From the Principal's Desk

Dear Members of St Joseph’s Family,

As we begin a Term Two, we welcome all our new students and their families to the School!  We hope you are starting to feel settled.

Staffing

We also welcome Sharon Quinn, our new Business Manager, who has hit the ground running as she learns to master all there is to know about our School and all its buildings.

The Secondary Campus Canteen will resume next week, opening Monday to Wednesday for both recess and lunch.  Mrs Rachel Buck will be running it and we are looking forward to tasting some of the yummy food on offer each day.

We are pleased to announce that we have found a replacement for the Secondary Campus School Counsellor.  Mrs Alice Cleveland will be starting next week and we welcome her to our Pastoral Care team.

Congratulations to our wonderful Year 1 teacher, Hayley Read, who was married over the school holidays.  We wish you both a lifetime of love and happiness.

We also offer congratulations to Mrs Monique Ball and her husband on the safe arrival of their son, Dustin, late last term.

School Climate Survey

Every three years all Catholic schools in Western Australia undertake a survey of staff, students and parents to gauge the sentiment at the time of all members of the school community.  The feedback is crucial to us moving forward in a direction which is best for everyone and identifying areas of concerns which need to be rectified.

Last weekend, an email was sent to all families asking that you complete the survey as honestly as possible.  To complete the survey please use the following link  www.NSIPartnerships.com.au  and enter the code SJNPACS

I encourage all families to complete the survey as honestly as possible.

COVID

A reminder to all families that it is important to continue to let the school know about students who test positive to COVID.  While we no long contact trace to identify close contacts, it is important for both attendance records that we are aware of who is away due to positive tests and isolation requirements.  The self-reporting portal can be found on the home page of our website.

Primary MJR Award

I am pleased to acknowledge the recipient of our first Primary MJR Award for this term and congratulate Mrs Julie Sandrini who received the Award at our very cute and entertaining Pre Primary Assembly this morning.  Julie is recognised for the large amount of time she volunteers in our Primary Canteen.  We certainly appreciate all your hard work!

                                                                  

I will be taking some Long Service Leave from Thursday 12 to Friday 27 May.  During this time Mrs Michelle Christian will be Acting Principal.  Please note that there will be no newsletter published in Week 4.  However, Mrs Christian and Ms Cusack will email families with details of upcoming events.

Happy Mother’s Day to all those amazing female role models we have in our lives and to those mothers who are no longer on this Earth with us.  I hope your special day is filled with cuddles and laughter.

God Bless

Andrea Woodgate
Principal 

Faith in Action

Year 3 Reconciliation Retreat

On Tuesday 3 May, the Year 3 cohort had the opportunity to experience a Reconciliation Retreat with 24/7 Ministries.  Students immersed themselves in a series of games, skits, short video clips and activities that stressed the importance of forgiveness.  Students made links with elements of forgiveness and the connections to Jesus in our lives.

The Year 3's had a great day and are very thankful to Georgia, Jesse, Maddi, Giulia and Anthony for facilitating the Retreat.

Year 7 Camino

On Monday 2 May, the Year 7's embarked on their leg of the 'Camino Cabagniol’.  The Year 7 cohort took part in their second leg of the whole Pilgrimage as they will be the 1st year group by 2027 to complete the entire journey from the town centre of Northam to Fremantle.

The students enjoyed their 18km walk titled, 'The Leonard Trek’, named after the wonderful Sister Leonard McCarthy who worked at St Joseph's for over 30 years.

This involved learning the mission work Sr Leonard took part in within the Northam Community along with the key elements of Science, Sport, Arts and Literature she established at our school.

Our Year 7's arrived at Bakers Hill full of pride and they look forward to continuing their Camino in 2023.

Lloyd Reidy
Religious Education Coordinator

Parish Sacramental Program

The Parish Sacramental Program Coordinator, Mrs Kathy Pollard, wishes to advise families that the Parish is considering holding the Commitment Ceremony for each Sacrament prior to or at the first parent/student workshop.  If you have any queries regarding the Sacramental Program, please contact Kathy on 0429 685 632.

Primary News                                            

Dear Families & Friends,
Welcome to Term Two!  Today we held our first in-person assembly in the Undercover Area.  It was heart-warming to have the whole school gathered in person again.  Thank you to the Pre-Primary families who attended and to our beautiful Pre-Primary students and staff for their wonderful assembly item.

