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Dear families and friends,
We celebrated the feast of St Mary of the Cross (MacKillop). It was a wonderful Mass for us to remember the work of Mary MacKillop and the impact she continues to have today on our community. We were blessed to have Sr Liz Morris join us and provide a reflection. Sr Liz is a Josephite Sister who lived in the old convent (where my office and the staff room are today) and lives in our parish again. She shared with us that Mary MacKillop wrote to the head of the school when she visited Mitcham many years ago. Sr Liz wrote a letter to me from ‘Mary MacKillop’ and shared it with us. Some quotes included:
“Little did either of us then dream of what was to spring from such a small beginning”
“In all things love”
St Mary MacKillop
In all things love are words used by Mary Mackillop, at our school we have ‘In all things Charity’ on our logo – being charitable is love. Sr Liz, through the letter, reminded us on the importance of kindness, and to pray for peace. In the entrance children brought forward a new image of Mary MacKillop and a commemorative Mary MacKillop Bottlebrush to be planted on site.
Parent sessions - Class structures and sizes
Thank you to all the parents who joined Emma and I at one of the Class structures and sizes information sessions in Week 2. We were pleased to share information and engage in conversation about these topics. For those who attended, please keep an eye in your inbox as we are sending out an anonymous survey to capture feedback from the event.
For those who were unable to attend, I have provided a few dot points, noting some of information is difficult to convey without all the detail that was provided on the night.
- Class structures can change from year-to-year, taking into account many different factors including:
- gender
- social and emotional needs and networks
- learning needs
- behaviour
- Class structures depend on the number of students, not the number of classes (noting that the number of students in each year level varies, so the structures can vary too)
- Likewise, funding for the school is based on the number of students, not the number of classes. Due particularly to the area in which our school is located, our government funding is negatively impacted to that of which if we were positioned in a less-affluent postcode.
- Children at St Joseph’s, Kingswood benefit from a varied and rich program of opportunities included in your school fees. Some of these opportunities are:
- SACPSSA Netball, Swimming, Touch Football, Cross Country, Athletics Carnivals
- SAPSASA Competitions
- Junior Choir, Senior Choir, Band, Orchestra, Percussion Ensemble
- Year 3 Strings Program
- Camps from Year 4
- Excursions from Reception through to year 6
- Coding
- Tenison Outdoor Education Program (First Aid training, orienteering, rock climbing etc.)
- Footsteps Dance program
- Debating, STEM Club, Book Club
- The Australian Curriculum works in Bands - Early Years R-2, Years 3-4 and Years 5-6. We have adhered to these for class structures this year, and will continue this where possible, including providing straight classes in some levels where it works.
- Having streamlined the class structures this year, the teachers for each cohort have been able to work together harmoniously, ensuring better uniformity of teaching and learning across the classes for the students.
- We put significant Teacher training and resources into delivering the Visible Learning strategy. Data shows this to have a significantly positive impact on your child’s learning – far greater than that of single class structures without Visible Learning.
- Our NAPLAN results are “above” and mostly “well above” the national average in all domains for years 3 and 5 – which should further allay concerns regarding our class structures.
To allow us to make the best informed decision about the class structures for next year, the most helpful thing you can do (if not already) is to complete the form confirming your children are returning next year – or if you have any queries, making a time to come in for a chat with me.
At the session there were some questions relating to how we teach STEM at St Joe’s, Kingswood. Please see Emma’s article below.
I look forward to hosting ‘Principal Coffee Chat’ for parents and carers on topics of your choice. My first session will be coming up soon, keep an eye on SZapp for details. If you have a topic suggestion let me know!
In all things Charity,
Jodie Higgins
Hello families,
Thank you to everyone who came along to the information sessions last week. Continuing from some of the conversation and queries, I have brought together the below information regarding STEM and how we teach it at St Joseph's, Kingswood
- Emma
STEM
Since starting here at St Joseph’s, Kingswood I have had a lot of conversations with people regarding STEM. I really enjoy these chats because before I took the position of Deputy Principal here, I was CESA’s Educational Advisor for Technology with a significant focus on STEM. Part of my role was to support schools with their implementation of STEM and supporting teachers to develop rich STEM tasks.
