Welcome to Term 4.  I hope that everyone had a great break and the children had a chance to rest and enjoy time with their families.  Staff had a busy two days to start their term with some data analysis and participating in a Challenging Learning webinar, both days were great Professional Learning.

It was fantastic to get lots of outside jobs completed in the holidays.  A big thank you to our wonderful families who mowed and whipper snipped, and sprayed in the holidays – our grounds are looking fantastic.  The basketball court was cleaned and re-sanded and has come up looking brand new which is great, as well as lots of new softfall under the play equipment, a new swing has been installed and also nice new sand for the sand pit.  The gutters on the buildings were also cleaned out.

It would be great if I could get a few families who could lend a hand to do some weeding around the outside garden of the tennis court.  It is snake season and the weeds are quite high – in light of not having a working bee if anyone could lend a hand please let me know.

End of year dates have not yet been finalised.  At this stage we will have the same format as last year that our End of Year Mass and Awards Presentation will be during the day.  It is highly likely that this event will be outdoors as this will be the only way the whole school community will be able to celebrate these events together and keep to the covid protocols.  We will let you know when dates have been confirmed.

It is with great regret that the St Joseph’s community says farewell to Mrs Baxter.  Mrs Baxter has been successful in attaining a Permanent full time position at the Riverina Anglican College in Wagga.  They are opening their Primary School section in 2021 and we know this will be an exciting time for her. With two young children and travel we know that this is the right move for Jac and her family and we wish her well.  We sincerely thank her for the 6 wonderful years at St Joseph’s and for the positive contribution that she has made to our school.  We know that she will be an asset at her new school and that she will be sadly missed.

Have a great week.

Kirsty Beavan

Principal

OCTOBER IS CATHOLIC MISSIONS MONTH

St Joseph's will participate in Mission week activities in week 3 with a coin line and crazy socks.  Further details will be in next weeks newsletter.

- Liz Murray

Religious Education Co-Ordinator

 

*  As it has been a busy year with the mowing and we have split the whole area into two sections, we have had to start again with roster.  We would like to thank our families for continuing to support our school looking maintained.

Summer uniform is to be worn in Term 4.

REMINDER:  No Hat, No Play policy is in place all year round, a reminder that your child/ren need a hat for outside play.  

We are very excited to be welcoming our new Kinder students for 2021 in November for their Orientation Days.

Tuesday 3rd November - 9:30am - 11:30am

Tuesday 10th November - 9:30am - 11:30am

Tuesday 17th November - 12:30pm - 3:00pm

Strict COVID protocols will be in place during these sessions, emails will be sent out to parents in the coming weeks regarding the protocols that will be in place.

Have you heard the news about our budding scientists – Riley, Ted and Harry who entered the Snowy Hydro Science competition and basically took it out!!! 

Riley in the Stage 2 section won the judges choice and came runners up in the people’s choice. 

Ted and Harry in the Stage 3 section won the people’s choice award and came runners up in the judges choice. 

It was such an amazing achievement with over 200 entries, the boys are to be congratulated on their models and on their wonderful initiative to design their renewable energy power station and how fantastic they were.  They now get to enjoy some wonderful prizes as well as a bonus for both their classes - 2/3/4 and 5/6 now get to go on an excursion to the T3 power station.  Make sure you check them out in the Tumut and Adelong Times or on the Snowy Hydro facebook page.

Book Week Parade will be held next Thursday 22nd October.  

This year their will be no Book Fair.

We can't wait to see all the creative costumes, with the theme "Curious Creatures, Wild Minds"

Covid restrictions are still very much in place for schools and for the school community there are minimal changes.  Parents are asked to only enter the school grounds for a meeting/interview at the schools or parents request, or to pick up/drop off their child.

If a student or staff member is exhibiting flu like symptoms they are to stay at home – get covid tested and return to school once they have received a negative test result.  Kindergarten Orientation can take place in November and there are strict protocols to follow for these days.

This term, 2/3/4 are implementing a Nude Food Challenge across the school. Nude food is food that is not wrapped in foil, plastic or packaging. 

Over two weeks last term, 2/3/4 completed a rubbish audit at our school and found that a lot of the rubbish in the playground and bins were from the wrappers being brought to school from home in lunchboxes. We decided that we needed to do something to help reduce the amount of waste in our school. 

