21 February 2018

Newsletter Articles

FROM THE ACTING PRINCIPAL

Congratulations to Mrs Brennan and the students for such a wonderful celebration for our first Children’s Mass for the year. It was fantastic to see so many of our students from all different year levels come along to celebrate with not only the Parishioners, but past families and friends.

If you were not able to make the mass, please consider our future Children’s Masses as your choice of time to worship on the weekend.

As we have been currently experiencing excessive heat with temperatures at school reaching the 40 degree mark each day, the school Leadership Team have taken actions to try and limit the amount of time in which the students are exposed to the heat. I realize that our students, like all children love to run around and play, however, if this heat continues, the Leadership Team will continue to make decisions based on the best interests of the safety of our students.

This week, I will be calling for Prep enrolments for 2019 by sending home notes and posting notices on our LED signs and school app. It is crucial for us to know of any siblings within the current school community that may be enrolling in Prep next year so we are aware of the available spaces we will have to offer. Even families that have been at the school for some time still go through the full interview process for each new child who joins our community. Please, if you have a child that is due to begin Prep next year, or you know someone who has, please urge them to visit the school office for the appropriate enrolment forms as spaces have been very limited in the last few years.

On a positive note, Ashlea Styles from Year 4 wrote a beautiful note last week that talks about our wonderful school Joeys and how special our community is when all the people in our community work together. It reads;

‘I love this school so much. It is like one big, big chocolate cake. If you take out anyone it tastes disgusting but if we add anyone it tastes better’

What an awesome attitude and simple yet wonderful insight about our school community from one of our students. On a very hot and tiring week, this was a wonderful surprise. Thank-you Ashlea.

Don’t Forget …

• P&F Fete Meeting, Wed 21st @ 3:30pm
• School Board Meeting, Wed 21st @ 5:30pm

Have a great week.

Regards
Bernard Fitzgerald
St. Joseph’s PA Acting Principal

APRE REFLECTION

Throughout the Lenten season I will visiting the classrooms to share with the students the good work of Caritas’ Project Compassion. We commit to this project each year, and through this the children are learning about human dignity and preferential option for the poor. In this first week of Lent, we meet Janaki from Nepal and hear her story; that of struggle and hardship, which she has been able to turn around and is now a role model and inspiration to other young women in her local community.

With our help, we can restore human dignity.

Please donate to Project Compassion boxes in classrooms.

Bernadette Brennan
Acting APRE

RELIGIOUS MATTERS

Children’s Mass

We had a wonderful celebration with the children and their families at mass on Saturday night. As the photo shows, many current and past students attended mass and were witness to two baptisms and the Rite of Enrolment for the children participating the Sacrament of Penance. Thank you to the many families who shared a plate for supper and stayed on for a chat with the parishioners afterwards.

Well over 80, children and their families attended Children’s Mass on the weekend.

Many of our students are participating in the Sacrament of Penance

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

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.

• AFL – Boys (10-12yrs) Feb 21 RSHS 4pm
• Netball – Girls (10-11yrs &10-12yrs) Feb 22 Emmaus 4pm
• Rugby League – Boys (10,11&12yrs) Mar 4 RSHS muster 9am – 11am
• Hockey – Boys & Girls (10-12 yrs) Mar 5 Kalka Shades 4pm – 6pm
• Rugby League –Girls (11-12yrs) Mar 7 Frenchville 4pm – 5:30pm
• 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 & Girls (10-12 yrs) Mar 22 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.

Friday Sport

Oz Tag

Boys

St Joey’s Blue v Frenchville 2 on field 6 at 12:38
St Joey’s Maroon v Frenchville 3 on field 7 at 12:38

Girls

St Joey’s Maroon v Frenchville 1 on field 5 at 1:15
St Joey’s Blue BYE
St Joey’s Navy v The Hall 2 on field 4 at 12:38
St Joey’s White v Allenstown on field 5 at 12:38

Soccer

Yr 6

St Joey’s Blue v Frenchville SS on field 1 at Norbridge Park @ 1:35
St Joey’s Maroon v Park Avenue SS at Park Avenue SS @ 1:35

Yr 5

St Joey’s Navy v Frenchville SS 5 on field 1 at Norbridge Park @ 12:40
St Joey’s White v Park Avenue SS 5 at Park Avenue SS @ 12:40

Bernadette Brennan
Acting APRE

CURRICULUM NEWS

ICAS

The University of New South Wales will, once again, be running the International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) in 2018. These competitions are open to any children in Years 3 to 6, and some of the competitions allow the year 2 children to participate. Those children wishing to be involved can participate in the areas of Digital Technologies, Science, Spelling, Writing, English and Mathematics.

Dates and costs associated with the competitions are as follows:

These competitions are a great way for students in our school to compare their academic achievements against students in other schools around Australia. If you would like more information please visit the UNSW website:

It would be appreciated if anyone wishing to enter any of the competitions could return the permission slip to the office, along with entry fees by Monday 5th March (beginning of Week 7 - Term 1).

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 Expanding Vocabulary.

Strategy: Tune into interesting words and use new vocabulary in speaking and writing

A good way to increase a child’s vocabulary is to ask them to point out some interesting words from the passage or book they are reading. Have a discussion with them about what the words mean and different sentences/contexts they can be used in and encourage them to try to use those new words in their everyday speaking and writing.

