Week 10, Term 3 2024

Dear Families,

It has been great to see some sunnier days and warmer weather over the past couple of weeks as we now enter the season of spring. 

SOCCER AND FOOTBALL CUP WINNERS

It is incredible to share that our Year 5/6 school Soccer team made history last week by winning the Jim Huffadine Cup. The semi-final was a nail-biting win for our team against Burnside Primary School with the result ending in a 2-1 victory. The grand final was against St Joseph’s Hectorville, and our school team came back from being down 1-0 to equalise and win overall in the penalty shootout. This was the first time that our school has ever won this cup, which is a true credit to the high level of teamwork, support and skills the students demonstrated. The success of the team must also be credited to parent volunteer coach and chair of our school board, Brett, who was outstanding in helping provide each player with opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge of the game throughout the season. Our community is collectively grateful for your positive impact – thank you! This was the first time our school has ever won this cup.

This week our Year 5/6 footballers also made history by winning the Norwood Redlegs Cup. Our teams, led by Miss Brearley and Mr Dacombe-Bird, worked cohesively to beat Charles Campbell School in the grand final. This was also the first time our school has won this cup, which is another outstanding achievement for our school community this year, in conjunction with our netball and basketball teams also winning their grand finals earlier in the year.

NAPLAN 2024

Last newsletter I shared this year’s NAPLAN results with you, which highlight our students' progress in literacy and numeracy. Both our Year 3 and Year 5 students achieved strong proficiency across all domains, reflecting the hard work of our students, dedication of our teachers, and support of our school community. In celebrating these successes, we also remain focused on areas for growth to help every student reach their full potential. When compared to data from other Catholic schools in the West, Catholic Education overall, and the state and national averages, our students excelled, further underscoring their achievements. These results truly speak for themselves.

At St Joseph’s Memorial, we pride ourselves on using data-informed practices to guide our educational decisions. NAPLAN data provides us with invaluable insights, helping us to identify both strengths and areas for growth. This allows us to tailor our teaching and implement targeted interventions, ensuring that every student is on the path to success.

Our teachers have been diligently analysing and reflecting on these results, celebrating our successes while also pinpointing key areas for further development. Strong performance across all NAPLAN domains this year serves as both a confirmation of our current strategies and a catalyst for refining them further.

Throughout the year, we engage in continuous monitoring, using a variety of data sources to track student progress and make informed decisions. This proactive approach ensures that we remain at the forefront of your child's education, consistently refining our methods and incorporating the latest evidence-based practices.

At the heart of everything we do is the success of our students. By combining data-driven practices with reflective teaching and consistent monitoring, we create an environment where every student can thrive. We are committed to working closely with parents and the community to support our students on their learning journeys and to ensure their continued success.

STUDENT WELLBEING

In our school, we value the academic growth of each student, yet also place a great deal of importance on student wellbeing. As a result of my PhD study, I understand the key impact that a student's own wellbeing can have on their learning. This year, across all classes we introduced the new 'Thriving Minds' curriculum to focus more deeply on enhancing learning on the topics of wellbeing, friendship, positive emotions, building connections and resilience. It is wonderful to report that our Term 3, student Pulse Check-In wellbeing results were positive. The data has identified overall improvements with 81.5% of students in the green for feeling good ‘most of the time’ and only 2% of students in the red. This is clear evidence of the Thriving Minds project continuing to have a positive impact on students and our wellbeing data:

CO-CURRICULAR

Last week, 80 of our students from Year 3 to 6 participated in the Touch Football carnival. Well done to all the students who enjoyed the opportunity to develop their skills and teamwork. Thank you to Mr DB for organising and to the staff and parent volunteers for your support to ensure the day was a success for all involved.

Well done to the Year 2 and Year 3 school basketball teams. A special mention to the Year 2 team who played against an older team and worked together to get a big comeback win! Once again, our parent volunteers who coached, as they were incredible in their leadership of the teams.

EXCURSIONS

This week the Year 2 classes visited the Botanic Gardens and enjoyed a very informative guided tour of the Indigenous plant trail as part of their learning in History and Geography. They explored, created stick structures and sketched many interesting plants and places throughout the gardens. Thank you to the large group of parent volunteers who helped ensure the excursion was a big success.

This week our Preschool and Ready for Reception students attended a community excursion to the Beulah Park Fire Station. They learned about safety and the equipment used to fight fires. Students even had the opportunity to use the fire hose.

SPELLING BEE SEMI-FINALISTS

Congratulations to Year 5 students Teo, Lucius, Eloise and Zara, as well as, Year 6 students Sienna and Olive, for getting to the state semi-finals of the Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee. This new initiative for the school tests accuracy and pace in spelling.

PRESCHOOL ROYAL SHOW COMPETITION

This year our Preschool entered the Royal Adelaide Show Scarecrow competition. Our school scarecrow was made predominantly from natural materials and the children loved working collaboratively to construct the scarecrow.

CONGRATULATIONS GRACIE!

On behalf of our school community, we would like to congratulate Gracie, who represented her South Australian club at the Sports Aerobics Nationals in Gold Coast. An outstanding achievement!

PUNCTUALITY TO SCHOOL 

In recent weeks, we have noticed some students arriving late in the mornings. We kindly ask that parents and guardians support our school and teachers to help ensure students arrive on time to help their positive start to learning each day.

2025 INTENTIONS   

As Term 3 draws to a close, it is timely to remind families regarding informing me if your child is leaving, as the fee policy outlines:

"Students who leave school part way into the term will be charged the full terms fees. One full term’s notice of your intention to withdraw a student from the school, is required in writing
to the Principal. Failure to do so will result in a full terms school fees being charged (non-refundable)."

Season of Creation

The Season of Creation is an annual Christian observance dedicated to praying and collectively responding to the call of Creation. This celebration brings together the global Christian community to reflect on and care for our shared home.

It starts on September 1, marked by the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, and ends on October 4, the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, who is the Patron Saint of Ecology. This year's theme is "To Hope and Act with Creation," inspired by Romans 8:19-25.

Throughout this Season of Creation, we are encouraged to collaborate for a hopeful and proactive future, striving to improve our world. We invite you to embrace this call through prayer, sustainable living, and advocacy.

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.