Collected, Delivered and Stacked.

On Tuesday, a group of  Year 12 students were able to collect the Winter Appeal donations and deliver them to our local St Vincent de Paul shop.  Students were then able to sort and stack the hundreds of cans, pasta, rice, packet soups and noodles collected over this term.  It was wonderful for our students to see how a collective effort makes a huge impact and the difference these everyday items will make to people in our community needing a hand up this winter. 

A big thank you to all families for their donations, and to Mini and Teen Vinnies, Mrs Ryan and Mr Mahoney for promoting the campaign.  Your contributions are very much appreciated.  If you would like to make a donation, feel free to do so. They are always welcomed. 

God bless,

Megan Mahoney
Assistant to the Principal Formation & Identity

Celebrating NAIDOC Week

NAIDOC week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is celebrated by all Australians and is a great opportunity to recognise and learn more about the history and culture of indigenous communities.

NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. Its origins can be traced back to the Aboriginal rights movement, when on Australia Day 1938, protestors marched through the streets of Sydney to highlight the status and treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Today, it is a week-long celebration held in July that consists of range of traditional and contemporary activities.

NAIDOC Week is an important event that helps build positive relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. It enables a deeper understanding of our differences and similarities. NAIDOC week is an opportunity for all Australians to eliminate bias and discrimination by reflecting and reconciling the wrongs of the past to facilitate hope and build a fairer future. Families are encouraged to join in and support young people in learning the significance of NAIDOC Week.

This Special Report offers suggestions on how families can celebrate NAIDOC Week together. We hope you take a moment to reflect on the information offered, and as always, we welcome your feedback. If this raises any concerns for you, a loved one or the wellbeing of your child, please seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your special report https://stjosephs.qld.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-celebrating-naidoc-week

Year 10 Science students demonstrating how natural selection happens in nature….with jelly beans!

This is part of their unit on evolution. 

Year 12 Chemistry students working in collaboration on some organic chemistry consolidation work. 

We are now on the downhill run to the much-needed break for all the students including the teachers !

Last week we looked at two letters – Vv and Zz. We completed some activity sheets and brainstormed some words with these letters.

We have continued to look at three letter words and sound them out and we have worked hard this week at trying to write what we hear when we break up these words. 

Last week in Math, we learnt the new concept of ‘informal measuring’ and we got stuck into so many different ways to measure informally using different types of items and objects. Eg: unifix cubes, paddle pop sticks, dinosaurs, teddys, masking tape and much more. We looked at and used different ways to weigh things and we even used our ‘arms and hands’ as scales to predict before we weighed things. For measuring ‘capacity/volume’ we used coloured rice to fill up cups and containers – it was so much fun!!

We have now completed all our assessments for this term – this is a really tiring effort for all the Preppies – they are so amazing though!

Mrs McNichol & Mrs Charlton
Prep Teachers

Our Year 6 students have been getting a "taste" of what Secondary next year will be like for them all.

Last week, students enjoyed some time in the Home Economics room, where they were able to cook a batch of cupcakes which we are sure they all thoroughly devoured.

A number of students recently attended and represented St Joseph's School at the 20^th anniversary of the Toowoomba Readers Cup. 

There were five rounds in the competition and each round had a series of ten questions, where two questions were asked from the following five books :

• Beyond Belief by Dee White
• Everything I’ve never said by Samantha Wheeler
• Firestarter by A.L.Tait
• Across the Risen Sea by Bren MacDibble
• The Year the Maps Changed by Danielle Binks

Each question was worth 2 points, meaning there was 20 points up for grabs each round and 120 points up for grabs for the whole competition.

Fairholme College came away with the win with a total of 69 points.  St Joseph's School placed ninth overall with only 20 points difference between all the placings.

Erin O’Dea, Patrick Roberts, William Roberts, Cael Armstrong and Chloe Searle were thrilled to meet the author, Samantha Wheeler, who wrote ‘Everything I’ve never said’.  They were fortunate enough to even have Samantha sign the school copy of her book.

Congratulations to all students who attended.

The St Joseph's Eisteddfod was held during Week 8 in the Multi-Purpose Room.

It was a very happy and entertaining event and all students are to be congratulated on their impressive Recitation Solos.

We were very privileged to have our Year 11 students as Adjudicators for the various sessions.  Thank you to Hannah Widderick, Taryn McCosker, Chloe Britton, David Nemeth, Will Bonner, Sophie Day, Addison Swan, Savannah Hollis, Joshua Petrie, Elizabeth Searle, Belinda Mcintyre and Chelsea Debnam for your valuable advice and comments to the students.

Hannah Widderick said, "We all enjoyed the experience immensely!!!"

Congratulations to Year 6 student, Margaret O'Dea, on being awarded the Most Promising Recitation Award (Years 3-6) at the recent Border District Eisteddfod.

On Wednesday 22nd June of this Term, the Year 11 students completed their First Aid and full CPR course as part of their Pastoral Care Program.

This course was delivered through the Royal Life Saving Society Queensland (RLSSQ).

The First Aid/CPR certification is an excellent qualification for any young person to gain, particularly when applying for jobs as many employers hold this certification in high regard.

The Prep vision screening service aims to give Queensland children the best possible start to their education as they transition into primary school. 

Vision screening in early childhood is important for detecting conditions such as amblyopia, or a ‘lazy eye’. Vision problems can cause difficulties in the classroom, including problems with concentration and behavioural issues, which can lead to poor learning outcomes.

The Prep vision screening service, delivered by the Primary School Nurse Health Readiness Program, provides the opportunity for visual abnormalities to be detected and treated early and, in turn, minimise the impact on a child’s learning.

A Registered Nurse visited St Joseph's School on Wednesday 22nd June to conduct vision screening for our Prep students.

Students from Year 7, 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 atributes 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 7 Students

Year 8 Students 

Year 9 Students

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 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.

Students have been placed at venues such as a Solicitors, Pharmacies, Education facilities, Construction, Land Surveying, Child Care and Physiotherapy just to name a few.

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

Students and staff alike enjoyed Breakfast Club which commenced last week in Valentes. 

Initially, only toast and a hot drink will be offered until funds are increased and they may be able to offer a hot breakfast on occasions.  The idea behind Breakfast Club is not only breakfast to commence the day, but also to encourage conversation and social networking for those who attend.  Our Year 11 Peer Skills buddies will also be encouraged to attend to offer their skills and friendship.

Breakfast Club is open to all staff and Secondary students every Thursday morning.

The Commonwealth Census Day is Friday, 5 August 2022. This is a Department of Education (DoE) collection of students and staff numbers.

Further information (below) provides details regarding the Census.

The Winter School Music Program is happening again in Tenterfield, from July 04 - 08, 2022. We are so delighted to finally be able to provide this opportunity for students, teachers and interested adults in our district and we are looking froward to welcoming you to the event. 

All the information about the program can be found in the brochure : 

https://cuskellycollegeofmusic.com/winter-school/

N.B. There are a number of subsidies which apply to the Winter School Music Program and all school age participants will benefit from this financial support. 

Alongside the daily program, there are also wonderful concerts available each evening. We are so proud to be able to include performers of international calibre and we are sure that you enjoy the diversity of performances on offer.

https://soundthinkingaustralia.com/product-category/2022-winter-school-music-program-concert-series/

We had planned to offer a cabaret-style show as part of the Peter Allen Festival in May - but sadly the event was cancelled because of the tremendous rain. Happily, the show The Bush, Broadway and Broken Hearts is going ahead with two performances (2pm and 7pm) on Saturday, July 02. 

https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/893681?widget=true

Sunday 3rd July is the day for anyone who wants to sing to come along and participate in The Chilly Sing. This is a day where all members of the community are invited to join us to learn a few songs, to hear some performances and to have a great time. Morning tea and lunch included in the $30 registration!

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if we can help in any way. 

With all best wishes,

James Cuskelly
Music Teacher

Interschool Basketball Grand Final Winners

Congratulations to the Junior Boys who were victorious against Assumption College on Monday 13th June 2022.

2022 QISSN Carnival

This weekend will see a number of students travel to Mackay to represent St Joseph's School in the 2022 QISSN Carnival (Queensland Independent Secondary Schools Netball).

This premier competition will be held in Mackay at the Mackay Multisports Stadium between Sunday 26th June and Friday 1st July 2022. 

Monday to Wednesday will see the carnival played in Pool Rounds, with the Quarter and Semi Finals played on the Thursday and Finals on Friday, followed by the closing ceremony.

We wish to thank Stanthorpe Vet Care and the Stanthorpe Blue Light Disco Association for their donation and contribution towards covering the many costs associated with this event.

We wish all students and staff involved in this event all the very best and for safe travels.