Newsletter Term 3 Week 4
Principal's Report
Dear Community,
I hope this newsletter finds you well, it is hard to believe that we are approaching the halfway mark to Term 3 already!
Next week, St Joseph’s has the privilege of hosting the Term 3 Principal Forum. This forum sees all the principals from within the vast Toowoomba diocese come together, along with key staff from the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office. This is a time to reflect on current initiatives and priorities and plan for the future direction of our schools. These forums are deliberately held across the many rural and remote schools across the dioceses as a way of allowing people to experience the unique contexts of each school, but also as a way of supporting local businesses and economies in our small towns.
On Tuesday night the principals will gather and celebrate mass, followed by a formal dinner at St Joseph’s, catered for by our amazing PPF. A massive thank you to those who have worked very hard in preparing for this event. It is a great fundraiser for our PPF. This dinner also provides an opportunity for a school tour, for principals and TCS staff to see the amazing school we have here at St Joseph’s!
The Importance of Attendance: Building a Path to Success
Today, we emphasise the significance of regular attendance in our school community. Attendance is not just a routine aspect of education; it is the foundation upon which academic excellence and personal growth are built.
At St Joseph’s, we believe that every school day counts. Regular attendance instils discipline, responsibility, and punctuality in our students, preparing them for the challenges of the future. Consistent attendance fosters a positive learning environment, promoting active class participation and meaningful interactions among peers and teachers.
Why attendance is critical:
- Academic Achievement: Each day presents new opportunities for learning. Regular attendance ensures that students stay engaged with the curriculum, enabling them to grasp concepts better, ask questions, and receive timely feedback. The more students are present, the more likely they are to excel academically.
- Social and Emotional Development: School is not just about classroom learning, it is a place where students build friendships, learn teamwork, and develop interpersonal skills. Consistent attendance allows students to form lasting relationships, enhancing their social and emotional growth.
- Strong Work Ethic: By attending school regularly, students learn the value of commitment and perseverance. These attributes are essential in both academic and professional life, helping students achieve their goals and aspirations.
- Reduced Achievement Gap: Attendance plays a crucial role in reducing the achievement gap among students. Regularly attending school ensures that all students have equal access to learning opportunities, thus promoting fairness and inclusivity.
- Preparation for the Real World: In the future, punctuality and attendance are vital in the workplace. Building a habit of regular attendance at school translates to a more successful and dependable work ethic later in life.
As parents, your support in encouraging regular attendance is invaluable. Communicate the importance of attendance with your child and ensure they are well-rested and ready for school each day. Teachers and school staff are also committed to creating an engaging and motivating learning environment that entices students to attend regularly. Should you have any questions or concerns around attendance, please do not hesitate to contact the school.
Thank you for your continued support.
God Bless,
Mr Lawson Short
Student of the Week
Term 3 Week 2
Prep/1: Emily Andrews - Persisting with her work, following directions straight away and being kind to her classmates.
Year 2: Tessah Stoker- Making an improved effort in following directions straight away!
Year 3/4: Amelea De Coning – For working so hard to get her independent work done!
Year 5/6: Bella Klein - For asking fantastic questions in reading this week. Your thinking was out of this world!
Learning Behaviours - Courageous Corella
Term 3 Week 2
Prep/1:Colin Pink: Working hard to form his letters correctly in the red and blue lines.
Year 2: Layla Huth- Having the courage to share her thinking during maths this week!
Year 3/4: Brad Stower – for being proactive in his learning.
Year 5/6: Harry Farrington: for showing enthusiasm for subjects outside of his comfort zone.
Date Claimers
- Week 6- Principal Forum in Millmerran!!
- Tuesday 8th August - Mary MacKillop Day Fun day and Mass
- Wednesday 9th August - Super Science Circus Show - 1.50pm
- Tuesday 15th August - Health & Wellbeing Expo
- Friday 1st September - Pupil Free Day - CTJ
- Friday 8th September - Honk Jr 1pm & 7pm
Prep/One
Hi Everyone!
I hope you have had a lovely start back to the term!
In English this term, the students are exploring the differences between imaginative and informative texts. There has been a larger focus on writing this term. The Preps have begun writing in red and blue lines; working on forming letters correctly whilst also staying between the appropriate lines. The Grade Ones have been mastering the art of using punctuation correctly (capital letters, full stops and commas). We have also been exploring how nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs help to make our sentences more interesting. This will lead to students writing a narrative towards the end of the term. To ensure they are practising and polishing their writing skills, both Preps and Grade Ones have been doing daily writes on different topics.
