Assistant Priest ~ Fr Simeon San     

Mass Times ~ 5.30pm Saturday Vigil   and   8.00am Sunday

Phone: 08 9622 5411
Email: northamcatholicchurch@iinet.net.au

From the Principal's Desk

Community Mass

It was a wonderful community atmosphere that we experienced last weekend when we celebrated our School Community Mass with the St Joseph's Parish community.  We thank the many families who were able to join us and the parishioners who made us feel very welcome.  Afterwards, our P&F hosted a yummy sausage sizzle where all the food was soon eaten!  We are thrilled that numbers were significantly higher than last year and look forward to many more such events

Assembly

What a wonderful way to start the year with an Assembly from our Year 6 class.  The students recited a poem by Banjo Paterson and kept us enthralled throughout the story.  We thank the students and Mr James for starting off the year with such a high standard.  

P&F Welcoming Morning Tea

Our P&F hosted a most sumptuous welcoming morning tea for our community this morning after the Assembly.  It was lovely to welcome many parents, including new families to our school.  We thank the P&F for the wonderful opportunity for our families to get together.

Year of Youth Caritas Launch

On Tuesday this week, Mr Reidy and I accompanied our Secondary Student Leaders to the Year of Youth Caritas Launch.  The students joined students from other Catholic schools, attended a Justice Workshop, enjoyed some yummy pancakes and celebrated Mass with Archbishop Costelloe.  We are very proud to see our students represent us at these important functions.

Ash Wednesday

This week we marked the start of the Lenten season with the distribution of ashes for all our students and staff.  Our Secondary students joined our parishioners for Mass and Fr Simeon distributed ashes on the Primary Campus. 

We thank our Priests for giving of their time for our students.

Parent Information Evenings and Secondary Meet & Greet

Thank you to the many families who were able to join us this week for the parent information evenings.  With many families who have children of various ages, we appreciate that some parents give several evenings to attend these functions.

Our final parent information evening is for Years 7 and 8 and will be held on Wednesday 21 February commencing at 6.30pm on the Secondary Campus.  Directly before this session, our P&F will be holding a 'Meet & Greet' for parents of Years 7 and 8 students commencing at 5.30pm.  We look forward to having you join us for some light refreshments and social chat before the information evening gets underway.

New Website and Facebook

We are pleased to launch our new website this week.  We have endeavoured to ensure that all the information is readily available in a user friendly fashion.  We encourage families to visit the new site and make use of the easy absentee notification service as well as access to the portal for Secondary students and parents.  Alongside the website, we have launched a Facebook page.

We recognise that despite some of the issues that can occur with social media, many of our parents use this as their main tool for receiving and accessing information.  Our aim is to add this to the communication channels we currently use (e.g. newsletter, email, letters) to disseminate information that needs to reach our parents in an efficient manner.

With the introduction of our Social Media Policy (posted home in December and emailed home with the first newsletter this year) we are confident we can put this communication method to good use.

P&F Meeting

The first meeting for this year will be held on Thursday 22 February at 1.30pm in the St Marcellin Performing Arts Centre.  All families are welcome and for those with young children, we will have some toys and help with child care available for the meeting.  We look forward to seeing you there.

NAPLAN

NAPLAN testing occurs in May for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9.  Information brochures for parents were sent home with students this week.  If you require more information, please contact your Head of School.

Absentee Procedure

With many new students, there may be parents who are unfamiliar with our absentee procedure, namely, you must call the Primary or Secondary office prior to 9.00am on the day to notify us of your child’s absence, otherwise you will receive a text message from the School advising of an unexplained absence.  Our telephone system allows parents the opportunity to call and leave messages outside of normal office hours, if this is more convenient.  Alternately, you may send an email message via our School website to notify of an absence.  This email will then take the place of written notification.

Archbishop's Pastoral Letter

A copy of Archbishop Costelloe's Pastoral Letter to our community has been uploaded with the newsletter today.

God Bless

Carmen Cox

Our Faith

School Community Mass

It was wonderful to see the congregation at our annual School Community Mass on Saturday night.  We officially welcomed new staff to our School and congratulated the Board and Sacramental students on their commitments.  We pray as a School and Parish Community that our Sacramental students will deepen their relationship with God in 2018 and use this connection to guide and inform their Christian lives.

Welcome to Project Compassion 2018

2018 is the Year of Youth and, as part of that, Caritas has nominated ‘A Just Future’ as the campaign theme.  The future belongs to all of us, but it is the young who take it on with courage and innovation.  It’s so inspiring to work with young women and men, experience their energy and learn about their visions for the world they want to live in.  It is their courage and goodness that will help to create a just future for all.  When you fundraise for Project Compassion you help equip young people in vulnerable communities with skills to become the leaders of tomorrow.  With your support, Caritas Australia and our partners help to empower people and communities to eradicate poverty in all its forms.  Project Compassion is an opportunity to put your faith into action to contribute to this work.  Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up: Galatians 6:9.

