School Newsletter

I know many students and families have connected with Mary Hemmings over her time with us as Chaplain. Mary, a past Principal of our school, re-joined St Joseph’s School as Chaplain in 2020 and has indicated that she will conclude her tenure with us at the end of this term. Mary’s beautiful manner and steadfast commitment to the emotional and spiritual wellbeing of our students has been an absolute blessing to our community and she will be deeply missed.

An assembly to give thanks and bid farewell to the several staff members who will finish with us at the end of the term will occur on Wednesday in Week 10 (July 5) at 10am followed by a special morning tea.  We will take this opportunity to farewell and give thanks to:

• Cate Halbert who has served students and families in this community for a remarkable 41 years.
• Sue Ciampi who has engaged in so many ways with our students over the past 15 years.
• Mary Hemmings who, after being a much loved Principal finishing in 2008 has served our community as Chaplain for almost 3 years
• Julie Bottger who joined us at the beginning of the year as Preschool Coordinator whist Cate was on leave.

All are welcome to attend this special celebration at 10am on July 5.  Donations of morning tea items will be greatly appreciated.

Each term, students in Reception to Year 6 are provided the opportunity to complete the Classroom Pulse Check-in Survey, created by Catholic Education South Australia. Students in Reception to Year 3 respond to the following questions:

Whilst many of our students answer each question positively, some do not and, as educators, we take their responses seriously.  Following the survey in Term 1, teachers in their Professional Learning Communities have been working with students who answered ‘Not very often’ or ‘Sometimes’ to particular questions and putting in place intervention strategies to address their concerns and help them feel more positive about their school experience.  The below graphs indicate that we have had some success with these strategies!

Semester 1 Reports for Reception to Year 6 students will be sent home on Monday 3rd July. As previously advised, the format will look a little different as reports will be generated through our Learner Management System, SEQTA, for the first time. Report comments will focus strongly on how students have achieved in relation to the curriculum with an emphasis on English and Mathematics. Reports will include a grade for each learning area for year 1-6 students as well as an indication of how well students are demonstrating the 5 Respects. Opportunities to meet with teachers for a further learning conversation will be available early next term.

Families of our graduating preschool students will each receive a Learning Statement on their last preschool day in Week 10. This statement summarises their child’s learning in relation to the Early Years Learning Framework over their 12 months of preschooling.

It is expected that all children are wearing the correct winter formal uniform each day except when their class has PE or fitness and are required to wear the winter sports uniform.  I have noticed that many of the boys are persisting in wearing either the short sleeve shirt, the summer shorts, or both.  These items are not part of the winter uniform. Please ensure your child respects our school uniform policy which each family agreed to adhere to as a condition of enrolment.

Our oval drainage works has now been completed and we are hopeful that the problem is now fixed.  As new grass was laid around the edges and top dressed, we have left the bunting in place this week to help the new grass settle in place. Unfortunately, it is not a great time of the year for growing grass!  It is hoped the students will be able to access the grassed areas again next week. 

Last Friday Katie Downie, myself, and our School Captains, Chace and Chelsea, had the privilege of attending the Mass to celebrate the Feast of Sacred Heart at Sacred Heart Church on Port Road. It was a beautiful celebration where representatives from most of the 5 schools in our Parish came together to celebrate the Eucharist. Today, our school community came together to celebrate the Feast of the Sacred Heart with a whole school Mass.

A cozy and meaningful day at school last Wednesday! Our incredible students rocked Pyjama Day and raised money for a fantastic cause. This year, we're supporting Catholic Charities me4u!  💤 💕 🤗 💙

Me4U does incredible work, which includes helping to support various agencies in our community. Our year 1/2 students chose to make a positive impact in our community by donating the funds raised today to Our Lady of La Vang and St Patrick’s Special School.Together, we're spreading kindness and making a difference! 🌟 💛

One of Australia’s culturally significant events that celebrates and recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, contributions to and achievements is National NAIDOC Week.

NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee.

NAIDOC Week is celebrated annually in the month of July and carries a different theme each year.

This year’s theme is ‘For Our Elders.’

https://www.naidoc.org.au/awards/current-theme 

It is also an opportunity for our school to reflect on our ongoing commitment and respect of First Nations peoples of the land, seas and waterways and to build on what we have learned and continue to learn about the history & culture of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on our Reconciliation Journey.

When children grow their own food, they learn about a fundamental principle: what sustains life on earth. 🌱 Edible gardening promotes both respect for the environment and a child’s own responsibility for good health. When children take part in growing fresh foods, they are more willing to try them. The work involved in gardening supports children’s physical development, nourishes all their senses, and helps them learn to slow down and observe carefully. 

With the change of seasons 🌧, it is time to begin planting in our garden bed. Last Tuesday morning, children helped our wonderful volunteer Mirca Bray to plant celery, potatoes 🥔, broccoli 🥦 and seeds such as broad beans 🫘. There was great cooperation as the children prepped and dug the soil and watered the plants once they had been placed in our vegetable garden. 

Learning Italian vocabulary and mathematical concepts from ELLA app 3….the Birthday Party. App 3: The Polyglots at the Birthday Party introduces the language of numbers. A growing body of evidence indicates that the development of mathematics and literacy skills are highly related. Literacy skills, specifically language, are important for mathematics development (Purpura et al, 2017). 

Birthdays are a tradition that often includes cake. Cooking a cake and counting the candles activities featured on Ella app 3. Today children were invited to create a cake with candles. As they made their cakes, they were using the standard number system, quantifying, and exploring shape and design. 

Supporting the Ella App we also offered provocations such as making playdough birthday cakes and counting out the candles.

Last week the Preschoolers were very fortunate to have Occupational Therapist Jordan from Motivate Kids join them in the hall for a wonderful obstacle course. Groups of five children took turns to participate with the help of Meka and Jordan. 

Please remember to book your children in for Vacation Care via the SPIKE APP. Bookings close on Friday, 30th June 2023. Once you have submitted the online consent form coupled with the booking being completed on line, you will receive confirmation during week 10 that your children have been booked in.

Children must be brought into OSHC for before school care in the mornings and signed in by their parents/caregivers.  Children are not to be left at the gate prior to educators arriving. We have a duty of care to all children who attend our service.

 Please note that the service’s last day will be Friday 22nd December 2023 and will reopen on Monday, 8th January 2024.

We are sharing this post as part of our ongoing partnership with Credit Union SA’s School Community Rewards program. To find out more about how this program benefits our school fundraising activities, please visit their webpage or reach out to Eliza on 0499 772 966