Term 2 Week 1

Key Information

• Bishop Tim Visit - Thursday 21st April 
• Confirmation - 5pm - Thursday 21st April
• Anzac Day Assembly - Friday 22nd April
• Anzac Day - Monday 25th April
• P&F Meeting - Tuesday 26th April
• Cocktail Party - Friday 29th April
• Labour Day - Monday 2nd May
• 7-9 Unleashing Potential Workshop - Friday 6th May
• Mothers Day Assembly & Breakfast - Friday 6th May
• Prep Vision Screening - Friday 6th May (date change)
• Catholic Identity Committee Meeting - Monday 9th May
• NAPLAN - Tuesday 10th May to Friday 13th May

Tuckshop Menu:

If you wish to volunteer or contribute to Tuckshop in any way in Term 2, please contact the office or see Miss Jamie-Lea. It is a great morning making lunches for the students, always a fun time in Tuckshop! All volunteers must complete a volunteer induction package that is not hard or time sensitive, so come and volunteer your time!

NO MILK POPPERS THIS WEEK!

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 Term 2, 

I hope you have all had a great start to the term. It is always exciting to hear the adventures of our students over the holidays and I can’t wait to hear them once I return to school. As mentioned in my most recent email I am currently at home isolating as I have tested positive to COVID-19. 

This Thursday evening at 5pm we have three of our St Joseph’s students that will be confirmed into the Catholic Church by Bishop Tim. There will also be three teachers joining them. I send my congratulations and well wishes to students Michael, Noah and Sidney, as well as our teachers Mr Kelley, Miss Lovett, Mr Murray on this faith filled journey. I am disappointed that I won’t be there to share this experience with you, but I wish you all the very best. 

I have included some important information and reminders below, which you will also find in the email sent to parents last Monday. 

Term 2 commences on Tuesday 19th of April 2022 and concludes on Friday 24th of June 2022. It is quite a busy term with three public holidays. Please familiarise yourself with the term calendar. You will notice on the calendar that we have two school events for you to join us, with our Cocktail Party in Week 2 which will fundraise for the UMY Camp and our Community Engagement Event in Week 5. 

There will be some staffing absences across the week as we have had some staff test positive to COVID-19. This may mean that some classes (particularly 7 to 9) will need to combine across the week. If a combined class needs to occur please note that students will still complete subject specific content individually. 

Mrs Renee McConachy is now officially on maternity leave as she awaits the arrival of her baby. We unfortunately haven't had any luck recruiting a teacher to fill Mrs McConachy's role in her absence. The Arts will therefore be taught by your child's classroom teacher for the time being. Once we have welcomed a new teacher to our team we will be sure to share the good news with you. 

In Term 2 we will be trailing three new initiatives, you will find more information about these below:

• Tuckshop: We will be trialling half sized portions for our tuckshop specials this term. We have noticed quite a lot of food is being wasted by our primary students, particularly from students in prep and year 1. If your child is a small eater or doesn't normally finish the special we encourage them to order a half size portion. There were a number of orders last term that didn't include a child's full name, class or have the correct amount of money in the bag - please ensure you look at your child's order before it is placed in the tuckshop box in their classroom. 
• Eat & Read: At first break students in year 1 to year 6 will remain in their classrooms for the first 10 minutes to eat their morning tea. At this time students will eat their lunches and hear a story from their teachers. This initiative will be trialled across the term. This will ensure students are taking time to eat their food before going off to play and that their lunch boxes are going straight back into the fridges and not remaining on the tables in the heat. 
• SPARK: Our School Chaplain (Mrs Peta McIntyre) will be introducing the SPARK (Strengthening Positivity and Reinforcing Kindness) club at first break each day. This club will run at break times alternating with the library. As an example if the Upper Middle Years are in the library then our Primary Students can join the SPARK Club. 
• Student of the Week: It is important that we are celebrating the achievements of our students. In Term 2 we will be trialling an initiative to acknowledge the work that our students put into achieving a 'Student of the Week Award' by celebrating with Mrs Peta McIntyre at second break each Friday. 

