Term 4 Week 6

Key Information

Term 4 Important Dates

• Swimming Sessions will continue this week 
  
• Thursday 9th November, 8:30am - Assembly  
• Friday 10th November - Swimming Carnival 
• Monday 13th November, 4pm  - First Reconciliation Liturgy
• Tuesday 14th November, 8:30-10:30am  - Prep Transition Day 
• Tuesday 14th November, 3-4pm  - FACE Meeting 
• Friday 17th November, 8:30-10:30am - Move Up Morning 
• Wednesday 22nd November - Awards Evening & Christmas Concert 
• Thursday 23rd November - Year 9 Graduation Dinner 
• Friday 24th November, 8.30am - End of Year Mass
• Friday 24th November - Last Day for Secondary Students 
• Friday 1st December - Last Day of School for Primary Students

Tuckshop News

Please email Jamie-Lea at jmcconachy@sjctsv.catholic.edu.au or call the office to let us know if you're available to volunteer!

Our special for Week 5 is: Chicken Nachos and Cookie Monster Cake Cups 

Please have your orders in by WEDNESDAY 8:30 am.

To order: https://myschoolconnect.com.au/

Uniform Shop

Our Uniform Shop is now located in the new office space (old library). We are open to orders being placed via the app, https://myschoolconnect.com.au/

Please give us 24 hours to organise collection for your order, we generally contact you when your order is ready to collect.

As this is a new system for us, please be kind and considerate while we find our feet in the new office space.

Miss Heather

End of Term Date Claimers

Awards Night & Christmas Concert Invitation

End of Year Mass Invitation

Principal's News

Welcome to Week 6, 

Dr Emma Gilmore Visit - Save the Date - FACE Meeting - Tuesday 14th November - 3 to 4pm

Our beloved Dr Emma Gilmore will be joining us for this meeting. Many of you would remember Dr Emma for the years of service she dedicated to Cloncurry at The Ramsay St General Practice and at The Cloncurry Hospital. Dr Emma will be coming to share her expertise on the impact of sleep for children and how healthy eating habits can assist their development. 

Dr Emma is also happy to hear from our parents and carers and answer any questions that you might have! If you have questions for Dr Emma please pop them on the linked survey. 

This FACE Meeting will be in the library at 3pm. Children are welcome to join.

Swimming Carnival - Friday 10th November 2023 
Please see emails sent from Mr Dom Purcell about our swimming carnival on Friday. It is important that parents/carers are up to date with the expectations of the day. 

I have included a snippet of information below:

Remembrance Day - Saturday 11th November
This Saturday the 11th of November our School Leaders and students are invited to participate in the Cloncurry Council’s Remembrance Day Service. It is a privilege to be able to involve our students in this service as we pay our respects to soldiers that sacrificed their lives for the world that we know today. 

Students are welcome to join us in front of the Post Office at approximately. 10.30-10.45am in their full school uniform. 

We will also have a service at school on Thursday at 8.30am in the Mary MacKillop Shed. This service will be on Thursday, instead of Friday due to the athletics carnival. A normal assembly will follow after the Remembrance Day Liturgy.

Staffing Announcement:
Principal - Ms Karen Good

Dear families,

It is with pleasure that I announce that Karen Good will be Acting Principal at St Joseph's Catholic School, Cloncurry Term 1 - Term 3 in 2024.

With 20 years of teaching and leadership experience, Karen is a committed educator. Karen is currently the Assistant Principal at Burdekin Catholic High School, Ayr and is looking forward to being part of the dynamic St Joseph's, Cloncurry community.

In the position of Acting Principal, Karen will be assisting the St Joseph's leadership team in the delivery of planned learning and activities with minimal disruption.

Please join me in congratulating Karen. We also wish the current principal Sam Kelley, her husband Dean and their son, Danny the very best for the safe arrival of their second son and brother.

Kind Regards,

Jacqui Francis

Executive Director

The below message from Karen Good was also shared:

To the St Joseph’s Catholic School Community, 

I feel very privileged to have been appointed as Acting Principal and I am excited to join your community in 2024. When I have discussed your school with others in relation to the Principalship, I have received such positive praises about you and the community you are continually building with your students and with the wider community. I know I have big shoes to fill, however, I will do my best to ensure that we continue to put students first and work diligently together to ensure their success.

