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We have reached the half way point of term two already! Our students are working hard and getting used to the colder, wetter weather!
Over the past 2 weeks, students in years 3 and 5 have been engaging with NAPLAN. The testing period finished on Friday 24th May, and the wait for results now begins! With this year’s test being administered online, we hope to have our results sooner. I am extremely proud of the confident way our young people undertook the tests, and I sincerely thank their teachers and families for supporting them through the test window. There has been significant commentary around the difficulties faced with the new online system, however at St. Joseph’s Kingswood we experienced minimal disruptions throughout the two week window, and I am confident each child had the opportunity to give their best.
Last week I contacted many of our Volunteers to express my thanks for their ongoing contribution to our school community, as part of National Volunteers Week. At St. Joseph’s Kingswood we are blessed with wonderful community support and engagement. Research clearly shows that when parents are actively engaged in the life of their children’s school, the children’s learning is enhanced. My sincere thanks to all families for everything we do in partnership to bring about a positive learning experience for your children.
We were fortunate to host Dr Neil McGoran, Director of Catholic Education SA. School Captains, Sam de Sousa and Sophia Edwards, along with Ambassadors Alannah Harriss and Edward Welch proudly represented St Joseph's Kingswood, taking Neil for a tour of the school, with time spent in each of the classrooms observing the maginificent lesson time our staff and students engage in. After the tour, Neil joined our staff for lunch before meeting with the school's Leadership Team. I am delighted with the success of the visit and feedback received.
Friday 7th June is a Pupil Free Day. The teaching and support staff will all be engaged in a day of professional learning which is designed to enhance our skills and understandings around Restorative Practice in the development of personal responsibility of our children. This day fits within our broader protocols around behaviour management, as well as underpinning all of the tenets of the Catholic Faith.
I acknowledge and understand- from current personal experience- that pupil free days can be disruptive to family life, and I appreciate and value your ongoing understanding of our need to provide teachers and support staff with opportunities for professional learning. A reminder to all families that our OSHC service is available on this day, and that they are going on an excursion to Mitcham to the Movies! Please consider booking as soon as you can. There will be 2 further Pupil Free Days in term 3, on July 22 and August 12. OSHC will be available on both days.
Last week was the celebration of Reconciliation Week in Australia. The theme this year is: Grounded in Truth- walk together with courage.“
Reconciliation is ultimately about relationships and like all effective relationships the one between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians must be grounded in truth. There can be no trust without an honest, open conversation about our history. During the week, children engaged with their classes in conversation and action around Reconciliation Week.
Have a great week everyone,
God bless,
Phil
Hi all, I hope you are well as we tip past the halfway point of Term 2. We have a school tour on Thursday at 9.30am. I encourage you to let anyone who might be thinking about options for their children’s schooling know. We would love the opportunity to meet new families and let them hear about all of the wonderful things we do at St Joseph’s Kingswood. Please also like and share our Facebook posts if you can.
Tomorrow (4th June), St Joseph’s Kingswood is holding Zero Waste June 4 One Day initiative. This is to coincide with World Environment Day the following day. We are encouraging families to pack a plastic and wrapper free lunch box for one day. We are hoping that families could think differently about what they place in student lunch boxes and maybe even make something at home that contributes zero waste. You could make your own scrolls, or muesli bars or something similar. There are plenty of other great ideas- click this link for some examples or Google/Pinterest "Zero waste school lunches" for some inspiration.
Speaking of Google, I have recently switched to a new search engine called Ecosia. Ecosia works just like Google, except it donates 80% of profits that it gains from the people who advertise on there, into planting trees. I made the switch a couple of weeks ago and I haven’t noticed any real differences. I use a Mac and when initially Googled ‘Ecosia’ it asked me if I wanted to add it as an attachment to Safari. If more people use the search engine more advertisers will want to post their adds and Ecosia can plant more trees. This is a great way to help the environment without doing anything different.
Take care,
Jamie
As a part of Reconciliation Week, classes across the school came together to recognise the traditional landowners of Australia. We explored the stories of our great land and discussed the need for us to walk together as one people and have honest conversations about our past, present and future. The Year 6 class worked on a ‘Sorry Sun’ that represents the start of a new area of acknowledgment and respect for the Indigenous Australians. They then worked with their Buddy class, Reception Whitters to create one for their room and share conversations about how important Reconciliation Week is. Buddy activities provide older students time to practise leadership qualities while the Reception cohort enjoy time with the "big kids", who have become additional friends in the school yard - with many children reluctantly high fiving as they leave the classroom, it is visibily time well spent fostering healthy social skills and relationships.
Reminder that you are welcome to advise the school of absences, late arrivals and early collections by using the Absentee/Late Arrivals/Early Collections button on SZapp.
Please do note that any absence longer than three days needs a doctor's certificate for illness or a request in writing. This is not only for our record keeping purposes, but we are also audited on it and can be required to produce evidence in writing of extended absences of students.
The stockpile of goods is continuing to grow, thank you to everyone who has donated goods to the Vinnies Winter Appeal. Collection of goods is booked for Friday 7th June, as this is a pupil free day, the final day for drop off is this Thursday. So please check your pantry, pop an extra couple of things in your trolley and bring into the Front Office supplies to help those less fortunate, particularly during the colder months. Thank you.
On Thursday 30th May, the staff of St Joseph's Kingswood gathered together in aid of Australia's Biggest Morning Tea - and it truly was quite possibly the biggest morning tea going on in Australia. We are proud to donate $820 to help find a cure for cancer. Thank you to Anna Principe, Eva Wakim and Katina Dahdah for all of your work coordinating and feeding us.
Woolworths Earn & Learn is on again. From now until 25th June, collect your stickers (one for every $10 spent online or in store) and pop them either into a St Joseph's Kingswood box at Woolworths Mitcham or bring them into school. You can either collect a sticker sheet from the Front Office or put your stickers straight into the collection box. Every bit helps get us closer to purchasing new equipment for the school, so please get involved!
