Term 4 | Week 2 Newsletter

Key Information

• 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 
• Tuesday 16th November - Prep Orientation Day 1 - 830-1030
• Friday 19th November - Prep Orientation Day 2 830-1000
• Wednesday 24th November - Christmas Concert
• Thursday 25th November - Year 9 Dinner
• Friday 26th November - Last Day Year 7-9 Students

Students and/or Families not returning in 2022:

If you haven't formally notified our office yet if your child or family will not be returning in 2022 please do so as soon as practicable.
Our End of Year Mass is scheduled for the 26th November (time TBA) and we would love families to be able to attend this special event. Formal invitations will be sent through at a later date.

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 to Week 2, 
We are now in full swing of what I am sure will be a blockbusting term at St Joseph’s. 

As Queensland continues to move forward with COVID-19 there are precautions that we as a School need to make to ensure our teachers, students and families are safe at all times. There are some events coming up that our families will be invited to attend. It is important that parents, caregivers and family members are signing in at each one of these events, this may be on a sign in register available on the day (School Swimming Carnival) or at the front office, including for school assemblies. 

Professional Development - Principals Conference:
Please note that I will be travelling to Townsville today for the Term 4 Principals Conference. I will still be contactable on email (skelley2@sjctsv.catholic.edu.au) or alternatively you can pop into the school and speak to Assistant Principal - Shadley Davids in my absence. 

New Staff Term 4: 
This term we welcome Mr. Graeme Brown back to St Joseph’s. Mr Brown is only visiting for a short time and will return home to Townsville at the end of the term.  We are very grateful to be able to receive Mr Brown’s help for the term as he will be teaching in our Upper Middle Years 7-9 space. 

Staff Departures 2021:
It is with a heavy heart that the St Joseph’s community farewell Mrs. Gayle Macnamara at the end of Week 4. Although we are very sad to see Gayle leave our school, we are very excited for her new career adventure. Gayle has played a vital role in the school for 7+ years and we will take the next few weeks to celebrate her time with us. Please pop into the office to farewell Gayle and wish her all the best on her new journey. 

RockPop 2021:
What a surprising start to our Rock Pop Week with RAIN! Although it was a welcomed site it put a hold on our Seniors Rock Pop Rehearsal in Mount Isa on the main stage. Our Junior and Senior group will be travelling to Mount Isa on Wednesday for their rehearsal. There will also be a ‘sneak peak’ performance this Friday at assembly - so please come along to see the hard work and dedication that has gone into both the junior and senior performance. The BIG SHOW is on Friday evening in Mount Isa, we hope to see you there! 

Swimming Carnival:
As you may be aware our 2021 Swimming Carnival is fast approaching on Friday the 29th of October (Week 4). I would firstly like to thank Mr. Scott Murray for his work in preparing our students for the upcoming swimming carnival. Our P&F will be providing Coffee for parents, families and community members on the day, as well as a lunch pack for students and teachers. Please monitor your emails across the week as more information will be sent on how to order your child’s lunch on the day. If you would like to volunteer your time to make lunch packs or help at the coffee machine our P&F will be very grateful - please email me if you have availability to do so and I can pass this onto Rene Winner-Harrison our P&F President. 

God Bless, 
Samantha Kelley
Principal 

APRE News

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 by Friday the 15th of October 2021.

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.

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.

Time between assemblies a chance for prayer, maturation

Published: 11 October 2021

The months between the first and second general assemblies of the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia are a time for “prayer, reflection, maturation and development”, according to a concluding statement from the first assembly. 

The statement, approved by the Council’s members during Saturday’s final plenary session, speaks of a week in which regular prayer and spiritual conversations, encouraging deep listening, “allowed space for still nascent dreams and visions to come to greater maturity”.

It came after 16 sessions across six days, encompassing conversations in groups of eight to 10 people, larger groups of up to 30 and gatherings of the full membership of the Council. All sessions were punctuated with time for prayer and reflection.

The concluding statement said the process of members listening to each other in those various forums “has planted promising seeds and raised important questions for us”.

“We have experienced and expressed the range of emotions that come with facing profound issues together, holding in tension diverse interpretations and expectations,” it said.

“Through prayer and reflection, we have been called to be patient with the process, with each other, with the Church and, most importantly, with the Holy Spirit.”

The statement said the closing of the Council’s first assembly means the journey “now enters a time of prayer, reflection, maturation and development”.

“This will involve continuing reflection by the members of the Council, and consultation with the wider Church community, as we develop propositions for presentation to the second assembly of the Council next July.”

Source: ACBC.

Pastoral Care

Stress Management

It’s that time in the school year when lots of students can feel stressed with end of year exams and assignments. Below are some general stress management tips to follow through this challenging time.

Relaxation

1. Pause for thought – introduce small moments of relaxation in your day.
2. Try active relaxation to unwind your body & mind.
3. Use the Smiling Mind app each day.

Breathing Techniques 

1. 4-7-8 breathing – breathe in for 4 , hold for 7 and out to 8 
2. 7-9 – breathe in to 7 counts and out for 9 counts for 3 minutes 
3. Square – breathe in for 4 counts – hold for 4 counts – breathe out for 4 counts – hold for 4 counts and repeat

Maintaining, Motivation and Preventing Procrastination

Procrastination is defined as delaying something that needs doing, and it can easily manifest itself in regards to studying for exams or writing that essay. However, it then

becomes hard to be motivated for a test after scrolling through Instagram for an hour or binge-watching Netflix. But there are ways out of this cycle which will benefit you in exam season including…

• Prevent losing focus by removing online distractions. FocalFilter, Cold Turkey and StayFocusd are free website blockers to prevent online distraction, whilst moving your phone into another room can prevent notifications acting as calls to procrastinate.

