We respectfully acknowledge the past and present traditional owners of this land on which we are meeting – the Alngith 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.

With a change in the weather, I expect everyone is looking forward to a break from the heat and better fishing weather. We are at the halfway mark in the term and time is flying past too quickly. Our purpose of putting together a newsletter is to keep you informed and up to date on any major decisions and information on what is happening around the school, while we utilised the Weekly Bulletin for reminders of the day-to-day events coming up each week.

FEEDBACK SURVEY

Today you would have received a link through an email to the School Feedback Survey. This survey is conducted by Catholic Education Services in Cairns for all schools in the Diocese each year. Could you please complete the survey. It will be open from May 20^th – June 7^th.

Feedback surveys play a crucial role for several reasons:

• They provide an opportunity for students, parents/carers and teachers to express their opinions and provide feedback on various aspects of education. This feedback is invaluable in understanding their experiences, needs, and expectations, allowing schools to make informed decisions and improvements.
• Incorporating feedback surveys as a regular practice fosters a culture of continuous improvement within our schools. Schools are able to reflect on their practices, identify areas for growth, and implement changes based on feedback. This process helps schools stay responsive to the evolving needs of students, families and staff and adapt strategies to ensure ongoing improvement.
• Surveys promote accountability and transparency within the education sector. Schools can demonstrate their commitment to quality education by actively seeking feedback and responding to it. Sharing survey results and actions taken to address concerns builds trust and credibility.
• These surveys assist schools in meeting legislated accreditation requirements.

SCHOOL BOARD

If you are interested in being on our school board, we will be holding an information evening on Thursday 30^th May at 7:00pm in the Flexible Learning Space. After a short presentation, those who are interested will be asked to nominate. The final decision on the composition of the board rests with our Parish Priest, Fr Dariusz Osinski. Appointment to the board is for a three-year term. Meetings will be held once or twice a term on a Monday evening from 7:00-8:30pm to coincide with Fr Dariusz visiting. If you require more information or are interested but can’t attend on the night, please send an email to principal.weipa@cns.catholic.edu.au for a nomination form.

AUSTRALIAN EARLY DEVELOPMENT CENSUS (AEDC)

Our school will take part in the AEDC between May and July this year. The AEDC is a national census that is conducted every three years by the Australian Government, in partnership with state and territory governments. It measures how children have developed by the time they start their first year of full-time school.

The AEDC is voluntary and it does not measure how well children are doing at school, nor how their school compares to other schools. Instead, it shows how children are growing and progressing in five key areas, what is being done well and what can be improved. AEDC data is used by schools, early childhood organisations, researchers and governments to help plan and improve services and support for children and families. If you have any questions, please contact the school for further information.

SCHOOL FEES

Term Fees have been sent out to all families. If you are experiencing any financial hardships, please call the office to make an appointment with me so we can discuss options. School Fees help us provide opportunities for our students and to also meet our financial responsibilities when planning school activities.

Enjoy your week,

Events to reflect on from the beginning of this term...

ANZAC Day

We commemorated this day of remembrance as a whole school with a Liturgy the day before the public holiday. It was lovely to have Parx & Jed’s Grandfather, a past soldier, join us, as well as some wonderful war keepsakes shared by our families. We also had around 30 of our students wake up very early on ANZAC Day to represent our school in the March & Dawn Service.

Fun fact: ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps

St. Joseph the Worker Feast Day

We honoured our Patron Saint, St. Joseph the Worker, with a Liturgy in our Church. During this special morning, we awarded one student from each class with a Spirit of St. Joseph award. This award is given to a student who embodies our school values of Justice, Compassion and Humility. In true feast style we shared lots of yummy food, including cupcakes, burritos and icy poles. We learnt about St. Joseph the Worker throughout the day, enjoyed some arts and crafts and played lots of fun games with our friends and buddies.

The feast of St. Joseph the Worker honours St. Joseph's role as a worker and a model of humility, labour, and dedication. This feast emphasises the dignity of labour and the importance of work in the Christian faith. It encourages reflection on the value of work, the rights of workers, and the need for fair and just labour practices. It is particularly significant for those who find meaning and purpose in their work, as it underscores the idea that all honest work, regardless of its nature, has dignity and worth.

Ascension of Jesus

We remembered the Ascension of Jesus on the 9^th of May. This event took place 40 days after the resurrection of Jesus. The ascension literally means that Jesus ascended (was taken up) to Heaven. This is a significant event as it shows that Jesus returned to Heaven after completing his mission on Earth. Christians believe that Jesus is in Heaven with God, until He decides to send Jesus to Earth for the final judgement.

