This fortnight we are explicitly focusing on the area of Being Respectful: Listen well and follow instructions. This may be a particularly useful discussion point for those at home. Below is a PowerPoint students and teachers would have discussed if they were at school. Please take the time to read over it together at home. It may even prompt you to set a listening goal for the week. Below you will also find a couple of links to videos which reinforce these concepts. Hopefully they are useful too.

Dash tokens – even though we are not all face-to-face, we will take a tally this Friday afternoon and continue with rewarding the winning team. Stay tuned for this big announcement!

Australian Mathematics Competition

This competition was scheduled to be completed between Wednesday, 4th August to Friday, 6th August. As we had over 80 students enter, a decision was made that those in Stage 2 will complete the competition on Wednesday and those in Stage 3 will complete the competition on Friday. Due to the lockdown and the organisation that was required around this on Thursday afternoon, we were unable to complete the Stage 3 competition. I will contact the Australian Mathematics Trust and see how or if this competition could be rescheduled. Once we have more information, we will communicate it with the community. Thank you for your understanding.

Tell Them From Me Survey

As communicated via a Compass alert last week, we will once again be asking parents, students (Years 4-6) and staff to complete this survey. This survey provides the school with valuable information that is used for ongoing school improvement. The survey will open on the 13th of September, 2021.

National Science Week is Australia’s annual celebration of science and technology. It provides an opportunity to acknowledge the contributions of Australian scientists’ to the world of knowledge. It also aims to encourage an interest in science pursuits among the general public, and to encourage younger people to become fascinated by the world we live in. This year the theme is ‘Food: Different by design’. This theme covers a broad range of areas in food production and sustainable agriculture, enabling students to explore topics such as biosecurity, food technology, laboratory-developed foods, etc. It is an important theme for us all to focus on. For more information, or for ideas of different activities that children can complete at home, please click here

Interrelate

Interrelate is a not-for-profit provider of relationship services that specialises in supporting parents and children. St Joseph’s has benefited from their service in the past and we have now secured a date for two evening sessions this year (13th October, 2021).

The two sessions are:

Session 1: Where Did I Come From?

Audience: Year 3 and 4 students and their parents/carers

(Students from Year 5 and 6 are welcome to this if they have not particpated previously) Program focus: • Discuss the male and female reproductive systems, foetal development and the birth process • Personal safety and protective behaviours

Session 2: Preparing For Puberty

Audience: Year 5 and 6 students and their parents/carers Program focus: • Discuss the physical changes of puberty, emphasising that it can be different for everyone • Develop students’ understanding of periods and sperm production, as well as the physical, emotional, social and intellectual changes associated with puberty for both boys and girls • Enhance awareness of children’s personal safety and protective behaviours Note: Younger students are welcome to attend at the discretion of their parents/carers.

These sessions will take place in the evening on 13th October. More details and booking information will be available closer to the date.