Leonard Day

Wednesday 11 May is Leonard Day.  Students from Kindy to Year 6 are invited to bring along a gold coin donation and can wear red free dress - clothing and accessories.  All money raised will go towards the LifeLink Appeal.  Our Year 6 Leonard student leaders will also be running lunchtime stalls and selling special red treats.

NAPLAN

Starting on Monday 9 May, students in Years 3 and 5 will be completing the 2022 NAPLAN assessments.  NAPLAN runs throughout the week and covers the areas of Reading, Writing, Conventions of Language and Numeracy.  We wish these students all the best for next week.

NSSA Winter Carnival

On Friday 20 May, our Year 6 students will compete against other schools in the region in the NSSA Winter Carnival.  Students will participate in games of AFL, Soccer and Netball.  Family members are welcome to come along and support our students.

To all of the special women in our community, I hope your Sunday is filled with love and special moments with your children.  Happy Mother’s Day!

 

Michelle Christian
Head of Primary

Class in Focus:  Year 2 Blue

Term 1
Our learning was strongly focussed around our Talk for Writing story.  Last term we were hooked on our text ‘Life in the Olden Days’ with a special visitor.  A lovely ‘old’ lady came to visit and taught us our story.  The students loved their ‘visitor’ and kept questioning throughout the day, “It was you, wasn’t it Mrs Morris?”

                                              

In HASS we studied how technology has changed over time.  We enjoyed exploring old items from the past.  We learnt how to identify the past and the present in photographs and what clues gave it away.  We interviewed our Grandparents and created fantastic drawings of them.

                                                                      

Our favourite Religious Education lesson was when we re-enacted ‘Holy Week’.  Students took turns coming into Jeruselum and being greeted by palms.  We created a crown of thorns and thought about how Jesus might have felt.  We set up a table to share our Last Supper and created the tomb out of playdough.

                                                                           

Term 2
When we arrived at school this term, we learnt that something wasn’t quite right.  In the middle of the room were three pieces of evidence: a shoe, a torch, and a flashlight.  We needed to do some investigating to discover where these items had come from.  Luckily, Mrs Everett and Mrs Morris are quite the detectives!  We introduced our new Talk for Writing text and the students discovered that these items link to our story, “Little Light”.

                                                           

In HASS we have continued investigating and are taking on the role of ‘Historical Detectives’.  So far this term, we have been researching local landmarks.  I can’t wait to see where this term goes!

Thank you for a fantastic start to the year, Year 2 Blue!

Jessica Morris
Year 2 Blue Teacher

Class in Focus:  Year 3 Blue

Oh my!  It’s hard to believe that Term 2 is already here and in full swing.

In Literacy, the Year 3s have been working hard on their spelling words.  During Talk for Writing the children have been busy learning about beginnings and endings of narratives.  During our speaking and listening time, we have been sharing news about our pets, talents, highlights from the weekend, and our after-school commitments etc.

In Technologies, the children have been learning about the television and movie classification that exist in Australia.  They are beginning to understand what each classification means, how they are different to each other and what it means for their viewing choices.

In Mathematics, we are loving using our brand-new maths pencil cases.  The Year 3s have been learning about the relationship between addition and multiplication, and multiplication and division.  They also have been enjoying learning about the different strategies they can use for addition and subtraction questions.  Students are having a blast competing against each other in the Shoot the Sherriff game.

In Religion, we have been learning about how Jesus taught us to forgive others, especially during the Lenten season.  The Years 3s are using this knowledge, to help their new understanding of listening to their conscience, forgiving others and the importance of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Well done, Year 3 Blue, on your determination to growing your abilities in all learning areas!

Lauren D'Silva
Year 3 Blue Teacher

Secondary News

Hello from Secondary and welcome back to Term 2!

Camino Walk

Monday was a beautiful sunny day for a bushwalk.  Add in 54 Year 7s and a rather unfit Head of Secondary, and it became quite hard work.  I am so impressed with the Year 7s for keeping good spirits and showing true grit and determination to finish the 23.8(?) kms.  It was lovely chatting and getting to know these Year 7s, although I’m not sure how they had the stamina to walk (some of them ran parts) and talk at the same time.

Thank you to the parents who came along and encouraged (and pushed) the 7s to walk through the pain.  Thank you to Mr Lloyd Reidy for the incredible organisation it would have taken to make this possible, to Fr Konrad for the chips and soft drink, and to the P&F for the snacks and much needed water.

Mother’s Day Morning Tea

Wow!  It was so wonderful to see so many mums, grandmas and family friends and a dad as well come along to this morning’s inaugural Year 8 Mother’s Day Morning Tea.  The turnout was amazing and it was so lovely to get around to try and meet some of you. Note to self – next year find another responsible adult to man the coffee and tea station.

                   

The Year 8s outdid themselves to provide a beautiful and delicious spread of food.  Thank you so much to Ms Carol Farson and Mrs Michelle O’Driscoll for all of the hard work you put in to make today possible.  Thank you to Ms Lucie Lombardini for setting up a classroom to look so beautiful.  Hopefully next year we will set up outside so we can spread out a bit more.

I hope that all of the guests today felt special and loved by our Year 8 students.

Leonard Day

Wednesday 11 May is Leonard Day.  Students from Years 7 to 12 are invited to bring along a gold coin donation and can wear red free dress - clothing and accessories.  All money raised will go towards the LifeLink Appeal.  Our Leonard House Captains will also be running stalls so please have your students check Homeroom Notices for more details.

NAPLAN

Next week marks the start of NAPLAN.  We have two weeks to get the four assessments complete.  If your Year 7 or Year 9 student is unwell, please send me an email so that I can arrange for them to complete the test at a later time.

Externally Set Tasks

The Year 12 General students are required to complete an externally set task between now and the 20 May.  If they are unable to complete one, please ask them to come to the Office and speak to me so that I can organise an alternative time.  If they do not complete this assessment, they will be unable to achieve their West Australian Certificate of Education (WACE).

Sharon Cusack
Head of Secondary

Secondary da Vinci Club

After what had seemed like forever, our da Vinci Club at the Secondary Campus has returned and is back into activities for our gifted and talented students.  Over the last couple of weeks, the students have been revisiting team dynamics through some problem-solving tasks.  The students had a choice of constructing a siege machine or creating their own rube Goldberg machine.

For the first couple of weeks, the siege machine team have focussed their research and development into catapults, using simple items like pop-sticks, elastic bands and a plastic spoon to maximum energy transfer into a horizontal distance - easier said than done, as some groups identified!  At the end of the second session, there was a very successful test run with a winning distance of 11.6 metres.

Well done to Zackary and Antoinette.  For this group, it is now onto the next siege machine, the trebuchet!

Mark Gargano & Mike Hillyer
Secondary da Vinci Club staff

Goal Setting For Term 2

Yes, we have completed a term and yes, we have already received a report, but it is still very early days and there are three terms to go for this year, so what can we do about this?

I would like to remind one and all that we do not celebrate mediocrity which comes about from a lack of effort.  All students are capable of achieving high standards and becoming the best version of themselves and success presents itself in many forms.  Success, however, requires commitment, believing in yourself, and doing your best.  I would like all students to reflect on comments relating to your Interim Report and the recent Parent-Teacher Interviews and consider what you can do in order to improve this term.

This is a busy term, back to excursions, guest presenters, inter-school challenges and in the middle of the term, examinations for Years 9 to 12 students.  This is the time when perhaps a bit of additional stress is felt so please be mindful of this and be mindful of each other.  This is where we need to demonstrate respect for each other.  Please be mindful about the way you speak to and treat one another, both in and out of the classrooms . Be responsible young adults and take responsibility for your own actions - this means being punctual, being an active participant in class and completing schoolwork, homework and submitting assessments on time.

So how do you succeed, what is your reaction when you get a disappointing assignment mark?

We all have times when we think we have done brilliantly then get an assignment back and end up being really despondent instead.  You could just feel miserable, or you could try these steps below.

Review your understanding
The first step is to work through the feedback and work out what went wrong:
• Did you not meet the criteria?
• What feedback were you given from the teacher?
• Do you understand the feedback?

If you don’t understand why you got the mark you did, it is essential you ask your teacher for clarification.  If not, you will keep making the same mistakes over and over again.

Accepting or making the change
Once you understand what the issue was, you can either accept it, or make the change.

If you feel upon review that the mark was actually fair enough, then it is time to move on.  There is no point tearing yourself up any more about the achieved mark.  Instead, you need to treat this as a learning process.  The people who are the most successful don’t let their mistakes get them down, they see them as an opportunity to learn more and to improve next time around.

Learning something new
The only way to improve, is to work out what you did wrong, then try and fix it.  It is actually a really good idea to re-do part of the work once you have reviewed, like doing test corrections.  Not everyone has the commitment to do this, but if you do, you will really see the benefit in your future results.

Observe what you have done and learn something new from it and apply this the next time you are being assessed on this skill.

Don’t forget teachers are there to assist.  If you are quite unsure, it would also be a great idea for your next task to ask your teacher, discuss with them your plan for your essay, how you might solve those equations, take something that you have created to them for review and comment.  Don’t just say, "I don’t understand".  Having something concrete in front of you for the teacher to check and then provide feedback to will enable very specific guidance and increase your understanding of the task and content, even before handing the assignment in.  All the best for the term, students!

Mark Gargano
Teaching & Learning Coordinator [Years 7 to 12]

Our School

Years 7 & 10 Immunisations

The Avon and Central Wheatbelt Community Nurse Immunisation Team will be visiting St Joseph’s School on Wednesday 25 May 2022. This will be to administer the First round of the school-based immunisation program to all Year 7 students (females and males) and to all Year 10 students (females and males).

All Year 7s are offered the Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis and Human Papillomavirus (2 doses) vaccinations.  Your child will be given an information sheet and Vaccination consent form to bring home.

If you would like your child vaccinated through the Year 7 School Based Immunisation Program, please return the completed form to school prior to 25 May.  Please complete all parent and student details on the form then specify if you would like your child to receive the Meningococcal ACWY vaccine by placing a tick in the ‘Yes’ box on the consent form, sign and date in the relevant space on the form.

All Year 10s are offered the Meningococcal ACWY vaccination.  Your child will be given an information sheet and Vaccination consent form to bring home.

If you would like your child vaccinated through the Year 10 School Based Immunisation Program, please return the completed form to school prior to 25 May.  Please complete all parent and student details on the form then specify if you would like your child to receive the Meningococcal ACWY vaccine by placing a tick in the ‘Yes’ box on the consent form, sign and date in the relevant space on the form.

The School Based Immunisation Program is delivered by highly skilled immunisation nurses employed by WA Country Health Service. For more information got to healthywa.wa.gov.au/immunisation.

If you DO NOT want your child vaccinated at School, please complete the parent and student details then sign the statement at the bottom declining the vaccination.  Returning the form will let us know that you have been made aware of the vaccination program and prevent you from getting follow-up telephone calls.

Aimee Leeson, Community Health Nurse Avon & Central Wheatbelt Primary Health, phone 9690 1320 or email: aimee.leeson@health.wa.gov.au

Uniform Shop

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

Families wishing to access the Uniform Shop are advised that the online shop is the preferred method of ordering uniforms.  If items are required to be tried on, then an appointment should be made by contacting the Primary Admin on 9621 3500.  We are continuing to limit numbers in the Uniform Shop so an appointment is preferred.  Please note we can not accept email or telephone orders.

Please also keep in mind when ordering, that your items will go home Tuesday and Friday of each week, as Monday and Thursday are the days the Shop is open.  When placing an order via the Online Shop, it will appear on a report the following day.  For example; if you place your order on Monday, the report issues on Tuesday which means it will not be organised until Thursday and so go home on Friday.

Michelle James 
Primary - 9621 3524

Canteen News 

Canteen Support - Volunteers Required

The Primary Canteen has available to families the easy 'birthday treat' for your child's class.  We are offering a choice of a birthday bucket of icy poles (value is $30) or a bucket of lollypops (value is $20).  Each bucket contains a birthday badge, two balloons for the birthday child and enough icy poles or lollypops for the children in that particular classroom.  These birthday treats should be ordered at least two days in advance and can be ordered through the online shop. (Please note that the bucket will need to be returned to Canteen and is not included in the price) 

The Canteen is now operating with the Winter Menu and you are encouraged to check out the daily menu options before ordering lunches.  If we experience connectivity issues with the online ordering, please revert to using lunch bags to place orders for that day. 

