22 August 2014

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s News

Dear Parents and Caregivers

Recently, Linda Perrett and I travelled to Texas State School to talk to the P & C about studying Years 11 and 12 at St Joseph’s School. We had a number of parents who would ordinarily consider boarding school for their children but, because of the access to reliable transport, Stanthorpe is now a viable option for them. So, thanks to the efforts of the Principal of Texas State School, Mr Mike Townsend, we now have an increased interest in St Joseph’s School Stanthorpe.

Many of you have attended Parent Information Evenings at our school, so you know the content. As Linda presented the various co-curricular options available to students, I reflected how many opportunities for personal development we offer students at our school. This was an important reflection, given that our audience have not had recent experience with a Catholic school, or our underpinning Catholic educational philosophy.

I remarked to parents at this meeting that the common areas across all schools with be the curriculum, working to maximise the academic outcomes of students, and offering students extra-curricular opportunities. Every school makes claim to doing this well in one way or another. However, one of the unique and identifying characteristics of our School is the diversity of experiences we make available for students. These opportunities indicate our commitment to educating the whole person which arises from a Catholic perspective of effective education. It’s not as simple as ensuring students get the best academic results, but that they leave our School as better people, knowing something of the Catholic faith, and what it means to live out that faith. The Mercy Values of the School are a way of focusing this work at St Joseph’s School, and are central to our school identity.

I think these parents were impressed – it is hard to know precisely. But there was no avoiding the importance we place on the spiritual, academic, physical, emotional and social development of all students at our School. I also hope that the five students we have currently enrolled from Texas have experienced positively some sense of our purpose, and that this is communicated to the Texas community. Of equal importance, is that we all understand our shared purpose as members of a Catholic school community. Together, we work to ensure we are a functional faith community, where our God-given potential can grow and be realized.

Dr Michael McCarthy
PRINCIPAL

Leader’s News

This year our Primary teachers, and Secondary teachers of Religious Education, have embraced a new Religious Education Curriculum using the Brisbane Archdiocese Program. The Curriculum is organised into four strands: Sacred Texts, Beliefs, Church and Christian Life. Each strand has three distinct yet interrelated sub-strands, which are grouped to develop four, relational inquiry units for each year level.

• Prep to Year 2 – Students learn about Jesus’ life as a Jew, his family, friends, teachings and actions. They learn about God’s loving relationship with people and how communities continue this loving relationship with God, others and creation.
• Year 3 to 6 – Students develop their understanding of communities, past and present, and the way in which faith is lived out and celebrated. They explore sacred texts, how and for whom these were written, as well as God as Trinity and Jesus’ law of love.
• Year 7 to 10 – Students explore and learn about the mystery of God, including insights from world religions. They develop their understanding of good and evil and the way in which the Church has responded to this presence. Students learn about sources of strength and guidance for believers today, as well as ways in which Christians live out their vocations.

Religious education not only enables us, as educators, the opportunity to teach our students, but to develop their spiritual formation through our values, culture, rituals and practices. It enables us to create an authentic Christian community, where we can live out the Gospel and instil a sense of the sacred. Through our liturgies and celebrations, our school is able to be an action for justice and a light of hope for others. (adapted from Religious Education Archdiocese of Brisbane, 2013)

Prayer for Religious Educators

O Lord
nurture in me
the song of a lover
the vision of a poet
the questions of a child
the boldness of a prophet
the courage of a disciple

O God of gifts
Be with me
In my longing
Come, stay with me
In my teaching
Come, go with me
In my needing
Come, struggle with me
In my searching
And come, rejoice with me
In my witness to your kingdom

Amen.
(adapted from Loder, T. (1981). Guerrilla of Grace: Prayers for the Battle. Augsburg: Minneapolis)

Megan Mahoney
APRE

School News

Year 6 News

The Year 6 class have enjoyed working on a variety of art projects this year. Two in of these projects in particular have been interesting.

Toward the end of Semester One we planned and created a set of Aboriginal Stations of the Cross. Part of the research for this project involved a visit to the Stanthorpe Art Gallery.

This Semester our focus is on texture. We studied some brochures Miss Thompson brought back from a gallery she visited in America. We were interested in how different mediums can create the different texture's we desperately wanted to reach out and touch them. We also looked at some picture books, particularly those by Jeanie Baker, to further explore these ideas.

The culminating activity will be the collages we are constructing based on images we have chosen under the theme ‘Family Farming’. We hope to enter these into the local Crisp’s Art Expo.

Year 10 History

During History this term the Year 10 students have been investigating wartime experiences through an in-depth study of World War II. This includes a study of the causes, events, outcomes and broader impact of the conflict as an episode in world history, and the nature of Australia's involvement. Students have discovered the causes and course of World War II and examined significant events of the war, including the Holocaust and use of the atomic bomb. Students have started to view and analyse primary sources that identify the experiences of Australians during World War II, such as POWs, the Battle of Britain, Kokoda, and the Fall of Singapore. For their assessment this term Students will analyse primary sources with particular emphasis on the Australian home front, including the changing roles of women and use of wartime government controls (conscription, manpower controls, rationing and censorship). Miss Learmonth and the Year 10 History students would like to thank Mr Pace for displaying his World War II memorabilia on Tuesday.

OPEN DAYS AND INFORMATION NIGHTS 3rd September – Year 7 & 8 Open Day, enrolled St Joseph’s and District students 11th September – Year 7 & 8 Information Night, enrolled St Joseph’s and District parents Thurs 28 Aug-Prep Information Evening-6pm in Library. Thurs 13 Nov-St Joseph’s Open Morning from 9am-12pm

BOOK WEEK SPECIAL

Book Week 2014 “CONNECT TO READING”

Got your book character costume ready?

The Book Week Costume Parade is this Friday at 9am in the Bathersby Centre … so still some time to scramble a fun costume together!!

Year 2 Reader’s Cup Quiz took place in the Library Tuesday lunchtime … the winning team was Jade, Jorja & India with a score of 14. A tie breaker question was needed as there were three teams with a score of 13. Jade supplied the winning answer for her team.

Year 4 & Year 5 constructed colourful origami bookmarks as part of their Book Week activity in the library.

Sports News

Granite Belt Athletics Carnival

Athletics fever was high in Stanthorpe and the district with local schools sending their strongest and fastest to compete in the Border Districts and Granite Belt Athletics Carnivals last week.

Representing the best that St Joseph’s has to offer in athletics and sportsmanship, the teams went exceptionally well at both the Border Districts and Granite Belt Carnivals. Taking out the A School Hilton Cup, with a large group selected to further compete in the Darling Downs Carnival in early September, the Granite Belt Carnival special mentions must go to Charlotte Widderick, Division A School 10 Year Girls Age & Overall Champion; Karma O’Reilly, Division A School 11 Year Girls Age Champion; Clair McCormick Division A School 13 Year Girls Age and Overall Champion, Ben Manahan Overall 13 Year Boys Champion; and to the St Joseph’s Junior Relay Team Champions.

St Joseph’s would like to congratulate all of their students that took part.

Border Districts and Red Lion

Red Lion Cup Girls Cup
Game	Opponent	Result	Goal Scorers
1	Stanthorpe State High School	Won 3 – 0	Mikaela Sullivan, Alkeer Kamara, Ingrid Sibley
2	Harristown 1	Drew 0 – 0
3	Harristown 2	Drew 0 - 0
4	St Ursula’s College	Lost 3 - 2	Ingrid Sibley, Danika Newman
5	The Glennie School	Drew 0 - 0

Boys Red Lion Cup Results
Game	Opponent	Result	Goal Scorers
1	Oakey State High School	Drew 1 – 1	Arbcil Kamara
2	Centenary Heights State High School	Lost 2 – 0
3	Christian Outreach College	Drew 2 – 2	Arbcil Kamara, Ryan Mouws
4	Dalby State High School	Drew 1 - 1	Josh Mouws

BORDER DISTRICT RESULTS
Age Group	Event	Student	Place
U 13 Girls	100m	Anika Spiller	3rd
	200m (Div 2)	Anika Spiller	1st
U 14 Boys	800m	Asbjorn Gaskell	1st
U 16 Girls	100m	Danika Newman	2nd
	200m	Danika Newman	2nd
Open Boys	Javelin	Ben Davies	1st
Open Girls	200m	Mikaela Sullivan	2nd
	400m	Mikaela Sullivan	2nd
	800m	Mikaela Sullivan	2nd
	100m	Mikaela Sullivan	3rd
	Triple Jump	Mikaela Sullivan	2nd

P & F News

Reminders and Updates

Secondary Uniform Order Forms

Secondary St Joseph’s School Blazer and Sports uniforms are available from Gleesons Mercery, Maryland Street Stanthorpe. If you would like to order these items please complete the below order forms.