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Dear Parents, Guardians and Friends of St Joseph’s,
As we work through the final day of Term 1, I’d like to thank our staff and students for all of the great work and dedication this term. I’ve been extremely impressed with the level of work and engagement from our students throughout the term and I’m looking forward to building on this next term.
Our final week of the term has coincided with Holy Week, which commenced with Palm Sunday and concludes on Easter Sunday. This week is the culmination of the 40 day Lenten journey. As Christians, we are called to prepare for the death and resurrection of Jesus - the centrepiece of our faith.
As this is the last newsletter for the term, I wish you all a wonderful Easter break with family and friends. Please take care if you are travelling and I look forward to catching up with everyone after a well-earned mid semester break.
May the promise of Easter, fill your heart with peace and joy.
God Bless,
Prep Enrolments 2022
Interviews for our existing families will happen next term. If you are a current family and you have a child eligible for Prep in 2022, please ensure you have submitted an enrolment form (on the website) to ensure that no one misses out.
Staffing Update
As the term finishes, we farewell a number of our team as they move on to new challenges and adventures. Whether it be for a short or long time that they have been part of our community they have all had a significant impact on us all. I thank everyone for their enthusiasm, dedication and the numerous talents that they have shared.
We say goodbye to Joe Simmons has completed his contract to cover for Libby Lange while she has been o long service leave this term. Joe has bought a combination of passion and joy to our school during his time here and I thank him for his flexibility and can-do attitude.
Annette O’Shea will also be leaving us to move back down South closer to family. We cannot thank Annette enough for her genuine care for our children, for keeping us all well feed and for her flexibility in such a demanding role.
Susan Lesic is sadly leaving the St Joseph’s Team. Susan and her family have been part of our St Joseph’s family for a number of years. I want to take this opportunity to thank Susan for her service and dedication, she will be greatly missed by all. We wish Susan and her family all the very best, as they start a new chapter of their lives in Cairns.
Farewell to Andrieka Lewis who has been filling in for Terry Wilcox this term. Thank you for your adaptability as you moved seamlessly into the role and has ensured great learning has continued in Terry’s class.
Terry Wilcox has taken extended leave, so Libby Lange and Michelle Gear will take on the role of Year Six teachers for the rest of 2021. Libby will continue to teach PE.
These staffing changes have a flow on effect to our internal staffing from next term. Jodie Hall is taking on the role of Health teacher and will work with Libby to provide noncontact for teachers across the school. Year one will now be taken by Kelly Bienvenu and Amanda Rowe as a teaching team. Although we have had some changes I am confident that the transition will be seamless for our students.
Student Learning Conferences (Parent Teacher Interviews) Our teachers and students have been busily preparing for our student learning conferences that will be held in weeks one and two next term. PTO is open for you to book in a time with your child’s teacher. A reminder that conferences will be held in classrooms and the school bell will be rung to signal interview intervals.
BE Safe On Social Holidays are welcomed by all. I am certain and also conscious that for many of our children they will spend time on devices during this break time. Parents I urge you to be very mindful of what your child/children are viewing during this time.
Students at St Joseph’s Primary in Years 3 and 5 will be completing NAPLAN Online in 2021.
Preparation for the NAPLAN tests: we held an online practice test for Year 3 and 5 students last week. At St Joseph’s, we are fortunate that our students are currently using devices to assist with their learning. Teachers are currently asking students to write and read stories on their device, use an online calculator and drawing instruments in maths and teaching ICT skills such as drag and drop, copy and paste and understanding drop down menus. All of these skills will help them to complete the tests to the best of their ability.
For more information around NAPLAN please click on the below link for an online parent information brochure: https://nap.edu.au/docs/default-source/resources/naplan-online-information-brochure-for-parents-and-carers.pdf
WHOLE SCHOOL SPORTING EVENTS – Cross Country
With the school cross country carnival coming up, our plan is for parents to be able to attend as they are outdoor events. Obviously, this will be reliant upon future COVID outbreaks and the fact that parents must remain socially distant when attending.
Cross Country – Friday 23rd April The first event will start at 8.00am. We are running the cross country earlier in the day in an effort to combat the heat. We are always in need of parent volunteers to help out. If you are available, let Libby Lange or the front office know. The tuckshop will also be open on this day.
P E News
CROSS COUNTRY
Great to see so many students turning up to cross country training the last few weeks! Don’t forget the Cross Country is the first Friday back, 23rd April. (please assemble at 8.00am) We will continue training next week and in the first week back on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
On the day, the older students will be running first so they are not running 3 km in the heat. A schedule of the day will be sent out soon. Please encourage your child/ren to keep running over the Easter break to keep up their endurance.
TERM 1 WRAP UP
TERM 2 EVENTS
I am looking forward to being back next term in the P Ed role.
We have lots of sporting events next term so I have included a weekly schedule of what will be happening.
