6 February 2019

Newsletter Articles

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Welcome back to the start of the 2019 school year, with our first official newsletter.

Even with the shortened week, it has still been a great start to the year with both new and familiar faces settling well into the school routines.

A very special welcome to all of our new families; we trust that you will find our fantastic school community to be very warm and welcoming.

As I mentioned in last week’s parent letter, we welcome Miss Hannah Hamilton in Year 6, Miss Zoe McGinley in Year 3, Mrs Louise Chapman in Year 1 and Mrs Lesley Donohoe into a Learning Support role in the upper school. We also congratulate Mrs Jess Ivers on her official appointment as the school’s Indigenous Teacher Assistant.

We welcome back Mrs Alice Wayman who will be providing lower school literacy support for three days a week. Finally, we welcome Emmaus staff member, Mrs Erin Rogers who will be our new music specialist in 2019.

I am sure we will all make these people feel very welcome as they get to know our wonderful school community.

Fr. Marcel will be celebrating our opening school mass this week on Friday, February the 8th. The mass will be held in OLHC at 9:00am with everyone welcome to attend.

In Week 3, on Wednesday 13th and Thursday, 14th of February we will be holding Parent Information Nights for our Year 1-6 parents; each approximately one hour in duration.

Wednesday, 13th

• 5:00pm Yr 6 & Yr 3
• 6:00pm Yr 2

Thursday, 14th

• 5:00pm Yr 1 & Yr 4
• 6:00pm Yr 5

It is important for parents to attend these sessions, where possible. Information regarding both school and classroom procedures will be addressed, along with the distribution of new parent handbooks, discussions around school academic targets, and where applicable, sacramental programs, student ICT use, school camps, and the like.

Over the holiday break I was most fortunate to meet with the extended family of the late Mary Dyer. Mary was a foundation student of St Joseph’s went it opened 90 years ago in 1929.

Last year, Mary bequeathed a sum of money to the school, and in consultation with Mary’s daughters, Geraldine and Veronica, we decided to design, purchase and erect the new totems that now stand outside the school office. The totems celebrate both the history and the Catholic identity of St Joseph’s Park Avenue that Mary’s daughters mentioned played such a big part in the life of her family. I have included some pictures of Mary’s extended family who were in town celebrating Christmas and the memory of Mary together over the break. I am sure that you will agree that this is a wonderful story that supports the ‘family’ feel of Joey’s as well as the generosity of our wonderful community.

Thank-you to all of our parents and students who have made a tremendous effort to begin the school year with both the correct school uniform and suitable haircuts.

Don’t Forget …

• First P&F Meeting for 2019, Wed 6th Feb @ 6:30pm
• Opening School Mass, Fri 8th Feb 9:00am in OLHC church.
• Parent Information Nights, Wed 13th & Thurs 14th Feb.
• School Board AGM, Wed 20th Feb @ 5:30pm
• Bishop’s In-service Day, Fri 22nd Feb (Pupil Free Day)

Have a great week and I look forward to working with you in 2018.

Regards
Bernard Fitzgerald
Principal
St Joseph’s Catholic School, Park Avenue

APRE REFLECTION

How do I show respect for Creation?

The earth and all life on it are part of God’s creation. We are called to respect this gift. We are responsible for taking care of the world we live in and for sharing all the wonders and resources the earth gives us.

Our changing environment prompts us to stop and think about how we live on our planet. We are called to respond and to adopt new ways of living as Pope Francis highlights in his encyclical, Laudato Si': On the Care for our Common Home. It is the world’s poorest communities who are affected by changes to our planet.

Caritas Australia

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

Liturgical Celebrations for Term 1

*OLHC – Our Lady Help of Christians church – next to school
*MPA – Multipurpose Area (Basketball court)
*LOW – Liturgy of the Word

Children’s Liturgy of the Word

Last year, Our Lady Help of Christians started Children’s Liturgy of the Word on the first Sunday (Saturday evening) of each month. LOW is a ritual for the proclamation of God’s Word with Children appropriate to their understanding. At the commencement of Mass the children are taken out of the church to the Media room and are exposed to the Sunday readings with a child friendly explanation, some songs and follow up activities.

Everyone is welcome to join in these celebrations.

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.

• Netball – Girls (10-11 yrs & 10-12yrs) - Feb 10 Emmaus - 9am-12pm
• Basketball – Girls (10-12yrs) - Feb 11 St. Mary’s - 4pm-5pm
• Basketball – Boys - Feb 11 St. Mary’s - 5pm-6pm
• AFL – Boys & Girls (10-12yrs) - Feb 20 RSHS  - 4pm-6pm
• Hockey – Boys & Girls (10-12 yrs) - Feb 20 Kalka Shades - 4pm – 5:30pm
• Touch Football – Boys & Girls (10-12 yrs) - Mar 1 Touch Fields - 4pm – 5:30pm
• Rugby League – Boys (10, 11 & 12yrs) - Mar 3 RSHS muster - 9am – 11am
• Rugby League –Girls (11-12yrs) - Mar 6 Frenchville - 4pm – 5:30pm
• Rugby Union – Boys (10-12yrs) - Mar 25 Frenchville SS - 4pm-5:30p
• Tennis – Boys & Girls (10-12yrs) - Apr 1 Rocky Tennis - 9am – 3pm

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.

Cross Country Training

Cross Country training will commence this Thursday morning at 7:30am. Students need to meet Mrs. Brennan at Colts Rugby field (Tom Nutley Oval off Knight Street) dressed in appropriate running gear. Training will commence with stretches prior to running the various distances based upon age. Upon completion of training at 8:00am we will walk back to school. St. Joseph’s Cross Country Carnival and Fun Run will be held on Tuesday 19th March at Colts. The Rockhampton and District Cross Country trails are being held on Tuesday 30th April at Kalka Shades. Students are required to bring their uniform for the day to change into after training.

Training Days and Times:

Tuesday - 7:30am with Mr. Nicholson @ Colts
Thursday - 7:30am with Mrs. Brennan @ Colts

Distances:

10 Years (2009) - 2000m
11 Years (2008) - 3000m
12 Years (2007) - 3000m

Those students wishing to train, need to return the permission note prior to joining the sessions.

Friday Inter-school Sport

Inter-school Season A sport commences Friday 15th February for all children aged 10, 11 and 12 (born 2009, 2008, 2007,) The sports we are participating in this year are softball/teeball and soccer. Season A runs through until week 2 of term 2 when the finals are held. Draws will be published in the newsletter and on the Skoolbag App each week.

Students playing in inter-school Soccer are required to have their own socks, boots & shin pads as safety equipment. Children cannot take the field if they are not wearing shin pads and football socks. The school soccer socks are maroon with two or three stripes at the top.

Please ensure children have sufficient sized water bottles to take with them.

If you are spectating and wish to take your child home after their game it is imperative to let the teacher with the team know.

TOUCH FOOTBALL JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT DAY

Rockhampton Touch Association is holding their annual Development Day for juniors interested in learning more about touch footy. This event is open to every child from the ages of 9 to 16, no matter what experience or skill level they have.

(Children under 9 may find skills and drills a bit advanced and the morning too long).

Anyone interested should email Denise at admin@rockytouch.com for more details or to register to attend (for catering purposes and to ensure sufficient coaches and support staff are in attendance.

CURRICULUM NEWS

Important Curriculum Dates – Term 1

Parent Information Nights

Our Parent Information Nights will be held next week on Wednesday 13th and Thursday 14th February. This is an informal evening where the teachers in each year level will present the curriculum they will be covering this year. This evening also allows our teaching staff to discuss expectations and procedures in their particular classrooms as well as school procedures and expectations. A note regarding these nights went home early this week and has been posted to the Skoolbag app.

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 has been mandated by our Diocese to be actively taught in all of the Rockhampton Catholic schools each year. In 2019, classroom teachers will teach these lessons on a Friday morning as part of the Health Curriculum.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this program please don’t hesitate to contact either Mrs Senini, Mr Fitzgerald or your child’s classroom teacher.

More information about the Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Curriculum can be found at:

LITERACY / NUMERACY CORNER

This year as a regular part of the newsletter I will be discussing one reading, one spelling and one numeracy strategy parents can use with their children at home to consolidate what is taught in class.

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 – Use pictures, illustrations and diagrams

Yes it is ok for children to look at the picture to help them work out a word. It is a common misconception that looking at the picture is ‘cheating’. At Joey’s we actively teach this strategy to the students and encourage them to use the picture to help provide clues to what they are reading.

