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Dear Parents
Welcome back to Term Two. We are certainly in a different place to this time last year. Luckily remote learning is a thing of the past, and parents are not required to juggle their own work as well as teach children and be IT specialists at the same time! We are looking forward, now with more relaxed COVID regulations, to being able to connect with our wider school community; something I know that we have all missed.
This term we welcome eight new students, from five families, many new to Newcastle. We welcome Anna–Year 5,Eve & Hannah– Years 3 & 5, Freya– Year 3, Emma & Aimee – Years 2 & 6, and Alfie & Vinnie-May– Years K & 3.
We hope that they and their families are beginning to feel connected to our wonderful community.
We also welcome Miss Sally Casey as the KB teacher for the remainder of the year while Stephanie Colvin takes on the role of curriculum writer at the Catholic Schools Office. In 4B we also welcome Mrs Tracey Pursehouse, who previously was a teacher here at St Joseph’s. She will teach 4B on Mrs Donna McMillan‘s RE coordinator days.
Catholic Schools Week – ‘Faith in our Future’
Next week Monday May 3rd – Friday May 7th
Hopefully, you have seen our Catholic Schools Week flyer by now and have managed to work out which event or events you are able to join us in, next week. We ask that if you are coming on Monday to visit your children’s classes that you engage with your children in the activities that the teachers have planned so that you get to share in a learning experience with your children as well as develop an understanding for the range of activities that they engage in when learning in the 2020s. Classroom visits are not about looking through workbooks or cleaning out your children’s desks. We want you and your children to have fun together and besides engaging with the activities on offer your children may like to take you for a classroom walk and talk you about the learning and how they are going with it.
We ask that when in the classrooms you try to maintain social distancing between other adults wherever possible, in line with the current COVID advice. If the classrooms look to be too crowded the teachers will ask parents to leave the room for a while and have smaller groups in. You may wish to visit another child’s classroom and then return when it is less congested.
We are proud of the learning- academically, socially and spiritually, here at St Joseph’s and when you join us next week we hope you see why we feel this way.
In what is a fitting celebration for Catholic education in Australia, this year marks 200 years since the first official Catholic school opened in our country. Fr John Therry, who arrived in the colony as one of the first official Catholic chaplains, embedded on an arduous yet remarkable task of establishing a Catholic community amongst a backdrop of poverty and hardship. Starting a school of just 31 students, Fr Therry’s efforts continue to reverberate through the now 1,751 schools operating across the nation, some 100,000 staff, serving more than 768,000 students. As the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) recognises and celebrates such a significant milestone, we acknowledge that the success of Catholic education has not occurred by chance. In this time of remembrance, we extend our thanks and deep gratitude to all those who have visioned, dreamed, and believed in providing an education that embodies the Good News of Jesus Christ. We too acknowledge all men and women, both lay and religious, who have contributed to the success of Catholic education here in the Maitland-Newcastle Diocese. From our humble beginnings in Maitland, where our first school was opened by Peter Cook in 1833, to our now 59 schools whose legacy rests on the fervent work of our early faithfilled pioneers.
As we look ahead to the future, we do so with optimism and hope, committed to the sacred work we do each and every day. May our “faith in the future” be seen in our unwavering belief that Catholic education creates young women and men who serve as leaders and disciples of our world.
As we enter into this wonderful time of Catholic Schools Week, let us celebrate this extraordinary achievement!
Ryan Gato - CSO Religious Education and Spirituality Team
Class Parents
Last week we held our first class parent network meeting. It was a great success and I thank all the parents who have so far volunteered for this role, which will help keep our community connected and feel supported. If you have ideas or suggestions for your class parents specifically or for the network in general please pass them on to your class parents. We will send through to you their contact details in the near future.
We ask that any concerns or queries related to your children’s learning go directly to the class teachers. The class parent network is one of pastoral and community support. As part of this meeting we looked at assigning each year group a P&F community event to oversee the organisation of these throughout the year. The benefits of having each year assigned to an activity means that the same people are not always burdened with these tasks as well as building relationships . We hope that you can support your class parents when they begin to enlist helpers for the various events. These events include things such as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day breakfasts, readathons, welcome morning teas and school discos … We look forward to seeing how our class parent network grows and evolves.