I am very much looking forward to returning to Western Queensland. I was born in Mt Isa and attended St Joseph’s Primary school in the Isa before leaving at 12 years of age. I also went to a boarding school in Townsville where many girls from the Isa also attended, which I remain life long friends with. I also have family in the Isa and in Cloncurry so I am excited to be able to spend time with them over the year. I am especially looking forward to going to the Mount Isa Rodeo in August!  This was a tradition when I was younger.

I bring with me 20 years of teaching and leadership experience, and 18 of those have been in Catholic education, most recently as Assistant Principal at Burdekin Catholic High School. My commitment to your community is wholehearted. I am both very excited and very humbled to be given this opportunity and I am looking forward to getting to know you all. My main focus is to ensure the school community continues to thrive and that the care for our staff, students and their families is a priority. I also aim to continue building a culture of collaboration and learning for all so we can serve our young people together.

I look forward to getting to know the St Joseph’s family later this month before I move to Cloncurry over the Christmas holidays.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve your community and I look forward to seeing you soon.

Yours sincerely

Karen Good

Farewells - Mrs Louise Martin and Mr Dom Purcell 
It is with sadness that I confirm Mrs Louise Martin and Mr Dom Purcell will be departing the St Joseph’s Catholic School team at the end of the 2023 school year. Mrs Louise Martin will be joining the staffing body at St Margaret Mary’s in Townsville as the Middle Leader of Indigenous Education. Louise has been apart of our community for such a long time, receiving a service award in 2022 for 15 years in Catholic Education. We are very sad to see Louise depart, but which her all the best on her new journey. Mr Dom Purcell will be returning to Southern Cross Catholic College in 2024 as a Middle Leader of Pastoral Care. Mr Purcell stepped into a similar position with us at St Joseph’s when Mrs Schneekloth was on Long Service Leave and he loved it. We are thankful for the contribution Mr Purcell made to our team this year and wish him all the best for his future at Southern Cross.  

Move Up Day 
We are very excited about ‘Move Up Day’ next Friday (17th of November), which will begin after a short assembly (no awards). This is such a great opportunity for students to go into their new classrooms and meet their teachers for 2024. 

The transition to a new school year is an important milestone for both children and their families. We do however acknowledge that transitioning to a new year level, classroom and teacher can bring with it a different level of anxiety and uncertainty for many of our students and families. The ‘Move Up Day’ event next Friday is in place to foster a positive environment for students in preparation for 2024, it allows students to move into their new classrooms, meet their new teachers and establish relationships before they conclude the school year, which in return will make the transition easier for many. 

We are very excited to be welcoming our new Prep Students for 2024 to our transition morning on Friday and invite all family members to join us for morning tea following the assembly. In the morning tea there will also be a presentation from Lyndsay Miller our Speech Pathologist on ‘Tips for Prep’ and Bec Greaves our Guidance Officer.  

2024 Primary Class Allocations:

2024 Secondary Class Allocation:
Classes in the secondary space do however undergo changes when we build the timetable, therefore, Secondary Teachers classes will be communicated closer to either the end of the 2023 school year or the beginning of the 2024 school year. 

2024 Intentions
I can’t believe it is that time of the year, but we are starting to collect information on children and/or families that will be departing at the end of 2023. Please complete the linked google form if your child / children will be departing St Joseph's at the end of the year. 

All departing families will be presented with a candle at the end of year mass and will receive a blessing. This mass is on 8.30am on Friday 24th November in the MMS, please join us. 

Although we know year 9 students will be departing we would love for you to complete this so we know where your child is going to school in 2024. 

You do not need to complete this if your child is returning to St Joseph's in 2024. All students are automatically enrolled for the following year.

May God Bless you and your families for the week ahead,  

Mrs Samantha Kelley
Principal 

APRE News

Welcome to week 6! 

Our Call to Action assembly on Monday focused on Remembrance Day, the student watched a video explaining its history and the significance and importance of our national day of remembrance. Mrs Schneekloth spoke to the students about "Draw to Remember" an RSL initiative where we mark Remembrance Day through art.  At 1st lunch this Thursday students will be able to create chalk drawings on the school pavements to show their respect for this special day.  Our Year 3 class will present our Remembrance Day Liturgy at Assembly this Thursday. Our school leaders will also attend the town service this Saturday at 10:30am. Lest we forget.

Youth Mass
This Sunday families are encouraged to come along to our Youth Mass in St Colman's Church at 8:30 am. We have decided to rename these masses from a Children’s Mass in the hopes of encouraging more of our school community to participate, in particular our UMY’s students. Our School Mission in Action Youth Group has been encouraged to assist in the preparations for this mass. We love to have as much participation as possible. An email was sent home yesterday to seek names of students who would like to participate in this mass. All students are welcome!

