St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Wandal Newsletter

29 January 2020

Casting the Net - Weekly Prayer Reflection

Passing on the Blessings

What a summer! Not only did we have the terror of the fires, we also had the wonder of what ordinary people, people like you and me, could do in those circumstances. Too often we underestimate the goodness and bravery and kindness that people like us can rise to in unexpected circumstances.

In our ordinary lives, we can train for these. The Fireys train for their service, as do the police, paramedics and the many groups that stepped up to the challenge. Everyday family and school life can be a real training ground in goodness, bravery and kindness. No parent or teacher underestimates how challenging rearing or teaching a child is.

There are many sources of teaching for us but one of the best is our own experience. Take a minute to think of the people who have loved you to this day. Perhaps write down their names. Consider one quality that you loved in each of them. Then try to live a quality consciously through this coming week. Try another one next week.

We have all met and been shaped by good people. It is through them that God showers blessings on us. It is for us to take up those blessings and pass them on to our children and our pupils and through us, they can know the blessings of God. (And perhaps one day, when we face a terror, we may be surprised by the goodness, bravery and kindness that comes from us.)

Loving God, you know it has been a tough summer for our nation. As we have been inspired by the extraordinary actions of many, may we learn how to show their goodness and bravery in our lives. We ask this in Jesus’ name, confident that you will hear us.

Sr Kym Harris osb

From the Principal

Welcome to the 2020 school year! I hope that the Christmas break has given you time for relaxation and renewal. We look forward to another wonderful year with many opportunities for learning and growing.

 On behalf of the St Joseph’s Wandal School community I sincerely welcome all of our new children, families and staff members – it is great to have you here.

 We have begun the school year with 343 students. This includes all new Prep students and 10 new students in Years One to Six. This year we have reached ‘capacity’ and have two streams of classes throughout the school.

 Day one began very smoothly and it was lovely to see so many enthusiastic and familiar faces on my rounds throughout the classrooms. A huge thank you to all of our parents who assisted the children in being ready for the beginning of the school year. The children looked wonderful in their uniforms, had their books sorted and were prepared for the many new experiences that they were about to encounter. Thank you for your efforts – please know that it assists both staff and students greatly.

 Thank you too, to the many staff who ‘officially’ worked last week, (although they regularly popped in and out throughout their Christmas breaks) coordinating tradespeople, answering a mountain of emails, and preparing our school for another busy year. Teachers too, have been busy setting up classrooms and preparing valuable learning experiences for your children and participating in a week of Professional Development experiences last week.

 Welcome to the following staff members who are joining our school this year:

Miss Kayla Haynes (teacher), Dr Phil Standen (teacher), Mrs Annette Rea (teacher), Mrs Gail Jamieson (Teacher Assistant) and Elise Wadsworth (Tuckshop Assistant). 

I am looking forward to seeing all parents at next week's Parent Information and Volunteer Induction Sessions. You can find the times and dates for these further in the Newsletter.


Parent Handbook 2020

Pleae take the time read and familiaise yourself with the 2020 Parent Handbook. Some alterations and updates have been made to previous versions. You can find the handbook here: http://www.sjwlrok.catholic.edu.au/formsdownloads/parenthandbook.pdf

Volunteer Induction and Reading Tips Session

We encourage all parents and grandparents to volunteer in our school. Before you commence though, you are required to attend a Volunteer Induction Session. Parents do not need Blue Cards to assist at school, however all other volunteers (including grandparents) must present their Blue Cards to office staff. If you do not have a Blue Card and would like to apply for one, please see the school office staff or download forms from https://www.bluecard.qld.gov.au/applications/need-to-apply-for-card.html

The following Volunteer Induction Sessions will be offered in the ‘Be-Hive.’

 Monday 3 February at 9am

 Tuesday 4 February at 3pm

 Thursday 6 February at 4.30pm

The following ‘Parent Reading Tips’ sessions will also be offered in the ‘Be-Hive’. These sessions will be run by our Learning Support teacher Mrs Christine Gawne and will offer practical tips to assist with reading at home.

