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Dear Families and Friends,
Happy Mary MacKillop Feast Day (for yesterday!!).
Over the past few weeks, I have had opportunity to be immersed in all things Mary MacKillop. It has provided inspiration for the work and dedication to St Joseph’s School. Last week I attended a day at Mary MacKillop Precinct in Kensington with many leaders from schools affiliated and established by the Sisters of St Joseph, I came away with a reminder of why we exist as a school, the legacy we carry and the work we continue each day.
At our school Mass on Thursday, we celebrated the gift of Mary MacKillop, and took time to reflect on her story. Our school Motto ‘In all things, Charity’, helps us guide our students to be amazing citizens where kindness is key.
Aspiring for Excellence!
STEM MAD Challenge
STEM MAD (Making a Difference) is a prestigious celebration of student learning, recognising initiatives that address real-world problems through STEM education and highlight the unique character of Catholic schools across Australia.
As part of our Stretch offering, we formed 3 STEM MAD teams who met weekly to use innovation and design to solve a real-world problem using science, technology, engineering and maths. The students were so fortunate to be led by Nic Schultz who challenged the students to think beyond. We were very excited to hear that 2 of our teams were selected to show case their designs at University of SA to represent Adelaide Catholic Diocese. They were very competitive, but unfortunately didn’t quite get show case at the National event.
Sporting Excellence
We had 48 students compete at the SA Catholic Schools Cross Country event. Each race generally has over 100 students run. Congratulations to all our competitors and especially to the following students who excellent in their age group races: Olivia Daunt 1st, Asha Medlow 4th, and Ruben Bello 8th place.
I enjoyed attending and cheering on our SAPSASA Basketball teams earlier this week- it was an exhilarating event to watch! Congratulations to our 5/6 Boys team who won their small schools’ group and then went on to win the final game against the opposing group by 1 point!!!! They will move to the next round later in October. The 5/6 girls were also competitive, wining their final play off to come 3rd.
With Gratitude
As a parent I, and suspect all, who attended Madhavi Nawana Parker’s presentation on Resilience and Wellbeing, left feeling grateful for the advice, and reassured that we are not alone.
One piece of research MNP shared that makes so much sense for children in primary schools and helped to understand why parenting can be so challenging: ‘From around 8 years of age, personality, temperament, genetics, environment, developmental factors and experiences, are really starting to shine through and boundaries start getting pushed that bit further.’
At home and at school our treasures like to push the boundaries, and this is all part of the process in developing resilience. It is how we respond that makes all the difference. Perhaps a 90 second pause could help.
Thank you to the P&F and particularly Kimberley for applying through the Catholic Schools Parents SA for a Parents in Education grant from SA government. We are all grateful for having such a wonderful evening and support with Madhavi.
In all things, Charity,
Jodie Higgins
Principal
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
It has been a big start to Term 3 here at St. Joseph’s Kingswood. New timetables, new literacy programs, cross country, STEM MAD presentations, Mary MacKillop Day and it is only week 3! We are SO proud of the students and their ability to adapt to change so quickly but as always, good things take time so we cannot wait to see how it all unfolds.
NAPLAN
Earlier in the year our Year 3 and 5 sat their NAPLAN testing. NAPLAN is a nationwide measure of developing Literacy and Numeracy skills. NAPLAN results allow parents/carers and educators to see how students are progressing over time – individually, as part of their school community, and against national standards. We are extremely proud to announce that the average achievement (school mean score) for each year level (Year 3, 5) at St. Joseph’s Kingswood against the new proficiency standards of achievement is strong for all assessment components. We would like to take this opportunity to commend all students who undertook the assessments and to thank our teachers for their dedication to teaching and learning as we continue to strive for excellence.
Literacy Roll Out
As you are aware, we have begun the roll out of our new phonics program, Laser Literacy. At the end of last term, thorough testing occurred across the school to determine which phase each year level will begin with. It is important to note that at the beginning of each phase there is some overlap. This is to ensure that there are no stones left unturned and that all students have the background knowledge to be able to transfer these to more difficult phonology, morphology and vocabulary work. The parent handout provides more information about the program, please click here.
