Term 4 Week 8

Key Information

Term 4 Important Dates

• Christmas Concert & Awards Evening - Wednesday 23rd November 
• Year 9 Graduation Dinner - Thursday 24th November 
• End of Year Mass - Friday 25th November
• Movie Night - The Santa Clause - Thursday 1st 6pm
• Year 6 Graduation Evening - Wednesday 30th November 
• Conclusion of 2022 School Year - Friday 2nd November, 12pm 

Please note that students in years 7 to 9 conclude term 4 on Friday 25th of November. Students in prep to year 6 conclude term 4 on Friday 2nd of December. 

Tuckshop Menu:

Orders to be in by 8.30am Wednesday morning! Click the link to order!

https://myschoolconnect.com.au/

A little note for all Parents & Friends -
If you are needing to contact Miss Jamie-Lea, please call the office on 47421633 Wednesday/Thursday, or alternatively on her email jmcconachy@sjctsv.catholic.com.au

Uniform Shop

Open Days:

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

Any requests for uniforms outside of these days MUST be done via the link below. Please click the link to access the Uniform shop! https://myschoolconnect.com.au/

Orders have been placed with stockists and we are confident that all items will be available for purchase in January. Please keep an eye out for new information towards the end of the term relating to uniforms.

Principal News

Welcome to Week 8, 

Thank you to the members of our community that joined us last week at our ‘move up’ assembly and morning tea. It was one of the biggest crowds we have had at one of our assemblies since COVID-19 restricted entry to the school. It was a great feeling to be surrounded by so many people as we celebrated the achievements of our students. Our students love to have their family and friends present as they receive awards and perform on stage, so a big thank you from myself and the staff at St Joseph’s for coming along. 

We also had a visit from Glencore last week to perform their annual Book Giving Ceremony. Books in Homes is a foundation that provides books to those living in remote communities to assist children in engaging with literature to develop skills in reading for lifelong learning. We are so appreciative to have this for our students. We have seen great growth in students reading lately, especially in our last round of PM testing. The best way for students to develop their abilities in reading is to practice, practice, practice. I strongly encourage students to read throughout the holiday period. It is also important to determine if they comprehend what is happening in the text. If your child has finished reading a book or completed a chapter, ask them what happened in it. If your child hasn't comprehended the text, encourage them to read it again and assist them in determining the storyline. 

Week 8 is a very exciting but emotional week as we celebrate the end of schooling at St Joseph’s Catholic School for our Year 9 students. The end is in sight for so many of our students as our Year 7 to 8 students are also celebrating their final week of school for 2022.

2023 Leadership Speeches and Voting:
Today at 9.30am we joined with family and friends as students stood in front of their peers and delivered a speech to become a 2023 House Captain or School Leader. It was inspiring to witness so many students take the leap towards leadership within our school. I loved hearing about the goals and aspirations that our students have thought of to make St Joseph’s the best school it can be. I was also proud of our students at the end of school today when they found out who would be the 2023 leaders. They congratulated these students and shared in their joy, even if they felt disappointed that it wasn’t them. All students should be very proud of themselves. 

Our 2023 Student Leaders will be announced at our Awards Evening tomorrow afternoon. The current leaders will pass the school flags onto the future leadership team. These students will then be presented with badges and will be blessed at our opening mass when we return to school next year. 

Awards Evening and Christmas Concert
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at St Joseph’s. We are very excited to join together with our community on Wednesday evening to celebrate the achievements of our students and to watch each class perform their Christmas Carol. Students are encouraged to wear their best Christmas outfit on Wednesday evening. Students getting awards are asked to wear their formal uniform to school on Thursday (the following day) for photos. 

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

• St Mary MacKillop Award - P-9
• St Joseph the Worker Award - P-6
• Academic Merit Award - 5-9
• Academic Excellence Award - 5-9
• Rotary Award - Year 6
• Citizen Award - Year 9
• Staff Service Awards
• P-9 Christmas Carol 
• Choir - 2 x Christmas Carols 
• Rock Pop Mime Awards

End of Year Mass
To make our busy week even busier, we will also be celebrating our End of Year Mass on Friday morning at 8.30am in the Mary MacKillop Shed. The combining of the Awards Evening and The Christmas Concert will hopefully ensure the mass on Friday is a bit shorter. We will trial this new way of celebrating and reflect on whether this will continue next year. We would love for you to join our End of Year Mass. This mass will include the following:

• Acknowledgement of Prep’s 1st year of schooling
• Year 6 Rite of Passage
• Year 9 Graduation 
• Blessing and Farewell for departing students, families and staff
• Sport Awards 
• House Champions of 2022
• Mark Mappas Presentation

Enjoy your week and God Bless,

Mrs Samantha Kelley
Principal 

APRE News

Welcome to Week 8! This Friday we celebrate as a whole school community our End of Year and Year 9 Graduation Mass. Please join us as we celebrate 2022 and bless our students, families, and staff who are leaving us.  

