7 November 2018

Newsletter Articles

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Over the next couple of weeks, we will be holding a drought relief raffle to support the St Joseph’s Blackall community. The raffle will have four prizes with two $100 and two $50 rebel vouchers. Tickets will be on sale both before and after school for $1 each or 10 for $5. The raffle will culminate with our ‘Dress Like a Farmer Day’ on Wednesday 14th November. On this day, we will again ask for donations that will also receive tickets in our raffle. The tickets again will be $1 each or a whopping 10 tickets for $5. Thank-you for whatever level of support you can provide.

This year will see a change in how the school Sports Boy and Sports Girl awards will be selected for our annual school Presentation Night. The awards will now be presented as an accumulated point model across all sports to replace the current model of the award going to the student who obtained the highest individual representation in any school sport. This model will also both encourage and acknowledge our students who take part in a number of sporting disciplines during school sport.

If you would like more information in relation to these changes, please do not hesitate to contact me through the school office.

Last week we implemented a couple of new safety processes for our front office. In line with our updated safety plan, the school office doors will remain locked until 8:00am in the morning even though the office will be open earlier. Similarly, even though the school office will also be open until 4:00pm each afternoon, the office doors will be locked at 3:30pm.

If you need to gain entry to the office outside of these times, I would ask that you knock on the door and someone will be happy to let you in. Locking the front doors will also happen at times such as when the whole school is attending a mass in the church or on assembly. These processes are put into place as a way to ensure that the office, and the school is as safe as possible. Thank-you for your understanding in this matter.

Last week a light purple 2019 acknowledgment of continuing enrolment note was sent home to each family. Annual school budgets, funding and staffing allocations are all dependant on our projected enrolment numbers each year. If, for whatever reason, your children may not be returning as students to St Joseph’s next year, either please make a time to see me to make me aware, or fill in the note and return it to school as soon as possible. All continuing enrolment notes are due back to the school by next Wednesday, the 14th of November.

Don’t Forget …

• ‘Dress Like a Farmer’ Free Dress Day (Make a Donation), Wednesday 14th November
• 2019 booklists sent home, Week 6 – Thursday 15th November
• Children’s Mass, Saturday 17th November @ 6:30pm in OLHC
• Swimming Carnival, Week 7 - Wednesday 21st November
• Emmaus Year 6 Orientation Day, Thursday 22nd November
• Presentation Night, Thursday 29th Nov @ 6:00pm in MPA
• Season C Sport Finishes, Friday 30th November
• Semester 2 Academic Awards Assembly, Monday 3rd Dec @ 8:35am in MPA
• Semester 2 Reports posted to Parent Lounge, Tuesday 4th December
• Year 6 Graduation Mass, Wednesday 5th December @ 6:00pm
• Year 6 Fun Day, Thursday 6th December
• End of Year Mass/2019 Leadership Induction, Friday 7th December 9:00am
• St Joseph’s school office closes for holiday break, Friday 14th December
• St Joseph’s school office reopens for 2019, Monday 21st January
• 2019 School year commences, Tuesday 29th January @ 8:35am

Have a great week.

Regards
Bernard Fitzgerald
St. Joseph’s PA Principal

We have been asked to distribute the following information documents about My Health Records for you to peruse before it comes into effect. Please take the time to read these documents so that you can be fully informed.

APRE REFLECTION

Remembrance Day has a special significance in 2018.

Sunday, 11 November 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of the Armistice which ended the First World War (1914–18).

One hundred years ago, on 11 November 1918, the guns of the Western Front fell silent after four years of continuous warfare. With their armies retreating and close to collapse, German leaders signed an Armistice, bringing to an end the First World War.

In Flanders fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

John McCrae (1872–1918)

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
5.00pm Holy Family
6.30pm Our Lady Help of Christians

Sunday
7.00am St Mary’s
9.00am Holy Family

Bernadette Brennan
APRE

RELIGIOUS MATTERS

What’s Happening this Term

PRESENTATION NIGHT

This year our Presentation Night will be Thursday 29th November and the theme is Christmas Party. Classes will be presenting songs and some dance performances during the evening which commences at 6:00pm. Our annual school awards will also be presented throughout this evening.

Final Children’s Mass for 2018

Our final Children’s Mass with the Our Lady Help of Christians Parish will be held this Saturday evening the 17th of November at 6:30pm. It would be lovely to have as many of the Joey’s community come along to celebrate. It would be especially great to have as many of our Year 6 students as possible as it will be their last parish mass as St Joseph’s Park Avenue students. Hope to see you there.

