Term 1 Week 7

Key Information

Term 1 Important Dates

• Week 8
  • Wednesday 13th-22nd March - NAPLAN
  • Friday 15th March - St Patricks's Day Free Dress (Gold Coin Donation)
• Week 9 (Harmony Week)
  
  • Monday & Tuesday 18-19th March - Parent Teacher Interviews
  • Wednesday 20th March - Harmony Day Orange Free Dress Day
  • Friday 22nd March - National Ride to School Day; St Joseph's Feast Day; Assembly, 8:30am 
• Week 10
  • Wednesday 27th March - Good Friday Litugy  8:30am; Last Day of Term 1

Tuckshop News

Our special for Week 8 is:  Potato & Horse Radish Hash and Green Cupcakes with clover sprinkles (to celebrate St Patrick's Day - 17th March)

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

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

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

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.

If you are needing students to try on sizes we are available:

Monday from 2:30-3pm and Wednesday from 8:10-8:30am.

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 

General News

Attendance

Just a reminder that any absences should be entered into Compass (instrustions below).

However, if you are unable to use this method please ensure that you email not only the students teacher but also the office staff via clncry@tsv.catholic.edu.au or call the office on (07) 4742 1633.

Principal's News

Dear Parents, Carers and Friends

Thank you so much to the parents who have taken the time to complete the Catholic Identity Survey. In saying this, I encourage those parents or carers who have not completed the survey to do so before the end of the term. Remember that if you let us know that you have completed the survey, you will be in the running to win a $200 voucher, either from Moselle Meats or Shop Local. Just email or print out your confirmation of completion to be included in the raffle. Please see the login details below. Thank you all for helping us create a great school for your children.

School: St Joseph’s Catholic School Cloncurry

Entry Code: i1669

Group Access Code: w2RT27

Password: Ghj654

EXPECTATIONS

At this time of each term, we have the potential for silly behaviour to appear. This is because children are getting tired and make inappropriate choices. Our goal is not simply to stop irresponsible behaviour, but to enable our students to learn to behave responsibly. Can you please support us by reminding your children about using manners and showing respect to each other, their teachers and to school property.  Hopefully this will help alleviate some of the behaviour from occurring and help us to maintain a safe and supportive environment for every student.

NAPLAN

The 2024 NAPLAN testing window will take place in Week 8 and 9 of this term.  This involves all students in Year 3, 5, 7 and 9.  Students in these classes will be involved in a series of online tests across a range of subject areas.  We wish them all the very best.

COMBINED SCHOOL BOARD MEETING

On Monday 18th March, our school board members will join with our western Catholic schools in a combined schools meeting via Zoom.  This meeting presents a valuable opportunity for all School Board members to convene, fostering collaboration and discussion of agenda items relevant to all participating schools. 

ST COLMAN’S PARISH 125 YEARS CELEBRATION MASS

A reminder to join us to celebrate the jubilee of our parish tomorrow (Saturday).  A celebration mass and community BBQ will take place at St Colman’s Church from 5.30pm.  Please bring a plate to share.  It is a milestone for our parish and I’m sure it will be a wonderful way to reconnect with each other.

Our Lenten journey continues. Just like Jesus in the desert, we need God in our lives to get us through the complexities of life. Let's make time to have God in our lives so that Easter really is a celebration of the resurrection and of Jesus giving us a chance to be with Him one day.  

May God bless you and your families.

Mrs Karen Good 

Acting Principal 

Deputy's News

Last week in my newsletter, I touched on NAPLAN and some of the inner workings of our school — Teacher Professional Development. Unsurprisingly, with NAPLAN right around the corner, I will spend a little time on NAPLAN today. The other distinguishable item I will give some information on is our upcoming Parent-Teacher interviews.

NAPLAN is a nationwide assessment administered to students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9 across Australia. It assesses students' literacy and numeracy skills and provides valuable information about their academic progress and achievement in key areas of learning.

