Term 1 | Week 4 Newsletter

Key Information

• Virtual Parent Information Sessions for Year 1 - Year 9 - Wednesday 16th February at 4pm
  
• Virtual Parent TV Information Session - Wednesday 23rd February at 4pm
• Shrove Tuesday - Tuesday 1st March 
  
• Ash Wednesday Liturgy - Wednesday 2nd March
• Indigenous Education Advisory Meeting - Thurday 3rd March at 3pm
• School Photo Day - Friday 4th March 
  
• P&F AGM Meeting - Monday 7th March at 3pm
  
• Catholic Identity Committee Meeting - Monday 14th March at 3pm (please note date change)
  
• Opening Mass & St Joseph's Feast Day - Friday 18th March at 8.40am

Tuckshop Menu:

Welcome back Miss Jamie-Lea!!

Thank you to all volunteers who help each week! If you wish to volunteer or contribute to Tuckshop in any way, please contact the office or see Miss Jamie-Lea. All volunteers must complete a volunteer induction package. 

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:

• Monday 2.30-3pm
• Thursday: 8:10am-8:30am

Any requests for uniforms outside these days MUST be done via the link below. 

Principal News

Welcome to Week 4, 

I hope your child/children had a great first week back at school last week. Although the week was incredibly busy, it was great to see so many smiling faces around the school. 

Thank you to the parents that joined us at our P&F meeting yesterday afternoon. It was great to spend the afternoon discussing ways that we can make St Joseph’s the best possible school. In the meeting we talked about the current focus that has been placed on the development of students writing in all year levels. Our NAPLAN data has assisted us in selecting writing as a focus for the year. In all P-6 classes this term students will be practising their skills in narrative writing, while in 7-9 classes students will be practising writing both a narrative and a persuasive text. 

A persuasive text is any text where the main purpose is to persuade a reader to accept a particular point of view. Persuasive text types include, for example, arguments, expositions, discussions, and letters to the editor, debates, reviews and advertisements.  

A narrative is a time-ordered text that is used to narrate events and to create, entertain and emotionally move an audience. Other social purposes of narrative writing may be to inform, to persuade and to socialise. The main structural components of a narrative are the orientation, the complication and the resolution. Essential features of a narrative are the representation and development of character(s) and setting.

To assist in improving your child’s writing the best way is to get them writing! Allow your child time to write about their day by summarising what occurred or write about an event that they are excited about. Although parents may not be comfortable correcting their writing, any practice that the children can get will assist them in developing their skills. You may even just check or remind them to include capital letters to begin a sentence. 

As our student numbers grow we have also been focusing on the behaviour that is expected of students at St Joseph’s Catholic School. Our dedicated Pastoral Leader Mrs Toni Schneekloth has been leading us in this domain. In everything that we do at St Joseph’s we aim to spread kindness to those around us as we show respect to each other, respect to the environment and respect to our own and others belongings. If a child was to show behaviour that isn’t consistent with our values at St Joseph's the Behaviour Management flow chart is implemented, you can find this on our website at the following link.

Staffing Update:
It is with a heavy heart that I announce some staffing changes to our St Joseph’s Community. Mr Scott Murray will be departing our teaching team at the end of Week 7. Scott has contributed significantly to our St Joseph’s Community over several years. Please join me in congratulating Scott on his next adventure as he moves to The Cloncurry State School for a new challenge and to teach senior schooling. 

We will also be farewelling Mrs Georgina Coonan and Mrs Tanae Skipworth at the end of the term. Georgina and Tanae have been a part of our schooling community for quite some time. Georgina started as a school officer at the beginning of 2021 and hit the ground running. We will miss your ongoing support in the school. Tanae only recently joined our school officer team in 2022 but has been a part of our community as a parent for many years. We are thankful for your contribution to our community and wish you all the best on your next adventure. 

Assembly:
Thank you to all of our parents that joined us for our first virtual assembly last Friday. We will have another virtual assembly this week, commencing at 8.40am. The assembly will be moved to the library to ensure the sound is much louder. The vidoe's will also be screenshared to ensure they are clearner. The zoom link for our assembly will be emailed to you and posted in the Compass app.

