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- Good For Kids Snippets 2024
- NAPLAN
- Yr 5 Camp - Coffs Coast Adventure Centre
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- Dio Winter Sports Trials - Soccer (Yr 5 & 6)
- Buderus 7's Legends Gala Day (3-6)
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- Easter Monday
- Last Day of Term 1
Dear Parents and Carers,
This week we celebrated the beginning of the 2024 school year with our Opening School Mass. Mr Hunt prepared a beautiful Mass and our students were maginificent in their participation, especially our School Choir (and some of the Yr 1 students I was sitting behind who sang so enthusiastically). Mrs O'Dwyer does a wonderful job preparing the students and it is important to acknowledge the effort made by the students to attend choir practice each week. Fr Kevin did a wonderful job of sharing the message of the readings and Gospel with the students. Following our Mass, we presented our Yr 6 Student Leaders to our school and presented them with their leadership badges. It was great to see many of their families present to share in this momentus occasion.
Over the last two weeks, our staff have trialled holding Professional Learning Team meetings on a Thursday morning. Stage groups of teachers and specialist teachers meet for one hour each fortnight between 8:30-9:30am. During this time, our teacher mentors lead an analysis of student achievement data to inform decisions about teaching practice. We focus on the forever goal of '12 months growth for 12 months learning' for all students as we discuss the progress made and how we can build the assessment capability of our students. The 30minutes needed to accommodate these meetings is made up throughout the week by extending the first learning session of each day by 6 minutes; a strategy called 'banking time'. I look forward to sharing more of our work with you over the coming months.
Enrolments are open for Kinder 2025!
The Catholic Schools Office have a new enrolment policy and procedure in place for the 2024 school year. Along with changes to the way our enrolment process happens, there are also changes to the order of acceptance for students into our primary and high schools. Enrolments opened on the 1st March for Kinder 2025 and will close on May 24. Following this period, the first round offers will be made. If you know anyone planning to enrol to St Joseph's in 2025, please encourage them to pick up an enrolment package as soon as possible and to be sure to return it prior to the closing date. All documentation will need to be provided at the time of enrolment for the application to be considered in the first round offers.
Wishing you a wonderful fortnight.
Brooke Stephens
Dear Parents and carers
Each week, our students have many opportunities to attend structured activities during their lunch and recess breaks. Our students love these play opportunities and it is so wonderful to see many of our students shine through their interests and skills. These activities are a great opportunity for our students to share knowledge, laugh, build friendships and have fun. Below are some photos of our students from Kindergarten to Year Six enjoying Art Club, Games Club, Eco Warriors, STEM, Library and Montessori Play.
NAPLAN:
NAPLAN testing begins on Wednesday 13th March. Our St Joseph's community wishes all of our Year 3 and Year 5 students the best of luck!
Attendance: EVERY DAY IN SCHOOL MEANS SO MUCH MORE
When your child misses school they miss important opportunities to...
- Learn
- Make friends
- Build skills through fun learning experiences
When your child attends school every day, learning becomes easier, and your child will build and maintain friendships with other children.
Everyday counts and your child education is crucial. If your child is away, you must justify their absence via Compass within 7 days.
Arrival Times
Morning supervision does not start until 8:30am. This year, we have noticed an increased number of children arriving at school before school supervision begins. If your family requires early supervision due to family work commitments, please contact St Nicholas OOSH Taree | St Nicholas OOSH
Staff Spotlight
Mrs. Natalie Bennett is one of our amazing Learning Support Assistance. This year, Mrs. Bennett is part of our Year 4 team. She works alongside our Year 4 teachers to support the learning for our students through literacy and mathematics interventions and she always makes sure our students are ready to learn. Mrs. Bennent is passionate about environmental change and she shares this passion with our students through our Eco Warriors group at lunchtime. Our students love spending time in the garden with Mrs. Bennett!
I wish all our families a restful weekend.
Kind regards
Kia May Wall
Opening School Mass & Investiture of School Leaders
Yesterday, Thursday 7th March, we had the pleasure of coming together as a school community to celebrate our opening school mass and the commissioning of our new school leaders.
During the mass, we had the privilege of commissioning our new school leaders. These students have been selected for their outstanding leadership qualities, and we are confident that they will serve our school community with dedication and excellence. We congratulate them on their appointment and look forward to seeing the positive impact they will have on our school.
The mass was a beautiful celebration of our school's values and traditions. We were reminded of the importance of community, service, and to 'Follow Me' as Jesus said in the Gospel and Father Kevin (with the help of our Year 4 student Charlotte Furze) spoke about in his Homily. It was a powerful and inspiring start to the new school year, and we thank Mrs Stephens for her remarks about beginning the school year with us at St Joseph's.
Following the mass, our Captains and Vice-Captains visited all the classes to hand them their class candle and to remind students to talk to them on the playground if they see them around.
As we look ahead to the rest of the school year, we are confident that our new school leaders will inspire us all to be the best we can be, and we look forward to working together with families to make this year a great success for everyone at St Joseph's.