 Monday 3 February at 4.30pm

 Tuesday 4 February at 4.30pm



Student Protection

Please note that only our school students are pemitted to use the children's toilets at school. Toilets for visitors are located in the school hall.

At St Joseph’s Wandal any concerns or reasonable suspicions about a student’s safety and wellbeing or the behaviour of a staff member or volunteer which a student considers to be inappropriate, will continue to be managed in accordance with Rockhampton Catholic Education Student Protection Processes.

The Student Protection Contacts at St Joseph’s Wandal are

  • Kellie Jenkinson (Principal),
  • Rheanna Starr (APRE),
  • Janette McLennan (APC),
  • Charmian Deed (School Counsellor) and
  • Hailey Baumann (OSHC Coordinator).

Further information about Rockhampton Catholic Education's commitment to Student Protection is available here  https://www.rok.catholic.edu.au/our-schools/student-protection

Access to school information 2020

The School App remains our preferred method of distributing information from school. Whilst our website also has the newsletter available, the school app also pushes out information, letters, reminders and last minute communications from school which may need to occur outside of the weekly newsletter. The newsletter is also available via our website if you wish to print it and is also posted to the school facebook page each week. It is VITAL for parents to read the weekly newsletter (distributed each Wednesday) in order to keep up to date with school events and information. If at any time you are having difficulty accessing school communications, please see the office staff. (Note please ensure you have updated your School App Settings to your children’s new 2020 classes).

Contact Processes

If you have any questions, concerns or queries, your first port of call should always be the classroom teacher. By making a prior appointment, you can ensure that the classroom teacher will give the necessary focus and time to discuss your child’s progress or any issues – rather than just ‘popping in.’ If you wish to speak to a member of the Leadership team or the Principal, please make an appointment through the school office.

Some class teachers may wish to distribute their email addresses. Correspondence via email should be for simple communications only e.g. incomplete homework or misplaced belongings. Teachers have limited time in which to check and respond to emails and therefore concerns or issues regarding more serious matters should be made either in person or via a phone call.  

Disruptions during the day

Please be advised that our school day commences at 8.35am and concludes at 3.00pm. Children arriving late and leaving early must be signed in/out at the school office. I realise that at times, certain specialist appointments etc. must be attended during the day. Disrupting classes to get children to swimming lessons and the like is not encouraged – it not only disturbs your child’s learning but the entire class. Please avoid this whenever possible. Children are not permited at school before 8.15am as this is when formal supervision commences. Before School Care is available each morning from 6.30am for any families requiring this service and bookings can be made by calling the OSHC staff on 0429316543.

School Fees

Term One fees will be issued this Friday, 31st January and will be due by 14th February. This statement is defaulted to your email address.

Your fees can be managed by direct debit, BPay, Eftpos, cash, cheque or via Parent Lounge.

Catholic Education offers a school fee discount to support families in our schools. Our policy on school fees states that, no student should be excluded from a Catholic school because of the inability of their parents/carers/guardians to pay the prescribed fees.

Parents/carers with an eligible means-tested Australian government health care or pensioner concession card will automatically receive a 70% discount on tuition fees (does not apply to school levies). This initiative is intended to assist those families who genuinely lack the financial capacity to pay tuition fees in full.

For Catholic schools to operate effectively and provide high quality education, a reasonable fee structure is essential to meet the shortfall between the basic costs of running a school and the amount funded by governments. School fees include tuition fees and levies. Levies vary from school to school and may include items such as a Building Levy, Parents’ & Friends’ Association Levy, Information Technology Levy, and other subject and general levies. The  Concession Card Discount applies to tuition fees only.

Furthermore, new or existing parents, who are experiencing financial hardship, and may or may not hold a concession card, are encouraged to discuss alternate fee discounts directly with the school principal, who will treat the situation confidentially.

