ABOUT - Term 3 Week 10 - 26 September 2024

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Tomorrow is the last day of another fantastic term.  We hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday and return to school refreshed and ready for Term 4 on Tuesday, 15 October.

PUPIL FREE DAY - Monday, 14 October

The first day of Term 4 (Monday, 14 October) will be a Pupil Free Day.  During this day staff will continue implementation of the new English syllabus and review NAPLAN data.  

SCHOOL ZONE REMINDER

A reminder to all parents ahead of the break at the end of Term 3 that school zones remain in place for the safety of our children and families.  School zones operate on all gazetted school days, which are all days the school is open, even pupil free days.

PORTFOLIOS

All children will take home their portfolios tomorrow with samples of their Term 3 work.  We encourage all families to take the time to look at the children’s work.  All portfolios need to be returned to school early next term so the Term 4 work can be placed in them.

TERM 4 SPORT

Sport for primary students will revert back to Thursday next term.  Therefore, next term, all students should wear their sports uniforms on Thursdays and weather permitting, we will be swimming from Week 2. All students will need to bring their swimmers, towel and pool entry fee of $1.00 if you don’t have a season ticket.

SUITABLE HAIRSTYLES COMING BACK TO SCHOOL

Families are asked to keep in mind that hairstyles for all students should be neat and tidy and appropriate to the school environment. 

YEAR 3 EXCURSION TO TARONGA WESTERN PLAINS ZOO DUBBO

Year 3 had a fantastic day at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo last Thursday.  The children began the day with a trip around the zoo seeing all the animals the class had researched prior to the excursion.  Some of the exciting comments from Year 3 students about their adventures included: “the white-handed gibbons did cool tricks on the rope!” - George T, “the zebras were very close - we could almost touch them!” - Madeleine F, “the giraffes were being fed hay and carrots when we visited” - Sterling N.  To conclude the excursion the students had a lesson in the education centre where they got to pat a long-neck turtle and an exotic python!  A great time was had by all.

INFANTS SPORTS CARNIVAL - POSTPONED

Unfortunately, our Infants Sports Carnival that was scheduled for this afternoon was postponed.   It will now be held on Thursday, 17 October (Week 1 next term).  We hope this did not inconvenience too many!

ICAS ENGLISH COMPETITION

Congratulations to the following students who were presented with certificates at assembly on Monday for their achievements in the ICAS English Competition held earlier this term:
CREDIT:  Sophie L, George T, Allie Claire W
MERIT:   Kurt M.

ICAS SCIENCE COMPETITION

Congratulations to the following students who were presented with certificates at assembly on Monday for their achievements in the ICAS Science Competition held earlier this term:
CREDIT:  George T, Allie Claire W
MERIT:   Lucy Z, Regan G.

ICAS DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES COMPETITION

Congratulations to George who was presented with a Merit certificate at assembly on Monday for his achievement in the ICAS Digital Technologies Competition held earlier this term.

IT'S A GIRL!

Congratulations to Miss Thompson and her partner, Nick who had a baby girl last Wednesday, 18 September.  Little Paisley Sarah Rose arrived six weeks early and although still being monitored in hospital, she is doing well.  Paisley is a little sister for Dwight and all our best wishes go to Tahlah, Nick, Dwight and Paisley.

'GOIN' TO GIL' STREET PARADE

Thank you to all students who have let us know they will be participating in the 'Goin' to Gil' Street Parade this Saturday, 28 September.  If your child would like to participate, it's not too late.  Please return your note to school tomorrow, Friday, 27 September or phone the office to advise.  

Children need to wear full summer uniform and their school hat.  Please meet in Hunter Park at 10:45 a.m. where we will assemble for the parade.

ST JOSEPH'S SCHOOL ANNUAL CONCERT

"St Joey's European Vacation"
Gilgandra High School Hall
Thursday, 24 October 2024

After a wonderful full dress rehearsal on Tuesday, we can’t wait to present to you our annual school concert involving all students from Kinder to Year 6 next term on Thursday, 24 October at the Gilgandra High School Hall at 6:00 p.m. All children need to be at the hall by 5:45 p.m.  The students and staff put a lot of time and effort into the concert and it always promises to be a great night’s entertainment.  Please note that the students are not to go into the hall following their performance.  All children will stay in the classrooms at the high school until the end of the concert at which time they will line up on the basketball court for collection by their families.

