St Joseph's Primary School - Kilaben Bay eNewsletter

Dear Parents,

Just a few quick words from me in this Newsletter. Angela’s grandmother passed away on Friday evening just gone and as a family we are focused on each other at this time. I thank Courtney Porter, Taylor James and Anne Neems for ensuring the Term continues to sail through in calm waters towards the end of the year.

Staffing update

I am pleased to announce that we have filled the Executive release job that was left opened with Alision Taylor moving to Wallsend next year. John Hession has been successful in getting the permanent position. Everyone in the community here knows John and what he does for the school. John will maintain his position as Aboriginal Education Teacher, the executive release will be extra days on top of this role.

School Leadership for 2024

Speeches will be given by successful nominees during Week 7. Boys will give their speeches on Monday 20 November and the Girls on Wednesday 22 November. I always look forward to the speeches that our Year 5 children present. I always wait in anticipation of that one speech that is unique, doesn’t promise the world and is honest. I always get at least one of these each year and it is refreshing. Two years ago, a boy named Brodie took to the stage, he introduced himself and I thought I would get the tirade of empty promises, chocolate fountains, coke in the bubblers, 4 day school week, etc. etc. To my surprise the one person I thought would make a joke of the process, turned around and simply said, if you want good leadership and captains, don’t vote for me. Vote for me for you sports leader! He then went and listed all the sports captaincy’s he has done and what he would be able to do for the school and people who wanted to be better sportspeople.
Brodie understood his strengths and made commitments for the next year he could follow through on. I had a word with him after he was successful in becoming a sports leader. I told him I would hold him to his promises, he simply replied I wouldn’t expect anything less from you sir. This young man really thought about leadership, what was involved and what it was all about. He was a very active child in Year 5, but this changed slightly because he took seriously what he was doing all through the year in Year 6. The school received numerous letter and emails from random people and organisers following every sporting event the school participated in. All of this positive feedback was directly related to Brodie and his leadership and actions.
If your child participates fully and honestly and wants to be better, it can change them and leave them better equipped for life in general. Good Luck to those that have nominated, I will wait with bated breath for the speech that surprises by being honest about who you are and what you want to be...

Take care, go gently and celebrate often.

Brad Fuller

Principal

NSW New Curriculum

NSW is delivering a new curriculum for Kindergarten to Year 12. It is the first comprehensive reform of the NSW school curriculum in 3 decades.
Teachers at our school have attend Professional Learning so that they feel equipped to deliver the new and exciting content to our students. The Curriculum reform timeline is an overview for schools about the new syllabuses and highlights the years that implementation and monitoring will commence. Our infants teachers have already implemented the new English and Mathematics syllabuses, and Primary teachers have completed familiarisation and planning activities to prepare for next years implementation. More information about the curriculum reform can be found at

https://www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/nesa/about/strategies-and-reforms/curriculum-reform/timeline

Pedestrian Safety at SJKB

Last term we were encountering numerous unsafe practices involving pedestrians, buses, and car parking. Our response to ensuring safety was the implementation of signage in the bus bay as well as reverting back to parking in the school carpark and collecting your child from outside the office. We thank you for your continued efforts in ensuring that the pedestrian crossing is being used setting a wonderful example for your children. It is great to see parents having a quick catch up, sharing a hello and a smile. Although we strive to build community, it is important that parents do not allow their child to play on the grass before returning to their vehicles. This is all to ensure the safety of your child and other students who are still waiting to be collected by their parents.

Classes 2024

We can not believe that in just over 4 weeks, our students will be on a holiday and return to school in a new grade! This is very exciting for most students, however change and transition can be nerve wracking for others. Staff are still be finalised for 2024. As soon as we can communicate with you who your child’s teacher will be for next year, we will. We hope that this will be in week 9 when reports are published. There will be an opportunity for your child to have a day in their new classroom to support with this transition.

Toronto Mens Shed

In week 9 we have invited Ted, Allen and David from the Men’s Shed to our Wednesday award assembly for a special presentation. The choir will be performing and some of the students who have been involved in the program will present them with a certificate of appreciation. We hope that you can come along for this assembly to show support to the volunteers and all that they have done to help build community and support our students.

Thank you!

Courtney Porter
Assistant Principal

Leadership Day

Mr York and I ran a great day with the Year 5 students. We discussed what it means to be a servant leader, leaders in their lives that they look up to and small leadership moments that stood out to them in their lives that had a big impact on them. We also discussed the school charism and values that they continue to uphold and why they are important at our school.
The students where all fabulous and already had a great understanding of many of the qualities leaders need. I can't wait for the speeches and to see all of these students as Year 6 Leaders next year!

They are going to do a great job!

