Dear Parents and Caregivers
This has been a very busy and productive term. I have been continually impressed by the levels of student commitment, learning and sheer joy that your children bring to our school community. We are a strong community and there are many bonds that allow us to offer the educational experience that we do. Through the dedication of our teachers and staff, the support of our parent body, St Joseph’s Memorial School continues to provide many and varied opportunities for children to develop their potential and show what they are successful at.
Learning Journey
On Monday 2 September we held a student free day to accommodate our Learning Journey. The Learning Journey put your child and their learning at the centre of our shared discussion. At the core was for your child to talk about their learning, celebrating their successes and sharing their individual short-term learning goals. As a staff we recognise that if our children are to be successful in the future they must be given the skills to learn how to learn. We want them to understand that learning is something they do, it is not something done to them. During the Learning Journey your child was responsible for leading the discussion and providing some evidence of progress and achievement. Their task was to provide a range of work to illustrate the progress they have made, thus ensuring that the focus remains on the student and the critical role they have in determining their own next steps for learning. While this looked very different at different year levels, we hope you enjoyed the experience.
Catholic Schools Music Festival
On Tuesday 24 September the choir will perform at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre as part of the ensemble choir for the Catholic Schools Music Festival. Since the start of the year, our choir under the guidance and leadership of Ms Radman, have been preparing for this performance. I hope the choir have a fantastic night and enjoy their time on stage.
Tournament of Minds
Last Sunday I had the absolute pleasure of joining a very talented group of Year 4, 5 and 6 students and their families as they competed in the Tournament of Minds. The group who had been practicing regularly in recent weeks, competed in the Performing Arts Category and performed their solution to the 'long term challenge', while also competing in the ‘spontaneous challenge’ at Flinders University.
Both teams, while very different, where awesome. We have many budding actors who should be proud of themselves. Mrs Vassallo-Wakefield, Mrs Cruickshank, Mrs Lewis and myself were immensely proud of all their work, enthusiasm and commitment. I know that all the parents and relatives who came to support the teams were so proud at how they performed and the confidence they displayed throughout. Well done to our 2019 T.O.M. teams. The school will enjoy seeing the teams perform their solution to the ‘long term challenge' at this Friday’s William St assembly, which will commence at 2pm to cater for these additional performances.
R U Ok Day
Tomorrow is R U Ok day. This is a national day of action dedicated to encouraging all people to regularly and meaningfully ask “are u OK?” to support those struggling with life. Through connectivity and awareness, the R U Ok campaign aims to remove the stigmas associated with mental health and suicide. Take time today to inspire conversations and ask each other "are you OK?" - This one sentence can make a world of difference.
Children’s University
We have received wonderful news that after being on the waiting list for some time, SJMS has been accepted into the University of Adelaide, Children’s University Program. We will be offering this program to our Year 4 students next year.
Children’s University engages children in learning in its broadest sense whilst developing confidence and aspirations. An evaluation of Children’s University in the UK was conducted in 2013 by Professor John MacBeath of the University of Cambridge. It found 10 measures of success for Children’s University participants, termed ‘The Ten A’s’. They are:
We look forward to sharing more about this exciting initiative with you early next year.
God bless
Brady Stallard