Around the School

"The standard you walk past is the standard you accept." 

- Lieutenant General David Morrison (OA)

Welcome to Week 10! As we enter the home straight for another school year we have much to be thankful for at St Joseph's Primary School. We give thanks for our wonderful students. It is a privilege to work with students who are so enthusiastic about their learning.

As this will be the last newsletter for the year I would like to thank all families for their wonderful support during the year.  Parents, grandparents and others offer such invaluable assistance in so many ways to our school. 

Thank you to our wonderful staff for their ongoing efforts and support throughout the year.  They work tirelessly to ensure that the children at our school get the best possible education as well as being offered opportunities to shine in so many areas. This group of people go above and beyond and your children are lucky to be in the care of this special team. 

Leadership Speeches:

Last week our Year 5 students presented their leadership speeches to the school. All of us are extremely proud of all the students who nominated for the leadership roles. The students conducted themselves maturely and respectfully throughout the leadership process and their speeches were outstanding. Thank you to Mrs Bearman and Mr Perkins for assisting the students as they prepared for their speeches last week. To our elected leaders for 2022 we wish you well in your roles next year.

Chess Day:

Congratulations to Mrs McNeill for recently organising a very successful chess day for our students with the assistance of Mrs Whetton and Mrs Hannaford. It was great to see everyone enjoying themselves. 

Armidale Diocesan Mathematics Initiative:

In Stage 1 the students have moved onto 'Volume and Capacity.' Meanwhile, Stage 2 are delving into 'Chance.'  Please see the information below to assist your child at home.

Maths At Home:

Stage 1 - Volume and Capacity  

In Stage 1 it is all about Volume and Capacity.​​Just by comparing items around the home, your child can begin to understand some basic principles of measurement.  

Children need to play with a variety of materials and containers for filling and packing before they can move onto using formal units such as kilograms and grams. They need to understand how things can be packed together to fill a container and which materials are better for packing. Encourage your child to pack away their own toys and books. Talk about how things will fit better depending on the way they are stacked or placed.

Stage 2 - Chance

In Stage 2 it's all about 'Chance and Probability.' This appears to be a low level concept in mathematics, however it is a very complex concept and in order to learn about it, your child needs to experience chance in their everyday lives and consider all the implications before making a judgement. 

Thank you and congratulations to our wonderful staff in Stage 1 and Stage 2 who were apart of this initiative in 2021. Your professionalism and dedication provided many wonderful learning opportunities for the students as you implemented the M@ST Program this year. 

Wishing you all a safe, fun-filled Holy Christmas and holiday break with family and friends.

Have a great week! 

Greg O'Toole