Please find a link to the Student Leadership policy here:

Student_Leadership_Policy_2023.pdf

Remembrance Day

On Monday we held a Remembrance liturgy with the School Captains leading us in remembering that Saturday, November 11th, it was Remembrance Day and on this day it marks the end of World War 1. We remember all those who died in that war and all those who have died in wars and conflicts since then and we thank them in our hearts for all they have sacrificed. It was a loving liturgy and it was incredible how silent the minute of silence was. It shows how respectful and thoughtful all our students are.

Term 4 dates for the diary:

3rd December: Advent Begins
4^th December: Advent Morning Liturgy
11^th December: Advent Morning Liturgy
13^th December: Year 6/End of Year Liturgy
15^th December: Christmas Liturgy

Blessings,

Taylor James

RE Co-ordinator

It’s hard to believe we are more than halfway through term 4!
This term, student learning includes research and technology skills.
From kinder to Year 6 students have enjoyed texts from our Non-Fiction collection and learnt about amazing animals, places and people.

We will complete a stocktake in the last part of the term,
so the final week to borrow for this year is week 7.

ALL library books and readers are due back to the library by week 8.

This term we will be hosting our Premier’s Reading Challenge Pizza Party on November 22. This is a celebration for the students who have completed the challenge. A note will be sent home closer to the date to complete orders.

Over the coming weeks they will be participating in coding activities using Bee-Bots, Scratch and Scratch Junior.

The final week for borrowing for this year is week 7, as Library staff will complete a stocktake in the last part of the term,

Please ensure ALL library books and readers are returned to the Library by week 8

This term we will be hosting our Premier’s Reading Challenge Pizza Party on November 22. This is a celebration for the students who have completed the challenge. A note was sent home earlier in the term for those students who completed the challenge. Please make sure your child’s note is returned by Friday 17th.

Library Lunchtime fun

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.

Library Helpers

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, keep the Library neat and tidy and help create displays. THANK YOU to those students.

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 allows parents/carers to search books, games, apps, movies and websites to view whether it is age appropriate and what its content contains.

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 using the

ACEN membership and your child’s Maitland Newcastle username and password

(you can get this from your child’s teacher)

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

leah.hannan@mn.catholic.edu.au

Camp was one of my favourite memories of Stage 3! It was an amazing experience overall and it was just a big amount of fun but we also had to learn to use resilience during activities that were new to us. You got put with some new people in cabins, but it brought us all closer together. Some of the activities were new and would set our nerves off, but eventually we adapted to LOVE it! Some of my favourites were rock climbing, canoeing and jetty jumping. The camp leaders made the activities so much more fun and exciting, like making us make a raft out of our canoes and making us switch seats! I can't wait to go there again, I will always remember my Stage 3 Camp! - Grace Brady

Camp was really fun and I loved all the activities. We canoed and stand up paddle boarded. We sailed, we did archery and we swam in the pool. There was so much that we did and we even had night activities. One night we held a mini Olympics and the other we had a trivia night. My team came 3rd in the Olympics and we came 1st in the trivia night. There were bunk beds in the cabins and there was a big eating hall. There were so many activities that we had never done before and they really challenged us. It was fantastic! - Paige Summers

Two weeks ago stage three went to Point Wollstoncroft for camp. The stage was separated into two groups, the yellow and red group. At the end of each day we had a night activity. The first night we had a mini Olympics where we earnt points for completing objectives at activities. The second night we had a trivia night and I would have never have thought that singing pop songs with my mum in the car would ever come in handy. I got almost all the questions right in the music section. Thanks mum!!
-Syler.L

Stage 2 are preparing for their Pickleball Day at Bar Beach on 29/11/23. A reminder note with the details of the day will be sent out next week. Permission can be granted on the Compass event or by permission note that was sent home earlier in the term.

Year 2 enjoyed a wonderful day at the League Tag Gala Day at Keith Barry Oval. The new shade shelter, provided by Year 6 2022, had its inaugural use and looked fantastic alerting spectators to our group. Four of our Year 6 'sports nuts', Jack, Jacob, Toby and Ajay, gave up several lunch times to coach the students and also went to the Gala Day with their teams. They looked fantastic in their Hi Vis leaders vests. Stay tuned for pictures of the day on our Facebook page!

Anne Neems
Primary Coordinator / 3/4 Blue Teacher
St Joseph's Primary School
Kilaben Bay

Reminders

Each graduate is invited to bring three guests to the graduation. If your family requires additional seating, please contact me immediately and I will apply to the organisers for extra seats

A bus will transport all participants to the University from school. The bus will leave at 3.00 pm to reach the University by 4pm.

