Term 1 Week 2 2023

Key Information

Term 1 Important Dates

• Wednesday 1st February - Meet & Greet BBQ- 4pm
• Monday 6th February - Board Meeting - 5.30pm
• Monday 6th Feb - Friday 10th Feb - Cyber Safety Week
• Friday 10th February - Beginning of Year Mass - 8.30am
• Monday 13th February - Lock Down Drill - 10.30am

Tuckshop Menu:

First week this week!!

Orders are to be in by 8.30am each 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 (07)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/

Principal News

Welcome to Week 2, 

I hope your child/children had a great first week back at school last week. 

I am currently writing this Newsletter from home as I recover from a head cold. There have been a number of illnesses circulating as we come back together after the holidays. Although it is hard to remain at home I kindly ask that all students experiencing illness remain at home until the exclusion zone has concluded. This is the only way that we can manage the spread of illness.

If your child is at home and would like some type of routine, encourage them to complete their 10/20 minutes of writing and 10/20 minutes of silent reading each day. As mentioned at assembly last week, we have a whole school initiative in 2023 for all students from prep to year 9 to participate in both writing and reading each day. Students from year 3 and above have a login to a program called Writers Toolbox. This program can be used from home (if your child has access to a laptop). The program is great as it provides students with a daily writing challenge. The program will prompt your child and provide helpful tips whilst they are writing, it even gives students a different topic to write about each day and provides instant feedback. 

I have included a youtube video link here which will explain more about the program.

P&F and Fete Update:
Thank you to the parents and carers that joined Mrs Therese Curley at our first P&F Meeting on Monday afternoon. As previously mentioned we will be approaching The Fete differently this year. In the past we have had one or two people coordinate the fete which has been such a big task. This year in an attempt to minimise the burden on one or two people we will be having portfolios. As an example one person will organise the food, while another the entertainment. The fete is not only our biggest fundraiser as a school, but is a community event that is enjoyed by all. We would love your help in making this event possible. If you would like to help, but can’t make our meetings please send me an email on skelley2@sjctsv.catholic.edu.au

Meet & Greet BBQ
Tomorrow afternoon will be our Meet and Greet BBQ. Please come along and join us from 4pm. Pop into your child’s classroom and meet their new teacher. Your child may like to show you around their new environment, including where they sit each day and some of the work that they have already produced. We will also have a table to showcase our Pastoral (Toni Schneekloth), Curriculum (Dean Kelley) and Inclusive Education (Louise Martin) portfolios. There is a lot of work that occurs behind the scenes to support your child whilst they are at St Joseph’s and we would love for you to meet these key people and hear about their 2023 goals.

Mulkadee 2023
An email was sent to parents with children in year 6 and above this morning outlining some important information about Mulkadee this year. Please jump onto your emails and read this. If it isn’t in your inbox be sure to check your spam folder.

Miss Ansell will be our Mulkadee Coordinator again this year. A big thank you to Miss Ansell for taking on this extra responsibility for our students to partake in a fantastic Festival of the Arts. 

Cyber Safety - Connect. Reflect. Protect.
The 2023 Cyber Safety Week is next week. I have included some information below from eSafety, as well as free online parenting webinars. 

Safer Internet Day is a global event that brings together communities, families, schools and organisations from more than 200 countries to help create safer online spaces.

This worldwide initiative is celebrating 20 years in 2023, making it a great time to reflect as well as look forward. 

Technology has evolved dramatically in the past two decades and the benefits have been huge. These developments have also exposed us to many risks with real-world impacts, making online safety awareness even more important.  

That's why we are calling on Australians to Connect. Reflect. Protect. 

Connect safely and with purpose – by keeping apps and devices secure and using social media in positive ways. 

Reflect before we act – by taking a moment to consider how what we do and say online may affect others. 

Protect ourselves and others by taking action – by telling family, friends or colleagues about eSafety and how we can help.  

By doing these simple things, we can work towards making every day a Safer Internet Day.

