Dear Parents and Friends of St Joseph’s,

With three weeks before holidays, Coronavirus is on all our minds at the moment and I’m sure you have many questions about what is happening with regarding schools. I have sent home a letter to all families outlining our efforts to contain and slow down the spread of the virus in our community.  

Everywhere we look, we are being bombarded with fact and fiction regarding what is in store for us all. St Joseph’s Parish School places the safety and well-being of every member of our St Joseph’s community as an absolute priority. As such, we are in regular communication with the Workplace Health and Safety Officer and others at Catholic Education Services – Cairns, who in turn are consulting with Queensland Health, as to the best course of action in managing the Cononavirus. If you are interested in knowing all the latest adjustments, click on the green button on our school portal  located at www.stjosephsweipa.qld.edu.au

This link provides access to all our critical information and consolidated advice.

Although very serious it is important that we remain calm but vigilant. I am very concerned about the anxiety that many of our school community, particularly our students, may be experiencing as a result of the constant media coverage. It is important that we focus more on the positives of how to keep the bugs away and allow the kids to have power over that. With that in mind, we will not be discussing Coronavirus with the children. We will, however, talk about and show how to wash our hands well.

In closing I would like to convey our sincere thanks for responding in such a positive and professional way to this growing health threat by keeping your children home when showing cold or flu-like symptoms and seeking medical diagnosis when their symptoms continue for more than 48 hours. Please keep up the great work!

At St Joseph’s we aim to create a safe and supportive school community for everyone. This Friday 20th March is the National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence. Sometimes it can be difficult for parents or carers to know what to do when their child talks to them about bullying. You are an important part of our work to prevent bullying and to respond effectively if it happens. If you are looking for support for yourself to deal with a bullying situation, you will find ideas on the Bullying. No Way! website: https://bullyingnoway.gov.au/YourRole/Pages/For-Parents-and-carers.aspx  Please contact the school if you would like to discuss any aspect of our approach to preventing bullying. Thanks for your support to make our school a great school for everyone.

Respectful Communication is the key

Paediatrician and author of a number of child raising books, Dr John Irvine often has articles published in several notable newspapers and magazines. Hi advice is always spot on and contain a lot of common sense. One of the articles he has written is about the importance of the relationship between schools and parents. He highlighted the need for parents to be supportive of teachers in front of their children. Not much different really than how important it is for parent to be united in their approach to parenting.

In the article he pointed out that schools can be pretty different places to the experience parents had of school. Parents need to be wary of having their view of the child’s school coloured by their own experience. If parents speak negatively at home about their child’s teacher or teachers in general, it won’t be surprising if that attitude is replicated at school by the child. This is never helpful.

I hope that every member of this community; students, parents, staff will always feel comfortable in approaching someone at the school if or when there is a problem. We have easy to follow processes to assist when problems arise. There aren’t many things that can’t be resolved if all parties are prepared to listen to another point of view and be open-minded. All of us look at life through a different lens of our particular experience. Sometimes we need to look at things through a different lens.

I love parents who support their children in all that they do. Experience would tell me though, that it is not uncommon that children relate to parents the summary of the facts they think they need to know, sometimes giving a particular version of an event. In all cases, if we are concerned by something we have heard and we approach the relevant person, it is often good to start with a line like, “ Look, this is what I have been told and I am concerned, so I wanted to check out with you so I have all the facts.” Better solutions will follow.

Problems are part of life, even for children. Shielding them from conflict, negative issues, etc is harmful to their development. There will be misunderstandings, people will make mistakes and due to the business of life, things will get overlooked. If we all follow these four steps when we have a problem, we will significantly better outcomes.

Problems should be…

• Address at the earliest possible opportunity
• At the lowest possible level
• With the most appropriate or relevant person
• In the most informal manner possible

One of the great things that I enjoy at St Joseph’s is the level of support that I have found from parents and the level of commitment of the staff. Almost without fail, parents want the best for their child and at the same time teachers and staff also want to do their best for the children who are in their care. As I mentioned before, problems will occur however, when we keep in mind that we are all on the same side and working together for the common good, success is guaranteed.

Harmony Day                                                                                                  

On the same day Australian School Communities are being rallied to Take Action Together on the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence (NDA) we celebrate Harmony Day. Harmony Day occurs on 21 March each year and coincides with the United Nations' International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Harmony Day celebrates Australia’s cultural diversity. In schools we celebrate inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for all Australians, from the traditional owners of the land to those who have come from many countries around the world. The ongoing theme of Harmony Day is ‘everyone belongs’. Harmony Day is a day of cultural respect for all. By participating in Harmony Day activities, we can learn and understand how all Australians equally belong to this nation and enrich it.

Orange is the colour chosen to represent Harmony Day and the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence. Traditionally, orange signifies social communication and meaningful conversations. It also relates to the freedom of ideas and encouragement of mutual respect.

In the past we have invited students to dress up in cultural costumes and had a parade in the morning. This year, due to our social-distancing response to the COVID19, we will not have a parade but will encourage children and staff to wear orange to acknowledge both Harmony Day and NDA. Related activities will be done in classes rather than as a whole school event.

Staffing Update      

Sadly Sophie Stevenson has resigned from the position of Tuckshop Convener for family reasons. I would like to take the opportunity to thank Sophie for her delicious meals and the important contribution that Sophie has made to our school tuckshop. I know that she will continue to support our school through volunteering. A big welcome to Annette O’Shea who has taken on the role. Please make Annette feel welcome to our St Joseph’s community.

March Marbles                                                                                                      

It is that time of year again where the children get to enjoy the game of marbles. Some children have very impressive marble collections but please ensure that your child only bring along approximately 20 marbles at a time to school.

Easter Celebrations – Giving of Easter Eggs                    

As we break up for school in three weeks’ time, there will still be 1 week until Easter, which falls on the middle weekend of the school holidays. This year, St Joseph’s school will participate in learning around Holy Week and up until the crucifixion however, activities for Easter and resurrection will be saved until the first week back in Term 2. The Easter period actually lasts for six weeks from the Easter weekend! The six weeks leading up to Easter though, which is Lent, is a time for fasting, prayer and alms giving. Over the Lenten period, classes are focusing on learning about the events and faith practices observed during Lent and Holy week.

International Read to Me Day                                                          

This world - wide event takes place next Thursday 19th March. Boost your child's literacy by reading to them each day but especially on this day when we recognise the importance of reading aloud.

Attendance                                                                                                           

Please continue to keep your child at home should they have any signs of cold or flue like symptoms. However, I just want to congratulate and thank the St Joseph community on the huge improvement in attendance this year. So far this year we have the highest rate of attendance (84.2%) in the history of the school. Well done everyone! You should be very proud. Once the disruption of the COVID-19 passes I’m sure this trend will continue for the benefit of student learning.

God Bless,

Megan