Newsletter 23 2023
Principal's Report
Hello to Families and all in the St Joseph's School Community,
This week we welcome the Morkos family to St Joseph's. Remon, Maivol, Marlly and Jonathan. Marlly is in Year 5 and Jonathan is in Year 1. We are thrilled to have them join our school community.
Over the past couple of weeks it has been rewarding to witness students enjoying many extra-curricular activities at school, within the local community and even as they ventured away from school and home. Yesterday the whole school was awash with colour and fun as we had our annual dress up day for Children’s Book Week. Many thanks to all families for your participation and effort. Students paraded in the quadrangle to start the day, before visiting the Kindergarten and Nursing home to share a story and spread some cheer. Students are congratulated for their fantastic behaviour and positive attitude. All grades combined when they returned to school to complete Book Week activities in mixed age groupings. We have also had some very special visitors arrive to read us a story during Book Week - more about this next edition as I don't want to ruin any surprises! Last week Senior students enjoyed a cooking class to test out their procedural writing for making pizzas and all agreed success was achieved! Last week also was National Science Week, and again, students worked in mixed age grouping to rotate through three scientific activities - 3D printing with Royal Icing, pasta and play-doh bridges and fun with food dye, milk, vinegar and bicarbonate soda! And of course Grades 4, 5 & 6 ventured to Billabong Ranch in Echuca and the Badminton Tournament in Shepparton. A very busy but worthwhile couple of weeks where students have been provided the opportunity to develop their personal and social capabilities in many different environments! Part of our mission in belonging to a Catholic School is to accept each individual as unique and special. I hope many students got to see others in a new way throughout some of these experiences!
God created us all equal – not all the same.
Each and every person is a unique and special creation of God and we need to celebrate all of the things that make us who we are.
Take some time to find the things we love about the people around us
and praise and celebrate them for the individuals that they are!
ASSEMBLY
We are going to trial a different time for our weekly school assembly for the final two weeks of this term. On THURSDAY 7th of September & THURSDAY 14th of September we will hold assembly at 2:45pm. Parents, families and those in our St Joseph’s School Community are most welcome to join us in the Multi-Purpose Room at these times. We will share in prayer, celebrate birthdays, recognise student achievement, sing the national anthem and share school news.
PARENT TEACHER MEETINGS
Parents are invited to meet with their child/children’s teachers to discuss and monitor their learning and personal growth as we come to the end of Term Three. These meetings will take place in WEEK 9 with further information to follow. Please be on the lookout for a notice next week and please contact the School Office to arrange an alternative date, or a phone conversation, if you can’t make the time suggested. Many thanks in anticipation of your response to attend these meetings.
STRUCTURED LITERACY
Our focus has moved to 'The Daily Review' as we continue to learn more about implementing Structured Literacy. At the start of each Literacy Block students participate in a short, fast-paced session which requires them to recall previously learnt information. The purpose of this is to ensure that learnt skills and knowledge are retained in students’ long term memories.
GOODBYE MS STANLEY
Ms Jane Stanley completes her final practical session of her teaching degree tomorrow (Friday). She has spent four weeks with us at St Joseph’s School and has fitted into the staff and whole school environment with ease. We thank Ms Stanley for her dedication and contribution over her time with us and know we will all be a little sad to see her go! Jane is becoming a very competent and caring teacher who I’m certain will have a long and rewarding career ahead. We wish her all the best for the remainder of the year and her future teaching practice.
FATHER’S DAY
We will celebrate Father’s Day at St Joseph’s with a special breakfast on Friday 1st September from 8:00am. A warm invitation is extended to all dads, grandfathers or other special males in the students’ lives to attend this breakfast.
SCHOOL PLAY – “QUEST – NEW HERO IN FANTASYLAND”
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 13th at 7:00pm – LOCK THE DATE IN NOW!
In exciting news, we have progressed to the stage for rehearsals and many students know a lot of their lines by heart! The songs are also sounding super and some theatrics are starting to peek through!
Notices for costume suggestions have gone home this week. If you haven’t received this notice, please phone the school to have a new form sent home.
