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Dear Parents,
This last fortnight has been yet again another one full of major events in the life of our St Joseph’s students.
Catholic Schools Week (CSW)
During the week of the 23-27 May 2022, we celebrate Catholic Schools Week across the many schools in our diocese. As an annual event, it is a time where we celebrate the remarkable work, passion, and enthusiasm our Catholic schools exhibit daily. We recognise these places as learning communities who are committed to excellence through the education of the ‘whole child,’ providing an all-round education that nurtures each student spiritually, intellectually, socially, and physically. It is this education that enables all students to flourish and become the best versions of themselves.
This year our Catholic Schools Week theme is “Fully Alive,” which reminds us that we are most alive when we are in touch with our inner selves and can acknowledge deep connections between ourselves, God, others, and creation. As communities of faith, we are called to grow in awareness of the life in and around us, to live more fully and not to “settle for a bland and mediocre existence” (Pope Francis, Gaudete Et Exsultate). In a world that is unconsciously losing touch with this inner awareness, our theme encourages us to live in harmony with all of creation, to cultivate a Sacramental Imagination that enables us to recognise the beauty of God in all things.
As we embark on this significant occasion for all our schools, may we truly honour the privileged gift of Catholic education and for all those who contribute to its vitality and spirit. May we too celebrate our young people, who are formed to be good citizens of the world, who love God and neighbour, and who enrich our society by living out the call of the Gospel.
May we all strive to live in active service of Jesus and His mission as we celebrate together during Catholic Schools Week and always.
Though Catholic Schools Week started wet and dismal, and our contingency plans had to come into action and we moved our liturgy from outside into the hall, it was still a magnificent way to kick start CSW. We hope the colourful array of bunting cheered you and your children up, upon entering our school this morning and that if you were able to join in the liturgy and /or class visits that you had an enjoyable morning. I know both the students and staff were very much looking forward to you joining with us to celebrate what we think is a terrific school that provides your children with a safe and supportive environment based on Gospel values along with a quality education. You are very welcome to join us this Thursday afternoon, from 2:05pm, for further CSW events.
We were also pleased to acknowledge Mrs Felicity Peart for 25 years of service to Catholic education and to Mrs Karli Chenery from the Catholic Schools Office for sharing with the school her thoughts on what being "fully alive" means.
Canberra Excursion
I was privileged to be a part of the Year 6 excursion to Canberra last week. We were extremely fortunate to have beautiful weather – blue skies and sunshine each day and not too cold.
To be part of such excursions gives us, the staff, a wonderful opportunity to relate to the children on a different level to school. It is so enlightening to observe them in terms of their skills of independence and in their relationships with others away from home and in unfamiliar situations.
The three days away were extremely busy as our itinerary was designed to make the absolute most of our time away. We visited Old Parliament House, where the students learnt about democracy and got to sit in the House of Representatives, along with sitting in a mock House of Representatives in the new Parliament House and role playing the passing of a bill. We couldn’t have picked a better time to be in Canberra – several days before a Federal Election! I am sure the activities the students engaged in at the Australian Electoral Commission helped them have a greater understanding with what they saw and heard over the weekend in relation to the election results. The National Capital Exhibition, The Australian Mint and National Art Gallery were also fascinating places to visit and where the students engaged thoroughly with the guides. We were also fortunate to be invited onto the Aboriginal Tent Embassy lands and participate in a smoking ceremony there and learn about the embassy’s history. Government House, along with its magnificent grounds and Silver Ghost Rolls Royce the Governor General uses for significant occasions impressed everyone, and for some light relief there was also orienteering at the National Arboretum, discovering fascinating facts at the Dinosaur Museum and engaging in lots of hand on activities at Questacon.
An experience I think that will stay with all of the students for a long time, besides the fun and games that comes along being with friends and sleeping away from home in their own rooms together, is the participation in the Last Post Ceremony at the War Memorial. We were very honoured to have prime position beside the Pool of Reflection. The ceremony began with the Australian National Anthem followed by the Piper's Lament. Luca and Eleanor, our two school captains, then each laid a wreath beside the pool. An individual's story was told, and by chance, it was of a Newcastle soldier, and the Ode was recited by Australian Defence Force personnel. The ceremony ended with the sounding of the Last Post and doors of the Hall of Memory closed.
