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- ACTING PRINCIPAL
- ASSISTANT TO THE PRINCIPAL PRIMARY
- ASSISTANT TO THE PRINCIPAL FORMATION & IDENTITY
- STUDENT'S ABSENCES FROM SCHOOL
- INSPIRATIONAL MATHEMATICS WEEK
- YEAR 6 TECH WITH MR STEELE
- DIGITAL AUTHOR TALK
- MODERN HISTORY
- YEAR 3 GUEST SPEAKERS
- SCIENCE ON SECONDARY
- YEAR 2 NEWS
- STUDYING SUCCESS
- MATHS CLUB
- STUDENTS UNDERTAKING SBA'S
- SOLDIER ON AUSTRALIA
- BUSKING SUCCESS
- BOOK FAIR 2021
- QFES PRESENTATION
- 2020 YEAR 12 STUDENTS - WHERE ARE THEY NOW ?
- P & F PALGROVE SALE
- IMPORTANT NEWS FROM THE TUCKSHOP
- YEAR 10 WORK EXPERIENCE
- SPORT
- UPCOMING EVENTS
Our Senior students have just completed the first summative assessment piece under the new QCE system. In April, samples of student responses from each General syllabus will be subject to an external confirmation process. This will be led by senior members of the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority's (QCAA) quality assurance team, with sample student responses reviewed by subject matter experts drawn from across the state. As a school, we are confident that the combination of quality teaching and learning, coupled with rigorous internal quality assurance processes, will ensure that our students are in the best possible position to have results in summative IA1 assessment confirmed. I met with the Year 12 students to stress the importance of dedication and application in their studies as they move into summative IA2 tasks.
I congratulate the students who participated so well in the Busking Championships held recently. It was wonderful to see so many students involved and the success they experienced through their fantastic performances. A huge thank you to Dr Cuskelly, Mrs McLucas and all staff who helped prepare students for, and attended the event on the Saturday.
Interim reports for all students in Year 7-12 will be issued at the end of term. These reports are an important checkpoint for parents and students to gauge progress across the start of the academic year. These reports will be a foundation point for discussion at the Parent-Teacher interviews scheduled for Term 2. Further information will be sent out in relation to this later in the term.
God Bless
Matthew Brown
Acting Principal
ASSISTANT TO THE PRINCIPAL PRIMARY
Last week we held a ‘Week of Inspirational Mathematics’ and elsewhere in this newsletter you will read about the activities that look place, the learning that happened and the purpose of why we did it. I hope that the parents who joined us enjoyed themselves in the classrooms but more importantly, that they got an insight into the way that we are teaching Mathematics now. We will look to hold another week like this in the future but in the meantime, learning continues like this for your children every day and we are certainly seeing the results in their developing understanding of concepts, their ability to articulate their understanding and the willingness to take risks and make mistakes.
In Week 6 of this term, I had the opportunity to visit three Primary schools within the Diocese - St Patrick's Mitchell, St Joseph's Tara and St Joseph's Milmerran. The focus of the visit was Mathematics and I worked with the children to demonstrate some learning activities for the teachers. As you would expect as we are all within the same Diocese, these schools have much in common with us. At each school, I was warmly welcomed by the teachers and the children and there was a strong sense of the importance of learning at each school. The teachers engaged in professional conversations about their learners and there was a desire to learn more. Positive relationships underpinned all the interactions I witnessed. The Catholic beliefs and values were evident in the posters, icons and practices I saw as was the sense of the central role the each school plays in the community. It is good to be able to see other schools in operation and over the next few months, many of our teachers will have the opportunity to visit fellow teachers and learn from their expertise.
Congratulations to the Joyous Joeys for their success in the recent Busking Competition. It was a great school experience that was well supported by the public. Thank you to Mrs McLucas and Dr Cuskelly for their work in preparing the children.
My ongoing thanks to all the staff on the Primary Campus who have continued to support the students in their learning, their social interactions and their spirituality.
With God's Blessing
Sarah Yates
Assistant to the Principal Primary
ASSISTANT TO THE PRINCIPAL FORMATION & IDENTITY
The Religious Life of the St Joseph's
St. Joseph’s Day
This Friday 19th March we celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church and our school. As Pope Francis has declared this year the Year of St. Joseph, our celebrations this Friday are even more significant and special for our school. We will commence our day with a special mass to honour St. Joseph. This year we will create St. Joseph’s Table, an Italian tradition where thanks is given to St. Joseph for the gifts he has given to the community. Following mass, activities will be held including St. Joseph’s Trivia together with a shared lunch and special surprise. We look forward to celebrating our St. Joseph, a man of honour, dedication, acceptance and love.
Cornerstones
This term a number of our staff have undertaken a two year RE course entitled “Cornerstones”. This course is an online professional learning program developed to enhance learning by focussing on prayer, scripture, the bible and Catholic social teachings. Sessions are led by experts in the field and followed up with reading, reflecting and journaling activities. Participating staff have so far found the sessions both contemporary and practical, using many of the activities and experiences in their own classrooms.
Easter
Each year a special service is held on the final day of term to celebrate and commemorate the Easter story. This year we have decided to do an Easter play, to be performed by our Year 3 students with the lead role of Jesus being played by Year 11 student Jack Bell. McAuley House 4, assisted by House Mentor Mrs Ryan, will narrate and prepare props and sets. Families are welcome to attend the performance. Details will be broadcast in coming weeks.
God's Blessings
Megan Mahoney
Assistant to the Principal Formation & Identity
STUDENT'S ABSENCES FROM SCHOOL
Absent students
If your child is absent from school, please advise the office by calling on 07 4681 5900 or email stanthorpe@twb.catholic.edu.au.
If you wish to advise your child's teacher of their absence, please ALSO email stanthorpe@twb.catholic.edu.au.
When leaving a message, please clearly state your child's name and their class. Please do not ask your other children to advise the office as often these messages are not passed on.
If no advice is received, an SMS will be sent seeking confirmation, followed by a phone call if required.
INSPIRATIONAL MATHEMATICS WEEK
Last week, students celebrated all things mathematical as part of 'Week of Inspirational Mathematics'. Students were delighted to be able to welcome parents and grandparents into their classrooms to share in their learning.
Activities during the week also took place before school, with the students working on mathematical puzzles, as well as in lessons across the curriculum. Mr Grew, for example, got the students to form groups of different numbers during their PE lessons and then skip count in those numbers. The week culminated in a whole campus activity, where students investigated how far they could reach if they stood fingertip to fingertip.
Students had lots of fun while learning and they will continue to do so as mathematics lessons continue into the future. Our aim here at St Joseph's with the Inspire Mathematics project that we are involved in are:
- to improve the mindsets of all students towards mathematics, so that they see the learning in this subject area as a positive experience.
- to make connections between what students learn at school and mathematics in everyday context.
- to enable students to be able to explain their mathematical thinking rather than just complete processes.
- to recognise that mistakes are an important part of the learning process, which help our brains grow important connections.
- to understand that learning is not always easy and that sometimes we have to go into "the pit".
Parents are encouraged to take every opportunity possible to discuss 'maths moments' with their children as they occur. However, don't be too eager to provide solutions as the real learning takes place when children struggle - and sometimes fail. It is not easy for parents to take a step back and allow mistakes to be made but research very clearly indicates that this is beneficial.
Year 6 students recently completed their first project in the Tech Workshop after completing their safety modules.
Students all designed and shaped their own CO2 dragster and raced against each other. Their next project for the remainder of Semester 1 is to build a wooden pencil box before changing to a different elective.
Tuesday, March 16th saw students from Year 2, Year 3 and Year 4 join with hundreds of other classrooms to listen to an author talk presented by the Sydney Opera House Virtual Excursion team.
Students were lucky enough to hear Andy Griffiths speak about his love of reading and writing. He gave the students heaps of ideas about how to make stories entertaining in true Andy Griffiths style.
On Friday 12th March, Senior Modern History students travelled to Warwick to watch the film, High Ground.
This term, students have been investigating Australian Frontier Wars and this highly acclaimed film tells the story of Indigenous people’s conflict with European settlers in the Northern Territory.
Students were able to make significant connections between their studies and depictions in the film and came away with a greater understanding of struggles of colonial Australia.
It's always good to have people who are passionate about Science talk to to our students.
Wednesday 3rd March saw Ned's dad Tim visit the Year 3 classroom to talk about how he relies on his knowledge of animals to help him in his job as a farmer. He talked to the class about the different breeds of cattle and sheep that he raises and how they differ or are the same in not only their outward appearance, but also in temperament and breeding purposes.
Friday 5th March saw another guest speaker visit the Year 3 classroom. David's grandad met the Preps to Year 3 classes in the Multi-Purpose room and discussed with the students the life cycle of butterflies. The students were fascinated to learn more about the metamorphosis of this insect. Students can now observe this life cycle in the classroom thanks to Mr Kendall's donation of caterpillars, plants and enclosure.
Year 9 students have been busy during their Science lessons consolidating their thoughts on their electricity unit.
Students had the choice to make a mid map either on paper or digitally as a “ThingLink.”
In Science, Year 2 have been exploring the growth, development and change of a range of living things. We were very fortunate that Tyson and his family caught us some tadpoles so we could watch their life cycle as they turned into frogs. Students have been observing the tadpoles regularly to watch the tadpole/frog lifecycle. One has already turned into a frog, and Tyson was able to release ‘India’ back in to the natural habitat where he originally caught the tadpoles.
During Mathematics lessons, we have been learning about place value of numbers up to 1000. Students have been involved in a range of activities to help them gain a better understanding of reading, writing, modelling and recognising numbers to 1000. A favourite activity was the Place value Zoo’ where students had to make an animal out of MAB hundreds, tens and ones. They then worked out the value of their animal and make, write and represent the number in a variety of ways. Mathematics is FUN!
Natasha Brierley has successfully completed her first year University course recently through the USQ Headstart program. Natasha is studying Human Anatomy & Physiology.
Well done Natasha !
Congratulations also to Adam Raccanello who has successfully completed his Cert III in Retail. Adam completed this course whilst working at McDonald's Stanthorpe.
Secondary students meet at lunch times every Monday for Term 1 as part of Math’s Club.
The focus for this Term is on the connection between mathematics and music with students being encouraged also to being along their musical instruments.
At present, a number of students from both Year 11 and Year 12 are undertaking a variety of School based Apprenticeships.
School based apprentices and trainees learn workplace skills, gain confidence, and adapt to work environments. It gives the student the opportunity to put skills learnt at school and the training organisation, into practice in a real work environment.
We wish the students all the best with their SBA's and we also thank the employers for providing our students with the opportunity to participate in a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship.
Student | Year Level | Employer | Qualification |
Teresa Pozzebon | 12 | Foxy's Bakery | Certificate III Baking |
Charlotte Wilson | 12 | Soul Pattinson Pharmacy | Certificate II Community Pharmacy |
Vanessa Petroccitto | 12 | Kirra Pines | Certificate III Production Horticulture |
Brayden Spiller | 12 | Elite Torque Mechanical | Certificate III Light Vehicle Mechanical Technology |
Anthony Pearce | 11 | Vichie & Sons | Cert II Automotive Underbody Technoloy |
Nikolas Petrie | 11 | Andrew Petrie Metering & Electrical | Cert III Electrotechnology Electrician |
Bella Evans | 11 | St Joseph's School Year 1 | Certificate III Education Support |
Mackenzie Swan | 11 | Red Rooster | Certificate III Business |
Cydney McErvale | 11 | QCWT | Certificate III Hospitality |
Lucas Wren | 11 | Farm Torque | Cert II in Automotive Servicing Technology |
Isabella Evans, Nikolas Petrie, Vanessa Petroccitto and Teresa Pozzebon (Absent - Charlotte Wilson, Anthony Pearce, Mackenzie Swan and Cydney McErvale)
Soldier On Australia is an organisation enabling veterans and families to thrive. It was established to support those returned personnel that had been physically or psychologically impacted by their service. Through the delivery of holistic services, Soldier On currently support more than 3000 veterans and their family members. Their services aim to build resilience and connection between community and employers and promote health and well being. During the month of March the organisation co-ordinates a fundraiser, March On, to save veterans' lives and support mental health.
“The Kokoda Track marks the course of one of the most important battles for Australians in the Second World War. The men who defended this rugged 96km track were the only line of defence protecting Australia from imminent invasion.”
Between March 1 and March 31, individuals or teams are encouraged to walk 96kms to raise money for supporting lifesaving mental health services, so that our returned ADF members and their families can march on and thrive in our communities.
As a cohort, the Year 11 students, have decided to conquer the 96km march, and have already registered as individuals and a team. At lunchtime on Tuesday, students walked around the primary campus oval for 30 minutes, encouraging the younger students to join in with them as they spoke to them about the importance of the cause.
If you would like to see how our students are going or wish to make a donation, a link to the team page, Seniors 2022, is below.
https://fundraise.soldieron.org.au/fundraisers/seniors2022
Thank you for your support and we look forward to sharing our progress with our community in coming weeks.
A massive congratulations to our Primary Buskers who took part in the Australian National Busking Championships held here in Stanthorpe on Saturday 6 March 2021.
Our Joyous Joey's placed first in the School's category and third in the People's Choice. The $500 prize money will be used for one of our upcoming school projects.
Well done to Dr James Cuskelly, Mrs Mary McLucas, students and families who came along to support our Joyous Joey's.
The theme of our Scholastic Book Fair for 2021 is To the Book Fair and Beyond, Reading is out of this World ! It’s a fun reading event that brings the books kids want to read right into our school. It’s a wonderful selection of engaging and affordable books for every reading level. In fact, some titles will be under $5.00!
The Book fair also provides an opportunity to pick up some great affordable gifts – and the gift of reading for enjoyment and knowledge is a lifetime one!
Book Fair dates: Mon 22nd March – Fri 26th March
Shopping hours: 8.00am – 8.30am and 3.00pm – 3.30pm
We look forward to seeing you and your family at our Book Fair!
Mrs Stanford and Miss Gangemi
As some of you may or may not know, our School Groundsmen, Mr Mitch Hurtz is a member of the Qld Fire & Emergency Services, Stanthorpe Fire Services.
Tuesday, 9th March saw members and fellow crew members of the local Stanthorpe Fire Services, meet with Mr Matthew Brown and Mrs Brooke Butson, to present the school with a gift to say "Thank You" for allowing Mitch to be able to still attend call outs, whilst employed here at St Joseph's.
We too, wish to pass on our thanks, more importantly to the great service these people provide to our community.
2020 YEAR 12 STUDENTS - WHERE ARE THEY NOW ?
As we move through the halfway point of Term 1, it's nice to look back and update the school community on the progress of our Year 12 senior cohort from 2020.
It seems only a short time ago that we farewelled these students and they are certainly making their mark in the world outside the school walls.
As a community, we continue to wish them all the best as they make their mark on the world.
Lara Beckett |
Lara is working at St Joseph’s School as a Teacher Aide and a Laboratory Technician. |
Anthony Buda |
Has accepted a job at Red Rooster. |
Amillea Davies |
Has accepted a dual degree at QUT, studying a Bachelor of Maths and a Bachelor of Science. |
James Humble |
James will be studying Law externally through USQ. |
Bridgette Kay |
Bridget Kay accepted a position to study medicine at JCU. |
Lachlan Mahoney |
Lachlan is currently in the recruitment process for the Australian Defence Force. |
Rory McDonagh |
Rory received an offer of his 1st preference of Math with UQ. Rory has already commenced his studies at UQ. |
Naomi McIntyre |
Naomi is taking a gap year this year and is working at McDonalds. Naomi received her 1st preference of Business Management through UQ and will pursue this course in 2022. |
Danielle Musumeci |
Danielle has accepted a Primary Teaching degree through QUT, however has decided to defer her course for the year and will continue her work at Amcal Chemist in Stanthorpe. |
Samuel O’Donnell |
Sam is working full time at Kirra Pines doing computer dispatching and working in the tomato shed. His plan is to continue this for a year or two before applying for the Police Academy. His goal is still to become a Police Officer. |
Leah Peters |
Leah received an early acceptance into USQ for nursing in Toowoomba and has already commenced her studies. |
Melissa Petroccitto |
Melissa was accepted into Medical Imaging through a Mackay University. Melissa will complete her first term online whilst she organises a transfer through Woolworths and finds accommodation in Mackay. |
Franco Pozzebon |
Franco is taking a gap year this year and is currently working at McDonalds. He is studying a Cert II in Retail with the plan to do Management. He will apply to Uni’s in 2022 with the goal of studying Computer Science. |
Lindsey Swan |
Lindsey is working full-time in Stanthorpe as an apprentice hairdresser. She commenced her apprenticeship the week after completing her Year 12 studies. |
Leonie Taylor |
Leonie is currently working on her family farm and still wants to teach and study dance. |
Friday 12th March, St Joseph's P & F attended the Palgrove charolais female sale at Dalveen. Whilst the attending crowd was not huge (Covid19 resulting in more buyers conducting business remotely) our small group were kept busy feeding hungry mouths with burgers, sandwiches, home-baking and tea / coffee.
Thanks to all those who provided delicious home-baking (too many to mention individually). Special thanks to Jodie Cosmo, Kristin Widderick & Marty Brown on sandwich making duties. And Paulette Verri, Amy Torrisi & Daniel O'Dea who attended the event itself.
Once again our tireless Palgrove coordinator, Michelle Mason did a fantastic job in making sure everything was organised beforehand, as well as making sandwiches and spending her Friday at Palgrove. There is a mountain of work involved in this event and we are extremely lucky to have Michelle involved in this role. Thank you Michelle.
Daniel O'Dea
P & F President
IMPORTANT NEWS FROM THE TUCKSHOP
The Tuckshop will be open on BOTH campuses as per normal
FOR MORNING TEA ONLY tomorrow,
Friday 19th March.
Lunch will be provided for all students as part of our St Joseph's Day celebrations.
We are seeking interest from potential employers who may be interested in taking a Year 10 student from St Joseph's for a 3 day work experience placement at the end of Term 2 (21-23 June).
If you are able to assist, please contact the School's Career Support Officer, Ms Rachael Wood on 4681 5991 or email rachael.wood@twb.catholic.edu.au.
Basketball
A total of 45 St Joseph's students are currently participating in the local Basketball competition held every Thursday at the Stanthorpe YMCA.
Students participating range from Years 4 to Year 10.
A massive thank you to Mr Carmelo Citrigno for organising the students and their teams. In his words "It has been awesome to be a part of !"
Tuesday 9th March saw Cluster Day 2 of the 2021 Darling Downs sports calendar take place and St Joseph’s are pleased to announce that two students, Brayden Spiller (19yrs Football) and Anika Rossington (Open Girls Squash) have been selected to compete in their respective State Championships later in the year.
Brayden will compete in May at Highfields, Toowoomba at the State Carnival and Anika will head off to Brisbane also in May to compete at the Squash State Championships.
The school community wishes Brayden and Anika all the best as they compete against the best in the State.
Damian Petrie
Head of Sport
Laura Geitz Netball Carnival
On Sunday 14th March 2021, the following Year 7-9 students were chosen to represent St Joseph’s at the Laura Geitz Netball tournament:
Eliza Bonner
Claire Danzey
Heidi Favaro
Jess Ellis
Brigid O’Dea
Olivia Page
Ashlin Searle
Rylee Vedelago
Claire Williamson
Umpires – Caitlin Ellis & Kira St John
Coach – Karen Petrie
Manager – Sandra Ellis
The team played in the division 2 competition which included 13 teams from around the Darling Downs region. St Joseph’s were undefeated in all their 6 round games and then in the crossover playoffs, won the first 2 games which then pitted them against the top of the other pool.
In a hard-fought match, the girls were defeated by OLSCC. They came home with the silver medal and earnt a lot of respect from the opposing teams for not only their talent, but the great sportsmanship shown throughout the day.
The scores for the day were:
Game 1 v Scots PGC – Won 7-5
Game 2 v Dalby SHS – Won 7-1
Game 3 v Harristown SHS – Won 9-5
Game 4 v Concordia College – Won 17-0
Game 5 v St Saviour’s – Won 10-3
Game 6 v St Mary’s Goondiwindi – Won 18-2
Crossover Game 1 v Mary McKillop – Won 8-4
Crossover Game 2 v Lockyer DHS – Won 5-4
Final v Our Lady of the Southern Cross College, Dalby – Lost 3-10
Congratulations and well done to all students involved !
19 March | St Joseph's Day |
National Day of Action Against Bullying | |
Disco - Prep to Yr 3 (5pm-6.15pm) & Yr 4 to Yr 6 (6.30pm-8pm) | |
22-26 March | Bookfair |
26 March | End of Term Social |
1 April | The Way of the Cross Liturgy |
Cross Country | |
End of Term 1 |