St Joseph's Catholic School - Mundingburra eNewsletter

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

We had a wonderful start to the week, with staff and students looking resplendent in their Centenary Shirts on Tuesday. With the exception of Monday 13th May, which is our school promotional photoshoot, students are invited to wear their Centenary Shirts each Monday.

It has been wonderful to see the large number of parents, caregivers and family members attending our Open Classrooms this term. The invitation to your child/ren’s classroom is a wonderful opportunity for them to show you the work they have been doing and share with you what they have been learning. It is a chance to engage with your child/ren on their educational journey to date. Open Classroom dates have been sent out to parents / caregivers via Compass, and are also pinned to the top of our Facebook page.

This coming Sunday, 12th May, we celebrate Mother’s Day. Mother's Day has been celebrated as a national holiday in the United States on the second Sunday of May since 1914. But Catholics have been celebrating a sort of mother's day since the first few centuries of the Church. The fourth Sunday of Lent, or Laetare Sunday, traditionally was a time to return to your mother church (home parish) and leave an offering. Also known as Mothering Sunday, it naturally evolved into honouring your mother as well.

Mother’s Day is an opportunity for us to show love and appreciation for our mothers, or to those who have been mother-figures in our lives. In Catholic tradition, the month of May is dedicated to Mary. Her example teaches us faith, obedience, humility and most of all, how to love. And devotion to Mary, the mother of God and our spiritual mother, in the month of May gives this holiday depth for Catholics that goes far beyond giving flowers or candy on Mother's Day.

As a Mother, Mary showed us that Mothers are loyal to their children even when they bring sorrow. They wonder at their children, and treasure their peculiarities and specialness. Mothers mother their children, but don't smother them, letting them go their way but always being there for them when needed. They cherish their children, and continually pray for them —and what better gift is there besides the gift of life itself?

Dear Lord,

On this special day, we show our gratitude for all Mothers.

We thank them for their all-encompassing love, for their commitment, care and kindness.

We thank them for their wisdom, for helping us grow and flourish.

We thank them for their strength, for their sacrifices, and for being there in times of need.

And we thank them for their encouragement, for being our cheerleaders and celebrating our achievements. Lord, help Mothers know how much they are loved and appreciated.

We ask that you bless all Mothers, including those who are no longer with us today.

Amen.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Jodie Bedford for organising our annual Mother’s Day Stall, and also thank her amazing parent/carer volunteers without which the Mother’s Day Stall would not be possible. We wish all mothers a wonderful and blessed Mother’s Day this Sunday, and look forward to celebrating our Mums at our Mother’s Day Breakfast and Liturgy on Monday 13th May.

God Bless

Tracy

Uniform Days

Good afternoon Parents and Caregivers

In my previous communication on Monday 6th May, I advised I would confirm the uniform expectations for our School Photo Day this Friday 10th May and for our Promotional Photoshoot Day on Monday 13th May. Please see important information below:

SCHOOL PHOTO DAY - FRIDAY 10th MAY
PREP:
Prep students are to wear their normal Prep Uniform for our School Photo Day on Friday 10th May. This will be the only opportunity they have to be photographed as a class in their Prep Uniforms.
YEARS 1 - 6:
All students in Years 1 - 6 are to wear their Centenary Shirts for our School Photo Day on Friday 10th May. We feel it would be a wonderful statement in our 100th year for students to be dressed in their Centenary Shirts for class photos.

PROMOTIONAL PHOTOSHOOT - MONDAY 13th MAY
CORRECT PREP UNIFORM: Prep students are to wear their correct Prep Uniform
CORRECT FORMAL UNIFORM: Year 1, Year 3 and Year 5
CORRECT SPORTS UNIFORM: Year 2 and Year 4
CENTENARY SHIRTS: Year 6

Thank you for your assistance in ensuring your child/ren are dressed in the correct uniform for these days as per the above

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

Sacramental Program

If you would like your children in Years 3-6 to participate in the Sacramental program please complete the enrollment form in the attached booklet. This will need to be printed and returned to the school office by this Friday 10th May with the child’s baptism Certificate attached.

Sacramental Info Booklet 2024

Year Level Masses Term 2

Project Compassion

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:

Week 6: Laudato Si hosted by our Earth Warriors Students

Week 7: Reconciliation Liturgy hosted by our First Nations Student (Wed 9:00 am)

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

Peta.

St Mary of the Cross MacKillop Parish

PLANNED GIVING: The new St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop Parish forms are now available. If you wish to join our giving, please fill in your details in the area on the form (ie.. Cash, Credit Card, Direct Debit) and tick the NEW box. If you are already a giver, kindly supply your name, address and tick the SAME box to continue. Likewise, if you wish to change your current giving, please amend the amount or details you wish to change, and tick the ALTERATION box. It will be most helpful if you would please PRINT ALL YOUR DETAILS. We sincerely wish to thank all our parishioners in helping with the upkeep and maintenance of the new St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop Parish, which is assisted through your Planned Giving.

SILENT MUSIC RETREAT – 11TH OF MAY 2024: Please join us in our Silent, Spiritual Music Retreat. Embrace Stillness, Contemplation, Calm and Peace. An opportunity to withdraw from Worldly chatter and Nourish your Spirit. To register, please contact the House of Prayer.

PENTECOST 2024: Be transformed by the power of God: the world urgently needs Christians filled with the Holy Spirit. What better way to experience his life transforming presence than to come along to St Teresa's Garbut, Sunday, May 19, 2pm-4pm. An afternoon filled with worship, teaching & personal prayer. Contact Trudy 0418 726 109 or trudy.clarke4@bigpond.com for more info.

