8 August 2022

Newsletter Articles

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Parents & Guardians

Let me begin by saying well done to Jessie Ivers and Ash Gray as well as all the staff, parents and presenters who made our annual NAIDOC Day a great celebration last week. The parents I took around the school during Prep interviews were impressed by the community spirit and the number of past students who attended the day. Unfortunately (or fortunately) the school community did not get to see Mr Fitz do any traditional dancing this year.

It was great to see so many smiles on our students faces when I did get around to the various activities. It was truly a great day to Get Up, Stand Up and Show Up in our Joey’s community.

Just a reminder that our rescheduled Whole School Disco will be on this Thursday evening in the MPA.

Next week we will be holding a whole school liturgy in the MPA at approximately 8:35am instead of our usual Monday Morning Assembly. The liturgy will be celebrating the Feast Day of Australia’s first Saint, St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. This celebration is an important part of Joey’s Catholic Identity with St Mary MacKillop’s Josephite Sisters establishing our beautiful little school in Park Avenue in 1929. All are welcome to attend.

Well done to our students who attended the Greater Rockhampton District School Athletics Carnival over the past couple of days. The Athletics Carnival is held to select those students who will go on to trial for the Capricornia Athletics team later in the Term. We will keep you posted on those results.

Finally, we can confirm that the school’s Colour Explosion/Fun Run date is set for the last day of Term 3, September the 16th. This event will be the years major fundraiser for the Joey’s P&F with funds going towards upgrading our interactive touch screens in the classrooms and shade sails over the Upper Playground. More information will come out from both the school and the P&F in the near future.

Remember the P&F’s Disney Themed Trivia Night is coming up on August 27th. I am hoping to get a staff table together for the night. It will be a great event to come dressed up and have a laugh together. I am sure many people have been studying up by watching Disney+ with our Quiz Master, Leonie Mooney thinking of some tricky questions. Hope to see you there.

Enjoy Week 4.

Don’t Forget….

• Rescheduled School Disco. Thurs 4th Aug in MPA
• St Mary of the Cross Feast Day. Mon 8th Aug
• Combined P&F and Board Meeting. Wed 10th Aug
• Mr Fitzgerald - Long Service Leave. 15th – 19th Aug
• National Science Week. 15th – 19th Aug
• Rescheduled Year 6 Camp @ Chaverim. 22nd – 24th Aug
• Season B Sport Concludes. Friday 26th Aug
• 2023 Prep Offers Emailed Out. Fri 26th Aug
• P&F Trivia Night. Sat 27th Aug
• Mr Fitzgerald’s Principal Performance Appraisal. Tues 30th Aug
• SJPA Book Week. 29th Aug – 2nd September
• Book Fair. 29th Aug – 1st Sept
• Joey’s in Jamas. Wed 31st Aug
• Book Week Dress-up Day. Thurs 1st Sept
• Pupil Free Day, Fri 2nd Sept
• Semester 2 Parent/Teacher Interviews. Week 9, 5th – 9th Sept
• National Child Protection Week (NAPCAN). 4th – 9th Sept
• R U OK? Day. Thurs 8th Sept
• Colour Run Day. Fri 16th Sept
• Last Day of Term 3. Fri 16th Sept

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
18th Sunday Ordinary Time

The Parable of the rich man with a good harvest.

Luke 12:13-21

Living the Gospel – This hoard of yours…

Our modern society is particularly dominated by a mindset of accumulating more than we might ever need. The saying ‘Whoever has the most toys, wins’ holds more than just a shred of truth for many people. Our consumerist lifestyle nurtures the desire to accumulate more and more ‘stuff’. Every time we turn on the television there is a new ‘must have’ gadget. We talk about built-in obsolescence of manufactured goods and every new technological device makes older models redundant so that we feel we constantly have to upgrade. How would we answer God’s question, ‘so this hoard of yours, whose will it be then?’

@Liturgy Help – Greg Sunter

JUNIOR JOEYS PROGRAM

Next week we will be asking our students from Years 4, 5 & 6 to consider how they can answer the call of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop when she said, “Never see a need without doing something about it.”

These students will be offered the opportunity to commit to the Junior Joeys group at St Joseph’s Park Avenue. This commitment will allow our students to understand the work of the Sisters of St Joseph and how they work to promote Catholic Social Teachings in our local, national and global community. Students will also plan and undertake initiatives in our own community that promote Catholic Social Teachings and answer the call of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop.

SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM

Our program is drawing to a close and this weekend and next the children will receive their First Eucharist. Practice for the reception of First Eucharist will be at the following times and churches during the coming week:

Tuesday 2 August: Holy Family 4.00 - 5.00 pm
Wednesday 3 August: St Mary's 4.00 - 5.00 pm
Wednesday 3 August: Our Lady Help of Christians 4.00 - 5.00 pm

It is recommended that students attend the practice offered at the church they will be receiving First Eucharist.

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

Northside Sacramental Program

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)
*STM – St Mary’s Church (next to St Mary’s School)
*MPA – Multipurpose Area (Basketball court)

PARISH NEWSLETTER

Elizabeth Carter
Assistant Principal Religious Education

CURRICULUM NEWS

Catholic Education Week Mass

I had the pleasure, along with Miss Brooke Black, to accompany some students to the Catholic Education Week Mass last week. All students in Years 5 and 6 had the opportunity to attend by nominating themselves. Well done to the students who volunteered to attend this Mass and represent St Joseph’s. The students’ behaviour was exemplary.

Science Week

This year to celebrate Science Week, we will be holding a ‘science day’ on Thursday, 18th August. On this day each class will set up experiments / displays for students to visit and interact with. This will take place during school time on this day. Students are invited to come in free dress on this day with a science theme if possible. Perhaps they might like to dress like a scientist or get creative with a different idea which is science related. The theme for Science Week 2022 is ‘Glass: More than meets the eye’.

Book Week

This year, Book Week will be celebrated a week later than normal due to a clash with Year 6 camp. Joey’s in Jamas will be held on Wednesday, 31st August in the library. Our annual dress up day will be held on Thursday, 1st September. Both these events are generally very well supported by our community so I look forward to seeing everyone at Joey’s in Jamas and seeing the wonderful creative costumes at the dress up parade. The theme for Book Week 2022 is ‘Dreaming with Eyes Open’.

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.

All reading record forms need to be returned to the office by 26th August to be eligible for a certificate.

Regards,
Deanne Senini
Assistant Principal Curriculum

FINANCE NEWS

TERM 3 FEE ACCOUNTS NOW DUE

School Fees for Term 3 were due for payment on Monday 1/8/22.

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 will 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).

CLASSROOM NEWS

Prep

Learning in Prep

In Religion we have listened to parables where Jesus taught us how to live in the right relationship with God. We have explored the difference between a rule and a law and how our choices affect us and others. Mr Mooney (our school adopt-a-cop) came to visit where he showed us his special uniform and talked about his role in the community.

This term prep has started to investigate fairy tales as a way on expanding on our literacy skills. We are developing knowledge of words frequently seen in texts through shared and group reading time. We are drawing on our beginning writing skills to respond to text by creating sentences and matching with pictures.

During math workshops we are investigating measurement and enjoying using different manipulatives, in play, to measure things in our classroom. We are furthering our understanding of numbers to 20 and beyond. We are looking forward to science week, book week and participating in our first prayer celebrations.

SJPA SUSTAINABILITY

As a school participating in the Catholic Diocese of Rockhampton - Waste Watch Project, we have created a short introduction to some of the sustainable practices we currently have in place here at St Joey's. The project involves schools from all over the Dioceses collaborating together to reduce waste going to landfill and improve current systems in place.

As a school, our goal for taking part in the Waste Watch Project is to provide more environmental education through student-led videos. So stay tuned for more videos to come!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Congratulations to the following students and staff who will celebrate their birthday this week. They are: Harrison Bell (Yr 3), Liam Zanker (Yr 5), Lani Duncan (Yr 6), Bentli Kennedy (Prep), Delany Andrews (Yr 5), Alyssah Pettett (Yr 2), Nate Bidgood (Yr 4), Stella Wale (Prep), Mrs Gabriel (Prep), Chelsea (OSHC) and Mrs Senini (APC).

Have a great day.

UNIFORM SHOP

Our Uniform Shop will be reopening Friday Mornings from 8:00 – 8:45am commencing 5th August. The Joeys and Friends Facebook page will still have what is available for sale.

NCCD

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability

Every year, in August, all schools in Australia participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). The NCCD process requires schools to identify information already available in the school about the support provided to students with disability.

It is now a legislative requirement for the school to inform you if your child will be included in the NCCD. Your child’s teacher would have discussed this with you during your Semester One Parent/Teacher Interview.

If you would like to access other information about the NCCD, this is a link to the NCCD Portal (https://www.nccd.edu.au)

If you have any questions about the NCCD, please contact Inclusive Curriculum.

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