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Catholic Schools Week - 200 years of Catholic Education in Australia
This week we celebrated 200 years of Catholic schools in Australia, with a day of fun, learning and faith. You will see some examples throughout the newsletter of what this looked like. We launched our new Faith Choir with the theme song of the year “Faith in the Future”. It is a good time to reflect on how different schools are now and what amazing opportunities have been given to our children that were not even part of our lives as parents! It makes me wonder how different this will look in another 10 years and beyond.
This is only one part of this year’s events; there will be further opportunities to engage in the theme of the 200 years “Faith in the Future”, with some events planned throughout the year to invite families back to school due to the loosening of COVID-19 restrictions. Our fun staff surprised students, see what happened...
We also will be hosting another school tour tomorrow, Saturday 1st May at 9:30am for those families considering applying to attend St Joseph’s in Kindergarten next year. After a successful tour last week, we are looking forward to meeting some more new faces.
Flood Relief continues
Our school and St Agnes' Parish continues to be of assistance to all families in our community and beyond, who have been affected by the floods. We ask families to make contact with us if there is anything we can do to assist as time goes on and needs become more clear. St Agnes' Parish continues to offer ways of support, including the Pop-Up Pantry in William Street. There is still the need for donations ongoing, so if you are wanting to do more, these items are needed currently: canned vegetables, coffee, tea, cleaning products, deodorant, gloves, freezer bags, honey, pegs, salt & pepper, sugar, stock (beef, chicken, vegetable), toilet rolls, tomato sauce, vegetable oil, washing powder, new towels and sheets. If you know of anyone needing to access this assistance, they can walk into the shopfront at 110 William Street any weekday.
Local World Record Attempt!
The Rotary of Port Macquarie West, has successfully applied to Guinness World Records to attempt to break the existing world record for the “Longest Washing Line of Socks”! The existing record was set on 17th May 2014 in Germany – a washing line 6.066 kilometres long with 69,152 socks pegged to it. Sovereign Place Town Centre is the major local sponsor and the land adjacent to this shopping centre at Sovereign Hills will be the site for the world record attempt.
The way in which our school has been asked to help, is by collecting all of our “lonely socks” (how on earth are there always one of a pair!), well-worn pairs of socks, socks as presents from family or friends that have never been worn. They don’t need to be new, and this is involving everyone in our community!
We will collect them and drop them off as we have enough to do so, for the month of May. The event will take place in the first weekend of June.
Principal
Mass for Combined Parish Primary Schools
Our Year 6 joined fellow Year 6 students from both St Peter's and St Agnes' Primary Schools to celebrate Catholic Education Week as leaders of our respective Catholic primary schools. Students participated in Mass at St Agnes' Church led by Fr. Paul Gooley before having some lunch and playing games. Students were placed in groups according to their secondary schools and got a chance to make new friends.
Catholic Education Week
You might be excused for thinking it was 1913 at St Joseph's today. Students and staff dressed up to a more, shall we say, “Colonial” look. Hand bells sounded, hopscotch was played and marbles rolled whilst children learnt bush dances as part of a fun day filled with ‘old-school’ experiences.
We thank all for their efforts in what was a great day.
Mother's Day
We will host a prayer service to celebrate Mother’s Day on Friday 7th May at 10:00am in the MPA. We are excited to be able to have our Mothers, Grandmothers and special ladies in our lives present during this prayer and afterwards for a shared BYO picnic. Please refer to the email sent home with details on how to register.
ANZAC Day
Congratulations to Jack Cremins who represented our school and his family at the Port Macquarie ANZAC Day service on Sunday 25th April. Jack honoured the men and women who have served our nation in armed forces past and present by laying a wreath at the memorial during the service. He was joined by many veterans and important members of the community including his own family. It was a lovely moment to have Jack’s name called out before the community gathered as he went forward to lay a wreath on behalf of our school.
Proclaim - Staff Faith Formation
Staff from all over the Lismore Diocese will gather for a day dedicated to our faith as Catholic Educators on Wednesday 5th May. Please note, this is a pupil free day.
