10 October 2023 (Term 4 Week 1)
Principal's News
Dear St Joseph's Community
It is hard to believe we are already in Term 4! I hope that all of our families had a restful school break and are ready for another term of learning and community building.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION
In this Sunday’s Gospel, Matthew 21:33-43, Jesus narrates the Parable of the Tenants. The vineyard owner, representing God, leases his vineyard to tenants, symbolising the people of Israel. Despite the owner sending servants and his son to collect the fruits, the tenants mistreat them, highlighting the rejection of prophets and the Messiah by the people. It is an interesting parable, teaching us about responsibility, stewardship, and the consequences of our actions. It’s a beautiful reminder for us to nurture the gifts God has entrusted to us and return them with increase. In our school, we reflect this through our motto, ‘Growth Through Love.’ We are the tenants of the young minds, cultivating them with love, care, and knowledge. Our responsibility is to provide an environment wherein our students can grow in wisdom and love, bearing fruits of kindness, generosity, and faith. Let us remember to embrace the lessons of the vineyard owner and the tenants, fostering a loving and nurturing space for our students to flourish in God’s love, contributing to a harmonious community, and living out the Gospel values every day.
PLEASE KEEP IN YOUR PRAYERS
A number of staff members have recently lost loved ones. Please pray for Miss Clark, whose father passed away late last week. Please keep Ms Kingsford in your prayers; she recently lost her uncle. Pray for Mrs McElligott whose close friend recently passed away. Pray also for Mr Seymour, who lost his grandmother in the holiday break.
Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.
FAMILY DAY CELEBRATION
A huge thank you to everyone for making our Family Day celebration such a success. It was a wonderful opportunity to come together in a spirit of love to celebrate our theme, ‘Read. Grow. Inspire’ in all of our ‘perfect imperfections’. I would like to thank Fr Max and Our Lady of the Rosary Parish for their tremendous support of the day and Fr Max, in particular, for leading our liturgy. Our liturgy was a lovely reflection of how important it is to grow and nurture our families, and it was amazing to hear our choir singing! I would like to thank the parents who helped in the canteen and at the BBQ (cooking 600 sausages!) and those who just saw a need and jumped in to help. A huge thank you to those parents who donated books to our school through the book fair in the library. Your support ensures we continue to have an amazingly resourced library to ensure our students are surrounded by quality literature. So much time and energy was invested by our staff in preparing for and organising the day. I would like to thank them for their hard work and commitment to our focus on building strong family relationships. We’d love some feedback from families about the day. You can share your thoughts via this form. Thanks again for making this such a special day!
KEVIN HOGAN MP READING AWARDS
We congratulate the four recipients of the Kevin Hogan MP Reading Awards for 2024. These were nominated for their commitment to improving their reading and their extensive use of our school library.
- Hollie Brown - Kindergarten
- Daniel Collins - Stage 1
- Eloise - Stage 2
- Harry Hoskings - Stage 3
Family Day 2023
Mission News
SOCKTOBER COLOURED SOCK DAY
On the Friday 20th October, all students are invited to wear their favourite pair of coloured socks and bring along a gold coin donation. All money raised will be donated to Catholic Mission to support vulnerable children in Timor-Leste.
SOCKTOBER SOCCER SHOOTOUT
October is World Mission Month for the Catholic Church. During the month of October, our students will be learning about issues of social justice and how we can be of service to others and all creation. I invite students to make their own recycled soccer ball at home to bring to school on Thursday October 26th (during Mission Week) for a Socktober Shootout! If there are any parents who would be interested in coming along as guest goalkeepers (or spectators) we would love to have you as part of our event which will be held during recess at 2pm.
Here is a video link on how to make a ‘sockball’ for the shoot out.
It is a wonderful opportunity to speak with your child about how fortunate we are in our community and to understand the experience of other children their age in other countries, especially Timor-Leste.
We can’t wait to see your homemade soccer balls for the shoot out!
Library News
BOOK FAIR THANK YOU
Thank you to all of our generous families who donated books at our Family Day Book Fair. We had hundreds of books donated! These will be processed through the library over the coming weeks and the donor will be the first to borrow the book as soon as it is ready.
Congratulations to Maeve Crook and Josie Layland who worked together to be the winners of our Where's Wally Scavenger Hunt. The answers were: Wendy 17, Wally 31, Wizard 8, Odlaw 13, cameras 6, bones 19, binoculars 12, scrolls 16, keys 9 and Woof was hiding behind the tree.
SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB
Issue 7 of Scholastic Book Club has been sent home today with our students. All orders must be received by 9am Friday 20 October. Order through LOOP to find 50 more heavily discounted books.
LIBRARY CLASSES
Library classes resume this week.
- Wednesday - Early Stage 1
- Thursday - Stage 1 & Stage 3
- Friday - Stage 2
Library monitor Emma with some of our donated books!
Sport News
TERM 4 EVENTS
Important sporting dates for term 3:
- 11 October - SJA Summer Sports Trials (Yr4 and 5) Cricket lunchtime
- 12 October - SJA Summer Sports Trials (Yr4 and 5) Touch Football lunchtime
- 13 October - SJA Summer Sports Trials (Yr 4 and 5) Basketball or Tennis lunchtime
- 19 October - Summer Sports Trial Nominations Due
- 13 - 17 November - Swimming Intensive for ES1 and Stage 1
- 12 December - Swimming Carnival
Wellbeing News
We continue to share some important information to support parents and carers to help keep their children safe when using technology. This information has been compiled by those with expertise in the Catholic Schools Office. The seventh in this series discusses how we, as parents, can help ensure students are not the target of online grooming behaviour.
Online Grooming: Jack Changes the Game
The AFP ThinkUKnow program and ACCCE have developed a children's book called Jack Changes the Game. Written by Tess Rowley and illustrated by Shannon Horsfall, it helps parents discuss online safety with their children. The book offers a child's perspective on online grooming, the challenges they may face, and the importance of talking to a trusted adult. It provides age-appropriate advice and guidance for parents to take action when needed. To use this resource with your child familiarise yourself with the free book Jack Changes the Game and the Home Learning Activity. Find a time when you won’t be disrupted and read the book with your child or listen to the author reading the book.
Teaching your child how to manage unwanted contact and grooming is essential. Here are some key areas to focus on.
For Early Years to Year 2, children should learn to:
- Recognise their emotional reactions to different online interactions.
- Differentiate between safe and unsafe behaviours online, such as not showing private body parts.
- Begin understanding how to set up apps and games to prevent unwanted contact.
- Remember help-seeking strategies, such as telling a trusted adult.
For Years 3 to 6, children should learn to:
- Identify warning signs that an online friend may be unsafe to talk to.
- Recognise situations that could increase their exposure to inappropriate contact from adults, like moving from a public forum to a private chat.
- Use strategies for refusing to engage in unsafe behaviours online, such as rejecting requests for explicit images or sexual advances.
- Describe how to seek help when encountering online safety concerns.
By focusing on these areas and discussing online grooming with your child, you can equip them with the knowledge and skills they need to stay safe online. Remember to encourage open communication and ensure they feel comfortable reaching out to you or another trusted adult if they encounter any issues.
Resources
- esafety kids: Someone is contacting me and I don’t want them to
- esafety parent information Child grooming and unwanted contact
Celebrations
Happy birthday to these students who have celebrated their birthday since the last newsletter:
- Andrea Gooding
- Lucy van Eck
- Kassian Ronczka
- Maggie Wilkie
- Noah Faifaiese
- Charlotte Miller
- Lily O'Connor
- Bronte Sugden
- Archie Cormick
- Harry Collins
Parish News
MASS TIMES
6:00 pm Saturday
8:30 pm Sunday
Coming Events
Use the link above to see all of the coming events for Joeys!
Community News
Daughters and Dads Football is back in 2023 with a program located at Geoff Watt Oval, Alstonville. We are searching for fathers/father-figures who want to strengthen the relationship they share with their primary aged daughters through the uniting power of football. Get ready for fun and engaging sessions over 9 weeks! Term 4 sessions run weekly for 90 minutes, covering skill development and interactive activities whilst spending quality time together. The program kicks off from Monday 16th October, and we hope to see you there!
