27 February 2024 (Week 5 Term 1 2024)
Principal's News
Dear St Joseph’s Community
It was lovely to see so many parents joining us for our first assembly for 2024; we know how challenging it can be for parents and carers in the busyness of our lives. These are wonderful opportunities to bring our community together and to celebrate our successes. The awards presented this week were terrific examples of how our students are embracing their learning and are modelling our shared learning behaviours to their fellow students. We had the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our amazing sportsmen and women in the 2023 swimming carnival and in the recent sports trials. We could also acknowledge those students who have consistently demonstrated the values we hold dear: Safety, Effort, Respect and Self-Responsibility; well done to our first Gold Award recipients for 2024, Reuben Birkwood and Henry Buchanan.
I am also impressed every day with our teachers and the hard work they are doing to implement the revised NSW Curriculum. This is the most significant curriculum reform in four decades, and we are in the thick of its implementation. Years 3-6 have been working incredibly hard to implement the new Mathematics and English curriculums. Already, we are seeing strong levels of engagement and some early signs of impact.
We are also in the process of collecting our first set of data for Reading. We collect data from K-6 three times a year to ensure our work is having an impact. We look forward to discussing this data with parents and carers next week at our Term 1 parent-teacher meetings.
REMINDER
A reminder that Monday 4th of March is a pupil-free day. This allows us to focus on professional learning around our curriculum implementation.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION
As we continue our Lenten journey, this week's Gospel, Mark 9:2-10, takes us to the mountaintop with Jesus, Peter, James, and John for the Transfiguration. This moment of profound revelation, where Jesus is transformed and His divine glory shines through, invites us to contemplate the presence of God in our lives and the transformative power of faith.
In the bustling life of our school, filled with learning, activities, and daily routines, the message of the Transfiguration holds a special significance. It reminds us that beyond our day-to-day experiences, there's a deeper spiritual journey we are all called to undertake. This journey involves moments of revelation and understanding that can change how we see the world and ourselves. Moreover, the Transfiguration reassures us that Jesus is with us in our journey, illuminating our path with His light. Let's encourage our students to look for this light, especially when facing challenges or when the way ahead seems unclear.
As we reflect on the Transfiguration, may we all be inspired to seek those moments of clarity and revelation in our own lives. May this Lenten season be a time of growth and transformation for our entire school community, drawing us closer to God and to each other. Wishing you a transformative Lent.
You are invited to listen to Bishop Greg’s Homily from Sunday’s Mass.
PARENT CONSENT AND STUDENT DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES USERS AGREEMENT
At St Joseph’s Primary Alstonville, we use a variety of digital technologies to promote engagement and creativity across the learning areas. The attached Parental Consent and Student Digital Technology User Agreement 2024 provides our families and students with the processes in place to build responsible digital citizens and also helps create an understanding of the expectations when using digital technology throughout the school year. This is a new process initiated by the Catholic Schools Office. The Parent Consent and User Agreement will now become an annual form we ask parents to complete.
Please take the time to read through the attached Digital Technologies User Agreement with your child. You can locate the agreement by clicking on this link.
If you have more than one child at St Joseph’s Alstonville, you will be required to complete this with each of your children.
A PDF copy of the signed agreement will be emailed to your nominated email address for your records and also to our school to be kept on file.
If a parent or carer could please complete this form within the next two weeks, we would be very appreciative.
Thank you for your continued support of your child and for promoting the responsible use of Digital Technology at St Joseph's. If you have any questions, please reach out via the school email.
CLEAN UP AUSTRALIA DAY - NEXT SUNDAY
We'd love to see you at Clean Up Australia Day Sun 3rd, March 2024!
We will meet at Elizabeth Ann Brown Park on Sunday 3rd of March at 9:30 before heading out to various parks in Alstonville to clean. Rotary will have a BBQ waiting for us when we return, so please bring your appetite!
We will have rubbish bags for participants, but we recommend bringing the following:
- Hat
- Gloves
- Water bottle
- Sturdy shoes
As we are moving to different parks, parents must supervise their children and we recommend bringing a car to facilitate transport. Please complete this Google RSVP Form so we know to expect you. We look forward to seeing you there!
