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Dear Families,
We are already at the beginning of term 4, and the year seems to be flying by quickly. It has been a positive start for all classes, and already there have been some significant events in our community- the Canberra Trip, R-5 Cricket clinic and the continuing Year 6 outdoor education program. As the term progresses, there will be a number of class and year-level based celebratory activities for our children, as we bring the year to a close
Our term 4 school sports are all well underway, and I sincerely thank Mr Steven DeGiovaniello for his ongoing work in coordinating and communicating all of the sporting activities we participate in.
During the recent holiday break, we successfully introduced Vacation Care to St Joseph’s Kingswood community for the first time. As I visited regularly during the holiday break I was impressed with the quality of the program on offer, and I delighted in the enthusiasm with which the staff and children went about their days! We will be looking to continue offering vacation care into the future and are currently surveying the community to make sure the program we offer is tailored to your specific needs as much as we can. Please make sure you complete the survey before this Friday.
On Thursday 31st October, we will celebrate our Italian language program with Italian Day. Signora Prestwich has been working tirelessly to put together a day of colour, fun, and energetic activity- all with a distinctly Italian flavour! Children are encouraged to dress up in Italian styled outfits for the day, and families are warmly welcomed to attend activities in the moring.
As we move ever closer to the end of this school year, teaching staff are beginning the process of preparing student reports for the end of the year, as well as thinking about the best placement of children for 2020. Both of these exercises are undertaken with rigour and integrity. As families with an ongoing partnership will know, this information is finalised and communicated in the last week of the school year.
Families are reminded that our end of year Thanksgiving Mass is to be held in our church, on Tuesday 10th December. This is a whole of school community celebration, and all students and families are expected to attend. At this Mass, in addition to giving thanks to God for another successful year at school, we honour our graduating year 6 students, and announce both our student award winners and our student leadership team for 2020. Please make sure this important date is in your diary.
I would also remind families that our end of year “Christmas on the Green” and carols evening is to be held on Friday 6th December from 5.30pm for a prompt 6pm start. All students are involved in this performance, and as such must attend. It is always a great opportunity to catch up with other school families and celebrate the end of another successful year.
Have a great week everyone,
God bless,
Phil
Hi everyone and welcome to Week 3!! I hope you had a great holiday period and were able to spend some enjoyable moments with your children. We didn’t go away this time as my son was rehearsing to be a part of the Wizard of Oz Arena Spectacular. Unfortunately, he came down with a fever and was ill the night before the shows so he was unable to perform. He was very sad that he missed out but is feeling better after a recent birthday!
In week one this term, I spent most of the week with the Year 6 students in Canberra. As always this was a fantastic trip and the students had a lot of fun exploring our capital city. Our students received positive feedback wherever they went. Our guide at the Mint told us that he was very happy that we supported the growth of wonderful young Australians. We stayed at the AIS and were very fortunate to be blessed with an array of wonderful food. We were also blessed with a wonderful bus driver who went above and beyond to support our tour. He took us to places that weren’t on the itinerary, including a number of great playgrounds where we had a small break, went back to another facility to get a lost jacket while we were at another venue, and took us to the movies after hours, to name just a few of the things that made our trip even better than intended!
I enjoyed watching the students gain a real sense of independence as they had to think, plan, and budget for themselves. These are great life skills that they will take with them on their journeys into high school. The Year 6s were also very supportive of each other and enjoyed deepening their engagement and friendships with each other.
This term our Eco Warriors will start the initiative ‘When in doubt, throw it out!’. This is because our Yellow recycling bin is quite often being filled with the wrong waste. This leads to contamination and recycling trucks then need to dump their loads into landfill rather than the recycling depot. It is really important that children know how to get rid of their waste and recycle if they can. If they’re not sure though, it’s actually better to put it in the general waste bin.
