Dear Parents and Carers,

It is easy to tell that the seasons are beginning to change – we are moving from cricket to football, even if it feels as though the temperature has not yet changed!

It has been interesting to see the variety of games being played during breaks including cricket, football (several codes), basketball, imaginary games and so on.  Thank you to those children who are able to ensure that everyone is included in games in the yard at recess and lunch.

We will be getting the bikes out of the shed in the next few weeks for use during breaks.  At present we are checking and making repairs to flat tyres etc.  once this is complete, these will be available for use by those children who have returned a permission note.

Thank you to those who can remember the importance of a simple “…please…” or “…thank you…” or remembering to use another person’s name, these simple phrases are most appreciated.

Congratulations to those children who do choose right school language, and are brave and willing to remind others about choosing to use words that can help sort problems out rather than make a seemingly small issue into one that is over the top.

Thank you also goes to those who are able to report concerns so that these can be followed up. 

This week I am attending the Principal’s meeting and retreat.  This meeting is always a great opportunity to share our experience with principals from around our Archdiocese.

Some children have begun to start the day with a jumper on.  Please ensure that your child’s clothing is clearly labelled with their name, so that items that have been misplaced can be returned quickly.

At present we have a size 12 tracksuit top looking for an owner.

Please check in with your children to ensure that they have enough to eat during the school day.

At present, a number of the children are eating most of the food in their lunch box during recess and are running low on energy at lunchtime.

During the first few weeks of school, staff have been speaking with children about goal setting.  This is a way in which we can set targets to strive for, that are attainable. An example of a goal that is S.M.A.R.T. could be:

I will improve my reading by 3 levels, from level 5 to level 8 by the end of term one.

Specific – has a defined endpoint – in this case improve reading level by 3

Measurable – attaches numbers/time lines – in this case 3 levels and by the end of term.

Achievable – based on existing scores/information, is it achievable?  I believe I can improve by 3 levels.

Relevant – is this useful for my learning/work? Reading is important for what I do each day, so yes this is relevant to me.

Time limited – can I measure change in a set period of time? Yes – move up 3 reading levels in one term

Please have a conversation with your children about their goals for this term.

Yr. 3-6 Excursion – Our Jindabyne excursion is nearly here, and all medical forms and payments should now be finalised.  I trust that the children enjoy this adventure and change to our routine for the first part of next week.

We look forward to seeing you bright and early on Monday morning.

School Board – a note was sent home last week calling for nominations for our School Board (School Committee). 

All nominations must be in writing and received at school by Friday March 22.

Uniform orders – if you would like to order additional clothing for the coming winter term, please fill the attached uniform order form and return to school by tomorrow (Friday March 15).

Mothers Night Out – this year’s event will be held on Friday March 22 at the Grenfell Chinese Restaurant beginning at 6:30pm.  For further information, please see the invitation attached to this newsletter.

Excess furniture – we currently have some older style desks that are no longer needed here at school.  These may be useful at at your home, for example they could be used as art tables or a homework space.  If you would like to view the excess tables, please contact Therese Clancy.

School fees – thank you to those who have been making payments of fees this is greatly appreciated.  If you are experiencing difficulty with payments of school fees, please make contact with Therese Clancy at school.

Book Fair - Our Book Fair has now concluded – thank you to everyone for your support of this year’s fair, it has been a very successful event and we now have a number of new books added to our library.

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.

Sincerely,

Therese Clancy

REC News

In Mrs King’s absence…

We often think of Lent as a time of “giving up” a number of things, when perhaps we should be thinking more about some of the little things that we could choose to do that just might be helpful for someone else…

“please” or “thank you”

Holding the door open for someone else

Carrying a box of equipment from A to B

Allowing someone else to go ahead

Doing the dishes when it isn’t your turn

Hanging out the washing

There are a thousand different things that we do every day…

How nice is it when someone notices and just does one of those tasks for you?

Classroom News –

During their visits to the Library, K/1 have written a book. It is proving very popular in their classroom.

K/1 were also working on their sounds this morning. Today’s sound is zzz, so there were lots of bees buzzing around in their classroom.

Next door 5/6 were very focussed in their maths session.

A visit to 2/3/4 enabled an opportunity to listen to some of David Walliams’ work in Gangsta Granny.

The bag hooks were installed last weekend and they look terrific!

NUMERACY
Year 5 and 6 students have started a new unit called Shapes in My environment. They are now beginning to look at how to use a protractor to measure angles. The most important skill is to estimate the size of the angle by asking if the angle is bigger or smaller than 90 degrees. This then supports the choice of which set of numbers to use for measurement.
Year 2/3/4 have looked at 2D shapes and 3D objects. They have started to record properties of 2 D. We have also looked at the description of parallel lines and find pairs in a variety of 2D shapes. We are also looking at identifying angles that are bigger or smaller than 90 degrees.
Kindergarten and year 1 have started to look at patterns. They are enjoying making variations.

K/1 have begun explore time, first they drew their idea of a clock.