OCTOBER P&F MEETING

The October P & F Meeting will be held during the first week back at school in Term 4, on Tuesday, 15 October at 5:30 p.m.  Everyone is welcome to attend.  The meeting will be held in the staffroom at school and light refreshments will be provided.

2023 ANNUAL SCHOOL REPORT

The Annual School Report for 2023 has been finalised and uploaded onto our school website.  A printed copy of the report is also available from the school office upon request.

SCHOOL FETE

This year's School Fete will be held in Week 3 of Term 4, on Friday, 1 November.  The fete will run a little differently this year, with the start time being 2:00 p.m. and the fete finishing at 5:00 p.m.  with the 'Slime Run'.

This school holidays is a great time to start thinking about our fete.  In particular, donations will be needed for the following stalls:

RAFFLE BASKETS STALL - Jess Morrissey is the coordinator of this stall and is asking for donations from each child for items to be placed in the themed raffle raffle basket in their classroom, eg. Kinder students have been asked to purchase a gift, of any value, that relates to 'Gardening'.  All items donated from each class will be made into a class hamper, meaning we will have seven different themed hampers (one from each year).

The themes for each year are:

Kinder - Gardening
Year 1 - Pets
Year 2 - Kids Craft
Year 3 - Beauty
Year 4 - Gourmet BBQ
Year 5 - Sports
Year 6 - Kids Toys & Entertainment

At the fete the hampers will be on display and children/adults can purchase tickets for $2.00 each or 3 for $5.00.  They then place their tickets into the relevant box for the prize or prizes they would like to win.  Towards the end of the fete, the raffles will be drawn and the seven lucky hamper winners announced.

Donations can be brought in to school at any time between now and 25 October.  These items are to be placed in your child’s class basket.

CAKE & PRODUCE STALL - Crystal Mudford is the coordinator of this stall and is asking for donations.  Plastic containers are available for collection from the school office at any time.  Call in and grab a few so you can start cooking and freezing your goodies over the school holidays!

FETE TICKETS ONLINE

Due to the early start time of the fete, we thought it would be more beneficial for our families to be able to pre-purchase fete tickets for their children.  We have set up an "Event" through Flexischools, enabling you to purchase and pre-pay for fete tickets between now and 9:00 a.m. on the morning of the fete.  On the day of the fete, all pre-purchased tickets will be handed out to the students. 

FETE ROSTER

Thank you to the parents who have already offered to coordinate one of the stalls at this year's fete.  We have today sent home another Fete Roster.  The red boxes indicate the stalls that need a coordinator.  Stall coordinators are not expected to be at the stall all afternoon, they simply organise and set up their particular stall and we will organise helpers to man the stall during the fete.  

We are also calling for helpers to man the stalls during the fete.  If everyone helps out on the day for just one hour, then all the gaps will be easily filled. 

If you can help out, please write your name in the yellow box/es and return the form to school by tomorrow, Friday, 27 September. There is also a place on the roster for helpers to set up on the day of the fete, from 11:15 a.m.  If you can help, please put your name down and return it so we know if we will have enough helpers. 

COW PAT LOTTO

At the fete each year we have a Cow Pat Lotto. How does Cow Pat Lotto work?  We erect a yard with an area of 400 square metres.  You then have the chance to purchase one or more of these one metre squares for $5.00 per square.  A cow is led around the yard and if you own the square where the first dropping lands, then you win $1,000.00!  Last week we sent home four tickets for each family to sell.  If you would like more tickets, just let us know and we will send them home, or pop into the school office and collect a book. All sold tickets need to be returned to school by Tuesday, 29 October.

SLIME RUN

This year's fete will finish at 5:00 p.m. with a "SLIME RUN".  We would like to get an idea of how many would like to participate in the Slime Run.  A flyer was sent home last week with the eldest child in each family.  If your child/ren would like to participate, please complete and return the tear-off slip and money to school by Friday, 25 October.  Alternatively, you can register your child for the slime run by purchasing entries on the Flexischools app.  If you return the tear-off slip to school and have paid via Flexischools, would you please handwrite this on the note so that we know you have paid!

TERM 4 PLANNER

Please find below our Term Planner for Term 4.  A hard copy of this Planner is also going home to each family today for those who would like to display it on the fridge or other convenient spot.  Please be aware, that as the term goes on, there may be changes to dates or times, or certain things may be added to our 'What's On'.  Always check the newsletter for any changes or additions.

TERM 4 CANTEEN ROSTER

Please find attached the DRAFT Term 4 Canteen Roster.  As can be seen, we still have a number of spots to fill.  If you can help out in the canteen next term, please click on the below link and indicate your preferred day.  The final Term 4 Roster will be sent home early next term.

MORE COMMITTEE MEMBERS REQUIRED FOR ST JOSEPH'S DEBUTANTE BALL

We are still in need of volunteers to join the Debutante Ball Committee to help organise and run the 2025 ball.  If you can assist, would you please contact the ladies in the office as soon as possible.

POSITION VACANT: ASSISTED TRAVEL SUPPORT OFFICER

The Department of Education currently has a position to fill to assist with the transport of a student with additional needs to travel safely to and from school.  This position is for three days a week.

Further information about this role is contained in previous newsletters or can be found at:

https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/astp/atsos  

All successful applicants need to obtain a Working with Children Check, obtain the necessary proof of identity and complete the Expression of Interest form online.

HOW TO APPLY: The EOI and documents should be sent to ASTP at atso.astp@det.nsw.edu.au

MERIT AWARDS

Congratulations to the following students who received Merit Awards at Assembly on Wednesday: 

KINDER: Kyro McKenzie for a great illustration of Meg and Mog, Jordee Burgers for super counting in Maths Warm Up, Jazmyn Aberley for a great description during news of how he made his teddy and Angel Dinto for a great improvement in Reading.

YEAR 1: Chase Hodges for being a cheerful and friendly student, Tess Howard for creating a lovely artwork about being a good friend, Duncan Semmler for working productively in group activities and Liam Mellor for trying his best during English tasks.

YEAR 2: Grace Johnston for an improvement in her reading, Billie Toomey for making great progress with her reading and Thomas Colwell and Edward Woodrow for great grooving during dance practices. 

YEAR 3: Charlie Jones-Copelin for excellent knowledge of life cycles, Tiffany Fong for correctly identifying direct and indirect speech and Madeleine Foran for continually “Giving of Her Best” in all areas of school life.

YEAR 4: Laycee Hazelton for careful thought and consideration when creating a new character for our novel, Jack Howard for working efficiently to complete tasks and Rose Howard and Archie O’Connor for great enthusiasm during concert practices.

YEAR 5: Tex Mudford for great work converting 12 hour time to 24 hour time and Clancy Larkin for consistently working hard in all areas of learning. 

YEAR 6:  Mitch Cosier for recognising and applying correct spelling to tasks, Alana Spora for a great effort to construct a fact-based exposition, Harry Thurlow for showing great enthusiasm during concert practice and Keaghan Lummis for a fantastic effort using Google Drawings to show rotating, reflecting and translating 2D shapes.

CLASSROOM NEWS

Kindergarten

Term 3 has finally come to an end and what a busy term we have had! Our concert rehearsal on Tuesday was amazing. We can’t wait to finally perform on stage for all our family and friends in Week 2 of Term 4. Our Portfolios are going home tomorrow so please return them next term so we can add in more of our hard work. In the classroom we have been revising our sounds and reading our final book from the Meg and Mog series. They certainly have been very entertaining stories. During Maths we have been recalling and sequencing numbers. Subtraction has also been our focus. In Religion we have read about the prophet, David and how he was chosen and blessed by God.  We wish everyone a safe and restful holiday. 
Mrs Alison Newstead & Miss Lisa  Harvey

Year 1

It’s hard to believe that Term 3 is over already. Hasn’t it flown!  On Tuesday we had a lot of fun performing and watching everyone’s acts, in preparation for the concert. Thank you to all the parents for organising costumes, everyone looks great! We can’t wait to take you all on an adventure as we travel through Europe early next term. In class we have been learning about poetry, and wrote some very entertaining tiny poems about clouds. During Maths we continued our unit on place value looking for and using patterns when counting large collections.  Religion has seen us looking at the qualities of a good friend and we brainstormed ways to express gratitude. We hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and look forward to hearing all about them in Term 4! 
Mrs Julia Jeffery & Mrs Prue Best