Aged Care Visits
Last Friday the Year 4 Class had the opportunity to visit the Cloncurry Aged Care. The Year 4 students were beautifully behaved. All participants enjoyed a game of Bingo and a good laugh. Next week Year 3 will have the opportunity to visit the center and help bring a smile to the elderly of our community. 

First Reconciliation 
Next Monday 13th November at 4 pm our sacramental students will make their First Reconciliation. Congratulations to Brydee Gresham, Scarlett Campbell, Charlotte Curley, Caroline Curley, Wyatt Mara-Skellern, Clancy Saunders, and Oliver O'Brien. 

End of School Mass
On Friday, November 24th at 8:30am the St Joseph’s community is warmly welcomed to our End of Year Mass. This will be the last whole school gathering for 2023. I look forward to coming together as a community to celebrate the wonderful achievements of this school year and farewell our Year 9 students and departing students, staff, and families.

Blessing for the week ahead,

Mrs Therese Curley
APRE

Pastoral Care

Mindfulness
Did you know…

We spend 49% of our waking hours thinking about something other than what we’re doing!

Regular mindfulness practice can improve our:

• Immune system.
• Energy levels.
• Sleep quality.
• Awareness.
• Memory.
• Productivity.

Why don’t you give it a go. Find a mindfulness activity that suits you and that you enjoy, everyone is different. Below are some suggestions:

• Listening to music.
• Exercise(eg:walking).
• Colouring.
• Puzzles.
• Meditation.
• Yoga

Working on mindfulness gives us opportunities to develop our ability to pay attention to the present moment and our thoughts. Practising mindfulness daily can help us stay focused on set tasks and reduce stress and anxiety. 

Whole Family Activity: Mindful Walk

• As a  family , go on a walk outside in nature. This might be around your local walking track (check out the Railway Street walkway, or the Hudson Fysh Drive walkway or the new Chinaman Creek Dam walkway!) , at your local park or just around our streets.
• While walking, tune into your senses and observe what you can see, hear and feel. Or you might choose to focus on one of the senses. Eg: Hear: what are all the noises you can hear on your walk?
• On your way home or when you return home, share what each person saw, heard or felt.

Family Habit Builder
Each night at dinner, ask everyone to take one mouthful of food more mindfully than the rest and think about the flavours they can taste and how it makes them feel. (They can also thank the chef!)

Mrs Toni Schneekloth
Pastoral Leader

Prep

Good afternoon,

This week the class will be busy practicing their Going on a Bear Hunt performance in readiness for our performance on Friday in Week 7. The students will also be involved in lots of activities to consolidate and revise the learning they have done in our Initial Lit program and also to consolidate number concepts. Santa's workshop has been a big hit with lots of writing and creating occurring in this play space. The dancing reindeer that "got caught" in Santa's Workshop on the security cameras, last year, have also been emailing the class and we have been compiling reply emails. Hopefully they will visit again this year!!  

The swimming carnival is on Friday. Please read the information that has been sent home. The Preps finish about 11.45 pm. The 5 - 8 year olds will be going back to school to do quiet activities, watch videos, etc for the rest of the day. However, some parents may choose to take their child/ren home as they are usually exhausted after the morning at the pool. 

 Reminders:

• Tuesday - Swimming
• Wednesday - Order tuckshop
• Thursday - Remembrance Day Liturgy at 8.30 am. Return home readers and library books.
• Friday - Swimming carnival. Students to be dropped at the pool.

We have had quite a lot of sickness going around in Prep. Please keep your child home if they are unwell.

Yours in fun and learning, Mrs Sharon McLauchlan, Miss Tamara Williams and Miss Brie Thew

Year 1

Welcome to Week 6!

In English this week we are focusing on using the prompt from the daily challenge in Writer's Toolbox to create either a story or make a connection to a prior experience. 

In math this week, Year 1 is continuing to explore how we use informal units of measurement to measure different objects.

Reminders:

• Tuesday: Resilience Project (catch up for Friday)
• Wednesday: Swimming with Mrs Ellis
• Thursday: Technology with Miss humes
• Friday: Swimming carnival 

Have a wonderful first week!

Miss Mae-Louise Brock, Miss Erin Haley and the always fun Year 1’s!