Other Notices:

• Thank you for riding the timetabling wave with us in Term 1. The move to a fortnightly timetable has been incredibly helpful in meeting our notional hours for each curriculum area and to allow specialist secondary teachers to share their expertise with our primary classes. We will still be running a fortnightly timetable this term, we have however made some changes to make life a little bit easier for us all. Primary classes will now have their PE and Library classes on the same day each week which will be communicated by their classroom teacher. To make these changes it has meant that Secondary classes have shuffled around.
• Please note that funtastic friday will not resume in Term 2. As the first school term of the year was shortened it is important that teachers have this time to cover content. If this is to change in the future we will let you know. 
• We have moved assemblies forward to 8.30am each morning in an attempt to shorten the gap between drop off and the commencement of the assemblies. Please come along and join us each week in the Mary MacKillop Shed. You will notice on the attached calendar that it lists which class is on prayer each week. 
• Drop & Go Zone - Ham St: A reminder that Ham St (located directly in front of the front office) is a drop-and-go zone. A car cannot park in this area. If a parent or visitor needs to park their car to pop into the office or school for any reason, then they must park on either Sheaffe St or George St.

COVID-19 Close Contacts Update:
In the 12 weeks after ending isolation you are unlikely to get COVID-19 again and are therefore considered a “cleared case” for 12 weeks after your isolation ends. During this time, if you get COVID-19 symptoms again, you do not need to get tested. During those 12 weeks, if someone else in your house gets COVID-19, you are not considered a close contact, and you do not need to get tested or go into quarantine.

God Bless, 

Samantha Kelley
Principal

APRE News

Happy Easter, and welcome back to Term 2. I have enjoyed listening to the students' happy tales of their Easter break and seeing the sheer enjoyment on their faces as they share their stories with staff and classmates. 

Confirmations and Bishop Tim’s Visit:
This week we have our sacramental candidates making their Confirmation on Thursday at 5 pm in St Colmans’ Church everyone is welcome to celebrate in this Liturgy. Congratulations to Sid Chaplain, Michael Curley, Noah O’Brian, Archie McDonald, Carly Patterson, Rachael Lovett, Dean Kelley, Scott Murray, Zach Killman and Emma Young.  We are blessed to have Bishop Tim join us for this celebration as well as Father Mick and Father Emene. Bishop Tim will be visiting for the day on Thursday and will be able to meet with the classes. We look forward to his visit. 

Project Compassion:
A huge thank you to all our students, staff and families who contributed towards Project Compassion with your generous support we were able to raise $490.  This money will be sent directly to Caritas and put towards one of their life changing projects. Thank you!

ANZAC Day:
This coming Monday we commemorate the ANZACS. It is so important to provide students and staff the opportunity to reflect and thank all servicemen and women who made and continue to make Australia the wonderful, free country we enjoy today. Over this week the classes will spend some time reflecting on the ANZACS. A wonderful story that depicts the ANZAC spirit is Simpson and His Donkey, classes will have the opportunity to share in this story. The school will also take part in the dawn service and town march on Monday. 

Commemoration ANZAC Service

Monday 25th April
Dawn Service: we will join together in full school unirofrm at the Cenotaph (Scarr/Sheaffe Street roundabout) at 5:45 am. 

Anzac Day March: Students are to assemble in dress uniform at the old RSL Building at 9:00 am. The parade will begin at 9:20 am. 

Students to be collected after the parade from Florence Clark Park. Parents / carers / family members are welcome to join St Joseph's Catholic School for the march. 

Please see the flyer attached in this newsletter with all ANZAC Day Services in Cloncurry. 

Assembly Prayer: Year 4 will present our assembly prayer this week which will be dedicated to the ANZACS, please join us!

Therese Curley
APRE

Pastoral Care

SchoolTV Edition: Diet and Nutrition

We all know that diet and nutrition is vital to your child’s development and growth, but are you aware of the effects it has on your child’s brain development and how it can impact their academic achievement?

In this era of convenience, it is easy to reach for pre-packaged and processed foods to cope with busy schedules. However, these foods are usually packed full of sugar and salt which can have adverse health effects. Making a habit of reading food labels can help reduce the risks. It can also help to stabilise your child’s energy, improve their mood, maintain a healthy weight and improve their general wellbeing.