Calling All Volunteers
May 17-24 is National Volunteers Week. The diocese would like to say thank you for all those who assist in a myriad ways by inviting you to a Movie night. If you are a canteen volunteer, uniform shop volunteer, ‘coverer’ of library books or have helped out with Robo Recess, sporting teams and other school or extra curricular events please give yourself a night off and come along to Event Cinemas Kotara on Thursday 20th May. Please see the attached brochure for details.
Uniforms
Next week Lowes have a 20% off sale for all stock, including school uniforms. This applies to both online and in store purchases. To be eligible for the discount you need to be a Lowes Card holder however this could be done on the day, in store or online and there is no fee. The formal change over date from summer to winter uniform is Monday 10th May, however if your daughter does not have a winter tunic and is waiting on the trousers they are able to continue wearing their summer uniform.
P&F Meetings
This week’s P&F meeting was once again a hybrid one, meaning that we had a live meeting in the school library but also ran it as a Zoom meeting. Both meetings were very well attended and we thank those parents who participated either from home or in person. We will continue to run the meetings in this way and look forward to seeing more of you either at school or on the screen. Please remember to email the P&F any items you would like to raise at these meetings sjpandf@gmail.com
Share a Story - Let’s make time for a book every day!
World Book Day took place last Friday. It’s an event which takes place annually on 23 April in most places around the world. The day aims to changes lives through a love of books and shared reading.
Did you know that reading for just twenty minutes per day can have a myriad of health benefits including boosting your mental and physical wellbeing? It also improves your memory, ability to focus and powers of concentration? Reading is also closely linked to our ability to building empathy for others. Reading for 20 minutes a day has also been shown to improve your general knowledge, create a stronger vocabulary, increase analytical skills, and make you better at conversations.
Reading for twenty minutes a day exposes our kids to a vast quantity of words - 1.8 million in each school year, actually! This exposure makes our kids more likely to thrive in all facets of their lives.
This year, World Book Day’s theme was 'Share a Story'. So, whether you are a kid or kid at heart, why not pick up a book today and begin sharing a story? Let’s make time for a book every day!
I look forward to seeing many of you at our various events next week.
Karen
Important Dates
3-7 May | Catholic Schools Week |
3 May | Catholic Schools Week Liturgy, Open classrooms & picnic lunch |
5 May | Athletics Carnival |
7 May | Mother's Day Breakfast & Liturgy |
11 - 20 May | NAPLAN |
14 May | School Disco |
14 May | Athletics Carnival Ribbon Presentation |
Please note the following dates are scheduled for Staff Development Days later in the year and subsequently will be Pupil Free Days:
Friday 18th June, Friday 25th June and Friday 16th July
Principal Awards
Curriculum Corner - Renata Powell
Year 6 Canberra Excursion
Year 6 are very excited to be attending the Canberra excursion this year! They will be going from Wednesday 26th to Friday 28th May. This excursion is going to be jam-packed with activities, some of which include a visit to Parliament House, National War Memorial and the Australian Institute of Sports. In preparation for the excursion we are holding a parent information session. This is a new initiative for this year as this cohort of students were not able to experience the Great Aussie Bush Camp last year and due to COVID regulations. This evening is going to be held in the St Joseph’s school hall on Wednesday 12th May at 6:00pm. We ask that, where possible, one parent is present at the meeting, as important information will be shared. Students are not required to attend this meeting as the information will be shared with them in class.
NAPLAN 2021
Students in Year 3 and Year 5 will be participating in the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) from the 11th - 21st May. NAPLAN is an annual assessment for all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. It tests the types of skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life. The tests cover skills in reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy. The assessments are undertaken every year, commencing in the second full week in May. As the majority of the tests are online, St Joseph’s has developed a timetable which spreads the tests out over the fortnight. Below is a draft of this timetable. Please be aware that it may be adjusted and changed as required. We thank Laura Slattery and Dee Milgate for the coordination of the testing.