NAPLAN provides a snapshot of students' literacy and numeracy skills, allowing educators, parents, and policymakers to identify strengths, areas for improvement, and trends in student achievement. This valuable data assists schools and education authorities monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of teaching programs, curriculum implementation, and educational initiatives.

How Parents can support their child/children during the NAPLAN testing window

• Encourage your child/children to do their best without putting too much pressure on them.
• Ensure your child/children get plenty of rest and eat a healthy breakfast on the days of the tests.
• Remind your child/children that NAPLAN is just one measure of their learning and does not define their abilities or potential.
• After the tests, discuss the results with your child's teacher to understand areas of strength and areas for improvement.
• If your child/children are struggling please let the classroom teacher know. We are here to help, however, we can't help if we don't know.

In Week 9, on Monday and Tuesday, our school will hold our Parent-Teacher interviews. Parent-Teacher interviews are a valuable component of successful home/school relationships and we encourage all Parents/Carers to attend. We would also strongly encourage your child to accompany you to the interview as this results in a consistent message being communicated to all parties.

Parent-Teacher interviews will take place in the primary classrooms for Prep - Year 6 students and in the Lowcock and MacKillop rooms for Secondary students. The interview schedule consists of 15-minute timeslots from 3 pm - 6 pm.

If you are using your phone to make your interview bookings, please ensure that you are using the latest version of the Compass App to ensure you have all the features that have recently been added (you may need to update the Compass App on your phone if you haven't done this recently).

Mr Dean Kelley

Deputy Principal - Teaching and Learning

APRE

The History of St Colman’s Parish - Celebrating 125 Years

The Story is told of the construction of the first catholic church in the town of Cloncurry in 1907. Father Hanley arrived in the town in 1898, and for nine years Mass was celebrated in the old Shire Hall. During this time contributions were collected and an order was placed in England for a wooden Church. In time this building did arrive at the sea port in Townsville - but there it was waylaid by customs to sit for months on the wharf. It was eventually redeemed by the consortium of Catholic locals (including a Father Walsh) who now possessed a ready-made church which he promptly erected in South Townsville. While the patient parishioners of Cloncurry were left with a debt of fourty (40) pounds, and no church!

But the West was hungry for worship and further donations were raised by the faithful of the Cloncurry district. Led by their newly-appointed Parish Priest Father O’Keefe, suitable building material was again purchased - this time prudently, in Townsville itself. Construction was delayed as the material had come on the railway via Julia Creek, with the final leg of the journey being by wagon-team. It was a wet year… and it would take three months for the teams to “get through '', and Father O’Keefe (they tell), ‘often rode out of an afternoon on his creamy horse to the Six Mile Well to see if the Church was coming. It is suggested that this delightful metaphor still holds for today - and that many of us wait with yearnig and hope - at the SIX Miles of our Lives - to see if the church is coming. 

On the 11th August the church’s foundation stump was blessed and dedicated under the title of Sacred Heart and St Colmans.  It was opened by Fr Ragan of Winton on the 17th of November 1907. In 1909 Bishop Duhig returned and confirmed over 80 children. 

Please join us as we give thanks for the past 125 Years of our beautiful little church. Mass at 5:30 with a BBQ to follow, families are asked to bring a plate to share. Some drinks will be available to purchase with the profits going towards Project Compassion.

Farewell Father Ememe 

After Easter, Fr Emene Kelemete will be appointed the Diocesan Youth Coordinator for a period of one year. Although we will miss him immensely, this appointment has occurred out of necessity in that the role is crucial for our Diocese as it seeks to support the engagement of the youth and young people. Fr Emene will also be appointed as Diocesan Vocations Director for one year. At our 125 Year Mass this Saturday 9th March, we will have a blessing for Fr Ememe. The students have also been working on a book of praise and gratitude to the man we call M&M. Our school is deeply grateful for his service, support and guidance. May God’s love guide Father Ememe on his next chapter. 

