14 October 2020

Newsletter Articles

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Parents & Guardians,

Welcome to what will be a very short and intense Term 4.

As you would be aware, St Joseph’s was due to host it’s biannual Fete in 2020. We rescheduled this Fete late last year when it became apparent that the impending Capital Works would make it impossible to physically host the event due to limited spacing. As COVID has impacted 2020 and looks also to influence processes into 2021 until a vaccine in readily available, Leadership and P&F met recently with advisors from CEO to look at the possibility of hosting the event in 2021. After much contemplation and reflection, it was deemed that it is not in the best interests of the community to try and rush a Fete which usually takes 18 months of preparation into next year while there are still 500 person limits and we are trying to re-establish the natural environmental elements of our school after quite a lengthy building process.

Everybody knows the quality of our Fete and what it brings to our community, however with the many restrictions still in place due to ongoing health concerns we have decided to reschedule our school Fete to 2022. I hope you all understand how we have come to this very difficult decision.

Prep Orientation Day details were sent out early this week. Just like everything else this year, the day will look slightly different than past years due to COVID processes and social distancing protocols. We will still be hosting two groups with the first session at 9:00am and the second at 12:00pm. Small changes to our regular routines will have to be made on this day to be able to accommodate this event with our still limited space. Parking for these events will be in the temporary carpark (drop off and pick up area) and surrounding streets.

Academic Awards/Annual Awards

Due to COVID processes as well as limited parking and physical spacing, we are unable to host our Presentation Night with Christmas songs outside of school hours as we have in the past. Our very important Annual Awards will be combined with our Semester 2 Academic Awards at a school assembly on the Monday morning in the last week of school. At the moment, schools have far more scope to successfully host these events during school time than after hours. We will be zooming these events out to the community and will endeavour to provide greater details in regard to who may be able to physically attend as we get closer to the dates. Schools must still adhere to the 500 maximum attendance which includes the 355 students and staff.

End of Year Mass/Year 6 Graduation/Annual Awards

In a similar situation, OLHC church still only has a capacity of 77 due to COVID processes making it not a viable venue to hold our end of year celebrations. After discussions with Fr Marcel and relevant health organisations, we have been granted permission to hold a whole school mass on the final day of school at 9:00am in the school’s Multi-Purpose Area.

This event will also be our Year 6 student’s Graduation Mass as well as our Year 5 Leadership Handover Ceremony. Again, with a limit of 500 in attendance, I will be communicating with the community as to who will be able to physically attend these events with the preference at this stage naturally being for Year 6 parents and the Year 5 parents of those students receiving leadership positions in 2021.

These events will be streamed via Zoom for those who will be unable to attend.

I know these decisions may not suit everyone but please be assured we have entertained all options and the decisions made are in the best interests of the safety of our students. I appreciate your understanding in these matters.

Finally, I have put together a list of some of the important dates for some of our major events, so community members are able to make the appropriate arrangements.

Don’t Forget….

• SJPA CEO Technology Review. 13th – 15th Oct
• P&F Meeting. Wed 14th Oct @ 6:30pm in Inclusive Curriculum Education (ICE) Room
• Board Meeting. Wed 21st Oct @ 5:30pm in ICE Room
• 2021 Prep Orientation Day. Thurs 22nd Oct (Group 1 - 9:00am & Group 2 – 12:00pm)
• Book Week Dress Up Day. Fri 23rd Oct.
• Year 6 Camp Alternative Days. Tues 27th – Thurs 29th of Oct
• Remembrance Day. Wed 11th Nov @ 11:00am
• P&F AGM. Wed 11th Nov (Time TBD due to State of Origin clash)
• NAIDOC Day. Thurs 12th Nov
• TCC Year 6 Student Orientation Evening. Mon 16th Nov @ 5:00pm TCC
• Emmaus Year 6 Orientation Day. Thurs 26th Nov @ Emmaus
• Annual Awards/Semester 2 Academic Awards. Mon 30th Nov @ 9:00am in MPA
• Year 6 Graduation Dinner. Wed 2nd Dec @ 6:30pm Frenchville Sports Club
• Semester 2 Report Cards 2020 posted to Parent Lounge Wed 2nd Dec @ 12:00pm
• End of Year Mass/Graduation/Leadership Handover. 4th Dec @ 9:00am in MPA

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

Happy every day. Learning every day.

