2024 Pupil Free Days

Please note the following Pupil Free Days in your diary:

Monday 27th May
Monday 22nd July
Friday 27th September
Monday 14th October
Friday 20th December

There will be one additional Pupil Free Day during the year - date to be confirmed.

P&F BBQ

Easter Egg Raffle

The P & F Committee are seeking donations for our annual Easter Raffle. The committee are looking to provide prizes of baskets full of Easter treats and goodies.

Donations received are greatly appreciated and assist the committee in achieving fundraising goals for 2024.

Raffle tickets were sent home last week to those who have nominated via Compass to assist in the selling of these tickets.

Easter Egg Guessing Competition

Once again we are running an Easter Egg Guessing Competition, with guesses on sale each day at second break at school. Cost is 50c per guess. Runner-up prizes will also be given. All money raised will be donated to Caritas.

Easter Hat Parade

Each child is invited to make an Easter hat at home to wear to this parade.

Please contact the school office if you have any further questions.

The Science & Engineering Challenge

Year 6 will be attending The Science & Engineering Challenge at the TRECC on Friday 22nd March. Please confirm your child's attendance on Compass by Friday 15th March. All students attending will need to wear their SPORTS UNIFORM and bring a packed morning tea, lunch and water bottle.

'Kiss and Drop'

We encourage families to 'kiss and drop' of a morning to assist with easy drop off procedures. A staff member will be at the front gate from 8:30am - 8:45am each morning to welcome students and assist your child walking in and ensuring they are settled and ready for a day of learning and fun.

Clothing Pool Opening Hours

Just a reminder that the clothing pool is open Monday to Thursday 9:00am - 1:30pm for second hand uniform items. These items can be paid for using QKR!, Eftpos or cash.

P & F Meeting

The next P & F Meeting will be held on Tuesday 19th March at 5:30pm in the staffroom. All parents and friends are welcome to attend.

Esteem Kids

If you require the services of after school care please contact William Wong directly at info@esteemkidsgroup.com.au or 0410 841 628. If your child has a change of plans and will not be attending after school on a particular day please let William know.

Canteen

There will be no Canteen until further notice due to staffing changes. We hope to have the canteen up and running again as soon as possible.

Enrolling Now for Kinder 2025

Our enrolment period for Kindergarten 2025 is now open! Please visit https://stjosephstamworth.catholic.edu.au/enrolment/ for enrolment details or contact the office on 6765 4079 for further information. Enrolment applications must be accompanied by the relevant supporting documents as listed on the cover page of the application form. Applications close on Tuesday 9th April. If you know anyone who has a child wishing to start Kindergarten at St Joseph's next year, please share this information with them.

Open Day

We are holding an Open Day on Saturday 9th March between 9:00am - 12:00pm. This is an excellent opportunity for anyone wishing to gain a better understanding of what St Joseph's has to offer and how we support the education of the children in our care.

Change in Routine

Can you please advise the school office before 2:30pm if there is any change in your child's afternoon routine.

Student Absences

The NSW Education Act (1990) and the Catholic Schools Office, Armidale require parents/carers to ensure that children of compulsory school age attend school on each day that the school is open for instruction. If children are absent from school, parents/carers are legally required to provide the school with an acceptable explanation, in writing, within seven days of the absence.

Please also be aware that partial absences calculate towards non attendance at school e.g. if your child arrives late to school, leaves early or misses part of the school day.

Late arrival makes it more difficult for a child to settle in class. Leaving the class early results in the child missing out on important information to help them prepare for the next day. Each day or part day missed makes the support of your child more challenging as staff attempt to ensure they are learning at an appropriate rate.

The Importance of Arriving at School on Time

Arriving at school and class on time:

ensures that students do not miss out on important learning activities scheduled early in the day
helps students learn the importance of punctuality and routine
give students time to greet their friends before class
reduces classroom disruption. Lateness is recorded as a partial absence and must be explained by parents

What if my child has to be away from school?

On occasion, your child may need to be absent from school. Absences explained by parents/carers have to be justified by the Principal. Justified reasons for student absences may include:

being sick, or having an infectious disease - a medical certificate is provided or the Principal accepts the explanation
having an unavoidable medical appointment
being required to attend a recognised religious holiday
exceptional or urgent family circumstance (e.g. attending a funeral)

An explained but unjustified absence is an instance where a parent/carer has explained the student's absence and this has not been accepted by the Principal.

2024 School Fees

Term 1 school fees have now been issued. Statements are available on Compass and have been emailed to families/carers. Please contact Jodie Westhorpe jwesthorpe@arm.catholic.edu.au if you haven't received your statement. Payment can be made via BPay (details are available on your statement), Eftpos or cash to the school.

Any family/carer requiring assistance with school fees is encouraged to make an appointment and come and meet with us as soon as possible.

QKR! Issue

There has been an issue with the new android phones not accepting the version of QKR! on the Google Store. An update is ready to go and they are waiting on notification that it has been added.

In the meantime families/carers can use the QKR! website for purchases.

Qkr! by MasterCard (qkrschool.com)

They have also recommend that you use a laptop/desktop rather than a mobile when accessing the QKR! website.

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