In the Bible, the Ascension of Jesus (Luke 24:50-53) says: When he (Jesus) had led them out to Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up (ascended) into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.

Mother’s Day

We celebrated our wonderful mothers and all mother figures with a Liturgy, Picnic Lunch and Games at school. Thanks to our P&F, Miss Rachael and some lovely volunteers, we had an amazing Mother’s Day Stall, where our students could shop for a nice gift for their mums. And thanks to our resident chef, Mr Jamie, our mothers were treated to finger sandwiches, lemon coconut slice and a refreshing raspberry lemonade. The students loved having their mums with them at play time and it was great to see them all playing soccer, tiggy and on the playgrounds together!

Some information on upcoming events...

Pentecost

Last Sunday, the 19^th of May was Pentecost. At Assembly, Year 4 shared with us some facts about this day:

• Pentecost is fifty days after Easter Sunday
• It marks the coming of the Holy Spirit
• Symbols of Pentecost are wind, fire, water, a dove & the colour red

They also shared the story of Pentecost with us:

Jesus promised his disciples he would send the Holy Spirit but he didn’t tell them when this would be. The Holy Spirit descended on the disciples as they gathered in a room in Jerusalem. The men heard the sound of a violent wind and tongues of fire appeared upon their heads. Each disciple was filled with the Holy Spirit and was then able to speak in different languages. The disciples went out to preach the word of God to people of different cultures. They also baptised thousands of people, receiving them into the new, Christian church.

Fun fact: The word Pentecost is Greek and it means ‘50th day’

Trinity Sunday

This Sunday, the 26^th of May is Trinity Sunday. This day celebrates the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, the three Persons of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Trinity, in its great mystery, is the perfect representation of a beloved community. We talk about the idea that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are one, just as much as they are individuals—three-in-one. Trinity Sunday is a solemn celebration of the belief in the revelation of one God, yet three divine persons.

National Sorry Day

This Sunday, the 26^th of May is National Sorry Day. It is an annual event in Australia that commemorates the Stolen Generations — the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were forcibly separated from their families in an attempt to assimilate them into Australian culture. The event remembers this mistreatment of the country's Indigenous peoples as part of an ongoing process of reconciliation between the Indigenous peoples of Australia and the settler population.  As a community we recognise this day of significance and work together for reconciliation.

In other news...

Welcome

We welcomed a new addition to our St Joey’s Community, Miss Elle Gear. Congratulations to Brad, Michelle, Willow and Zoe on the safe arrival of their beautiful baby girl Elle earlier this year. She is a much-loved little girl, and we wish the Gear family all the best with their girl tribe.

We love welcoming new additions and celebrating the success of our students. Please let us know of any accomplishments your child or your family have, as we would love to acknowledge these with our St Joey’s Community.

Enjoy the rest of Term 2!

Mrs  Julie  Dore

Acting Assistant Principal Religious Education (APRE)

Prayer for Inclusion

Lord, give us new strength so that we can build places of belonging:

To create a community for all to share their gifts,

To know that each of us is loved,

To help us to see the light of Christ in all that we serve.

Let us remember that each of us is loved, each of us is willed and each of us is necessary.

May we balance mercy and justice so that we can achieve equity and access for all of Your children.

We do this in Your name.

AMEN.

Dear Parents and Guardians, 

Welcome to Week 5 and I cannot believe that we are halfway through the Term 2. There are many exciting events happenings in the next few weeks starting with Under 8’s tomorrow for Prep to Year 2, Reconciliation Week in Week 7, Athletics Carnival from Prep to Year 6 on Thursday the 6^th of June and the Weipa Fishing Classic.

NCCD - Nationally Consistent Collection of Data

The NCCD is an annual collection of information from all Australian schools on the numbers of students with disability and the adjustments they receive. All Teachers at St. Joseph’s School will be expected to understand their obligations to students with disability under the DDA and the Disability Standards for Education 2005 and consistently collect and provide evidence which is recorded on ENGAGE.

Visitors

Last week we had Lorraine Carroll - CES Speech Therapist and Zinna Alyward - CES Occupational Therapist visiting Weipa providing their services to St. Joseph's School.

This week we have Ms Heather Alison our School Counsellor visiting St. Joseph's School Weipa and working with Staff, Parents, and Students.

