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18 June | Family Mass | St Joseph's Church |
20 June | NNSW Futsal - State Championships | Maitland |
21 June | AFL Paul Kelly Cup | |
23 June | St Joey's Social Justice Walk | |
25 June | World Meeting of Families Picnic | Dixon Park |
27 June - 1 July | 3 Way Conferences | |
28 June | NAIDOC Week Liturgy | |
1 July | Last day of Term 2 | |
18 July | First day of Term 3 | |
Dear Parents,
Last week a number of our students represented St Joseph’s at our regional athletics carnival. They did themselves and us very proud in their accomplishments on the field however the story that I am most proud of, and which was shared with me by parents and staff who attended on the day was one that showed incredible sportsmanship, camaraderie and tenacity. I am sure, when you read the story below, which a parent took the time to share with us, you will see why we are so proud of our students.
At the start of the 800m boys race, Callum was tripped, resulting in him falling and some of the field going over the top of him, causing injury. Full credit to Harrison C, who in a selfless act, gave up his race opportunity to go back, help Callum up and run beside him, continuing to pat him on the back and encourage him to keep going, whilst Callum was clearly hurting. It was the best feeling watching them finish the race together. I am so proud of both boys and full credit to their families for raising such fine young men.
Congratulations to Harrison for his selflessness, great sportsmanship and showing that care for another human being is more important than winning. Also to Callum who could have given up, but showed great resilience to continue on and finish the race. Harrison gave up his chance to make it to the diocesan carnival and Callum could have withdrawn from the remainder of his events but he fronted back up a little later for the 1500m race.
What great qualities they both showed on the day and what terrific role models they both are for the rest of our community. Well done boys!
The Junction Fair
It has come to our attention over the last couple of weeks that a number of our children, after being dropped at school of a morning, are going shopping in The Junction Fair. This is of great concern to us, as in many cases, you as the parents, believe that your children are in the school grounds safe and sound whereas on our hand we haven’t seen them as they haven’t entered the school.
Please talk to your children about the need for entering the school and not going elsewhere when you drop them at school of a morning. If you do give them permission to purchase something before school, for example their recess or lunch, we ask that you drop them at the shops rather than school.
This practice seems to be one that mainly involves our primary students. Thank you for your support with this and working together with us to keep all our children safe.
Podcasts
Recently I have listened to two podcasts that I have found interesting and thought you may too. They are both with Maggie Dent, family counsellor, mother, grandmother and teacher.
She’s particularly easy to listen to and with very straightforward and practical ideas. If you are interested the links are:
Helping teenage boys grow into good men
Maggie has her own website with readings, podcasts and videos that you can also access at “Parental as Anything"
Here she gives you practical tips and answers to your real-world parenting dilemmas. She talks to parenting experts from around the world to find practical solutions to the challenges every parent is facing today. Her aim is to help you be the parent you really want to be and give you ideas on how you can raise healthy kids who thrive.
Reminder:
Don’t forget to book a 3 way conference time for Week 10 with your child’s teacher. Details are on Compass.
Enjoy time spent with your families,
Karen
Semester 1 Reports
Reports will be made available to parents on Friday 24th June (Week 9). Please see the information below regarding booking for 3 Way Conferences (Parent Teacher Interviews)
3 Way Conferences (Parent Teacher Interviews)
You are invited to book your parent teacher conferences via the Compass App or a computer by following the attached instructions.
Bookings are now open on the Compass App and will close on Friday 24 June.
Wednesday, 29 June is our designated Parent/Teacher interview evening, however, you will see that other times during Week 10 are also available.
This year, we will be trialling a new 3 way conference approach for these interviews. This approach includes the parent/s, teacher and student in the conference. During this time teachers will share 3 student goals in the following areas:
- English
- Mathematics
- Learning Dispositions/Work Habits/Social or Emotional
These goals will align closely to the ‘areas for development’ within the student reports.
Students will select one of these goals as their main area of focus for development in the coming weeks.
Parents will then be asked to select a goal for their child. This could be one of the outlined teacher goals, or one that the parent has identified as a further area of growth for their child.
Please come to this conference to listen, acknowledge your child’s efforts and progress at school and we ask that prior to the conference you have read and discussed the report with your child/children.
Positive Behaviours for Learning (PBL)
Our final PBL focus this term is Do Your Best – Be A Team Member. This is an important focus area as children learn the importance of contributing to a group goal, rather than an individual goal. They will be discussing the qualities of being a good team player such as sharing tasks equally, being fair, including others, encouraging others, demonstrating focus and displaying a commitment to the task. By evaluating several different scenarios, students will identify how they can become even better team players. If you have an opportunity, please discuss these concepts with your children at home.
Being halfway through the token 5-week block, we look forward to giving students a progress report on a token count next week.
Safeguarding
Refugee Week
Refugee Week runs from Sunday 19- Saturday 25 June. It is a unique opportunity for us all to experience and celebrate the rich diversity of refugee communities through theatre, music, dance, film and other events which take place all over Australia and highlight the aims of the Week, as outlined here
Student Council News
Canteen
As part of our canteen revitalisation project, the Student Council ran a competition early this term to rename the school canteen.