Our Year 4/5 class and our Eco Warriors are also working on developing no waste days for the remainder of the term. We had a Zero Waste Day earlier in the year which was a great success. We are going to ask families to support us in doing this on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s each week. We are hoping that children and parents can work together to think of ways to develop less waste from their lunch boxes. Children are very aware that they can make a huge difference just by limiting waste and putting things in the right bins.
In Week 7 this term we will hold our St Joseph’s Got Talent competition. Auditions will be in Week 6 during recess and lunch and we will have an audience come along and watch the children perform. Students have a few weeks now to prepare and get their acts ready. I have had many discussions and requests already and I know this is an occasion the students really enjoy. I am looking forward to seeing what they come up with.
In Week 4 this term students from Year 3 and above will start the Sacramental program with Reconciliation. Last week at mass these students were presented to the community with prayers and well wishes. We will hold workshops in Week 4 this term for students and their families to attend. If your child is in Year 3, 4 or 5, it’s not too late to join the program if you wish. If you are interested please let me know asap and I will support and/or direct you to where you need to go and what’s involved.
Take care,
Jamie
Instrumental Evening
Please note the change of date for our Instrumental Evening. We will now be hosting the night on Monday 2nd December. More details to follow shortly.
Catholic Schools Music Festival
DVDs of the Catholic Schools Music Festival performance are available
Click this link to order.
Parent Education Evening with Dr Anita Collins: Bigger Better Brains
Anita is best known for her role as on-screen expert and campaign lead for the Don’t Stop the Music documentary that aired on the ABC in late 2018.
Neuroscience and psychology researchers have done extensive studies over the last 20 years to understand how the brain processes music and why music learning seems to be such a cognitively unique activity. Musically trained children have better language and communication skills, can focus for longer and are more likely to stick with difficult problems until they solve them, they are able to control their own emotional responses and understand emotional responses of others and they have significantly better working and long-term memory systems.
These enhancements then support happier and healthy lifestyles and choices in adulthood, the capacity to both shift and advance in their professional lives and maintain their brain health into later life. The research is now starting to reveal why music learning is so effective at enhance brain function.
This is a free event, please register here: https://www.trybooking.com/BFMXE
Carols performance at Mitcham Square Shopping Centre
Students who participate in the school Band, Junior Choir and Senior Choir have the opportunity to perform carols at the Mitcham Square Shopping Centre on Thursday 14th November. The set will commence promptly at 5.30pm and will conclude by 6pm. To thank us for spreading the Christmas cheer, the Centre will provide a pizza dinner to the participating students. To assist us with planning the program, please click this link and complete the form ASAP, by Monday 4th November at the very latest.
Carols performance at City of Mitcham Carols
Choir students from St Joseph's Kingswood will be participating in the City of Mitcham Carols on Saturday 30 November. Students in years 3-6 who participate in the Junior Choir or Senior Choir will perform a 12 minute set starting at 5.57pm. Children will need to be signed in and congregate backstage for a briefing commencing promptly at 5pm. Children in the Junior Choir may depart once the set is completed (at approx. 6.15pm), with students in the Senior Choir invited to sing during the nativity scene portion of the night, later in the evening. While families will be required to arrange their own transport to/from the event, we need you to confirm whether your child is attending. Please click this link and complete the form ASAP to allow for planning.
As those who have attended before, this is a wonderful community event and regardless of whether your child participates in a school choir, we encourage you to attend!
Families are reminded that school concludes on Wednesday 11th December, with Thursday 12th and Friday 13th December being pupil free days. We will run OSHC on those days (7.30am-6pm).
If you haven't already, please take the time to provide input into the upcoming vacation care program between Term 4 2019 and Term 1 2020. The survey will close on Friday this week, with the program and bookings available during Week 6. Click here for the link.
Budding artists in years 1-5 are invited to participate in the Boothby Christmas Card drawing competition. Either download and print the form below, or pop into the Front Office to collect a copy for children to draw/colour. All forms are due to be returned by this Friday, 1st November.
