S St Joseph’s School Renmark Term 3 Week 8 ~ 11th ...
Transcript of S St Joseph’s School Renmark Term 3 Week 8 ~ 11th ...
Messages from Don:
S J St Joseph’s School Renmark
Term 3 Week 8 ~ 11th September 2020
RESPECT ~ SAFETY ~ LEARNING ~ TRUST
“Ignite Your Passion & Purpose” S R
Dear Parents, Friends and Students,
Confirmation – Welcome and Farewell Bishop Greg
It is a pleasure that we welcome Bishop Greg O’Kelly back into our community to confer
the Sacrament of Confirmation of our students including Kalan Curtis, Mia DePalma,
Jesse Hammond, Mikayla Matulick, Angus Morris, Angus Pitman, Emily Robertson and
Madison Young. They will be joined by other students from around the Riverland. This
will take place next Saturday 19th September, 3.00pm at an Open-Air Mass here at our school.
Their teachers, Miss Ward, Mr Sampson, Mr Slagter and Mrs Guy have done a great job preparing the
candidates. Along with their other Year 7 classmates, they have all learnt about the Gifts and Fruits of
the Holy Spirit, and what it means to become an adult member of the church. There are so many
negative influences in life that it takes courage and strength sometimes to do what is right rather than
what is popular, what brings a quick laugh or makes headlines for the wrong reasons and how to choose
well in the decisions we make each day and strive to put the needs of others before our own. We wish
them all the best as they continue their journey of faith.
This will also be an opportunity for our whole Riverland community to farewell Bishop Greg as he
retires from his role as our honourable leader of the Port Pirie Diocese. Bishop Greg has shown
incredible service for all our communities. His passion, knowledge, guidance, leadership and faith has
had so much influence on so many people. I personally wish to express my gratitude and appreciation
for his trust, encouragement and belief in me in my role as a principal. We wish him well and hope he
enjoys his well-earned rest.
National Child Protection Week - Carly Ryan Foundation - Cyber safety
National Child Protection Week aims to engage and educate all Australians to understand they have a
part to play in keeping our children and young people safe from violence, abuse and neglect.
At St Joseph’s, we support and promote community-led prevention. Our priority is the safety and
wellbeing of our students and we believe that by working together with the wider community we will
help protect children and young people. The week will conclude with Mass this Sunday morning where
the focus will be on reminding our whole community about protecting our children.
As a follow up to National Child Protection Week, we have produced an Online Safety Booklet. In
conjunction with our Wellbeing Team, the Carly Ryan Foundation and the eSafety Commission we have
produced this comprehensive resource to support parents and their children. I continue to be concerned
Confirmation candidates: Mikayla, Mia, Emily, Angus, Kalan & Jesse. Bishop Greg
at how many of our students have increased their screen time and
have access to many sites, games and apps that have a minimum
age requirement of 13. This week we learnt of the risks that our
children can be exposed to and this was a timely reminder for all of
us to be more vigilant and cautious. We hope you will find the
included booklet a valuable resource with information sheets about
various Apps to help support parents and families guide their
children to making positive choices. I hope you take some time to
peruse this booklet and gain further knowledge and awareness of
the many Apps circulating throughout Social Media.
Satisfaction Survey:
I again thank all the families who provided us with excellent
feedback. This information has been collated and will be used to
inform our structures, procedures, activities and events for the
future. The results will be shared at School Board level and staff
will be working through responses. Below is a sample of the
feedback we received.
• All teachers did an amazing job of supporting children and
families during COVID. The on-line learning programs were
great. Thank you for a great year, even though it’s so
different to previous ones, the kids have all been supported.
(6&4)
• School leadership I’m sure is a driving force behind the
inclusive community that’s St Joseph’s. The continuation of
this style of leadership will be vital with the exciting new High
School. (6&1)
• I feel due to all the COVID restrictions, our kids have still been
able to go to school safely and learn effectively as they would
have if this wasn’t happening. Obviously, the school camps
and excursions are what the kids are disappointed with the
most, having to miss out. (7&5)
• Couldn’t be happier with the school, it’s community and the
way you contribute to raising responsible, empathetic and
kind young people. Thank you!! (2&R)
• Love the inclusion of Charlie the dog – what a fantastic
initiative. (4)
• Although COVID has had face to face restrictions, other ways
of communication have been done well. (4)
• Will be sad to say goodbye to St Joseph’s. Loved our time
here as a family. (7)
Children’s University:
We welcomed Gemma from Children’s University who met with our
children. With Covid-19 having an impact, they discussed their
progress and looked at plans for their end of year Graduation
Ceremony. Whilst they have had challenges, the students have
remained active and have continued to participate and complete
numerous activities to contribute to their Children’s University
ST. THERESE’S RENMARK
Fr Paul Bourke 8582 1894
Fr Cletus 8588 2452
MASS TIMES
13 Sept Sun 9.00am
19 Sept Sat 3.00pm
Confirmation
at St Joseph’s
27 Sept Sun 9.00am
UPCOMING EVENTS
September:
16 SAPSASA Athletics
19 Confirmation 3.00pm
Farewell for Bishop Greg
21 Assembly by 3/4MP
25 12.30pm dismissal
October:
12 Student Free Day
13 Return for Term 4
Student Free Day
Monday 12th October
For Staff Professional
Development.
