Dear parents and carers,

This week we have been busy across a variety of different activities.

Please be aware that our landline telephone system may not be functioning – if you are experiencing trouble making contact with us at school, please use the school mobile number to get in touch - 0407401054.

Congratulations to everyone who came along dressed as their favourite book character last week, we had a plethora of interesting characters around the school on Friday! 

Thank you all who did a drive by to check out what characters had arrived at school for the morning.  Your support is appreciated.

Planning for 2021 is underway, while preparations are in progress, we are continuing to work on finishing out this year in a positive fashion.

During this week, staff have been working with Mr. Herden from Catholic Education to familiarise themselves with the new Religious Education syllabus.

This afternoon I will travel to Canberra for a principal’s gathering, in preparation for next year.

Yr. 5/6 have been busy pulling their ideas together for the Kreative Koala project.  They are completing the presentation aspect of the unit and have begun the process of preparing a brochure to outline simple things that we can do to live in a more sustainable way.  They have also commenced designing and painting their Koala.  We look forward to seeing the finished product.  Thank you to Mrs Reidy from THLHS for your help with this project.

We have been continuing the journey with focussing on aspects of our way of engaging at play times.  This week, we’ve looked at positive talk, this involves providing positive feedback and constructive comment, rather than using putdowns.  Choosing this way of responding helps to build links between people.

Our first Mufti Day for this term is set down for tomorrow.  Everyone is reminded that when we have a Mufti day, we make a gold coin donation to support those less fortunate then ourselves.  I encourage everyone to remember that our Mufti Days are a small way to provide support for those less fortunate.

Tomorrow’s challenge is to incorporate red into your outfit to recognise the Day for Daniel and the Morcombe Foundation – the foundation works to keep our kids safe by building awareness around safety issues.

KINDER TRANSITION – our Kinder transition program begins next Wednesday November 4.  All children who are eligible to commence school in 2021 are welcome to join us on Wednesday morning for a taste of life at “big school”.

For those families wanting to know more about what we do at St Joseph’s please feel free to make contact.

Sports – please be aware that we are planning for various sporting activities this term.  A note relating to his year’s swimming program will be coming home once we have all the appropriate approvals in place.

P & F – Canteen has a new menu for this term.  Thank you to Catherine for your efforts to revamp the menu for this term.

Please note the RECESS menu is pre-order only – remember to pre order your recess as there will no over the counter sales. 

PLEASE use a separate bag to order for recess OR complete the recess order form attached to the newsletter.

Extra paper bags can be bought from IGA

Volunteers and suggestions for the menu are always welcome and appreciated, if you can help, please contact Catherine.

Please note that we need to comply with the NSW Healthy Canteen regulations as well as the current NSW Health covid-19 regulations.

Please see the attached order forms.

Changes to routine - Thank you to those families who are keeping us informed when children are absent from school, or there are changes to the regular routine. 

 Please make it your custom to check in at the office if your children are running late to school – we appreciate your efforts to do this.

We extend our sympathies to the Best family this week and will keep you in our thoughts and prayers.

Take care and stay safe,

Yesterday, all of the teachers in the school were fortunate enough to be involved in some Professional Development in the area of Religious Education. Mr Lee Herden, who is part of the CE’s Religious Education team visited us from Canberra and helped us to work collaboratively to refine our units of study for this term.

Religious Education, today, is all about making the students think critically and make connections with their learning. Big concepts, such as belonging, choice, legacy, influence, and beliefs, are explored through their Religious Education lessons and through at least one other Key Learning area. As the students progress through their years of study, their understandings about these big concepts deepen.

Here is a sample assessment task from last term’s Religious Education in K/1. One of the key understandings for them was that we all have a personal history. The students were asked to pick some images that represented Jesus’ childhood. They then explained orally what the connections were to Jesus.

If this is what they already know in K/1, imagine what the depth of their understanding will be by the time they reach Year 6!

We thank Lee for his time, expertise, and guidance. It is wonderful to be able to be involved in some face-to-face professional learning now that the Covid restrictions are starting to ease.

Peace and blessings