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Dear Families and friends,
The AGM will be held Wednesday 26th March at 7pm. We look forward to sharing achievements and giving thanks. An AGM booklet will be provided with reports tabled so we can use the meeting as an opportunity for you to hear about future as we continue thrive and build excellence at St Joseph’s School. Please consider applying for a position on the Board, which will be advertised next week. Each member brings different perspectives, knowledge and skills to the Board to help in decision making. The meetings cover varied topics including, planning, finance, wellbeing, social justice, strategy, education – to mention a few.
One of our key values is CONNECTION. This has been a focus and includes camps for our older students. Our year 5’s have recently attended a 2 night camp at Wirraway, horse riding was certainly a favourite activity. On Tuesday, I will be heading off to Kangaroo Island with our year 6 students. I am looking forward to seeing our senior leaders in a new setting, watching how they connect, seeing their strengths at work. At the end of the term the year 4’s will be spending the night at AFL Max.
Each term our students complete an online wellbeing Pulse Check ‘survey’. One question is ‘Do I have friends?’ With only a few results to come in, only 4 out of more than 200 feel they don’t have a friend often, with more than 85% saying they have positive friendships most of the time. This is fantastic, news, but the 4 matter. The survey enables us to support these children to build positive friendships through working on their strengths setting goals and working with the child and families.
A few tips for supporting your child build positive friendships:
- Plan a playdate
- Help your child practice skills like turn taking, sharing and social cues with you at home
- Remember to aim for friends, rather than a best friend
- Remember there are disagreements in good relationships
Please talk to your child’s teacher if there are any concerns, working together is key to success.
Some responses in survey to ‘I feel like I have positive relationships at school….’
- and when we apologise when we’ve done something we know we shouldn’t have done.
- being included in activities
- having a laugh with my friends
- having fun at recess and lunch
- because my friends are nice and friendly to me
- if I have an issue I can tell the teacher and we can fix it
- kindness
- my friends are always kind sometimes problems happen, but we always find a solution
- my friends looking out for me
- we learn about respecting others
The long weekend is a great opportunity for us all to re-energise for the second half of a long term. I hope you all have opportunity to connect with your family and or friends.
Kind Regards,
Jodie
In all things Charity
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
I can’t believe we’re already halfway through the term! It has been a fantastic start, filled with lots of exciting activities.
NAPLAN
Next week, our Year 3 and Year 5 students will participate in NAPLAN testing. A letter detailing the schedule has been sent home via Seesaw. Our onsite Instrumental Tutors and Specialist Teachers have been made aware and will accommodate the NAPLAN testing times. Please ensure if you have allied health/appointments for children in Years 3 or 5 you reschedule to allow children involved in NAPLAN to complete the assessments with their class. We anticipate Year 5s to sit their tests before Recess and the Year 3s between Recess and Lunch.
NAPLAN assesses students’ literacy and numeracy skills as part of the school curriculum, helping us understand their progress against national standards. However, it is important to remember that NAPLAN is just one aspect of our assessment and reporting process. It complements, rather than replaces, ongoing teacher assessments, providing additional insights into student learning. The results also help governments and educational authorities evaluate the effectiveness of teaching programs nationwide.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me before testing begins next week.
Teach Well: Professional Learning
In 2025, CESA is partnering with Teach Well to deliver a 5-day Masterclass Series in High-Impact Instruction for all Leaders of Learning. This includes myself, Josh Bennett and Bonnie Crofts. This exciting professional learning opportunity will also feature ongoing coaching from Teach Well and support from a System Coach from Catholic Education.
The 9-month course is designed to equip teachers and school leaders with evidence-based strategies to enhance classroom instruction. With a strong foundation in research, the masterclass provides practical techniques educators can implement immediately. It also fosters collaboration between schools, promoting a consistent and research-driven approach to curriculum delivery.
Joshua, Bonnie and I will work together to share these high-impact teaching strategies with our staff, ensuring we continue to enhance student outcomes at Kingswood. We will keep you updated on our progress and share any valuable insights along the way.
Inclusive Education
It has been a pleasure meeting with families to discuss personalised learning plans and collaborate on the best outcomes for our students. Over the coming weeks, I will follow up with emails and provide any additional resources mentioned in our meetings.
