Finding Harmony During the Holidays

The holidays often bring a mix of responses. For some, it's a time of relief and cheer knowing that you don’t have to get out of bed early, or make school lunches and check uniforms, or hurry the family along before they miss the bus. For others it can be a difficult time of finding babysitters or holiday activities, tending to illness while still trying to work, and ensuring that jobs continue to be done despite the, “But I’m on holidays” line.

So that everyone manages some “holiday time” try this:

1. Find a quiet space whether that’s early in the dawn light of morning or the stillness and darkness of night.
2. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Breathe in the familiar scents of the world around you.
3. Take some time to relax, feeling the presence of wherever you may be and your body connecting with what’s around you.
4. Reflect on what you're grateful for—family, health, love, the events of the day or simple pleasures that came your way.
5. Express that appreciation in your heart, whether through prayer or mindfulness.
6. Finish with a cleansing breath ready to embark on the day or find comfort in blissful sleep.
   

Remember, the holidays can be a time to reflect. Embrace the opportunity to connect with your inner self, find peace, and express gratitude.

Happy holidays,

With God's blessings,

Megan Mahoney
Assistant to the Principal Formation & Identity

Smokeless Tobacco Products

The evolving nicotine landscape requires parents and caregivers to stay informed to protect young people from these emerging threats. Snus and nicotine pouches are gaining popularity among young people as smokeless tobacco (SLT) products. Both products are discreetly placed under the upper lip, allowing nicotine absorption through the gums.

Health authorities are urging proactive measures to curb this growing trend and calling on regulators to implement controls before these products become as widespread as vapes. The high nicotine levels in these products pose serious health risks, including nicotine addiction, cardiovascular disease, gum disease, tooth decay, and even nicotine poisoning. Researchers highlight the detrimental effects of nicotine on developing brains, linking its use to depression, anxiety, ADHD symptoms, and an increased risk of addiction to other drugs.

The marketing of snus and nicotine pouches targets young audiences through social media influencers, raising concerns about their increasing popularity among school students. And like vapes, they come in various flavours and strengths, with unregulated nicotine levels leading to inconsistent and misleading labelling.  It is clear that SLT products contain not only nicotine, but also other chemicals with unknown long-term effects.

This Special Report will help you become aware of the potential risks of smokeless tobacco products and guide you in age-appropriate discussions with your child.

Here is the link to your Special Report- 
https://stjosephs.qld.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-smokeless-tobacco-products-au

Be sure to read the latest edition of Catholic Diocese of Toowoomba Horizons magazine.

In this issue, you’ll find a fantastic article about our students and staff’s recent educational journey across Europe on pages 24 and 25.

Additionally, there’s a special story and tribute to Dorothy O’Reilly, who has faithfully served as the secretary of St Joseph’s Parish for 50 years.

You can access the latest edition here: Catholic Diocese of Toowoomba

Last week I was engaged in a conversation by a Year 2 student, who having walked past me initially, stopped and came back to tell me how well she was doing with her learning. She spoke about how she was trying much harder this year and felt like she was succeeding. She commented that she was more responsible now that she was in Year 2 and even her parents had commented on this at home as she assumed some responsibility for her younger sister. That conversation made my day and I was keen to share it with whomever would listen. For me, those comments came from someone who now recognised herself as a learner and wanted everyone to know about it. The fact that she stopped to regale her current experiences with me meant that she also recognised that I would be interested to hear the details. I was very interested because that is in part, what it means to be a Visible Learning school. It is about the growth of every individual learner as they are challenged, experience difficulty, find success as well as the skill, will and thrill to go through it all again knowing that it is hard work. It is also about the support offered by inspired and passionate teachers in an environment where learners feel safe to take risks, knowing that mistakes are part of the learning process.

Some people might be under the impression that being a Visible Learning school means that the learners are left to their own devices to discover the knowledge and understanding of each curriculum area.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Visible Learning recognises that at the initial stages of the learning process, the teacher must use highly effective strategies to help learners acquire, consolidate and recall the foundational facts, processes and concepts. As the learning process develops, highly effective strategies are used to deepen the learning by encouraging learners to make connections.  The teacher is key to determining when the scaffolds are reduced or removed entirely, depending on the needs of the students. Teaching is an art and a science.  Next term, we will explore aspects of the learning process in more detail to give parents and carers a greater insight into Visible Learning.

Mrs Sarah Yates

This year, our Year 10 students Lillian Kendall and Eden Shatte are the school's representatives on the Southern Downs Youth Council (SDYC).

Friday 7th June, Lillian and Eden received their badges from Deputy Mayor Cr Sheryl Windle and Cr Morwenna Harslett.

The Southern Downs Youth Council (SDYC) is a wonderful initiative of the Southern Downs Regional Council that was established as an advisory committee whose role is to represent the voice of young people who live, work, study or volunteer in the Southern Downs region, to provide input into Council activities and decisions. Lillian and Eden are enjoying the experience and will feedback the discussions at the SDYC into our school community.