Nathan Porter
Assistant Principal Mission
Family School & CommunityPartnerships Communications to Parents
Families of Students with Diverse Learning Needs - The NSW Council of Catholic School Parents (CCSP) recognises that families of children with differing abilities require targeted advocacy and support and has developed a valuable resource to assist parents of children with diverse learning needs. Please access this resource via the CCSP website.https://www.ccsp.catholic.edu.au/students-with-diverse-learning-needs
From School to Work for Students with Disabilities - Please advertise these free webinars for both students with disabilities and their parents to inspire and support students to develop a vision for employment after the completion of schooling.
Southern Family Retreat
The Southern Family Retreat will be hosted by the Parent Assembly on 22nd and 23rd May. If you are interested in attending please access this flyer for further information.
NEWCUM students
At St Joseph’s we are very fortunate to have an ongoing partnership with the University of Newcastle. The partnership provides an opportunity for 4th Year Bachelor of Education students and our teachers to share and develop contemporary teaching focused on effective teaching and learning strategies. The Primary Education pre-service teachers come into the school and engage with the students through mentoring and educational learning activities. This year NEWCUM students have been working with our Year 1 cohort. They have been providing engaging learning experiences guided by the direction of our Year 1 teachers and Bianca Smyth, their University lecturer.
Jeannine Ucdereli
Assistant Principal Learning and Teaching
THANK YOU FROM ST AGNES’ CATHOLIC PARISH
On behalf of Fr Paul and St Agnes’ Catholic Parish, I would like to sincerely thank the school community for the incredibly generous donations to the Parish Pop Up Pantry.
The Parish is liaising with over 60 local families affected by the floods, as well as many others from the wider community who drop into the Pop-Up Pantry, to support their recovery.
Many who have lost some, or all, of their possessions, cars, homes, treasured mementoes are unable to return to work until the clean-up is complete and their homes are liveable again.
The assistance given ranges from providing shopping vouchers, shoes, hampers, groceries, cleaning supplies to school fees assistance, transport, and accommodation.
The Parish is also providing practical support to the affected residents of Riverside Village, Edgewater Caravan Park and Brigadoon Caravan Park.
The Pop-Up Pantry would not exist without the generous donations from our schools and parishioners.
This all happened in the last week of term, so it was amazing to see the tremendous support we were given.
Great work staff, students, and families.
THANK YOU
Anne O’Brien
Director of Mission Integration
Baptism for Children
Kindergarten 2022
Student Medical Appointments and Early Departure
We strongly encourage parents to organise medical appointments outside of school hours (Start 8.55am and Finish 3.10pm) but are conscious that this is not always possible. For your convenience if you have to make a medical appointment for your child during school time please be aware of our breaks for your planning as there will be a delay in getting your child to the office if they are out at lunch play:
Lunch 1 is at 11:00am-11:40am
Lunch 2 is at 1:40pm-2:10pm
Hometime messages
If there is a change to your child's hometime travel arrangements please let your child know before they leave the house or write a note to your child's teacher. Some parents also write a "H" (homelines) or a "B" (buslines) on their child's hand. We understand that plans may change during the day and ask that you phone the office Aunties on 6583 3848 between the hours of 8.30am and 2.30pm. This enables us to ensure that your child gets the message in a timely manner. Do NOT email the school or message your child's teacher directly as it may not be seen in the timeframe you require. If an emergency occurs or there is a late change to your child's home time plan we will do everything we can to get the message to your child after 2.30pm. Please be aware that a warning school bell sounds at 3:00pm for classes to prepare to leave the class for hometime at 3.10pm which makes it difficult to guarantee that a message will get to your child.
There will be no After School Speech and Drama next Wednesday 5th May due to Staff Proclaim Day (Pupil Free Day).
TERM 2 CANTEEN MENU
Birthday Buckets
What are they?
Birthday Buckets are a great way for your child to celebrate their birthday at school and share a treat with their classmates. Each bucket will contain a Quelch ice block for every student in the class (and may be even the teacher!)
