13 March 2018
Newsletter Articles
Principal’s Message
Principal Welcome, Michael Gray
Hello to all our school parents, guardians, staff, students and friends of St. Joseph’s. This is Edition Four of our 2018 School Newsletter. March tells us autumn has arrived in the southwest. This season can be a beautiful time; it also heralds in our fast approaching Annual School Fair.
With this amazing event on our doorstep I especially thank the many parents and staff supporting the preparation and the day itself. It is a big project made enjoyable and fun by generous people coming together to create a brilliant safe and fun day for our community. Rosters are filling, goods are arriving and sponsorship support is again very positive. Rides are booked, the stage entertainment is filled and students are very busy creating items and activities to support the day.
Last Friday many families, both new and old came together at our welcome social gathering. It was a great opportunity for parents to gather in a casual relaxed environment to chat, laugh and catch-up. A very special thanks to organisers Adrian Benson and Jenny Callaghan.
We are now well into the liturgical season of Lent. An important time in the life of our Church as we fast, share prayer and work to help others. I noted in the Senior School last week on their community notice board they posed the question; Lent, the pre-season for Easter, what are you doing? This is indeed a great challenge for us all.
A few important and special events fast approaching:
Our “Welcome to the School Year St. Joseph’s Day Mass”. Everyone is welcome to join all students and staff on Friday 16 March, starting at 10am. Father John will celebrate the Mass at St. Joseph’s Church and we will formally induct our student leaders for 2018. On this day there is no assembly but at the end of mass we will recognise teacher awards and student birthdays for the remainder of March.
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OTHER IMPORTANT REMINDERS: |
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Annual School Fair |
Sunday 25th March, 10am to 3pm |
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School Sports Day |
Wednesday 28th March |
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School Sports Day |
Thursday 29th March |
Enhancing Catholic School Identity Project (ECSI)
The ECSI Project is part of the St. Joseph’s School Improvement Framework. In support of this project this year a survey will be undertaken involving senior students, families and all staff. The intention of the survey is in helping us to understand the catholic nature of our school. With this information, and in dialogue with our parish priest, parish and school community, we can then make informed decisions about what future we want for our school catholic community here at St. Joseph’s.
An essential element of this improvement is understanding how students and parents perceive the Catholic identity of our school, and what they might like Catholic identity at St. Joseph’s to look like in the years ahead. Students have an important voice in our planning and so we have students in the Senior School years who will participate in the survey. These surveys will assist us in better understanding how our Catholic identity is expressed. The survey results will contribute to a reliable picture of our school’s Catholic identity, which we will use to inform our School Improvement Plan for the next four years.
Each student will be asked to complete an online survey, access to which is only available through individual user codes and passwords. At no time will students be named or identified in the survey. This process is similar for parents where randomly selected family surnames, as well as our School Advisory Council members, will complete an anonymous survey. This information will inform our future discussions and then school direction priorities. I thank Mr Jim Guinan (Deputy Principal) for co-ordinating the program and in anticipation of your support thank you for completing a survey. Any questions or observations can be sent to my direct email principal@sjwarrnambool.catholic.edu.au
Regards,
Michael Gray, Principal.
Assembly
Several classrooms have already taken their turn to run assembly on a Friday afternoon. Rooms B4, E1, D5 and B1 have all done a great job in informing our school on what is happening in their classroom, presenting certificates and incorporating reports and messages from Mr Gray. Due to attendance at Mass, school Fair preparations and Good Friday there will not be any Friday afternoon assemblies for the remainder of term.
This Friday 16 March there will be no assembly as there is a whole school Mass at St Joseph’s Church at 10 am. At the conclusion of Mass there will be a short assembly at the church where Teacher Awards and Birthday Certificates for the remainder of March Birthdays will be presented.
