3 September 2024 (Week 7 Term 3 2024)
Dear St Joseph’s Community
As we reflect on the Father's Day celebrations this past Sunday, I want to extend my heartfelt appreciation to all the fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and father figures who play such vital roles in our lives. This day gave us a wonderful opportunity not only to express our gratitude but also to contemplate the true essence of fatherhood.
In our Catholic faith, we are blessed with profound examples of fatherhood—God the Father and St. Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus. Both offer timeless lessons that resonate deeply with the responsibilities that fathers undertake each day.
St. Joseph, in particular, embodies the virtues of unconditional love, humility, courage, and reliability. Just as God the Father loves us unconditionally, St. Joseph’s love for Jesus was unwavering. He put aside his own dreams to focus on his family’s well-being—a humility and sacrifice that many of you demonstrate daily. Courage was also central to St. Joseph’s journey. His strength in protecting his family reflects the courage many fathers show in safeguarding their loved ones. Finally, his faithfulness and dependability mirror the steady guidance that fathers provide, echoing the enduring stability of God the Father.
Thank you to the fathers and father figures who were able to join us for our Father’s Day assembly celebration this afternoon.
At last Friday’s Assembly, We had so many things to celebrate. A number of students received Gold Awards, Toby Colnan received the Quote Kindness award for the kindness he shows his peers, and we had so many teacher’s awards celebrating these students’ engagement in their learning. We also had some students recognised for their excellence in sport.
Our Year 5 and 6 students had an excellent day on Friday, attending the Stage 3 Sports Gala Day. The students I spoke to had a wonderful time despite the unseasonably warm weather. Thanks to Miss MacDonald for organising and Mrs Miller, Miss Clark, Mrs Trickey, Mr Pearson and Mrs Jones for attending.
Congratulations to our Junior and Senior Choirs for their performance at the Lismore Eisteddfod in Bangalow. Our students received three first places and one second. This was a tremendous effort for our first competition. Thanks to Mrs Jones, who has coordinated the Choir, and Mrs Kate Webber for giving her time to come in and teach our choristers.
We are in the middle of our Gift of the Gab presentations. It is impressive to see these students be courageous in standing up in front of their peers; they clearly worked hard to prepare their poems! We heard our kinder students present at our assembly on Friday, and we look forward to hearing more students in the coming assemblies.
Congratulations to all of our First Communion students who received the sacrament over the past two weeks. Welcome into the fullness of the Catholic Faith, and we pay that this is the first of countless opportunities to share in the Table of the Lord. Congratulations: Amalia Gooley, Eli Graveson, Indy Graveson, Zoe Hargrave, Allanah MacRae, Noah Moss, Eloise Watson, Hannah Young, Oscar Lamas, Rory Quinlan, Mitchell Charter, Amala Chee, Noah Colnan, Braithe Duncan, Poppy Elmsly, Scarlett Hinton, Mia Knight, Maddie Layland, Lachlan Lewis-Hughes, Lily, McVey, Eva Munday, Dannon Pucci McDermott, Samuel Pucci McDermott & Damon Szeto.
READING MATTERS!
The frequency of reading to children at a young age directly affects their schooling outcomes. Reading practice is more highly correlated with literacy achievement than time spent on homework, relationships with teachers, classroom environment, gender, family structure, or even socioeconomic status. Children read to more frequently at age 4-5 achieve higher scores on the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests for both Reading and Numeracy in Year 3 (age 8 to 9). Parents and guardians can play an important role by encouraging their children to make reading an integral part of every day.
Some evidence-based tips for reading at home:
- Have conversations before, during, and after reading together
- Help children learn how to break sentences into words and words into syllables
- Help children sound out words
- Model reading fluently by practising reading aloud with your child
These definitions will help you make connections with how your child is learning to read at school.
Decoding: The ability to translate a word from print to speech and decipher a new word by sounding it out. Decodable words follow the expected sound-spelling patterns and are typically easier for early readers to sound out.