Throughout Term 1, our students will support Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion and funds raised will contribute to programs in Australia and overseas that will help provide young people with skills and opportunities to live with dignity, and give something back to their own communities for the future [the important thing to know is that every dollar raised is vital].

Lloyd Reidy
Religious Education Coordinator

Our Students

Primary Interm Swimming Lessons

Parents are advised that Interm swimming lessons commence on Monday 19 February.  Completed forms must be returned to School by Monday to allow your child to participate.  Please also note that students with a medical condition must carry their medication with them to each lesson.  Students will be required to bring sunscreen, bathers, a towel and thongs for each lesson plus a change of underwear and a plastic bag for wet clothing to go home in.  NB: It is recommended that students participating in the first lesson time [Years 4 and 5/6] apply their sunscreen at home as the bus will be departing from the Primary Campus at 8.55am sharp.
 
Parents are also advised that as St Joseph’s School will be closed on Friday 2 March for a staff Professional Development day, the final day for swimming lessons will be Thursday 1 March.

Parents On Campus

All parents and visitors must sign in at the Office before engaging in any activity or if a student is picked up or dropped off outside normal school times.  Parents are requested to arrive no earlier than 3.00pm [Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays] or 2.25pm [Thursdays] when collecting a student at the end of the day.  Similarly, parents are expected to depart the school grounds in the morning at the ringing of the bell or when the siren goes.  It can be disconcerting to a child adjusting to the new routine if they can hear their parents chatting outside their classroom.

Rebecca Clarke 
Head of Primary

Secondary News

As Week Three draws to an end, students are busily completing the first of their assessments for the year.  It is pleasing to see a great start for the students and teachers, and the parent information nights that are being held.  If you have missed any of these nights you will find important dates and information on the School website or through your child’s Teams messaging.

Teams is a part of the Office365 suite that staff and students have access to.  Teachers can communicate with their students through this site on relevant matters to the subject.  Any year groups messages will come through the Pastoral Care Coordinators on Teams set up for each year level.  With this type of communication comes responsibility and our students have been very respectful with their participation.

Nearly everyone now has access to their eBooks with only a few waiting for back orders.  If your child is still having trouble accessing their eBooks, please see any of the teachers at School.

Caroline Parnham 
Head of Secondary

The Antarctic Experience

Over the last week, Mr Gargano and I along with seven students from across Australia have been involved in an amazing opportunity called the ‘Antarctic Experience’.  This is a program coordinated by the Bookend Trust, with activities and access to researchers and laboratories at the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD), the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Science (IMAS) and the CSIRO, all linked in through the University of Tasmania (UTAS) in Hobart.

I learnt so much about Antarctica and the amount of information gained from the few days of training at these research facilities leading up to the 12 hour flight over Antarctica was incredible.  I had a remarkable opportunity to meet with the researcher I outlined in my submission last year, Dr Dana Bergstrom, who has conducted extensive work and published extensively relating to Antarctic science after her more than 20 trips to the continent.  The time in Hobart involved an extensive tour of the AAD where we experienced a live video link with the researchers and scientists at Casey Station (one of Australia’s research bases), had a small group meeting with Dr Nick Gales, the Director of the AAD, stood on top of Mt Wellington while it was 12 degrees - a typical Tasmanian summer day!

On the Antarctic flight, not only was I simply able to observe the beauty of the Antarctic, but I was able to talk about bioremediation and communicate the global importance of the region to a group of people who were really interested in what I had to say.  I loved seeing the smile on everyone's faces and I wasn’t able to put into words what I had just seen… mountains, glaciers, icebergs, reflections of the sun and water to produce a sparkling effect of the water, which glistened.  I feel that I have truly been inspired and to become an Antarctic biologist when I leave school, to extend and develop our understanding of this crucial ecosystem.
 
I feel that I have truly experienced something that is special and unique.  I am now looking forward to sharing my experiences with other students about what I have seen in Antarctica with my own eyes.  I would like to thank the Bookend Trust and Mr Gargano for assisting with my research profile submission and for being the adult supervisor for this experience.  I encourage all students to consider applying for this program if given a chance, it is well worth the effort.

Jelena Manuel
Year 10 Student & Antarctic Experience Alumni

2018 ConocoPhillips Science Experience

One word described our Summer Science Experience at Murdoch University, wonderful!  Attending this program at Murdoch University from the 11-14 December 2017, enabled the four of us to experience different fields of science and helped us to realise what areas we have the most interest in.  The program involved various sessions including facial reconstruction, DNA collecting from strawberries, chemistry, mathematics, engineering and rocket launching, which really gave us a feel of an amazing selection of areas of science that you can study at university.  Participating in an Amazing Race scenario, along with social and relaxing time and ‘The Big Quiz’ made this event really worthwhile and allowed us to make new friends along the way.

