21 November 2023 (Term 4 Week 7)
For catering purposes please complete the form below before Monday 27th November.
Principal's News
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION
In Sunday's Gospel, (Matthew 25:31-46) we are presented with a poignant message about service and compassion. Jesus shares a vision where acts of kindness - feeding the hungry, welcoming strangers, caring for the sick - are not just good deeds, but sacred offerings to Him. This teaching holds a special significance for our school community. It encourages us to see every act of service, no matter how small, as an act of love towards Jesus himself. It’s a reminder that in helping others, we are living out our faith in the most tangible way. As we go about our week, let's encourage our children to embrace opportunities for kindness and service. Whether it’s sharing a kind word, offering a helping hand, or simply giving a smile, every gesture of compassion counts. These small acts create ripples of goodwill and exemplify the values we cherish in our school. This message of service also resonates deeply with our ongoing St Vincent de Paul Christmas Hamper Appeal. As we collect and prepare these hampers, we are putting into practice the very essence of Jesus' teachings - caring for those in most need in our school community. Together, let's commit to acts of service, showing the world the love of Jesus in our actions and making a meaningful difference this Christmas through our support of the appeal.
MRS MCELLIGOTT - 30 YEARS CELEBRATION
Joined by her family, at Friday’s assembly, we celebrated Mrs McElligott’s 30 years of service in our school community. We acknowledged the many students, parents and colleagues who have been positively impacted through their encounters with Mrs McElligott. Mrs Therese Seymour also joined us for the event, sharing her reflections on Mrs McElligott’s many years of service to St Joey’s. 30 students came forward, each gifting Mrs McElligott with a flower to symbolise the years of her service. Thank you Mrs McElligott for the blessing you have and continue to be for our school community.
MISS GAUCI CELEBRATION
On Thursday we farewelled Miss Gauci as she heads off to be married to her partner Josh next week. Our students wore something they might wear to a wedding for the day and Josh joined us with Miss Gauci’s furry friend Frankie to acknowledge the pending nuptials. We look forward to welcoming Mrs Wraight back in week 9 after her honeymoon. Please keep her in your prayers as she approaches her wedding.
VINNIES CHRISTMAS HAMPER APPEAL
Thank you to those families who have already been so generous in bringing in items for the hamper appeal. We are aiming to collect as many as 30 baskets for 30 families in need in our area. All donations will help us to reach this goal. Service is an important aspect of our Catholic faith. We reach out to those in need and offer the fruits of our own labour in generosity. Thank you so much for your support.
SCHOOL UNIFORM - GETTING READY FOR 2024
A few reminders about the uniform as we begin preparing for 2024.
UNIFORM SHOP
The uniform shop will be open for three hours on Wednesday January 31, Thursday 1 February and Friday 2 February to allow parents to purchase uniforms.
WEARING OUR UNIFORM PROUDLY
We ask for parent support in ensuring students arrive to school in the correct school uniform. A particular reminder about wearing the appropriate school socks and that the only jewellery allowed is one pair of sleepers or studs.
SCHOOL SHOES 2024
A reminder that school shoes should be black polishable leather shoes with either laces or velcro straps. Non-leather, sneaker-style shoes or suede skate shoes are not appropriate for school. These do not last as long, cannot be cleaned and polished and do not offer as much protection to students. There have been a few inappropriate shoes creeping in of late. As parents purchase school shoes for 2024, please ensure appropriate shoes are purchased. This will be enforced strongly in 2024 and we ask for parent support.
PARISH SCHOOL FORUM FOLLOW-UP
Last Wednesday, we held the Parish School Forum evening to discuss the change to the two models of Parish School Forum moving forward. Jo Kelly and Janita Thomson attended the meeting and outlined the results of the parent survey to seek feedback on the potential new models. The slides from the session can be seen below. The majority of the respondents were in favour of the School Community Group model. This is the less formal group model, where fundraising is not the main focus. All parents, by virtue of their child’s enrolment, are members of this group. This model will still provide significant opportunities for parent and community voice and agency as we move forward. Fr Max and Adam Spencer, the Director of Catholic Schools, have both provided their consent to move forward with the new model.
