Learning & Teaching

Semester 2 Academic Reports

Dear Parents,

Please note that student academic reports for Semester 2, 2024, will be available on Compass from 3.30pm on Friday, 13th December (Week 10).

These reports provide valuable insights into your child’s progress and achievements throughout the semester and are a great opportunity to celebrate the learning and growth that your child has made over the 2024 academic year.

While there will be no formal learning conversations scheduled for this term, parents and carers who wish to discuss their child’s report in detail can reach out to their child’s classroom teacher. Teachers are available for discussions on Monday 16th December and Tuesday 17th December between 3.10pm and 4.20pm. To arrange a time, please contact your child's teacher directly via email.

We encourage all parents and carers to ensure they are signed up to Compass to access these reports and other important school communications. Most families are already registered; however, if you need assistance setting up your account, please email cborg@stjmern.catholic.edu.au for support. Thank you for your continued partnership in your child’s learning journey.

Regards,

Chris Borg

Learning & Teaching Leader

What a win for St Joseph’s Primary School in Mernda!

In an exhilarating and nail-biting finale at the Fuse Cup Festival on the 14th & 15th November on the sunny Gold Coast, a team of young gamers has made history, claiming the Primary School National title in Rocket League. With their unmatched skill, teamwork, and determination, the team from St. Joseph's Primary School, Mernda took home the gold, becoming the 2024 national champions in the tournament for students in Year 5 & 6.

From left to right: Kristoffer Malaga beside his team-mate, George George against opponents from Eden Hill Primary.

The Fuse Cup Festival, one of Australia's largest and most anticipated eSports events, brought together participants from all over the country, with teams competing across a variety of popular games such as Super Smash Bros, Just Dance and Mario Kart. Rocket League, known for its high-flying cars and action-packed soccer gameplay, was one of the standout events of the festival, and it was these young competitors who were determined to succeed.

The path to the national title was no easy feat for the team, who had to overcome fierce competition throughout the regional qualifiers. Representing St Joseph’s were two Year 6 students, Kristoffer Malaga and George George. They formed a bond not only through their shared passion for gaming but also through their exceptional teamwork and communication on and off the screen.

St Joseph’s students on stage playing Rocket League in the National Finals.

In Kristoffer’s experience, he explains the Fuse Cup as “One of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I got to play one of my favourite games and compete on stage and it was really fun seeing games played at such a high level. It was definitely fun.”

George expressed that he “felt really nervous competing at a national level but felt really happy to get such a great prize for all my hard work”.

The final match at the Fuse Cup Festival was an intense battle against a talented team from Pacific Pines Primary, who had also fought hard to reach the final stage. The game was a true showcase of skill and strategy, with both teams scoring incredible goals, executing aerial manoeuvres, and defending with precision.

In the end, it was St. Joseph’s team who emerged victorious. The crowd erupted in applause as the team’s final goal soared into the net, securing their place in history.

For the young champions, their success wasn’t just about the game, it was about the journey, the lessons learned, and the skills developed. Behind their achievement were countless hours of practice, learning to work as a unit, and maintaining focus even under pressure.

The boys described their coach, Media Arts Teacher, Claire Forbes as “always considerate and caring which helped me to do well” as well as “someone who taught us many things about the game. Claire’s coaching was pretty effective!”.

The support of the school and families played a crucial role, too. Parents and teachers alike rallied behind the team, providing encouragement, and celebrating every milestone along the way.

A huge thanks goes to Principal, Julie McDougall & Deputy Principal, Mat Harding for the immense support for the program as well as the St Joseph’s executive leadership team, staff, students and families for bringing life into the eSports program. St Joseph's primary school also wouldn’t be in this position without Dan Avaliotis-Martinez and Kristen Cummins from the Fuse Cup for creating such an organisation that instils fantastic values in students and provides the opportunity to compete in eSports at a high level.

This is just the beginning!

Congratulations, St. Joseph’s Primary School Rocket League team—Australia’s national champions in Rocket League for primary school students.

Fine Motor Skills

Fine Motor Skills allow us to perform everyday basic tasks such as doing up our buttons, writing our name, cutting with scissors, opening lunch boxes, using a knife and fork and brushing our teeth.

These basic tasks are essential to everyday life, especially when children start school and they no longer have their parents around to help.

Children build fine motor and gross motor skills through practical playtime. With touchscreen devices becoming more prominent in everyday life, kids are getting more screen time and less playtime which is essential in developing the muscle strength required to complete tasks such as holding a pencil.

One of the most important ways we can help our children while playing with them at home or in a childcare/classroom setting is through setting up simple activities that help to develop fine motor skills. Young children need to be able to hold and use scissors and pencils appropriately before using them in a classroom context. We cannot expect them to be able to write if they haven’t yet developed the strength needed in their hands and fingers.

Five Reasons Fine Motor Skills are Important

More often teachers are seeing children struggle to write, making it harder for students to focus on learning the curriculum.
Fine Motor Skills have a significant effect on a person’s academic performance later in life.
Fine Motor Skills affect children’s confidence in the classroom.
Fine Motor Skills can affect a child’s behaviour in the classroom.
Fine Motor Skills are essentials to helping children become independent.

For the full article: https://www.specialneedsaustralia.org/blogs/sensory-product-update/5-reasons-fine-motor-skills-are-important

Don’t worry if you are concerned about your child’s Fine Motor Skills there are lots of free resources available online.

https://childdevelopment.com.au/resources/child-development-charts/fine-motor-developmental-chart/

https://theimaginationtree.com/40-fine-motor-skills-activities-for-kids/

https://www.yourtherapysource.com/fine-motor-activities-free-stuff/

Mathematics

We are thrilled to celebrate the hard work, dedication, and incredible achievements of our students in the Phoenix Maths Club and Phoenix Junior Maths Club. These groups of students represent our school and have gone above and beyond to challenge themselves, think critically, and explore the wonderful world of Mathematics.

This year, the students participated in the highly competitive Maths Olympiad and Maths Explorer Competitions, and the results are now in! Their outstanding efforts have made us proud!

We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the following high-scoring students for their exceptional achievements:

Noah Abojalboush: Individual High Score (Top 10%)
Anna Thommana: Individual High Score (Top 10%)
Cathal Mansour: Individual High Score (Top 10%)
Mehreen Dandiwal: Individual High Score (Top 25%)

To every member of the Phoenix Maths Club and Phoenix Junior Maths Club – well done! Your commitment to sharpening your skills and embracing challenges is inspiring. We can’t wait to see what you achieve next!