We respectfully acknowledge the past and present traditional owners of this land on which we are meeting – the Algnith people. We also acknowledge the contributions of First Nations peoples to the education of all children and people in our country Australia, in which we all live and share together.

Hello to the community of St Joseph’s and a sincere thank you for the warm welcome I have received to this beautiful town. Welcome back to the last term of 2023 and a very warm welcome to our new families who have joined us. This year has been a difficult one and I ask for your support so the staff and students can finish the year by getting through a very busy term and look forward to the end of year celebrations. We continue to keep Megan and her family in our prayers as she cares for her parents and know that her thoughts are with staff and students as they prepare for graduation.

7 years ago, I accepted a position as Principal of St Anthony’s School, Dimbulah, and moved to enjoy the experience of working in a small rural school. My husband and I decided to make a lifestyle change and move permanently from Cairns to the small town, 2 hours west of Cairns on the Atherton Tablelands. Our adult children had all left home, and we embraced the opportunity to relocate to a small off-grid farm in remote bushland outside the town.  We currently share our little farm with 4 very spoilt cattle dogs, 80 head of cattle, 2 horses, 10 pigs, 5 hens and a cheeky rooster.

This year I stepped away from schools to further my own knowledge with a career change and have been working in a new role for CES as consultant for educational coaching and governance. It has been rewarding but I do miss working in schools and the buzz of students and the excitement of seeing them grow in their learning. I am looking forward to the next 8 weeks, meeting you all over the term and learning more about you. Please feel free to drop in for a coffee and a chat if you have the time. Parents are very important in the education of their children, and I value your local knowledge, contributions to your children’s learning and partnerships in the decision making for the future.

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone”.

Neale Donald Walsh

Dear Parents and Guardians,    

Welcome to back to Term 4 – Week 1. 10. The staff and students have returned refreshed and ready to learn from the 2 week break. We also welcome Mrs Katherine Porter (Acting Principal) to St. Joseph's Parish School Community; we look forward to working with you Mrs Porter and showing you all that St. Joseph’s School and the Weipa Community have to offer. 

Social Emotional Learning  

Second Step   

In Term 4 in SEL in the Seconds Steps Program we will be focusing on Emotional Management and Problem Solving for Prep to Year 6. Second Step SEL is research-based, teacher-informed, and classroom-tested to promote the social-emotional development, safety, and well-being of children from Early Learning through Grade 8. Children learn and practice vital skills for listening and paying attention, having empathy, managing emotions, building friendships, and solving problems with others. The 25-minute interactive lessons and discussion-based activities with distinct grade-level experiences.  

The lessons focus on Social-Emotional Learning:   

• Mindsets & Goals  
•  Recognising Bullying & Harassment  
• Thoughts, Emotions, & Decisions  
• Managing Relationships & Social Conflict  

Positive Behaviour for Learning   

Our school community has identified the following school wide expectations to teach and promote our high standards of responsible behaviour:   

• Be Respectful  
• Be Responsible  
• Be Resilient  
• Be Ready for Learning  

MTSS-E assemblies take place on Mondays at 1.45pm followed by Second Step lessons.  

Personalised Learning Plans (PLPs)  

The teachers are in the process of writing Personalised Learning Plans (PLPs) and will be meeting with Parents over the next few weeks. Personalised learning is a process that supports a wide range of students with additional learning and support needs. This includes students who may require support in one or more of the following areas: learning (including high potential learners), behaviour, social/emotional, cultural/language (including international students, boarders and learners of English as an Additional Language or Dialect) and those who have educational support needs arising from disability. Teachers, with the support of the Leader of Diversity, and in consultation with parents, collaboratively decide which adjustments and/or goals are to be targeted and determine appropriate strategies and supports to be implemented. It is the teacher’s responsibility to implement these planned strategies in order to support students to meet their goals. Teachers will direct School Officer support and plan for adjustments on a weekly basis. Teachers communicate weekly with School Officers regarding student progress and make adjustments as needed. Evidence is collected regularly and uploaded to ENGAGE. PLP meetings are set 6 monthly and will determine if current goals have been achieved before setting further goals.   

Term 4 Visitors 

In Term 4 Week 2 we have Lorraine Carroll- Speech Language Pathologist  from Cairns Catholic Education visiting and supporting teachers and students from Wednesday the 11th October to Thursday 12th October, 2023. 

In Week 3 we will have Ms Heather Alison our School Counsellor visiting Joseph's School from Monday 16th October – Friday 20th October 2023. Also in Week 3 we have Sandra Van Rooyen (Consultant of Inclusive Education) and Zinna Aylward (CES – O.T) visiting as well and supporting teachers and students at St. Joseph's School. 

Joe Clark - EALD Consultant for Diversity Multilingual Learners (EAL/D) will be visiting in Week 5 Monday 30 October and Tuesday 31 October, 2023. Also in Week 5, Ms Lillian Miller - Consultant First Nations Education from Cairns Catholic Education will also be with us. Lillian will continue to provide her service to St. Joseph's School throughout the week. 

In week 6 Heather Alison - Dee our School Counsellor will be visiting us again in Weipa  providing her service to St. Joseph's School from Monday 7th November – Friday 10th November 2023. 

  If you have any questions please feel free to make contact with myself at a convenient time that suits. My email address is   mturner@cns.catholic.edu.au     

Kind regards, 

Melanie Turner. 

Leader of Learning and Teaching 

Welcome SJW families to Term 4! We have a busy term ahead of us. 

Over the next few weeks year 1 – 6 classes will be participating in PAT testing for reading and Mathematics.  

PAT testing is also called: Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT). The tests have been developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research to assess skills in verbal comprehension and mathematics.  

This test will be administered in classrooms under supervised test conditions by the classroom teacher with the Acting Leader of Learning and Teaching for assistance if required. The test is administered through an online portal called OARS. 

PAT data allows schools to compare NAPLAN, SRS (report card data) and PAT results once they have all been processed in our school data tool. This information will assist in our School Annual Improvement Plan, Literacy and Numeracy Action Plan teaching targets for 2024. 

If you have any further enquiries regarding PAT, please don’t hesitate to contact Tiffany Barber on tbarber1@cns.catholic.edu.au. 

Thanks for you continued support of students achievements throughout the year. 

Dear families of St Joseph's

I am writing to invite you to contribute your voice to the recruitment process for your new principal. I am delighted to be leading this process in my role as Director of School Effectiveness (Acting) on behalf of Cairns Diocese Catholic Education. 

We aim to consider the voices of all stakeholders in the school community, including students, families and staff, in our recruitment and selection process. The process is forward thinking, providing the panel and when appointed, the new principal with important insights. 

There will be 2 ways you can contribute and the details are as follows:

1.  Face-to-Face Meeting

When: Tuesday, 10 Oct

Time: 8.30-9am

Venue: Staffroom of St Joseph's School

RSVP: Email:  secretary.weipa@cns.catholic.edu.au 

2.  Online Survey

A link to this survey will be sent to families next week.

I will be visiting the school on Tuesday and look forward to seeing many of you then.

Regards,

Gavin Rick

Acting Director of School Effectiveness

Congratulations to this weeks award winners!!