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Dear Parents,
Week 5 has certainly rolled around very quickly. Over 20 years in teaching I have seen the nature of schooling change significantly. There have been countless new initiatives and many times they are similar ideas to past practices, tweaked a little and rebadged. There have been two constants over my teaching career; change and improvement are the norm and school life will always get busier. This busyness is not a bad thing, it shows the breadth of opportunities that is now available to students. It was great to see and hear speeches over the last few weeks as children participated in our school public speaking in an effort to crown our Joey’s champions to represent us in the regional finals. I know that I never had these opportunities when I was younger, which meant there was a number of skills that I had to develop as I moved into a public life as an adult. Things like public speaking help your children to develop real life skills, not just public speaking skills either. I have seen children be creative in interpreting topics to make it suitable for them, I have witness excellent communication skills as children asked clarifying questions to establish a better understanding of what they were required to do. These are all essential skills that the developed world is calling for schools to impart. Creativity, innovation, communication determination and problem solving are the essential '21st century learning skills’ that each child needs to be taught for them to be successful in a world that we can not yet imagine, a world where they will have to forge a future, get a job and generally relate to others to live a fulfilling life. Whether your child was successful or not, rest assured they have learnt more than just English skills.
A big congratulations to our school champions and runners up:
Kinder: Winner, Jacob Kuzma; Runner up, Archer Swinsburg
Stage 1: Winner, Vera Harvey; Runner up, Piper Wheeler
Stage 2: Winner, Audrey Tuck; Runner up, Matilda Douglas
Stage 3: Winner, Sienna Budden; Runner up, Martine Salem
The winners have represented us at the regional competition this week and did us proud.
Uniform
Please be vigilant and strongly encourage your children to wear their uniform correctly. This may sound like something small, but it is a definite expectation of being a student here at St Joseph’s. Uniforms actually helps to develop a sense of community and belonging. Wearing our uniform with pride shows that we belong to, and want to be part of our learning community. What we wear and how we wear it says a lot about our attitude which in turn impacts the way we respond and behave. These are good lessons to learn for our children in their formative years. Every job has dress expectations, no matter what job you choose. Many jobs have uniforms that must be worn a certain way. Getting a job for many children is not actually that far away. My son actively sort employment from the age of 13 and got his first job 2 months later. He had to wear; long pants, proper shoes and a hat at all times. He is working as a kitchen hand in a local restaurant. He had to wear all this on 40-degree days working in a kitchen over Summer. If he didn’t wear what was necessary, he was sent home. We need to teach our children at a young age that uniform and expectations are important as this positive attitude will benefit them in the not-too-distant future. Please ensure your children are wearing the correct uniform and wearing it with pride, this includes the correct footwear.
Attendance
Regular attendance at school is essential for students to achieve quality life outcomes. Everyday counts, as regular attendance helps students:
• Develop a sense of belonging
• Develop and maintain friendships
• Be more engaged at school
• Progress with their learning
• Be more aware of career and life options.
Supporting positive school attendance is a shared responsibility - everyone has a role to play in promoting the regular attendance of students.
We also have to bear in mind that sickness such as flu-like symptons, Covid-19 and Influenza are quite prevalent currently. Please keep your children at home if they have any symptoms and do not send them back to school until fully recovered or this will affect their learning and other children's learning.
Take care, celebrate often, and go gently.
Brad Fuller
Principal
Farewell Margaret
After 11 years at our beautiful school, we said farewell to Margaret on Friday. We wish her all the best in her new role. For all office support please call the office and speak with Susie or email the admin on:
admin@kilabenbay.catholic.edu.au
POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR FOR LEARNING
TERM 3, WEEK 5-7
Be an excellent learner- ‘Show determination and perseverance’.
Over the next 3 weeks, students will be developing the skills to become excellent learners by showing determination and perseverance. One of the biggest day-to-day issues children face is persevering through the hard work. When they find themselves frustrated, challenged, and overwhelmed, kids tend either shut down, or experience high levels of anxiety. To help curb these feelings and behaviours, it can be beneficial to help your child develop skills in perseverance. We support your child to develop these skills by focusing on their strengths, supporting them with their difficulties and helping them to understand that sometimes things are hard and that’s ok!
