Week 8, Term 1 2023

Dear Families

As we approach the end of week 8 and enter the end of the Lenten season, it is a great time to reflect on the amazing term we have experienced so far.

St Joseph’s Day

On Tuesday we celebrated St Joseph’s Day with a whole school Mass, buddy activities, Project Compassion fundraising, a shared lunch and swimming at the Norwood Pool. It was wonderful to see the community enjoy celebrating this event together.

On behalf of the staff and students, I would like to thank our hardworking Parents and Friends committee who organised and provided the lunch and fruit snacks. I would also like to sincerely thank all the volunteers who helped out on the day. I wanted to mention Domenic from Simply Fresh Fruit, who kindly donated all the watermelon for our community to enjoy.

Connecting with the Council and Community to undertake an Art project

Last year our Bridge Street Reception and Year 1 classes worked on a community Art project alongside Burnside council and local artist Natania Huff. The project focused on local South Australian flora and the ties to Kaurna land. It is incredible to see the artwork our students have created that are presented within our community. If you would like to know where our artwork is located, you can find it at the following locations:

• Silver Banksia Art: Gurrs Rd, Kensington Park.
• South Australian Blue Gum Art: Corner Duke St and The Parade, Beulah Park.
• Golden Wattle Art:  Opposite Dunstan Ave, on the Parade, adjacent to RSL War Memorial.
• Native Pine Art: Corner 245 Beulah Rd and Osborn Ave, Beulah Park.
• Berry Saltbush Art: Beulah Rd, on Bradman Park.

Class Buddy Visits and Shared Learning

Last Friday our Year 4 students visited their Reception buddies over at Bridge Street to share in collaborative learning about Saint Patrick. It was wonderful to see the students work together and form positive relationships.

NAPLAN

Congratulations to the Year 3 and 5 students who completed their national testing in recent weeks. The NAPLAN testing has been brought forward this year in the hope that results are available to schools much earlier. 

For the record…

As identified in the tables below, for the past two years our Year 5 students have been above the national average in all NAPLAN areas, which is an achievement for everyone to be proud of:

This comes as no surprise to us, as we closely monitor our students with screening testing several times a year. This data is interrogated so that we can adjust our teaching to the needs of our students, particularly to those performing beyond or below the expected year level. Many thanks to our staff, with special mention to Mr Nick Ryan, Mrs Toni Benci and Mr Heaney, who have done an incredible amount of work in this area as the results speak for themselves.

CESA Classroom Pulse Check In

In recent weeks, all children from Reception to Year 6 completed the first of Catholic Education SA Classroom Pulse Check Ins. This survey occurs once each term and is an initiative to find out about how our students are currently feeling about their experiences at school. Questions that are asked relate to wellbeing, identity, learning, relationships and belonging. The data collected is state-wide, however as part of our commitment to know every learner in our school, the Leaders of Learning and Leadership team review the data and connect with students whose responses identify any potential social, emotional, and learning needs they may have and whether follow up conversations are required. If you have any questions about the Pulse Check Ins, please contact your child’s class teacher. The link below offers some further information, sample questions and some parent Q&A’s that you may find useful.

https://www.cesa.catholic.edu.au/news/wellbeing-initiative

Hi, my name is Antoniette Salandra and I am so looking forward to being a part of St Joseph’s Memorial School Community as your new office administrator on the Bridge Street campus.

To share some information about me, my husband Frank and I have been married for 22 years and we have three children, Nicolas (20) Grazia (18) and Georgina (17).

I have worked at Nazareth Catholic College for 8 years in various administrative roles and I have always aspired to make families feel welcome in my work and enjoy the relationships I build with members of the community.

In my ‘spare’ time I enjoy going on long walks, spending time with family and friends and supporting my daughter’s basketball team Bearcats, as team manager. 

I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the SJMS Community and I look forward to meeting as many of you starting Monday 3rd of April 2023. 

Welcome to the first Parents & Friends’ update for 2023

What is the Parents & Friends Executive Committee and what does it do?

This year the P&F Executive Committee members are:

Bec Humphrey, Pina Bria, Janelle Harris, Charlotte Hutchesson, Wanda Musolino, Diana Thompson, Vikki Schiavone, Stephanie Semczuk, Adam Slater and Grace Vassallo-Wakefield.

