17 June 2020

Newsletter Articles

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Parents & Guardians

As with the last couple of weeks, I have included an article that is related to the theme of how we will be furnishing our new classrooms during our capital works makeover. We are committed to having new furniture in each of the learning areas as they come online. As you can see when you visit our school during drop off/pick up times, we are not too far off the completion of our Admin, Library and Lower Precinct.

The article is titled, Eliminating the Teacher Desk: A Growing Classroom Trend. It is aimed mainly at teaching staff but is well worth a read to be informed of current teaching trends that will be a part of our student’s educational journey.

I have also included the link to last week’s article on Growth Mindsets again for those who may have missed it.

As I mentioned in the newsletter a couple of weeks ago, MSP photography has booked our school photo day in for the first day back of Term 3. MSP have provided us with some information in regard to changed processes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These details are as follows:

MSP’s priority is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our schools and their students, staff, our team members and the wider community.

Mindful of the current situation, MSP Photography will be initiating a new process for the taking of school photos while the COVID-19 health crisis continues. Please note that MSP Photography is unable to take group photographs within the requirements of the current health directives and has forced us to move to a system of capturing and presenting individual headshots for the foreseeable future. This new process has been designed in accordance with the most recent guidelines currently issued by the relevant Health Authorities, which are being monitored daily. We appreciate your understanding in this temporary disruption to your usual product.

• Students will move in and out of the portrait studio area individually.
• The area will be set up in such a way as to ensure that each individual student will maintain the recommended social distancing guidelines of 1.5m from other students and the photographer.
• MSP Photography staff will provide instructions to each class upon entry to the photography area.
• Hygiene and cleaning guidelines used by MSP Photography staff are in accordance with the information distributed by the relevant Health Authorities.

More information regarding ordering and payments for school photos will be sent home as soon as it comes to hand.

Kindest Regards

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

Happy every day. Learning every day.

APRE REFLECTION

Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

My flesh is real food and my blood is real drink
John 6:51-58

Jesus tells us that he is the living bread of life, and that those of us who eat his flesh and drink his blood will live forever. We call that meal the Eucharist; this name means ‘giving thanks’.

Are you thankful for the abundance of food in your life? Or do you take it for granted?

How often have you got ready for an evening meal (after eating once or twice already that day) and said, ‘I’m starving!’

How often do you think of people who only have one tiny meal to eat all day? When you do think of them, how do your thoughts affect you?

The symbol of the meal is significant. In Jesus’ time every item of food had to be prepared, and the ingredients needed to be gathered and used before they spoiled. Preparing and cooking food for a meal was a major job.

This feast celebrates the mystery of the nourishing and enduring presence of the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist.

@Liturgy Help & Daily Mass Book

CURRICULUM NEWS

Important Curriculum Dates:

PREMIER’S READING CHALLENGE

All students are invited to participate in the Queensland Premier’s Reading Challenge again this year.

Reading plays an important part in students’ lives during their school years and beyond. It allows children to actively engage their imagination and opens up a world of educational opportunities.

Last year, 168,000 students from 937 schools took part in the challenge, reading an astounding 2.31 million books. What an incredible result.

The reading period for the 2020 Premier's Reading Challenge commences on Monday 11 May and closes Friday 28 August.

This year the Premier has invited all state and non-state school students to take on the challenge:

• Prep to Year 2 should read or experience at least 20 books,
• Years 3 and 4 should read at least 20 books, and
• Years 5 to 9 should read at least 15 books.

Experiencing books can include shared reading, listening to stories, or reading picture books. The aim for the 2020 challenge is to engage more students reading more books than ever before.

Every student who completes the challenge will receive a Certificate of Achievement signed by the Premier. Students who participate but don’t complete the challenge receive a Certificate of Participation from the school.

Attached to this newsletter is the form to be used to record the books read during this period. Once completed, please send this form back to the school office.

For more information about the Premier’s Reading Challenge, please visit:

To download a reading record form click on the following link:

You can play a big part in your children’s future by encouraging them to be part of this positive initiative.

I look forward to seeing as many of our students as possible take part in the 2020 Premier’s Reading Challenge.

COMPETITIONS

Literary Competition:

Students in Years 5 and 6 are invited to enter the 2020 Independent Education Union literary competition. To enter this competition, you need to write a poem or short story. This competition closes on Friday, 19th June.

Art Competition:

Students from Prep – Year 6 are invited to enter the 2020 Independent Education Union Awards for Excellence in Art Design competition. The task is to produce a piece of artwork that best reflects the theme: Perfect Places.

This competition closes on Friday, 24th July.

For more information and an entry form for either of these competitions please visit the following link:

ICAS COMPETITIONS 2020

St Joseph’s Park Avenue will be participating in the world-renowned ICAS Assessments again this year. ICAS is developed by UNSW Global, a wholly owned subsidiary of UNSW Sydney, with over 35 years’ experience in educational assessments.

ICAS is designed to target students’ higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Writing, Spelling and Digital Technologies.

Each assessment celebrates students’ accomplishments by providing opportunities for recognition. Every student will receive a printed certificate and an online result report. Top performers will be eligible for medals and are invited to attend special award ceremonies to have their academic excellence publicly recognised.

I encourage you to consider entering your child into ICAS this year. The assessments are suitable for students wishing to extend themselves academically and take up the personal challenge of competing in an international assessment. Your child will be presented with high-quality, expert-developed questions, allowing them to apply their learning without the need for prior study or revision.

ICAS Assessments are now online, a move that reflects a sector-wide transition to computer-based assessments. This allows greater accessibility for students and faster delivery of results.