OSHC is available.
Ring Nicole 8586 4481
Please see this
important resource
included with your
Newsletter pocket.
Congratulations to Hugh Riedel,
Lily Schloithe and Anja Tassios
who all passed their recent Music
Exams with an ‘A’.
qualification. We again recognise and
congratulate all participants.
Staff News:
The Covid – 19 Pandemic has had many impacts.
Some of our staff had reflected on the importance
of family and friends and have expressed their
desire to return back to their homes in Adelaide.
It is with sadness that I announce that Miss
Madeline Cole, Miss Laura O’Connell, Miss
Tiffany Sansome, Miss Alina Meich, Miss Astrid
Powell will all be leaving our community at the
end of the year. Furthermore, Miss Rebecca
Ward will pursue opportunities that align her
High School qualifications, Mrs Megan Peterson
will take time to review her future directions and
Miss Tayla James will return to Adelaide for
University. We feel very fortunate to have had
the services of all the above staff and we wish
them well.
Obviously, the tasks for appointing 2021 staff
will be a thorough and comprehensive process. I
am pleased to announce and congratulate the
following existing staff who all have been
successful in obtaining contracts for next year:-
Mrs Katie Shrubshall, Mrs Julie Slagter, Miss
Kassie Heuzenroeder, Mr Paul Hooper, Miss Ella
Noak and Ms Stephanie Hocking. We also are
very pleased to announce the appointments of
Mrs Belinda Pfeiffer and Ms Anita Modlinski. We
congratulate and welcome Mrs Chrissie Grocke to
our community for next year. She is currently
teaching in Roxby Downs and we wish her well
as she looks forward to continuing her teaching
journey with us. Finally, we welcome back Ms
Emma-Lee O’Dea and Mrs Jordan Whitelaw who
will return from Maternity Leave and will share a
class next year.
Class placements and other appointments will be
finalised in the near future.
Class Lists for 2021:
Parents who wish to request consideration for
their child’s placement in classes for 2021 are to
submit their requests in writing to me outlining
sound educational reasoning for the request. All
requests must be submitted by the end of this
term. Requests regarding specific teachers or the
type of class structure will not be considered.
Class structures and the placement of teachers
into teaching roles is the responsibility of the
school. Whilst every educational based request is
considered, not all requests will be able to be met,
given the complex needs of our school community.
Deepest Sympathy:
Fr Cletus Mloka received news last week of the
death of his sister. Fr Cletus will be leaving us to
return home to Tanzania next week and
unfortunately did not make it back in time for the
funeral. We include Fr Cletus in our prayers and
offer our sincere condolences and sympathy. We
also express our gratitude and thanks for his four
years of wonderful service. His gentleness and care
will be fondly remembered. We wish him well.
Kiss and Drop – review
The morning routine continues to be running well
and parents have welcomed the ‘Kiss and Drop’
opportunity. This process works best when cars
stop at the front of the designated area, move
along as far as you can to allow for the momentum
to flow and to avoid cars banking up over the
crossing. This is not a parking area so please avoid
getting out. Students are capable of independently
getting out of the car on their own and coming into
the school grounds. Please remember to obey the
school crossing rules and the 25km speed
restrictions when dropping and collecting your
child from our school. The streets are a very busy
place at this particular time and all parents,
families and friends are urged to be alert at all
times.
On Monday this week, our staff joined with
colleagues from St Albert’s to work with Ann Baker
on concepts around Natural Mathematics. It was a
fascinating and inspiring day as we covered topics
such as Mental Routines & the Language of
Mathematics, Trusting the Count, Place Value and
Multiplicative Thinking.
Ann stressed how important it was for children to
build a vocabulary
around mathematics to
help kids explain their
thinking. We looked at
s t r a t e g i e s a r o u n d
problem solving which
can be used across a
Staff announcements for 2021: Katie, Julie, Kassie, Paul, Ella, Stephanie, Belinda, Anita, Chrissie, Emma-Lee & Jordan
Farewell Fr Cletus!
broad, differentiated curriculum. It was an
excellent day of collaborative learning and staff
couldn’t wait to put these strategies into practice
at the earliest opportunity!
Cardboard Box Sleep Out:
A big congratulations to Mr Sampson, Miss Ward,
Mr Anspach, Mr Reeks, Mrs Guy and the Year 7
students who participated in this significant event.
Last week, our Year 7 students braved the cold
conditions and participated in the Mini Vinnies
sleep out. For one night, the students were able
to experience similar conditions to those that
homeless people experience daily. It is an
important learning opportunity to gain a new
perspective on the struggles that some people in
our community and across the world face each
and every day. The students will now have a new
level of empathy for people in difficult situations I
am sure. These learning experiences are invaluable
to life long learning. Thank you to the families
who helped in any way, and for assisting the
students to raise over $3000 is an amazing effort.
I also thank Mr Slagter for his support and Mrs
Kathy Hazlewood and Mrs Elisabetta Angeletti for
their attendance and participation.
As the weather is starting to warm up I hope that
you are able to get out and enjoy the sunshine this
weekend with family and friends.
Regards
Don DePalma
Principal
To farewell Father Cletus and thank
him for his time with St Joseph’s
School Community we had a dress up
Pyjama Day. Children brought along
a gold coin donation and they were
also able to purchase cakes and
biscuits made by the P&F. All funds
will go towards Fr Cletus’ village in
Morogoro, Tanzania.
First Communion:
On Saturday 5th September ten of our students
celebrated their Sacrament of First Communion.
Congratulations to Sierra Broughton, Louis
Brown, Kailyn Burn, Campbell Dring, Max Hunt,
Riley Hunt, Eloise Lloyd, Amber Matulick, Phoenix
Pearce and Hamish Young. It was a wonderful
celebration for them and their families. Also a big
thankyou to those who helped prepare the
students for this significant occasion: Miss
O’Connell, Miss Sansome and Mrs. Petersen, as
well as Mrs Guy and Fr Cletus for their support. I
would also like to thank Mr Reeks for his
assistance with the wonderful altar banner that
the students worked with him on. We hope for
these students that it is another step into a life-
long commitment to their faith.
Cardboard Box Sleep Out:
Last Thursday night the Year 7 Mini Vinnies
group participated in the Cardboard Box
Sleepout. They prepared their sleeping
arrangements after school, as well as helping Mrs
Guy with preparing some of their food for the
night. The students shared bread and soup for
dinner with some members of our local Vinnies
conference. Kathleen Hazelwood from the St
Vincent de Paul Society in Renmark came to
speak to the students about the history of the
society as well as how they help those in need,
some of whom are homeless. She spoke to
students about the things that Vinnies does for
our local community, and of the happiness that
helping others brings. After this they watched a
movie about homelessness, before retiring for the
night into their cardboard boxes. In the morning,
the big job of cleaning it all up and getting on
Religious Identity & Mission:
Fee reduction announced:
with the day ahead, even though tired and cold,
helped reinforce to students how lucky we all are.
A big thankyou to Mr Sampson, Miss Ward, Mr
Reeks, Mrs Guy and Mr Anspach for their support
on the night. Also a big thankyou to the Year 7
students who raised approx. $3,000 which will be
given to the Renmark Vinnies group next term.
Confirmation
Next Saturday 19th September some of our Year 7
students will be celebrating the Sacrament of
Confirmation. Due to COVID restrictions on
numbers we are celebrating this outdoors at
school at a 3pm Mass. We will also use this
opportunity to farewell and thank Bishop Greg
O’Kelly for his leadership and service as the
bishop of the Port Pirie Diocese. We congratulate
the students taking part and look forward to a
wonderful parish celebration.
Michael Slagter
APRIM
Fees to reduce across all Catholic Diocesan
Primary Schools
The South Australian Commission for Catholic
Schools has announced that it will make Catholic
education more affordable by lowering the school
fees of every Catholic diocesan primary school in
2021 under its Making Catholic Education More
Affordable initiative.
The exact level of fee reduction in each diocesan
primary school will vary from school to school to
take into account their circumstances and the
needs of their families.
Our school is working with Catholic Education
South Australia to finalise our fees for 2021 and
these will be released in the coming weeks.
There is more information about the initiative in
the letter sent from the Chair of the South
Australian Commission for Catholic Schools to
families this week and on the Catholic Education
South Australia website at cesa.catholic.edu.au/fee
-reductions.
Our recent Champion Citizen Awards
were presented to
Sirat Ghangas & Archie Sutton
Congratulations to both students on your
wonderful achievements.
Champion Citizen Award:
Back L-R: Nadine Beresford-Murray, Kaelen
Greenhalgh, Hamish Pitman, Henry Dring, Emilly
Warren.
Front L-R: Alex Cartwright, Maddalyn Stoneham,
Anastasia Kalantzis, Amy Logos, Sophie Kernich.
Star Student Awards:
Back L-R: Imogen Beresford-Murray, Hamish
Young, Amber Matulick, Tejdeep Singh, Ruby
Phan.
Front L-R: Hannah Keynes, Malakai McElroy,
Khushreet Khinda, Andy Nguyen, Jett Lever,
Ayana Isaac, Marlon Brown, Annie Hooper.
Parents & Friends:
SPRING HAS SPRUNG
Spring arrives so early in our climate and before you
know it, it is planting time for vegies.
Sowing: Carrots, beetroot, spring onions and lettuce
can be sown directly into the soil now but other spring
vegetables such as tomatoes, capsicums, chillies,
eggplant and basil are best sown into seedling trays.
Keep them covered by a window while they germinate.
Local businesses are well equipped to help us start our
planting projects. The kids can enjoy the process from
start to finish by enjoying fresh home grown
vegetables.
Elisha Brown
For the P&F Committee
Congratulations to St Joseph’s Gold who won
the recent Challenge Cup activity for Nude Food
Day. Gold finished with 149 points, closely
followed by Green 146, Red 145 and Blue 138.
The overall points are tightening up so we look
forward to more activities in Term 4.
Challenge Cup Award:
Jonah Sutton from Miss
Cole’s R-1 class, has won
third place in a national
art competition for
drawing a masterpiece
inspired by the human
brain. This incredible
achievement has won
our school a $250
voucher from Modern
Teaching Aids as well an
individual prize pack for
Jonah. We congratulate
Jonah on his wonderful
achievement. His
artwork was really
sensational.
The students have been drawing and painting
Pokemon characters and cats, while the Year
Seven students are preparing for their final
Sacrament of Confirmation by making a large
banner to celebrate the occasion.
In Languages the R-2 students have created
booklets about all the facts associated with India.
Languages: Visual Arts:
Mr Paul Tassios spoke to the 3/4 classes about his
Greek culture and heritage. They especially
enjoyed hearing about the Greek Gods and the
traditions he still follows today. Thank you to Paul
for giving his time to the students.
Mrs Giulia Del Zoppo
Languages Teacher
Mr Greg Reeks
Visual Art Teacher
Some of the
amazing artwork
by Year 7 student,
Anastasia
Kalantzis.
In our integrated subject we
designed a nature fun park
from scratch. Our aim is to
explore, plan and develop a
park through integrating most
of our subjects we learn at
school. To be successful in our
project we needed to budget
with $1,000,000, design the
park, make it sustainable, make
a profit and create texts to
promote the park.
Our favourite part of the project
was creating our maps. We were
able to show our creativity by
making our own choices for
what we put in our parks. The
only things we had to consider
was the cost and making it
sustainable. Some students
added creative attractions into
their park. This includes a paint
ball arena, rocking horse, maze,
tree climb, playground and a
motorbike track. We are
continuing our park planning
through learning how to create
a profit.
5EN Nature Fun Parks
We have loved learning in a
fun and creative way.
Wellbeing In Action:
Growth mindset vs. fixed mindset approach to challenges:
Those with a growth mindset run into challenges just like people with a fixed mindset. The
difference is how each feels about them and their reaction to those challenges.
Individuals with a growth mindset don’t expect to be great at things right away. The process
of learning excites them, rather than annoy or cause feelings of inadequacy.
People with a fixed mindset get upset when things get difficult. Rather than enjoy challenges,
their attitude moves them to seek out something easier.
A person with a growth mindset knows practice and repetition is making them better.
This is an important point in today’s world, where distractions are everywhere. Having a
fixed mindset will make you more likely to quit a challenging activity and jump to something
easier but less important.
Bottom line, the growth mindset embraces and even seeks out challenges. The fixed mindset
avoids them at all costs.
Deb James
Wellbeing Officer
Pyjama day ...