St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Wandal Newsletter

10 August 2022

St Mary of the Cross

This week the Commonwealth Games ended. Yes, Australia did well but we have also seen varying responses to success and misfortune. We know both happen in our lives and we are all on learning curves in relation to both. This week we celebrated the Feast Day of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop and certainly this woman can be a model to us regarding success and failure. One of the things I love best about this saint is the way she related to her family. Hers was dysfunctional yet she lived, loved and flourished within that family. She knew love from both her parents but she also knew the pain and confusion of parents who separated. She loved her father dearly and recognised the good he had given her even though, in his impracticality, he failed to provide for the family and she, at the age of 14, had to go to work to support them. She learnt early to be realistic and loving – she had a hard head and a soft heart.

If we look at situations too narrowly – “I must win the gold medal to be a success”; “my family should always get along,” we will be overwhelmed by failure. We need to widen our understanding so that we can learn from all that happens. An athlete learns so much from his or her training. We learn how to truly love in the midst of family tensions. Indeed, we learn how to be a success as a person by how we handle failure.

Loving Jesus, your life here on earth looked like a failure – tortured to death, deserted by friends and followers - but God made it the way of salvation. Inspire our hearts when we feel overwhelmed by our weakness and failure and let us trust that you will work all for good. We ask this in your name, confident that you will hear us.

Sr Kym Harris osb

From the Principal

Year 6 is having a fabulous adventure on camp at Chaverim Outdoor Educational Centre near Bundaberg this week. Camp encourages the students to build positive relationships, develop perseverance to carry on in challenging situations and have trust to rely on and believe in others to support personal efforts. We look forward to hearing all the stories and celebrations of success as we welcome them home on Friday evening.

 

The High Tea preparation is well underway. The P and F are seeking donations of prizes for the raffle or cash donations to contribute to purchasing prizes. Raffle tickets were distributed to all families last week. Your support in selling these is greatly appreciated. If you are keen to sell more than your family book, there is a supply available in the office. Once your book of tickets is sold, please return it to the office.

 

This Friday night and Saturday morning Oztag and Touch Football junior fixtures commence. Thank you to those parents who have volunteered to coach or manage a team. Without your help, our students would not be able to participate. I’m looking forward to watching the first games for the season. I’m sure it will be fun for all.

 

If your child attends training, band or other events on school grounds after school, it is imperative that students and families are not in the designated Outside School Hours Care areas and only use the upstairs (accessed from the quadrangle) toilets. Movement in and around the OSHC designated spaces and toilets is in breach of the license. The Adventure Playground is out of bounds at all times after school.  It is very exciting watching families coming onsite to support the children and catch up with friends, but please be mindful of these protocols.

 

The Australian government has asked Catholic School Parents Association (CSPA) to enter into an agreement to inform them of existing and emerging issues that are of concern to Catholic school families, especially those issues that impact their children’s health, wellbeing and/or learning. In particular, they are keen to hear the perspectives of parents and carers from families of children with challenges around learning, and from families with children in remote school settings. As a result, CSPA, in partnership with the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY), have developed a parent survey which will be the key instrument for evidence gathering.

The CSPA 2022 Parent Survey on Student Wellbeing and Learning is now live through until Wednesday 31 August 2022. Further information together with the link to the survey is attached. The survey may also be accessed via link.

‘Let us be Grateful’ – Mary MacKillop 1875

Bernadette Brennan

Parent Survey

Survey

Parent Survey

Download

COVID 19

On the 15 July 2022, the Chief Health Officer updated the Management of Diagnosed Cases of COVID-19 and Close Contacts Direction (No. 3). This direction updated the requirements for isolation related to positive cases of Covid-19.

 

Requirements for ending isolation

A diagnosed person who is in isolation will be released from isolation 7 full days from the COVID-19 test date if the person has no fever or acute respiratory symptoms. Note: 7 full days is 7 x 24-hour periods. E.g. A person takes a COVID-19 test at 3.00 pm on Monday afternoon (Day 0) and receives a positive result. The person must complete 7 full days (7 full 24-hour periods) of isolation. If the person does not have COVID-19 symptoms, their isolation ends at 3.00 pm the next Monday.

