28 June 2018

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

Thanks to all for a good Semester 1. We are pleased with the progress students have made throughout the year so far, and the wonderful contributions so many staff, students and parents have made. In particular, I would like to mention a number of initiatives that have been introduced throughout the school or are due to be in the near future.

During the past months, St Joseph’s School has had maintenance and upgrades completed on both campuses that not only make the appearance of the school more visibly pleasing, but also benefit the learning of students and make the role of teachers and other staff easier.

In January, both campuses were decked out with new aluminium outdoor tables and seating, a welcome upgrade. Both campuses also now have dedicated meeting rooms for staff to meet, plan and record data improvement across the school. The AV Room in the Administration Building has been given a makeover and is now the Boardroom, a professional meeting space for the P&F Association, Board, leadership and other meetings. These spaces have also been very useful for hosting events such as the Southern Downs Regional Youth Council which was held on the Secondary campus recently. The roofs on all the buildings at the school have also been replaced, as well as the sides and roller doors on the Bathersby Centre. To welcome the cold winter months ahead and reduce the effects of hot summer days, the Multi-Purpose Room on the Primary Campus, an invaluable space for students, has been fitted with reverse cycle air-conditioning.

Looking forward, the toilets on both campuses will receive a much-needed renovation and the entrance to the Bathersby Centre will be improved. The cricket pitch on the Primary Campus will be upgraded shortly and a new playground is planned for the same campus. A shaded area between the tennis courts and Frayne Building on the Secondary Campus will be built in the near future. The manual arts facility will also be upgraded over the next 18 months. Ongoing painting will continue during the holidays and a large wall mural reflecting all that is St Joseph’s is planned for Semester 2.

The school is also in the process of improving the technology available in the classrooms and around the school. Last year the Bathersby Centre had a major upgrade of the AV system. In classrooms, teachers now have access to better and bigger displays and easy connectivity through the use of Apple TVs in all rooms. The school is also doing an evaluation of the suitability and viability of using interactive SMART Boards around the school. In the next month, the school’s new website will come on line. This complements the creation of the staff intranet in 2017. A new Learning Management System will also be phased in to improve student learning in the 21st Century.

To help improve the identity of the school, each staff member has been provided with a school staff shirt and hat or cap. These items of clothing are proudly worn by staff at school and in the community.

On the educational front, the teachers are to be commended for the tireless work they have done to implement the Reading Improvement Strategy, the Visible Learning Program and the new Queensland Certificate of Education curriculum and ATAR (Australian Retiary Admission Rank) system. These are very expansive programs which require extensive training, planning and coordination. Ultimately, these programs will improve student outcomes (learning) across the school.

The community at St Joseph’s looks forward to the coming years as the school grows, students achieve their best, and staff work to ensure all students are well cared for and succeed.

I hope all have a restful and enjoyable semester break.

God Bless

Andrew Kendall
PRINCIPAL

LEADERSHIP NEWS

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL ADMINISTRATION-SECONDARY

This week our Secondary students have had plenty on.

Year 7, 8 and 9 students headed off to the Gold Coast and its hinterland for the annual camps. I am certain that all students will remember these camps as some of their best times at school.

Year 9s on Thursday, Discovered their Future with a two hour session with Qld TAFE. All activities helped students to start thinking about their personal skills and attributes as they start to think about future career pathways.

Year 10s completed three days of work placement in the local area and also away. It will have given all of our students an insight into the world of the workforce.

Year 11s started their leadership journey this week with a Leadership Program. Students also obtained their First Aid certificate and Responsible Service of Alcohol and Gambling qualifications.

Year 12s hooned it up at Willowbank at their Driver Training course on Monday. By Tuesday OP eligible students hit the books as they attended two days of QCS preparation at the QCWT. Wednesday and Thursday, students furthered their QCS prep with two days of practice testing.

What a week as we end Term 2. I pray that all of our staff and students have a restful holiday.

God Bless

Linda Perrett
Assistant Principal Administration-Secondary

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL ADMINISTRATION-PRIMARY

Friday 23 June marked the 100th day of school this year. For the Prep students especially, this is quite a landmark but for all our students on the Primary Campus, it is an ideal time to reflect on what has been achieved during Semester One.

We have been so busy …… Queensland Ballet Workshops, camps for Years 5 and 6, the Apple and Grape Festival, the Border District Eisteddfod, School Liturgies and Masses, Year 6 Leadership Day, NAPLAN for Years 3 and 5, the School Cross Country carnival, participation for the first time in the Readers’ Cup Competition, full implementation of the Diocesan Reading Improvement Strategy across Prep-6, Granite Belt and Darling Downs sports competitions, the Scholastic Book Fair, a mini concert from Prep students, visits to the Art Gallery to see exhibitions, a lunchtime Maths club, the Stanthorpe Show, introduction of coding into the curriculum, learning how to be a more effective learner and developing and refining skills across all areas of the curriculum to name just a few things. How blessed we are to belong to community where there is such a variety of opportunities and learning experiences available to all.

There will be some activities on the Primary Campus on Friday related to the number 100 and to mark this special day. We look forward to sharing these with you in the next newsletter.

Reports

At the end of this term you will receive your child’s academic report for Semester One, reflecting their performance against the Australian Curriculum Achievement Standard for each subject. Please note that this is an end of year standard. The teachers have given much consideration to the grades and comments and taken into account a wide variety of evidence. For your information, the grades awarded for each subject can be interpreted in the following way:

The effort rating, social learnings and general comment offer information as to the skills and dispositions your child has demonstrated throughout Semester One. These may provide a starting point for a discussion relating to ‘the more you put in, the more you get out’. As teachers, we encourage the students to become more active participants in their learning rather than passive recipients, and to understand that having a growth mindset can allow you to reach for and attain goals - if you are prepared to put in the effort. It is also important to see your child as an individual, rather than comparing them to siblings or others in the cohort. If your child is growing in their learning, this is cause for celebration regardless of the starting point or the level achieved at this point in the school year.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff, students and parents for their contributions to the success of the Primary Campus this semester and to wish everyone a very restful holiday.

Sarah Yates
Assistant Principal Administration-Primary

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL RELIGIOUS EDUCATION (APRE)

Religious Life of the School – Religious Identity and Culture and Evangelisation and Faith Formation

The final two components of the Religious Life of the School are:

• Religious Identity and Culture
• Evangelisation and Faith Formation

The Religious Identity and Culture of a Catholic School is founded on developing the school’s ethos and charism, building authentic Christian community and creating a sense of the sacred.

Evangelisation and Faith Formation involves expressing who we are and what we do because of our relationship with Jesus Christ and engaging in the work of evangelisation.

Each of the four components detailed in this and past newsletters complement and reinforce the religious life of St Joseph’s School, allowing for the growth and nurturing of all members within an authentic and Christian community.

Megan Mahoney
Assistant Principal Religious Education

SCHOOL NEWS

“CAN IT FOR A CAUSE”

The Can it for a Cause Winter Appeal has been a successful fundraiser. A huge thank you is extended to our families for their generosity in donating over 420 cans for this very worthy cause.

A presentation of the cans was made to representatives of the St Vincent De Paul Society at Thursday’s Whole School Assembly. Natasha was also delighted to make a presentation of the recipe book with recipes sent in by our school community. It is hoped that many of our less fortunate people enjoy using these recipes.

Congratulations to the winners of the Primary colouring in competition who were announced at the Liturgy. These students received a $5 Tuckshop voucher. The runner up students received a small gift pack. This competition has allowed these younger students to gain further knowledge of what this winter appeal is all about. Thank you to all the students who participated.

SWAGS FOR HOMELESS SUCCESS

Prefect Joshua Mahoney would like to extend his thanks to the students, staff and families of our School community for the tremendous support of his recent fundraising project for Swags for the Homeless. A total of $817.00 was raised.

For every $95 an all-weather Backpack Bed can be distributed to the homeless, allowing for street sleeping homeless people to live with dignity. The Backpack Bed is distributed to Australian homeless people through outreach organisations. Through the efforts of our school community, we have helped make a difference to the lives of those who are in need. Joshua would like to say a big thank you for your support of his project for 2018.

