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- PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
- DEPUTY PRINCIPAL
- ASSISTANT TO THE PRINCIPAL PRIMARY
- ASSISTANT TO THE PRINCIPAL FORMATION & IDENTITY
- MATHS & SCIENCE CLUB
- STEM AND YEAR 6
- PREP LEARN ABOUT THE NUMBER 2
- YEAR 9 MATH
- YEAR 6 STUDENTS GET CREATIVE IN ART
- STUDENTS UNDERTAKING SBA'S
- LIBRARY NEWS
- OUR SOUTHERN DOWNS YOUTH COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES FOR 2022
- NEW SCHOOL REVERSIBLE SPORTS HAT
- VOLUNTEERING AT ST JOSEPH'S
- SECONDARY WELL-BEING
- BeYou COLLABORATION
- POSITIVE PARTNERSHIPS WORKSHOPS
- HEADSPACE WARWICK
- YEAR 10 CLASS of 1972 - 50 YEAR REUNION
- SPORT
- UPCOMING EVENTS
This week the first meeting of the St Joseph’s School Parents and Friends Association (P&F) was held. My thanks to all who attended and congratulations to this year’s executive who were elected at the meeting.
President: Daniel O'Dea
Vice President: Alun Roberts
Secretary: Nicole Robinson
Treasurer: Erana Hikaiti
The P&F plays a very important role in the successful functioning of the school.
Importantly, it provides opportunities for parents and carers to discuss current issues at the school and in education in general. It is also a means for me to receive valuable feedback and advice about the operation and direction of St Joey’s.
Further, the P&F is a major force in fundraising for the school. The funds raised by P&F provide extra opportunities and resources for our students. Recent examples include:
- Sponsoring and presenting the special hats for our Prep students
- Contributing to the renovation of the Bathersby Centre
- Subsidising the Year 12 defensive driving course each year
- Supporting school sporting teams.
At the meeting this week the P&F made a genourous contribution to the purchase of a new school mini-bus which has just been delivered. Without the support of the P&F we would not have been able to purchase the vehicle. The mini-bus will be available for all school activities and will add greater functionality to our activities and reduce travel costs for students.
The P&F meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:00pm at the Administration Building on the Primary Campus.
The P&F is part of the Federation of Parents and Friends Associations Queensland, and as such is guided by the initiatives and directions that govern Parents & Friends groups in Catholic Schools throughout Queensland.
The school relies on the voluntary support of our families. Your help is essential. If you can volunteer some of your time, it benefits our students and makes for a better school. The P&F will notify families about upcoming activities.
Note that if you wish to volunteer at St Joseph's School this year, you must complete the Student Protection and Code of Conduct for 2022. The link is provided:
Volunteers and Visiting Service Providers
A pressing issue at the moment is the need for more volunteers to help in the Tuckshop. Please contact our Tuckshop Convenor, Sarah Fleming, on 0498 663 609 if you are able to sign up of one or more sessions this term. She would appreciate your help.
I thank all families for their contributions to the school throughout the year.
God Bless
It has been indeed a busy start to the year on the Secondary campus. In Week 3 we resumed face to face learning and the term has quickly progressed, with many students and teachers busily preparing for the upcoming drafting and assessment phase in most subjects. Across the campus, I have been impressed to see the engagement in the learning environments and the focus on success in their learning from the students.
The Year 7 Information and Laptop distribution night was a success and I thank all the families and students for attending, despite the latest COVID challenges forcing a change in venue to the Bathersby centre. It was a great night where we were able to welcome the new members of our school community, as well as highlight the excellent working the teacher staff and school officers are doing in support an excellent and rigorous learning environment.
At the end of Week 3, the Year 12 student leaders participated in a leadership day with the Heads of House Mr Steele and Mrs Petrie. This was an opportunity for the group to work collaboratively to formulate ideas and initiatives for the leadership journey this year. It was exciting to see the energy and enthusiasm amongst the student leaders and we hold high hopes for the excellent leadership across 2022.