Tricky words do not follow the typical sound-spelling patterns and are not easy for early readers to decode; children typically have to learn these words as whole words rather than by sounding them out. Examples of tricky words are “said,” “was,” and “there.”
Phonemic awareness is the ability to understand that sounds in spoken language work together to make words. For example, changing the phoneme /o/ in the word 'mop' to the phoneme /a/ changes the word 'mop' to 'map'
Phonological awareness is the ability to recognise that words are made up of individual sound units, for example, by syllables. In the word monkey, the syllables are mon-key. And by phoneme, the smallest unit of a spoken word, for example, in the word shark, the phonemes are sh- ar- k.
FIRST COMMUNION & ALTAR SERVING
Congratulations to all our students who received their First Holy Communion over the last two weekends. Congratulations to Braith, who altar-served for the first time on Saturday night with his brother. It is lovely to see our students involved in Parish ministry. All these students are now invited to become an altar server. They are trained by Fr Max and will serve with an older student who can support them. All students who altar serve are invited to Wet and Wild in November each year as a special thank you from the Parish.
Why Attendance Matters: A Key to Success
Each day of learning is crucial for building skills, fostering social development, and avoiding gaps in education. Consistent attendance helps your child stay on track and establishes lifelong learning habits.
Tips for Supporting Attendance:
- Set a Routine: Keep a consistent daily schedule.
- Communicate with Us: Let us know if your child will be absent.
- Celebrate Success: Encourage and recognise good attendance.
Resources and information for parents on supporting student attendance below, click this link.
STAGE 3 GALA DAY
Netball- On 30/8/24 our Alstonville Joey's team went to the Zone Netball Gala competition at the Lismore netball courts. We were one of 7 teams (St Carthages, St Marys, St. Francis Xavier, Joey's Woodburn, Holy Family, OLHC and us.) We gathered a team of 10 eager netballers ready to get on the court and meet the competition. Our team ended up coming 4th out of seven very experienced netball teams.
By Hugh Woolley and Zeke Kubils
Football- The soccer gala day is a competitive day where some schools from around our Diocese (including us), come together to compete for a spot in DIO to play for the Paul Wilson Cup. The competitors from our school were a mixture of our Year 6 and 5 students. Our pool consisted of St Carthages, OLHC (Our Lady Help of Christians) and St Mary's Primary School Casino. The St Joseph's soccer team won the first game 3-2 against St Mary's, and then lost the last two 1-0 to OLHC and St Carthages. Our St Joseph's team finished 5th overall and 3rd in our pool. We must thank the teachers who helped, and our sport's coordinator for making this day possible.
By Tyler and Zeke
Multi Sport- On Friday the 30th of August, some of the Stage 3 students went to multi-sports on the Goonellabah sports fields. There were a range of different sports that we learnt and played. Hockey, tennis, table tennis, futsal, NRL, AFL and touch football, were arranged around the fields from the table tennis building to the fields. There were around 8 different schools from around the place, most of the schools did not mix, and we moved to stations one at a time with 30 minutes at each activity.
Some coaches and helpers took the time to help teach us and other schools different sports. We had a lunch break, and a break at one of the stations. At the break, we got to play with equipment such as soccer balls and AFL balls. Even though it was very hot, we still had lots of fun. Thank you to our school for taking us. We had so much fun, and learnt more about sport.
By Amala and Ruby
PSSA FOOTBALL TRIALS
Last week, Sully Mitchell (Year 6) travelled to Tamworth to compete in the PSSA Football (Soccer) Trials. Sully competed against other skilled football players in NSW, and was successfully selected to represent NSW at Nationals in Western Australia next month! We are very proud of Sully’s achievements and share in excitement. Congratulations Sully!
Year 1
Year 1 have been learning how to use persuasive language in their writing. Their task was to persuade their parent(s) to get a new pet. Here is a sample of their wonderful writing.
I Really Want a Pug
Hey Mum, I really want a pug because Roxy will have a friend and she will have fun. I will feed her. I will pick up the poo. I will love her. Uh oh! A pug sounds like a LOT of work… I THINK I want a snake INSTEAD!
