St Joseph's School, Tara eNewsletter

Our Vision & Mission Statements

From the Acting Principal

Welcome to the Week 4 Newsletter!

Small Schools Athletics Carnival - Hannaford

A huge congratulations to the students who attended the Small Schools Athletics Carnival a fortnight ago. Their participation and sportsmanship at each event was to be commended. We received a number of positive comments about our students from staff and parents from the other schools that attended. This is always music to a principal's ear when such positive things are said about our students and school.

Congratulations to the following students who have been selected to now compete at the Tara & District Athletics Carnival on Thursday 17th August in Hannaford.

Aldrich Imperial - 100m, 200m, 800m, 1500m, discus and high-jump

Alexia de Boeck - 800m and shot put

Rhys Warrick - 800m

Tamarah Leis - 200m, 800m, high-jump, long-jump and discus

Rubie Warrick -shotput and discus

Violet Ash - shotput

Marcella Ferguson-Knight - 800m

We wish these students well and look forward to hearing how they all went.

Queensland Symphony Orchestra

It was wonderful to be able to take our students to the Queensland Symphony Orchestra concert this week at the Tara Shire Hall. A huge thank you to the Tara Futures Group and Origin Energy for organising this great opportunity for our students. It was a joy to see the excited faces of the students as they listened and participated.

Shaping the future Surveys

On 17th July, all parents should have received an email which contained a link to a survey called Shaping the future. This survey happens every 2 years in our Diocese and is an important process for us to work through. The information gathered from these surveys helps us in striving to create places of work and learning where everyone belongs, feels valued and succeeds. At this stage we have had very little response from our parent body. It would be greatly appreciated if all families could take the 15 minutes needed to complete this so that we can get a clear picture of the thoughts and ideas from our parents.

Australian Government Choice and Affordability Program

This program provides funding for non-government schools to facilitate parental choice and opportunity giving parents the ability to choose an affordable school that will best suit their individual child. This year at St Josephs, we will use these government funds to reduce school fees for all families at the rate of $125 per student in Term 3. You will notice in your next monthly invoice that your Term 3 school fees have been reduced by this amount and I wish to acknowledge this financial support provided by the Australian government to assist all families who choose St Joseph’s.

Healthy Eating

I am so pleased to report that this is going very well. A huge thank you to all our staff, parents and students for their diligence in this area.

Students have also been learning about healthy eating in their Health lessons with Mrs Davis.

Just as a reminder, there are to be no lollies, softdrinks, energy drinks or sugary foods. Small treats are acceptable but should be kept at a minimum and students will be encouraged to leave eating these until they have finished all the other healthy options in their lunchboxes.

2024 Prep Enrolments

2024 Prep enrolment interviews are now occurring. If you, or someone you know, have not submitted an application or arranged an interview time with us, then please make contact with the office so you do not miss a spot. Places are filling up fast.

Please note: having a current sibling at the school does not automatically ensure you a spot in the 2024 Prep class. An enrolment application MUST be submitted.

There will be two Prep transition days for Term 3.

1. Wednesday 16th August from 8.30am to 10.30am

2. Friday 8th September from 8.30am to 10.30am

A reminder about the importance of regular attendance at school

Woohoo! Our attendance is increasing and this is great to see. Keep up the great work everyone!

A policy reminder - if your child is absent (unexplained) from school for 3 consecutive days, a medical certificate needs to be provided to the school on the third day

God bless,

Kylie Williams

"A little patience will in the end be rewarded." ~ Mary MacKillop.

"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." John 15:12

From the APRE

Bishop's Inservice Day 2023

Last Friday staff travelled to Toowoomba to attend the annual Bishop's Inservice Day. This is a day for staff to participate in a day of spirituality with the Diocese's newly installed bishop, Bishop Ken Howell and Executive Director of Toowoomba Catholic Education, Dr Pat Coughlan. It was also a time for staff to collaborate and see colleagues from other schools and reflect on current personal practices.

Feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop

Tuesday 8th August is the Feast of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. Mary Helen MacKillop (1842-1909), was born on 15 January 1842 in Fitzroy, Melbourne, the eldest of eight children of Alexander MacKillop and his wife Flora, née McDonald. At the age of 24 she dedicated her life to God as a religious sister and took on the name “Mary of the Cross.” Mary met missionary priest Fr Julian Tenison Woods and they immediately shared a commitment to educate the poor. In 1866 they opened a school in a disused stable in Penola, South Australia and at this point they together co-founded the religious order of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart.

Mary MacKillop, a strong woman of deep compassion, had a real love for the poor. Her love of God led her to reach out to the most deprived and despised in the colony in her time. She was a trail-blazer in her lifetime, leaving a culture of exemplary living for her followers to emulate. Mary paved the way for education of poor children and a variety of ministries which addressed the needs of 19th century Australia. Her legacy continues today in countless ways with education in its many facets still being a strong ministry for the Sisters of Saint Joseph. New ways of living the charism have emerged through chaplaincy, pastoral work and a myriad of ways of bringing healing and hope through spirituality, counselling, supervision and mentoring.

Mary MacKillop inspires us to be courageous and hopeful and to have a deep faith in our God who provides. Mary MacKillop has shown us how to forgive and how to be compassionate; she teaches us about sanctity and is a saint for all of us today.

She died in North Sydney on 8 August 1909 and was canonised as a Saint on 17 October 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI.

Given St Joseph’s School, Tara was established by this religious order, St Mary of the Cross MacKillop’s feast day is close to our hearts. As a school we will be celebrating with a liturgy followed by the students looking at the way Mary MacKillop lived her life and the charism which she developed for us. We are very lucky to have Sr Dianne Phillips, Josephite sister, join us for our celebrations this year. Stay tuned for photos of the celebration.

Learning at St Joeys

This term our Science, English, Design Technologies, and Media Arts units are all geared towards the completion of one final assessment piece. The students will need to design and create a birdhouse from recycled materials. They will then use their newly developed skills in Media arts to present information and pictures from the design process. The initial focus has been on materials, their properties, and their uses, allowing students to make better design decisions from the start. From here, we are starting to move into a more hands-on phase of learning so that students can experiment with how to combine materials more successfully. The English aspect of the process requires the students to write a procedure that tells others how they made their birdhouse and then present it both visually and orally to their peers.

If families could please start collecting and sending in clean hard plastics (milk bottles, berry containers etc), boxes, and other recycled materials that could be used in the construction phase it would ensure that we have enough to allow all students to bring their design to life.

In HaSS, students will develop their knowledge, understanding and inquiry skills of people and places of historical importance by investigating and drawing conclusions about their importance and significance. Finally, students will create a brochure about a place of historical importance, encompassing the knowledge and skills learnt in this unit.

The Religion unit this term teaches students about the creation story and compares it to the beliefs and traditions of other cultures to show differences and similarities. They are learning the skill of meditation, the act of sitting and quietly reflecting on our day, week, or time spent with or without loved ones. This process is extremely important allowing the students a way to reset their thinking and build a more resilient and positive attitude.

On a final note, as mentioned, all our learning this term is very much connected and, as such, regular attendance will ensure that students are receiving all the information and time they need to fully complete the learning and assessment requirements for the term. The old cliché ‘Everyday Counts’ has never been more important. As such I have set a class target of 85% attendance for the term to ensure that all students have the opportunity to be successful in their learning. Our current class attendance is sitting at 84.29; however, if you know that the attendance rate for your child is below this, the further we get into the term the harder it will be for students to catch up.

As always please feel free to contact me via email if you need any more information or to discuss any concerns.

Tammy Ash

Photo Time

Tuck shop is tomorrow! - Please check your childs bag for their form. Spare forms are in the office.

Yr 3 - 6 camp - Students from the 3-6 class have come up with some great ideas for fundraising to reduce the cost of camp! Working alongside the students, please see below our events calander for up-and-coming fundraisers! The We are hoping, with the support of our parents and the wider community, that they will be a success for the students. If anyone has ideas for camp fundraisers please contact the office. We would love to hear them.

From the Parish

**Parish Priest**: Fr Jack MacGinley **Presbytery**: 4665 3401 (Tara)

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

Silver Award

Eleanore Aylott, Xander Welldon-Taylor

Bronze Award

Ash Meyer

Students Of The Week

Week 3 - Hannah Meyer, Eleanore Aylott, Angel Ferguson-Knight, Malia Adhikary, Isabella French, Eliza Adhikary and Damon Grose

Week 4 - Cash Hawkins, Renee Warwick, Ash Meyer, Ivy Andersen and Gnhevea McLuckie

Congratulations to our new Penola House Captains! Aldrich and Nulla!!!

From the Administration Officers

SCHOOL FEES

Term 3 fees, Outstanding fee reminders have already gone out this week via Email. 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!

I will be away all of week 5, Mr Smith and Mrs Davis will be in the office most days to take your calls. If you are calling in regaurds to accounts, I will get back to you as soon as possible.

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.

St Joseph's, Tara - Term 3 Week 4 2023 Newsletter!