Students must wear their full summer uniform, and those with long hair are asked to wear it in a low ponytail or plait so that the hat can be placed securely on their head.

Tuesday 21^st is the third of our basketball clinics, so students should wear their sports uniform and bring their summer uniform to change into at lunch time. Please ensure students wear black shoes and not joggers for the event.

Backpacks should be either left at school until Wednesday, or parents could collect the backpack from school at pick up time. Students in 5/6 who leave their backpack at school, should ensure that they bring their laptop charger to school on Tuesday 21^st November, so that their laptop can be charged at school overnight.

Anne Neems
Primary Coordinator / 3/4 Blue Teacher
St Joseph's Primary School
Kilaben Bay

All 2023 school fees are due to be paid in full by November 30th.
Collection of school fees is crucial to our ability to effectively provide quality education for our students. The fees go directly to paying for new technology, resources for the classroom, experiences for students such as excursions, costs of buses etc.
All families will be required to nominate either weekly, fortnightly or monthly contributions to school fees. This will assist in ensuring that families are able to stay up to date with fees and prevent debt rolling over into an amount that becomes onerous to pay off. In order for students to attend excursions, school camps, incursions etc. school fees will need to be up to date with whatever fee frequency arrangement has been made at the beginning of the year.
Currently, arrears of $103,739.51 are overdue at our school.
As always, if a family is experiencing financial hardship, it is imperative that you contact the school to make an appointment to meet and discuss school fees, so that a payment plan can be arranged and families are supported.

Thank you

Linda Garreffa

School Officer

If your child is due to receive an award, you will be emailed a few days prior to the assembly. Awards Assemblies are held each Wednesday. Please check the daily Compass diary to confirm the time (usually 2:20)

Please note, if your child is away for their award presentation, the award will be presented at the following assembly:

The Year 2 students that have received awards but are away at the League Tag gala day will be announced next week at assembly.

Congratulations to our award winners for Weeks 5 & 6, Term 4!

Mr Fuller

Advanced warning...

Here is the latest menu for your reference.

Canteen_Menu_2023_July_23.pdf

Please send any questions to admin@kilabenbay.catholic.edu.au or call the school office on 4959 1355

Some reminders:

Pre-ordered frozen beverages

If you have ordered a drink or frozen treat for your child they will receive a "ticket" in their lunch bag. Please tell them to take the ticket to the canteen to collect their drink / frozen food.

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

These issues have improved. Thank you for considering your children and our staff. Uncertainty with food creates anxiety for your child on the day. We will continue to contact parents if food has not been supplied, but thankfully this has decreased.

We continue to encourage you to establish a routine and reminders (phone reminders work well) to ensure your child has recess and lunch food (either packed at home or ordered from the canteen using Qkr if Wed - Fri)

Please ensure Qkr orders are placed before 9:30 am each day.

Thank you

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 Linda or Susie 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 4

Week 6

Wed 15.11.23 - Michelle Cherniayeff

Thur 16.11.23 - Maryanne Cartwright, Lyn Moseley

Fri 17.11.23 - Jenna Lorriman, Ewelina Bursa

Week 7

Wed 22.11.23 - Michelle Cherniayeff

Thur 23.11.23 -Jade Davison, Merryn Compton

Fri 24.11.23 - Jenny O'Reilly, Stefanie King

Week 8

Wed 29.11.23 - Alesha Quinn, Helen Edwards

Thur 30.11.23 - Tania Bower, Elise Fitzpatrick

Fri 1.12.23 - Sheree Williams, Emily Sault, Kylie Wilkinson

Week 9

Wed 6.12.23 - Michelle Cherniayeff, Emma Douglas/Cal

Thur 7.12.23 - Yasmin Every Burns, Andrew Edwards

Fri 8.12.23 - Sarah Morris, Cheryl Henriques

Week 10

Wed 13.12.23 - Michelle Cherniayeff, Ruth Byron

Thur 14.12.23 - Nicole Davison, Help Needed

Fri 15.12.23 - Jenna Lorriman, 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.

Small items are also available for sale over the counter on Wednesdays Thursdays and Fridays at Recess and Lunch time. If you would like your child to purchase any items, please send 50c or $1 or $2 with them on canteen days. Please check that your children are bringing legal tender to school. Children are sometimes purchasing items with coins from other countries, which we are unable to deposit to our bank. Thank you.

Children gain valuable experience and independence by purchasing at the canteen. Make sure any money sent with your child is in a purse, zip lock bag or envelope with their name on it. In case it’s accidentally dropped, the money can be returned to the owner.

Thank you

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

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

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:

School Student Broadband Initiative

Vinnies Hunter Volunteer Members

Vinnies Hunter Volunteer Members 209.29 KB

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.