St Joseph's, Tara - Term 2 Week 2 2023 Newsletter!

Our Vision & Mission Statements

From the Acting Principal

Welcome to Term 2. It is certainly going to be a very busy term and many activities and events happening across the school. 

Prep News 

As you would be aware, we have been unsuccessful in employing a full-time teacher for our Prep class. This is a result of many reasons and a sign of the current time we live in. Because of this, we have had to make the very hard decision to combine the current Prep and Year 1/2 classes to form a P-2 class. This class will be taught by Mrs Tammy Ash with Ms Anne Furniss and Mrs Doreen Warwick as School Officers in the room. I wish to thank these three ladies for their support, understanding and dedication to our school and students in this very difficult decision. 

Parent Portal

A reminder that St Joseph's is moving all its communication to the new Parent Portal. This app will provide easier communication chanels between school and parents/carers. It will also allow us to cease printing flyers and documents which all costs money. Through the portal you can also let us know if you child/ren will be absent and give a reason. This will be a more effective way than parents trying to contact the school office before school as often the phone is unattended early in the mornings and calls are missed. 

Each family should have received an email with registration and access information. We encourage you all, if you have not already, to register and link your child to your account as soon as possible so that important messages and information are not missed. 

It is really important that all families begin the habit of checking the Parent Portal on a daily basis for any new messages. 

School and Tara & District Cross Country

These two events are coming up in the next few weeks and will be our first lot of notifications and consent forms sent out through the Parent Portal so please keep an eye out for this. 

ANZAC Day March

What a wonderful turn out we had on Tuesday for the Tara ANZAC Day March. Thank you so much to the staff, students, parents and carers who marched as part of St Joseph's. We certainly had some wonderful comments from community members about how respectfully we marched and how we respresented our great school. Thank you! 

Bullying and Friendships

Conflict with peers is unavoidable and is all part of growing up.  Minor, niggling things that others may say or do suddenly become major reasons for arguments and strained friendships. At times like these, teachers and parents play an important role in guiding children through these rough patches. We regularly remind the students, that if they do have any concerns or issues, please come and talk to their teacher (first point of call) or myself so we can deal with the matter accordingly. We also emphasise the importance of showing ongoing respect (through the use of appropriate language, and positive interactions) and care for others in our school, and that being tired, sick and upset aren’t excuses for poor behaviour choices. 

Bullying is a word that is wrapped in emotion. For many people bullying is associated with bad childhood memories. Bullying is an insidious behaviour and can take on many forms and guises, such as physical and emotional abuse, intimidation, harassment and exclusion. It is not the domain of just one gender. Girls bully just as much as boys but they do it in less physical ways. Whilst boys use physical intimidation or verbal abuse to wield power, girls are more likely to use exclusion or sarcasm to assert themselves. 

Bullying is about lack of power, as one person is powerless to stop the teasing or physical abuse. Bullying is the selective, uninvited, repetitive oppression of one person by another person or group. Sometimes, we don’t find out that someone has been bullied until after a long period of time and this proves very difficult to resolve, as recollections of incidents can become unclear if they occurred some months beforehand. This is why it is important to identify and act on any possible signs of potential bullying at the earliest opportunity. For this to occur, teachers, parents and children need to communicate and co-operate as soon as any signs may appear. 

It’s worth remembering that children who experience some form of bullying and have dealt with it effectively, often become stronger and more resourceful because they have experienced difficulties, developed resilience and a skill set they know will help them overcome tough situations. 

I have spoken with the students this week about the definition of bullying (similar to the information I have provided for you above) and what constitutes bullying. It was reiterated to the students that informing an adult (preferably their teacher) so that situations can be monitored for any ongoing behaviours which may escalate quickly. It was also discussed as to the importance of telling the adult immediately so that any necessary actions can be taken immediately. I ask for your support with encouraging your child/ren to speak to a staff member as soon as they feel someone has been unkind to them in a spiteful, purposeful manner. 

Regards

Kylie Williams

"Be calm and full of hope." Mary MacKillop (1871)

"Jesus calms the storm." Matthew 8:23

From the APRE

On the middle Sunday of the school holidays, we celebrated Easter - a very special day, a day when Jesus rose from the dead so that we may have new life. After following the events of Holy Week where Jesus was welcomed triumphantly into Jerusalem as a King, to his death on the cross on Good Friday, all that was promised came true through his resurrection. Easter is the day when we celebrate the fact that like the sun does …the Son of God rose again. And because Jesus rose again… we are promised that we too will rise again to new life in a place God has created for us. Easter is a time to celebrate. It is a time of sharing love and hope with our friends and family. It is a time to be grateful for all that we have, a time to reflect and a time to look forward to our ‘new lives’. A life where we are stronger, more loving, giving and forgiving than we have been in the past. We began our ‘new’ term with an Easter Sunday Liturgy to celebrate the love and gratitude of our school community and the hope that the term ahead is full of success.  

Now that we are in the Easter Season all our prayer space colours have changed to white. They will stay white until Pentecost Sunday later in May. 

Learning at St Joeys

Welcome to Term 2 and an exciting and busy term it will be. Firstly, I would like to thank our parents and caregivers for your valuable input in last term’s three-way interviews. You are all doing a wonderful job with your children. Please feel free to talk at any time if you need to, not just at interview times. 

Homework this term looks a little different, as students are given activities such as physical exercise and doing chores to help parents and caregivers. They also need to complete their usual spelling and maths facts. Importantly, they need to read each night. Wonderful reading packs created by Greg and Leeanne Smith have been made available to students across the whole school. These must come back to the school each week. Students are given their new readers at a level just below their instructional reading level. This allows the students to be able to read fluently and confidently. 

This term, our class is studying an indigenous text, ‘Cooee Mittigar’ as well as ‘The Feather,’ by renowned author Margaret Wild, a story of ‘redemption and hope.’ We continue to learn our weekly spelling lists and reading quality texts with our Guided Reading. This term we are following the ‘Seven Steps to Writing,’ a program that sequentially breaks down the skills needed for writing. In Maths, we will be focussing on all four operations and associated problem solving. We will also be conducting chance experiments. In Science we have been examining Magnetism from last term and will be looking at rocks and soils over this term. You may have noticed that the students have been asked to bring soil samples from home as part of their homework. In Religion we have been examining parables and comparing like texts in the bible. Our focus this term will also be on the Holy Trinity of God, the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  

Again, please feel free to talk at any time, not just at interview times. Have a great term and I look forward to seeing you at the Parish Fete and on the sporting field as well as at school. 

God Bless, 

Ann Smith 

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P & F News

Students should of recieved tickets for the Mothers Day Raffle! Tickets are $1ea. The raffle will be drawn on the 12th of May, winners will be notified by phone. If you require more tickets please let the office know and we will provide your child with more. The student/family who sells the most tickets will recieve a free tuckshop!

Our P&F team are working on some upcoming fundraisers! If you have any ideas, please contact the office and your brilliant ideas will be passed on! We would love to hear them!

Tuckshop has been a bit touch and go this year. We thank Katie-Jayne, Katie and Matt for taking their time and providing tuckshop for the students. We are in discussion about having to change the tuckshop day in hopes to work around outside commitments. When we have a certain day of the week, students and families will be notified of the change. Thank you to those parents whom have put their hand up for volunteering.

From the Parish

St Mary Of The Angels - Tara
Mass Times

Tara: Friday: 9am
Saturday: 6pm

Moonie: Sunday: 9:30am
on the 1st, 2nd & 3rd Sunday of the Month

Meandarra: Sunday: 7:30am
on the 2nd & 4th Sunday of the Month

Glenmorgan: Sunday: 9am
on the 4th Sunday of the Month

St Joseph's Awards

Bronze Award

Rubie Warwick, Cooper Davis, Cash Hawkins, Eleanore Aylott, Frankie Nystrom, Charlotte Davis, Hannah Meyer and Dominic Parsons

Students Of The Week

Week 2 - Xander Welldon-Taylor, Cash Hawkins, Meliaceae Hockley-Black, Charlotte Partridge, Jorjah Furniss and Aldrich Imperial.

From the Administration Officers

SCHOOL FEES

Term 2 fees, will be distributed in week 3. Statements will be sent home accordingly.

Please if you do need financial assistance, come in and see myself or Kylie to see how we can help. It is completely confidencial.

We give a big thank you to those who have been making regular payments and to those who have paid in full. We really appreciate it!

Thank you to the parents that have taken their time to download and register for the Parent Portal! We are very excited to have this service in our school, making it easier for you to communicate with the school. Some features to check out are newsfeed, absences, calendar (keep up to date with your childs activity and important dates for Term 2), update family contacts and emergency contacts. Report cards will be distributed through the portal this term, making it easier for Parents to recieve. 

2023 Volunteers! If you are wanting to volunteer in the school please come see myself or Sue in the office for Volunteer forms and information. Volunteers can range from Tuckshop, Classroom, Library, Grounds and Coaching. 

HOW TO PAY YOUR SCHOOL FEES:

*Cash / Cheque, at the office.

*Direct Deposit:
Bank: ADF
Name: St Joseph’s School
BSB: 064-786
ACC: 100-025-583
Reference: Your Name.                         

*Centrelink Centrepay Deduction Payments can be made fortnightly or monthly.                     The School’s CRN: 555075545A

Not Sure how it’s done?  Ask at the office for assistance.

Term Dates

2023

Term 1 2023 – Tue 24 Jan (Public Hol 26 Jan) - Fri 31 Mar

Term 2 2023 –(Student Free Day 17 Apr) Tue 18 Apr - Thur 22 Jun 

(Travel Day Fri 23 Jun)

Term 3 2023 – (Student Free Day 10 Jul) Tue 11 Jul - Friday 15 Sep

Term 4 2023 –(Public Hol 2 Oct) Tue 3 Oct - Thur 30 Nov

(Travel Day Fri 1 Dec)

Wellbeing Matters

Student Safety

EVERY CHILD HAS THE RIGHT TO FEEL SAFE

It is a legislative requirement that all non-state schools have at least two nominated staff members to whom a student can report the behaviour of another staff member that the student considers inappropriate.  We call these specially trained staff members School Student Protection Contacts, or SSPCs.  Each SSPC has been nominated by the principal in recognition of their integrity, approachability and knowledge in the area of student protection.  Whilst students are encouraged to speak up to any trusted adult in the school community, it is important that they know they can access these specific staff members at any time should they have worries, queries or concerns. You will have noticed posters throughout the school depicting our current SSPCs.  The SSPCs are also published on our school website along with information about our student protection processes.  In everything we do at St Joseph's Tara student safety is our highest priority, therefore the SSPCs at our school are key personnel in our overall safeguarding processes.  Please see the poster below depicting our current SSPC team.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT