Term 4 Week 8

Key Information

Term 4 Important Dates

Week 9

• Monday 25^th November – Years 7 to 9 End of Year Trip to Mount Isa
• Tuesday 26^th November – Chaplaincy Breakfast, 7:45am; Rehearsals for Christmas Concert, P-Year 4 8:40am, Years 5-9 9:40am
• Wednesday 27^th November – 2025 Student Leader Elections, 9am in the MMS; Awards Evening & Christmas Concert
• Thursday 28^th November – SRC Christmas Free Dress; Chaplaincy Breakfast, 7:45am; Year 9 Reflecting on the Journey Retreat, 8:30-11:30am; Year 9 Graduation Dinner, 6pm
• Friday 29^th November – End of Year Mass; Last Day for Secondary Students

Week 10

• Tuesday 3^rd December – Chaplaincy Breakfast, 7:45am; Year 6 Graduation Ceremony & Silent Disco
• Thursday 4^th December – Chaplaincy Breakfast, 7:45am
• Friday 6^th December – Joey's Got Talent Competition; Last Day for Primary Students, 12pm pickup

Tuckshop News

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

REMINDER:
Please remember to pack a healthy snack for Brain Break.

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

Our special for Week 9 is: Pulled Beef and Slaw Rolls & Christmas Marshmallow Pops

No Tuckshop Week 10

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/1525237497502563/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT

Tuckshop Menu Change

The tuckshop menu changed in Week 3. This decision was important as it is becoming increasingly difficult to secure volunteers for tuckshop we had to alter  the menu to ensure it is sustainable on the days volunteers are ot possible. We know our wonderful community love to volunteer in our tuckshop, however, we acknowledge that this is not always possible.

Please familiarise yourself with the changes and provide any feedback that you may have to the front office. If the changes will impact your child/children and any dietary requirements that they may have please phone our front office to discuss the best option moving forward. 

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 

Last Day of School Reminder

Year 7 to 9 students will finish their schooling year this coming Friday the 29th of November at 2.50pm. 

Prep to Year 6 will conclude the year on Friday 6th December at 12pm. 

Principal's News

Welcome to Week 8, 

Thank you to the members of our community that joined us this past week for our Building Tour and Art Showcase on Tuesday night,  year 5 and 6's musical performance - Treasure Island on Wednesday and Thursday, and also at our assembly on Friday where we not only acknowledged our students achievements, but also celebrated student success from our swimming carnival. Congratulations to all students, however, there could only be one winning house and that was Flinders! 

Week 9 is a very exciting but emotional week as we celebrate the end of schooling at St Joseph’s Catholic School for our Year 9 students. The end is in sight for so many of our students as our Year 7 and Year 8 students will also be celebrating their final week of school for 2024.

Excursion Christmas Concert Rehearsal:
We're excited for our Christmas Concert and Awards night next Wednesday the 27th of November at The Shire Hall. This event will commence at 5.30pm. Parents are encouraged to start arriving from 5 to 515pm to ensure a prompt start.

An email was sent to all parents and carers last Friday to inform you that all students will be walking to The Cloncurry Shire Hall on Tuesday 26th November 2024 for a rehearsal on stage.

Prep to Year 4 will depart St Joseph's at 8.30am and will walk to The Shire Hall, they will then depart The Shire Hall at approx. 9.30/9.40am and will return to school.  Year 5 to Year 9 students will depart St Joseph's at 9.30am and walk to The Cloncurry Shire Hall, they will then depart The Shire Hall at approx. 10.30am. 

Due to this excursion on Tuesday swimming will not go ahead. Students who have swimming on Tuesday will have a theory lesson at school instead. 

Christmas Concert & Awards Night:
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at St Joseph’s. We are very excited to join together with our community on Wednesday evening to celebrate the achievements of our students and to watch each class perform their Christmas Carols. Students are encouraged to wear their best Christmas outfit on Wednesday evening. 

