24 October 2023 (Term 4 Week 3)
Principal's News
Dear St Joseph’s Community
It was terrific to see our Stage 2 student’s STEM and Geography projects come to life as they presented these to their parents and other students last week. The depth of their learning and their ability to transfer concepts into new scenarios was impressive! I congratulate all of our students and their teachers for their hard work on this project!
Last week, our focus was on one of our school values: Respect. Throughout the week, our teachers reinforced what this looks like in our Catholic learning community. In our tradition, respect stems from the recognition of the innate human dignity shared by all people. This understanding comes from the very first pages of the Bible, in Genesis 1:27: “So God created humans in his image, in the image of God he created them”. It has been lovely to see our students this week speak to one another and their teachers with genuine respect, acknowledging the dignity that we each possess and acting with love.
This week’s value focus is Effort. Student effort refers to how hard students try to succeed in their learning. Students who are intellectually engaged are interested in what is being taught at school, they are motivated to learn, and they exert more effort in their school subjects. There is a strong correlation between student effort, academic achievement at school and improved life outcomes. Parents can encourage their children by reinforcing our school’s high expectations for effort in your conversations with your children at home. Collectively, we can encourage our children to give their best in every subject and every day at school.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION
In this week's Gospel (Matthew 22:15-21), we encounter the Pharisees trying to entrap Jesus with a question about taxes (these were as prevalent in ancient times as they are today). His wise response, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's," offers a profound lesson for our young learners. This Gospel reminds us of the delicate balance between our responsibilities in the world and our commitment to God. Just as we have duties to our community and nation, we also have an enduring responsibility to our spiritual growth: friendship with Jesus. For our students, this can mean balancing their commitment to school with their own personal spiritual journeys. Let us guide them to find harmony between these realms, ensuring they understand the importance of both their worldly duties and their spiritual obligations.
PARISH SCHOOL FORUM (PSF) EVENINGS TERM 4
We have two upcoming Parish School Forum Evenings for 2023.
The first, on 7 November, will focus on feedback and parent engagement with our Strategic Plan for 2024-2026. We invite our parents and carers to join us to discuss our key goals and how parents and community members can support this work.
The second, on 15 November, will be facilitated by Janita Thomson from the Catholic Schools Office and will be focused on discerning the new model for parent engagement going forward. This continues the conversation that began last term. You can share your thoughts on the two models which are presented in the image below. More information can be accessed about the two models below. Parents and carers are invited to indicate their preference for the new model via this survey link.
Please indicate your intention to join us for either or both of these nights by completing this Google Form.
OUR VISION STATEMENT
As a part of our Strategic Planning process, we have spent some time considering our school’s Vision Statement. A Vision Statement should enliven the Mission of any school. Our school’s Mission Statement is drawn directly from our Diocesan statement: ‘Enabling students to achieve the fullness of life’. This is drawn from the Gospel of John (10:10), where Jesus reminds us that it is through friendship with Him, that we find true purpose and fulfilment. Our staff have engaged in a discernment process to compose a new draft Vision Statement, which we feel captures our Mission Statement and describes our hopes for the students we teach each day:
At St Joseph's Alstonville, our mission is to instil a love of learning and to promote academic excellence so every child becomes a compassionate, engaged member of our community. Here, all are welcomed, and all belong as we deepen our relationship with Jesus, grow through love, and seek lives of purpose, service and faith.
We look forward to parent feedback on our Mission Statement at our week 5 Parish School Forum meeting. We will also work with groups of older students to share our Mission and to seek their feedback.
FEE REMINDER
Term 4 accounts were invoiced in Week 1 and are due for payment by October 31. Bringing your attention to this and additionally, that our school fee schedule states all fees are to be paid in full by November 30, 2023. If you are experiencing financial difficulties, please make urgent contact with Mr Challinor to arrange a meeting to discuss.
SOCIAL MEDIA
All parents are encouraged to register for a free 30-minute webinar to be held on Thursday, 9 November, from 7.30 to 8.00 pm. The webinar facilitated by the e-Safety Commissioner will cover:
- creating a positive digital identity
- privacy and sharing online
- managing what you see online
- good practices in group chats
- help-seeking.
Click here to register or read the flyer for more details
BUSHFIRES
Many Catholic schools in the Diocese of Lismore are currently impacted by smoke haze due to bushfire events. Bushfires can result in a large amount of smoke particles in the air even when fires may be many kilometres away. Please monitor your child for any potential health implications. Signs and symptoms students may experience include runny nose, itchy or burning eyes, headaches, coughing, throat irritation, and shortness of breath. For families of students with asthma, respiratory illness or heart conditions, please be reminded to consider your child's current health condition, ensure they carry relieving medication with them. Please contact the school if you have any concerns about your child being at school. Communicating with your child during this time is important. Discussing being prepared for natural hazards, such as bushfires, is not harmful to your child, but avoiding conversations can leave them to worry on their own.
Emerging Minds provides the following tips:
- Your child may have already been exposed to media coverage or heard conversations about the bushfires. Finding out what they already know will help you to address their specific worries and concerns.
- Tell your child that disasters can happen and if all members of the family know what to do, it will help everyone keep safe. It’s important for adults to stay calm and speak with confidence when discussing the family emergency plan. This will help to reduce your child’s worries.
- Allow your child to ask any questions or make any comments they may have about disaster preparedness. This will help you to understand what needs clarification and dispel any misconceptions they may have.
- Assure your child that with preparedness, things will be less scary and a lot safer. Involving your child in the planning can make your child feel more able to deal with a bushfire threat and feel safe and secure in knowing that you have a plan. Your child will know that even if they are affected by a disaster, you and your family will use your resources to work together. For information on how to make a Bushfire Family Plan go to NSW Rural Fire Service.
Parents may choose to read with their child the Queensland Health ebook Birdie and the Fire by Angela Murray. This is from a resource called Birdie’s Tree, a suite of resources to support families and young children prepare for, cope with and recover from a natural disaster or disruptive event. Relaxing With Birdie is a mindfulness and movement routine to help children calm down, relax, rest and sleep, even in stressful times. We have the range of Birdie books available in our school library.
GARDINER CHESS TOURNAMENT
The Gardiner Chess Tournament will be held on Thursday, 2nd November 2023, hosted by our school. Registration is from 8.30 am to 9.15 am. Start at 9.30 am and finish around 2.30 pm. This Tournament is open to students in all Stages. To be eligible to attend, students should know the rules of chess and be able to play confidently. The cost of the Tournament is $15. Expressions of interest are due by Wednesday, 25th of October. Please complete this form to indicate your child's interest in this event.
Learning & Teaching News
KIDS NEWS JUNIOR JOURNALIST COMPETITION
Enter the Kids News Junior Journalist competition (closes October 27th). The search is on for the next generation of news breakers with the Kids News Junior Journalist competition. The free competition is open to children in Years 3-9, with four categories for both primary and secondary students:
- News story – print
- News story – video
- Sports story – print
- Sports story – video
The grand prize winner will score a guest appearance on Channel 10’s Studio 10 program, hosted by Narelda Jacobs. Click the link for more information.
SUPPORT YOUR CHILD IN MATHEMATICS
Take opportunities to count anything you can!
Ask your child:
- “What is one more?
- What is one less?
- What is 10 more or 10 less?
- How many more would you need to make 10, 100, 1000?”
Remember to count backwards too. Estimate how many a collection is. Make it a challenge to count. These everyday ways will provide them with more and more mental images of Mathematics.
Mission News
STAGE 2 PRAYERS
Our Stage 2 students have been learning about creation as part of Religious Education. Thank you Noah and Oscar for sharing your beautiful prayers.
SOCKTOBER FOR CATHOLIC MISSION
Congratulations to all our students and their families who brought a gold coin donation for coloured sock day. We raised $220 for Catholic Mission last Thursday! Wow!
SOCCER SHOOTOUT
A friendly reminder our soccer shootout is this Thursday at Recess. Students can bring their homemade soccer ball (from recycled household materials) or use a ball from school. There are prizes to be won and entry is by gold coin donation. The purpose of the recycled soccer ball is to be in solidarity with children around the world who aren’t as fortunate as our students. Thank you to all our students who enter and all those cheering everyone on from the sidelines!
EXURO RETREAT 2023
On Tuesday the 17th of October, we got the chance to experience an amazing religious retreat called Exuro. The main theme for this day was service and kindness and how we could do and show these things in our lives. Throughout the day, we explored ideas of being a disciple, learned ways of showing discipleship in our daily lives at school and how we can make a positive difference in the world today. We learnt about how we can talk to Jesus at any time, but particularly through sharing meals, reading the Bible stories about Jesus and sharing our interests with him. We played lots of fun games that helped us to get to know each other and build friendships. We think the main message of the day was to never give up trying to be like Jesus and that you are never too young to have an impact and make a difference in the world.
By Lucinda Barnes, James Cormick, Scarlett Elmsly, Harry Hosking and Maggie Wilkie.
Stage News
JUNIOR JOEYS
I am special because I am me! The Junior Joeys explored this message last Thursday through the book, "I Like Myself". We created mirrors so that we could look at ourselves and think about how great we are.
STAGE 1 WRITING
Stage 1 students are learning the features of a narrative text. We read “Rosie’s Walk” by Pat Hutchins. We discovered that the text on its own didn’t really follow the structure of a narrative but the illustrations also told a story. Here we were able to identify a sequence of problems and a resolution. The students really enjoyed this text. They illustrated their favourite part of the story. Here are some samples of the wonderful work they did.
The hen went under the beehive but the fox crashed into the beehive. The bees got angry so the bees stung the fox and the hen was safe. Nate
As the hen was walking, the fox fell in a big pile of hay. Noah
I loved when the fox walked into the rake. Tristan
As the hen walked under the beehive, the fox was in a wagon and knocked over the beehive. Henry B
As Rosie walked through the beehives, the fox on the other hand had fallen into a wagon and could not steer! The hen did not know the fox was in a wagon and coming in hot! Myah
The fox got stung and the hen made it home in time for dinner. Beau
As Rosie the hen walks past the flour mill, a string got caught on her. As the fox walks under, Rosie pulls the string and the fox gets dumped in flour. Bronte
As the fox went past the mill, some flour fell on him. Olivia Eg
The chicken Rosie was walking and the fox got chased by bees. Jecht
As Rosie was walking under the beehive, the fox sped on a railcar and the bees chased him. Daniel
The fox went under the beehives. The hen got home in time. The fox was not impressed. Riley
Rosie went for a walk and a relax. The fox followed her. Charlotte M
Library News
STORY BOX FREE TRIAL
The Catholic Schools Office has arranged for a free trial access for all staff and families for Story Box. See the link below for Story Box. This online collection contains a variety of books read by outstanding Australian’s, suitable for all ages. You can search using themes, year level, title, author, duration, storyteller and much more. It will be a great addition to literacy. Think of the Story Box Library as an online 'reading room'. It’s a place where the wonderful world of Children’s Literature is on permanent exhibit and children can connect, engage and be inspired when they watch a range of celebrated stories read aloud by wonderfully engaging storytellers. Story Box Library provides a vibrant, interactive experience via a diverse range of everyday storytellers - actors, comedians, sports people, musicians, artists, authors, children - with varying accents and from different cultures, each sharing past and present book titles. The result is meaningful, entertaining readings that focus on both teller and tale. I encourage you to get in and have a look and use it!
The login information for Story Box was sent out via Compass today to all families. If you have any questions or can provide any feedback please contact me at rosalind.kingsford@lism.catholic.edu.au
Wellbeing News
GAMING AND THE BRAIN
For many children, gaming is not a problem and may never be one. But for a very small number of children, gaming may become problematic. The distinction between healthy gaming and addiction lies in the negative impact it has on a person's life.