Once upon a time, the Magic Mirror gives an urgent message. Can Fantasyland be saved?
GRADE 4, 5 & 6 CAMP
Day One was glorious, with sunshine all day long! The activities at Billabong Ranch were well chosen (well done Grade 6) and all students participated eagerly. Some free time after doing the rounds to feed the farm animals, saw a very entertaining game of 40-40 Home. After dinner a glowing campfire and toasted marshmallows kept us warm as we were treated to a fire twirling display. An early start on Day Two had us on the road to Shepparton by 7:45am. Students participated in the Badminton Tournament, against a number of different schools. The journey home was loud with much singing and game playing! The students were super and challenged themselves to participate and have a go at many new things! Below are a couple of reports from Grade 5.
Rosie
The Badminton camp was really fun. I did lots of fun and exciting things and we went to Billabong Ranch to stay the night. When we got to Billabong Ranch they took us through some safety issues and told us where and where not to go. Mrs Hogan told us who, and what room we would sleep in. I was in room five with Sophie and Lila.
Then we went on to the first activity which was a commando course. I think I did pretty well. We then had a little food break, and straight onto our next activity which was paddle boats. I was pretty scared that I was going to get my shoes wet but I didn't. I got on the paddle boats with Lila, she was terrified. Then we went bungee jumping. My mum went on and she did so many backflips. I had know idea she could do that!
Later that night we had delicious food. I also lost my tooth while I was eating. We watched some really cool fire twirling. The day was finally over and everyone sat around the campfire and toasted marshmallows.
The next day was badminton day. We got up at 6:30, had some breakfast and we were off. I was partnered with Toby. We did the best we could and we came 4th. We were really proud.
Then we set for home, I had a really good time.
Henry
Last week we went to Shepparton to play badminton but we stayed the night at Billabong Ranch in Echuca and did some activities. On the trip there we played Murder Mystery for most of the trip. We arrived at Billabong Ranch two hours later. There were many small dogs there and some were for sale.
Later, we met our guides near a fire and we went to the commando course. We did two different obstacle courses. One was a lot of different obstacles from jumping over tyres to crawling under a net. It was very cool.
Then we went to put on our life jackets because our second activity was the pedal boats. We hopped into pedal boats with 2 seats (I went with Mrs Hogan and then Ms Stanley). We pedalled our boats around the lake that had two islands in it. One had a crocodile on it, the other had a frog standing up.
Next up was the bungee trampolines, I didn’t have a go but I did climb a tree. Almost everyone could do a backflip on it. It was like when the carnival came to town!
We went over to mini golf, I was with Brody and Ruby. I think I did better than them on some of the tricky ones. I got robbed on the easy ones!
Then we went to feed some of the animals. We fed a horse with its foal, some alpacas, a shetland pony, a longhorn and a bangteng.
At night we saw a fire twirling display. It looked cool and we had marshmallows.
We woke up nice and early and went to Shepparton. I didn’t play but I did score. We came 2nd in division 2 which was Lila, Aria, Brody and Darcy.
SMOKING CEREMONY
We have been invited to attend a smoking ceremony at the Charlton College on Monday in recognition of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous peoples. Staff and students will walk to and from the College between 11:15am and 12:00pm.
CONCUSSION IN CHILDREN
You would be aware there has been an increased awareness regarding concussion, especially those sustained playing sport. Our school has been made aware of updated practices in relation to possible concussion and the following information has been made available for parents and carers.
Concussion – Important information
If your child has experienced concussion, it is important that you follow recommended medical advice. Returning to school can be a graduated approach with the aim of increasing tolerance to a full day, the same situation could occur with sport. It is always important to check with your doctor and seek medical treatment after a child sustains a concussion.
It is important to inform the school if your child has sustained a concussion outside of the school setting so we can monitor for ongoing symptoms and adapt activities if required.
This factsheet link below from the Royal Children’s Hospital is valuable to read and understand.
htps://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/Head_injury_return_to_school_and_sport
STUDENT ABSENCE FROM SCHOOL
Under Department of Education Regulations, typically the only acceptable reasons for absence from school are illness and medical or dental appointments that cannot be arranged outside of school hours. In accordance with the Education and Training Reform Act 2006, schooling is compulsory for children and young people aged from 6-17 years. It is a legal requirement that parents contact the school regarding any student absences or lateness.
