Week 8 - Term 2 Newsletter 2023

Principal's Message

We extend our gratitude to everyone who contributed to the success of our 'Pyjama & Toastie' Day last Wednesday. It was heartwarming to witness the unity within our school community and raise awareness about the challenges some families face during the winter season. The funds collected from this event support our SVDP Winter Appeal. Our SRC leaders are spearheading this appeal, which aligns with one of our school's core Mercy Values - COMPASSION.

NAIDOC Day Celebrations

Kindly note that during the final week of the term, our school community will be coming together to commemorate NAIDOC Week. Our Celebration Day is scheduled for Wednesday, June 28th (please note that we have chosen to hold this event before the holidays as NAIDOC Week falls within the break). The primary focus of this day is to recognize and celebrate the rich Indigenous culture, history, and accomplishments within our local area. The event will occur at Brooms Head Caravan Park and commence with a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony. Students will engage in various activities to deepen their understanding of Indigenous culture, including Dreamtime story-telling, dot painting, indigenous games, and exploring significant cultural landmarks within our community.

NAIDOC 2023 is an eagerly anticipated event that unites our school community in celebrating the vibrant culture, rich history, and remarkable achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The theme for NAIDOC 2023 is "For our Elders," which signifies a special focus on honouring and showing respect to the wisdom, guidance, and contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander elders. This theme acknowledges elders' significant role in Indigenous communities as keepers of cultural knowledge and traditions. It is an opportunity to express gratitude and appreciation for their leadership, resilience, and the invaluable wisdom they offer. By recognizing and valuing the elders, we strengthen intergenerational connections and promote cultural continuity.

We warmly invite parents and family members to attend and join us in this remarkable school event. Detailed information regarding the event, including permission, will be sent out via Compass early next week.

Semester 1 Reporting

Please be advised that the Semester 1 reports will be sent home on Monday and distributed digitally through the Compass App. These reports provide a concise overview of your child's accomplishments and their level of attainment during the previous semester. The grades assigned for each learning area offer valuable insights into your child's progress. It's important to note that the grading scale used, ranging from A to E, may differ from the one you experienced during your own school years. These grades are not intended to rank your child but rather indicate their level of proficiency in meeting the expected learning outcomes. A grade of C signifies that your child is "on track" and has successfully achieved the expected grade-level standards. Other grades will indicate if your child is exceeding expectations or may require additional support and reinforcement.

I would like to express my appreciation to all the staff for their dedication in ensuring that these reports accurately reflect the student's progress. I encourage you to arrange a meeting with your child's classroom teachers to discuss the report further if you have any questions or concerns.

Staff Development Days

Just a reminder that on Friday, 30th June & Monday, 17th July we will be having 2 of our allocated Staff Professional Learning Days, which means the last day of Term 2 will be Thursday, 29th June & students return Tuesday, 18th July.

Whilst we understand the implications these Pupil Free Days may place on our families, we appreciate your support for these days, as they are vital to the upskilling of our staff. Our end of Term 2 PL Day will be focusing on our work around Literacy and the research by Lyn Sharrat with regard to writing, and following the holiday break, our staff will undertake a day down in Grafton at the Sisters of Mercy Centre to further immerse and embed the Mercy Charism amongst our staffing team. 

Just a friendly reminder that our Parish School Mass will be taking place at 8:30 am this Sunday at St Mary's Church. We warmly invite and encourage as many families as possible to join us for this meaningful Parish Mass, as it is a wonderful opportunity to foster a strong connection between our school community and the parish. Coming together in worship and celebration allows us to deepen our ties with the parish and nurture a sense of belonging and unity. It is a time for our students, families, and staff to actively engage in the parish's spiritual life, strengthen our faith, and forge meaningful relationships within the wider community. We look forward to seeing as many families as possible joining in this Parish Mass, as your presence truly enriches the experience for all.

Kind regards

Dale

Upcoming School Dates

• Semester 1 Class Reports go Home (Monday 19th June)
• Maclean Music Eisteddfod (Thursday 22nd June)
• NAIDOC Day at Brooms Head (Wednesday 28th June)
• Clarence Zone Athletics Carnival (Thursday 29th June)
  
• PUPIL FREE DAY (Friday 30th June)
  

Leader of Learning

Exploring Math Fun

Math is a fundamental subject that is crucial to a child's overall cognitive development. As parents, you have a unique opportunity to make math enjoyable and foster a positive attitude towards numbers. You can transform math practice into an exciting adventure by incorporating creative and engaging activities into your daily routines. Here are some ways you can embrace the fun of maths.

Embrace Real-World Applications

One of the most effective ways to ignite your child's interest in math is by connecting it to real-life situations. Encourage your child to apply mathematical concepts in everyday scenarios. For instance, while grocery shopping, involve them in budgeting, weighing items, or calculating discounts. Cooking provides an excellent opportunity to explore fractions, measurements, and ratios. Making math relevant to their lives can foster a deeper understanding and appreciation for its importance.

Games and Puzzles

Introducing math through games and puzzles is an engaging and interactive approach that can captivate your child's attention. Board games like Monopoly, chess, or Sudoku encourage critical thinking, problem-solving, and logical reasoning.

Math in Daily Activities

Incorporate math into your daily activities to make it a natural part of your child's routine. Encourage them to help with tasks that involve math, such as setting the table, organizing objects, or dividing treats among siblings. Counting objects, sorting items by shape or size, and estimating quantities are simple yet effective ways to develop number sense and spatial awareness.

Math Challenges and Projects

Encourage your child to take on math challenges and projects that allow them to independently apply what they have learned. This could include building models using geometric shapes, creating charts or graphs to represent data, or designing their own math games. By nurturing their problem-solving skills and creativity, you empower them to take ownership of their mathematical journey.

Practising mathematics should be an enjoyable and rewarding experience. By incorporating real-world applications, games, puzzles, daily activities, books, online resources, and projects, your child can foster a love for math while strengthening their mathematical abilities. 

Mrs Bailey

Mission & Values

Liturgical Calendar

Ordinary Time in the Catholic Church is a liturgical season that encompasses the majority of the year, excluding Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter. It is a time of growth, reflection, and deepening our relationship with God. We focus on Jesus Christ's teachings and our faith's daily living. It offers an opportunity for families to engage in regular prayer, attend Mass, and incorporate spiritual practices into their daily lives. Ordinary Time invites us to embrace the ordinary moments and find God's presence in the routines and challenges of our everyday existence. It is a time of steady growth and a reminder that even in the ordinary, God's grace is present and transformative.

Parish School Mass 

One final invitation for families and friends to attend our Term 1 Parish School Mass this Sunday at 8:30 am at St Mary’s Church Maclean.  We have one mass per term in which the students assist in the mass, and all are welcome.

Hope to see you there.

Mercy in Action Award

This week our St Joey’s Mercy In Action Award goes to Asher Nichols in recognition of displaying the Mercy Value of Service, demonstrated at our recent Winter Appeal/Pyjama Day and in his role as an SRC Captain. Asher is always looking to the needs of others and seeking out ways to help in our school community. These acts of Service make our school a better place for all. Congratulations Asher.

Mrs Mullins

Class Awards

Our Principal's Award winners this week are:

Our Class Award winners this week are: 

From the Front Office

Head Lice

Please be advised that our school has had an outbreak of headlice.

We ask all parents/guardians to check their child's hair and treat it accordingly. Children are to remain home from school until hair has been treated and all eggs have been removed.

Please see attached a fact sheet on headlice.

Thank you for your co-operation.

Class News - Stage 2

This term, Stage 2 has been focusing on perspectives and points of view. Students have been learning that our experiences and culture shape our understanding of texts and that different perspectives can lead to different interpretations. 

For their end-of-term assessment, students in Stage 2 were asked to compose a text on a familiar topic (Year 3 = personal review of an experience/ item of their choice, Year 4 = an advertisement to promote the Vinnies Winter Appeal) and use language devices to persuade their audience. 

Have a look at the Vinnie's Posters below and read some of their perfectly persuading paragraphs! [That’s an alliteration ;)]

Year 4

Stage 2 has also been VERY busy in their Visual Arts lessons this term (after some stellar digital productions for the Avenue of Art at the end of Term 1), learning about claymation, plasticine figurines/ characters and dabbling in ‘stop motion animation’. We have learned that stop motion is still used to this day in animations such as ‘Wallace and Grommet’, ‘Pengu’, current New Zealand production, ‘Kiri and Lou’ and ‘Shaun the Sheep’ to name a few. Here are a few creations (photos taken on our PJ Day!)!

Mrs Mclennan & Ms Zietsch

School Sport

Athletics Carnival

Congratulations to all of our students who have qualified for the Clarence Zone Athletics Carnival. The event will be held on Thursday, 29th June, at the C.ex Coffs Harbour International Stadium. We hope everyone enjoys a successful day and a safe journey.

St Joseph’s Maclean Zone Team:

Boys: Zion Coulson, Hugo Simpson, Alex Greentree, Jesse Bennett, Caide Schlyder, Owen Moss, Jack Kirkland, Roo Coulson, Reece Bennett, Bronx Hickling, Reef Crofton, Asher Nichols, Huon McLennan, Seth Hausler, Byron Ellis.

Girls: Jessika Dalton, Sophia Wright, Penny Chapman, Dotti Kemp, Bella Camilleri, Sophie Green, Marlie Cook, Zoe Brett, Amelia Green, Avah Anderson, Grace Bell, Dayla Chapman, Gabbie Quarello, Alexia Dawes.

Age Champions in their respective divisions on the day:

• • Junior Boys - Hugo Simpson
  • Junior Girls - Jessika Dalton
  • Senior Boys - Roo Coulson
  • Senior Girls - Avah Anderson

Please see the attached document for a full list of the 2023 Athletics Carnival Results:

Mr Hitchings

Pastoral Care - School Chaplain

St Vincent De Paul’s Winter Appeal

Dressing gowns, slippers and our winter PJ's were a warm welcome to start our Vinnies Winter appeal. Students and staff were snuggly in their winter woollies while dining on Toasted Sandwiches and Hot Chocolates! 

Our SRC served our school community in such a friendly and professional manner. It was a real production line. Well done, SRC, an amazing job!

Thank you to all families that helped raise money for this fundraiser - we raised just over $300!!!

Giving to others activates an area of the brain linked with contentment and the reward cycle.

Thanking you

Ms Mead

Library News

Seeing so many students reading feverishly to complete their Premiers Reading Challenge (PRC) for 2023 has been wonderful. This is not a competition but a challenge for students to read more widely and aims to encourage a love of reading for pleasure in school-aged students. Children are regularly borrowing during class borrowing time and are keeping their own paper records (everyone except Kindergarten), and kids in years 3-6 will have time with their teachers or me to help them to log their books online when they've completed the challenge. We have a very fun day planned off-site for all those students who have completed the challenge this year, and we’d love to see every student there! 

If you or your child would like to check out the PRC site for book recommendations or have a go at logging their books at home, check out the link below.

Mrs Waghorn

Parent Forum

Fete Update

Great news on our school fete planning progress! We have now got our rides and fireworks booked!! New Time: We have updated our Fete time (due to having fireworks) to 3 pm- 8 pm. This will also allow for attendance at sports and then coming to the fete for dinner, fun and fireworks!

Sponsorship: We are currently seeking sponsorship from local businesses to assist with paying for our fireworks and rides. We already have had some businesses from our school community come forward to offer support. If you can help, please get in touch with Rebecca Upston at becuppo@gmail.com.

Donations and Parent Support: Several stalls and food trucks are lined up. The fete can not run without parent participation. We will be circulating a roster for the day and a list of donations and ideas for how you can help. Please allocate yourself a position on the roster! If you have any other ways to contribute to our school fete or perhaps you have a family member that can help, please contact Bec on the email above.

The Parent Forum Team

Pastoral Care - Family Connect

Help with purchasing school uniforms
A message from our Family Connect in Schools Worker, Skye Pullen

Vinnies currently have an excess of uniforms at their Maclean store and invite families to come in to purchase uniform items at well below cost! Vinnies are located at 185 River St Maclean and open between 9:00 am – 4:00 pm on weekdays and on Saturdays, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. Contact Vinnies on 6645 2752 to find out about any financial relief or food hampers that may be available.
Don’t forget the clothing pool at school is also filled with quality uniform items, and your gold coin donation for any of these will be passed on to charities in the community that support us. You are welcome to pop into the office anytime to see what is available.
If you would like any further information about practical assistance for families or to find out about general support services, contact our Family Connect in Schools worker.

Skye Pullen 0417 004 779.

Community Notices