Tusmore Park Excursion

On Wednesday 11th February, students enjoyed a wonderful day of outdoor learning and play at Tusmore Park. Although the weather was warm, a cool breeze kept us comfortable. Even with the wading pool out of action, students showed getting along skills and made the most of the natural environment. The shortened day ensured everyone returned to school happy and not too tired. Throughout the excursion, students, and staff, demonstrated organisation, teamwork, respect and responsibility — proudly employing our Keys to Success.

Student Reflections

Harrison - “I enjoyed hunting for lizards with my friends.”
Joshua - “I enjoy the ride on the bus because it was fun.”
Carly - “I enjoyed pretending to be a Kaurna kid by playing in nature. We pretended to hunt for food.”
Nimisha - “Even if we couldn’t play in the pool, we had fun playing in the grounds.”
Vi - “We had to be organised and pack away food so the ants didn’t eat it.”
Myra - “There was so much nature and we could use it to   play.”

As I have been moving around the school each day it has been very pleasing to see that children have settled well into the new school year. In classrooms children are busy engaged in the learning opportunities presented to them, enjoying each other’s company, and learning together. 

Catholic Identity

In the past I have used the following piece of scripture from the book of Jeremiah with staff:

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord; Come, go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words. So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me: Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as the potter has done? Says the Lord. Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. (Jeremiah 18: 1-6)

This piece of scripture reminds us of how impressionable children can be and the impact our attitudes, words and actions have on the development of children in our care. Our school motto of, In All Things Love calls us to ensure that words spoken, decisions made, and actions taken are out of love, compassion and respect for each individual child in our care.

Parent Information Evening & School Board AGM- Monday February 9

It was encouraging to see the number of families attend our Parent Information Evening and School Board AGM on Monday February 9. The evening provided an opportunity for parents to gain an insight into their children’s classroom learning environment and routines along with hear about ways they can support their children’s learning at home. In addition, those who attended the School Board AGM were able to gain an insight into our school achievements for 2025 along with how the school is tracking in terms of strategic planning and finance. The partnership between home and school is a vitally important one as there is concrete evidence which states that high parent engagement supports children in their academic and social development. Thank you to all the parents and carers who joined us on this evening. Thank you also to all our teachers for their efforts in preparing for and facilitating the evening.

Formal Parent/Teacher conversations will take place during Week 9 of this term. More information will be forwarded to families closer to the time.

Whole School Excursion Wednesday February 11

Our whole school excursion to Tusmore Park on Wednesday February 11 proved to be a great success. The day provided an opportunity for the whole school community to spend time together having fun and getting to know each other. Across the first 3 weeks of each school year teachers spend a lot of time developing relationships with their children and allowing their children to develop relationships with each other. This strategy forms the basis for a successful school year. Our whole school excursion in Week 2 or 3 of Term 1 each year compliments this strategy very well.

Upcoming Events

I would like to draw your attention to the following upcoming events:

Ash Wednesday - Wednesday February 18

On Wednesday February 18 we joined the parish community to celebrate Ash Wednesday mass in St Maximilian Kolbe Church. We all were marked with the Sign of the Cross to acknowledge Jesus’ call for us to work towards creating a better for all people.

Pupil Free Day - Friday March 6

Our staff will be involved in professional learning facilitated by our Leader of Learning Trish Pfeiffer, classroom teacher Natalie Doyle and myself, focusing on the latest research around teaching and learning. OSHC will be available on the day. Bookings are essential and can be made by contacting Mieke or the Front Office.

St. Joseph’s Feast Day - Thursday March 19

As a whole school we will celebrate the feast day of St Joseph on Thursday March 19. We will commence celebrations by attending Mass as a whole school in our Parish Church. This will be followed by several fun activities throughout the day. Parents are very welcome to join our celebration. Further details about the day will be forwarded to you closer to the time.

On Friday March 20 the St Joseph House Team will lead our whole school community prayer which will focus on St Joseph.

Sports Day - Thursday April 9.

Sport Day this year will once again be held at the Port Adelaide Athletics Club.

Curriculum News

I have included two mathematical tasks which you might like to have a go at with your child/children.

This week’s Mathematical tasks:

Reception to Year 3

I am thinking of a number between 10 and 100 with a single 8 in it. What might my number be?

What numbers can you make using 3, 5 and 6?

Years 4-6

How many numbers can you make using the digits 1, 4, 7 and 8? You can only use each digit once in each number.

Two numbers multiply to give 16000. What might the two numbers be?

Happy inquiry.

Reading is another core learning area here at St Joseph’s School. Our staff use an agreed set of practices around children’s development of reading skills, knowledge and understanding. These practices shape our reading programs across the school.

Below are some strategies you might like to try at home to support your children’s learning:

encourage and model reading in the home

Listen to your child read their reading material and ask specific questions related to what they have read                                      

• Read with your child
• Share what you are reading with your child
• Read your child a bedtime story
• Talk to your child about the different situations you find yourself in whereby you are required to read texts.

Happy reading.

Teaching and Learning

Our whole school English and Mathematics blocks commenced this week. English and Mathematics Blocks are daily non-interrupted times where teaching and learning is focused on developing children’s understanding, knowledge, and skills in these vital areas of school life.

I have the pleasure of working across all areas of the school during one of their Mathematics Block lessons each week. Enhancing children’s learning outcomes through providing contemporary child centred and engaging learning opportunities is our focus as teachers. Being in relationship with our children and their families, working in partnership to support all learners across the school is an important part of what we do.

