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Kindergarten 2022
Applications for students wishing to enrol their children in Kindergarten for 2022 have been received and letters of interview have been sent out to families. These interviews commenced today and will continue for the next three weeks in our Parish Primary schools. In the past two years, it has been our experience that some families leave applications until later than our enrolment and interview period. If you have a child you wish to enrol for 2022 or know of someone else who is in this position, please ensure applications are completed as soon as possible. Also in the past two years, St Joseph’s have received a high number of enrolment requests for Kindergarten and we have not been able to accommodate all. Once the interview period is completed, offers will be sent out to families and any later applications will only be considered if there is still room in classes.
School Afternoon Pick up
In line with the recent updates to parents and carers around Child Protection, COVID-19 and signing in to enter the school site, our staff met this week to discuss the pick up routines at the end of the school day. While we all may be quite comfortable with understanding how COVID-19 guidelines have changed, meaning there is less concern about being in outdoor spaces with others, we need to be clear on how we continue to provide a safe environment for students during these times of the day. A note will be emailed to families on Monday next week outlining how things will remain the same as current pick up with some slight variations to ensure that both staff and parents can feel secure in the way students are kept safe during pick up. It is easy to become complacent due to our wonderful community feeling quite safe, but both parents and staff have a responsibility and commitment to always do our best to ensure this is the reality for all children. I know that as always, you will support us in this most important part of our roles together.
Thinking of Our Community
Our thoughts and hearts go out to Charlie Burns (4MG) and family for the recent loss of his Grandfather.
Principal
National Sorry Day and Reconciliation Week
St Joseph’s will recognise the historical injustices that impacted the lives of many Indigenous individuals and families through our traditional whole school prayer on Monday morning. All are welcome to join in our reflection on this important day in our story.
Zayden wrote an impressive piece to share what Sorry Day and Reconciliation Week represents for him. We thank Zayden for his contribution and the inspiring words that can help to educate others and make a difference.
National Sorry Day is a day when all Australians apologise for the actions towards Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islander families for the acts of racism with over 50,000 First Nation children being forcefully removed from their families. I wholeheartedly agree that Sorry Day should be recognised by every single Australian and we should apologise because it would not have been easy for families to watch their children be taken away from them. - Zayden Field, Year 6 2021
Sacrament of Penance
Congratulations to those children who completed their Sacrament of Penance this week. They were lovely ceremonies and we pray that the Sacrament of mercy and forgiveness is one of many for the future of these young people.
We continue to pray for and support those who will be receiving the Sacrament next week on Wednesday and Thursday. We appreciate the many staff and families who have supported these children through their learning about Penance.
Upcoming Sacrament of Confirmation
The Sacrament of Confirmation ceremonies will be on 2nd, 3rd and 4th August. The process leading to this Sacrament will be consistent with previous years at this stage, including a Registration Night (parent only), a Workshop Night (parent and child) and the Presentation of Candidates to Parish Community Mass (family) at weekend Mass. The dates of each of these events will be communicated in coming weeks.
Kinder: Signs of God
Our Kinder children had a great time searching for signs of God within our school. They detected the beautiful statue of Joseph holding baby Jesus and traveled the meditative rosemary maze to reach him.
Mr Lynch’s Celebration
Congratulations to our very own Mr Lynch who made the plunge to complete the Sacraments of Initiation within the Catholic Faith. He was accompanied by his sponsor and family on Pentecost Sunday after completing the RCIA program (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults). If you are interested in exploring the RCIA program, please don’t hesitate to enquire by calling the Parish Presbytery on 6583 1024 or contacting Nathan Porter, Assistant Principal Mission via the school office.
MINI VINNIES - DONATE A SOCK!!
Our Mini Vinnies Team are leading a sock donation campaign to break a world record for the longest clothesline of socks. This campaign aims to help raise funds and awareness of various charities run through the Rotary Club, Port Macquarie. Families are encouraged to donate an old, unpaired sock for the cause. The campaign ends on Monday so get your odd socks in!!
If families would like to partake in this record attempt on Saturday 5th June, volunteers and teams of people are needed to help with pegging. Please contact Trevor on 0429 439 232 if you can help.
MAY IS THE MONTH OF MARY
It is during the month of May that we are invited to devote some of our time and prayers to our Mother, Mary. Mary, who intercedes for us, takes our prayers to enact God’s will. We pray the Hail Mary using the Rosary, to pray for an end to conflict in places such as Palestine and Israel and other regions of the world.
Nathan Porter
Assistant Principal Mission
IMPORTANT NEW FEATURE - PARENT PORTAL
St Joseph's is activating a Parent Portal as part of our Student Information System software – Schoolworx.
