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Dear Families and Friends,
Starting the year has been delight, watching the reception children begin with such confidence due largely to the wonderful Joey’s program. In fact, I think it was a bit harder for the mum’s and dad’s seeing their 5-year-old taking the first day of school so well. Welcome: Massimo D, Oscar E, Lola F, Eleanor F, Eve K, Billy M, Jack N, Oliver R, Ted R, Mavish W, Finley B, Ted B, Evelyn F, Ellie K, Gabby E, Thuruli GD, Leo I, Valentina K, Otis M and Hugh W.
By far my favourite part of the beginning of the year is the delight in the children’s chatter at recess time, after the nerves of the morning drop off gone and they are excited to catch up with friends. A special welcome to the new students and families who have joined St Joseph’s Kingswood this year: Olivia and Henry C, Beau M, Alexander K, Lance F, Poppy and Vihaan P.
Both staff and students have begun the year with a wellbeing focus. Staff attended a whole day seminar with Lea Water’s, author of The Strength Switch, on Visible Wellbeing. You will hear more about this in the next 18 moths as we put in place strategies to support the wellbeing of our students, our families, and staff.
This year we continue to be inspired by Mary MacKillop, in our work, as learners and as we develop individuals to build a better world. This year I have been particularly inspired by her quote, ‘Find happiness in making others happy’, 1899. It seems so simple, but so wise. As we enter the season of Lent, this offers a wonderful challenge to us all.
Wishing you a wonderful year,
In all things Charity,
Jodie
Dear Parents and Families,
Firstly, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for being so welcoming and supportive. It has been a wonderful few weeks here and I look forward to continuing to build relationships with our incredible students and families. The sense of community is something that has stood out from the moment I arrived, and I am so appreciative of the warmth and acceptance that has been shown by all.
For those who are interested in some of my background and info about me... I began my teaching journey at St. Joseph’s School Tranmere. Here, I spent much of my teaching career in the older year levels until moving in to leadership where I became the leader of learning for Literacy, Mathematics, Inclusive/Gifted Education, Assessment and Moderation and the Early Years. I was fortunate enough to also be a Pedagogical Coach amongst five Catholic schools in the Eastern Region where the focus was on improving the literacy skills of students. In addition to this, I worked in the Catholic Education Office as a System Coach which allowed me the opportunity to work with many schools to improve their Literacy and Numeracy outcomes. During this time, I have had a bit of time off to spend with my little (almost terrible two-year-old) boy Renny. Our weekends generally revolve around the football season where Port takes priority, and the rest is filled with an abundance of family, friends and food – of course!
I have a deep passion for teaching and learning and continuing to build the capacity of teachers to ensure best possible outcomes for all students in our care. As a result, I have continued to engage in study finishing my Masters in Special Education and nearing the end of my Masters in Catholic Leadership. I am looking forward to being able to support the wonderful work occurring here at St Joseph’s Kingswood and am excited by the opportunity to generate positive change and use my experience to further enhance our community.
Until next time...!
Vanessa Saccardo
Assistant Principal
2024! The International Year of Prayer is here and we will be working at every level to bring this wonderful practice to life for all our community. Firstly, an understanding of what prayer IS:
Prayer is not primarily saying words or thinking thoughts. It is, rather, a life stance. It’s a way of living in the Presence, living in awareness of the Presence, and even of enjoying the Presence. Fully contemplative people are more than aware of Divine Presence; they trust, allow, and delight in it. They “stand” on it! (RICHARD ROHR)
I love this definition of Prayer because it tells us that just by living, we are praying and praising God. Prayer is commonly perceived as something we do “to God” or “for God” but, in reality, the benefit is all for us to reap.
At St Joseph’s, we have developed an extensive Prayer Scope and Sequence that helps our students explore the different styles and types of prayer, allow for each individual to find their preferred way to converse with God. This year we will also be exploring different spaces and places around our school that can be turned into “Pop-Up” prayerful spaces for students to interact with whenever they feel inclined to.
I will share with you more on this topic as the year goes on.
SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM 2024
For all those interested in enrolling their child in the SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM, please do so as soon as possible as enrolments are about to close. The program is aimed mainly at students in Year 3 and 4, and it will run between March and November. Enrolment forms are avaible from the school Front Office.
