It is hard to believe that we’re at the start of November and in the final term of the 2024 school year. It has certainly been a busy year full of learning, fun and great experiences and term 4 has been no exception. There are many exciting events looming to round out the school year, such as the school ‘Nativity’ musical, Year 6 graduation mass and dinner celebrations, carols night, Children’s University graduation, the G.A.T.Eways program hosted at our school, Norwood Christmas Pageant, swimming week, the Year 2-6 music and sports assembly, and preschool graduation, to name a few.
STUDENT LEADERSHIP FORUM WITH PREMIER PETER MALANAUSKAS
Last week, a group of our students attended a student leadership forum with Premier Peter Malinauskas hosted at Mercedes College. The students had an opportunity to ask the Premier questions about topics of leadership, improvement and innovation.
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS ATHLETICS CARNIVAL
This week over 30 students represented our school in the South Australian Catholic Primary Schools Sports Association Athletics Carnival held at Santos Stadium. Our school came in 2nd overall; our Year 5 boys were section champions and Lucius won age champion. Thank you to Mr Dacombe-Bird for organising this successful event, and well done everyone for representing the school so positively.
THANK YOU TO OUR PARENTS AND FRIENDS COMMITTEE VOLUNTEERS
As you will read below in the Parents and Friends newsletter, the team held a Bunnings sausage sizzle last Sunday. On behalf of our school community, I wanted to share my gratitude to Vikki and Isabella and the team of volunteers for their work to organise, cook and serve on the day to help our community.
TRAFFIC REMINDERS
Recently, our school community has observed an increase in cars that are undertaking U-turns on William Street near and through the road crossing. As safety is paramount in our school community, it is a timely reminder to families to read the Keeping Kids Safe on Roads Near Schools document constructed by the City of Norwood, Payneham and St. Peters:
https://www.npsp.sa.gov.au/directory_documents/215_keep_kids_safe_brochure
YEAR 5 & 6 SOCIAL JUSTICE ACTIVITIES
Last Friday, as part of their fundraising efforts for Catholic Mission for Socktober, the Year 5 students created a range of activities for younger students to partake in and enjoy with their homemade soccer balls. The class has currently raised over $727 for their charitable cause, which is an outstanding effort.
YEAR 5 & 6 AFL MAX LEADERSHIP EXCURSION
Last Friday, our Year 5 & 6 students travelled to AFL Max to undertake a leadership excursion day by participating in a range of group and teamwork activities. The students enjoyed learning outside of the classroom and undertaking group dynamics opportunities.
YEAR 3 & 4 MARY MACKILLOP COLLEGE NETBALL DAY
Last week our Year 3 & 4 girls were invited to Mary MacKillop College Kensington for a ‘Netball Fun Day.’ The students loved the opportunity to participate in a range of wonderful activities that focused on agility, movement skills and fitness.
RECEPTION & YEAR 1 BRIDGE STREET CRICKET PROGRAM
Ten of our Reception and Year 1 students have been undertaking a Friday afterschool Simply Sports "New Ball" cricket program. From reports, the students have enjoyed undertaking the activities within the program to develop their throwing, catching, fielding and batting skills.
LIVE, LEARN, LEAD PARENT / CAREGIVER SURVEY DATA
I wanted to share the parent and caregiver survey data collected in Term 3 for comparison over the past few years.
I can report we have increased the number of parents that complete the survey from 10 (2022) to 31 (2024), which provides a broader perspective on the data.
Overall, the data shows great improvement, resulting from the collective work and positive impact from everyone who works in our school, from teachers, leaders, ESOs, library, preschool educators, admin, and finance staff, to also recognise the work of our social work students.
In the past few years, Catholic Education (Identity) has bumped up positively from 4.84/6 to 5.18/6. This shows the positive perspective of the Catholic Education our school provides.
Learning and wellbeing in terms of perception of learning support from 4.26/6 to 5.05/6, enjoyment of school from 4.43/6 to 4.80/6, autonomy and independence from 4.25/6 to 4.54/6.
