksmith services and security products for Central Queensland, Rockhampton Key and Lock have over 65 years combined experience and have been a long-standing business in the Rockhampton region for 30 years.

Covering everything from key cutting, transponder keys, safes, door furniture (including handles, hinges, locks, stops and seals) and beyond, they offer a wide range of professional locksmith services. If you’ve lost your keys or need them repaired or replaced, need a lock installed, a master key system fitted, or a new remote for car or garage, they’re the people to see. They even specialise in restricted key systems, preventing your keys from being duplicated without your authority.

Operating a mobile service means you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your own home, but if you’d like to check out their range for yourself, go in and see them at their new premises on 44 Glenmore Road, North Rockhampton. Otherwise give them a bell on (07) 4922 1913, or visit their website below

SCHOOL BANKING

Don’t forget School Banking every Thursday. This is for all students from Prep to Yr 6

TUCKSHOP NEWS

Attached is the 2018 Tuckshop menu. Please refer to this when pricing your tuckshop. Tuckshop have had a few orders which are using last years’ prices. If your menu does not have 2018, please disregard it and use the attached one.

Debbie is also looking for a few more volunteers to help out on Monday to Thursday. Please pop in and see Debbie if you can spare a few hours on any of these days – or even just 1 hour. To help out you will have to have a current Bluecard and have done the Volunteer Induction session with Mrs Senini on either a Monday morning after assembly in the MPA area or a Wednesday afternoon from 2:30pm in the office.

Thanks

VOLUNTEERS INDUCTION SESSIONS

WPH&S Volunteers Inductions are necessary for the safety of your children. Therefore, we ask that all parents who generously volunteer their time to the school, either in a classroom or in the tuckshop, attend a very brief induction regarding maintaining a safe environment for the children of St. Joseph’s.

These sessions don’t take long and are available after assembly on a Monday morning with Deanne Senini, and on Wednesday afternoons from 2:30pm - 3:00pm. Debbie Rooney will also be conducting induction sessions in the tuckshop, if you are helping out in there.

Thanks

UNIFORM SHOP

Our uniform shop is run by VOLUNTEERS of the school and is open

Monday morning from 8:15 - 8:45
Tuesday afternoon from 2:45 - 3:15
Friday morning 8:15 – 8:45

Please feel free to drop any uniforms you no longer need so they can put out to sell. Proceeds can go back to you or you can donate it back to the P & F.

The Uniform Shop has quite a lot of good second hand uniforms. Please feel free to pop in (at the opening times above), and have a look.

There are second hand Emmaus uniforms also.

FRIDAY PIZZA

Meatlovers and Hawaiian Pizza are available every Friday for $1.50/slice. Please have your order in a Brown Paper Bag with your name, class and order on it, with the money inside.

Please use a brown paper bag with child’s name and class written on the front.
TUCKSHOP IS UNAVAILABLE ON FRIDAYS

DRAKES SUPA IGA

Simply scan your Drakes Supa IGA key tag and the checkout with your groceries, and automatically 1 cent of every dollar you spend goes to the Cathedral Conservation Fund.

Key tags are available from the office; local church or Drakes stores. Put it on your car keys so you remember to use it.

Key tags can be used at any Drakes Supa IGA supermarket in Queensland. Currently in our Diocese Drakes stores are located at

• Glenmore (North Rockhampton)
• Emu Park