The awards ceremony and Christmas concert will go for approximately 1.5 hours. We ask that all guests arrive at The Cloncurry Shire Hall between 5 and 5.15pm for a 5.30pm start.

2025 Leadership Speeches and Voting:
On Wednesday morning at 9.00am St Joseph's will host the 2025 Student Leadership Speeches. I have had the pleasure of joining Miss McCall, our Pastoral Leader, in meeting with our future leaders and hearing their goals for St Joseph's if elected. It has been inspiring to see the dedication of our students and the idea’s they have to lead their house or the school in 2025. 

Please join us at 9.00am in the Mary MacKillop Shed for the presentation of speeches. Voting will commence immediately after the speeches and the announcement of leaders will occur at the Christmas Concert and Awards evening. This will be at 5.30pm at The Cloncurry Shire Hall. 

End of Year Mass:
To make our busy week even busier, we will also be celebrating our End of Year Mass on Friday morning at 8.30am in the Mary MacKillop Shed. We would love for you to join us for this special celebration. This mass will include the following:

• Acknowledgement of Prep’s first year of schooling
• Year 6 Rite of Passage
• Year 9 Graduation
• Blessing and Farewell for departing students, families and staff
• Sport Awards
• House Champion of 2024

Relocation to the new school:
A big thank you to our parent helpers for assisting with the relocation of the administration building last Monday and our library last Friday. These spaces are now operational in the new building. 

This coming Friday we will be relocating the year 1, year 2, year 3 and year 4 classes into the new classrooms. If you're available to assist with this we would love your help. This will begin at 11.20am due to the End of Year Mass taking place on Friday morning. Please note that this time has changed from previous communication. 

2025 Intentions - ATTN Departing Families:
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 2024. 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 at 8.30am on Friday 29th 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 2025. 

You don’t need to complete this if your child is returning to St Joseph's in 2025. All students are automatically enrolled for the following year.  

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

Mrs Samantha Kelley
Principal 

Deputy's News

As we near the end of the school year, there are a few important updates and events in the curriculum space to share. These milestones provide opportunities to celebrate our students’ achievements and reflect on their learning journeys throughout 2024.

Awards Night

Our annual Awards Night is just around the corner next Wednesday evening. This is a wonderful occasion to acknowledge the incredible efforts of our students in academics and community involvement.

Details:

• Date: Wednesday, [27th November]
• Time: [5:30 pm]
• Location: [Cloncurry Council Precinct]

We invite all families to join us in celebrating the achievements of our students and sharing in their success. The following awards will be presented on the evening:

End-of-Year Reports

Our teachers are currently hard at work finalising student reports, which provide a comprehensive overview of your child’s progress and achievements this semester. These reports will be available on Thursday, 5th December (Week 10) via the Compass app.

Once reports are ready, a text message will be sent to parents and guardians to notify them of their availability. Please ensure you have access to the Compass app and contact the office if you require assistance.

Thank you for your ongoing support throughout this year. We look forward to celebrating together at the Awards Night and sharing insights into your child’s learning through the end-of-year reports.

Mr Dean Kelley
Deputy Principal - Teaching and Learning

APRE

End of Year School Mass
On Friday, November 29th at 8:30 am the St Joseph’s community is warmly welcomed to our End of Year Mass. This will be the last whole school gathering for 2024. 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.

Artwork in our New Office Space
It has been a busy week moving into the new office building. We are excited to be settling into this amazing space. When you come into the office you will notice some artwork on the wall. A local artist Rowena Paine Murphy created these beautiful paintings of St Mary MacKillop and St Joseph. Rowena is also painting a cross to complete the trio. We would like to thank Rowena for creating these bright and vibrant pieces of artwork, they certainly brighten up the office. 

Youth Mass
I would like to thank the families and students who were able to attend our Term 4 Youth mass. It was lovely to see the church so full! Thank you to the students who helped us celebrate this mass - your participation makes these masses so special. 