In addition, parents and caregivers are encouraged to join us for our Parent Information session. This will be presented by Linda Clune from Laser Literacy on Tuesday 20th August at 6pm in the Multipurpose Room. Please register by clicking here.
Inclusive Education:
Recently our staff were lucky enough to have a professional learning session with Occupational Therapist: Alexandra Nuzzo. We have been working in partnership with Alex to develop some school wide strategies for students who may require some extra support when it comes to sensory needs. She provided valuable insight in to how difficult some students find it to regulate their day both at school and at home. Regulation is our ability to manage our thoughts, feelings and alertness levels which influences how we respond to match the demands of a task. This develops over time and with age however until our little people can develop the skills to self-regulate, they will need us to help them with this, this is referred to as co-regulation. Alex also explained our sensory system in relation to our internal and external senses. These can be impacted by our environment, relationships and experiences. It is hard work being a little person with so much sensory input occurring added to the demands of learning. It is important for us to remember that each child is different and therefore will perceive and require different levels of sensory input and output to meet their needs. What a blessing it is that we are able to help support our little people to build their very own tool kit with strategies and love to help them when it all seems too much. (See the diagram for an overview of our external and internal senses)
Leaving with a Literacy Tip: Helping your child read at home with Decodable Texts
You may have seen your child bring home a decodable text over the course of the year. It is important to remember that these are used as a teaching tool to reinforce the specific sounds that have been taught in class. These books are NOT to replace all the exciting picture books and other literature your child will be exposed to. Instead, these are used as a tool for students to independently practise their reading.
We realise that at times, it may seem easy for your child however these books will review important sound spelling patterns that your child will use when spelling or sounding out more difficult words. These sounds are individualised to your child and determined through ongoing assessments. Our aim is for our students to read these texts with fluency and automaticity before moving on to practise new sounds. Below are some tips that will assist your child when reading decodables text.
1. Listen to your child read: These books are specifically designed to allow your child to learn how to read independently, by helping children apply their phonic skills – sounding out the words on the page. Be patient and be impressed!
2. Use letter sounds when reading: Your child is learning letter sounds at school when reading. A letter sound is the sound a letter makes, rather than its name, this helps them to form words using the sounds that the letters make. It’s important they sound the words out rather than guess or try to use the pictures. Make sure you encourage your child to always use letter sounds when reading. Please ensure your child points to each word as they read.
3. Heart Words: There are some words in these books where sounding out the letters does not help, such as: I, my, the. In the books, these are called Heart words. Your child is being taught these words at school. You may need to tell your child how to say these words if they are unsure.
4. Once your child has finished reading...Please ensure they read the words and Heart words at the back of the book. There may also be some comprehension questions provided. You could also play letter-spotting and word games like these with your child: Can you find Sam’s name on this page? Can you find the word ‘am’ on this page? How many words can you find on this page that begin with ‘t’? Get your child to ask you too!
As always, my door is always open.
Until next time…
Vanessa Saccardo
Assistant Principal
Hello dear St Joseph’s Families,
Semester 2 is always very rich in experience in a school setting: Science Week, Book Week, Sports Day and from a Catholic Identity lens; the feast of St Mary of the Cross, the Assumption of Mary and Catholic Schools open week. All experience that build a sense of identity and belonging to our beautiful St Joseph’s Community.
We kicked the term off with National Tree day on the 26th July. The Eco Warriors were joined by the amazing staff from Cornes Toyota and their friend Mitch Hinge, from the Crows to plant some native trees and shrubs for our future, Native Garden. A big thank you to Luca and Savannah's Dad, Chris and the team at Cornes Toyota for the generous donation and spending a fun morning at our school!
On Thursday the 8th August was the Feast Day of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. As our founder and patron, Mary is very dear to our school. Classes have been talking and doing amazing work to get to know her and her life better. As a school, we created three story books based on her life. These books were blessed at our Feast Day mass. Each class now has a copy, and you can find a copy in our school Front Office. Well done to all the students for the beautiful illustrations that bring the words in these books to life.