NAPLAN FOR YEARS 3 AND 5 2024
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a point-in-time assessment of literacy and numeracy skills. Each year, students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9 participate in tests for writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.
NAPLAN is held in Term 1 and will take place from Wednesday, 13th March to Monday, 18th of March. Students will need to ensure they have working headphones for the NAPLAN tests.
NAPLAN tests are just one part of our school's learning assessment program, and questions are primarily based on knowledge, understanding and skills gained from the prior year of schooling.
In preparation for NAPLAN 2024, our school will undertake activities to help students become familiar with the format and functionality of the online tests. These activities are not an assessment of student ability and will not be marked.
Students and parents can access the public demonstration site (https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site) to familiarise themselves with NAPLAN and the types of questions and tools available. Excessive preparation for NAPLAN is not required nor recommended. If you have any questions about NAPLAN, please contact your child’s teacher. Results will be available in mid-year and we will help parents to interpret these where necessary. Please see below the parent information sheet below about NAPLAN.
New electronic enrolment goes live Wednesday 28th February!
Learning & Teaching News
WHAT HAPPENS IN COMPONENT A?
Component A is the first half of our English learning block. In the K-2 classrooms, we use the InitiaLit program for whole-class literacy instruction. InitiaLit is an evidence-based whole-class literacy program that will provide all children with the essential core knowledge and strong foundations to become successful readers and writers. Please find parent information for each InitiaLit program below.
COMPONENT A IN YEARS 3-6
Component A in years 3-6 focuses on foundational literacy skills. Three focus areas that are explicitly covered are Reading Fluency, Spelling and Handwriting and digital transcription.
Reading Fluency:
Students aim to sustain independent reading with accuracy, automaticity, rate and expression. Some specific skills include:
- Accurate word reading, at a pace appropriate for text and purpose.
- Maintain stamina when reading extended texts.
- Adjust voice, tone, volume and pitch reflected by the punctuation in a text, to enhance reading fluency and support comprehension.
- Reflect on how adjusting reading rate and expression supports comprehension and can engage an audience.
Spelling:
Students aim to select, apply and describe appropriate strategies when spelling in a range of contexts. Some specific skills include:
- Knowledge of phonological, orthographic (common letter patterns and rules) and morphological generalisations (the use of words and their parts).
- Segment multisyllabic words into syllables and phonemes.
- Proofread, identify and correct misspellings when creating written texts.
- Explain and use spelling conventions.
Handwriting and Digital Transcription:
Students aim to sustain a legible, fluent and automatic handwriting style. They will also learn to use digital technologies to create texts. Some specific skills include:
- Sustain the NSW Foundation Style cursive to facilitate fluency and legibility.
- Adjust handwriting style to suit writing purpose.
- Join letters using consistent size and spacing to develop fluency.
- Navigate the keyboard with efficiency and accuracy when typing words, numerals, punctuation and other symbols.
- Select and insert visual, print and audio elements into texts.
Mission News
RECONCILIATION
Thank you to our many students and families who attended our Reconciliation Information night last Tuesday. We look forward to our candidates receiving the Sacrament on Tuesday, 12th March.
SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION INFORMATION EVENING YEAR 3 +
The information evening for Confirmation will be held on Wednesday, 13th March at 6pm. This evening is for candidates and their parent/s or caregivers to learn more about the sacrament, as well as receive enrolment information and the preparation booklet.
PROJECT COMPASSION ART COMPETITION
We are delighted to have an art competition to raise awareness and funds for Project Compassion during the Lent. Please drop your entries off to the front office with a gold coin donation. There will be a K-2 prize and 3-6 prize which will be announced after our Holy Week Liturgy on Wednesday, 27th March. We can’t wait to see the work our students create!
You can also donate to our Project Compassion campaign using this QR code.
Attendance Matters
GOOD ATTENDANCE IN PRIMARY SCHOOL WILL BE A SKILL THAT WILL HELP THEM SUCCEED IN HIGH SCHOOL
Good attendance in primary school is a fundamental building block for academic success and overall wellbeing, and it sets the stage for success in high school and beyond. Primary school is the foundational stage of a child's education. Regular attendance ensures that children build a solid understanding of fundamental concepts and skills that serve as the basis for more advanced learning in high school.