On Tuesday last week, a Year 6 team and a Year 7/8 team went to Toowoomba to compete in the Readers' Cup. 

This is a competition that gives us the chance to read five books and then get asked many questions about the books. Our Year 6 team came 7^th out of 31 schools and the Year 7/8 team came 13^th in their competition.  Thoughts were thought, amazing connections between books were made, Taylor Swift songs were sung along to, excited experiences were explored but most importantly, memories were made. 

We would like to thank Mrs Yates for being there for every Year 6 meeting and also to Ms Jones for putting up with us on the bus. It was an amazing experience and we highly recommend that others do Readers' Cup in the future.

Written by Issy, Bellarose, Ned and Imogen

On Monday, June 10th, students from Year 11 and Year 7 teamed up with Mrs Hawira, Miss Johannesen, and Mrs Bugden during Period 4 Mentor to participate in some group games at the Bathersby Centre. 

These sessions provide students with valuable opportunities to engage in activities beyond the classroom environment, fostering creativity, teamwork, and a break from traditional learning.

As you can see by the photos, a lot of fun was had by all! 

Congratulations to all students on their magnificent artwork submitted to the Crisps Youth Art Prize competition.

We extend special congratulations to the following students who have been selected as winners. Given the large number of entries received this year, their achievement is exceptional.

The full list of winners from across our school includes:

• Lily Tuvukica
• Caitlin Rossow
• Maddie Jackson
• Claire Nelson
• Lachlan Gasparin
• Roman Abrahams
• Baxter Mouton
• Elliot Tuvukica
• Gracie Zanatta
• Alfie Hill

Well done to everyone! 

On Monday, June 17th, the 8B Humanities class wrapped up their Feudal Japan unit by making a delightful Japanese curry that was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone.

Students from Year 8 and 9 this week ventured off to the wilderness to enjoy their annual school camps.

As part of the School's pastoral progam, it is important for students to experience other opportunities outside the classroom to develop skills and attributes that will develop them as young adults.

School camps are a great opportunity for students to build leadership, communication, conflict resolution, courage and tenacity skills to grow as individuals and as a cohort.

Year 9

Year 8

Year 10 students this week have been out and about gaining real worklife experience through the School's Work Experience Program.

Work experience, sometimes called "work placement", is a program where students are placed in a job for a short time so they can find out more about jobs they're interested in, try things out and build job-seeking networks.

We thank all businesses who have provided this opportunity to our students.

On Thursday, June 13th, the Secondary campus hosted their Mentor Class Lip Sync Battle. Each class performed to a song of their choice, resulting in 10 wonderful performances. The event was filled with excitement, and students’ faces lit up with smiles.

Special thanks to the mentor teachers who prepared the teams, our judges—Mrs Butson and Mr Shannon—and our Heads of House, Mr Steele and Mrs Petrie.

The top performances were as follows:

1. McAuley 5 with “Single Ladies”
2. Davadi 5 with “Dumb Ways to Die”
3. Davadi 2 with “Pitch Perfect”

We’re eagerly looking forward to the Talent Quest next term!

Students dressed in their finest attire on what can only be described as the coldest day in Stanthorpe so far.

They came together to enjoy the night at the combined Senior Formal, an event organized by a committee of St Joseph’s and State High students, with facilitation by Blue Light Stanthorpe.

On Wednesday, June 19th, the Year 12 cohort participated in a Safe Driving Course at Carnell Raceway.

This course is an essential component of our pastoral program here at St Joseph's and offers students real-life driver training experiences, enhancing their safety on the road.

St Joseph’s School has formed a team for ‘The Push Up Challenge,’ Australia’s largest mental health and fitness event.

Participants in this challenge aim to complete 3,249 push-ups over 24 days, starting on June 5. This number represents the Australians who tragically died by suicide in 2022.

The goal is to raise funds to support participants’ health and promote mental health awareness and prevention for depression, anxiety, and suicide.

If you’d like to contribute to our students and Mr Jacob Steele’s goal of raising vital funds for this worthy cause, please click on this QR code below, which will take you direct to the fundraising page - Thankyou !

Wednesday, 12 June was School Officer Day.  This day is celebrated annually on the second Wednesday in June and is our opportunity to celebrate the vital role support staff play in education.

We believe that our school and services officers are vital to enabling us to fulfil our purpose – to enable full and flourishing lives.

Whether they are on the front desk at our schools, working in classrooms, keeping our schools looking great or providing administrative support, they are all valued and important to us! We thank them for all that they do.

Thank you to all our wonderful school officers!

It was fantastic to see a group of our students involved in the String Festival, held at Ballandean State School on Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 June.

This is the third year the festival has been running, with almost 120 students from across the Granite Belt coming together to participate in music workshops, bucket drumming and mass ensembles, culminating in a concert at the end of the two days.  Congratulations to the following students who were involved: Imogen Staley, Chloe Staley, Alastair Holcombe, Ava Stanford, Poppy Wilshire, Josiah Blaxland and Oliver Tuvukica. These students represented our school in an outstanding manner,  and they are to be commended on being such wonderful ambassadors for St Joseph’s.