• Chunking - make revision manageable by breaking it up into small chunks to prevent an overwhelming feeling of what you have to do. 
• Create a revision timetable to balance set times of productivity and rest.
• Plan rewards for after the exam, whether it’s going out for dinner to make working hard feel worthwhile. Surround yourself with encouragement including motivational quotes, positive people etc. that can help you get the marks you desire.

Prep

What a busy week.

Tuesday (weather permitting) Prep will have their very first school swimming lesson then on Wednesday they will participate in a workshop with Queensland Ballet. 

Our Literacy groups have begun again and any help would be appreciated. Prep only has a few more Tricky words to learn for the year. Please continue to revise Tricky words with your child as this helps to prepare them for the reading demands of Year 1. This link has some great ideas to make learning these words  fun Easy fun ways to practice Tricky words. A list with all of the words for the year will be sent home with the readers this week. Over the next few weeks we will be focusing on collecting information on each child’s reading ability and also their ability to write tricky words and to blend sounds to write unknown words. This is  in preparation for report writing. 

Tuesday -  Swimming (bring thongs for the walk to the pool)
Wednesday - Queensland Ballet, Library
Friday - Return home readers
Everyday - read home readers and practice Tricky Words.

Yours in fun and learning.
Mrs McLauchlan

Year 1

Good afternoon parents and caregivers,

This week in Year 1 we are learning that the letter c can make a ‘s’ sound and the letter g can make a ‘j’ sound when followed by the e,i or y. In Maths we are learning to collect data by asking questions, draw simple data displays and make simple inferences. During Science this term we are participating in investigations of everyday phenomena and describing changes in the day and night sky. This term in HASS we are describing how places can be cared for, specifically in our local environment. 

Reminders:

Tuesday: Sport with Mr Murray, we are swimming!

Thursday: Library with Mrs Chaplain

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

Year 2

Hi all,

Homework started up this week. Please remember to bring this back on Friday with readers.

Reminders

PE day is Wednesday. We are doing swimming so remember to pack swimmers and a towel!

Library Day is Thursday

Year 3

Hi everyone!  

The learning highlights for Year 3 this week are:

• In maths we continue with our unit on angles. Students are identifying angles as measures of turn and comparing angle size in everyday situations. 
• In English we will discuss the use of onomatopoeia in the book ‘A Swim in the Sea’ by Sue Whiting. 
• In science we will make a model to demonstrate the properties of solids, liquids and gases. We will learn that in solids the particles are tightly packed, in liquids the particles have more movement and in gases the particles are spread out. 

Homework and home readers were sent out on Monday. Please let me know if you haven’t received these. 

Reminders 

• Library: Wednesday 

• PE: Thursday (swimming) 

Have a great week ahead. 

Miss Coombs

Year 4

Hi Everyone,

It has been great to see everyone back at school. Just a reminder that school starts at 8:20am and our reading groups begin at 8:30am. It is difficult for students to slip into the group smoothly if they have missed the first 5 or 10 minutes of instruction and it is often disruptive for the rest of the group. 

Design and Technology-  This term we are needing the tubes from cling wrap/alfoil etc to be able to conduct our investigations. If you have any at home they would be gladly appreciated.

Brain Break- Just a reminder to send along fruit or some other healthy snack to get your child through the long morning of learning.

Have a great week,
Lesley Wall

WE NEED THESE PLEASE

Year 5

Hello week 2!

Here are some highlights for our week ahead: 

ENGLISH: During the week we will be taking a closer look at the structure of an informative report.

MATH: Students are learning how to use a protractor to measure angles and will be getting outside of the classroom to find angles in our environment.

HASS: Students will investigate ‘The Age of Enlightenment’ and the struggles faced by various social groups in order to gain equality.

DIGITAL TECH: This week we will begin looking at the binary system after we all sign off on our classroom online safety rules poster!

RELIGION: Students will be looking into how the pioneering Catholics in Australia contributed to the preservation of faith and the shaping of particular communities..

Enjoy your week!
Miss Campbell

Year 6

Welcome to Week 2!

This week’s learning focuses:

Religion: The students will be learning about St Ignatius of Loyola and the history of The Examen. 

English: The students will continue to complete a range of responsive activities regarding the novel Sabriel. We will also be learning about The Hero’s Journey and how to apply  it to our writing. 

Mathematics: Students are learning about how to write and solve number sentences with multiple operations, including parentheses.  

HaSS: We will be learning about systems of government before focusing on our own hybrid system. 

Science: Students will be participating in a couple of hands-on experiences that illustrate how plate tectonics change the surface of the Earth. 

Health: We will be focussing on strategies to cope with change, including managing our emotions. 

Digital Technology: Students will begin thinking about the functional requirements of a game and plan it using a storyboard. 

Library is on Thursday and Physical Education is on Monday. The students head to the pool around 10:00am. They can wear their swimmers under their uniform if they would like to, otherwise, they will have a chance to get changed during Brain Break time. 

Have a great week ahead!!
Mr. Delaney and the Year 6 Legends!

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! 

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

Community Notices

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