In Week 8, we will send home Personalised Learning Plans (PLPs) for parents to review ahead of Learning Talks in week 10. These will be emailed by your child’s classroom teacher and will need to be discussed and signed off during the conference.
As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at any time to discuss your child’s learning. Open communication is key to working together effectively.
Homework Policy
Last year, we introduced an interim Homework Policy to ensure clarity and consistency across the school. After reviewing it, we have now finalised the policy for continued use this year.
It’s important to note that homework should not involve new learning. Instead, it serves to reinforce essential skills, such as practising multiplication facts and reviewing previously learned sounds. When in doubt, prioritise reading as much as possible! Listening to your child read, reading to them, and discussing stories together play a crucial role in literacy development.
For further guidance, here’s a helpful resource on the Five from Five approach to reading:
? Reading with Children
Click here to view our current Homework Policy for your reference.
Oliphant Science Awards
Keep an eye out for parent information regarding the Oliphant Science Awards, which our school is participating in for the first time this year! A huge thank you to Kate Mueller for her efforts in launching this initiative. This marks the beginning of the expansion of our STRETCH program—exciting developments ahead!
Until next time…
Vanessa Saccardo
Until next time…
Vanessa Saccardo
Dear families,
The past weeks have been truly a busy blur of blessings on the Social Justice and Ecology front here at St Jo’s. We have hit the ground running with our Eco Warriors and Spirit Team actions and I couldn’t be prouder of their commitment and engagement.
Spirit Team
These leaders have had a number of events to run: Beginning of Year Mass, Ash Wednesday Mass and Monday Afternoon prayers.
Our School Captains Clara and Kye, and School Spirit Team leaders Molly and Olivia, took part in the Caritas Project Compassion 2025 launch, held at St Bernadette's school on Shrove Tuesday. This was a very special event as it is Caritas' 60th anniversary. They participated in a liturgy where they presented a prayer and a photo of one of our Caritas events, and then shared morning tea (pancakes of course!) with students and staff from 6 other schools present. It was a morning of community and connection that reminded them of the importance of social justice and charity.
The Spirit Team are now busy preparing for St Joseph’s Day and Holy Week. Please follow our SZapp announcements for more information on these.
Eco Warriors
The Eco Warriors have waged a war on waste over the past weeks! With the help of KESAB and Wipe out Waste, they spent a day sorting waste and collecting data about St Jo’s waste: what is thrown away, what can be saved, How much. The report will be published on the school website once it is finalized.
The Eco Warriors then delivered a whole new waste management system to their classes and talked to their peers about how to use each bin, how to separate waste properly and how to manage the bins so that they are kept in good order.
They also launched and ran Creation10 Time – a 10-minute session on Friday afternoons when all students engage in caring for our common home: our classes, our school, our bins, and our selves.
They will continue their ‘waste’ work through the rest of the semester with a mission to drastically reduce the production of waste and make sure that what is ‘thrown away’ is managed properly. They will be helped by another amazing organization: Green Adelaide who have come on board to provide more expertise and resources in our mission to be greener.
I would like to encourage all families to have conversations with our students around what is happening at school in this realm- we want the ripple of education about ecology to reach your home!
Project Compassion 2025
By now, the Project Compassion boxes will have arrived home. We encourage you to donate what you can, and help Caritas continue its incredible work with people and communities in need all over the world. For more information about the work that Caritas does, please visit: https://www.caritas.org.au/resources/project-compassion/
Pope Francis
The Pope was admitted into hospital on Feb. 14 for bronchitis. While there, he developed additional infections that required him to remain under the care of doctors, and soon after developed pneumonia in both lungs, according to the Vatican.
Over the Feb. 22 weekend, the Pope had an “asthma-like respiratory crisis” for which he required oxygen. He has also received blood transfusions after being diagnosed with low platelets, which help the blood to clot, the Vatican said.
The combination of health issues has kept the Pope from performing his public duties, including weekly prayers on Sundays, but his doctors have recently said he is alert, joking, and continuing to work, as well as reading messages from well-wishers around the world.
