Term 1 Week 6 2023

Key Information

Term 1 Important Dates

• Friday 3rd March - School Photo Day
• Monday 13th March and Tuesday 14th March - Parent Teacher Interview Prep - 3
• Monday 27th March and Tuesday 28th March - Parent Teacher Interview Year 4 to Year 9
• Thursday 30th March - Good Friday Liturgy & Easter Hat Parade - 8.30am 
• Friday 31st March - IPRASS Day - No School 

Tuckshop Menu:

Special: Caesar Salad Wraps with a Coconut Apricot Slice & a Popper

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 6, 

It is hard to believe that we have passed the halfway point of the term. Where has the time gone? Although we have been incredibly busy it doesn’t feel like we are 6 weeks in. 

Jan Schneekloth’s Funeral
At our assembly last week I mentioned that we will continue to fly our flags at half-mast to represent the significant loss that some of our families and our community have faced recently. One of these tragic losses has been of Mrs Jan Schneekloth, not only a family member of our school, but a big part of our community. This coming Friday Jan’s life will be celebrated at 10am. 

As Jan made such an impact on our community a number of staff at St Joseph’s will be attending the funeral service. In this time your child may have a different teacher and/or we may join the whole school together for some competitions for house points.

School Photos - Friday 3rd March  
This Friday is our photo day. Sibling photos will take place in the Library from 7.30am. A timetable for the class photos will be sent to families on Wednesday. Students must take their photo envelopes with them to the photos. Please ensure these have been returned to school as soon as possible. There are separate envelopes for sibling photos which are available for collection from the office. 

Students must wear their formal uniform on Friday, no house shirts. Formal shirt, navy shorts, navy or white socks, black shoes, tidy hair and a smile.

Staffing Update: Welcome to St Joseph’s - Miss Amanda, Miss Brie and Miss Mia. 
You may have noticed a few new faces around our school. We are very excited to have welcomed Miss Amanda, Miss Brie and Miss Mia to our School Officer team. Miss Amanda works with us from Monday to Friday and has been assisting in our primary area - primarily in year 3 and year 4. Miss Mia commenced last Thursday and will be assisting in the Upper Middle Years space predominately from Monday to Wednesday, Miss Mia will then assist in the office on Thursday’s and with the fete organisation on Friday’s. Miss Brie also commenced last week, Miss Brie will work in prep each Friday to cover Miss Tamara’s leave for the remainder of the term and casually on other days. We are very excited to be welcoming Amanda, Brie and Mia to our St Joseph’s family. Please introduce yourself if you see Amanda, Brie or Mia around school and make them feel welcome to our Cloncurry Community. 

PIVOT Survey 
This year one of our goals on our School Improvement Plan is to establish and sustain a culture of feedback amongst our schooling community. It is challenging to grow and develop in any aspect of our life or teaching if we don’t accept, be open to or take on feedback from those around us. One way that we aim to do this in 2023 is to gather the voice of our students in our teaching. Who knows a teacher better than their students? Research shows that student perspectives are among the strongest indicators of teacher effectiveness.

Schools with a strong culture of gathering student feedback have a more positive culture overall. When school leaders and teachers signal to their students they are invested in their voice and their learning, school culture flourishes. Students become more engaged in their school.

Over the coming weeks you may hear your child talking about a survey that they complete in class. This year we have connected with PIVOT to survey children from prep to year 9. The student surveys are confidential and intended to provide teachers with constructive and actionable research-based feedback on the next steps that can be taken as a direct result of student responses. A child’s details are not recorded in the survey. This models to students that we all have areas of strength and areas to improve upon. We are excited to see how this goes and we look forward to sharing this with you. Students will then complete these survey’s again in Term 3. 

Mid West Netball Trials
Congratulations to our students Kali Poch, Kate Macnamara and Nika Sala who travelled to Mount Isa yesterday afternoon to trial for the Mid West Netball team. A big thank you to one of our parents and board members Gayle Macnamara for sharing these photos. This trial like many of our trials this year has been postponed due to the weather, but it is finally here. Kali, Kate and Nika have been looking forward to this challenge and I wish them all the best. Go Girls!

May God Bless you for the week ahead, 

Mrs Samantha Kelley
Principal 

APRE News

Welcome to week 6! This week is the 1st week of the next 6 weeks of Lent.

During the season of Lent we are called to pray, fast and give. Pope Francis said in his homily for Ash Wednesday Mass that Lent reminds people to "return to the truth about ourselves," which is that "the Lord alone is God, and we are the work of his hands."

