NEWSLETTER

Holy Week Liturgies

During the final week of Term 1, our school community journeyed through the sacred events of Holy Week with reverence and reflection. Each day offered students and staff an opportunity to deepen their understanding of the significance of this most important time in the Church calendar.

Throughout the week, classes gathered for prayer and liturgy, focusing on the final days of Jesus’ life — from His triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to the sorrow of Good Friday and the hopeful anticipation of Easter Sunday.

On the final day of term, our Year 4/5/6 class led the school in a powerful presentation of the Stations of the Cross. The students demonstrated great maturity and reverence, allowing the entire school to pause and reflect on the true meaning of Christ’s sacrifice.

Catholic Identity

During the season of Easter, we celebrate the essence of our faith: Jesus Lives! Without this truth, faith falls apart and we, as church, become irrelevant. But we believe! Jesus Lives! And it is our privilege and responsibility to bear witness to the belief that Jesus lives among us. The Church season of Easter lasts for 7 weeks leading up to Pentecost. It is a time to celebrate the love of God in our lives and the gifts which have been given to us. The gifts of family, friends, freedom of choice and the environment, just to name a few. We see Jesus everyday through the actions of those around us. We can continue to live the word of Jesus through our interactions with others. The way we speak to each other, care for each other, reach out to those in need, value each other and allow those we are in disagreement with to maintain their dignity, are all ways we can live Jesus’ call to create a just and fair world for all people.

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

How many objects can you find that are longer than 3 of your foot lengths but shorter than 4 of your foot lengths?

Years 4-6

I have drawn a shape with a perimeter of 36cm. Record all the different ways my shape may look.

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.

Children develop their reading skills, knowledge and understanding by reading regularly. At St Joseph’s School regular reading at home forms a major part of homework set each evening. Why not create regular timeslots throughout the week whereby all electronic devices in the home are turned off and members of the family spend 15 minutes reading together. 

Happy reading.

Teaching and Learning Updates:

Year 4/5P & 6S - M Pick & J Smith

Literacy groups are progressing well with students working in targeted groups to build comprehension strategies and increase their ability to read more challenging texts. We are very happy with the improvements the students have made in such a short period of time. Having the capacity to work with a smaller group every day to work towards a set writing goal is very beneficial. Our Literacy program has focused on the novel War Horse by Michael Morpugo. Students are being 

challenged by this text and are becoming very interested in the events of World War 1 through this text.

Our Mathematics program has continued to work through number concepts, with students working on lots of different mathematical concepts. Some students are focusing on place value, others on addition or subtraction and some moving onto multiplication, division and problem-solving strategies.

We are learning about Sudden and Extreme Changes to the Earth’s Surface in Science. This includes Earthquakes, Tsunamis and Volcanoes. In HASS, students are learning about life in the Early Australian Settlements in the 1900s. In Health, students are using the Destinations, Milestones and Footsteps framework to guide their individual and POD learning goals.

School Start Time 8:45am

I encourage you, if possible, to ensure your child/children are at school by 8:45am each day. This will ensure that your child is present during key explicit teaching moments at the beginning of Literacy and Numeracy Blocks. This will ensure your child is well informed and ready to be a successful learner.

Sports Day - Thursday May 1

Our whole school Sports Day held at the Port Adelaide Athletics Club on Thursday May 1 proved to be a great day full of fun for all our children.

Our Physical Education Coordinator Daniel Nguyen did a great job planning for and facilitating the running of the day. Our House Captains did a great job leading their teams. All staff got into the spirit of the day supporting both their house teams and all our children. The day was a great community building event.

The Joseph House (Yellow Team) were the overall Sports Day winners with house captains Vivian Ngo and Cooper Barnes receiving our Sports Day Shield. Their house and names will be engraved on our Sports Day Shield and presented during our next whole school assembly.

Five Areas of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

SEL involves developing the ability to understand and manage our emotions, establish positive relationships, develop empathy for others, set and achieve goals and feel good about ourselves.

Be You’s approach to SEL is based on the model developed by the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), an internationally recognised organisation in this area of research.

Details of the model’s ?ve social and emotional skill areas essential for the development of good mental health are outlined below.

Self-awareness

This is the ability to recognise and understand your own emotions, thoughts and values, and understand how they affect your behaviour. It’s about understanding and assessing your personal strengths and understanding that abilities and intelligence can be developed and improved.

The main skills include:

• identifying emotions
• self-perception
• understanding strengths
• self-confidence
• self-efficacy.

Self-management

This is the ability to manage and regulate your emotions and behaviour, including managing stress, controlling impulses and keeping yourself motivated.

The main skills include:

• impulse control
• stress management
• self-discipline
• self-motivation
• goal setting
• organisational skills.

