Filter Content
- Message from the Principal
- First Day of Term 4
- Student Awards
- Sports News
- News from the Enviro Team
- Kempsey Hospital Colouring Competition Winners
- Positive Parenting
- St Joseph's OOSH & Vacation Care
- Canteen News!
- Lost Property
- School Fees 2023
- School Bus Safety Tips
- How to Apply for a Bus Pass
- How to Purchase your child's School Uniform
- Learn more about COMPASS- School Communication Platform APP
- Child Safety Handbook
- BILLBOARD
Dear Parents, Caregivers and Families,
HUMILITY
At our last assembly I spoke to all the students about humility and how important it is to be humble. I outlined how humility allows you to see the world through a lens where you are not at the centre, placing others before yourself. People with humility are courteous to other people and are always respectful.
Learning humility allows you to listen to other people’s perspectives, and accept new ideas. It allows you to feel grateful for what you have, not regretful for what you don’t have. Again, I repeated the theme that it is OK to make mistakes, and encouraged the importance of admitting that you made a mistake. Having humility, or being humble, is living a life that’s fulfilled from the inside.
This brings me to talk about our wonderful staff. All of our staff are focussed on one thing, and that is your child, and their education and wellbeing. I thank our staff for their humility in ensuring that all of our children are known, loved, cared for and made to feel special at St Joseph’s.
I wish all of you who might be going away over the spring break a great holiday with your family and look forward to seeing our community back in Term 4 for another term of learning.
To all of our families, I thank you for your support in regards to your child’s ongoing learning. I look forward to welcoming our students back to Term 4 on Tuesday the 10th October.
UNIFORM REMINDER
It is important that all students wear the School uniform and take pride in their appearance, as this is a very public way of exhibiting our School identity. It is the responsibility of parents and families to ensure that our children wear the correct uniform to school every day.
STAFF ANNOUNCEMENT
GOSPEL REFLECTION - Turning Back to God
This week’s Gospel narrative from Matthew is a hard pill to swallow! The parable expresses at first a very generous landowner offering a day of work but the generosity fades when the landowner pays the workers the same agreed amount whether they were working a full day or just called at the 11th hour. The workers feel robbed or even tricked into working a full day in the heat with only receiving the same as those who strolled in for the last hour.
So apart from frustrating the reader with this as a notion of the kingdom of heaven, what is Jesus teaching us? The words of Isaiah and the Gospel of Matthew may hold a key to our reflections. Isaiah calls each of us to simply turn back to God for God is rich in mercy and forgiveness. The Gospel parable in Matthew expresses a God who is generous to all but in ways that are beyond our thinking or even our full understanding.
Both Isaiah and Matthew express a God who is unconditional in love and mercy. This notion alone is difficult to understand in our simple human terms, just as is the conception of the kingdom of heaven as a place of eternity. Yet a place which we call our true home.
May we this week be open to this living hope in our lives as we share such life with others who feel they walk in the dark of hopelessness. When have you known the mercy of God in your life?
It’s the illusion of religion brokers blind to the reality that all is sacred. God is free and immediate! (Noel Davis)
PRAYER
Lord, let me see your face, know your heart and experience your love in my life.
Strengthen in me the precious gift of faith.
I believe Lord; Help my unbelief.
Amen
Sourced from: https://cms.vinnies.org.au/media/3pwh5gw1/srg_sept_dec_2023_web.pdf?path=3pwh5gw1%2Fsrg_sept_dec_2023_web.pdf
A reminder that the first day of Term 4 for all students will be Tuesday, 10th October
Term 3 - Weeks 9 & 10
Awards will be presented at our School Assembly on
Tuesday, 10th October at 1.05pm
Parents/Carers Welcome!