Teacher Awards
Week 5
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Room |
Name |
Reason |
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C1 |
Billy Main |
Being a good helper. |
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C2 |
Mason McArthur |
Being friendly and helping people on the buddy bench. |
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C3 |
Vivienne Smedts |
Great work in C3. |
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B1 |
Eamon Cottee |
For being a helpful and considerate class member. |
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B2 |
Fletcher Monaghan |
For considering others when speaking and listening. |
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B3 |
Leilani Baulch |
For excellent writing! |
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B4 |
Jayden |
For settling in well to his new class. |
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B5 |
Angus Down |
For great improvement in concentration. |
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B6 |
Pippa Main |
Great work in Maths groups - working really well! |
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B7 |
Frankie Wolff |
Being so kind and thoughtful to others. |
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D1 |
Dilni Jothiratnage |
For the diligence she has shown in writing a well sequenced and interesting narrative. |
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D2 |
Hannah McMeel |
For informing D2 what an ellipse is, well done. |
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D3 |
Leah English |
For being an organised and helpful classmate. |
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D4 |
Taj Riddle |
For terrific team work by including others. |
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D5 |
Andrew, Sharon and Nigel |
For cleaning up our school. |
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D6 |
Kayla |
For settling in well in D6 and St Joseph’s. |
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D7 |
Hannah O’Keefe |
For working hard in maths and always trying her best! |
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E1 |
Amelia McLeod |
For the wonderful way she has settled into her new school and classroom. |
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E2 |
Brodie Morrison |
Great Beach Safety skills. |
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E3 |
Jack Maher |
The effort applied to homework. |
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E4 |
Erica Johnstone |
For her beautiful manners and reinforcement of a growth mindset. |
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E5 |
Zac Griffin |
Winner of the E5 place value game. |
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E5 |
Amon Radley |
Going above and beyond with extra homework. |
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E6 |
Hugh Attrill |
Creating a strong and imaginative narrative. |
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E7 |
Sebastian Sony-Thazhath |
Excellent descriptive writing and a high standard of work in all areas. |
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Japanese |
Ava McKenzie |
Great concentration in class. |
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Japanese |
Hayden McGovern |
Helping Deguchi Sensei. |
Week 6
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Room |
Name |
Reason |
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C1 |
Ned Van Rooy |
Wonderful helper in C1. |
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C2 |
Sibella Evans |
Working hard in C2! |
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C3 |
Jasper Shultz |
Great work in C3. |
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B1 |
The Whole Class |
For an “Out of this World” assembly! |
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B2 |
Harry Gill |
Listening for sounds in words when reading and writing. |
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B3 |
Patrick Bowman |
For great work in maths. |
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B4 |
Toby Parsons |
For his fantastic work in maths. |
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B5 |
Bellalie Martin |
For excellent listening skills and effort during Maths. |
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B6 |
Zarah Timpson |
Settling in to her new school and working well! |
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B7 |
Charlotte Smedts |
For working very well in class. |
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D1 |
Ava Crichton |
For displaying a positive and enthusiastic approach to her learning and classroom activities. |
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D2 |
Paddy Sell |
Working to his best ability on all tasks. |
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D3 |
Henare Da Ros |
For working hard to develop his narrative writing skills. |
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D4 |
Bella McGowan |
For always having a friendly face! |
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D5 |
Caitlin Wood |
displaying great leadership during our assembly! |
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D6 |
Hannah Smith |
For being a great D6 Fair Coordinator! |
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D7 |
Logan Heffernan |
For his amazing effort on his Lexile quiz and working very hard in D7. |
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E1 |
Isaac Wilson |
For the responsible way he attends to tasks and for including others. |
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E2 |
William Hammond |
Trying his best during athletics tryout. |
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E3 |
Olivia Wolter |
Excellent effort completing homework. |
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E4 |
Lucas Porter |
His continual effort and hard work when completing tasks on his own. |
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E5 |
Henry Hoffman |
Great sizzling starts when writing. |
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E6 |
Olivia Uren |
Putting in one hundred percent effort for each learning area. |
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E7 |
Sam Niklaus |
Showing a high level of motivation and being responsible for his learning in all areas. |
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Japanese |
Taj Verhoeff |
A good acting Japanese captain. |
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Japanese |
William Callaghan |
Great Hiragana recognition. |
Gold Box Winner
Congratulations to Week 5s Gold Box winners Hannah O’Keefe for helping someone sitting on the friendship/buddy bench. Hannah and a friend got to go to the pool for a swim.
Congratulations to Week 6s Gold Box winners Chloe Vogels and Elle McDonough for helping young students find a great friend.
Annual School Fair – 11 days to go!
Sunday 25 March
Thank you to all families who have been reading the Fair News and supporting the fair by bringing in items for Fill-a-basket, classroom activities and donations of items for our various stalls.
Fair newsletters are emailed each week on a Tuesday and can easily be found in the School Fair tile on our app, SZapp.
https://sjpswarrnambool.schoolzineplus.com/form/7
Some fun from last year’s fair
Our next Fair Coordinators Meeting is set for 7:30pm on Tuesday 13 March.
