Week 1, Term 4 2024

WELCOME BACK TO TERM 4!
We hope you all enjoyed a wonderful holiday break and that our students are feeling refreshed and excited for the new term ahead! We have so much planned for Term 4, filled with engaging learning experiences and community fun.

MASTER PLAN PRIORITIES FROM COMMUITY SURVEY

After consulting with parents and the community we received close to 90 responses to the survey with the general prioritised consensus being:

1. Development of a new 3-Year-Old Preschool learning space at Bridge St.
2. Bridge St play spaces.
3. Classroom refurbishment at William St.
4. Bridge St Front Office redevelopment.
5. Extending and increasing upstairs learning spaces at William St.
6. Toilet upgrade at Bridge St.
7. Having more undercover space at both sites.
8. Modernisation of technology spaces, equipment and furniture (podcasting, green screens and AV).
9. William St Front Office redevelopment.
10. Upgrading staffroom and teacher resource areas at both sites.
11. An accessibility lift at William St.
12. William St play spaces.
13. Heating and cooling in the piazza at William St.
14. Classroom refurbishment at Bridge St

The next stage of the process is to select and work with architects to use this information to construct a new school master plan moving forward and then commence capital development.

COLOUR RUN

On the last day of Term 3, we held a Colour Run at each campus. Thank you to our Parents and Friends team, as well as our staff for helping make this event fun for all students and provide an enjoyable end to the term.

YEAR 5 LEARNING SHOWCASE

Last week our Year 5 students provided a learning showcase of their inquiry projects to the community and their families. The students enjoyed the opportunity to share their new knowledge and understandings gained in the learning showcase with the many parents that attended.

MAYOR’S CHRISTMAS CARD COMPETITION

Congratulations to Otis, Ethan, Sam and Victoria, who each earned a top 3 place for their entries in the Mayor’s Christmas card competition run by the City of Norwood, St Peter’s and Payneham Council.

FIRST NATIONS LEARNING

Recently, our Year 2 students undertook a HASS unit of work to learn about First Nations communities in Australia and their deep connections to and responsibility for the country, land and place. They completed outstanding artwork reflecting their learning of symbols to express a Dreaming story.

FIRST AID SESSIONS

We had Helen from St John's run a first aid sessions for some of our Bridge St classes. The students enjoyed learning about how to keep people safe when needed.

CO-CURRICULAR RETURNS

Afterschool and Saturday team sport have commenced with Cricket, Basketball and Netball this term. Our Year 2/3 Netball team had a brilliant start to their summer season over the weekend with a 9-0 win. This group has developed their skills and teamwork incredibly well in the short time they have played together under the exceptional guidance of parent volunteer coaches.

BRIDGE ST CRICKET PROGRAM

After a very successful season of Friday afternoon Soccer sessions led by Simply Sports in Term 3, in the same fashion, we have commenced the same for Cricket this term. The Bridge St students will have the opportunity to develop their Cricket skills in throwing, catching, bowling and batting throughout the program.

CONGRATULATIONS JACK!

Congratulations to our school captain, Jack, who was selected in the state cricket team to represent South Australia on the national stage. We wish him all the very best with this outstanding opportunity!

It has been a wonderful start for the last term of the school year.

Principal

Adam Slater

Dear Parents and Caregivers

This term is the shortest term of the School Year but sometimes I feel it is the one that is the busiest.  There are many exciting things to look forward to including, our End of Year Mass and Graduation Ceremonies for our Year 6 and Preschool students as well. 

Social Justice Initiatives

Last term our Reception and Year 1 classes held a fundraising event in Week 10 to support the Mary MacKillop Foundation. The students performed a dramatization of St. Mary MacKillop’s life for Parents and Caregivers followed by some fun, fundraising stalls. This activity raised just over $450.

This term, other initiatives from the various classes will be happening such us:

• Cooking for the Parish Morning Tea on Thursday mornings
• Socktober for Mission Australia
• Book Swap and Cake Stall for Catholic Charities

Thank you all for your support of these initiatives.

St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal

During weeks 7 and 8, we will again be supporting St Vincent de Paul and their annual Christmas Appeal. Donations of Christmas food items, Christmas wrapping paper or a small Christmas gift for a child aged 12 months to 12 years of age would be greatly appreciated. Perhaps, over the next few weeks, while you are out shopping, you might pop something into your trolley to support this initiative?

All Saints / All Souls Day

Next week, we celebrate the feasts of All Saints (Friday November 1) and All Souls (Saturday November 2). 

All Saints day has its origins in the Roman Catholic Church of the Middle Ages.  Reflecting on the lives and examples of the saints had been a widespread practice for Christians since the earliest days of the church.  By the early Middle Ages, the liturgical calendar was filled with the commemorations of hundreds of saints and martyrs.  Many of these lesser observances were combined into a joint celebration called All Saints Day. 

All Souls Day is a special day in the Church's calendar as it is the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed.  This feast, dating back to the 11th century, is a special time to remember members of our family and friends who are no longer with us.

Grace Vassallo-Wakefield

Assistant Principal

We are pleased to inform our school families that there will not be an increase in school fees for the 2025 school year.

Unfortunately, some costs are beyond our control and are billed separately to recover service costs, such as school Camps, Children’s University and After School Sports.

It is at the heart of Catholic education that our schools are affordable and accessible to all.

If any family has financial concerns, we ask them to contact Nicki Cambourn to confidentially discuss additional support through fee remissions.

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.

Term 4

• Week 1 - Monday 14 October 2024 R-6
• Week 9 -

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.

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

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

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