Week 4 | Mon 10th | Tues 11th | Wed 12th | Thurs 13th | Fri 14th |
Year 3 & 5 Writing | Year 5 Reading | Year 3 Reading | |||
Week 5 | Mon 17th | Tues 18th | Wed 19th | Thurs 20th | Fri 21st |
Year 3 & 5 Language Conventions | Year 3 & 5 Numeracy |
Safeguarding – Complaints Resolution
St Joseph’s implements the diocesan Complaints Resolution Policy. This policy aims to:
• Provide guidance on the approach to handle complaints fairly, efficiently and effectively.
• Inform continual improvement in the delivery of our education programs and services.
The Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle Catholic Schools Office (CSO) and schools in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle are committed to:
• Supporting an environment where issues and concerns can be raised.
• Providing a fair, efficient and accessible complaints handling process.
• Timely resolution of complaints, at the local level where possible.
• Strengthening the way we handle and resolve complaints.
If you have a concern or complaint, we ask that you follow correct process. This involves the following steps:
1. Discuss your complaint with the class teacher
2. Discuss your complaint with the Principal or their delegate
3. Contact the CSO Family Liaison Team
4. Contact the Director of Schools
5. Request an independent review
For more information, brochures are available in the school administration area or see below
Celebrating our Faith - Donna McMillan
Catholic Schools Week Prayer
Almighty and all-loving God,
with gratitude for the endeavours of Catholic education in the past,
with confidence in our Catholic pre-schools, schools and universities today, and with faith in their continuing contribution in the future,
we celebrate 200 years of Catholic education in this Great South Land.
As our Heavenly Father,
we thank you for your providential care for your children in this land in inspiring priests, religious and lay people
to found and staff our schools in ages past.
Through them the Good News of your Son was brought to the young even in colonial times – and ever since.
As Christ the Teacher,
you grace the staff and leaders of Catholic education today. As they build on the achievements of their predecessors direct them in their present efforts
to ensure that every young Australian has the opportunity for an excellent education and formation in faith.
As our Inspiring Spirit,
you lead us into the future.
In the century ahead grant those teaching and learning in our schools,
those planning and leading,
and the families and community that entrust their young people to us,
a love of learning and a willingness to be the face of Christ in the world of tomorrow.
Pour out your abundant blessings upon all involved in the ministry of Catholic education. Amen.
Our Lady of the Southern Cross – pray for us.
St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, Patron of Catholic Education in Australia – pray for us.
Amen
Guest Speakers/Story Tellers
Guest Speakers/Story Tellers Wanted!
In recognition of the 200th anniversary of Catholic education in Australia, as part of Catholic Schools Week, we would like to include, on Friday 7th May, an opportunity for our students to hear about what Catholic schools were like in the past.
We are looking for parents, grandparents or carers to share their experiences. If you could spare half an hour or so after the Mother's Day liturgy to talk to a small group, we would be very grateful. Or if you know of someone who might be keen to do this, please pass on the invite. The speakers/story tellers will have a teacher with them at all times to support them. The students are fascinated about hearing about the 'olden days' and on these occasions we generally have a captive audience.
Parents, please complete this form on Compass, by Monday 3rd May, either for yourself or someone else in the family or an acquaintance who is keen to come along and share their stories with us. We will then be in touch. Please note, it is fine to bring along any photos or objects that can assist with the sharing of stories.
We look forward to this wonderful day of sharing.
Mother's Day
ANZAC DAY
We gathered on Monday to commemorate ANZAC Day. We had a very beautiful, moving and respectful liturgy. We sincerely thank Wing Commander Mrs Aleisha Broadhead, from the Australian Defence Force for her presence and her insightful reflections. We also thank Mr Ward and the school band for their amazing music. Particular thanks to Joey Leis for his tremendous efforts to make our liturgy so special by playing the Last Post and The Rouse with Mr Ward. To our Year 2 students and teachers we are so grateful for your wonderful guidance and leadership during our 2021 commemoration.
