eNews Term 2, Week 9, 2024

Dear parents, carers, teachers, and students,

This week, we had the privilege of showcasing the exceptional work of our teachers to the Directors of the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) and a cohort of five staff members from Catholic Education South Australia. The visitors observed our teachers providing explicit instruction, demonstrating effective teaching methods in mathematics, and utilising learning intentions and success criteria. Our students were excellent, actively engaged in learning and participating enthusiastically in the classroom. Thank you to Mrs Jo Gibbon, who leads this work in our school across all year levels Rec-9 and supports the teachers. 

Semester One reports will be going home with the oldest student in each family on Thursday, July 4th.  Please look out for them in your child's bag. If you have any questions regarding the school reports, staff will be on-site Friday until the end of the school day. Please do not hesitate to make contact. 

As this is the last newsletter for Term Two, which ends on Friday, July 5th, at 3:05 p.m., I take this opportunity to wish you a safe and relaxing holiday break. 

A few key dates for Term Three are below:

I extend my warmest wishes for a safe and joyful break to all our staff, students, and parents. This term has been bustling with numerous events and activities showcasing our children's dedication and hard work.  As we look forward to the holidays, I hope everyone takes the opportunity to relax and rejuvenate.

Kindest regards,
Mrs Ros Oates
Principal

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REMINDERS

St Joseph’s School offers the Joey’s transition to school program for pre-school students to help them transition smoothly into Reception and become familiar with the school environment.

If you would like to be involved, please follow the link: https://forms.office.com/r/1Wa0P0VzGi

Pyjama Day! 

More information to come.

Canteen News 

See images below of our wonderful National Breast Cancer Morning Tea fundraiser: 

As a school, we raised $681 for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

~SPIRITUALITY~ 

An Important Piece of Life’s Jigsaw

Spirituality is a word much like the word love in that it is used loosely to describe many things concerning the human condition.  However, most would agree that it includes an inner sense of being connected to something or someone greater than oneself and that it is the process of recognising that there is meaning and purpose to our existence.  In fact, spirituality is not an “add-on” extra; it is there already, a part of being human.  Spirituality is a big part of the jigsaw of life and, if we don’t see it, the picture won’t make sense.

Children are quite capable of their own spiritual experiences and knowing, for they have an uncluttered simplicity, an openness to spiritual matters; they are trusting in relationships and dependent on others.  Children do not always have the language to articulate their spirituality but that does not mean they do not have an active spirituality.  Parents and teachers need to take care that religious teaching does not stifle spiritual growth rather than aid it.  Many adults today still bear scars that reflect the hurt they received from religious educators, when they were young.

As adults, we need to listen to our children and value what they tell us.  Jesus tells us that children are whole persons who should be valued for who they are, not just for what they will become: “…you have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to little children”. Luke 10:21.  Spiritual awareness cannot be taught; it is part of the biological inheritance that makes us human.  So, we need to spend at least as much time helping children experience God, as we do teaching them about God.

One of the greatest needs of children is relationship, and spirituality is their encounter and relationship with God.  Like our children, we have the breath of God within us and like our children we are growing up in Christ.  We can further develop our own spirituality, as we assist our children to develop theirs, for this development is not limited to talking about God, using special language or going to church; simple things like watching rain fall, sighting a rainbow, being cuddled, gazing up into the night sky, hugging a tree, seeing things grow can be spiritual events.  Of course, there is no better way for a child to learn of God’s love, than to experience unconditional love from a parent.

End-of-Term Prayer 

We thank you, Lord, for our term together.
We are grateful for the successes, the challenges, and what we have learned this term.  Be with us as we spend our time with family and friends.  Give us strength and courage to do what is right, to be witnesses of our faith.  Keep us safe in our activities; give us rest and good fun.  As we prepare for Term Three, bring us back refreshed and ready.  Thank you to our friends and classmates, including staff, families and the St Joseph’s School, who care for us all.       

Amen

This term, junior primary students have been sharing simple Dreamtime stories to learn about the cultural significance of music and storytelling in First Nations Australian communities.

The students enjoyed retelling "How the Birds Got Their Colours" by Mary Albert and "Tiddalick the Frog" by Robert Roennfeldt. They used movement and musical instruments to express their ideas and bring the stories to life.

Using colourful scarves, the students performed their interpretations for the class, having a lot of fun while gaining a deeper appreciation for these cultural stories.

The Catholic Schools Festival Choir will be heading to St. Francis De Sales College in Mt. Barker during Week 10 for a combined rehearsal. This event will showcase and workshop the 10 songs they have been practicing over the last two terms in preparation for their upcoming performance at the Festival Theatre in Adelaide, scheduled for Week 10 next term. The 17 students in the choir have been doing an outstanding job. Well, done!

On Tuesday, 18th June, our school competed against 5 other schools in the Murraylands District Year 5/6 Basketball Competition. 

The girls had some tough competition but finished with a win against Swan Reach. Many of the girls in the team had not played basketball before, so it was a great way for them to experience the game. 

The boys drew against Mannum and had wins against Swan Reach and Mypolonga. Our games against North and Unity were close but our shooting was off and our defensive pressure dropped.

Thank you to Amy Rogerson for supporting the girls' team. Thanks also to Coral Schutz and Amy Sobels for scoring the games.

On the 21st of June the 5/6 Knockout Netball team attended Round 1 at Unity College. St Joseph’s played Unity and Bordertown, two excellent teams, and unfortunately were unsuccessful in securing a win for the day. 

Two full games of netball proved extremely tiring, but the girls gave their full effort at every pass, intercept and shot. St Joseph’s played their games with passion and respect, cheering on opposing teams and congratulating them at their wins. It was excellent to see the girls trying new positions and being supportive of their teammates. The girls should be very proud of their efforts, with Unity and Bordertown coaches also congratulating them on their improvement of standard of play and their teamwork as a group. 

The year 7/8 girls knockout netball team went to Murray Bridge High School on Tuesday and played two games of back to back netball against Murray Bridge High School and River Murray District.  Girls play exceptionally well given the weather conditions and skill set we had as a team.  Although we didn't come out with any wins, the girls enjoyed their time and represented the school proudly.

St Joseph’s School is a very multi-cultural school, and we are proud of the many cultures represented.
Mrs Coulter has set up a display in the library and over the next Semester we will focus on each of the countries represented in our school culminating in a Multi-cultural Festival in Term 4.