Loving God
We come before You in prayer, lifting up Your servant, Pope Francis, in his time of need. You are the Source of all healing, and we ask You to surround him with Your loving presence, granting him strength and recovery. May Your divine grace rest upon him, restoring his health and filling him with renewed vigour to continue leading Your Church with compassion and wisdom.
“But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds, declares the Lord.”
(Jeremiah 30:17)
We place Pope Francis into Your hands, trusting in Your eternal care. May he be comforted by the love of the Church and the prayers of all the faithful. We ask, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that his recovery be swift, and his spirit be strengthened in Your peace. May Your will be done in his life, O Lord, and may Your healing power be with him always.
We offer this prayer in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Credit: Caritas Jerusalem
Christine Farrugia
Assistant Principal: Religious Identity and Mission
Our Year 3 cohort have embraced the opportunity of the Year 3 String Immersion programme and are making great progress. It’s wonderful to see their enthusiasm for learning under the guidance of our string tutors, Caroline (violin), Maeve (viola) and Harriet (cello).
Festival Choir had their first visit from Denise Rothall, the conductor of the Catholic Schools Music Festival last week. She led our choir rehearsal and was really pleased with the students singing and engagement. Thanks to Orlando and Violet our Music captains for walking her up to our rehearsal and being great role models in choir.
Just a reminder that our Instrumental Tutors for piano, guitar and percussion are currently at full capacity and have a wait list.
Rebecca Pfitzner
Music Teacher
Please read below reminders and keep in mind:
The Front Office must be advised directly of student absences, late arrivals and early pick-ups as a priority. You are welcome to send a Seesaw to your child's class teacher if you would like for them to be informed, however the Front Office are responsible to follow-up absences from school and must always be advised. The best way to do this is by clicking the Absentee & Late Arrivals/Early Collections button on SZapp.
The above is also true for any early pick-ups or late arrivals - please let the Front Office know as a priority rather than just the class teacher. Please note the below break times for your consideration, as it can be difficult to locate children during Recess/Lunch, and if possible please pick-up before/after.
- Recess (all): 11-11.20am
- Lunch (Reception-Year 2): 12.50-1.30pm
- Lunch (Years 3-6): 1.30-2.10pm
Any absences of 3 days or more must have an Application for Exemption from School form completed (ahead of time in the cases of a holiday/planned absence). Copies are available by clicking on the link or from the Front Office.
Please ensure children who are unwell are kept home from school. There has been an increase in children visiting the sick bay with cold-like symptoms and tummy aches. To help keep everyone in our school community (students, staff and families) all as well as can be, it's important for children to stay home from school if they are unwell. Thank you for your assistance with this matter.
Any queries, please don't hesitate to contact the office via admin@sjtk.catholic.edu.au or 8273 3300
Hi families,
We are already halfway through term one and it’s time to start thinking about Vacation Care!! We have an amazing program coming up including excursions to AFL Max, Funtopia Indoor Playground and of course we will be heading to the Mitcham Cinema to see Dogman and The Minecraft Movie. Bookings are open so make sure you get on to Fullybooked and book the days you need as places fill up quickly. Please reach out of you need any assistance with your bookings.
We look forward to having lots of fun with the students over the break.
Bridget and Emma
What a busy start to the term! It is lovely to see the students so engaged in their learning and enjoying this beautiful weather too!
The P & F have been busy planning and confirming dates for our 2025 events. We have locked a few of them in and are just awaiting confirmation for the remaining. Please pop the following in your diary to ensure you save the date and support the P & F social and fundraising initiatives.
Scholastic Book Club
Every Term!
School Disco
Friday 28th March – purchase your tickets now on Qkr!
Kytons Easter Goodies – order now on Qkr!
Friday 10th April
Mums Lunch
Saturday 17th May (Date and Venue TBC)
Winter Wonderland Cocktail Party – Thirty Five Stirling – Tickets available soon!
Saturday 30th August
Sports Day Cake Stall and Sausage Sizzle – Cabra College
Friday 7th November
Carols on the Green
Friday 28th November
Plus - Watch out for a possible Dads Day Out in May – details to come!
Thanks
Michelle and Bec
ORDER NOW ON QKR!