By recognising the long-term benefits and reinforcing the importance of regular school attendance in primary years, students are better equipped to succeed in high school and beyond. Attending school regularly instils a sense of responsibility and work ethic in students and participating actively in class are essential components of success.
Sport News
SWIMMING
This coming Friday, 5 of our children will be competing at the Lismore Diocesan Swimming Carnival in Macksville. We wish the following children the best of luck as they compete in their events:
- Riley Iverson (Yr2): 8 yrs 50m Freestyle
- Jack Kubils (Yr3):9 yrs 50m Freestyle, JNR 50m Backstroke, JNR 50m Butterfly and JNR 200m Individual Medley.
- Rory Quinlan (Yr4): JNR 50m Breaststroke
- Sully Mitchell (Yr6): 11yrs 50m Freestyle and 11yrs 50m Breaststroke
- Zeke Kubils (Yr6): 100m All ages Freestyle, 12 yrs 50m Freestyle, SNR 50m Backstroke, SNR 50m Butterfly and SNR 200m Individual Medley.
WINTER SPORTS TRIALS
We congratulate the following children who will be representing our Zone at the Diocesan Winter Sports Trials later this term (next week for all bar Union):
- Rugby Union: Zeke Kubils and Hugh Woolley.
- Rugby League: Zeke Kubils.
- Netball: Lulu Barnes and Maggie Wilkie.
- Football (Soccer): Sully Mitchell and Michael Gallagher (Dannon Pucci McDermott was selected as a shadow player).
- Hockey: Emma Quinlan, James Cormick, Harry Hosking and Tyler Webster.
Congratulations to our swimming champions. The students received their awards and medals at assembly last Friday. Congratulations to you all!
For Your Information
FEES REMINDER
A reminder that Term 1 Tuition and Technology Fees are due on 28/02/2024.
If you haven’t already done so, please contact the school office by email if you would like to pay your fees accounts by instalments (these payment instalments should have already commenced). Please also contact the school office or Mr Challinor (by email) if you have any financial concerns that are impacting your ability to pay your fees accounts.
BOOM GATE & ASSEMBLY FRIDAY’S
To avoid disappointment, please do not park in the school carpark when attending assemblies.
The boom gate is closed between 3pm and 3.45pm daily, without exception.
SCHOOL PHOTOS
Our 2024 School Photo Day is scheduled for Tuesday March 26. Order envelopes (cash orders) have been sent home with the eldest child in each family, and if missed or lost can be collected from the office. Sibling order envelopes are also available from the office. Online orders are preferable using the information below, code is FVN BRY PY4.
Celebrations
Happy birthday to all of the students who have celebrated a birthday since our last newsletter:
- Maddie Egan
- Eva Munday
- Juliet Young
Congratulations to our award winners!
Kindy: Leo Sleigh, Lucy Webber
Year 1: Kade Meyers, Chloe , Hollie Brown, Charlotte Bakeberg
Year 2: Millie Webster, Harlow Crawford, Nathaniel Cordero, Olivia Eason
Year 3: Sonny Appelkamp, Tess Jones, Halle Hinton
Year 4: Lucy McVey, Noah Cassianos-Kennedy, Hunter Fisher
Year 5: Hendrix Dewhurst, Sophie Gonzales-Yule, Annabelle Ryan
Year 6: Hudson Hipkins, Myfanwy Richardson, Ruby Vickrage
Congratulations to our award winners!
Coming Events
Use the link above to see all of the coming events for Joeys!
Parish News
PARENT INFORMATION NIGHT SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION
Children who have received the Sacrament of Confirmation are eligible to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This is an important step in their faith journey, which began with their Baptism.
Reconciliation will be offered by Fr. Max Gow on Tuesday, 12th March 2024 at 6.00pm.
If you believe that your child is ready to receive this Sacrament please complete the enrolment form (which can be downloaded from the parish website or copies available from St Joseph’s School) and return to the Parish Office by Thursday 29th February.
Parents who wish their child to receive this Sacrament are asked to attend one meeting, which will be held at Our Lady of the Rosary Church, Alstonville. Your child is also expected to attend this meeting. This information meeting will take place on Wednesday 21st February 2024 at 6.00pm.
Fr Max Gow
Community News