Parenting is hard work. We often hear the saying that it takes a village to raise a child and this is so true. It is often hard to know if your child is being safe online and if their not how do you manage this? eSafety have released a number of online workshops titled ‘eSafety 101: how esafety can help you’. These are free and you can register for them online and can be accessed on this link. Please know that your participation in these webinars is not communicated with our school. This is a resource that I have found to share with you. The dates for the Term 1 webinars are as follows:

• 8th February 12.30 - 1pm 
• 21st March 7.30 to 8pm 

I look forward to seeing you all when I return to school (hopefully tomorrow),

God bless you and your families, 

Samantha Kelley
Principal 

APRE News

Welcome to week 2!

Call to Action Assembly: Yesterday the students gathered in the church for our Call to Action Assembly. This Assembly is held fortnightly by Mrs Kelley, the School Officers and myself. It gives your child's classroom teachers the opportunity to meet during this time and focus on curriculum initiatives and professional development. During these assemblies we aim to cover topics that will draw our student’s attention to the church’s celebrations, social justice teachings, and ways we can make a positive change in our world. We also have fun challenges where the classes compete for house points. This Term our focus will be on Lent and Project Compassion. 

Beginning of Year Mass: Next Friday 10th February we are celebrating our Beginning of Year Mass. All Families and the wider community are invited to share in this special occasion. We will also be inducting our 2023 leaders. This year’s theme will continue on from last year “Communities of Love, Hope and Faith” and celebrate 150 Years of Catholic Education in our Diocese.

150 Years of Catholic Education in the Townsville Diocese: This year marks the celebration of 150 years of Catholic Education in the Townsville Diocese (TCE).  TCE mission dates back to 1873, when the sisters of St Joseph established a primary school on The Strand in North Ward.  In 1909 St Joseph’s Cloncurry was established and we now join with the 28 other catholic schools that make up the legacy of the Townsville Diocese. We look forward to celebrating this milestone this year.

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. tcurley@sjctsv.catholic.edu.au. The program will start 12th February.

Children’s Liturgy: Thank you to the families who joined us last Sunday. It was lovely to see the church so full!

Have a blessed week!

Mrs Therese Curley
APRE

Prep

Hi all, 

I hope your Preppie had a fun week last week. We certainly did! It is lovely to see the students' confidence growing and their personalities showing.

Welcome to Week 2 of Term 1. Even numbered weeks are B weeks in our two week rotation so there won't be any library lessons this week. 

I am out of class for a few hours on Monday and Tuesday this week, as I was on Friday last week. This is time for me to meet with colleagues and consolidate my planning. The class will be taken by a different staff member during this time, although Miss Tamara will still be with the class. Maybe have a chat with your child about this. 

We are exploring the topic "All about me and my family" during our HASS lessons. Thank you to those of you that have bought a baby photo with where your child was born and has lived. It would be great if we could have a baby photo of each child by Tuesday. I have also sent home a sheet to be used to interview a Grandparent or older person about their life. Please bring these back by the end of the week. We also learn about celebrations in HASS and last week we learnt about Lunar New Year and Australia Day. Miss Cheng (a previous School Officer who grew up in China) came to talk to the class about Chinese New Year on Friday. Constable Lachy, who is our Adopt a Cop, also came to visit Prep and introduced himself.   

In Math we are exploring numbers to 10 and beyond. This includes recognising numerals, counting, recognising small amounts visually and identifying what comes before and after.

For English the class is exploring the story "Where is the Green Sheep." Some related activities included a QR code hunt around the school to find the Green Sheep, colouring their favourite sheep, retelling the story using story rocks, identifying opposites, creating alternative "sheep" ideas and discussing these and recognising that sentences are made up of individual words. Prep will begin Initial Lit lessons this week and the focus is identifying syllables in words and that sentences are made up of individual words.

During religion we are focusing on prayer and making the sign of the cross. 