In our Call to Action assembly we discuss how we are the hands, eyes, ears and voice of God and we need to act as people of love to reach out and support those in need. When I asked the students what St Mary MacKillop's motto was, hands were maddly waving to answer “Never see and need without doing something about it.” This is exactly why we support Project Comassion and raise awareness of the needs of communities around the world. By giving gold coin donations or buying icy poles on Friday we can help ensure the provision of basic needs of housing, clothing, food and water are provided. Through the project compassion stories the children learn how they can be apart of the change to create a better world. 

The theme of Project Compassion in 2023 is For All Future Generations. This year, we focus on the stories of four remarkable, resilient people from Nepal, Australia, Zimbabwe and Vietnam. 

Each of these stories demonstrates the powerful impact that each one of us can have For All Future Generations. Together, we can create lasting change for people living in some of the most vulnerable and low-income regions in the world.

Below I have linked the first focus story - Laxmi’s story. 

Laxmi's story (Nepal)

After losing her father at a young age, Laxmi was at risk of falling further into extreme poverty. But with the support of our partner Caritas Nepal, Laxmi joined a child's club, became a leader in her school and is now a mentor to other girls in her village.

Notices:

• Next sacramental meeting: Sunday 12th March after mass
• Children's Mass: Sunday 12th March at 8:30am.  All families are welcome. I will send out an email next week, to seek students who are willing to participate in the mass. 
• St Jospeh’s Feast Day Celebrations: Friday 24th March 

Have a blessed week!

Mrs Therese Curley
APRE

Pastoral Care

The Resilience Project – Part 3: Empathy & Kindness

This next presentation from The Resilience Project is all about Empathy and Kindness.  Empathy is the ability to understand another person’s thoughts and feelings from their perspective. 

Brain imaging data shows that being kind to others registers in the brain as more like eating chocolate than like fulfilling an obligation to do what’s right (e.g., eating brussel sprouts)! Research shows that practicing empathy, such as performing acts of kindness, taps into our brain’s ‘mirror neurons’, builds compassion and our behaviour becomes more social and community-based. 

View Part 3: Empathy of the series here: https://theresilienceproject.com.au/parent-and-carer-hub-hugh/

Here’s an activity to practise empathy and kindness:

1. Reflect on someone in your life who could benefit from an act of kindness today. It could be a friend who would love some affirmation about their work! 

Mrs Toni Schneekloth

Pastoral Care Leader

Prep

Welcome to week 6!

This week the Preps will explore the letter “t” while consolidating “m” and “s.” The focus will be identifying these sounds in words. We will also practice orally blending and segmenting the sounds in words. Our story focus this week is The Three Billy Goats Gruff. We will be identifying the setting, characters and problem in this story, retelling the story using props and also exploring the parts of the sentences in the story. The “who” and “do what” and “where” components of sentences.

In math the class will continue to consolidate numbers to 10, however, we will also move on to numbers to 20.

Prep has been learning about ways that the weather affects our choices and also animals, each day during our morning routine. This is part of our science unit. We will be looking specifically at different types of weather this week and finishing “rainy day” artwork. Our religious focus for the next few weeks will be Jesus’s life and Easter. The class will also learn about how Project Compassion helps people and communities around the world. Please donate to our class Project Compassion box which is on our prayer table.

I spent an hour out of class today to analyse our Early Years test data. This was with advisors from Townsville. This information helps to inform my future curriculum planning. 

Friday is photo day. Students are to wear their formal uniform (not house colors). 

Reminders:

• Tuesday - sport
• Wednesday - order tuckshop
• Thursday - tuckshop
• Friday - photo day (formal uniform)

Regards,

Mrs Sharon McLauchlan and Miss Tamara Williams.

Year 1

Hello parents and carers, 

Welcome to week 6! We are on the downhill now and haven’t got long before term one will come to an end. 

Here is a snapshot of the week ahead;

Literacy: We are learning to identify the four aspects that a simple sentence needs. A capital letter, a full stop, the sentence needs to be about something or someone and needs to make sense. Students have loved using our new sentence train resources to create their own sentences. 

Math: We are learning to identify patterns over the next few weeks using numbers and objects, specifically number patterns, skip counting in 2’s, 5’s and 10’s.  Students have been loving making different patterns with things around the classroom and singing songs as we count in 10’s and 5’s this past week. 

Religion: We are learning to identify our gifts from God. How we can be stewards of God in everyday life.  