St Joseph’s Social Justice Group
Our dedicated group are excited to pledge our support to making a difference in our local community to ensure everybody is welcome this winter.
We’re having an out of uniform day on Thursday 13th May 2021.
Please bring a cash donation to go towards Catholic Care’s food and refugee programs, ensuring locals are warm and fed this winter.
The Resurrection
Year 4 led our school community to celebrate the feast of the Resurrection. We celebrate that Jesus, who was dead, now lives again! We celebrate his risen life, his new life, our new life. We can rejoice because He is risen from the dead. Jesus shares his new life with us and we are full of joy. What a beautiful way to start Term 2!
Please see the Parish Bulletin for more details and registration for Masses in our area - https://www.newcastlecatholic.org.au/weekly-bulletins/
Athletics Carnival
Our 2021 Athletics Carnival will be held on Wednesday 5th May at the Newcastle Fearnley Dawes Athletics Track.
If you have yet to do so, please take the time to carefully read the following information that has been provided via Compass:
- 2021 Athletics Carnival Information for Parents
- Kindergarten & Year 1 Event Information
- Parent Sign Out Procedures
The following is a brief timetable of the events for the day. Times are approximate and we will try to commence earlier if possible.
2021 Athletics Carnival Timetable
9:00am - Leave School
9:30–9.45am - Carnival commences with Welcome and then straight to 200m races.
Straight after the 200m races have finished children will begin the rotational activities.
The following start times are approximations. If we can we will begin the events earlier.
10:30am - Rotational activities commence (see table below)
TIME |
Track |
Shot Put
|
Long Jump |
Lunch/ Ball Games / Rest
|
|
|
10:30am |
8, 9 & 10 Years |
11 |
12 |
|
|
|
11am |
11 |
12 |
10 |
8 (lunch) |
9 (games) |
|
11:30am |
12 |
11 (games/rest) |
10 (rest) |
8 (games) |
9 (lunch) |
|
100m - Year 1: 11.30am /Kinder: 11.45am |
||||||
12pm |
8 |
10 |
11 |
9 (rest) |
12 (lunch) |
Year 1 (relays in centre field) Year K (rest) |
12:15pm |
9 |
10 |
11 |
8 (rest) |
12 (lunch) |
Year 1 (relays in centre field) K (rest) |
12:30pm |
10 |
8 |
9 |
10 (lunch) |
12 (games/Support K/1) |
Year 1 (rest) K (relays in centre field) |
12:45pm |
11 |
8 |
9 |
10 (lunch) |
12 (games Support K/1) |
Year 1 (rest) K (relays in centre field) |
1pm |
12 |
9 |
8 |
10 (games) |
11 (lunch) |
Kinder/Year 1 return to school |
1:15pm |
12 (rest) |
9 |
8 |
10 (games) |
11 (lunch) |
|
1:30pm – Following these events children move back to the stands ready for the finals (if time allows), relays and conclusion of the carnival. |
Please note, these track times are approximations. We may run slightly ahead or behind time on the day. Track races take precedence over field events, so please listen closely for the track announcements on the day as field events may need to be suspended in order to for age groups to participate in the 100m race.
Diocesan Touch Football
Congratulations to Chase Firman who was successful at the Diocesan Touch Football Trial, held on Wednesday 21st April. This selection means that Chase will now progress to the Polding Touch Football Trials on Friday 28th May in Port Macquarie. We wish Chase all the very best for the upcoming trial.
Polding Winter Trials
The Polding Winter Sports Trials were held in Bathurst, last Friday 23rd April.
We had several students from St Joseph’s attend the trials:
Hockey – Joey Leis
Soccer – Isaac Flanagan & Gizelle Griffiths
Rugby League – Xavier Heaney & Chase Firman
While these students were not selected for the Polding Squad, they put in a fantastic effort, learning a great deal from the experience and having a lot of fun. We congratulate each of them on representing both themselves and their school at such a high level.