In Week 4, Mrs Butson and I commenced Academic review meetings with Year 12 students. The purpose of these meetings is to engage each student in conversations around their academic progress across the units studied in Year 11. These reflective conversations will enable us to work with each student around areas of academic strength, where consolidation of excellent progress can be achieved, as well as identifying areas of potential improvement and commence planning around how this improvement could be achieved. Further to this, we will ensure that each students academic progress is aligned and on track in terms of potential post-school pathways.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Live Jesus in our hearts,
Matthew Brown
Deputy Principal
ASSISTANT TO THE PRINCIPAL PRIMARY
As we move towards the end of the third week of schooling, it has been wonderful to see the ways in which our learners have embraced the opportunities presented to them. We have seen a commitment to learning in every classroom and also a willingness to support each other at all times. This has been particularly evident with our new students who have all settled in the 'St Joey's Way' with ease. The Prep students have also continued to show confidence and enthusiasm towards their new surroundings and the expectations of being at 'big school'.
This week the teachers have all been involved in some professional learning around the teaching and learning of religion and this is part of our involvement in the Illuminate RE project offered by Toowoomba Catholic Schools. Our learning in the area of Visible Learning has also begun with an introduction to the ten mindframes which Prof John Hattie considers instrumental in improving student outcomes. It is his belief that how we think as teachers impacts how we act in the classroom and therefore ultimately how effective the learning is for students. This is an area of Visible Learning that will form our focus across P-12 for 2022.
Our aim is to develop learners with the skills to direct their own learning and who 'know what to do when they don't know what to do'. Part of this involves students in Years 3 - 6 having access to a range of resources on the Canvas platform. These resources can be accessed on individual devices at home or at school and provide the opportunity for students to review the resources whenever they are needed. Another feature which Canvas provides is the ability for students to collaborate through online discussions and also to provide feedback to teachers. It is a very powerful tool that I encourage parents to have a look at with their children.
This weekend we are looking forward to the students' involvement in the busking event in Stanthorpe and then with the Apple and Grape the following weekend. Please check your email for further details.
As always, we welcome your involvement in the life of the school.
Sarah Yates
Assistant to the Principal Primary
ASSISTANT TO THE PRINCIPAL FORMATION & IDENTITY
Out and About
Ready to take the Journey
With Ash Wednesday signifying the beginning of Lent next week, Fr Gonzo and I visited students from Years Prep to 3 to explain the importance of Ash Wednesday and the Lenten journey we are about to embark upon.
After watching a short Lego video about Ash Wednesday and Lent, a brief discussion was had about where the ashes come from, what they mean and ways in which we can try to be better people on the Lenten journey. The students then watched both me and Fr Gonzo trace the sign of the cross on our foreheads using ashes from last year. Despite my best efforts, the children all agreed that, on each occasion, Fr Gonzo’s cross of ashes was far better than Mrs Mahoney’s!
Partnering Pupils and Parishioners
Recently a new project was initiated between our Year 12 students and parishioners. Parishioners were asked to “adopt” a Year 12 student for this year offering their support through prayer, and, if they wished offer words of encouragement and advice throughout the year. Each Year 12 student wrote a few words about themselves, as well as their hopes for this year and the future. These were then emailed to their parishioner so each could learn a little more about each other. Our hope is that this initiative will not only offer support to each of our Year 12 students throughout this final year but also strengthen connections between our school and parish.
Time Travel
This week in RE lessons, Year 6 students were tasked with travelling back in time to correctly sequence events and changes in the Catholic Church between 1900 and 2022. This was a challenging task, but through collaboration, teamwork and research skills students were able to successfully sequence most events in their correct order. Some students even found errors in the dates! Students will now choose an event or individual and learn a little more about how this person or happening had a significant impact on church history in Australia.
We look forward to a busy few weeks ahead as we journey towards Easter and the joy of the resurrection.
God’s blessings
Megan Mahoney
Assistant to the Principal Formation & Identity
Congratulations to our Year 11 students who have taken on the role of leadership for our 2022 Maths and Science Clubs.
The Year 11 student leaders for Maths Club in 2022 are: Hannah Widderick, Chloe Britton and Josh Petrie.
