St Joseph's Catholic School Queenstown eNewsletter

School Unifrom

The days are getting shorter, the mornings are getting darker and we are starting to wear winter clothes. Obviously the colder months are just around the corner. Students are now in their winter uniform which look amazing. Please ensure that your child is correctly dressed in all parts of the uniform, including shoes which should be all black.

Staff Spirituality Day

The whole staff gathered on Monday to participate in a Catholic Education Tasmania system-wide spirituality day. The focus of the day was How to Grow in Faith. It was an opportunity to reflect and think about questions relating to our faith, engage in conversation with our colleagues and participate in prayer as a staff. We also explored the Tweeting With God app which is a great resource for educators to use to further develop our understanding of the Church’s teachings on contemporary issues and different faith topics.

Mother's Day

Sunday the 14th May is Mother’s Day, a celebration that dates back to ancient Greece when people paid tribute to Rhea, the Mother of their Gods. Mother’s Day dates back to the seventeenth century when it became a Christian festival to honour Mary, Mother of Jesus. For early years’ children Mother’s Day is a time to reflect on all the ways their mums look after them and to express their appreciation. How kids demonstrate their own personal gratitude to their mothers is an important exercise for many reasons. It allows them to have a chance to take some precious time and really think about how special their mum is and how much they depend on her and need her in their lives.

As a small thank you, the school will celebrate the mothers and special maternal people in our students lives on Thursday 11th May. The P and F will provide breakfast and mums will be invited to stay and participate in some activities with their child/children until 9.30. Please keep your eye out and RSVP the numbers attending for your family so that we can cater for the breakfast.

ANZAC Day

On a beautiful sunny Queenstown morning many of our students from K- 6 took to the streets to show their respect for the men and women who have sacrificed much for us to be able to live where and how we do. Thank you to those families who gave up their time on the final day of holidays to allow us to mark this day with respect.

School Leavers

Our Year 6 leavers received their leavers t-shirts last week. A big thanks to the P and F who helped families purchase each of these items for our leavers. Students are able to wear their leavers tops on a Thursday or on days we wear PE uniform. We think they look amazing!

Children's University

By encouraging children to try new experiences, develop new interests and acquire new skills, the program builds bridges to employment and higher education. What may have felt remote, or out or reach, becomes achievable.

If you are interested in your child being a part of this initiative please

Contact Mrs McLeod to get your passport and begin and /or
Attend Assembly on the 8th May and /or
Some activities that you may wish to be involved in with your child include.

Loaves and Fishes

Hot meals will recommence in week 3. This term students will get a greater variety of meals with 8 new meals to enjoy. These include (no particular order) mexican mince, butter chicken, pasta bolognese, sweet and sour chicken, cottage pie, veggie curry, tuna bake and chow mein. These meals will be on a Monday and Friday at lunch times.

Staffing

We have been able to increase the number of hours that Teacher Assistants are in our classrooms to support the learning of our students.

We would like to congratulate Aleisha Sullivan on her appointment as a Teacher Assistant. Aleisha will be working in the Leatherwood classroom each day. Our new Canteen Assistant will be Sarah Myers. Thea Hoyle will be joining our staff as a Teacher Assistant. Congratulations and welcome to St Joseph's.

Radio Excursion

Next week P-6 classes will be visiting the radio station. Listen in to 7XS Between 9-10am to hear our students on the radio. Thank you to Donna from 7XS and our wonderful teachers for making this happen.

Internet Safety- SAVE THE DATE

In this day and age, parents, teachers and students need as much help as possible in this area. you will see that I have the knowledge and passion to positively impact on this important topic. The topic of ‘Internet Safety and Social Media’, is extremely relevant to those in our school communities. We all need to work together in our school communities to ensure those in our care are aware of the dangers, but as well understand the advantages of knowing the best way to use the technologies being presented to us every day.

Marty Ogle an expert teacher, principal, education officer and education consultant ‘Internet Safety and Social Media’ which I believe is relevant to both students, staff and parents. He will be attending our school on Tuesday May 23rd. Marty will be available for students sessions throughout the day and will be available to meet with parents Tuesday evening. We will confirm times ASAP.

Marty will present an array of (age appropriate) topics associated with ‘Internet Safety and Social Media’ in a carefully differentiated delivery that will cater for their needs according to their age plus social circumstances. Some of the areas Marty will present to students and then to parents and carers may include;

IT – it is here to stay so how best to be involved
Laws in Tasmania
The eSafety government website
Pressures associated with social media including peer pressure, screen time, cyberbullying plus more
Pornography & Groomers
Gaming – benefits and problems
Other issues including online gambling, scams, etc

Happy to hear from parents whether straight after school or evening session is preferable. Please let us know your preference by contacting the school office or via email to teresa.mcleod@catholic.tas.edu.au by May 12th.

Option 1

Tuesday May 23rd - 3pm- 4pm

Option 2

Tuesday May 23rd- 5.30pm -6.30pm

Kind Regards,

Teresa McLeod

PRINCIPAL