Thank you to everyone who joined us yesterday and to everyone who continues to support our school community. Together, we can achieve great things.
Sacramental Program
A reminder of the upcoming information session for families who wish for their child/ren to complete their Sacraments of Initiation.
This session is designed to provide parents with a deeper understanding of the sacraments of initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist) and the RCIC (Rite of Christian Initiation of Children) process. We are fortunate to have Father Kevin, myself (Anthony Hunt) and members of the Sacramental team to lead the session and provide valuable insights and guidance.
During the session, parents will learn about the significance of each sacrament and how they are central to the Catholic faith. We will discuss the importance of preparing children spiritually for these sacraments and how the RCIC process helps to facilitate this preparation. There will also be an opportunity to address common questions and concerns that parents may have about the sacraments and the RCIC process.
We understand that the sacraments are a significant milestone in some of our children's spiritual journey, and we are committed to supporting you every step of the way. If you have any questions or need further information, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.
Upcoming Events/Reminders
- Friday 22nd March: St Joseph's Feast Day celebration
- Monday-Thursday 25th-28th March: Holy Week Reflections
- Tuesday 2nd April: Easter Celebration
St Joseph's is a hive of activity and learning, just as we would expect to see at this stage of a term.
It is wonderful to see how engaged the students are in their learning when we do classroom visits. Teachers are teaching explicitly in all our key learning areas and we are all focused on providing safe and calm learning environments. It is clear to see that learning routines are being taught, as the children know exactly what to do within these explicit teaching times. As our students are getting to know their teachers and peers, they are becoming more comfortable to take risks to join in robust class discussions.
PBL
Our whole school positive behaviour focus is currently on playground.
Our Expectations fall under Be safe, Be Respectful and Be a Learner.
- No hat, no play, stay undercover
- No handball in front of the canteen
- Wait for the supervising teacher
- Keep hands and feet to self
- Help others to learn the rules
- Follow the agreed rules of the game
- Return play equipment
- Include others in games
- Stay off the garden beds
- Respect personal space and property
- Wear the correct uniform
- Follow adults’ instructions
- Speak with respect to everyone
We are all working towards giving our students the opportunity to learn and practice the expected behaviours while playing with their peers. All children develop at different rates and we know social-emotional growth takes time.
Kids with healthy social-emotional skills are more likely succeed in school, work, and life. Social-emotional skills help kids:
- Make friends and keep friendships
- Gain confidence
- Resolve conflicts
- Manage stress and anxiety
- Learn social norms
- Make appropriate decisions
- Resist negative social pressure
- Learn strengths and weaknesses
- Gain awareness of what others are feeling
What you can do to help your child's social-emotional development
- Be a model of the emotions and behaviors you want your child to show. You are your child’s first teacher and they look up to you as a role model.
- Ask open-ended questions, such as “What would you do?” to help develop problem-solving skills.
- Use stories to talk to your child about different social situations and how each person might be feeling.
Primary Teaching and Learning
Professional Learning Teams PLT’s.
As we strive to continuously enhance the educational experience for our students, I wanted to take a moment to inform you about an important aspect of our ongoing professional development efforts.
Our dedicated team of teachers is actively engaged in Professional Learning Teams (PLTs) meetings. These sessions serve as invaluable opportunities for our educators to collaborate, share insights, and refine their teaching strategies. The aim is to ensure that we stay current with the latest educational practices and create an optimal learning environment for your children.
During these PLT meetings, teachers discuss a range of topics, including innovative teaching methods, curriculum updates, and personal learning strategies. The collaborative nature of these gatherings enables our educators to draw upon each other's expertise, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
NAPLAN
The students and teachers have been busily preparing for NAPLAN which is beginning next week.
The testing window for NAPLAN is Wednesday 13 March (Week 7) to Monday 25 March (Week 9).
Week 7 |
Wednesday March 13 |
9:30-10:30 Year 3 - Writing 10:30-11:30 Year 5 –Writing |
Thursday March 14 |
9:30-10:30 Year 3 Reading 10:30 – 11:30 Year 5 Reading |
|
Week 8 |
Tuesday March 19 |
9:30-10:30 Year 3 Language Conventions 10:30 – 11:30 Year 5 Language Conventions |
Wednesday March 20 |
9:30-10:30 Year 3 Numeracy 10:30 – 11:30 Year 5 Numeracy |
Please ensure your child/children are at school on time so they can be settled and ready to start. If a student is absent during our assessment period indicated above, they will be required to catch up on the test upon their return. The catch-up test can only be offered during the NAPLAN online test window (Wednesday 13 March to Monday 25 March).
Tarnya Jones
Pedagogical Mentor
13
Wed
13 Mar 2024 - 25 Mar 2024
Dio Winter Sports Trials - Netball, Touch, Hockey (Yr 5 & 6)
26
Tue
26 Mar 2024
29
Fri
29 Mar 2024
1
Mon
01 Apr 2024
12
Fri
12 Apr 2024
NOTICEBOARD