Community Partnership - Toronto Men's Shed
SJKB continues to connect with volunteers from Toronto Men’s Shed with a new group of enthusiastic students. The habitat boxes made by our students in Term 1 are now hanging in the shade, the students eagerly observing to see which animal might come out for a peek!
Students from year 2-6 are invited to develop skills of carpentry, cooking, and gardening each Tuesday during lunch. The volunteers guide them through a simple woodworking project- this Term, the students are making pencil cases!
Thank you to the volunteers for all that you are doing to support the wellbeing of our students. We are very grateful!
Volunteers
We regularly need volunteers for various roles within our school. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer at our school, please follow the instructions on the link below.
www.mn.catholic.org.au/people/volunteer
If you have been a volunteer in the past and your WWCC has expired, you can renew it for free at Service NSW.
Once you have been cleared, you will need to come in for a site induction. Please contact me or admin if you would like to complete this process. We appreciate you all so much!
courtney.porter@mn.catholic.edu.au or admin@kilabenbay.catholic.edu.au
Regards,
Courtney Porter
Assistant Principal
The Feast Day of Saint Mary of the Cross Mackillop
On Tuesday, 8th August, we celebrated the Feast Day of Saint Mary of the Cross Mackillop. Our Mass in the church was presided over by Father John and lead by 3/4 Blue. Thank you to Mrs Neems and her students for organising such a lovely Mass to remember such an incredible and fearless woman.
Father John’s Homily was a beautiful interactive talk with students about how we all have fears, and that’s okay, but our fears can weigh us down (like a backpack full of heavy books) and stop us from enjoying life to the fullest. He talked about how Mary would have had lots of fears when she first started out her mission to help others too, and how God helped her by taking those fears away. Her faith in God gave her courage to keep going, even when she was met with hardship.
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 Father 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.
Mary is the first and only Australian Saint.
Our school’s connection to the Sisters of Joseph:
Visit from Father Priyantha
Father Priyantha was back on Friday, 11th August, to introduce himself and connect with our primary classes after celebrating 9am Mass at the church. In Stage Two they discussed the parts of the Mass and the meaning behind the different parts. Father Priyantha also shared a PowerPoint about Sir Lanka and himself. In the Stage 3 classes, he enjoyed wandering around and talking to individual students about the poems that they were writing about emotions. Students then gathered to ask Father Priyantha questions about himself and his Priesthood journey. It was great to see students and Father Priyantha laughing and sharing stories and jokes together!
It was nice for the students to see how a parish mass varies slightly to a school lead mass and the reverence the parish community lead with on such a special Feast Day.
Blessings,
Taylor James
RE Co-ordinator
In week 6 of this term we will be celebrating
This year’s theme is Read, Grow, Inspire!
The Scholastic Book Fair has begun in the Library. Students are able to buy books, posters and stationary using cash or Eftpos. Students will be given an opportunity to peruse the items for sale and create a wish list. They are then able to bring money or pay online for items. Eftpos is available for anyone wishing to buy items. The Book Fair will be open after the Book Parade on Friday as well as during lunchtime each day.
During Bookweek we will host a visiting author/illustrator Leila Rudge. Leila is one of Australia’s most popular authors. She has many successful children’s books, a number being nominated by The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) as picture book of the year. Leila is a local author who will hold a workshop with each stage and will sign any of her books owned by students.
We will enjoy our fabulous Bookweek dress-up parade on Friday 25th August at 9:30.
In addition we will be enjoying the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s (CBCA) shortlisted books, a collection of books chosen each year from Australia’s best children’s authors.
St Joseph’s has a wonderful collection of books that we encourage all students to borrow.
All students need a library bag to borrow from our Library. This helps protect our lovely books.
School Library bags are available for $14 for anyone who needs one.Library borrowing occurs weekly for students.
Students are able to keep the books for two weeks, although most return them for new ones each week. If students would like to keep books for longer than 2 weeks, we ask that they bring them to the Library to "renew" the borrowing record in our system.
Infants (K-2) borrowing day is Monday.
Primary (3-6) borrowing is Tuesdays.
The Library is open during lunch times on Wednesday – Friday and the children love coming in to enjoy books, chess, games and writing or drawing. It is a great social activity for them and it’s lovely to watch them interact with each other and enjoy creating. Students are also able to borrow during lunchtimes on these days.
