Term 3 Week 9

What's on at St Joey's

Principal's Messages

Dear Parents and Carers,

Since last writing we have celebrated Father’s Day at school with a BBQ lunch and afternoon of games, the opening of our Indigenous Nature Resource Garden and Child Protection Week. The students have had opportunity to participate in a number of extra curricula activities including Interschool Chess Tournament, ASPIRE band and choir workshop, Yr 5 Leadership Day, Yr 6 Faith Formation Day, Electrical Safety Workshops, E Safety Webinar, Yr 6 Diocesan Religion Assessment, Lakes Region Netball Gala Day and Under 10 NRL Gala Day. All these events add value to our students’ experience of school and are only made possible by the commitment and dedication of my amazing staff to go the extra mile to organise them. I express my gratitude to them and am pleased to say most of our students also say thank you when given these extra opportunities.

Staff have been busy in professional learning trialling various coteaching strategies in the classroom as a part of our school improvement goals. We have hosted 20 Pedagogical Mentors, expert teachers from other schools, who visited our classrooms and shared their experience of a learning walk and talk in our rooms. They were all impressed by our students and their ability to articulate their learning and were also very positive about our beautiful school environment. In other professional learning we have focussed on the importance of the mass, why attending mass/church with our students is integral to promoting our faith and connections to our parish. This week our Kinder and Stage 3 students will attend the parish mass at 9:30am Wednesday. Parents and friends are also welcome to join us at St Mary Immaculate church Charlestown.

Across the school we have welcomed Flynn our new lawn maintenance contractor and Pete our new maintenance / handyman. LA homes completed landscaping to the area above the infants playground, refilled our sandpit, built a cubby house in the nature play area and built a stage in the Kinder/Yr 1 outdoor learning space. The school admin and hub buildings had the windows cleaned professionally and the canteen had a professional deep clean. Our school is looking great and is an exciting place to learn and play in.

In the last few weeks, we have welcomed the following new families to our school community; Wilcher, Croal and Ford. Avalon, Sylvie and Cohen have joined our Stage 3 classes and we look forward to getting to know them over the following weeks.

We have launched our new look website, thanks to our Catholic Schools Office, Media team. Check it out here: https://www.charlestown.catholic.edu.au/ Thank you to our wonderful students who were happy to be involved in the updated photo shoot.

Deepest sympathy to the Evans family with the loss of Oscar’s grandfather. We keep Brad, Nat, Harry, Macy and Oscar in our thoughts and prayers at this sad time and always.

Tomorrow we will hold an exciting fun filled fundraiser for Catholic Care. As you know we focus our fundraising support at least once a term on our Catholic agencies, St Vincent De Paul, Catholic Care and Catholic Mission as well as other related community needs such as RUNDIPG throughout the year. All these agencies work in our local area and overseas supporting our most vulnerable people. Catholic Care have seen an increase in people needing their services such as their community kitchen, providing meals for the homeless and many families in need. Read further about the important work of Catholic Care here: https://mnnews.today/social-services/2023/catholiccare-delivers-support-to-those-who-are-struggling/

Thank you in advance for supporting this important cause and huge thanks to our mini vinnies students and their families for supplying the games, activities and treats for tomorrow’s fair.

Tonight, we have our P & F meeting, all are welcome to attend at 6:30pm in the staffroom. We will be discussing the CSO directive to move to the PEG/FACE model in the next 2 years. Currently we have a wonderful group of volunteers who assist in the canteen, run the uniform shop and organise the fundraisers. We can always welcome new members even if it’s just to see what is happening in our school. Huge thanks to our team, Katie, Nat and Kim for organising the Father’s Day gifts with approx. $900 raised for the school. Thank you again for supporting these efforts. The money raised is always donated back to the school for extra resources or to add to the purchase goals of the P & F such as the roll over of our Hub laptops every 5 years. Next term we will be organising the design and build of our new ninja/fitness circuit as voted on by the students. Funds raised from last year’s Gr8 Race and further financial commitment from the school and P&F will bring this project to fruition.

This Friday we welcome our Kinder students for 2024 for their first of 3 Play & Learn Sessions. Our year 5 students are very excited to be meeting their buddies for 2024 and to showing them around our school, helping them to become familiar and confident in our environment.

On Sunday 17th Sept, our choir and band will be performing at the Kahibah Village Fair. Thank you to Mrs Karyn Savage for organising and practising this performance with our students and thanks to those parents for supporting their child's attendance. See below for more information and please come along and support our school if you can!

As we come to the end of what has been a very exciting and active term, I remind you of our PUPIL FREE DAY on Friday 22^nd September. Staff will be offsite participating in a formation day focussing on Catholic social teachings and encounter with God, through each other and through our actions. This is an important part of our accreditation and faith development as Catholic teachers.

I wish all our wonderful students and families a happy and safe Spring holiday break.

We look forward to seeing you back at school on Monday 9^th October.

God Bless,

Kate Drake

News from the Assistant Principal

Dear Parents and Carers,

Last week we acknowledged National Child Protection Week. The theme for 2023 is “Where we start matters.” Throughout the week, each class focused on activities related to child protection and safety as part of their PDHPE lessons.  

Children are safest when they are listened to, respected and believed.

All adults can play a part by ‘tuning in’ to children in everyday situations about small worries; then they are much more likely to feel comfortable telling us if something big is wrong.

National Child Protection Week is a great time to start conversations with children and families about feeling safe.

Tips for Talking with children about safety:

• Support children to identify trusted adults (both within the family and outside) they can talk to, if they are worried, upset, or don’t feel safe. Make sure these adults know they are on your child’s list.
• Remind children that they can talk to you or a trusted adult about anything, no matter how big or small their worry might be.
• Talk to children about how they know when they feel safe or unsafe. Help them to listen to their early warning signs (how their body feels), and to trust their feelings and instincts.
• Use everyday activities as opportunities for conversations (e.g. preparing meals and snacks, going for walks, playing, shopping). If children are used to having lots of communication, it can make it easier to talk when big or tricky issues come up.
• Be open to talking about all kinds of feelings, including anger, joy, frustration, fear and anxiety. This helps children to develop a ‘feelings vocabulary’.
  

Wishing you a fabulous fortnight ahead,

with every best wish,

Nikki Norley

Assistant Principal

From the Office of Safeguarding

Safeguarding information for parents

The Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle has an absolute and abiding commitment to promote the safety, welfare, and wellbeing of children. As a parent sending your child or children to a Diocesan school, you should be aware of your rights and obligations in protecting your child and all children in our schools.

The Children and Young Person’s (Care and Protection) Act 1998

In NSW we can report certain information to the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ). If we are concerned for one or more of the children in the school, we can discuss our concerns with a teacher, Assistant Principal or Principal. We can report our concerns to the Child Protection Helpline (Ph. 132 111, 24 hrs/7 days) if we have reasonable grounds to suspect that a child or young person is at risk of significant harm and our concerns are current. Risk of significant harm may occur from a single act or omission or to a series of acts or omissions.

When determining how serious your concerns for a child may be, always consider whether that child has any particular risk factors, including:

• age, the younger the more dependent
• physical disabilities, developmental delays, or medical conditions
• social isolation
• culturally diverse background
• diverse sexuality and gender
• nobody looking out for the child they could depend on.

It is better to be safe than sorry, so if uncertain, talk to a staff member at the school.

As parents you are entitled to contact the Office of Safeguarding directly about any concerns you have about the safety, welfare or wellbeing of a child. (Ph. 4979 1390 Mon-Fri).

News from the Religious Coordinator

Religious Literacy Assessment

Last week year 6 acrosss the Diocese were tested about their religious literacy knowledge. This test occurs annually to assess understanding of content knowledge accumulated during their primary years. The online test considered liturgy, sacraments of service as well as events from the Christian and Hebrew scriptures. Results will inform further teaching practice in the next year. .

The launch of Mission Month

On the 10^{th of} October, Some of our year 6 leaders will travel to McDonald Jones Stadium for the launch of Mission Month. During Mission Month, we raise awareness and funds for Mission work around the world.  Socktober events are held which will focus on supporting children in Timor-Leste to have a brighter future.

At the launch of Mission Month, some competitions are happening to begin the fundraising and awareness.

1. For adults you can go into the draw for the prizes below if you donate $10 following the QR code below.
2. For children, raffle tickets will be sold at school at lunch times until the end of term with the chance of winning a signed Jersey or soccer balls.

Prizes will be drawn on the 10^th of October.

News from the Primary Coordinator

Last Wednesday St Joseph’s hosted a Numeracy networking day with 10 other Catholic schools in our diocese. This year our diocese has been working with renowned mathematician and educator, Peter Sullivan delving into his work around "Launch Explore Summarise." This is a program aimed at enhancing students' mathematical comprehension and problem-solving skills. We spent this day collaboratively working with these other schools on improving Mathematics using the current research from Peter Sullivan on Launch, Explore, Summarise. Launch, Explore, Summarise is a unique approach to numeracy education that focuses on active learning and critical thinking. This program encourages students to explore mathematical concepts in a hands-on, engaging way, allowing them to develop a deeper understanding of the subject.

Peter Sullivan’s work aligns with our school's commitment to providing the best possible education for our students. By incorporating this innovative approach to numeracy, we aim to:

-Prepare students for future academic and career success by equipping them with critical thinking and problem-solving.

-Foster a love for math and an appreciation for its real-world applications.

- Enhance students' mathematical proficiency and confidence.

Warm regards,

Mrs. Kathryn Hill

Happy Birthday to the following students

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

Sports News

Last week all Stage 2 and 3 students attended the Lakes Regional Netball Gala Day and two St Joey's teams attended the Under 10's NRL Gala Day. All students played well and showed exceptional sportsmanship. Many thanks to the parents who assisted with the coaching and managing of our teams.

Gala Day Fun

News from the Classrooms

Library News

Aboriginal Education News

Aboriginal Education 

We recently celebrated our new Native Resource Garden with an official Opening Ceremony.

We were privlidged to have in attendance at our ceremony, Aunty Margaret, Aunty Laurel, Aunty Carol, Aunty Steff and Nanna Wilson. These remarkable women are prominent Aboriginal Elders and members of our community. Also joining us were Lake Macquarie City Council members, members from the Catholic Schools Office leadership team and Father Tony.

During our ceremony we officially unveiled our new sign and Awabakal name for the garden -  ‘Ka-u-ma Ngarra’ which translates to Gather Together. Hear. Listen. Understand.

Our ceremony started with a beautiful smoking by Aunty Steff. The smoking cleansed Ka-u-ma Ngarra of any negative energy and made room for new positive energy. According to many Aboriginal traditions, also cleansing Ka-u-ma Ngarra was the rain that fell!! While the rain was wonderful for our garden- we had to make a quick dash to the COLA to continue our ceremony.

Even with the rain and swift change of location, students, staff and special guests still enjoyed a lovely Opening Ceremony.

Over the coming weeks, I will continue to lead experiences for students and teachers so that they are aware of the significance and importance of our Ka-u-ma Ngarra. This beautiful space is so special for our school and will continue to be a respected, multi-sensory and calming place for our students which pays homage to Awabakal Country and peoples.

Australian First Nations Cultural Events

2nd September: Indigenous Literacy Day

Indigenous Literacy Day is a national celebration of Indigenous culture, stories, language and literacy.

Literacy provides a fundamental step of building context, comprehension and understanding, whether it is written, visual or auditory. For kids who miss that foundational step in their literacy journey, it has a lifelong impact.

In remote Communities across Australia there is often no infrastructure such as libraries or bookstores. Access to reading material is extremely limited and this impacts the achievements of Indigenous children.4

Indigenous Literacy Foundation’s three programs, Book Supply, Book Buzz and Community Publishing Projects, focus on ensuring access to quality resources, including books in First Languages, publishing Community stories and supporting Communities and families to lead the entire process to ensure leadership, ownership, and authenticity is held with Community Elders and residents.

Since 2011, the Indigenous Literacy Foundation has worked with over 400 remote communities, gifted 636,000 books, supplied 83 playgroups with early literacy Book Buzz resources, and published 143 books reflecting 26 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages.

 More information about ILF can be found below.

 https://www.indigenousliteracyfoundation.org.au/who-we-are

3rd September: Anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

This is the anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 13 September 2007.

The Declaration is the most comprehensive international commitment in addressing the rights of Indigenous peoples.

It establishes a universal framework of minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of the Indigenous peoples of the world.

Danielle Shaw

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Teacher

School Fees

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Annual fee statements have been emailed to you.

Please arrange payment by Bpay, Direct Debit, cash or credit card. All year 6 fees will have to be finalised before school camp. Also note, St Mary's Gateshead require a fee clearance from us prior to acceptance to into Year 7, 2024.

Any family experiencing  financial difficulty please email Mrs. Drake or the school office for assistance. 
Thank you to the familes that have finalised their fees or are honouring the regualr Bpay/direct debit deductions as arranged.
Amale Yi (Adminstration Officer)

Band and Choir.

Family and friends! Come and enjoy Kahibah Village fair this Sunday 17^th September and support our school band and choir who will be performing between 10 and 11 am. Pony rides, face painting, magic shows and stalls will run from 9 am to 1pm.

Choir and Band students will meet Mrs Savage in full Summer school uniform at 10.00am at the playground ready to play around 10.20am. Band students are to bring instruments, music stand, music and pegs for music. We are looking forward to a fabulous day!

Mrs Karyn Savage

P&F News

All welcome to attened our P&F meeting tonight at 6.00pm in the school staffroom.

Thank you

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*

Opening hours - Monday and Friday 8:30am - 9:15am.
Request for donations of second hand items in good condition, particularly smaller sizes for the upcoming kinder orientation mornings.

Thank you!
Lindsey

Healthy Eating Snippets

Balsamic baked vegetables

Ingredients

2 carrots, peeled, cut into chunks
1 medium sweet potato, peeled, cut into chunks
½ butternut pumpkin, peeled, cut into chunks
4 medium potatoes, cut into chunks
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup water
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
½ tbsp honey
1 cup baby spinach

Method

Preheat oven to 150 ^oC /130^oC fan forced.

Place all of the vegetables (except baby spinach) in a roasting pan along with the garlic.

Combine the water, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and honey in a jug and drizzle over all of the vegetables.

Bake for 45 minutes or soft and until golden. Toss through the baby spinach leaves.

Tip:

Mix through a tin of drained chickpeas for added protein.

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  

Spanish Club

Holiday Kids Fun Club

Motiv8sports.