I hope you all have a wonderful week and 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 Curriculum

St Joseph’s School is participating in the Premier's Reading Challenge is an annual statewide initiative for state and non-state schools and home-educated students up to Year 9, and children enrolled in an early childhood centre or program.

The challenge is not a competition but aims to improve literacy and encourage children to read widely for pleasure and learning. Children and students can participate in the challenge within their school, early childhood centre or as individual readers (home-educated students or students whose schools are not participating in the program).

For Prep — Year 9 students to successfully complete the challenge they must read or experience an allocated number of books based upon their year level during the reading period.

Children and students who complete the challenge will have their efforts recognised through the receipt of a Certificate of Achievement.

A recording sheet will be coming home with your child this week and you can also find a copy of the record sheet in your email inbox.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE ABOUT READING

This is an important message about reading! This year staff have been working very hard to train in a new type of reading assessment called DIBELS. This new program will be implement across the Diocese in 2025.

What is Amplify - DIBELS ® Data System? How can staff use it to support your child’s reading?

DIBELS ® (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) is a suite of procedures and measures that assesses the acquisition of early literacy and reading skills in students from Prep to Year 8.  Short fluency measures are administered at regular intervals to monitor student progress in the development of skills related to general reading outcomes. These measures allow for tracking of improvement and early detection of students at risk of not achieving reading proficiency.  Amplify is the database that collates and stores the statistics from the DIBELS ® assessment pieces.

This school makes decisions about what eLearning experiences best meet our students’ needs. Whilst the Catholic Educational Office provides some of the online resources used, it is sometimes necessary and beneficial for students to utilise services provided by third-party web-based providers. 

Your school plans to utilise the third-party web-based services, Amplify - DIBELS ® Data System, to aid your child’s learning. For your child to use these resources, the school will need to register them as a user. Amplify (which operates DIBELS ® Data System) is a private company that hosts its data outside Australia in the United States of America. This means that personal information given to the company, or data created in relation to your child whilst using DIBELS ®, will be stored on servers that are not based in Australia.

Important Information

In order for the school to register your child, the following information will need to be disclosed to Amplify:

• Student identification code; e.g. C123456
• Student first initial of first name and surname; e.g. Tim Smith (tsmith)
• Year level
• Class name
• School code

It is intended that your child’s registration with Amplify - DIBELS ® Data System will remain current for 12 months. Once registered, your child’s usage of DIBELS ® will be tracked; reports will be created by the school staff for monitoring of literacy skills development, feedback and decision making about your child’s learning.

The collected personal information about your child will be used and disclosed by authorised Catholic Education Services employees (including staff at this school) for the purposes outlined in this form. The collected personal information may also be used or disclosed to third parties where authorised or required by law. This information will be stored securely. If you wish to access or correct any of your child’s personal information or discuss how it will be dealt with, please contact the school in the first instance.

Please ensure that you have checked you email and replied to the parent slip to indicate your choice of consent. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me on tbarber1@cns.catholic.edu.au.

Welcome to week 5! What a great start it has been to the term filled with lots of learning and lots of fun.  

We have loved the extra events that we’ve participated in so far this term. These have included celebrating Mother’s Day, having our friends from ‘Athletics in the Outback’ come and run an athletics session with us, as well as having Matt from Cape York AFL come to do weekly sessions during PE.  

During English, we’ve been focusing on our decoding skills and how we can use these when reading and writing. We’re getting clever with our letter formation which can be seen when writing our recount sentences about stories. We’ve been getting lots of chances to practise our speaking skills through taking turns presenting the weather each morning, sharing ideas around our learning and also sharing our work with the class. We continue building our letters and sounds knowledge to help us with our reading and writing also.  

In Maths, we’ve been learning all about partitioning by breaking collections into groups, addition, subtraction, duration of time and numbers to 20 and how we can use these in different ways. Our favourite part of Maths is taking part in lots of different hands-on activities including games that encourage us to put these new skills into action.  

Religion learning this term has been all about prayer and the way that Jesus lived his life many years ago. We have loved learning all about what Jesus’ life was like back when he was younger and comparing things that are different and the same between his life and ours.  

Science with Miss Dore has been exciting learning all about different types of weather. We love looking at the weather each day and discussing during Morning Routine what the weather looks like and feels like. It’s been great hearing how our weather vocabulary has grown over the term as we learn more and more about weather.  

Technologies has been focusing on force and motion which has allowed us to explore the different ways toys and objects move and how we can be part of making things move. It’s been fun being able to look at a range of objects and experiment with these to learn more about force and motion. We’ve also enjoyed learning about how we can record information about our findings and how we can share and discuss these findings with our peers.  

