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Dear families and friends,
On Thursday the 2nd September, we had the most wonderful celebration to bless and open the new administration building, classrooms and library. There were many significant guests who we appreciated being with us to share the occasion. Archbishop Patrick O’Reagan, Honourable John Gardner MP, Minister for Education, Professor Denis Ralph, Chair of SA Commission for Catholic Schools, Dr Neil McGoran, Director of Catholic Education SA and a number of Catholic Education representatives, Mr Sam Duluk MP, state member for Waite. It was wonderful to have Sister Brigette Sipa, Provincial of Josephite Sisters as well as sisters, Liz Morris and Majella O’Sullivan, both with past connections to our school as well as Fr Bob Wilkinson, past parish priest.
The project totalled 2.2 million. We are very grateful to the State Government for the Capital Grant of $303,937 to help bring the project to fruition. We are grateful to the Catholic Development Fund for the loan and the contribution of families over the years who contributed to fund held by the school. The money was well spent, bringing together the old and new spaces to create a place where children can be inspired, imagine and flourish.
It was great to have so many past principals attend Monica Conway, Justin Cavuoto, Mark Corrigan, Amanda Humenick and Phil Shultz attend. Congratulations and acknowledgement was offered to Phil and the previous School Board, for their vision and passion to support St Joseph’s School to continue to be a place where children can thrive through wonderful infrastructure.
The senior students lead the way in the ceremony, showing wonderful leadership as they welcomed special guests, read and supported our guests. Special thanks to our beautiful choir, who provided flair to the opening ceremony.
A lot of work went into preparing for the opening by many of the staff. I would like to particularly make mention and thank Christine Farrugia, Anne-Maria Stanton and Anna Principe for their commitment to detail to make the event so memorable.
It would have been perfect to have shared this with more of the community. Hopefully you have had the opportunity to see the spaces and were able to view the blessing online. Importantly the children will reap the rewards!
Last Thursday, it was great to see so many parents attend the Positive Discipline Information Evening by Mahdavi Nawana Parker, from Positive Minds Australia. The session was entertaining, informative but most of all I think reminded all that we are all doing an amazing job as parents - I was very pleased to hear that all will be well if we do it right 75% of the time!
As I have mentioned, I have 2 children, Jasmine 6 and Jackson 8, and I can assure you having a classroom of 30 is easier than parenting 2! So a few tips from Mahdavi that I thought I would share:
- For the first 8 years, children will respond emotionally - especially to ‘no', as they have an underdeveloped brain. Learning, playing and being brave is exhausting work for them!
- Punishments are not logical, they are still learning the skills so they will still keep doing things. Ask, how are you going to make it better? Discipline by teaching and by leading by example.
- When our children respond we need to respond calmly to their chaos - even if it means using the ‘Botox Brow’. Mahdavi suggested we practise the Botox Brow!
- Step out of the emergency lane, take time to calm then respond.
- We don’t always respond the right way, if we get it wrong, own it and repair it - I know this is something I do and they appreciate that I make mistakes.
- What matters is the relationship.
- Give attention to the ordinary moments - acknowledge the person they are not the awards they get - I love this!
- Focus on their strengths - What is it about your child that gives you joy
- Help them grow emotional intelligence: Don’t try to be the fixer, they need to experiences challenges, loss, disappointment. Let them know you care, by acknowledging the pain and being empathetic.
Finally, the best reminder for me was ‘children are childish!’, so they will act childish! It can be so infuriating when they are silly, loud, annoying, messy, etc - Hearing this reminded me why they find ‘toilet’ talk so funny and the fact they can say it a thousand times and still laugh is because they are childish!
Special thank you to the Parents and Friends for organising this event for our community. It is so important to have opportunities to develop our skills in this most important role of parenting.
Kindest regards,
Jodie Higgins
Principal
SAPSASA Soccer Carnival – 2021 –
Congratulations to the boys and girls that competed in the SAPSASA Soccer Championships last week representing the City South District. The students were selected after several weeks of trials and competed over 3 days playing 9 games in total.
Special mention to the boy’s team on finishing equal 2nd overall and only 3 points from winning the championships.
The players selected were:
Girls – Year 6 – City South
Audrey Patriarca
Evelyn Patriarca
Genevieve Harrison
Boys – Year 6 – City South
Anthony Oliva
Nathaniel Sabou
Tristan Burandi
Toby Nawana-Parker
Coach: Mr De Giovanniello
Thank you,
Mr De Giovanniello, Physical Education Teacher/Sports Coordinator
150 YEAR SCHOOL GALA
The P&F and staff invite you to join us in celebrating 150 years of St Joseph’s School, Kingswood, with a night out at the iconic Adelaide Oval. An entertaining time will be had by all while enjoying an evening of socialising, canapes, DJ and photobooth as well as a silent auction with some very exciting items up for the taking. The Gala Will be held on Friday October 29th with tickets available for $60 on Qkr! now. Ticket numbers are capped at 150, so please be quick, you don’t want to miss out on the memorable celebration!
THANK YOU
Parent Information Night
Thank you to very talented and knowledgeable Madhavi Nawana Parker from Positive Minds Australia for your inspiring talk at our parent information evening. Madhavi not only gave priceless knowledge and inspiration to St Joseph families but very generously donated her time and teachings in order for proceeds from ticket sales to be donated to charity.
Disco
Thank you to the wonderful parents who volunteered their time to help at the school disco and support staff in hosting a wonderfully fun and exciting evening for our students. The disco was a great success and so much fun was had by all.
Entertainment Book
Entertainment Book memberships can be purchased at any time of the year, and you'll always receive a full 12 months of savings! Please support St Joseph's Kingswood and order your digital membership by following the link - https://au.entdigital.net/orderbooks/161n602
We appreciate your support in helping our school raise much-needed funds.
On Monday the 11th October (Week 1, Term 4) there will be a Student Free Day. OSHC is now available to book on SZapp HERE. The students are welcome to bring in their scooters and helmets, as well as a pillow for our afternoon movie.
Bookings are now open for Vacation Care, which will run from 27 September to 8th October. Bookings close on the 24th of September so don’t forget to book early! We have some exciting programs so get in quick and book via SZapp HERE as we only have limited places for our excursions.
From next term, OSHC will start providing breakfast in Before School Care from 7.30am to 8.00am. We will be providing cereal and toast. I am sure the children will enjoy this service.
Just reminding everyone it is compulsory to have a wide-brimmed hat in ASC and Vacation Care. Baseball caps are not acceptable. If your child does not bring a hat or brings a baseball cap, we will issue them with one and the fee is $3.00. You are welcome to supply your child with a hat that we can keep in our hat bag with their name on it. We also have available 2nd hand hats to buy for $5.00 and then we will mark them with your child’s name and keep them for their use only!
Please note that if your child/ren will not be attending a regular session, even if they are sick you need to notify us by SZapp, text or email. See policies regarding the times for late bookings and late cancellations.
On another note, if you have any electronic devices that are not used or the children have outgrown, we would love for you to donate them to OSHC for our use.
Thank you,
Vicky Wilson, OSHC Director & the OSHC Team
