Term 3 Week 6, 2022
From our Leadership
Dear St Joseph's Community,
Welcome
Each week our school gathers in Mercy Hall for assembly or other activities. Why is it called Mercy Hall? Our school was under the care of the Sisters of Mercy for many, many years. The Hall and the symbol next to the name of the hall acknowledges their significant legacy to the education and care of families in our parish.
What does the symbol mean? The founder of the order, Catherine McAuley chose the cross to be the symbol of the Sisters of Mercy because of her deep love for the crucified Jesus. You may have noticed that the Cross does not have the figure of Jesus on the Cross. This is because Catherine believed that each Sister of Mercy places herself on the Cross to be like Jesus.
Sisters of Mercy all around the world wear this cross so we can recognise who they are.
Another Reason to be Proud
In Term 2, nine Stage 2 students worked in three teams to create apps that would help to Make A Difference as part of a competition run by the Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools Office.
Lara, Jack and Myla created a prototype of an app to help children check their breathing and help them decide if they needed to take their asthma medication.
Nate, Isla and Noah worked together to create a prototype of an app to help children report cyber bullying to an adult in their lives.
Jhett, William and Botshelo started out wanting to make a robot to pick up rubbish in the playground and then changed their thinking to create a prototype of an app that helped children with emotional regulation.
These students should all be super proud of their hard work and achievements as they learnt how to use new technology, solved problems and worked together in teams. All teams put together a video explaining their idea and how they worked to put it together. If you would like to watch them follow the links at the bottom of this article.
As a reward for their ideas and hard work the Catholic Schools Office is sending the school a Lego Spike Kit worth around $650. We are all looking forward to having access to this kit and exploring coding and technology even further.
Asthmo - Created by Lara, Myla and Jack
H-Appy Created by Jhett, William and Botshelo
Cyber-Safety Created by Nate, Isla, Noah
School Photos
School photos will be held on Thursday 1 September. Students are to be dressed in their normal school uniform. This year all money and orders for photos are via COMPASS. This is available now and is to be organised and paid for via COMPASS before photo day please.
Father’s Day Celebration
We would like to invite all of our families to attend a prayer in our Mercy Hall at 9.45am on Friday 2 September.
This prayer will be followed by open classrooms where families can spend time with their children completing some fun activities in class. We look forward to celebrating with you all.
Sacrament of First Holy Communion Program.
Lessons have commenced for the preparation of this sacrament. It was wonderful to see how excited the children were in their first lesson as they embark on their faith journey for the final sacrament of initiation into the Catholic Church. The date of the 1st Communion Mass is Sunday, 18 September. Please keep these children and families in your prayers as they continue their preparation.
Stage 3 Mass and Reconciliation
On Wednesday, 31 August at 9:15am, Stage 3 and all First Communion candidates will attend the Parish Mass at St Patrick’s Church.
Following the Mass, the candidates who are preparing for the Sacrament of First Holy Communion will celebrate their First Reconciliation. Parents are always welcome to attend the Mass and sit with your children.
Parent Forum Meeting
The next Parent Forum meeting will be held in the school library on Tuesday 30 August. The agenda for this meeting is fundraising.
Acting Principal-Danny Rankin
Assistant Principal-Anne Forwell
K-2 Instructional Leader -Brooke Donoghue
K-6 Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
Kindergarten English- Phonics
Learning Intention: We are learning to know and recognise two letters that can work together to make one sound to be able to read and write.
Success Criteria: I can;
- identify the most common sound that single letters make
- identify the sound that two letters together can make
- name words that have a selected sound and determine whether it is at the beginning, middle or end of the word
- blend sounds together to form a word
- break words up into sounds to write words
- break words into syllables to help read and write them
Week 6 Sounds: ay, ai (say)
Week 7 Sounds: e, ee, ea (me)
Kindergarten English- Writing
Learning intention: We are learning to compose texts that include facts to provide information to our audience.
Success Criteria: I can;
- start each sentence with a capital letter and finish with a full stop
- say and write my sentence in the correct order
- write the sounds that I hear in words
- use tier 2 descriptive words in my writing
- use facts in my writing
Kindergarten Maths
Week 6: Volume and Capacity
Learning intention: We are learning to compare the volume of objects to determine which one holds more or less or the same amount.
Success Criteria: I can;
- use the term volume to describe the amount of space an object or substance occupies
- use blocks to compare the volumes of two objects
- compare the volumes of two objects by measuring the amount of space they take up
- compare the volumes of two piles of material by filling two containers that are the same
- use language such as has more, has less, will hold more, will hold less, takes up more space to compare objects volume
- record the way I compared objects volumes using drawings, numerals and words
Week 7: Patterns & Algebra
Learning intention: We are learning to create and describe patterns using colours and shapes.