SHROVE TUESDAY
It was another great endeavour by staff and volunteers. I would like to extend my thanks to the amazing people who gave up their time to help us out (read: seamlessly and efficiently manage the whole process!): Anna, Katie, Meagan, Rosanna, Belinda, Laura. It was so lovely to work alongside you.
PROJECT COMPASSION
You will have noticed that your child brought home the Project Compassion Money Box. Spanning across the six weeks of Lent each year, Project Compassion brings thousands of Australian schools, parishes and supporters together to raise funds for people living in some of the most vulnerable communities across the world. The theme this year is: For All Future Generations.
Your generous support can help change lives today - and For All Future Generations. For more information please visit https://www.caritas.org.au/resources/project-compassion/
Please donate generously and participate in our Social Justice initiatives in term 1 to help us raise as much money as possible for this amazing cause. To donate online please visit: https://schools.projectcompassion.org.au/st-josephs-primary-school-kingswood or scan the code below.
ASH WEDENSDAY
It is curious that this year Ash Wednesday happens to fall on the same day as St Valentine’s Day. This doesn’t happen very often.
Ash Wednesday is the perfect day to think about love. We don’t see flowers in church today and we are asked to eat modestly. Today, we begin our journey towards our observance and celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus at Easter. The cross of Jesus is the ultimate symbol of how profoundly God loves the world.
Lent is a time when we are also asked to consider how authentically we make God’s love visible to others. The reading today from St Paul reminds us that ‘we are ambassadors for Christ.’ This means taking risks and reaching beyond our comfort zones to share a message with a world that is often indifferent and doesn’t want to hear it.
I pray that this Lenten Season, we are able to understand deeply how much God loves us.
Blessings to all!
Christine Farrugia
APRIM
My name is... Kate Mueller
I am... a Year 6 teacher on Fridays (and some relief in other year levels on other days)
I am excited about... being back at St Joe's!
My household includes... My husband is Peter and I have two children, Ezekiel and Sienna. We have a dog called Elka and a cat called Phoebe.
Fun fact about me... I love to travel, hike and ski.
My favourite thing about St Joe’s Kingswood is... the community!
My name is... Julia Morrison
I am... the Year 5 teacher
I am excited to... find out about all the many talents and passions of my students, so that I can use these to enhance their learning and engagement. I'm also excited about getting fit climbing up the many, many stairs to my classroom each day!
My household includes... I have 3 children (ages 9. 16 and almost 18), a husband, 3 cats (Pipkin, Pingu and Bobo and a dog, Rufus). And yes, my children certainly did name our pets!
Fun fact about me... I'm related to the first lead singer of Fleetwood Mac, Christine McVie. I'm also named after my great (x4) grandmother, who was a famous (at the time) Italian opera singer, giulia grisi
My favourite thing about St Joe’s Kingswood is... The wonderful sense of community, and the students in my class, who each have their own unique set of strengths and personalities.
My name is... Rebecca Pfitzner
I am... the Music teacher
I am excited about... students engaging and developing skills in Music and showcasing their talent at the end of year Music concert.
My household includes... my husband Daniel, children Gemma, Zac and Luke and our dogs Poppy and Larry.
Fun fact about me... I enjoy walking our dogs at the beach.
My favourite thing about St Joe’s Kingswood is... the great sense of community.
My name is... Monique Saywell
I am... the Chaplain
I am excited about... learning more about you all- the school community! I love getting to know what is unique to each community.
My household includes... I am married to Jeremy, and we have 4 wonderful children, aged 10,8,4 and 2 with two chickens and a very active dog.
Fun fact about me... I love to hit the surf with my children any chance we get.
My favourite thing about St Joe’s Kingswood is... The incredibly welcoming community! I have enjoyed spending time in most classes and seeing how engaged and active children are in learning. It is such a vibrant school setting.
My name is... Bonnie Crofts (Miss Bonnie)
I am... a Year 1 teacher
I am excited about... teaching my class this year!
My household includes... 2 pet rats called Sweetpea and Maple.
Fun fact about me... I used to work as a Game Master for an Escape Room.