Year 2

During Religion this week we began learning about the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which Year 2 children will participate in next term. We had a great day on Tuesday at the high school rehearsing for the concert, we enjoyed watching each class perform. Thank you to parents for having costume items ready to go on the day, keep them safe until the concert on 24th October. We have been reading about ‘Bertha the Blubberer’ in the book, “World’s Worst Children” by David Walliams. We enjoyed reading this funny story and looking at the characteristics of Bertha. During Personal Development we looked at ways we can keep safe around water, this is a particularly important discussion to have coming into the holidays. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, see you all next term.
Mrs Nikkola Thomas

Year 3

Our concert rehearsal on Tuesday was great. Year 3 students are ready to perform for you in Week 2 of next term. In English we completed our narratives that we began last week. They have turned out brilliantly and the students should be proud of what they produced. We began a one week unit on Area in Mathematics on Monday. We have spent time using square centimetres and square metres to measure and estimate the area of rectangles. In Religion we read the story of Pentecost from the Bible, rewriting it in our own words with an illustration of each part of the story. We have had quite a number of donations for our beauty raffle basket for the fete so thanks to all who have contributed. More donations are very welcome.  We hope everyone has a wonderful holiday.
Mrs Phillipa Haling & Mrs Swade Wilson

Year 4

The Year 4 students were fabulous at our concert rehearsal on Tuesday. The children are looking forward to performing our act for you all at our concert in week 2. In class we have created a new character to take on a role within "The Callers Book 2". The children are focusing on using adjectives, verbs and imagery to describe a new character’s attributes and actions. In Geography we have learnt about the importance of vegetation in our world and also how vital it is to take care of vegetation. We have completed ‘Creation’ artworks to display in our classroom. They are looking wonderful. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday break and I look forward to seeing you all back ready for Term 4.
Mrs Melinda Morris

Year 5

WOW! This term has just flown. We have sadly finished our novel, “August and Jones”. We really enjoyed the book and all the emotions that came with it but are sad for it to end. In Maths we have been working on shapes by looking at the properties of 3D objects, their nets and the different views we see them. During Religion we researched an environmental organisation that supports the care of God’s creation and how they support and care for the world around us. In Art we finished our Picasso inspired sculptures. The sculptures look amazing and add a bright touch into the classroom. Well done to everyone who danced, sang and acted on Tuesday. Everyone's concert items are looking fantastic and we can’t wait to show you all next term. Wishing everyone a safe and wonderful holiday and I can't wait to see you all next term.
Miss Abigail Dobson

Year 6

Wow, it’s hard to believe that we are at the end of Term 3! This week in Year 6 we enjoyed the whole school concert practice on Tuesday. In English we have been continuing to expand our knowledge of argument and authority in texts and have been exploring this further as we experiment with subjective and objective statements, gist statements and perspective. During Maths we have been exploring angles in terms of adjacent angles, angles of revolution, and angles at a point. In Religion we have been focusing on the Bible as being Our Sacred Story. We have been exploring the Parable of the Sower and have concentrated on the message Mark was really trying to convey to us all, being that there are many modern day barriers we face when trying to respond to the Word of God but we must overcome these. During Art we have been putting our final touches on our Aztec pottery masterpieces and we have also been experimenting with focal points and perspective while creating some fantastic sky-scapes using the colour wheel. We hope you all have a restful, safe and FUN school holidays and will see you all next term!
Mrs Meichelle Schier, Mrs Donna Colwell, Mrs Haylee Barry

ALTAR SERVERS

CANTEEN ROSTER

NOTICEBOARD

MOORAMBILLA - RIVERSONG 2024: The Spirit of Water

Limited tickets are available to purchase for Moorambilla's Gala Concert this Saturday, 28 September at 4:00 p.m. at the Dubbo Regional Theatre and Convention Centre. 

Click here to purchase tickets

For those of you unable to make it to Dubbo, live streaming of the Saturday 7pm performance will be taking place.

Click here to watch the Livestream via Youtube
Click here to watch the Livestream via Facebook