In the event of any absence or lateness, a note, phone call, text message or email to the school is required. This must be done before 9:30am on the day of absence, explaining the reason for absence on that day.
CHILD SAFETY
The care, safety and wellbeing of children and young people is a central and fundamental responsibility of Catholic Education. St Joseph’s School is committed to strengthened practice for the protection of children in line with the Victorian Government child safety reforms.
THE 11 CHILD SAFE STANDARDS
Standard 1
Organisations establish a culturally safe environment in which the diverse and unique identities and experiences of Aboriginal children and young people are respected and valued.
Click here for details about Child Safe Standard 1
Standard 2
Child safety and wellbeing is embedded in organisational leadership, governance and culture.
Click here for details about Child Safe Standard 2
Children and young people are empowered about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously.
Click here for details about Child Safe Standard 3
Families and communities are informed and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing.
Click here for details about Child Safe Standard 4
Equity is upheld and diverse needs respected in policy and practice.
Click here for details about Child Safe Standard 5
Standard 6
People working with children and young people are suitable and supported to reflect child safety and wellbeing values in practice.
Click here for details about Child Safe Standard 6
Standard 7
Processes for complaints and concerns are child-focused.
Click here for details about Child Safe Standard 7
Standard 8
Staff and volunteers are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children and young people safe through ongoing education and training.
Click here for details about Child Safe Standard 8
Standard 9
Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing while minimising the opportunity for children and young people to be harmed.
Click here for details about Child Safe Standard 9
Standard 10
Implementation of the Child Safe Standards is regularly reviewed and improved.
Click here for details about Child Safe Standard 10
Standard 11
Policies and procedures document how the organisation is safe for children and young people.
Click here for details about Child Safe Standard 11
IMPORTANT DATES
Friday 1st September – Father’s Day Breakfast from 8:00am
Thursday 7th September – School Assembly at 2:45pm
Wednesday 13th September – SCHOOL PLAY PERFORMANCE at 7:00pm
Thursday 14th September - End of Term Mass at 9:00am (note change of time)
-School Assembly at 2:45pm
Friday 15th September – Dress in FOOTY COLOURS - End of Term Three
Mary Hogan
Principal
Student of the Week
Foundation/1/2 Class Report
In the last two weeks the class have been participating in both Science and Reading activities to celebrate their special weeks.
Mrs. Armstrong organised the Science activities which were both fun and a great learning activity.
Yesterday the whole school focused on Reading. The students looked great in their costumes. Many thanks to the families for your help. After the visits the whole school participated in reading activities.
One of the many highlights of these two special days was seeing students of all year levels working and teaching each other plus having fun.
Religion
Our unit 'Stories' is drawing to a close and fitting in well with our Reading Week focuses. The students have been looking at New Testament stories about Jesus.
Language
The students have continued to focus on No Nonsense Phonetics both revising plus mastering new sounds.
In reading the focus has been on comprehension, using part of the question to answer questions in a sentence.
Mathematics
This week we are focusing on Çhance' plus revising our Term's topics. The Grade One and Two students are getting great at recalling their five times tables.
Over the last four weeks Jane Stanley has been spending some afternoons in the Junior Class. We have enjoyed having her teach some lessons and being with us.
Congratulations and thank you Jane on your work and I look forward to hearing of your future teaching progress. Anne Anderson
Grade 3/4 Class Report
Last week was exciting due to it being Science Week. Last week we had three rotational activities based on scientific concepts including chemical reactions, engineering and futuristic science in 3D printing. Students had a lot of fun and it was wonderful to see the collaboration between older and younger students during these rotations. We finished off the day with a ‘What type of scientist does…’ quiz as a whole school. More photos can be found on Dojo.
Happy Book Week everyone!