Project Compassion 

In our Week 7 Call to Action assembly with Prep to Year 6 we viewed Leaia Story and discussed the vital need for clean water. Students were encouraged to buy a water droplet from the office for $5 to support communities in need of clean water. Please find Leaia’s story attached.

Not having access to a reliable source of clean water was very difficult for Leaia and her family. But with the support of Caritas Australia, a water tank was installed at their home, improving their health and living conditions.

Notices:

Sacramental meeting: Saturday 9th March at 4:30 pm in the church  and Monday 11th at 3pm in MacKillop room.
St Colman’s 125 Years Celebration Mass and BBQ : Saturday 9th March at 5:30pm.  All families are encouraged to attend. Dinks will be on sale!
St Joseph's Feast Day Liturgy: Friday 24th March - this year we will have a liturgy at Assembly in week 9 to celebrate St Joseph’s Feast Day. The school will then celebrate with activities St Joseph on his second Feast Day - St Joseph the Worker in week 3 of next term. 

Have blessed week,

Therese Curley

APRE

Pastoral Care

Clean Up Australia Schools Day - 1st March 

Last Friday, our students participated in a School Clean Up which is designed to  inspire students to learn about the impact of rubbish on their local environment while playing an active role in their community. Students and teachers worked together to clean up an area within the school and in adjacent areas and removed 12kg of waste from our local area - well done citizen scientists in reducing contamination and improving habitat for local species of flora and fauna.

The Resilience Project presents, 'TRP in Action for Parents and Carers'

The Resilience Project delivers emotionally engaging programs to schools, sports clubs and businesses and provide them with evidence based, practical strategies to build resilience and happiness.  The Resilience Project has delivered programs to over 500 schools around the country and worked with many elite sporting teams including Australian cricket, netball and soccer, NRL and AFL clubs.  Through presentations, wellbeing journals, schools curriculum, teacher diaries and their App, The Resilience Project seeks to help all Australians become mentally healthy. During this live Parents presentation, Hugh will share his experiences and combine them with practical strategies that can be implemented everyday to improve our overall wellbeing.

This session will be delivered via ZOOM -

Ensure to use St. Joseph’s Catholic School, Cloncurry when registering!

Friendship and Belonging  

Learning how to make new friends and keep them involves a number of skills every young person needs to understand and develop. For some these skills will come very naturally, allowing them to easily move between different friendship groups, sharing their experiences and opening up to new people. For others, this can be much harder to navigate. Belonging to a group that is like-minded with similar interests is highly beneficial to a young person’s wellbeing. It gives them a sense of security helping them feel valued which in turn builds their confidence.

Positive friendships are an important part of the journey to adulthood. Adult carers can support their child or teenager by providing guidance in the many social and emotional skills required for a healthy relationship. This will help them to obtain, retain and maintain friendships. However, not all friendships are regarded as positive. Sometimes young people develop negative or toxic friendships. Therefore it is also important for them to learn how to identify, avoid or deal with such a friendship.

In this edition of SchoolTV, adult carers can learn how to support their young person’s friendship so that they experience a sense of belonging.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback. If you have any concerns about your child, please contact Toni Schneekloth, Pastoral Care Leader, or Marissa Madigan, Guidance Counsellor, for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to the Friendship & Belonging edition of SchoolTV

Friendships and the URSTRONG 

At St. Joseph’s, we are commencing the URSTRONG program. URSTRONG’s whole-school friendship strategy has improved the social climate in schools around the world, connecting over a million kids, parents, and teachers with a common language of friendship. We are proud to be a URSTRONG School and are committed to empowering your children with friendship skills.

You are invited to take advantage of a FREE Parent Membership to access hundreds of resources – including an 8 session video series. This will allow you to learn the same language & strategies being taught in the classroom through the Friendology 101 curriculum. We hope that, as a URSTRONG Family, you will reinforce the important messages of empowerment, self-compassion, & kindness at home.