And big well done to the School Spirit Team who always roll their sleeves up and go all out to make Catholic Identity events come to life.
This week, on Thursday we celebrated a Mass for the Feast of the Assumption of Mary.
I would also like to introduce some new (and not so new) members of staff that fall under the Wellbeing Porfolio:
The School Chaplain: Monique Saywell
Monique has been working with us since the beginning of the year. She works with individuals, small groups and classes. As chaplain, she is available to work with students and their families and support teachers around faith formation and well-being. She helps with:
- faith identity
- friendship
- relationships
- emotions/self image
- new beginnings and grief
Monique is particularly passionate about the concepts of breath prayers, movement prayers and moments of meditation. These practices help to centre us back in the present and are a mode of emotional regulation and 'faith as action' in the environment in which we live. If you feel that your child may need the support of the School Chaplain, please contact Monique at msaywell@stjk.catholic.edu.au.
Social Work Student: Ren Wakuta
Hello everyone! My name is Ren Wakuta. I am currently a Master of Social Work Student at the University of South Australia. Before this, I completed a bachelor's degree in sociology in Japan. Throughout my studies, I've been passionate about improving children's health and well-being. I am thrilled to be here at St Joseph's School, where I hope to contribute to children's growth and well-being during my time here. Thank you!
Social Work Student: Charlotte Serafini
Hi my name is Charlotte and I am currently undertaking placement at St Joseph’s as part of my Masters of Social Work at UniSA. I have recently completed a Bachelor of Psychological Science at the University of Adelaide. After I have completed my Masters I would like to work at a school, so I was very excited at the prospect of experiencing placement at St Joseph’s. I am particularly passionate about working with children and youth as I feel that I can have an impact on their lives and help them to grow and learn in the world around them. I have prior work experience in the area of child care and early learning having undertaken a secondary school placement within a kindergarten, giving me valuable exposure to this environment. Furthermore, I have experience as a volunteer mentor, mentoring primary school children in homework, literacy and artistic activities in the junior school of my secondary school. I am eager to gain valuable skills and knowledge in the field of social work to support my education and look forward to my time at St Joseph’s.
Ren and Charlotte will be working alongside the School Leadership Team and teachers, as well as with our students, to help promote student wellbeing, dignity, self-esteem, social interactions, amongst other things.
We are so blessed to have these passionate and dedicated individuals working with us. I thank them for their hard work in helping our students to thrive.
Sacramental Program:
The next workshop is on Thursday 15th August at 6pm, in the Multipurpose Hall. This workshop will start the preparation journey towards the Sacrament of Communion. For more information, please email: carmel@eparish.org.au.
Jesus, Pray for Us
St Joseph, Pray for Us
St Mary of the Cross, Pray for Us
Father Julian Tennison Wods, Pray for Us
Sister Irene McCormack, Pray for Us.
In all things: CHARITY.
Regards,
Christine Farrugia
Assistant Principal: Religious Identity and Mission.
SAPSASA Knockout Basketball Carnival – 2024
Congratulations to the 5/6 Boys and Girls that competed at the SAPSASA Knockout Basketball Carnival on Tuesday 6th August at Basketball SA Stadium, Wayville. The Students did an amazing with girls finishing an overall 3rd on the day and the boys team winning the Carnival finishing undefeated !!
The boys will now progress to the Small Schools State Finals in Term 4. If they can win this Tournament they will be crowned Small Schools State Champions!
Both the Boys and Girls teams played six games in total on the day including a finals game in the last round.
Special thanks to Mrs Melissa Porcaro for her expert coaching of the Boys team and Mrs Jackie Sewell for assisting with scoring.
Mr De Giovanniello
SACPSSA Cross Country Carnival 2024 – Years 3-6
Congratulations to the 41 students that competed at the annual SACPSSA Cross Country Carnival at PAC Oval in the parklands on Wednesday 7th August. All students participated in training session during their lunch break to help prepare for the Carnival.
