Term 2 Week 2 Newsletter 2022

Acknowledgement of Country

From the Principal

Dear Parents and Carers, Staff and Students

From the 10th to the 13th of May this term, St Joseph’s students in Years 3 and 5 will be participating in NAPLAN testing.  The national body responsible for NAPLAN explains 

“The National  Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) assesses literacy and numeracy skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life. Students in  Years 3, 5, 7, and 9 participate in reading, writing, conventions of language (spelling, grammar, and punctuation), and numeracy.  The assessment provides parents and schools with an understanding of how individual students are performing at the time of the tests. NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process – it does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance.”

NAPLAN testing conditions are very different from the everyday classroom setting to which students are accustomed.  NAPLAN tests come with strict time limits, predetermined  instructions, teachers and school officers unable to offer assistance, and individual seating in rows.  Testing is also conducted online, with students required to have the technical skills to sign in and navigate the site.  For this reason, our students need to be prepared in order to be able to do their best.  St Joseph’s students have been engaging in a NAPLAN readiness program with their teachers last term and this term.  Yr 3 and 5 students participated in formal practice tests on the 24th of March to test our network and further familiarise students with the test format and online testing experience.  

Parents have the option to withdraw their children if they are philosophically opposed to the NAPLAN program.  Please make an appointment with me if you wish to discuss concerns that may lead to a decision to withdraw your child.  

Our test schedule is outlined in the table below.  It would be appreciated if you could try to ensure your child is at school during this time. In the event they are unable to attend school on a testing day, they will be able to participate in a ‘catch up’ session for a limited time after the original test.

God Bless

Tracy

APRE News

Open Your Heart
Be a Gift of Love and Compassion for One Another Mary MacKillop

ANZAC Prayer
Thank you to all of our family and friends who were able to attend our ANZAC Day prayer last Friday. Although I was not able to be there I have been told that it was a beautiful ceremony. Thank you to Mr Stephen Deyes for taking time to talk to the students about the ANZAC Spirit. Congratulations to all of our award recipients.

Anzac Liturgy

ANZAC Day
Thank you to all of our students and staff who represented our school with pride at both the Dawn Service and March on Monday. Mrs Nuttall and I were both very proud of them all. 

Dawn Service and ANZAC March

Assembly

Assemblies take place in the Shelter Shed on Monday mornings at 8:40am. All are welcome to attend.  Our next Assembly will be our Mother’s Day Assembly to be held on Monday 9th May, hosted by 4A.

Christian Meditation 

Christian Meditation will not take place over the next few weeks as Mrs Plant is away.

In our desiring 

Living

Remembering

And giving thanks

Bless us with daily bread, 

The Bread of Life, O God.

Amen

May God’s blessing be with you all, Peta

Stop, Drop and Go

To help with afternoon pick up and traffic flow in our Stop, Drop and Go area, parents are asked if they could please put a sign with the family surname in a visible place inside the vehicle.  Some families place this on their passenger sunvisor.  Teachers on duty can then call your children to be ready for collection.  Thank you for your assistance.

Diary Dates

From the Office

Term 1 fees were due for payment on 25th March.

Your prompt payment for School fees and Instrumental music is most appreciated.  

Term 2 fees will be issued within the next 2 weeks.

Library News

Rainy days are great for reading. Make sure you bring your Library borrowing bags on borrowing days and always take care of your books rain, hail or shine!

Scholastic Bookclub orders are due by Thursday 5 May via Loop.  Please find link below for ordering instructions.

Choir

Townsville School Sport Trials

Uniform Shop

Our pre-loved uniform shop will be open on Tuesday 3 May at 8.15am for any uniform requirements.  The uniform shop is a cash only shop.

P & F Events

P&F Meeting Monday 9th May

7.30pm in the Library. 

All welcome to attend.

Mother's Day Function

4 Days Left
Get in quick before ticket sales close this Saturday 30th April.  $89 includes food, spritz on arrival and 3 x drinks tickets (beer, wine and basic spirits) 
https://www.trybooking.com/BYONE

This year we are having a raffle -  $200 Anelay Voucher and a bottle of Bubbles.  Tickets on sale at mothers day stall as well as on the night of the function.  So please ensure you bring some cash!!

Tuckshop

Forget to order lunch???  Did you know..... We now have the option for late orders on our Flexischools app?  If you forget to place an order after the cut off time, you are now able to go onto the app and put in a "Late Order".  This option has limited choices but will ensure that your children receive their lunches.  

eSafety Webinars

The 2022 eSafety webinars include a broad range of topics delivered by an expert education and training team. This information has been sent to parents/caregivers via COMPASS (LINKS included), with the  full 2022 parent and caregiver education schedule also provided below.

Murrell Speech Studio