As a next step, we would recommend:

• Click here to view an overview of URSTRONG.
• Activate your FREE Parent Membership and explore all the resources available to your family.
• Explore the hundreds of resources available to you!
• We believe that empowering our students with these skills will create a culture of kindness at our school and we hope that, together, we can support your children to have healthy, feel-good friendships.

Upcoming Events

Week 8
Tuesday - LifeEducation for Years 4-6
Wednesday to Friday - NAPLAN
Wednesday - The Resilience Project Parents Live Session at 5.30pm
Friday - St. Patrick’s Day Free Dress (wear green and gold coin donation for UMY Camp) & Icy Cups for Sale

Week 9
Monday to Tuesday - Parent Teacher Interviews
Wednesday - Harmony Day Free Dress (wear orange)
Thursday - Years 6-8 Camp Presentation 5pm
Friday - Ride to School Day & Icy Cups for Sale
Sunday - Races Clean Up for Years 7-9 Camp Fundraising

Week 10
Monday to Wednesday - Holy Week Activities
Tuesday - QMEA Year 7 Science Workshop
Wednesday - Easter Hat Parade with Good Friday Liturgy, World’s Greatest Shave & Crazy Hair Day

Toni Schneekloth

Pastoral Leader

Prep

What is happening in Week 8.

During our Initial Lit lessons in Week 8 the students will continue to revise the letter sounds for m, s, t, a and p and will add the vowel i to their growing bank of letters. The Prep’s will continue to practice “hearing” the sounds that words are made up of and this will lead into reading short words. Our book focus will be The Very Hungry Caterpillar and this theme will include math concepts such as days of the week, and sequencing language such as before, after, next as the student’s retell the story with a variety of props.

Our HASS focus is moving into exploring our families and how we know about family history. The class will also be learning more about the weather during science.   

Our pretend play construction site will be turning into a camping area. If we could borrow a couple of kid size camping chairs, small camp oven, billy, lantern, torch or any other durable camping items to use in this space, please let me know.

Reminders:   
Tuesday - sport
Wednesday - wear house shirts
Thursday - library and tuckshop

Yours in fun and learning,

Mrs McLauchlan and Miss Kylie

Year 1

Hello Parents and Carers

We have had a great week of school!

In Math, we have been looking at number patterns. We have started skip counting in 10s and 5s. Here are some links to some interactive counting songs (Count by 5s and 10s). 

In English, we have been sequencing our focus book ‘Brother Moon’. The students are loving creating the different events through crafts and retelling the story. 

This week we were very lucky to have Mrs Chaplain come in to tell us about her time when she was at school. She told many stories and brought in some awesome photos. The students loved hearing all of the interviews that you completed with your child.

Here is some photos: 

Reminders

Reminders

Art: Tuesday 

House Shirts: Wednesday 

Library/ Homework Due: Thursday 

Sport: Thursday (sport uniform) 

Technology: Friday 

Have a wonderful week.

Miss Haley and the always fun Year 1s!

Year 2

Hi all

This week we have been looking at Persuasive texts and their features in Comprehension and are also looking at bossy e as well as different spelling combinations using y, igh, i_e, oa, ow and o_e during spelling. We have now completed our Character Preferences based on ‘The Lizard Gang’ and will now begin to engage in a little bit of poetry based on this text.

In Maths, we have been working on cutting shapes, collections and lengths into halves, quarter sand eights using repeated halving

We also covered our other subject areas which include:
Religion - This term we are looking at God’s Nature and his relationship with his people
Science - This term we are looking at mixtures and their different purposes.
HASS - This term we are looking at Past and Present

Next Week

• Homework is due on Mondays

Kind regards

Miss Ansel

Year 3

Hello all

Here’s what we learnt in Week 7

Mathematics
This week, we started a brand new mathematics unit - Making in Mathematics! We started this unit by learning about angles and finding right angles, acute angles, and obtuse angles in our classroom! 