Many parents and carers often wonder if a book is appropriate for their child. A great resource to help with this is Common Sense Media . This website
I am very blessed to have some wonderful helpers in the library. Our Library monitors volunteer at lunchtimes to help organise resources, put books away and keep the Library neat and tidy. THANK YOU to those students.
PRC
The Premier’s Reading Challenge is an initiative by the NSW Government that encourages a love of reading in students from Kinder to Year 9. It is not a competition but a challenge to each student to read widely and enjoy reading. Students are each given an individual username and password to log onto the PRC website. There they can add the PRC books they have read to their reading record. Students who complete the challenge will have their names displayed in the library and the newsletter. At the end of the year they will receive a certificate to show their achievement. At St Joey’s we also like to celebrate with a Pizza Party for those students that complete the challenge in term four.
The challenge is coming to an end on 18th August. All reading records must be completed by students by the end of this day.
Part of our St Joseph’s Library collection includes Premier’s Reading Challenge books for all ages. Any students who wish to complete the challenge are able to get all of their books from our library. I’m so proud of the students who have taken part in this years challenge.
The PRC Website can be found here:
Kinder: Alex M, Sophie K, Arturo T.
Year 1: Isabella P, Ivanna M, Mason D, Luka M, Adelyn F.
Year 2: Cameron M, Darby D, Isabel K, Imogen S, Emma R,
George W, Aagnay S.
Year 3: Archie L.
Year 4: Carys E, Shelley D, Audrey T, Poppy L, Lucas C.
Yer 5: Paige S, Harrison W, Xavier S.
Sora
St Joseph’s has a subscription to SORA. Sora is an eBook and audio book Library. As part of the Australian Catholic Education Network (ACEN) member collection, your child can access eBooks and audio books through the Maitland Newcastle Diocese.
All you need to do is to download the SORA app or go to the website and sign in through the
ACEN membership, then you and your child can enjoy some terrific books on your devices at home.
One of the great features of SORA is the inclusion of a Premier Reading Challenge book section. Graphic novels, Fiction and Non-Fiction books are also available.
Log in and explore today.
If you have any questions about anything in the Library, feel free to send me an email.
Happy reading,
Leah Hannan
Teacher Librarian and ER Teacher
We were finally able to acknowledge our wonderful athletes at the Week Four assembly. Big congratulations to our champions!
Olivia-Skye Sharp Junior Girl, Phoenix Davison Junior Boy, Kaitlyn Griffin Senior Girl and Ajay Jenkinson Senior Boy.
The winning house was Macquarie.
We were represented at the Diocesan Carnival by Matilda and Kaitlyn Griffin, Lilly Kay and Olivia-Skye Sharp. We are very proud of their performance and their tremendous sportsmanship. Kaitlyn and Olivia -Skye have progressed to Polding level! Fantastic effort!
Jump Rope for Heart is proving to be a real hit and we have some very talented skippers preparing for the great skip off in week 10.
Stage Three will be attending the Lakes Region Netball carnival on Thursday 7th September at Charlestown Netball Centre, more details to follow. We are trying to find other carnivals for Stage Two and Stage One.
Anne Neems
Primary Coordinator / 3/4 Blue Teacher
St Joseph's Primary School
Kilaben Bay
Our school recently had the opportunity to compete in the Inter-school Chess Competition that was run by the NSW Junior Chess League. We had well over 40 competitors vying for just 21 places in five teams. Congratulations to Evanna, Izeah, Zac B, Sienna B, Mya, Matilda G, Harry W, Aidan, Harvey, Jack K, Abigail S, Paige S, Lilly, Grace S, Ajay, Noah, Darby, Scarlett T, Piper, Luca T and Lincoln E-B. The children are to be congratulated for not only representing St Joseph’s during their chess games but also demonstrating great sportsmanship on the day. They were wonderful ambassadors for our school. Not only did they shake their opponent’s hands at the beginning of each game, but they also played friendly games between matches, and enjoyed handball with the children from the other schools between rounds. The competition was fierce with teams playing in either four or five rounds. Points were awarded for a win and a draw. We did very well, given that only two of our students had competed in this competition at this level in previous years. Sadly, we did not progress to the next round of the competition this time. One of the adjudicators did comment on how keen the students were about the game! It was a really great day. Many thanks to those parents for their support of our children by transporting them to and from the event.
We will be having our own school competition again at the end of the year with prizes and trophies on offer.
