8 March 2019

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

Last week I attended the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Principals’ Forum in Toowoomba. During the forum Executive Director, Dr Pat Coughlan, outlined his ambitions and expectations for Catholic schools in the diocese. During his presentation he outlined the factors that parents surveyed in Queensland Independent Schools considered most important for the school they sent their children to. In rank order these were:

1. Preparation for student to fulfil potential in later life
2. The high quality of teachers
3. School seemed right for child’s individual needs
4. Good discipline
5. Teaching methods/philosophy
6. Encouragement of responsible attitude to school work
7. Reputation of school
8. Emphasis placed on developing students’ sense of community responsibility
9. Range of subjects offered
10. Size of school

At St Joseph’s School these are the factors that we consider most important for your children. We strive to give every child the opportunity to be the best they can be, that is, excel academically, spiritually, physically, culturally, emotionally and socially. We have an expectation that our teachers be the best they can be in order to provide the students with these opportunities and we ensure, through our Gospel values, that students develop a clear sense of community responsibility. Importantly, we consider the safety and wellbeing of our students of paramount importance.

God bless,

Andrew Kendall
PRINCIPAL

Student Protection in Toowoomba Catholic Schools

The safety and wellbeing of students is very important in all of our schools and is a shared responsibility of parents, staff and students. There are a number of ways we promote safety and wellbeing. Through our Child and Youth Risk Management Strategy, we proactively set up safe systems and practices for recruitment, supervision, conduct and responding to risks, in order to protect students. We also inform our school communities about respectful relationships, expectations for conduct and how to avoid dangers. As an example, in 2019 we are planning sessions on bullying, driver safety, mental wellbeing, and healthy eating.

Our schools implement the Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Curriculum into classes during the year. This program teaches students about ways to stay safe and what to do if they do not feel safe. We have a formal process for taking action and reporting situations where there is a reasonable suspicion that a child has been abused or harmed, or a staff member has behaved inappropriately. All of these processes come under the banner of ‘student protection’.

Our School Student Protection Contacts (SSPCs) play an important role in all aspects of student protection. Students may speak with any staff member if they have concerns, however our SSPCs have more in-depth training to manage student protection situations. The SSPCs for St Joseph’s School for 2019 are Andrew Kendall, Cathy Mills, Sarah Yates and Lorien Kirby. Their names and photographs are on the “Feeling Safe” posters around the school. Please talk to your child about who they could speak to if they have any concerns and remind them who our SSPCs are this year.

If you would like any further information about what we have in place for student protection, you can the school office; or contact the Student Protection Officer at the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office on 4637 1400.

SchoolTV – Advice for Parents

"The wellbeing of today's youth has never been more challenging.” (Dr Michael Car-Gregg)

SchoolTV is an online resource that we subscribe to for all parents and staff. It provides access to professional opinion and guidance from leading experts on the many issues facing parents and children. The link to SchoolTV can be found on on the school website or by clicking on the link below.

If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school Guidance Counsellor, Cathy Mills, for further information.

LEADERSHIP NEWS

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL ADMINISTRATION-SECONDARY

How time flies in the modern educational setting. We are already over halfway through Term 1 and the end of the school term is rapidly appearing on the horizon. When I addressed secondary students at assembly recently, I reinforced the need for them to be organised and focused as we enter the key time in the term where drafting and assessment loads increase. One strategy I have encouraged in managing the anxiety that can come with the pressures of assessment is to use the assessment calendars as a planning tool and seek the support of teachers in meeting deadlines. As parents, I encourage you to contact staff early if you have concerns about your child’s academic progress as we reach this critical time in the term.

As a P-12 school, we are continually looking for ways to build positive connections and relationships with all students across the school. It has been wonderful to witness so many fantastic cross campus activities that have been taking place in recent times. Our Year 11 and 12 students have commenced primary classroom visits on Tuesday’s, where the senior students assist in classrooms and share lunch with the primary students. Also, primary and secondary students have been working collaboratively in planning prayers for our whole school assemblies, as well as engaging actively in HPE week, where students have engaged in fun lunch time activities to promote the importance of physical activities and healthy lifestyles. These opportunities are unique to a P-12 setting and highlights the important role our secondary students play in building relationships with younger students and being role models within our school community.

Recently, members of our School Leadership Team have engaged in developing our annual action plan for the implementation of the Visible Learning framework at St Joseph’s. These days, held in Toowoomba, have enabled us to set goals as a school around how we will work collaboratively as a staff to continue to improve our own pedagogical practice in order to strive for improved outcomes for all our students.

Finally, I was asked recently to reflect on the following prayer:

“We are always in the presence of God, even though we may not always be aware of it because of our frenetic busyness”.

It is important to remember that despite the busyness and pressure in our lives, God’s presence is there to support us through it and allows us to achieve success together.

Matthew Brown
Deputy Principal (Acting)

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL ADMINISTRATION-PRIMARY

What is the first thing your children tell you about their day at school? With Visible Learning continuing to frame what happens in every classroom, our focus as teachers is very much on students being able to articulate what they are learning, to what extent they have learned it and what their next steps will be. In recent conversations with students from across Years 3 - 6, it is evident that they are becoming more adept at addressing these questions. When you see you child this afternoon, I encourage you to ask them, 'what did you learn today?' rather than 'what did you do today?' Hopefully it will be a long and engaging conversation and one based on skills that they can transfer to future learning situations.

To provide a snapshot of just some of the learning activities across the campus, Year 1 students have created string paintings and then written about what they can visualise in the resulting picture. They are also involved in a Fun Friends program, facilitated by Bushkids, with the aim of providing the students with strategies for developing and nurturing friendships. Recently, students from Year 6 joined me for a Leadership Day where we explored what it means to be a leader and their role as leaders on the Primary Campus. Prep students have been learning how to segment words which will help them with reading and writing and students in Year 3/4 have been learning how to code Ozobots in their Digital Technologies lessons.

Next week, Year 5/6 students will spend three days at Camp Laurence at Lake Moogerah. This outdoor education experience will provide opportunities for them to develop skills in the areas team work, leadership and problem solving by challenging them physically and mentally. Each year, those students who attend camp return very tired but having had a fulfilling time. We wish them, and their teachers - Mrs Charlton, Mr Fleming and Mr Grew - well for next week and look forward to hearing all their stories.

Finally, congratulations to those students who participated in the Darling Downs Swimming Trials this week. The results will be available in the Primary Newsletter next week.

Sarah Yates
Assistant Principal Primary (APP)

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL RELIGIOUS EDUCATION (APRE)

The Journey to Easter....

This week sees the beginning of a busy time in the church’s liturgical calendar. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season, the 40 day period of preparation for Easter. Students will be celebrating Ash Wednesday with a liturgy, focusing on the three loving practices of Lent – sharing, praying and fasting.

Project Compassion, Australia’s annual Lenten fundraising and awareness-raising appeal, provides students with the opportunity to be mindful of these loving practices through weekly profiles on individuals whose lives have been changed through Project Compassion. On Sunday, several of our student leaders attended mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral where they were commissioned by Bishop McGuckin as ambassadors of Project Compassion for our school.

As a school community we look forward to a busy, rewarding and reflective Lenten Season as we journey to Easter and the joy of the resurrection.

Megan Mahoney
Assistant Principal Formation and Identity (APFI)

SCHOOL NEWS

ASH WEDNESDAY

YEAR 8 VISIT TO WIRAC

This term, Year 8 HPE students have focused on disability access, investigating ways for the disabled and patrons in general to better access the Stanthorpe pool. As part of this investigation, students made a visit to WIRAC in Warwick to do a comparative study of disability access. Investigating through Figueroa’s Framework students observed a variety of means to ensure the best possible options to allow for a dignified and effective pool experience for each and every patron.

Staff at WIRAC provided a detailed outline of options available and the Activities Co-ordinator took students on a detailed tour of the options.

The morning concluded with a session where students immersed themselves in all that WIRAC had to offer, enjoying the opportunity to sample a variety of experiences at a larger centre.

LIONS YOUTH OF THE YEAR

Hannah Debnam, Lara-Jane Biggin and Ben Manahan recently competed in the Annual Lions Youth of the Year, which culminated in the official dinner. The three students performed exceptionally well, responding positively and confidently across the different public speaking formats. They certainly are a credit to our school and wonderful ambassadors for themselves and their families.

If you see these students around, please congratulate them on their efforts. Claire McMormick (a former primary student at St Joseph's) was the overall winner and despite the wonderful effort from our three students, was a deserving winner in a tight contest.

Thanks to Mr Joseph Shorter in particular for his work in preparing the students for the competition, and the staff who were able to attend the dinner last night to support Ben, Lara and Hannah.

PANCAKE TUESDAY

Vice-Captain Ben Manahan and Prefect Skyie McCosker coordinated Project Compassion for the season of Lent. Project Compassion is an annual campaign run by Caritas, a Catholic organisation which works towards building a better world, particularly for the poor and oppressed.

To commence fundraising for Caritas, Pancakes were sold on Pancake Tuesday a tradition where eggs, flour and milk were used prior to fasting for Lent.

With not quite the traditional ingredients and a few extra toppings, Skyie and Ben held their own Pancake Tuesday this week, raising funds for a very worthy cause.

2019 NEXT STEP SURVEY

The Queensland Government is conducting its annual state wide survey of all students who completed Year 12 in 2018. The Next Step survey is a brief, confidential survey that gains a comprehensive picture of the employment, study and life choices made by Queensland school completers in the year after they finish Year 12.

Between March and June, all our students who completed Year 12 last year can expect to receive instructions to complete a web-based survey or a telephone call from the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office. Please encourage them to take part. If their contact details have changed, please assist the interviewer with their updated details or forward the survey to their new address so they can participate.

Thank you for your support of the Next Step survey in 2019.

MOVIES FOR QISSN FUNDRAISING

St Joseph’s School’s QISSN (Queensland Independent Secondary Schools Netball) team are holding a movie screening at the Arcadia Theatre on Saturday the 16th of March as a fundraiser.

The movies on offer include Happy Feet, Legend of Tarzan and Dirty Dancing with screenings being held between 11.30am and 5.30pm.

The sessions and pricing are as follows: 11:30am – Happy Feet ($15), 2:30pm – Legend of Tarzan ($15) and 5:30pm – Dirty Dancing ($25). Tickets for all movies are available to purchase from the link below —Just register an account, locate St Joseph’s School and follow the prompts for school fundraising.

Come along for one movie or for a movie marathon and help to support St Joseph’s QISSN team. All funds received will help with costs associated with the titles.

SCHOOL CAMPS REMINDER

A reminder for parents of students attending school camps. All costs are to paid in full prior to attending. Please contact Megan Hines (Bursar) 4681 5903 or email Megan.Hines@twb.catholic.edu.au for any enquiries.

LIBRARY NEWS

Catch the Reading Wave at our first Book Fair for the year! The fun begins on Monday 25th March – Friday 29th March. Fliers will be distributed the week before.

The Scholastic company provides a wonderful selection of quality books for the Fair, and a range of prices. The school benefits from all sales through a points commission that allows us to freely purchase resources for the library.

Our students and families love Book Fair and it is a very colourful and happy time in the library. Please feel most welcome to visit any time but especially during Book Fair week, even if it is just to browse and enjoy the displays and atmosphere. We hope to see you at the Book Fair!

Lesley and Josie

SPORT

BORDER DISTRICT WINTER TRIALS

On Tuesday, the 26th, the Border District Winter Trials were held in Warwick. This trial was for Netball and Soccer and we had 22 students represent our school. Of those, 3 boys managed to go onto the next level and be selected for the BD soccer team to trial for the Darling Downs team in Toowoomba. Congratulations to Brayden Spiller, Eric Richards and Jared Hitchener and best of luck in the Darling Downs trials.

DARLING DOWNS TRIALS

Well done to to our nine Primary swimmers (Jayden Green, Jacob Hennoste, Darius Jansink, Katie-Lee Jansink, Isaac Kay, William Kay, Lillian Kendall, Jaiden Morello, Jessica Pradella) who represented Granite Belt in the Darling Downs trials this week. It was a great effort by all competitors with many personal bests. Congratulations to Jessica Pradella who won the 50m Freestyle and 50m Backstroke, as well as placing 2nd in the 100m Freestyle. Jess will represent Darling Downs at the State Titles at the end of the month.

THE BRAVE PROGRAM

The BRAVE program is a free online self-help program that contains both resources and information for young children, children, teenagers and their parents. It is designed specifically to help young people with anxiety overcome their worries and improve the quality of their lives.

No matter how old or young you are, everyone experiences anxiety at times. We here at the BRAVE program know that worrying about things all the time is tough. The BRAVE program was developed to help young people and their parents develop skills and coping strategies so that worries and anxiety don’t stop young people from doing the things they want or need to do.

The BRAVE Team also know how hard it can be to make the time to fit everything in! The BRAVE program is an online program that you can work through at your own speed in the privacy of your own home. Currently there are 3 programs:

Young Children Program (Ages 3 -7)
Child Program (Ages 8 -12)
Teen Program (Ages 12 -17)

You can watch Demonstrations of each program or there is a 20 minute trial to try to see if this program is for you.

Visit The Brave Program to find out more information about each of these programs.

P&F

'The St Joseph's P&F committee is looking forward to the year ahead with so many exciting plans for the future of the school taking place. It was refreshing to see many new faces at the AGM and heartening to see those 'old hands' return for another year. I would urge every parent at the school to come along to a meeting because this is the best forum to hear first hand what is happening in the school community both in the present and future plans.

The P&F are planning events throughout the year which serve both as fundraisers and social events. Throughout the year we will be requesting your support for these events. Our first such occasion is our annual Trivia Night being held on Saturday the 30th March 2019.

I am looking forward to working with the parents, wider school community, school staff and leadership team throughout the year on behalf of our children.

Daniel O'Dea
P&F President 2019

UPCOMING EVENTS