Spelling:

Strategy: Colour the vowels.

This strategy involves students writing out their words. They then choose their favourite colour and write over the vowels in that colour. This strategy is worthwhile because it helps younger children learn their vowels and it reinforces to the older students that each syllable has at least one vowel which is a very important spelling rule.

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 fees remain unpaid they are now overdue.

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

If your account still remains unpaid please contact Bernard or Megan to advise when it will be settled.

CLASSROOM NEWS

Yr 2

It has been a busy start to the year with many events happening both in and out of the classroom.

In Religion we examined the parable of the Mustard Seed and looked at our we can relate it within our classroom. We created our own class tree and discussed how we can work towards making God’s Kingdom grow within ourselves, our classroom, our school and at home. We thought of our own personal choices we could make and added these to our prayer journal. Our class tree is a visual reminder of how working together will help us all grow in peace, love and kindness.

This semester we are studying various picture books about Australia and making connections between them and our own lives. We are learning about special places within Australia and connecting them to places that are special to ourselves.

In Math we are using a range of concrete materials to learn about numbers over 100 and how we can build them, read them and write them in various ways. When we work with our peers in pairs or groups we use each other’s knowledge and strengths to extend our own.

We are learning many things in English, from the parts of a sentence and how we can use more attention-grabbing words to make our writing more interesting. To learning how to read with more expression and follow the rhythm of the text, to looking for smaller parts of a word that we recognise within a larger word to help us decode this word. We are using our visualising skills to use the book cover image to brainstorm a range of vocabulary that we may come upon within a text before we read it.

Within art we are looking at how contrasting warm and cool colours and various lines and textures create different results. We discovered that the first time we try to create is not always the best so we plan and design before getting our final result.

Thanks
Mrs Farr, Mr Joyce and Year 2

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Congratulations to the following students who will celebrate their birthday this week. They are: Mace Downie (1F), Jax Maas (PG), Shari Wust (6), Jack Wooler (3F), Taylah Field (1F), Lauren Handford (4), and Jayda Gyemore (5).

Have a great day.

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

We are fortunate enough to have received sponsorship for the Festival of Colour from another generous member of our Joey’s community; the Baker Family from Rimrock Agencies Rockhampton.

When the talk of Lawn mowers, Ride-on mowers, Whipper Snippers, Brush Cutters or Hedge Trimmers comes up, I don’t know about you, but there’s only one name that’s synonymous with anything to do with grass cutting in Rockhampton, and that’s Rimrock Agencies. Locally owned and operated, they’ve been servicing Rocky for over 50 years, and are the experts in keeping domestic and commercial lawns neat and tidy, not to mention servicing and repairing any outdoor power equipment they sell.

Apart from stocking and selling the brands we all know like Cox, Stihl, Victa, John Deere etc, they also sell Vacuum Cleaners, Pumps, Chainsaws and Generators to name a few.

Now’s the time to pop in and see them at 83-85 Fitzroy Street Rockhampton, check them out at, or give them a buzz on (07) 4927 7033, to ensure that your outdoor power equipment is ready to go once the rain hits, or chase up that Genny that we all think about getting once anyone mentions the word “Cyclone”. Rimrock Agencies will look after you, just like they have with the Festival of Colour.

Reminder

Fete meeting today at 3:30pm. Weather permitting, meeting will take place down at the Prep area.

JOEYS COSTUME BANK

St Joeys is looking for unwanted costumes and dress-ups from Prep age to small adult size.

If you have any sitting in storage, we would LOVE to make use of them.

These costumes will be made available to all teachers for use in class related activities, as well as in circumstances where students may not be able to access costumes for school related events (at teacher discretion).

Our aim is to make such events and occasions stress-free and inclusive of all students.

All costume donations can be handed to the Office or Library (please no props such as guns and swords).

Thank you again to our wonderful Joeys community for your generosity!

Michelle Roberts
Library

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

Are you wanting your child to learn a musical instrument in 2018? Enrolments are still open and there are places available!

Instruments still available to learn include Flute, Percussion, Violin, Viola and Cello.

Further information (and online enrolment) is via the following link:

Alexia Lally
Director of Instrumental Music
Phone: 4923 5782

SCHOOL BANKING

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

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 in side.

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

SURFING – FOR GIRLS

The extremely popular Girls Go Surfing Day is back! It would be great if you could please put something in your school newsletter.

Lessons will be held on Saturday March 3rd. This is a great initiative to help get Girls of all ages active whilst at the same time learning a new skill. It is Fantastic value at $75 with each surfer receiving a Surf Dive 'n Ski Pack valued at $100 with $5 of the fee going to the Surf For Life Charity Project. Capricorn Coast Learn 2 Surf will be running the event and bookings can be made below.

Bookings close on Monday the 19th of February.

Please see attached poster.

Cheers,
Pat Eastwood
Capricorn Coast Learn 2 Surf
0488076595

PIANO LESSONS

Lyn Anstey has some vacancies for piano lessons. If your child is interested in learning the piano, please contact Lynette Anstey on 4933 3661, 0419 358 485 or anstey.family@bigpond.com