PSSA NSW AFL
We are excited to congratulate Elliot Mole and Chase Firman on their selection for the upcoming AFL State Championships, which will be held from 4-6th May in Byron Bay.
We know that both boys will do their very best at this event and represent themselves and St Joseph’s with great pride. We wish them every success!
Diocesan Cross Country
Congratulations to our Diocesan Cross Country team for their outstanding efforts at yesterday's event!
Each and every team member put in their best performance, with nearly every runner significantly improving on their school cross country time.
Event times are as follows:
8-9 Years Boys 8-9 Years Girls
Archie Doyle 7.32 Lily Graham 9.07
Felix Pasvolsky 8.55 Adelaide Morton 9.18
Vincent Maxwell 9.14 Dearbhla Corcoran 10.01
10 Years Boys 10 Years Girls
Sidney Maxwell 7.56 Isabelle Gill 9.30
Xavier Minto 8.13 Hannah Webber 9.40
Harrison Coppola 8.13 Chloe Webber 10.53
11 Years Boys 11 Years Girls
Elliot Mole 12.27 Edie Callinan - DNF/injured
Hamish Stanger 14.17
Spencer Smith 14.23
12 Years Girls
Eden Buxton 14.22
Lucia Minto 14.48
Olivia Halverson 15.10
Archie Doyle, Lily Graham, Sidney Maxwell and Elliot Mole all finished within the top 8 for their age division and will now progress through to the upcoming Polding Cross Country event at Eastern Creek. We wish them all the very best for this event.
Futsal
On Wednesday 19th May, Mr Watson will take a senior boys team, a senior girls team and a junior boys team, made up of students from Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 to represent St Joseph’s in the Newcastle Futsal Tournament. The tournament will be held at Genesis Newcastle and will see the St Joseph’s teams compete against other schools from all across the Newcastle Region.
The teams are as follows:
Senior Boys Hamish Stanger Christiaan Chateau Domenic Papichio Zach McGready Zac Griffiths Lucas Vickery Mason Van Huisstede Kalani Pinto Peter Higgins Oliver Cruz |
Senior Girls Sienna Friend Chloe O’Donahue Olivia Halverson Eden Buxton Lillian Scanlon Sunny Hardy Abbie Hartnett Madeline Lusby Aurelia Francis Isabelle Mercieca |
Junior Boys Darcy Williams James Shewsbury Jacob Flynn Callum Van Huisstede Xavier Minto Otis Charnock Felix Pasvolsky Archie Doyle Max O’Donahue Evan Beacher |
We wish them every success and look forward to hearing about their experiences in an upcoming newsletter.
In other Futsal news, the National Futsal Championship was held over the Easter Long weekend and the following St Joseph’s students were selected to represent Northern NSW (NNSW) at the Championships, in Penrith, Sydney.
Christiaan Chateau (Yr 5), Hamish Stanger (Yr 5) and Zac McGready (Yr 6)
The boys played three consecutive days (Easter Sat, Easter Sun & Easter Mon) playing against other state teams from QLD, ACT, VIC, TAS, NSW Sydney & Central Coast. They competed between two to three games per day. Whilst the boys didn’t make the finals, they walked away with some great wins, close ties and losses. Making new friendships, new experiences and great exposure for the boys at National level.
This event was postponed numerous times during 2020 and early 2021 due to COVID and border closures! Thankfully in the end it happened and what a great achievement for the boys!
Upcoming Dates
School Athletics Carnival: Wednesday 5th May
Polding Cross Country: Tuesday 8th June
Central Region Athletics Carnival: Friday 11th June
1B News
English
1B engage in daily reading, writing and speaking and listening lessons. They continue to develop their skills across these domains. A regular day in Year 1 begins with a phonics lesson in which the students ‘warm-up’ and learn new skills to apply during learning to read activities. 1 Blue are learning to read by decoding words rather than guessing words. They work hard every day to learn and apply new skills. They enjoy writing activities and engage in lessons with enthusiasm. They are currently learning to write persuasive texts. These texts will include letters, posters, emails and advertisements.
Maths
Our Maths work continues to focus on developing a deep understanding of numbers. They do this by working with ‘hands on’ equipment to make and represent numbers with a variety of materials. They investigate and compare numbers and describe numbers such as 23 as ‘2 tens and 3 ones’. Here are some of the ways that we can represent the number 23.
Religion
Students will learn about ways the Jewish people and their special relationship with God are revealed through the stories, people and events recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures. They will learn about ways that the Hebrew Scriptures describe God’s presence in the lives of people who lived at the time,
Science and Technology
During Science lessons students will investigate how materials can be changed, manipulated and combined. They will follow the design process to create objects by manipulating and combining materials. The students will make predictions and observe and record their results. So far they have chosen items in the classroom to make their predictions and then tested the objects to find out if they could bend, stretch, twist or scrunch. They also tested the elasticity of snake lollies. They investigated three different brands to find out which brand of snake has the most elasticity. There is much more fun to come in this unit of work.
HSIE: History - Celebrations and Significant Events Through the Years
In this unit, the students will examine how the present, past and future are signified by terms indicating time such as ‘a long time’, ‘then and now’, ‘now and then’, ‘old and new’, ‘tomorrow’, as well as by dates and changes that may have personal significance, such as birthdays, celebrations and seasons. We will identify days, holidays, events celebrated by students and their families. They will explore and experience cultural differences of how different days are celebrated across different cultures. During a recent play experience with our provocations a group of students organised a tea party to celebrate the Queen’s birthday.
PDHPE
1B have been preparing for our Athletics Carnival in Week 3 of this term. They have been learning to run in a straight line, looking forward, holding their head up and using their arms effectively to improve their running skills. They have also practised a variety of ball games such as, Tunnel Ball and Under and Over that require efficient teamwork. They are looking forward to attending their very first Athletics Carnival as students of St. Joseph’s Merewether. Year 5 and Year 1 have teamed up to spend some time together each fortnight to develop positive relationships across the school. We aim to meet once a fortnight to share the learning that we have been doing. Year 5 and Year 1 spent some time together this week so they could get to know each other. Year 1 surprised the students in Year 5 with their reading skills. Both grades are looking forward to the time that they will spend together. Year 1 would like to thank Year 5 for their kind and caring interactions.
Music
During music lessons the students have been responding to a range of music, expressing likes and dislikes and the reasons for these choices. This week the students listened to Eye of the Tiger, the Rugrats theme song, halloween 'spooky' music and Funeral March by Chopin. They illustrated how the songs made them feel and what the song made them visualise.
Premier’s Reading Challenge
At St Joseph’s we encourage all our students to participate in the Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC). Students received a card with their logon and password last term.
Reading lists must be completed by 20th August 2021. PRC books in our library are marked with a coloured sticker on the top of the spine. ID numbers are written on the first page.
Congratulations to these students who have recently completed the challenge:
Louis Seysener, Audrey Johnson, Erica Lane, Alexander Seysener, Lewis Kong, Eve Dagwell, Adelaide Fitzgerald, Matisse Sellis, Grace Williams, Amelie Mansour, Juliette Seysener, Joseph Cootes, Hannah Hickey Attwell, Xavier Minto and Elliot Mole.
Well done everyone!
Book Club
Issue 3 of Book Club has been sent home this week. Cash orders should be taken to the library on Monday, 3rd May. Online orders will close at 10am on Tuesday, 4th May. Don’t forget the GIFT option if you don’t want the books handed to your child/children. I will contact you when books arrive to arrange pick up.
Happy reading!
School Fees
As you are aware we have moved to an annual billing cycle.
We ask that parents that have not yet returned their Payment Frequency Form please complete and return to the office as soon as possible
We remind you that fee payments should have commenced by now and if paying by instalment we ask that accounts are finalised by 30 November 2021. If paying in full please finalise prior to 30 June 2021.
Payments can be made via BPay, direct debit or credit card.
For families experiencing financial hardship, or wishing to discuss other payment arrangements please contact the Office.
School Photos
School Photos will be on 22 June 2021.
P&F News
School Disco