We have the AFL team doing Auskick skills and again will be doing the after school sessions which were so popular last year. We have Queensland Cricket coming to the school for some skills training and then an interschool comp with WCC.
There are several Peninsula trials for any older students who are selected. Congratulations to Aiden, Noah and Leon in Yr 6 who have been selected to represent our school at the Rugby league trials in Week 2 next term.
To finish off the term our Athletics day is in the last week.
See you all next term!
Libby Lange
Message from the Editors of the Cairns Diocesan News
We are pleased to advise that the Easter edition of the magazine, including all parishes Easter Mass Times, is now available for viewing. Please click on the link below and this will take you straight to our magazine.
https://online.fliphtml5.com/xgvmy/kcsv/#p=1
For parents and carers who have subscribed, you will receive a copy to your inbox. For those who wish to subscribe, please follow this link https://cairns.catholic.org.au/news-and-events/diocesan-news-magazine
We thank you for your support and welcome you to our readership.
Message from the Editors of the Cairns Diocesan News
We are pleased to advise that the Easter edition of the magazine, including all parishes Easter Mass Times, is now available for viewing. Please click on the link below and this will take you straight to our magazine.
https://online.fliphtml5.com/xgvmy/kcsv/#p=1
For parents and carers who have subscribed, you will receive a copy to your inbox. For those who wish to subscribe, please follow this link https://cairns.catholic.org.au/news-and-events/diocesan-news-magazine
We thank you for your support and welcome you to our readership.
Thanks and regards,
Cathy Spencer and Anita Lundie,
Editorial Staff,
Cairns Diocesan News
Diocese of Cairns
Bishop's House,183 Abbott Street l Cairns Qld 4870 Australia l PO Box 625 l Cairns Qld 4870
p: 07 4046 5653 l m: 0419 688 050
Sibling Conflicts
As parents, sibling fights can be very distressing and exhausting! We have all battled with sibling conflicts, fights and arguments, and thought to ourselves ‘I can’t stand the fighting I just want it to stop!!
In order to decrease the fighting, it can be helpful to ‘coach’ your children before the conflict starts, when everyone is calm and receptive to ideas. It is also important to be aware of the ‘tricky times e.g. at the end of the day when children can be tired and hungry.
Michael Grose (Parenting Specialist) has suggested some tricks to help sibling conflicts: -
1. Encourage them to read to their siblings (facial expressions, body language, tone of voice) so they can avoid negative situations. This is all about avoidance and stopping fights before they start.
- Teach children how to set boundaries. “You can come into my room but you have to stay out of my toy cupboard. Ok?”
- Praise problem-solving. Make a fuss when they work things out peacefully whether it’s compromising, taking turns or one child just giving way.
- Help children identify the triggers for getting upset themselves and also when their sibling is likely to lose their cool. We all have hot buttons that when pressed will trigger and over-reaction. Help kids work out their hot buttons.
- Reinforce with kids that they need to regulate their responses when a sibling presses their hot buttons. Kids don’t have to fight, argue, yell or whatever when a sibling gets up their nose. Give alternative to their war-like responses - “Go to your room if he continues to annoy you.”
- Teach respect. Respectful treatment is at the heart of civil relationships. Keep reminding kids to treat each other with respect; stick to dignified behaviours and also to stay within the rules of fair play.
- Ensure restitution. Perhaps the biggest lesson kids can learn is to restore a relationship after conflict. “How can you fix this?” is a question many kids need to hear.
Parenting should reflect real life as much as possible. In the world, families and people don’t always like each other but they do need to get on with each other. These lessons about getting on are best learned in your family as a child.
These are important life skills, learning to get along with people; knowing about other alternatives to avoid conflict. As parents, we only want the best for our children and their well being. It is also important that we look after ourselves, so that we aren’t contributing to more conflict within our home and, if in doubt – ‘give yourself time out’ to calm down, have a cuppa and then come back to discuss the issue!
Warm regards,
Tosca Grainger -Dee.
PLEASE NOTE - DATE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO FRIDAY 1ST APRIL 2021 FOR ADVERTISED POSITIONS.
Hello families of Year 2,
Thank you for a great start to the 2021 school year. It has been a great pleasure to teach your students and watch them grow and progress!
Then end of the term saw Year 2 complete various assessment items. The main one that stood out was building our Boat Ramps in Design and Technology! The students were very engaged and passionate about the materials and design, and they also developed team works skills when working in their pairs.
Across our mathematics learning area, the students have been enjoying small group rotations and activities, where they complete a range of tasks in the math lesson. The tasks range from using concrete materials, puzzles, whiteboards, books and iPads. It is a great way for each student to complete and access the math curriculum.
During the middle of the term, Year 2 presenting at assembly. They did a great job at voicing an important day – World Day of Prayer. I was very proud of all our readers and singers!
