10 September 2024 (Week 8 Term 3 2024)
Dear St Joseph’s Community
As we approach the end of the term, I would like to commend our students for their hard work throughout the term and our teachers for their incredible work, their dedication to supporting student learning and their immense care for our students. We are truly blessed to have teachers who give so much of themselves to support the growth of our students. We’re also blessed to have such bright, kind and hardworking students who we are all very proud of!
NIKKI WAGNER’S RETIREMENT
After 23 years of dedicated service, Nikki Wagner will be retiring from St Joseph's at the end of this term. Nikki joined our school community in 2001 and has been a constant source of support, especially through her deep faith and unwavering commitment to the pastoral care and wellbeing of our students. Her passion for nurturing both hearts and minds has left an indelible mark on our school.
We look forward to formally farewelling Nikki later in the year. This will be a wonderful opportunity for those students and families who were positively impacted by Nikki's care and guidance to bid her farewell.
In her retirement, Nikki looks forward to spending more time with her husband, Scott, their children, and her beloved Cobber Dog, Pippi, as well as embarking on exciting travel adventures. She will be greatly missed, and we wish her every blessing in this next chapter of her life.
STAGE 1 FAMILY MASS
This Sunday Morning our Stage 1 students will take over the 8:30 Mass in the parish, leading the singing and the ministries. We have one of these Masses each term and I thank our Stage 1 parents for their support in attending this Mass. We are intentionally fostering greater ties with our wonderfully supportive parish, and this is one of the many ways we build relationships. Even if you are not in Stage 1, we would love for you to join us for this Mass. After Mass, all families are invited to stay for children to play together on the playground equipment.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION
In Mark 7:31-37, Jesus heals a man who is deaf and mute, restoring his ability to hear and speak. This miracle reminds us of the power of compassion and the importance of listening to those around us. As parents, we are called to truly hear our children—not just their words but their needs, hopes, and struggles. By being present and attentive, we help them find their own voice and encourage them to grow with confidence and love, just as Jesus did in His healing ministry.
You are invited to listen to Bishop Greg’s Homily from Sunday’s Mass.
END OF TERM CELEBRATION COLOUR RUN
We have scheduled our Term 3 Celebration for the Wednesday of Week 10. This should be a terrific opportunity to acknowledge the hard work of our students and their efforts to display our four school values. Parents are most welcome to come and join in the fun! The event is live on Compass for parents to action.
WOODLAWN PLAYGROUND COLLABORATION
We have formed a partnership with Woodlawn to help develop some imaginative play spaces at the bottom of the playground. Mr Ritchie’s senior Construction class are currently building the first couple of shops for what will be a ‘Tiny Town’ for students to engage in imaginative play in. We are so lucky to have Woodlawn so keen to partner with us on this initiative. We look forward to having the K-2 students tell us how best to decorate our spaces and create the signage that the Woodlawn students will make for us!
FATHER’S DAY CELEBRATIONS
A huge thank you to the fathers and father figures who were able to join us for the Father’s Day assembly last Monday. We know what a juggle this is for families. It was a fun afternoon of games and a celebration of what our fathers meant to us. We hope our fathers and father figures liked the craft items the students made!
SCHOOL COMMUNITY GROUP FEEDBACK
We held our Term 3 School Community Group Meeting last Tuesday. Thanks to Wendy Sawan for chairing and Simone Green for taking notes. We shared the Tell Them From Me Parent and Staff data, the use of iPads in the K-2 classrooms, the Zones of Regulation initiative and the Initialit literacy approaches. The Zoom option seemed to work well, and so we will offer this again in the hopes that it will allow more parents to attend. We will send out a form for feedback from families as to what the Term 4 learning and feedback focuses might look like. Sincere thanks to those parents who were able to join us. The notes from the meeting are below.
WELCOME TO THE JOEYS FAMILY
Last week Ms Kingsford, our librarian, became a grandmother for the first time. Congratulations to Dominic and Sophie on the safe arrival of Digby. Mum and Dad are doing great, baby Digby is adorable and Ma (Ms Kingsford) is besotted!
Baby Digby - a new addition to the Kingsford family!
Mrs Steele and her grand daughter Bobby.
READING AT HOME
You can support your child in learning to read by reading with your child for 15-30 minutes every day.