2026 NAPLAN Testing

This year our Year 3 and Year 5 children will once again complete their NAPLAN testing online although the Year 3 Writing Test will continue to be a paper test. NAPLAN is a nationally developed program that provides schools, states, and territories with information about how education programs are working and what areas need to be prioritised for improvement. NAPLAN tests are administered simultaneously in all schools across Australia and the content of the tests are aligned to the Australian Curriculum; English and Mathematics. The 2026 NAPLAN Testing window opens on March 11 and closes on March 23. NAPLAN Tests are just one of many assessments conducted at our school.

Student Safety and Wellbeing

The Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide Safeguarding Children and Young People policy can be found on our school website under Community, Welfare, Your Child’s Welfare. The policy outlines the key principles and responsibilities of Catholic schools to ensure a total community approach towards the protection of children and young people in their care. I encourage you to visit our website to view the full policy.

The Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum, in a sense is the curriculum component of the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide Safeguarding Children and Young People policy links directly to the Religious Education Curriculum, the Made in the Image of God Curriculum and our ongoing emphasise on child protection. The Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum forms a large part of our classroom focus during the first 3 weeks of the school year. 

Why we teach children about keeping safe.

School systems have a legal responsibility to protect children and young people from abuse in their settings and in the wider community. All children and young people have a right to:

• be treated with respect and to be protected from harm
• be asked for their opinions about things that affect their lives and to be listened to
• feel and be safe in their interactions with adults and other children and young people
• understand as early as possible what is meant by 'feeling and being safe'.

Curriculum Themes

The curriculum follows 2 main themes:

• we all have the right to be safe
• we can help ourselves to be safe by talking to people we trust.

Focus areas

The 2 themes are explored through 4 focus areas:

• the right to be safe
• relationships
• recognising and reporting abuse
• protective strategies.

The focus areas are targeted to the age of the learners.

The Cyber Safety: Keeping Children Safe in a Connected World document can also be found on our school website under Community, Welfare, Your Child’s Welfare. The document aims to ensure a safe learning environment for all children when using ICTs and working online.

Our Student Wellbeing & Personal Responsibility school policy can also be found on our school website under Community, Welfare, Your Child’s Welfare.

Collectively these documents outline the processes and protocols in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all children in our care.

If you have any questions around any of these documents or would like further clarification, feel free to speak to your child’s classroom teacher, our APRIM Simon McCullough or myself.

Audiri App is transitioning to EdSmart

As you may be aware we have commenced the move away from using the Audiri App to using EdSmart which is an email-based product. Information regarding what is happening within our school along with upcoming school events will now be communicated the families using EdSmart. Be sure to monitor your email inbox for school updates.

At this stage we will continue to use Audiri to allow for parents to complete absentee slips.

May God continue to bless all our families throughout 2026.

Working in partnership with you.

Shaun O’Leary.

On Shrove Tuesday we enjoyed pancakes for all students and staff. thanks, Rebecca, for organising these for us.

Some event and dates you might like to know are;

Masses in Term 1 - all families are invited to join us

• St Patrick's Tuesday 17/3
• St Joseph's Thursday 19/3
• The Annunciation of the Lord Wednesday 25/3

Holy Week Liturgies - 30/3 - 2/4 - There will be a daily liturgy and we would love for you to join us.

• Mother's Day breakfast and liturgy - Friday 8/5
• Father's Day breakfast and liturgy - Friday 9/9
• Multicultural Day - Monday 24/8 starting with Whole School performance from Sean Choolburra
• Andrew Chinn is also booked for a whole day on Friday October 16. There will be a concert at the end of the day and you are very welcome to join us.

Below are the dates that the Year 3 and 5 students will be sitting the Naplan tests at St Joseph's. We ask, if possible, that you do not schedule appointments for your child at these times.

If you have any questions or concerns about your child sitting these test please see either Trish or Shaun to discuss.

Next week on Tuesday there will be a Naplan readiness test which will happen statewide to test that the computers and software are running smoothly. 

NAPLAN 2026 St Joseph's School Ottoway

Wednesday March 11

Writing 9:30 start

Thursday March 12  *Two tests scheduled

Reading 9:30 start

Language Conventions (Grammar) 11:45 start

Friday March 

Numeracy 9:30 start

Our school community came together to celebrate Shrove Tuesday by sharing pancakes across all year levels, from Preschool to Year 6. It was a lovely opportunity for students to learn about the tradition while enjoying time together with friends and teachers.

We extend our sincere thanks to all the staff and volunteers who assisted with preparation and serving throughout the morning. A special thank you to Rebecca in the canteen for her time and effort in organising the pancakes.

Please see the Archbishop’s Pastoral Letter at: Archbishop Pastoral Letter

A big thank you to Ms Anna Huynh and our wonderful Year 2/3 students for their beautiful Creation Story artwork. You can now admire their inspiring masterpiece in our new Sacred Space - be sure to take a look!

St Joseph's Ottoway 2026 Music Application Form
 

See link to sign up https://forms.gle/m5GNRHBSegkama3EA

Please visit the Front Office if you would like a paper copy, alternatively a pdf copy can be emailed to you. 

Your invited to the Lenten Retreat:

The Temptation of Jesus in The Desert.

Saturday 7th March 9:15am - 4pm

At Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church 420 Seaview Road Henley Beach.

Speaker: Fr Josy Sebastian MSFS

The day will include

• Mass 9:15am
• Talks given by Fr Josy
• Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
• Reflection, Reconciliation
• Prayer Ministry
• Benediction with Incense

Please bring your own lunch tea/coffee provided. Enquiries and bookings phone Pauline 0403002240 by 4th March Cost by cash donation All Welcome

SEE BELOW LIK TO REGISTER FOR AUSSIE HOOPS

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