Social awareness

This is the ability to understand and empathise with people from a range of diverse backgrounds, and to understand social and ethical norms of behaviour.

The main skills include:

• perspective-taking
• empathy
• appreciating diversity
• respect for others.

Relationship skills

These involve the ability to develop and maintain healthy and positive relationships with others. They include the ability to communicate clearly, listen, cooperate, resist peer pressure, and negotiate conflict.

The main skills include:

• communication
• social engagement
• relationship building
• teamwork.

Responsible decision-making

This is the ability to make informed and responsible decisions about personal behaviour and social interactions with others, based on adherence to ethical standards, safety concerns and social norms. The main skills include:

• identifying problems
• analysing situations
• solving problems
• self-evaluation
• self-reflection
• ethical responsibility.

To learn more about how you can support the wellbeing of your child, visit Be You (formerly Beyond Blue). The website also provides a range of resources and ideas to support the mental health and wellbeing of our young people. I encourage you to visit the website at https://beyou.edu.au/and have a look for yourself.

Term 3 Preschool and Reception Intake

St. Joseph’s School will once again have a Pre-school and Reception intake at the start of Term 3 this year. Our Term 3 new Pre-school children will replace those moving into Reception as part of our Term 3 Reception intake. The criteria for starting Pre-school or Reception on the first day of school in Term 3 is that a child will have turned 4 (Pre-school) or 5 (Reception) between 1 May and 31 October in that year. Later this term we will hold three transition visit mornings for our new Pre-school and Reception children with the aim of supporting their new start.

Important Safety Message

Students and families are reminded to be wary of approaches from strangers, especially when they are unaccompanied or travelling to and from school. If they are approached students should not respond and should not accept offers of rides or gifts. 

Students should seek the assistance of other nearby adults if they feel unsafe and should report the event to a trusted adult (parent or school staff member) as soon as possible.

SAPOL advises that taking out a mobile phone and calling police can deter the offender and they recommend the student making a formal report to their closest police station.

For guidance on what to teach your child about strategies for staying safe, view this link:  SAPOL Personal Safety | Safety for Young People

Kiss and Drop Zone Speed Limit 10km per Hour.

A reminder that the school Kiss and Drop Zone along Rosewater Terrace has a speed limit of 10km per hour. Please ensure you observe the speed limit when using the Kiss and Drop Zone as this is an area where children are entering and exiting the school in large numbers.

A reminder also that the school Kiss and Drop Zone is not a place to park your car if you need to enter the school grounds as this holds up all incoming and outgoing traffic. It also leads to children exiting their cars on Rosewater Terrace and having to manoeuvre between traffic, raising further safety concerns. If you need to come into the school grounds, parking is available along Rosewater Terrace and on Ina Avenue.

Thank you in anticipation of your support with these important safety matter.

Audiri App

To keep up to date with what is happening within our school along with upcoming school events why not download the AudiriApp from the App Store on your mobile phone. Once downloaded simply search St Joseph’s School, Ottoway and add to your Audiri page. Many of our families currently use the Audiri App to keep up to date with what is happening across our school.

May the love of the Risen Lord continue to be with us during this Easter Season.

Working in partnership with you.

Shaun O’Leary.

Please make yourself comfortable and help yourself to tea, coffee and biscuits.

The room will be open most days 8:25am and 2:30pm

Catholic Education Week 12/5 - 16/5

 This year we will have a Hope and Kindness wall where the children and the whole community can write or draw how they can or have shined through kindness or write / draw what gives them hope and how they can be a source of hope for others. You will find this at the entrance to the Tenison Woods Hall.

You are always invited to join with us at Community Prayer each Friday morning, class liturgies and parish Masses.

Mass this term:

• Tuesday 24th June St John the Baptist 10am
• Friday 27th June Most Sacred Heart of Jesus 10am

A Community Prayer theme for Our Lady Help of Christians (Saturday 24th May) and for Sts Peter and Paul (Sunday 29th June) as these celebrations fall on weekends.

Please join our Facebook page to keep up to date with our school community!

https://www.facebook.com/stjosephsottoway

And don't forget to keep up to date with the latest at Catholic Education SA by following them on Catholic Education South Australia | Adelaide SA | Facebook 

Each year we need volunteers to work in our Canteen to prepare hot and cold lunches for our hungry growing children (and staff as requested) and to serve over the counter at recess and lunch. As a canteen volunteer you can help out either for a full day, 9.30am to 2.00pm or part day to cover either the morning collation of lunch orders and recess, 9.30am-11.20am, or the lunch period, 12.00pm - 2.00pm.

Canteen Volunteer Duties 

• assisting with preparation of foods -

• serving children over the counter at recess and lunch

• general canteen tidy up after lunch

Please see Alissa in the front office to express your interest.