We received over 100 entries in the competition, many of which were very creative. These were narrowed down to a top 30 and voted on by the Student Council. From this vote the top 5 entries were selected. These included:
- Joey’s Joint
- The Delicious Den
- Yaragan Place (Awabakal for hungry)
- Merewether Munchies
- Joey’s Snack Shack
The whole school then took part in the final vote and we are pleased to announce that the winning entry, with 97 votes, was Joey’s Snack Shack.
We would like to congratulate Frankie L from 5 Gold on her winning entry. Frankie will be presented with her prize of a canteen voucher in the coming week.
Please stay tuned for further canteen developments in the weeks to come.
Prayer – Scripture Reading
Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus - Friday 24th June 2022
Prayer to the Sacred Heart
O most holy Heart of Jesus, fountain of every blessing,
I adore you, I love you and will a lively sorrow for my sins.
I offer you this poor heart of mine.
Make me humble, patient, pure, and wholly obedient to your will.
Grant, good Jesus, that I may live in you and for you.
Protect me in the midst of danger; comfort me in my afflictions;
give me health of body, assistance in my temporal needs,
your blessings on all that I do, and the grace of a holy death.
Within your heart I place my every care.
In every need let me come to you with humble trust saying,
Heart of Jesus, help me.
Amen.
Sacramental Program
Many children from our St Joseph’s community and the wider Newcastle Parish over the next few weekends will receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion. It will been a privilege for our community to join these students at St Joseph’s Church or Sacred Heart Cathedral as they make their First Holy Communion and experience this very special sacrament of receiving the Body and Blood of Christ. Thank you to those in the community who have supported the children and families during the Sacramental Program. We continue to pray for these children as they continue on their faith journey.
St Vincent de Paul Winter appeal
Members from St Vincent De Paul will be visiting us to collect items on Thursday 23rd June 2022 at 9.00am. Please ensure all donations are delivered to the classrooms prior to this date.
KB |
Blankets |
KG |
Blankets |
1B |
Spreads ie; Vegemite, jam |
1G |
Packet ready meals |
2B |
Baby Food |
2G |
Canned vegetables |
3B |
Long life milk and juice |
3G |
Canned spaghetti & baked beans |
4B |
Canned or packet soup |
4G |
Canned fruit |
5B |
Crackers and biscuits |
5G |
Milo/tea/coffee |
6B |
Oats/breakfast cereal |
6G |
Dried pasta and rice |
Financial donations can be made via QKR.
Blankets are another supply that would be gratefully received this year. Please ensure blankets and warm clothes are in good condition by asking, ‘Would I give this to a friend?’
Thank you in advance for your kind support.
Family Mass
Sacred Heart Cathedral Sunday June 19 at 9.30 am.
St Joseph’s and Holy Family schools are inviting our families and community to a Family Mass at 9.30am at Sacred Heart Cathedral. This Mass is to commemorate Pope Francis World Meeting of Families (WMOF) and will be celebrated with Fr John.
We will also celebrate with our children who are making their First Holy Communion.
“Family love: a vocation and a path to holiness.”
We welcome all children and have something special to share with them at the end of the service.
ALL WELCOME!!!!
Social Justice Walk
You are invited to join together for the St Joey's Merewether Social Justice Walk being held on Thursday 23 June at 9.00am.
We will meet at school in the playground and then begin with prayer in our Aboriginal sacred space before walking to the beach for a coffee and a catch up.
All are welcome
World Meeting of Families
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.
Regional Athletics
Last Friday a team of champion 52 athletes from St Joseph’s attended the Central Region Athletics Carnival at the Fearnley Dawes Athletics Track. Despite the absolutely freezing weather conditions, the students from St Joseph’s did their best and competed exceptionally well.
Our students displayed great sportsmanship throughout the day, cheering each other on and encouraging each other. Many of our students have progressed to the next stage of competition and will compete at the Maitland Newcastle Diocesan Carnival in Term 3.
Congratulations to these students: Ava K, Jacob F, Violet L, Archie D, Felix P, Elliot M, Maisie S, Oliver S, Maya V, Sidney M, Amalia S, Hannah W, Evan B, Byron S, Lucas V and Adelaide M.
A special thank you to the teachers who attended as officials and to the student teachers from Newcastle University who also assisted on the day.
- Anne-Maree Mantach
Futsal
Following on from their amazing success at the local gala day at Howzat on the 30th May, 3 teams will be representing St Joseph’s, vying for the state title for Futsal. We will be entering a Senior Boys Team (5/6), Senior Girls Team (5/6) and a Junior Boys Team (3/4).
Junior Boys Under 10s |
Boys Snr Under 12s |
Girls Snr Under 12s |
Archie D |
Ollie C |
Violet L |
Otis C |
Kalani P |
Rosa L |
Max O |
Christian E |
Frankie L |
Felix P |
Hamish S |
Libby D |
Evan B |
Darcy W |
Eleonor M |
Antonio C |
Lukas M |
Edie C |
Joseph C |
Joey L |
Aurelia F |
Harry S |
Theo S |
Soifia H |
Hayden C |
Jacob F |
Anderson C |
Gabe F |
Mason V |
|
The state titles will be held at Maitland Basketball Stadium, Bents Street Maitland, with Fiona McCalden as our supervising teacher.
The day will begin at 8:30am with a team get together. The games start at 9.00 am and finish between 2.30 and 3.00 pm. Parents are responsible for transporting their children to and from the games.
- Students will be required to wear sports uniform (shirt and socks will provided by the school on the day)
- If you have a school soccer shirt and socks at home from your previous games, please keep them at home until after our Maitland games. You will need to bring a spare shirt to get changed into after the games, as we will need to collect the school futsal shirts which are provided to you.
- Children may choose to play in either joggers or futsal boots.
- Children will need to wear shin pads.
- Please bring goal keeping gloves if you play goalkeeper.
- Children should bring their own lunch/snacks for the day, water bottle and any required medication, e.g. asthma puffers.
If for any reason your child will not be attending the event, please email Fiona McCalden directly on fiona.mccalden@mn.catholic.edu.au prior to 6:00pm on Sunday. This will allow time to reorganise the team if necessary.
AFL - Paul Kelly Cup
We have some very excited athletes ready to compete in the Paul Kelly Cup in Week 9. With the balls skills and speed we have within this team, I am excited to see the boys take on this challenge for the day.
Good luck to the following boys:
Mason V, Theo S, Spencer S, Heath A, Hugh M, James S, Elliot M, Harry H, Hamish S, Callum V, Jacob F, Lucas V, Sidney M, Byron S, Max L, Darcy W, Gus M and Luca W
A special thank you to David Flynn and Mark Van Huisstede for offering their time for training sessions before the game along with their coaching expertise on the day. Your support and knowledge is invaluable!
Students will need to arrive by 8:30am for briefing and warm up, with the first games beginning at 9:30am. Students will need to make their way to Feighan Oval, Seaman Ave, Warners Bay. Students will finish up at 1:45pm and parents are responsible for transporting their child to and from the event.
There will be NO Canteen on the day, and students are required to bring lunch, recess, snacks and water for the day.
Please click here to view draw. Results and the live ladder will be updated on Play HQ during the day.
Cross Country
On Tuesday, 7th June, Ava K, Lily G and Archie D attended the Cross Country Polding event at Sydney Motor Sport Park.
Not only was it a tough run, with all competitors giving it their absolute all, they also had to compete with the bitterly cold winter and frost, adding an extra challenge to the day.
Congratulations to Ava, Lily and Archie for not only making it this far, but for making everyone at St Joseph’s proud.
Archie D came 4th and will be progressing to State.
Ava K finished 8th and ran a Personal Best time from 43 runners in the 8/9 years category and is a now reserve for the NSW State Championship.
Ava, Lily and Archie also won a gold medal each in the overall finishing team within their age groups, as the Hunter/Maitland team had all 8 runners from Hunter finish before any other region. How amazing is our Diocese! Go Joey’s!
Rugby Union
On Monday of Week 10, three skillful athletes - Spencer S, Hugh M and Sidney M, will be competing at the Polding level in Rugby Union. Congratulations on making it this far and we wish you the best of luck with the next games! - Eleonor M
Rugby League
A big congratulations to Sidney M, a talented League player who achieved an astonishing 7th place ranking in the Polding competition – out of 13 teams! Great work, Sidney! - Eleonor M
Hunter Schools Mountain Bike XCO Championships 2022
The Hunter Schools Mountain Bike XCO Championships was held on Thursday, 9th June, with our own dare devil biker, Spencer S, representing St Joseph’s.
Spencer competed in the Under 13s where he raced against other like-minded, outdoor enthusiasts, riding over tough terrain, dirt jumps all at high speeds.
With over 50 competitors, Spencer came 4th which is a massive achievement! An excellent result, Spencer.
Here is what Spencer had to say of his experience:
‘It was my second competition. I was nervous. I was talking to my friends, then the gun blew and we were off. There was some fierce competition, but I managed to surprise myself by coming 4th.
I had to concentrate because it was a fast single track and long fire roads. The climb was three laps each around 3km. When we finished the race, there was a sausage sizzle and a sort of canteen where you bought water and drinks. Altogether it was a blast of a day, and I can't wait to do it again’. - Spencer S
Sport Coordinator
Emma Cook
Creative Arts
Music Concert
Students at St Joseph’s have so many wonderful opportunities to learn to play a musical instrument with private tutors as well as with Mrs Butler in the Music Room. We are so proud of their persistence, focus and dedication that we have decided to showcase their talents on stage for a Mid-Year Performance. Parents, grandparents and friends are all invited to attend an afternoon of melodic magic from some of our students here at St Joseph's. The performance will include some of our students who learn guitar, ukulele, piano and violin. We hope you can join us to celebrate Music and the joy it brings when we are able to experience it together.
When: 29th June
Time: 2.05pm-2.50pm
Where: School Hall
School Fees
If you nominated to pay your school fees annually, a reminder that these are due by 30 June.
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