In this edition of SchoolTV, parents will discover practical advice for teaching your kids about the benefits of incorporating a healthy diet and good nutrition.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback. If you have any concerns about your child, please contact Toni Schneekloth, Pastoral Care Leader, or Bec Greaves, Guidance Counsellor, for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to the Diet & Nutrition edition of SchoolTV

https://sjctsv.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/diet-nutrition

Toni Schneekloth
Pastoral Leader

Teaching & Learning

NAPLAN 
NAPLAN is just around the corner with students in year 3 and 5 sitting the first test (writing) on Tuesday 10th of May. All students participated in the NAPLAN practice test in Term 1 which went well. The students are now familiar with the testing environment and know what to expect on the day. Teachers will continue to prepare students for the examination throughout the coming weeks. 

Back to School - tips 
Teachers often speak about the importance of developing good study skills and habits. More often than not, successful students have established clear goals, study routines and good organisation.

We discuss the study skills listed below regularly, from Primary school through to Year 9. Becoming an effective student is no different from becoming good at sport or music; it takes practice, skill, feedback and focus.

Students often tell me that they wish they could study more effectively, or achieve higher grades. Studying is a learned behaviour, and it is very hard to all of a sudden know how to study in high school when the academic pressure is more noticeable. I strongly encourage parents and carers to assist your child / children in creating good study habits in primary school, by regulalry completing their homework and/or reading each afternoon to develop these skills to help them in later years of schooling. 

I highly recommend all students reflect on their study habits and skills, particularly as they transition back to school.

Mr Dean Kelley
Head of Teaching and Learning 

Prep

I hope that you have had a great Easter break and that  everyone is rested and ready for a term full of fun and learning! 

Unfortunately I will not be in class until Thursday this week. Miss V and Miss Tamara will be welcoming everyone back to term 2. 

As mentioned in Mrs Kelley's email, sport and library will be on consistent days this term. Sport will always be on Tuesdays and Library will be on Thursdays.

As quite a bit of learning was missed due to COVID last term, we are going to "hit the term running" and begin literacy groups straight away. We need helpers on Mondays to Thursdays at 9:10am and on Fridays straight after assembly (which is now at 8:30am). Any help appreciated, especially as one or two of the literacy groups will start reading decodable books in a few weeks.

It would be great if some of the Prep students could march in the ANZAC Day parade next Monday. We will be making poppies for them to wear later in the week.   

We have a child in Prep who is allergic to watermelon and kiwifruit. Please be mindful of this when packing lunches.   

I am looking forward to another busy, productive and fun term 2!

Reminders:

• Tuesday: Sport
• Wednesday: Tuckshop orders to go in. The bag needs a name, class, which lunch each thing is being ordered for and correct money please!
• Thursday: Library and tuckshop (please remember to supply a brain snack as well as food for first and second lunch if your child's order is not for both lunches)

Yours in fun and learning,

Mrs McLauchlan and Miss Tamara

Year 1

Hello Parents and Carers, 

Welcome to Term 2!

We have started this term off with a bang writing a holiday recount and revising our InitiaLit from Term 1. We have also been introduced to the new digraphs ‘ee’ and ‘ea’. 

In Math we have started our new unit of work on Fractions. This term we are learning about halves and wholes of different objects.

In Science we are learning to describe how different places meet the needs of living and non-living things. 

This Term in HASS we will continue our history unit to identify and describe important dates and changes in our lives. 

Reminders:

This Term we are still working on an A/B week timetable, however, Library and Sport will be on the same day each week. 

• Sport: Friday with Mr Murray. Students may either wear their sports uniform or their coloured house shirt.
• Library: Is on Thursday if you haven’t already, please send your child’s library bag into school.
• Homework: Homework will be handed out on Thursday and expected back next Wednesday.

Have a wonderful week!

Miss Mae-Louise Brock

Year 2

Hi all,

Welcome to Term 2! I hope you have all had a restful school holidays and a happy Easter weekend. 

A few notes:

• Our Sport lessons have been moved to Friday of both Week A and Week B. Library is now on Thursday of both Week A and Week B. Woohoo no need to worry about which uniform or when to bring library books in!!
• We will wear our sport uniforms on Wednesdays.
• Monday of Week 2 and 3 are both public holidays.
• All students have had their reading levels updated. I will just send home readers home for homework this week. Homework sheets will start next week. 