End of Year & Year 9 Graduation Mass

Friday 25th November 

8:30 am in the Mary MacKillop Shed

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

First Reconciliation
This Thursday at 3 pm our Sacramental candidates will complete the final step in their sacramental program. First Reconciliation, commonly known as confession, or the Sacrament of Penance, is part of the sacramental journey and encourages and supports our candidate to know the importance of becoming sensitive to right and wrong and making responsible choices. Congratulation to Michael Curley, Sidney Chaplain, Noah O’Brien, Mrs. Rachel Delaney-Lovett, Mr. Dean Kelley, Mr Scott Murray, Mrs. Emma Murray and Mr. Zach Kollman.

Mrs Therese Curley
APRE

Pastoral Care

Last week, we held Move Up Day for 2023 with great success. As students moved to their new classes with some excitement, some curiosity and some nerves, we observed the students in their new classes begin to form bonds with familiar faces and some new peers. We welcomed a number of new students and also some new class teachers. Staff reported that students were enthusiastic and positive about the year ahead. Thank you to all the students on their optimistic approach to their new class and to the teachers for planning and preparing activities to begin building that vital safe and inclusive classroom environment. We look forward to 2023!

Well done to our Year 7, 8, 9 students for finishing up the 2022 school year this Friday. It has certainly been a fast-paced year, but you have all done exceptionally well.  We farewell our Year Nine students as they continue their learning journey at other schools across the state next year and we wish them every success. Please know that you are always welcome to visit and share stories of their new beginnings with us!  

Mrs Toni Schneekloth 
Pastoral Leader

Prep

Good afternoon,

Thank you to those of you that were able to attend our performance of "Going on a Bear Hunt" last Friday. We were very proud of how well the class performed and joined in with the actions and words.

This week we will be consolidating and revising learning as well as continuing some fun christmas craft and activities. The Preps will perform "The Happiest Christmas Tree" at the Christmas concert at the Shire Hall at 5.30pm on Wednesday. We have been practicing hard and it would be great for as many of you as possible to attend. Each child has a felt xmas tree costume to wear. These will be put on prior to the performance over their clothes. 

Please let us know if your child is not going to be at school on the last few days so that we can organise to send Christmas gifts etc home. 

Reminders:

• Monday - swimming at 8.20am. Students to be dropped at the pool.
• Wednesday -  5.30pm at the Shire Hall. Christmas concert and awards given out. 
• Thursday - Library
• Friday - End Of Year Mass MASS at 8.30am. All of the Preps will receive a certificate and small gift. Mrs Cullen will be the class teacher on Friday.

Please return all outstanding library and home reader books this week.

Yours in fun and learning,

Miss Tamara Williams and Mrs Sharon McLauchlan

Year 1

Hello and welcome to Week 8!

This week we are excitedly waiting for our class Elf to arrive. Students have written a letter to Santa as well as described how to catch the elf. We have continued to practice our Christmas song and are all VERY excited for the Christmas Concert.

We are continuing to revise math concepts as well as learning about Christmas in different countries.

Reminders:

• Monday: Sport with Mr Murray, we are swimming!
• Tuesday: Christmas concert practice at the Shire Hall
• Wednesday: Christmas Concert starts at 5:30pm
• Thursday: Library with Mrs Chaplain
• Friday: End of Year Assembly, please wear your formal uniform

Have a fantastic week,

Miss Mae-Louise Brock and the always fun in Year 1’s!

Year 2

Hi all,

Week 8! We are almost there!

This week we are finishing off Probability; our last Maths concept for the year. We’ve had a blast using food during numeracy this year and there was no exception to that today! We looked at the possible outcomes we could get with Clinkers and collected some data to determine which colour Clinker we are most likely to get. We will continue probability by looking at the possible outcomes we can get when we roll 2 dies. I hope to assess this on Thursday.

We will also be continuing to practice our spelling and writing to prepare for Year 3, as well as getting a bit festive with some Christmas activities. We are currently focusing on adverb and preposition starts in year 2, take some time talking with your child this week about these. 

Miss Leonie Ansell

Year 3

We are nearly at the end of another academic year  -  welcome to week 8!

After completing assessments, we have now gone back to the basics of literacy and numeracy. 

