Week 2, Term 1 2025

Dear Families,

We hope you and your families have enjoyed a positive start to the new school year. We are pleased to welcome new and existing families to our school community.

The staff and students have returned with renewed excitement about what the new school year will bring. The year ahead will be filled with many learning opportunities, community connecting events, and collaboration with the aim to live each day with our school motto, ‘In All Things Love,’ as our guide.

WEEK 0

Before the students returned, the school undertook professional learning that included working with Professor Anne Bayetto, a researcher and lecturer, on developing reading comprehension and fluency practices to improve student literacy development in the big 6 of reading, which are:

• Oral language
• Phonological awareness
• Letter-sound knowledge (phonics)
• Vocabulary
• Fluency
• Comprehension

At the end of last year, teachers undertook a curriculum professional development session with our eastern region Catholic Education advisor, Alison Hubner-Booth, on curriculum mapping, with a focus on Numeracy. This training helped staff to identify the scope and sequence of their teaching to ensure impactful learning attainment and achievement for their students.

On the Wednesday, we introduced the opportunity for students and families to ‘Meet their Teacher’ prior to school commencing in Term 1.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

This year we celebrated a large group of students in our Preschool, Ready for Reception and two Reception classes. Currently, across both campuses, we have over 220 students attending from Preschool to Year 6.

WELCOMING MASS

Despite the weather not enabling our Bridge St students and teachers to walk over to attend the welcoming mass at the Norwood parish yesterday, they still held a liturgy of the word as a group. Our William St students celebrated Mass to welcome in the new year, led by Father Chris Jenkins, who is an incredibly relational and caring faith leader for our community.

WELCOME DRINKS EVENT

Our annual 'Welcome Drinks' event, held on Saturday, February 15th in our Performing Arts Studio at William St, is fast approaching. We would love all parents and guardians to attend, as this is a wonderful way for our community to connect to start the year. For catering purposes, please RSVP to pandf@sjms.catholic.edu.au

SCHOOL BOARD AND ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING INFORMATION

The Annual General Meeting of St Joseph’s Memorial School Board will be conducted on Wednesday, 19th February 2025, at the Performing Art Studio located at William Street at 6.30pm. Parents and caregivers are all welcome to attend.

The School Board has several important governance roles for the effective progression and development of the school. One of its critical roles is oversight and approval of all matters that have a financial implication for the school.

The Board also acts as a consultative forum for the Principal on issues such as:

• Faith formation of students and staff;

• Curriculum development;

• Property and maintenance;

• Administration;

• Human resources; and

• Parent education.

In addition, the School Board also provides timely, appropriate advice as requested and assists the Principal in monitoring school effectiveness. As a body, the School Board is always seeking to harness the expertise, talents and resources of members of the school community and wider local community for the benefit of the school.

Anyone wishing to nominate for the School Board is requested to email me at aslater@sjms.catholic.edu.au.

The process for voting in new board members occurs during the Annual General Meeting.

UNIFORM

At our school, we take great pride in our uniform as it reflects our sense of community and belonging. We kindly ask families to take a moment to review our uniform policy to ensure they are up to date with our expectations. For your convenience, a copy of the policy can be accessed at the link below:

https://www.sjms.catholic.edu.au/__files/f/23313/SJMS_Uniform_Policy.pdf

Thank you for your support in helping our students wear their uniform with pride!

In relation to the required uniform for students to wear on the days we have a school Mass, currently we are happy for students to wear the uniform they would usually wear on the day of the Mass. The only Mass we require all students to wear a formal uniform for is the Year 6 Gradutation Mass at the end of the year.

ROAD AND TRAFFIC SCHOOL SAFETY

As we commence a new school year, it is important to share pivotal reminders with the community regarding optimising road safety for all members of our school.

The Norwood, Payneham and St Peters Council have a brochure on keeping children safe near school zones, which can be accessed via the link below:

https://www.npsp.sa.gov.au/files/10613_keep_kids_safe_brochure.pdf

I would like to remind our community to ensure that they park in suitable spaces marked with signage and be mindful of the speed limit going through school zones.

Here is some useful information provided by our local council to assist our community traffic awareness to optimise safety for all:

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

As part of our commitment to fostering a safe, inclusive and healthy environment for all students, we kindly remind families not to send food or treats to school for birthday celebrations. Any such items brought to school will be sent back home.

This is in place to ensure:

• Safety for All: Many students have food allergies or dietary restrictions, and even minimal exposure to allergens can pose serious health risks.
• Equity and Inclusion: By avoiding food-based celebrations, we create a more inclusive environment where all students feel equally valued, regardless of their family’s circumstances.

We also want to emphasise that there is absolutely no expectation for families to provide anything for birthday celebrations. However, if you would like to acknowledge your child’s special day, here are a few thoughtful, non-food suggestions:

• Donate a favourite or meaningful book to the classroom library.
• Arrange a fun class activity or game in coordination with the teacher.
• Provide small keepsakes like stickers, pencils, or bookmarks.

Once again, I wanted to sincerely thank the community for your trust and support. I am looking forward to seeing you around the school in the coming weeks and am committed to leading St Joseph’s Memorial as a school of faith, learning, and community into a promising future.

God bless,

Adam Slater

Principal

Dear Parents and Caregivers

Welcome back to the 2025 School Year. On Thursday, our Year 6 students led us in our Beginning of School Year Mass. It was lovely to see so many of our parents and caregivers join us on the day.

This year is a Jubilee year for the Catholic Church and our theme is Pilgrims of Hope. A Jubilee or Holy Year is a special year of forgiveness and reconciliation, in which people are invited to come back into right relationship with God.

As Pilgrims of Peace, we are called to bring God’s hope to others, to show kindness and to help them believe in a future where we can find joy, peace and pleasure. Let us all work together to bring this about.

School and Class Masses / Liturgies of the Word

Please find below the dates for our School and Class Masses/Liturgies of the Word for Term 1:

Cybersafe Presentation for Years 3 – 6 Students

On Monday 24 February, students from Years 3 – 6 will attend a Cybersafety session led by A/Sgt Bridgette Barendregt from SAPOL’s: Eastern Crime Prevention.

The session will focus on:             

• Keeping Safe online
• Cyber-bullying
• Sharing personal information / content

Cybersafe Presentation for Parents and Caregivers

On Monday 24 February, we will be hosting a ThinkUKnow presentation for all parents, caregivers and teachers at 7pm in the Performing Arts Studio at William Street.

ThinkUKnow Australia is an evidence-based education program which is delivered nationally to prevent online child sexual exploitation.

ThinkUKnow Australia is a partnership between the Australian Federal Police, Microsoft Australia, Datacom and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. The program is delivered in collaboration with Territory and State Police Departments, as well as Neighbourhood Watch Australasia.

The presentation will be delivered by a local law enforcement member and an industry volunteer. The presentation is pro-technology and the session will cover:

• What young people SEE, SAY and DO online
• The challenges they may face
• How to report and get help if things go wrong

This is a fantastic opportunity for you to learn more about young people and the online environment, and how you can help them to be safe and responsible users of technology.

For more information, you can also visit www.thinkuknow.org.au 

We have had a request from a new family in our community, on the William Street site, for support. They have only recently arrived in Australia, with no extended family support and mum is a Pediatrician at the Women's and Children's Hospital which includes shift work. 

If you are able to help or know of someone who may be interested in supporting this family, could you please pass on their details to me, and I will forward the information on. 

Kind regards 

Grace 

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 2

Term 3

Monday 21 July 

Term 4

• 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.