Dear parents and carers,

This week we celebrated our successes at our presentation event. Thank you for coming along on the night. It was great to be able have you with us to celebrate on the night.

Congratulations to all award winners for this year.

There are many activities taking place across our school, home activities and end of year festivities. I encourage all our children to ensure that they are getting enough rest as this is important to ensure that the end of the year is an enjoyable time.

Today, the children are enjoying some additional water activities at school to celebrate the successes of the year.

We have also been finalising different Gold Reward activities for this term. We have been working with clay.

We have been enjoying the Swim Safe program this week.  Thank you to Leanna and the team for your efforts to help us to develop our water awareness and swimming skills.

This afternoon the P & F’s Gingerbread House construction activity will take place.  We are looking forward to seeing what the completed houses will look like.

Our End of Year Mass will be on Tuesday December 15, commencing at 6:00pm.  We will also have similar Covid Safe regulations in place for that event. 

School Fees – Now is the time to finalise any outstanding payments for 2020.  Thank you to those families who have already paid the fees for this term.  If your family is experiencing difficulties paying school fees, please make contact with Therese Clancy at school for assistance. 

Uniforms – if you have need to purchase any school uniforms for 2021, please make contact by Tuesday.

Library – as we are now moving towards the end of the year, please start looking for those extra library books to return to school.  They might be under the bed, on the coffee table, in the pile of things on the kitchen bench.

All returns will be appreciated – our record for the most overdue library book returned this week is 435 days, I wonder if we can beat that with returns over the next few days?

Calendar - You might notice that our newsletter calendar has clicked over to 2021 – we are already in the planning for next year, and dates that we have available have been included. Please note that there may be some minor changes.

Dates for 2021 as provided by Catholic Education, please note that there may be some adjustments to the dates listed below, for the second half of the year.

Annual General Meeting – the AGM for the St Joseph’s Parents and Friends Association will be held on Tuesday February 16, 2021 in the School Library commencing at 7:00pm – all welcome

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.

Christmas masses - This year there will be two masses at Christmas time, a 6.00 pm Vigil Mass on Thursday December 24 and a 9.00 am Mass on Christmas day, Friday December 25.

Take care and stay safe,

What a term it has been! The Year 5/6 students have made the most out of their learning opportunities. In particular, the students enjoyed participating in the Kreative Koalas project and our Mission Day activities and prayer celebration. We also welcomed our very new Kindergarten students for orientation before their official start next year. The students’ achievements were celebrated at Presentation Night, and the Year 6 Graduation Mass will wrap up an eventful year!

In Mathematics, the students focused on different forms of graphs used for different data. They interpreted data from a table using percentages, a column graph, and a pie diagram. The students studied the results and determined whether other representations could have been used. The same data was also represented in a tally and a graph of test results. The gathering of data is often done by survey; thus, the students also considered the different types of effective questions to ask. They then carried out data collection and presented their findings using graphs. Following this, the students then looked at money and finding the equivalent of Australian dollars in foreign currencies.

This term, in Human Society In Its Environment (HSIE), the students have been developing an understanding of how significant events, and the achievements of past and present Australians, have helped to shape our Australian identity. They initially identified significant events and people who have helped shape our identity and used a timeline to show their place in Australian history. The students then chose one of these as the basis for research. They have been researching information about their chosen topic (an event or person) and, in doing so, are developing their research skills.

In Personal Development and Health (PDH) this term, the students focused on different ways in which they can develop and maintain positive relationships. They then examined issues that occur within relationships such as playing fairly, being a good friend, taking risks and peer group pressure. The students have also been deepening their understanding of safety when riding a bicycle, motorbike, scooter, or skateboard, and when using roller blades. They have been examining their set of wheels and considering ways of maintaining it for safety, as well as safety equipment to be worn.

This term, in Physical Education (PE), the students commenced with a focus on touch football and developed the skills used in the game. They concentrated on different skills used, such as passing and catching, roll balling, being acting half, evading skills, and wrapping. The students then participated in touch football games involving these skills. The students also took part in tennis sessions with tennis coach, Col Maher, and are also participating in the annual Swim Safe program.

As we near the end of a busy term and year, we would all like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their ongoing support. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!