Term 1 Week 10 Newsletter 2024

Acknowledgement of Country

We respectfully acknowledge the past and present traditional owners of this land on which we stand, the Wulgurukaba and neighbouring Bindal people who are the custodians. We pray that we can walk together to a better future.

From the Principal

Dear Parents and Carers, Staff and Students

Welcome to Week 10 and the last week of Term 1. I am sure our students are looking forward to a break from the routine of school and hope they enjoy their time relaxing and unwinding after a busy term. I wish this for parents and caregivers as well.

Last Tuesday we celebrated St Joseph’s Feast Day in a big way. I felt an enormous sense of pride in our students, staff and the wider school community. Mrs Taylor organised a beautiful Feast Day Mass, and our staff organised a number of relevant and engaging activities focused on St Joseph for students to enjoy and learn from. I was very impressed with the way our Year 5 and Year 6 students looked after their Prep and Year 1 buddies respectively, ensuring that they didn’t leave their side and were listening to what activities their buddies wished to engage in. These senior students were impressive in their demonstration of  The Joey’s Way and, in particular, our ‘Love is Service’ Motto. Our parents and caregivers were out in force, volunteering their time to assist with the whole school sausage sizzle. Teachers commented on how well the distribution of 400 odd sausages was organised. It was pleasing to see that community spirit is certainly alive and well at St Joseph’s. Finally, the behaviour of our students throughout our Feast Day celebrations is to be commended, they definitely made us all proud. Congratulations to those students who received a St Joseph Virtues Award, it was well deserved.

Yet another proud moment last week was our whole school Centenary Photo. Staff and students were asked to form the shape of 100 for this photo. Suffice to say, a practice run was required prior to the main event. Students did a wonderful job listening to where they had to stand, and waited patiently in their spot while the rest of the school was being placed. They replicated this behaviour on Wednesday morning when the photo was taken by Cath, our photographer, who was positioned high in the air on a scissor lift. The staff and myself were really happy with the way this photo turned out, and I saw from our Facebook post that many of our families were too. An exciting year lies ahead, please keep the 23 -25 August free for our Centenary celebrations weekend.

Also last week, we celebrated Harmony Day on Thursday as a whole school. It was great to see staff and students in their orange clothing. Mrs Bortignon had organised a number of lunchtime activities for students to participate in so that they could deepen their understanding of the meaning of Harmony Day. Last Monday saw the Year 3 and 5 students complete their final NAPLAN test. Well done to Mrs Cornish and the Year 3 and 5 teachers and students for their efforts during the 2024 testing period. 

Next term, we will be participating in the ANZAC DAY march along the Strand. A note was sent out at the beginning of term 2 via Compass to the families of students in Year 4-6 . If your child is interested in marching with the school, please complete the online permission form. Like last year, we are limited to having only 50 students march in the parade this year. 

I would like to take this opportunity to wish our families a peaceful Easter break. I hope your Easter Celebrations will provide an opportunity for your family to relax and enjoy one another’s company and experience the joy of the risen Christ. Holidays are long awaited gifts, and it is my hope families are able to use this time for some much needed rest and renewal, where there are not too many demands or activities, rather time to create some peace within ourselves and within our families. 

Lastly, thank you to our parents, caregivers, staff and students for a wonderful term. Stay safe these holidays,Term 2 begins Monday April 15.

God Bless

Tracy

APRE News

2024 Prayer Theme: Blessed to Serve

Bear with one another, help one another, and ever strive to serve God in a generous spirit. ~Mary MacKillop

Holy Week is the final week of Lent, starting on Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter. It is a time in which we gather to remember and participate in the Passion of Jesus Christ. The Passion was the final period of Christ’s life in Jerusalem, which spans from when He arrived in Jerusalem, to when He was crucified.

Holy Week Prayers

This week classes will be participating in Holy Week Prayers in class. We will gather together on Thursday morning at 9:45am for the Stations of the Cross Liturgy. We will also come together on Monday morning in Week 1 at 8:45am to celebrate the Resurrection. All are welcome to attend. 

Sacramental Program 

Our Sacramental Program will be taking place across Term 2 and Term 3. The program is open to students in Year 3 and above. If you would like your child to participate please download the booklet attached form more information. The enrollment form is included in the booklet. This will need to be printed and returned                                                                        to the school office by Friday 10th May. 

Please return any project compassion boxes to the office.  Thank you to all families for your wonderful support this term for all of our fundraising. So far we have raised just over $2000 which is wonderful.                        

Project Compassion Fundraising at Joeys

ANZAC Day

Our ANZAC day Liturgy will take place on Wednesday 24th April at 2:00pm. All are welcome to attend. 

Year Level Masses Term 2

Christian Meditation will take place each Thursday morning at 8:00am in the Library.  Meditation is a form of sacred and silent prayer, known as prayer of the heart.  It is  a lovely way to start the day!  

Assemblies:

Our next assembly will take place on Monday 22 April at 8:45 in the Shelter shed. 3B will be hosting our assembly.

May God’s blessing be with you, have a wonderful week and a safe holiday. 

Peta.

St Mary of the Cross MacKillop Parish

Holy Trinity Church Easter Services

Emerging Minds Families - Resources

Many families struggle with financial difficulties, homelessness and navigating related support services. There may be other challenges they’re facing at the same time, such as physical illness, violence or racism. Experiencing these kinds of stressors can lead to feelings of shame, blame and powerlessness for both parents and children. They may pile up to create more difficulties – including social, emotional, physical and material challenges. This selection of resources from Emerging Minds Families have been co-designed with families who’ve been through tough times to spark hope for others when navigating difficulties around money, housing, health and racism and include:

• talking to children about family money struggles
• tips for families experiencing homelessness
• families responding to racism
• skills for navigating services, and much more.

2024 Australian Early Development Census

The Joey's Way

From the Office

School Fees

School fees are now overdue. Could you please ensure prompt payment is made. 

Sibling Enrolments

We are currently doing Prep interviews for 2025. Applications are now overdue. Please ensure you return your applications as soon as possible to our office as offer will be sent out in May. 

Important dates

To stay informed about upcoming events and activities within the school, our calendar featuring important dates can be found on our school website under the 'Parents' tab. 

School Uniform Reminders

Centenary Celebrations!

Tuckshop Update

Diary Dates

Library News

READ MORE IN MARCH!

Easter Holidays are just around the corner, another opportunity for students to relax and enjoy a book on a rainy day!

This week, Specialist Library Teacher Mrs Luton continues with library lessons teaching students regarding different text structures and identifying cognitive verbs, and predicting what might happen in a story. Students continue to enter their book reviews on our Destiny Discover Library Catalogue, on their ‘favourite books’ at the library.  The Wacky Wednesday Competition ‘Design your own Dr Seuss ‘Wacky Wednesday’ Socks!’, students amazing wacky socks designs can be found displayed on the display wall of the library! Come and view the enthusiastically designed illustrated socks entries this week! Awesome work everyone!

SOMETHING TO READ OVER THE SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

Don’t forget to use our digital books Sora eBook App or our Story Book Library App!

SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB ISSUE 2

As at this moment, Issue 2 order is on its way, as soon as it arrives, we will distribute orders to students!

DONATIONS

The library thanks any St Joseph’s Family who generously donated books to the library 😊

Have a very blessed Easter Holiday break!

Happy Reading and never be without a book!

Inclusive Education Matters

Did you know that our newsletter can be customised to suit the needs of the reader?  Our newsletter can be translated into different languages and the font can be changed (font type and size)to cater to all readers preference.  Simply click this icon at the top of the screen to explore these functions.   

Our first Inclusive Education Committee meeting for this year will be on Monday the 29th April starting at 3.15pm.  All are welcome to join us. Please let us know if you are attending. 

Wishing all our families a happy, Holy and restful Easter break.  We hope you find time to unwind, refresh and engage in activities that bring you joy!  

See you in Term 2 - Therese and Diane 

Guidance Counsellors

Heading into holidays is a great time to discuss screen time and internet use with parents. A lot of children’s screen time increases over the holiday period.

Many parents have reported excessive screen time as the number one health concern affecting kids, especially now in the hyperconnected world we live in. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that there should be no screen time at all for children under two, less than an hour a day for children aged from two to five, and less than two hours for five to 17 year olds. However, these guidelines have been disputed by experts and often ignored by families. Parents must play an important role in modelling a positive approach to using screens, and assisting children to navigate the content they access.

Click  HERE to learn more about managing screen time for your child/ren 

OPEN CLASSROOMS

You’re Invited!🤗

Join us in term two for Open Classrooms🧑‍🏫️

Open classrooms are an opportunity for parents and caregivers to celebrate students’ learning milestones, while also allowing teachers to showcase what they have been working on throughout the term.

Happy Easter!

Earth Warriors

Friendology

DISCO

P & F News

Tickets alert! Tickets to the annual St Joseph’s Mundingburra Mother’s Day Soiree are now on sale. They will only be available for a limited time or until they’re all snapped up! 

  When: Saturday, 25th May

 Where: HeyDays, 482-484 Flinders Street

75 per ticket 

 Time: Kick off at 5pm with a welcome drink in hand, followed by a lavish canapé package to enjoy throughout the evening. 

Tickets went on sale Monday and over half have already sold! Don't miss out and purchase a ticket  HERE!

Do you knit, sew, grow, paint, or create items that you think would suit as a gift for Mums and Mother figures? The St Joey's P&F Committee is in full swing organising this year's Mother's Day stall. We have all our goodies ready to go, but this year we thought we would open our doors to any St Joey families who would like to donate any of their talented home made items. If you do then please contact Jodie Bedford on Messenger or on 0404 004 258 

Community News

Mass Times

Parish Mass Times

Wednesday 7.00am

Friday 7.00am

Saturday 5.00pm

Sunday 7.30am