In 2020, students have the opportunity to participate in the following subjects:

Cost per test: $15.95 including GST

Please note: The ICAS writing test is not being offered in 2020.

In 2020, all payments for the ICAS tests are to be made by parents online. These assessments will take place during the school day as per the above schedule. If you would like your child to participate in any of the subjects listed above, please visit the new online Parent Payment System to make a direct payment to UNSW Global. The Parent Payment System is a simple and secure online payment service specifically for parents to purchase ICAS Assessments.

The web link is:

Our school’s unique access code is: XRM723
Online payment closes Friday, 17 July 2020.

IMPORTANT: Please enter your child’s name accurately into the System as it will appear on their ICAS certificate.

Privacy notification

UNSW Global stores, uses and modifies the ICAS Assessments data in order to generate reports, conduct research and analysis, and improve its products and services. UNSW Global will not hold or use ICAS Assessments data that constitutes personal information for longer than 15 years. As the parent or guardian of a student who intends to sit ICAS Assessments, you consent to the school collecting the ICAS Assessments data that relates to the student, disclosing it to UNSW Global and to UNSW Global’s use of it in the manner outlined above. You also consent to the school assigning this consent to UNSW Global.

We are proud to partner with UNSW Global in offering the ICAS Assessments and look forward to some fantastic results later in the year.

Learn more about ICAS here: unsw.global/ICAS

Please do not hesitate to contact me on deanne_senini@rok.catholic.edu.au if you have any questions.

Regards,
Deanne Senini
Assistant Principal Curriculum

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Congratulations to the following students who will celebrate their birthday this week.

They are: Charlee Dixson (Yr 2), Adelaide Seierup (Yr 6), James Eyles (Yr 2), Lilly McDonald (Yr 4), Charlotte Mills (Prep), Lachlan Wedel (Yr 3), Olivia Roberts (Yr 5), and James Coleman (Prep).

Have a great day.

INCLUSIVE CURRICULUM NEWS

Our Education Support Officers (ESOs) meet with Inclusive Curriculum regularly to engage in professional development.

Topics that have been covered:

• Reading strategies, including decoding and comprehension
• Essential Skills for Classroom Management
• Dyslexia
• Anxiety
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Learning Difficulties in Numeracy
• Working Memory

Currently ESOs are participating in an online course designed to uphold their legal obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005. The course focuses on providing fair access to education for students with a disability.

Our skilled ESO’s make a real difference for students by providing valuable support in the classroom.

P & F NEWS

Tuckshop for 2020 will conclude this coming Tuesday June 23rd. As orders are being whittled down, substitutions may need to be made if we have run out of stock. A huge thank you to each and every one of our Tuckshop volunteers that we’ve had this year. We’ll be back in 2021 with a brand new and exciting Tuckshop, ready for a new crop of volunteers in both Tuckshop and Breaky Club. It will be great to see their re-introduction in 2021. If you’ve ever thought about helping, please come and see Debbie Rooney, and give you all the info that you’ll need.

Thanks to those who came to our first COVID friendly P&F meeting last week. Our next meeting isn’t until August now, and lots will be happening around the school by then. We welcome any old and new faces to come have their say or give a suggestion. Hopefully we’ll be able to meet in a brand spanking new location, but that will be determined closer to the date.

Have a great week!

Reminder:

Tue June 23rd: Last day of Tuckshop for 2020.
Wed August 12th: P&F Meeting 6:30pm location TBA

Thanks,
Joeys P&F

Jabbering with Joeys

Year 2 this year sees a tandem teaching partnership between Kerrie Tennyson and Aimee Watson. We find out what makes them tick this week.

Name: Kerrie Tennyson
How long have you been at Joeys?: Since 2007
Favourite Food: Chinese
What did you want to be when you grew up?: Nurse in the Navy (until I found out how early they had to get up)
Favourite Music: Pretty much anything with a good beat
Coffee or Tea: Tea
Favourite subject at school: Home Economics
Hobbies outside of Joeys: Gardening, Scrapbooking, Sewing
Favourite book/movie: Dirty Dancing
Favourite colour: Purple
Best “Dad” joke: What did one ocean say to the other ocean? Nothing they just waved.
Favourite thing about Joeys: Sense of community

Name: Aimee Watson
How long have you been at Joeys?: 1 year
Favourite Food: Quiche
What did you want to be when you grew up?: A teacher
Favourite Music: Anything from the 80s
Coffee or Tea: Both but the coffee has to be real coffee not instant
Favourite subject at school: Maths
Hobbies outside of Joeys: Netball, Gym and Piano
Favourite book/movie: Kingsman
Favourite colour: Purple
Best “Dad” joke: Why don’t eggs tell jokes? They’d crack each other up.
Favourite thing about Joeys: The welcoming community.

FRIDAY PIZZA

Due to the current situation we have had to change the way we run pizza and icy cups on a Friday. The following changes have been made:

• Pizza and Icy Cups to be ordered and paid for from outside the Year 6 room in the morning from 8:15 – 8:35am.
• Brown bags not required for pizza – students simply bring their money ($2 per slice) and tell the Year 6 students what you would like to order.
• Pizza slices will be delivered to classes in provided brown bags in tuckshop boxes at lunch time.
• Icy Cups will be delivered to the classrooms at approx. 2:55pm ready for home time.

Please note: There is a pizza order form available if you think this will be helpful to assist your child with the ordering process. Also, Icy Cups can sell out, so it is first in best dressed when ordering in the morning.

DRAKES SUPA IGA

Simply scan your Drakes Supa IGA key tag at 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