Success Criteria: I can;
- create a repeating pattern using colours and shapes
- recognise where an error is in a pattern
- create patterns using symbols on the computer
- describe a pattern I have created by explaining its features
Stage 1 English- Phonics
Learning Intention: We are learning the graphemes that represent phonemes to help us read and spell words.
Success Criteria: I can;
- match and write the graphemes that represent some phonemes.
Week 6: /th/ as in feather Week 7: /v/ as in voice, /ve/ as in sleeve
Stage 1 English- Writing
Learning Intention: We are learning to create a hybrid comic on a Python to entertain and inform Stage 1.
Success Criteria: I can;
- re-read my draft about a python
- type my story using a laptop
- edit my work for capital letters, full stops, tier 2 words, exclamation marks and onomatopoeia
Stage 1 Maths
Week 6: Mass
Learning Intention: We are learning to investigate and compare mass using a pan balance.
Success Criteria: I can;
- identify materials that are light or heavy
- place objects on either side of a pan balance to obtain a level balance
- use a pan balance to compare the masses of two objects
- sort objects on the basis of their mass
Week 7: Fractions
Learning Intention: We are learning to recognise and describe one-half as one of two equal parts.
Success Criteria: I can;
- use concrete materials to make two equal parts
- describe two equal parts of a collection
- record two equal parts by using ½
Stage 2 English
Learning Intention: Students can plan, compose and edit a narrative so that they can engage the reader and hold their interest.
Success Criteria: I can;
- explain why authors write to tell stories.
- choose a way to plan my work.
- create a setting to engage the reader.
- build characters to reflect people we know and teach lessons.
- use language to interest the reader - similes, imagery, alliteration, onomatopoeia.
Stage 2 Mathematics
Learning Intention: We are Learning to make increasingly larger number patterns using our multiplication facts.
Success Criteria: I can;
- use the word ‘term’ when referring to the places in the pattern order
- explain how we can find out the next ‘term,’ in a pattern
- describe the position of each ‘term’ in the number pattern
Stage 3 English
Learning Intention: Students will use comprehension strategies to understand information and ideas so that they can evaluate the intended message.
Success Criteria: I can;
- summarise the key words and ideas
- identify, answer and construct a literal question
- identify, answer and construct an inferential question
- identify, answer and construct an evaluative question
- identify, answer and construct a reorganisational question
Learning Intention: We are learning to write sentences that make sense and have correct punctuation so that we can create paragraphs that make sense for the reader.
Success Criteria: I can;
- plan my work
- use a capital letter and full stop
- use commas correctly
- use speech marks correctly
- create a paragraph
- edit my work
- a peer can read and understand my paragraph
Stage 3 Mathematics
Learning intention: We are learning to solve multiplication and division word problems using mental and written strategies.
Sport Coordinator - Emma Davis
Rugby League Sessions
This week, students particpated in their first session of Rugby League Coaching with Warwick from National Rugby League. These sessions will run each Wednesday during weeks 6, 7, 8 and 9.
Library/Book Club Coordinator - Anna Smidt
Celebrating Book Week!
Book Club
Book Club Issue 6 is out now. If you would like to place your order through the school, please return your order by 9 September.
Class In Focus: Stage 1
In Science, Stage 1 are learning about the growth and survival of flora and fauna and how they are affected by the conditions of our environment.
Last week, the students enjoyed investigating the native flora and fauna commonly found in our school environment. During a field study, the students collected data on local plants such as the bottlebrush, wattle, eucalyptus, tipuana and jacaranda trees and local animals and birds such as the kangaroo, lizard, snake, possum, frog, echidna, magpie, cockatoo, kookaburra, parrot and owl.
We discussed what affects their survival and occupancy. The students summarised that since the trees were pruned in our playground during the holidays, the native tawny frog mouth owl’s and ring tail possum’s habitats have been disturbed. We hope that they will return to our playground in the near future and once again enhance our lovely school environment.
In the coming weeks, the students are going to identify how to improve our school environment and ways to encourage living things to survive. If anyone has any native shrubs that they would like to donate to the school, Stage 1 would be very appreciative.
Gumbaynggirr Language - Liz Hegedus
Ginnagay Ngujawiny -Hello You Mob,
Kindergarten are learning about 'Aboriginal Dreamtime Stories.' Dreamtime stories are based around how Indigenous people believe stories were created by the way they live.
Creation stories provide important information about culture, values, people, animals and the environment, and are passed down from generation to generation through storytelling.