We engaged in interactive sessions, workshops, lectures and games and gained experience in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Nanochemistry, Information Technology, Atmospheric Science, Mathematics, Robotics and Coding, Biochemistry and System Biology, Forensic and Agricultural Science, Marine Biology, Ecology and Wildlife Biology!  The lectures that were given by the staff and university students were so inspirational.

Our favourite day was when a group of 24 people from different STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) careers came to talk to us about their careers and how they got to their position.

Overall, it was such a great experience and I will definitely be going this again next year.  I would recommend the 2018/19 program to any student in Years 9 or 10 who is contemplating a university pathway even if science and engineering are not currently your first choices, as the program certainly highlights the possibilities that are available and, you may even have a good time.

Jelena Manuel, Isabelle Ochtman, Audrey Carroll & Hannah Morrison
Year 10 students

Year 12 ATAR Tutorials 2018

After-school tutorials for Year 12 ATAR students have been established to allow students with specific questions and Learning Area subject issues to have an opportunity to have an intensive time with their course teacher to revisit and explore topics previously covered.

These tutorials are highly recommended as they will enhance the content and skills developed in class and provide opportunities for the student to further increase their understanding.  Students attending these sessions are encouraged to bring all relevant materials for that subject to that tutorial.  The classes will commence at the Secondary Campus (room to be determined by the individual course teacher) at 3.20pm and will conclude no later than 5.00pm.

The after-school tutorials will take place on the following days, over a two week rotation commencing in Week Four (next week) on Monday 19 February, with the week A rotation.  Please note below that there are only a couple of days with sessions in the Week B rotation as these may be used as a supplementary session or specialist examination preparation.  Additional information will be sent out relating to these events at a later date. 

Week A (Week 4, 6, 8, 10)
      Monday          Geography           Ms Enright
      Tuesday         English                 Mrs Wright
      Wednesday    Religion and Life  Mr Reidy
      Friday             Chemistry            Mr Gargano
Week B (Week 5, 7, 9, 11)
      Monday          Mathematics Applications        Mr Kingwell
      Tuesday         Biology                 Ms McBride

We look forward to our current Year 12 ATAR students taking up the additional co-curricular support that is being offered and developing a strong framework for a successful final year of secondary schooling, continuing the strong academic successes of our foundation graduation group in 2017.

Mark Gargano
Curriculum Coordinator [Years 7-12]

Secondary Recycled Plastics

In an attempt to have less plastic going to landfill, Ms Johnston is starting her own ‘war on waste’.  Our Secondary Campus will store a recycling station for any plastic dental items.  These include plastic floss packets, toothpaste tubes and plastic toothbrushes and their outside packaging!  It does not include electric toothbrushes or toothbrush heads.  There is a picture on the box as to what you can recycle if you are unsure.  All queries are to be directed to Ms Johnston.

Shahn Johnston
Secondary Teacher

Secondary Physical Education Uniform

All students are required to wear their School sports shirt, St Joseph’s School sports shorts and appropriate footwear when they are scheduled for PE classes.  Students are permitted to get changed in the break time before and after their allocated sports lesson.  As per the School Uniform Policy, no student is to arrive at or leave from School wearing their sports uniform.  Without the correct sportswear, students are not permitted to participate in the PE lesson or activities and will be required to complete written work instead.

Adrienne Suckling
Secondary Sports Coordinator

School Based Immunisations Term 1 2018

The Avon & Central Wheatbelt Community Nurse Immunisation Team will be visiting St Joseph’s School on Wednesday 11 April.  This will be to administer the first round of the school based immunisation program to all Year 8’s (females and males).  We will be administering vaccine to those students that still requiring their third round doses from 2017.

The consent form already signed indicates consent (or non consent) for these vaccines, therefore no further forms are required from you.  If you wish to withdraw your consent for your child’s vaccinations, or you have any questions regarding these specific vaccines, please notify your community nurse via a telephone call or a note to the teacher ASAP.

If you would prefer that your child is vaccinated at the Community Immunisation Clinic, please ring your local immunisation provider to make an appointment.

Caroline Parnham      &     Melanie Ambrose
Head of Secondary           Child & Community Health Nurse [08 9690 1615]

 Our School

 Secondary Assistance Scheme

Parents/Guardians who hold a Centrelink Family Health Care Card, Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card or Veterans’ Affairs Concession Card who have students in Years 7-12 can claim an allowance.  Note: Card held must be current in first term of the school year.  To apply for the scheme or to obtain more information, please arrange to see Mr Steve Johnson at the Primary Campus. Applications close 31 March 2018.