Christ the King Feast Day
This Sunday is Christ the King Feast Day. Each year the Church celebrates this Feast on the last Sunday before Advent, also known as the last Sunday of the liturgical year. As Catholics, we’ve been recognizing Christ as our King for over 2,000 years. Each time we attend mass, genuflect in front of the altar, or receive a sacrament, we are honoring our King. The Feast of Christ the King is a wakeup call for all of us, to stop and assess our lives. Are we including our faith in all the decisions we make? Do we only remember to pray when we need something? When we attend mass do we actively listen to the Scripture readings and reflect on the messages?

Have a Blessed week!

Mrs Therese Curley
APRE

Pastoral Care

UMY Fundraising
In 2025, we will have our UMY Camp in Canberra. The planning is well underway and the students are excited. We have had some wonderful businesses offer some fantastic prizes for our 12 days of Christmas including: 

• A Weekend in Karumba
• Food Lovers Hamper
• Julia Creek Romance Package
• $500 Cash Prize
• Longreach Package
• $500 Food Hamper
• Cloncurry Event Package and Merchandise Pack
• $500 Shop Local Gift Card
• Weekend in Winton
• Coffee Lovers Ultimate Package
• Mount Isa Event Package
• ULTIMATE Christmas Hamper

Tickets are $10 each and are available to purchase from the Administration Office or you can come and grab a pack of tickets to sell to your friends and family. You don’t want to miss out. 

The prizes will be drawn at our Christmas Concert - Wednesday 27th of November. 

Upcoming Events

Term 4 is always a busy one! Note these in your diary or calendar!

Best Regards

Miss Hannah McCall
Acting Pastoral Care Leader

Prep

Hello everyone, Welcome to Week 9!

I cannot believe we are already at the end of Prep!

Over the next two weeks Prep will continue to revise all learnt concepts. Our Little Leaders are working hard behind the scenes, perfecting their christmas song in preparation for the end of year Christmas Concert and Awards Night held this coming Wednesday. During our literacy block, Prep have had a focus on our Simple Sentences. We have focused on re-reading our work to ensure it makes sense and editing our sentence, making sure it starts with a capital letter, has finger spaces and punctuation. We have also excitedly began to write on our Year 1 lines between the red and blue lines. In maths this week, Prep are consolidating their learning from the past year. Students have been busy revising taught concepts. 

End of Year Whole School Mass
To celebrate our Little Leaders finishing their first year of formal schooling, our Prep class will be receiving certificates at the End of Year Mass this coming Friday. 

Reminders: 

• Readers and Library: If you have any library books or readers at home, can these please be returned to school so we can collect and audit them for next year.
• Keep up to date with what is happening in Prep by checking out our Little Leaders Website.

Yours in fun and learning,

Miss Brock, Mrs McLauchlan, Miss Rachel, Miss Kylie and Miss Josie

Year 1

Hello Families, 

We cannot believe that we are nearly at the end of the year! 

The students have had a busy last two weeks of learning and fun!

In Maths the students have loved using the beebots to consolidate their knowledge on direction. They have been creating maps for each other, directing the bee bot to collect items and get through the mazes. 

In English the students have created some amazing drawings in correspondence to the book ‘The Day the Crayons Quit’. At the end of the book they use every crayon to create an amazing picture and the students have loved creating one of their own. They have also been learning how to create W- Start sentences. Please come and check out the ones they did about Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley up on our wall. 

The students were very lucky to go down to the hall to watch Treasure Island. They loved the adventure and watching the year 5 and 6’s perform. We also had a visit from the Mines for books in homes. They loved listening to a story. 

Here are some photos of the last two weeks: 

• Monday: Art
• Tuesday: Rehearsal at The Shire Hall for our Christmas Concert. No swimmers for swimming in Week 9. 
• Wednesday: Week 9 Christmas Concert & Awards Evening
• Thursday: No more Homework and Library (Please bring back any readers or library books that you have at home)
• Friday: Technology  
  

Have a wonderful week.

