Welcome back to what promises to be a very busy and exciting year. A special welcome to our new families, you now belong to our St Joseph’s school community and we’re very pleased that you’re here journeying with us. This year we continue the wonderful work around focusing on the learning and the children’s development in all that we do.  

Our children are exceptionally fortunate to be a part of such a special environment. In our newsletters throughout the year we will endeavour to share some of the learning our students are partaking in with you. This is a wonderful avenue to ensure you are included in your child’s development and education and provide you with an insight into what goes on in the learning spaces. 

Semester 1 Student Council

The following students have been elected to represent their class for Semester 1.  Congratulations to all students.

The students will be presented with their badges at assembly on Monday morning.

New NSW PDHPE K-6 Syllabus 

This year we are implementing the new Personal Development, Health and Physical Education K-6 Syllabus.  The syllabus identifies the knowledge, understanding, skills, values and attitudes that students are expected to develop in PDHPE.  As a guide, Primary schools should spend 6–10% of teaching time, approximately 1.5 to 2.5 hours in a typical school week, teaching PDHPE.  Students will learn about a range of health, safety, wellbeing and physical education concepts.  

PDHPE consists of three content strands:  

1. Health, Wellbeing and Relationships: K–6 examples include personal identity, growth and development, emotional responses, respectful and inclusive relationships, seeking help, protective actions. 
2. Movement Skill and Performance: K–6 examples include fundamental and specialised movement skills.
3. Healthy, Safe and Active Lifestyles: K–6 examples include nutrition, mental wellbeing, personal safety, health and fitness.

The Stage Statements below summarise the knowledge, understanding, skills, values and attitudes that have been developed by students as a result of achieving the outcomes for the relevant Stage of learning. 

Early Stage 1 (Kindergarten) 

By the end of Early Stage 1, students identify personal characteristics and strengths, recognise how they are growing and changing and identify different parts of the body. They describe the different emotions people experience. Students practise interpersonal skills to interact positively with others. They identify people who can assist and recognise actions that help them to be resilient, healthy, safe and active. Students explore contextual factors that influence an individual’s health, safety, wellbeing and participation in physical activity. They identify skills and strategies to stay safe and be supported. With developing self-control, students explore emotional responses and cooperate positively with others in a variety of play and group situations.  

Students explore how their body responds to movement. They practise body movement and control, demonstrating different ways the body can move in relation to space, time, objects, effort and people. Students compose and sequence simple movements. They show awareness and consideration of others during play situations. Students perform fundamental movement skills and explore possible solutions to movement challenges through participation in a range of activities.  

Stage 1 (Year 1 and Year 2) 

By the end of Stage 1, students describe changes that occur as they grow older, and recognise characteristics of personal identity and how these are influenced by strengths and achievements. They recognise and demonstrate positive ways to interact with others and identify how emotional responses have an impact on others’ feelings. Students explore different types of relationships and describe the qualities needed to develop and maintain respectful relationships. They understand contextual factors that influence health decisions and describe how to keep themselves and others healthy, safe and active. Students recognise environments which promote health, safety and physical activity and practise a range of protective strategies for responding to various situations. They follow instructions to keep themselves safe and are able to ask for help with tasks or problems.  

Students identify areas where they can be active and participate in a range of opportunities that promote physical activity. They demonstrate movement skills in a variety of sequences and situations and propose alternatives to solve movement challenges. Students perform fundamental movement skills and apply movement concepts to perform simple sequences that incorporate the elements of space, time, objects, effort and people with developing competence. They demonstrate cooperation, fair play and positive ways to interact and include others 

Stage 2 (Year 3 and Year 4) 

By the end of Stage 2, students recognise physical and social changes and personal management strategies. They recognise individual strengths and apply these to a wide range of contexts. Students investigate the skills and qualities that build caring and respectful relationships and ways to improve their health, safety and wellbeing. They identify the rights and feelings of others and devise strategies to support themselves and others. Students explore health messages and describe the influences on healthy and safe choices. They recognise their responsibility to contribute to a healthy, safe and physically active environment. Students perform physical activities designed to enhance fitness and discuss the relationships between physical activity, health and fitness. They propose strategies that increase opportunities to develop and maintain healthy, safe and active lifestyles.  

Students apply and refine movement skills and movement concepts in a range of physical activity contexts. They create and perform sequences using movement skills and concepts with consistency and control. Students demonstrate cooperation and collaboration in movement and physical activity. They select and demonstrate strategies that help them to solve movement challenges 

Stage 3 (Year 5 and Year 6) 

By the end of Stage 3, students investigate developmental changes and transitions. They examine the influence of people and places on identity and practise skills to establish and manage relationships. Students identify controllable and uncontrollable factors and recognise the influence of contextual factors on health, safety, wellbeing and participation in physical activity. They plan and practise responses, skills and strategies that protect and promote healthy, safe and active lives. Students examine the connections they have to their community and implement actions to increase physical activity levels. They access and interpret health information and apply skills to seek help to enhance their own and others’ health, safety and wellbeing.  

Students participate in a wide variety of moderate to vigorous physical activities to apply, refine and adapt movement skills with increased confidence and consistency. They perform specialised movement skills and sequences in a variety of contexts. Students select, manipulate and modify movement concepts and strategies to achieve movement outcomes and solve movement challenges. PDHPE K–10 Syllabus 22 They demonstrate fair play and skills to work collaboratively. Students apply and adapt strategies and tactics when participating in individual and team activities. 

Celebrating Birthdays 

At St Joseph’s we value recognising and celebrating children’s birthdays.  Turning a year older is significant and acknowledging this as a school and/or class is important.  They ways we do this are at Monday morning assemblies where students receive a card at the beginning of their birthday week.  Classes may also have different routines such as singing ‘Happy Birthday’ at the beginning of the day or the child wearing a special birthday badge. A gentle reminder to parents that we do not celebrate birthdays at school with food.  Please save these scrumptious delights for the special events you may have at home.  Thank you for your understanding.