In literacy our focus is on punctuation, editing and writing. These are valuable skills that strengthen not only their writing skills but also their communication skills.

In numeracy we are working on place value with a focus on speed and accuracy. Fluency in maths can lead to long term mathematical success so confidence in these foundation skills is important for our Year 3 students.

If you have any items suitable for our Christmas hamper collection for local people in need, please drop them into the classroom. We are in particular need of the following; Cleaning products, nappies, sanitary products, washing powder, dishwashing liquid, soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes, chips, noodles, flour, sugar, tea and coffee.

Reminders

• Library books  - if you have any library books at home, could you return them as soon as possible. This will allow us time to organise our books ready for 2023.
• Christmas concert and awards - Wednesday evening
• Swimming - Wednesday

We hope you have a fabulous week.

Mrs Deb McCann

Year 4

Hi everyone and welcome to Week 8, 

We have had a very busy week. Today alone we had 5 of our year 4 students stand in front of their peers and read a speech for either Flinders or Kennedy house captain. I was very proud of these students. 

We also went to the Cloncurry Shire Hall today to practice for Wednesday evening. I hope to see you all there. 

Secret Santa- This will be done on Tuesday before people start leaving, so could all presents be in by Monday so I can check if anyone is missing out.

Concert- Tomorrow night is our Concert/Awards night. Unless told otherwise, your child just needs to wear something Christmassy!

Have a great week.

Mrs Lesley Wall

Year 5

Hi everyone,

The final countdown is on! How did it get to the penultimate week of the year?

English: We have continued to use Writer’s Toolbox as a daily challenge to improve our word count, sentence variety and quality of our writing. Time has also been dedicated for students to complete their novel reading - Gangsta Granny or Skulduggery Pleasant.

Maths: Students have continued to revise their mental and written strategies for multiplication. Boosting confidence in using the Grid Method and applying their knowledge of multiplication facts and place value has been remarkable growth in a short amount of time. I have loved hearing the ‘I feel like I’m enjoying maths.’ I’m really proud of the progress students have made this week in being able to explain their thinking, application of facts, and positive attitudes to learning mathematics.

Key Dates/Times:

• Wednesday - Swimming 12:20 pm
• Wednesday 5:15 pm (for a 5:30 pm start) Christmas Concert at the Shire Hall - wear Christmas clothes (Santa hat provided).
• End of Year Mass - Friday 8:30 am
  
  Enjoy your week,
  Mr Mike Tarleton

Year 6

Welcome to Week 8!

As of this week, we are officially finished all assessments, and with that, primary school!!!

This week’s learning focuses:

Religion: We will end the term by participating in a range of different prayer types including Examen, Lectio Divina, and Ignatian Meditation. 

English: This week, steaming ahead with the writing of their fantasy narratives based on the characters they created and the role playing game they completed. We will also finish reading Fireborn and respond to the text. 

Maths: Students are wrapping up their maths for the term by looking at probability - particularly, by exploring expected and observed frequency. 

HaSS: We will be exploring Australia’s parliament, including the roles and responsibilities of ministers. 

Keep an eye out for communication regarding PE dates and times ove the coming weeks!
Library is still on Wednesdays - if there are any books that belong to the school library that are still at home, please send these to school with the kiddos. 

Have a blessed week!

Mr. James Delaney and the Year 6 Legends!

UMY Spotlight

Year 7 and 8 Food Technology with Mrs Schneekkloth
This term students have been looking at different cuisine and the fusion of cuisine that occurs in Australia.  Students have analysed how characteristics and properties of food determine preparation techniques and presentation when designing solutions for healthy eating. They have designed, produced and evaluated a savoury parcel that incorporates food technologies from two cultures.

Year 7/8 Music with Miss B
During the first half of this term we learnt about the important elements of music which make each song or instrument unique. The class used their new understanding to create an MC script for a hypothetical performance by a popular rap artist. 

For the remainder of term we have been experimenting with the use of an online music production software called Soundtrap. The class have really enjoyed using this to create their own music as well as replicating other popular songs.

Year 9 Drama with Miss B
This term we explored two drama elements: voice and movement. We also learnt about the ‘three act structure’ and how this is useful in creating dramatic tension in plays, narrative stories, movies and advertisements. The class then used this knowledge to explore the themes in Leunig’s Sea Shell cartoon and develop their own group plays through a series of workshops. 

Library News

Our Reading Challenge is nearly complete! Parents, encourage your child to finish off the squares in the below form. Next week we will announce winners and congratulate everyone for participating in the Reading Challenge. 

Mrs Chris Chaplain

Teacher/Librarian.

