11 May 2022

Newsletter Articles

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Parents & Guardians

Welcome to Week 4.

I hope all the mothers in our community had a wonderful day last Sunday. I heard our Year 1 class had a great time during their assembly and at their pampering party last Friday.

With our Semester 1 parent/teacher interviews completed, I thank our staff who made themselves available both before and after school for the last fortnight. Although this is in the scope of their job, it nevertheless is a stressful time away from family routines and responsibilities. For those families that booked appointments, I thank you for your diligence in supporting the joint relationship in your child’s education.

This is great as it has been proven that when both home and school, work together, it yields greater outcomes in a student’s education.

If you missed our scheduled interview dates, please remember that if you need to, you can reach out to your children’s classroom teachers via email at any time.

This week we will be commencing our NAPLAN testing for our Year 3 and 5 students. During this week we will be trying to reduce both movement and noise around the school. If you have students who will be taking part in these national tests, please ensure that they have enough rest, a good breakfast and as calm of a morning routine as possible.

NAPLAN is only a snapshot of your child’s education and is not the be-all in their educational results, but these results are increasingly being used in a school’s data comparisons from year to year. So even though we try not to put too much emphasis on the changed testing routine in order to reduce student anxiety, like all things, we still need to strive to perform at the very best of our abilities.

Well done to our Year 5 and 6 students who competed at the CAPRAS Challenge Gala Day last Friday. Our team competed in the ‘A’ division on the day and came third overall in Rockhampton. The team competed with great pride and sportsmanship. We look forward to competing at the Challenge Cup against all the other schools in the Diocese in the first week of Term 3.

I have posted a reminder about our ‘Wet Weather Pick-Up Procedures’ on the Skoolbag app on Monday. Please read over these as we are expecting more wet weather in the coming days. An alert will be sent out by 2:30pm at the latest if we are enacting these procedures.

Don’t Forget….

• P&F Meeting in Library @ 6:00pm. Wed 11th May
• Season B Inter-school Sport commences. Fri 13th May
• School Board Meeting in Library @ 5:30pm. Wed 18th May
• Laudato Si Expo. Thurs 19th May
• Our Lady Help of Christians Feast Day. 24th May
• New School Video Filming. Wed 1st June
• SJPA Athletics Day @ Joeys. Mon 6th of June
• SJPA Track Day @ Emmaus. Tues 7th of June
• Under 8’s Day. Morning of the 23rd of June
• Colour Run. Date To Be Confirmed
• Emmaus Musical, Beauty and the Beast. 22nd – 24th July

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

St Joseph’s 2022 School Improvement Priorities:

• Prayer
• Family Partnerships
• Increased Learning Gain & Achievement

Positive COVID Case Notification

St Joseph’s Catholic School Park Avenue wishes to advise you that, during the past week, we have been notified of positive cases of COVID-19 in our school community.

St Joseph’s regularly consults with the Catholic Education Office and relevant authorities and continues to follow the advice of Queensland Health regarding cleaning requirements.

Queensland Health has advised that no quarantine of students or staff is required.

As COVID-19 remains active in our community we ask you to continue to monitor your child’s/children’s health and if they develop any flu-like symptoms:

• Keep your child/children at home
• Seek a PCR or Rapid Antigen test where it is recommended and notify the school of positive results. Please be aware, a negative COVID test does not change the requirement to be symptom free to attend school.
• Follow the advice of Queensland Health

As we continue to navigate the pandemic, please remind your child/ren to:

• maintain good hand hygiene at all times
• cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or the inside of their elbow and dispose of tissues in the bin immediately.
• practice social distancing from others where possible
• wear masks when required

We will continue to work closely with health authorities to keep our school community informed of any developments and advice. Thank you once again for your ongoing support.

RELIGIOUS MATTERS

4th Sunday of Easter

The Gift of Eternal Life.

John 10:27-30

Gospel Focus – Eternal life

In the gospel passage, Jesus says of the sheep that belong to him, ‘I give them eternal life.’ He does not say, I give them the promise of eternal life. The message that comes through the gospel of John is clear that eternal life is not some future existence, but rather a new way of being in the here and now. But that is not to suggest that there is not an ‘eternal’ quality to eternal life. The gospel of John makes clear that eternal life begins in the here and now but has no end.

@Liturgy Help – Greg Sunter

SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM

Last Friday, some of our Sacramental candidates made their First Reconciliation. This was celebrated by their family members and some of their classmates. This Friday, the second group will have the opportunity to make their First Reconciliation after sharing in the Friday Parish Mass.

A reminder that the link to the important dates for families and other information about the program can be accessed using the link below:

RECONTEXTUALISING

‘Re-context-ualisation’ is a description of a process whereby something is placed in a new context. By placing it in this new context it is given renewed meaning and plausibility. As such, Recontextualisation occurs frequently and is happening all around us.

Our classrooms are places of recontextualisation, most especially in Religious Education and the Religious Life of the School.