My favourite thing about St Joe’s Kingswood is... the kids
My name is... Oscar Brown
I am... a classroom ESO
I am excited about... the opportunity to help a variety of students in their learning and seeing their progress throughout the year.
My household includes... my mum Mrs Hughes, my stepdad, my 3 brothers and my sister. We also have 2 dogs, 3 fish and 2 turtles
Fun fact about me... is that I love science, particularly chemistry and am studying to be a food chemist.
My favourite thing about St Joe’s Kingswood is... how welcome I feel and the community we have and are continuing to build. It feels very special to be involved with such a tight knit community.
My name is... Mary Aqualina
I am... a Reception teacher
I am excited about... getting to know everyone!
Fun fact about me... I have a very big family, with 9 siblings!
My favourite thing about St Joe’s Kingswood is... the music ball in the courtyard outside the Reception classrooms!
I am... Admin ESO on the Front Desk
I am excited to... learn the names and classes of all the students!
My household includes... My partner, Brett, and 5yo son, Alexander, and our 4month old Cairn Terrier puppy, Murphy.
My favourite joke is... (that I hear on repeat) Q: How do you get Pikachu on a bus? A: You poke-him-on!
My favourite thing about St Joe’s Kingswood is... easily the people! The students, parents and staff are wonderful and have all been so welcoming.
We have had a busy start to the term, with the commencement of Festival Choir, Junior Choir, Band and Instrumental lessons. It has been great to see the enthusiasm for Music at our school, led by our Music Captains Oscar and Owen.
We are looking for more musicians to join our Band, so if you have been playing the clarinet, trumpet or another instrument for more than two terms, you are welcome to join us. Please fill out the form if your child is interested.
In Term 4 we will be having our bi-annual Music extravaganza! We will let you know the details including the date and venue when this is confirmed.
Rebecca Pfitzner
Music Teacher
(SACPSSA) Catholic Schools Swimming Carnival – training/trials begin week 5 – Friday 1st March.
A reminder to all year 3-6 students that the Swimming Carnival training/trial sessions begin on Friday 1st March at Mitcham Girls Swimming Pool inside Mitcham Girls High school between 7.30-8.15am. Students can change at the venue after the training session and will be walked back to school by school staff to commence the school day. Parent helpers are required at the sessions to help record times.
If your child is interested in training/trailing for the Carnival please fill out the permission form. Further information regarding the carnival and training sessions can be found on the SZAPP form.
Cricket Games begin THIS Saturday 17th March
Great to see the school now has two Cricket teams competing in the summer Cricket competition, Year 4/5 and year 2/3 Cricket Teams. Thank you to our coaches for volunteering their time to Coach the teams for the Term, Hartley's Dad, Hayden (Yr 2/3) and Flynn's Dad, Tom Meaney (Year 4/5).
NetStarted Netball skills – Reception to Year 2 students.
The NetStarted Netball Program will begin next Tuesday 20th February here on our school court between 3.15-4.00pm. There are still places available for both BOYS and GIRLS to register. Please click here for more info and to register. visit the sports section of SZAPP and click on Netball below “Term 1 Rec-Yr 2 Learn to play”.
Mr De Giovanniello
- The provision of a specialised uniform will be approved and provided for by the school at a charge to cover the cost of purchasing/replacing/maintaining uniforms. At the end of the season, uniforms are to be laundered and returned in good condition.
New uniform hire and Deposit Fee – Extra Curricular Sport
St Joseph’s Kingswood Sports has always provided Sports teams with specialised Netball, Soccer, Basketball and Netball uniforms to wear during extra-curricular sports games in their respective seasons.
The school will now charge a small hire fee of $20 per season with a deposit of $20 per season to help cover the costs of purchasing/replacing and maintaining uniforms. The $20 deposit will be reimbursed when the uniform is returned at the end of the season. These payments can be made on Qkr! prior to the season commencing.