Year 2

Hi all,

Students have finished writing their Persuasive texts. We will be finishing our year off with poetry as well as engaging in lots of Writer’s Toolbox. We will be completing our measurement assessment this week and will be beginning to do revision ready for the move to Year 3. This week and next week are big weeks for assessment across our other subjects so it is important that students are coming to school!

As the term is beginning to heat up, we have come up with a plan of attack for morning tea and lunch moving forward. In Year 2, I will monitor the heat each day to see what location is most suitable for students to eat at brain break, morning tea and lunch. If it is too hot for students to eat at the tables outside our classroom, students will eat in the Mary MacKillop Shed.

Reminders:

• Sport (Swimming) - Tuesday
• Library - Wednesday
• Homework due Wednesday
• Assembly - Thursday
• Swimming Carnival - Friday

Kind regards,

Miss Leonie Ansell 

Year 3

Welcome to Week 6!

I hope you all had a great weekend. The term is just flying by!

Here’s what we are learning this week:

English: This week we will be reading and writing poetry! 

Spelling: Students will be focusing on the sound ‘oy’ as in toy, which is represented by the graphemes oy and oi, and the ‘ear’ sound as in year, which is represented by the graphemes ‘ear’ and ‘eer’. 

Maths: This week we will be revising our learning about symmetry in the real world!

Religion: Students will be further exploring how the Old Testament made predictions about the coming of a Messiah and how Jesus was the Messiah!

HASS: This week students will pose an inquiry question to inform their research project.  

Science: Students will be posing questions and making predictions before recording their observations to show how particles in solids change when heat is added.  

Other Reminders:

• Homework - Homework will be taken home Monday and is due on Friday.
• Chaplaincy Breakfast - Tuesday & Thursday at 7:45am in MMS 
• Swimming - Tuesday in PE
• Library - Wednesday 
• SRC Meeting - Wednesday First Lunch 
• Tuckshop - Must be ordered before 8:30am Wednesday 
• Remembrance Day Liturgy/Assembly (run by the Year 3s) - Thursday 8:30am MMS
• Swimming Carnival - Friday 
• Youth Mass - Sunday 8:20am St Colman’s Church

Thank you. Have a great week!

Miss Laura Cook

Year 4

Hi all,

Writing: Our sentence focus for this week is The Red, White, and Blue Sentence. Sometimes you have three or four things you want to say about a topic. With the Red, White, and Blue Sentence, you can quickly list three or more things—people, places, objects, actions, adjectives—all in ONE sentence. Check this out:

• Alpacas are easy to look after, incredibly soft, and surprisingly affectionate. 
• Tim visited Big Ben, Tower Bridge, and Buckingham Palace when he was in London.
• Careful application of heat, light, and nutrients helped the beans grow extremely large.

Spelling: We have two spelling sounds this week. The first is the ‘oi’ sound in boy. It can be represented by the graphemes: oi and oy.

• The boy sound is most commonly represented by the grapheme oi (e.g. oil, avoid).
• The grapheme oy for boy is usually used at the end of words (e.g. boy, joy), although there are a few exceptions (e.g. voyage, oyster).

The second is the ‘ear’ sound in deer. It can be represented by the graphemes: eer and ear.

• The deer sound is most commonly represented by the grapheme ear (e.g. hear, appear).
• When a vowel suffix is added to a base word ending with the deer sound, the ‘r’ sound in robot is present (e.g. hearing, appearing).

Reminders:

• Tuckshop - Please make sure Tuckshop orders are placed by Wednesday morning.
• Library - Students visited the Library last week. They will have another visit in week 7.
• PE - Students have PE on Wednesday. Please pack sunscreen in your child's swimming bag if you would like this to be applied before they walk to the pool.
• Swimming Carnival - The swimming carnival is this Friday, and because of this, homework will be due Thursday. 

Have a great week,

Miss Mairin Borlase

Year 5

Dear Families,

We had a wonderful week at Paluma and Townsville last week with many positive experiences, lots of fun and laughter and only a small amount of grumpy teacher mode - possibly the best group I've ever taken away in my 18 years of camp. Thank you to Graeme and Leoni for their support at Gumburu. 

Special thanks to Tony and Aranda at Gumburu for making our stay a great one and for the Outer Limits instructors Jye, Nick and Mick for giving us fun kayaking and high ropes experiences. 

Please check out our photos and mini video reflections on our Y5 News Website. Children are able to view all images/videos on our SHARED DRIVE.

ENGLISH: In our English work this week, we are investigating words with the phonemes for [oi oy] and [eer ear]. We continue to examine how words are segmented into separate sounds (phonemes) as well as definitions, synonyms and antonyms for our focus and extension words. In reading, we are looking at word meaning in context - reading challenging texts and focussing on the complex vocabulary. Reading the sentence with the unfamiliar word and then discussing alternatives that maintain meaning help us to understand the meaning of the word. We continue to focus on our persuasive writing and informative text structure to support our science learning.

MATHEMATICS: In our Maths work, we have a focus on the revision of fractions and decimals. Understanding the value of each digit after the decimal as tenths, hundredths and thousandths is a focus, while understanding that 10/100 is the same as 1/10 etc. and applying our understanding of decimals to the contexts of money, mass, capacity and length.

Our Think Mentals continues to be a revision of the four operations and strategies for solving addition problems mentally or with simple jottings.

SCIENCE: In our Science learning, we have been creating informative texts about animals from the rainforest. This week, we need to complete our visually appealing websites to be ready to present to a younger audience in week 7. 

We continue to focus on how plants and animals adapt to their environment, looking at bird beaks and how birds construct their nests.

Wishing you a great Week 6,

Mr Mike Tarleton

Year 6

A little over 3 weeks to go for our Year 6 students until they finish Primary School. 

This week has been super busy trying to get everything completed for the semester. Students have been working on their Persuasive writing pieces, creating their ‘This is your Life’ Presentations on their Australian Immigrant, finalising their Religion assessment on personal and communal prayer, and completing all the while preparing for Friday's swimming carnival with their weekly lesson at the pool. 

They have been working extremely hard and should be proud of their efforts this week.

I think they are looking forward more than ever to the end of their Primary School journey!

Mr Dom Purcell 

Subject Spotlight

Year 7, 8 & 9 PE with Mr Timms:
This term students have been looking at all aspects of safety related to their and other's health. Students have been learning about first aid in their health classes. Learning about terms and procedures, in particular the DRSABCD and RICE. Students have been completing scenarios in class that will help them react to real life situations and emergencies. In their physical education lessons, students have been heading to the pool. They have been learning and playing water polo for large chunks of their lessons. Students have had to learn how to tread water as well as catching, throwing, and shooting the ball at various targets. They have seemed to really enjoy this unit so far and are always eager to get into the pool to escape the heat. With the swimming carnival coming up the Year 9’s are sure to have plenty of practice and are excited to participate.  

Year 9 Business and Economics with Mrs Schneekloth:
This semester students were given the opportunity to further develop their understanding of economics and business concepts by exploring the interactions within the global economy. Students were introduced to the concept of an ‘economy’ and explored what it means for Australia to be part of the Asia region and the global economy. They considered the interdependence of participants in the global economy, including the implications of decisions made by individuals, businesses and governments. The responsibilities of participants operating in a global workplace are also considered. 

Library

With only two weeks to go before the high school students finish school for 2023, please can you check at home for all books that belong to our Library and return them as soon as possible. This includes any textbooks, such as  Maths and Science or English novels studied throughout the year, that some may keep forgetting to bring to school once they have done their homework. Thank you and, as always, happy reading!

Gillian Gardiner 
Teacher Librarian

General News

Dear Parents/Carers,

I am happy to announce that we have another Occupational Therapist available to Cloncurry residents. How to access services:

• NDIS Funding 
• Private paying
• GP Chronic Disease Management Plan

For more information please contact admin@playtogrowot.com.au

Thanks,

Mrs Louise Martin

Student Wellbeing

Social media has become such an integral part of a teenager’s life. However, many miss out on some critical social skills with most communicating whilst looking at a screen instead of another person! Statistics show that 60 per cent of 10-11 year olds are using at least one social media site, with the majority using age-restricted platforms. What kids do, post and say online is permanent and most are not mature enough to manage their own digital footprint. Friendships, relationships and even future job prospects are all put at risk.

Parents need to be aware of what picture their children are painting of themselves online. Unfortunately, many parents do not see the dangers inherent of these sites, as they form opinions based on their own experience. But predators are usually not interested in grooming adults. Over the years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of primary schoolers owning mobile phones, highlighting the importance to teach kids about the dangers of social media and the implications it can have.

In this edition of SchoolTV, parents will learn how to talk to their children about the inherent dangers of social media and how to educate their kids to be responsible users in the online world we live in.

Here is the link to the Social Media & Digital Reputation edition of SchoolTV
https://sjctsv.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/social-media-and-digital-reputation

Community Information