27 November 2014

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s News

Dear Parents & Caregivers

Linda Perrett and I had the pleasure of taking the 2015 School Captains and Prefects to a student leadership event in Brisbane this week. Students had the opportunity to hear from Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith. He told his astonishing story of bravery and self-sacrifice, as well as the fear he experienced during this now notorious battle. Students also heard from Olympic champion swimmer Liesel Jones, and a young man who has endured and seemingly overcome the challenges of cystic fibrosis. It was a wonderful event, and both Linda and I enjoyed the company of these young people.

Next week, Semester 2 reports will be distributed to all families. The names of our 2015 classroom teachers (Primary) and Pastoral Care teachers (Secondary) will be included. Take the opportunity to celebrate the academic achievements of your children, and establish learning goals with them before returning to school in 2015.

At the end of next week, the School will officially farewell Mr Dominic Philp, Miss Kate Learmonth and Mrs Kirsty Harslett. Mr Philp is traversing abroad to take up a teaching position just outside London; Miss Learmonth is returning to the Gold Coast, and Mrs Harslett is moving to Toowoomba. We wish each of these staff all the best in their future endeavours. We also say a temporary good-bye to Donna Gerster who is taking maternity leave in 2015.

In 2015 we will welcome a number of new teachers. At this point in time, I can announce the following appointments:

• Mr Luke Warwick (Study of Religion/History)
• Miss Emily Daughtree (P-10 Music and Drama)
• Miss Hayley Grabham (Secondary Mathematics)
• Miss Christina Benson (Year 1 teacher)
• Ms Leigh Cusack (Primary Italian)

In addition, Miss Gia Nicholson and Mr Dwaine Macnamara will continue with us on the Secondary Campus into 2015.When other teaching appointments are finalised, we will announce these teachers in the letter accompanying Semester 2 Reports.

As this is the final newsletter for 2014, I extend my thanks and gratitude to all of our families who continue to support St Joseph’s School, and I look forward to welcoming you back in 2015. I pray that you and your family will have a holy and restful Christmas.

Dr Michael McCarthy
PRINCIPAL

Leader’s News

The season of Advent is a period of preparation and waiting for the birth of Christ. During the four Sundays before Christmas we are reminded of the coming of Jesus in a special way. I hope the following reflection may give you the time to prepare and be ready for the true meaning of Christmas.

“Stay awake and stand ready!
Take time to look.
Take time to listen.
Take time to be still and reflective.
Take time for yourself.
Take time to unwind and slow down.
Put aside the busyness, the chaos, the dramas.
Put on the cloak of calmness.
Be still.
Take time to remember
Take time to reconnect with the people and events of significance
Take time.
Take time to explore the unexpected….
Take time to listen to the voice in the wilderness.
Take time.
Take time to remember,
Take time to reflect
Take time…
For in your living and your dying
You are bringing Me to birth.” (from Just Imagine 2 by Rina Wintour)

May the Peace and Joy of Christmas be with you and your family this Christmas season.

Megan Mahoney
APRE

School News

Year 8

The year is quickly coming to a close and the Year 8 students are working hard to finalise all their assessment. They have been developing carnival games in mathematics to compare and contrast the experimental and theoretical data obtained. To do this students have demonstrated great planning and organisational skills to successfully run a fun filled Carnival of Chance. The Year 6 and 7 students were invited to participate in this carnival to allow students to collect necessary data. By all accounts they thoroughly enjoyed the activities.

Art students have been creating some impressive paintings about Australian culture and the Religious Education students are honing their group planning skills by constructing and leading Liturgy of the Hours.

Science has been interesting for some and confronting for others this term. Students developed dissection and observation skills through the investigation of both a rat and a heart. Most students overcame their hesitations and some showed incredible enthusiasm and skill in this area of biological science.

This term in Drama, Year 8 students have been experimenting with devising and scriptwriting; creating their own ‘play’ through various play building techniques. Students have worked collaboratively in order to create role, place, time and tension to achieve a polished and refined performance.

The end of the year is culminating in Christmas Festivities. The Year 8 students will be accompanying the Year 1 and 2 students downtown to purchase their Secret Santa gifts. They will then help them wrap these gifts and share a morning tea together. This Year 8 group has been both hard working and cooperative throughout the year and have always tried their best in everything they have attempted.

Sandra Ellis and Marissa Moncada

Year 6 and Year 7 Lecturette Competition

The A Schools Lecturette Competition took place on Monday November 24th. This competition is adjudicated by our local Toastmasters Club and allows a group of chosen students to build on their confidence in the area of public speaking. All students from both Year 6 and Year 7 completed short talks as part of Semester Two English work with the highest achieving students being chosen to move through to the A Schools competition. Topics were many and varied including, amongst others: ‘The importance of Education’, ‘Gum is Gross’ and ‘Sitting down is Killing Us’. Students who were selected at the A Schools Competition will now compete at the District Final on Monday December the 1st.

Year 6/7 Wet ‘n’ Wild Trip

When the temperatures soar and the end of Primary Schooling nears what better way to celebrate than to spend a day at Wet ‘n’ Wild. This is exactly how the Year 6 and 7 classes spent the day on November the 14th. Despite the many people escaping the G20 in Brisbane we managed to squeeze in many rides and had huge amounts of fun with our friends and even our parents. The Tornado remains a firm favourite amongst all and is a great ride where the thrill can be shared with fellow tube riders. The Mach 5 slides are individual rides which definitely raise the adrenaline levels as does the Aqualoop. Working together and pushing the boundaries of our comfort zone have been areas of focus in the upper Primary years so when you think about it this day was actually highly educational. It was fantastic to have so many mums and dads along to share the day, and the slides with, and some of them were the bravest of all when it came to the highest and the fastest rides, not to mention some great BBQ chefs. A big thank you to all involved in organising this day which has allowed us to add to the memories of our final year at Primary school.