Miss Erin Haley and the always fun Year 1s

Year 2

Hi all,

Over the next fortnight, we will be reviewing concepts we have learnt across the year as well as engaging in some Christmas activities. During week 9, the Year 2 students will begin to bring home their books in preparation for the move across to the brand new classrooms. If you will be going on holiday early, it would be great if you could notify me via email so I can ensure your child’s things are packed up and ready to go. The move to the new classrooms will begin on Friday 29/11/24 and we are all very excited about it!

Reminders

• Please bring in any library books or home readers you may have at home
• Rehearsal for Christmas concert and awards night - Tuesday 26/11/24
• Christmas Concert and Awards - Wednesday evening 27/11/24
• Sport (Swimming) - Wednesday

Have a great week,

Miss Leonie Ansell

Year 3

Hi all,

The last two weeks have been jam packed! 

Here are just a few of the things we’ve been up to:

The Year 3s were lucky enough to go on an Aged Care Visit, where they played bingo with the residents! So many happy faces. They very much enjoyed chatting to the Aged Care residents.

We also went on an excursion to watch the Year 5/6 performance of Treasure Island. It was an incredible show which we all LOVED! 

The Year 3s became Year 4s on Move Up Day and had raving reviews about their time with Mrs Wall. We were all sad to part ways out of Year 3, but I know they will all shine in Year 4!

English
The Year 3s are now published authors! They worked so hard to plan and then write a narrative inspired by the mythical world of the Dreamtime from our book study “Nerra Deep Time Traveller: The Broken Rainbow” by Tasma Walton and Samantha Campbell.

Once the students were happy with their writing, they engaged in peer editing to enhance their story ready for publishing. 

Then, the moment they were all waiting for… their stories went to the printers! Out of the printers and back into their hands, the authors became illustrators and drew images to complete their story book!

As per routine, students have been working hard to:

• use comprehension strategies to support their reading understanding 
• enhance their writing skills with Writer’s Toolbox
• learn to write using joined letters in handwriting 
• learn new sounds each week to enhance their spelling skills

Mathematics
The students have been working hard to review their learning in Year 3 maths, practicing key skills like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. 

Year 3 & 4 Christmas Taskmaster
To celebrate their hard work, the Year 3s and 4s teamed up to compete in various STEM and team building challenges. This will continue for a few afternoons in Week 9 and 10 (much to the children’s delight). Check out these Year 3s and 4s working together to complete their first challenging tasks this week.

Religion
This week, the students made their very own prayer cubes to prompt them to pray the Our Father, The Glory Be, the Hail Mary, prayers of thanksgiving, and prayers of praise. 

Reminders:

• There will be no swimming at the pool on Tuesday of Week 9 due to the rehearsals at The Cloncurry Shire Hall for the Christmas Concert and Awards Evening. 
• Christmas Concert & Awards Evening - Wednesday 27th November. 
• Library every second Thursday (odd weeks - W1,3,5,7,9)
• Chaplain’s Breakfast - Tuesday & Thursday at 7:45am in MMS
• End of Year Mass - Friday 29th November. 

Thank you

Miss Laura Cook

Year 4

Hi all,

It’s been a crazy busy term in Maths! We’ve been finalising our learning, completing assessments, and consolidating our knowledge. This term, we’ve covered a variety of topics, including using different scales for measurement, calculating elapsed time, identifying line and rotational symmetry, reading maps and using grid references, and conducting chance experiments to understand independent and dependent events in probability. It’s been fantastic to see students tackle these challenges and grow in their mathematical understanding!