Student Wellbeing

As we plan for our Christmas breaks, some children are looking forward to long periods of technology/gaming/iPad time. Some families may have to deal with digital conflict and tech-tantrums on a daily basis. The latest research found that 77% of teenagers spend more than five hours on screens per day, but it is important to note that not all screen time is considered equal.

Parents play a crucial role in modelling a positive and healthy approach to using screens and assisting children to navigate the content they watch. It is better to model and mentor screen use, rather than monitor it. Children tend to do more of what they see us do, and less of what we tell them to do. However, it is still important to outline the risks and highlight the benefits of screen use to ensure you keep a balanced attitude. Encourage discussions around the issues that people experience in monitoring their screen time and be honest about your own difficulties.

Parents need to remain firm in their approach to managing screen time. Excessive screen time can be detrimental to a child’s overall wellbeing. Ensuring the correct privacy settings are in place is vital to prevent children from being inadvertently exposed to inappropriate content or online predators. Parents need to also be mindful of the potential impact screen time can have on a child’s social, emotional, educational, behavioural, and even physical domains.

In this edition of SchoolTV, care-givers will be provided with a range of guidelines and strategies to help manage screen time at home.

Here is the link to the Managing Screen Time edition of SchoolTV

https://sjctsv.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/managing-screen-time

Friday Afternoon Fundraiser

We will have Icy Poles for sale each Friday to help raise funds for Catholic Mission. Please keep an eye out in the primary eating area. The door will open around 2.50pm. 

Save the Date - Awards Night & Christmas Concert

We will be trialling a new way to acknowledge the achievement of our students and celebrate Christmas this year. We have booked the Cloncurry Shire Council for this evening. We hope that this change will make the end-of-year mass a little bit shorter - due to our school numbers growing we can no longer fit in the Church for this celebration and it is quite hot under the shed.

CHOIR/BAND

Our choir and band will be performing at the Awards Night this Wednesday night. They do not need to wear anything special but if you have any reindeer antlers they would be greatly appreciated. 

The following students are our regular attendees and will be performing on the night-:

Adeline Campbell, Molly Mitchell, Erin Cullen, Audrey Smith, Kirani Dissanayaka, Jasmine Carstairs, Olivia Campbell, Gemma Pratt, Brydee Gresham, Aubree Lowe, Peggie Hansen, Jasmine Kidd, Sarah Richardson, Chelsea Saunders, Grace Swalling, James Marriott, Hannah Lawlor, Reggie Lawlor.

If I have left anyone off the list could you please let me know ASAP.

Thanks,

Lesley Wall

Movie Night - Week 9

Week 8/9 Events - Save the Date

Road Safety & Parking

Parents and Carers, 

You may have noticed that we have had police assistance at the Sheaffe Street crossing. Please note that this has been requested as we have had a number of concerns raised about cars travelling quite fast along Sheaffe Street and children not looking before they walk across the road. 

A road safety session was conducted this morning with students in our primary school by Constable Lauchy. Please spend some time talking with your child/children about the importance of stopping, looking and listening before they cross the road. It is also important that they don't start to cross the road until the approaching car has come to a full stop. 

If your child is in prep, year 1 or year 2 we kindly ask that they are accompanied across the road by either an older sibling and/or a parent/carer. 

There are also designated 'no standing zones' on either side of the crossing. Please do not park in these zones at any time, regardless of how quick you will be. These zones are there to ensure drivers have visibility of the crossing. If parents/carers are parking here it limits visibility for oncoming cars. 

Parking and Road Rules

Parking and stopping rules apply at all times unless the signed area lets you know otherwise. You may receive a fine if you commit one of the following offences:

• Park or stop along the length of the road indicated by a no-stopping sign.
• Park or stop where there is a no parking sign
• Park or stop within 10m of any intersection without traffic lights unless:
• there are road signs that tell you that you can
• or it is a T-intersection and you are parking along the continuous side of the continuing road
• Park or stop within 20m before, or 10m after, a pedestrian crossing (unless there are signs telling you differently).
• Park or stop on a bicycle path, footpath, shared path, dividing strip, nature strip, or painted island unless signs tell you otherwise.

The yellow-painted zone along Ham Street next to the school is for drop-and-go or pick-up-and-go. This area is not for parking and leaving your car. For parents that need to walk into the school grounds please park on either Sheaffe Street or George Street, or alternatively on the opposite side of Ham Street and utilize the crossing.

Please also remember that parking within 20m before, or 10m after a pedestrian crossing may incur a fine from QLD Police if caught doing so.

Community Notices

Family Day Care Vacancies