On a number of occasions, I was approached by guides or members of the public who commented on how respectful, insightful or engaged our students were. I was incredibly proud of them and hope their parents will be too.
I would like to thank the adults who came along on this trip, Miss Emma Cook, Miss Zoe Parish, Mr Michael Nolan and Mr Terry Collins. They definitely went above and beyond in their care, support and supervision of our students. They were on the go, from 5:30am – to very late at night every day, without 5 minutes to themselves, and for this I offer my greatest gratitude. Without them giving of themselves so selflessly, such an excursion could never have taken place.
Stop Work Action this Friday 27th May
A number of our staff will be participating in Stop Work action this Friday 27th May as part of claims for a new enterprise agreement. There will be no classes at school on this day, however, there will be supervision of students for any families that are unable to make other arrangements.
Please see the attached letter from Gerard Mowbray, director of the Catholic Schools Office.
Athletics Carnival
On Wednesday 11th May our whole school was very fortunate to participate in our annual Athletics Carnival. The weather looked a bit touch and go for a while but we were in luck. Over the course of the day we saw some magnificent times run, witnessed great encouragement of one another, along with children going out of their comfort zones and giving things a try, and there were also lots and lots of smiles! It was a terrific day for everyone - participants, staff, volunteers and spectators and I thank all those who made it such a great success.
Newcastle Catholic secondary schools transitioning to Years 7 to 12
Over the next five years, the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle is renewing its approach to secondary schooling in Newcastle to ensure it best supports the educational needs and outcomes for its students now, and as we look to the future.
The Trustees of the Diocese have made the decision to transition all secondary schools in Newcastle to Years 7 to 12. The transition will occur in a staged and planned way.
From 2024, Catholic secondary schools in Newcastle will be commencing a staged transition to Year 7 to Year 12 schools, this includes:
- San Clemente High School, Mayfield – with the inclusion of Years 11 and 12
- St Francis Xavier’s College, Hamilton – with the inclusion of Years 7, 8, 9 and 10
- St Pius X High School, Adamstown – with the inclusion of Years 11 and 12
The transition of schools to a full Year 7 to Year 12 complement is expected to be completed no later than 2027.
We understand that such changes may raise questions about enrolment, zoning, timelines and logistics of the implementation in your family and our school community.
You are invited to read more on the website here and participate in the implementation planning activities to ask questions. All staff, students, families and the wider community are invited to collaborate on the implementation plan to meet the unique needs of each school.
Parent Webinar
Positive Choices are offering a one-hour free webinar on e-cigarettes and vaping in young people on Wednesday 1 June at 12.30pm (AEST).
In this webinar Dr Emily Stocking from the Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney, will:
- Give an overview of e-cigarette trends in Australia
- Give an update on upcoming trials and resources
- Provide some brief tips for engaging in conversations about vaping with young people.
There will also be time for a Q&A at the end of the webinar.
You can register for the webinar here.
P&F/School Events Calendar
The P&F Executive and School Leadership team have been working together to compile a calendar for the various events that will be taking place over the course of the year. In some cases there may need to be change, however it gives you a clear indication of what we plan to have throughout the year and at what time of year. We hope you find this informative.
Enjoy celebrating Catholic Schools Week with your children,
Karen
23- 27 May | Catholic Schools Week |
26 May | National Sorry Day |
26 May | Year 2 Tocal Excursion |
27 May - 3 Jun | Reconciliation Week |
3 Jun | Pupil Free Day - Staff Development Day |
NAPLAN
We have now completed the NAPLAN testing fortnight. We would like to thank the teachers in Years 3 & 5, Mrs Milgate, Mrs Pearson and the learning support staff for your assistance, to ensure the smooth running of NAPLAN. Most of all, we would like to thank and congratulate the Years 3 & 5 students for their focus and engagement in the NAPLAN tests.
It is important to remember that these tests only give us a snapshot of where the students are on their learning journey. Teachers analyse the results to assist students to continue to grow in their skills and understanding of the curriculum. This is only one tool teachers use to measure progress. Students are also regularly assessed within the classroom activities. The data collected regularly by staff enables the teachers to help develop your child and target their individual needs, through appropriate planning and curriculum delivery, to improve the learning outcomes for each child.
If you have any concerns about your child’s progress, appointments to discuss the issue with your child’s teacher can be made through the school office. Official interviews for families will be conducted later this term. This is an opportunity which is offered by the school for you to discuss your child’s learning
University of Newcastle Student Placement
St Joseph’s will host 4 student teachers from the University of Newcastle in Weeks 7-10 of this term. These students are in the second year of their teaching degree, and this will be their first school placement. Student teachers will be observing lessons in the classroom, facilitating small group learning, teaching whole class lessons, completing playground duties and attending staff professional development meetings. We are grateful to 4B and 6G teachers who have offered to work alongside these beginner teachers. We have so much to share here at St Joseph’s and it is great to see that we can nurture and build the future of our teaching profession in this way.
Positive Behaviours for Learning (PBL)
Be Respectful: Use kind words and actions
In class and on the playground, our PBL focus for this fortnight is to use kind words and actions. Students are reflecting on the impact, on others and ourselves, when we use kind/unkind words. They will be identifying what these actions look like, sound like and feel like. Students will be looking at an example of a kindness grid, as shown below, and seeing if they can be creative and think of their own ways to show kindness towards others. Please keep this conversation going at home.
Students are enjoying taking their class tokens to the colour house boxes and watching the numbers rise. Special thanks to our dedicated Sports Captains for counting our tokens. The end of Week 5 will mark the next time we announce who the mid-term winning colour house will be.
National Volunteers Week
We would like to take the opportunity to thank all those parents, carers and grandparents who volunteer in our school community. From the Canteen and the classroom to sports marshalls and coaches, all of your efforts are so greatly appreciated, and we could not deliver these services/events without your support. Please know that you are all highly regarded by the staff.
Athletics Carnival
God answered our prayers for our Athletics Carnival and the rain held off for a successful carnival at Fearnley Dawes Track. I was not at all surprised, but warmed by the love, support and encouragement students had for their peers. I saw them cheering their friends on, encouraging each other to ‘have a go’ and rallying around those that need to be lifted up. It was lovely to witness.
Thank you to the parents for coming out to cheer on our students. It definitely would not have been as enjoyable and exciting for our students if they were racing without spectators. A huge thank you to our parent volunteers who gave up their time to assist on the day. Events like these really need all hands on deck and it would not have been as successful without your help. I am proud that here at St Joseph’s, we have a loving and supportive school community that all work together for the betterment of our students.
The results of those progressing to Regionals will be posted on compass this week, along with student lists displayed near the Buddy Bench at school.
School Sport
Beginning in Week 5, students from K-6 will be engaging in a basketball program from external providers. Sport days will remain the same:
K-2 on Wednesdays
Yr 3 & Yr 4 on Thursdays
Yr 5 Yr 6 on Fridays
We are even lucky enough to have two professional basketballers train our students: Jessica Relf and Chyra Evans. These two ladies happen to be two of stars of the Newcastle Falcons NBL1 women’s team!
Representative Sport
AFL
We wish Elliot M, Jacob F and Aurelia F all the best for the Polding Selections this week. These students who will be playing in Coffs Harbour.
Cross Country
Ava K, Lily G, Archie D, Sidney M and Eleonor M have been practising hard for their upcoming running meet. A big thank you to Anna Graham who has volunteered to come into school to help train these students. Your support and expertise is much appreciated!
Netball Gala Day - Postponed
The NSW Netball Schools Cup orginally to be held this Wednesday has been postponed.
Upcoming Events
Futsal
The Futsal Competition will be played on Monday, 30th May (Week 6) at Howzat/Gensis in Newcastle. Fiona McCalden will be the supervising teacher on the day, and we have some parent volunteers who will be providing coaching and support on the day. Thank you to Lauren Flynn, Chris and Carly Beacher, Amy Callinan, Vicki Chateau and Steve Pasvlosky for giving up your time on the day.
The teams are below:
Boys Jnr Under 10’s |
Boys Snr Under 12’s |
Girls Snr Under 12’s |
Archie D |
Ollie C |
Violet L |
Otis C |
Kalani P |
Rosa L |
Max O |
Christian E |
Frankie L |
Felix P |
Hamish S |
Sophie M |
Evan B |
Darcy W |
Isabelle M |
Antonio C |
Lukas M |
Halle S |
Joseph C |
Edward M |
Edie C |
Harry S |
Joey L |
Aurelia F |
Hayden C |
Theo S |
|
Gabe F |
Jacob F |
|
AFL
The Paul Kelly Cup (AFL Primary Schools Competition) will be held in Warners Bay on the 21st June (Week 9). More information will be provided in the coming weeks. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough interest to form a girl's team, but we will be taking one Snr boys team made up of Year 5 and 6 students. Information will be provided closer to the date.
