Learning Gallery

What’s new at St Joseph’s in 2021?

Living Well, Learning Well: A Student Support Framework for the Diocese of Armidale 

As a Catholic school within the Armidale diocese, we are implementing a pastoral care and wellbeing student support framework called ‘Living Well' Learning Well’.

This framework focuses on positive statements and language about expected behaviours from our students. These expected behaviours include three ‘Rules for Living’ that help clarify our students' and staff's social behaviour expectations.

At St Joseph’s, as a team of staff, we are teaching our students that we have 'rules for living’ in our school. In addition, students will know and understand that other students will receive support to replace unproductive behaviour. These ‘rules for living’ are explained in this poster. 

This term, we will be explicitly teaching, modelling, talking and actively supporting students to understand what the ‘I am SAFE’ school rule for living looks, sounds and feels like at St Joseph’s. As a school, we are working as a team to ensure that our students can identify and talk about the behaviours that help their learning and wellbeing and the behaviours that support others' learning and well being. 

You know what they say: it takes a village to raise a child. Building and nurturing, a supportive catholic school community focusing on pastoral care and wellbeing, is essential to ensuring that our students are happy, healthy, and curious to learn. Therefore, this information aims to help keep you informed so that you are able to talk with your child about our new school and system-wide Living Well, Learning Well ‘Rules for Living’. 

Please note that further information regarding the framework will be included in upcoming newsletters, including a ‘Save the Date’  for a ‘Living Well, Learning Well’ community celebration.

Kind regards,

Elise Baird

Assistant Principal

The Maths Motivator

This year, I embark on a new role within St Joseph’s becoming a MaST (Maths Specialist Teacher). In this role, I work collaboratively with my colleagues to lead and support the CSO Mathematics Improvement Initiative. Our aim is for all students to be constantly improving, regardless of where they are now in Mathematics. 

How can you help at home? By showing your child that Maths is everywhere and that it can be fun. I encourage each family to participate in our home challenges and perhaps I can motivate you too! We would love it if you could send your photographs in to share as well. Have fun!

Monique Soutter

MaST Leader

Challenge 1  How high can you go?

Discuss: What do you know about structural engineering? Do shapes in a building matter? How can we make them strong and stable? Encourage the use of language such as angle, horizontal and vertical.

Plan/Make: Your challenge is to build the tallest free-standing tower. Use whatever materials you have already at home such as newspapers, straws or cardboard for example. Draw a sketch of your plan and think about what materials you can use at home. Measure your tower and send us a picture of your creation.

Reflect: What has building a tower taught you about the interaction between height, weight and stability?

Class News

The school newsletter, distributed fortnightly on Fridays, aims to keep our school community informed about student learning and forthcoming school events; it will regularly include student work samples, in addition to short videos and photos that showcase student growth and achievements.

To keep you informed, refer to the schedule below, outlining when each stage will share a class news item, including photos or a short video. Class News will be shared via Compass and our social media platforms each Wednesday. 

We look forward to sharing these memorable learning moments with you. 

Kind regards,

Elise Baird

Assistant Principal

#whatareyoulearning

Brooke Theobald

Leader of Learning (Kindergarten)