Term 4 | Week 1 Newsletter

Key Information

• Friday 8th October - Special Half Day Holiday - School ends 12pm
• Friday 15th October - Rock Pop @ Alex Inch Oval Mount Isa
• Friday 29th October - Swimming Carnival, World Teachers Day, Day for Daniel
• Monday 1st November - Year 5 Camp
• Thursday 11th November - Remembrance Day 

Tuckshop Menu:

Uniform Shop

As advertised, all uniform items with the old logo are being sold at 50% off normal price. There are limited sizes as shown. If ordering online your discount will be applied when you collect your order from the Uniform Shop or office.

Uniform Shop Days:
Wednesdays & Thursdays: 810-830am
Any requests for uniforms outside these days MUST be done via the link below. 

Homework Club

Homework Club is every Thursday from 3-4pm in the MacKillop Room for Years 5-9.

Principal News

Welcome back to school for our last Term for 2021 and what a busy term we have ahead. We kick started the term this morning with our Chaplaincy Breakfast. It was a fantastic way to begin the term, it was even better that Fr. Mick was in town and could join us. In Term 4 St Joseph’s will be introducing a Chaplaincy Breakfast Club, which will run each Tuesday and Thursday morning from 730am in the Mary MacKillop Shed 🍞🍏🍌🍊🍉. According to the Red Cross “breakfast is important in re-fuelling the body with energy and nutrients, kick-starting the day”. We look forward to seeing you for breakfast on Thursday. 

We also have James Cook University coming to join us on Wednesday to run some activities with our senior students. Although we don’t go to year 10, 11 and 12 at St Joseph’s, it is important that we engage with organisations like James Cook University so our students can consider what pathway they would like to take when they depart St Joseph’s.

Rock Pop:

Our Rock Pop students have been working incredibly hard for their performance which will take place next Friday the 15th of October in Mount Isa. Productions like this are a huge job for our students and an even bigger job for our teachers. I would like to thank Miss Lovett, Miss Brock, Miss Ansell, Miss Campbell and Mrs McConachy for their tireless work on the choreography, rehearsals, costume design, props and banner design and creation, and the administration that has been ongoing throughout the year. St Joseph’s are very thankful for your dedication to The Arts. 

Half Day - Bank Holiday Reminder:

A friendly reminder that St Joseph’s will be concluding the school day at 12:00pm for the Special half day Cloncurry and District Race Club TAB Meet Bank Holiday.

COVID Requirements: 

A reminder to staff, parents and community members - If you have been in the Brisbane, Logan, Gold Coast, Moreton Bay, Townsville (including Magnetic Island), and Palm Island LGAs on or from 1am Sunday 19 September you must carry and wear a face mask at all times when you leave home, including when on school grounds.  These must be worn at all times when indoors, and outdoors they are to be worn if you cannot physically distance.

Staffing Update:

It is with great sadness that I inform our St Joseph’s Community that Miss Campbell will be departing the school at the end of the year as she takes on a new adventure in Townsville. Miss Campbell has been such a great addition to our school and provided a great environment for our year 5 students to learn and develop within. We will take some time over the term to thank Miss Campbell for her 2 years at St Joseph’s.

Kind Regards, 
Samantha Kelley
Principal

APRE News

Welcome back to Term 4, our last school term for 2021. We have an exciting and busy term ahead of us with a combined Townsville Catholic Education Western Schools mass, Rock Pop, Reconciliation Retreats, Remembrance Day, Term 4’s Catholic Identity Advisory Committee Meeting, and our Christmas Concert to mention a few.

Reconciliation Retreats

Another important step in the spiritual development of your child is the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  As your child may have been part of Confirmation and Eucharist this year or previously, you may wish for your child to make the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Before committing to what is offered please have a read of the following notes:

1. Penance, Reconciliation and Confession are some adult terms used for this Sacrament. Some concepts we look at are forgiveness and sorry - Reconciliation, making up (Penance), admitting we did something wrong (Confession). How this is expressed in our lives and the need we have at times to make it formal or expressed in not only words but also in the action of forgiveness is important.
2. Completing the Sacrament entails: Who – the whole family (even if they have completed this Sacrament in the past as it is an ongoing event). If you start the program and think your child is not ready, you do not have to complete it until you think they are. This Sacrament can happen before or after they have made Confirmation and First Eucharist.
3.   There will be two Retreat sessions before the celebration where the child and a family member must attend. Retreat sessions will be held at St Joseph's after school.  We would like a parent or guardian to be present with the child at this time. It is always good to have some parent input as well into the session. The retreat sessions will be as follows:

If you are interested in having your child participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation please email me (sdavids@sjctsv.catholic.edu.au) with your preferred Workshop options.

A date for the Sacrament of Reconciliation is to be advised.

Catholic Mission Month

October is Catholic Mission Month On Friday the 22nd of October we will be hosting our Mount Isa Catholic Schools to celebrate Catholic Mission Month by having a combined mass.

Next Monday some of our secondary students will be hosting some of our seniors for a card game and lunch before going to our local Vinnies shop to help Sr Lynn at the shop and putting our mission in action.

Gospel Reading

Mark 10:17-30 (shorter form Mark 10:17-27)

A man with many possessions asks Jesus what he must do to gain eternal life.

Today’s Gospel might make us uncomfortable about our possessions. This discomfort offers us an opportunity to consider our possessions and our family’s commitment to the poor. Material possessions are a necessity in our culture. Our use of these possessions and our attitude about their importance is our choice, however. It is a choice we can make with the awareness that our faith in Jesus commits us to show our care for the poor.

As you gather as a family, consider together these questions: Would it be possible to inventory our possessions? Are there things in our house that we no longer need or use? What might we do with these things? Read together today’s Gospel, Mark 10:17-30. Talk about the warning about material possessions that Jesus gives in this Gospel. How does this make you feel? Choose an action that helps your family show its commitment to the poor. Conclude by praying together the Peace Prayer of Saint Francis.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.

Pope sends blessings to historic Church event

Published: 05 October 2021

Pope Francis has sent greetings and blessings from Rome as the program for the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia, the first such event in this country in 84 years, began yesterday. 

A message read out during the opening plenary session yesterday said the Plenary Council “represents a singular ‘journeying together’ of God’s people in Australia along the paths of history towards a renewed encounter with the Risen Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit”.

The message, read by Msgr John Baptist Itaruma from the Apostolic Nunciature in Australia, said Pope Francis “prays that the Council may be a graced occasion for mutual listening and spiritual discernment, marked by profound Communion with the Successor of Peter”.

“In this conciliar process, the Church in Australia is challenged to listen to the voice of the Spirit and to bear witness to the perennial truth of the Gospel and to develop new and creative expressions of evangelical charity,” said the message, signed by Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

The exchange of messages between the Holy See and the Church in Australia followed an opening address from Plenary Council president Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB.

Archbishop Costelloe acknowledged the Council’s members would likely be coming with “high hopes”, “great expectations”, but also “conscious of the heavy responsibility we bear”.

“In the mysterious ways of God’s providence, it is we who have been called together to undertake this historic and grace-filled task on behalf of the whole Catholic community of our nation,” he said.

Source: ACBC.

May God bless you and your family this week

Shadley Davids
Assistant Principal - Religious Education

Pastoral Care

The Importance of Sleep

Poor sleep is linked to physical problems such as a weakened immune system and mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. There’s a close relationship between sleep and mental health. Living with a mental health problem can affect how well you sleep, and poor sleep can have a negative impact on your mental health.

Tips to getting a better sleep

1. Try to go to bed to sleep and wake up at the same time every day (even the weekends!)
2. Don’t eat late in the evening
3. Take a relaxing bath or shower
4. Exercise during the day
5. No screens in bed!

The Importance of Routine

Predictable, repetitive routines have been proven to be calming and help reduce anxiety. This is partly because they give you a sense of control over your day, and that then expands out into feeling in control of your life. There is also a sense of relief in achieving everything you need to do, which in turn reduces anxiety and stress.

Tips on how to get into a routine

1. Decide what needs to be in your routine. Do you want to get more exercise or more alone time?
2. Set small goals. Break each large goal into smaller goals - work your way up to something you want to accomplish.
3. Layout a plan - add in what you want to accomplish with your routine. Want to get more exercise? Start a new hobby?
4. Be consistent with time - time is important for your routine, keep track of the time so you know what is coming up next.
5. Make it fun! Have fun with your routine, don't add in something you’re not going to enjoy.
6. Track your progress - are you sticking to the routine? If so, then well done and keep it up. If not, then look for where you can improve.
7. Reward yourself.

Prep

Good afternoon,

Welcome back for Term 4. I hope you had a nice break from the school routine!

There will be no Literacy rotations this week, however they will start up again next week at 9:10am on Mondays to Thursdays. Helpers are appreciated. 

Swimming begins next week. Thank you to those of you who have returned the swimming permission form. Please remember to return this as soon as possible if you have not already. If I have not received this your child will not be able to go to the pool.

Home Readers will be sent home at some stage this week. They will not have to be returned until the following Friday. It is really important that your child is comprehending and making connections with the text (for example "My dog likes to swim as well!" if they have read about a dog swimming.) Sometimes it seems like the text is easy for your child but all of their effort has gone into decoding the words rather than making meaning and remembering what they have read. It is important for the students to be understanding and enjoying books that are easier rather than moving onto harder books too early. It is also okay to read books a few times and maybe focus on fluency and expression once they are comfortable with the text. 

This term Prep will be exploring the elements of drama. At the conclusion the class will perform Going on a Bear Hunt in Week 6 on assembly. In Science Prep will be exploring how objects move. Our Religion Unit is about ways people pray to mark special celebrations and rituals. We will also explore Christmas and the birth of Jesus. The Preps will learn how to use and login to their Chrome book computer in Technology and will also create texts and pictures on the IPADS. In Math we will continue to develop and extend the class's understanding of number as well as focusing on "sharing" of objects. 

The Preps will continue with our Initial Lit program this term as well as exploring writing in many forms.

Reminder: Please bring any home readers back, if you haven’t, so that we can send new books home. Also please continue to practice “tricky words” as this makes reading so much easier and enjoyable.

Yours in fun and learning,
Mrs McLauchlan

Year 1

Welcome to Term 4! I hope you all had an enjoyable holiday.

This week will be spent revising previous topics.

Reminders:

It is a short week this week finishing at 12 on Friday.

If you haven’t already please bring your swimming note back. 

Tuesday: Sport with Mr Murray

Thursday: Library with Mrs Chaplain

Have a fantastic week,
Miss Brock and the always fun Year 1’s

Year 2

Welcome to Term 4! Wow this year has flown by!

This week we are revising some of the things we looked at last Term. There will be no homework this week.

Reminders

This week is a short week. School will finish on Friday at 12pm.

If you haven’t already please bring back your swimming notes!

PE day is Wednesday
Library Day is Thursday

Miss Ansell

Year 3

Welcome back! I hope you all had an enjoyable and relaxing holiday.

This term we will be learning:

• English: skills for reading such as building vocabulary, comprehension, identifying literal and inferred meaning and using phonic knowledge to read complex words with fluency.
• Maths: recognising angles in real situations; using metric units to measure length, mass and capacity; making models of 3D shapes
• Science: states of matter - solids, liquids, gases 
• HASS: our local community 
• Health: healthy lifestyles
• The Arts: Music 
• Technology: data 

There will be no homework or home readers this week as we settle back into the routine of school. These will start up again in week 2 however, in the meantime, students are encouraged to read books from home throughout the week. 

Finally, NAPLAN results were sent home during the holidays. I hope these allowed parents to gain an insight into their child’s progress in reading, writing and numeracy. Please remember that these tests measure a students capabilities in a particular point in time and provide only a small snap-shot of their overall capabilities. As always, please feel free to contact me if you would like to make a time to meet and discuss your child’s results.

Miss Coombs

Year 4

Hi Everyone,

Welcome back to Term 4! Here is a quick overview of what we are covering this term.

English: We are studying the novel ‘The Impossible Quest’ by Kate Forsyth. In particular we are looking at how the author creates a character and how they develop throughout the novel. Students will also have the opportunity to write their own fantasy fiction.

Maths: Our topics for this term are money, shape, symmetry, number and mapping.

Science: The topic for Science is ‘Material World’. We will be investigating the properties of different materials and why they are chosen for different products.

HaSS: In Hass we are investigating how environments sustain its people and wildlife. We will be looking in depth at the continents of Africa and South America.

Have a great week!

Mrs Wall

Year 5

Welcome to Term 4!

Over the next 9 weeks we will be having heaps of fun in Year 5. We have our swimming carnival in week 4, camp in week 5, Christmas concert in week 8 and lots more in between!

ENGLISH: This term we will be creating an informative text that involves what we are learning in Science.

SCIENCE: This term we investigate and analyse how the form of living things enables them to function in their environments.

MATH:Students look at angles, grid referencing, 3D shapes and datasets this term.

HASS: We will be learning about the Australian Parliamentary system over the term.

DIGITAL TECH: Students investigate the binary system and online safety.

Enjoy your week!
Miss Campbell

Year 6

Welcome to Term 4!

The last term of primary schooling!!!

This term’s learning focuses:

Religion: This term we will be learning about and participating in a variety of prayers. 

English: We will be reading and responding to the novel Sabriel in addition to using role play gaming to write a hero’s journey fantasy narrative. 

Mathematics: Students will be learning about the order of operations and using fractions, decimals and percentages to describe probabilities. 

HaSS: We will be learning about Australia’s democracy and how bills are passed. 

Science: This term, students are learning about the effect that different natural disasters have of the Earth. 

Health: We will be focussing on different aspects of transitioning into secondary schooling. 

Digital Technology: Students will be designing a game and creating it using Scratch. 

Physical Education and Library remain the same (Monday and Thursday). 

Have a great week and term ahead!
Mr Delaney

Chaplaincy Breakfast - Term 4

In Term 4 St Joseph's Catholic School will be introducing a Chaplaincy Breakfast program each Tuesday and Thursday from 7:30am - 8:00am. 

All staff, students, parents, carers and family members are welcome to join us! 

Our aim is to ensure students are provided with the best opportunity to make the most of their education and develop healthy eating habits. We also aim to bring our community together through this breakfast program. Research suggests that eating breakfast in the morning sets our students up for a day of learning by maximising their behavioural outcomes in the classroom, while assisting them in engaging with learning tasks in the classroom. 

We would love if you help us spread the word! 

Student Awards - Week 10 (Term 3)

Congratulations to our Students who received awards for Week 10  Term 3!

Curriculum

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a series of tests focused on basic skills that are administered annually to Australian students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9. In 2021 majority of our students sat the test in an online format with the exception of the year writing test. This was a big shift for NAPLAN and I am pleased to announce that our online platform and testing sessions ran smoothly without any major disruptions on the day. 

Towards the end of Term 3 the school received each student’s NAPLAN results. These were mailed out to families during the school holidays and you should all have received these by now. If you are yet to receive yours please contact me via email on dkelley1@sjctsv.catholic.edu.au and I will follow this up for you. If you have any inquiries about your child’s NAPLAN results or would like assistance in interpreting the data please first and foremost contact your child’s classroom teacher as they will be able to assist you in interpreting this data.  

I have linked a video here that will further explain how to interpret your child’s NAPLAN results. 

I would like to congratulate the students of St Joseph’s Catholic School for their participation in NAPLAN and overall pleasing results. 

I wold also like to personally thank Mrs Martin and Mr Davids who assisted the facilitation of this testing while I was absent from school with my son Danny who was sick earlier in the year. I would also like to thank our teaching staff and school officers for ensuring these days ran as smoothly as possible. 

Kind Regards, 
Dean Kelley
Head of Teaching and Learning

Casual Employment Opportunties

We are seeking casual School Officers and qualified Teachers to cover sick and leave days.
For more information please contact our office.
Teaching staff will need to apply here > https://tceo-portal.applynow.net.au/jobs/TCE679-supply-teacher-registration-2021

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