19 August 2020

Newsletter Articles

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Parents & Guardians

As promised earlier in the Term, the Leadership Team have reviewed our current processes in regard to parental/visitor access to the school grounds for the remainder of the Term. At this present time, due to a combination of COVID-19 restrictions and the current Capital Works, I have made the decision to continue to limit access to the school. This does not mean zero access; it means restricted access. If you need to deliver something important to the school, please park and call through to the school office for instructions. If you do not need to enter the school urgently, please continue the processes currently in place as we have very limited space at the moment, needing the space we do have for our students to play in.

You may have noticed that the Main Street carpark has had some lines marked over the weekend. This carpark will open for staff carparking but will still have no direct access to the school rendering it unsuitable for parking for our families. We have upgraded our temporary car park and pick-up zone surface over the weekend with the car park on the corner of Haynes and Lauga Streets providing a small amount of off-street parking for our community. While Capital Works continues throughout the rest of the school year, this temporary pick-up and set-down zone will be in use for the remainder of the school year.

Starting today, over the next week you will see Mrs Rachael Duncan will be working in the front office. Rachael will be covering the bases as Tracey Brosnan will be taking some well-earned long service leave until Wednesday the 26th of August. Over the next few weeks, we will also have Miss Brooke Black from Inclusive Curriculum and Mrs Leonie Mooney from Year 3 also accessing some of their well-earned leave. I hope they have a great time and return rested and refreshed.

Last week the school’s Student Protection contacts along with Indigenous Liaison officer Mrs Jessie Ivers attended professional development on becoming a more ‘trauma aware’ school in an effort to be more informed when dealing with students who have suffered significant trauma in their past.

I will also take this time to remind you and our students, that our Joey’s Student Protection Contacts are;

• Bernard Fitzgerald - Principal
• Bernadette Brennan - APRE
• Deanne Senini - APC
• Brooke Black – Inclusive Curriculum
• Michelle Hoffman – School Counsellor
• Chelsea Holden – Director OSHC

At last week’s combined Board and P&F meeting, a number of agenda points were discussed. Presently we are reviewing the school’s uniform policy to make some minor amendments. While undergoing this process, a number of items arose for clarification. In short, these are a few of the items that gained clarity during these discussions;

• Maroon jumpers and hats are not acceptable uniform alternatives.
• No hoodies, even plain navy ones, are acceptable.
• Students are allowed only 1 set of small plain studs or sleepers for earrings.
• No nail polish is acceptable and should be removed before attending.
• No students should be wearing rings of any kind to school.

All of items can be found in the school’s uniform policy that can be currently found on the Skoolbag app.

Another topic that I raised at the meeting was the idea of having an open night to give parents a chance to attend and see the new Stage 1 facilities that were handed over at the beginning of this Term. I have been trying to keep the school community up to date via the school Facebook page, but it is not like seeing the real thing. Unfortunately, with parents coming onsite, students would not be able to attend at the same time. After negotiating with my teaching staff, we will communicate a date and time with the school community.

Thank you to those parents who contacted me about becoming a member of the Board or P&F next year. It has been much appreciated. I however must mention that we need more people still to put their hands up for these valuable parent groups. Please keep this form of service in mind.

Don’t Forget….

• Prep interviews for 2021 are now taking place
• Bernard Fitzgerald Safeguarding Intensive Study 1. Thurs 27th & Fri 28th August
• Bernard Fitzgerald Safeguarding Intensive Study 2. Tues 1st & Wed 2nd September
• 2021 Prep Offers Emailed Out. Thursday, 3rd September
• Pupil Free Day. Friday, 4th September
• Father’s Day. Sunday 6th September
• Parent/Teacher Interviews. Week 9. 7th – 11th Sept.

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

Happy every day. Learning every day.

APRE REFLECTION

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time
A Canaanite woman asks Jesus to heal her daughter
Matthew 15:21-28

In Jesus’ time the Jewish faith had very strict dietary laws regarding what foods could be eaten and what kinds of dishes the food could be eaten from. On the other hand, Gentiles could eat anything. Some Jews likened them to dogs, who would often be given leftover food to eat off the ground. So when Jesus and this woman speak about children and dogs, they are definitely talking about the Jews and the Gentiles.

This Gentile woman is brave, standing up to the disciples and even to Jesus. She has a point to make, and they listen. Have you ever been that persistent in a conversation with someone who had ‘higher’ status than you? If so, what happened?

Does our society think of some people as ‘dogs’? If so, who are the dogs of our society?

Who is seen as holding lower status?

What is your usual response to people such as these?

What would be the Christian response that Jesus calls us to?

What makes that such a difficult response?

