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.

Prayer

The feast of All Saints Day has been celebrated in the church since about 600AD. It is a day to remember the lives and inspiration of the saints who particularly help us to live the best lives we can. All Saints Day sits between two other well known dates on the calendar; Halloween or the day of the Dead, which began as a way to remember the love and example of family members who had died; and All Souls Day which is celebrated on November 2nd, and is a day to remember all those who have died, not just saints and not just family.

Spirit of Life, You send people into our lives and into our world who challenge and guide us. They teach us better ways to live and love. May the lives of the saints continue to inspire us in ways of Respect - for others, for the environment, for our tradition. May the stories of the Saints - the strange and the familiar - help us bring healing and forgiveness to our world. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Artwork created by Drew Year 4

Farewell Megan Pearce  

As you are aware, Mrs Meagan Pearce had taken leave in Terms 3 and 4 and is sadly leaving the St Joseph’s community at the end of the year. We would like to say farewell to Megan and give thanks for her leadership and the legacy she leaves behind. Please join us on Monday 20th November for our End of Year Mass in the Church at 9am. There will be morning tea which follows.  

A gentle reminder for the last three weeks of school about the importance of road and bike safety. We have many students who ride their bikes and scooters to school daily and their safety is imperative.  

• All children must wear a helmet with a buckle whilst riding 
• Children need to be mindful of the roads, footpaths and driveways they are crossing and be aware of moving traffic. 
• Children must dismount and walk their bike across the pedestrians' crossing.  

Please take some time to discuss with your child their route to school, and whether they are crossing roads in a safe way. Thank you for your support.  

Ditto’s Keep Safe Adventure Book 

Today your child would have come home with a booklet from Bravehearts about keeping safe. This is designed as an educational tool and works best with parent support and discussion about seeking assistance in an unsafe situation. Please take some time to discuss with your child the importance of keeping safe, recognising unsafe situations and reporting it to a trusted adult. 

For additional  information you might like to access Bravehearts.org.au or https://danielmorcombe.com.au/   

Dear Parents and Guardians,   

Wow - Week 5 already, the term is certainly full steam ahead and there have been may events already Assemblies, CES Visitors, Day for Daniel and many more exciting events to come over the term in cluding Starry Starry Night, Awards Night and Year 6 Graduation.

Visitors

This week we had the wonderful Joe Clark - EALD Consultant for Diversity Multilingual Learners (EAL/D) visiting this week.

Also, this Week, Ms Lillian Miller - Consultant First Nations Education from Cairns Catholic Education was with us. Lillian continued to provide her service to St. Joseph's School throughout the week.

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

PREP Personalised Learning Plans (PLPs) 

Mrs Backhouse is 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.  

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. 

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.

Learning and Teaching: SAVE THE DATE

CYBER SAFETY: INFORMATION SESSION FOR PARENTS

Guest Speaker: Susan McLean

What is Cyber Safety?

Cyber safety is the safe and responsible use of information and communication technology. It is about keeping information safe and secure, but also about being responsible with that information, being respectful to other people online, and using good Internet etiquette.

St Joseph’s Parish School is fortunate enough to be hosting Susan McLean from Cyber Solutions on Thursday the 18^th of January 2024. Susan McLean is Australia’s foremost expert in the area of cyber safety and a member of the Victoria Police for 27 years. Widely known as the ‘cyber cop’ she was the first Victorian Police Officer appointed to a position involving cyber safety and young people.

Susan McLean will be joining teachers during the day for professional development and upskilling staff in ways to teacher and implement cyber safety. Susan will be staying on for a twilight parent session, so parents can learn best practices to keep students safe while using the internet at home. St Joseph’s welcomes everyone in the community to come along and learn more about cyber safety. Stay tuned to Facebook and email for updates.

This week the focus was 'Being reponsible and organised with our belongings'.