The Concession Card Discount applies to current and future school terms and cannot be backdated or applied retrospectively to previous terms. Applications for the Concession card Discount will be accepted for current and future terms according to the expiry date on applicant’s Health Care Card or Pension Card. If the applicant’s card is valid for the first day of term, the discount will apply for that term.


Tuckshop News

Tuckshop days remain on Wednesday and Friday and we are always looking for volunteers to help out on tuckshop days. Please contact Gail Brady on (PH) 49362421 if you wish to offer your services. The only method of placing a tuckshop order is via ‘Flexischools’ (no cash is accepted).

http://www.flexischools.com.au/

 

Medication forms

 All medication must have a chemist label (including panadol). Medication must be in original packaging. Forms must be completed before any medication is administered. Medication forms may be found on the app. All medications are held and distributed through the office for all children’s safety. Students are requested to bring a water bottle to the office when medication is required to be taken. 

Parking and Safety Issues

Please adhere to the 2 minute parking signage along Herbert Street. To make sure our pickup zone is effective PLEASE ensure you are adhering to the parking regulations of this area. PLEASE DO NOT – park your car, get out of your car or hold up the line if your children are late arriving. If you cannot see your child, or if they are not sent out to you immediately, I advise you to drive around the block to ensure the continual flow of traffic. If you need to park or leave your car, then please utilise the parking in the church car park.

There is NO OFFICIAL DESIGNATED PICK UP ZONE along Rundle Street. This pick-up area is for busses only. Because of our duty of care to students and the importance we place on your children’s safety I have instructed all staff not to let children cross roads to reach parents’ cars (other than by way of our fully supervised crossing). I thank you all for your cooperation.

Names for Cars – New Families will soon receive two laminated name signs for your vehicles. Please display these on either the dash of your car, or on the passenger side visor  This will enable us to identify your cars more promptly in our increasingly busy pickup lines. Please distribute these to the people who usually pick up your children. If you would like additional signs, please see the school office. Current families if you require a replacement, please contact the office.

P and F Meeting

Each Catholic school in Queensland has a Parents and Friends Association.  The parents or carers of all children enrolled in the school are members of the P&F Association. The association acts for the school community in all matters of a local nature. It is the centre of the Federation’s activities where policies have their impact on communities and where issues need to be dealt with in a positive and cooperative manner.

Please join us for our first P and F meeting for the year, on Thursday 6 February from 5pm – 6pm in the Staffroom. All parents are welcome to attend – we love seeing new faces! The School Board will meet afterwards at 6pm.

Strategic Priorities for our school in 2020

Have a wonderful week,

Kellie Jenkinson.

From the APRE

Welcome

Welcome back to the 2020 school year. I trust everyone had a restful holiday break and enjoyed spending time with family and friends.

The community of St Joseph’s Wandal is invited to attend the Opening School Liturgy led by Year 6. The Opening School Liturgy will be held in the Hall Friday 31 January at 8.35am. All are welcome to attend and join us in prayer.

Prayer Assembly Dates

Each week as a community of believers we celebrate through prayer and ritual what it means to be a Catholic.  Prayers and rituals will be led by a whole class year level and the purpose is not to perform but to foster the development of our students’ spiritual and faith journey.  This may mean that not every child will have a “speaking part” or take an active role in leading the prayer experience.  The scripture reference from Matthew highlights and reminds us of the importance and purpose of our school Prayer Assemblies.  Jesus said “Where two or three gather in my name, I am there with them” Matthew 18:20. 

Week 1 Friday 31 January - Opening Liturgy in the Hall Year 6

Week 2 Friday 7 February - Year 5

Week 3 Friday 14 February - Year 4

Week 4 Friday 21 February - Pupil Free Day for Bishop's In-service Day

Week 5 Wednesday 26 February - Ash Wednesday Year 1

Week 6 Friday 6 March - Year 6 Badge Presentation

Week 7 Friday 13 March - Year 2

Week 8 Friday 20 March - Year 3

Week 9 Monday 23 March - Harmony Day led by Prep

Week 10 - Holy Week Celebrations led by classes each day of the week


Mini Vinnies

To celebrate and raise awareness of Social Justice campaigns, the Mini Vinnies program will continue this year.  In 2020 we hope to include students from every year level in our various fundraising and social justice projects. Our first “meeting” will be held next Monday at lunch time in the Library. Parent permission letters will be sent via the school app.  Monies raised this term will go towards this year’s Project Compassion campaign. We also look forward to the knitting ladies returning next Tuesday to share their knitting talents with our students.