In Mathematics, the students have been exploring different types of lengths (length, mass, capacity and time). We have been learning about these topics through lots of hands-on activities. In the following weeks, we will be learning about the days of the week, partitioning and data.
In Science, the students are exploring the topic of ‘how objects move’. In HASS, the concept of places is being explored; places that you belong to, special places, places in Australia and places in different countries. Similarly in Health, students are exploring concepts of belonging. As the term progresses, the students will make an ‘All About Me’ book on Book Creator (an app on the iPads). In Religion, the students are learning about the creation stories and what these stories teach us about God and our world. Like the beginning of the year, we are learning Religion through stories, videos, music and prayer.
For Drama this term, we are fortunate enough to be taking part in the school musical. The students have been working hard to learn their musical dance! It is looking so good and I can’t wait for you all to see it in Week 9 (Friday the 8th of September). Please ensure to get your children’s frog costumes organised! Don’t be afraid to ask if you have questions about this 😊
Please continue to practice spelling, reading and sight words at home every night. These are some of the most important concepts to master by the end of Prep/One. Testing for reading and letter sound knowledge will occur in Weeks 5, 6 and 7 (between the 7th of August and the 25th of August). If you could please let me know if your child/children are going to be away during these weeks so that I can prevent the children from missing out on any tests, that would be fantastic and much appreciated 😊
Please never hesitate to contact me if you ever have any questions, comments or concerns. .
All the children are doing so well so you should be so proud of them all 😊
Kind Regards,
Grace 😊
Grandparents Day
Catholic Education Week Awards
Prep/One: Aria Klein
Year 3/4: Eloisa Lehuede
Year 2: Fletcher French
Year 5/6: Liam Folker
Musical Update
5 weeks to go!!! Things are really ramping up at school and we are starting to put everything together. The class numbers are looking amazing and each class is practicing hard to get their parts absolutley perfect.
Props are being made, sets are being constructed and costumes are starting to come in. Just a reminder that all costumes are due at school on 22nd August.
We are still chasing an old casting net if anyone has one that we could use. We would need all hooks and sinkers removed for safety.
Tickets are on sale this Friday, so make sure you go to Trybooking and secure your tickets. It's going to be an amazing show. To book- Follow this link:
From the APRE
The beginning of Term 3 is always a very busy one with Catholic Education Week and Mary MacKillop Feast Day being so close together.
Last week we celebrated Catholic Education Week with a wonderful Grandparent's Day, morning tea and mass. While the students enjoyed a day off on Friday as a special treat, the teachers travelled to Toowoomba to participate in Bishop's Inservice Day. This day is dedicated to the formation of staff and we were introduced to Bishop Ken. We also listened to keynote speaker Meave Heaney who engaged in conversations about Faith, Hope and Love as well as presenting some of her own music to us. We ended the day with a lovely mass in which we were presented with a tree to take back to school and plant.
Congratulations to our students who were presented with Spirit of Catholic Education Week Awards during this week.
Next week, we celebrate the Feast Day of Mary MacKillop. This is a very special one in our school calendar as our school was started by the sisters of Saint Joseph and we base our school values and learning behaviours on the teachings and attitudes of this remarkable woman. We will celebrate this day with our Annual Fun Day activites, with all money raised going to Father Thomas' charity, Mission of Mercy. We will end the day with mass at 2:00pm. All are welcome to join us.
God Bless,
Michele Sanders
Mary MacKillop’s Story
Mary was born in Victoria to Scottish immigrants. She was the eldest of eight children and spent her early years working to support her family. At the age of 24 she dedicated her life to God and took on the name “Mary of the Cross”.
Along with Fr Julian Tenison-Woods, Mary opened a school in a disused stable in Penola, South Australia. Her vision was to provide education for underprivileged children. Many other women came to join her there, and Mary and Julian founded Australia’s first religious order: the Sisters of St Joseph.
Mary and the Sisters were committed to serving the poor – to going to where the need was and living amongst those in need. This took Mary all over Australia to many rural areas.
Mary faced fierce opposition throughout her life, which at one point culminated in her being excommunicated. In the face of trial, Mary was a model of forgiveness, insisting no ill be spoken of those who wronged her, while also remaining resolute in her convictions.
Mary was remarkable as a strong female leader in 19th century Australia. Education in this country is what it is today thanks to her dedication and determination.