SET THE SCENE
Before you read the story, tell your child the title of the book and a bit about it. Try to relate it to your child’s own experience if you can. If it is about dogs, talk about a dog they know. You can also discuss what might happen in the story.
READ THE BOOK OR CHAPTER
Read the story in a lively way with lots of expression. If you come across unfamiliar words, stop and tell your child what they mean. This improves your child’s vocabulary and helps them to understand the whole story. During the week, you might also like to remind your child of some of the new words from the storybook and relate them to your everyday life.
RECALLING THE STORY
After reading the book, ask your child questions about the story.
For example:
- “What happened at the beginning of the story?”
- “What happened at the end of the story?”
If they can’t remember, tell them.
Try asking different questions requiring more than a yes or no answer.
For example:
- “What do you think will happen next? ”
- “What makes you think that?”
- “Show me where in the story/text you got that information.”
These sorts of questions help to develop your child’s language skills. You don’t need to read a different book for every session; in fact, rereading the same book several times allows the child to become familiar with the story and helps them to learn new vocabulary.
Finally, being patient and enthusiastic will make reading together a much more positive experience for both you and your child. Have fun!
FAMILY MASS THIS SUNDAY
This Sunday, 15th September, our 8.30am Parish Mass will be a Family Mass. This term, Stage 1 are invited to have special parts in this, including welcoming, readings and offertory procession. The teachers have chosen music our students love!
Student roles will be handed out this week. Please let us know via this quick link if your Stage 1 child can attend so we can ensure they have a special role. All families are invited to attend!
TERM 3 COMMUNITY CELEBRATION - COLOUR RUN!
On Wednesday 25 September (Week 10), we will celebrate the end of Term 3 with a colour run from 1.30pm. Students will complete a fun obstacle course on a run around the playground while being sprayed with coloured powder. Water from gentle water pistols used by staff and parents helps the colour stick (and adds to the fun!) When finished, students will be provided with an icy pole to have on the playground.
This is a casual clothes day. Please pack a towel and spare clothes, which are particularly essential if travelling home by bus. Sunglasses and caps to run in are optional. The colour looks great on a white top (or an inside-out white top!), but any light colour works. Please note the colour stains, so old clothes are a must!
Families are welcome to join us to enjoy this event and parent helpers are always appreciated. Parents are invited to bring a water pistol to join in the fun!
Please email Kate Jones if you can help (kathryn.jones@lism.catholic.edu.au) spray students with colour or water.
EXURO - YEAR 5 STUDENT DISCIPLESHIP
Early in Term 4, four Year 5 students will attend a retreat day in Lismore with other Year 5 leaders from local Catholic schools. This retreat is an opportunity for students to connect with like-minded peers, share and build relationships that strengthen their Christian faith practice, and be leaders in building strong Catholic school communities.
If your child is interested in participating in this retreat, please email Miss Clark or Kate Jones. After expressions of interest are received, permission will be sent via Compass.
STAGE 2 VIRTUAL HISTORY EXCURSION ‘FIRST CONTACTS’
Last Wednesday, our Stage 2 students participated in a virtual excursion with the Museums of History New South Wales.
In this virtual excursion, Stage 2 connected live with a museum educator and learned about the first contacts between Aboriginal peoples and colonists who arrived as part of the First Fleet and aboard other ships in the early years of the colony of New South Wales.
Students examined a range of historical sources, including artworks and Aboriginal cultural objects and explored the impact of these new arrivals on the Aboriginal peoples of Sydney and the local environment. We finished the session playing a game using words from the local Sydney Aboriginal language called Wingara (win-gar-ah – to think).
Last week Kindergarten had a special visitor in STEM. Mr Challinor came to teach us about the different hats in the Catholic faith.
Here are all the Kindergarten students wearing a mitre, which is also known as a Bishop's hat.
In STEM, in Year 1 and Year 2 last Thursday, we made tin can telephones. The students were able to explore how sound travels through vibrations. The students had a lot of fun.
Some of our students have been displaying their many and varied talents at lunch time. Mrs Moran has been running Talent Time as part of our lunch time activities.
SUPPORTING DIVERSE LEARNING IN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
Supporting diverse learning in Catholic schools is an informative guide, thoughtfully written by parents to assist all parents and their children as they journey from kindy to year 12.
Topics covered range from transitions to new schools, positive experiences at school, government support and supporting post secondary education. You can access the guide here.