APRE REFLECTION

Over six weeks, the Socktober Challenge takes children and young people on a journey around the world in mission, bearing witness to stories of people they are supporting by participating in Socktober.

We are about to embark on a six-week journey around the world, meeting new faces and visiting new places, all while having a lot of fun and learning about how, through mission, you can make a difference in your world. We start our journey this week in southern India, where some students unknowingly began what has become a yearly Socktober tradition.

Follow this link and you’ll find all the videos, activities, and reflections we are exploring at school. I invite your family to make your own sockball out of recycled materials and share photos of the final product with me or upload them to the Facebook page.

Making your own sockball is fun and easy – here’s the link to help you get started!

Scripture reflection
Parable of the Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37

The Parable of the Good Samaritan models a real choice we make in deciding how to live and treat those around us. In the parable the first two men, a Priest and Levite, do nothing; but a Samaritan, from a group disliked by the Jews because they didn’t observe the one true religion, stopped and showed great compassion. Jesus then tells the disciples to do the same, and that commandment is repeated to each one of us: go and be a neighbour to your brother or sister in difficulty or to the stranger, elderly, migrant or sick. Let us walk the path of the Good Samaritan.

Bernadette Brennan
Assistant Principal Religious Education

CURRICULUM NEWS

Important Curriculum Dates:

Book lists for 2021

A note went home earlier this week and was posted on the SkoolBag App notifying families of the process for ordering book list equipment for 2021.

As you will recall from last year, our Parents and Friends Association assisted the school to purchase a variety of bulk stationery items for classrooms in an effort to lower the cost of book lists for families. This will happen again for next year’s book lists and I take this opportunity to sincerely thank the P&F for their generosity.

Please take the time to read the information in the note and consider placing your order soon.

If you have any questions or problems with placing your order, please contact me by calling the school office or via email: deanne_senini@rok.catholic.edu.au.

Book Week

As you all know, the official Book Week was moved to October for 2020. The official 2020 Book Week begins on 17th October and is celebrated through till 23rd October. We will hold our annual dress up day on Friday, 23rd October. Therefore, all students and staff are invited to dress up as a book character or follow the theme ‘Curious Creatures, Wild Minds’. Due to current COVID and space restrictions, we are unable to hold our usual full school parade of costumes, however, we will still present our winning costumes with a book prize and share the day with parents through photos or small video clips.

Day for Daniel

Friday 30th October is Day for Daniel. Students are invited to wear a red shirt, along with the school sports shorts to school this day to help raise awareness of the importance of Student Safety. During the day, classes will be exploring the key messages of Recognise, React and Report.

ICAS Results

Congratulations to the following students who participated in ICAS English and ICAS Science:

ICAS English:

• Thomas Compagnoni (Year 3) achieved a merit award achieving in the top 37% of Year 3 participants in Australia.
• Ethan Roati (Year 3) achieved a participation award.

ICAS Science:

• Thomas Compagnoni (Year 3) achieved a credit award achieving in the top 35% of Year 3 participants in Australia.
• Sam Conway (Year 5) achieved a credit award achieving in the top 24% of Year 5 participants in Australia.
• Jack Wooler (Year 5) achieved a credit award achieving in the top 24% of Year 5 participants in Australia.

Keep an eye out for the remaining ICAS results in future newsletters.

Regards,
Deanne Senini
Assistant Principal Curriculum

FINANCE NEWS

TERM 4 FEE ACCOUNTS

Fee Accounts for Term 4 were emailed and posted to Parent Lounge yesterday.

If you have a Means Tested Concession Card and have not yet provided a copy, please send this through to Megan in the office for verification at your earliest convenience.

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.

