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There has been great excitement over the past week, as our children have had the opportunity to use the new nature play spaces for the first time. Both areas have been a hive of activity and the children are getting used to new ways to play, and learning new rules of engagement. For now, the R-2 students use the play areas at recess, and the 3-6 children use them at lunch time, as per our current play roster. Over time, this will probably be adjusted, however for now, it is working well. While I know that many children want to stay around after school and use the equipment and play, because we don’t have a teacher on duty in these areas at this time, I ask that the areas not be played on, because if there is an injury to an unsupervised child, the school has liability.
I want to offer my sincere thanks to Peter Semple-Landscape Architect and to Simon Reid and the crew at Dirtworks. Both organisations gave excellent service and have delivered a very high quality product.
I’m sure all families have been keenly watching our major building project unfolding. I want to thank everyone for their patience and goodwill as we manage this project, which will deliver excellent new facilities in time for the beginning of the 2021 school year. Our builders, Cook Building, have done an excellent job so far, and continue to have the project on track for a December completion.
Last Friday night’s disco was once again a brilliant school community event, and the children had a blast! Many thanks to Belinda Fox, Makella Holden, Laura Woodhouse, Bec Richards and all of the volunteers for their organisation and management of the event, which raised over $1000 for ongoing school projects. COVID has meant that school events this year have been rare, and it was just nice to be able to host an event again!
Last week, Steph Insanally, Michelle Page and Mary Rose Coghlan led our children in the filming of “Disney on Cambridge”, our biennial concert, which has been the culmination of months of hard work by all. While we won’t be able to present the concert to a live audience, this filmed version will be the next best thing and we look forward to sharing it with you once it has been edited. Our teachers and children were wonderfully supported by Matt Richards and Bianca Bedson who oversaw the videoing and editing of the event-stay tuned for the grand opening!
On Monday of week 10, our Catholic Schools Music Festival Choir will record their performance of this year’s event. This is usually a highlight of the Catholic education calendar, and while it wont quite be the same this year, the festival committee, as well as all or the choir trainers and children and young people, have lived the mantra of “the show must go on!” and we very m,uch look forward to viewing the end result. My thanks, again, to Steph Insanally for her excellent conducting of our choir.
The St Joseph’s School, Kingswood Sports Day will go ahead this year, on the last day of this term. We have a new venue this year- Waite playing fields on the corner of Fullarton Rd and Claremont Ave, Urrbrae. As this is an outdoor event, we are pleased to be able to welcome spectators, however we much abide by strict COVIOD protocols, so I ask all who are intending to come, to ‘buy’ a ticket on QKR! and to enter via the main gate on Claremont Ave, where will be taking names for contact tracing purposes.
There continues to be a lot of activity at our wonderful little school. The SACPSSA Touch Football carnival was held 2 weeks ago, and 76 children represented our school with energy and distinction…and had a great time in the process! Last Thursday and Friday, our year 4 cohort had their first camp experience – a ‘Zoo Snooze’ at the Adelaide Zoo-and by all reports it was a highlight of their year! My thanks to Graham Connor and Elizabeth Bello for leading the camp. Two weeks ago, the year 3’s visited Victor Harbor as part of their ‘Big Day Out.’ The year 5s and 6s are getting ready for their camps early in term 4.
I hope that all families were able to read the letter I circulated via SZapp last week, regarding a commitment from Catholic Education SA to provide fee reductions in all Diocesan primary Schools from 2021. Our school board will be meeting this week to finalise our fee structure for 2021 and I look forward to announcing it to the community before the end of term 3.
A reminder to all families that we are beginning the process of placing children into classes for 2021, and finalising our staffing profile. Please consider providing feedback to this process, via the SZapp form. A reminder as well, that the period of time to confirm enrolment for 2021 has now past and we are working on the assumption that unless we have been notified otherwise, we are looking forward to welcoming all existing families back to school in 2021!
As we head into term 4, students will revert to their summer uniforms. For the remainder of this term, though, I remind you of the importance of your child wearing full and correct winter uniform until the end of this term.
Have a great week everyone,
God Bless,
Phil
Hi everyone, I hope you are well as we near the end of Term 3. It seems like the weather is turning which is nice, hopefully we have some great weather during our up and coming holidays.
It’s fantastic that our new playground is finished and ready for our students to enjoy. After months of discussions and planning it has been fantastic to see this project come to fruition. Thank you to everyone involved in this process and I am sure that the students of St Joseph’s Kingswood will enjoy this playground for many years to come.
Last week I travelled with the Year 6 students to Belair National Park on the train as part of their Tenison Outdoor Education Program (TOEP). On this day the students we grouped in teams and played ‘Survivor’-like challenges. They were then led through a process of learning about real survival skills. This included using rope and some tarp to build a structure that they could use in the event of being outside overnight.
Last week I also went to the Adelaide Parklands near the city and coached the Year 3 girls Touch Footy Team. The girls showed a great attitude and developed their skills a little further each game. All of the students in my team and all the other teams showed a superb spirit for the game and were gracious in defeat and humble in victory. It was great to be a part of the day and I was proud of the way they behaved. Well done everyone.