 

If the person has completed 7 full days of isolation but still has COVID-19 symptoms, they must stay in isolation until the symptoms resolve.

 

When you leave isolation, you must wear a face mask for the next 7 days when indoors or outdoors where you cannot stay physically distanced from others.

 

Excluded ongoing symptoms

After being sick with COVID-19, some people still have a mild dry cough, mild fatigue or a loss of taste of smell.

 

You do not need to stay in isolation if you still have these symptoms.

 

If you develop any new symptoms within 28 days of being released from isolation, you should stay home until you feel better. You do not need to be re-tested for COVID-19.

 

If you are a close contact within 28 days of release from isolation, you do not need to follow the guidelines for close contacts. 

From the Assistant to the Principal: Religious Education (APRE)

Thank you to Miss Murphy and Prep Gold who kindly took up the responsibility of writing my section of the newsletter this week, whilst I attended the Camp with Year 6.

                                                                         

 


Prayer Reflection

This week we have celebrated Saint Mary MacKillop’s Feast Day. Mary MacKillop is a very special lady who was always kind and looked for ways to help others. We celebrated with a prayer celebration and some yummy cake.

In Prep, we have made a book all about Mary MacKillop. We have put our book in the office if you would like to learn about her. We have also made a school that might be like one of the schools that Mary worked at. 

We have written a prayer of thanks for Mary MacKillop.

Dear God,

Thank you for Mary MacKillop.

Thank you, Mary, for always being kind and helping others.

Thank you, Mary, for teaching the children.

Thank you, Mary, for starting the Sisters of Saint Joseph.

Thank you, Sisters of Saint Joseph, for opening our lovely school.

Help us to be kind like Mary MacKillop.

Amen

Assumption of Mary

On August 15 we will celebrate The Assumption of Mary. The Assumption is when Mary’s body and soul went to heaven. 

 

Jubilee Mass

 Mrs Kennedy and Mrs Starr caught the bus with students from St Paul’s and St Peter’s.  A small group of Year 5 and 6 students joined this special Eucharistic celebration.  We asked Gabby to tell us about the Jubilee Mass.

Gabby – We celebrated lots of priests, one priest celebrated 65 years of priesthood. There were two representatives who were learning about how to be a priest. There were a lot of important people there.  

Year 6 Camp

Our Year Six buddies left yesterday morning for Camp. We hope they love it and that they are having lots of fun. We can’t wait to hear all about it next week. They will return on Friday. 

Learning Journey in the Catholic Faith

Is your child 7 years or older?

Would you like to register your interest for… Sacraments of Penance, Confirmation and Eucharist?

Please contact Mrs Starr (rheanna_starr@rok.catholic.edu.au)

Prayer Assembly and Roster

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 student's spiritual and faith journey. This may mean that not every child will speak or take an active part in leading the prayer assembly. 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.

Year LevelFocusDate
Year 5Assumption of Mary19 August
Year 6Camp Prayer Reflection26 August
Year 1GFather's Day2 September
Prep WPrayer Reflection9 September
Prep GPrayer Reflection16 september

From the Assistant Principal Curriculum - APC

    Quote: “Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.”

    by Maya Angelou

    Whole school literacy goal check in

    As you would remember, this is our 2022 literacy goal:  Students will engage with a wide variety of texts, allowing them to grow as readers, developing fluency and acquiring effective strategies.

    Have you considered getting involved in your child's progress by:

     

    Asking their child how they are progressing towards their individual goals.

    Reading a range of texts with students at home to experience a greater range of words

    Science Week

    Science Week is nearly here!

    What amazing science is your child learning?

    Here is an activity to try at home https://www.scienceweek.net.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Corn_Flour_Bioplastic.pdf 

    Year 5 helping Year 1 with Technology

    Year 5  helped us to become more proficient at logging in and out of the chromebooks and accessing activities.

    Book Week 20-26 August

    PARENT INFORMATION