St Joseph’s  

NEWSLETTER

Catholic Primary School 

“Inspiring Hearts, Opening Minds”

RIVERWOOD  ACTIVE

COLLABORATIVE

CREATIVE

Term 1 Week 9 29 March 2017

Dear Parents and Caregivers  

We continue to welcome new families to our school seeking enrolment for Kindergarten 2018. It is heart-warming to hear the wonderful recommendations the new families bring to our attention about St Joseph’s and how they would love to be part of our community. As Dr Dan White, the Executive Director of Sydney Catholic Schools says:

Mary MacKillop St Mary of the Cross Australia’s first Saint Born on 15 January 1842 in Melbourne Died 8 August 1909

Catholic schools are warm and welcoming communities and we focus on the development of the whole child. Our Catholic identity, supported by gospel values of love, compassion, tolerance and forgiveness, sits at the heart of everything that happens in our schools. The learning environment is dynamic, our teachers are highly trained and there are opportunities for every student to thrive. Enrolments are open till the end of May however we will commence enrolment interviews in Week 1 of Term 2. If you know of anyone who is looking to enrol in Kindergarten for 2018 please direct them to our school website or school office for an enrolment pack. If you have a sibling enrolment please pick up an enrolment pack from the school office.

CANONISED 17th October 2010

PARISH CENTRE The building work in the Parish Centre has been completed on schedule and we are looking forward to using the new space as soon as possible. There are still a few things to be installed, such as air conditioning and blinds, which will be done soon. Camp Australia will be relocating back to the Parish Centre in the next few days. Thank you to the Camp Australia staff, families and Year 5 teachers for your cooperation in using the Year 5 classrooms throughout the renovations.

 

“The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His Name” (Lk 1:49)  

28-32 Thurlow Street Riverwood NSW 2210 Phone: 9533 3341 Fax: 9584 2672 [email protected] www.stjriverwood.catholic.edu.au

 

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School “Inspiring Hearts, Opening Minds” PRINCIPAL Cont’d REGIONAL DIRECTOR VISIT Next Tuesday, Mrs Elizabeth O’Carrigan, the Regional Director of the Eastern Region, will be visiting our school to see the excellent work we are doing with the teaching of Literacy, particularly writing, across the school. We look forward to welcoming her to St Joseph’s. LENT AND HOLY WEEK CELEBRATIONS Thank you to the students and families who are supporting fundraising for Project Compassion. The students are learning about the many different ways our fundraising makes a difference to communities less fortunate than ours. I hope you will join us for the school’s Stations of the Cross on Friday 7th April. God Bless Mrs Kim McCue Principal

Holy Week and Easter Services at St Joseph’s Riverwood: Palm Sunday:

6pm Vigil Mass on Saturday evening with blessing and procession with palms 7.30am Mass (including distribution of palms) 9.30am Mass (including distribution of palms)

Holy Thursday

(Chrism Mass at Cathedral 10.30am: all welcome) 7.30pm Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper

Good Friday

10am Stations of the Cross (followed by confessions) 3pm Celebration of the Lord’s Passion (followed by confessions)

Holy Saturday

7pm Easter Vigil (until approximately 8.30pm)

Easter Sunday

7.30am Easter Sunday Mass 9.30am Easter Sunday Mass

“The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His Name”  

 

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School “Inspiring Hearts, Opening Minds” FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

On 16th and 17th March Mrs Thompson and I were privileged to travel to Melbourne and attend the Mind Brain Education Conference run by Pearson Education. Over the coming weeks we will be sharing information we gained from these two days.

STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAY (PUPIL FREE DAY) A reminder that our next Staff Development Day will be held on Monday 24th April. Teachers will use this time to look at supporting our students in their learning. Tuesday 25th April is ANZAC Day. Students will return on Wednesday 26th April in full sports uniform.