The Arts has been an exciting change this term moving from learning all about colour, drawing and painting into movement and dance. We’ve been learning all about the tempo of music, different movements, and also how dance forms an important part of many cultures. We especially love being able to get up and move our bodies and have seen some very groovy dance moves coming out ?. 

During HASS, we’ve loved exploring Geography and the places that are special in our lives. We’ve been learning all about the special place we share together, Weipa, and also the role that we play in looking after Weipa. This has been a great space for lots of conversations and sharing of ideas. 

We are looking forward to more learning and also more exciting upcoming events including the Sports Carnival, Under 8’s Day and also the Weipa Fishing Classic.  

As usual, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me on kbackhouse@cns.catholic.edu.au 

Many thanks,  

Miss Backhouse 

What a fantastic start to the term we have had. Students have been busy learning and enjoying all the wonderful events that have taken place so far this term. I am most proud of how all the students conducted themselves in the liturgy for St Joseph’s Feast Day. They all participated reverently and with confidence. Many compliments came their way with how well students read and how they led a fantastic liturgy with support from their Year 6 buddies.  

Our Religion lessons this term have been all about Jesus and his mission and ministry. We loved looking at the temple where Jesus was presented as a young boy and learning about the history of the temple. We have also looked at some of the miracle stories, with students understanding that Jesus chose to heal those in the most need with humility, justice and compassion. We will continue to learn about Jewish communities and how Jesus played an important role during his time.  

In English, we are learning so many new digraphs and trigraphs and learning how to use these in our writing, reading and spoken language with more confidence. We started to write our own story about special friends and the wonderful things we do with them. This will add to our final writing assessment piece.  

In Maths we have had a focus on addition, subtraction, length and now time. This past week we have learnt about the days of the week and months of the year. Students will get the opportunity to learn how to tell the time to o’clock and half past. This is a tricky concept to learn but I have full confidence that they will do wonderful with learning this in the coming weeks.  

In our Dance lessons we have been learning how to move to the beat of a song and how important music plays a role in our feelings towards dance. Different rhythms create different emotions within us. We will be learning more about the space on a dance floor and how we can tell stories through dance in the coming weeks.  

In our Geography lessons we are looking at natural, managed and constructed environments. Students are gaining the knowledge to apply these learnt terms to their local environments and are able to determine the difference between all of these within our school. This will be expanded to our local township and other familiar or unfamiliar  environments with students having to label maps showing their understanding.  

A gentle reminder that homework and library is now a Wednesday. I aim to have it returned on a Wednesday, if not a Thursday.  

Some important dates to remember: 

Under 8’s day- Tuesday Week 6 

National Simultaneous Storytime- Wednesday Week 6 

Athletics Carnival- Thursday Week 8 

Dear Parents and Carers of Year 2,

We have made it half way through Term 2 with lots of learning and fun activities along the way. Students have been involved in Liturgies at the church including our ANZAC Day Liturgy, St Joseph’s Feast Day and Mother’s Day. During this time, students learnt about the importance of ANZAC Day and it will so lovely to see so many of our families attend the dawn service. Week 2 on Friday saw the Year 2’s buddy up with the Year 4 class and participate in a fun afternoon of games and activities to celebrate Feast Day. Thank-you to superstar tuckshop extraordinaire and parent in our class, Jaime for organising chicken burritos for the students to feast on. In Week 4, our lovely Mum’s and Mother figures were invited to school to spend morning tea with us to celebrate Mother’s Day. We hope you enjoyed the presents the students made with love.

In English this term students have been learning to innovate a text during writing time. We have read many fiction stories and then changed them up to create our own. Students came up with many creative ideas to make their stories interesting with a focus on using adjectives to describe and add details. Our current text is “The Very Lazy Ladybird” and students have begun to use alliteration when describing the different animals the ladybird met.

In Maths students have been working with money and working out change from $20. They have been using blocks and counters when applying their addition, subtraction, multiplication and division strategies. Students have also been using mini clocks to work out half past the hour, quarter past and quarter to. We used objects and shapes to work out fractions including ½ , ¼ and 1/8.

In HASS this term we are learning about Weipa, Queensland, Australia and the world. We have been learning the continent song which I’m sure gets stuck in your head as much as ours! If not, ask your child to sing it for you! In Religion we are learning about the parable of the Unforgiving Servant as well as the Sacrament of Penance. In Science students are learning about push, pull forces and applying that to build and create a toy in technology. In PE we learnt the ABC’S of running A – agility B – balance C – coordination and S – speed with Coach Kate and Big Aaron. We have also been lucky enough to have AFL lessons with Matt.