2022 School Improvement Plan 
At St Joseph’s we have an ongoing commitment to the improvement of our school. Last week we showcased our improvement plans in the domain of ‘Mission and Purpose’. This week we are showcasing our goals to create a ‘Climate Conducive to Learning’ at St Joseph's Catholic School.

To improve opportunities to develop the whole child at St Joseph’s we will: 

• Implement a whole school Positive Behaviour for Learning Program. 
• Use data to monitor, track and progress student learning and foster inclusivity. 
• Continue to develop the Early Career Teacher mentoring program. 
• Establish and sustain Professional Learning Communities. 
• Renew and review our facilities to provide contemporary teaching and learning spaces. 
• Engage in strategic planning to develop and maintain a whole-school approach. 

In the newsletter next week we will share our goals for ‘Emphasis on Learning’.

God Bless,
Samantha Kelley
Principal

APRE News

Welcome to Week 4! Over the next couple of weeks classes will start to discuss what Lent is and why we make lenten promises. 

What is Lent?
Lent is the six week period leading up to Easter. It’s one of the most important times in our church calendar. Lent is the preparation for the celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus at Easter. From its start on Ash Wednesday until its conclusion on Easter Sunday, Lent has been a traditional time for fasting or giving something up or abstinence. Just as we carefully prepare for events in our personal lives, such as a wedding, or birthday; Lent invites us to make our minds and hearts ready for remembering Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.

What should you give up for Lent? 
The phrase “giving something up for Lent” is a little misleading because it’s not just about giving something up, it’s also about doing extra things. We are challenged during Lent to add more prayer, fasting, and giving into our lives.  

Over the next two weeks we will be asking students to think about something they can either … “give up” or “take up”. At home please discuss this with your child/children what promise they will be making and encourage them to keep their promise.Classes will share in an Ash Wednesday Liturgy (March 1st) to celebrate the start of Lent. 

Notices:
Assembly prayer: This week Year 9 will present our prayer focused on World Day of Prayer for the Sick.

Children’s Liturgy: Thank you to the families who joined us last Sunday. I will aim to host these more reguary this year so please keep an eye out in the newsletters for when they will be on.

Sacramental Program: Please let me know if any students or adults are interested in being Confirmed and receiving their First Holy Communion. Information has been emailed out. If you did not receive this information please contact me on tcurley@sjctsv.catholic.edu.au.

ALPHA Program: This program is available for any members of our community who wish to further their christian faith. The program runs over 10 sessions. Sessions will be delivered after Sunday Mass starting next Sunday (March 27th). They will be presented in a relaxed environment where guests have the opportunity to explore life and the christian faith. Please refer to the ALPHA flyer attached in this week's newsletter for further information.

Want to have your child baptised? If you are interested in having your child/children baptised this year let me know. I am more than happy to support you in this process.

May God bless you and your family this week

Therese Curley
APRE

Pastoral Care

Just a reminder to parents and caregivers - students can bring their Pokemon cards and 'battle' at lunchtimes, but they are not allowed to trade cards whilst at school. Thank you for your help with this and hopefully we can avoid further issues that have arisen in the past week.

The Resilience Project  - Part 1: Introduction
Starting in Week 4 of Term 1, we are pleased to be introducing 'The Resilience Project’s' online wellbeing curriculum in our classrooms. The Resilience Project delivers emotionally engaging programs and provides evidence-based, practical strategies to build resilience.

The Digital Program consists of online presentations and lessons for students, professional development for staff, and a video series for our parent and carer community. 

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing the Parent and Carer Program with you. The videos are 5-10 minutes long and will walk through the key pillars of resilience: Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness. You’ll hear stories and be introduced to activities to show how these strategies can support our student’s learning and development, and also support you as parents and carers. 

This program is an important part of our school’s effort to look after the mental health of our community.

View the first presentation of the series here: 

Part 1: Meet Hugh and learn about The Resilience Project: https://theresilienceproject.com.au/parent-and-carer-hub-hugh/

In this presentation, Hugh shares a personal experience about his sister’s battles with Mental Illness.

Note: This video contains a story about an Eating Disorder that may be triggering. Please consider this before watching. For mental health resources and support information, visit The Resilience Project’s Support Page. 

Keep an eye out in the newsletter each week as we share the remainder of the program, including research and wellbeing activities to integrate into day to day life.