Next week we will begin literacy small group work on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The class will be split into 4 groups and each group will work on an activity for about 10 to 15 minutes. It would be wonderful if we could have two parent helpers each day so that each group has support. Literacy groups will begin at 9.10am/9.15amish, Mondays through to Thursdays and go for about 10/15 minutes. Please let me know if you are able to help. Toddlers/babies are welcome!  

Reminders:

• Tuesday - Sport (wear sports uniform and joggers)
• Wednesday - tuckshop orders to be done online before 8.30am. Meet and Greet BBQ 4pm to 5pm.
• Thursday - tuckshop. Please remember that your child still needs a brain snack. If tuckshop is not ordered for both lunches,they also need food for the other lunch.

Please bring in your child's baby photo and interview with an older person. 

Yours in fun and learning,

Mrs Sharon McLauchlan and Miss Tamara Williams

Year 1

Hello parents and carers,

What an amazing first week we have had in Year 1. 

This week we have introduced what it means to be a bucket filler to the class. We collaboratively discussed and explained different ways to fill others and our own buckets. We have witnessed this behaviour with the kindness and respect each child has shown for their friends around them. 

Reminders

• There is a welcome back bbq and parent information session Wednesday afternoon all are welcomed!
• Library: Monday (week 1,3,5,7,9)
• Resilience Project: Monday (week 2,4,6,8,10)
• Sport: Wednesday (every week)
• Technology: Thursday (every week)

Have a wonderful week,

Miss Mae-Louise Brock, Miss Erin Haley and the always fun Year 1’s!

Year 2

During InitiaLit this week we are looking at Imaginative texts and at when to use the ay/ai, ee/ea and oa/ow digraphs. We are revising simple sentences during writing and will look at nouns and verbs. In Maths, we are continuing to look at skip counting and will be working on patterns counting in 2s, 3s, 5s and 10s. Along with this we are looking at keeping ourselves healthy and safe in Health, God’s nature and relationship with his people in Religion, Mixtures in Science,  where and why there is Drama as well as now and then during HASS.

A few reminders:

• Technologies is on Tuesday each week.
• Sport is on Friday each week. Students are to wear house shirts for this and we will wear our Sport shirt on Wednesday so we get to use all of our uniforms.
• Library and Resilience Project will be on a fortnightly rotation on Mondays. Monday Week A (week 1, 3, 5, 7, 9) will be Resilience Project. Monday Week B (week 2, 4, 6, 8, 10) will be Library.
• Homework is due on Tuesday and will go out on Tuesday. We will start this week. Reading is the most important part of homework!

Have a fantastic week,

Miss Leonie Ansell

Year 3

Welcome to Week 2.

I hope you’re having a great week. 

The children will start homework this week. The children have an outline of their weekly homework in their books but any questions please ask. The children will also have their At Home Readers this week please encourage them to read for at least 15 mins each night.

Maths: We will be working on applying place value to 5000 this week. We will be using 4 digit cards and trying to make the biggest number, the smallest number, a number less than the given number etc.

English: We will be using comprehension strategies to build literal and inferred meaning from texts. We will also continue our work on Writers Toolbox. The children are producing some great work in Writers Toolbox and we wish to continue and build upon this. We will also be doing daily silent reading after first lunch.

Reminders:

• Monday: Homework will be set and given out
• Tuesday: Year 3 have PE the children can wear their sports shirt.
  As this is Week B the children have  Library 
• Wednesday: Tuckshop orders must be in by 8.30am
• Thursday: Tuckshop 
  Children have Technology with Miss Laffey 
• Friday: Children can wear their house shirts.
  Homework to be  returned.

Hope you have a great week,

Mrs Nicola Cullen

Year 4

Hi Everyone,

I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday for the information evening. I will have a printed overview available for those who can make it and will email this out following the event for those who cannot. For now, here’s the focus for some more of our subject areas this term.

English and HaSS - This term English will be chunked into two separate blocks for Weeks 1-5 and Weeks 6-10. For our first 5 Weeks we will be focusing on creating Information Texts. This integrates nicely with our HaSS unit which is about ‘The First Fleet’ and world explorers. Students will be writing an information report about some world explorers, then their assessment piece will be a report about Captain James Cook.