BECOME AN EARTHCARE PARISH / FAMILY: In 2015, Pope Francis wrote his environmental encyclical Laudato Si’ in which he implores us to protect our common home. To escalate the implementation of Laudato Si’, Pope Francis has now established the Laudato Si’ Action Platform with its 7 Goals for 7 sectors over 7 years. Catholic Earthcare Australia has made it easy for parishes & families to take up the Bishops’ invitation by developing a process to assist you on the journey towards these 7 goals and to becoming living Laudato Si’ communities. Become a Catholic Earthcare Parish/Family at https://catholicearthcare.org.au

Children’s Liturgy

Children's liturgy takes place every Sunday mass at 7:30 am (during the school term) Members of our parish take the children out and complete activities related to the weekly gospel. This is a wonderful opportunity for children to engage with and understand the meaning of the gospel. All children are welcome.

2024 Annual School Improvement Plan

Please see our 2024 Annual School Improvement Plan Goals & Strategies.

The Joey's Way

From the Office

School Fees

Term 2 school fees are due on or before the 7th June 2024. Please ensure prompt payment is made.

Diary Dates

School Photos

A reminder our School Photo Day is Friday, 10th May 2024. Sibling Envelopes can be collected from the office.

Mother's Day Breakfast & Liturgy

Cross Country

Congratulations to Gordon house for an outstanding victory in last week's cross country event, scoring an impressive 230 points! Well done to MacKillop placing 2nd with 175 points and Norris in 3rd with 151 points! What a fantastic effort from all participants, showcasing incredible sportsmanship. A big thank you to everyone who contributed to making this event a success!

READ MORE IN MAY!

NATIONAL SIMULTANEOUS STORYTIME 2024 IS COMING SOON!

In 2023, over 2 million children listened in on the Storytime event, with the main goad to support language development, learning the literacy throughout the community and of course having lots of fun!

Everyone is welcome to join the fun when this year’s National Simultaneous Storytime will be held in the beautiful state-of-the art Green Square Library in the heart of the City of Sydney! National Simultaneous Storytime is an annual online event so at home, school or in the library or anywhere everyone can participate in the fun! This event is held by the Australian Library Information Association (ALIA) who selects a book written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator to be read simultaneously in schools and libraries across Australia and New Zealand. National Simultaneous Storytime will take place on Wednesday 22 May 2024 at 12.00pm.

This year the picture book chosen is ‘Bowerbird Blues’ by Australian Author Aura Parker, and stars a beautiful bowerbird searching for BLUE! This book was chosen by an expert panel choosing an outstanding and visually appealing picture book, so join in the excitement on 22 May!

https://alia.org.au/Web/Web/Events/NSS/ALIA-National-Simultaneous-Storytime-2024.aspx

Our awesome Library Specialist Teacher, Mrs Luton continued her great teaching in both lower and upper primary including InitiaLit Storybook Lessons and also the organization of competitors in the READERS CUP EVENT, held during June (further information coming!).

SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB ISSUE 3

Issue 3 book orders have been closed and will be delivered here soon!

SORA EBOOK HUB

Come join our library lunchtime eBook borrow and learn activity which runs weekly, every Thursday at 1.10pm with Mrs. H! Have fun with other students and enjoy the excitement of selecting your own books with our online digital reading eBooks. Everyone is welcome!

May the Fourth be with you! Happy Reading!

Inclusive Education Matters

Sensory Tools

Sensory tools are items designed to support individuals' sensory needs, helping them feel comfortable, focused, and ready to learn. These tools can include fidget toys, weighted blankets, sensory balls, and more. They provide sensory input that can regulate arousal levels, reduce stress, and enhance concentration. By addressing sensory needs, these tools create a supportive learning environment where students can engage more effectively in their school work and social interactions. We have a variety of sensory tools available to all learners at St Joseph’s including: fidgets, weighted blankets, weighted plush bears/sloths, wobble stools, floor seats and more.

These benefit learners by

Improved focus and attention
Reduced stress and anxiety
Increased self-regulation
Enhanced engagement
Support for diverse learning needs
Promotes inclusivity
Encourages independence
Facilitates social interactions

Overall, incorporating sensory tools into classrooms can create a more supportive and inclusive learning environment, ultimately benefiting the academic and emotional well-being of all students.

First Nations' News

Music

Technology Club

Technology Club has started for students in Years 5 and 6. This week students competed in the Bebras Computational Thinking Challenge. Bebras is a fun and engaging challenge for students in Years 3 to 12. It is an international challenge that involves over 2.9 million students from 60 countries.

Bebras was the name chosen by the founder of the challenge, in honour of the animal’s collaborative nature and strong work ethic. Bebras was delivered by CSIRO, however from 2024 the challenge is now delivered by the Australian Maths Trust. With support from CSIRO, the ATM will provide the Bebras Challenge free of charge for Australian schools in 2024. The competition occurs twice per year.

Round 2 will take place in October and teachers will nominate class students to participate and test their computational and algorithmic thinking skills when we join together again in Term 4.

Please ask your child to speak to their teacher if they feel this is an activity of interest to them.

Under 8's Morning

Friendology

Click Here to Register

P & F News

We’re excited to offer you 20% discount on purchases from Milou Dress House. Owner Alicia is a Joeys mum and would love to extend this to the mums of joeys.

Visit: miloudresshouse.com.au

Secondhand Uniform Shop

Mass Times

Parish Mass Times

Wednesday 7.00am

Friday 7.00am

Saturday 5.00pm

Sunday 7.30am

Term 2 Week 4 Newsletter 2024