Principal's Report
Dear parents and carers,
Last week’s events
Thank you to parents who were able to attend the Lunch with Mum and Dad and those who were able to attend the Community Consultation for the selection of the next principal.
Mass with Fr Yoseph
Thank you to Fr Yoseph for celebrating Mass with us yesterday. We appreciate the energy and joy that Fr Yoseph brings to the Mass.
Archdiocesan Cross-Country event
Thank you to the parents who accompanied the students to the Archdiocesan Cross Country Carnival on Tuesday at Mt Stromlo. The students did exceptionally well!
To quote one of the parents “Baxter Donnelly comfortably qualified in the top 6 and will run at McKillop. Amazing race! Genevieve McLellard came 8th, pipped at the post in the last 3 metres! Madyson Mills was all heart and had an amazing finish coming 13th in her age group”.
Well done to Baxter, Genevieve and Madyson. Thank you for representing the school so well.
Parent and Community Farewell for Ms Clancy
The P & F is organising a farewell function for Ms Clancy. The event will be held on Wednesday 9 June commencing at 6:00pm in the school library.
On behalf of the Chair of the School Advisory Committee, Rob McLelland, and President of the P & F, Rebecca Knight, I wish to invite you to the farewell.
The function will be principally for parents and other adults of the Grenfell community. Hope to see you at the function.
Catholic Education 200 Years
This week there have been celebrations throughout Australia acknowledging that Catholic Education began 200 Years ago. The first school began in Parramatta and since then Catholic schools have spread throughout Australia. Today there are 1755 Catholic schools. The schools were built by generations of parents, priests, religious sisters and brothers. In the last 50 years government have assisted the funding of the schools. We have Catholic schools now because of the generations that have gone before us. Over the years millions of students have attended Catholic Schools which are part of the fabric of Australia society.
A message from the Prime Minister about Catholic Education can be found at https://youtu.be/g-cwcIDLbVI
Enrolments for 2022
Any parent considering enrolling children at St Joseph’s in 2022 is asked to contact me at your convenience.
Advertisement for New Principal
As mentioned last week if you know anyone who might be a candidate for the Principal role please forward the link with job advertisement to them.
We are hoping for a competitive set of candidates for the role.
Grenfell Dramatic Society Play event
The Grenfell Dramatic Society has invited St Joseph’s to present student plays on June 17 at the Grenfell Public School. Although the notice was a little short, I commend the teachers on the preparation of the students for the event. The students are excited about the opportunity to present their plays in public. I hope you might be able to attend on Thursday 17 June. The exact timing for the performances has yet to be released by the organisers.
End of Semester Student Report
During 2021, the Catholic Education Office is reorganising the student reports across the Archdiocese. Student reports will be distributed through the Parent Portal in a format that is consistent across the schools.
For Kindergarten students:
Achievement in each subject will be reported using a four-point scale - Well Above Expectations, Above Expectations, Meeting Expectations and Working Towards Expectations.
For Year 1 to Year 6 students:
Academic grades for each subject using a five-point scale from A-E will be reported using the NSW Common Grade Scale.
For all students:
Strand Achievement will be reported in English, Mathematics, Human Society and its Environment, PDHPE and Creative Arts using a five-point scale (Excellent, High, Sound, Basic, Elementary).
Engagement with Learning statements, which are taken directly from the Australian Curriculum, will provide specific information about your child’s Critical and Creative Thinking, and Personal and Social Responsibility, using a three-point scale (Beginning, Developing, Consistently).
Individual student comments will not be used in the Semester 1 reports, however it is expected that individual student comments will be reintroduced in Semester 2 reports. The Reports are expected to be sent home in the week commencing Monday 14 June.
The Semester Report is the entry point for parent-teacher interviews about your child’s strengths, challenges, effort and areas for growth.
Parent-Teacher-Student Interviews
I mentioned last week that the parent-teacher-student interviews will be scheduled from Tuesday 15 June to Thursday 17 June. Because the staff will be preparing the students for the Grenfell Dramatic Society Play event on June 17 there will be a need to extend the period for the parent teacher interviews into the following week. The exact timings and dates will be finalised closer to interviews.
Parents are encouraged to have their child present for the interviews.
Annual Parent Satisfaction Survey - Tell Them From Me.
Each year Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn invites parents to complete a survey about the school. This year the survey is called Tell Them From Me.
The information gathered from the survey is important and helps determine the direction of the school. The survey is now open and be available until Friday 11 June.
The survey takes about 15-20 minutes to complete.
To access the survey please use the following link:-
http://tellthemfromme.com/43qh3
P and F request
The P and F is looking to update some of the equipment and utensils in the school canteen. If you feel you have equipment that might be able to assist the upgrade of the canteen could you please contact Catherine on 0419506167.
Kind regards
Peter Hamill
Acting Principal