What is STEM?
STEM is an approach to teaching and learning that integrates the curriculum areas, Science, Technologies, Engineering and Mathematics. This curriculum knowledge combined with the Design Thinking process allows children to solve real world problems. The most commonly used Design Thinking process both in schools and industry is the Stanford d.school Design Thinking Process.
It is important that STEM is not taught as a one off specialist lesson but instead a key part of the classroom learning. All teachers should be STEM teachers as this makes STEM and STEM subjects more appealing to students and leads to more students either selecting STEM-related university degrees or STEM careers.
Why is STEM so important?
The global economy is changing. Current jobs are disappearing due to automation and new jobs are emerging every day as a result of technological advances. The continual advances in technology are changing the way students learn, connect and interact every day. Skills developed by students through STEM provide them with the foundation to succeed at school and beyond.
Employer demand for STEM qualifications and skills is high, and will continue to increase in the future. Currently, 75 per cent of jobs in the fastest growing industries require workers with STEM skills. To be competitive, the Australian workforce needs people who can adapt to a changing workplace.
How do we teach it at St Joseph’s, Kingswood?
At St Joseph’s, Kingswood, our students benefit from STEM integrated in their classroom learning. We are proud to also offer further extension with projects like age-appropriate coding (whether it be via the Playgrounds app in Years 3 & 4 or programming an Arduino kit in Year 6), as well as children in Years 3-6 having the opportunity to be a part of STEM Club, meeting once a week to consider and create a STEM solution to solve climate change, homelessness or another real world question. Our Reception students are undertaking the significant project of designing the courtyard area that their classrooms open out to - including an entry into the Planet Ark's National Tree Day competition for school grants.
Our year 1 and 2 classes are soon to embark on a project about caring for the Earth's resources and will complete the process of recycling used paper to created new paper. Our teachers are passionate about equipping children with the foundations of a love of learning STEM in their primary years to benefit them well into the future.
Hello St Joseph's Families,
I am writing this article off the back of the Mary MacKillop Feast Day Mass and my heart is so full. It is such a blessing to be able to gather as a whole school and parish once again and what better occasion that this. All the students participated with enthusiasm, and I want to praise all those who had an active role: these students rose to the occasion and showed leadership and commitment in carrying their roles out with pride. Well done!
Mary of the Cross MacKillop's motto of ‘never see a need without doing something about it’ continues to inspire us today.
From an early age Mary felt drawn to give herself entirely to God in religious life. Her dream became a reality on August 15, 1867 when she made her vows as a Sister of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart in Adelaide, South Australia.
Mary’s love for Christ was so strong that she sought him out in the poor, sick and suffering. There are many examples in Mary’s life where she put aside her own needs in order to serve the sick and lonely.
Mary was a strong female leader in 19th century Australia. Education in this country is what it is today thanks to her dedication and determination.
In the spirit of Jesus the teacher, Mary combined a love of children and a desire that education should be available to all. Mary sent the Sisters to remote areas to ensure that economic hardship and distance provided no barrier for formation in faith and knowledge.
We are indebted to Saint Mary for founding our school community. Her work, her ambition, her dedication, and her love are still very much felt at the school. We would like to wish all our Community a very happy Feast Day.
I share below a new artwork of Mary MacKillop that was presented today during the mass.
….
Next week on Monday the 15th August is the Feast of the Assumption, and we will be holding another mas at 9:30am. We warmly invite all our community to attend and join us in this celebration.
This Sunday, 14th August we will be celebrating with our Sacramental Candidates, their First Holy Communion. Please feel free to come and join this celebration at 10:30am. We will have morning tea and cake straight after the mass. I will share a photo of the candidates in our next newsletter.
Christine Farrugia
APRIM
Please note the below friendly reminders from the Front Office, don't hesitate to either come in or contact us should you have any queries.