Lilly Kubils
I Really Want a Bunny
Dad, I really want a bunny because a bunny is sooo cute! I will feed it every day! I will clean up after it! I will play with it every day! UH-Oh a bunny sounds like a lot of work. I think I want a turtle instead!
Chloe Carr- Hambly
I Really Want a Chihuahua
I really want a chihuahua because they are really soft! Mum, you can relax, I’ll take care of everything! I’ll play with it every day. I’ll pick up its poo and feed it. Uh-oh a chihuahua sounds like a lot of work. I think I want a corgi instead!
Henry Hargrave
I Really Want a Bunny
Hey Mum! I really want a bunny because they are sooooo adorable! Please can I? Please! I’ll pick up its poo and I’ll play with it every day. Pretty please!!! I’ll give it food!!! I’ll pay the bills!! Uh-oh! A rabbit sounds like a lot of work! I think I want a snake instead!!!!
Kalahni Mossman
I Really Want a Snake
Hey Dad can I have a pet snake because Jayden has one! Ok, what about I give you a million dollars! I’ll give you coffee in bed. PLEASE I’M BEGGING! Uh-oh! A snake sounds sooo hard! I might get a pug instead! Please!!!!!
Kade Meyers
I Really Want a Horse
Hey Mum, I really want a horse because I can ride on it. I’ll feed it hay and apples! I’ll clean up its poo! I’ll train it so I can ride it! Uh-oh a horse sounds like a lot of work. I think I want a dog instead!
Ruby O’Bryan
I Really Want a Turtle
Hey Mum and Dad, I really want a turtle because their skin is really smooth and their face is soooo cute! I’ll play with it every day! I’ll put it in the pond and I’ll give it seaweed! Uh-oh! A turtle sounds like a lot of work. I think I want a goldfish instead!
Lillian Trollope
I Really Want a Hamster
Hey Mum and Dad, I really want a hamster because they’re so fluffy and cute. I don’t have a pet yet. I’ll clean up its POO. I’ll play with it every day. Uh-oh! A hamster sounds like a lot of work…. I think I want a horse instead!
Edward Watson
I Really Want a Pony
Hey Mum, I really want a pony because it’s cute and fluffy. I will clean up its poo. I’ll get it food and water. I’ll get it some hay.Uh-oh! A pony is a lot of work. I think I want a cat because it’s soft and fluffy.
Hollie Brown
I Really Want a Guinea Pig
Hey Dad, I really want a guinea pig because you’re always on the phone and I want to play with it! I’ll play with it every day! They are sooo cute!!!I’ll clean its poo! Uh-oh! a guinea pig sounds like a lot of work. I think I want a fish instead!
Theo Chee
Choir members receiving their awards at assembly.
Congratulations to all our Class Award Winners!
Kindy:Freddy Plumb
Year 2:Corey Commens,Ella McVey,and Olivia Eason
Year 3:Matilda Hollows,Zareef Haque,and Elaina Battaglia
Year 4:Maddie Layland,Samuel Pucci McDermott,and Rory Quinlan
Congratulations to all Gold Award Winners!
Millie Webster, Corey Commens, Braithe Duncan, Josh Tosic, Harriet Smith, Matilda Hollows, Mitchell Charter, Layla George, Poppy Condell, Eva Munday, Lily McVey, Maddie Layland and Henry van Eck.
QUOTA Kindness Award
Congratulations to Noah Colnan for being this term's recipient of the QUOTA Kindness Award. This award recognises those students who consistently demonstrate kindness to their peers and seek to care for and include one another! Noah was presented his award by Mrs Jenny Butler from the Alstonville/Wollongbar branch of QUOTA.
Happy Birthday!
Happy birthday to these students who have celebrated their birthday since the last newsletter:
Orlando Speidel - 29 Aug
Maddi Layland -30 Aug
Finn Howick - 3 Sept