Spelling - This term the class will be working on set spelling lists that follow a common sound pattern. The lists contain 30 words and will be changed fortnightly. Students will work on these words in class time during literacy rotations as well as in their homework. The first list focuses on short vowel sounds. 

Reminders:

• Homework - Homework was given out this Monday and it is to be returned on Friday. I understand that the homework can be quite time consuming so please feel free to complete this in smaller chunks if you are struggling for time. If you have any concerns about the homework, please contact me. 
• Tuckshop - Tuckshop is on this week. Orders are due on Wednesday. 

• Library - Our library visit will be next week, however students should have books to take home today after an impromptu visit to the library this afternoon.

• PE - PE will be this Thursday. Please have your child wear their sports uniform.

Have a great week,

Miss Mairin Borlase

Year 5

Thanks to the children for an amazing first week! Looking forward to meeting many of you this Wednesday at the Welcome BBQ.

Reading - This week we will continue to be focussed on organisation for learning, we have started our guided reading groups and comprehension tasks. It is important for children to read a variety of texts (even when the preferred is usually fiction) and the expectation is to have most children reading for at least 20 minutes each night. This can be independent, child reading to an adult and adult reading to a child or a combination of all three. This really does have a significant impact on learning outcomes. 

Research shows that learners who read daily have developed over one million words in their reading repertoire during the course of their Primary Years. There is a wealth of books within the classroom for students to read during the day. Remember that the Library is on Wednesdays (Week 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 this term).

Spelling - We are beginning to start the Sound Waves program which has a set of words which focus on particular graphemes (initially double consonants - progressing to irregular spelling patterns). Throughout the term we will also inquire into prefixes and suffixes as well as synonyms.

Writing - We have started to investigate the em–dash sentence type within Writer’s Toolbox (this is a program that can be used at home for additional writing practice and consolidation). We will focus on narrative texts initially and have started to read parts of the BFG to support discussion about famous children’s authors.

Mathematics - We have started to use a daily mathematics application called Think Mentals - this develops a mental strategy and allows for practice during each week. Initially children may use a whiteboard and pen to develop their thinking but eventually it will become a mental task. We have started to develop an understanding of counting in different sized steps and the connection with multiplication facts.

Reminders:

• Welcome BBQ (Wednesday 1st February)
• Homework commences in Week 3
• PE Lessons - Mondays and Technologies - Tuesdays
• Library/Resilience Project - Wednesdays (alternate weeks)
• NAPLAN Weeks 8-10

Looking forward to a great year!

Mr Mike Tarleton

Year 6

Welcome to Week 2 in Year 6!

After a busy first week organising and getting ourselves ready for the year ahead, we have now started to look at what we will be learning this term!

In English, we have started to read our class text ‘Holes’ and have looked at the elements of writing a diary entry. Everyone is very happy about reading this book! 

In Hass, the students have been introduced to the continent Asia, and have been amazed to find out that Asia has more people than all of the other continents combined!

In Maths, we have been looking at rounding and the addition and subtraction of negative and positive numbers while using a number line. 

It’s been a busy week two, but I have been very impressed with the effort that everyone is putting in within the Year 6 classroom. We will also kick off our PE and Library sessions this week which everyone is very excited about!

We hope everyone had a great week. 

Mr Dom Purcell and Year 6

UMY - Year 7 Design

Year 7 Design - Woodwork Mr Kelley: 

The Year 7 cohort has started the school year enthusiastically, eager to learn new skills. Our first order of business is to complete Onguard training (a digital platform where students complete their theory component of the course - safety training). After students complete their theory component they will move on to practical demonstrations in the workshop. I anticipate this will take 2-3 weeks.

Slowly, students will build their proficiency over the coming weeks with increasing project complexity. Starting with a rebate joint (picture below) and developing the necessary skills to complete a dovetail before the end of the term.