Parables such as The Good Samaritan are made relatable when seen from the viewpoint of our students. Questions such as “Who might need our help?” and “When have I walked past someone?” offer opportunities for dialogue. This dialogue helps students to understand how the Gospel message still has meaning in our life today.

When we offer opportunities for recontextualisation, we purposefully look for a renewed Catholic identity that is meaningful within our current culture. We try to understand the Catholic faith re-interpreted in a contemporary cultural context. This ensures that the Catholic faith remains recognisable, credible and meaningful for contemporary people. 

PEER SUPPORT

During Peer Support this week the children will look at qualities their friends may have and the concept that we choose friends based on the qualities we admire in them. They will also explore the skills of friendship, specifically those of cooperating and listening.

During the week encourage your child to show they are interested in the person they are talking to by being an active listener.

Liturgical Celebrations Coming Up

*SJPA – St Joseph’s Park Avenue
*OLHC – Our Lady Help of Christians church (next to St Joseph’s, Park Avenue)
*HF – Holy Family Parish Centre (next to Anthony’s School)
*MPA – Multipurpose Area (Basketball court)

PARISH NEWSLETTER

Elizabeth Carter
Assistant Principal Religious Education

CURRICULUM NEWS

ICAS

St Joseph’s is offering ICAS assessments again this year.

ICAS Assessments are online assessments, designed to recognise and reward academic excellence. Students are assessed on their ability to apply classroom learning to new contexts, using higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills.

The assessments are based on the curricula for the relevant year. Students are asked to demonstrate a deeper, integrated, and thorough level of knowledge. A team of expert academics develops new ICAS Assessments annually for each subject in every year level to ensure an engaging and beneficial experience for all students.

Benefits of ICAS:

Provide objective ranking of performance
Encourage students to attain greater academic success
Require students to think beyond the classroom
Recognise student success through medals and certificates

If you would like your child to participate in ICAS this year, please see the table below for prices and the year levels eligible for each assessment. You will then need to log into the ICAS Parent Portal through the link below to make your order. The school will receive notification when an assessment is ordered by a Joey’s parent. Orders close on 1st August.

Your school access code is: ZOV299

Your parent page link is:

If your child is away on the testing day, there is some flexibility for them to sit the assessment, but it must be in the same week as the scheduled date and fit in with the availability of staff trained in the implementation of ICAS assessments.

Premier’s Reading Challenge

The Premier's Reading Challenge (PRC) is an annual state-wide initiative for state and non-state schools and home-educated students up to Year 9, as well as children attending early childhood centres. Since the program’s inception in 2006, more than 20 million books have been read, and in 2021 alone, 168,000 school, early childhood and individual readers participated in the challenge reading more than 2.39 million books throughout the PRC reading period.

The challenge is not a competition but aims to improve literacy and encourage children to read widely for pleasure and learning. Students can participate in the challenge within their school or as individual readers (home-educated students or students whose schools are not participating in the program).

For a student to successfully complete the challenge they must read or experience the allocated number of books for their year level during the reading period. Students who complete the challenge have their efforts recognised through the receipt of a Certificate of Achievement signed by the Premier of Queensland.

Why read? Literacy skills are vital to ensuring children have the best chance to succeed in their schooling and life. The PRC is an opportunity for students to be enthusiastic about reading, writing, authors and illustrators. Reading a variety of books builds vocabulary and knowledge, improves spelling and comprehension, can improve confidence and is also a great way to relax.

To successfully complete the PRC, students must read or experience the number of books indicated in the table below in English or additional languages.

The requirement for Year 5 through to Year 6 students to read 15 books acknowledges that older students are likely to select longer, more complex books that may take them longer to read.

Please see the link attached to this newsletter for the reading record form if your child is interested in participating. All forms need to be returned to the office by 26th August to be eligible for a certificate.

Under 8s Day

Our annual Under 8s Day will be celebrated on Thursday, 23rd June. If you know of anyone who might be interested in setting up a display with some activities on that day please let me know. More information about the day will come out closer to the date.

Regards,
Deanne Senini
Assistant Principal Curriculum

CLASSROOM NEWS

Year 5 News

We have hit the ground running this term with students participating in a range of extra activities from cross country trials and districts, Maths Teams Challenge, creating a new school song and preparing and planting seeds for Laudato Si`.

Eli and Kade - We got a new school song and some kids from every class got to do little bits of the song in the video.

Jack and Ryan - Cross country was very challenging and very fun, it was an amazing experience.

Audrey and Ava - We enjoyed planting seeds in the egg cartons ready for Laudato Si`.

Lilly and Paityn - We love to help out with the extras job and helping the school to become more sustainable.

Ryder, Natalie, Mia - We have been doing science experiments to learn about different states of matter. We made oobleck where we mixed cornflour with water and food colouring, we also put a tissue in the bottom of a cup and pushed the cup down into a bowl of water and air kept the tissue dry.

