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Newsletter Term 3 Week 4
I can’t believe we are at the end of Week 4 already! Students have settled back into school routines well. Each morning as I greet students, I am continually impressed by the beautiful manners that our students display. It is a real credit to you as parents, as they respectfully engage with our staff and greet us each day.
Over the last few weeks it has been wonderful to come together as a school lately for a couple of events after a long hiatus of not being able to gather.
This week our school community has focused its attention on NAIDOC week and the wonderful contribution that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to make to the life of this nation. As a school that views its diversity as ‘a source of strength and a sign of hope’ such a celebration is very important.
The theme of this Year’s NAIDOC is 'Heal Country', calling for us all to continue to seek greater protections for our lands, our waters, our sacred sites and our cultural heritage from exploitation, desecration and destruction. This week we had many opportunities to engage with our First Nations community to learn from and understand more about how together we can heal our local country.
School Board
St Joseph’s Parish School is establishing our first School Board. The school board provides the opportunity for members of the school, parish and diocesan communities to support the mission of Catholic education in the school by supporting the Principal. Please see the School Board Information Sheet attached.
Later this term will be holding an information evening for all in the school community who are interested in becoming a school board member. As such, we are calling on nominations to fill these positions. Interested members of our community need to write a short ‘expression of interest’ letter that outlines the nominee’s skill set and what they might bring to this group. These nominations will then be presented to the Board Establishment Committee which will be made up of the Principal, Parish Priest, Director of School Effectiveness and CES Parent Engagement consultant.
Uniforms and Grooming
A reminder to parents that every student is expected to wear full school uniform every day. If you are unsure please refer to our guidelines on our website.
In relation to hair, if it touches the collar, it must be tied back. Hair is not to be in students’ eyes. Hair is to be the child’s natural colour. Students with what the school regards as ‘extreme’ hairstyles do not meet the requirements of our school policies and expectations.
Staffing 2022
Staffing processes for next year are already in process. If you are aware that your family may not be at the school next year, please let the office know so that we can take that into account during our planning.
PREP 2022
We are enrolling for Prep 2022. Be a part of building St Joseph’s into the future by being a loyal, supportive, and vocal advocate for the high-quality educational program and nurturing environment that is St Joseph’s. We can take additional enrolments in some classes from Yr1 to Yr6 for 2022 as well. It takes a community ‘to grow a school’! Do play your part as an invested member of our community to promote St Joseph’s.
PUPIL FREE DAY
Please note an upcoming pupil free day for this term:
- Thursday 2 Sept – Consistency of Judgement Day for all teachers across the diocese to moderate student work for reporting
Mary MacKillop Feast Day Sunday 8th August 2021
Prayer
Artist: Hector Chundaloo 2009
God of vision, we thank you for Mary MacKillop who loved this land and its peoples. As we struggle to realise our hope for a more just country, may we witness the meaning of fair play for people and the land. May we value the wisdom of First Nations people. May we act to halt more damage to earth. May we live simply, love tenderly, and walk humbly. We ask this in the name of Christ. Amen
St Joseph’s Celebrates NAIDOC Week
This week we celebrated NAIDOC week, a time to celebrate the history, cultures and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. St Joseph’s NAIDOC week this year was centred around experiences with the community and the sharing of knowledge of the unique pace we live in.
On Monday we had the Kindy children visit from C&K Weipa and C&K Napranum. The little visitors spent the morning with the Prep students, dancing, listening to stories, having a yarn, face painting and completing totem crafts.
Thank you to Liz and the team from C&K Weipa and Emma and the team from C&K Napranum for coming along.
We also had Sean and Cameron, the Napranum Rangers visit all the students and to speak about the work they do including the turtle monitoring and conservation at Pennefather. The students thoroughly enjoyed the presentation and the wealth of knowledge the rangers shared about invasive pets and what we can do to help. Did you know that an average of 400 nest are recorded at Pennefather each year, with each nest producing about 50 eggs per nest. Sadly only 1 in every 1000 hatchling will survive until adulthood.
Thank you Sean and Cameron, we are looking forward to you visiting again.
On Wednesday the Year 4-6 students visited the Western Cape Cultural Centre to learn about the History of Weipa. What a beautiful location and experience for the children as they worked through the many displays and art gallery. A big thank you to Moira and Gina Hart for being so welcoming and sharing your knowledge with us all. WCCC were very kind to gift our students with a bag full of goodies and information. We look forward to visiting again.
On Thursday, the team from PCYC Napramum came with lots of energy and enthusiasm to lead Indigenous Games with the children. They played a range of games from communities all over Australia. Thank you to TJ and his team for coming along, we look forward to the PCYC team visiting regularly this term.
We also had the Western Cape College Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Dance Troupe present cultural dancers. The costumes, painting and singing were outstanding. The students enjoyed hearing about the meaning of the dances and the live music using the drum. Thank you to Alyce and Ernest, the WCC team and students for joining us and celebrating with dance and music. We wish you all the best for your celebrations next week.
It was great to have Lillian Miller join us all week from Cairns. Lillian is out First Nations Consultant who spent time in each classroom sharing the meaning of this year's NAIDOC theme Heal Country. Lillian spent some time explaining the artwork for this year and ways we can work together to heal our waterway, land and sacred sites.
Our week finished with a Liturgy on Friday which representatives from each class presented an item. Thank you to all the students for your participation and sharing during this time. Thank you to all the parents who joined in the events throughout the week. You are always welcome.