Term 2 Week 7
Key Information
Term 2 Important Dates
- Week 8
- Wednesday 5th June - World Environmental Day (Activities with Pastoral Care); State of Origin Free Dress Day
- Thursday 6th June - Show Art Due; After School High Jump Trials
- Friday 7th June - Assembly (Emerging Leaders - National Reconciliation Week)
- Week 9
- Tuesday 11th June - Board Meeting 5.30pm
- Wednesday 12th June - School Officer Day
- Friday 14th June - Cloncurry Show Public Holiday
- Week 10
- Thursday 20th June - Walk to School Day; Middle Leadership Meeting, 3pm
- Friday 21st June - Assembly (Year 4), 8:30am; Dress Like Your Teacher Day
Term 3 Important Dates
- Week 1 – NAIDOC Week
- Tuesday 9th July – Elders Luncheon (Emerging Leaders), 10am-2pm
- Wednesday 10th July – Careers Expo (UMY)
- Thursday 11th July – Deadly Day Out; Assembly, 8:30am; 100 Days of Prep
- Friday 12th July – NAIDOC March
Tuckshop News
Our special for Week 7 is: Footy Feed Snack Box & Maroon Brownies
Please have your orders in by WEDNESDAY 8:30 am.
To order: https://myschoolconnect.com.au/
OUR TUCKSHOP CREW NEEDS YOU
Miss Jamie-Lea is looking for some wonderful volunteers to help her in Tuckshop on Thursdays. You do not have to be a parent to volunteer. We have had grandparents, aunties, uncles, friends and cousins as well as mums and dads. If you are interested in volunteering, please join Miss Jamie-Lea's tuckshop volunteer group 
https://m.facebook.com/groups/
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 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.
Miss Heather
General News
Principal's News
Welcome to Week 7 and the continuation of beautiful winter weather.
Athletics Carnival 2024
There has been a buzz of ‘Athletics fever' at St Joseph’s this week. Students have been practicing war cries and busy practicing track and field skills during their PE lessons in preparation for our annual Athletic Carnival which took place today. Information and results will be revealed at our School Assembly in Week 8. A huge thank you goes to Miss Marin Bolase for her efforts in preparing and running this event.
Shake and Stir Performance
Last Friday we welcomed the touring theatre group, Shake and Stir, to our school. Their performance, 'The Twits', was high energy and engaging as they delivered a very important message to our students. Amongst laughter and wickedly-funny pranks, they made it clear that respect and decency is an important part of our identity. It was great to see all of our students enjoying and taking on board the messages being shared.
National Reconciliation Week
This week we celebrated National Reconciliation Week, both nationally and at St Joseph's. This is a time dedicated for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements, and to explore how each of us can actively support reconciliation. Pope Francis is an avid supporter of reconciliation, and in a prayer for peace, encourages us to “keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation.” With special thanks to Mrs Toni Schneekloth, our students participated in a variety of lunchtime activities to promote an” active body, calm mind and connected spirit.” Our celebrations will continue in Week 8 at our assembly, which our Emerging Leaders will host and our Reconciliation Action Plan will be presented. Please join us at 8.30am in the MMC.
God bless
Mrs Karen Good
Acting Principal
Deputy's News
As we approach the final weeks of Term 2, our teachers have been actively working on student reports. These reports are a valuable tool to provide insights into your child’s progress, achievements, and areas for growth. I’m pleased to announce that student reports will be available on the Compass app in Week 10.
Understanding the Report Structure
Our student reports are designed to give a comprehensive overview of your child's academic performance and personal development. Over the next few weeks, I will focus my newsletter article on a different element within the reporting cycle. Today's element is Academic Progress.
Academic Progress: This section will provide detailed information on your child's performance in each subject area. These reports serve as a basis for discussions between parents and teachers.
For students in Prep to Year 2 (Early Years), the achievement for each Learning Area is reported using the following grades:
For students in Years 3 to 9, the achievement for each Learning Area is reported using the following grades:
Mr Dean Kelley
Deputy Principal - Teaching and Learning
APRE
Mini Vinnies
As part of our school’s outreach program, we are revitalising the Mini Vinnies program. Mr James Delaney has taken on this challenge to inspire our Year 5 and 6 classes to be active members of our school and community who seek opportunities to make a difference and act for the greater good. Watch this space as this program unfolds.
National Reconciliation Week - 27th May - 3rd June 2024
National Reconciliation Week aims to celebrate the rich culture and history of the First Australians, as well as foster Reconciliation discussion and activities. Reconciliation is all about understanding. Achieving it involves raising awareness of, and learning about, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures. It is also about encouraging collaboration, where everyone plays their part in building understanding and positive relationships between all Australians.We are encouraged to act today for a more just, equitable and reconciled country for all. During the week the classes discussed how they can be a voice and contribute to achieving reconciliation for all in Australia.
Notices:
- No Assembly this week due to the Athletics Carnival. Emerging Leaders will present our Assembly prayer in Week 8.
- Catholic Identity Committee meeting: Tuesday 3 pm in the boardroom - all are welcome to join us.
Have a blessed week,
Therese Curley
APRE
Pastoral Care
Tips on Supporting Children in Fiery Friendships
One of our favourite tools for talking to kids about how they’re feeling in their friendships is The Friend-o-Meter. Although it’s normal to have a friendship dip into the Red-Zone now and again (Friendship Fact #1: No friendship – or relationship – is perfect!), what happens when a friendship is up and down A LOT?
While many kids will admit they’ve experienced this type of friendship, a friendship that goes from the Green-Zone to the Red-Zone regularly can feel very challenging. Words that children use to describe these high-conflict friendships include: unpredictable, hard, and exhausting.
These friendships can feel especially confusing for parents, as their child oscillates between “Best Friends” and “They’re not invited to my birthday party!” For teachers, these students can sometimes cause a lot of drama for classmates who sometimes find themselves caught in the middle (what we call in our Friendology friendship skills curriculum, a Friendship Sandwich! It’s sticky and messy in there!).
So, what can we do to support a child in this type of everyday-is-different friendship?
First, identify if they are suffering. Are they upset about it? Is it deeply affecting them? Are they really struggling (*here are some signs to look for)? If the answer is no, and the child seems to be handling it quite well, then this might be a case of them simply ‘ironing out the wrinkles’. Whether it’s a new friendship or the dynamic of the friendship has changed, it sometimes takes time to get to know each other and learn how to get along.
‘Fiery Friendships’ are especially common for children with strong personalities who form friendships with kids similar to them. While they might click at first, they’ll naturally begin to butt heads. For these kids, the highs are high and the lows are low!
But, as parents and educators, we can rest easy if (1) the good times outweigh the bad times AND (2) they’re putting out their Friendship Fires® by working their way around the Friend-o-Cycle. If these two factors are present, then it sounds like they are figuring it out and it might just be a lifelong friendship in the making.
However, if a child is coming home in tears every day and really seem torn up about it, here are a few strategies to try as you coach them from the sidelines (Note: Log-in to your free family membership to access the activities):
- “How can you spend less time in this friendship?”: Sometimes these volatile friendships are simply a product of spending too much time together. Help your child come up with a plan to decrease their daily dose of this friendship. Give this activity a try: Spending Less Time
- “It’s time to get strategic in this friendship!”: Help your child get clear on what works and what doesn’t work in their friendship. When are they getting along? When are Friendship Fires igniting? Then, help them come up with a plan. Watch this video: Feel-Good Friendships
- “Are they Friendship Fires or is it Mean-on-Purpose?”: It’s important that your child understands the difference between normal conflict (Friendship Fires®) versus intentionally rude, cruel, malicious behavior. Try this interactive tool: Friendship Fire or Mean-on-Purpose Advice
- “Did you Talk-it-Out until the Fire-is-Out?”: Has your child truly talked to their friend to tell them how they’re feeling? Are they being honest with their friend or do they keep sweeping the issues under the rug? For parents, this might be an opportunity to plan a playdate or sleepover to create that one-on-one time with their friend. Role-play with them, so they can practise what they’ll say. School is a busy place and sometimes it’s hard for kids to find time to Talk-it-Out with a friend. Watch this video: Be a Friendship Ninja
- “What colour friendships do you deserve?”: Ask them, “Let’s think about a friendship that goes from green to red, green to red, green to red on The Friend-o-Meter. What colour does that friendship average out at?” Help your child identify that friendship would average out in the Yellow-Zone. Remind them they deserve Green-Zone friendships in their lives! Try this activity: The Friend-o-Meter: Time to Chat!