"Math has always been my most loved and enjoyed subject throughout school. You can imagine my excitement when I was presented the opportunity of becoming Math Club leader for 2022. I hope to see my love and interest for math grow even more in the coming months while helping others to spark their own interest. I am looking forward to the year ahead as the Math Club leader and sharing my enthusiasm with the school community." Chloe Britton
"Ever since I got into high school, I enjoyed doing math and it came easy to me. When I was offered to be a leader of Math’s Club, I was excited to be able to help younger people to improve their math skills. I would like to help younger students to be able to enjoy math’s as much as I do and help demonstrate easier methods to succeed in math’s. This can also help me to get more engaged with the school community and be able to help people that need it." - Josh Petrie
"While most people are firm believers that maths is a hard and difficult subject, I believe it can also be very enjoyable. I have always liked it as a subject and would like to project that onto others who don’t agree. This year when I was given the opportunity to be a leader of Maths Club, I jumped at the chance, in a hope I can inspire the school community to feel the same. This opportunity also allows me to become more involved in the community that I have been a part of for 11 years." - Hannah Widderick
The Year 11 Science Club student leaders for 2022 are :
Term 1 | Eliza Telfer |
Chelsea Debnam | |
Term 2 | Taryn McCosker |
Kiara Osborne | |
Elizabeth Searle | |
Term 3 | Belinda McIntyre |
Sophie Day | |
David Nemeth | |
Term 4 | Taylah Organ |
Addisan Swan |
Term 1 | Eliza Telfer | Ever since I was young all I wanted was to know everything. While I still don’t know the complete inner workings of the universe, through science I have been able to further extend my knowledge of the world and I continue to discover more each day. It has helped me to find my own way to learning and I know that it will continue to guide me. I hope that through science club, I will be able to share my passion for knowledge and discovery with the rest of the school and help other like-minded students to find their passions and pathways to knowledge. |
Chelsea Debnam | Having the ability to become a science ambassador is a great privilege for me, and I see it as an opportunity to encourage others to share that same love for science as I do. Having this responsibly granted to me gives me great excitement, as I know that this role will allow me to better my own skills at teaching others science as well as improving my ability to speak in front of large groups of people which I know will help me later in life. When it comes to the field of science, there is always new things to learn. Therefore, there is never a dull moment when it comes to this subject seeing as you will continually be learning. | |
Term 2 | Taryn McCosker | As soon as I began science in high school a spark was fired. The fact that there was more than one science class, fascinated me! As soon as this opportunity came along to join science club, it only felt right that I accepted it. To me science is a journey that is so in depth in the fact that you actually get to understand why something happens. I am excited to be apart of science club and hopefully to be able to inspire other people to partake in science as well! |
Kiara Osbourne | Ever since I could remember, I would always go home complaining to mum and dad how much I hated science, only then to tell them what we did in science that day and my favourite thing about the experiment. I was always in denial of the fact that deep down; I had a passion for how things worked and why. Over the next two years, I will be partaking in two science subjects, Psychology and Biology, which even though we have only had a week of, I’m loving so much already! There’s a whole lot more to science then meets the eye! When I was given the opportunity to be a Science Club Leader and a UQ Science Ambassador for 2022, I thought what an amazing opportunity to educate the younger students of the school about how fun science can be. I look forward to participating in many fun and exciting experiments this year with my fellow science Club Leaders. | |
Ellie Searle | I chose to become a science club leader because I’ve always loved science, ever since starting high school. I'm doing Chemistry, Biology and Physics this year, and I have a deep interest in many of the science fields. When I found out there were positions available for Science Club leaders, I knew I had to sign up! I believe that becoming a science club leader will not only give me an opportunity to spend more time with a like-minded group and further my interests and studies but will also give me an opportunity to share in the fun of science-based activities and inspire others to pursue science in senior school. | |
Term 3 | Bindi McIntyre | The role of a UQ science ambassador, for me, provoked great interest through the idea of working throughout the school with the inclusion of science programs. The concept of science has always been a subject of great interest from a young age and, possibly, into a future career and study. While participating in this subject, a broader understanding of areas in science were discovered for myself, and the idea of science ambassador gave the opportunity to spread this understanding and share it with the school. This role will also help to build up senses of leadership individually and also alongside my classmates, and I am very excited to share my insight through fun activities! |