The team is as follows:
Mason V, Theo S, Spencer S, Heath A, Hugh M, Lukas M, Elliot M, Harry H, Callum V, Jacob Flynn and Hamish S.
Touch Football
In Term 3, we have a Touch Football Gala Day, open to all levels. Please speak to your child to see if they would be interested in competing in this event. At the end of Term 2, we will gain interest and provide further details when it is closer to the day.
Newcastle Primary School Gala Day Year 3-4
Friday 12th August 2022 – Newcastle Harness racing Club
Newcastle Primary School Gala Day Year 5-6
Friday 19th August 2022 – Newcastle Harness racing Club
We pray for good weather, sporting success and enjoyment all round during Term 2!
Sport Coordinator
Emma Cook
During the week of the 23-27 May 2022, we celebrate Catholic Schools Week across the many schools in our diocese. As an annual event, it is a time where we celebrate the remarkable work, passion, and enthusiasm our Catholic schools exhibit daily.
We recognise these places as learning communities who are committed to excellence through the education of the ‘whole child,’ providing an all-round education that nurtures each student spiritually, intellectually, socially, and physically. It is this education that enables all students to flourish and become the best versions of themselves.
This year our Catholic Schools Week theme is “Fully Alive,” which reminds us that we are most alive when we are in touch with our inner selves and can acknowledge deep connections between ourselves, God, others, and creation. As communities of faith, we are called to grow in awareness of the life in and around us, to live more fully and not to “settle for a bland and mediocre existence” (Pope Francis, Gaudete Et Exsultate).
In a world that is unconsciously losing touch with this inner awareness, our theme encourages us to live in harmony with all of creation , to cultivate a Sacramental Imagination that enables us to recognise the beauty of God in all things.
As we embark on this significant occasion for all our schools, may we truly honour the privileged gift of Catholic education and for all those who contribute to its vitality and spirit. May we too celebrate our young people, who are formed to be good citizens of the world, who love God and neighbour, and who enrich our society by living out the call of the Gospel.
May we all strive to live in active service of Jesus and His mission as we celebrate together during Catholic Schools Week and always. To celebrate this wonderful occasion of 200 years of Catholic education, a national song has been composed by Fr Rob Galea. This song can be played at Masses, special liturgies, school assemblies and 200 years events.
Prayer
Come Spirit Come, fall afresh on us. Just as you gave birth to our Church on that first Pentecost, come now and let the fire of your love enflame our hearts. May we your people, your living body, who worship here in praise and thanksgiving on this Pentecost Feast, be renewed and empowered by your Spirit. We make this prayer in your name. Amen.
Pentecost Sunday is a commemoration and celebration of the receiving of the Holy Spirit by the early church. On the day of Pentecost, just as promised, the sound of a violent wind filled the house and tongues of fire came to rest on each of the Apostle’s head and all were filled with the Holy Spirit. They were given the power of communication, which Peter used to begin the ministry for which Jesus had prepared him. After the coming of the Holy Spirit, the disciples did not stay in the room basking in God’s glory but burst out to tell the world. This was the beginning of the church as we know it.
On Monday 6th June please join us as we gather as a school community at 8:50am under the COLA at morning assembly, to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost, the birthday of the Church! This is an opportunity to reflect on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, how they can help us live more faith-filled lives and be examples of Jesus’ love and peace to others. Students from Year 3 will lead the liturgy.
Sacrament of Confirmation
Many children from our St Joseph’s community and the wider Newcastle Parish will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation soon. Fr John and Fr Greg will facilitate these sacraments on May 31st, June 1st and June 19th.Please join our families at these masses. Let us pray for these children as they continue on their journey of faith.
‘Come Holy Spirit fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.’
St Joseph’s Social Justice Group
Our SJSJ Group and Student Council are focused on organising our 2022 Winter Appeal. The St Vincent De Paul Society has requested this year that they prefer donations of blankets, money and personal messages. Mini Vinnies and the Student Council will be hosting something new this year to encourage generous donations to those in need this winter.