While it’s normal for a friendship to have the occasional Friendship Fire®, a healthy friendship has been proven by Dr John Gottman’s research to have at least 5 positive (green) interactions for every 1 negative (red) interaction. These tricky friendships are a great opportunity for children to master their conflict-resolution skills and learn to foster healthy, feel-good friendships.
One thing we say to kids all the time is: “You teach people how to treat you!” When kids deal with their Friendship Fires® in a kind and respectful way, it deepens friendships creating closer & stronger connections.
Written by: Dana Kerford
Founder & Friendship Expert
The Resilience Project
Access to Hugh's Inspire Parent/Carer hub
Parent and Carer Hub
This Hub gives parents and carers access to five video presentations, as well as the research and supporting activities for their wellbeing:
https://theresilienceproject.com.au/2023-parent-carer-hub-inspire-hugh/
This is the same link sent out as part of the communication series found in the previous section, 'Communications series for Inspire Parent Hub (email/newsletter templates)' found on the left-hand side menu. You can choose to re-send this link at any time during the year if you feel it necessary to share with your parent/carer community again. Parents do continually have access to this page once they have the link.
Week 8 - Pastoral Activities
Feed and Succeed
I encourage all senior students to attend weekly tutoring available on Thursdays from 3-4pm!
Upcoming Events
Best regards,
Mrs Schneekloth
Pastoral Care Leader
Prep
Welcome to Week Seven!
This week in literacy we learnt the new letter and sound of /l/ (Lou Lou ladybug). We also learnt the new 'Tricky Words' he, me, she, he, were.
In Math, we continued working on our number identification and counting to and from 20. We also continued learning about numbers that you add up to 10 (Friends of Ten). This week we consolidated our number knowledge, by recognising, naming and identifying objects within collections to 20.
Yours in fun and learning,
Miss Brock, Mrs McLauchlan, Miss Rachel, Miss Kylie and Miss Nina
Year 1
Hello Parents and Carers
We have had an awesome week!
This week:
In Maths, the students are continuing to look at place value. They have been putting one and two digit numbers into a place value house. The students have enjoyed using tens and ones blocks to represent the numbers in the house. They have also started to identifying odd and even numbers.
In English, the students have been using their knowledge of adjectives, simple and adverb start sentences to create some awesome recounts on their weekend. They have been working hard this week to write carefully in their red and blue lines to create their recount for the show.
We were very lucky to have Shake and Stir come out to perform a show called the ‘Twits’. The students were very engaged and loved the story line. ’
Here are some awesome photos from this week:
My New Gallery
Reminders:
Tuesday: Art
Thursday: Sport, Library and homework due
Friday: Sport Carnival- Please you have a hat and a water bottle!
Have a wonderful week.
Miss Haley and the always fun Year 1s!
Year 2
Hi Year 2 Parents and Carers,
During InitiaLit this week, we have focused on the spelling combinations ou and ow. We are also looking at the comprehension strategy of Asking Questions. This term in writing, students will be creating an imaginative text based on the story Wombat Stew. We have all nearly finished our imaginative texts ready to enter in the Cloncurry Show. During Maths, we are looking at addition and subtraction. In our other subjects this term we are looking at:
Religion: Jesus and Community
Science: Life Cycles
HASS: Connections to different places
Health: Keeping ourselves healthy and safe
Reminders:
- We are starting to get to assessment time
- Homework is due on Monday
- Library is on Mondays of Week B
Have a fantastic rest of your week!
Miss Ansell
Year 3
Hi All
There has been lots of learning in Year 3 this week.
Mathematics
This week, we’ve played a range of games to practice estimating the costs of real items. The students have also been working hard to remember their ‘Friends of 100’ to be able to instantly know that, for example, 60 + 40 = 100. This has helped them because we have started to calculate change. The students have been using count up strategies with number lines to help them track the change needed from $5.
English
This week, students have been finishing off their show writing narratives as well as continuing our Literacy Activities (handwriting, spelling, and reading). The students also completed another grammar task to find subjects and verbs.
HASS
The students completed their HASS projects this week by using their research skills to investigate data and statistics about the people in their Australian ‘place’ of focus. They used the Australian Bureau of Statistics website to find out their towns’ population (including how many males and females live there), as well as how many people have different cultural heritages in their place. Finally, the students used Venn Diagrams to compare the characteristics of Cloncurry to their chosen town.
Religion
This week, students participated in a Lectio Divina prayer with Mr Delaney. They read our focus scripture (Acts 10:44-48 The Baptism of Gentiles) to allow the words to flow through their body and minds. Students then created mind maps to show their understanding of the text, responding to who, what, when, and why questions. They also further explored the Sacrament of Baptism.
Science
This week, the students worked in their science investigation groups to respond to various questions about their shadows investigations.
Week 8 Reminders:
- Homework - Homework will be given to students every Monday and is due Friday.
- PE uniform Tuesday
- Chaplain’s Breakfast - Tuesday & Thursday at 7:45am in MMS
Thank you
Laura Cook
Year 4
Hi Everyone,
We’ve been working hard on our reading this term. We’ve had a focus on Non-Fiction texts, different types of Grammar skills, our spelling, and expanding our vocabulary.
This coming week we are continuing to learn about the -Ing Start Sentence. These types of sentences start with an -ing word. These are verbs that end in -ing. Words like: walking, cycling, wondering, trying, eating, sleeping, thinking.
Start with the -ing bit of your sentence, then place a comma. After the comma, put your subject—that's who or what your sentence is about—and then finish your sentence. Here are some examples:
- Waving goodbye to her friends, Kate put on her coat and headed outside.
- Eating as fast as he could, Brian worked his way through the pile of hotdogs.
- Smiling to himself, Boris grabbed the custard pie from the pantry's top shelf.
Our spelling sound this week is the ‘igh’ sound in ice cream. This sound can be represented by the graphemes i_e, y, igh, i, and ie.
- The grapheme igh for the ‘igh’ sound is usually used before the ‘t’ sound (e.g. light, night).
- The grapheme y for the ‘igh’ sound is usually used at the end of words (e.g. by, reply).
Reminders:
- Homework is going to be due on the Monday of the following week to allow students time over the weekend to complete this. Please make sure homework is returned on the Monday so it can be reissued the same day for the following week.
- Chaplaincy breakfast is on Tuesday and Thursdays at 7:45am.
- This Wednesday is State of Origin Free Dress day. Come dressed in your team's colours!!!
Have a great week!
Mairin Borlase
Year 5
Welcome to Week 7
I hope you are having a good week. I would like to say a huge thanks to Mr Chaplain and Mr Grehan for gold panning with the Year 5 children last week as part of their HASS unit on the Gold Rush. The children were so excited and had a wonderful time.
This week the Year 5 children are looking forward to the Athletics Carnival on Friday.
English
We have also used comprehension texts to answer a range of questions to support the students to identify the main idea of the text, gather facts and opinions and investigate word meanings.
The children have also continued their weekly Soundwaves lessons. This week we are working on the sound ‘ee’ as in ‘bee’. The grapheme ee for is usually used in the middle or at the end of words (e.g. see, green). Very few words begin with ee. We often use y for at the end of words (e.g. any, jelly, baby, puppy, twenty). We do not usually use y for at the start or in the middle of words. (Helpful Hint) The grapheme ey for is usually used at the end of words (e.g. honey, valley). The grapheme eo in the word people is an unusual way to represent ‘ee’.
We have continued our work on persuasive texts.This week the children are beginning to work on writing a persuasive letter on ‘Renewal Energy’. We are finding out all about renewable energy. The children have also been working on developing their note taking abilities.
Maths
This week we have been working on calculating the area of irregular shapes. We have also been working on developing our multiplication skills.
Religion
This week the children have been finding out more about the way that Jewish clothing helps Jews past and present to fulfil God’s laws in this scripture. The children have researched the Jewish Symbols: Mezuzah and Tefillin.
Homework
Homework is due on the Friday each week to allow me time to go over the work in class with the children. Please make sure homework is returned on Friday so the new homework can be reissued on Monday for the following week.
Specialist Subjects:
Monday: Japanese and Science
Tuesday: Drama
Wednesday: Health and Technology , students may also wear their House Shirts to school
Thursday: Science and HASS
Friday: Sport and HASS, Students may wear their Sports Uniform
Reminders:
- Chaplaincy breakfast is on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning at 7:45am.
I hope you have a great week. If you have any concerns please do not hesitate to contact me.
Nicola Cullen
Year 6
Dear Families
On Friday we had a very busy day! The Twits performance was exceptionally good fun before we headed to the Aged Care Home. Lots of games of bingo made for a fun morning for the residents, carers and children. There was a small birthday treat - the 'nothing!' which the children enjoyed. Our Prep buddies then visited us during the afternoon, which as always is so much fun! It has been interesting creating these connections and it is always lovely to see how well they have connected because the Preps sit near us at lunch.