Sophie Day | When I was given the chance to become a science club ambassador earlier in the year I was thrilled. I have enjoyed studying science since I was younger which led me to decide to study biology and psychology. I cannot wait to have the opportunity to show the other students in the school why science is important and that it can be very fun. Science is a fundamental part of your schooling as there is science behind everything, and I will try to capture that in my time as an ambassador. I look forward to providing fun activities and experiments and I am always happy to hear suggestions from my fellow students and my teachers. | |
David Nemeth | I always enjoyed science, especially since starting senior high school as I can do the subjects, I enjoy the most. For choose biology and physics and are enjoying them. And I would implore other students going through senior to at least attempt one of the sciences. I am grateful for the opportunity to be one of the science club leaders for 2022. The fact that ill the opportunity to share my passion in science with others in my school community is amazing. | |
Term 4 | Taylah Organ | Since Grade 6 when I did my first successful science experiment I have always wanted to have more successful and fun outcomes. I love Science and wish to share what I know and continue to learn with students around me. This year as a part of Science club I wish to get as many people involved with successful and unsuccessful experiments as possible. Science in fun! Give some experiments a go in Science club this term and come to love Science as much as me. |
Addison Swan | Ever since I joined the St Joseph’s school , I have always been interested in being a UQ Science ambassador. Being able to interact with the younger grades and conducting experiments that are fun and exhilarating is my priority of being a UQ Science ambassador. To have the opportunity to share my love for science with students of all ages at Joey’s is a thrilling feeling. This year I hope to engage with the younger students and encourage them to excel in their journey with science and understanding this awesome subject! |
This year in Science on the Secondary campus, the Year 6 students are acting as chemical engineers.
Students will go through the engineering design process to find the best formulation for a bath bubbler made of household products. The bath bubblers respond to the problem, “How can we de-stress during the COVID pandemic?”
Here students are in the research phase and are creating mind maps.
Year 9 Math students have been working in collaboration through several ‘stations’ around the their classrooms.
The stations varied in difficulty and procedure, including puzzles, find the mistake and riddles.
The current unit has them learning and practicing index laws.
YEAR 6 STUDENTS GET CREATIVE IN ART
What better way to learn colour theory than to eat it!
Year 6 students combined their existing knowledge of colours with colour theory to decorate a biscuit in a colour scheme - we talked about warm and cool colours, and complementary colours.
They used icing and food colouring to make the primary and secondary colours before making their tasty arty creations!
School based apprenticeships and traineeships are a great opportunity designed for Secondary students which allows students to gain real-world experience and work towards a nationally recognised qualification, while completing their high school studies.
We would like to thank local businesses Brubuild and Sandro Stefanon Cabinets who have signed on Year 10 students Jack O'Brien and Charlie Haynes to complete their school based apprenticeships with their business.
We are very happy to see the students back at school and borrowing. All Primary classes have made their way to the Library to borrow some exciting books to read. The Preps are becoming old hands with library rules in the sessions they have had in the Library.
We are busily planning for our up coming Book Fair in Week 9 of this term and planning is already underway for the big events in the Library calendar – Book Week and Book Week Dress up in Term 3.
A reminder to all parents that library loans are for 2 weeks. All Class and Mentor teachers receive overdue notices for their students weekly. When books have been overdue for 4 weeks parents are emailed notification that your student has an overdue book through ParentPaperwork. If books still remain unreturned after parent notification, the books will be billed to Parents School Fees.
BOOK FAIR TERM 1 2022
The theme of our Scholastic Book Fair for 2022 is Dive Into Reading. It’s a fun reading event that brings the books kids want to read right into our school. It’s a wonderful selection of engaging and affordable books for every reading level. In fact, some titles will be under $5.00!
The Book Fair also provides an opportunity to pick up some great affordable gifts – and the gift of reading for enjoyment and knowledge is a lifetime one!
