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Dear Families and Friends,
As you know, Connection is one of our core values at St Joseph’s School, Kingswood, with the other two being Excellence and Gratitude. A strong part of connection is community as well as communication. I had the pleasure of joining the recent Working Bee and reflecting on feedback from some of the wonderful volunteers, was how nice it was to connect and chat and how they felt more a part of the school from having the conversations and connecting moments as we worked together to achieve some pretty ambitious and amazing results for the school (thank you to everyone involved).
Building upon the theme of how important it is to connect, I remind and encourage all parents and caregivers to chat/message via Seesaw with class teachers should you have queries or concerns, or if there’s important information to pass along (e.g. if your child is experiencing some change in their home life etc.). In addition to this, I also reiterate that the leadership team (myself, Vanessa and Christine) are also available and happy to be contacted should you wish to – it’s probably easiest to do this by calling the office to make a time in our diaries that is convenient for you or sending an email initially.
We have had a recent increase in the number of enquiries for children from other schools, considering a move to St Joseph’s Kingswood– and it makes me wonder whether we have a handful of families who are also considering a change. Possibly your child has experienced some challenges whether they be social or learning and wondering if it’s easier to consider change. From my experience, a child who learns from the challenge, grows rather than avoiding. I would urge anyone looking to do this, to make a time to chat with me first, before deciding. One of the many benefits of a small school like ours is that all the children are known by all the staff, however there are close to 250 students at the school and not everything about each child can be known by all staff. Another plus is that, due to our size, we are an agile motorboat able to change direction quickly, rather than a big cruise liner that takes a long time to change course. You only have to look at the Early Years courtyard to see how quickly and well simple and meaningful change can be enacted! Please don't hesitate to reach out for a conversation.
In term 3, there are a number of positive changes occurring as we introduce a new literacy program and continue our intensive focus on Maths for Professional Development for the remainder of the year. Stay tuned for more info and key dates for our parent/caregiver info nights so you can better understand and support your learner at home.
Lastly, I hope the school holiday break enables us all to rest, Winter is always challenging with days inside, colds, COVID and flu. Take care, rest up, stay well.
In all things, Charity,
Jodie Higgins
Principal
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
It is hard to believe that we are at the end of Term 2. I am sure that we are all looking forward to a well-earned break and I am already excited about what is ahead for the remainder of the year. In the meantime, however, there is still plenty happening…
Inclusive Education: Nationally Consistent Collection of Data
It is a busy time for schools as our Census date for collating data for students who require support is looming. All schools in Australia are required to participate annually in the National Consistent Collection of Data for Students with Disability (NCCD). It is designed to count the number of students who receive additional adjustments or “help” at school. This national data collection helps federal and state governments plan for the needs of students and is also the way that schools seek and receive funding to support the learning needs of their students. This allows our Catholic sector to continue to provide and prioritise innovative and high-quality teaching and learning to support all students on their learning journey. Above all though, our Catholic tradition demands that educators see every child as equal, inherently sacred and worthy of dignity and respect. St Joseph’s Kingswood is committed to ensuring we are equipped with the support, knowledge and ability to enable every child to be a valued, empowered and successful members of our community.
For more information, please visit: www.nccd.edu.au
In addition, I’d like to personally thank all families who I have met with or had contact with this term regarding their child’s learning plans. It is always such a pleasure to be involved in these meetings and see how powerful the outcomes can be when working alongside one another and our dedicated teachers.
STRETCH: ICAS Competitions
At St Joseph’s School, Kingswood we are continually looking for ways to enable our students to stretch themselves. ICAS competitions are another way of doing this! We are delighted to inform you that we will be participating in the International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) testing again this year. ICAS is developed by UNSW Global, a wholly owned subsidiary of UNSW Sydney, with over 40 years’ experience in educational assessments. ICAS Assessments are now online which allows greater accessibility for students and faster delivery of results.
ICAS is designed to target students’ higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Spelling and Digital Technologies. Each assessment celebrates students’ accomplishments by providing opportunities for recognition. Every student will receive a printed certificate and an online result report. Top performers will be eligible for medals. We will be offering all of the above tests.
Click here for more info
Click here to register (using our school's code UNO891)
Maths: Daily Reviews
In my last Newsletter I made reference to Barack Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction: a set of 10 research-based principles of instruction, along with suggestions for classroom practice. The principles come from three sources: research in cognitive science, researching master teachers, and research on cognitive supports.
At St Joseph’s School, Kingswood we have been engaging in intensive professional learning around his first Principle - Daily Reviews. This is the ongoing inclusion of short reviews of previous learning. These daily reviews can strengthen previous learning and can lead to fluent recall which is particularly relevant in Numeracy. This is because, “Mathematics is a tall subject” (Bill Thurston, 1990) as there are many concepts which build on previous ones. Thurston (1990) describes this as a scaffolding structure, with interconnected supports. Unless the previous layer is in place it would be impossible to build successfully on top.