Quelch ice blocks are 99% fruit juice which means they are great for children with allergies so everyone in the class can enjoy them.
How much do they cost?
Just $10.00 per bucket.
The bucket will be decorated for your child’s birthday and collected during the day as directed by the teacher to share with their class. The buckets are reusable and will need to be returned to the canteen.
How do you order them?
They can be ordered via Flexischools on the day you would like your child to share them or can be ordered in advance. Alternatively, if you don’t use Flexischools, you can call the school office to order directly from the Canteen.
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.
Flexischools is our preferred method for submitting lunch orders.
Reminder - Cutoff time for online orders is 8.30am.
- 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 or you can find the link on the school website.
Don’t forget you can place your online orders days or even weeks in advance, making the morning rush even easier!
Kim Goldie
Canteen Coodinator
PBS (Positive Behaviour Support)
Positive Behaviour Reward Play - For Individuals
At St Joseph’s we have reward play for individuals as a way to acknowledge students who continually make positive choices and demonstrate exemplary behaviour. Students who have not had ‘Reflection Time’ (lunch time consequence) in the previous 3 weeks will be invited to Reward Play. Students who have had ‘Reflection Time’ in the previous 3 weeks will continue their learning in the classroom.
Creative Arts Clubs Term 2
Our Creative clubs include our wonderful Glee Club and the new Infants Dance for fun. All new and old members welcome!
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Glee Club Mrs Toole and Mrs Hawkins |
Primary Art Club Infants Dance Club |
Primary Drama Club Infants Drama Club |
Infants Art Club Primary Dance |
Whole school concert at The Glasshouse
This year our whole school Creative Arts program will run in Term 3, culminating in a whole school concert at The Glasshouse. ALL students in the school will be involved and performing at the Glasshouse on 30th and 31st August. Student participation will be through acting, singing, dance routines, Glee Club and Band.
Dance Eisteddfod - Years 1 to 6
Students are able to elect to be involved in the Port Macquarie Dance Eisteddfod on Thursday 16th September. They will enter the same dance routines as they will perform at our Glasshouse concert.
We will be entering the following three groups into the Eisteddfod:
★ Stage 3 Girls and Boys (Years 5-6)
★ Stage 2 Girls and Boys (Years 3-4)
★ Stage 1 Girls and Boys (Years 1-2)
All Eisteddfod groups will rehearse with Mrs Nicola Jackson. She will begin rehearsals on Thursday and Friday of Weeks 8 and 10 of Term 2. Eisteddfod groups will be capped at 40 students per group. Registrations close at 3:00pm on Friday 7th May. Don’t miss out!
Magic Beach
We are excited that our students in Kindergarten to Year 2 will be attending the performance of ‘Magic Beach’ at the Glasshouse on Thursday 13th May.
Alison Lester’s classic book comes to life on stage in a wonderful world of text, song, light, shadow and movement. From the team behind The Gruffalo and The 13-, 26-, 52-, 78- and 91-Storey Treehouses, this new Australian adaptation from multi-award winning playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer is a celebration of the power of the imagination and the differences that make every child special.
Please see the note for the permission details.
Yours in Creative and Performing Arts,
Leah Toole
Creative Arts Co-ordinator
Polding Winter Sports Trials
What a fantastic achievement for Hudson Bell, Jhett Moore and Milhani Moore who trialled for the Polding soccer team in Bathurst last Friday. Special congratulations to Hudson Bell who made it into the Polding team and will now compete at the NSW PSSA state sporting event later in the year.
Zone Cross Country
On Wednesday our Zone Cross Country team travelled to Bowraville to compete against other schools in the Hastings zone. We were proud of the way our students represented our school, tried their hardest and demonstrated great sportsmanship. Our school came 3rd overall from the 8 schools.
Congratulations to the following students who gained selection to the Diocesan Cross Country trials on 26th May at South Grafton.