Book Fair dates: Mon 21st March – Fri 15th March
Shopping hours: 8.00am – 8.30am and 3.00pm – 3.30pm
We look forward to seeing you and your family at our Book Fair!
Mrs Stanford and Miss Gangemi
OUR SOUTHERN DOWNS YOUTH COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES FOR 2022
The Southern Downs Youth Council is a group of Year 10 students who meet regularly at the Stanthorpe Civic Centre and Warwick Town Hall.
This council works with student representatives from all the high schools in the Southern Downs and its purpose is to give a voice to young people in our community and provides the students with the opportunity for regular communication about issues of importance to them directly with the Mayor and Councillors.
Our representatives for 2022 are Brigid O’Dea and Claire Williamson.
Congratulations !
NEW SCHOOL REVERSIBLE SPORTS HAT
The school has introduced a new reversible Sports Hat which is now available for purchase at Gleesons Mercery.
The hat is bottle green on the main side with the school crest embroidered on the front. On the reversible side it is the House colour (Davadi - red or McAuley - green) with the House crest embroidered on the front. The hats are made out of a fade resistant material, that is, they will retain their colour much better than the current Secondary Sports Hat.
The cost is $17.95.
Thanks to the P&F Committee for their input into the design of the hat, and to Brenden Kay at Gleesons Mercery for organising the design and supply of the hats.
Primary
The new Sports Hat is an additional uniform item for Primary students. It can be worn during:
- Physical Education classes
- Primary sport
- Any House activities (swimming carnival, cross country carnival, athletics carnival, House competitions etc.)
The current Primary Hats will continue to be worn to and from school, for any formal occasions and for excursions.
Secondary
The new Sports Hat replaces the current Secondary Sports Hat. However, the older hat can continue to be worn until families have the opportunity to purchase the new one.
When Secondary students are wearing the new Sports Hats to and from school (or outside of school) they must wear the bottle green (school) side up - not the House side up.
St Joseph's School would like all students across Prep to Year 12 to acquire a House Sports Hat as they:
- Will help develop House spirit and identity amongst the students, and
- Are more presentable and identifiable with the school (fade resistant and have the school crest.
It may take time for some families to be able to purchase the hat. If you can acquire the hat throughout the course of Semester 1, that would be appreciated.
If you have any queries or concerns, please contact the office on 4681 5900.
A reminder that all volunteers and Visiting Service Providers to our school MUST complete the mandatory Student Protection and Code of Conduct.
Not unlike other organisations, St Joseph’s School must comply with legislation, in particular in the area of Student Protection. All School personnel, including volunteers, must have an understanding of both appropriate conduct, and how to identify and respond to instances of harm to a student.
If you wish to volunteer at St Joseph's School this year, you must complete the Student Protection and Code of Conduct for 2022. The link is provided:
Volunteers and Visiting Service Providers
The Student Protection Contacts for 2022 are:
Mr Andrew Kendall (Principal)
Mr Matthew Brown (Deputy Principal)
Mrs Karen Petrie (Head of House)
Mrs Rachel Leslie (Guidance Counsellor)
Please note that Parents/Caregivers cannot volunteer in any capacity without completing the Declaration. We ask that you complete the Declaration as soon as possible and return this to the office with a copy of your COVID Vaccination status.
We appreciate your co-operation and thank you for your ongoing support of St Joseph's School.
As part of the Secondary Pastoral Care program, the School is rolling out a coordinated program for explicitly teaching social and emotional well-being to all Secondary students.
Each morning the House Mentor teachers are delivering content on emotional literacy, mindfulness, and gratitude in order to bolster each student’s awareness and understanding of their own mental health, and to help them better understand the needs of others. This is part of the broader preventative strategies used at St Joseph’s to empower student’s to build the foundations for long term success.
Some of the resources from the mentor program have even made their way into English lessons, with Ms Anna Jones and others using the Emotional Vocabulary Wheel to explore their ‘Word of the Week’.
In the mentor groups this activity was designed to enhance students’ vocabulary to describe the range of emotions that they experience.
The most effective approach to mental health prevention and promotion is one that involves the whole learning community – including leaders, educators, children, young people and their families, and the wider local community. To this end, Mr Kendall and I have created a St Joseph’s School Stanthorpe Learning Community as part of the BeYou resource suite and data collection tools.
Be You Surveys empower all members of your learning community – educators, families, children and young people – to share their voice about mental health and wellbeing. Information gathered can help highlight strengths to build on and areas for improvement within your learning community.
We invite you as a St Jospeh’s School family to complete the survey so that we might better understand how we can support you as a school.
Please see the attached participant information sheet for more detail.
Rachel Leslie
Guidance Counsellor
POSITIVE PARTNERSHIPS WORKSHOPS
Positive Partnerships Online Parent/Carer Workshops
Positive Partnerships are running Queensland Online Parent/ Carer Workshops throughout March. The workshops will bring together families who would like to learn more about autism and ways to strengthen the home-school partnership. Positive Partnerships work with parents, carers & educators of school-aged children on the autism spectrum to provide evidence informed information - workshops & online resources.
To find out more about the workshops or to register click here.
Headspace Warwick has just launched its new Facebook page.
Please follow this link to their FB page: https://www.facebook.com/headspacewarwick
Headspace Warwick is a FREE and confidential service that helps young people in our community aged 12-25 with their mental health and well being. They provide a weekly service to Stanthorpe. headspace Warwick will focus your care around your individual needs and work with our in house team to offer you tailored support.
YEAR 10 CLASS of 1972 - 50 YEAR REUNION
A small group from the Year 10 Class of St Joseph’s High School 1972 are planning a 50 Year Celebration to be held in Stanthorpe on the 23rd April this year.
We are endeavoring to contact all past students of this Year 10 cohort.
If you or someone you know has a friend or relative who was in that Year 10 Class and would like to receive an invitation and /or find out more about the planned Reunion please ask them to email cmvd1957@gmail.com.
Granite Belt Swimming
Wednesday 9th February, St Joseph's School had 25 students compete at the Granite Belt Swimming Carnival.
Congratulations to all students who particpated in the Carnival and a special mention to the following students who qualified for the Darling Downs trials which will take place on 2nd March.
50m Freestyle |
50m Backstroke |
|
Ivy Hill |
X |
X |
Lily Tuvukica |
|
X |
Faith Lancaster |
|
X |
Lillian Taylor |
X |
|
Liam Green |
X |
|
Congratulations Katie-Lee
Year 9 student, Katie-Lee Jansink recently competed in the School Sport State Triathlon held at Hervey Bay on the 17th - 20th February. She competed as part of the intermediate age group which is the 15/16 yrs.
In the triathlon, competitors wore a timing chip which timed each of their disciplines. (Swim - 500m in open ocean water, with a sprint beach start, Bike - 15km, Run - 4km and the 2 sets of transitions)
Katie-Lee's statistics for the competition, which were released by School Sport were:
- 11th fastest overall in the swim combined 15/16 yrs (intermediate group)
- 33rd fastest overall in the bike leg. She was coming 11th overall in the triathlon and then she came off her bike. In the process her chain came off. Katie-Lee remained patient and calm as other competitors passed her by. It took about 4 minutes to get the bike chain back on but she was focused on getting back in the race. (Parents can’t help or they get disqualified) She got back on her bike, finished her ride and went on to do the run.
- 19th fastest overall in the run combined 15/16 yrs (intermediate group) She did a 1 ½ minute PB in her run leg.
Katie-Lee's end results were:
- 42nd out of 66 athletes in the combined 15/16 yrs (intermediate group); and
- 22nd in her age group (15yrs Girls)
On the Saturday, she was selected to do the swim leg in the team event for the intermediate girls. Her team placed 5th.
Katie-Lee said she loved the entire experience but her favourite parts were:
- Swim;
- Getting back on her bike after coming off (she was most proud of)
- Her PB in the Run
- The team relay.
Congratulations and well done Katie-Lee !
25 February | Secondary Swimming Carnival |
26 February | Busking Championships |
28 February - 4 March | HPE Week |
1 March | Year 6 Leadership Day |
2 March | Ash Wednesday |
5-6 March | Apple & Grape Festival |