Our Journey in the Catholic Faith (Sacramental Program)

As the school year begins a reminder to please add these dates to your diary if your child is participating in the Parish Sacramental program.  Workshops for families preparing their children to celebrate the Sacrament of Penance and the completion of Christian Initiation will be held as follows:                 

Upcoming Sacramental Workshops

Drakes Key Tag - Prep Families

This week students in Prep will each be given a Drakes keytag. Funds raised assist with the conservation of the Diocesan Cathedral.  Simply present the enclosed keytag for scanning at any Drakes checkout when purchasing groceries and 1 cent in every dollar you spend goes to the Cathedral Conservation Fund.  

Children’s Liturgy of the Word

A reminder that Children’s Liturgy is held most Sundays at St Joseph’s Cathedral at 9.30am during the school term. It is wonderful to see our students attend. All students (particularly those preparing for sacraments) are encouraged to attend. Thank you to our dedicated teachers who assist with this important ministry. 

Have a great week,

Rheanna Starr.

From the APC

2020 Here we go!

After all of the planning and preparation, the 2020 school year has begun!  One thing that our classes will be doing this week is beginning our discussions of growth mindsets.  Lots of work will be happening this year to continue to grow this mindset.  Key aspects we address with students include:

  • Believing you can
  • Persisting with challenges
  • Valuing mistakes
  • Seeking challenges
  • Being inspired by others
  • Listening and acting on feedback
  • Practicing new skills

I often ask the students how they came to school.  Today I asked how they approached 2020.  Sienna in Year Four replied that she started 2020 'positive and courageous'.  Let's all do that!

Parent Information Sessions

Parent information sessions are a great way for you to hear about what is happening in your child's classroom this year and how you can support them in their learning.  This year, our sessions will be held in classrooms on these dates:

  • Year Six - Monday 3 February 5:00 p.m.
  • Year One - Monday 3 February 5:45 p.m.
  • Prep - Tuesday 4 February 5:15 p.m.
  • Year Three - Tuesday 4 February 5:45 p.m.
  • Year Two - Wednesday 5 February 5:00 p.m.
  • Year Four - Wednesday 5 February 5:45 p.m.
  • Year Five - Thursday 6 February 5:45 p.m. (including Chromebook Session)

ICT Code of Practice 2020

The updated ICT code of practice forms are now available as eforms on the skoolbag app.  There are 3 forms, a parent form (for parents of students in Year 3 to 6), a Year 3 to 6 student form, and a Prep to Year 2 student form.

Chromebooks in Years 5 and 6

Year Six students will receive their chromebooks as ICT code of practice forms are completed and as updates are finalised.

Year Five students will receive their chromebooks after the parent session is conducted, ICT code of practice forms are completed, enrollment of the devices on the school network is conducted and completed contracts are returned.  Parents will need to find the form on the skoolbag app, print this document, sign and return this to the class teachers.

Thanks!

Have a wonderful week of learning!

Janette

2020 School Calendar

Our school calendar may be found on Parent Lounge link.  Your Parent Lounge code is your parent code (found on your school fees statement) and the default password is the same 6 digit number. 

Upcoming Dates

31 January        9 am Opening School Liturgy

4 February        5.30pm Sacraments Workshop Family

6 February        5.00pm P & F Meeting followed at 6.00pm Board

11 February    3pm Homework Club Commences (Years 3-6)

12 February    Year 6 Leadership Day

13 February    Instrumental Music Commences (Years 4 and up)