Each class will be given a waste bin that will be kept in the weather shed. Each week the 2/3/4 students will weigh the rubbish of each class’s bin and will award a point to the class with the least amount of packaging in their bin. The class with the most points at the end of the term will be awarded the Nude Food Champions and will receive some free play time. Our aim is to have no packaging and wrappers in the bins. 

So how can you participate in the Nude Food Challenge?

• Transfer snacks from packaging into containers.
• Wrap sandwiches in beeswax wraps or paper
• Use containers for anything you would normally wrap in glad wrap or wrap them in beeswax wraps or paper 

2/3/4 appreciate your assistance in helping reduce the waste at St Joseph’s. Don’t forget to ‘put your food in the nude.’

Dymocks books were very kind to donate books to the value of $5,000 during the year and we still have lots of books to cover. Thank you to Miss Soulsby for nominating our school for this grant.

If you are able to help by covering some books that would be greatly appreciated.  Please send an email to the office if you would be happy for us to send home a small bag of books.

Media leaders Gypsy & Matilda interviewed the Student Spotlight this week, what will we learn about our student at St Joseph's.

Sidonie - Kinder	Toby - Yr 4	Hugh - Yr 6
Tell us who’s in your family? Chris (Dad), Lauren (Mum), Preston (brother), Jillian (Nan). Tell us 5 words that describe you? Fun, happy, sporty, funny, crazy. What do you like to do on the weekends? I like to go and see Nan and go to Braxton's house. What’s your favourite game to play at school?  I like to play Dodgeball. What do you want to be when you grow up?  I would like to be a farmer.	Tell us who’s in your family? David (Dad), Jenna (Mum), Lochie (brother) & Brydee (sister). Tell us 5 words that describe you? Sport, serious, animal lover, friendly, kind. What do you like to do on the weekends? I like to ride my horse, explore, mow the lawn/whipper snip. What’s your favourite game to play at school?  I like to play cricket. What do you want to be when you grow up?  I would like to be a footy player and a qualified horse trainer and work on a farm.	Tell us who’s in your family? Andrew (Dad), Andrea (Mum) and Culley (sister). Tell us 5 words that describe you? Smart, intelligent, responsible, athletic, eccentric. What do you like to do on the weekends? I like to read, play the Nintendo Switch & kick the footy. What’s your favourite game to play at school?  I like everything at school. What do you want to be when you grow up?  I would like to be a world changer.

The Robson Family are holding their Bull Sale on Saturday 24th October at "Flemington Park", Westwood Road, Adelong.

We are asking for 3 - 4 helpers from 11am -2:30pm to serve food. 

If you are able to help with serving food on the day, please reply to Jenna on davejenroots@gmail.com

Inter school sports are now permitted so there will be the opportunity for St Joseph’s Primary students to participate in Rugby League, League Tag and Cricket Gala Days this term.  Local day excursions are allowed to take place and overnight excursions if they are a part of the education program.  Please see the latest covid update from Catholic Education.

Notes for the following sports events will follow:

Mortimer Shield - 27th October - Gundagai - Yr 5/6 boys & girls

Cricket Gala Day - 3rd November - Adelong Showground - Yrs 3, 4, 5, 6 boys & girls

Trent Barrett - 11th November - Yrs 3/4 boys & girls

Friday sport this term for the students will be Rugby & Swimming. 

We have a Sports for School grant and will have an officer from the Southern Inland Rugby Development team visit, this will run for the first five weeks of term.

Once Rugby has finished, we will commence Swimming on Friday's for four weeks.

First Communion

This Sunday 18^th October 2020, First Communion will be celebrated at 10.00am Mass in St James Church.

Please keep Fred Roche and Marli and Gypsy McDonnell in your prayers as they prepare to make this Sacrament.

All parishioners are welcome to celebrate with the children for this special occasion.

Thank You

- Liz Murray 

Due to COVID restrictions, the 2020 Marian Procession will take place online. Led by our ethnic communities, the event is an opportunity to pray the Rosary together as a community.

We encourage participants to gather online in hubs with members of their families, local parishes, friends, or just individually to pray the Rosary during the week leading up to the celebration of the live-streamed Multicultural Mass Sunday 25 October.

Find out more information and register for notifications at https://hozana.org/en/community/9352-marian-procession

Keep up to date with events happening at St Joseph's via our electronic school calendar (please note dates can be subject to change).