St Joseph’s School Newsletter

Principals' Message

Dear Parents and Carers,

 

Welcome to Week 10 and the final newsletter for the term. It's been another busy and productive term with lots of learning, events and hard work by the students and our fabulous staff.  We hope you all enjoy the school holiday break with family and friends - stay safe and stay warm.

Semester 1 Reports and Three Way Learning Conferences

Last week, students, parents/carers and teachers commenced our three way learning conferences which will continue throughout this week. Student academic pastoral care is a high priority at St Joseph’s and we pride ourselves on a positive working partnership with parents to improve student well-being, faith development, academic outcomes and life opportunities.

NAIDOC Week

St Joseph's will be celebrating NAIDOC Week this week. This year's theme is 'Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud.' The students have been working alongside Miss Taggart to break down and understand what the theme means to them. Today our First Nations students performed a dance at our special liturgy in the school hall. After the liturgy they took part in a yarning circle with community Elders. Thank you to those parents and carers who attended this event to commence our week. 

 

On Thursday 4th July all our students are invited to come to school dressed in NAIDOC colours - red, yellow, black, blue, green and/or white. They will also participate in cultural activities organised by Miss Taggart to conclude our week of celebrations. 

Staffing News

This week we farewell Mrs Kaye Galvin who is retiring after many years of service at St Joseph's.  We would like to sincerely thank Mrs Galvin for her dedication and everything that she done for our school in her various roles over the years. We would also like to wish Kaye and her husband Andrew every success in their future endeavours as they relocate to Grafton. 

 

Many thanks to Mrs Melissa Crittenden who will continue as part of the Release From Face to Face (RFF) Team for the remainder of the year. 

Social Media

One of the great concerns we all share is the increasing use of social media by children. This is a worry because students of primary school age do not have the maturity to fully understand the wide range of issues and the implications that come with the use of social media. This is clearly articulated in the terms and conditions of each platform. Below are a few examples:

St Joseph’s School has no control over children accessing these sites at home, nor takes any responsibility for the way the children are communicating while away from school. Unfortunately, St Joseph’s School staff are often left to deal with the fall out following these social media interactions. Therefore, we implore you to thoroughly check your child’s devices and please delete these accounts.  It is important that, during their primary years, students do not access these platforms. 

 

RESOURCES

Every Day Counts

Education is important and regular attendance at school is essential for your child to achieve their educational best and increase their career and life options. When your child attends school every day, learning becomes easier as they are able to build on what was learned the day before. Just one day missed per fortnight equates to one whole year over a child's school life! 

 

Arriving at school on time is also important. Classes start at 8:45am so students should arrive at least ten minutes prior to this to ensure they have time to put their bags away and greet their friends. Arriving after the bell disrupts the flow of the class, and important daily reminders and learning opportunities are missed.

 

Schools, in partnerships with families, are responsible for promoting the regular attendance of students and for ensuring that non-attendance is addressed effectively. Thank you for prioritising your children’s attendance at school and please do not hesitate to contact us if your require support in this area.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our teachers at St Joseph’s. They are a dedicated team of professionals, who work tirelessly to meet the needs of all our students. It is difficult to believe that the end of this week will draw the curtain down on another successful, yet busy term. This one seems to have flown at an even greater pace than most. 

 

The students and staff are to be commended on their wonderful achievements this term. It is hoped that the break from school provides some welcome opportunities for rest and relaxation for all the students and their families. We look forward to seeing everyone back for Term 3 on Tuesday 23rd July.

 

Maree Holland & Greg O'Toole

Co-Principals

 

 

St Joseph's School - a Faith Filled Community Where Learning Matters