2 April 2024 (Week 10 Term 1 2024)
Principal's News
Dear St Joseph’s Community
I hope you and your families have had a restful, safe and holy Easter break. It is hard to believe that we are almost at the close of Term 1!
A huge thank you to the parents and family who were able to attend our Stations of the Cross liturgy. Our students and teachers did an amazing job in preparing for this moving service. A special acknowledgement to Mrs Jones, who put a significant amount of time and effort into coordinating this event.
We look forward this week to our Cross Country event, with the students of St Joseph’s Coraki. More details about this below.
Our Open Day is on this coming Sunday at 10:00 am, if you know of any families seeking kindergarten enrolment for 2025. We look forward to sharing what makes our school so special.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION
He is Risen!
On Easter Sunday, we join together in the traditional exclamation of the church: "He is risen!" and respond with heartfelt conviction, "He is risen, indeed!" This exchange is much more than a greeting; it's a declaration of our faith, hope, and joy in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This momentous event, where Jesus overcame death and rose to new life, offers us a message of unparalleled hope. It reassures us that, no matter the challenges we face, renewal and transformation are always possible with faith.
This Easter, let the joyous proclamation "He is risen, indeed!" inspire us to live out our faith more fully, reflecting the light of the Risen Christ in every action and interaction.
You are invited to listen to Bishop Greg’s Homily from Sunday’s Mass.
CONDOLENCES
We keep in our prayers Miss MacDonald, whose grandfather Allen was laid to rest last Thrusday.
CROSS COUNTRY INFORMATION
Our Cross Country will be held this Friday. We are combining with St Joseph’s Coraki for this event, which we are very excited about. Although we will be running together, each school will only be competing against themselves. This is a fantastic opportunity which allows us to build inter-school relationships with our Coraki family. A map for parking and race information is available on the Compass event in the resources folder prior to the day.
WHAT TO WEAR AND BRING
Students are asked to wear:
- Their school shirt (this ensures our students are easily visible among the St Joseph’s Coraki students).
- An optional sun-safe running T-shirt to wear while running - this would need to be worn under their school shirt before and after the race as we do not have changing facilities at Coraki.
- Their school hat - this is essential for sun safety.
- Sunscreen before they come in the morning.
- They can wear appropriate joggers.
- They can wear appropriate running shorts.
- All students must have their drink bottle.
Students are asked not to bring or wear any other ‘accessories’.
TRANSPORT
Transport to the event is via bus. Transport by bus is part of the fun of the experience and there will be no provision to mark students present on Compass while at Coraki. Therefore, all students are to be transported to Coraki by bus and no students are to be driven to the event with their parents.
LOCATIONS
Children 8-12+ years of age will be driven by bus straight to Windsor Park (behind St Joseph's School) for their races. Children will be walked through the course prior to the commencement of races, then running will commence in their age groups. These children will then walk back to St Joseph's School for lunch after all races have been completed.
Children 5-7 years of age will be taken straight to St Joseph's School, where they will compete in their non-competitive race. They will have lunch at approximately 11:40 am. prior to the older children returning.
CANTEEN
Lunch is being organised by the amazing Coraki staff and has already been preordered, with no opportunity to purchase a meal for lunch on the day. If your child did not pre-order their lunch, they will need to ensure they have their own lunch with them. There will be a limited canteen available on the day with some snacks.
FAMILY ATTENDANCE
Families are welcome to attend this day. If you are onsite at St Joseph's School, you will be required to sign in upon entry. Parking for the 5-7 years of age races will be out the front of the school, while those attending the 8-12+ years of age can park closer to the field. Please see the map in Resources of the Compass Event for the best location. It is not a long walk from the school to the field.
RETURNING TO SCHOOL
We will be back at school in time for students to return home in their usual manner.
TAKING YOUR CHILD HOME FROM CROSS COUNTRY
If you are attending the event and wish to take your child home early, you must provide this in writing prior to the event. An email to alstp@lism.catholic.edu.au from a parent or carer will suffice. Caroline and Lindsay in the admin team will then provide staff with a list of those students who are leaving early and with whom they are leaving. This ensures we are meeting our duty of care and our rolls are accurate.
Learning & Teaching News
MATHS GAMES
Playing games provides good opportunities for children to learn about logic and strategies. For example, playing cards and board games are good ways to encourage and develop children's numeracy abilities. Playing, listening, watching and talking about games and activities helps develop, reinforce, and consolidate children's mathematical understandings. As you read through an activity or game, think about how it could be made easier or harder to suit the needs of your child. A simple activity can be made harder or easier by changing the number of digits or reducing the number of steps.
Create the same totals
Players take it in turns to draw a playing card from a deck of cards (J=11, Q=12, K=13). As each card is turned over, players decide where to place it in their grid. Once all squares are filled, players calculate the total number of each column and row and write the total in the circle. If the score is recorded only once, it gets crossed out and cannot be used. All totals that are the same can be added together. The winner is the player with the highest total.
Double Double Cross
Concepts covered: Place Value
Equipment: Dice (6 sided), paper and pens
How to play video 📽️
Greater Than
Concepts covered: Place value, comparing/ordering numbers
Equipment: 0-9 dice (3 dice for 3 digit numbers, 4 dice for 4 digit numbers etc.), paper and pens
How to play video 📽️
Mission News
COMMUNITY DAY
We can’t wait for our Term 1 Community Day in Week 11 at Geoff Watt Oval. Please remember to give consent via Compass. We would also love to have a sausage sizzle lunch but do need some parent help, If any parents are able to help with this, please complete this quick google form. We are very grateful for your support!
EASTER ART COMPETITION - PROJECT COMPASSION
Congratulations to the winners and runners-up of our Easter art competition. The students created some outstanding works of art focused on the future of the environment. Well done to every one who entered.
- K - 2 WINNER - Charlotte Bakeberg
- K - 2 Runner Up - Ethan Jones
- 3 - 6 WINNER - Tate Commens
- 3 - 6 Runner Up - Harry Hosking
HOLY WEEK LITURGY
Thank you to everyone who came along to our Stations of the Cross last week.
Library News
HOLIDAY BORROWING AND RETURNS
As it is the end of the term all student loans from our library are now due back. Please help your students to locate their books and return them on their library day.
Students who are interested in borrowing for the holidays are welcome to do this during lunch,recess and before school. We encourage our students to take up this opportunity and keep reading over the holidays.
Attendance Matters
LEARNING GROWTH CAN OCCUR WHEN YOUR CHILD ATTENDS SCHOOL EVERY DAY.
By attending school every day, students maximise their exposure to educational opportunities, engage in meaningful learning experiences, and lay the foundation for continuous academic progress. Regular attendance provides students with the opportunity to ask questions, seek clarification, and collaborate with others, enhancing their understanding of the material.
Parents and educators play important roles in fostering an environment that promotes and values regular attendance, contributing to the overall success and wellbeing of students.
Celebrations
Happy birthday to these students who have celebrated their birthday since the last newsletter:
- James Cormick
- Maggie McCall
Coming Events
Parish News
Community News
