St Joseph’s Primary School - O'Connor
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Boronia Drive
O'Connor ACT 2602
Subscribe: https://sjpsoconnor.schoolzineplus.com/subscribe

Email: office.sjo@cg.catholic.edu.au
Phone: 02 6248 9818
Fax: 02 6247 1792

Week 4 Term 3 2020 Newsletter

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Week 4 Term 3 2020 Newsletter

Dear Parents, Carers and the St Joseph's Community, 

Holy God, source of all goodness, you show us in Mary MacKillop a woman of faith who lived by the power of the cross. Teach us to embrace what she pioneered: new ways of living the gospel that respect and defend the human dignity of all our land.

Last Friday, as a school we celebrated, albeit in a different manner, the Feast Day of Mary MacKillop. We came together via Zoom to join in a Prayer Celebration honouring the life and work of Mary MacKillop. Mary overcame many obstacles to follow her dream, but she never lost hope. Mary’s motto was ‘never see a need without trying to do something about it.' Her actions acknowledged the human dignity of each person. Her life speaks to Australians in a unique way, of the message of God’s love for all, especially the ‘underdog’ and the ‘battler'. As Australia’s first canonised saint, she embodies all that is best in our Australian nation and its people.   

It’s a Boy!

A huge babylations to Laura and Tim on the arrival of Bjorn Timothy Knight who was born yesterday. We wish them all the very best at this very exciting and special time as a new family.

OSHC Tender

In line with Catholic Education requirements, we are currently undertaking an official tender process for our Out of School Hours Care Provider (OSHC) for 2021 and beyond. Catholic Education now requires this process to take place every 3 years. There is a review committee in place consisting of School Board and P&F members, staff and members of the wider parent community who will oversee this process. We will keep you informed throughout the tender process.

Drive Through

Thank you for your efforts in following our requests to enter the carpark during afternoon pick up, from the Scrivener Street end of Boronia Drive, turning left into the driveway. Coming from this direction means that cars are more easily able to drive down Boronia Drive, from the Hovea Street end. Of an afternoon, we are now placing “no right turn” signs at the driveway as a reminder of our request to help eliminate drive through issues.

House Points

We have a new House Points display board that will be positioned in the Courtyard so that all students are able to easily follow the progress of their house. We have included a new weekly ‘Joey’ focus for students to aim towards. This focus will align with the St Joseph charism that Mrs Stratford has been breaking open with students and staff whilst also aligning with our Seeds of Growth. The aim of the House Point System is to promote a sense of belonging and pride in our students, as well as connectedness to our school. 

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Social and Emotional Learning

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I am looking forward to returning to classrooms to continue my work on Emotional Intelligence. My focus will be on ‘Volume of Emotions’ to help teach that emotions differ in terms of intensity. For example, looking at the emotion of anger, annoyance could be considered a low intensity emotion whereas fury could be considered a high intensity emotion. By using a symbol of a volume dial students will be able to recognise that they have some control over the intensity of their emotions. Students may want to turn the volume up on positive emotions but may need to turn the volume down on negative or distressing emotions through mindfulness, relaxation or self-regulation activities. 

NACHO Day

Thank you to our P&F members, along with their helpers who organised another successful and delicious Nacho Day. Not only were your children treated to a scrumptious lunch, this initiative by the P&F raised $1000. This profit would not have been possible without the many generous donations of corn chips and cheese to help keep expenditure costs down. On behalf of the P&F, thank you to everyone who was involved in helping to raise these funds. A portion of this money will go towards a new food processor for Sarah in the Canteen!

Have an enjoyable end to the week.

Yours in Christ,

Amy Doszpot

Assistant Principal

amy.doszpot@cg.catholic.edu.au

Religious Life of St Joseph's

Sacraments

Reconciliation

This coming Friday all children in Year 3 and those children who have prepared for the Sacrament of Reconciliation will participate in a Retreat Day to be held in the Parish Centre. The students who have undertaken the preparation will have the opportunity to make the Sacrament of Reconciliation during the retreat in the church with parents welcome to be present. The students making the Sacrament will receive their certificate and share a celebratory cupcake during the retreat.

First Holy Communion

Formation for First Holy Communion will be a home-based program. Children who are enrolled will bring home the formation materials this week. Families can choose when to do the sessions and are welcome to join with other families to share the experience. The Retreat Day will be held in the Parish Centre before the Sacrament on Friday 11 September. The Sacrament date is Sunday 13 September with separate masses as required with numbers.

Confirmation

Formation for The Sacrament of Confirmation will be a home-based program. There will be formation for both children and parents. Families can choose when to do the sessions and are welcome to join with other families to share the experience. A Retreat Day will be held in the Parish Centre before the Sacrament on a date to be confirmed. The Sacrament date is Sunday 1 November with separate masses as required with numbers.

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Melanie Stratford

Religious Education Coordinator

melanie.stratford@cg.catholic.edu.au

Sustainability in Action

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As we prepare for Science Week, Joeys have learned so much about the importance of caring for our earth. Year 5 is studying sustainable fishing practices and says:

Did you know…

“By the year 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean,” said Sophie.

“Only 20% of the ocean has been explored by humans,” said Freida.

“If you see rubbish at the beach, pick it up,” said Amajlia.

“70% of the earth is water,” said Addison.

Jamie said, “Nets are worse for catching fish because you might catch fish you don’t need.” Amy added, “That is called bycatch. It’s terrible for endangered animals like sea-turtles”.

 

“With every drop of water you drink, every breath you take, you are connected to the sea.” - Sylvia Earle

Ryan McGee

Sustainability Coordinator

ryan.mcgee@cg.catholic.edu.au 

Defence School Mentor News

On the back of the successful (and inspiring) TV series Ninja Warrior I found a great site that lists local Canberra ‘Ninja Warrior’ outdoor parks (also known as Calisthenics) https://calisthenics-parks.com/cities/777-en-canberra/disciplines/100-en-ninja-warrior-training/spots. The kids have enjoyed this challenge at school. They might like to try it at home too.

This week, our younger Defence kids enjoyed creating magnets and our older group took a walk in the sunshine. Thanks to Mrs Krippner and Ms Paragalli for joining us.

Please remember to email me if you or your partner are away for work or if you know you are moving so we can closely monitor your child while they are at school.

Sally Adams

Defence School Mentor

sally.adams@cg.catholic.edu.au 

Canteen Update

Hello everyone, 

It has been a great 3 weeks in the canteen and a delight to be able to provide this service to the wonderful St Joseph's community. The children seem to be enjoying having their canteen back. 

I wanted to let you know of a couple of changes and additions to the menu. 

This Friday 14/8 frozen milo slushies will be available over the counter only during 1st break for $1 per cup

In other news:

The vegemite scrolls are now $1 each, down from $1.50.  

A new addition on trial is a baked potato with baked beans and cheese for only $3. It's a great way to fill up, keep warm and have long-lasting energy without the dreaded sugar crash. 

In about 2-3 weeks time I am hoping to re-introduce mini pizzas to the online lunch order menu. 

For those on the lookout for meal deals, I am looking into how to create a flexible option and will have some kind of meal deal option available for Term 4. 

In the meantime, remember, the canteen is open for online lunch orders and over the counter service every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. 

Yours in fun and healthy food options, 

 Sarah

Canteen Manager

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Thank You!

A big thank you to our wonderful families who have dropped off uniforms to go into the second-hand clothing pool. We have a large range of items available at a very cheap price! More donations are always welcome. 

Congratulations to this week's award recipients. 

Students are now receiving their Awards at Morning Gathering on Friday, but we are still unable to welcome parents to join us. 

Foundation Red

Indie M

Rishaan M

Foundation White

Raksha N

Eloise McD

1 Purple

Aria K

Beau W

1 Teal

Edmund G

Sophia M

2 Magenta

Emanuel S

Patrick M

2 Yellow

Makur W

Maddison D

3 Black

Atem M

Emilia R

3 Navy

Louis P

Janek W

4 Gold

Daniel A

Josephine B

Harry C

4 Green

Pritika T

Kinley T

5 Blue

Jaime W

Olivia F

5 Orange

Rachel N

Emilia R

6 Lime

Chelsea P

Christelle M

6 Silver

Amelia M

Sophia S

Sustainability Ashley F

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Lucy M
Sofia W
James J
Emilia R
Miriam S
Patrick M

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