Resourcing regarding infrastructure has remained constant from 4.00/6 to 4.43/6.
Community has risen in the areas of welcoming school from 5.00/6 to 5.29/6, parent-school partnerships from 3.40/6 to 4.68/6 and safe school from 4.28/6 to 4.95/6.
This is data to be celebrated as a whole community with great pride:
FOCUS ON eSAFETY
As a school community, we have been deepening our focus on student electronic awareness and safety for optimal child protection. We are currently planning for increased opportunities for our students to undertake important learning in electronic and online safety and aim to have parent sessions next year to support families in this area.
The resource below provides detailed information to parents regarding various applications and games to increase awareness and safety for all online:
https://www.esafety.gov.au/key-topics/esafety-guide
In addition, the advice sheets for parents, created by the eSafety commissioner are also great resources to help keep families safe online and on electronic devices regarding social:
Thanks,
Adam Slater
Principal
Dear St Joseph’s Memorial Families,
CELEBRATING AN INCREDIBLE TERM 3
As the final week of Term 3 draws to a close, I would like to acknowledge the incredible work of our school staff for providing opportunities for learning inside and outside of school that students have engaged in this term.
As the term ends, it’s a perfect time to reflect on the exciting and productive few months we’ve had at St Joseph's Memorial. This term has been rich with memorable experiences, including camps, incursions, excursions, Catholic Schools Music Festival, and we’ve celebrated special events like Book Week, Colour Run and the Sacraments of Confirmation. This term, our school has achieved outstanding NAPLAN and Year 1 phonics screening results, won the Year 5/6 Soccer and Football Cups and our students achieved great success in the ICAS and Prime Minister's Spelling Bee competitions.
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS MUSIC FESTIVAL
This week, our school choir, consisting of 21 of our Year 5/6 students, performed at the Catholic Schools Music Festival at the Adelaide Festival Centre. Led by the incredible tutelage of Mrs Radman, the choir performed a showcase for our students last week in our school Performing Arts Studio. As the chair of this festival, I am extremely proud of our students for undertaking this opportunity that they will remember for the rest of their lives.
PRESCHOOL ASSEMBLY
Last week, our Preschool students and educators held an assembly in the newly refurbished Bridge Street library. The students shared their learning and sung a range of songs to our community, which the large group of parents who attended, enjoyed immensely.
SCHOOL DISCO
Last Friday night the school disco was a huge success, and the students enjoyed singing and dancing with all their friends. Thank you to the Parents and Friends committee for their work to ensure the event was extremely successful as well as the parent volunteers and teaching staff for their assistance on the night.
YEAR 3/4 CAMP TO WOODHOUSE
This week, our Year 3/4 students attended camp at Woodhouse. The staff and students enjoyed the time together to learn in an environment outside of the school and classroom through undertaking a range of activities to develop new life skills.
COLOUR RUN
Today, for the first time in school history, we held a 'Colour Run' at each campus, for a fun way for students to end the school term.
ADELAIDE CROWS PLAYER CLASS VISIT
This week, Jess Allen, the current captain of the Adelaide Crows, AFLW team, came in to visit the Year 5 students, as part of a project the class is undertaking to conduct interviews on specific topics.
RECEPTION LITURGY
Last week, our Reception classes led a liturgy, guided by Father Chris, from our local Parish community.
DOGS ON SCHOOL SITE
I would like to inform the school community of an important update regarding our school. For the safety and comfort of all students, staff, and visitors, dogs are no longer permitted on school grounds.
While we understand that many families enjoy bringing their pets during drop-off and pick-up times, this decision has been made with careful consideration of several factors, including:
Student safety: Some students may feel uncomfortable or anxious around dogs, and even well-behaved pets can react unpredictably in a busy school environment.
Health concerns: We have students with allergies and conditions that may be aggravated by the presence of animals.
Hygiene: We want to maintain a clean and safe environment for everyone and managing animal waste can be difficult in public spaces.
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in adhering to this, ensuring that our school remains a safe and welcoming space for all.
PUPIL FREE DAY
Just a reminder Term 4, Monday 14 October will be a Pupil Free Day. Preschool and OHSC will be available on this day.
THANK YOU FAMILIES!
Once again, I would like to thank all the families in our school for the positive ways you have engaged in an effective partnership with the school this term. This is evident in many ways in our school, such as supporting excursions, checking in with teachers and leaders, assisting children at home with their learning or meeting with us to discuss how we can best work together to support your child. All these interactions enable the growth and development of our learning community, and effective collaboration between home and school that actively supports improved learning and wellbeing outcomes for each child.
I wish all our students and their families a wonderful school break and look forward to welcoming everyone back for Term 4.
With great thanks,
Adam Slater
Principal
Dear Families
Welcome to Term 3!
I hope you had a wonderful holiday filled with opportunities with your children, family, and friends. I am excited for the term ahead and the continued growth and success of our students.
I am fortunate to be supported by our exceptional leadership team, including Grace Vassallo-Wakefield as APRIM, Toni Benci, our Inclusive Education and EALD coordinator, and Aimee Caruso, our Leader of Learning. Each leadership member brings a wealth of skills in curriculum development and student wellbeing, and we look forward to collaboratively supporting our school community in the term ahead.
WELCOMING OUR NEW STUDENTS AND FAMILIES
This term we are delighted to welcome our new mid-year Reception students and their families to our St. Joseph’s Memorial family, along with other new students across the school in Years 1, 2, and 4. We are all looking forward to getting to know you and helping you to thrive and learn at St. Joseph’s Memorial.
PARENT AND CAREGIVER SURVEY
All families have received invitations via Audiri to complete a survey we are currently conducting about our school climate through the Catholic Education Living Learning Leading Survey.
This is an important opportunity for you to let us know how things are going for you and your child/ren. Please be assured that your feedback will be anonymous and confidential. CESA and school staff will use the data to identify strengths and areas to work on and build upon as part of our continuous improvement.
You can easily complete the online survey at www.NSIPartnerships.com.au and enter the code SJMSPCNLLLP in the start questionnaire field. It only takes 3–5 minutes. The closing date for the survey is Friday, 23 August.
LEARNING CONVERSATIONS WITH TEACHERS
A reminder to families to please schedule an appointment to meet with teachers next week to discuss your child’s learning development and goals.
STEM LEARNING SHOWCASES
Last week our Year 3 & 5 students invited their parents to attend a showcase in the Performing Arts Studio of their STEM sustainable farm creation projects. The students were able to share their work pertaining to how they planned and constructed their prototypes using coding and 3D printing.
Today a group of our students presented their sustainability projects for the Catholic Schools 'STEM MAD' competition held at the University of South Australia.
COMMUNITY SOCIAL JUSTICE ACTIVITIES
After the generous donations of our whole community last term, our staff worked together during the staff retreat day to carefully construct full backpacks. The staff group heard from Rachael from Backpacks 4 SA Kids, who shared her amazing story of how she started and grew an amazing charity to support children in need within our State. Last week, our social justice leaders passed on the 20 backpacks. What an amazing collective community effort that will result in a positive impact for others in our State.
CATHOLIC EDUCATION SCHOOLS EAST REGION STAFF CONFERENCE
On Monday of week one, our staff attended a conference that gathered and connected all schools in the Eastern region together to learn about the future of education and how we provide our students with agency in their learning. I was involved in the organising committee for the conference, and we were delighted to have presentations from the chair of the South Australian Commission for Catholic School, Mr John Neate, the Executive Director of Catholic Education, Dr Neil McGoran, and a range of international speakers, consultants, and teachers in the region. The conference was an opportunity for our staff to collaborate with other teachers in the region to reflect on their practice and provide students with a voice in their learning. Thank you to our APRIM, Mrs Vassallo-Wakefield who led a shared prayer for the conference with the APRIMs from each school.
YEAR 5/6 CAMP
This week our Year 5 to 6 students attended camp at Mylor. This was an opportunity for the students to learn outside of the classroom to build stronger connections, develop collaborative group skills, try new things, build resilience, and learn in new ways. Thank you to the incredible teachers for leading the students through the activities and ensuring each student had valuable and enriching time away.
GRANDPARENTS: GRAND FRIENDS DAY
On Tuesday of this week, we held our annual Grandparents: Grand Friends Day Mass and Morning Tea. It was wonderful to see so many people in attendance, and as always, it was heartwarming to see the pride of each student showing their grandparents and grand friends their classrooms and their learning.
NEW SIMPLY SPORTS SOCCER SESSIONS
For the first time in SJMS history, the Bridge Street Reception to Year 1 students were able to participate in the kickstart Soccer program run by Simply Sports. The students were able to enjoy learning and acquiring new soccer skills.
BRIDGE STREET POTATO OLYMPICS
The junior primary students and teacher have been getting into the true spirit of the Olympics Games and as a group they held their own opening ceremony and events. They used potatoes to decorate athletes and design new flags.
AWARDED EXCELLENCE IN STUDENT VOICE
Once again our school has been recognised for enabling our students to undertake the 'student voice postcard' project run by Commissioner for Children and Young People. This is an important aspect to provide our students with agency and advocacy in our school.
APPLE EDUCATION COMMUNITY SUMMIT
Over the holiday break, I was invited by the Apple Education team to lead and facilitate sessions at the Apple Education Community Summit. During the summit, I was able to connect with fellow Apple Distinguished Educators to discuss how schools are preparing students for the future and how we can redefine learning opportunities for students using technology. A key highlight was the opportunity to have a tutorial and experience of the new Vision Pro Googles, which showed the exciting, yet also eye-opening, direction technology is moving as we head into the future.
Here is a wonderful photo that captured the joyous moment the Year 5/6 Basketball team sealed victory in their grand final.
Adam Slater
Principal
Dear Families
The last few weeks have been full of school community events, activities, and learning opportunities inside and outside of the classroom.
Holy Week
Last week, we commenced our Holy Week celebrations with a Palm Sunday liturgy at Bridge Street. The Bridge Street students led us in a prayer and re-enactment of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
Later in the week, students met in the Performing Arts Studio to watch our Year 2–5 students share the events of The Last Supper and Good Friday as outlined in the Gospel.
At the end of Holy Week, students visited the Norwood Parish for our Year 5 and 6 students to engage in a prayerful, guided journey through the Stations of the Cross. Students from all classes contributed artwork to depict each station.
Building Update
Everything is on track for the Bridge Street Multi Purpose Room project to be completed and ready for Vacation Care. We can’t wait for students, teachers, and the community to enjoy using the refurbished learning space.
Championship Year 5/6 Netball Team
We are extremely proud of our Year 5/6 netball team, who won the grand final in overtime. They played so well as a team and never gave up. Well done to coach Chelsea, and thank you to all the families who supported the team every week.
Swimming Carnival
Congratulations to the 17 students who represented our school at the South Australian Catholic Primary Schools Sports Association Swimming Carnival. Well done to our Year 3 student team, who won their age group for Section 4. We also had one Year 4 individual age group champion!
Brisbane Lions visit for Gather Round
Our Physical Education teacher, Mr Dacombe-Bird and School Captain Jack, were very excited to welcome the Brisbane Lions to our school for Gather Round. Students were able to meet the AFL players who led small clinics and get their autographs. Thank you to the SANFL for helping us organise this visit for our school community.
School Picnic
We had an incredible turnout for the school community picnic. I would like to thank our Parents and Friends Committee for organising the event. The weather was perfect, and it was great to see the community gather at the Kensington Gardens Reserve.
Lacrosse sessions in Physical Education
Our William Street students have been fortunate to have coaches from the Redwings Lacrosse team undertake a program in PE lessons.
Crazy Hair Day Fundraiser
Our students (and teachers) relished the opportunity to demonstrate their creative flair for the student-led ‘Crazy Hair Day’ initiative to raise money for Project Compassion.
Pupil-Free Day
Just a reminder that the first and last days of term 2 are pupil-free days to allow valuable time for professional learning for our staff.
Thanks,
Adam Slater
Principal
Dear Families,
We hope this newsletter finds you well as we start a new school year. We are excited to welcome both returning and new families to our school community.
I would like to welcome our Leadership Team for 2024:
* Principal, Adam Slater
* Assistant Principal Religious Identity and Mission, Grace Vassallo-Wakefield
* Inclusive Education Coordinator, Toni Benci
* Leader of Learning, Aimee Caruso.
Together, we look forward to serving you and your family in the exciting year ahead.
On the first day of school, we welcomed 41 reception children and their families. Many of the children were having their first day at school, joined by students from Years 1 to 6. We also welcomed new staff members who have joined us: Annie Brearley (Year 5), Tania Montin (Preschool Coordinator), and Janice Bataduwage (Educational Support Officer), who is replacing Claire Tienek on long service leave in term 1.
PRINCIPAL’S AWARD STICKERS
One of my favourite moments each day is going into the classrooms and seeing the wonderful learning that is happening. I also really enjoy speaking with the teachers and students to hand out Principal sticker awards for students who have demonstrated the three school values of kindness, love, and care. It is a wonderful opportunity to recognise students for their daily positive actions and the pride they take in making great choices at school.
LEARNING ACROSS THE CLASSROOMS
It has been an absolute delight to go into the classrooms and see all the wonderful learning that the students and classes have been exploring in the first two weeks. Last week, the year 5 students shared a task in Humanities and Social Sciences where they created Aboriginal artwork to include specific painted features to represent meeting places, such as clapping sticks, rivers, and kangaroo footprints.
The Year 1 students explored learning about sea and beach environments in science. It was great to see the students reading about and investigating the various types of seashells and marine animals.
I hope all families enjoyed the opportunity to meet with their child's teacher(s) this week. The aim of the learning conversation is for you to share with the teacher your child’s needs, strengths, interests, and future goals.
STAFF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Before the students returned, the school staff undertook three days of professional learning that included a session with Madhavi Parker from Thriving Minds. The staff were able to focus on wellbeing in three ways:
We are now looking forward to implementing the ‘Thriving Minds’ curriculum to focus on student, parent, and staff wellbeing this year. We will share more about this work in the coming weeks.
CO-CURRICULAR
It has been wonderful that school sports have commenced. Training sessions have started, and our parent coaches have been terrific in their volunteer efforts to help guide our students in their sporting opportunities. Once again, I would like to thank the parents who coach our students for their commitment and passion to benefit our school community.
Adam Slater
Dear Families,
How quickly has this term flown by! We have been getting into the Christmas Spirit at SJMS and the Carols last Friday night was a perfect example.
As we draw the year to a close, it is important to reflect on the new initiatives that have been introduced this year, that have made a positive impact within our community:
REPORTS
Your child/ren’s reports will be emailed home, on Monday, December 11th. If you have any changes to your email addresses, please make sure you update these with the front office before this date. On Monday, we will also send out the teacher / class allocations for your child/ren.
STAFF APPOINTMENTS AND WELCOMES
I am happy to announce that Tania Montin has been appointed as the Preschool Coordinator commencing in 2024. Tania has led in a range of Catholic and Government Preschools (St Joseph’s Payneham, St Joseph’s Kingswood and St Thomas. Goodwood and we welcome her warmly to our community. I would also like to announce that Izabella Callisto has won a contract to teach in Year 3 in 2024.
As we are approaching the end of the 2023 school year, we have finalised staffing and classes for 2024:
|
Year level |
Teacher |
|
R |
Zoë Gower |
|
R |
Nickie Palumbo |
|
1 |
Aimee Caruso / Mary Piteo |
|
2 |
Will Dacombe-Bird / Catherine Devitt |
|
2 |
David Holmes |
|
3 |
Izabella Callisto |
|
4 |
Andrew Merrigan |
|
5 |
Annie Brearley |
|
6 |
Christopher Heaney |
|
Mid-Year Reception |
Cathy Haddad |
|
Ready for Reception |
Courtney Pisaniello |
|
Preschool |
Tania Montin Maree Raphael Mary Murray |
|
Japanese / Choir |
Oriana Radman |
|
Physical Education |
Will Dacombe-Bird |
|
Performing Arts |
Jessica Williams |
|
Education Support |
Cathy Haddad (replacing Claire Tienek T1) Erika Petersson Katie Pederick Belinda Papuni Marta D’Ortenzio (Preschool) |
STAFF FAREWELLS
Serena Razon
Serena has worked in the Preschool and as our school Chaplain. We wish Serena all the very best as she moves to St Joseph’s Kingswood as a Reception teacher.
Nicola Cuiffini
Nicola has worked at Bridge St in the Junior Primary classes. We wish Nicola well as she moves to St Mary’s Memorial.
Eloise DiSisto
Eloise has worked at William St in the Upper Primary classes.
On behalf of the school, I would like to sincerely thank Serena, Nicola and Eloise for their work in our community.
BRIDGE ST LIBRARY / OSHC BUILDING PROJECT UPDATE
Currently, we are finalising the timeline to commence with the architects from Design Inc and building company Horizons Construction. on refurbishing the OSHC / Library Space to commence work through the school holiday break and early into next year.
UNIFORM UPDATE
After receiving consensus from the community regarding the selection of the optional sports jacket, Belgravia apparel is organsing samples of the selected soft shell sports jackets for families to view from the start of next year. We are hoping to provide the opportunity for families to order the jackets from the start of next year.
As we wrap up a productive school year in 2023, I want to thank all of our incredible teachers and whole school staff for the amazing work they undertake each and every day to help the students in our school thrive in their faith, learning and wellbeing.
I would also like to thank our sensational 2023 P & F Committee leaders Pina Bria and Rebecca Humphrey for their exceptional leadership throughout the year. I know our community is deeply appreciative for all of your selfless work to help our school.
Just a reminder that in 2024 school resumes on Monday 29 January 2024.
Regards
Adam Slater
Dear St Joseph’s Memorial Families,
As Week 6 of Term 3 draws to a close we can already stop and reflect on the myriad of events and experiences that have taken place so far this term.
Book Week Parade
Last week we celebrated the Book Week, the theme this year was "Read, Grow, Inspire". As a whole school we celebrated with a Book Week Parade at the Performing Arts Studio.
Not only did families and staff enjoy a wonderful morning together, we also got to see the children from Preschool through to Year 6 join the parade.
A very special thank you to all students who participated and to all families for assisting children in organising their costumes.
Book Week also reminds us about the joy of learning through reading and the important role of reading in developing vocabulary and comprehension.
Quiz Night
Last Saturday night we held a community Quiz Night with close to 100 people who attended the event. Thank you to everyone that came along and all the wonderful sponsors for their kind donations. An enormous thank you to our incredible Parents & Friends team for all their work to ensure the event was a huge success to fundraise to benefit our school community.
Father’s Day Stall and Breakfast
This week we celebrated Fathers and Grandfathers with the Parents & Friends committee hosting the Father’s Day Stall and Breakfast. It was great to see many people out to celebrate the important Father figures in the lives of our community. Thank you again to the Parent’s & Friends team for all of their organisation to ensure all events ran smoothly.
SJMS Extra Curricular
Well done to all our extra-curricular teams and their volunteer coaches who wrapped up an extremely successful season and year of school sports.
Well done to our Year 5 & 6 debating teams for ending their season with great success. Our Year 6 and 5 team finished with a win and congratulations to Lucy for being awarded speaker of the night. Our Year 6 team impressively went undefeated all season! We are very proud of all the students who participated and represented the school so well this year. A huge thank you must go to Mrs Vassallo-Wakefield who coached the teams throughout the year and Ms DiSisto for helping out on the debate nights.
On Thursday, I had the privilege as the Chair of the Catholic School Music Festival to see our choir undertake the whole group combined rehearsal. I was amazed of the exceptional standard of singing by all of the school choir members and we are all looking forward to the event at the Adelaide Festival Centre on Thursday of week 9 at the end of this term.
Clarity Project at St Joseph's Memorial School
We are delighted to announce that as a result of the school's work this year to implement the Clarity project, we have been selected as a Catholic school to host the project founder, Dr Lyn Sharratt in week 9. Our school has been selected for the visit due to the extensive work of all teachers and classes to implement the Clarity parameters and practices including using learning intentions, success criteria, bump it up walls, learning walks and talks, data walls and case management approaches.
In the past few weeks, I have been undertaking learning walks and talks in classes to ask students questions about what they are learning, how they are going, how they know they are going well, how they can improve and where can they go for help. The students have provided wonderfully insightful feedback about their learning in this process.
QUIZ NIGHT
Our 2023 Quiz night is fast approaching on Saturday 26th of August and we would like to acknowledge and extend our deep appreciation for the 2023 sponsors:
Platinum – Surreal Hair
Gold – Taarnby, Linden Park Pharmacy & Numberworksnwords
Silver – Sportitude, Astora Handmade & Big Egg Media
Bronze – Adelaide Oval, Switched on Kids & Gin Long Canteen
I would also like to share my appreciation to our hard working Parents and Friends Committee who have been instrumental in the organisation and preparation of the Quiz Night event.
RECESS AND LUNCH TIME ACTIVITIES
In the past few weeks, we have introduced new activities for the students to undertake during their break times. As a part of National Science Week, Ms DeSisto organised an experiment with slime and making bubbly toothpaste for the students during a break time.
Our new Social Work students from UniSA have introduced drawing and games activities for the students too.
Mr Ryan has also organised lunctime actvities including a paper plane club.
CHILDREN'S UNIVERSITY
Congratulations to Sienna and Iris for receiving a gold star to recognise their commitment and work towards the Children's University program. Both students have undertaken the most hours and activities so far this year.
CROSS COUNTRY
Well done to 56 students from years 3 to 6 who attended the SACPSSA Cross Country Carnival. The students had a great experience running against their peers from all different Catholic schools. Congratulations Paris who finished in first place overall in the Division A Boys competition. Well done to all the students for their strong running performances throughout the day. Thanks to all the teachers, and parents who volunteered their time to help, and it was great seeing so many parents spectating on the day.
HAVE YOUR SAY ABOUT OUR SCHOOL – SURVEY CLOSES 18 AUGUST 2023
Each year we run a survey to get parent feedback about our school. This survey helps us keep track of what we have been doing and helps us plan for what we should do in the future. This is your chance to share your thoughts.
Parents go to…
and enter the code SJMPLLLP
SCHOOL PERFORMANCE & COMPLIANCE REPORT
The St Joseph’s Memorial Performance Report, for the 2022 school year, can be accessed via the following link: https://www.sjms.catholic.edu.au/__files/f/23272/2022_School_Compliance_Report.pdf
The report has a focus on various aspects on our school’s performance.
Wishing you well!
Adam Slater
Dear Families,
I hope everyone had a wonderful break and have enjoyed the return of school for semester two.
OUR COLLECTIVE SCHOOL PILLARS AND VALUES
After receiving close to 200 community responses from staff, students and parents we have finalised our three school pillars and values that will guide our school moving forward into the future.
Our three pillars that will set the direction for our mission are:
FAITH – LEARNING – COMMUNITY
Our values centred on the example of Jesus Christ that will support our daily actions and interactions are:
KINDNESS – LOVE – CARE
Thank you to everyone for your input and support throughout the process of constructing our shared pillars and values.
2023 NAPLAN RESULTS
EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMANCE AGAIN with the 2023 NAPLAN RESULTS
Once again, we have managed to produce outstanding results!
ALL RESULTS IN YEAR 3 ABOVE THE NATIONAL AND STATE AVERAGES
Congratulations to all our Year 3 & 5 students who sat the test. A special thank you to our leaders and teachers who have looked closely at our testing data over the last three years and adjusted teaching practices to achieve such excellent results:
Student results have been sent home to families.
NEW RECEPTION CHILDREN
Our mid-year intake consists of 23 children who have enjoyed their first two weeks at school. They are a delightful group of children taking their next step into the wider world under the incredible leadership of their teacher Mrs Haddad.
OSHC & VACATION CARE
SHAYLA COOPER – NEW OSHC DIRECTOR
We welcome Shayla who will be our new OSHC Director. Shayla has worked in various OSHC services as a leader and most recently at St Francis of Assisi in Newton. We look forward to the positive impact she will have on our community.
During Vacation Care, one of the highlights was the excursion to the Hahndorf Farm Barn. The children enjoyed feeding the animals. Thank you to the staff for ensuring the excursion was a huge success.
YEAR 1 & 5 SHARED MAKERS EMPIRE SHOWCASE
This week our Year 1 and Year 5 students shared their collaborative buddy project for the ‘Learning by Design’ Showcase event at Stone & Chalk. The two year levels worked together to solve a problem of soccer balls passing through the goal nets at Bridge Street and used Makers Empire technology and 3D printing to resolve. Thank you to both teachers for leading this impactful initiative to enhance student engagement and purposeful learning.
SCHOOL HOLIDAY UPGRADES
Over the school holidays we organised for maintenance and upgrades works to be undertaken. One specific holiday makeover occurred in the Preschool with the floorboards being replenished.
Every day at St Joseph's Memorial School is a blessing and it is wonderful to be a part of a vibrant and dynamic community, that offers engaging learning experiences, along with many opportunities and events.
Winter Co-Curricular
Every Monday, I am always delighted to hear the reports from the students who have participated in school sport over the weekend. Last Saturday, I watched the return of the school football team and it was great to observe the enjoyment of each student representing the school. Last week, the school Debating teams had their first competition and the students demonstrated a high-level of confidence to speak and share their arguments with great success. Once again, I would like to thank all the parent and school volunteers who coach and lead their teams.
Year 6 Netball Team
Year 5 Debating Team
Year 4/5 Soccer Team
Year 4/5/6 Football team
Sports Clinics
This year we have organised a range of sports clinics for students in football and lacrosse. Last week the Reception and Year 1 students enjoyed an AFL session held by the SANFL to develop their skills in football.
Assemblies
School assemblies are a highlight of each term and are an opportunity for the community to gather together to share in the learning taken place and to witness the amazing talents of the students. Assemblies are held in the Performing Arts Space and parents are always very welcome to attend. Last week our Year 5 student hosted the assembly and we had leaders from Mary Mackillop College share a dance for our students.
Update of Key Focus Areas
At the beginning of the year and at the Annual General Meeting, I shared key areas for whole school vision and mission for 2023 and beyond:
Child Safety Information and Guidelines
As you are aware, the safety and wellbeing of every student in our school is our priority. All staff, volunteers and allied health providers are required to complete a Working with Children Screening. Our induction procedures ensure that all persons coming onto the school grounds have the required Child Protection documentation. In addition, as part of our Health Curriculum, our students are taught the Keeping Safe – Child Protection Curriculum which aims to help children develop ways to protect themselves and keep themselves safe.
The links below provide further information for your perusal:
Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy (Archdiocese of Adelaide)
Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum information for Parents and Carers
Uniform
In relation to St Joseph's Memorial uniform, our aim is that students always take pride with their presentation. Our school is appreciative of parents supporting their child/children in the correct wearing of the school uniform. Please see our school website for more details if required.
I wish all students every achievement in the Term ahead and as always, please contact the the school wherever we may be able to assist you, your child, or your family.
Adam Slater
Principal