Science: We are looking at what makes sound and how we show something is making sound when drawing a picture using sound wave lines. Students went on an adventure around the school on Friday to identify and draw the different sounds they could hear. 

Reminders

• Library: Monday (week 1,3,5,7,9)
• Resilience Project: Monday (week 2,4,6,8,10)
• Sport: Wednesday (every week) please have your child wear sports uniform
• Technology: Thursday (every week)

Homework was sent out last Friday and is expected back on Thursday morning so readers can be changed over. 

Just a reminder that we do have a child that is anaphylaxis to Watermelon and Kiwifruit in our class. Please be mindful of when you pack these items in your child's lunch box and please let me know. 

Please also note that we have sent out photo forms last week to each student. Our school photos are on Friday so please bring the forms back to the office ASAP and ensure students are dressed in their formal school uniform, no house shirts. 

Have a wonderful week,

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

Year 2

Hi all,

During InitiaLit this week we are looking at Persuasive texts and are reviewing vowel digraphs and split digraphs. We are learning how to write character preferences in writing. In Maths, we will assess counting to 1000 and will begin counting money. 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:

• Formal uniform for school photos on Friday

• Technologies is on Tuesday each week.
• Sport is on Friday each week. Students are to wear house shirts for this (but not this week) 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 6!

The children have been working so hard in all areas of the curriculum this term. Many found telling time to the minute, tricky last week but they persevered and had grasped it by the end of the week. I will be continually reinforcing time this week by asking what time it is? at various stages of the day, you could try this at home too.

We have our Photo Day this Friday - children have all received an envelope however if they have misplaced, it please let me know as I have extras in my classroom. Please try to return your envelopes by Wednesday if possible. On Friday the children will wear their formal school uniform, not their house shirts.

Maths: This week we are working on quick recall of addition and subtraction facts particularly within 20. We are also working on making connections between subtraction and adding for example: 6+8=14 therefore 14-8=6. It would be a great help if you could ask your child a quick 5-6 addition and subtraction facts each night.

English: We are continuing our work on both persuasive and narrative writing. I am so proud of how hard the children are trying with their writing. We are also revising nouns and verbs using them in their writing and recognising them in their readers. We are also introducing adverbs.

Reminders:

• Monday: Homework will be set and given out with Home Readers please ensure children complete their work as it is an important part of their learning.
• Tuesday: Chaplain’s Breakfast in MMS 7.45am
  PE the children can wear their sports shirt 
  As this is Week B the children have Library please ensure children return their                    books  
  Board meeting at 5.30pm in Library
• Wednesday: Tuckshop orders must be in by 8.30am
• Thursday: Chaplain’s Breakfast in MMS 7.45am
  Tuckshop
  Children have Technology with Miss Laffey  
• Friday: Today is photo day children must wear school uniform no house shirts
  Homework to be returned.

Have a great week and if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to pop in,

Mrs Nicola Cullen

Year 4

Hi everyone,

HaSS - So far this term we have been learning about the First Fleet. We have explored life in London, the Industrial Revolution and the Convicts journey to Australia. For the rest of the term we will be looking at life in Sydney Cove and the students will be writing a diary entry as if they are a convict. 

Science - Science is going to get exciting this week as we explore how different surfaces create friction and impact the speed of movement. 

Reminders:

• Homework - As I have started the week off sick, homework hasn’t been given out yet. When I return I will still give students homework, just complete what is possible this week. As always, homework is due back Friday.
• Tuckshop - Tuckshop is on this week. Orders are due on Wednesday. 

• Library - Our library visit was last Thursday. Our next library visit is next week (week 7). If your child wants a new library book please encourage them to visit the library during lunch times. 

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

• School Photos - Photos are taking place THIS FRIDAY. Please ensure your child is wearing their Formal Uniform. 

Have a wonderful week,

Miss Mairin Borlase

Year 5

Dear Families,

Remember to scan the QR Code for further information, photos and videos and especially to read our Y5 News Report for Week 6. We will be baking again this Wednesday 1st March - please check out our next recipe and try at home!

ENGLISH - we side step narrative texts for the following two weeks so we can give learners a little background in Persuasive writing. Using Writer's Toolbox Learning Journey, learners have continued to investigate the Adverb Start Sentences and W-Start Sentences (using while and when initially). In our Sound Waves Spelling this week, we will investigate the d and double dd sound as revision. We will also continue to inquire into prefixes dis- (not or opposite of e.g. disrespect [not respected]) and mis- (meaning wrong e.g. misunderstood [understood wrongly]). Prefixes in- (in or towards e.g. inflate [put air in])and de- (down or away e.g. depart [to leave/go away]) are investigated later in the week.