This week has certainly been exciting with the commencement of Book Week. We have had visiting guests on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday so far this week to come and read to the students. This has been a great opportunity for students to listen to why people outside of our school like to read, what types of books they personally read and listen to some wonderful literature. In class, we have looked at different authors that inspire us and created a little flipbook based on their lives and authored books. Students are looking CBCA picture story book ‘Our Dreaming’ and completing activities based on these themes. Students are also creating their own bookmarks for Book Week and have a mindful colouring page based on this year’s theme.
In Literacy we have also begun to implement our No Nonsense phonics and Structured Literacy activities more frequently in our lessons. We are revising many phonics daily with a focus this week on the v and ve phonemes and graphemes. Students are working on their handwriting daily in class, with a focus on correct letter formation and joining, and it has filtered into their everyday work more frequently. We are impressed with some of the handwriting that we are seeing. In our writing we are looking at Book Week related short writing pieces based on books and our author flipbook. Later in this week and into next week we will be focusing on information texts.
In Maths we have commenced a new unit on shape. Students completed a pre assessment on Monday in class and are looking at their understanding of 2D and 3D shapes. We have revised our understanding of types of lines (vertical, horizontal and oblique) and the properties of 2D and 3D shapes (vertices, faces, edges, sides, corners).
In Religion we are completing an assignment where students have to create a pamphlet based on their understanding of who Mary was. Students are also working on a modern portrait of Mary to include in this assignment using mediums such as silhouettes, pastels, natural materials or ripped paper.
If reading, spelling word practice and multiplication tables practice could be completed most nights, it would be a benefit.
Grade 5/6 Class Report
We have had a busy calendar over the past few weeks with students displaying commendable
behaviour during all events. Year 4, 5 and 6 students had an overnight camp at Echuca staying at
Billabong Ranch followed by an early start for a badminton tournament in Shepparton. Whilst at the
ranch students completed a commando obstacle course, pedal boats, bungee trampolines and mini
golf. A lovely shared meal was held in the communal dining room followed by a fire twirling display
and toasting marshmallows on the campfire. Our students played some great games of badminton
with the competition proving quite strong, however one of our teams came home in second place
with a medal to show for their efforts. On Wednesday our school celebrated Book Week with
creative costumes, a parade and story reading to the kinder children and nursing home residents.
Well done to everyone for representing our school so well in the wider Charlton community.
ENGLISH
Students had a successful day in the kitchen showing off their pizza making skills on Friday the 11 th of
August. We were very impressed with the behaviour displayed by everyone during this activity, and
even more impressed with the final product of our procedural writing. The pizzas looked delicious!
Students have recently completed their own procedural text, demonstrating their understanding of
the purpose and structure of this text type as well as using appropriate vocabulary. Students have
shared both of these pieces of work on Seesaw. As a part of Book Week, students will be creating a
shared piece of writing based on our class text of “Bev and Kev” with plans to illustrate and bind
their work to produce a book for the Foundation, Year 1 and Year Two students. We have been
completing play practice daily and it has been great to see students feeling more comfortable in
their roles and taking on the part of their character, keep up the good work!
MATHEMATICS
Last week we concluded our topic on angles; which focused on identifying and classifying angles
(right, acute, reflex, obtuse, revolution, straight), estimating angles and using a protractor to
measure and construct angles. Students were engaged with this area of learning and showed growth
in their understanding and skills at the conclusion of this lesson sequence. This week we have begun
a new topic focusing on money and financial mathematics, with our introductory lesson examining
why we use money, our own Australian currency and making historical links to Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander peoples’ history of trade. As we progress through our lessons we will explore creating
simple financial plans and calculating percentage discounts.
HOMEWORK
Students have weekly spelling to learn and a reader for nightly practice. The HOMEWORK HOUND
online homework will continue to be available for any students who wish to use this at home. This
week I have provided a homework sheet for students, which is due back on Friday. Please prioritise
reading, spelling, tables practice and homework sheet, in that order, completing what you are able
to.
Ms Stanley
Community News
Acknowledgement of Country
We acknowledge the Dja Dja Wurrung people as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land. We pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging. We thank them for sharing their cultures, spiritualities and ways of living with the land, in this place we all now call home.