The Parent Portal is a secure web based application which contains information about the school and your child including the schools google calendar, semester reports, NAPLAN results and class and teacher information. This will mean you will be able to access your child/ren’s report via the Parent Portal. This semester we will provide a hard copy of the Student Semester 1 School Report as well as providing access to it via the Parent Portal. In Week 2 of Term 3, we will email a survey/poll to gain your feedback on the new digital reporting process. This online system of providing student school reports will be our process moving forward in line with other Parish Primary Schools as well as the High Schools, which have been using this system for numerous years.
An account needs to be created as a first step. For security reasons the username for this account must be your email address recorded at the school. The process is as follows.
- Log in to http://parent.lism.catholic.edu.au and create an account with your email address as the username.
- An email will be sent to this address stating that a new account has been created and includes instructions to activate your account by following the embedded link.
- If the email does not arrive check your spam folder.
- You will be prompted to create a password and to confirm this password.
- Select the blue login button. Add the username and new password created in step 4.
- Click on the Schoolworx icon to enter the Schoolworx parent portal.
- Select your child.
- Log out when done.
If you do not have an email address which is known to the school or you have changed your email address or provider please contact the St Joseph's Primary Office Aunties to update your details.
These instructions will also be available on our website in the coming weeks.
HOME READING
At St Joseph's we encourage all students to read every night. Teachers endeavour to provide time for readers to be changed every day. Students are provided a range of books to choose from. These will not always correspond with the levelled readers at school. Reading is meant to be enjoyable and easy. The teaching of reading happens at school. Students are also provided with a reading diary which we ask parents to sign each night as a record of reading.
What Is Reading?
- Reading is all about gaining meaning.
- Reading needs to make sense. It must communicate a message.
- It’s not just recognising words and sounds - it’s about gaining the whole meaning.
- No message - no understanding!
- Reading occurs everywhere, not just in books.
What Reading is not?
- Levels.
- Getting it right all the time.
- Just recognising words and sounds.
- Only reading books.
- Sounding out every word.
- Keeping up with your friends.
Jeannine Ucdereli
Assistant Principal Learning and Teaching
Athletics Carnival
Our annual whole school Athletics Carnival will take place on Friday 4th June and this year it will be held at St Joseph’s Regional College, College Drive Port Macquarie.
The 1500m will be run between 9:00 - 9:30am on the day of the carnival. Any child who has registered to compete in this event will need to be dropped to St Joseph’s Regional College by private transport by 8:50am. Please note that parking is very limited.
Successful competitors from the carnival will be invited to attend the Hastings Zone Carnival to be held at St Joseph’s Regional College on Monday 19th July (Week 2 Term 3).
Coffee and Snacks at the Athletics Carnival
Thanks to our wonderful P&F and their fundraising initiative, 'Stay Grounded' coffee van will be at the carnival to keep you warm and nourished. See the flyer in the P&F article for details.
Diocesan Cross Country
On Wednesday the following students participated in the Diocesan Cross Country in Grafton - Hudson Bell, Ruby Holmes, Heidi Lawrence, Oliver Mat, Xavier Mat, Tori McGrath, Blayde Redding and Rocco Robinson.
It was a tough course with lots of competition so we’re super proud of these students.
Massive congratulations goes to Hudson Bell who came 1st in 12 Years Boys. What a champion!
Leah Toole and David Lynch
Sports Coordinator and Assistant Sports Coordinator
eSafety's Guide to Parental Controls Free Webinar
This eSafety free webinar will look at how parents and carers can set up devices and apps to help kids and young people stay safe online. It is designed for parents and carers of children aged 4-13.
It will cover:
- the benefits and limitations of parental controls;
- how to set up iOS and Android devices for safety;
- how to set up popular games and apps like YouTube and Roblox for safety;
- using family tech agreements and other parenting strategies to manage online risks; and
- how eSafety can help when things go wrong.
This webinar will include practical tips, demonstrations and advice.
Choose from one of the following dates/times:
- Tuesday 8th June 12:30pm to 1:30pm
- Wednesday 16th June 7:30pm to 8:30pm
Parents/carers can register at https://register.gotowebinar.com/rt/9188680659348918543
KBC | Remy Collier | Alexander Searle | Nakuya Gatonye |
KSC | Malakai Enriquez | Kainoa Pacey | Freddy Agland |
1R | Aibel Shoby Alias | Anika Suveesh | Isabella Connor |
2S | Keilah Long | Maddison Aitken | Flynn Watts |
3H | Jessica Dennes | Jazmine Taylor | Lily Skinner |
4F | Drew Evans | Lucas Lynch | Violet Richardson |
4MG | Blake Herbert | Charlie Burns | Olivia Austin |
5S | Maddyx Gray | Zali Roberts | Amelia Thompson |
6B | Savanna Cunneen | Mia Cameron | Phoenix Charnock |
6H | Matilda Kos | Storm Hardy | Chaise Winn |
2021 Australian Early Development Census (Kindergarten)
The 2021 #AEDC is a chance for us to track how we’re doing – as educators, parents/carers and community members – as we work towards giving our children the best chances for future employment and health when they finish school.