When paying by Direct Deposit, please use your Account Number as the reference.

(this is the 6-digit number on your Fee Statement).

CLASSROOM NEWS

Year 3 has had a busy start to Term 4 getting back into the swing of our classroom routines. We are starting to explore acrostic poems in English and have written some great acrostic poems about ourselves, we even helped Mrs Mooney write one about herself. We have started to explore heat in Science which is fitting for this hot weather we have had lately. We’ve been researching how different objects produce their own heat or how they may get heat from another source.

Year 3 have still been talking about our colour run from the last day of school Term 3. Miss McGinley has shown some great photos she took of us all nice and colourful after the run, hopefully our parent’s cars are nice and clean now.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Congratulations to the following students who will celebrate their birthday last week and this week. They are: Jake Kowald (Yr 4), Isla Honeyball (Prep), Riley Roser (Yr 6), Ruby Soboll (Yr 1), Jorja Hallam (Yr 5), Lincoln Hopkins (Prep), Harrison Kowald (Prep), Romen Conway (Yr 4), Madilynn Harris (Yr 2), Ethan Roati (Yr 3), Kiasharn Henaway (Yr 6), Mackenna Kinlyside (Yr 5), Flynn Kirkman (Yr 2), Joanna Newberry-Janssen (Yr 1), Ava Burns (Prep), Harper Corry (Yr 2), and Lilah Kipling (Yr 2)

Have a great day.

P & F NEWS

Welcome back to Term 4. It’s amazing to think that we only have 8 weeks left of school. The year has flown. Our second last P&F meeting for the year is this Wednesday October 14th at 6:30pm in the Inclusive Curriculum room. All are welcome, and we’d love to see you there to chat about what’s in store for the end of the year.

Keep paying attention to the “Jabbering with Joeys” segments over the coming weeks. Besides the insight into our staff, it may prove worthwhile…..

Reminder:

Wed Oct 14th: P&F Meeting 6:30pm in the Inclusive Curriculum room.

Thanks,
Joeys P&F

Jabbering with Joeys

This week we chat with our Inclusive Curriculum Coordinator, Lesley Donohoe. Even though she’s only been at Joeys for 2 years, she feels like she’s been a part of the family for much longer, and we hope she’s loving her new space.

Name: Lesley Donohoe
How long have you been at Joeys?: This is my second year.
Favourite Food: I love potatoes-mashed, fried, baked-Yum!
What did you want to be when you grew up?: A vet.
Favourite Music: 70s, country.
Coffee or Tea: No thanks, I prefer cold drinks.
Favourite subjects at school: History and Art.
Hobbies outside of Joeys: Craft, crochet.
Favourite books/movie: I enjoy both the books and the TV series of Outlander and A Song of Ice and Fire.
Favourite colour: Red

Best “Dad” joke: Why can't you use beef stew as a password? It isn't stroganoff.
Favourite thing about Joeys: The sense of community, the great people.

SCHOOL COUNSELLOR

Mental Health is important for every single one of us, yet it is a part of life that is often overlooked. Our mental health is as important to us as our physical health. Everyone has mental health - Mental Health is a state of wellbeing in which every individual realises their own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, they can work productively and fruitfully and is able to contribute to their community. Busy lives get in the way of us caring for our mental health, as does a fear of feeling vulnerable, should we reveal our mental health challenges.

Mental Health Month in October and Mental Health Week 10 - 18 October 2020 in Queensland. These initiatives are about raising awareness that #MentalHealthMatters and via the link below– reminding us that we all need to take time for our mental health.

Check out some of the links provided to expand your thinking and to take time for your mental health, have a cuppa, have a conversation, TUNE IN to yourself, your family, your friends and community. To build a community of support. Or if you are struggling reach out and contact someone.

Mental health challenges don't discriminate. If you are experiencing poor mental health, talking to people you trust is a first step, as is seeking professional support.

Michelle Hoffman
Counsellor
Emmaus - Tues & Alternate Mon – 4923 5700, SJPA - Wed, Thu and Fri - 4994 8205

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