|
CLASS |
MARY MACKILLOP AWARD Recognises Catholic attitude, behaviours & helping those in need |
ST JOSEPH Recognises positive actions witnessed within our school community |
CATHERINE McAULEY Recognises a growth mindset & effort in learning |
THE VALUES AWARD
Humility |
|
KTruth |
Oaklyn Lyttle | Mackenzie Fraser | Lucy Atkinson | Anya Lunn |
|
KHonour |
Noah Malcom | Harrison Zaccazan | Archer Kerr | Poppie Rose |
|
1Truth |
Macey Malcolm | Raymond Harman | Archie Wade | Leah Barman |
|
1Honour |
Rory McGovern | Lennox Nolan | Logan Mainey | Harry Holtmann |
|
2Truth |
Chloe Sproule | Francesca Tamblyn | Brax McManus | Mayukh Prakhya |
|
2Honour |
Oliver Strachan | Aurora Rylance | Mackenna Dillon | Tony Jerin |
|
3Truth |
Evie McMurray | Joan Eldhose | Amelia Reichel | Liam Reynolds |
|
4Honour |
Ryder Sproule | Maddison Russell | Ross Widders | Grace Harman |
|
4Truth |
Jack Brett | Izabelle Rose | Ann Susan Sam | Glydel Clarke |
|
5Truth |
Ari Abigall | Hunter McIver | Drew Edwards | Ella Orr |
|
5Honour |
Anabel Smee | Idabelle Tamblyn | Spencer Atkinson | Terrence Liang |
|
6Truth |
Dhanish Lingamneni | Jordy Kirkman Dates | Layla Hayes Mya Browne |
Connor McIntyre Baylin Flanagan |
|
6Honour |
Flynn Tolman | Lily Vickers | Orla Kennedy | Xavier Whitley-Berrigan |
RUGBY 7'S NSW STATE FINALS
The St Joseph's Rugby 7's team competed in Sydney at the NSW State Finals during Week 9. The boys played well and displayed some excellent skills and team work on the field. The first 3 games in Pool C saw Joey's come away with two convincing wins and one loss. Without a clear winner in the pool and 3 teams on equal points, it meant that the Semi-finals would be made from points for and against. Unfortunately this year the numbers did not fall in our favour and the boys qualified 5th from 12 teams after the pool rounds.
INTERSCHOOLS MOTORBIKE CHALLENGE
Congratulations to Hughe & Oaklyn Lyttle who have this year competed in five rounds of Mountain Biking including the NSW Championships where both boys competed up an age level.
Overall results: Hughe placed high in U9's Championships and 3rd in Series and Oaklyn is the U7's NSW Champion plus overall Series winner.
Next month is an interschool event at Singleton and both boys will join as a lower primary team. For those interested in this great sport for kids check out the Billboard for contact details and information about their school holiday program. Or click here for more information.
HOT SHOT TENNIS REGIONAL TOURNAMENT
On Monday last week, a team of nine Hot Shot Tennis players (Vincent Thurlow, Ryder Sproule, Asher Higley, Jack Brett, Buddy Moorehead, Hallie Edwards, Manaia Pereira, Emily Scott, Izabelle Rose) travelled to Kendall to compete in the Regional Finals. Several different regions participated and St Joseph's came 4th overall with some good matches being played out during the day. All children were good sports and improved their skills as the games progressed.
For those interested, there is a Tennis Camp being held at South West Rocks these coming holidays. See the Billboard in this newsletter for more information.
TOUCH GALA DAY - MACKSVILLE
Over 100 children from Years 3-6 took part in the Gala Day at Macksville. We entered five mixed senior teams and five mixed junior teams. Each team played four games and touch skills improved as the day went on. Thank you to all staff who supervised the ten teams and rotated players to ensure game time.
SPORTS UNIFORM DAYS
LUNCHTIME GARDENING
SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS HUB
At St Joseph's we recycle the following items through our Sustainability Hub: old phones, batteries, used stamps, prescription glasses, toothpaste tubes/brushes and plastic writing implements.
Please feel free to drop these into the bins located in the Canteen foyer.
If you have other items that you think the school may be able to use for art/craft etc please contact us.
RETURN AND EARN
Keep a Balance
A key part of parenting is to ensure your child has a healthy, balanced life. This is also true of their engagement in the online world.
Start the conversation
- Talk to your child about their online time and the importance of taking breaks.
- Spend time online with your child to understand their games and platforms better.
- Conduct an experiment to measure their device usage throughout the day.
Thriving
- Children thrive with a balanced mix of activities. Ensure they engage in physical activity, connect with nature, bond with family, interact with peers and develop their spirituality.
- Follow Australian Department of Health guidelines for screen time limits: 1 hour per day for ages 2-5 and 2 hours per day for ages 5-17 (excluding online learning).
Practical Tips
- Create a family device agreement to set boundaries for device use.
- Establish device-free times such as before bedtime, during dinner, and overnight.
- Focus on quality content rather than quantity. Discuss and engage with what your child watches or does online.
- Provide alternative options and encourage offline activities, hobbies, and sports.
- Dedicate one screen-free day each week.
Parent Resources
To find out more and to explore the enrolment process visit our website at https://www.kmpplism.catholic.edu.au/out-of-school-hours-care
"OFFSITE BAGGED LUNCH"
This special lunch bag will be an option for any offsite local events that are local (no hot lunches will be delivered offsite).
Lunch Bag consists of chicken & salad wrap or sandwich, bottle of water, muesli bar, pkt plain chips and a piece of seasonal fruit for $15. Select "Offsite Bagged Lunch" from the Compass Canteen Menus.
STUDENT BIRTHDAY BUNDLES
Should you have any queries please contact our Canteen ladies, Mrs Hagger & Mrs Crowe.
2023 CANTEEN MENU
Don't forget to order online via the COMPASS APP prior to 8.45am.
We have a LARGE amount of unamed school uniform items (jumpers/jackets/tracksuit pants etc.) at the office. If your child has lost an item of clothing please contact the school office.
Could families please ensure their child's uniform is clearly labelled with their name (some names have worn off and we cannot read them). Thank you.
To learn more about the COMPASS Platform please click here
About the Compass Platform
The Compass platform is a web-based system that is accessible on any modern web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome & Safari) or by using the Compass School Manager iOS or Android App.
Parents have the ability to;
- Receive notifications about school events, news and information
- Enter an explanation for absences
- Communicate with your child’s teachers,
- Update your family contact details (mobile phone & email)
- View your child’s timetable and the school calendar
- Download and view your child’s academic reports
- Book parent-teacher conferences (parent/teacher interviews)
- Pay and provide digital consent for events (No more permission slips)
- Order lunches from the Canteen
- Pay school fees
The Handbook’s emphasis is on prevention. Our children are precious and all of us who live and work with them will find information in the Handbook useful to keep them out of trouble and safe. Produced by the NSW Police Legacy.
St Joseph's has Saddle Cloths for borrowing. If you would like to borrow one please contact the school. Please note that Saddle Cloths will need to be drycleaned before returning.
NORTH COAST HEALTH CONNECT - NEW SERVICE
North Coast Health Connect is a free new service providing health support and advice from registered nurses 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including public holidays. If you are a resident or visitor to the North Coast, you can speak or live chat with a nurse. The nurse will ask some questions to understand what’s troubling you and then provide advice on what your next step should be.
This may include self-care advice to help you to manage your health (or that of a loved one) from home, or the nurse may recommend a GP appointment or a consultation with a pharmacist. The nurses are able to book an appointment for you directly with a local general practice or pharmacy or if appropriate, can transfer you to a 24/7 GP telehealth service. If the nurse believes you need to attend an emergency department or see a different health service, they will let you know.
Visit https://northcoasthealthconnect.org.au/ for more info and save as a contact for when you need it by visiting https://qrco.de/bdkiJm or by scanning the QR code below.