Special thanks to our instrumental teachers Maple Egerton and Margie Buddle who, along with local teachers Lucy Andersen and Katherine Trent, organised the day. The smiles on the kids' faces at the concert said it all! 

On Saturday, 8 June, St Joseph’s hosted the Chilly Sing. Organised by the Cuskelly College of Music, participants came from the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Toowoomba as well as from the local area. Over 100 people turned up on the day and, despite the very cold day, everyone really enjoyed the singing, the socialising and the food!

The day concluded with a concert in the church and it was a real highlight that a small group of our boys featured at the beginning of the concert. Congratulations to Patrick Moxham, Ned Robinson, Billy Skuse, David Kendall, Rocky Hill, Oliver Tuvikica, Oliver Fraguas, Patrick Preston and Josiah Blaxland who represented our school so well. Great work lads!

Here is the last installment of 'Reflections’ from Secondary students centered around the theme of ‘Creativity,’ which was the focus of this year’s Arts Festival.”

We hope you have all enjoyed reading these "Reflections".

Year 7 Students - Mack Brown & Archie Elliott-Roberts

The cultural context of creativity?

A:  Have you ever thought about how culture shapes creativity?

B:  Not lately.  But you tell me.

A:  Well I kind of wonder if culture is like invisible brushstrokes that colours our creative canvas. It’s like culture infuses every stroke, every hue.

B:  Okay, now you’ve got me interested.  Press on.

A:  Well, you know what I mean, it’s like different cultures have distinct conceptions of creativity.  What’s considered a tradition in one place might be not as valuable and important or ordinary elsewhere.

B:  Okay, so like the East and the West of the world. 

A:  Yes, like that.  In some cultures, novelty reigns supreme.  But in other cultures, usefulness and harmony matter just as much.

B:  Okay so I get it.  Story telling traditions are different from country to country. Like some countries use oral narrative and others it’s all written word and visual arts.

A:  You get it!  Some of those stories share a perspective of adversity like political upheaval, migration or social change and other share joy like connection, love and hope.

B:  I’ve never thought of creativity like that.

Year 8 Students - Hannah Petrie & Milla Fraguas

Creativity as an attitude?

A:  Hey have you ever thought about creativity as more than a skill?

B:  What do you mean?

A:  I mean, it’s like creativity is like an attitude.

B:  You’re going to have to explain this more…

A:  Well fine, see if you can pick up what I’m putting down here.  And I’m about to go pretty deep and meaningful here, so be prepared… I think creativity isn’t just about painting a masterpiece or creating a symphony or developing the greatest code to man. It’s a way of being. It’s an outlook on life.

B:  So.. seeing the world through curious eyes? Hey remember when we used to find shapes in clouds as kids? 

A:  Like cloud animals?

B:  Yes, do you mean like that?  Being curious and looking for the possible in almost anything?

A:  Yes that’s what I think a creative attitude is like.  Look at clouds in the sky is a perfect example of the essence of creativity – an openness to wonder.

B:  So imagination.  You’re talking about imagination right?

A:  Yes totally.  There’s no limit to artist or writer or engineers, scientists, chefs – they all wield imagination and creativity.

B:  Okay, I see where you’re going here (pause and look around) So do you think imagination is contagious?

A:  Well yes.  I think if you surround yourself with curious minds that spark your own creativity, then yes I totally think imagination can be contagious and I think this would lead anyone to develop a creative attitude.

After three successful Working Bees in May, the Year 3-6 area is coming along nicely. We are waiting for the retaining wall to be completed over the June school holidays and the Fort to be installed. We know the students are eagerly waiting for its completion and we hope the space is functional for play time by mid Term 3.

We are also delighted to have student involvement for the finishing touches. Year 3-6 students will be attending an information session at school with a local First Nation’s elder to learn about bush tucker and the specific plants in the bush tucker garden. As emerging primary leaders, the Year 5 students will be custodians of the garden and will be creating the plant signage. In Art class in Term 3, the Year 3-5 students will be creating native animal sculptures from clay to compliment the bush tucker space. Prep-2 students will also be putting the finishing touches on their Fairy Garden, creating animals in Art class to accompany their fairy friends.

To date, the Nature Play Committee has raised $11,000 from fundraising, donations and grants from Acciona $2500 and Woolworths Landcare $1000. All monies raised have gone directly towards the Prep-2 and Year 3-6 Nature Play areas. We are very grateful to parents and the wider community for their support and the generous donations from individuals and local businesses. We are looking forward to bringing everyone together in Spring for a BBQ to officially toast the project and celebrate its completion.

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Carolyn has faithfully served as a school crossing supervisor for the past 19 years, and we here at St Joseph's School will be sad to see her go with her impending departure on June 21, 2024.

We are confident that we will continue to see her walking through the school gates with her grandchildren for many more years to come.

Thank you for your ongoing support of the School Crossing Scheme.