Year 4 – Thinking hats

Thank you

St Joseph’s would like to send out a huge thank you to all of our volunteers. From school banking, to tuckshop, from reading groups to swimming, these activities could not take place without your assistance. We look forward to working with you next year!

Sports News

Cricket

The Stanthorpe Cricket Association in conjunction with Stanthorpe State High School and St. Joseph’s School once again provided the opportunity for some of the regions most promising young cricketers to don the creams and feel the crack of leather on willow, under lights at C.F. White Oval last Friday night. The annual Stanthorpe Secondary School’s Cricket Shield, which in the past has been a 40 over a side encounter, received another makeover this year as the State High and St. Joey’s contested the competition in a night time T20 so representatives of the Stanthorpe Senior teams could be in attendance to promote the transition from junior to senior cricket for those students involved. The players were extremely excited to show their skills in Prime-time with the lights on bright and when the St. Joseph’s skipper Jacob Furness won the toss he elected to make first use of a flat deck and set his cross town rivals a target to chase. Tom Jensen (44) dominated with the stick early for St Joseph’s getting the Saints up to 100 before he fell in the 14th over. Tom Furness (24) then chipped in with some handy runs in a Bevan-esque finish to the innings to get St Joseph’s to a formidable 7 for 136 after their allotted 20. The bowlers for Stanthorpe shared the workload and consequent success with 7 individual wicket takers doing the damage to contribute to a unique looking scorecard. One of the most pleasing things about the game was the mix of age groups involved, from Years 8 to 12, and the way in which all players, no matter their previous experience level, got a chance to shine with bat or ball. In reply the State High’s dig started solidly with opener C. Hutchings (57) taking the bowling attack by the scruff of the neck early and looking to end the fight quickly with a series of boundaries. Hutchings looked in fantastic nick and while he was humming along the target of 137 was looking like just a snack. It would take something special for the St. Joey’s boys to stem the flow and it came in the form of 2 run-outs. Tom Furness stranded Hutchings short of his ground with a great throw from the fence and it was game on. Tom Jensen backed up his earlier knock with the ball finishing up with 3 – 15 from his 3 overs in the middle of the innings and when Old Nelson came to visit on 111 it was the 8th wicket which fell and it was game on once again. However, some clever and patient batting from a couple of Stanthorpe High’s younger players J. Burnell and L. McKillop ended up getting the State over the line in a tight finish in the final over. At the end of the night it was a combination of the great dig from Hutchings and a little bit of grit from the lower order which finished off the boys from St. Joeys. Congratulations to Stanthorpe State High for holding on to the Shield for another year, however after the success of this game it is hoped that the teams might reconvene for another friendly game before the end of the school year.

Mr Dominic Philp

P & F News

As my first year as P&F President, I have been lucky enough to work alongside the very dedicated and generous group of parents involved in the St Joseph’s P&F. These are the people who help raise money to support and encourage the growth of our wonderful children.

It has been an enjoyable year for me and I take my hat off to the individuals and families involved with supporting the P&F throughout the year making these events successful and fun to participate in.

This year our fundraising events included The Stanthorpe Show Can Bar, Pie Drive, Bubbler Street Stall, Catering for the Palgrove Cattle Sale, Trivia Night and the Soap Drive.

Throughout the year we were able to support the school in a number of areas. We were able to hand over cheques for $10,000 for the upgrade of Multi-Purpose room, $2,500 for sports equipment for the Primary School, $350 towards the Christian Leadership Program and a number of cheques for our Sporting Grant recipients. The Primary and Secondary campuses both had two cold water bubblers installed throughout the year and the Bathersby Centre had five gas heaters supplied just in time to keep us warm on those not so warm nights.

The P&F is a group that makes decisions on behalf of all parents involved with our school. The more people we have attend our brief monthly meeting, the better chance we are of coming up with fresh new ideas to keep our cause moving forwards. I would love to see each and every one of you who can possibly attend, even if it is just once, to voice your thoughts and opinions.

I would sincerely like to thank all of those individuals, families and businesses that supported us throughout the year. We couldn't do it without you!

Peter Alldridge
P&F President
St Joseph’s School

Reminders and Updates

UNIFORM NOTICE

Please note that the red polo shirt replaces the green/grey/yellow polo commencing in 2015. The red polo will be compulsory from this time. Please ensure you have placed an order for this uniform item through Gleesons Mercery.

ARE YOU NOT RECEIVING NOTICES? It could be that we have the wrong email address for you. To make sure that you receive all notes home please ensure that administration have a current email address. If unsure, please provide email address, your family name, name and grade of student to stay up to date with all that is going on at St Joseph’s.

Parish News

ADVENT WORKSHOP FOR CHILDREN ... Like your child to spend more time learning about Advent, the season before Christmas? Looking for some holiday fun at the same time? ... Then send your child to a session of prayer, craft and sharing on Wednesday 17th December from 9am, starting in St Joseph's Church. Our time together will include morning tea and going to the 11.45am Mass in the chapel. Pick up of children will be at the church at 12.30pm. RSVP by 15th December to co-ordinator Selina (Mum of Alessia, Yr 6 and Gabriella, Yr 7) on 4681 4917.

CHRISTMAS EVE 6PM MASS ... Any family who would like their child to have a special role (speaking and non speaking) in the 6pm Christmas Eve Mass (in St Joseph's Church) are invited to come to a rehearsal after the 8.30am Mass on Sunday 14th December. This will be for a maximum of an hour, with another run-through organised for before Christmas, suitable for the families who come forward. Any questions before then, again please call Selina.