Term 3 Week 3

What's on at St Joey's

Principal's Messages

Dear Parents and Carers,

It was wonderful to see so many grandparents and parents at our Grandparent Day celebrations last week, and we were blessed with a beautiful day too. We celebrate this day on July 26, the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, Grandparents of Jesus.

To all our grandparents, thank you for all the gifts of life and faith you have given us.

In staffing news we congratulate Mrs Nikki Norley who has been appointed as principal to St Joseph's Kilaben Bay commencing in 2024. This is a wonderful achievement for Nikki and a reflection of her great leadership skills. Nikki is an asset to our community, building strong relationships with all stakeholders and working alongside me and our leadership team to enact our vision for the school. She will be missed next year but until then we will enjoy our time together. Nikki has been seconded to St Paul's Gateshead as principal for the next 2 weeks while Mr Cumming is on leave. Kathyrn Hill is again acting assistant principal in Nikki's absence. We are blessed at SJC to have a quality team of leaders and staff to ensure things continue to progress smoothly. I am sure you will join with us in congratulating Nikki on her successful appointment.

Huge congratulations to Kai Druery and Imogen Hartcher who performed in the MN Diocese Theatre production, Pirates Code, held at the Civic Theatre last week. Kai was in the orchestra as a violinist and Imogen in the vocal ensemble. Our Stage 2 & 3 students attended on Thursday and loved the show, with staff saying it was the best production yet! Information for auditions for the 2024 cast have been posted on COMPASS yesterday for students in Yr 5-11 who may be interested. It is a wonderful opportunity for any talented performing arts students.

Tomorrow, we celebrate NAIDOC activities with a full day of workshops with specialist Indigenous presenters, to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Students will be rotating through a variety of activities from cooking, painting, dancing, aboriginal crafts and stories. Please remember children can come dressed in play clothes representing ATSI flag colours or cultural dress. Parents are invited to join us for the morning ceremony at 9am or the afternoon ceremony at 2:30pm. We are very grateful to Mrs Danielle Shaw for organising this special day for our community. Thank you also to our parent volunteers, Lindy Gatt and Cassandra McCarthy who will assist on the day. Please see our Compass notes for more information.

Thank you to Brooke Sievert for organising the yummy Subway lunch day, which is a great support of the P & F  fundrasiing efforts with $1 from each sub being donated to the school.

This term we are hosting the wonderful STORY DOGS program with volunteer Leonie and her fully trained friend, Teddy. Leonie and Ted will work with students in Year 2 promoting the love of reading with 1:1 time reading to Ted. Ted is a beautiful purebred Cobberdog and is especially trained to work with children in this capacity. We thank Leonie and Ted for bringing this lovely program to our school.

We wish the best of luck to our athletes attending the Diocesan Athletics carnival on Wednesday. Please ensure permissions have been consented online and payment of $15 made on QKR.

Next week Stage 2 & 3 will be attending a Netball Gala day and Stage 2 a Touch Gala Day. Please ensure all permissions are given and read the notes on Compass for full information. Huge thanks to our staff who are organising these great events for our students and to the parent volunteers who are assisting.  

A MESSAGE FOR PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS (AND OTHER INTERESTED ADULTS) FROM SVDP

Would you like to join our team of volunteers at St Vincent de Paul Conference, Charlestown. We really need more members to help us provide support to needy families and individuals in the area when they seek assistance through the Vinnies telephone referral system.  Training will be given - all you need to provide is approx 4 hours a week and a big heart.  Please contact Josephine on 0400235156 or email Josephine.Mitchell@vinnies.org.au for more information. 

Thank you and God Bless,

Kate Drake

News from the Acting Assistant Principal

NAPLAN

From 2023, new standards were introduced to NAPLAN reporting. This reporting replaces the previous numerical NAPLAN reporting bands and national minimum standards. Education ministers agreed 2023 was the right time to introduce this change alongside moving NAPLAN to March. Proficiency standards provide clear information on student achievement. They are set at a challenging but reasonable level expected for the child at the time of NAPLAN testing, based mainly on what has been taught in previous years of schooling. There are 4 proficiency levels:

• Exceeding: The student’s result exceeds expectations at the time of testing.
• Strong: The student’s result meets challenging but reasonable expectations at the time of testing. • Developing: The student’s result indicates that they are working towards expectations at the time of testing.
• Needs additional support: The student’s result indicates that they are not achieving the learning outcomes expected at the time of testing. They are likely to need additional support to progress satisfactorily.

  
  

What NAPLAN assesses has not changed. Further information is available at www.nap.edu.au

Developing Expert Learners

Last Friday, 21^st July, Mrs. Drake, Miss Nolan, and I attended a Professional Development Day held by the Catholic Schools Office, led by expert teacher Michael McDowell from San Francisco. He is a distinguished educator whose expertise in teaching has been widely acknowledged. In his renowned book, “Developing Expert Learners,” McDowell shares invaluable insights into his transformative approach to education. Last Friday McDowell shared his insights into the importance of differentiated instruction; tailoring lessons to meet the unique needs and abilities. McDowell also shared his knowledge around fostering a supportive learning environment where students feel comfortable expressing themselves and taking risks. Finally, McDowell emphasised the value of encouraging creativity and independent thinking, inspiring students to explore their passions and take ownership of their learning Journey. We look forward to sharing his valuable insights with our Staff here at St Joseph’s.

A huge congratulations to Imogen and Kai who  performed in the Aspire Production this week at the Civic Theatre. Stage 2 & 3 loved the performance last week and seeing Imogen shine in her vocalist role and Kai in the orchestra. We are so proud of you both. It was also great to see so many ex-St Joseph’s children in the production. 

Warm regards,

Kathryn Hill

From the Office of Safeguarding

EVERY DAY IN SCHOOL MEANS SO MUCH MORE 

Regular attendance at school is essential for students to achieve quality life outcomes.  Everyday counts, as regular attendance helps students: 

• Develop a sense of belonging
• Develop and maintain friendships
• Be more engaged at school
• Progress with their learning
• Be more aware of career and life options.

Supporting positive school attendance is a shared responsibility - everyone has a role to play in promoting the regular attendance of students. 

Kind Regards

Kathryn Hill

News from the Religious Coordinator

Sacramental News

We have now commenced our preparation for confirmation. Confirmation is the sacrament which strengthens the promises made at baptism and gifts candidates with a stronger blessing of the Holy Spirit to assist them in their daily lives. We pray for our candidates as they prepare for confirmation on the 24^th of August 6:30pm at St Mary Immaculate Church Charlestown. 

Mary Mackillop’s Feast Day

Next Tuesday the 8^th of August we will celebrate the Feast of St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop. Stage 3 will be celebrating by travelling by bus for a joint celebration at Gateshead with students from St. Pauls and St. Mary’s. The rest of the school will celebrate this special day with an in class   liturgical celebration. Mary MacKillop remains a strong role model for Catholic schools in showing us how to meet the needs of all and spreading the love of Jesus.

Upcoming Dates

St. Mary of the Cross Feast Day 8.8.23

Fathers’ Day Celebrations Friday 1^st September from 12:30pm

News from the Primary Coordinator

Positive Behaviours for Learning (PBL)

Our PBL focus this fortnight is Do Your Best. This is an important focus area as children learn the importance of contributing to a group goal, rather than an individual goal. They will be discussing the qualities of being a good team player such as sharing tasks equally, being fair, including others, encouraging others, demonstrating focus, and displaying a commitment to the task. By evaluating several different scenarios, students will identify how they can become even better team players. If you have an opportunity, please discuss these concepts with your children at home. 

Happy Birthday to the following students

We wish the following students are very happy birthday for the month of August.

Hub News

Sports News

A big thank you to the P&F for the donation of $2000! Their generosity has allowed us to purchase a variety of new sports equipment for both play and sports lessons. We hope the children will enjoy these wonderful new additions to our school by demonstrating our PBL values - ‘Care For All Belongings’.

Mr. Faith

Stage 2 News

What an exciting start to Term 3 we have had. Here are some highlights>

Welcome Miss Duff

Miss Duff is with us for Term 3 . She is working with 3 Red on her final internship.

Hello! My name is Miss Duff.

I am in my final year of studying a Bachelor of Education at the University of Newcastle and I am very grateful to have the opportunity to do my final internship at St Joseph’s.

When I am not in the classroom, I enjoy going for walks, swimming at the beach, and baking sweet treats. Two fun facts about me are that my favourite ice cream flavour is cookies and cream, and my favourite animal is a koala.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my first two weeks at St Joseph’s and look forward to the exciting term ahead.

Public Speaking

We have been working solidly on our public speaking skills developing techniques for speech writing and delivery. In week 2 we co-constructed success criteria which will help us as we prepare for this week’s public speaking competition. On Wednesday we will have in class competitions and a stage 2 final on Thursday and determine a representative for our stage on Friday.

Maths- Whole Number

This year with our new focus on maths in our strategic plan, we are developing our understanding of whole number concepts which are key to mathematical understanding across the mathematics curriculum. Number of the day allows us to develop our understanding of whole number at different access points.

Excursions

We had an amazing two days last week as we watched the Diocesan performance of Aspire  which was magnificent and on Friday travelled to Sydney to see the Powerhouse Museum and parts of the city. The weather was magnificent. We are so grateful to our volunteers and we had so much fun sightseeing and experimenting. It was a great day!

RE Stage 2

This term we are studying the meaning of liturgy in stage 2. This is central to our Catholic faith and understanding of public worship within the Catholic Church.  We now understand that liturgy means “work of the people” and describes the formalised prayer within the Catholic Church.

Stage 3 News

Stage 3 Religion:

In Year 5, students have embarked on a journey to explore the significance of the sacrament of healing. Through engaging lessons and thoughtful practices, we are delving into the sacred practice of healing and reconciliation within our faith. Emphasising the importance of empathy and compassion, Year 5 are also exploring the role of forgiveness. Jesus gave us two Sacraments of Healing — the Sacraments of Reconciliation and of the Anointing of the Sick.

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In Year 6, our lessons have been centred around the Sacrament of Service. We are learning about the essence of selflessness and the act of giving back within the context of their faith. Year 6 learners are discovering that service extends beyond mere actions and lies at the heart of fostering a sense of community and compassion. The Sacraments of Service are comprised of the Sacraments of Holy Orders and Matrimony (marriage). 

Public Speaking

Stage 3 students are diving into the world of public speaking, building upon the foundation laid in earlier years. With newfound confidence and a growing command of language, our stage 3 learners are being introduced to more complex speech techniques, allowing them to articulate their thoughts with eloquence and clarity. Through a combination of structured exercises, impromptu challenges and topical presentations, students are refining their ability to captivate an audience and convey ideas.

P&F News

Come and join our P & F Committee. We meet twice per term and our next meeting is Monday 14th August 6:30pm. It's a great way to hear firsthand what is going on in our school and an opportunity to support our school in it's endeavours to provide a great place for our children to learn and grow.

Canteen News

Kelly our Canteen Officer would love to see you if you have a spare couple of hours to assist in the canteen. Volunteers need to be registered with our CSO, by following this link: https://www.mn.catholic.org.au/people/volunteer/

Once cleared please sign up for a shift. The children love to see you here!

https://signup.zone/ZYkfNzsbws83p9yHM

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 Michelle for further information.  

MICHELLE BIRCH 
NOMINATED SUPERVISOR | ST NICHOLAS OOSH    
P 0429 435 571     M  0429 435 571   
Email michelle.birch@stnicholasmn.org.au   Visit us online www.stnicholasoosh.org.au