@Liturgy Help by Lisa-Marie Calderone Stewart

Bernadette Brennan
Assistant Principal Religious Education

CURRICULUM NEWS

Important Curriculum Dates:

SEMESTER TWO PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS

At this stage we are planning on having parent teacher interviews in their normal format, however, we will make a final decision based on updated health advice and direction from the Catholic Education Office as the date for interviews (Week 9) draws nearer. More detailed communication will be sent out to the school community in due course. If you need to speak to teachers before the Week 9 formal interviews, please make contact with teachers via email to arrange a suitable catch up time and method.

SCIENCE WEEK

This week is National Science Week. St Joseph’s are celebrating our love of Science with each class giving Science plenty of attention throughout the week. Watch this space next week for some photos and a run down on the many different Science activities our students experienced throughout Science Week.

BOOK WEEK

St Joseph’s Book Week is normally scheduled for Term 3, however the National Book Week dates have been changed to October with the hope that COVID restrictions might have eased more by then. This year we will hold our annual Book Week activities in line with the new National Book Week dates. More information regarding our Book Week celebrations will come out next term.

PREMIER’S READING CHALLENGE

The Premiers Reading Challenge closes next Friday, 28th August so please start sending in your forms once they are complete.

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.

Thanks for your continued patience and understanding of changes in processes during this extra difficult time at St Joseph’s. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Regards,
Deanne Senini
Assistant Principal Curriculum

CLASSROOM NEWS

Yr 6

In Year Six this term we have been looking forward to planning the Father’s Day raffle which will be drawn on the 3rd of September. Even though we are excited for the Father's Day Raffle, we have a lot of work to get done.

This term we are learning about different stories in the Bible in Religion, natural disasters in Science, informative texts in English, global issues and organisations in HASS and in Maths we have been working on many different concepts and a new program called Maths Pathway.

The aim of Maths Pathway is to choose your own learning path, so that you are not all working in a big group. In Maths Pathway we do six modules a fortnight and the aim of the modules are to figure out your own skill set in maths. Once a fortnight we do a test on the modules we have completed. Once you have completed the test, we have to complete a reflection which tells us if we got the questions right or wrong. If you completed six modules and got all your questions right you get a two hundred percent growth score which means you are on track to complete two years’ worth of maths learning over one year.

Written by Thomas, Nate and Grace.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

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

They are: Daniel Tanner (Yr 5), Gracie Simpson (Prep), Oliver Jahnke (Yr 6), Kelsey Kinlyside (Yr 2), Mason McLean (Yr 2), Kyiah Tobin (Yr 4), and Preston Clancy (Yr 5).

Have a great day.

P & F NEWS

Now’s about the time we again start to discuss plans for our next Fete. However, in order to do this, we need a strong volunteer basis to form what essentially will be our Fete Committee. The old saying “many hands make light work” couldn’t be truer when it comes to organizing large scale events like these, so if you’re interested, we implore you to speak up and let our P&F know. Events like these simply can’t be held without volunteer numbers, and we’ll be gauging interest through various forms this term.

Thank you to those that were able to attend our combined P&F and Board Meeting last Wednesday. We had lots to discuss, but the recurring theme throughout the night was the need for some “new blood”. We have put the appeal out to all our parents, if you are able to come and be a part of either of these very important parts of our school community, come along and introduce yourself. Now is the time as we need a well-attended, strong School Board and P&F if we wish for Joey’s to remain a strong, family orientated community moving into the future. Come and have your say about your school.

Reminder:

Wed Sept 9th: P&F Meeting 6:30pm in the Inclusive Curriculum room

Thanks,
Joeys P&F

Jabbering with Joeys

These next two ladies have always got smiles on their faces and warm greetings whenever we see them. There is no doubt Year 3 love having Miss Beak and Mrs Schoneveld as their ESO’s.

Name: Jacinta Beak
How long have you been at Joeys?: 6 years
Favourite Food: Pasta
What did you want to be when you grew up?: Teacher
Favourite Music: Rock and Roll
Coffee or Tea: Both
Favourite subject at school: English
Hobbies outside of Joeys: Movies, music and catching up with friends
Favourite book/movie: The Girl on the train.
Favourite colour: Blue
Best “Dad” joke: Q - “What’s a rabbits favourite dance style? A - Hip Hop
Favourite thing about Joeys: Teamwork, A valued sense of community and treasured friendships.

Name: Kylie Schoneveld
How long have you been at Joeys?: This is my second year.
Favourite Food: Thai
What did you want to be when you grew up?: A chef
Favourite Music: Alternative
Coffee or Tea: Tea
Favourite subject at school: Home Economics
Hobbies outside of Joeys: Spending time with family and gardening.
Favourite book/movie: Star Wars and Indiana Jones
Favourite colour: Purple
Best “Dad” joke: Why have all the baked beans moved to Queensland? Because they like to live in Cairns.
Favourite thing about Joeys: I love the way the school joins together as a whole to help someone in need. I also love that Joeys is a family orientated school with very supportive and friendly staff. It is a pleasure to come to work each day.

FRIDAY PIZZA

• 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