The Committee’s role is to:

• organise fundraising events to raise money that contributes to improving the learning environment for our children
• promote events and policies that contribute to the building of a strong school community
• be an important conduit between parents/caregivers and the school leadership team

The P&F Executive Committee meets twice a term.

Parents & Friends

As parents/caregivers, everyone is a member of the Parents & Friends and all are welcome to come along to our Friday morning catch-ups. This is an opportunity for you to hear about upcoming events, volunteer to help and provide your feedback on any issues. We will let you know of these dates via the newsletter and Facebook.

Our next P&F catch up is scheduled for Friday 5 May (week 1, term 2) at the High Street Café’.

Where does the money raised go?

Each year the money raised through fundraising helps purchase much needed sporting equipment, improve facilities and/or upgrade IT equipment. The amount raised and where the money is used is reported at the Annual General Meeting. Past examples include laptops, iPads, sporting nets, flooring for the William St piazza.

We will shortly be advising of our fundraising focus for this year and will be asking for your support to help us reach our fundraising goal.

Term One Community Events

Thank you to everyone who has contributed in any way to the events we have already held – the Welcome Morning Tea, Welcome Drinks and St Joseph’s Day celebration – with a particular thanks to our SJMS Board Chair Brett Thompson for his BBQ prowess!

A special mention to Simply Fresh, Erindale, for their generous donation of watermelons which were greatly enjoyed by everyone last Tuesday.

Thanks also to the class representatives who have been busy organising and hosting year level get togethers.

Our hope is that after two years of restricted activities, we can finally celebrate as a community once again!

We have both been privileged to have been a part of the SJMS community for over 14 years, and there is no doubt that our school is at its best when we come together and celebrate. Our children benefit from our involvement and the sense of community it generates.

Community Calendar

With that in mind, the Parents & Friends Executive Committee met earlier this month and put together a calendar of events for Terms 1 to 3 (attached), with Term 4 events still being considered.

Upcoming P&F events

Recess and Lunch Orders           Friday 14 April (last day of term)

Mothers’ Day stalls                   Wednesday 10 May

Mothers’ Day morning tea         Friday 12 May

Please feel free to contact us at pandf@sjms.catholic.edu.au.

Please see our 2023 Community Calendar below:

Enjoy your week,

Bec Humphrey and Pina Bria

On behalf of P&F Executive Committee

Welcome to the first St Joseph’s Memorial Mathematics newsletter publication. ‘SJMS solves’ will be sent out in week 6 of each term and will be a way for parents, teachers and students to be encouraged to solve the Mathematics problems shared and the answers will be provided in the next edition next term. Throughout the year, I will be asking students (and teachers and parents if they wish) to send me questions to add to the future editions of this publication. The questions will be aimed across all year levels to have a go.

We hope you enjoy solving the problems we present.

Mr Slater

INVITATION FOR PARISH MUSIC AT 10am MASS

The parish choir at 10am Sunday Mass is looking for singers and instrumentalists.

Make it part of your Lenten offering: a give something instead of a give-up something.

Practice is usually at 9-40 am in time for 10am Mass.

There may be evening practice leading up to Palm Sunday and Easter ceremonies, usually Thursday but yet to be decided. It is promptly on time at 7-30 to 9-00pm. Further details soon.

It is a mixed group ensuring that the treasure of our two thousand years of heritage is kept alive and carried on to each generation.

Be part of it. Come and make music.

Contact: Rosemary McGrath

0417 800 538

Norwood Parish also invites you to join the choir practice for the Easter ceremonies.

Practice is in the church on

Thursday, 23rd. March at 7-45pm.

Tuesday 4th. April at 8pm.

Please see the Parish website for the times of the services.

The Norwood choir is sharing Monday, Thursday and Easter Saturday with the Korean choir.

It will be lovely to have you as part of this particularly special time of the liturgical year.

Contact Rosemary McGrath for any further information on 0417 800 538.

Student Safety

A reminder to all parents and caregivers to obey the school zone, crossing laws and parking signage rules near our school.

The city of Unley have constructed an amazing resource for the community regarding safety around School Zones and Crossings:

At SJMS we take student safety seriously. The incident this week where students from Marrayatville High School were injured is an unfortunate reminder that whilst all precautions are taken, accidents do still happen.

At William Street the school crossing is manned by staff between 8:15am and 8:45am every morning and 3pm – 3:30pm every afternoon. We all have a role to play in the safety of the students in our community and we ask parents and caregivers to remember the following:

1. If the school crossing at William Street is unsupervised, please supervise your child to cross the road.
2. Do not make U turns in front of the school.
3. Use your Yellow Name Sign at all times to help support us move children from the piazza to your car safely afterschool.

At Bridge Street:

1. Use your Yellow Name Sign at all times to help support us move children from the school to your car safely afterschool.
2. When crossing the road, please hold your child’s hand.
3. Do not park across driveways.

Dear Parents and Caregivers

We would like to inform you of the dates for Pupil Free Days (PFD) for this year. Please note that OSHC will be available for families that require this service on these days.

• Monday 1 May 2023
• Friday 7 July 2023
• Monday 24 July 2023
• Monday 16 October 2023
• Thursday 14 December 2023
• Friday 15 December 2023

Yours sincerely

Adam Slater
Principal

Dear Parents and Caregivers

We are trialing a new Assembly format for the year.
In Term 1 to Term 3 we will have 3 Assemblies per term and in Term 4, 2 Assemblies.
All Assemblies will be held in the Performing Arts Studio at William St on Friday afternoons at 2pm.
Students from Bridge Street will walk across to William Street to participate in Assemblies, face to face.
Below, please find the dates for our Assembly and the Class that will be hosting in that week. 

Term 1
10 March - Year 6B Assembly
31 March - Year 1G Assembly

Term 2
19 May - Year 5G Assembly
9 June - Year 1B Assembly
30 June - Year 4B Assembly

Term 3
11 August - Preschool Assembly
1 September - Reception Assembly
22 September - Year 2/3B Assembly

Term 4
10 November - Year 2/3G Assembly
1 December - Mid-Year Reception Assembly

We will ask for help from our wonderful parents and caregivers to help walk the Bridge Street students across on these dates. Please look out for the form on Skoolbag, next week.

Please remember to check the school calendar regularly for any updates.

Come see our Preschool in action, contact us for a tour or enrolment information.

St Joseph's Memorial School provides a safe environment for all while valuing the partnership between school and home.

As a Catholic community, we welcome and value volunteers. To be able to volunteer, and/or attend at other times throughout the school year, we ask that you hold the following:

1. A current Catholic Police Check (parents/caregivers attending excursions, reading in class, helping in class, attending community events);
2. A current Responding to Abuse and Neglect in Education and Care for Volunteers certificate (please click here to view how to complete this requirement);
3. Completed the volunteers application.

A Catholic Police Check for volunteers at SJMS are free for our current parents and caregivers. Application Forms are available to download here or at either school office.

We ask that you present your completed form with verification ID to the front office, and we will submit the application on your behalf. You will then receive an email link to complete the process online. Once all cleared you will receive a Catholic Police Check ID card in the post, please bring this in to the front office and we will take a copy of your clearance.

This process ensures we maintain a child safe environment. To avoid disappointment, we encourage you to apply for a Catholic Police Check through either school office as soon as possible.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at either office.

Thanking you
The SJMS Admin Team
info@sjms.catholic.edu.au

For more information on how Catholic Education SA provides a safe environment for all, please click here.

Summary of what is needed to volunteer at SJMS:
Valid Catholic Police Check
Responding to Abuse and Neglect Education and Care Volunteer Certificate
Completed application form

Please check the SJMS Calendar for up to date Pupil Free Days.

2023
Term 2 Monday 1 May to Friday 7 July
Term 3 Monday 24 July to Friday 29 September
Term 4 Monday 16 October to Friday 15 December

2024
Term 1 Monday 29 January to Friday 12 April
Term 2 Monday 29 April to Friday 5 July
Term 3 Monday 22 July to Friday 27 September
Term 4 Monday 14 October to Friday 13 December

2025
Term 1 Tuesday 28 January to Friday 11 April
Term 2 Monday 28 April to Friday 4 July
Term 3 Monday 21 July to Friday 26 September
Term 4 Monday 13 October to Friday 12 December

Please remember to check the SJMS calendar regularly for important dates and events.

Thank you Simply Fresh Fruit for supplying us with delicious and nutritious watermelon for all our students to enjoy on St Joseph's Day.