We have a super fun term ahead of us - this one might be my favourite!! Some of the things we will be getting up to include hatching baby chicks as part of our learning in Science and later on in the term, we will start working on our writing and art pieces to enter into The Cloncurry Show!

Miss Leonie Ansell

Year 3

Hi everyone, 

Welcome back to Term 2! I hope you all had a restful holiday and a happy Easter. 

Here is an overview of the term ahead:

• English: this term we will be using our knowledge of grammar, punctuation and sentence structure to write clear and concise paragraphs. We will also explore the features of persuasive and narrative texts and practice these in our own writing. We will continue to read a range of texts and practice our word recognition skills to decode words whilst reading. 

• Maths: this term we will be telling time to the nearest minute, using a range of multiplication and division strategies, and finishing the unit on money and financial maths from last term. 

• Science: in science we will be learning about the movements of the Earth such as ‘rotation’ and ‘orbit’ and describing how these movements cause night and day.

• HASS: we will be learning about the different states and territories of Australia and practising skills in data collection and cartographic mapping. 

• Religion: we will be learning about the sacraments of initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist) and role of our parish and diocese. 

• Art: we will be doing drama this term and learning about the ways we can use voice, body, movement and language to perform characters.

The key notices for this term are:

• Sports uniform is to be worn on Wednesday each week.
• Library is on Thursday each week, please remember library bags!
• Homework and home readers will be sent out on Monday’s and are to be returned back by Friday. There will be no homework or home readers this week (Week 1).
• Year 3 will be completing their NAPLAN assessments in Week 4 of this term. I will email parents about this closer to the date, but please feel free to contact me if you or your child have any concerns

Have a great week ahead!

Miss Suzannah Coombs

Year 4

Hi Everyone,

I trust you had a lovely holiday and are now back into the swing of making lunches and getting children out of bed!

SCIENCE: This term the students are excited for our Biology unit where we will be looking at life cycles and, of course, hatching chickens and planting a vegetable garden. We will also be learning about producers, consumers and decomposers and how species can benefit each other.

MATHS: Our first unit for the term is one that usually is tricky to learn about- Time. We will be focussing on problems involving periods of time and how to convert between units of time. We will also touch on telling time, however, this will not be assessed.

ENGLISH: Once again students will be relying on some knowledge and skills learnt in Hass to write an historical recount in the role of a convict who traveled to Australia on the First Fleet. Miss Brodie will be teaching them about the language features of a recount. Once they have written their story they will then present it to the class in character as a convict and yes, they may dress up to make their presentation more authentic.

Have a great week!

Mrs Lesley Wall

Year 5

Hi everyone and welcome to term 2.  As you may be aware, this term Year 5 will be taught in the interim by Therese Curley and myself. We are looking forward to working together with both students and parents.

English - Students are reading a Fantasy novel called Deltora Quest. At the end of this novel students will be creating their own characters with focus on descriptive language. 

Science - In science we are learning about light shows. It will provide opportunities for students to explore the properties of light and how it enables us to see. Students’ thinking about light and its role in our lives and our community will be developed using hands-on activities. Through investigations students explain how objects reflect, absorb and refract light, and how we can use light to meet our needs.

Math - This term students will be exploring place value, addition and subtraction. 

Other subject areas will be included in next week's newsletter.

Yours in Faith and Education,

Mrs Louise Martin and Mrs Therese Curley

Year 6

Welcome back for Term 2!!

I hope you had a fantastic holiday and Easter period. 

We are back into the action in Year 6 - it was great to see the class again and hear their holiday stories. 

Our learning focuses for this week are:

Religion: We are learning about the term ‘communion of saints’ to understand the connection all Christians share from Baptism before learning about some key figures in the history of the Catholic Church in Australia. 

English: Students will begin learning about the features of a persuasive text, beginning with devices and applying them to a sizzling start. 

Mathematics: We are continuing to learn about how to solve problems involving angles. 

HaSS: Students are extending on their learning of poverty by focusing on migration, particularly the factors that led to the experiences of groups of people in Australia’s past. 

Japanese: We have learned how to introduce ourselves and have practised with our classmates. Next, we will learn how to express things we like and dislike. 

As of this term, our PE and Library lessons are both on Wednesday, each week.

Have a blessed week ahead!

