eNews Term 3, Week 7, 2024

Dear parents, carers, teachers, and students, 

Welcome to our week 7 newsletter. 

We've had a busy and rewarding few weeks at our school, with plenty of events that highlight the strength and spirit of our community. 
This week we continue our commitment to the education of the children in our care by conducting ‘3-way Parent-Teacher’ interviews which are a valuable, three-way conversation between teacher, parent and child discussing their child/student learning. One of the key aspects of this process is the valuable contribution of the student learner and their voice in their learning feedback. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to your child's education. We believe that their attendance at the parent-student-teacher interviews will greatly contribute to their growth and success. Together, we can create a strong foundation for their future achievements and truly empower them for success. 

Safeguarding Sunday and National Child Protection Week 

National Child Protection Week took place this week from 1 to 7 September 2024. 

The theme for this year is “Every Conversation Matters” and has been selected because conversations are powerful tools to keep children and young people safe. Safeguarding Sunday follows National Child Protection Week and will be celebrated in all Australian Catholic Dioceses on Sunday 8 September 2024. 

Please click on this link for more information: https://www.napcan.org.au/get-involved-2024/ 

Religious Literacy Assessment Tool (ReLAT) - Year 4 Students 

Religious Education (RE) plays a central role in the curriculum of all Catholic schools, serving as the foundation that supports various aspects of school life. It is woven into daily activities through prayer, celebrations like masses and liturgies, and initiatives promoting social justice. 

The ReLAT assessment will evaluate key knowledge aligned with the Year 3/4 Crossways Religious Education curriculum. By 2024, Year 4 students will have been studying the new RE curriculum for two years. This knowledge-based test complements the ongoing, comprehensive evaluation of learning in RE classes. 

Our Year 4 students are scheduled to complete this assessment in Week 8. 

SAVE THE DATE ✨ 

Cyber Safe School 

At St Joseph’s School, we are committed to providing a cyber-safe learning community. Our cyber safety guidelines comply with CESA (Catholic Education South Australia) regulatory and legislative obligations. In Week 10 of this term, the students from Years 3-9 will participate in age-appropriate workshops covering the latest up-to-date information about cyber safety.  

Cyber Safety Parent Information Sessions 

Monday, September 23rd - 1 parent information presentation (evening 6.30 pm till 7.30 pm) 

Tuesday, September 24th - 1 parent information presentation (morning 9.00 am till 10 am) 

We want to invite all Parents and Carers to a Cyber Safety Information Session, which will be held in the Performing Arts Centre at St Joseph’s School. The sessions will be run by Cybersafe Families, a provider endorsed by the eSafety Commissioner, to share the latest research and best practice approaches to online safety education for families.  

 
The sessions will provide parents and carers with strategies to help make home environments cyber-safe. All Cybersafe Families presentations are delivered by professionals who understand that all children are at different stages in their online journey.  

The parent information session will include: 

• Introduction to the most popular and current social media platforms 
• Tools to recognise and manage cyberbullying 
• Information about online grooming and other risks 
• Communication strategies – how to start difficult conversations 
• Strategies for supporting positive online behaviour, including tips on managing screen time

Catholic Schools Music Festival

The Catholic Schools Music Festival 'Where Dreams Begin 2024' is taking place at the Adelaide Festival Theatre from the 23rd -26th September. 

St Joseph’s School Students will be performing on TUESDAY 24th September. 

FATHER’S DAY ~ CELEBRATING THE FATHER FIGURES IN OUR LIVES

Last Sunday we celebrated Father’s Day.  Bu what is Fathers’ Day?  According to one astute 8-year-old, “It’s a bit like Mothers’ Day, only it doesn’t cost as much!”  A more advanced concept of Fathers’ Day would be that this special day is an opportunity to celebrate the important role that father figures play in the lives of children; a role that cannot be played by any other person.  