Bernadette Brennan
APRE

SPORTING MATTERS

Swimming Carnival Date Claimer

The annual swimming carnival will be held on Wednesday 21st November commencing at 5:00pm. The carnival is held at the South Rockhampton Pool.

Friday Interschool Sport

As the days continue to get warmer, we continue with Season C sport. Please remind your child to check they have their school hat, and water bottles ready for Friday sport.

Friday Sport 9th November

Softball/Teeball

Yr 6 Boys
St Joeys v Mt Archer on 3B

Yr 5 Girls
St Joeys 1 Blue v Frenchville on 4C
St Joeys 2 Maroon v RGS 1 on 3C

Softball/Teeball games are now being played at KELE PARK

All Games commence at 12:30

Cricket

St Joeys 1 Blue v Frenchville 1 on field 5
St Joeys 2 Maroon v Mt Archer on field 3
St Joeys 3 White v St Joeys 5 Gold on field 1
St Joeys 4 Navy v Lakes Creek 2 on field 6

All games played at McLeod Park (Dean St) starting at 12:45pm

Basketball

12:15 – 12:55
Squishy Squids v Fearless Falcons

1:00 – 1:40
Pinks Pandas v Raging Rhinos

1:45 – 2:25
Tilted Tortoises v Dunking Ducks

Bernadette Brennan
APRE

CURRICULUM NEWS

IMPORTANT CURRICULUM DATES

SEMESTER 2 REPORT CARDS

Semester 2 reports will be available to parents through parent lounge at the close of business on Tuesday 4th December. Report Cards will no longer be printed and sent home to parents - they need to be accessed through your parent lounge account. The link to parent lounge is:

SEMESTER 2 ACADEMIC AWARDS ASSEMBLY

Our normal Monday morning assembly on Monday 3rd December will be dedicated to acknowledging those students who have excelled in their studies throughout Semester 2. The assembly will begin at 8:35am. All parents and friends are welcome to attend.

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 accuracy.

Strategy – Trade a Word / Guess a Word That Makes Sense

When readers encounter words they don’t know, but they understand the gist of the text, they insert a word that makes sense in place of the unknown word. This strategy provides the reader with the option to continue reading by using a similar word for an unknown word. Reading continues and meaning stays intact.

Spelling:

Activity:

Write an advertisement, song and poem using your spelling words.

Regards,
Deanne Senini
Assistant Principal Curriculum

FINANCE NEWS

TERM 4 FEE ACCOUNTS NOW DUE

Term 4 Fees were due for payment on Monday 29th October.

If you have an outstanding amount and are unable to make any payment, can you please make immediate contact with Bernard or Megan to advise your current situation?

Fee Accounts are now being published to Parent Lounge and will no longer we posted out in hard copy. You will need to Login to Parent Lounge to access your Fee Statement.

Please remember to update your Concession Card if it has expired, as you are unable to get the Concession without a new card being presented.

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

CLASSROOM NEWS

Prep M

The prep students have made an energetic start to their final term in prep. The have been busy learning all about Weather, how it changes and how it influences what they can do.

They have also loved examining an array of books written and illustrated by the fabulous Eric Carle. As part of the author study students have looked at the Very Busy Spider and created their own spider webs and examined “Slowly, Slowly, Slowly,” said the Sloth, followed by a directed drawing of a sloth in a tree.

We will soon start practicing our Christmas song for presentation night. This term is flying by and we are working hard to prepare the students for Year 1, as they continue to grow and learn at our wonderful school.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Congratulations to the following students and staff who will celebrate their birthday this week. They are: Lucas Anderson (Yr 6), Brock Rowley (Yr 6) Hunter Arnold (PM), Riley Slater (Yr 5) and Mrs Crosthwaite (Office).

Have a great day.

P & F NEWS

Just a quick reminder to everyone that our last P&F meeting for the year will be held this coming Tuesday, November 13 at 6pm in the staffroom. If you’ve never been to one before, that’s ok, we’d love to see as many new faces as we can. There’ll be some nibblies as well, as we reflect on the year that was. Hope to see you there.

PARENT LOUNGE

Changes to your address, phone number or work phone number can be made in Parent Lounge. Simply log in, go to the Parent Details tab, make your changes, then submit.

SCHOOL BANKING

School banking every Thursday.

Please send your child’s banking book in so they can place it in the grey classroom-banking bag.

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 do not 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 conduct induction sessions in the tuckshop, if you are helping 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 be 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