Josh and his fellow classmates working at the Tuckshop at the recent Swags for Homeless Movie Night.

PIZZA DAY TO SUPPORT THE WINTER APPEAL

On Thursday 14th June, the Secondary Student Council students held a Pizza Day in support of The St Vincent De Paul Winter Appeal.

With the cold weather, the Pizza Day was a hit, with approximately $230 being raised for this worthy cause. The students happily munched on delicious pizza from Dominoes.

A successful Pizza Day in support of the Winter Appeal was enjoyed by all.

YEAR 5/6 STUDENTS HELP YEAR 1S

Recently the Year 1 students proudly shared their dioramas and project books with the 5/6B class. Each student had researched an Australian animal of interest including its habitat, diet and young. They wrote their information into their project book and then 'brought their animal to life' by creating it in its habitat! All students had lots of fun sharing their knowledge with their older buddies.

The Year 1s enjoyed Year 5s visit.

AG STUDENTS WRAP THE CHEESE

The Year 8 Agriculture students who recently made camembert cheese as part of their studies of the Dairy Industry are getting excited.

Over the past few weeks, these students have been carefully monitoring the growth of the white mould casing and on Monday 18th June, deemed it ready to wrap.

Now it is a waiting game as the cheese is left to mature for another 6-8 weeks before the all- important taste testing. Cheese making has definitely proven to be a lesson in patience. We look forward to hearing how good this cheese tastes.

Students are eager to taste test their camembert cheese.

HAMBURGER DAY

The Mini Vinnies committee would like to thank everyone who participated in the recent Hamburger Day fundraiser. A total of $358.25 was raised and will be donated to the Stanthorpe St Vincent De Paul at the end of the year as well as providing ongoing support of the foodbank.

One hundred and seventy-five hamburgers, ninety-six cupcakes as well as numerous ice-blocks, chips and juice were sold. Thank you to the Haynes Family for donating the supply of tomatoes. The fundraiser was a big success. Thank you to Mr Grew and the Mini Vinnies committee.

A successful Hamburger Day raised funds for the local St Vincent De Paul Society and Foodbank.

PREP MINI CONCERT

Last Friday afternoon, the Prep students were delighted to entertain their Parents and Grandparents at their Mini Concert. The students performed poems and songs they have learnt throughout the term.

What a delightful way to showcase the talents of our Prep students.

READER’S CUP

St Joseph’s School participated in The Readers Cup held at The Glennie School Junior Years Toowoomba for the first time last Tuesday afternoon. Whilst the team didn’t win, they did come first in the Southern Downs Region. The team of five consisted of Freya Creer, Claire Williamson, Clancy Moncada, Bethany Sanderson and Sam Ellis.

The students, Mrs Charlton and Miss Benson left for the competition during lunch time. On the way there they enjoyed lollies, jokes and the extremely long wrapper chain that Sam and Clancy made.

For the past 6 weeks the students read 5 novels and trained at lunchtime by developing and asking each other questions about the books. At the competition they competed against 22 teams from the Darling Downs and were asked 8 tricky questions about each book in every round. In Round 5 the team had the highest awarded points.

A special thank you to Clancy Moncada for being the reserve and participating in the wild card team.

Thank you to Mrs Charlton and Miss Benson for escorting the students to the competition and supervising the training sessions. Thank you also to Mr Fleming and Mrs Grant for their assistance.

The students all agreed it was a wonderful experience and they encourage book lovers to get involved if the opportunity arises.

The Reader’s Cup Team were well prepared for the competition.

YEAR 12 ATTEND DRIVER SAFETY PROGRAM

On Monday 25th June, the Year 12 cohort attended a Driver Safety Program at Willowbank Raceway. This one day program is a driver awareness course aimed at young and novice drivers. The day included lectures, demonstrations, video presentations and in-care hands-on driving experiences.

The students learnt safe driving techniques while they test drove a fleet of different cars. This course is not just about improving their driving skills, but also about learning how not to become part of someone else’s accident.