A reminder that all sports funded by St Joseph’s Kingswood (included in school fees) during the year are:
Winter Season (Terms 2 and 3)
SAJNA Netball – Saturday mornings (Yr 2-4) Friday after school (Yr 5/6) – various venues
SDJSA Soccer – Saturday mornings (Yr 2-6) – various venues
Sturt Zone Football – Saturday mornings (Yr 2-6) – various venues
Summer Season (Term 4 – 2024 and Term 1 2025)
Cricket – Sturt Zone – Saturdays mornings (Yrs 2-6) – various venues
Basketball – Life.Be.In.It Unley – After school during week – Unley Centre
Winter sport nominations will begin in week 5 of this Term. Please make sure registrations forms are completed by due to avoid missing out on sports teams.
A reminder that all sports teams at St Joseph’s are coached by parent volunteers. Without parent volunteers teams can not be nominated.
Welcome to an exciting year ahead! We (Bec and Michelle), are thrilled to be stepping into our roles as the new heads of the Parents & Friends. As we dive into 2024, the P&F are already buzzing with plans and ideas to make this year memorable for everyone.
Parents and Friends would like to thank all the St Joseph’s Kingswood staff for helping out with the bar at the Welcome Picnic. It was a great opportunity to chat with the staff and get to know the new members both staff and families of the St Joseph’s Kingswood community. Their efforts freed up a lot of time for members of the P&F to connect and chat with friends, and enhanced the sense of community spirit and connection.
Be sure to keep an eye out for further details about the School Disco. We're planning to turn this into not just a fun event for the kids, but also solve the "What to do?" question many have between drop-off and pick-up, with a social gathering for parents, complete with a pop-up bar and snacks onsite at school.
Our next Second-Hand Uniform shop will be Friday 1st March 3-3.15pm.
Thank you to everyone who joined out first P & F meeting for the year. Our next meeting is on Wednesday 13th March at 7pm at the Torrens Arms Hotel - and everyone is welcome! Do yourself a favour and skip the bedtime routine, and come along to the meeting! We're a welcoming and sociable bunch, meeting twice a term (don't stress if you can't commit, not everyone comes to every meeting), to organise both fundraising endeavors and social occasions for the school community. We're eager for fresh faces and new ideas to enrich our events and initiatives. To get involved, simply click here to join our Facebook group.
We can't wait to connect with you al and make this year one to remember!
Bec and Michelle, on behalf of the P&F
It's been wonderful seeing all the children in OSHC before school and after school this year. The team have enjoyed getting to know some of our new students, as well as catching up with those who have attended previously.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we adjust back to the entry strictly through the black gate on Cambridge Terrace. Although it takes an extra few seconds to wait for it to be opened, the safety of the children in our service is paramount and this enhances the safe environment.
For those who use before school care, it's great to be able to help families out that needed an earlier start to the service. Don't forget that we start from 7am during the school term.
We are yet to set a date, but will look to do so soon, for our first OSHC Committee meeting for 2024. If you would like to be involved, please email me (bhughes@stjk.catholic.edu.au), we appreciate your input and time.
Vacation care program for the upcoming April holidays is nearly finished and will be sent out by the end of next week. Keep an eye on FullyBooked and SZapp for details of our fun-filled program.
We have some new friendly faces on the OSHC staff, please make sure you introduce yourself and your child/ren to Patrick and Gabriella - they are new to our service but already settling in quickly.
Lastly, on a personal note, thank you to everyone for your words of congratulations and appreciation since I've stepped into the role of OSHC Director. I am still finding my feet, but it's been so lovely to work with our fun team of staff who endeavour to provide each of the children in our care with best experience possible.
Bridget Hughes and the OSHC team
The Children's University program is back at St Joseph's School, Kingswood for 2024. We are so pleased to be able to bring this opportunity to our students in years 1-6. The well-established Children's University program is a way for students to extend their learning beyond the classroom and develop some additional knowledge and skills. Children can earn points by visiting designated learning destinations, completing workbooks/tasks, writing reviews on their extra curricular activities and more.
All children wishing to participate must complete and sign the form here, and pay the registration fee on Qkr! by the end of the term (a copy of the form is also available in the Front Office if needed).
Children who have previously participated in the program (must still complete and return a registration form, and pay the $38.50 fee) but the good news is that they are are able to start their 2024 CU learning journey immediately. An idea to get started is to complete a review from a Fringe Show (your child can either search "Fringe" in the CU portal or download and print the below form).
