It seems almost impossible to believe that we are at the end of week four already! The last two weeks have been filled with lots of learning as well as significant moments in the life of the School and the Church calendar.  Last week, we joined with the students of the Secondary campus for a Mass which heralded the start of the new school year and as part of this, we witnessed the induction of the leaders for 2021. We look forward to their involvement with the Primary students as they lead by example throughout the year.  This week, we have also participated in Shrove Tuesday traditions and the Ash Wednesday liturgy which signals the start of the Lenten season.  Another food-related event was our first hamburger day of the year which was well supported by the students.  Proceeds from these days across the year are donated to the St Vincent de Paul Society to assist local people in need.

Across the campus, the students have continued to become familiar with the routines in their new classrooms and learning has continued in earnest.  The focus as always is on the individual learner and how we can assist them to become more effective in the acquisition and application of skills which will serve them well now and in the future.  Whilst visiting the classrooms and talking with thier children, parents will have seen and heard references to the learning pit, what it means to be an effective learner and how persistence is one of the key factors.  We have welcomed a few visitors from the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office in the last few weeks, all of whom have been impressed by the ability of our students to articulate what it means to be a learner as well as show progress.  

With regards to our two key focus areas for teaching and learning this year, last week the staff across the school unpacked the document 'Exemplary Teaching and Learning at St Joseph's' which outlines our responsibilities towards each learner and is based on our work around Visible Learning.  In terms of Inspire Mathematics, this week we welcomed the project leader, Bec Brownhall, to our primary classrooms where she demonstrated some number talks for the teachers as well as working with some teachers on developing the mathematics curriculum.  One of the key goals of this project during this year is to improve the ability of students to talk about their mathematical thinking, rather than just complete a process to find an answer. I encourage all parents to involve their children in discussions around mathematics at home whenever they can so that the children can make connections between maths lessons in school and the world beyond the classroom.

My thanks to all the school staff, parents and of course students who have made this such a positive start to the school year.

With God's blessing

Sarah Yates
Assistant to the Principal Primary