Marty, Elie, Phoenix - We started training for Friday sports. We did a passing drill and then a mini touch footy game.

Samson, Monica, Matilda - We got to participate in the song writing with some students from other grades, we had to act out and do some solos. We then had to teach the chorus and actions to the rest of the school.

Nate, Ethan, Finn, Tom - We participated in a Maths Team Challenge at Glenmore High School. The Maths Team Challenge was a fun experience that I believe we all enjoyed. We thank our teachers, Mrs Farr, Mrs Duncan and Mrs Wayman for training us and escorting us to and from the challenge. We trained super hard and will continue training for the rest of the year in preparation for next year.

LAUDATO SI’ EXPO 2022

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School Park Avenue is pleased to invite you to our Laudato Si’ Expo 2022. This year’s expo will be held on 19 May, from 12 noon and follows the success of our inaugural expo last year.

The SJPA Laudato Si’ Expo will combine environmental education, sustainability and excitement with various stalls, games, raffles and giveaways revolving around the teachings from Pope Francis’ Encyclical.

Laudato Si’ is Pope Francis’ Encyclical about the environment, or more formally – “On Care for Our Common Home”. Within the Encyclical, Pope Francis identifies many modern issues including pollution, climate change, loss of biodiversity, breakdown of society, the decline in the quality of human life and global inequality. He further appeals to all persons, no matter what religion “for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet”. Our expo is an answer to the call of Pope Francis to care for our common home. We invite you to answer this call with us.

FINANCE NEWS

TERM 2 FEE ACCOUNTS NOW DUE

School Fees for Term 2 were due for payment yesterday, 10/5/22.

Please ensure that you check your email or log into Parent Lounge to check your School Fees on a regular basis. If you now have another child at the school, you may need to increase what you are currently paying so as to not get behind with Fees.

If you have a means tested Concession Card and have not yet given a copy to the Finance Secretary, please do so as soon as possible.

All new families should 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 instead of names (this is the 6-digit number on your Fee Statement).

A NOTE FROM YOUR SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHER

School photos are almost upon us again! The school has engaged MSP Photography to create our school records this year and you are invited to purchase prints of your child.

On photo day, every student will be photographed regardless of whether you are purchasing or not.

Your child will bring home a personalised order envelope from the photographers. Please take care to read and follow all the instructions carefully. This will ensure your order is processed smoothly and efficiently and will help you to avoid any late fees.

You will have the option to order online or with cash in your student’s envelope. Please take care to follow the instructions carefully.

Additional order envelopes are available from the school office for separated parents, blended families and grandparents. You will need to collect these on or before photo day and give it to the photographer on photo day. Be sure to write “Mum’s order” or “Dad’s order” on top of your envelope.

To order a sibling photo, please collect Sibling Order Envelopes from the school office on or before photo day, or order it online at least 24 hours in advance. Please note: Sibling photos are only for siblings who all attend the school.

If your child has been photographed in a special group (ie sports team or leadership team), order envelopes will be available in the weeks following photo day. Please watch this newsletter for information when they will be available.

As school staff are unable to help with photography enquiries or payments, please direct your questions and comments directly to MSP Photography by phoning

4921 3355

Thank you for your co-operation and we look forward to a great photo day.

Keep smiling!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Congratulations to the following students and staff who will celebrate their birthday this week. They are: Emma Clarke (Yr 5), Harper Smith (Prep), Peppa Davey (Yr 6), Aliana Fitton (Yr 5) and Mrs Roberts (Librarian).

Have a great day.

WONDER RECYCLING REWARDS

Calling all students, parents, grandparents, neighbours, and friends!! St Joey’s will be participating in the Wonder Recycling Rewards program! By collecting your BREAD BAGS for school, we can earn points for new sporting equipment.

What kind of bread bags are we collecting?

The rule of thumb is that if it has contained bread of some sort and

is a soft plastic, then it's a bread bag that we can collect (all brands). lf it hasn't contained bread, then it's not a bread bag we can use.

How clean do the bags have to be?

Bread bags should be free from crumbs to ensure no contamination during the recycling process but they do not need to be washed.

Are we collecting bread TAGS too?

No, at this stage we are not collecting bread tags, but you can still recycle them!

When do we start collecting?

NOW!! We can start collecting our bread bags while we wait for our official collection boxes to arrive.

DRAKES SUPA IGA

Drakes Fundraiser for St. Joseph's Cathedral

I thank you for your support of this project which has raised over $40,000, of which the school community has played an important role. Please continue to support the Cathedral by shopping at DRAKES using your key tag and receiving the benefits.

If you have not been part of this fundraiser you are invited to get a key tag from your local School or Church and shop at your local Drakes, one cent in every dollar you spend will go to the Cathedral. No Fuss, only benefits.

Hoping to see you at Drakes

Stay Safe

Shirley Hopkins,
Co-ordinator, Drakes Fundraiser for St Joseph's Cathedral