We have a second pre-service teacher–Bianca Besly–visiting our class for a Teaching Placement for the remainder of the term. If you see her around please make her feel welcomed into our St Joseph’s community.
In English, our written work continues to be based on researching detailed factually accurate evidence to support our arguments, shared writing of the introduction and conclusion. Their assessment topic - banning plastic from lunchboxes starts this week and will be completed during week 8. In spelling, we examined words with the [m mm mb] graphemes and how some of these words morph into new words when the prefix com- (meaning with/together) is added to the base words. We are tidying up some of our spelling reviews this week as preparation for our reports, however Week 7 and 8 will be an important time for completing our assessments of writing and reading.
In Maths, our focus in Think Mentals is on quick strategies for multiplying - rounding a number and multiplying before adjusting afterwards. e.g. $2.95 x 5 can be done as $3 x 5 = $15. Then subtract 5c x 5 which is 25c. Finally having $15.00 - 0.25 = $14.75. Continuing to practise and apply our multiplication facts is essential, Multiple Wars with a pack of cards is excellent as a competition between parent and child! We have spent this week investigating number patterns for different multiples - highlighting the multiples of 3 which gave us a visual pattern and understanding of the connections with 6 and 12 facts too. We have also investigated prime and composite numbers, which will continue into next week's learning. The children have had time to continue their personal area and financial plans for their Kid Cave!
HOMEWORK: The Premier's Reading Challenge has also been distributed and must be completed and returned to Mr T before 23rd August to be entered into the Challenge. There may be some finishing off Spelling work as homework and children can access their Writer's Toolbox if they log in to their Google Account at home - daily challenges and practice of sentence types and paragraph structure will continue during the remainder of the year.
Please come to say hello on Friday at the Athletics Carnival!
Have a great week,
Mike
Subject Spotlight
Year 7/8 Japanese with Mr James Delaney
This term, the Year 7 and 8 students have been learning about yatai (Japanese street food/stalls). We learned the names for a whole bunch of street food dishes, researched the taste and ingredients, and explored Osaka as a hub for yatai.
The students used this knowledge to write sentences describing the taste of foods and ingredients, ask clarifying questions about foods, and learned some culturally appropriate phrases used around food. We learned about the importance of the visual nature of menus, particularly for street food stalls, and even had a go at creating our own. They learned how to order dishes from a menu and other relevant phrases associated with food and service, including counter classifiers for money (yen/-en) and when describing a number of items.
The students will be assessed on their creation of a yatai menu that includes pictures, name of the food (kana), the price (yen) and relevant adjectives. They will also construct a mock script that details the interactions between a customer and service staff. Hopefully, in Week 10 we will be able to cook and sample/order some of these yatai!
Guidance Counsellor
Students today have extremely busy schedules, with ever increasing responsibilities at school and at home. Many kids, especially adolescents, are going to bed later and later and are at risk of sleep deprivation. This affects three areas of a child’s development: psychological, physiological and psychosocial. All three are essential to a child's growth, learning ability and overall wellbeing. Sleep is vital to a child’s overall development and is as important as diet and exercise.
Sleep also strengthens a child’s immune systems and supports their ability to function properly on a daily basis. Children who do not get enough sleep show increased levels of aggressive behaviour, are less attentive and are much less active. Trying to catch up on sleep on weekends is not the answer and can still lead to severe sleep deprivation.
In this edition of SchoolTV, parents will learn about the importance of sleep and how sleep deprivation can have adverse effects on a child’s health and wellbeing.
Here is the link to the Sleep edition of SchoolTV
Mrs Bec Greaves
Guidance Counsellor
First Nations
We believe all Australians should have access to a life of wellbeing and opportunity, which is why the people and mission behind First Nations-led organisation, Children's Ground, resonates so closely with us all at The Resilience Project.
In honour of National Reconciliation Week, we’re supporting Children’s Ground’s Wear it Yellow campaign by matching all donations up to $10,000 until midday tomorrow, or until the maximum amount is reached.
You can learn more about how Children's Ground are delivering lasting change for First Nations communities here, and if you're in a position to contribute you can do so through this link DONATE TO CHILDREN'S GROUND.
Community Information
