Dear parents and carers,

Welcome to the final newsletter for term 2! It’s been quite a term and, judging from the number of children and teachers suffering from the various colds and flus that are around Grenfell at present, it’s time to relax and rejuvenate over the holidays. We hope everyone will return feeling rested and ready for Term 3 on Tuesday 23rd July.

Pupil Free Day

Parents and carers are advised that the last day of Term, 5th July is a pupil free day to allow staff across the Archdiocese to participate in professional learning. The last day for the children this term is Thursday 4th July. 

Term 3 commences for the students on Tuesday 23rd July. The St Joseph’s staff will be participating in a Spirituality Day on Monday 22nd July.

St Vincent de Paul Sleepout Pyjama Day

The children thoroughly enjoyed the special treat of coming to school in their PJs today and bringing a gold coin donation for the St Vincent de Paul Sleepout.

On Thursday, Mrs Kathy Holding from Hennessy Catholic College joined us remotely to share with the children her experiences sleeping on Young Railway Station with 70 other brave members of the community. Kathy helped us to empathise with people who find themselves without a home and how we can help support the homeless and work towards a world where everyone enjoys a safe and secure place to call home.

Please click here for a video of the Sleepout in Young last Thursday 20th June featuring the Exec team from Hennessy Catholic College:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EdU30B6gT20RiEOgqAVGmYQrhqMx1t8L/view?usp=sharing

Thanks to Sheridan Hunter and Sally Metcalfe for arranging the delicious Meal Deal lunch of chicken wings and fried rice. 

Thanks parents and carers for your support for this event!

End of Semester 1 Reports

All parents and carers should have received their child’s Semester 1 report via compass this week. St Joseph’s issues annual reports which serve as one aspect of the learning partnership between home and school. Our aim is to ensure excellence in communication and a strong commitment to collaboration between home and school. We trust that you will find the Semester 1 Report informative in providing feedback on your child’s learning, growth and development. 

Teachers are available for Parent and Teacher Conferences on Wednesday 3rd July. Conferences provide the opportunity for any clarifications, and further discussion on your child's progress. You should be now have received a Compass notification to book your appointment.

Kindergarten and Year 1 Liturgy – Tuesday 2nd July at 10.30

Due to staff and student illness, the K/1 Liturgy was postponed to this coming Tuesday 2nd Julu at 10.30am in the Library. Please do join us for some time of prayer, song and reflection if you can!

Archdiocesan Public Speaking Competition

Congratulations to the children who participated in the Speak Offs with St Mary’s Young this week. The following children represented the school with pride and confidence and are to be commended on their preparation and performance.

Year 3: Isabelle 

Year4: Aldhin  and Jack F

Year 5: Callum and Jed

Year 6: Georgia and Saskia

Thank you parents and carers for your terrific support!

National Consistent Collection of Data for Student

Please find information with regards to the National Consistent Collection of Data for Students with Disability (NCCD).  Our apologies that this did not appear in last week’s newsletter as planned. All schools in Australia are required to participate annually in the NCCD. This allows our Catholic sector to continue to provide and prioritise innovative and high-quality teaching and learning to support all students on their learning journey. Please find more information later in this newsletter.

In Conclusion…

As my time as Acting Principal is rapidly drawing to a conclusion and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your help and support over the past 12 months. It’s been a pleasure and a privilege to serve as Acting Principal.

St Joseph’s is blessed to have  a dedicated, enthusiastic and hardworking staff who are the life and strength of the school. I have very much enjoyed being part of the St Joseph's and the Grenfell community, and leave with many happy memories of my time here.

The highlight of working at any school is always getting to know the children, and the children at St Joseph’s are no exception. My past experience has included start-up schools so I have experienced small schools previously, but the St Joseph's context has been a unique experience and it was a great experience to be part of the family. 

Mrs Hotham will return as Principal at the commencement of Term 3 and I would like to wish Melissa and all members of the community the very best for what I am sure will be a bright future at St Joseph’s!

With gratitude and best wishes,

Western Region  Athletics Carnival Recount

By Emily Protheroe

On Friday the 21st of June the Western Region Athletics Carnival at Nixon Park, Temora went off to a wet and bumpy start. The day was cold and cloudy in the morning, but the rest of the day turned out to be reasonably sunny, just cold. Our competitors that attended from St. Joseph’s were Jack R, Charlie, Saskia, Ariahana, Emily, Angus, Arabella, Isabelle, Adam, Angelina, Aldhin, Frankie, Jack F, Claudia and Jed. 

It was a busy day with competitors rotating around the different events in their age groups. The rain made some events difficult as the ground was slippery.  It also made it difficult to stop at the end of running races.

Charlie said ‘Everyone improved on their times from our school athletics carnival.’

Jack said “He felt cold all day.’

Emily said “Congratulations to those who are going to the next level.”

Angelina said “She enjoyed the experience of her first Western Region Carnival in Australia.”

While only 2 competitors from our team made it away, many students improved on their nominated time and distances. The two people who made it away were Arabella who qualified in the 10yrs girls 100m dash and Angus who made it away in the 10yrs boys 100m and Junior boys 200m dash.  They will compete at the AIS in Canberra in August.

We would like to thank St. Anne’s, Temora for hosting the carnival and the parents and grandparents for taking the competitors.  

Athletics Carnival Recap

We finally did it! It took us 3 weeks, but we eventually were able to hold our athletics carnival.