Signs to Watch For:
- Needing to spend more and more time playing to satisfy the urge
- Using gaming to relieve or cope with problems or negative feelings
- Feeling unable to focus on other activities when they’re not gaming
- Having problems or arguments with family or friends
- Continuing to play even though it’s causing them problems
- Playing even though they’re no longer enjoying it
- Inability to reduce playing or unsuccessful attempts to quit
- Having problems at home, school, work or with study because of gaming
- Neglecting responsibilities and activities that are important or they enjoy
- Lying to people they’re close to about how much time they spend playing
- Having risked or lost friends because of gaming
- Feeling sad, angry, moody, anxious or irritable when they can’t play
Practical Tips
- Create a Family device agreement.
- Explain that you will turn off the Wi-Fi at a specific time or use parent controls to manage screen time.
- Decide together on the time allowed for gaming and that you will provide them with a 5-minute warning.
- Help them to understand how the games are designed to make them feel good and to play more. Watch this short video Your Child’s Brain on Screens and Video Games to understand game design and impact.
- Explore other healthy ways to feel similar endorphins such as active play and fun games.
- Contact Parentline (1300 1300 52) for advice if you continue to experience difficulties with your child’s gaming.
Learn More About the Impacts of Gaming and Screen Time
Watch How too much screen time hurts our kids by Associate Professor Wayne Warburton.
Celebrations
Happy birthday to these students who have celebrated their birthday since the last newsletter:
- Tex Hosking
- Charlotte Young
- Theo Chee
- Charlotte Varley
- Layla Vu
- Daisy O'Neill
- Samuel Pucci-McDermott
Congratulations to the following students who received awards at assembly last week:
EARLY STAGE 1:
- Maggie McCall
- Nate Marcon
- Archie Cormick
- Jovie Speidel
STAGE 1
- Tristan Hadjialexiou
- Nathaniel Cordero
- Henry Van Eck
- Grayson Jeffery
- Tess Jones
- Sonny Appelkamp
STAGE 2
- Lachlan Lewis-Hughes
- Rory Quinlan
- Melodi Nolan
- Orlando Speidel
- Henry Buchanan
STAGE 3
- Emma Quinlan
- Georgia Wilks
- Hudson Hipkins
- Harry Hosking
- Amala Chee
- Wyatt-Allan Burton-Schmetzer
Coming Events
Use the link above to see all of the coming events for Joeys!
Community News
ALSTONVILLE SHOW
Our local Alstonville Show is on this week from Friday 27 October - Saturday 28 October, 2023! It’s great to support our local community by attending with family and friends! Our school will be represented with a display of children’s masterpieces and some families may want to enter the individual competitions themselves, like the artwork or cooking segments! Find more information on the schedule and the range of categories you can enter go to https://alstonvilleshow.com/ (go to the tab at the top; “2023 Show!” then “2023 Show Schedule”) entry forms must be completed and dropped off at the Show Grounds by Wednesday and any cooking by Thursday morning 9am. We’d love to see the talented children from our school get their family involved and perhaps win some of the money prizes! Hope to see you there!
QUESTACON IN THE COMMUNITY
Questacon is coming to Joey’s Monday the 30th of October to show us their latest and greatest STEM projects! They are also hosting Pop-up events, Questacon Science Centre in the following locations:
- Lismore: Saturday 4 November, 10 am – 4 pm Goonellabah Sports & Aquatic Centre (50 Oliver Avenue, Goonellabah)
- Casino: Tuesday 7 November, 4 – 7 pm Casino Indoor Sports Stadium (Jersey St, Casino)
Join the Questacon Science Circus for a FREE pop-up science centre experience like no other! Come along to spin yourself dizzy, test your reflexes, explore your fingertips under the microscope, and watch some of our spectacular science shows. With over 30 hands-on exhibits, the Science Circus pop-up is a fantastic STEM day out for the whole family. Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity to ignite your curiosity!
- This is a FREE event, but bookings are essential.
- Most people spend 1 – 2 hours at our pop-up.
- Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
Hurry, book your FREE ticket now! ️ https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/Show.aspx?sh=QUESTPSC23