21 May 2024 (Week 4 Term 2 2024)
Dear St Joseph’s Community
We have a very exciting and busy week this week. Stage 3 is on camp in Brisbane for three days, and our Year 3 students are celebrating a formation day on Tuesday as many of them prepare to receive the sacrament of Confirmation this evening.
As we approach the middle of the term, we are very proud of how hard our students are working. A strong work ethic in the classroom is a combination of the encouragement and effort of the teachers and Enrichment Tutors and the support of parents and carers. Our staff members are working hard to ensure all of our students are achieving to the best of their abilities.
I’m currently reading The Anxious Generation, by Jonathan Haidt, a very interesting book and well worth reading by any parent who is considering providing access to the internet to their children. Haight likens the impact of smartphones to the way Cuckoo birds lay their eggs. The common cuckoo is an obligate brood parasite, which means it lays its eggs in the nests of other birds. Hatched cuckoo chicks can then push host eggs out of the nest or be raised alongside the host's chicks. Haight sees access to smartphones and ipads in children and adolescents in a similar way. These technologies and their associated apps are somewhat parasitic. They are designed to be addictive, and they push out other, more developmentally appropriate activities from children’s days, leaving them with very little of substance in return. Haidt argues that the intense rise of technology has robbed our children of social opportunities and play. I know this is something I am very aware of as a parent of young children.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION
Pentecost Sunday brings us to a profound moment in John 20:19-23. Here, we witness the Holy Spirit descending upon the disciples, filling them with courage and the power to spread the Good News. Jesus breathes on them and says, "Receive the Holy Spirit," empowering them to forgive sins and bring peace.
This powerful event marks the birth of the Church and the beginning of its mission to spread the Gospel. For our school community, Pentecost serves as a reminder of the transformative power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It encourages us to embrace the gifts and fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We pray particularly for those students who will receive these gifts tonight when they receive the sacrament of Confirmation.
As educators, parents, and students, let's reflect on how we can allow the Holy Spirit to work through us. We are called to be instruments of peace, compassion, and understanding in our daily interactions. By embodying these values, we create a nurturing and supportive environment where everyone can thrive. May this Pentecost inspire us to renew our commitment to living out the values of our faith, spreading the light and love of the Holy Spirit in all that we do.
You are invited to listen to Bishop Greg’s Homily from Sunday’s Mass.
RECESS FOOD
We’ve noticed that some students are not eating when we have eating time at recess in the afternoons. We encourage students to pack something small for recess (or something extra if your child is eating all of their food at lunch). This provides our students with that extra bit of brain energy needed to ensure they can do their best learning in the afternoon session, and that they are not ravenous come home time.
PARENT PICK UP
We thank our parents for their patience as we navigate Parent Pick Up each afternoon. We generally move through the cars very swiftly and have parents in and out as quickly as possible. Just a reminder that, in alignment with our traffic management plan, we ask parents and carers to remain in their cars and for students to enter and exit cars from the kerb side only. With so many cars moving around we are very mindful of keeping everyone safe. If you have other family members, such as grandparents, picking up your children, we’d love it if you could let them know to remain in their cars too.
SCHOOL COMMUNITY GROUP TERM 2 MEETING AGENDA AND RSVP
Our Term 2 School Community Group Meeting is scheduled for Monday, 3 June from 6:30 - 7:45 pm in the school staffroom. A huge thank you to Wendy Sawan for volunteering to chair the meeting and to Simone Green for taking notes. A have Anna Moloney presenting on the Zones of Regulation pastoral learning program all of our students are undertaking this year. We also have Julie Parker, Digital Learning Specialist and consultant, presenting on how parents can manage screen time with their children; thanks for organising this, Wendy. The school will share student feedback on the changes to classroom structures and the whole-school approach to pastoral care and wellbeing being undertaken at school this year. There is also an opportunity for parents to share their thoughts on the school uniform.
Here is a link to RSVP for the SCG Meeting.
CONGRATULATIONS MISS MACDONALD
Miss MacDonald was successful last year in receiving a scholarship from the Good Samaritans religious order for their mentoring program. The scholarship provides Miss MacDonald with spiritual formation and leadership development offered through the extensive Good Samaritans network. She is also utilising the scholarship to support her current academic studies, completing a Postgraduate Certificate in Religious Education through Australian Catholic University. You can read about this in this edition of The Good Samaritans The Good Oil.
TELL THEM FROM ME SURVEY CLOSING SOON
A reminder that the Tell Them From Me survey closes very soon. 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.
SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION
Our candidates are very excited to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation this Tuesday from Bishop Greg. We are delighted to have our youth ministers, Oli and Eliza, helping us with our Formation Day. Thank you in advance to the members of our choir who are coming to sing. Your singing brings much joy and excitement to our worship experience.
SUPPORTING LITERACY SKILLS AT HOME
LITERACY TOOLKIT
Filter and find great information, advice and activities to support your child's literacy development at home. Here are some examples:
- A sentence for every occasion
- At the conjunctions junction
- Collect and challenge
- Get down with nouns!
- Give that verb a prize!
- Dialogue reading- An effective way to read aloud with young children
- Building your child’s literacy skills for children in K-2- This page includes tips on how to help build your child's speaking, listening, reading and writing skills.
Spell Block Academy- Reinforce familiarity with common word families and high-frequency words to help develop literacy.
Stage 2 has been learning about how games can be inclusive and safe during PE. So far the students have explored some warm-up games, soccer, tee ball and modified AFL.
DIOCESAN RUGBY UNION TRIALS
Last Friday, Hugh Woolley and Zeke Kubils (Year 6) travelled to Grafton to compete in the Dio Rugby Union Trials. We congratulate both boys for being selected on they day to represent the Lismore Diocese at the Polding Rugby Union Trials.
DIOCESAN CROSS COUNTRY
Today, Braith Duncan (Year 4) and Hugo McCall (Year 3) competed at the Diocesan Cross Country in Grafton. We look forward to celebrating the boys' results at our assembly on Friday.
Congratulations to Andrea Gooding who celebrated her Baptism on the weekend. God bless you Andrea.
MONITOR YOUR CHILD’S ONLINE ACTIVITIES. NEGATIVE INTERACTIONS CAN LEAD TO SCHOOL AVOIDANCE.
Monitoring your child’s online activities is a crucial aspect of parenting in the digital age, and it can indeed play a role in addressing and preventing issues like school avoidance. Here are some reasons why monitoring online activities is important and how it can help prevent negative interactions that may contribute to school avoidance:
- Early Detection of Issues. Regular monitoring allows you to detect any early signs of negative online interactions, such as cyberbullying or social media conflicts. Addressing these issues promptly can prevent them from escalating and negatively impacting your child's well-being.
- Understanding Social Dynamics. By staying informed about your child's online interactions, you gain insights into their social dynamics and relationships. Understanding the online environment helps you identify positive and negative influences on your child's emotional and social wellbeing.
- Communication and Trust. Open communication about online activities fosters trust between you and your child. When children know that their online experiences are open for discussion, they are more likely to share concerns or challenges they may be facing.
- Setting Boundaries. Establishing clear expectations and boundaries for online behaviour is essential. By monitoring your child's activities, you can ensure that they are adhering to these boundaries and engaging in positive online interactions.
- Providing Guidance on Conflict Resolution. If negative interactions do occur, use them as teachable moments to guide your child on conflict resolution and appropriate ways to handle disagreements. This skill is valuable both online and offline.
By actively engaging in their digital world, you can create a safer online environment and contribute to their emotional and social resilience.