RELIGION - we continue our investigations into the Gospels—looking at Knowing the Gospels of Mark and John and identifying the places mentioned in the New Testament of the Bible.

HASS - the learners are loving the HASS project, discovering more about the Australian Gold Rush of 1850's. We have discussed significant people from this time and learnt about the largest gold nugget discoveries. We have started to watch My Place—an ABC children's history show which follows the lives of different children in different decades living in the same place. It connects to the book My Place, written by Nadia Wheatley and Donna Rawlins. The first episode opened up our discussions about rich and poor families, transportation, migration and clothing from 1888. This week's episode discusses a boy who likes to invent. The inventions sadly go wrong but this promotes dialogue about machines that were invented during the Victorian era of 1878 that have become household items today - washing machine, food mixer etc.

MATHEMATICS - This week we continue our investigation of multiples and using multiplication strategies to solve problems involving length and area. Our Think Mentals continue to focus on adding three or more numbers and looking for numbers that can be added to make the questions easier to solve -  e.g. 34 + 12 + 16  (we add the 34 and 16 first to make 50). We continue to discuss the addition of decimal numbers as tenths.

Wishing you all an awesome week,

Mr Mike Tarleton

Year 6

Welcome to Week 6 everyone. 

We are over the halfway point of the Term. The year 6 have been working extremely hard on their fractions. Simplifying fractions, finding equivalent fractions, and how to represent different fractions using visual representation 

In English we have finished reading our class text Holes and have enjoyed watching the film version, comparing and contrasting the differences between the two. 

Later in the week students will create electrical circuits for Science! For the last couple of weeks they have been looking at how they work and the different parts that make up a circuit, so they are looking forward to constructing their very own.

Not long to go before we start looking at different assessment tasks for Term 1! 

Time is flying by. Enjoy the rest of your week.

Mr Dom Purcell.

UMY - Spotlight

Yr 7/8 HPE with Mr Delaney
This term, the students are investigating all things nutrition-based. We have learned about the food groups listed within the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (AGTHE), explored macro and micro-nutrients, and consolidated our understanding of serving sizes. The students will use this knowledge to examine an example case file, including a meal plan, identify improvements and translate this into their own meal plan. If time permits, we will get into the kitchen in Week 10 to recreate some fast food favourites (fakeaway) by making nutrient-wise, healthier decisions with ingredients and cooking methods. 

In Physical Education, we have been learning and practicing netball skills. The students have been practicing their skills in closed settings and are currentling applying these skills in game-based situations. They will be assessed on their game-awareness and demonstration of specialised movement sequences. 

9 HPE with Mr Delaney
In Health, the Year 9 students have been learning about all things mental health. We have explored mentally-well and mentally-unwell behaviours, factors that influence these, and strategies for surviving and thriving, including the PERMA Model. The students will apply this leaning to the context of relationships and decision making. They will be assessed through their analysis of a film and related case studies. 

In Physical Education, the students have been participating in a volleyball unit. They have learned and practiced the skills required to transfer these into new and challenging movement situations. We will be spending the remaining FIVE weeks at the PCYC hall to apply our skills to game-based situations. I look forward to playing volleyball with the class. 

Year 9 History with Mr Kelley
This term students have been looking at WWI. They have sequence events and developments within a chronological framework, with reference to periods of time and their duration. Students continue to look at significant battles (Gallipoli) involving the ANZACs and what impact they had on WWI. Students examine sources and compare different points of view while developing their own interpretations of the past. 

Student Wellbeing

Being the parent or carer of a teenager who refuses to go to school can be incredibly challenging, putting a strain on your relationship with them and on your family and home life.

You may be unsure about how to act in the best interests of your teen while at the same time offering them effective support, but there are many things you can do to manage the situation and maintain a positive relationship. It’s also important to acknowledge your own feelings and to prioritise your own mental wellbeing.

What is school refusal? 

School refusal is when a young person becomes very distressed and anxious about going to school, to the point that they refuse to attend. 

The signs of school refusal can include distress before attending school, health complaints, skipping classes, leaving school or repeated absenteeism. In some cases, the thought of attending school can cause physical symptoms such as vomiting, refusal to eat, shaking, or panic attacks. 

School refusal is different from regular truancy. When a student is ‘wagging’ school, they hide it from their parents or carers. School refusal isn’t concealed; it’s an adamant refusal to attend that stems from the teen’s belief that they are unable to cope with school. 

