Public Speaking

Congratulations to Christopher Mooney (KW) and Miriam Biswas (4G) who so proudly represented St Joseph’s and our Central Region at the Diocesan Public Speaking Competition on Tuesday 26th November.  Representatives from each of the six regions were present and at this stage of the competition the standard was very high. Miriam was in the Stage Two section of the competition and had to prepare two speeches, one impromptu and one prepared.  Her topics were strength and forgiveness, respectively.  Miriam was announced as Runner-Up across the Maitland Newcastle Diocese. Christopher was in the Early Stage One section of the competition and his prepared speech was on the topic of Grandparents.  We are very happy to announce that Christopher won his division. Congratulations to Christopher and Miriam!

2020 Class Placements

At the last P&F meeting I shared with parents the process teachers undertake when forming classes for the following school year.  I explained that there are many factors to consider and it is not an easy process.  At times there are many draft lists.  Some main considerations when determining placements are

• Gender Balance
• A range of Academic abilities
• Friendships
• Social and emotional needs of the cohort

The staff spend considerable time and consult with previous teachers as well as the School Leadership Team before deciding upon the placement of each child. We are blessed to have excellent staff at St Joseph’s who go well beyond what would normally be expected so children will receive a high quality of education no matter which class they are placed in.

End of Year Reports

For a number of weeks now teachers have been in the process of writing Semester Two Reports on students.  This is quite a lengthy and demanding process, as teachers work to offer accurate records of each child’s progress throughout this second part of the year.  Reports will be available via the Compass App on Thursday 12th December.  Parents are then welcome to make an appointment in the final week of the year if they wish to discuss the report with their child’s teacher.

Talent Quest

Following tradition at St Joseph’s we are once again holding the annual Talent Quest.  This will be spread across the Monday and Tuesday of Week 10 during the middle sessions.  This is an opportunity for students to display their many and varied talents.  Unfortunately, we are limited by time and cannot facilitate each act taking part.  For this reason, classes have auditions and acts are selected to go through.  Kindergarten (Monday) and Year One (Tuesday) will do a class act and will begin our Talent Quest session for that day.  This will be at approximately 11.30am. The remainder of the schedule is yet to be determined.  This will be confirmed and communicated to our community in Week 9.  We are aware that it is ideal for siblings to perform on the same day, and where possible this will be organised. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, and we appreciate your understanding in this matter.

2020 Student Leadership Process

The 2020 Student Leadership Process is underway. During the last fortnight Year 5 students have had the opportunity to nominate themselves for the Student Leadership Team and/or for the role of Sports Captain.  This week, focusing firstly on the Student Leadership Team, Year 5 students have voted, followed by staff.  Once the Student Leadership Team is decided, these students will present a speech to the school community.  Voting will follow and the results of this determine who our 2020 School Captains and Vice-Captains are. 

On Thursday, Years 2-6 gathered in Sport Colour Houses to vote on Sports Captains.

Students will be informed of the results of each category in a very timely manner.  There will be a symbolic passing on of student leadership at our End of Year Mass.  2020 student leaders will officially receive their badges at the beginning of next year.