Hi everyone, 

We have reached the end of Week 8, time sure flies! With two weeks to go of term, we are working with our children on maintaining our school expectations right up to the holidays. It has been a very busy term, and no doubt families are also very busy with life in general, so it is quite normal for your children to be tired now. Try to get that bit more sleep in for them where possible and a bit of down time.

Child Protection Week and R U OK? Day

With this week being officially a week of awareness of Child Protection and R U OK? Day, we have spent time focussing on the importance of being well and safe. You will find shared with you in our newsletter, some of the things that happened in our school this week to build awareness for this amongst our children. One of the conversations I had with some of our students this week is how talking with their parents is a vital part of life as they grow up, so that we know what is happening with them to support them. In particular, the media this week has highlighted online activity and apps that children and young people are accessing that can contribute negatively to their wellbeing and sense of safety. Being a parent is a really hard job, but keeping our children’s wellbeing at the heart of it is something this week is highlighting for us. We need to by ensure we know what is going on for them and help them make good choices for their safety and wellness.

Welcome to our new students

This week we welcomed Tyalah (Year 5) and Lillian (Year 3) Hyde to St Joseph’s, along with their parents. We are so glad they chose to join our community, fitting in so well from the start to their classes. We wish their family well in settling into life in Port Macquarie.

Safety in front of the school

We have focussed on the safety of cars on the road outside school during the morning and afternoon pickup up and drop off times. Please help us keep our school community safe by using good judgement and following road safety guidelines.

We had a concerned grandparent contact us this week when her grandson getting out of the car and a bike rider almost collided along the path this week. Please also be watchful of each other when sharing pathways as the quick thinking of the bike rider avoided a collision by almost running into the fence. If your children are riding along the area where cars are dropping off, remind them to slow down or walk the last part of the path. If you are dropping children off, help them to remember to look for others as they step onto the path. Together we can all enjoy this time and stay safe.  

Uniform

A reminder that students are now able to wear their summer uniforms Monday to Wednesday from now until the end of the year. Sports uniforms remain on Thursdays and Fridays. Check the uniform requirements to make sure all items are correct. 

Our Community

With so much to feel concerned about in the world around us, it is always wonderful to spread some good news around. Here are my reflections on our school community this week:

KM - Prayer

Thanks KM for leading us in prayer this week via Zoom with the rest of the school participating from their classrooms. We are enjoying being able to meet together in this way.

Ethan Tony - Kindergarten

What a super good news story from Ethan in KM, who created his own bear template to colour, cut and paste for school. He demonstrated resilience, redrawing it about 15 times to get it right, in his own time. He brought them to school to share with his friends as a fun activity during lunchtime.