UMY - Year 8 English

Year 8 English - Mrs Delaney-Lovett: 

Welcome to Term 1! This term the students will develop an understanding of what it means to be ‘media-literate’ in today’s society. Using the 2020 documentary-film, ‘A life on our planet’, the class will identify the relevant spoken, visual & audio components of an informative text and how they can be used in a way to position an audience. Students will explore the ‘take-aways’ from information texts - what changes can be made in the world, with a society that is well informed? They will construct an information text of their own, through a ‘website’ that targets an audience from the future that wishes to ‘visit Earth’. This unit generates such rich discussion and creative ideas - I can’t wait.

UMY - Year 8 Religion

Year 8 Religion - Mr Delaney: 

We are kicking off the term in a peaceful and contemplative way by participating in different types of prayer and meditation. Amongst others, we are focusing on Augustinian and Franciscan prayer. We are also incorporating our own prayer beads and labyrinths into prayer. This is a great opportunity to set prayer expectations in the classroom for 2023. 

The students will then learn about the mystery of the Trinity. We will be analysing how different representations of the Trinity show a connection between God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. 

Meet & Greet BBQ

Join us tomorrow, Wednesday 1st February 2023 to meet your child’s classroom teachers and see their classrooms. Teachers will outline their classroom routine and provide information to parents and carers on the year ahead. 

A sausage sizzle will be provided.

Beginning of Year Mass Invitation

Uniform Expectations

The wearing of the school uniform promotes our school’s image in the community as well as school spirit and pride in our school. It is a requirement that all students wear the full correct school uniform on all school occasions, including excursions.
Please be aware, St Joseph’s Catholic School, Cloncurry operates an alternating timetable. Therefore, days where your child/children may wear a particular uniform may alter the following week. 

• Academic Uniform
  The St Joseph’s Cloncurry Academic uniform is to be worn all days of the school week except when students have Physical Education days.
• Sports Uniform
  The St Joseph’s Cloncurry Sports Uniform is to be worn only on days that students are scheduled to have Physical Education lessons.
• House Uniform
  The St Joseph’s Cloncurry House Uniform is only to be worn on Fridays and at Sports Carnivals. These uniforms are not in place of the Sports Shirts and should not be worn for Physical Education lessons, unless the students' lessons fall on a Friday.
• Representative Uniform
  The St Joseph’s Cloncurry Representative Sports Uniforms are to be worn at the discretion and direction of the Senior Leadership Team, and Sports & Extra Curricular Coordinator.
  Please view the uniform requirements in the following links. These are also available on our website. 

Academic Uniform Guidelines
Prep to Year 4 Shoe Guidelines
Year 5 to Year 9 Show Guidelines
Sport Uniform Guidelines

Quick Go To's

Our website: www.sjctsv.catholic.edu.au

Our Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/StJosephsCatholicSchoolCloncurry

Uniform Shop & Tuckshop app/website: www.myschoolconnect.com.au

Book Club

Mulkadee

For more information:

https://www.tsv.catholic.edu.au/newsandevents/mulkadee-qr54nh-wxy54b/

https://www.facebook.com/Mulkadee

Community Notices

Cloncurry Eagles Junior Rugby League is seeking coaches and sports trainers for the 2023 Season. Website links below.Eligible persons must have or be able to obtain a Working with Children Check. Proof of your WWC will be required.An online coaching course as well as face-to-face will be required for new volunteers, a refresher course may be required for existing volunteers that have previously completed a course. For more information please contact our Club via email at cloncurryeagles@gmail.com

Coach/Trainer Registration - playrugbyleague.com

Working with Children application - my.bluecard.qld.gov.au/login

PCYC Blast Cricket

Cricket Blast commences on Friday 3rd of February (2 weeks time). Six weeks starting at 3:30pm at the Activities Hall on Daintree Street. Open to all boys and girls between 5 - 12 years. Below is the link to register and follow the prompts to 'Create an Account'. www.playhq.com/cricket-australia/register/da9a1c

Chinamen Creek Dam Update