The conditions on the day of the carnival were not friendly. I commend the students for braving the conditions to still compete and to the parents and visitors who came down to cheer and support us for the short while we were at the oval.

Please find the results from our carnival below.

First and second place from our carnival was selected to be part of the St. Joseph’s team that went to Temora last Friday. You will find a report from Emily P on how the day went.  Let’s just say it was a little cool and slightly damp.  All students gave their best in events and their behaviour and sportsmanship should be commended.

Congratulations to Arabella B and Angus H who have qualified for the next round of competition in Canberra in August.  

A big thankyou to parents and family who took the day out of their busy schedule to get students to Temora, your commitment is greatly appreciated.

Information for parents & carers in Catholic Schools
Nationally Consistent Collection of Data
on school students with Disability
All schools in Australia are required to participate annually in
the National Consistent Collection of Data for Students with Disability (NCCD). This allows our
Catholic sector to continue to provide and prioritise innovative and high-quality teaching and
learning to support all students on their learning journey. Above all though, our Catholic
tradition demands that educators see every child as equal, inherently sacred and worthy of
dignity and respect. Our Catholic schools support children and young people with disability as
an act of love, not merely as a legislative requirement.
What is the National Consistent Collection of Data?
The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on Student School Students with Disability (NCCD) is a
process that all schools must complete on an annual basis. It is designed to count the number of
students who receive additional adjustments or “help” at school because of a disability. This national
data collection helps federal and state governments plan for the needs of students with disability. It is
also the way that schools seek and receive funding to support the learning needs of their students.
Who is included in the data collection?
To include a student in the NCCD collection, schools must consider some key questions:
1. Is the student receiving adjustments to assist them with their ability to participate in
schooling on the same basis as their peers?
2. Does the student meet the NCCD's broad definition of disability?
3. Has this school discussed the adjustments(help) with the student and/or parent/carer/
guardian?
4. Does the school have documentation (assessments, medical reports or other paperwork) about
the student’s functional needs, the adjustments (help) that they provided and how the student
progressed overtime?
Where the school decides that the four steps above are in place (i.e. the student meets the NCCD
criteria), the school then decides the best disability category and how much help (adjustment level) that
the student is provided with.
What is the broad definition of disability?
The NCC definition of disability is based on the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and there are four
categories; sensory (e.g. vision / hearing impairment), cognitive, social-emotional and physical.
The definition of disability is very broad and many students that need help at school can be counted in
the NCCD. Students with learning disorders e.g. specific learning disability or reading impairment
(sometimes referred to as dyslexia), ADHD or auditory processing disorder, chronic health conditions
(e.g. epilepsy or diabetes), physical disability (e.g cerebral palsy), vision/hearing impairment and social
emotional disorders (e.g. selective mutism, anxiety disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorder) may be
included in the data count.

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on school students with Disability (NCCD)
A formal diagnosis by specialist may be very helpful for the school but is not needed in the NCCD. A student's
inclusion in the NCCD collection is based on professional teacher judgement. Schools can consider school
based and external documents to decide if a student can be counted.
What are examples of adjustments?
Students need different types of help at school. Some students need a little help sometimes (minor
adjustments) but other students need a lot of help nearly all the time (extensive adjustments). The type
of help and support that a school provides is also very different depending on the needs of the student.
The adjustments can include physical changes to the school buildings or grounds (e.g. ramps or special
equipment), extra teacher support in classes, special learning programmes, changes to the way the
curriculum is presented and delivered or extra adult assistance.
What information is needed about my child?
Schools work together with parents /guardians/carers to understand the needs of each child. Your
knowledge of your child's development and learning is important and valuable in this process. It will be
very helpful to provide your child's teacher with a copy of any relevant past reports (e.g. from a
psychologist, speech pathologist, doctor, Paediatrician, OT etc). these reports will be used with
information from your child's teacher, such as information about your child's reading progress or a
Personalised Learning Plan, to build a picture of your child's needs and the help that the school is
providing.
How is information collected?
The data collection process involves input from teachers, principals and other school staff working
together to consider the data for students with disability in their school, the category of disability and
the level of adjustment that best reflects each student’s needs.
As a first step, teachers consult with the student and their parent/guardian/carer, to discuss the
student’s strengths in the areas where the student needs extra support. This support could be support
for their learning, behaviour support, support for medical needs, participation, or other areas where the
student needs extra help. Information collected about the type of adjustments the school is making so
that they can participate and learn on the same basis as other students. Documentation, such as
diagnostic reports, school reports, parent teacher interviews, Collaborative Planning Meetings and
Personalised Learning Plans, will help to provide evidence of the type of support that the school is
providing.
What happens to the data? Is it confidential?
All schools must complete the NCCD. Each school principal is required to verify and submit data about
students with disabilities in their school during August of each year. The privacy and confidentiality of all
students and their families is respected and handled as per the school's Privacy Policy and Collection
Notice. Please refer to your schools’ policies for further information.
Do schools require active consent from parents to include students in NCCD?
Amendments were made to the Australian Education Act 2013 and subsequent regulations. As such, schools
do not require parents/carers/guardians to provide active consent for students to be included in the NCCD
nor is there an option for parents/carers/guardians to request their child not be included (e.g. an opt-out
option.)
Where can I access more information?

Please contact your child's school if you have further questions about the NCCD. Additionally, the following
link to the national NCCD Portal may be helpful www.nccd.edu.au.

NCCD – Parent Information