Mr. Delaney & The Year 6 Legends

UMY - Subject Spotlight

Year 8 Maths

This term students will be learning all things Statistics & Probability. Students will use two-way tables and Venn diagrams to deepen their knowledge and understanding. They will explain issues related to the collection of data (inconsistencies, reliable and unreliable data) and the effect of outliers on means and medians in that data. Students will collect their own data and make informed decisions on whether the data is reliable, consistent and/or valid.

Mr Dean Kelley

Year 9 Health & Physical Education

This term is Health & Physical Education, students are looking at Sustainable Health in class and engaging in Touch & Athletics on the field. In Health, students will examine factors that contribute to sustainable health, such as regular exercise, food intake and health and balanced state of mind. They examine the external influences that could impact on their ability to make good decisions and plan creative interventions that promote their own connection to the community and enhance health and wellbeing. Whilst in health, students will be looking at preparing themselves for the upcoming Athletics Carnival in Week 6 whilst looking at game play, awareness and technique in Touch.

Mr Scott Murray

Library

Hello to Everyone,

If you could remind your children that they must have a library bag to be able to borrow books as a book protection strategy.

Prep students can borrow 2 books a week and the rest of the school can borrow up to 4 books.

I also received this information about Story Box: 
This could be good news for the holidays.
Drum roll please…the first ever StoryBox app is here!
Free to download (with an active subscription) onto Apple and Android devices, a world
of stories is now even easier to access.

Download the StoryBox app now, featuring:

 Over 400 diverse stories, with new stories added regularly
 Quick and easy search filters and playlist functions
 Language learning and audio-visual support, including closed-captioning
 Individual profile settings for parents and children for family subscribers

Mrs Chris Chaplain 

Teacher Librarian 

School Chaplain News

Hello Family & Friends!

I am the School Chaplain for 2022, and with this priviledge, I aim to help our students, create awareness about kindness and some fun along the way! I will be working throughout the classrooms and lunchtimes, and of course, students can have one on one times with me if needed too.

Our Chaplaincy Breakfast is held on a Tuesday and Thursday morning from 7.30am - 8.15am in the Home Ec Room. We have changed the location as I'd love to have the students interact without each other, to sit while eating and the basketball court will not have mess on it! This breaky is open to all students, parents and friends, I would love to see you :).

We have created The Spark Club (Strengthening Positivity and Reinforcing Kindness) for all of our students to enjoy once a week. Games, meditation and conversation for all of us to connect and gain confidence in themselves, peers and what the School Chaplain can offer.

Lastly, we also have decided to reward our students with a little celebratory style 2nd lunch with me in the Home Ec Room or Library. As most of you are aware I love to cook....and eat! So it will be something yummy to cook and eat!

I am here to support our students, staff and families as a part of the Pastoral care team.

If you have any questions, you are more than welcome to email me on pmcintyre@sjctsv.catholic.edu.au

See you around the school, have a wonderful week,

Miss Pete 

Employment Opportunties - Teachers & School Officers

We are currently recruiting a teacher to join our team in Teaching The Arts. This position will be 5 days a week. Please apply by clicking the following link: https://applynow.net.au/jobs/ni/TCE1549-teacher

We are also seeking a Primary Teacher to join our team. This position is full time. Please apply by clicking on the following link: 
https://applynow.net.au/jobs/ni/TCE1586-year-5-primary-teacher

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.  

ANZAC Day 25th April

Cloncurry Poetry Competition

The Cloncurry Prize – Junior Poetry Competition is back for another year! The competition is open to all Queensland school aged individuals.

The theme of the 2022 Cloncurry Prize Poetry Competition is “Spirit of the Outback”. Attached is a flyer.

 Key Dates:

• Entries open: Now!
• Entries close: Friday 13 May 2022 at 11:59 AEST

Prizes:

• First prize - $250
• Second prize - $150
• Third prize - $100

How to enter
Email your poem to cloncurryprize@cloncurry.qld.gov.au clearly stating the entry is for the junior competition.

The file name should include the Title followed by the Poets Name e.g. The Cameleers Saddle – Bob Down.

Should you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us or visit our website. www.cloncurry.qld.gov.au/cloncurry-prize

Looking forward to reading some great poetry!

Cloncurry Prize Team