Term 2 Week 6 2023

PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE

Dear Parents and Carers

On Monday this week, our Staff were involved in a Staff Spirituality Day.  This involved listening to Bishop Greg Homeing challenge us to reflect on the notion of work and how we engage in it and the impact we have on others through our work.  Catholic Education is a vocation, not a job, we are called into a deeper relationship with God through our work.  Bishop Greg asks us if we "experienced work as just a job or is it something we enjoy". All workplaces should be places that are fair and safe but what do we do when we find our work "tiresome?"

Stephen Covey says that we are "not a product of our circumstances, we are a product of our decisions".  In Catholic Education, work is based on a desire to love those around you, which at times isn't always an easy task. 

Often the fruits of our work, particularly with students, are not seen until many years later when we run into students and hear of their life, work, and family successes.  It is at this point that we may witness a very grateful adult for the way we treated them as a student.  

This is often true as parents.  We nurture, challenge, care, and sacrifice for our children and often don't see the impact we have had on them until they themselves become adults and parents. 

Bishop Greg inspires us to embrace the moment and be grateful for the small things as these can get lost as we live very busy and complicated lives.

"All that we are looking for in life-all the happiness, contentment, and peace of mind-- is right here in the present moment. Our very own awareness is itself fundamentally pure and good.  The only problem is that we get so caught up in the ups and downs of life that we don't take the time to pause and notice what we already have." 

Take time this weekend to be 'in the moment' with your family.

God Bless

Tracey 

Assistant Principal Learning & Teaching

As per my previous newsletter and compass emails, our Public Speaking Competition is in its selective phase whereby the six representatives from each class present their speeches to the adjudicators.  This process will be finalised by next week and the two selected representatives from each class, will then compete at the school level in the Church on Wednesday 21st June at 10:00am. These children are of a very high standard and it is with joy that I invite you all to come and view these speeches if you have the time.

I am very proud of the work of all the children in preparing these speeches and they have all achieved very good outcomes. I thank the parents for helping the children prepare as well as they wouldn't be able to do it without you. 

Two finalists from each stage will then compete in the Combined Catholic Schools Public Speaking competition on Thursday 10th August.

Cheers

Chris

Assistant Principal Mission

Dear St Joseph's Community,

As we look to round out Week 6 of Term 2, now is a timely reminder for all of us to have a wellbeing check-in.  Statiscally, schools Australia wide report a spike in wellbeing and behaviour concerns in Weeks 6 and 7 of each term.  Factors that influence this include fatigue, stress and the inability to see the light at the end of the tunnel that is the end of term.  Now is an important time to have conversations with your children to see how they are travelling with their schooling.  It is also a good opportunity to review our sleeping habits, technology habits, levels of exercise and our diets as these all have profound impacts on our wellbeing and ability to cope with stress.  If you notice changes in your child's activity, motivation or emotions, please continue to connect with your child's teacher so we can work together to support and have everyone on the right track keeping happy and learning to potential.

Thank you to everyone that is continuing to support our Can Can Day food drive.  Each assembly, we will be learning a little more about the topic of homelessness and how vital and well received our donations are.  The drive will culminate in our Can Can Day and Pyjama Day on Friday June 23.  Year 5 and 6 students will also be invited to participate in our Vinnies Sleepout Experience that evening.  Keep an eye out for details of this next week.

Ryan O'Connor

LEADER OF PEDAGOGY- Learning and Teaching

At St. Joseph's, we believe in providing the best possible education for all of our students. To ensure that our students are meeting their reading comprehension goals, we use a tool called the PROBE assessment. This assessment is widely used in primary schools in Australia and worldwide to evaluate students' reading abilities. It consists of a series of graded reading passages with various questions designed to measure students' understanding of what they have read. By using this assessment, we are able to identify areas where students may need additional support and track their progress over time. Our goal is to ensure that each and every student is equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to achieve academic success.

Gough and Tumner's Simple View of Reading is a widely accepted framework for understanding the components of reading comprehension. The framework proposes that reading comprehension is the product of two key components: decoding (word recognition) and linguistic comprehension (understanding the meaning of language). The PROBE assessment aligns with this framework as it assesses students' understanding of what they have read, which is a crucial component of reading comprehension. By using the PROBE assessment, we are able to gain insight into our students' linguistic comprehension skills and identify areas where they may need additional support to improve their overall reading comprehension.

- Victoria Atkinson (Leader of Pedagogy)

IMPORTANT DATES

12th June King's Birthday Public Holiday (NSW)

16th June Whole School Athletics Carnival Cudgen

21st June Public Speaking Finals 10 am - 12.30 pm (in the church)

23rd June Can Can Day/Pyjama Day (children can wear pyjamas to school for the day)

24th June Parent Forum Trivia Doors open at 6 pm (Adults Only)

30th June Last day of term 3

MESSAGE FOR PARENTS -Medication Advice

Dear Parents,

Catholic Schools Office has advised us that no panadol/paracetamol/ibuprofen is to be administered by staff unless accompanied by a letter from a doctor and a packet labelled by a chemist.

BOOK CLUB NEWS

Orders for book club issue 4 are due by Monday 19th June. 

Please find below some information and a reminder guide for ordering through Scholastic Book Club on line.

New Compass Feature for Parents

One-Time Passcode Login for Mobile App

Users can now log into the Compass app with a one-time passcode using their mobile number or email address. This feature removes the need for a password and increases data protection. Please click on the link above for more information.

PARENT FORUM MEETING

The next Parent Forum meeting will be held next Monday 5th June 2023 at 5.30 pm. All parents/carers are most welcome to attend.

Parent Forum Trivia Night

SAFE ON SOCIALS - Youtube Kids