2018 Fees, Health Care Card & Pension Card

The full year’s School fees were issued this week.  Unless you are paying by Direct Debit (DD) or another regular payment scheme, the School requires payment of at least 1/3rd by Friday 16 March.

Those parents on the HCC/PCC Scheme must visit or contact the Primary Office prior to Friday 16 February so discounted fees can be calculated and the Secondary Assistance Scheme (SAS) Rebate claimed (if applicable).

Steve Johnson
Business Manager

Library Book Covering Request – Parent Helpers Sought

The Primary Library is about to receive a number of new books which will require covering after being processed.  Book-covering can be done at home whenever you have a moment spare and can be used to help complete the Parent Participation Form’s 100 hours.  The number of books can vary and the number you do is at your discretion; 10, 20 books, 1 box, 2 boxes or more.  All supplies are provided; covering material and tape.

If you can help with covering new books, please contact the Primary Admin Office or Kylie Dymnicki on 9621 3564 or by email to: kylie.dymnicki@cewa.edu.au   A reminder that this activity can be recorded on your Parent Participation card.

Kylie Dymnicki
Library Technician

P&F News

First Meeting

Next Thursday 22 February is our first meeting for the year.  Everyone is welcome to attend and young children will be cared for by Year 6 students.  Join us in the SMPAC at 1.30pm to hear what we have planned for the year. 

Welcoming Morning Tea

Today we hosted a Welcoming Morning Tea for all families within the School community.  It was lovely meeting new parents and also catching up with the regulars.  Thank you to all those that bought in a plate of goodies to share. 

Secondary Meet & Greet

Next Wednesday 21 February we invite all parents of Years 7 and 8 students to our Meet & Greet event prior to the Parent Information Evening at Secondary.  Drinks and nibbles will be provided from 5.30pm.  We look forward to seeing you there.

Georgia Haddrill
President

Our Community

David Flowers ~ Music Lessons

Mr David Flowers wishes to advise that he has a number of timeslots available on a Monday for students wishing to learn a musical instrument.  David is a qualified music teacher, specialising in drums and guitar.  If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity, please contact David direct on 0400 419 660.

Northam Scout Group

Northam Scout Group invites girls and boys aged 6 to 17 years to come and try scouting.  You get to try for a few weeks before joining.  Joey Scouts (ages 6-7.5) meet from 3.30-4.30pm, Cub Scouts (ages 7.5-11) meet from 4.45pm to 6.15pm, and Scouts (ages 10.5-14) and Venturers (ages 14.5-17.5) meet from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.  We meet on Thursdays during school term at Northam Guide Hall, 46 Burnside Avenue, Northam.  For more information about Northam Scout Group, and to register your interest, please contact Group Leader Amanda Abbott on 0409 206 607 or email Amanda on gl.northam@scoutswa.com.au.

AFL – Female Footy

Now is the time to register your interest to be involved with the Avon Youth Girls Competition in 2018.  We are calling all players, coaches, volunteers and officials who would like to register their interest in this competition.  All you have to do is use the link address below and it will take five minutes to complete: (this link will remain open until 31 March 2018) https://membership.sportstg.com/regoform.cgi?formID=75116  Please note: girls as of 2018 must be in Years 7 to 12.

All players must register as a child on the first page of the link (child = under 18 years of age).  Enquiries to Glen Collins on 9690 2439 or 0417 920 817.

Northam Junior Indoor Hockey 2017/18 Season

Training Sessions and games are held on Fridays from 5.00pm-5:50pm at Northam Recreation Centre. Term 1 dates are 9 February to 23 March and is open to students aged 5-14. Mouth and Shin guards are compulsory! For further information, please contact Tash James on 9574 0543, email: tashjames12@hotmail.com or text 0428109642.

Uniform Shop 

Opening Times:                             Mondays - 3.15pm-4.45pm
                                                      Thursdays - 2.45pm to 4.15pm

Can’t Get To The Shop?

Families who find they are unable to attend the Uniform Shop during opening hours are able to place an order by sending in a request by email to the School’s email address : admin@sjsnortham.wa.edu.au   Orders will be filled and distributed to students or sent to the relevant Campus Admin Office for collection as soon as practical.

Michelle James
Primary - 9621 3524

Primary Canteen

Roster for coming week:

Fish Fingers for Lent

Fish fingers will be available to purchase at the price of $0.50c each for lunch each Friday during Lent.  These are optional items during Lent and our usual menu will be available.

Canteen Assistance

We look forward to seeing many of our families in the Canteen again this year and ask that you return the Canteen Helper form distributed to students at the start of the school year.  We will contact families to set up our roster for the Term.  All assistance is greatly appreciated even if you only have an hour to offer.

Carmel Moore
Primary - 9621 3525