Term 4 week 7

What's on at St Joey's in November & December

Principal's Messages

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we come to the end of the term, we have many events organised to finalise the year. Please see the dates above and also keep up to date via our COMPASS notifications.

This week our Year 6 Councillors will hold auditions for the SJC’s Got Talent show to be held on Tuesday 6/12, 1:45pm. This is a fun student led event that allows the children to showcase their talents. The emphasis is on FUN with one performance per class chosen to perform in front of the school in the finals. I thank our Yr 6 leaders for their initiative and leading of this event.

This week we also hold our first ever GR8 RACE fundraiser. Huge thanks to all those who have been able to support the fundraising in any way. We appreciate there is a lot of expense at this time of year, so the main thing is to pay the $20 entry fee for the GR8 race event via QKR. This cost pays for the inflatables, colour run components and activities at each country that the children will be involved in. The fundraising arm is a new venture that Motiv8 Sports and SJC is trialling with the Boarding Pass allowing for collection of sponsorship with opportunity to enter the great prize draw. There is also an option to make single donations via QKR under P&F fundraising. We thank you for your support!

I also thank our P&F team especially Anna Wadwell in organising the BBQ on the day. Thank you too, to all who have signed up to assist on the day with the various activities. Your help is greatly appreciated! It will be a fun community event with the bonus of raising money to continue to develop our new play space. Last year in considering designs for our new playground, I surveyed the students. They had many wonderful ideas which helped contribute to the design which is currently under construction. Our new playground is due to open in the next couple of weeks and consists of a climbing fort, slides, new soft fall and shade sail. This has been made possible through a combination of funds from the school, P&F and a NSW government grant, totalling $140 000. We are extremely grateful! As a result of the student feedback, it was decided to continue to develop this area with a challenging fitness course or ninja park type circuit, which was highlighted by the older students as something they would like to see at SJC. Hence the choice to fundraise for this particular feature. The GR8 Race funds will help support this project in the future development of this space with the aim to cater for all the needs of the students.

Staff are working on writing student Semester 2 reports. Please read below for a detailed explanation of the grading system. It is a Diocesan wide format newly introduced this year and they will go live on COMPASS on Friday 9^th Dec. fo ryou to view, save and print. Please book in a time to meet with your child’s teacher if you have any questions about the report.

I am currently in the recruitment phase for staffing for 2023. This week we welcome Kylie Solway into our admin team in the front office. Kylie will be working with Amale on Thursday and Fridays. Once recruitment for teaching staff is finalised, we will sort classes for next year. Students will participate in a Step Up afternoon on Tuesday 13/2 to meet their teacher and see their classroom for 2023. We will be farewelling Mrs Lisa Ridgewell and Mrs Sue Coull who have both worked at St Joseph’s for over 25 years. Lisa in a classroom teaching position and Sue in the role of EAL/D teacher. Both have been dedicated and supportive teachers and colleagues who will be greatly missed. We thank them both sincerely for their commitment to the profession of teaching and for the many positive influences they have had on the lives of their students, families and colleagues over the years.

Our building works continue with the refurbishment of Kindergarten and during the holidays the Yr 3/4 unit. We also have 2 roofs left to replace, also in the holidays. The perimeter security fencing is now complete. The playground soft fall is being poured this week and some landscaping to be completed during the holidays. The oval will also be graded and returfed during the break. I take this opportunity to thank Bruce Holland our Project Manager, our groundsman Craig Davies, Killalea Constructions and Greg Owens, Australian Playground and Shade Solutions for all their work on these projects. Also, with the support of the CSO building and maintenance funding the school has had many improvements to be thankful for over these last 18 months.

Future projects include a bush tucker garden and yarning circle, an outdoor prayer-sacred space, further landscaping improvements, paths and cola repairs, new signage and an outdoor early learning space off Kinder and Year 1. We are continually working on applications for a hall to enhance our gathering and learning spaces but this is dependent of substantial Capital funding and school growth projections. Please know it is a project that I am deeply committed to and hopeful of obtaining in the future.

Our Director of Catholic Schools Maitland Newcastle, Gerard Mowbray, will be visiting our school on Monday 5/12 to speak with staff and students before he retires. We will take this opportunity to say thank you to Gerard for his leadership, support and commitment to Catholic education. He has shown true grit, determination and faith filled commitment to teaching and leading in our system for over 45 years. We wish him all the blessings of a happy and healthy retirement!

On Thursday 15th Dec we will host a THANK YOU lunch for our volunteers in the staffroom. It will be held 12:15-1:15pm, followed by the Christmas Concert at 1:30pm. Please share the invitation below with anyone you know who has helped out during the year at canteen, uniform shop, excursions, carnivals, BBQ's, P&F committee and meetings etc. Please RSVP if you can attend by emailing the office. 

I look forward to seeing many of you over the next few weeks at the various upcoming events. Please read our Parish notices for Advent and Christmas celebrations and join in where you can.

Thank you for your continued support.

God Bless,

Kate Drake

News from the Assistant Principal

Understanding your child's report

As we near the end of the semester, and school year, the teachers are busily gathering their data, and evidence of learning, in order to write the Semester Two reports. Over the next 2 weeks, I will unpack each KLA (Key Learning Area) in order to support all parent and carers to best understand their child's report highlighting their areas of strength and areas of futher development. 

To what level is my child achieving?

The follow grade scale is applied to all KLAs.

What area in each KLA will be reported on? 

At the bottom of each KLA, your child's areas of strength and an area/s for development will be listed. These areas are directly linked to syllabus outcomes and the content descriptors.

1. Religious Education 

1. English 

Next week I will unpack the Mathematics and Science content descriptors, followed by the HSIE, CAPA and PDH/PE content descriptors in week 9. 

Reports are due to go live on Friday 9th December. 

with every best wish,

Nikki Norley

Assistant Principal

Class News K-6

As part of our school wide focus on Mathemtaics at St Joey's this year, teachers have implemented a framework around what is essential for high-quality maths lesson delivery. This lesson structure encompasses effective learning experiences to meet the needs and abilities of the full range of learners in a Maths lesson. 

Maths lessons @St Joey's

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News from the Religious Coordinator

Mini Vinnies Christmas Appeal

To help make the Christmas a little brighter for people in our community who are finding the cost of living hard at the moment, all classes have been asked to bring a pantry item. See list.

Kinder – lollies

 Yr. 1 - pretzels, nuts, popcorn,

Yr. 2 -Tinned ham, fish

Yr. 3. cordial soft drink

 Yr. 4 rice, pasta sauce, pasta

Yr. 5 long life milk, tea, coffee, Milo,

 Yr. 6 - chocolates, shortbread, biscuits

 On the 29th of November, students are asked to wear Christmas clothes and to bring some money for a cake stall run by our Mini Vinnies to also support this appeal.

Sincere thanks for your support.

Christmas Treasure Sale

A reminder that the Parish Christmas Treasure Sale is on the 10 December 2022, 10.00am- 3pm. 7 Milson St, Charlestown.

There will be face painting, games, and a BBQ. All proceeds go to the Shalom Hospice    

Upcoming Dates:

9^th December 10am End of Year Liturgy

News from the Primary Coordinator

News from the Primary Co Ordinator

Kinder 2023 Final Play and Learn Session

We enjoyed our final Play and Learn session on the 11^{th of} November. We wish our Kinders for 2023 a lovely Christmas and summer break and look forward to seeing them at school next year.

Infants Sport- Softball

Our K-2 students are enjoying their softball sessions with the coach from Primarily Active.

Here are some Kinder children showing off their skills.

PBL

For the next 2 weeks of Term 4 we are focusing on the Care for your appearance value of our SJC matrix.

We are blessed at SJC to have a striking uniform which is often commented on by visitors. Let’s finish the year by ensuring that we wear our uniform with pride each day to show that we are proud SJC students.

Have a wonderful fortnight!

Karen Nolan

From the Office of Safeguarding

Supporting respectful relationships through online boundaries and consent.

Below is a link to eSafety’s new online boundaries and consent resource for Years 3-6 supports students to learn about consent and setting boundaries online.

Happy Birthday to the following students

Sports News

CONGRATULATIONS to the following students for being selected from the Lakes Regional Summer Sports Trials to advance to the Maitland -Newcastle Diocesan Trials to be held later this term:

Matilda Reynolds - Basketball

Luke Sawang - Basketball

Oscar Evans - Cricket

St Joseph's Playground Update

Gifted Education News

Throughout this year, a group of Year 4 students have been working through an extension writing project. This project included a series of activities based around the appropriation of classic stories. Students considered specific writing techniques, audience, and author voice as they worked through the activities. In the final part of the project students were required to appropriate their own version of a classic tale.

Alice Dunkly appropriated The Little Mermaid into a modern tale called ‘Flying Free.’ We have printed and bound her story and it is available for students to borrow from the school library. Take some time to read the blurb below.

Luca Masters appropriated Snow White into a modern tale called ‘Little Sarah White.’ We have printed and bound her story and it is available for students to borrow from the school library. Take some time to read the blurb below.

P&F News

Thank you for requesting to volunteer at St Joseph’s Charlestown.

However, before we can accept these generous offers, volunteers new to the role of volunteering or who have perhaps not been an active volunteer for a while due to COVID, will need to go to the Diocesan website and complete the volunteer registration form. There is a  link here to register your interest in becoming a volunteer at St Joseph’s. This is a Diocesan mandate, and all volunteers are required to complete this registration form online (unless you are already registered and cleared to volunteer by the Diocese). It has a Police check section that is mandatory. Once this registration form is completed and a police check is completed, then we will be notified by the Diocese that you are clear to volunteer here at school. This whole process can take a few weeks.

We ask that you follow the link to the website and complete the registration form ASAP so you can all come on site and be part of this amazing school community in many varied ways! 

Canteen News

If you are able to assist in the school canteen please email Natalie Evans nattthebatevans@gmail.com or 0400413448

Aboriginal Education News

Aboriginal Education

I recently had the pleasure of taking a couple of our Indigenous and non-Indigenous students to St Mary’s College for a get together. We were joined by local Stage 3 students from St Paul’s Gateshead, St Francis Xavier’s Belmont, St Pius X Primary Windale and Stage 4 kids from St Mary’s Catholic College.

We were warmly greeted by St Mary’s Catholic College Aboriginal Education mentor Mr Paul McKay who gave an Acknowledgement of Country. Students toured a science lab and got to make soap! They enjoyed smelling and predicting what essential oil was in 3 small glass bottles. Lots of kids predicted caramel, vanilla, eucalyptus, and tea tree. Students required several materials and equipment to conduct the soap making experiment.

First, they heated water using a large beaker and a laboratory hot plate. Students then used a kitchen grater to grate a cake of soap. They put a small handful of the grated soap into a smaller beaker and placed it into the large beaker filled with hot water. While holding the small soap filled beaker, students used a swivel stick to stir the soap as it melted. Once melted, students added one drop of colour and three drops of their chosen scent. Finally, the coloured liquid mixture was poured into silicone moulds to set.

While they waited for the soap to set, students learnt how to make BUSH SOAP! They crushed leaves from the Sydney Golden Wattle- {Acacia} Longifolia in their hands and added some water. When they rubbed their hands together, they noticed it started to lather up like soap!

Stay tuned for more adventures within our community of schools.

Danielle Shaw

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Teacher

Uniform Shop

All enquiries to email:

chl.uniformshop@mn.catholic.edu.au

ORDER via the QKR App

Healthy Eating Snippets

OOSH

The before and after school care at St Joseph’s is provided by St Nicholas OOSH, Diocese of Maitland Newcastle.  Open form 7am-8:30am and 3:00pm-6:00pm. 

Please contact Taylor for further information.  

TAYLOR CEFAI  
NOMINATED SUPERVISOR | ST NICHOLAS OOSH    
P 0429 435 571     M  0429 435 571   
Email taylor.cefai@stnicholasoosh.org.au Visit us online www.stnicholasoosh.org.au  

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