Illustrations give clues about the meaning of words and text. Paying attention to the pictures may also confirm the meaning of words. Students learn to cross check which means asking themselves: do the pictures match what I think the word means and does it make sense?

Spelling:

At St Joseph’s we teach spelling using a word study approach. Students learn different strategies and rules associated with spelling. They also participate in various activities to help consolidate their learning. As an additional resource, your child will be learning chants and actions to assist them to master the many and varied ways to spell particular sounds.

Below is a strategy / activity you can do at home to assist your child/ren to master their current spelling pattern.

Strategy – 3D words. Use play dough or clay to sculpt your spelling words. This strategy provides children with another way of seeing their words which will hopefully help them to visualise the words when they are writing.

Mental Computation:

Knowing strategies to assist students to recall number facts quickly is essential for success in mathematics. Each year level will be focussing on particular number facts strategies throughout 2019. Please contact your child’s teacher to find out the strategy your child should be practicing this week.

Game – Cards

Using a pack of cards, turn over two cards and race your child/ren to mentally calculate the sum of both cards. This game can also be used for subtraction, multiplication and division. You could also extend the game by using more than 2 cards.

If there are any curriculum related concerns or questions you may have throughout the year please don’t hesitate to book a time to discuss these concerns or questions with me.

Regards,
Deanne Senini
Assistant Principal Curriculum

FINANCE NEWS

Fee Accounts for Term 1 will be emailed and posted on Parent Lounge this week.

All new families would by now have received your Parent Lounge Login details.

If you have not received these, please contact Tracey or Megan in the office.

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

CLASSROOM NEWS

Prep M

Welcome to 2019! It has been a fabulous start to the year in Prep M.

We are investigating social stories and expanding our social skills as we make new friends, settle into routines and learn through play. We have already had a very special visit to our Lady Help of Christians Church and are beginning to explore our faith by reciting the Sign of the Cross with the movements.

This term we will also focus on developing our knowledge of letters and their most common sounds. We will do this by having a different letter focus and developing our fine motor skills by creating beautiful art pieces. Better make some room on the fridge as some of these will be sent home.

With such a wonderful start to the school year, we are looking forward to sharing our learning journey ahead.

Ms McLeod and Mrs O’Brien

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

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

Have a great day.

BOOK CLUB

Welcome back! Hopefully everyone has enjoyed a wonderful Christmas break and are keen to get back into the school year.

St Joseph’s participates in Book Club, sometimes up to twice a term during the school year.

The Book Club catalogue offers a different selection of books for all ages (kindy to 12+). These books span a wide range of children’s reading levels and interests, including award-winners, best-sellers as well as old and new favourites. Some for as little as $2. (However there is never any obligation to order).

Ordering is very easy via the Book Club LOOP platform for parents. This allows orders to be submitted online directly to the school and books delivered to your classroom. See scholastic.com.au/loop or download the LOOP app from the App Store or Google Play.

Due dates for Book Club orders will be displayed around the school near classrooms, for your convenience.

A percentage of all orders is given back to St Joseph’s in the form of Scholastic Rewards. This is used to purchase new resources for the Teachers Resource Room/Classrooms as well as for the purchase of range of brand new Fiction and Non-Fiction titles for your children to access each week during their Library Time.

Happy reading and thank you for your continued support.

Michelle Roberts

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.

ABSENTEES

Absentees can be done through the Skoolbag App. Click on our School Logo, eforms and then Absentee Form.

All notifications from the school are done through this app. Our weekly Newsletters are also posted to this app.

Please make sure that you have downloaded it.

SCHOOL BANKING

School banking happens every Thursday.

Brochures were sent home last week from the Commonwealth Bank.

If you wish to start school banking, you need to open a Youth Saver Account at the Commonwealth bank, make no deposit and they will provide you with your banking book and details.

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

TUCKSHOP NEWS

Please find attached a Tuckshop Menu and a Tuckshop Volunteer form. Both of these went home last week, but if you are ever needing them, they can be found here in our Newsletter each week as an attachment.

UNIFORM SHOP

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

Monday morning from 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

Who are the “Mercy Associates”? Want to find out?

Come along to The Range Chapel on Saturday, 09 February at 9:00am and meet members. Associates are reminded to bring a plate for morning tea.

Contact person: Ailsa McLaughlin – 4930 2443 or 0432 123 031