14 May 2024 (Week 3 Term 2 2024)

Dear St Joseph’s Community

A happy Mother’s Day to all our mothers and mother figures for Sunday. A huge thank you to all of those family members who attended our Mother’s Day liturgy and assembly last Friday. It was wonderful to see so many people sharing in the spirit of the occasion. A huge thank you to Mr Jones and Mr Crosby for organising this and thanks to Mrs Wraight for organising the kindy performance. Thank you also to Wendy Sawan, Kellie Wilks and Mel Iverson for their work on the Mother’s Day Stall.

It was lovely to also acknowledge so many Gold Award winners on Friday! Well done to Zara, Morris, Eloise, Harper and Melodi. Congratulations also to Zoe Hargraves for winning the QUOTA Kindness Awards for the quiet and unassuming way she supports her peers. 

I would like to acknowledge the hard work of all of our teachers and the Enrichment Tutors and leaders who support them. We are in the midst of the largest curriculum reform we have seen in NSW for around 30 years. Our teachers across all year levels have worked incredibly hard to implement this new Maths and English curriculum and we are seeing some tremendous benefits already. We have also been closely monitoring our writing data at sentence level for the past three terms. With a strong focus on building teacher capacity to teach students to compose strong sentences (the building blocks of all writing) we have seen a tremendous improvement in where our students are placed in their writing. This is something of which our students and their teachers and supporters can all be very proud!

CANTEEN NEWS
Ms Thrum returns to the canteen this Wednesday; we hope she has had a wonderful break! Sincere thanks to Kelly Towns for leading the canteen this week and to Nadia Watson and Carolyn Buchanan who were amazing supporters.

TELL THEM FROM ME SURVEY CLOSING SOON

A reminder that over the next two weeks, we will be inviting students, staff and parents to provide feedback on their experience of our school using an online survey. The surveys are an important part of our whole-school evaluation and planning process.

We would like to invite you to complete the Tell Them From Me (TTFM) Partners in Learning survey. As we value the role of parents and carers within our school community, we would greatly appreciate your feedback. The information you provide will be used to continue our commitment to working together in partnership to further improve student learning and wellbeing at St Joseph's Primary School. The survey is anonymous and will take approximately 20 minutes to complete.

Note that most responses are multiple-choice using a scale from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree. It can be quite easy to mix this scale up when completing the survey. Please take your time to read the questions carefully, so we have the most accurate data we can attain.

You are able to access the parent survey on your computer or mobile device by using this URL: tellthemfromme.com/alst2024

I appreciate your support; your voice is important to us.

GARDINER CHESS COMPETITION EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

The Gardiner Chess Tournament will be held on Tuesday 18th June, hosted by Alstonville High 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 Stages 1-3. As this event is local, we can walk students to and from the event

The cost of the tournament is $24.00. Expressions of interest are due by Friday, 7th June. Please complete this form to indicate your child's interest in this event.

SCRIPTURE REFLECTION 

As we celebrate Ascension Sunday, we reflect on Mark 16:15-20, where Jesus gives His disciples the Great Commission to "go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation." This moment marks not only an end as Jesus ascends to heaven but also a beginning of a mission for His followers.

In our school, this call resonates deeply. It challenges us to think about how we, as a community, can share our values and knowledge not just within our walls, but beyond them. It inspires us to be ambassadors of goodwill, understanding, and compassion in all our interactions.

Let’s take this message to heart and encourage our students to see themselves as part of a larger story, where they have roles to play in making the world a better place. May we all carry forward the spirit of service and outreach that Jesus entrusted to His disciples.

You are invited to listen to Bishop Greg’s Homily from Sunday’s Mass. 

FEEDBACK ON THE NEWSLETTER

Recently, we sought feedback from families about the frequency of the newsletter. The results were very close but the preference remained for a weekly newsletter, so we will maintain this going forward. 

REVISED POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR SUPPORT PLAN 

Week 4 launch of our revised Positive Behaviour Support Plan and processes. A huge thank you to those parents who shared their feedback at the two parent sessions held last term. The feedback was very positive and our revised approach, while not markedly different from our current approach, is more closely aligned with the recent research and is more positively framed, utilising the philosophy of Positive Behaviour For Learning (PBL). See more below in Mission News. 

CONFIRMATION

A friendly reminder that Confirmation is next Tuesday, 21st May. We look forward to working together during Formation Day to learn about and prepare for the Sacrament of Confirmation. Please remember to return all the preparation booklets. Bishop Greg will no longer be speaking to families prior to the Sacrament, rather he looks forward to speaking with everyone during the Liturgy. We will still meet at 5.30 to receive sashes and will commence at 6pm.

POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR SUPPORT - NEW PROCESSES 

As part of our 3-year Strategic Priorities for Pastoral Care and our annual school improvement goal, our staff have been reviewing our approach to supporting positive student behaviour. 