Anne Tutton
Thank you so much to all the amazing volunteers who have enable the canteen to still run and feed the children whilst Tracey has been on beareavement leave.
The slushie machine has been repaired, so slushies are back! A slight price rise to $2.50 was as all ingredient prices have risen. We also have Nippy's frozen cups (kids call them Ice Crushers) - still great value at $1.00.
Warm Milo is also available this term and next - order on Qkr or send cash for your child to purchase over the counter $2.00.
Unfortunately, due to increases in supply prices, there has been a very slight increase in the price of some hot food items.
Here is the latest menu for your reference.
Please send any questions to admin@kilabenbay.catholic.edu.au or call the school office on 4959 1355
Some reminders:
Pre-ordered frozen beverages
Supply Changes
Please note that vegemite scrolls are no longer available and bacon and cheese rolls continue to be available for the moment.
Lunch Order Issues
Volunteer Roster
Every helper is so appreciated and we extend our sincere thanks to our wonderful regulars, together with the new volunteers who are just starting out. Although a couple of new people have registered (big thanks!), we will need more people. As with any volunteer position at school you must be registered.
If you are able to offer help, please send an email to admin@kilabenbay.catholic.edu.au and Margaret Livingstone or Susie Doran will help with your volunteer registration.
See the Roster below. Thank you to our wonderful volunteers! Your children would not benefit from all the canteen has to offer without you!!
If you are unable to make it on your rostered day, please either text Tracey or call the school office.
Term 3
Week 6
Wed 23.8.23 - Michelle Cherniayeff
Thur 24.8.23 - Merryn Compton
Fri 25.8.23 - Sheree Williams, Ewelina Bursa
Week 7
Wed 30.8.23 - Suzanne Golsby, Cal Couglas
Thur 31.8.23 - Yasmin Every-Burns
Fri 1.9.23 - Jacqueline Hanson, Stefanie King, Emily Sault
Week 8
Wed 6.9.23 - Ruth Blyton
Thur 7.9.23 - Maryanne Cartwright, Lyn Moseley
Fri 8.9.23 - Jenna Lorriman, Emma Douglas
Week 9
Wed 13.9.23 - Michelle Cherniayeff
Thur 14.9.23 - Nicole Davison, Andrew Edwards
Fri 15.9.23 - Sarah Morris, Cheryl Henriques
Week 10
Wed 20.9.23 - Michelle Cherniayeff
Thur 21.9.23 - Merryn Compton, Jade Davison
Fri 22.9.23 - Sheree Williams, Ewelina Bursa
Over the Counter Sales / Recess Qkr ordering
Some healthy snack items are available for pre-order and payment on Qkr for Recess.
If you would like your child to have a recess snack, please place a comment in the "note to staff" section when selecting your item.
Thank you
Susie Doran
and Tracey Ryan-Ward
How to Order
Thanks to everyone who has placed orders via the link for second hand school items (link below)
PLUS second hand uniform request
We are currently in need of size 8 girls pants, size 4 and 10 boys pants, if you have these items at home and would like to donate them to PLUS we would be extremely appreciative.
Hats can also be ordered via our system please specify new or used in the comments.
PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR CHILD'S NAME AND CLASS in the message as our volunteers do not have access to the different family surnames to make connections to students - therefore use your child's name first, then your name, especially if different surname. Payment is via the Qkr! app.
Thank you!
THE PLUS TEAM
Community Notices
Unless otherwise stated, the advertisements placed in this newsletter are by independent third parties who have no legal relationship with the Diocese. The activities or services of the advertiseers are not supervised or controlled in any way by the Diocese. The Diocese is not in a position to endorse the advertisers of the services provided and makes no representation about those matters. Accordingly, the Diocese cannot accept any responsibility for the advertisers of the activities or services that are the subject of these advertisements.
We have a number of students who have life threatening anaphylactic allergic reactions to all nuts and eggs. We would like to encourage families NOT to send these food items to school with their children or to ask their children to tell their teacher if they have brought them, so that they can be eaten away from affected children. We also encourage children NOT to share food at school.
The children continue to enjoy their guitar lessons so if you would like your child to learn guitar: We have a guitar group here at St Joseph's where children receive tuition from professional teachers at school. For more information, please contact Ricky direct on 0407 534 944:
