20 February 2019

Newsletter Articles

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

This week I have placed two very important Student Protection documents on the app. These documents being CEO’s current Student Protection Policy and the Student Protection Processes and Guidelines. Please take the time to familiarise yourself with these documents.

On a similar topic, during last Monday’s whole school assembly I mentioned appropriate behaviour in the toilets as well as introducing our five Student Protection Contacts for the school in 2019. Those contacts being myself as Principal, my Assistant Principal’s, Deanne Senini and Bernadette Brennan, Brooke Black and our School Student Counsellor, Michelle Hoffman.

You may wish to speak with your own children, reinforcing appropriate behaviour in the toilets and asking them if they know who our school Student Protection Contacts are.

Thanks for those parents who were able to attend last week’s Parent Information nights. During those sessions, I made mention of a few educational initiatives that we are putting in place during 2019.

This year the whole school will be working towards achieving some NAPLAN targets, in particular improving the use of paragraphing in our student’s written work. This can be achieved by paying attention to the use of paragraphing in all the written text that our children are exposed to.

I also mentioned that all of our students will be negotiating their own Individual Learning Goals with their class teachers in reading, writing and mathematics. It is important that both you and your child know these goals and that they continue to strive towards improving and achieving these goals each day.

Finally, I mentioned that in 2019 we will be reviewing our school’s homework policy with literacy being the major focus moving forward. I mentioned the term; TO YOU, WITH YOU, BY YOU. This highlights the importance of our children over time reading to you, reading for enjoyment with you and also seeing reading being modelled to them by having you read to them. 20 minutes reading each night has been proven to improve student’s literacy levels. Your commitment to this will be hugely beneficial to your children’s long term educational journey.

Our annual Bishop’s In-service Day for all staff will take place this week. This means that this Friday the 22nd of February will be a pupil free day for all Catholic primary schools and Colleges. Our Outside of School Hours Care service will still be operating that day, but bookings are essential.

Last Saturday we celebrated our first Children’s Mass for the year. It is always wonderful to see so many of our families come together in Eucharist. Congratulations to Bernadette Brennan on a wonderful liturgy and to all of our parents who provided meals or worked on the BBQ to provide our lovely gathering with supper and a chance for a chat after mass.

A huge thankyou to everybody who helped make Marg Murphy’s Memorial such a wonderful celebration of both her life and her time at St. Joseph’s. Marg’s sons Kris and Matt passed on their sincere thanks to the entire Joey’s community.

Don’t Forget …

• School Board AGM, Wed 20th Feb @ 5:30pm
• Bishop’s In-service Day, Fri 22nd Feb (Pupil Free Day)
• Bernard at Leading with Integrity for Excellence 3-day intensive study, 26th=28th Feb
• P&F Mini Conference, 1st-2nd March @ Emmaus
• Year 6 Peer Support Training, 4th-5th March @ SJPAAsh Wednesday Mass, Wed 6th March @ 9:00am in OLHC

Have a great week.

Regards

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

APRE REFLECTION

This week’s Gospel is a warning to examine the things that make us happy and sad.

What kinds of things make you the most happy?

If you have plenty of money, high social status, fine foods and expensive material possessions, you might be drifting away from God.

What kinds of things make you sad?

If you are filled with jealousy, greed and lust, you might be drifting away from God.

If you yourself are living fairly well, yet things like poverty, oppression and injustice still make you angry because they bring suffering to others, maybe you are coming closer to God.

If you feel joy and contentment when other people succeed, earn compliments and experience good luck, then maybe you are coming closer to God. Why might this be true?

© Lisa-Marie Calderone-Stewart - St Mary's Press

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

Children’s Mass

Last weekend we celebrated our first Children’s Mass for the year with about 60 of our students and their families. We heard about coming closer to God and the simple ways we can be the best version of ourselves. After mass, we stayed on for a light supper and sausage sizzle with the parishioners and a chat.

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

Bernadette Brennan
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.

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.

Run4Fun

The time has come… The School Run4Fun has kicked off! Students have now been supplied with a Sponsorship Form and it’s time to fundraise! How exciting! Students who raise as little as $10 will receive a prize for their efforts, but why not aim higher? The more money we raise the more we can provide back to the students for STEAM resources and upgrade Classroom Audio Visuals. Sign up now at the link below and create your child a Profile Page. Use the unique code on page five (5) of the Sponsorship Form and see if you’ve won FREE sponsorship donations. The highest fundraising student in our school will also go into a draw to win a huge Apple Prize Pack. Happy fundraising!

Friday Sport

No Friday Sport this week due to PUPIL FREE DAY

CURRICULUM NEWS

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 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:

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: 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.

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

TERM 1 FEE ACCOUNTS NOW DUE

Fee Accounts for Term 1 were due Tuesday 19th February.

If you have not received your Fee statement or 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 as the reference (this is the 6 digit number on your Fee Statement).

CLASSROOM NEWS

Yr 6

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Congratulations to the following students who will celebrate their birthday this week. They are: Benn Martin (1H), Mace Downie (2M), Decklen Fentiman (Yr 4), Jax Maas (1H), Jack Wooler (Yr 4), Taylah Field (2F), Katie Hayward (PG), Siarra Robertson (PG), Jayda Gyemore (Yr 6) and Avah Pope (PM).

Have a great day.

P & F NEWS

A massive thank you to our tireless volunteers and staff, who assisted in setting up and preparing for the memorial for Margaret Murphy in our church on Saturday. Also, thank you to those members of the Joey’s school and wider community who baked and made sandwiches to provide morning tea for the crowds. From all reports the church was overflowing, and folk were grateful for our hospitality. It was great to see our Joeys spirit alive and well to pay tribute to Margaret.

Thanks to everyone who supported the Meal Deal today. Here’s hoping the poppers and zooper doopers went down a treat as it was such a hot day. Thanks to our helpers who helped prepare also.

If you have any feedback about the Meal Deal, or any ideas for what can be on the next menu please let us know. At this stage, our next Meal Deal will be in Term 2, so keep your eyes peeled.

Our next event will involve preparing lunches for the Rugby League Muster on Sunday 3rd March. Again, if you can assist us, this would be much appreciated. The school receives a large donation for providing these lunches, so put it in your calendar. Please let either Tracey in the office know, or any of our friendly P&F executives know if you can help.

It was great to see so many faces at the Parent Info nights last week. We handed out some information about “Just One Thing” that you can do for our school. If you took home a pink note as well, please fill it in and drop it back to us, or the office.

Also a reminder that if you’d like to help us out, you’ll need a current Blue Card. If you don’t have one, just see Tracey in the office and she’ll help you fill out a form. It’s free! If you have a card, remember to get Tracey to copy it as the office needs a new copy each year. WH&S inductions also need to be completed with Deanne Senini after assembly on Monday, or at 2:30 Wednesday afternoons.

An invitation is extended to all parents in our community to attend the P & F Mini conference on the weekend of the 1-3 March. Please see the attachment for more information

Thanks, and have a great week
Joeys P&F

FROM THE SCHOOL COUNSELLOR

Welcome Back

I can’t believe we are in week 4 already. You are probably feeling like you are settling into your family back to school routine, or some of you and your kids might still be finding that back to school groove. The beginning of the year brings changes with moving classes, getting to know new teachers, new classwork and starting new school routines for Preppies and students that might have changed schools.

This time can feel a little stressful, and it will get better and easier. So it’s important to remember to be kind and patient with yourself and your kids, whilst this adjustment happens. Adjusting to new routines, new bedtimes, new morning routines takes time and reassurance, whilst your child explores their new school world and steps out of their comfort zone.

It is important to take a moment to remind ourselves about all the positive progress that has been made in such a short period of time.

We might think that continued emotions and crying at drop off will never stop, however with patience, persistence and loving kindness your little people will get there. Also sticking to a routine where you can, helps provide them with predictability in what to expect and how it goes and allows them an opportunity to separate from you with reassurance and settle into their school routine and classroom.

Sometimes focussing on the wins, the progress and what has already been achieved and celebrating the success or strengths can help support kids feel capable and build their confidence, and belief they can do it.

If parenting was an art, it sometimes feels like you are painting in the dark, and might need support or someone to talk to.

As a parent you might talk with your co-parenting partner, talk to your family, friends or even your child’s teacher to gain some insight and reassurance that your little person is travelling ok. There is also hope and trust in the process and your child’s abilities to navigate their safe school world. Settling into and going to school is a regular risk that children navigate to build their social skills, independence and progress their development.

There are also helpful parenting blogs online, created by psychologists and research based that can help us reflect on our family or children and our experience of parenting.

Here is a link to checking out parenting resources on line. Which also has a link to 3 Australian sites with useful information.

I have also found the Parenting Issues website by Dr Michael Grose, very useful and could be a handy way to build your thinking and skills about parenting and an issue your child is experiencing. And you can sign up to receive their free weekly blog to read, which is a great way to get some quick short read information at your fingers tips, for that 5-10 minutes you have waiting in the car. There are also other resources and webinars if you are interested, some have a cost, others are free.

Here are two I found interesting from this year already – please go to

For more significant worries about your child speak with the class teacher and if they think it might be impacting upon your child’s schooling they might put you in touch with the School Counsellor to explore options or a referral.

Have a Super rest of Week 4

Michelle Hoffman
School Counsellor
Emmaus College - Monday Tuesday - (07) 4923 5700
St Joseph's Park Avenue - Wednesday - Friday - (07) 4994 8205

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, and 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.

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 have already been sent home, 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 and Wednesday afternoon from 2:45 – 3:15.

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