Indigenous story telling is very important to our culture as it keeps our culture alive. Storytelling is one form of art of how Indigenous people share their stories and each story is important to each Indigenous tribe of Australia.
Kindergarten watched the Dreamtime Story 'Brolga The Dancing Girl.'
This story is about how a young Indigenous girl loves to dance. All she wants to do is just dance all day long. A wirrinun (shaman-a healer and custodian of Aboriginal cultural traditions) wanted her for his wife but she refused, as she refused all men. Dancing was her love and nothing else distracted her. He harboured resentment until one day, seeing her dancing alone on the plain he takes his chance, changes himself into a willywilly (small whirlwind) and sweeps her into it. The Great Spirit intervenes and she is transformed into Brolga as we see her today. She is still dancing.
Kindergarten then became part of the dance and turned into Brolga's. They also coloured in some beautiful Brolga's that are a part of our 'Dreamtime Corner' in the library.
https://youtu.be/1Tjy16PTsgQ (Brolga's Dancing)
https://youtu.be/zxnra4q1ElA (Bandarra dance group)
Darrundang Ngiinda - Thankyou
Miss Liz Hegedus
IEW Indigenous Educational Worker
School Notes
COMPASS - School Fees
Term 3 Fees have now been added to your account. The preferred payment method for school fees is via BPay. Scheduled payments can also be set up using BPay, the Biller Code and your personal reference number can be found on your Fee Statement.
Paying through BPay ensures that your payment goes directly into your account. Any enquireies please contact the School Office.
Absences
Only full day absences are to be entered into Compass, for partial absences - arriving late or leaving early please phone the School Office to notify.
Change to afternoon travel arrangements may be emailed to the school if before 12.00pm sjpgraf@lism.catholic.edu.au After 12.00pm please phone the School Office with any changes.
School Calendar
TERM 3
WEEK 6
Saturday, 27 August - 1st Communion Commitment Mass
Sunday, 28 August - 1st Communion Commitment Mass
WEEK 7
Monday, 29 August 2.15pm - School Assembly in Mercy Hall
Tuesday, 30 August 6.00pm-7.00pm - Parent Forum
Wednesday, 31 Augusr 9.15am - Stage 3 & First Communion Candidates Mass, followed by First Reconciliation for the candidates at St Patrick's Church. Parents are most welcome.
Thursday, 1 September - School Photo Day
Friday, 2 September 9.45am- Father's Day Celebration, Prayer in Mercy Hall followed by Open Classrooms
WEEK 8
Monday, 5 September 2.15pm - School Assembly in Mercy Hall
Tuesday, 6 September - Stage 3 Soccer Zone Gala Day at Yamba
WEEK9
Monday, 12 September 2.15pm - School Assembly in Mercy Hall
Sunday, 18 September - First Communion Mass
WEEK 10
Monday, 19 September 2.15pm - School Assembly in Mercy Hall
Thursday, 22 September - Hockey clinic for Stage 2 and Stage 3 students
Friday, 23 September - Final day of Term 3
TERM 4
Week 1
Monday, 10 october - Staff Development Day (Pupil Free Day)
Tuesday, 11 October - Students return
Tuesday, 11 October - First Transition to Kindergarten Class
Week 2
Monday, 17 October 2.15pm - School Assembly in Mercy Hall
Tuesday, 18 October - Transition to Kindergarten Class
Week 3
Monday, 24 October 2.15pm - School Assembly in Mercy Hall
Tuesday, 25 October - Transition to Kindergarten Class
Tuesday, 25 October 6.00pm-7.00pm - Parent Forum
Wednesday, 26 October 9.00am - Infants Swimming
Week 4
Monday, 31 October 2.15pm - School Assembly in Mercy Hall
Tuesday, 1 November - Transition to Kindergarten Class
Wednesday, 2 November 9.00am - Infants Swimming
Merit Awards
Congratulations to the following students who received a Merit Award.
TERM 3 WEEK 5
Kindergarten: Saxon
Stage 1: Alexander, David
Stage 3: Rose, Sophie, Bath-Sheba
TERM 3 WEEK 6
Kindergarten: Summer P, Emily
Stage 1: Elsie, Dakota
Stage 2: Jack, Myla
Stage 3: Keaira, Peter, Kyle
Uniform Shop
The uniform shop is located in the BrewHouse Village.
Opening hours:
Monday - Wednesday 10.00am to 4.30pm
Thursday 10 to 3.30pm
Email: fytexptyltd@bigpond.com
Ph: 0434 025 493
Canteen
CANTEEN OPEN WEDNESDAY & FRIDAY
Volunteers are always welcome, please leave your details with our School Office.
Canteen Menu
Community Notices