Both mother and father figures are of vital importance to a young child’s development.  Studies have shown that when father figures engaged with young boys in physical, affectionate, and stimulating play they were found to have good social skills and score higher on tests involving thinking and problem-solving skills (Radin: The Influence of Fathers).  Studies have also shown that when father-figures are emotionally involved, so that children’s emotions are acknowledged, this then helps the child deal with bad emotions and have better relationships with children outside of their family and behave less aggressive. (Gottman, Katz & Hooven: How Families Communicate Emotionally) 

Father figures with a strong commitment to their family provide a model of responsible behaviour for children.  As a consequence, children tend to take more responsibility for their actions and rarely blame others for their mistakes.  Father figures also influence children’s moral development by being good models for children to admire and desire to resemble.  This results in children developing a strong respect for rules and authority figures. (M.L. Hoffman: The Role of the Father in Moral Internalization). 

Adolescence is often a time of increased conflict between parents and children. Although teenagers rely more upon their mother figures for emotional support, the relationship with father figures continues to be important.  Teenagers rely more on their father figures for conversation, advice and just ‘being there’.  Adolescents who felt their father figures were ‘available’ to them, had fewer conflicts with their friends. (Lieberman & Doyle: Associations with Peer Relations) 

We cannot take the father figures in our lives for granted, so I hope you all had a very Happy Father’s Day on September 1, and hope and pray you know you are an extremely important and treasured part of all our lives. 

Year 3 has had an exciting and memorable term! During Book Week, we celebrated Grandfriends Day on Wednesday, where students spent meaningful time with their grandfriends. They enjoyed making thoughtful cards together and shared in a special reading session. The week wrapped up with a fun-filled dress-up day on Friday, where the students brought their favourite book characters to life with creative costumes.

This term, we've also focused on exploring the history of St Joseph's School. We were fortunate to have a visit from an old scholar who shared her experiences and memories, giving the students a fascinating glimpse into the school’s past. The students then wrote detailed information reports about the school and extended their learning to include the history of Murray Bridge. In maths, we've successfully completed units on angles and telling time, and we’re now diving into a unit on measurement, where students are learning to measure length, capacity, and more. It’s been a rewarding term with lots of valuable learning experiences!

Students from Year 5, 7, and 8 at St Joseph's Murray Bridge recently participated in an engaging lesson on blind sports, thanks to Kent from Blind Sports SA. The session provided a unique opportunity for students to experience a variety of sports while wearing devices that replicated different types and levels of blindness.

Throughout the lesson, students played with a range of specially designed balls and explored how popular sports, like AFL, can be modified to be inclusive for all, including those with vision impairments. This experience not only challenged their perceptions but also deepened their understanding of the importance of inclusivity in sports.

On Monday, both Year 2 classes embarked on an exciting Mural Walk around the centre of Murray Bridge. Our mission was to find all twelve murals, starting on one side of the main street and finishing at The Round House. 

At The Round House, we were welcomed by Robyn Martin and a volunteer, who had set up engaging activity stations for us. The students tried their hand at croquet, experienced washing and ironing clothes as they did in the olden days, toured The Round House, practiced writing on slate boards and in cursive, and enjoyed some games on the grass while taking in the beautiful views of the bridges. 

Afterward, we crossed the street to view the murals on the other side of the main road before walking back to school. Robyn later emailed us, sharing how much fun she had hosting us and how impressed she was with the students' behaviour and enthusiasm. She’s already looking forward to hosting us again next year. 

A big thank you to Mrs. Kennedy, Mrs. Freestone, Miss Lauren, and our volunteer mums—Mrs. Robson and Mrs. Yelland. We greatly appreciate your help and support in making the day a success! 

On Wednesday, all six classes from Year 3 and 4 along with 11 staff spent the day participating in the Murray Bridge HotShots Tennis Carnival. Other schools that also took up the invitation to play were Unity and Tailem Bend PS. Between the amazing playground and the tennis action at the Christian Reserve Courts, our students had a ball. Well done Jahkobi Long and Blair Williams for receiving the Sportspersons awards for outstanding fair play, co-operation and teamwork.

If your child is interested in playing tennis for a club this summer or interested in coaching, please get in contact with one of the following people:

Luteran Tennis Club (Christian Reserve Courts) Ernie Ahrens 0400 259 746

Lawn Tennis Club (Sturt Reserve Courts) Sherryn Crane 0414 185 289

Please see The Southern Cross newsletter and the online edition of The Southern Cross September 2024.