English
The learners have published their persuasive texts! This week, the students grouped up and began to plan a persuasive presentation based on their writing. 

In reading groups, students practiced their inferencing skills to find deeper meaning in texts.  They also practiced handwriting skills and completed spelling tasks focusing on the ‘i’ sound.

Religion
After learning all about God, now the Year 3s are shifting their focus to learn about Jesus as the Messiah! We have begun by exploring the Gospels and learning about how they were written to share stories about Jesus’ life. 

Science
Students explored how First Nations Australian’s classify and group living things (for example, as venomous and non-venomous). Students also used tables to categorize living things as venomous or non-venomous.

HASS
International Women’s Day is celebrated internationally on March 8th (this Friday!), so in HASS, we investigated IWD by questioning what it is and why people choose to celebrate it!

Reminders for next week:

• Homework - No homework will be sent home next week. With NAPLAN, students deserve to have a conscious, well-deserved break at home!
• PE uniform Tuesday 

• NAPLAN Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
• Chaplain’s Breakfast - Tuesday & Thursday at 7:45am in MMS 
• Tuckshop order due before Wednesday 8:30am
• Library - Thursday 

Thank you

Miss Laura Cook

Year 4

Dear families

During our Religion lessons we have been learning about the meaning of Moses' parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:1-31). After the parting of the Sea, Moses and the Isralietes were so pleased that they were protected and rescued by God that they wrote a song (poem). To remind us that we are also protected by God, we have created footprints for our classroom, using a verse from this song. Have a look at some of our awesome work:

Our upcoming sentence focus is The Preposition Start sentence. This sentence gives writing more energy. It starts with a preposition such as: on, in, by, after, during, under, over, from, behind, at, before, against, next to, close to, through, etc. After adding the preposition, a comma, then the subject is added, then the rest of the sentence.  It's that easy. 

Here are some more examples:

• Under Gran's sofa, Billy discovered his long-lost peanut butter sandwich.
• Above the treetops, three golden eagle birds searched for their next meal.
• At exactly seven o’clock, every light in the house went dark.
• Before the end of class, Freddy pressed the switch and the teacher Mr Brown vanished

Our spelling sound is going to be the ‘ff’ sound in fish. This can be represented by the graphemes: f, ff and ph.

• The ‘ff’ sound in fish is most frequently represented by the grapheme f (e.g. fun, after, leaf).
• We usually use ff after short vowel sounds at the end of single-syllable words (e.g. off, puff). 
• The grapheme ph can represent the ‘ff’ sound in fish (e.g. phone, graph). Words containing ph for the ‘ff’ sound in fish usually originate from Greek.
• The grapheme gh represents the ‘ff’ sound in fish in a small set of words, usually at the end of words (e.g. laugh, enough).

Reminders:

• We have Life Ed visiting us on Tuesday to talk to us about Body Safety.
• Chaplaincy breakfast is on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning at 7:45am.
• Library is on Friday
• PE is on Thursday
• There will not be an Assembly this Friday however there will be a free dress day to celebrate St Patrick's Day. Please bring a gold coin donation as a fundraiser for the Upper Middle Years school camp

Have a great week

Mairin Borlase

Year 5

Welcome to week 7!

During their Science lessons this week, Year 5 were lucky enough to enter the Upper-Middle Years Science Lab, where they learnt about solids, liquids and gasses.

In English, we will commence work on our narrative assessment. After exploring the writing process, Year 5 will begin their Fractured FairyTale assessment with a simple plan for writing, before moving into their WHERE and WHO paragraphs that introduce the background to the story. Learners will utilise their writing plan to structure out the remainder of their writing with a WHY paragraph to discuss the plot followed by the RESOLUTION paragraph. They will use varied sentence types in their writing to add interest. In spelling, we are investigating words with the grapheme [d, dd], inquiring into synonyms (words with the same meanings). We will investigate prefix meanings - dis meaning not or opposite, mis meaning wrong, in meaning towards and de meaning down or away.