Recess or snack items ordered online are available for students to collect from the Canteen at their Recess break.  Milo pops and icypoles can be collected from the Canteen following the second lunch bell.  

As our School grows so does the number of lunches that we supply daily.  Due to high demand on our quality food and service we need helpers to ensure that our kids get their lunches on time.  In order to function to our highest potential, we ideally need 2 or more  volunteers a day.  Volunteering is a great way to teach your kids about giving, modelling them for the future.  Also, every shift you do at our School helps you towards qualifying for a Parent Participation discount on your annual fees.  We would love to welcome you into our fun, and busy environment and see the smiles on your children’s faces when they see you in their school.  This year is a busy year and we would love to have some new faces in our canteen.  If you are able help, please sign up online at   https://signup.com/go/LQaHAbC

Our Primary Canteen Helper Roster for the next four weeks of Term 2 is below.  Volunteers are urgently needed so please consider offering an hour or two one morning.   

Primary - Week 3  

Tuesday	10 May	no volunteer
Wednesday	11 May	no volunteer
Thursday	12 May	no volunteer
Friday	13 May	no volunteer

Primary - Week 4

Tuesday	17 May	no volunteer
Wednesday	18 May	no volunteer
Thursday	19 May	no volunteer
Friday	20 May	no volunteer

Primary - Week 5

Tuesday	24 May	no volunteer
Wednesday	25 May	no volunteer
Thursday	26 May	no volunteer
Friday	27 May	no volunteer

Primary - Week 6

Tuesday	31 May	no volunteer
Wednesday	1 Jun	no volunteer
Thursday	2 Jun	no volunteer
Friday	3 Jun	Pupil Free Day

I look forward to working with you.  If you have any queries, you are always welcome to contact the Canteen on the number below.

Angela
Canteen - 9621 3525 

Our P&F

Easter Raffle

Thank you to all the families who donated chocolate or easter related craft to the raffle last term.  We were overwhelmed with the donations and had over 150 prizes to give away.  A massive effort was made by the student leaders to sell tickets, and we raised just over $1100.  Thank you to Des Smith and all her helpers for putting together the prizes and drawing the raffle in the afternoon of Friday 8 April.

General Meeting

On Monday night we had our first committee meeting for the term.  There are lots of great activities planned for this year, for both the students and parents of the School.  If you would like to be involved in any of these events, whether it's helping behind the scenes or volunteering on the day, we would love to hear from you.

Quiz Night

St Joseph’s School community – get your thinking gear working!!  We are holding a Quiz Night on Friday 10 June at the Northam Recreation Centre.  Doors open at 6.00pm for a 6.30pm start.  Tickets available online.  A Bar will be available so no BYO drinks.  Heaps of games and raffles throughout the evening.  BYO snacks.  For all details, please see the flyer attached to this newsletter.

See our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/1764507137145087/?ref=share for more updates.

Lauren Holten
President

Our Community 

Centre For Faith Enrichment

All adults of the school community are invited to participate in the Courses and Events timetabled for Term 2 by the Centre for Adult Faith Enrichment.  To view the details of online courses on offer for this term, please visit www.cfe.org.au/courses-events

Extend B&ASC

Extend is offering places in their April Holiday Program with fun outdoor activities, treasure hunts, LEGO creative classes, plus more on offer!  Book 14 days in advance to receive the Early Bird rate.  Enrolling is easy and ensures we have the information to safely care for your child so enrol now and book via extend.com.au.

Better Health Program - What is the Better Health Program?

The Better Health Program is a free, healthy lifestyle program for families.  The program is evidence-based and is delivered by qualified health professionals to support families with making sustainable health changes at home.  Children (and their families) are eligible to participate in the program if they are:
• Aged 7-13 years
• Living in regional or remote WA
• Above a healthy weight

The online program includes:
• Weekly interactive modules
• Weekly phone coaching support with a health professional
• Lots of freebies (including a Garmin fitness tracker and other great resources)
• Prizes

To register or find out more, contact 1300 822 953 or email betterhealthprogram.org