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- Sport Spotlight
- Relocation Notice
- Creative Corner
- What's On Next Week ...
- Advance Dates for Your Diary
- This Week's Notes
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Traffic concerns at drop off and pick up times
It seems we talk a lot about this part of school in our communication, but that is as it is significant to many people. There are defined zones in our school street around parking, stopping and dropping off. It is really important that you know all the zones and how to use them, as this not only affects the traffic flow and other parent/carers’ tolerance during busy times, but most importantly impacts the safety of our students.
It is very important to understand that the stopping zone allowing “kiss and drop” in the morning is not where parents get out of the car and spend time organising students or walking them to the gate. This is a fluid zone for quick drop off to avoid congestion. If you would like to leave the car or need to organise your child, you will need to use a parking space to do so. No car is to drop a child off in the bus zone during the hours given, this is only applicable outside of these hours.
It is a very unsafe practice to u-turn into the lane across from the main gate during drop off and pick up times, yet many parents and carers do for convenience of using Aston Street. While we understand that you don’t want to use the road as a through zone, it is the safest option and we ask that you please use this. While we are not police or council and can’t enforce this, we have seen many unsafe situations and pray that we never see a serious incident occur. Please consider the safety of our community and take a different approach.
Please become familiar with all of our zones and how to use them by taking time when it is not busy to have a look. The procedures for traffic management for our school, assisting in understanding how this works can be found in the below link.
Prayers please
We would like to ask for prayers from our school community for two of our staff members who are currently unwell. Our lovely Mrs Saunders, is currently ill and taking time to return to good health. We know how much she loves our students and school as a long term staff member, and will feel supported and strengthened with our thoughts and prayers.
We also have our wonderful Technology Officer Susan Cameron having surgery next week to follow up a previous illness. Please also add her to your prayers for a speedy recovery.
In our school community we are aware that there are illnesses and health concerns and we continue to keep all of you in our thoughts and prayers during times that are difficult and concerning. If there is anything we can do to support you, please let us know. As hard as these times are, it is in a supportive faith community that we can give strength and hope to each other.
Principal
A big thank you to our Kinder students who led the school in prayer on Monday.
Year 5 Exuro Retreat
Our Year 5 students have completed the Exuro program over Monday and Tuesday this week, a retreat experience with a focus on discipleship. The two days focused on our abilities to help others using our hands, eyes and feet despite being young. It is in the little things that we can make big things happen!
A CULTURE OF LEARNING
Critical Thinking and Creativity
Critical thinking is that mode of thinking — about any subject, content or problem — in which the thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking by skillfully analysing, assessing and reconstructing it. Critical thinking is self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored and self-corrective thinking. It presupposes assent to rigorous standards of excellence and mindful command of their use. It entails effective communication and problem-solving abilities.
A well-cultivated critical thinker:
- Raises vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly and precisely.
- Gathers and assesses relevant information, using abstract ideas to interpret it effectively.
- Comes to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them against relevant criteria and standards.
- Thinks open-mindedly within alternative systems of thought, recognizing and assessing, as needs be, their assumptions, implications and practical consequences.
- Communicates effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problem.
Creativity is the ability to think up and design new inventions, produce works of art, solve problems in new ways, or develop an idea based on an original, novel, or unconventional approach.
Creativity in a learning environment – what does it look like?
When learners are being creative they are likely to:
- Question and challenge: Creative learners are curious and don’t necessarily follow the rules.
- Make connections and see relationships: Creative learners think laterally and make associations between things that are not usually connected.
- Imagine what might be: They see possibilities, ask ‘what if?’, picture alternatives and look at things from different viewpoints.
- Explore ideas and options: Creative learners play with ideas, try alternatives and fresh approaches, keep open minds and modify their ideas to achieve creative results.
- Reflect critically on ideas, actions and outcomes: They review progress, invite and use feedback, criticise constructively and make perceptive observations.
Learning progression:
The learning progression must build on prior knowledge, experiences and student interest and challenge students to produce new knowledge. It needs to pose problems and investigations beyond the collection of superficial facts. Learning progression must be structured and sequenced with goals to encourage learners to take greater responsibility and raise their expectations. This may involve explicit teaching, individual or collaborative activities and hands on learning experiences. It must be relevant, innovative and challenging for all. Inspiration, regular effective feedback and guidance are essential for learning to progress.
Here are some photos from our Stage 2 students engaging in Critical and Creative thinking.
Jeannine Ucdereli
Assistant Principal Learning and Teaching
St Agnes' Uniform Store Price Lists and Trading Hours
New Mass Schedule and booking system
- Phone the Presbytery on 6583 1024
- Book online via the Parish Website (go to Mass Times then click on the 'Book into Mass here' button and follow the prompts)
If you can't make it to Mass in person, why not join Bishop Greg Homeming who celebrates Mass at the Carmelite Monastery in Goonellabah, at 8:00am each Sunday via live stream on the Lismore Diocese YouTube channel (click here to view the site).
What an amazing time Year 4 had and Term 4 has not held us back. From Healthy Harold to building ‘A Better Mousetrap’, deepening our understanding of the British Colonisation and the effect this has had on Indigenous Australians and developing our skills in tennis. We have created COVID-19 safe homes in Science and danced up a storm in Creative Arts. We have explored Bee Bots, Makey Makey’s, Sphero’s and virtual reality. It feels like we have done it all and had no time to rest.
We asked our students what their highlight in Year 4 has been so far:
“I have liked learning about the Australian history. I enjoyed pretending I was an Indigenious person and creating diary entries about my experience when the British arrived in Australia” - Oliver Hanks (4F)
“I liked when we did the virtual reality for Science Week. We watched underwater videos of sharks and other fish. They were attacking us.” Baxter Matthews (4F)
“I liked using the Spheros to play tenpin bowling while learning about fractions and decimals.” Ruby Comer (4F)
“I enjoyed Science and creating the mouse traps with my team. We were able to catch the mouse in the end using forces.” Murphy Maher (4B)
“My favourte part of Year 4 so far has been the critical and creative afternoons on Thursdays when we get to join up with Year 3. They really make me think outside the box.” Riley Tattersall (4F)
“I liked creating our interactive poster using the Makey Makey’s” Jaxon Smurthwaite (4F)
“I like when we did Martial Arts for Sport because it was fun and I learnt some new skills.” Aisa Steinhour (4F)
We would like to congratulate Year 4 for the beautiful way on which they are finishing off their year. 2020 has definitely thrown some curve balls at us and we are so proud of the growth mindset we have seen displayed in our school community. Well done Year 4!
Emma Francis and Melissa Buckland
Year 4 Teachers
Garden Club has been hard at work this week preparing the ground for ‘Spoonville’. The members worked hard to remove leaf litter and weeds as well as turning the soil to make it easier for the students to plant their ‘Spoonys’ in the community.
The classes have already started preparing their spoons and there are a lot of wonderful and memorable ‘Spoonys’ ready to move into Spoonville on Friday 27th November.
VOLUNTEER NOTICE
We are unable to have volunteers in our canteen for the remainder of Term 4 however I am starting to plan for next year and am really excited about having volunteers back for Term 1, 2021.
If you have never helped out before, are new to our school, or have been helping for years and want to come and help again, please fill out the online form via the link below and I will be in touch with you soon to work out the roster for next year.
Volunteer form link - https://forms.gle/q4e2ZbthyFvKQQzi7
Thank you for your support and I look forward to seeing you in 2021!
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 | Lincoln Picton | Leon Hewitt | Wyatt Hough |
KS | Logan Reilly | Jack Rock | Mia Moss |
1B | Isabel Shijo | Eli Partington | Wynter Stewart |
1R | Keilah Long | William MacKenzie | Emelia Stoner |
2T | Lily Skinner | Josie Shipp | Sunny Stapleton |
3BH | Rocco Davidson | Benji Connor | Lucy Bennett-Tonkin |
3D | Aryan Vishanth | Aislinn Suveesh | Abby Burg |
4B | Kruz Batterson | Maddyx Gray | Bailey Thompson |
4F | Oliver Hanks | Mikayla Love | Jaxon Smurthwaite |
5H | Isaac Angland | John Dal Santo | Hunter Vause |
6H | Lucy Geary | Evie-May Riske | Archie Eshman |
sports star of the week
Congratulations to Billy Stapleton in Year 4!
Billy utilised his nippers training to save a father and daughter who were in trouble at the beach last weekend. What a true hero!
Futsal
Today some of our Year 4 and 5 students competed in the Eastcoast Futsal Titles at the Port Macquarie Indoor Stadium. We had 4 teams enter in the Under 11's and Under 12's competition and we are so excited to announce that our U12 boys team won the Grand Final!
We congratulate all our students on their sportsmanship and teamwork. As always, you have made St Joseph's extremely proud. Go team Joeys!
Multisports Event
Our Sports Captains are planning a Multi Sports event in Week 9 for each grade to participate. They will share more information with us soon.
Intensive Swimming Lessons - Kindergarten to Year 2
On Monday next week (23rd November) our Infants Intensive Swimming program will commence and run each day for ten days at the Port Macquarie Olympic Pool. On the final day (Friday 4th December), the student’s lessons will be in a modified format of a non-competitive carnival for those who have participated in the program. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 guidelines, no parents or spectators are able to attend on any of the days.
The timetable for each day will be:
Lunch 1 |
Get ready to leave for swimming |
Bus departs |
Swimming lesson |
Bus returns |
Lunch 2 |
|
Year 2 |
10:00 am - 10:30 am |
10:30 am |
10:40 am |
11:00 am - 11:40 am |
11:45 am |
12:00 pm - 12:30 pm |
Year 1 |
10:45 am - 11:15 am |
11:15 am |
11:25 am |
11:40 am - 12:20 pm |
12:25 pm |
12:40 pm - 1:10 pm |
Kinder |
11:00 am - 11:40 am |
11:55 am |
12:05 pm |
12:20 pm - 1:00 pm |
1:05 pm |
1:40 pm - 2:10 pm |
Please send a larger fruit serving for Crunch'n'Sip with a normal Lunch 1 and Lunch 2. Due to the change in lunch breaks to enable the swimming program there can be no lunch orders for Kinder to Year 2 for the duration of this program whether they are participating in swimming or not.
Children will need to bring to school with them each day their swimmers, goggles, a rash shirt, towel, thongs and underwear. They also need to come to school with their sunblock applied. Please ensure every item they bring in and their uniform is labelled with their name.
Students who are not attending will remain supervised at school whilst their Year group is at the pool.
Yours in Sport
Leah Toole
Are You Moving During The Holidays?
If you are leaving Port Macquarie and your child/children will not be returning to St Joseph’s in 2021 please ensure that you have notified us as we have families looking for enrolments for next year. If you are just moving house or changing your work place within Port Macquarie please ensure that you give us up-to-date contact details before the start of the school year. You can email us at sjpport@lism.catholic.edu.au
Thank you for your assistance in this regard.
Shining Star of the Week
And the Oscar goes to…Aislinn Suveesh in 3D!
Aislinn has been working hard practising her Christmas dance at home and has learnt the whole dance.
Creative Innovation
During April this year, Mrs Elise Howard, Leader of Learning Stage 2 and Stage 3 and Year 6 Teacher, participated in an advisory board for HundrEd, an organisation based in Finland that researches and facilitates innovation in education. The research project was designed to identify and assess creativity in education across the globe and was sponsored by LEGO. The final report was released in November as part of the HundrED Education Summit and coincided with Helsinki Education Week.
This large scale study investigated 247 innovations across 55 different countries with advisors providing feedback about the impact and effectiveness of the innovations in fostering creativity. The report reinforces the importance of creativity, not just as a way in which we can engage students in the Creative Arts, but as a way in which we can develop creative thinking in students. It also provided valuable information to educators about the ways in which we can positively impact student learning.
This was a valuable experience and an opportunity to engage with world leaders in innovation and to connect with contemporary practices that we can implement here at St Joseph's.
Thank you Mrs Howard for sharing your enthusiasm and experiences in this creative and innovative opportunity.
Christmas Celebrations
As we didn’t have a Glasshouse showcase this year, classes are busy preparing and working towards sharing our Advent and Christmas celebrations and performances with you at the end of the term.
Yours in Creative and Performing Arts
Leah Toole
Infants Art Club
Kinder students enjoyed making Christmas decorations in Art Club this week. We have started Christmas themed art early due to the Intensive Swimming Program for the next two weeks.
Week 7 - Term 4 2020 |
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Monday 23rd November |
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Tuesday |
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Wednesday |
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Thursday 26th November |
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Friday 27th November |
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Week 8 - Term 4 2020 |
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Monday 30th November |
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Tuesday |
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Wednesday |
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Thursday 3rd December |
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Friday 4th December |
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Week 9 - Term 4 2020 |
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Monday 7th December |
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Tuesday |
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Wednesday |
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Thursday 10th December |
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Friday 11th December |
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Week 10 - Term 4 2020 |
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Monday 14th December |
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Tuesday |
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Wednesday |
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Week 1 - Term 1 2021 |
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Wednesday 27th January |
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Thursday 28th January |
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Friday 29th January |
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Week 2 - Term 1 2021 |
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Monday 1st February |
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Tuesday 2nd February |
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Wednesday 3rd February |
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Thursday 4th February |
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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 2021 school term dates are listed below. They are also located on our website. Click on the words “TERM DATES” on the home page.
TERM 1 2021
School Administration Day (Pupil Free) - Wednesday 27th January 2021
Year 1 to 6 Maths Assessment Interviews - Thursday 28th January and Friday 29th January 2021
Kindergarten Best Start Interviews - Thursday 28th January to Wednesday 3rd February 2021
Year 1 to 6 commence classes - Monday 1st February 2021
Kindergarten commence classes - Thursday 4th February 2021
Term finishes – Thursday 1st April 2021
TERM 2
Term commences - Monday 19th April 2021
Proclaim Lismore 2021
Staff Development Day (Pupil Free) - Wednesday 5th May 2021
Term finishes – Friday 25th June 2021
TERM 3
Term commences – Monday 12th July 2021
Term finishes - Friday 17th September 2021
TERM 4
Term commences – Tuesday 5th October 2021
Term finishes - Friday 17th December 2021
Other Holidays in 2021
Australia Day – Tuesday 26th January 2021 (Public Holiday)
Good Friday – Friday 2nd April 2021
Easter Monday – Monday 5th April 2021 (Public Holiday)
ANZAC Day – Sunday 25th April 2021
Queen’s Birthday – Monday 14th June 2021 (Public Holiday)
Labour Day – Monday 4th October 2021 (Public Holiday)
Christmas Day - Saturday 25th December 2021
Boxing Day - Sunday 26th December 2021
2020 Christmas Celebration Performance - Year 1
2020 Christmas Celebration Performance - Year 3
Change to lunch breaks for K - 2 during Intensive Swimming program and general reminders
Letter for 2S regarding Mrs Saunders Term 4 Leave
Year 6 Graduation Preparation and Term 4 Activities