IF YOUR CHILD IS ABSENT/ARRIVING LATE/BEING PICKED UP EARLY
Please make sure that you always let the Front Office know first, by submitting the "Absentee & Late Arrivals/Early Collections" button on SZapp (easy to locate top row, left hand side). You can Seesaw your child's teacher as well, but the Front Office must be advised via SZapp by 9am each day to ensure our rolls are accurate and any unaccounted children are able to be followed-up in a timely manner.
IF YOUR CHILD IS ABSENT DUE TO COVID
We are required to notify SA Health of all COVID cases within our school - if your child is absent due to COVID, you must advise (you can write this in the form as your "Reason"). Thank you for your diligence with this.
PARKING IN SEAFIELD AVENUE
Especially on Wednesdays with JOEYS drop offs, and on Assembly mornings, the timed parking area on Seafield Avenue is getting especially congested with families not adhering to the time limits. Please be considerate of other families wanting to briefly stop, help kids out the car and keep going, and choosing whether Seafield Avenue or further afield is the best place for you to park.
Thank you!
Welcome back to term 3, we hope you all had a relaxing and refreshing holiday. We would also like to say a big welcome to our new families to OSHC this term. Please note that the children will have to supply a hat to wear this term so if you wish you can purchase one for $5.00 to be kept at OSHC for their exclusive use. Otherwise pack an extra hat in their bag as most children leave their hat in their trays.
On Monday September 5th there will be having a Pupil Free Day for the whole staff and NO Pupil Free Session is available as all staff are at the Retreat.
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.
Even though our numbers were down by a lot in Vacation Care we still had a wonderful time with the Pedal Kart cars, movies, Mini Golf and Giant Games Day. The children enjoyed themselves and we had a lot of other activities to keep them busy.
Vicky Wilson – Director – OSHC
The St Joseph's, Kingswood P&F warmly welcome all the new families to our school this term. We hope you and the new students are settling in to school life in our community.
Its wonderful to see St Joseph's Kingswood families back in the school grounds and parents having the opportunity to meet and support each other through their children’s education. A standout feature of St Joseph's Kingswood has always been the open and integrated friendship of parents no matter what year level their child is in, a huge advantage of a small school footprint. The perfect way for new parents to appreciate this unique community is to come along to our Quiz night on Friday 9th September. This is the P&F’s major event for the year and if history is anything to go by it will be a night you remember and talk about for years to come. Tickets are selling fast - book a table or just buy a ticket; no matter which option you choose the minute you walk in the door you will be glad you made the choice. It will be held in the Multipurpose room so the ability to mingle, meet or catch up with others will be as simple as just turning around in your chair.
Thanks to all of our sponsors, details will be included in our next newsletter and on the school's Facebook pages. Special thanks to Olivia Smith's Mum, Louise for your generous donation and gold sponsorship of this event.
Our next P&F meeting is Monday 15th August, 7pm @ The Unley. Coming along does not mean you leave with a list! If you can only come for a short while that is fine also. All are welcome particularly new families.
This week we had the chance to do a first aid course as part of TOEP. It was run by Romy from Kids Taught Life Support, she is a nurse at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. They learnt about what to do in situations when somebody needs CPR, fainted, or got concussed.
We learnt about DRS ABCD. We were able to practice CPR on dummies and practice how to tell if someone was concussed. It was a very fun and interesting experience.
- By Vasi Cutone, Lila Nicholls, Claire Juan and Elsie Petty.
On Monday 1st August our 5/6 team competed in the second round of the SAPSASA Netball Knockout carnival hosted by Crafers Primary School at the Piccadilly Netball Courts. The team for this round consisted of Emily D, Claire D, Cashmere L, Lilia W, Asha O, Arabella W, Darcey H, Sienna S, and Elka S.
The girls were challenged in the second round by the competition and the weather (a chilly 10° with fog and wet courts). They adapted well and came away with two strong wins and will progress again to the next round.
The results were:
St Joseph’s vs. Crafers Primary School (32-21)
St Joseph’s vs. Hahndorf Primary School (36-15)
Thank you to our bus driver Mrs Fowler and our scorer Mrs Vicky Wilson. Stay tuned for the round three results in the coming months. Well done girls!
Mrs Stephanie McNeil
Coach
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