Sports News
Mark Gercovich, Sports Coordinator
Foundation, Grade 1 and Grade 2 School Sports
Wednesday 28th March 2018
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Morning Session |
9:30 am – 11:00 am |
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Field events for Foundation, Grade 1 and Grade 2. |
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Recess Break |
11:00 am – 11:30 am |
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No children on Allen Oval at recess. Children to return to classrooms to eat recess 11:30 am – 11:40 am |
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Second Session |
11:40 am – 12:50 pm |
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Track Events for Foundation, Grade 1 and Grade 2. |
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Lunch |
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm |
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Children can remain on the oval for a picnic lunch with parents. Foundation students officially dismissed at 1 pm. |
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Afternoon Session |
2:00 pm – 3:25 pm |
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Class time for Grade 1 and Grade 2 students. |
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Lunch Orders |
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No Lunch orders on this day for Foundation, Grade 1 and Grade 2 students. However, Middle and Senior students can place a lunch order on this day. |
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Signing children Out |
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Before you leave, please inform your classroom teacher if you are taking your child home early on Sports Day. Parents do not need to sign out their own children but if they are collecting on behalf of another parent they must sign out that child at the office. |
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Middle and Senior School Sports
Thursday 29th March
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Morning Session |
9:30 am – 11:00 am |
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Seniors move to areas to start field events at 9:30 am Middles move to areas to start track events at 9:30 am |
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Recess Break |
11:00 am – 11:30 am |
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No children on Allen Oval at recess. Children to return to classrooms to eat recess 11:30 am – 11:35 am |
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Middle Session |
11:35 am – 1:00 pm |
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Seniors start track events at 11:35 am Middles move to areas to start field events at 11:40 am |
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Lunch |
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm |
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Children can remain on the oval for a picnic lunch with parents. |
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Afternoon Session |
2:00 pm – 2:30 pm |
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Short Assembly in the Hall for presentations at 2:00 pm. School concludes at 2:30 pm as this is the last day of term. |
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Lunch Orders |
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No Lunch orders on this day for Middle and Senior school students. However, Foundation, Grade 1 and Grade 2 can place a lunch order on this day. |
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Signing children Out |
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Before you leave, please inform your classroom teacher if you are taking your child home early on Sports Day. Parents do not need to sign out their own children but if they are collecting on behalf of another parent they must sign out that child at the office. |
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Swimming
2018 School Swimming Team
The biggest swimming team to represent St Joseph’s Primary School took part in the recent Swimming Championships at Aquazone. Having a team of 30 swimmers meant we had the maximum of number of swimmers in every event, other than Butterfly.
Despite having to meet tough qualifying times, most of the students lowered their Personal Best times. Tess Worrall, Massimo Da Ros, Fionn Ginley and Hamish Alexander all achieved top 3 places. The 11 and 12 year old, boys and girls relay teams have also progressed to Ballarat. This was testament to the great support shown for each other by everyone on the day.
U11 Boys Freestyle Relay Team
District School Bowls Report
2018 School Lawn Bowls Team
This report from Jeffrey Collins and Zechariah Griffin was presented at Assembly last week.
Hi, I’m Jeff and I’m Zac and we are part of the lawn bowls team that competed at the Warrnambool Bowls Club yesterday in the district competition.
We left at 9:30 am, as the games started at 10:00 am. In our first game we played Our Lady Help of Christians white. We weren’t quite settled so we lost 4 points to 8. Soon after, we came back and won against their other team 9 points to 6.
Our third game was against Warrnambool East. We had settled in a rhythm and won easily 8 points to 6.
Then we had a little lunch break. All the team’s points were added up and we were coming 4th to East 1 and both Our Lady’s teams.
Our fourth and final game was against East’s other side. We had another easy win scoring 8 points to their 6 which meant we finished third for the day.
We all had a fantastic day and would like to thank Mr Guinan for coaching us and all the parents that supported us on the day. Could all the lawn bowlers stand up. Please give all these people a clap. Thanks for listening.
Tennis
2018 School Tennis Team
Last week the St Joseph's tennis team took part in the SSV district tennis tournament. For the fifth year in a row, the team was victorious in winning the team's shield. Tom Gedye won the boys championship medal, while Tess Worrall won the girls championship medal. Well done to all those involved.
Reconciliation
Celebration of Sacrament
Thursday 15th March (5:30pm)
St Joseph’s Parish
A significant part of the preparation for the Sacrament of Reconciliation is reflecting on how we can make good choices that will have a positive effect on ourselves, on others and on our environment.
We can pray to the Holy Spirit to help us make good choices-
Come Holy Spirit
Strengthen in us the Spirit of Right Judgement,
So that we may choose wisely throughout our lives.
Strengthen in us the Spirit of Courage,
So that we may be able to follow the Way of Jesus,
Even when that may mean having to stand alone.
Fill us with your love, guide us in your ways.
Amen
Uniforms – new and 2nd hand
Lowes are having a “20% off schoolwear and everything else” sale, instore and online, on Thursday 15 March.
Twice a year our PSA hold a 2nd Hand Uniform sale. Parents are encouraged to drop uniform items for sale into the school prior to the day. The sale is generally held on a Friday afternoon around assembly time. More details to follow.
Canteen News
The new canteen shift arrangements are working well. Thanks to Tanya Hughes our Canteen Coordinator for the work she has done with the change of times, work duties and training of our new volunteers.
PSA News
A small group of parents gathered at the Cally Hotel for the Parent Social Evening last week. This is always a popular way for parents to get together outside the school environment to meet new people and catch up with each other.
Generally, the PSA meets twice per term. In Term 1 there is only 1 meeting due to the School Fair. The next PSA meeting is set for Tuesday 24th April at 7:30 pm (one week earlier than usual due to May Race Week).
Coles Sports for Schools
Thank you to families who have been bringing in the vouchers for the Coles Sports for Schools promotion. There are collection boxes in the foyer at school, in the senior school building and at the Coles Centro in Mortlake Road. Encourage your extended family to collect vouchers for our school.
Community Notice Board
Our Community Notices are flyers that are sent in by various community and sporting groups for inclusion in our newsletter.