School refusal is sometimes called ‘school can’t’ or ‘school phobia’. This is because it isn’t a mental health condition or a behavioural issue in itself, which the term ‘school refusal’ might imply. Rather, the condition is often an expression of underlying mental health conditions and emotional difficulties.

Young people don’t tend to use the term ‘school refusal’, and instead usually refer to the underlying causes or feelings they’re experiencing, such as being stressed, anxious or lonely.

There are many signs of school refusal. Some of the most common ones include:

• crying or yelling related to attending school
• frequent health complaints, such as stomach aches, headaches, dizziness or fatigue
• repeated requests to go home from school
• high levels of absenteeism or frequent lateness to school
• difficulty falling asleep the night before school.

If you are noticing these behaviours in your teen, it’s important to speak to a GP. They will be able to work with your teen to rule out any health issues that may be causing these symptoms and suggest management and support options. 

The reasons for school refusal are complex, and it can start gradually or happen suddenly.

School refusal can be related to mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, OCD or PTSD, or to experiences such as difficulties at school, bullying, or major life events (such as separation, divorce, moving, being away from family, or the death of a family member). It can also be caused by worrying about slipping grades or about keeping up with schoolwork. 

Being the parent or carer of a teen who refuses to go to school can be emotionally challenging, bringing feelings of:

• shock and disbelief that this is happening to your teen and family
• fear and worry about your teen’s future
• sadness for your teen
• loneliness and isolation
• guilt that you’re not doing ‘enough’
• fear of being judged by others
• confusion about what to do.

It’s crucial to acknowledge these feelings and to seek support if needed. 

If your teen is refusing to go to school, you might worry that their interrupted education could prevent them from reaching their potential or living the life they want in the future. There can also be significant impacts on their social development as well as on their academic progress. 

Parents and carers are often faced with a dilemma: should they be more forceful in making their teen attend school, or more empathetic and allow them to stay at home? Parents and carers may also experience stigma, with school refusal often not being recognised as a real issue.

School attendance is a legal requirement for all Australian school-aged children. The rules are different depending on the state or territory you live in, but there can be legal or financial implications for parents. It may help to find out about your school’s attendance policies and procedures to help you avoid any legal or financial penalties while you try to address the problem.

Your teen’s refusal to go to school may also require you to take time off work, reduce your hours or leave your job, which can have a significant impact on your and your family’s finances and wellbeing. 

Please reach out to our school or read this article for ways to support your teen if you are concerned about school refusal

School Chaplain

I am holding a colouring in competition! We have a few weeks up our sleeve until judging and only 1 entry per student. There will be a prize per year level, Prep to Year 9.

Good Luck students!

Spark Club is only on Wednesday and Thursday this week due to other commitments. 

Breakfast Club is on Thursday, I'd love to see some well mannered smiling faces! 

Have a nice week readers, and share some love with those who mean the world to you, we all know that life is precious and so are the people in it!

As Mrs Kelley has mentioned, a beautiful lady left us last week to be in the heavens with other family and friends. Our local Cloncurry CWA ladies are kindly preparing and gathering morning tea for Jan's celebration. If you wish to contribute to this, please drop off to the Precinct on Friday morning. Alternatively you can look on Cloncurry Local Noticeboard Facebook page for the post and comment. 

School Photos - THIS WEEK!

As noted in MANY articles in the newsletter, please wear FULL SCHOOL UNIFORM with Black shoes and correct socks. Neat hair, clean faces and smiling ones at that!

P&F Meeting Summary

Hi all, 

We know a lot of our parents, family members and friends would love to attend our P&F meetings, but it isn't possible for your busy schedules. We have therefor redacted the P&F minutes for the newsletter. We would love to see you in person, however, for the time being - Happy Reading! 

Sight & Hearing Screeners

Census 2023

Community Notices

Ronald McDonald Learning Program

Welcome to the 2023 school year! 

The Ronald McDonald Learning Program (RMLP) team would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the student services we offer, that are fully funded by Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Students whose education has been impacted by their serious illness or injury, including mental health diagnoses, may be eligible for:

• Individual tutoring for 12 months (minimum 40 hours).
• Educational/cognitive assessment, if necessary.
• Occupational, speech, and/or other therapy, if recommended.

Please feel comfortable to refer your students to me using the attached form, or to pass my details directly on to families.

I would also appreciate it if you would kindly add our poster into your school newsletter, to share with families if possible.

If you have any questions or would like further information, please reach out. I am here to help!

Kind regards,

Belinda O'Neill