School News

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Handbook

PB4L (Positive Behaviour for Learning)

Whole School Expectation - Weekly Focus for Students

Respect learning time!

The PB4L Team

Semester 1 Reports

The Semester 1 reporting period is a time to celebrate your child/ren's achievements and learning during the first half of the year. 

In light of the work currently underway to further support parental engagement in learning, school reports are an opportunity to provide you as a parent or carer with feedback and input on how you can engage in and support the Catholic education of your child/ren. 

The reporting period is twofold: the report and the parent-teacher conference. The parent-teacher conference compliments the written report and is a valuable communication channel with teachers. 

When will my child's report be available?

Semester 1 student reports for Years 1 to Year 6 will be available via the Compass Portal from 3:30 pm on Monday 19 June (Week 9).  

Kindergarten

Kindergarten students do not receive a Semester 1 report. However, Kindergarten teachers will hold longer parent/teacher conferences where parents can engage in conversation with the class teacher about their child's progress, achievements and areas for growth.

Parent/ Teacher Conferences

Semester 1 Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held between Weeks 8 and 10 (Tuesday 13 June to Friday 30 June). 

You will be able to book your Parent/Teacher Conferences via the St Joseph's COMPASS Parent Portal on following dates:

• Kindergarten (15 minute Parent/Teacher Conferences):  Weeks 8 and 9 (Tuesday 13 June to Friday 23 June 2023).  Bookings are now open and will close Monday 12 June 2023 at 5pm.
• Years 1 to 6 (10 minute Parent/Teacher Conferences): Weeks 9 and 10 (Monday 19 June to Friday 30 June 2023).  Bookings will open Tuesday 13 June 2023 at 8am.

All Parent/Teacher conferences will be face to face meetings and we ask you to ensure you arrive on time for your Parent/Teacher conference.

Reading Your Child's School Report

Primary schools are required to provide a twice-yearly report for students in Years 1-6. Kindergarten students receive a report at the end of semester two, in Term 4.

Teachers write the reports and award grades in line with the NSW K-10 Syllabus outcomes and the Diocese of Wollongong Religious Education Curriculum.

Awarding Grades

In the reports, students are awarded a grade from A-E in each Key Learning Area (KLA). This is known as the Common Grade Scale.

A grade is awarded based on the evidence teachers have of a student’s learning and performance in a particular KLA and the standard it reflects. According to the Common Grade Scale, a ‘C’ grade is considered sound. That is, if awarded a C in a particular KLA, the student has demonstrated that they have gained the knowledge, skills and understanding expected of them at that point in time.

In each KLA, your child will receive an overall grade, however, there is more than one strand within each KLA.  For example: English has seven strands that include areas such as, listening, reading, writing, punctuation and grammar.  The overall grade is not determined by averaging your child's performance in each strand.  In many cases, more time has been dedicated to learning in one strand over others and this contributes significantly to the balanced judgement a teacher is required to make in order to award an overall grade.

In some KLAs, not every strand will be covered each reporting period; those that are not covered will not appear on the report.

What does my child's grade mean?

The Common Grade Scale describes performance at each of five grade levels.

It is not unusual for a student’s overall grade to change from one reporting period to the next as the knowledge, skills and understandings they learn in each KLA will vary from one reporting period to the next.

Effort

This section of the report captures the student’s attitude to the particular KLA and their skills in managing their work, persisting when challenged and working to their potential. 

Comments

There are three kinds of comments on the report:

Learning Gains – These comments capture the new learning the student has demonstrated in the reporting period.

Areas for Growth – These comments capture the new learning the student will encounter as the ‘next step’ on their learning path. 

Final Comment – The longer, final comment covers a range of academic and non-academic areas.

Positive Behaviours for Learning

This section of the report focuses on the non-academic behaviour of the student, addressing respect, responsibility and safety. A scale is included to detail the three standards that are used to report on this aspect of the student’s behaviour.

Absences for the Semester

This section of the report indicates the whole and partial days absent throughout the semester as recorded in the class rolls. Regular and consistent attendance at school increases the likelihood of academic and social success for children each year.

Some ideas to consider when opening your child's report.

Are your expectations for your son or daughter realistic and in line with their ability?

Do you believe that children learn at different rates?

Are you willing to safeguard your child’s self-esteem rather than deflate it?

Do you focus on strengths?

Do you take into account your child’s effort and attitude to learning?

Parental Engagement in Learning: Parent-Teacher Conferences

This valuable communication channel provides an opportunity for parents to understand how to better support their child's learning and development.

Teachers also find parent-teacher conferences valuable as they can gain insights from parents about how to better understand and support their students.

How can I prepare for the parent-teacher conference?

1. Take time to read your child's report carefully, especially the areas of achievement and areas for growth. 
   Preparing: make a note of any of the comments you are unsure about or would like to know a little more about. Perhaps there is a concept you are curious about.
    
2. Read the General Comment
   Preparing: select one positive comment to celebrate with the teacher or select a comment you would like the teacher to elaborate on- this could be a positive comment or a recommendation for your child.

What else could I ask at the parent-teacher conference?

What is one way I can really help my child next term?

What advice can you give me about helping my child talk about their learning at home?

What can I do to get more involved in my child's learning? 

How can I help my child with....... in Maths?  

What can I do to help my child be more positive about his/her learning? 

Parent Support Mathematics

Mathematics is a focus area for our Annual Improvement Plan in 2023. The staff and students have been working together to build resilience, thinking and problem solving skills through the use of investigative strategies and questioning. NESA have put together some information for parents to support your understanding of how mathematics is taught and how you can engage in discussions with your child. 

The resource links are listed below.

Lunchtime Activities, Term 3, 2023

Once again we will be running lunchtime activities for the students in Term 3. These structured activities give students the opportunity to join in play where they feel connected and part of a group that share similar interests. We are blessed at St Joseph’s to have such dedicated, enthusiastic and talented staff at our school willing to share their time, skills and expertise with our students. 

There are a number of activities and clubs on offer for students to participate in during Term 3. These activities will be facilitated by classroom teachers and conducted across the week, some open for specific levels of children others for anyone who is interested from Kindergarten to Year 6. 

If your child would like to take part in these lunchtime activities during Term 3, please complete the form attached by Wednesday 28th June. Please note that not all activities will run and that there is an expectation that your child will commit and attend the activity(ies) he/she has been allocated, as these will be part of our lunchtime teacher supervision roster.  If you have any questions please contact Mr Aguilera.

(If you have more than one child at the school, please complete a separate form for each student)

Click on the link and complete  the form:  https://forms.gle/VvNSRfePAp1ipfjaA

SeeSaw

This year we have continued to use the Seesaw online platform. Seesaw is a simple way for students to record and share the work they are completing in class with their families and it also gives them a place to document their learning, be creative and learn how to use technology. Teachers also use Seesaw to provide learning opportunities students can access in the classroom. 

If you experience problems accessing your child's Seesaw page please contact your child's teacher or Mr Aguilera.

Mr Miguel Aguilera

Assistant Principal

Library Class Times

Due to library visits being fortnightly students are able to borrow up to 4 books during their fortnightly library lessons.

Students library class visits for Term 2 will be as follows.

Library Borrowing - Kinder

Kindergarten students will continue to have a weekly borrowing session on Fridays. They will still visit the library fortnightly for library enrichment lessons, but will not borrow during this time.

ICAS Assessments

Years 3-6 students at St Joseph’s have the opportunity to participate in the University of New South Wales ICAS Assessments this year.

ICAS is designed to target students’ higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Spelling and Digital Technologies and is not compulsory.

If your child is interested, parents must register and pay online by Monday 31 July 2023 through the Parent Payment System, NO payment will be taken via the school office.

Access details for parents:

2024 KINDERGARTEN ENROLMENTS ARE NOW OPEN (Kindergarten 2024)

2024 Kindergarten are now open and enrolment packages are available from the school office.

Happy Birthday

Wishing all our students a very happy birthday who celebrated their special day over the last week.

3 June - William G Year 4, Conor M Year 3, Zali M Year 3 & Zane C Year 3

7 June - Maya J Year 5

8 June - Arkie Q Year 4

Sports Uniform Days - Term 2 

Students will be required to wear their PE uniform on the following days.

SJB Athletics Carnival

We are looking forward to our whole school Athletics Carnival in Week 9, Friday 23 June 2023. 

Please see event information via Compass. We are still seeking the support of our wonderful parent volunteers to assist with the successful running of the carnival. Please indicate in the questions tab on Compass if you are available.   

Please ensure COMPASS permission is completed by tomorrow.

South Coast Netball Gala Day

On Tuesday 20 June 2023, the South Coast Netball Gala Day will be held for nominated students. Please ensure the Compass Event permission is completed at your earliest convenience so we can replace any students who are unable to attend. We are still seeking the support of parent volunteers to assist with some umpiring on the day.   Please email the office if you are available.

If you are available, please indicate in the questions tab on the Compass Event. 

Canteen

Open Monday to Friday for recess and lunch.

Cash purchases for snacks and drinks can be made at recess and lunchtime. Snacks and drinks can also be ordered via Quickcliq.

Lunch orders

Orders for lunch can only be made through QUICKCLIQ.  Please note that orders close at 9.15am daily.  Orders cannot be placed after this time.

Catholic Care

OOSH, Out of School Hours care at St Joseph's 

Email:   bullioosh@catholiccare.dow.org.au

Mobile:  0437 713 067

Booking Information

Enrolment Form

CatholicCare Website

Service hours

Before School Care

7:00am – 8:30am

After School Care

2:45pm – 6:00pm

If you require the use of OOSH for your child/ren you need to be enrolled in the service prior to commencing. 

Casual bookings

If your child already uses the service and you requireacasual booking please do this viathe Xplor app. 

Before School Care: Bookings are to be made no later than 5:30 pm the night before

After School Care: Bookings are to be made no later than 9:00 am that morning

Casual booking must be made as per the times above to ensure enough staff. If notice is not provided within these time frames and the service does not have sufficient staff your child/ren will be sent to the office for collection. This is something that we all wish to avoid, so please keep in mind the time frames to help support the service.

If there is an emergency and care is needed please phone and leave a message and we will see what we can do.

If you do have any questions, need clarification, or have any feedback please feel free to contact the service mobile during operating hours on 0437 713 067 or Jacinta, Team Leader – 0407 759 720.

Community Notices

PCYC Bulli - Winter School Holiday Activities

Wollongong Touch Association

Holy Spirit College - Peter Pan Jr Production