Lastly, we recently filmed our school concert. I saw a bit of the filming which looked outstanding and I am, as I am sure you are, looking forward to seeing the final product. A big thank you to all the parents who dressed their children so well, they all looked great.
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday period and I look forward to seeing you all next term.
Take care,
Jamie
I have just been in the Year 6 classroom where I spent time with the students doing a liturgy that focused on the greatest commandment of all: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind," and; "You shall love your neighbour as yourself. LOVE. COVID-19 has definitely highlighted how much we treasure our connections with others and how important it is to nurture those we love in our lives. And how beautiful would our world be if everyone prioritized LOVE over everything else- just like this commandment teaches us?!
Each year the whole world celebrates the hope for a better world through the International Day of Peace which is observed around the world on 21st September. The UN General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire.
In March, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on all warring parties to lay down their weapons and focus on the battle against this unprecedented global pandemic. While the message is intended for armed parties, solidarity and cooperation across borders, sectors and generations are also needed to win this new fight against the worst public health crisis of our time.
For the United Nations, 2020 was already meant to be a year of listening and learning. To mark its 75th anniversary, the UN has invited millions of people worldwide to join UN75, the largest and furthest-reaching global conversation on building the peaceful and prosperous future that we want.
As we struggle to defeat COVID-19, your voice is more important than ever. In these difficult times of physical distancing, this International Day of Peace will be dedicated to fostering dialogue and collecting ideas. The world will be invited to unite and share thoughts on how to weather this storm, heal our planet and change it for the better. Even though we may not be able to stand next to each other, we can still dream together.
The 2020 theme for the International Day of Peace is “Shaping Peace Together.” Celebrate the day by spreading compassion, kindness and hope in the face of the pandemic. Stand together with the UN against attempts to use the virus to promote discrimination or hatred. Join us so that we can shape peace together.
(adapted from https://www.un.org/en/observances/international-day-peace)
And now, I would like you to join me in prayer: St Francis Prayer for Peace.
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O, Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.
AMEN
SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM
All those interested in starting the sacramental program in 2021, please click here to go to the application form. Alternatively, application forms are available from the Admin area at our school.
All those in the current sacramental program, please see the email from Sr Jasmine sent on Friday 28th August 2020.
Many blessings
Christine Farrugia
APRIM St Joseph’s School | Kingswood
The highly anticipated ‘Big Day Out’ proved to be a success with our Year 3 students exploring the magnificent Victor Harbour. They experienced the splendour of God’s creation in all its splendour whilst taking in the spectacular surroundings. All of us will have taken positive memories and insights from this journey and will stay fresh in our minds. This fun excursion enabled our Year 3 students from both 3PM and 3/4C classes to interact and form stronger connections and friendships. At each location we had the opportunity to explore the attractions and majestic beauty of Victor Harbour, The Bluff, The Victor Harbour Heritage Trail/Heysen Trail, Victor Harbour’s new Nature Playground, fun and creative sand sculpturing and finalising the day with a shared pizza meal on Victor’s iconic parklands. These views were breathtaking and gave opportunity for us to be grateful as well as remember the simple things such as our senses and the ability for our legs to walk through life as well as face challenges. For our students, ‘The Big Day Out’ was born out of this initiative; to develop a great sense of gratitude in our lives. On the day our students were faced with opportunities to draw upon their inner resources to become more resilient. A great day was had by all and many positive comments made by our parent volunteers whom we would like to thank very much.
Don't forget to book in for vacation care - we are off to the movies and have some fun incursions planned. Click here to see the program and here to book.
Thank you to all the coaches, supporters, scorers and players who participated in our weekend/after school Winter sports program.
Please make sure you return your laundered netball dress/soccer guernseys to the Front Office by the end of the term in a named bag so that we can note down that your child's uniform has been returned and remove the $50 charge on your school account.
Summer sports will commence in Term 4. It is the expectation of all children who signed up to a Summer Sport in Term 1 will continue this in Term 4. Please Seesaw or email Mr D ASAP if your circumstances have changed.
Keep an eye out on SZapp for further info re: Sports Day (held on Friday 25th Sept at Waite Oval). Please make sure you "purchase" your tickets for all parents/caregivers/siblings coming along on the day via Qkr!
We Pumped It Up, YMCA'd, danced like Trolls and bopped along to Mr Schultz's favourite, Baby Shark! So much fun, dancing and pure joy jammed into one hour (three times over). Thanks to everyone for purchasing tickets for your children and bringing them along to have a fun night, and support the fundraising efforts of our P&F. Thank you to all the parent volunteers, without which we wouldn't have been able to host the night for the kids.
Keep an eye out for our Wine and Kytons fundraisers in Term 4!!
The Entertainment Book fundraiser is back at St Joseph's School, Kingswood.
To purchase a digital membership, and ensure the percentage of fundraising goes to our school, please click this link.