St Joseph s School Renmark Term 2 Week 4 ~ 25th May 2018 RESPECT ~ SAFETY ~ LEARNING ~ TRUST Opening Our Hearts and Minds

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1 S J S R St Joseph s School Renmark Term 2 Week 4 ~ 25th May 2018 RESPECT ~ SAFETY ~ LEARNING ~ TRUST Opening Our Hearts and Minds Messages from Don: Dear families and friends, As I bid farewell to the R-2s heading off on their exciting excursion to Monarto, I reflected on the many meaningful learning experiences we provide. Our term continues to pass by at record speed! On Sunday we celebrated the birthday of the Church Pentecost. This is the day where the Holy Spirit roared through the frightened disciples after Jesus ascension, giving them courage and strength to continue His good work. It was essentially the beginning (hence the birthday part) of the Christian church as we know it today. Walk Safely To School: Many thanks to all families who took part in the Walk Safely to School Day today. It was great to see so many coming along to school together on what was a beautiful morning. On occasions like this, it is easy to see the community in action and growing from strength to strength. Many thanks to the P&F community and the volunteers for help cutting and distributing the fruit. There was huge support for the National Walk to School Day recently Catholic Education Week: Next week we celebrate Catholic Education Week along with the other 12 Catholic schools in the Port Pirie Diocese which includes approximately 4200 students. Its aim is to promote the distinctive mission of Catholic schools throughout our diocese. The week will be celebrated through a range of activities, liturgies and events. Catholic Education Week is a special opportunity for our schools to celebrate and share the great things we are doing with school, parish and wider communities. We are very keen to ensure that our parents, grandparents, friends and wider community are as involved in this week as our staff and students. In the next few paragraphs I provide you with details of each day and each event we have planned. The Monday (28th), Wednesday (30th) and Friday (1st) are particular days where parental involvement would be much appreciated. Bishop O Kelly wrote: Teachers in Catholic schools are concerned not only with the life of the mind and the care of the body, but the growth of the inner spirituality of each of their children. That is why the Church in general and our Diocese in particular commits itself so significantly to the education of the young. To all the men and women conducting our Catholic schools, we give thanks, and invite our parents and students to pay them due honour.

2 Our Director, Ms Nichii Mardon wrote: We work together with great hope supporting all children to be thriving people, capable learners, leaders for the world God desires ST. THERESE S RENMARK Fr Paul Bourke Fr Cletus MASS TIMES 27 May Sun 9.00am 2 June Sat 6.30pm 10 June Sun 9.00am 16 June Sat 6.30pm UPCOMING EVENTS May 28 Catholic Education Week Grandparents & Volunteers Morning Tea 30 Celebrations in Berri 31 Switches Off day Grandparents/Volunteers Day: On Monday 28th May, we will honour about 120 Grandparents and Volunteers who will attend our activities, Liturgy and morning tea. On this day we launch Catholic Education Week. We also recognise National Families Week and use this theme to honour our grandparents and volunteers for the love and support they have shown to us throughout the years. Most importantly, we use this day to help our students become more aware of the strength, wisdom and love that they have gained from our Grandparents, Grandfriends and Volunteers. This very special day highlights the importance of community where families, teachers and students unite together. All our grandparents, volunteers, parents and careers are members of our P&F community. They are valued for their support and willingness to help in many different ways including helping with reading, supervising with walking, donating items, busy bees, canteen, sports days, excursions, helping in classrooms, participation and attendance at masses and assemblies and general support with learning experiences. We live in a busy society but are reminded that life is short and time will pass us by very quickly. Embrace the opportunities we have with our children. The children always enjoy and respond well to this positive involvement. June 1 Carnevale 4 Scholastic Book Fair 5 Aged Care Visit by 4/5RW 7 Aged Care Visit by 5/6TL Some of our R-2 students having Recess at Karoonda Combined Catholic Schools Celebrations: On Wednesday 30th May, we travel to Berri to celebrate Mass with all other Riverland Catholic Schools including St Alberts Loxton, St Joseph s Barmera and OLOR Berri. We look forward to a wonderful day which includes a beautiful Liturgy followed by many activities. This again is a great opportunity to highlight all things Catholic. Diocese of Port Pirie Bishop O Kelly has recently launched a Strategic Directions Initiative concerning various matters of importance. The future direction of our diocese brings with it many challenges but we face these with an optimism which has sustained us for over a century. For more information visit the Port Pirie Diocese website Pt Pirie Diocese Switches Off: On Thursday 31st May, we will participate in Diocese Switches Off. This is a positive action against global warming by switching off school lights, computers, airconditioners, ipads and Smart Boards for a full day. It s another meaningful learning opportunity which raises awareness for the environment but also allows all of us to recognise how we are so dependent on power. Carnevale: On Friday 1st June, we celebrate our Carnevale. The students have been preparing masks in readiness for this celebration and I look forward to seeing the many wonderful costumes that will be worn by the children. We will have a special lunch day of Bolognese or Lasagne. A reminder that the canteen will not be open for normal lunch orders and request that students bring their own if not having the special lunch order.

3 Feast Day: The 24th May was the feast day of the Patron Saint of Australia Mary, Help of Christians. Jesus mother, Mary Help of Christians was adopted as patron of the new Church of Australia in the early and mostly priest-less days, when the praying of the Rosary was the only thing that kept the Catholic faith alive. We continue this devotion to Mary, Help of Christians in the hope that she will grant wisdom to our leaders and integrity to our citizens. We hope that under her protection Australia will be granted harmony, justice, peace and fair funding for Catholic schools. Message from our Director: I extend my gratitude and best wishes to all who share in partnership with Catholic schools throughout the Diocese of Port Pirie as we unite in celebration of Catholic Education Week. I welcome everyone to join with your local school for the liturgies and other activities being held during this week. This week provides a time for joyfully reflecting upon, honouring and sharing what we know deeply that Catholic Education in each of our schools and across our state makes a significant difference to the lives of all those who are connected in any way with our Catholic schools. Education and formation in faith and learning has an extraordinary influence over who we are as individuals, in our families lives and in our towns and regions. NAPLAN: Last week saw the roll out of NAPLAN testing for All students approached their tests in a calm and responsible manner. Congratulations to all students, staff and parents for helping our NAPLAN week run smoothly. We wish to thank our whole community for sharing the many celebrations of the past two weeks and look forward to many more opportunities to learn. Regards, Don DePalma Principal This year Catholic Education Week coincides with National Reconciliation Week, providing an opportunity for us to celebrate the contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our schools and town communities, and our ongoing commitment to justice and peace through reconciliation action, understanding and prayer. In Mark s Gospel this week we heard that Jesus took a child, and put him in the midst of them (9:36). He used the child as an example for us all: full of wonder, awe, peace, gentleness and acceptance. In this spirit, and with children at the centre of all we do, I wish everyone a happy Catholic Education Week! Nichii Mardon Carnevale preparation: Carnevale preparation: Students have been busy making masks for Carnevale day. This traditional Italian festival, which is celebrated throughout Italy, will be held on Friday 1st June with an assembly at 9.30am. Students can dress up or wear the Italian colours and wear a mask or the one they have made.

4 Religious Identity & Mission: Catholic Education Week: Next week we celebrate Catholic Education Week. The theme for Catholic Education Week this year is Opening Our Hearts and Minds. This is a wonderful time for us as a school to reflect on our Catholic identity and our school motto of In All Things Love. We started as a school 99 years ago, and we hope that many of the values and ideals that were important to those who started our school are still what we believe today. We also look to the future of our school. We are constantly looking at how we can do things better and make a difference in the lives of our students. During Catholic Education Week we will be involved in many different activities and events. We invite families to join us for our liturgy to thank our Grandparents and volunteers on Monday and our Mass in Berri on Wednesday. Please see the Catholic Education Week booklet that was distributed last week for more information. National Reconciliation Week: This upcoming week is National Reconciliation Week, a time to reflect and build on creating respectful relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders people and other Australians. This is something which I personally have strong feelings about, having lived and worked in a remote Aboriginal community for two years and seen firsthand the struggles and difficulties that many of our Indigenous people face on a daily basis. This year marks the 51 st Anniversary of the referendum which recognised Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in our Australian census. Before this many of our Indigenous people were not allowed to vote in state elections, marry whomever they chose, move to wherever they chose, own property wherever they chose, be the legal guardian of their own children, receive the same pay for the same work or drink alcohol. The census allowed them to have equal rights as other Australians in these areas. It is also the 26th anniversary of the Mabo decision, which legally recognised the relationship of the people to their land and paved the way for Native Title and land rights decisions. As Catholics, we are always focused on loving one another as Jesus loved us. As a nation we need to acknowledge our history, and as the theme for this year s Reconciliation Week says, Don t Keep History A Mystery: Learn. Share. Grow. Michael Slagter Acting REC 100 Year Celebration in 2019: 2019 marks the celebration of 100 years of Catholic schooling in the Renmark Community. We are currently searching for enthusiastic past scholars and/or parents to contribute ideas and suggestions towards various events. Like our Facebook page St Joseph s School Renmark Old Scholars If you would like to be involved, or know of someone who would, please contact us, Above: The Catholic Church Hall site of the first Catholic School in Renmark. Right: The current school entrance.

5 Sports News: On Wednesday, students in Years 3-7 participated in a Mini World Cup Soccer Tournament, run by Matt from the Football Federation of South Australia and Peter from the Arsenal Football Club. In teams of 4-5, students represented a variety of countries around the world and showcased their soccer skills and fantastic sportsmanship. Students also received an Adelaide United poster and a flyer offering free entry to the Adelaide United vs Adelaide Comets Premier League match in Loxton this Sunday at 3:00pm. We encourage all families to attend to support the growth of Soccer in the Riverland! In SAPSASA news, we have had a number of students training hard over the past few weeks with the State Netball and Football Carnivals being held in Week 5 in Adelaide, as well as Cross Country and Soccer trials happening for the Riverland teams. Miss Ward took 24 Year 6/7 students to play in the Riverland District Soccer Carnival at the Renmark Playing Fields today. It is great to see so many of our students getting involved in various sports! Star Student Awards: L-R: Aleisha Bussenschutt, Agumpreet Arkan, Imogen Beresford-Murray, Eloise Hammond, Emerson Vincent, Armaan Neelon, Lexie Neal, Ruby Phan. L-R: Isabelle Jordan, Alissandra Finlayson, Nick Demou, Emily Robertson, Noah Martinson, Millie Koumbarakos, Georgio Loulas, Madison Young, Jadyn Searle. SRC update: The SRCs met this week to discuss future initiatives, events and activities for our school. The new recycling bins and containers around our school are encouraging students to think more about the small choices that they can make to contribute to reducing waste. We can ALL make a difference.

6 KidsMatter: Building Resilience Everybody s life has ups and downs Adults sometimes look back on their childhood as a time when they were always happy, but life s ups and downs are a part of childhood too. Children need to build resilience skills to be able to both enjoy good times and deal with hard times. Helping children learn how to manage life s ups and downs and build their coping skills supports their mental health and wellbeing now and into the future. Feeling good protects mental health and wellbeing. Congratulations to Alex Cartwright who received the KidsMatter Champion Award at our recent assembly. Well done Alex! Skills and qualities that help children cope with life s ups and downs Trust - that the world is safe and that there are caring people to help them. Belief - in their ability to do things for themselves and achieve their goals. Feeling good - about themselves and feeling valued for who they are by their parents and carers. Optimism - that things generally turn out well. Regulation - Ability to manage their feelings, thoughts and behaviours. Children develop these skills and qualities and learn to keep a balance over time, initially through their experiences in coping with small stresses with help from supportive adults. When bigger stresses come along, even though at first they might feel quite distressed, children can draw on what they have learned about helping themselves to cope and feel better. Looking to others for support continues to be an effective way of coping. How are your child s resilience skills developing? Resilience is the ability to cope with life s ups and downs. Children s resilience is enhanced when they: are loved by someone unconditionally have an older person outside the home they can talk to about problems and feelings are praised for doing things on their own and striving to achieve can count on their family being there when needed know someone they want to be like believe things will turn out all right have a sense of a power greater than themselves are willing to try new things feel that what they do makes a difference in how things turn out like themselves can focus on a task and stay with it have a sense of humour make goals and plans, both short and longer term. Feeling optimistic and hopeful are key parts of mental health and wellbeing. Tony Luxton & the KidsMatter Team Parents & Friends News: Saturday 4th August at 7pm $10 per person BYO drinks & nibbles Tickets available at front office Come dressed in your best bogan outfit! Prize for the best dressed. AUCTIONS RAFFLES GAMES & LOTS of FUN

7 On Line Apps & Tools: Online Tools: To support our teaching and learning style we have established a balance when using Online tools. Online Education means using tools like the internet, computer games and apps to develop children s literacy, numeracy and many other skills. Online Learning is almost certainly part of your child s experience at school and will continue to be a part of their lives in the future. Our hope is that it also supports learning at home. Below are some of the ways we are using Online Tools: Use of interactive whiteboards. Research and present projects using software, multimedia and internet resources. Work at their own pace using educational websites such as Maths Online, Study Ladder, Raz-Kids and Literacy Planet to improve their knowledge and skills. Benefits of online education:-when it s used well, Online Learning can help students to: actively participate in their learning and work collaboratively. use different learning styles. develop their questioning, thinking and problem-solving skills. improve their communication skills. develop creative and presentation skills. develop a more global perspective on topics. Here is a description and some logos of the apps and on line tools that are used at our School. Website: is where you can find lots of information about our school. Facebook: Our online communication tool that allows us to connect with our school community and the wider community. A great place to advertise our school events and share with everyone our amazing work and extracurricular activities. Create an account - like us on Facebook St. Joseph s School Renmark Konnective: This is one of the school s primary communication tool. It is where we send out the majority of our information. Seesaw: Students and teachers post their work in a secure online environment that can be viewed by parents. We encourage all of our parents to use the Seesaw parent s app to see what their children have been learning about and comment on their amazing achievements. Wushka: An Online Reading Program that can be used both at home and at school. This program coincides with each students reading level and allows them to choose books of their interest in that level, followed by a series of comprehension questions on the book afterwards. Distributed across all year levels. Literacy Planet: Assigned to the Australian Curriculum, students complete quests that help broaden their vocabulary or complete set tasks by their teacher with their spelling words. With incentives along the way, after completing tasks students earn points towards their avatar. Distributed across all year levels. MathsOnline: Maths Online helps our students to really understand maths. They can work through tasks at their own pace that are assigned to the Australian Curriculum. This program allows teachers to assign topics at the level that they are at, so they can achieve success. Distributed across all year levels. Raz-Kids: Another Online Reading Program for students in Reception to Year 2. This allows students to read books at their assigned level, and also have the choice of getting the book read to them. Office 365: Our Online Portal homepage. Every student in our school is given a licence to Office 365 and are able to download Microsoft Office 2016, free, to PC or Mac devices. See your child s class teacher for more info.

8 Year 7 camp: During Week Two the Year Sevens braved the weather and participated in a camp at Woodhouse in Stirling. All students participated in activities such as the high ropes, low ropes, mega swing and the ever popular leap of faith. These activities allowed students to develop their teamwork, problem solving and communication skills. Wet weather dampened our trip to Mount Lofty but not our spirits as everyone approached the camp with a positive attitude. The Scholastic Book Fair will be available from Monday 4th June to Friday 8th June. It will be open at lunch times and after school each day in the Activity Room. A percentage of funds from the sales of books is returned to our school so we can purchase more books for our library and the student s class rooms.