Students ran a 2km distance through the parklands in their year level and gender groups against various Catholic Schools across the state.
Some commendable results included:
Olivia Daunt – 1st – Year 4 Girls- Div B
Ethan Higham – 2nd – Year 3 Boys – Div B
Asha Medlow – 4th – Year 4 Girls – Div B
Jess Ferres – 11th - Year 3 Girls – Div C
Ruben Bello – 8th – Year 6 Boys – Div B
Clementine O’Connell – Year 3 Girls – Div B
Hannah Milne – 18th - Year 5 Girls – Div B
Archie Higham – 21st – Year 5 Boys – Div B
Special thanks to Maria Granadis for officiating for the whole day. Alos thanks to Matthew Oliver, Mrs Hughes, Miss Wicks and Miss Kammash for their assistance on the day.
Mr De Giovanniello
SACPSSA Touch Football Carnival – Thursday 5th September (week 7)
Years 3-6 students
The Touch Football Carnival registrations are now open on the school SZAPP. The Carnival will be held on Thursday 5th September (week 7) at the Touch Football Grounds, Greenhill Road. Teams will consist of at least 6 players and will play a maximum of 6 games on the day against various Catholic Schools. All teams are placed in year level and gender groups.
Students will learn about Touch Football in their PE lessons for the next few weeks in preparation for the Carnival. Parents helpers are encouraged, you don’t need to have Touch Football experience to come along as a supervisor.
Click here to register for the Carnival will close on Friday 24th August (week 5).
Mr De Giovanniello (Physical Education Teacher/Sports Coordinator)
Hi Families,
Our first three weeks back at school have been full of fun and excitement at OSHC!!! It’s always nice for families to get back into routine after the school holidays and we love making that transition easy for our students and their caregivers.
Last week we celebrated OSHC Educators’ week. We are so lucky at St Joseph’s Kingswood to have such an amazing OSHC team. They are so passionate about creating a safe and happy place for the students who attend before and after school care.
We have all been closely following the Olympics too……how exciting. We have been providing the students with a variety of Olympic themed activities as well as writing letters to our very own St Joe’s Olympian, Olivia Sandery. They will be hand-delivered to her when she returns from Paris.
Just a reminder to parents and caregivers that we do offer breakfast at before school care, so if it means you can save yourself a job in the morning, we are happy to feed your children with a variety of healthy cereals or toast.
Please take the time to have a quick look at our Activity Book about our week at OSHC at pick up or drop off. It is full of photos and descriptions of what the students have been enjoying during their time at OSHC.
Bridget Hughes (Director) and Emma Penno (Educational Leader)
At the start of the year, we grouped up and decided to participate in the STEM MAD challenge. Our challenge was to come up with a solution to a problem to make the world a better place that we are also passionate about.
One group decided to tackle the issue of microplastics in the ocean. We came up with a microplastic megalodon that traps microplastics in a gelatine starch combination. The gelatine starch combination is like a marshmallow that traps the pieces inside and lets the water filter through making sure its only rubbish that got caught. We made it into a shark so that it would scare off fish. Here is our video.
Another group researched about countries that live with little to no power. This affects their health, cooking capabilities and even technological advancement. Our group decided to invent a battery system that is powered by solar panels that give power to individual houses. This will provide people in much needed areas with clean energy so that they can have safe cooking facilities and safe heating and cooling. Here is our video:
The third group decided to focus on saving marine life by changing the way we catch fish. Overfishing is an issue that is causing a decline in sea life. We decided on making a fishing net made out of mycelium leather that is biodegradable and sized so that overfishing cant occur.
Last Friday two groups went to the STEM MAD Showcase challenge at the University of South Australia to present our projects that we have been working on.
We had a great time looking at other teams inventions and look forward to next years competition.
Thank you to Nic for being such an amazing STEM teacher. We have absolutely loved being a part of the process and appreciate all the hard work and planning you have put into making our sessions fun and informative and an extension to our learning. Let give a big cheer for Nic!
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.
