Dear parents and carers,

It has been a pleasure to be able to visit the classrooms and watch the students engaged in their learning this week. The Year 3 to 6 students have been especially keen about representing data by making digital graphs. I also heard lots of excited voices and was able to watch the K-2 students drawing themselves on the concrete outside my office window. They were studying the pattern of the movement of the sun through the day.

It has been wonderful to see the sun for the last couple of days but there is no doubt that we are experiencing true winter weather. As the weather is likely to remain cold for some time yet, please ensure that your child has a labelled jumper or jacket to wear at school. If you have any school jumpers or jackets that are no longer of any use to you, please consider donating them to the clothing pool. 

New staff member

On Monday we welcomed Mrs Sue Tenhave to the school. Mrs Tenhave has accepted the temporary classroom support assistant role that was previously a part of Mrs Mitton’s role.

Mrs Mitton has stepped into the classroom teaching role to release Mrs King. Mrs Turner will also be teaching in the K-2 classroom on Tuesdays. As InitiaLit and MiniLit are still important parts of the K-2 literacy block, Mrs King will continue to teach during these times. 

Covid restrictions

We are currently operating under the no visitors except essential workers rule provided to us by CE.

For this reason, regular canteen orders will not be available next week. Students will be able to order  the following items at lunch time only: party pies, Mrs Macs beef pie, chicken wedges, sausage roll, garlic bread and noodle cup(chicken). Fruit boxes will also be available. 

Here is the latest information from Catholic Education in Canberra regarding the positive Covid case in the Orange/Blayney/Cabonne region. 

On 20 July 2021, a positive COVID-19 case was identified in Blayney, NSW and as a result there is now a stay at home direction in effect. From the beginning of Wednesday 21 July 2021 until the beginning of Wednesday 28  July 2021, the stay at home rules apply to: 

• people who live in or are temporarily staying in the Blayney, Cabonne and Orange local government areas
• anyone who has been in these 3 local government areas since Saturday 17 July 2021. 

This order permits staff and students to attend schools, however they are required to wear a mask (adults and students over 12 years of age unless there are reasons to not do so). We will continue to monitor this situation and provide advice if there is any update. Further information is also available at Central West restrictions | NSW Government. 

Western Region Athletics Carnival

This event has been postponed until further notice. 

Jeans for Genes Day

This year, St Joseph’s School are getting behind Jeans for Genes Day to raise awareness and funds for the Children’s Medical Research Institute’s fight against childhood genetic disease. In doing so, we encourage all students to wear denim to school on Friday the 6^th of August. Students may choose to wear jeans or a denim jacket. The options are limited only by your imagination. Please remember to bring along a donation to support this very worthwhile cause. Thank you for your valued support!

Enrolments for 2022

Any parents considering enrolling their children at St Joseph’s in 2022 are asked to contact the school at your convenience.

When winter is at its peak, impoverished families struggle to find warmth. Many cannot afford to buy warm clothing or blankets, even more so now, after the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns prevented many from earning liveable wages. In addition, those who have no home, or people living on the street, are among the most vulnerable.

The following correspondence came to us from St Vincent de Paul Society (June, 2021): 

Winter is definitely here, and though it feels like it started a month ago, it’s only getting colder. For the 3 million Australians experience poverty, this is an increasingly stressful time. Hidden in this statistic is over 739,000 children aged 12 and under experiencing poverty and 25,000 children under 18 experiencing homelessness.

The Vinnies Winter Appeal provides emergency relief to people at risk and experiencing homelessness. Your donation and support will help ensure that families get the financial and emotional support they need to keep themselves and their children safe.

Particularly in these colder months we ask for:

• Blankets
• Large Jackets
• Large Jumpers
• Warm Gloves and Socks
• Sleeping Bags

These donations then go directly to people in need in your community or sold at our Vinnies Centres to generate funds for other forms of assistance like case management and assistance with utility bills.

By supporting the 2021 Vinnies Winter Appeal, you are helping provide support to more than 40,000 people from the Canberra/ Goulburn region who are currently living in poverty. We are so grateful for your support! 

Support those doing it tough by donating to the Vinnies Winter Appeal. Any donations of blankets, jumpers, scarves, knitted socks, coats, and so on, would be greatly appreciated. These donations can be left at our school’s front office or taken directly to the St Vincent De Paul Society. Your generosity will help support those in our community experiencing additional burdens during winter.

Prayer for the Cold and Homeless

God of compassion,
your love for humanity was revealed in Jesus,
whose earthly life began in the poverty of a stable
and ended in the pain and isolation of the cross:
we hold before you those who are homeless and cold
especially in this bitter weather.
Draw near and comfort them in spirit
and bless those who work to provide them
with shelter, food and friendship.
We ask this in Jesus' name.
Amen

Daily Prayer: Prayer for the Cold and Homeless (thedailyprayerblog.blogspot.com)

Danielle Schneider

Acting Religious Education Coordinator

Here are some photos from things that have been happening this week

 The noodle run is enjoyed by all but look out for Mr Martens. He is a hard taskmaster!

The K-2 students have been learning about the pattern of the movement of the sun during the day.

Samples of the digital graphs created by the Year 3-6 students