Here’s what the students have to say for this week's newsletter:

Please don’t forget:

• Extra Bag: Please send an extra bag to school this coming Tuesday so we can send most of the students' books home as we prepare to move into the new classroom.
• Library Visits: We will continue visiting the library every Friday. As we near the end of the term, please ensure any outstanding books are returned to school.
• Swimming Gear: Children need to bring their swimmers every Tuesday.

• Christmas Awards: Our Christmas Awards evening is this coming Wednesday commencing at 5:30pm.

• End of Year Mass: The End of Year Mass is this coming Friday starting at 8:30am. Please feel free to come along and participate.  

Thank you

Miss Mairin Borlase

Year 5

Hi families,

I hope you are having a great week.

Unfortunately, we are nearing the end of this year, it has been my absolute pleasure to work with your child during this time. I have been so proud of them at many stages this year but none more so than their performance along with the Year 6s of Treasure Island. It has been wonderful to see their confidence grow throughout the weeks we have been practicing. I think everyone would agree that they put on an amazing show. I would like to take this opportunity to say huge thanks to Miss Jill, Mr T, Tegan Barker and Kathleen Kidd who gave up so much of their free time to help make this show such a success. Next up is their Christmas concert! 

English 
Over the two weeks the children have been working so hard on their recount writing on their camp experience. They have been putting in so much effort and dedication I can’t wait to share their writing  with you when they are finished. 

The children have also continued their weekly Soundwaves lessons. In week 7 we worked on the sound ‘ch’. ‘Ch’is most commonly represented by the grapheme ch (e.g. cheese, teacher). The grapheme t for ‘ch’ is quite common (e.g. picture, nature). Words containing t for ‘ch’ often originate from Latin.

We usually use tch for ‘ch’ after short vowel sounds at the end of single-syllable words (e.g. catch, stretch, itch, watch, clutch). We usually use ch for ‘ch’ after all other sounds at the end of words (e.g. beach, torch, coach, lunch, branch). The grapheme ti represents ‘ch’ in a few words containing the suffix ion (e.g. congestion, suggestion).

In week 8 we worked on ‘sh’. The graphemes ch and che can represent ‘sh’ (e.g. chef, moustache). Words containing ch or che for ‘sh’ usually originate from French. The grapheme ti commonly represents ‘sh’ in words containing the suffix ion (e.g. action, pollution). Unusual graphemes for ‘sh’ include ci, ce, s and ss (e.g. special, ocean, sugar, issue).

Maths 
In Maths, in week 7 we revisited addition and subtraction of numbers up to 10,000. I introduced the children to the column method as this can make it easier for some children to understand their strategy. In week 8 we revisited our work on multiplying and dividing. I would ask that again that the children practise their timetables as often as possible, The IXL website is very useful for this and all children have their own login details.

Religion
In Religion we have moved on to examining how the Gospel writers shaped their Gospels for particular communities. We looked at the Gospels of Matthew and Luke and in particular the infancy narratives and compared these two Gospel accounts.

Specialist Subjects:
Monday: Technology and Science
Tuesday: Drama
Wednesday: Swimming and Health, students are to be dropped off at the pool
Thursday: Science and HASS
Friday: Japanese and HASS

Reminders:

• Tuesdays and Thursdays: Chaplaincy breakfast begins at 7:45am.
• Wednesday : Tuckshop orders due by 8.30am; Christmas Concert & Awards night 27th November at 5.30pm
• Friday: End of Year Mass at 8.30am on Friday 29th November in the MMS. 

Hope you have a great weekend,

Miss Nicola Cullen

Year 6

Dear Families,

Thank you all so, so much for the magnificent effort and commitment which everyone put in to our Treasure Island performances. The younger classes had nothing but positives to say about their trip to the St Andrew's Hall. As staff, we were overwhelmed with praise and positivity for the exceptional passion and teamwork that each and every student showed to their Y5/6 Community - you should all be extremely proud of them! Please see some of the photos we took in costume before our first evening show.

Special thanks to Miss Jill, Mrs Cullen, Mr Larry and Mr Kelley (bus driving extraordinaire) who have done so much running around to ensure everyone had a blast! Thanks also to Tegan and Kathleen, without your support attending several meetings and making costumes and props, our performances wouldn't have been possible! In ticket sales alone, we made $1900 which provided a hefty chuck towards Y7-9 Camp to Canberra and the Y5 Camp to Magnetic Island so THANK YOU!

We have been finalising assessments during the fortnight so there isn't much other curriculum news at the minute.

Cannot believe we only have 2 weeks left - two years have simply flown by! The next week will be spent continuing our reflections about Primary School so that we can write our collective Graduation Speech, which will be delivered by Scarlett and Chelsea on Tuesday 3rd December (Week 10). It has been so lovely listening to their happiest memories from their time at St Joseph's Catholic Primary phase. Be prepared for lots of photos, silly videos (mainly for the children) and some magnificent reflections. We are very much looking forward to our Graduation Ceremony!

Have a great week,

Mr Mike Tarleton

UMY Subject Spotlight

Science with Mr Grehan

Year 8 Science
In term 4 students applied an understanding of the theory of plate tectonics to explain patterns of change in the geosphere. They investigated how the properties of rocks relate to their formation and influence their use. Students investigated the formation and characteristics of sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks, including crystallisation of extrusive and intrusive igneous rocks. Fossils were investigated and examined to draw conclusions about previous life forms, climate, environment and the age of rocks and how their existence is used by scientists to draw inferences and formulate the theory of plate tectonics. Students investigated the rock cycle along with the process of subduction that results in rocks being recycled through the three main classification of rocks of sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous. 

Year 9 Science
In term 4 students studied the topic of Earth science. They identified it was much easier to study the universe than it is to travel to the interior of the Earth. Students investigated available information to deduce the structure of the Earth, including the molten formation of the Earth and its different layers. They studied the structure of the core and outer core and the rotation of each layer to create the magnetic field around  the Earth. Students investigated the lower mantle and upper mantle identifying the solid or molten state of each. Built upon this information and investigations, students identified the theory of plate tectonics and continental drift. They investigated how subduction in convergent plates results in significant earthquake and volcanic activity as compared to divergent and transform plates and how each system affects life on the planet and our interactions and understanding of volcanoes, earthquakes and why they occur where they occur.

Maths with Mr Delaney and Mr Grehan

Year 7 Maths - James Delaney 
This term, the Year 7 students absolutely crushed their mathematics work!

Our final unit of (their first year of high school) maths had a Measurement & Geometry focus. 

We started by classifying triangles and quadrilaterals based on their properties. Then, we used these shapes to calculate, perimeter, area, the value of missing angles, and even used this as a foundation for working out the volume of 3D shapes.

Finally, we investigated angles within parallel and transversal lines. This was tricky to begin with, but with some practise, the students grew in confidence and had no issues on their exam. See below for a similar example of a problem solving question:

It has been a pleasure to teach these students in their first year of secondary maths!

Year 8 Mathematics: Rob Grehan

This term students used mathematical modelling to solve practical problems involving ratios, percentages and rates in measurement topics. They used appropriate metric units when engaged in measurement problems involving the perimeter and area of composite shapes, and volume of right prisms. Students used formulas to solve more complex problems involving the area and circumference of circles in a variety of contexts. They engaged in geometrical reasoning using the rules to identify congruence and similarity in shapes and created and tested algorithms designed to test their solutions. Students applied the properties of quadrilaterals to solve problems.

Year 9 Mathematics: Rob Grehan
This term students applied formulas to solve problems involving the surface area and volume of right prisms and cylinders. Students experienced extended and more complex problems using composite shapes to dissect and analyse geometrical shapes and reach complex solutions. Students solved problems by using  ratio, similarity and scale in two-dimensional situations. They determined percentage errors in measurements and used trigonometric ratios to solve problems involving right-angled triangles. Students used mathematical modelling to solve practical problems involving direct proportion, ratio and scale, evaluating the model and communicating their methods and findings in logical and sequential statements. Students studied the characteristics of shape and used geometrical reasoning to deliver proofs of solutions reached. They applied enlargement transformation to images of shapes and objects, and interpreted results to find solutions. Students designed, used and tested algorithms based on geometric constructions or theorems.

