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Book Week
Curious Creatures and Wild Minds have abounded here at St Joseph’s throughout our Book Week celebrations over the last five days. At our Book Week launch assembly on Monday, where all classes received the gift of a specially chosen book for their class library, many children shared with us why reading and books were so important to them. Children from Kinder right through to Year 6 said that they loved books because they could learn things from them; they could take you to places; they could help you have adventures; and help you get to sleep at night as well as make you laugh.
Our Stage 2 and 3 students had great fun participating in a Curious Creatures and Wild Minds Kahoot! learning game on the computer. There were many laughs and much competition for the bookshop vouchers on offer. The children from Kinder to Year 3 played Heads and Tails with a wild and curious selection of fact and fiction statements. Did you know that hippopotamus milk is pink or that wombats have square poo? And that Vikings did not have horned helmets and that bananas do not grow on trees? We certainly learnt a few curious facts from this game!
This year we put together our own book sale and it was fabulous to see the children discerning which books they would purchase and counting out their money to pay for their purchases. The children really appreciated the wide selection available to them and the older ones realised the bargains they were getting. It was heart-warming to see so many of the children bring their new purchases to school the following day for our ‘Find a curious place and read’ session.
What a magnificent sight it was to see nearly 400 children scattered around the school in all weird and wonderful places, on cushions, on beach towels and under blankets and even up a tree and in a tunnel, taking time out just to relax and read a book.
For many the highlight of our Book Week was yesterday’s book parade. Yet again, children, parents and staff all made a great effort with costumes and there was such a diverse range of characters. We had the Babysitter’s Club executive team on site; Grug put in an appearance; Dorothy from Oz came along with the scarecrow, the wicked witch and the tinman; Cinderella was ready for the ball, and the fairy godmother was around as well; astronauts were about to head off into space; Matilda and Madeleine put in an appearance as did Gangster Granny, along with a whole range of other characters. For those of you who viewed the live stream of the parade we hope you enjoyed it. As you couldn’t come to the parade we decided to bring the parade to you. This was the first time that we have attempted to live stream and the staff put a lot of time in, behind-the-scenes, to learn how to do this. A big congratulations goes to our film and sound crew for their great efforts.
Last week, all classes decorated their doors with a Curious Creatures and Wild Minds theme. They are all so different but all fabulous. Yesterday, our impartial judging team of Snow White, Dorothy and Bob the Builder, viewed every door and were most impressed with what they saw. They agreed however that this year’s class prize goes to Year 6 Blue for their incredible door, inspired by the book, “Fly”.
We rounded off our Book Week by sending our curious and wild minded staff members to different classes to complete a fun activity related to one of the CBCA shortlisted books. Why not ask your children which crazy creature came to their room and what wild activity they did?
Leading Learning Collaborative Presentation
This year, many of our diocesan schools have been involved in the Leading Learning Collaborative (LLC) initiative. We have been one of them and what this has entailed includes professional learning around school and student improvement and the implementation of what is referred to as high yield strategies, to help bring about this improvement.
We have been working with Lyn Sharratt, a renowned Canadian researcher and education consultant. On Monday, along with several other schools we presented our LLC journey, to date. Our team included Renata, Steph, Nicole, Leanne and myself and I am so very grateful for their professionalism and time that was put into our presentation along with all the efforts they continually put into the initiative itself. Lyn confirmed the directions we have identified that we feel we need to take now, or to keep working on, and has requested several items from our presentation to include in her resources. She declared the presentations from all the schools sensational and direct feedback to our team included being congratulated on our evidence as well as the change in teacher talk and student talk around learning. She also felt that as a staff we appeared to have a shared vision about how important it is for all of us to have a common understanding and set of beliefs and accountability for all students in our school not just those in our own class. Our work on consistency of language and practices was also praised. The session was affirming and a terrific way for us as a team to track how far we have progressed over the course of what has been quite a tumultuous year. Lyn was quite surprised that we all had achieved as much as we have done. Congratulations go to all our teachers for the incredible efforts they are putting into the teaching and learning here at St Joseph’s.
Kinder Orientation
We are very happy to say that we are now able to hold our orientation sessions for next year’s kindergarten students. We have a great range of activities planned for them including getting to know their buddies. Unfortunately we will not be able to conduct our parent sessions on site due to Covid restrictions. Our Kinder orientation mornings will take place on Thursday 5th November, Thursday 19th November and Thursday 3rd December.
Curriculum Corner - Renata Powell
Tell Them From Me Survey
Thank you to the students, parents and staff who completed the Tell Them From Me survey. This community consultation survey has provided insights into how our school can make practical improvements in the future. Now that the survey process is complete, this data will now be analysed and used for proposed actions. Thank you again for your continued supporrt!
Staff Professional Learning - Genius Hour
Next week, Stage 3 staff will be learning more about Genius Hour. Genius Hour provides opportunities for students to develop ownership in their learning, time & resource management, accountability, and so much more, in a real-world context. It is also great for setting up project-based learning activities in the classroom. Genius hour allows students to explore their own passions and encourages creativity in the classroom. It provides students a choice in what they learn during a set period of time during school.
We look forward to exploring how this type of learning can continue to be implemented in our Year 5 and 6 classrooms!
Movie Club
On Wednesday, 28th October we will be gathering for Movie Club again. The movie this time is Billionaire Boy and it is available on both iView and Stan. We invite children from K-6 to join us for great reflection and conversation.
