14 September 2022

Newsletter Articles

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Parents & Guardians

Did you know that the extra prize for the top boy and girl in each year level is their own private stock of powder to throw at Mr Fitz at the end of the day? Yes, we have ordered a supply just for these privileged 16 students from Kindy to Year 6 and I have a special shirt made with love that has a big red target on it to help with aiming. This along with an ice block from the school will be the culmination of the Colour Run event for the day. Due to the colour on clothing, we have made the decision that if parents or grandparents are in attendance, they may wish to take their children or grandchildren home after the event. Please ensure that they let their designated teacher know before leaving the school.

Here are the details for this Friday if you missed the letter sent home last week.

Colour Explosion Fun Run

Our Colour Explosion Fun Run is just around the corner! It’s not too late to start fundraising, the online system is open until the 16th of September. Please find below some important information about how our event is going to work.

Date: Friday 16th September
Start time: Midday
Dress: Free dress- white shirt is recommended. It’s suggested to wear clothes which you won’t mind getting dirty.

Classes will run the course at approximately the times listed below. Parents are more than welcome to bring a seat and come and watch the fun. There will be a designated parent zone to save you getting coloured. On completing the course students will be provided an ice block and are more than welcome to go home early. Supervision will be provided on the school grounds until 3pm for students who are not able to go home early.

Fundraising

The online fundraising portal is open until the 16th of September so there is still plenty of time to raise some money. The boy and girl from each year level who raises the most money will have the privilege of throwing coloured powder at Mr Fitzgerald as he runs his own student gauntlet. If your child has raised money using the booklet and cash, please return this by Thursday, 15th September so I can include them when working out who is the highest fundraiser. The prize ordering system will then open on the 17th of September and will close on the 23rd of September.

Colour Explosion Fun Run Schedule (please note these are approximate times and may vary on the day)

Thanks to all those parents who were able to make Parent/Teacher interviews last week. I also want to acknowledge the teachers and their commitment to their students and also the time away from their families during early mornings and some late evenings. Please remember that if needed, our teachers are always available to be contacted and mutually suitable times for meetings arranged throughout the year.

Have a great final week of Term 3

Don’t Forget….

• Colour Run Day. Fri 16th Sept
• Last Day of Term 3. Fri 16th Sept
• Term 4 Recommences. Tues 4th Oct

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

24th Sunday Ordinary Time

The Parable of the Prodigal Son.

Luke 15:1-32

SEASON OF CREATION

…the core message in all of today’s readings is that God is merciful, not vengeful. The scriptures are about salvation, not devastation. So, in this Season of Creation we may well wonder how our habits and mindsets contribute to our ecological woes. If we recognise our faults – including our ecological sins and omissions – might we find a path back from the edge?

As Pope Francis so rightly points out, the present ecological crisis is really a social crisis, and each of us has a part to play in solving it. This does not mean we must be ecological rigorists or environmental moralists. Rather, we should become people who rejoice when right paths are chosen, who build on common sense and consensus, and who intercede where danger threatens the vulnerable.

@Liturgy Help – Nick Brodie

SAFEGUARDING SUNDAY

The 11th of September marked Safeguarding Sunday. The Catholic Church in Australia marks Safeguarding Sunday (formerly Child Protection Sunday) on the second Sunday of September -- at the conclusion of National Child Protection Week.

Safeguarding Sunday seeks to acknowledge the immense damage caused by the sexual abuse of children and adults at risk, including by priests, religious and lay people within Catholic contexts. It makes a commitment to practices and protocols that create and maintain safe environments for all people. It invites people to pray for those harmed by abuse directly and indirectly.

FATHER’S DAY BREAKFAST AND PRAYER CELEBRATION

Last Friday, we saw a great many dads, grandads, godfathers, uncles and father like figures from Prep and Year One gather for the inaugural SJPA Father’s Day Breakfast. The smell of bacon and eggs drew quite a crowd and those gathered enjoyed their burgers. A huge thank you to those mums who came in early to help; especially Mrs Petrina Brady who worked the BBQ like a pro alongside Mr Way. Our P & F executive were amazing and quickly chipped in to get the crowd fed. It was a wonderful way to acknowledge the men in our children’s lives who are so instrumental in caring for our young people.

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

SJPA SUSTAINABILITY

What an exciting week we had with the arrival of our worms. Students from Year 2 were invited to have the first glimpse and were amazed with how many we have. There is approximately 20 THOUSAND! Mrs Lavender and some other Year 4 students helped to set up our X-Large worm farm and added our new worm friends in. We will be adding food scraps from the tuckshop for now and once the worm farm is more established, we will be adding scraps in from our student eating areas. Great effort from the students in Year 2, 4 and Mrs Lavender.

Mr Tennyson

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Congratulations to the following students and staff who will celebrate their birthday this week and over the holidays. They are:

Aria Smith (Yr 3), Mia Smith (Yr 4), Liam Buckenham (Prep), Sebastian Clarke (Yr 3), Mia Cruickshank (Yr 6), Briannah Boylan (Yr 1), Olivia Hewett (Yr 3), Zara Malone (Yr 4), Logan Gudgeon (Yr 2), Myka Waters (Yr 3), Miss Beak (Yr 3), Moorrcha Wason (Prep), William Farr (Yr 6), Tucka Andrews (Yr 3), Samson Burgess (Yr 5), Esther Wehlow (Yr 3), Zeva Green (Yr 4), Alivia Muir (Yr 5), Rahnie Muir (Yr 3), Georgia McDonald (Prep), Finn Wyatt (Yr 5), Holly Ayres (Yr 2), Elijah Pettett (Yr 1), Bibiana Goody (Yr 1), Harper Cook (Yr 5), Ted Perkins (Prep), Jake Kowald (Yr 6), Isla Honeyball (Yr 2), Ruby Soboll (Yr 3), Lincoln Hopkins (Yr 2) and Brooke Cain (Prep)

Have a great day.

2023 KINDY ENROLMENTS

If you haven’t already enrolled your child into for Kindy 2023, please do so at your earliest convenience. Also, if you know of a friend/s that haven’t enrolled as yet either, please urge them to do so.

UNIFORM SHOP

Our Uniform Shop is open Friday Mornings from 8:00 – 8:45am. The Joeys and Friends Facebook page will still have what is available for sale.

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