2nd - Hudson Bell | 4th - Blayde Redding | 7th - Rocco Robinson |
2nd - Tori McGrath | 6th - Heidi Lawrence | 7th - Jhett Moore |
3rd - Xavier Mat | 6th - Ruby Holmes | 8th - Oliver Mat |
Futsal
On Thursday we entered 3 teams into the Hastings Schools Futsal Championships. Our Futsal stars walked away as true champions with our under 12 boys winning the Grand Final for a second year in a row and a place in the State Finals. Our student’s talent and exceptional sportsmanship made us so proud.
Wow what a week of Sport and achievements it has been! Congratulations to all!
Leah Toole and David Lynch
Sports Coordinator and Assistant Sports Coordinator
KBC | Scarlett Hamilton | Scarlett Slater | Nicholas Latimore |
KSC | Emmeline Toole | Zoey Smurthwaite | Duaansh Sachan |
1B | Grace Gluckstern-Hill | Braxton Hoitink | Hudson Bruen |
1R | Flynn Loosemoore | Cleo Gawith | Harper Maher |
2S | Harrison Slater | Mearah Canty | Isabel Shijo |
3D | Ameiley Ervine | Oscar McKern | Lucy Styles |
3H | Millie Schneider-Smith | Aidan Shoby Alias | Dakota - Rose Fletcher |
4F | Caden Connor | Abigail Burg | Lucy Bennett- Tonkin |
4MG | Liam Jones | Luna Tyson | Dakota Simpson |
5L | Mia Basanovic | Samuel Cummins | Bronte Gawith |
5S | Amelie Obeid | Matilda Beresford | Cordelia Fazzolari |
6B | Tyalah Hyde | Jhett Moore | Tiarna Flack |
Week 3 - Term 2 2021
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Saturday 1st May |
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Monday 3rd May |
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Tuesday 4th May |
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Wednesday 5th May |
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Thursday 6th May |
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Friday 7th May |
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Week 4 - Term 2 2021
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Monday 10th May |
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Tuesday 11th May |
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Wednesday 12th May |
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Thursday 13th May |
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Friday 14th May |
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Week 5 - Term 2 2021
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Monday 17th May |
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Tuesday 18th May |
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Wednesday 19th May |
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Thursday 20th May |
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Friday 21st May |
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Saturday 22nd May |
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Sunday 23rd May |
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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 2
Kindergarten to Year 6 commence classes Term 2 - Monday 19th April 2021
Proclaim Lismore 2021
Staff Development Day (Pupil Free) - Wednesday 5th May 2021
Limited child minding available
Staff Development Day (Pupil Free) - Tuesday 22nd June
Limited child minding available
Kindergarten to Year 6 last day of classes Term 2 – Friday 25th June 2021
TERM 3
Staff Development Day (Pupil Free) – Monday 12th July 2021
Kindergarten to Year 6 commence classes Term 3 – Tuesday 13th July 2021
Kindergarten to Year 6 last day of classes Term 3 – Friday 17th September 2021
TERM 4
Staff Development Day (Pupil Free) – Tuesday 5th October 2021
NO child minding available
Kindergarten to Year 6 commence classes Term 4 – Wednesday 6th October 2021
Kindergarten to Year 6 last day of classes form Term 4 - Wednesday 15th December 2021
Other Holidays in 2021
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
NRL Tackle Rugby League Training Sessions - Year 5 and 6
Graduation - Dinner Option Survey
Whole School Concert and Dance Eisteddfod 2021
School Photo Day
Kinder Term 2 2021 Science Parent letter
Year 6 Term 2 Overview 2021
Year 5 Term 2 Overview 2021
Year 4 Term 2 Overview 2021
Year 3 Term 2 Overview 2021
Year 2 Term 2 Overview 2021
Year 1 Term 2 Overview 2021
Kinder Term 2 Overview 2021
Additional Offer of Flood Relief from Diocese of Lismore
Diocesan of Lismore Relief Effort for Victims of Floods Form
Mothers Day Prayer Registration Note 2021
2021 05 26 Parent Information Primary Cross Country Grafton
2021 05 26 Zone Invitation and Information Dio Cross Country