Term 3 Week 9

What's on at St Joey's

Principal's Messages

Welcome to our final newsletter for Term 3. It’s hard to believe how fast this term has gone, I think that’s not only a sign of business but also how much I have enjoyed my time here at St. Joseph's!

Last week we had our final P & F meeting for term 3. Thank you to the wonderful group of volunteers who 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 for our latest donation from the P & F which was two new gazebos with the schools’ values displayed. They have already been successfully showcased at the various gala days over the past few weeks.

Last Friday, five of our talented students competed at the Polding Athletics Championship! This remarkable achievement is a testament to their dedication, hard work, and sportsmanship.

• Mefi Tauveli – 10th in shot put and 6th in the 13 yr 100m
• Lochlan Obrien – 3rd in Discus (through to All Schools competition) and 4th in High jump
• Frankie Gruschka – Shot put and 2nd in Discus (through to All Schools competition)
• Otto Gruschka – unfortunately was sick and unable to compete
• Aria Lee- 10th in the 800m and 9th in 1500m (both runs were a PB for Aria)

Congratulations to Tanner Tindall on his progress through to the NSWPSSA rugby union development camp over the weekend in Daceyville. This is a great achievement, and we are very proud of you!

Yesterday, our choir and band performed 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.

A huge congratulations to both teams who participated in Tournament of Minds last weekend. The girls have been working hard for 7 weeks now and it paid off with fantastic performances highlighting their creativity. A huge thanks to all parents for accompanying the students and helping with props and to Mr Fox for organising the Teams!

Last week, we emailed information to our kindergarten families for 2025, welcoming them to the first of 3 Play & Learn Sessions beginning on October 25^th . Our year 5 students are very excited to be meeting their buddies for 2025 and to showing them around our school, helping them to become familiar and confident in our environment.

St Joseph’s Primary School Writing Fair - Thursday, 26th of September 🕸

We’re excited to invite all parents and families to our annual Writing Fair on Thursday, the 26th of September!

🕑 Time: 1:30 PM
📍 Where: St Joseph's Primary School

Come along and walk through the fair, where you can view the amazing Spooky Stories our students have created. Following the walkthrough, we’ll be holding a special assembly where students from each grade will showcase their wonderful writing.

Don’t miss this chance to celebrate the creativity of our young authors!

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 27^th September. Staff will be engaging in professional learning around our schools’ positive behaviour for learning procedures along with continued learning and sharing on best practice in the classroom with the implementation of the NSW English and Mathematics syllabus.

Thank you all for welcoming me so warmly into your amazing Joey’s community. It has been a privilege and pleasure to have spent the term working alongside you all.

I wish all our wonderful students and families a happy and safe Spring holiday break and I know Kate Drake and the staff are looking forward to seeing you back at school on Monday 14^th October.

Warm regards,

Kate Wilson

Assistant Principal

The Benefits of Open Classrooms and Co-Teaching Practices:

In today’s evolving educational landscape, schools are embracing innovative methods to enhance student learning and development. One of the most effective approaches gaining traction is the use of open classrooms and co-teaching practices. These methods foster collaboration, create dynamic learning environments, and cater to diverse student needs.

Collaboration at its Best: Open classrooms provide students with the opportunity to collaborate not only with their classmates but also with teachers from different subject areas. This fluid exchange of ideas encourages creativity and allows students to learn from multiple perspectives. Co-teaching, where two or more teachers share responsibility for a group of students, takes collaboration to the next level. With teachers pooling their expertise, students benefit from differentiated instruction that caters to various learning styles.

Personalised Learning Opportunities: One of the key strengths of co-teaching is its ability to offer personalised learning experiences. With more than one teacher in the room, small group instruction and one-on-one support become more achievable. Teachers can work together to identify students’ individual strengths and areas for improvement, tailoring lessons to ensure that every student can thrive. This approach not only helps struggling students receive the attention they need but also allows advanced learners to be challenged.

Developing Social and Emotional Skills: The open classroom environment encourages students to communicate, collaborate, and build relationships with their peers. Co-teaching models also provide a valuable opportunity for students to witness positive teamwork and problem-solving among their teachers. These experiences help foster social and emotional skills, such as empathy, cooperation, and conflict resolution, which are critical for success both inside and outside the classroom.

Maximizing Teacher Expertise: When teachers work together, they can share their areas of expertise, strengthening the overall instructional experience. The variety of teaching styles and strategies enriches the classroom environment. Students benefit from diverse instructional approaches, and teachers grow professionally through ongoing collaboration and reflection.

Flexibility and Adaptability: Open classrooms and co-teaching practices also create a flexible learning space. With fewer barriers, both physical and instructional, classrooms can be adapted to suit the needs of different lessons and activities. This flexibility ensures that students remain engaged and that teachers can employ a wide range of teaching methods, from project-based learning to hands-on activities.

We love our open classrooms here at St Joey's. 

Warm regards,

Kathryn Hill

THE GR8 RACE FUNDRAISER FOR 2024.

EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT
THE GR8 RACE IS OUR MAJOR SCHOOL FUNDRAISER FOR 2024.

On Friday 1 November our school oval will become a sports dreamworld. Our student’s eyes will light up when they arrive at school to see the colour, energy and incredible equipment that is THE GR8 RACE. Our students will be on a journey to visit as many countries as they can, completing challenges and activities at each to gain that country’s stamp on their passport. Whether it be ‘Colour Run in Cuba’, ‘Bolt Stack in Bulgaria’ or ‘Bullseye in Brazil’ the challenges are fun and engaging and the 90-minute race will see the kids having the time of their lives.

Prior to race day our students will gain sponsors (similar to what has been done in the past with say a skip-a-thon) however this is all online. To kick this event off, our students have today received their boarding pass to help them set up their online sponsor page. Sponsors will jump online and pledge a donation amount.

St Joseph’s are fundraising for an extension to our ninja park and we are so excited to be running a GR8 RACE to support this project. We can’t wait to see our wonderful school community get behind this very exciting initiative. All funds raised from sponsor pledges come directly to the school. We know the kids are going to love this and we thank our school community in advance for your support! Keep your eye out today for your child’s boarding pass to get them on their way.

Office of Safeguarding

News from the Religious Coordinator

First Holy Communion

The date for First Holy Communion has been changed until later in the year.  The Pastoral Coordinator, Leanne Hamilton recently contacted candidates to alert them to the change . The new date for Holy Communion is   Sunday 10^th November 9:30am.  There will be a rehearsal Thursday 7^th November 6pm. Both events will be at St Mary Immaculate Church, Charlestown. In the meantime, candidates are to consider materials sent from the Parish Office and we will check in on understanding later in the term at school.

Parish Mass

Stage 2 students will attend the Parish Mass at 9:30am on Wednesday September 25 week 10. Families are welcome to attend.

Community RUN DIPG event  

Many in the community joined us last year to support the local RUN DIPG event. We are creating a TEAM SJC again. The run/ walk is on Sunday 22^nd September starting at Liles Oval Redhead.  See- https://rundipg.org/run-4-run-dipg-24/   

When registering there is a question - Are you participating AS A TEAM? Choose existing team and Look for Team SJC .  If you have any questions, contact clare.paff@mn.catholic.edu.au.  

Primary Coordinator

This fortnight in Positive Behaviour For Learning (PB4L) we have been focusing on Living Like Jesus by Using Kind Words and Actions. This week we are focusing on kindness and classes can follow a kindness challenge or create their own. These Acts of Kindness are a simple, yet powerful way to encourage our students to spread kindness and connect with the community in meaningful ways. An example of a Kindness Challenge from Upschool is below.

Fostering kindness at school has many benefits as it creates a positive environment where students feel valued, safe, and supported. It encourages social skills of cooperation, empathy, respect and communication to build and maintain healthy relationships. When we strive to be kind together, it fosters a sense of community across the school and increases our positive emotions by helping others, as active contributors to the well-being of those around us.

During Child Protection Week, lessons focused on the theme ‘Every Conversation Matters’ and students were encouraged to reflect on trusted people they can talk to, and what qualities make a good friend. Students in Year 3 made a conversation tree with conversation starters hanging from the trees so that students and teachers can stop along the path and have a chat about different topics. It has been nice to see so many students using kind words along the path.

Last week we incorporated ‘R U OK? Day in our learning. It is run by a harm prevention charity that encourages people to stay connected and have conversations that can help others through life’s ups and downs. At school, we use their resources to help students learn how to start a conversation with their peers using the ALEC model (poster) and build their social and emotional skills needed to support each other and be good friends. This all supports our PB4L topic of using kind words and actions.
Kind regards,
Frances Courtney
Primary Coordinator  

Learning Support News

Aboriginal Education

Aboriginal Education 

We have certainly had a very busy time at school this term!!

Recently I had the pleasure of taking some of our primary Aboriginal students to St Paul’s Primary School Gateshead. Under the direction of their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teacher, Mrs Dannielle Peachey- our students designed and painted a beautiful story pole.

All six local schools within the Powaikaliko Malang Catholic Community of schools had the opportunity to take students to St Pauls to work with Mrs Peachey to create a school story pole that specifically centres around their school bird totem.

Our school totem is the werekada (kookaburra) which is the stunning feature point our story pole. Students also designed and painted many more additions to our story pole that are meaningful to our school and students.

We can’t wait to have this story pole placed on our school grounds!

Significant Cultural Dates

2^nd September: Indigenous Literacy Day

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

By getting involved in activities we focus our attention on the disadvantages experienced in remote communities and other places in Australia.

Click HERE to learn more

3^rd 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

Garden Group News

This week in garden group we happily harvested potatoes from our spud patch. The children were treated to potatoes of all shapes and sizes and learnt about the different parts of plants, what is edible and what is not.

Charlotte and Audrey continued their mini upcycling project, painting mushroom ornaments salvaged from the side if the road. These rejuvenated statues will feature in our 'Best Garden Bed' display at the upcoming Living Smart Festival on Saturday September 21st, at Speerspoint park. Please show your support for our display by voting on the day!

Spring is keeping our mini gardeners busy, as new seedlings of corn, beans, cucumbers and marigolds were planted this week, and have needed plenty of water in the dry weather.

Between all the gardening jobs and activities, we have still found time to paint rocks for the fairy garden.

The next few months will see a range of fruits and vegetables available for the children to taste, explore and enjoy.

Happy Birthday to the following students

We wish the following students a very happy birthday.

Hall of Fame

We love celebrating the achievements of our students both in and out of the classroom! If your child has recently accomplished something special in sports or any extracurricular activity, we encourage you to share their success with us. Whether it's a competition, performance, or personal milestone, we'd be thrilled to feature their accomplishments in our school newsletter. Please let us know so we can celebrate their hard work and dedication!

Congratulations to Daniel, Ben, Jeremy and Lachie for winning the Under 11s Rugby Grand Final on the weekend!!

Well done to Lincoln for his wonderful achievement in the Fundro event. 

Sophie Whale and her Kahibah U13A Grade Girls Interdistrict team won their Grand Final last weekend (8 Sep)!

Great achievement for the team and their second GF win - Back to back. Minor Premiers, Major Premiers & remain, Undefeated.

P&F News

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

Uniform Shop News 

As many of you may be aware, we have been working on transitioning the St Joseph’s Charlestown P&F Uniform Shop to an external provider throughout this year. We are pleased to confirm that we have finalised planning this transition with Wearitto Retail Solutions.

Wearitto will take over the operation of our school uniform shop in Term 4, 2024. Below is a summary of the changes, more information including links for ordering will be published at the end of this term. 

• Parents will be able to order uniforms online through the Wearitto website and click and collect from the school (or delivered to Home that has $12.50 Delivery Fee).
• Uniform shop will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays 8.00am to 10.00am
• Pricelist will be published shortly – Wearitto prices very similar to current P&F prices.
• Additional hours the week prior to School 2025 start date.

• SECOND-HAND UNIFORMS – this transition does mean that our second-hand uniform shop will no longer be available after Week 9, Term 3. We will be having a final clearance sale of ALL stock in the second-hand items on Friday 20^th September from 8:15am – 10:15am.
• WINTER CLEARANCE – to clear out winter stock before the transition, we are offering winter items at a 20% discount price until Monday 23^rd This will include winter shirts, grey trousers, navy slacks and navy box pleat tunics. Prices on Qkr! will be updated to reflect this discount and orders placed in the next 2 weeks will be filled as usual. Consider stocking up for future growth spurts!

• Qkr! will be closed for uniform orders at 3pm on Monday 23^rd All orders after this will be through the Wearitto website – opening date of website to be confirmed.

If you have any questions or want to check on any details, please email chl.uniformshop@mn.catholic.edu.au.

All enquiries to email: our volunteers. Shop open Tuesday and Friday at 8.45- 9.15am

chl.uniformshop@mn.catholic.edu.au

ORDER via the QKR App

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  

Healthy lunchboxes.

Fun Day Out.