2/3H have had a very busy start to Term 2!

We have been excitedly working towards earning our mechanical pencil licences and blue pen licences. We have also had lots of fun with our buddy class, R/1C. Together, we have enjoyed many exciting activities, including learning how to use robots called Dash and having a Teddy Bear Picnic at the park. We are also very excited and looking forward to our upcoming zoo excursion!

Catholic Identity

This week we have been celebrating Catholic Education Week.

Catholic schools give students opportunities to:

• learn about prayer in the Catholic Tradition
• listen and respond to God
• embrace the beauty and richness of prayer in the Catholic Tradition
• develop skills for personal and communal prayer and Liturgy.

In our Catholic school communities, everyone is encouraged to set aside time for personal prayer and to pray together with others. As part of Catholic Education Week this year we created a You’re a Star in our Community Wall located at the entrance to our school library. Community members (parents, caregivers, grandparents, children, and staff) have had the opportunity to place a star on the wall when they say a prayer in their heart with love or show kindness to others. We will also come together as a whole school this Friday morning to celebrate communal prayer accessing the prayer resource for Catholic Education Week made available to all schools. Classroom teachers have also been provided with the Catholic Education Week information kit to use with their classes.

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

Draw a clock and show on it the time you get out of bed on Tuesday mornings. 

What things could you do that take about 10 minutes?

Years 4-6

Imagine that you are allowed to watch 4.5 hours of television on the weekend. What might be the television programs that you watch this weekend?

A basketball match takes 1 hour and 45 minutes to complete. What might be suitable starting and finishing times?

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.

Why is Play Important?

Play is important for learning the social skills (including language and communication) that develop over time and will be the foundation for future relationships. 

Through play, children learn about:

• the give and take of relationships with friends (negotiating)
• how their behaviour can affect others and to develop empathy
• how to lead and follow
• repairing relationships.

Play helps children develop emotional skills. Through play, children can express their feelings, even before they have the words to say how they feel. Play also fosters imagination and becomes the basis for creativity in art or music or other ways of self-expression. These ways of personal expression can help people cope with the range of feelings humans feel as they journey through life. Play can also help children learn impulse control. They learn to think about what they want to do, to plan and to be patient. If they’re building a castle and get frustrated and knock it down, they have lost their castle. In these ways, children gradually learn they need to control their impulses to achieve what they want. 

Play is a way that children can work through and resolve problems. For example, a child whose family has separated may feel very anxious about what’s going to happen to them. These feelings and possibilities can be explored through play. The child can practise having two homes set up with two houses and different dolls. There’s no need for you to take part but being near while the child plays shows support and acceptance.

Play helps children develop physical skills. Children like games that test their physical abilities (motor skills) - running, climbing, jumping and exploring. These games bring children happiness and build their confidence.

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. During Term 2 we will hold three transition visit mornings for our new Pre-school and Reception children with the aim of supporting their new start.

May the love of the Risen Lord continue to be with us.

Working in partnership with you.

Shaun O’Leary.

Audiri App has been replaced by EdSmart

As you may be aware we have moved 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 to families using EdSmart. Be sure to monitor your email inbox for school updates.

The school has cancelled its subscription with Audiri.

Lacrosse Carnival 

Students proudly represented our school at the Catholic Schools Lacrosse Carnival held at West Beach in Week 4. It was fantastic to see all students participating with enthusiasm, determination and excellent sportsmanship throughout the day. Students demonstrated great teamwork, encouragement and respect making it a very successful and enjoyable carnival for everyone involved.

A special mention goes to both of our Year 5/6 girls’ teams, who had an outstanding day on the field, winning all 6 of their games. Their teamwork, skill and positive attitude were exceptional, and they should be very proud of their efforts.

Overall, the carnival was a wonderful experience filled with fun, learning and great school spirit. Well done to all students who participated and represented our school so positively. A special thank you to staff and attending parents for supporting the students throughout the day.

Mother’s Day Morning Tea

Our school community celebrated Mother’s Day with a special morning tea to recognise the important role of mothers, grandmothers and special guests. It was a warm and enjoyable event, giving students the chance to spend time with their families.

Guests enjoyed fresh scones served with jam and cream, adding a traditional touch to the morning.

Our preschool students also celebrated Mother’s Day with a special morning, taking part in a flower planting activity to create a thoughtful gift to take home. It was a lovely way for our youngest learners to show their appreciation and celebrate the important people in their lives.

You’re invited to the Life in the Spirit Seminar. “Come Holy Spirit, Fall Afresh On Us!”

Saturday 6th June 9:15am - 4pm and

Sunday 7th June 9:30am - 3:30pm

Speaker: Fr Josy Sebastian MSFS

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

Please bring your own lunch tea/coffee provided. Enquiries and bookings phone Pauline 0403002240 by 2nd June Cost by Cash Donation All Welcome