Term 4 Week 5

What's on at St Joey's

Principal's Messages

Dear Parents and Carers, 

The term is well underway with many events planned to celebrate the end of the year. Please check all important dates above so that you are aware in advance of what is coming up. 

This week our school executive and lead learning team presented a video showcasing our school improvement journey over the last 3 years, to Dr Lyn Sharratt, the Catholic Schools Office and a team of other diocesan schools. We reflected on the work we have done with the 14 Parameters of school improvement, and we shared information about our school goals and data which reflects improvement in teaching and learning across our school. Our focus on writing remains a constant but we have shifted our professional development and learning goals to the area of mathematics. Staff work in professional learning teams (PLTs) and with a case management approach to improving learning for our students. We are proud of the work we are doing at St Joseph’s and were pleased with the positive feedback from Lyn and our colleagues from other schools. Improving practice and working collaboratively to improve the outcomes for every student is our purpose. 

I would like to put a call out for volunteers for the canteen and the upcoming swimming carnival. We have 117 parents and grandparents cleared on our Volunteers Register, which I thank you for. However, we are struggling to support the canteen each day.  If you can volunteer a couple of hours even once a term on a Wed/Thurs/Fri, it would be greatly appreciated, and the children love to see you. Our school swimming carnival also requires a number of helpers, please see our Compass request to volunteer. All volunteers must have a current Working with Children Check (through Service NSW) and be registered with our Diocesan Child Protection process. Please follow the link and sign up if you can: 

Diocesan Volunteer registration: https://www.mn.catholic.org.au/people/volunteer/ 

Canteen volunteers: https://signup.zone/ZYkfNzsbws83p9yHM 

Swim carnival: please email natalie.davis@mn.catholic.edu.au 

As we come to the end of the year, I ask that you please honour your commitment to your school fees and finalise them before the end of the year. School fee statements have been issued this week. I understand the commitment and strain of fees having sent my 5 children through Catholic education from K-12. Although we found it challenging at times, it is a commitment we do not regret. Our children have thrived and continue to in adult life, carrying with them the values and lessons taught in our family that were mirrored in partnership with their schooling. If you are experiencing genuine hardship, please contact me to discuss a support plan moving forward. 

Last week I was so pleased to receive a wonderful email from an ex-student who I had the privilege of teaching and who completed her final HSC exam last week. I will share it with you here. It is always so affirming to hear from our past and present students of their successes and of the things they are grateful for. 

Dear Mrs Drake,  

today I walked out of my last HSC exam, finishing the end of my 13 years of school. I am writing to thank you and the work of all the staff at St Joseph's for guiding me through my first years of schooling.  

 I cannot even begin to thank you for how much St Jospeh's shaped my experience at high school, without your guidance I wouldn't have finished Year 12 with an early acceptance offer of Secondary Education for English and Religion at Newcastle Uni or the Principal's award for my year cohort. It is such a testament to the environment that you have created at St Joseph's.  

Please share this with the staff, I genuinely appreciate you all so much!  

Warm regards,  

Ex student (permission given to publish email) 

Huge congratulations to Olive and Lochlan representing the POLDING team at the NSW PSSA Championships last week. We are so proud of both of you! We are also very excited that Olive who came second in high jump, has advanced to the State Team to compete at the Nationals in Tasmania, 23-26th Nov. To assist with the travel costs for Olive we will be holding a school fundraiser on Tuesday 14th Nov. More information will be released soon. We look forward to our community getting behind Olive’s achievement. 

Our deepest sympathy to Mrs Heidi Routley and her family on the loss of her Step Father. We pray that you are surrounded by your loved ones and comforted by the loving memories of him.  

Last week we celebrated All Saints Day (1st Nov) and All Souls Days (2nd Nov), both important feasts days in our Catholic tradition. A time to pause and reflect on the lives of the Saints who provide examples of lives lived in service of God and, All Souls, a special day to remember all those who have died and are now living eternally with God.  

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, 
and let perpetual light shine upon them. 
May the souls of all the faithful departed, 
through the mercy of God, rest in peace. 
~Amen~ 

Huge thanks to Brooke Sievert for organising another successful Subway Day for tomorrow. These are very well supported by the school community and the children and staff love their subs! We also receive $1 from every order which goes back to the P & F fundraising committee to support school resources. 

Our next P&F meeting will be held on Monday 13th Nov, 6:30pm. As advised last term our P&F will be transitioning to a FACE (Family and Community Engagement) model by 2025. Parents attending will be asked to provide feedback regarding schools’ family engagement forums. Leading the discussion will be representatives from the Federation of P&F Associations and leaders from the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle. 

Your feedback will inform the development of the FACE model, which the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle hopes will build on the strengths of both PEGS and P&F Associations that are currently operating amongst its system of schools. Our school has a thriving P&F and so it would be wonderful to have as many parents and carers in attendance as possible, to ensure our views are well represented and can hopefully influence how family engagement can be maximised across all schools.

Thanks to the generoristy of the Wade family, we are holding a Christmas Raffle P&F fundraiser.  

1st prize is 2 units accommodation, 2 nights, for 8 at Shoal Bay 

2nd prize is 1 unit accommodation, 2 nights, for 4 at Shoal Bay 

TICKETS are $5 each or 5 for $20

PURCHASE ON QKR now! 

See flyer below! 

Enrolments for 2024 are increasing and we now have a wait list for Kinder 2024 and a growing list for 2025. If your family is moving and or changing schools for next year, could you please let the school office know asap. We need to know the details of the new address and or new school for registration. 

Finally I would like to invite you to participate in our upcoming prayer vigil, 25/11 and 26/11, hosted by our parish to pray for two community members facing grave illnesses. Four year old Flo, daughter of our colleague Michelle and her husband Cameron, here at SJC and 13 year old Emma, daughter of Alex (teacher at St Paul’s) and her husband Brendan.  

It will commence on the Saturday at St Mary Immaculate Church Charlestown with the Holy Vigil Mass at 6.00pm. Following this, people are invited to spend time in Adoration before the exposed Blessed Sacrament during the night until 6.00am on Sunday. PLease use the QR code to sign up, on the flyer below. You may choose to cover more than one half hour period. At 6.00am, approximately sunrise, a symbol of Jesus Christ’s resurrection, a Eucharistic procession will be held from Charlestown church to St Paul’s Church Gateshead. Adoration before the exposed Blessed Sacrament will occur there from 7.00am-9.00am. Holy Mass will be celebrated at the normal time of 9.30am on Sunday. Following Mass, a parish sausage sizzle, with tea and coffee, will be held at St Paul’s Catholic Primary School Gateshead. 

It would be wonderful to have as many people involved as possible over the weekend.  

“When two or more are gathered in My Name, 

There I am in the midst of them.” 

Matthew 18:20 

God Bless, 

Kate Drake 

News from the Assistant Principal

Dear Parents,

The term is progressing quickly and plans for next year are already in motion. Reports will be live on Friday of week 9, December 8th.

Class lists

The class teachers, learning support teachers and the leadership team continue to formulate class lists for 2024. We have had a few inquiries as to how teachers place children in classes, this is done by looking at academic, social, and emotional considerations. To address the social and emotional considerations, teachers ask children to complete a sociogram where children identify friends they would like to be in class with, based on current friendships, children they work with in flexible groups or in inquiry units. There are times where great friendships do not result in effective placement in the same classes, which teachers are aware of, as they have a deep understanding of your child/ren. Classes for 2024 give children an opportunity to make new connections, while also strengthening existing friendships. Children can sometimes be a bit worried about their new class and teacher, this is quite common and expected, and we will work together with you and your child, to ensure a smooth transition. We have our planned Step-Up afternoon on Monday 11^th December. The children will spend an afternoon with their new class and teacher/s.

Children Leaving Early

Parents/Carers, a reminder to try to organise appointments etc. out of school hours. I know that at times this is unavoidable, but we are seeing an increasing number of children leaving early. Children are missing not only lessons, but social connections with their peers and teachers.

with every best wish,

Nikki Norley

Assistant Principal

From the Office of Safeguarding

NCSS 3

13 November – World Kindness Day https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/world-kindness-day

World Kindness Day – Have you considered volunteering?

Monday 13th November is World Kindness Day. Kindness has the power to change the world. We all have the power to make people happy. We do this in our actions and our words. Examples include giving someone a compliment, saying hello and genuinely asking people how they are going.

Volunteering our time is another way of being kind, and having our parents volunteer at our school is one way to make your children (our students) very happy. You could volunteer in our canteen, our uniform shop, be part of our reading groups or sporting events.

If you have ever considered volunteering at our school, please let us know so we can direct you to the volunteering registration form. Or you can access this yourselves by going to https://www.mn.catholic.org.au/people/volunteer/

News from the Religious Coordinator

Sacramental Group

Sacramental group continues on Thursdays at 6pm At St Paul’s Church Gateshead. Candidates are currently preparing for First Holy Communion which will be celebrated on the 19th of November at 9:30am at St Paul’s Church Gateshead. Please keep these children in your prayers.

Prayer Vigil for Flo Turner and Emma Walsh

Our colleague, Michelle Turner’s daughter Flo and teacher, Alex Walsh’s ( a teacher at St Paul’s) daughter currently have cancer. As a Parish and School community, we are coming together on the weekend of the 25th and 26th of November to pray for these beautiful girls and their families. We ask that you please consider how you can be involved during this prayer vigil. You may be able to stay for a short time to offer your prayers and support, come along to one of the Masses and join us at the BBQ at the end of the vigil. Please consider the details below.

All Saints and All Souls Day

This week we celebrated All Saint’s and All Soul’s Days. All Saints’ Day, November 1st, is a day to commemorate all saints, known and unknown in heaven. While All Soul’s Day on the 2nd of November is a day to remember the departed and pray for them as they make their way to heaven.

St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal

As Christmas draws closer, we know that budgets will be tight for many families this year with the increased cost of living. We are requesting each year to make a small donation of a food or pantry item if they can, to assist those in need. Items requested are:

Kinder- Lollies

Yr 1- chips, pretzels, nuts, popcorn

Yr 2- Tinned ham/fish

Yr 3 cordial soft frink

Yr 4 rice, pasta, pasta sauce

Yr 5- milo, long life milk , tea, coffee

Year 6- chocolate, shortbread, biscuits.

These items will be used by the local St Vincent de Paul Centre to make hampers for those in our community. We are requesting items come in by the 6th of December. On the 6th of December students may wear a Christmas coloured or themed clothes with sensible footwear to mark the day. Thank you for your support.

Dates to remember.

8th December - End of year Mass and awards: 9:30 am St Mary Immaculate Church, Milson St Charlestown

News from the Primary Coordinator

I have already witnessed the great work that the teachers are doing to improve the learning outcomes of the children by providing engaging and challenging learning opportunities, particularly within Literacy and Numeracy. I regularly visit classrooms and will share some of the great learning I see with fellow staff members.

Literacy and numeracy are essential skills that people need to succeed in their everyday lives. As a parent or carer, you will have already made a significant contribution to supporting your child’s learning from an early age through to their schooling years. Your role as a parent or carer is vital in teaching Literacy and Numeracy. You might not realise it, but you are already contributing to the development of your child’s literacy and numeracy skills through regular and simple activities. For example, in literacy; discussing the meaning of new words and phrases, the main ideas in books or events in a newspaper story. For numeracy, examples such as talking about saving pocket money, having a budget for shopping, and estimating the time it will take to travel from one place to another. Improving your child’s understanding and the use of these skills will help to increase their enthusiasm to actively participate in the classroom. It will effectively build on the foundation of numeracy skills they have already gained in earlier years. Ensuring that your child feels confident talking to you and their teachers about their schoolwork will enhance their opportunity to thrive in the 21st century.

What is literacy?

Literacy is the ability to read, view, write, design, speak and listen in a way that allows us to communicate effectively and to make sense of the world.

Why is literacy important?

Literacy is vital to ensuring your child has the best chance to succeed in their schooling and everyday life. Literacy allows us to make sense of a range of written, visual and spoken texts including books, newspapers, magazines, timetables, movies, television shows and radio programs, signs, maps, conversations and instructions.

Literacy Hint – It all starts with reading aloud to your child. You cannot overestimate the importance of this. The more words your child hears from the beginning of their life, the bigger their vocabulary will be — which will pave the way when they learn to read for themselves. Listening comprehension comes before reading comprehension.

What is numeracy?

To be numerate is to confidently and effectively use mathematics to meet the everyday demands of life.

Why is numeracy important?

Numeracy enables you to develop logical thinking and reasoning strategies in your daily life. We need numeracy to solve problems and make sense of time, numbers, patterns and shapes for activities like cooking, reading a map or bill, reading instructions and even playing sport.

Numeracy Hint – Look for opportunities to talk about numbers. For example, read speed signs as you are driving along the road, talk about the patterns in house numbers, look at and read phone numbers. And number plates on cars. Encourage your child to count often. Count forwards and backwards and begin at various numbers, not always zero.

Happy Birthday to the following students

We wish the following students are very happy birthday.

Sports News

This term, Cricket Blast are working with Stage 2 & 3 to support the students in gaining essential cricket skills. Each lesson focuses on a skill that aligns with cricket and fine and gross motor movement. In their first week, Stage 2 can be seen developing their hand-eye coordination and catching skills. After learning skills each week, the program will culminate in a game of cricket.

News from the Classrooms

GARDEN CLUB

P & F News

CHRISTMAS FUNDRAISER

Thanks to the generosity of the WADE family we will be raflfing accommodation at Shoal Bay for a family fun weekend away.

Tickets are available for purchase on QKR. 1 ticket for $5 or 5 tickets for $20. Monies raised will be donated back to the P & F to support the school.

1st prize is 2 units accommodation, 2 nights, for 8 at Shoal Bay 

2nd prize is 1 unit accommodation, 2 nights, for 4 at Shoal Bay 

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

School Fees

The annual school fee statements are emailed at the beginning of each month and payments should have
commenced. When you receive your statement, please arrange for a regular Bpay, Direct Debit or an 
annual payment. Cash payments can be accepted at the administration office between 8.00am-3.30pm 
Monday to Friday or credit card payments can be taken over the phone on 4943 5414.

All year 6 fees will have to be finalised, St Mary's Gateshead require a fee clearance from us prior to acceptance into Year 7, 2024.

Uniform Shop

WANTED - Donations of 2nd Hand Uniforms clean and in good condition please.

Please send in any items to the school office or drop to the uniform shop.

Opening hours  - Monday and Friday 8:45am-9:15am

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