In Mathematics, our Think Mentals learning continues to focus on subtraction strategies when solving problems involving decimals. Over the last two weeks, we have also had a focus on identifying perimeter. For the remainder of the term the learners solve practical problems involving the perimeter and area of regular and irregular shapes using appropriate metric units. We will then move into choosing appropriate metric units when measuring the length, mass and capacity of objects. They will use smaller units or a combination of units to obtain a more accurate measure. 

Please check out our class website for some photos taken over the past few weeks. 

Reminders:

• Life Education will be holding a Welcome to Puberty session with Year 5 on Tuesday. A Life Education form was sent home last week with information regarding this session.
• NAPLAN takes place next week on Wednesday-Friday. 

Have a lovely Week Eight!

Kind regards

Mae-Louise Brock

Year 6

Dear Families

The World's Greatest Shave is fast approaching. Unbelievably, the boys have already surpassed their target of $560 and are on their way to smashing the initial amount by the time their shave takes place on Wednesday 27th March.  Currently, fundraising stands at $734, but this figure changes daily. Great work boys and our amazing community - special thank you to all the family members for their support! Congratulations also go to James, Grace and Chelsea for raising a combined $950 for Starlight - there is still time to give them our support as they finish their Super Swim Challenge.

In English, we will commence work on our narrative assessment. Beginning with a simple plan for writing, before writing the exposition (WHERE and WHO paragraphs that introduce the background to the story). Learners will utilise the HAMMER Paragraph structure to write paragraphs with 6 varied sentence types and will generate ideas for their rising action, conflict/climax of their story and then their falling action towards their story resolution. In spelling, we are investigating words with the grapheme [d, dd], inquiring into antonyms (words with opposite meanings). We will investigate Greek and Latin word origins - ped and pod meaning foot - e.g. podium (winners stand on it) and pedometer (measuring how many foot steps) and Latin roots duc, duct, and duce (meaning - lead) e.g. aqueduct literally means lead water.

In Mathematics, our Think Mentals learning continues to focus on addition and subtraction strategies when solving problems involving decimals. We will be investigating capacity with a focus on decimals and fractions of the whole container (1 Litre) - using our understanding of the divisions marked off on the scale. How can you help at home? Having discussions about liquid in containers. Put water into a jug and discuss the scale - what fraction of the container is full? How many more mL to fill the jug? What if I poured away a quarter of the liquid, how much would be left? This sounds relatively simple however these rich discussions are what makes the most difference in this learning about fractions in context. It also brings in problem solving strategies for addition and subtraction. We will begin to investigate the decimal fractions in the next few weeks - 100 mL is the same as 1/10 (one tenth) of the Litre etc. What fraction would 250 mL be?

Have a great week.

Kindest regards,

Mike Tarleton

Subject Spotlight

Year 7 & 8 Language with Mr James Delaney

This term, the Year 7 and 8 students have been learning about kyōshitsu (the classroom) and a whole bunch of language associated, including names for bunbōgu (stationery). We have used this new vocab to write and speak a variety of sentences including describing the location of objects, asking for items, and describing the items. 

E.g. 青いペンが必要です。(aoi pen ga hitsuyou desu) = I need a blue pen. 

We have compared and contrasted Japanese classrooms with Australia’s and reflected how these experiences reflect the Japanese culture and languaged used. 

The students’ assessment will require them to create TWO mock videos: one will be a classroom interaction between peers, and the other will demonstrate interactions between the teacher and the student. These videos will contain the previously stated sentence structures and some classroom commands that may be common from a teacher… 静かにしてください。(shizukani shite kudasai) = be quiet please. 

Please see below for more examples of classroom language… 

Community Information

Bookings are essential - This can be done by contacting Jo Moore or Tarhynee Shepherd at your local Neighbourhood Centre on 1300 672 273.