This term we still have many exciting events ahead that we are looking forward to:

 -National Simultaneous Storytime at the library

-Under 8’s Day

-Athletics Carnival

As always, please feel free to contact me via SeeSaw or my e-mail ttapper@cns.catholic.edu.au if you have any questions or concerns,

Kind Regards,

Mrs Tash Tapper.

Dear 3A and 3B families,

We hope this message finds you well. We wanted to take a moment to update you on all the exciting things we've been doing in Year 3 this term.

In English, we've been delving into the world of narrative writing. The students have been honing their skills in crafting engaging stories, focusing particularly on elements like direct speech and building tension. We've explored how to use dialogue to bring characters to life and keep readers on the edge of their seats. The children have been very creative, coming up with imaginative plots and characters that keep us all eager to hear what happens next.

In Maths, we've been diving into measurement. From capacity to length, width, and height, the students have been learning how to accurately measure and compare various objects and quantities. We've also been exploring 3-dimensional shapes, understanding their properties.

Our Religious Studies have centred around Jesus as the Messiah. We've delved into how Jesus is portrayed in the Bible and what significance his teachings hold. The children have engaged deeply with these stories, asking thoughtful questions and reflecting on their own beliefs.

In HASS (Humanities and Social Sciences), we've been exploring how communities change over time. Our focus has been on Weipa, tracing its history from the time of the First Nations people, through the arrival of the Dutch on the Duyfken, to the start of mining in the 1950s. It's been fascinating to see the children connect with the local history and understand how it has shaped the community we live in today.

In Science, we've been exploring the science of heat. The children have been learning about what creates heat and how it can be conducted from one place to another. We've conducted experiments to see these principles in action, sparking curiosity and wonder in the world around us.

Health lessons have focused on understanding how health messages affect our decisions and what it truly means to be healthy. The students have been learning about making informed choices that promote their well-being, both physically and mentally.

In Physical Education, we've been getting active with AFL and athletics. The children have been practicing their skills in teamwork, coordination, and sportsmanship, all while having a blast on the field and track.

It's been a busy and fulfilling term, and we’re so proud of all the hard work and enthusiasm the children have shown. Thank you for your ongoing support, and we look forward to sharing more of our adventures with you in the coming weeks.

Warm regards,

Year 3 Teaching Team,

Mrs Peters and Mrs Hamilton.

Hello families of Year 4!

What a brilliant start to Term 2! How is it May already? We have been working hard and dedicating ourselves to our learning!

In English, we have been writing Informative Texts. We have been learning how to research factual information and organise it effectively. Some animals we have written about are the Eurasian Eagle Owl, Flamingos, and Red Back Spiders. Take a look at our writing!

In Geography, we are learning all about sustainability. We have identified different resources that support our comfort and survival. We have looked at how we use these resources in different ways and how we can use them more mindfully.

In Science, we have been exploring forces. Push, pull, gravity, friction, magnetism and air and water resistance. We have conducted a number of experiments testing gravity and friction. In the experiment, we changed the surface of a ramp to see the changes in friction.

The highlights of this term so far have been AFL on Wednesdays and our special guests from Athletics Australia! We broke the record for the whole school in our Agility, Balance, and Co-ordination obstacle course! Finally, our Mother’s Day celebration was a unique opportunity to share our school lives with important women in our lives!

Hello families and friends of Year 5,

It has been a successful and busy term already and the students are gearing up for their end of semester work. We are also preparing for our upcoming Athletics Carnival and getting excited about competing down at Andoom Oval.

Across English this term the students have already been exploring informative texts and the structure and language features used to engage an audience. We have also sorted out key features of a paragraph and begun to draft our own responses.

In Religion the students have been looking at the Catholic and Jewish ways to pray. We have enjoyed exploring the purpose of a Sabbath and what it means to have time to rest.

Across Maths, the students are investigating chance events and decimals, fractions and percentages. The students are showing great growth in representing, ordering and adding decimals.. as it is sometimes tricky when we trade numbers across the place value chart!

Moving forward this term Year 5 will be presenting on assembly during Week 8 – for Mabo Day. All are welcome to attend, as is the same with our Athletics Carnival. More information is to come on times and event schedules, so please keep an eye out for any emails or seesaw messages.

Kind Regards,

Emily

Help Coach Jamie get his soccer team to Townsville!!