Dear Parents and Carers,

Week 4 has seen us continuing to work on a range of activities in a settled manner.  Although having said that we’ve been busy with classroom learning and sporting activities.

Today is our last swimming day for this term.

Technology is part of our lives today, and it is important to use it for our benefit. It is a powerful tool that we can choose to use to communicate.  I encourage families to talk about the different apps that can be used to “talk” with others.  It is important to be aware of age limits for the use of apps and the types of messages that are sent, in terms of the language used and the meaning that can be conveyed. 

A number of the children are bringing mobile personal devices to school in addition to their chromebooks and ipads.   The equipment is not being used, we ask that these items be left at home for safe keeping, as they are not needed at school.

To those who are working to get a balance between good use of technology and choosing to be tech free for part of everyday – well done!

Finding the balance is not always easy, but fantastic when achieved!

Parent Information Evening — our Parent information evening is on tonight at 5:00pm. We are looking forward to meeting you and sharing with you, information about your child’s class in 2019.  I encourage you to come along and meet with your child’s teacher to learn some more about units under way for this term and plans for the class this year.  It is a great opportunity for you to touch base with your child’s teacher early in the school year.

Hennessy BBQ – the annual BBQ with staff from Hennessy College in Young will also be held tonight.

Interruptions during the day – we ask that all visitors to school come to the front office, especially if you are dropping off lunch or classroom equipment or a message.  What may seem something small to you, can result in quite a large distraction to the whole class, as unexpected or unfamiliar people arriving at the classroom door is of interest to all.  These visits interrupt the flow of an activity.

Please leave Messages/equipment at the front office, we will get these to your children in a timely manner.

Schoolzine App – as you are aware we are moving to the Schoolzine platform for distributing information.  Please be aware that we will not be renewing the Skoolbag app.  Please take the time to install the SZapp as information is being distributed via SZapp and our website.

Glitches have been repaired and the newsfeed and calendar sections of the app should now be working.  Instructions for downloading the app to your smartphone are attached to this newsletter.

Our school calendar is updated every week and can be accessed through our school website at:

www.stjosephsgrenfell.nsw.edu.au

Please let us know if you are not receiving the Schoolzine updates once you have installed the SZapp.

Swimming Congratulations to all who represented us at the Western Region swimming in Tumut last Friday.  A very busy and successful day was had by all.  Congratulations to Ruby, Genevieve, Hamish and Xanthe who have all gained selection for the Archdiocesan carnival to be held in Narooma on March 4.

Cricket - our sporting schools cricket program begins with Matthew Tabbernor from Cricket NSW.  The sessions were enjoyed by the children and will continue during our regular Thursday sports time for another three weeks.

Mufti Day – our first mufti day for this year is set down for tomorrow.  Mufti days are one way that we raise money to support those in need.

Please remember to wear closed in shoes (not your favourite high heels) and be Sun Smart.  All children will wear their school hat.

Book Fair – this year, our Book Fair will be held in March.  Further information will be coming home once the books arrive.

Library news – we are currently awaiting the arrival of a number of books that have been requested by the children, I hope to see these on the shelves in the coming days.

Interestingly, a book was returned this week that had been on loan for 1423 days…. With the comment of “… sorry, we love that one!”

Sincerely,   

Therese Clancy

REC News

This term, all of the classes in the school are exploring different images of God that are presented in the Bible, in books and in art. Part of this exploration includes having the students create and explain their current image of God and then seeing if that image changes by the end of the unit. Below are some of the ‘beginning of the unit’ images of God that were created by some of the K/1 students.

Thank you to Year 2/3/4 and their teachers, Mrs Best and Mrs Heath, who prepared and presented the prayers and readings for the mass so well on Thursday. I even heard some students singing ‘Arky, Arky’ in the bus lines at the end of the day. It was a catchy tune that will remain with us for some time!

Peace and blessings,

Leslie King

Classroom News – Year 5/6

It has been a flying start to the new school year, with many activities keeping us very busy.
Outside of the classroom, the Year Five and Six students put in their best efforts at our Swimming Carnival. As a result, we were well represented at the Western Region Swimming Carnival in Tumut last week. We congratulate those who will now be representing us at the Archdiocesan Swimming Carnival in Narooma. The students have well and truly been enjoying the water this term, as they have also been taking part in the Swim Safe program at the Grenfell Aquatic Centre. The Opening School Mass, held last week, was an opportunity to commend our nominated leaders and welcome our new Kindergarten students. In the classroom, The Year Five and Six students have been enjoying the new learning experiences and challenges that have been presented to them. We have delved into our new units of work with interest. The following information will briefly outline some of these.


In our Religious Education unit this term, the students are learning that God is revealed to us through the three persons of the Holy Trinity; God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Throughout the term, they will learn that God has been revealed to us in a multitude of ways throughout creation’s history, but human limitations mean that we can never fully represent God in entirety. The students will be given the opportunity to articulate an image of God and recognise God in the people and world around them. They will also learn how we are all called to be stewards of all of God’s creation.

This term, in English, the students are engaging in literacy concepts through a study of the book “Thunderwith” by Libby Hathorn. The students have been listening to the story during shared reading. Using its themes, the students are learning to construct a written exposition, using the structure and grammatical patterns typical of persuasive texts. Our reading tasks have been aimed at developing each student’s reading skills and deepening their understanding of the text by examining specific events and settings. The students will also engage in speaking and listening tasks, which will develop their listening skills and their understanding of oral narratives, discussions and expositions.

In our Geography unit this term, the students are exploring regions within Japan. More specifically, they are exploring the culture of Japan and its regions. The students have had to locate Japan and its regions and identify facts about this, such as landforms, climate, agriculture and population. They will also explore facts about the history, religions, foods, customs and celebrations typical of Japanese culture. The students will also work with a small group to research and explore a particular region in Japan. Their study of this complements our involvement in the Japanese language program.

In the coming weeks, there are many activities planned for the students to participate in. The students are especially looking forward to the upcoming senior excursion to the Jindabyne Sport and Recreation Camp. This promises to be a fun-filled and action packed learning experience for all. We look forward to continuing to keep you up to date with our latest endeavours as the year continues!

NUMERACY

Year 5/6 were challenged with the pattern block fractions assessment. Students are also exploring efficient strategies for addition and subtraction of large numbers.


Kindergarten and year 1 have been identifying a range of numbers on the 100 chart. They are getting very good at finding numbers.

Year 2/3/4 have been learning how to play Race to a Thousand. This activity involves rolling a varying number of die, they add the numbers and make using MAB. Once their one’s number goes over ten they need to trade for a ten.