The next step will be at our first meeting in 2024, where we will formally dissolve the Parish School Forum and adopt the School Community Group. We can then co-design the group's norms, seek a parent volunteer to chair the meetings and plan how often we will meet and some potential focuses throughout the year. This is an exciting new model that provides much flexibility and opportunities for parent and student voice and engagement. Please keep an eye out for the first meeting in Term 1, 2024.
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.
CAR PARK REMINDER
A reminder the boom gate at the school carpark closes from 8:30am to 9:15am and 3:00pm to 3:45pm every day. This forms part of our Traffic Management Plan and is to ensure the safety of our students. We advise parents and visitors to park on the street if arriving at these times. The boom gate can not be opened to let cars out. This is particularly important on Assembly Friday's, as a general rule, please do not park in the carpark to avoid the issue of the closed boomgate.
Mission News
VINNIES CHRISTMAS APPEAL
Thank you to all our families who have already donated to the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal. Our students have been learning that preparing for Christmas isn’t so much about decorating our houses, chocolate advent calendars or writing letters to Santa (though all of these are fun), but preparing our hearts for Christmas. Christmas is a season of generosity of spirit and thinking about others. It is about caring for those who may be lonely at this time or providing some food for those who need it. Thank you for your generosity in donating to this cause and sharing the message of hope and love with your children this Christmas.
END OF YEAR MASS AND YEAR 6 FAREWELL
Please join us for this special Mass on Thursday, 14th December at 1pm. We will be celebrating this in the hall with the presentation of school awards straight after.
Stage News
KINDERGARTEN LEARN TO SWIM
Last week Kindergarten and Stage 1 had a wonderful opportunity to participate in the Learn to Swim Program. It was fantastic to see all students develop their confidence and skills in the water over the week. Thanks Miss MacDonald for organising this for us all to enjoy.
KINDERGARTEN SPECIAL VISITORS
Last week Kindergarten were very lucky to have a surprise visit from two very special people; Mrs Lewis and adorable baby Cillian. We were all so excited to see them both. Thanks for the visit!
STAGE 2 CELEBRATION
Stage 2 student, Amalia Gooley is competing at Nationals for Physical Culture dance this weekend on Saturday at The Quay Centre at Sydney Olympic Park. We wish Amalia all the best!
Library News
SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB ISSUE 8
The final Book Club catalogues for 2023 have been sent home with students. All orders must be received by 9am Thursday 23 November. We recommend ordering through Scholastic LOOP. This is a great way to purchase books as Christmas gifts, as the school library receives rewards for every purchase. Scholastic offers the option for ”Gift Orders”, simply tick the “Gift Order” box on the left of the screen and your order will be held at administration for collection, not sent home with students. Thank you to the families who have supported Book Club throughout 2023.
CHRISTMAS CRAFT IN THE LIBRARY
There is much excitement in the library at lunchtimes as we have been creating Christmas crafts. Joeys is entering the Quota Christmas Tree competition (see the details in Community Events) and we are busy making decorations. The students have made angels, trees, stars, hearts and garlands using recycled items. Thanks to Mrs Graveson we have a gorgeous driftwood tree to decorate. All students are welcome to join the creativity!
LIBRARY BORROWING
This is the final week for student library lessons and borrowing. Next week all student loans will be due back.
Wellbeing News
SEASONS FOR GROWTH CELEBRATION SESSION
We are delighted to share that our Celebration session will be on Thursday, 7th December from 8 - 8.45am. BBQ bacon and egg rolls will be supplied. Please feel free to bring a plate to share! We look forward to celebrating all the learning of our Seasons participants from this term.
Coming Events
Use the link above to see all of the coming events for Joeys!
For catering purposes please complete the form below before Monday 27th November.
Celebrations
Happy birthday to these students who have celebrated their birthday since the last newsletter:
- Hollie Brown
- Chloe
- Dannon Pucci-McDermott
- Hugh Woolley
Ethan Thompson -
Quota Act of Kindness Award
Congratulations to our award recipients.
Parish News
Community News
Come along and see the beautiful Christmas tree our school has made! Vote for Joeys!
FREE UNIFORM REPAIR CAFE
2nd December 2023 9am-noon at Alstonville Baptist Church (108 Wardell RoadAlstonville). Bring your uniforms that need repairing and we will do our best. Zippers may be too tricky to replace at this event, apologies in advance. Free hot drinks while you wait. Even if you don't need the uniform we are happy to fix them and donate them to a local Op Shop for resale at a low cost for other families.