Thank you to the P&F Association who contributed funds towards the total cost of the program to help reduce the cost to each student. The ongoing support of the P&F for school and initiatives is greatly appreciated.

CULTURAL SHOWCASE DATE CLAIMER

The Year 11/12 BCT class are hosting a Cultural Showcase on Saturday 1st September as part of their Events Management Assessment. These students are enthusiastically organising this event, which they believe is an ideal opportunity to showcase the talents of many of our St Joseph’s students.

The Showcase will feature performances by MM Dance Studios, Ben Manahan, the St Joseph’s Choir and School Band and, students reciting poems from the Eisteddfod. A variety of Primary School Artwork and Manual Arts Projects will be on display.

The BCT class may only be small but their eagerness to make this event a success has them already brainstorming and making preparations. In keeping with the St Joseph’s Mercy Values and supporting various community projects, the students have also decided to donate a percentage of profits made to the 2018 Light the Night Leukaemia fundraiser.

Further details will be made available in Term 3. Claim the date and support the Year 11/12 BCT class with their exciting Cultural Showcase event.

The Year 11/12 BCT class have begun organising their Cultural Showcase Event.

INTRODUCING STAFF

In the first newsletter of the School year, the new teachers were introduced as well as a reintroduction of the Leadership. Every fortnight, a staff member from both campuses will provide a profile of themselves to allow the school and wider community to familiarise themselves with the staff at St Joseph’s School. The school operates with approximately 50 staff members who all have a special role to play in the effective functioning of the school.

My name is Tracey Cullinan and I have worked at St Joseph’s School since 1997, starting as a Year 1 teacher. I worked in the Primary school for 14 years, teaching every year level, except Prep.

At the end of 2013, I decided to take the opportunity and challenge, to move to the Secondary campus. Being the Year 7 Pastoral Care teacher, I was able to help to transition Year 7 students into their new learning environment.

With the support and guidance of my teaching colleagues, I have eased into life on the Secondary campus. I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing the growth and development of the students over the years, as they progress through the year levels from Prep to Year 12.

I believe teaching is about touching the lives of the students, making connections with them that will last a lifetime, and providing them with inspiration that will take them to new and exciting places.

In 2018, I continue my teaching path, transitioning into teaching senior students whilst guiding and supporting those in the middle school. The development of the students holistically and spiritually in the ever-changing curriculum, will continue to produce challenges for me in the coming years at St Joseph’s.

Hello, my names is Margie Scott and I am a cleaner at the School.

I first moved to Stanthorpe around 37 ½ years ago. I worked at the Stanthorpe Nursing Home before I was offered a job at St Joseph’s School.

I have been working here for 1 ½ years and I am really enjoying my time here.

LOST PROPERTY

All lost property for both Primary and Secondary Campuses will now be stored at the Office. Should you have any items of clothing missing, please check at the Office.

These items will be kept at the Office for a term and then if the owners cannot be identified, they will be made available to the School Community.

TUCKSHOP

Kath would like to thank everyone for their support of the Secondary Tuckshop in Term 2 and looks forward to serving up more delicious food in Term 3.

Please note that there will be no Secondary Tuckshop on the first Wednesday back in Term 3. Secondary Tuckshop will resume on Wednesday 25th July.

Primary Tuckshop Coordinator, Bec would like to thank everyone for their support this Term. “It’s been a very long term and many volunteers have worked twice so Tuckshop could happen. I’m sure the kids really appreciate the fact they have had access to it twice a week. Due to some of the volunteers changing work circumstances, we are likely to be a little short next term. So if anyone has a spare Monday or Friday next term, they would be very welcome to come and spend it in Tuckshop,” Bec said.

SPORTS NEWS

CONFRATERNITY AND QISSN

We wish the Confraternity Rugby League and QISSN Netball teams all the very best in the upcoming competitions to be held during the first week of the school holidays in Charters Towers and Townsville.

ATHLETICS FIELD EVENTS

The Field Events for 9, 10 and 11 year olds will be held on Thursday 19th and Friday 20th July.

The High Jump will take place on the Primary Campus with all other events to be held at the Secondary Campus.

UPCOMING EVENTS