Principal's Welcome Message
Dear Parents, Carers and the St Joseph’s Community,
There where you are you will find God.
St Mary Mackillop - 1871
It has again been a busy week, with lots of things happening across our wonderful school. Tomorrow at 9.15am, the whole school will join with the Parish to celebrate the feast day of Australia’s first saint, St Mary of the Cross. St Mary Mackillop has a significant place in the history and life of St Joseph’s, as it is through her works and faithful devotion that the Sisters of St Joseph formed and have worked across our country nurturing Catholic Education. All are warmly invited to join us for Mass in the church.
Following Mass in the morning, we will be holding a Market Day from 10.30 – 12.30pm. This is in support to raise much needed funds for Riamabana School in Kenya, with whom St Joseph’s have had a partnership now since 2011. Many students will be involved in running a stall on the day, but all students are welcome to bring some pocket money to spend at the stalls.
School Start Time
It is important for students to be at school at the start of the school day. By being at school before the bell, the students have a chance to see a friend or two and to set themselves up for the social aspects of the day ahead. When students arrive after the bell, they miss this opportunity and therefore have to enter the courtyard during the Morning Gathering, often missing information or just feeling embarrassed as they find their way to their line. If they are later than this, they then miss the initial entry and instructions in the classroom, which can unsettle them as they try to catch up on what is happening.
School Musical Working Bee
A reminder that if you are handy with a paintbrush, hammer or glue (or even if you are not) and are free this Saturday 10 August for an hour or so, we would love your help. We will be at school from 10 am to 3 pm. If you are able to assist, please email Laura Knight laura.knight@cg.catholic.edu.au
Don’t forget to put the Musical in your diary: Wednesday 25 and Thursday 26 of September.
Mini Science Week Fair
To celebrate National Science Week: Destination Moon, we will be holding a mini Science fair next Wednesday 16 August. Classes have been busy preparing and are keen to share their work. We warmly welcome all families to attend. The event will commence at 2:10 pm in the school hall, where students will present some of their work and awards will be given. Families will then be invited back to the classrooms to see student work and students will also visit their buddy classes. We look forward to seeing you there.
School Satisfaction Surveys
The annual satisfaction survey of parents, students and staff was launched via email on 29 July 2019 using the email addresses supplied to the school. The closing date for completing the survey is 9 August. If you did not receive an email with a link to the survey, you can access and complete the parent survey at the following link. The surveys are designed to gather feedback from parents, staff and students about our school and will be used to inform school improvement. Responses are confidential and individuals can not be identified.
Safe Parking Behaviours
Unsafe driving and parking behaviours increase the potential road safety risk for children around schools. Road safety is a shared responsibility, it is important the road rules are followed near our school to ensure the entire school community feels safe. Please remember children are more at risk than adults around schools because they are smaller and less visible to drivers. They are also less predictable and less experienced, which makes them more likely to make errors of judgement. Failing to follow simple road rules by parking on the verge, in no-stopping zones, in bus stops, near children’s crossings, on footpaths or across driveways increases the risk to children around schools. Please do the right thing to create a safe environment around our school.
Don't forget to follow our page on Facebook to keep up to date and to support our fantastic school. https://www.facebook.com/StJosephsPrimarySchoolOConnor/
On Monday, we will start the 'Meet the Staff Monday ' posts – I think I have been targeted first! Staff will be answering questions the students want to know about them. Believe me, there are some very interesting questions!
Have a great end to the week.
Yours in Christ,
Cameron Tarrant
Principal