A Mufti Pyjama Day will be held on Tuesday 31st May 2022. The students may wear their pyjamas. All donations will go directly to the St Vincent De Paul 2022 Winter Appeal. Each class will have a basket in their room where donations may be placed. Thank you in advance for your kindness and generosity, people in need in our local community will be very grateful.
Contributions towards the 2022 Winter Appeal can be made via QKR
Community Gathering Events
Family Mass - St Joseph’s Church Sunday June 19th 2022
World Meeting of Families - Saturday June 25th 2022
Pope Francis has invited all faith communities across the world to participate in World Meetings of Families. We are excited to gather with our families for a picnic at Dixon Park on Saturday 25th June 2022 from midday to 2pm.
This will be a wonderful opportunity to socialise with families in our community and share a cuppa and a game on the grass. BYO food, drinks and any sport equipment.
Drop in anytime throughout the scheduled two hours to have a chat and for the children to have fun with friends in the open spaces.
4G News
Nearly halfway through Term 2 and the year is flying! Life in Year Four Gold is always super busy.
We are now well and truly comfortable using our devices as part of our everyday learning. They are a great tool in many different subject areas. For instance, in English, we can draft, edit and publish our writing. When we are reading and come across a word we haven’t seen before, we can quickly research it’s meaning and see how it would be used in a sentence. In Mathematics, we use them to complete our project work. For instance, we used them to research how long marine animals are, in our Length lesson. We then went on to draw and paint life size creatures.
One of the highlights of our days is Boot Camp. A loud whistle blows and off we all troop. Last term we trained for our school Cross Country and three of our students made it through to the next level. An incredible accomplishment. This term we trained for shotput, running and long jump in preparation for our Athletics Carnival. Anna Graham and Mitchell Cootes, two of our parents, came in and helped us with our running techniques.
At the moment, we are focusing on increasing our core strength as we ‘roll around’ on the soccer field. On hot days, we get to run through a spray of water at the end of our session. Boot Camp helps us to be very focused and settled when we return to the classroom.
Art is also a hugely popular activity in our room. We enjoy working with Year 4 Blue to complete a project each week. Recently we made Mother’s Day presents with coat hangers. We drew our mothers and decorated a piece of paper that we cabled tied inside the coat hanger. A pretty bow and a bit of bling and they looked great. We hope our mums enjoyed receiving them.
This week as part of our Science unit, we will be designing and building our own toys. We have undertaken research and have a clear brief about what we need to do. We look forward to sharing these with our parents during Catholic Schools’ Week.
Reading is one of the greatest delights of the world and we engage in independent, group and whole class reading daily in our classroom.
Dr Seuss said it so well……
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” - Dr. Seuss
Currently our class is reading ‘Pony’ by RJ Palacio. She also wrote the famous book ‘Wonder’. It is full of interesting words and cliff hangers. It is set in the 1800’s so it ties in nicely with our historical HSIE unit.
As we edge towards Winter, we look forward to the rest of our year together and the laughter, learning and joy we share each day. We feel blessed to be a part of this happy school community.
Aboriginal Education
Wow….Culture Club on Tuesday lunchtime continues to be a hit with our students! It is so wonderful to be able to immerse students in art and play activities inspired by First Nations Australian cultures.
Check out some of our Kinder Blue students getting their Culture Club on!
Aboriginal News…. For Interest Sake
A brief introduction to Awabakal: Newcastle was Australia’s first mission destination, which systematically worked to destroy Awabakal cultural knowledge and halt cultural practices.
Today, thankfully…Awabakal culture is re-awoken and strong in our community.
Prior to colonisation the Awabakal people practised ‘fire stick farming’, otherwise known as ‘cultural burning’. This helped them to hunt and navigate through dense prickly scrub along the coast.
Script courtesy of Awabakal Language Program.
Learn more about Awabakal here
Save the Date - Thursday 30 June
St Joseph’s Merewether NAIDOC Week celebration
Our school will celebrate NAIDOC Week in Week 10 on Thursday 30 June. This will be a very special day wil be bursting with activities which celebrate Aboriginal cultures across Australia. Some activities include bush tucker tasting, traditional Aboriginal dance lessons, Indigenous PE games, traditional smoking ceremony and watching and listening to the didgeridoo and traditional dance.
Families are invited to join us at school for the morning session of this very special day.
More information about this day will follow in the coming weeks.
Danielle Shaw
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Teacher
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