St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Wandal Newsletter

The Great Realisation.

There is a delightful clip during the internet rounds at present. Presented by Tom Foolery, it shows a father telling a bedtime story, The Great Realisation, to his children (See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw0JDJUu548 ). In it, he recounts how we got into the present mess and some of the things we came to appreciate and treasure during this weird time.

It set me to thinking of what I have come to realise and appreciate during this time of isolation. Firstly, the sacredness of the present moment. Yes, I have known this but somehow it has become more vivid. It is only in the present moment we can show love, offer acts of kindness, do the deed that needs to be done, pray. Future intentions don’t count. It is in the present moment that we practice contemplation: wonder at the face of a child, the beauty of a sunrise, the kindness of strangers. Only in this moment, can we become mystics.

Secondly, I realise the amazing commitment of our nation to the care of the elderly and those with compromised health – those with one or two ailments that make them vulnerable to this virus. At heart, all the restrictions are to ensure that our medical system doesn’t get overwhelmed so that ALL will have access to the treatment they need. That is, we are practicing these restrictions so that people like me, two of my siblings and many of your grandparents are safe. And for that, I thank you. Not all countries have made that commitment, and their elderly and weak have suffered for it. But our nation has largely embraced the sacrifice that we needed. It is an amazing act of practical compassion that has come at great cost for many of you. It makes me proud and grateful to belong to such a nation.

Now, what about you? Tom Foolery states that Hindsight is 2020. What realisations from this time will you share with your grandchildren in decades to come?

Loving Father in this difficult time there is wisdom to be learnt. Send your wise Spirit so that we may realise what is truly important in our lives and we may embrace it with our whole hearts. We ask this in Jesus’ name, confident that you will hear us.

Sr Kym Harris osb

No doubt you have all seen the coverage of the Premier’s announcement regarding the arrangements for schools from 11 May. Please ensure you have received and read the detailed information sent from me earlier today. In summary:

·         From Monday May 11: Kindergartens, Prep, Year 1 and Years 11 and 12 are to return to school/kindergarten for face-to-face learning (in addition to children of essential workers and vulnerable children continuing to be able to attend school in other year groups).

E-Forms must be completed for all required attendances onsite for students in Years 2 -6 please. Some families neglected to do this last week. The E-Form is open NOW and will close FRIDAY, 3pm.

·         On May 15: The State Government will assess the state-wide response to easing of restrictions generally 

·         From Monday May 25:  Subject to ongoing health advice, this is the proposed date for re-opening of schools to all remaining students in remaining grades

We are all very much looking forward to welcoming all of our Prep and Year One students back into their classrooms next week! As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to give me a call.

An important reminder about our Two-Minute Pickup Zone: If you need to leave the driver’s seat of your car to assist your child, the Pickup Zone is NOT for you. An increasing number of parents and grandparents are getting out of their vehicles in order assist children putting bags in boots and fastening seatbelts. If your child cannot independently do all of these without your assistance, please park in the Church carpark, where you can take your time.

Also, if you are not currently displaying your SURNAME sign on your front dash, please do so. If you require a replacement/spare, please inform the school office.

In response to financial difficulty that families in our schools may be facing as a result of impacts of COVID 19, Catholic Education has fast tracked some changes to school fees for Term 2. In brief, the automatic concession applied to Concession Card holders has been increased from 70% to 100% of tuition fees and the categories have been extended to include the recent COVID 19 categories announced by the Government. 

Term 2 fees will not be distributed to families until Week 5 of this term.

The weather has begun to cool and a reminder about our winter uniform expectations is timely.

· The winter uniform consists of the SJW logo jacket (available from Wearitto) and plain navy tracksuit pants.

· Girls may wear navy blue tights.

· Long sleeved shirts under uniform shirts are not permitted.

· Jumpers and pants with stripes, brands and logos etc. are not permitted.

· ‘Hoodies’ are not permitted.

· Once again, a reminder that all students are to wear plain black leather shoes or plain black joggers. Canvas style shoes are not school uniform and should not be purchased.

Please refer to the school website for further details.

Tuckshop will continue to be available, as normal on Wednesdays and Fridays this term, for students who are attending school.

Thank you to the small group of parents who joined me via Zoom for our P and F Meeting last Thursday. We discussed several issues, including:

·         Learning from Home updates

·         Finalisation of payments for the new Outdoor Playspace, and payment of P and F levy.

·         Additional shade tents for Athletics Carnivals (not a priority at present, but we are keeping this on the agenda and may seek a grant later in the year)

·         School Banking – not occurring at the moment due to COVID-19 restrictions

·         Mothers’ Day – no stall this year, and therefore no funds coming to P and F

Our whole school Friday Assembly and messages are currently being delivered via Zoom. We encourage all students working from both home and school (and their parents) to Zoom in on Friday at 8.40am. Student Awards will be announced during the Zoom. I look forward to seeing you all online. The link and password for the Zoom has been included in classroom communications from teachers. 

To ensure optimum security for our school and classroom Zoom sessions, you and your children will now require a password upon joining a Zoom. Teachers have been asked to distribute this information with you. This, along with other added security options,  significantly reduces the potential for outside ‘Zoom bombers’ from gaining access to our school sessions. Thank you for your cooperation.

We will not be able to hold our annual Mothers' Day stall this year, but we have been busy thinking of other ways to spoil our mums. Dads, please check out your children’s learning at home plans for some ideas to help spoil Mum!  Mother’s Day is this Sunday, 11 May. Personally, I wish all of the mothers, and all those who do the work of a mother, a very happy Mothers’ Day.

Packing lunches for children can be challenging. Understanding that food is like fuel for our body encourages us to seek nourishing and sustainable food options to support our bodies to perform at its best. The Raising Children Network is an Australian Parenting Website, that provides support and ideas for all areas of parenting.  I have attached their Healthy Lunch box ideas which may be of use to you and your family. Please see the attached pdf.

Why not challenge yourself to select one new 'lunch box' food each week for your child to try?  This could become a family ritual that you and your child/children decide together.

The eSafety Commission have developed numerous webinars for parents and carers which are scheduled to take place over the coming weeks. 

 Topics include:

• Keeping safe and healthy online - Suitable for children aged 7-12 years.

• Keeping your sanity and supporting your kids online - Suitable for parents and carers.

• My house, my rules - Suitable for parents/carers and their children. 

 The webinars can be accessed from https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/webinars  

 If you do not currently subscribe to the eSafety Commissioner newsletter, you can subscribe by clicking on https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/subscribe. 

Over the holidays I decided to make contact with a professional artist (Canadian artist Sandra Silberzweig) to see if I could use one of her images in my unit of work.  I was very excited to hear back from her saying that it was fine, and that she would love to see our work.  Here are a few of the amazing portraits our Year Five artists created!

I am delighted to invite all St Joseph’s Primary School students to join in the 2020 Premier’s Reading Challenge.

Reading plays an important part in students’ lives during their school years and beyond. It allows children to actively engage their imagination and opens up a world of educational opportunities.

Last year, 168,000 students from 937 schools took part in the challenge, reading an astounding 2.31 million books. What an incredible result.

The reading period for the 2020 Premier's Reading Challenge commences on Monday 11 May and closes Friday 28 August.

This year the Premier has invited all state and non-state school students to take on the challenge:

· Prep to Year 2 should read or experience at least 20 books,

· Years 3 and 4 should read at least 20 books, and

· Years 5 to 9 should read at least 15 books.

This year we have decided to challenge the school houses to compete against each other to see which team can read the most books. Please ensure that your child has their house team name on the top of their forms.

Experiencing books can include shared reading, listening to stories, or reading picture books. The aim for the 2020 challenge is to engage more students reading more books than ever before.

Students wishing to take part in this year’s challenge can register by talking to their class teacher or to Anna McKenzie, our school’s Premier’s Reading Challenge coordinator.

Every student who completes the challenge will receive a Certificate of Achievement signed by the Premier. Students who participate but don’t complete the challenge receive a Certificate of Participation from the school. It will be my great pleasure to present these certificates during the Premier’s Reading Challenge celebration weeks of 2 – 13 November 2020.

For more information about the Premier’s Reading Challenge, please visit: readingchallenge.education.qld.gov.au

You can play a big part in your children’s future by encouraging them to be part of this positive initiative.

I look forward to seeing as many of our students as possible take part in the 2020 Premier’s Reading Challenge.

Congratulations to our award weekly award winners.  Click on the  link for further details