I wish you all a safe and happy school holiday break. There may be changes to our allocated PE and Health days next term, so please check the next newsletter to keep up to date. Another way to follow on with what your students are learning is through the St Joseph’s Parish School’s Facebook page. Each week I send some photos through and a description about what we have been learning! As always, please contact me via email eridgley@cns.catholic.edu.au or via the school office if there are any questions.
Kind Regards,
Emily Ridgley
It is hard to believe that we are only 1 week out from finishing Term 1. This Term has gone so fast, and I am so proud of how far the students have come over the past 9 weeks. This Term has seen a lot of learning and growth in all learning areas. In English, our focus on writing a persuasive text and remembering the importance of punctuation and correct grammar in our writing has been our main focus. Over the next two weeks, students will write their own persuasive piece with a topic of their choosing. In math, we have been adding and subtracting and looking at the different strategies that can be used in order to find a strategy that suits us best. Students have particularly been enjoying our Art lessons this Term and had a lot of fun creating bark paintings that told a story of their identity. We also had the privilege of having some Indigenous pieces of art brought into our classroom for students to look at and feel. Thank you to the Cardelli family for sharing these very specials items with us.
This Term:
As the Term is coming to an end, Year 3 will be saying goodbye to Louie as he leaves for Cairns. In light of this, we will be having some free time on the last day of term after lunch where we will play some games and say our goodbyes to Louie and each other for the school holidays.
Term 2:
There will be a change in homework for Term 2 and students will be asked to return homework on a Monday, and it will be sent home again on a Tuesday.
As we have shifted into the season of Lent, Year 4 has been focussing on how the money they have donated to Project Compassion is helping those who are less fortunate around the world. We recently took part in a Zoom meeting with the producers of some of the Project Compassion short movies to ask them questions about the people in the films and the filming process. Year 4 wrote some engaging questions.
Along with Lent, Year 4 are busily learning and practicing the techniques to create still life art pieces! They have enjoyed investigating the techniques of shading and various pencil techniques used to make drawn objects appear three dimensional.
I’d like to also wish each and every family a safe and restful break. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my first term at St. Joseph’s. I look forward to coming back for Term 2 refreshed and ready to go.
Justin.
The term has flown by so quickly but so much has happened. The Yr5’s have been a busy bunch of bees who have been kicking goals across the entire curriculum. We are fast approaching the time to write our ending for the Ickabog. The students have loved listening to this story and as a teacher, I can’t wait to see what they come up with. They will the characters, the settings and prior events. It will be all on them to finish the story off in a spectacular way.
During our Religion lessons the students have been bringing the scripture to life by retelling the annunciation story in different ways. These last couple of weeks we will be creating our own psalms of thanksgiving. We will have the opportunity to thank someone who has helped us on our learning journey. Doing this through different types of prayers is a great way of broadening our skill set.
Fractions, decimals and understanding the place value system has been our focus for Maths from Monday to Thursday. On Fridays we have been looking at chance events and the probabilities of those events. The students have been fortunate enough to use a variety of ways to order and compare fractions and are now moving into understanding decimal fractions. This will be our focus for the rest of the term. Our Monday to Thursday's fraction focus blends really well with our Friday probability focus.
Our Second Step lessons have had a focus on emotions. The students have been asked to discuss and participate in activities that predict emotions and taking other’s perspective into account. By considering others emotions and perspectives, we can preempt a possible conflict or can show empathy when needed. Having these skills allows us to be a well rounded person who can regulate challenging situations.
This week our students participated in Naplan Practice Tests. The all coped really well and it showed that our IT networking systems can withstand having our students all online at the same time. As this was a practice, the students were exposed to the types of questions they may be given during the official Naplan Test in Term 2. Students were asked to navigate through the test using a variety of the tools. This gave us, the teachers feedback on things we need to work on to support our students in Term 2.
We hope you have a restful break and look forward to seeing you all in Term 2.
Hello Year 6 families,
I have had a great time teaching the Year 6 students this term. The students have been working hard in all learning areas.
During Design technology the students have been working on creating their own games made from recycled materials. The students explained the process via PowerPoint slides. We are organising another class to come and visit us to play on their games.
In maths we have been focussing on fractions, decimals, percentages and understanding the place value system. The students are also learning about order of operation and number sequences and patterns. The students are working out what the rule is for the number sequence and how to continue a number pattern using the rule.
During visual art the students have been experimenting drawing pictures that look 3D. They did a fantastic job.
In English the students are continuing with Spelling Mastery, reading groups and writing. In writing we have been looking at information and how it can be presented. We have focussed on news reports and the different platform they can appear in. The students learnt how to write news articles and we are currently analysing news reports and looking at the features of news reports.
I wish you all a safe and happy school holiday break.
Kind Regards,
Andrieka Lewis
