School News

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Handbook

PB4L (Positive Behaviour for Learning)

Whole School Expectation - Weekly Focus for Students

Managing Impulsivity!

This is when I think before I do:

Should I be talking?

Have I followed an instruction?

Am I raising my hand and waiting for my name to be called?

Am I on task?

Am I respecting my friends’ learning time?

The PB4L Team

Writing Focus & Feedback at SJB

Effective feedback practices provide the bridge between assessment and learning. St Joseph’s Bulli staff have been focused on developing consistent writing assessment practices and collaboratively working alongside colleagues to assess and plan explicit instruction that involves using effective feedback to improve student writing achievement. Teaching and learning activities, including formative and summative (informal and formal) assessments, provide opportunities for teachers to gather evidence about students’ progress. This informs the teacher's feedback to students about their learning and what they need to do next to move forward. The evidence demonstrated in student writing samples also provides feedback to teachers, allowing them to evaluate and, if necessary, adapt or change strategies to ensure they are meeting the learning needs of their students. With the ongoing use of Learning Intentions and Co-constructed Success Criteria, students have become more capable of articulating what they are learning and why they are learning it. As a result, many students can set their own goals in writing and work towards their achievement. 

Effective writing feedback is used to point out strengths to the students and to offer specific information to guide improvement that is linked to the Success Criteria. Effective feedback occurs during the learning process when there is time for students to act on the feedback given. It is something manageable, so each student is challenged at their point of need. 

Some of the feedback tools being used successfully at SJB are:

• Bump It Up Walls
• Success Criteria checklists
• Learning Walls 
• Feedback forms (STAR & WISH -or GLOW and GROW) 
• Rubrics

As students become more familiar with these tools, they will develop their ability to self & peer-assess and set individual learning goals. Parents may like to ask students about some of these writing feedback tools throughout the year.

• How were you able to ‘bump up’ your writing today? 
• What was one thing you did to be successful when writing today? 
• What would it have been if you had to give yourself a star and wish for writing today? 

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 closed.
• Years 1 to 6 (10 minute Parent/Teacher Conferences): Weeks 9 and 10 (Monday 19 June to Friday 30 June 2023).  Bookings are now open  and will close on Sunday 18 June 2023 at 5pm.

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? 

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

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.

9 June - Ziva B Kinder

10 June - Thomas S Year 4

11 June - Arlo N Year 2, Maggie R Year 1

14 June - Cian C Year 6, Alexandra N Year 1 and Kairo B Kinder

15 June - Sebastian B Year 6, Carter O Year 5, Alana Q Year 4

Sports Uniform Days - Term 2 

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

CSNSW Cross Country 

Congratulations to the SJB students who competed at the CSNSW Cross Country on Tuesday as part of the Wollongong Diocesan team. 

Weather conditions were ideal for running, with clear skies. Wollongong athletes performed with distinction at the new Equestrian venue, finishing with fantastic results in all age groups. Special congratulations to Natalia H (2nd) and London C (5th), who finished in the top 6 and gained selection into the MacKillop team for the NSWPSSA cross country championships next term. We wish both girls the very best of luck.

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.   

Parents will have the option to collect their child from Beaton Park at the conclusion of the carnival at 2:15pm. Please remember to sign them out with the teacher responsible for the class. Should students be required to be collected by a person other than a parent/carer, and this has not been communicated in the compass event, these arrangements need to be communicated in writing to the school office. 

Please ensure COMPASS permission is completed at your earliest convenience to enable the event to be finalised.

Gala Days

All gala days strictly operate under CEDoW’s Gala Day Philosophy - please ensure all students and parents are familiar with this philosophy before attending. 

The gala days are designed for students to enjoy the sport, try the sport out, have fun and exercise without the pressure of competition and winning. We are fortunate to have staff willing to organise these gala opportunities and prepare and train students in their break times, along with parents willing to act as team managers on the day. As always, St Joseph's Bulli is proud to see our students, teachers and parents maintaining a safe and respectful environment for all when attending our gala day events. 

Netball Gala Day 

A reminder that the students nominated for the Netball Gala Day on June 20 are required to be at school for the bus departure at 7:45 am. A reminder that nails need to be of a short length and no jewellery is to be worn. 

See Compass Events for additional information. 

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

Holy Spirit College - 40 year Celebration

PCYC Bulli - Winter School Holiday Activities

Wollongong Touch Association

Holy Spirit College - Peter Pan Jr Production