Along with most schools around the country, our school has been asked to participate in the fifth Australian Early Development Census – the #AEDC2021.
Every school with children in their first year of full-time school has a vital role to play in helping our nation collect the information it needs to support our children and their families as we recover from the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic: www.aedc.gov.au/schools/school-stories
Year 1 Are Blasting Off - We Invite You to Join Us
We invite our Year 1 parents and carers to join us at our Blast Off here at school. If you can come along please remember to allow yourself a few extra minutes when you arrive to be able to complete the school digital sign in.
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 in a Technical and Dress Rehearsal at the Glasshouse on 30th August and a Matinee and Evening performance on 31st August. Student participation will be through acting, singing, dance routines, Glee Club and Band.
Musica Viva Concert
On Monday all grades enjoyed the ‘Adventures in Antarctica’ presented by Musica Viva. The Music program taught in the classroom culminated in a live performance at school.
The Carnival of Animals - Got ya Back Productions
Students in Year 6 will be attending the performance ‘The Carnival of Animals’ at The Basement in Port Macquarie Panthers on Friday 18th June.
Year 6 students will experience their childhood wonderment, with brand new musical arrangements of French composer, Camille Saint-Saëns', classical masterpiece CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS! Giant puppetry, confetti, artistic mastery, tons of bubbles and musical mastery combine to make this theatrical experience like no other!
See the note emailed home on 24th May for full details and please complete the online permission form by Friday 11th June.
Online permission form link - https://forms.gle/AnAhmfhPVoHMLrpM9.
Hamlet
Students in Year 5 will be attending the performance ‘Hamlet’ at the Glasshouse on Wednesday 23rd June.
Shakespeare’s classic has been pulled apart and glued back together with hilarious costumes, loads of silliness and plenty of interactivity. Hamlet is already full of things kids love in a good story: ghosts, castles, sword fights, bodily fluids and spooky stuff. Add to the mix some supersonic gags and expertly timed stage magic and you have a brilliantly disguised Shakespearean tragedy for everyone. And that’s not all ... expect bonus pillow fights, pirates, ninjas, ninja pirates, aliens, ninja pirate aliens, zombies and a bunch of other hilarious stuff.
A note will be emailed home shortly with more details and the online permission form link.
Yours in Creative and Performing Arts
Leah Toole
Creative Arts Co-ordinator
CANTEEN REMINDERS
- Flexischools cut off time for daily orders is 8:30am. You can place your orders the day before, or at the beginning of the week, to make sure they are in on time. The cut off time is set to ensure that there is enough time to process, prepare and pack all of the lunch orders each day.
- Please remind your children if they have a hand written lunch order to drop it off first thing in the morning or if they need to pick up their fruit break items from the canteen.
- We do not offer an IOU service. If you don't use Flexischools and do not have cash for lunch orders you can pay in the office using EFTPOS. If there are any issues with providing lunch please call the office to discuss.
Stock Supply Issues
There are currently some supply issues on a number of products we stock in the canteen. I update Flexischools daily so if you use that system you will be able to see what is and is not available. For those that still drop lunch orders off in the morning, if the item ordered is not available I will offer an alternative or give a refund of the amount.
lunch orders
Canteen 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
Got Ya Back production 'Carnival of Animals' at Panthers - Year 6
Kindergarten Visit from Police Liaison Officer
Year 5 and 6 Visit from Police Liaison Officer
Head Lice Alert - Kinder
Head Lice Alert - Year 2
Kinder - End of Semester Movie Celebration
Year 3 and 4 - Seasons for Growth information and consent
Week 7 - Term 2 2021
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Monday |
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Tuesday 1st June |
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Wednesday 2nd June |
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Thursday 3rd June |
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Friday 4th June |
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Week 8 - Term 2 2021
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Monday 7th June |
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Tuesday 8th June |
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Wednesday 9th June |
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Thursday 10th June |
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Friday 11th June |
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Week 9 - Term 2 2021
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Monday 14th June |
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Tuesday 15th June |
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Wednesday 16th June |
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Thursday 17th June |
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Friday 18th June |
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Week 10 - Term 2 2021
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Monday 21st June |
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Tuesday 22nd June |
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Wednesday 23rd June |
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Thursday 24th June |
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Friday 25th June |
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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