Year 6 Fun Day - Motiv8sports Big Day In
Year 6 will be participating in fun activities organised by Motiv8sports on Thursday, 10th December. Big Day In is an action-packed event designed and performed by Motiv8sports, for students celebrating the end of primary school. The day is planned here at school and we’ll be using our wonderful playground facilities. Lunch for students will be provided on the day. We ask that students wear their sports uniform on both Wednesday and Thursday in Week 9. For a sneak preview of the types of activities that may be included, please visit Motiv8sports.
ICAS
High Distinction | Distinction | Credit |
Skylar He | Kolby Barr | Ava Williams |
Emma Shrewsbury | Luca Avery | |
Harry Hillard | Daniel Stone | |
Oliver Moran | ||
Angus Lane | ||
Peter Higgins | ||
Theodore Spak | ||
Daisy Owens | ||
Isaac Moran | ||
Elliot Mole | ||
Katarina Tutman | ||
Joshua Hillard |
Celebrating our Faith - Stephanie Colvin
Reflection
Gathering around Jesus, not in devotion, but to ‘test’ him, a Pharisees, an ‘expert in the law’, asks: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” That is to say, which is the commandment that undergirds all others? If you had to pick one. Jesus responds: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ And yet, astonishingly, He does not stop there! The pharisee only asks for one response, the greatest commandment, not the second, or third. And yet Jesus continues, as if to say these are one and the same. “And the second… the second is like it: you must love your neighbour as yourself.” Jesus teaches that the seemingly most obvious of all the commandments, to many today, the love of neighbour, is only made possible by and thus lies secondary to the first and greatest commandment of all. This first primordial commandment is that which allows all others to exist. One cannot love God without loving the other, those placed in their lives. Jesus calls us to consider, every relationship we share, the emotions that drive our passion to love… the feelings which we delight in… do not exist, without God! Afterall God is Love (1 Jn 4:8). And when we love, we are (quite literally) experiencing what it is to participate in God.
- From Catholic Leaders Formation Network
Catholic Mission - Socktober
Thank you to the Mini Vinnies team for holding a fabulous and fun Crazy Sock Day last Wednesday. Everyone looked fantastic in their fun, colourful and crazy socks. The gold coin donations raised over $600. Congratulations St Joseph’s on this wonderful effort! This money will help many in need, including those children at the Arrupe Centre in Cambodia.
A special thank you goes to our Year 4 and 5 students from Mini Vinnies who ran our Soccer Penalty Shoot Out for every class throughout the day. Every child got the chance to kick with normal soccer balls and a Mini Vinnies team handmade sockball (a ball made from recycled material as is made and used by children in poverty stricken developing countries). Some great conversations were had around the difficulties of playing soccer, the universal game, with a sockball rather than a soccer ball. We are thankful for our opportunities and privileges living in a country like Australia.
The Feast of All Saints and of All Souls
Next week we will celebrate two important feast days in the Catholic Church’s calendar year; The Feast of All Saints and The Feast of All Souls.
On The Feast of All Saints (1st of November) we remember those people, who through the way they lived, made a difference to others and to the world. Through their lives, these special people teach us to trust God and to show our love for God. We look to them as examples of how we too, can make a difference in the world.
The Feast of All Souls (2nd of November) is a time when we remember those who have died, and we thank God for loving each and every person. Those we have loved stay close to us in our hearts and we give thanks because we can firmly believe they are safe and loved in God’s care.
Upcoming liturgies in Week 5
- NAIDOC Week Nov 8-15
- Remembrance Day Nov 11
Year 6 Graduation
Looking ahead to the end of the year, we are planning special graduation for Year 6 that will look a little different in this year of 2020. We are still in the planning stages and will share more information soon. This graduation event will be live streamed to parents and family. Stay tuned!
Mass
Find out all about attending Mass at the St Benedict’s Parish website https://www.newcastlecatholic.org.au/ or by viewing the latest edition of their bulletin https://www.newcastlecatholic.org.au/?p=4468
Summer Sport Trials
Summer Pathway Sports Trials will take place in Term 4 on Friday 6th November. The sports on offer are Tennis and Basketball. Cricket and Softball have now become standalone trials that will take place in 2021.
These trials will be open to children in the current (2020) Year 4 and Year 5 classes who are currently competitive level players or have previous competitive level experience. They are held to select children who display outstanding talent in a particular sport.
Due to COVID regulations, parents will not be allowed to attend trials & will be asked to drop children at the venue without entering. Each of these trials will be subject to following strict COVID safe plans.
Nominations for Basketball and Tennis have now closed. Those students who have nominated to trial in these sports will now be issued with the relevant paperwork for each sport. This will need to be completed and returned to the office as soon as possible.
Tae Kwan Do
Beginning in Week 3 of this term, all students from K-6 will be participating in Tae Kwan Do for Sport.
To ensure that all students can participate, we will be running these sessions each Wednesday and Thursday.
Please note the following changes to sports uniform for the remainder of this term:
- Primary Students in Year 3 – 6 (with the exception of 3 Blue) will wear their sports uniform each Wednesday.
- Infants students in K -2 & 3 Blue will wear their sports uniform each Thursday
Canteen
Commencing in Week 3 the canteen will be open at recess on Monday, Wednesday & Thursday for the purchase of ice blocks only.
Items for sale are
Lemonade icy poles (GF) $1.00, Moosies $1.00, Bulla Frozen Yoghurt $1.50, and Bulla Ice cream cups (GF, Nut Free) $1.00
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