Prep

Welcome to week 4,

I hope your children had a great first week. Miss Tamara and I certainly did! 

This is a brief overview of what we will be focusing on for the next few weeks.

English: We will begin our InitialLit literacy lessons and also literacy groups this week. Thank you to those parents who have volunteered to help out with these. The Preps will also be looking at narrative story features over the next few weeks.  

Math: Prep will be exploring amounts and numerals to 10 and beyond.

Science: Our focus is the weather and also how this affects us.

HASS/Health: Learning about how they grow and change, their family and important events in their lives. They identify ways that they can find out about these things from the past.

Religion: We will be learning about God and exploring some bible stories that show us how God wants us to live, including caring for creation.

Resilience Project: Exploring mental health strategies to build resilience.

The class will also be doing Visual Art, PE and digital technologies with other teachers.

Reminders:
Tuesday:  Sport
Wednesday: Order tuckshop if wanted.  NO PARENT INFORMATION SESSION FOR PREP
Thursday: Tuckshop and library day. Please remember to return your books and/or to bring a library bag. 

To make it easier to remember which uniform to wear, it is okay to wear a sports uniform every Tuesday (regardless of if it is a sports day) and to wear a House shirt uniform every Friday.

Yours in fun and learning,

Mrs McLauchlan and Miss Tamara

Year 1

Hello Parents and Caregivers,

Welcome to week 4!

This week in Year 1, we will be getting straight into our learning. Here is a snapshot of what we are learning this week;

Religion: We were lucky enough to have Father Emene come into our Year 1 classroom at the end of last week to talk about the Creation Story. We are beginning to Identify that God’s plan for creation is for people to care for one another. 

English: We are learning to create a sizzling start that shows a connection to our images. We will also continue our focus on letter formation and book presentation. 

Math: This week our focus is on locating numbers to 100 on a number line.

Science: We are learning to compare sound and explore different ways sound is produced.

HASS: We are learning to identify differences in family structure and roles today and how these have changed or remained the same over time.

Health: We are learning to describe physical changes in our appearance now compared to when we were younger.

Reminders:

• This week is Week B!
• Sport: Monday with Mr Murray. Please have your child wear their sports uniform.
• Library: Is on Thursday with Mrs Chaplain.
• Homework: Due on Wednesday so readers can be replaced.
• Tuckshop: Tuckshop orders are due on Wednesday! 
• In the mornings before school the classroom will be open at 8.10am. This is sometimes later on Monday due to a staff meeting (morning muster) before school.
• Please note that an information session powerpoint will be sent home this week on Wednesday afternoon. 

Have lovely week, 

Miss Mae-Louise Brock

Year 2

Hi all,

This week we are learning:

English: Character comparisons. Our tricky words are February, were, friend.

Maths: Skip counting

Religion: God’s nature

Science: Mixtures

HASS: Then and Now

Health: Keeping ourselves healthy and safe

Reminders:

Week A

• Monday: Sport
• Thursday: Library
• Homework due Friday

Week B

• Tuesday: Sport
• Wednesday: Library
• Homework due Friday

Have a great week!

Miss Leonie Ansell

Year 3

Hi everyone,

The learning highlights for Year 3 this week are:

• English: in our reading and writing lessons we are exploring the book ‘A Bus Called Heaven’ by Bob Graham and building ‘who’ (subject) and ‘what doing’ (verb) sentences using our Colourful Semantics cards. In spelling we are looking at the sound b and bb (as in ball and ribbon) and the different rules to add the suffix -ed and -ing. Finally, we are revising anticlockwise letters (a, c, d, e, f, o, q, u, v, and w) in handwriting.  

• Math: we will finish our unit on odd and even numbers with our assessment task towards the end of the week and start our new unit on addition and subtraction strategies.

• Science: we will do an experiment looking at the different ways particles move by dropping food dye in both hot and cold water and observing how long it takes to disperse. 

• HASS: we will look at the ways our society is democratic and the importance of making decisions based on voting. 

• Religion: we are looking at the image of God as a mother and reading the story of Jacob in Genesis 25-28.

I will be emailing a PowerPoint home this week which will include information for parents. This will be a snapshot of the Year 3 classroom and provide detail on what we will be learning this year, our weekly routines and my expectations for students. Please keep an eye on your emails!