ST JOSEPH’S FEAST DAY

 

Thank you to our wonderful P&F who organised and gave of their time to ensure that every child received a free gelato cone to help celebrate St Joseph’s Day! It was another wet one, but the rain did not rain on our parade. Sister Carol and 2 MacKillop enjoying their gelato SCHOOL PHOTOS THIS FRIDAY 31ST MARCH   School photos will take place this Friday 31st March. By now you should have received your envelope with your child’s unique individual code on it.    Please ensure you have paid for the photos and print out a copy of your Paypal receipt with the transaction ID number.  Write your transaction ID number in the space provided on your child’s envelope.  The envelope must be handed to the Photographer on FRIDAY 31ST MARCH. If you do not wish to pay online, you will need to put the money in the envelope and send it to school with your child/ren on FRIDAY which is photo day. We are unable to keep money in the office.  “The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His Name”  

 

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School “Inspiring Hearts, Opening Minds” FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL Cont’d CALLING ALL YEAR 5/6 Writers    The Australian Catholic 2017 Young Journalist Award is running a writing competition for Years 5/6 students. The criteria is as follows.    Justice Heroes - With Great Gifts Comes Great Responsibility   Write about people who are using their God-given talents to help others and build a fairer world in the 2017 Young Journalist Award, brought to you by Australian Catholics in conjunction with Australian Catholic University.  There are many people in our communities who have made the most of the gifts that God has given them, and who are using those gifts to make the world a better place.   It might be someone in your school who uses their gifts to teach others. It might be someone who has put aside a more lucrative career to become a doctor, nurse or social worker among the marginalised. It might be someone who is a passionate advocate for refugees, the homeless, those in prisons, the elderly or other forgotten people in our society. Find a Justice Hero who inspires you, conduct an interview and write up their story for the chance to win cash and great prizes. Entries close 26 May.   Enter online: http://australiancatholics.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=38218#.WNhF1ZB97rc    ATTENDANCE REMINDER   Has your child been away from school the last fortnight? Please remember to send in a note on the first day your child is back at school. 

Quote / Thought of the Week:CHANGE YOUR MINDSET

Have a wonderful fortnight

Hayley Meadley Assistant Principal “The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His Name” (Lk 1:49)  

 

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School “Inspiring Hearts, Opening Minds” RELIGIOUS EDUCATION COORDINATOR OPEN AIR STATIONS OF THE CROSS This year the students will not be at school for Holy Week and I would encourage all families to take the opportunity to attend the ceremonies of Holy Week in your own Parish in the first week of the school holidays, beginning with Palm Sunday on the weekend of the 8th/9th of April. Our school will gather for an open air portrayal of the Stations of the Cross by our Year 6 students on Friday morning 7th April. We will have two sessions 

Kindergarten, Year 1 and the school community immediately after Whole School Assembly



Years 2-5 and the school community at approximately 9:35 am

We look forward to having many families join us for this moving commemoration. PARISH 2020 All families would have received an Information Pack at the beginning of Term 1 prior to our Meet and Greet Information sessions for your children’s classes. Included in the Information pack was the Archdiocese of Sydney Parish 2020 Survey. Archbishop Anthony has commenced Parish 2020 as a new pastoral project with the aim of renewing and strengthening parishes and communities in Sydney for a bright future. Archbishop Anthony is very keen to have your input on ways to strengthen our Parishes. If you have not already done so, please complete the Parish 2020 Survey, either using the form provided or online at:https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2V7XL9X Forms need to be completed and returned to school by the end of the week or posted directly to the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney. Your input is greatly valued and appreciated. Should you require a new form, please collect one from the School Office.

THE SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION Enrolment forms will be going home this week for the Sacrament of Confirmation at St Joseph's Parish Riverwood. The School Office has been receiving many enquiries about the Sacramental Program at St Joseph’s Parish in 2017. It is important to be able to plan for these significant celebrations. Detailed on the next page is the information you require regarding the Information sessions, Sunday School classes and Reception of the Sacraments this year.

“The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His Name”  

(Lk 1:49)

 

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School “Inspiring Hearts, Opening Minds” RELIGIOUS EDUCATION COORDINATOR Confirmation (Year 6 & above) - Term 2 Information night: Thursday 27 April @ 7:00pm (Week 1) Preparation classes: Sunday 7 May Sunday 21 May Sunday 28 May Sunday 4 June

8:20am 8:20am 8:20am 8:20am

Confirmation: Thursday 8 June at 7:00pm First Communion (Year 3 & above) - Term 3 Information night: Wednesday 2 August @ 7:00pm (Week 3) Preparation classes: Sunday 13 August Sunday 20 August Sunday 27 August Sunday 10 September

8:20am 8:20am 8:20am 8:20am

First Communion: Sunday 17 September at 10:30am  

First Confession

(Year 2 & above)

Term 4

Information night: Wednesday 13 September @ 7:00pm (Week 9) Preparation classes: Sunday 15 October Sunday 22 October Sunday 29 October Sunday 5 November

8:20am 8:20am 8:20am 8:20am

First Confession Liturgy: Wednesday 8 November 7:00pm First Confessions: Saturday 11 November from 2:00pm  

Details of the sacramental program at Our Lady of Fatima Peakhurst is available on their website. http://ourladyoffatima.com.au/sacramental/2017-sacrament-brochure.pdf “The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His Name” (Lk 1:49)  

 

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School “Inspiring Hearts, Opening Minds” RELIGIOUS EDUCATION COORDINATOR PROJECT COMPASSION There is only two and half weeks remaining in the season of Lent and our Mini Vinnies team is making a big push to have all the classes strive to meet a particular goal for their fundraising. For example, Year 3 wants to raise $300.00 which will provide art supplies   for one art healing workshop supporting First Australian communities address their trauma. Angel Rose Zakhem explained to the students at Assembly how Year 3 is learning about Indigenous culture and history and so this fundraising effort is very meaningful for them.    

Year 6 are keen to fundraise for a variety of projects such as $50.00 to go towards providing a First Aid course and $75.00 to purchase a piglet as a beginning to a farming initiative, to name just two. Thank you for supporting your children as they make sacrifices to donate to others less fortunate than themselves and demonstrate how love for our neighbour can transform lives. We have two posters on display, one in the School foyer and one on the playground illustrating our fundraising efforts to date, as witness to our mission to “never see a need without doing something about it”. ALTAR SERVERS Recently application forms were distributed to students who have received their First Holy Communion and are in Year 4 or above, and have expressed an interest to become Altar Servers at St Joseph’s Riverwood Parish. The training sessions (there are two) begin this Saturday afternoon from 4pm -5:30pm and the second part the following week. If your child would like to train as an Altar Server please return the form tomorrow or let me know through the office so that I can provide a new application. It is a very worthwhile ministry and one greatly appreciated by our School and Parish community. ANZAC DAY LITURGY School will resume for the students next term on Wednesday 26th April. We will begin our term with an Anzac Prayer Liturgy to which everyone in the School and Parish community is very warmly invited to attend. It will commence at 8:50am. We look forward to having you all join us. Wishing you a prayerful Holy Week, a joy filled Easter and a wonderful holiday break with family and friends. Robyn Green   “The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His Name” (Lk 1:49)  

 

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School “Inspiring Hearts, Opening Minds” COMING TOGETHER

Whole School Mass 07.04.17

DIARY DATES Friday 31 March

- School Photos

Friday 7 April

- Open Air Stations of The Cross - Last Day of Term 1 Easter Raffle Draw

Friday 14 April

- GOOD FRIDAY

Sunday 16 April

- EASTER SUNDAY

Monday 24 April

- Staff Development Day (Pupil Free Day)

Tuesday 25 April

- ANZAC Day Public Holiday

First Friday Mass (12pm)

Prayer Assembly Week 9

3 Penola

Week 10

Preparation for Easter

Wednesday Mass (9am) 29.03.17

Year 5

05.04.17

Year 6

Wednesday Penance 29.03.17

4 MacKillop

Wednesday 26 April - Term 2 Begins Thursday 27 April

- Confirmation @ STJ Information Night

Monday 8 May

- Parent Information Evening for Holy Communion @ OLF Peakhurst

Tuesday 9 May

- NAPLAN (Language Conventions & Writing)

Wednesday 10 May

- NAPLAN (Reading)

Thursday 11 May

- NAPLAN (Numeracy)

Friday 12 May

- Mother’s Day Stall

Sunday 14 May

- Mother’s Day

Monday 15 May

- Year 2 Excursion Vaucluse House

Wednesday 31 May

- Athletics Carnival

Thursday 8 June

- Confirmation @ St Joseph’s Riverwood 7.00pm

“The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His Name”  

(Lk 1:49)

 

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School “Inspiring Hearts, Opening Minds”

SPBL

   

On 16th and 17th March we were fortunate to attend the Mind Brain Education Conference in Melbourne. We listened to presenters from all around the world including experts in neuroscience, psychology and pedagogy. It was an incredible experience and we look forward to sharing our learnings with you all.    One of the speakers was Dr Stuart Shanker from Canada. He spoke about his work on Self Regulation and how well we manage stress. Self-regulation is the ability to monitor and control our own behaviour, emotions, or thoughts, altering them in accordance with the demands of the situation. Self regulation is important to assist students in remaining calm, alert and ready for learning. 

When students are in a stressed state, opportunities for learning are reduced.   

THE STEPS OF THE SHANKER METHOD 

  Step 1: Step 2:

Step 3: Step 4: Step 5:

Reframe the behaviour- when you have a craving, it’s telling you, you are overstressed. See the craving for what it is. Recognise what the stressors are When children are stressed they do not process what you say, they are processing your non verbal cues. Body language is the key. That is what turns the child’s alarm off. Reduce the stress Reflect - Stress Awareness. Teach them what it feels like to be calm. (Children are exposed to things that do not make them calm, social media etc) Respond - Restoration & Resilience. Practices that help that child that has gone over the edge, to bring them back.

“The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His Name” (Lk 1:49)  

 

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School “Inspiring Hearts, Opening Minds”

SPBL

 

Possible suggestions for reducing stress for some children: Reduce sugar  Schedule relaxing activities, particularly before bedtime.  Model self care and positive thinking  Help your child to problem solve  Reduce noise if noise is a trigger  Stay calm  Practice relaxation exercises

We are looking forward to sharing more information with the school community over the next few newsletters Have a restful holiday.

Elaine Thompson and Hayley Meadley  

 

“The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His Name” (Lk 1:49)  

 

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School “Inspiring Hearts, Opening Minds” FROM THE SPORTS COORDINATOR SPORTING NEWS: SWIMMING:  

At the MacKillop Swimming on Thursday 9 March Kane McCarren, Lara Tolic and Nicholas Veldekis represented the school.    Kane McCarren came:  5th in the 11 Year Olds 50 Metre Backstroke  5th in the 11 Year Olds 50 Metre Butterfly  3rd in the 11 Year Olds 50 Metre Breaststroke      Kane will be off to PSSA for the breastroke on his birthday, 5th April. Kane has been swimming his best times ever and we hope he continues to do well.    Lara Tolic came:  4th in the 12-13 Year Olds 50 Metre Backstroke    Nicholas Veldekis came:  6th in the 12-13 Year Olds 50 Metre Breaststroke   

TOUCH FOOTBALL GALA DAY:  On Wednesday 29th March the following students represented the school at the Eastern and Southern Region Touch Football Gala Day at Panania.  

In the boys team: Dimitri Antoni, Harrison Cragg, Emmanuel El Azzi, Peter Govesis, Oliver Farr, Kane McCarren, Zachary Nobrega, Alex Noun and Sarantos Vavladellis.  

In the girls team: India Faber, Lucy Finn, Stephanie Korkotidis, Claudia Nguyen, Tiana Petkovski, Lara Tolic, Christina Vandarakis and Stephanie Vostoganis.  The boys won 2 out of 6 games with Zachary, Oliver and Dimitri scoring tries. The girls won 4 and drew 2, with Tiana, Claudia and Lara scoring for the girls. Thank you to Mr Cragg for assisting with the boys.

“The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His Name” (Lk 1:49)  

 

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School “Inspiring Hearts, Opening Minds”   ATHLETICS CARNIVALS:    The Athletics Carnival will be held in Term 2, during Week 6 on Wednesday 31 May. In Week 1 next term you will receive the permission forms for the event.    For Kindergarten, Year 1 and the 7 year olds in Year 2 there will be a permission note that will need to be returned to the school by the end of Week 2. This note will include all the necessary information about the day. There will also be a section to volunteer as a parent helper for the Infants Carnival. The day is always more of a success when we have your valuable support, so please volunteer to help out our school. Kindergarten and Year 1 will be returning to school by bus at the conclusion of their activities. The 7 year olds in Year 2 will remain at the grounds until the end of the carnival and may be picked up from the ground by their parents and caregivers. As such there will be a place on the permission form to provide this information for those Year 2 children.    For the Primary Carnival there will be a permission note that will need to be returned by the end of Week 2. This note will be for permission to attend the carnival as well as to indicate travel arrangements at the conclusion of the day. Included with this note will be a web address and instructions for entering your child into an event, as well as your opportunity to volunteer to help assist the school to run great events for the children. Even if you have never helped out at a carnival before we would love your support on the day. Completion of this online entry form will need to be done by the end of Week 2. Please be aware that after this time we will not be able to enter students into the longer distance running events as part of our safety preparations will need to be in place at this time.    So, please make sure that you have received your Athletics note in Week 1 next term. I look forward to a fun filled day, with some great weather!    

Q. When is a baby good at basketball? A. When it’s dribbling

Keep up the great work Joey’s!  

Nicole Cripps               

“The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His Name” (Lk 1:49)  

 

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School “Inspiring Hearts, Opening Minds”

il r p A h/ c r a M s y a d Birth

Happy Birthday to the following children who will have a Birthday between 27 March and 23 April 2017

Daniel Giannetto

Jack Jarvis

Aisake Korotubuicalevu

Vivienne Kellehear

Zachary Papadopoulos

Katerina Papaioannou

Domenic Stramandinoli

Zara Bottaro

Peter Govesis

Jacob Khoury

Amelia Simone

Kane McCarren

Olivia Asprea

Jovan Leger

Zoe Dagher

Charlie Fahd

Alexa Baslakovski

Jessica Zhen

Veonica Zhen

Angelina Georgievski

Tina Lin

Cooper Abel

Nicholas Veldekis

Nicola Papaioannou

Jada Zahri

Jake Porter

Dylan Brooks

Donovan Brooks

Maya Lavery

Nicholas Marta

Denise Mouratidis

Lauren Sheedy

Allie Sheedy

Kane Morris

Mary-Anne Elazzi

Lexie Lin

2nd Hand Uniforms The 2nd Hand Uniform shop will be open fortnightly during the year on Friday mornings before assembly. Items range from $3.00. The last day for the 2nd Hand Uniforms this term 1 will be:- Friday 31 March. If you are unable to attend on these days you can leave a request with the School Office and we will endeavour to help you.

“The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His Name” (Lk 1:49)  

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School

 

“Inspiring Hearts, Opening Minds”

MERIT CERTIFICATES   Congratulations to the following students who received Merit Certificates at our assemblies on Friday 17th & Friday 24th March:-

Kindergarten

Maddison Chediac, Apollonia De Lafoix, Rachael Eid, Tommy Evans, Audrina Johnson, Judd Hammond, Orlando Moretti, Catherine Samuel, Antonio Saliba, Patrick Scott, Ava Vandenheuvel & Marc Zingovski

Year 1

Jonathan Dawson, Daniel Ivanovski, Louise-Mary Kitoko, Oliver Lam, Vivian Li, Nicola Lucas, Yianna Stergiopoulos & Zachariah Trinidad

Year 2

Julia Alvaro, Joshua Bullock, Blake Cohen, Xavier Farr, Josephine Kitoko, Caterina Moretti, Kane Morris & Oliver Munro

Year 3

Anthony Agha, Mary-Anne El Azzi, David Gillies, Isabelle Keeling, Lukas Kontrafouris, Maya Lavery, David Nguyen & Luca Bella Solomons

Year 4

Taylor Doyle, Jake Gillies, Adrian Kafetzis, Alexia Korkotidis, Nadaliya Marta, Thomas Sarafoski, Levi Sau & Erika Stothard

Year 5

Natasha Alexander, Sienna Dawson, Emmanuel El Azzi, Alexander Noun, Tiana Petkovski, Evelyn Pham, Sam Ridley & Sarantos Vavladellis

Year 6

Donovan Brooks, Logan Hill, Jacob Khoury, Tiana Kulchar, Jennifer Lo, Gabriella Lombardo, Nicholas Veldekis & Stephanie Vostoganis

“The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His Name”  

(Lk 1:49)

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School

 

“Inspiring Hearts, Opening Minds”

P & F News  

Dear Parents and Caregivers Gelato Day – thank you to Rebecca Abel, Lee McMahon, Vanessa Gillies, Nadine Cohen, Nicolle Whale and Skye Renshaw for all their help to make Gelato Day run smoothly. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Easter Raffle – egg collection and ticket sales are now in full swing, if you require extra tickets please see the Office. The raffle will be drawn on Friday April 7. Mother’s Day Stall – Friday 12th May, information on the stall and payment details will be distributed shortly. Mother’s Day Breakfast – Friday 12th May

The next P&F Meeting will be at 7pm on Tuesday 2 May in the Library, hope to see you all there. Copies of the St Joseph Cookbook “Cook, Pray, Eat” are now available for $25. Please contact Rebecca Abel on 0414580312 or Yvette Kellehear on 0404856905.

Dates for the Calendar: Easter Egg Raffle Draw - 7th April Mother’s Day Stall - 12th May Mother’s Day Breakfast - 12th May Yvette Kellehear

Steve McMahon

P & F President Vice President

P & F President

Mobile: 0404 856 905

Mobile: 0419 770 355 Email: [email protected]

“The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His Name”  

(Lk 1:49)