Considering this, we are now using regular reviews to assist in strengthening previous mathematical concepts so that newer ones can be built. This occurs from Reception to Year 6. Rosenshine (2012) states that he has found success in mathematics when teachers have used this review time to revisit problems and practice concepts and skills that are needed for automaticity. To become mathematically competent, learners need to develop a rich foundation of factual and procedural knowledge (Hodgen, 2018) and regular retrieval practice can help to achieve this.
Our daily math reviews have been carefully curated by our teachers to address concepts which require further support or continual recall. This has been determined by analysing our mathematical data including diagnostic and standardised testing. These daily reviews run for up to 15 minutes and can occur at any time throughout the school day. We are using this as a Tier One (whole class) approach, however, will also use this as a form of intervention soon – stay tuned! In the meantime, there is a website below which parents can use at home to curate their own daily reviews:
Daily Math Review: https://dailymathsreview.au/?numberOfQuestions=5&rangeStart=1&rangeEnd=100&selectedTypes=tenFrame
Leaving with a Literacy Tip….
Retrieval practice is just as important in Literacy. Therefore, supporting your child to read at home encourages multiple exposures which helps them to orthographically map words. Storing words in our long-term memory enables easier retrieval and results in more fluent readers! In my recent meetings with parents, I have had questions around apps and websites that can support students reading. There are plenty out there, but below are a few that I have found success with.
Nessy: is designed for students with dyslexia but can be used for any child. It is based on the Science of Reading which will support our future literacy program. https://www.nessy.com/en-gb
Reading Doctor: Evidence based that promotes phonics and phonemic awareness skills
https://www.readingdoctor.com.au
Spelfabet Website is extremely informative for parents and there is a compiled list of recommended apps as well. It is put together by Australian Speech Pathologist Alison Clarke (she knows her stuff!)
https://www.spelfabet.com.au/2020/01/top-early-literacy-apps-2020/
Elkonin boxes (sound boxes) this app is beneficial for assisting with phonemic awareness, which I have written about in previous Newsletters. The Five from Five website in general is very informative for parents and has a list of online games which are useful.
As always, my door is always open.
Until next time…
Vanessa Saccardo
Assistant Principal
Last week was a celebration of music with a variety of Instrumental Concerts held in the MPR. It was wonderful to see so many students from R-6 perform to appreciative audiences, on a wide range of instruments. I would like to thank all our Instrumental staff for their dedication to our students.
The Festival Choir went on an excursion to St Thomas Goodwood last Friday, where they had a rehearsal with other Catholic schools in our area, in preparation for the Catholic Schools Music Festival in Term 3. It was a great experience for our students.
Rebecca Pfitzner
Music teacher
Catholic Schools Basketball Carnival – 2024
Congratulations to the 5/6 Boys and Girls that competed at the Catholic Schools Basketball Carnival on Friday 14th June at Basketball SA Stadium, Wayville. This is a new Carnival in the Catholic Schools calendar and one I’m sure will continue next year.
Both the Boys and Girls teams played six games in total on the day including a finals game in the last round. The Boys team finished 3rd overall on the day while the Girls team finished 5th on the day.
Special thanks to Melissa Porcaro for her expert coaching of the Boys team and Jackie Sewell for assisting with scoring.
Both these teams will compete in the SAPSASA Knockout Basketball Carnival in Term 3.
Mr De Giovanniello
SAPSASA Soccer Knockout Day
Congratulations to the Champions for the day!
Our Year 5/6 Soccer Team were undefeated on the day winning the Grand Final and progressing to the next final stages of the State Knockout Championships for small schools in SA.
Th team played 5 games in total scoring 24 goals on the day and only conceding one!
The team will play in the Final round of the SAPSAS knockout Soccer Championships tat Service FM Stadium Gepps Cross in late Term 3. If they win this Carnival, they will be crowned State Champions for small schools in SA.
Special thanks to Don Ianicelli, Jackie Sewell and Frank Perrone for their assistance on the day as well as all the fantastic parents that came along to support the team in cold conditions at Barrett Reserve, West Beach.
Mr De Giovanniello
Thank you to the business which contributed to our Bogan Bingo and helped ensure the success of the event
(Frith Famiily)
(Carrabs Family)
![Parent seminar_invite[13].jpg](https://sjkingswood.schoolzineplus.com/_image/media/2908/parent_seminar_invite_13_.jpg?ts=1717733376)
As Winter sets in, families are reminded of the stylish and very functional St Joseph's School, Kingswood umbrellas available to purchase through Qkr! and collect from the Front Office.
Get in quick as stock is limited.