Have a great week ahead!

Miss Coombs

Year 4

Hi Everyone,

I look forward to seeing you on Zoom on Wednesday if you are able to make it. I will try to record the session and share it with you afterwards, but if this isn’t successful, I will share the powerpoint with you and you can email any questions to me.

Spelling
This year I am changing the way we approach spelling in the classroom and in homework. In the past the class has worked on a set spelling list following a common sound pattern. 

Each week we will be looking at a sound, but instead of the students learning 10 words for the week, which I have found to be ineffective in the past, especially for those who struggle with spelling, they will be looking at the structure of the word. This will involve a lot of activities in class where we will be looking at the meaning of base words and the prefixes and suffixes that can be added to the word and how they change the meaning or tense. We will also be looking at common rules for building on base words.

You may have noticed that the spelling homework also follows word building.

At the end of the week I will be asking the students to spell some words that were covered throughout the week and add some suffixes to the word to see if they have understood the rules.

I will review how this is working at the end of term.

OOPS! I just realised I forgot to give out the homework yesterday. This will go home today. 

Uniforms   
As the students have PE on Friday in Week A and Wednesday in Week B it has been decided that they can wear their sports uniform every Wednesday and their house shirt every Friday. This will save any confusion (and maybe save a midweek wash!).

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs Lesley Wall

Year 5

Welcome to week 4! I am looking forward to another successful week of learning in our classroom. Other targeted subjects areas this term include;

HASS: Gold Rush! Throughout this unit students will recognise key events in Australia during the colonial period after 1800, investigate the reasons why and impact of people migrating to Australia and appreciate the significant developments and events such as the Gold Rush and the Eureka Stockade.

Religion: Using a range of Biblical tools, students will explore how the Gospel writers shaped their Gospels for particular communities. Students will identify and explore ways in which faith is shared and strengthened in communities of believers, past and present.

Physical Education: Working with Mr Murray,  students will undertake a range of learning activities that will enable them to participate and develop skills, tactics and strategies in Volleyball and European Handball. Students will be given opportunities to work in groups and teams to further develop their skills and ability to work cooperatively and collaboratively. 

A slideshow with more details of the year ahead will be sent to your emails on Wednesday. Within this slideshow there will be a link to an online meeting if you have any questions or concerns for the year ahead.

Mr. Alastair Fraser

Year 6

Welcome to Week 4!

We have started our Year 6 careers off with a bang! The students have gotten straight into learning. 

Our learning focuses for this week:

Religion: We are learning about how the Holy Spirit inspires believers.

English: The students have started looking at the features of a diary entry and we are reading the Holes novel whilst doing chapter review activities. 

Mathematics: Students have been busy revising factors and multiples in order to determine the properties of prime and composite numbers. 

HaSS: We will be using our new knowledge of social and economic data to research and represent data for Asian countries. 

A reminder that Physical Education is Week A Tuesday & Week B Monday. Library is Week A Wednesday & Week B Thursday. 

Keep checking in with students to see if they have homework and to sign their diaries - great practice for high school!

Have a blessed week ahead!

Mr. Delaney & The Year 6 Legends

Year 7 Mathematics

Tania Laffey tlaffey1@sjctsv.catholic.edu.au

I have had the absolute pleasure of meeting the fabulous, the amazing, Year 7 cohort face to face in week 3 of this term. We jumped right into rounding numbers and they astonished me by how much they already knew about multiplying decimals. We have put a big focus on our book work, because as students move into the higher mathematics concepts this can really affect accuracy and problem solving. I will be collecting books regularly and expect to see neat and organised bookwork, with all responses self-marked with a different colour (usually red). I am looking forward to doing percentages and fraction operations with year 7 over the next coming weeks, and sharing the joy that is maths!

Mrs Tania Laffey

Year 8 - History

Year 7 sees our Middle Years historians look at the ancient civilisations.  However, in Year 8, we delve into middle history! Our first depth study is Medieval Europe, commencing at the collapse of the Roman Empire right through to the mid 1500s, focussing on the feudal system, significant individuals such as William the Conqueror, and the Crusades. By the end of the term, Year 8 students will then start the next depth study - the spread of the Black Plague throughout Europe. The speed and contact that spread the plague can be mapped similarly to that of our current pandemic - plus in past years, students have enjoyed all the gory details of plague symptoms! 

Mrs. Toni Schneekloth

Year 9 - Languages: Japanese

This term, students will be learning/revising the Hiragana & Katakana scripts to implement them more effectively in their class work. In addition, we will be learning all of the different vocabulary for family members, including pets. Students will display this information on a family tree poster, along with a short spoken presentation introducing their family members. Towards the end of the term, students will participate in a mini unit that will teach them to write emails and letters with correct features and vocabulary, depending on the audience - differentiating between kaigo and non-kaigo (formal & informal) language.

Mr. James Delaney 

Library

We are delighted to let you know about an education resource that is available to your child at home as part of our school subscription – Story Box Library.  

Your child can watch favourite stories, read aloud by fabulous storytellers, at home as well as in the classroom.  

Reading aloud to children, in particular by diverse and engaging storytellers, greatly improves language and literacy skills, especially in the early years of a child’s development. Story Box Library is committed to supporting and engaging the practice of storytelling. It is  intended for use as a complementary form of delivering the precious experience of being  read aloud to, in order to improve children’s lives. Connecting children with literature  through the complementary medium of film, providing a vibrant, interactive experience via  a diverse range of storytellers sharing the best of our local children’s picture books.  

To access Story Box Library at home:  

1) Visit www.storyboxlibrary.com.au 

2) Choose Log In from the top right corner of the screen 

3) Log in using the username and password provided below 

4) Enjoy the library of stories on any device with internet connection 

USERNAME: cloncurry

PASSWORD: stjosephs

Please note the following features:  

• Story Box Library regularly adds new stories, so is an ever-growing library.
• Content is aimed at Prep/Foundation through to Year 6 students.
• Includes a range of short films to inspired by our stories, creators and storytellers.
• Resources are provided for each story, including Classroom Ideas, Activity Time and Student Task Sheets – all designed to assist at-home learning.
• Captions can be turned on or off for each story.
• Story Box Library is a safe online space free from advertising.

Mrs Chris Chaplain 

Teacher Librarian 

Rural Health Connect - Zones of Regulation

The Zones of Regulation is a framework and curriculum designed to foster skills in self-regulation, including emotional control, sensory regulation, and executive functions. It is a systematic, cognitive behaviour approach that uses four colours to help students visually and verbally self-identify how they are functioning in the moment given their emotions and state of alertness. The model incorporates Social Thinking® concepts to help students use perspective taking, to identify how they are thinking and feeling, and understand how their thoughts and behaviours impact those around them. Through using the curriculum individuals become more self-aware and learn tools they can use to regulate to a more expected state. It can be used effectively in home, school, and clinical settings, as well as in conjunction with previously taught regulation strategies.

The four different zones are:

See: Mr. Winkel time: Zones of Regulation Introduction for more elaboration on the zones.

Tips on strategies on how to incorporate Zones language at home:

1. Use the language of the Zones everyday. For example - Are you in the blue zone today as you look very tired?
2. Simplify language - when asking your child what Zone they are in allow them to answer with the colour zone without providing any further information as to why. For example, if your child says they are in the red zone it is not effective to discuss why/how in that moment but rather to suggest some tools or strategies that they can use to return to the green zone. For example, sensory/calm down tools, physical activity, quiet time. Once your child is calm then you can discuss triggers or reasons for their feelings more effectively.
3. Model appropriate emotional coping skills yourself at home. It is good for children to see that the adults around them also feel the whole range of human emotion but it is important to demonstrate appropriate coping skills.
4. Think about compiling a kit with calm down/cool down strategies that work for your child. For example, playdoh, colouring in, lego, stress balls, deep breathing exercises, glitter sticks.
5. Would a family Zones check in area be helpful for your family? Watch this clip for some ideas: Zones of Regulation: Activity Check-in at Home via Social Thinking

For more information about self-regulation check out Teaching children self-regulation

Webinar - Communication

Chaplaincy Breakfast Club

Casual Employment Opportunties - Teachers & School Officers

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 - Guitar Lessons

Jill Fisher will be holding guitar lessons for any children interested! These will be occuring at St Joseph's Catholic School. Please contact Jill directly if you would like more information.