15 February 2019

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Message

Michael Gray, Principal

Dear Parents, Guardians, Students, Staff and our Wider School Community;

St. Joseph’s Primary School extends an invitation to all to say “Hi” to family, friends or perhaps someone new to our school”.

Two opportunities are presented to families to connect with others over the coming weeks. Firstly this Tuesday from 5:30pm Foundation families are all invited to share a meal in our Junior School grounds. Please bring an easy/casual meal for yourselves to share as a family, children can play with their friends while parents meet each other in a very relaxed environment. Senior school helpers and school leadership staff will be present to help connect children to friends and supervise activities.

Secondly, parents from all areas of the school are invited to gather socially on Friday 1st March at the Cally Hotel from 7pm. This is a casual and friendly environment for adults to meet friends, make new acquaintances or re-connect past friendships. Nibbles provided, variety of drinks at bar prices and hosted by school families and leadership staff.

St. Joseph's; Purpose, learning, faith and friendship

Each day our school exists to focus on learning, friendship and faith. With this in mind on Sunday evening at the regular 6:00pm at St. Joseph’s Church staff will be present. At this mass staff will be invited to commit to their important role as teacher, educator and mentor for our students. Families are also invited to attend this St. Joseph’s Parish Commitment Mass. At this mass Fr. John will remind us all of the importance of the role of teacher, that parents are the first and primary educator of their children and that in the partnership of family, school and parish our students can grow, commit to effort and build their capacities as a person of integrity, hope and love.

Discovering the Joys of Reading

Vital as it is that students master reading, comprehension, writing, grammar and spelling; literacy debates sometimes leave an impression that such skills are primarily chores to be learned!! Most importantly however they are the gateway to so much more of course; as printed in the Australian newspaper; quoted by the Headmaster of the Sydney Grammar School Timothy Wright, “Reading develops your imagination, emotional skills and reasoning power way beyond almost all other activities.” If I am a reader and I have chosen my reading wisely I will see through simplistic slogans, facile arguments and tinsel values. I will understand more completely the perspective of other people and I will not believe in unidimensional solutions to life’s problems and challenges. A wise person once said that we only get one life of our own, but reading gives us the opportunity to live as part of thousands of other lives.

If we accept the above, what does that mean for a primary school setting as the foundational place to support reading? It highlights the importance of reading not only to academic progress but reading introduces us to life; biography, poetry, history, mathematics, music and science to name a few. Adults have much to contribute to this development as it does not happen by chance. Both reading too, and listening to our children read supports “the mechanics of reading” and opens us to intellectual power and growing an appetite to learn. At St. Joseph’s we have access to an amazing school library and in Warrnambool our local library also gives us all access to wonderful children’s books, both fiction and non-fiction; I encourage all to “drop everything and read.” to not only support learning but to be a learner.

Regards,
Michael Gray, Principal.

Annual School Fair

10:00 am – 3:00 pm, Sunday 24 March

Teacher Awards

Week 2

Week 3

Senior Reconciliation

Senior Reconciliation is a Sacramental Program for Grade 6 students who have completed their Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist Sacraments.

Please complete the online registration form and make $20 payment through CDFpay (our online ordering system) which can be accessed via the SZapp or our website.

A kit containing the materials and information to prepare your child for the Celebration of Reconciliation will be available to collect at the Parent Information Meeting.

Key Dates

St. Joseph’s Sports Report

Andrew McCombe, Physical Education and Sport Co-ordinator

Tennis

Tennis practice will continue this week in preparation for the upcoming tournament. Practice will be conducted during lunchtime on Monday and Thursday. Meet outside E4 at the beginning of lunch. The team will be selected next Friday.

Swimming

Well done to all our students who competed in our swimming trials to see who will make it through to the next stage of competition. The team is being finalised and will be announced this coming Friday, the 22nd February.

Lawn Bowls

Congratulations to the following students who made it through to the division bowls tournament coming up on Monday 25th February.

Names: Jack Dunphy, Caleb Vesey, Sam Smith, Marco Mentha, Zoe Graham, Archie Everall, Nick Russell, Sam Niklaus, Oliver Kenna, Imahni Gainey, Will Callaghan, Max Collins, Nick Main, Will Main, Safiyyah Gainey.

We wish them all the best on the day. Good luck team!

Athletics

800m trials will be held during recess and lunchtime on Tuesday 19th February. You do not need to sign up, just head to the Allen Oval Tuesday at the following times:

1500m trials will be held during lunchtime on Wednesday 20th February. Meet on the Allen Oval Wednesday at the following times:

Children must remember to bring running shoes and sports clothes for these trials. Normal school uniform to be worn outside of these trials.

This year, the Athletics Sports will again be held over two separate dates. The Senior School Athletics Carnival will be held on Thursday 7th March and the Junior School Athletics Sports will be held on Thursday 4th April, 2019.

Regards,
Andrew McCombe, Physical Education and Sport Co-ordinator

Foundation Welcome Evening

5:30 pm – 7:00 pm, Tuesday 19th February, 2019

PSA News

Thank you to all that attended our first meeting last Tuesday. A variety of agenda items were covered including:

• Principals Report
• Finance Report
• Welcome to the new staff representative: Joel Saywell
• Annual School Fair
• School sports and school sporting representation
• Hot Cross Bun Drive - booked through Browns Bakery
• Arts Week request for funds
• Parent Social Evening – Friday 1st March, 2019
• Resilience Conference – Saturday 2nd March, 2019
• Community Conversations - Tuesday 5 March, 2019
• Vision Portraits - booked for early Term 4.

Parent Social Evening - 7:00 pm, Friday 1st March, 2019

An invitation is extended to all parents and guardians to attend a gathering at the start of the new school year. It provides a great opportunity to meet new families and catch up and re kindle friendships.

Purchase drinks at bar prices, light finger food provided.

Venue: The Cally Hotel (Front Bar) Fairy Street Warrnambool.

Community Notice Board

Emmanuel College

Resilient Kids Conference

Fair Sponsor