After 2 terms reviewing contemporary evidence, our staff, in consultation with parents, have decided to replace what had been our ‘Behaviour Benchmarks’ with an approach aligned to positive behaviour support, which promotes on-task and pro-social behaviour. The approach offers regular opportunities to support students to demonstrate such behaviours through redirection and by re-teaching expected behaviours. This approach is underpinned by the four values that we are working hard to instil into our community: Safety, Effort, Respect and Self-responsibility.

Two types of behaviour are distinguished as part of the process; minor or major. Minor behaviours do not meet the school expectations but can be redirected or retaught. If students demonstrate these behaviours, they will be supported and enabled by their class teacher to make better learning choices and demonstrate our school values of Safety, Effort, Respect and Self-responsibility. When a student has continued to exhibit minor unexpected behaviours a third time within a day, the student will have time to reflect on their behaviour with a leadership team member at recess. This reflection allows students to discuss and understand their behaviour and its impact on themselves and others and how they can be supported to move forward positively. 

Parents will be communicated with via email from their child’s class teacher should they attend a behaviour reflection. The email will include the number of reflections the student has had for the current term. Parents are asked to acknowledge receiving this communication via an embedded Google Form. We encourage all parents and carers to speak with their child about the behaviour requiring reflection with a focus on their positive classroom behaviour moving forward.

Major behaviours are different to minors, in that they are actions that are offensive and/or dangerous to the physical and or emotional wellbeing of self, others or property. Immediate intervention is required for these behaviours. When a major behaviour occurs, a member of the leadership team is contacted who then works with the student and their family. 

After the success of our Community Day last term, we will now have one at the end of each term. This day will be called our Community Rewards Day and is an acknowledgement of our students who strive to uphold and promote our school values. At the discretion of the Principal, any student receiving three reflections in a term may not be able to participate in that term’s rewards day. We look forward to these celebratory days as a way to foster a positive and values-driven school environment.

Thank you to the many parents and students who have offered feedback on this process. We are grateful for your input.

READING RESOURCES FOR HOME

• Storyline online - streams videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations. Reading aloud to children has been shown to improve reading, writing and communication skills, logical thinking and concentration and inspire a lifelong love of reading.
• Stories from Space - Stories read by real astronauts in space!

• Five from Five- Multlit Parent resources

• Reading at home
• Vocabulary
• Phonological and phonemic awareness
• Alphabet letter sounds

ARTS PARTNERSHIP GRANT 

Last week we welcomed Trudi Roberts to our school to teach all of our students about Indigenous Storytelling. Trudi shared her knowledge about the Bundjalung language and told us the story of how the birds got their colours. Students and staff alike had a fantastic time learning Bundjalung words for welcomes, farewells and for counting. Trudi will be back in the following weeks to work with a group of students in story writing workshops.

SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB

Bookclub catalogues for Issue 3 have been sent home. If your student missed out please they can collect one from their classroom. Online orders are quick and simple, go to LOOP to place your orders. All orders must be received by 9am Thursday 16 May.

ZONE CROSS COUNTRY

Last Tuesday, we were fortunate to have a small patch of dry weather to run at Zone Cross Country. Our children displayed very respectful behaviour and great sportsmanship qualities. We congratulate all of our children for their effort and attitudes on the day. Of the 44 children that attended, the following children were successful in their races and secured a spot at the Diocesan Cross Country next week: 

• Hugo McCall- 1st place 9 years boys
• Braith Duncan- 8th place 10 years boys 
• Jordy Thompson- 5th place 11 years girls
• Sully Mitchell- 5th place 11 years boys 

CONGRATULATIONS ABIGAIL COLLINS

Abigail Collins recently competed in the Winter Wipeout Line Dancing competition at the Gold Coast. Abbi received 2 first place medals and 2 third place medals. She also competed in the World Dance Masters section where she got third place in her age division. This achievement  qualifies her to travel to England for the World Dance Masters later in the year. 

Abbi’s family and our school community are extremely proud of her! She is very keen to compete in more competitions this year. These dancing achievements have given her a new shine of confidence. We wish Abbi all the best in her future competitions.

TEACH YOUR CHILD THE ESSENTIAL SKILL OF BEING ORGANISED

Start with assisting them to pack their bag and lay out their uniform the night before. You are helping them on the path to self-responsibility.

Teaching your child organisational skills is a valuable and empowering endeavour that sets the foundation for self-responsibility and a sense of control over their own lives. Here are some tips to help your child develop organisational skills, starting with preparing for school:

• Establish a Routine. Create a consistent daily routine that includes specific times for waking up, getting ready, and leaving for school. A structured routine provides predictability and helps your child develop a sense of time management.
• Prepare the Night Before. Encourage your child to pack their school bag and lay out their uniform the night before. This proactive approach reduces morning stress and ensures that everything needed for the school day is ready to go.
• Use Checklists. Create checklists for morning and evening tasks. Checklists provide a visual guide for your child to follow and help reinforce the habit of being organised. As their skills improve, they may not need the checklist. 
• Model Organisation. Lead by example. Children often learn by observing, so showcasing organisational habits reinforces the importance of being well-prepared.
• Adjust and Adapt. Recognise that organisational needs may change over time. Be flexible and willing to adjust strategies based on your child's evolving responsibilities and needs.