Youth Ministry & Chaplaincy

Important dates/reminders!

• Chaplaincy Breakfast: every Tuesday and Thursday before school @ 7:45. Due to morning prayer sessions and homeroom time for classes, we will begin to pack up from 8:10. 
• Year 9 Retreat: our Year 9 retreat at the Dam is next Thursday (28/11). Parents, please refer to the email and Compass event that I sent out. 
• Staff & Student Prayer morning: Our next Staff & Student Prayer session will be on the morning of Wednesday 4/12 from 8:10. We would love to see plenty of staff and students in attendance! 
• Year 3 Aged Care visit: the Year 3 students visited the aged care residents at the Cloncurry Hospital this Friday (22/11) - see pictures below!
• Mini Vinnie’s: I am so proud of our Mini Vinnie’s students. They have taken on the responsibility of the toy appeal with great enthusiasm. We have been collecting and sorting the donations. The donations will be presented in the liturgy of our final assembly on the last day of school - it is not too late to donate! See further information on the appeal below.

Spirit in Action (SIA): Students in Years 6 to 9 are still encouraged to join our group! Our next session will be next Monday 2/12 from 3:00 to 4:30 PM. We will be finalising the decorations that we will be taking to the Aged Care residents in Week 10. I will send out a Compass event next week for consent to attend this SIA session.

Yours in faith, hope & love

Mr James Delaney

Guidance Counsellor

A Special Report: Navigating AI Relationships

Despite governments globally moving towards raising the minimum age for social media access due to mounting concerns about the negative effects on youth mental health and wellbeing, there's now an even newer challenge on the horizon - the rise of romantic and companion AI bots. These virtual companions are becoming increasingly popular with young people, raising serious questions about privacy, ethics, and the future of relationships in the digital age.

The rise of AI-powered relationships is offering a new frontier in human interaction. Initially emerging in the gaming world, AI companionship has evolved into mainstream culture, with apps providing personalised experiences that range from platonic friendships to romantic encounters. These interactions can blur the boundaries between real and virtual relationships, creating confusion and potential psychological harm.

Criminologists warn that children as young as 12 are accessing dating apps, often bypassing age restrictions, exposing them to sexual content and predatory behaviour. Researchers have also found that many adolescents are turning to virtual partners for validation, risking unhealthy emotional attachments that can affect real-life relationships.

As AI reshapes social dynamics, it's crucial to stay informed and engaged. While AI can enhance education and creativity, it also presents challenges around privacy, mental health, and misinformation.This Special Report will help you foster an open dialogue and balanced approach to help young people navigate this evolving digital landscape.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your special report:
https://sjctsv.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-navigating-ai-relationships-au

Christmas Concert & Awards Night

End of Year Mass

Community Information

School Student Broadband Initiative

We can support your child’s education with free home internet.

This is an Australian Government program for families and carers with school-age children who are struggling with bills.

Eligible parents and carers have until 31 December 2024 to register for the School Student Broadband Initiative and sign up with a participating internet provider.

Contact our team to see if you qualify and for help getting your house connected Student NBN enquiry form

The goal is for all School Student Broadband Initiative households on Fibre to the Node (FTTN), Fibre to the Basement (FTTB) and Fibre to the Curb (FTTC) technology, to be provided with a broadband service based on nbn’s 50/20 wholesale speed tier. 

For more information contact the initiative provider directly on 1800 954 610 or check out the FAQs

student-internet-faqs

Supported by

School Student Broadband Initiative (SSBI) | Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts