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- Prayer Focus
- The Principal's Report
- Celebrating Our Faith
- Learning Together
- Parent Assembly
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- Sport Spotlight
- School Photos
- National Science Week
- Creative Corner
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- Peer Support
- Sunshine Cafe
- Student Awards
- What's On Next Week ...
- Advance Dates for Your Diary
- This Week's Notes
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We have already reached the end of another week, they seem to go so fast! During this Winter season, there are always going to be times of feeling unwell and I pray for all of our families that these times are short lived with a return to health quickly.
WELCOME TO OUR NEW STUDENTS
We were fortunate this week to welcome three new students to St Joseph’s. Abby Burg, Charli Robinson and Zada Robinson started with us this week, all in Year 3. We wish them and their families the best and offer our support as they settle into St Joseph’s.
FACEBOOK PAGES
We communicate in a number of ways of things happening in the school. One of these is our school Facebook page, where good news stories and reminders etc, are available to our families. Our classes have also had their own pages for more grade specific news and sharing. We have needed to pause those which may have been used already this year with some new guidelines requiring our attention. As soon as we are ready to have these in use again, we will let you know. In the meantime, please continue to read our newsletter and log in to your Facebook account and search ‘St Joseph’s Primary Port Macquarie’ to like our school page.
POLICE LIAISON OFFICER VISIT
During the week, our students in Kindergarten, Year 5 and Year 6 participated in a visit from Police Liaison Officer Wendy Hudson. Wendy has been generous with her time to us each year in bringing some messages to our students around being safe. Kindergarten focus on safety at their level of understanding and knowing who and how to access support if they are ever feeling unsafe. Year 5 and 6 focus on safety relating to their understanding, particularly online and ICT safety as they are engaging in the use of technology extensively both at school and home. If you haven’t already spoken to your child about the visit, it would be worthwhile to do so. We hope that the messages support you as a parent navigating life with children in a world that is not always as we wish it to be. We will publish some notes and fact sheets about the visits next week for your information. Please see below a useful information sheet on Fifteen Apps Parents Should Know About. It Is really important to know what your children are accessing and how to support them in being safe and taking responsibility for their use and actions.
UNIFORMS
We are spending time focussing on correct wearing of uniforms, as we had eased on families around the COVID-19 time. We need to remind families that wearing correct uniform is an important aspect of school life and should always be occurring. We are gradually working through the school reminding students about items that may need attending to and notes will go home reminding of these where needed. It is an expectation, as signed on enrolment, that the uniform policy will be adhered to. Please support your child in the correct uniform so they can take pride in and show respect for their school. A uniform review has been started across the Parish and hopefully in the coming months we will be able to share some of the findings of this and how this may support families in contemporary understanding of children’s needs. These take quite some time, so in the meantime, we are adhering to current policies and expectations.
Winter Uniform only to be worn on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Sports Uniform only to be worn on Thursday and Friday.
(The exception will be special days that are informed to parents and carers).
If there is a reason your child is unable to wear an item on occasion, you are required to send in a note.
As always, we have some second hand items in our school uniform room if you are in need of anything.
COVID-19 GUIDELINES FOR TERM 3
In addition to the guidelines shared with families at the end of the school holidays, please ensure you have read the update letter regarding COVID-19 testing sent out this week via email to all families.
DOLSIS PARENT SURVEY
Thank you to the families who have already completed the Insight SRC – Diocese Of Lismore School Improvement Survey (DOLSIS). The purpose of DOLSIS is to receive feedback from parents, students and staff on the different facets of school so that we can continue to improve our school setting. If you have received one and have yet to complete, there is one more week to go and we encourage you to do so and thank you for your contribution.
In the envelope you will have the option of a login to complete the survey online, and a paper copy of the survey to complete without technology and return to school. We would greatly appreciate your response to this survey as it will help guide our strategic planning for the future. The live survey period is from Monday 27th July to Friday 7th August 2020. We request that if you are completing the paper copy, you please return it to the school office by Wednesday 5th August for us to post to Insight SRC for inclusion in the survey results.
OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS
We extend our sympathy to Matthew Kelly (5G) and his family on the recent loss of his grandmother.
CONGRATULATIONS
We would like to acknowledge and congratulate Kiara Tattersall on a wonderful project completed through Girl Guides. In the group she is in, they have a Peak Achievement Award called the BP. For this task, there are 6 areas and the girls are required to do 3 activities in each area. One of these areas is Service, for which Kiara sewed manicure kits and donated them to the Women’s Refuge. In these are nail polish, nail polish remover, nail clippers, nail file and a piece of vinyl which people put their hands on for mess free polishing. From the photo, I am sure like me you are very impressed with this effort from Kiara.
Tess Koning
Principal
CHRISTIAN MEDITATION
During our whole school prayer on Monday, our SRC students lead us in Christian Meditation. Christian Mediation is a form of Catholic prayer which teaches our students to be SILENT and STILL. It requires participants to learn the art of contemplation and mindfulness.
By learning to pay attention in silence, Christian Meditation provides our students with a transformative experience where they can feel the presence of God’s love within themselves and in the world around them.
Christian meditation is a life-long gift that promotes awareness of self in stillness, simplicity and silence. Through contemplation, we develop greater self-control and the ability to manage our own impulsivity.
Meditation strengthens resilience whilst promoting intellectual spiritual, emotional and social intelligence.
Christian Meditation is known to decrease stress and anxiety levels, reduce blood pressure and can enhance personal well-being and increase in concentration and focus.
What can parents do at home to support the introduction of Christian Meditation?
- Encourage your child to practise it at home as part of their nightly routine.
- Ask your child to teach you how to practice Christian Meditation.
- Meditate with your child.
- Talk with your child about Christian Meditation.
For those who prefer praying to more traditional hymns, this COVID-19 Version of Abide with Me reminds us of the trials and tribulations of life and that God will always be with us.
14 Hymns of Hope to Sing During COVID-19 | Facts & Trends
DR EDWARD SRI WEBINAR
The Catholic Schools Office Lismore is inviting interested parents to register for the upcoming faith formation opportunities with Dr Edward Sri.
MASS AT CHRIST THE KING CHAPEL
Nathan Porter
Assistant Principal Mission
EDUCATING OUR STUDENTS TO BE CRITICAL THINKERS
Today’s students are bombarded with so much information on a daily basis - much of which can or has been manipulated, or driven by particular agendas. So how do we teach our students to sift through all that social media and determine what is real and what is not? Part of our role as adults and educators is to assist our children/students in developing the skills to become critical thinkers.
We know that solving problems is often linked to critical thinking but the ability to think critically is more about the quality of the process, rather than the difficulty of the problem.
The Australian Curriculum defines critical thinking as "at the core of most intellectual activity that involves students learning to recognise or develop an argument, use evidence in support of that argument, draw reasoned conclusions, and use information to solve problems."
This definition includes behaviours such as explaining, evaluating, analysing and hypothesising. Critical thinking is also classified as a general capability. This means that it can be developed both across and within different subject domains.
When we think about the media content our children are exposed to, we know how important it is for our children to be able to understand what drives and underpins the content they are viewing. Developing student’s inquiry skills, so that they know how to ask critical questions about the content, and to develop a positive disposition towards thinking critically, especially when interacting with social media posts, is essential.
To be well informed, safe and knowledgeable citizens, our young students need to learn to navigate news sources and media content and be able to use reasoning skills to decide the authenticity of what is being presented.
Jeannine Ucdereli
Assistant Principal Learning and Teaching
MARTIAL ARTS
We are excited to welcome Nathan Lynch from Kumiai Ryu Martial Arts, to provide a Karate program for our students in K-6.
The program uses traditional martial arts teachings and techniques to develop skills as well as gain confidence, social values, development of self respect, respect for others, team work, personal protection skills, behaviour, social control, self worth and goal setting.
Infant classes will participate on Thursdays for 30 minutes and Primary classes for 40 minutes on Fridays.
This year our Professional School Photographers will be visiting us next Monday 3rd August (Week 3).
School photo order envelopes were sent home with the students in the last week of Term 2. If you have misplaced yours and require another one please contact the Office Aunties. We also have Sibling order envelopes (for brothers and sisters here at St Joseph’s) available in the office if you would like one. Payment can be made online, with cash, credit card or cheques following the instructions on the envelopes. Please return your completed order envelope to the school office prior to, or on School photo day.
We ask all students to wear their full Winter school uniform and to ensure that items such as socks, shoes, hair ties and jewellery are as per our uniform list. If you are unsure, please check the Parent Handbook on our website via this link https://sjpport.schoolzineplus.com/st-joseph-s-primary-information-handbook.
For the smooth running of the process and so that your child does not miss out on their class group photo we ask that you endeavour to have your child at school on time dressed in the full uniform with their beautiful camera ready smiles.
National Science Week is Australia’s annual celebration of Science and Technology and runs from 15th to 23rd August.
It provides an opportunity to acknowledge the contributions of scientists, use of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, (STEM) professionals, innovators, designers and entrepreneurs in the world of science.
The aim of this year's theme ‘Deep Blue’ is to encourage young people to become fascinated by our planet's oceans, which cover two-thirds of its surface and help control its weather systems and the make-up of the atmosphere.
This year our students will be celebrating National Science Week with a trip to our very own St Joseph’s Maker Space where they will be participating in a unique experience connected to this year's theme.
Sarah Blundell
Leader of Digital Pedagogies/STEM
UNESAP 2020 ART PRIZE WINNERS ANNOUNCEMENT
Last term we announced that Koen Swaysland (KM), Isla Schneider-Smith (2T) and Leyla-Jane Ahoy (5G) were finlaists out of 448 students artwork entries in the University of New England Student Acquisitive Art Prize 2020, Let's Hang it!
The winner announcement will be made via video from 5:00pm today, Friday 31st July on the New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM) webpage and the online exhibition 'Let's Hang It' will also open at this time. Student's artworks will be able to be viewed on the site unitl 16th August 2020. A People’s Choice award will be running in conjunction with the exhibition. You can view the announcement, exhibition and vote for your favourites through this link http://neram.com.au/
We wish our students the very best of luck!
HEM SOLD STICKERS
Congratulations to the following runners up who received a wavebowl gift voucher:
Luna Tyson (3BH)
Charli Hoitink (3D)
Lailah Watson (3D)
Ashlinn Suveesh (3D)
Sebastian Bennett-Tonkin (3D)
McKenzie Newton (3d)
Millie Paine (5G)
Erin Little (6H)
CREATIVE ARTS LUNCH CLUBS
We are excited that our Creative Arts lunch club timetable is back up and running this term.
Here are the opportunities for our students to get creative:
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Wednesday |
Thursday |
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Lunch 1 |
Infants and Primary Glee club |
Infants Art Club Primary Art Club |
Infants Drama Club Primary Drama Club |
Lunch 2 |
Primary Dance Group |
Faith Choir |
All students are welcome to attend. While we may not have a final performance, we look forward to sharing our hard work and achievements with you.
CONGRATULATIONS
Some of our talented students participated in Got Ya Back Productions - Annie Jnr. What a wonderful experience!
Doing the musical Annie was great fun and was a chance to just be yourself and it doesn’t matter if you’re good or not. The first time you walk in you're friends with everyone instantly and they are the nicest people. Tahnee Dimon - 6MH
I was the character Annie. I had a lot of fun with new people from other schools. Sophie Holmes - 6MH
My favourite part of Annie was the support from my team members and from Sarah & Tim (the producers) and how they made everyone feel comfortable and confident when rehearsing and performing Charlee Maher - 6MH
I loved the experience onstage and enjoyed making new friendships throughout my journey of performing arts. Amara Crutcher - 5G
We would also like to congratulate Amara. On Saturday, the Australian Festival of Performing Arts announced that Amara won the National Vocal Championship! Amara entered three sections (musical theatre, popular song and song from an animated film) and won them all! Well done Amara.
Yours in the Performing and Creative Arts
Leah Toole
Positive Behaviour School (PBS)
Our focus for Week 3 and 4 is “I am Respectful”. Respect is the essential ingredient in all relationships. At school, students are learning to show respect to others and treating others the way we would like to be treated. We are working on listening skills, playing fairly, caring for our environment, allowing others to learn and encouraging others. Respect is our focus during learning times and during play times.
During Peer Support next week the children will look at qualities their friends may have and the concept that we choose friends based on the qualities we admire in them. They will also explore the skills of friendship, specifically those of cooperating and listening. During the week encourage your child to show they are interested in the person they are talking to by being an active listener.
CANTEEN MENU
The new menu for Term 3 has been updated and can be found on the school website under Sunshine Cafe or in the link below.
There are a couple of new additions to the menu including new Pizza Pockets, available in Hawaiian or BBQ Chicken, and Snack Packs which are made up of dip/hommus, cheese, crackers and vegetable sticks. I have also added a section on Flexischools for morning Fruit Break so that the students can come and pick up their fruit before the morning bell.
The children have been making some great healthy choices at the canteen lately and each day I have a variety of healthy options available for 50c or $1, as well as all of the usual offerings.
There are currently some issues with supplies but I am updating Flexischools daily. If children order something that is not available, I will offer a suitable alternative or can give them a credit or refund.
COVID-19 AWARENESS FOR FOOD
As Joey's canteen coordinator, I have recently completed a COVID-19 awareness for food service course. The training has been developed for anyone working in NSW food retail and food service businesses and covers key measures recommended for COVID-19 control. Key topics addressed:
- COVID-19 Introduction and background
- Infection, signs and symptoms
- Self-protective measures
- Protective measures for premises and personal hygiene
- Cleaning and sanitation practices
- Social distancing measures
- Record keeping
VOLUNTEER NOTICE
We are still unable to have volunteers in the canteen at this stage until further notice.
LUNCH ORDERS
The canteen is operating as usual and lunch orders can be placed via Flexischools or by dropping them in the basket on the counter each morning.
Don't forget you can order online by 8:30am- it's so easy!!
- Download the Flexischools app from the App Store or from Google Play.
Note: for iPhone and iPad please select ‘Allow’ notification - Click “Register Now” to create account
- Top-up your balance
- Start ordering immediately
- Alternatively Go to www.flexischools.com.au
Kim Goldie
Canteen Coordinator
KM | Ethan Tony | Lincoln Picton | Buddy McGeoch |
KS | Matihias Bridger | Sarah Koning | Harper Maher |
1B | Josephine Yewdall | Kyelle Webber | Patrick Sleeman-Duncombe |
1R | Heidi Lawrence | Indii Love | Harry Slater |
2T | Chase Mulligan | Noah Alchin | Lucy Styles |
3BH | Charli Robinson | Blake Herbert | Luna Tyson |
3D | Abby Burg | Zada Robinson | Lucas Yates |
4B | Bronte Gawith | Murphy Maher | Peyton Berry |
4F | Imogen Mulligan | Hayley Honeysett | Lainey Campbell |
5H | Logan Evans | Hayley Rickard | Ella Moore |
6H | Zoe Little | Jackson Filipek | Isla Rutherford |
6MH | James Hiam | Charli Acorn | Amelia Dowd |
Week 3 - Term 3 2020 |
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Week 4 - Term 3 2020 |
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Week 5 - Term 3 2020 |
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Week 6 - Term 3 2020 |
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Please note these dates can change from time to time due to unforeseen circumstances and we will endeavour to advise you of any changes at the earliest possible opportunity. Our school Google calendar can be accessed via this link for additional advanced dates -
For your convenience school term dates are located on our website. Click on the words “TERM DATES” on the home page.
STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAYS 2020
Our remaining planned Staff Development Day (pupil free) is:
- Monday 12th October (Term 4, Week 1)
Due to circumstances around COVID-19, this date may change.
Limited child minding places will be available and we will advise on how to register closer to the date if you require it.
Year 5 Drumming Workshop - Lismore Creative Arts Partnerships
Change to COVID-19 test and school attendance protocol
800 and 1500m Athletics
Welcome back to tennis for Term 3. Tennis lessons will commence from Monday 20th July. School pick up will also commence from this date. Due to covid- 19, we are unable to provide the afternoon fruit snack. Children are encouraged to bring their own snack to eat.
If you were receiving bus pick up in Term 2 please confirm that you would like this to continue. If you would like to start bus pick up for this term please text or ring Greg. Please note there will be a charge for bus pick up of $5.00 per student per pick up, which will be added to your term fee if you choose this option.
The Friday junior competition will be starting from Friday 24th of July 4.00 - 5.30 pm. Please let us know if your child is interested in playing.
Please remember that the new active children's voucher is available for the second half of the year and can be used towards any tennis lesson.
For any inquiries about tennis lessons or the competition please text or phone Greg on 0427466760.
We look forward to seeing you back on the court.
Regards
Greg and the team at Port Macquarie Tennis Club.