ABOUT - Term 1 Week 2 - 8 February 2024

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

A NEW SCHOOL YEAR
Get ready to learn, see, do, read, explore, listen, pray, question, laugh, grow, try, improve, talk, smile, share, imagine, connect and GIVE OF YOUR VERY BEST!

STUDENT LEADERS' INVESTITURE MASS

It was a wonderful celebration at Mass on Monday when our Year 6 leaders received their leaders’ badges. We thank Gilgandra Shire Council’s General Manager, Mr David Neeves, who attended the Mass and gave a wonderful address regarding the attributes of successful leaders. Congratulations to our Year 6 class and we all look forward to working with them as they lead us through 2024.

School Captains: Claudia Harrison and Oliver Peart

Vice Captains:  Heidi Colwell and Thomas McIsaac

Minister for the Environment:  Harrison Newton

Minister for Communication:  Isabelle Peart

Minister for Health:  Mitchell Cosier

Minister for Catering:  Arabella Chandler

Student Leaders: Chloe Alexander, Jocelyn Altmann, Akhiro Baker, Oli Chandler, Bayley Dent, Lottie Duffy, Bella Ferguson, Kellie Hutchison, Lily Johnson-Honey, Connor Jones-Copelin, Keaghan Lummis, Kurt McBurnie, Milla Morris, Jessie O’Connor, Lucy Profke, Lucas Riley, Bill Ryan, Mackenzie Skinner, Alana Spora, Andrew Standing, Indy Thomas, Harry Thurlow, Archie Valler, Holly Wykes, Lucy Zell.

KURRAS - CHAMPIONS!

It was another sensational swimming carnival held at the Gilgandra Pool during the day yesterday - even the cold weather and bats couldn't stop us!  Congratulations to all our students for their magnificent swimming and school spirit.  You were all fantastic.  It was with much excitement that Kurras was announced the champion house!  Well done Kurras!  Many thanks to those parents, family and friends who helped.  Without your support these types of activities do not happen.  A huge vote of thanks to our staff for preparing the carnival and ensuring that everything ran so smoothly.  We would also like to thank Ty Sutherland and Alicia Heffer at the pool for their assistance leading up to and during the carnival itself. 

WESTERN REGION SWIMMING CARNIVAL

Students selected from our swimming carnival will represent St Joey’s at the Western Region Swimming Carnival to be held at Coonamble next Thursday, 15 February.  Those students who have been selected will receive a note tomorrow.

PANCAKE TUESDAY - Next Tuesday, 13 February

Next Tuesday, 13 February is Pancake Tuesday (or Shrove Tuesday) which is the day before Lent begins.  In the past, people ate up the butter, eggs and meat in their houses before beginning the Lenten fast.  In England the day is called Pancake Tuesday because people prepare for Lent by eating a feast of pancakes.  Therefore next Tuesday we too are going to cook up a storm.  For 50¢ your child can buy a pancake with a choice of yummy toppings.  For catering reasons and time, children can only purchase one pancake each.  All money raised will go to our foster child. 

ASH WEDNESDAY - Next Wednesday, 14 February

Next Wednesday, 14 February is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.  Lent is the special time of the year when we prepare for Easter by trying to be better people.  We encourage the children to take on extra responsibilities at home like doing the dishes, making their beds, taking out the garbage etc.  It would be wonderful if we all took time out before next Wednesday to discuss with our children what we all could do at home to make us all better people like Jesus.  There will be an Ash Wednesday Mass which all students from Kinder to Year 6 will attend next Wednesday at 9:00 a.m.  Because Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting and abstinence there will be no morning tea after Mass.  

CANTEEN - ASH WEDNESDAY

There will be NO meat products available from the canteen on Ash Wednesday.  A special Canteen Service has been created on Flexischools for both recess and lunch, containing details of the products that will be available on Ash Wednesday.  Fish cocktails and crumbed calamari rings will be the hot food available to purchase.

UNEXPLAINED ABSENCES

We have today sent home unexplained absence letters with those children who have been absent from school this past week and have not informed the school why they were absent.  Would you please ensure that this form is completed and returned to school tomorrow, Friday, 9 February.  Absences need to be reported to school within 7 days from the date the child was absent.  This can be done via the Compass App, by phoning the school, or sending a note to the classroom teacher.  Each week, we will send home letters for any unexplained absences from the previous week.

FAMILY INFORMATION/PERMISSION NOTE

Every child received a Family Information/Permission Note last week.  These forms need to be completed and returned to school by Monday, 12 February.  Please note, a separate form must be completed for each child.  A link for the note is below.

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES USER AGREEMENT

A Digital Technologies Student User Agreement was sent home last week with each child. Please take the time to read through this and sign it with your child so they are aware of the rules and expectations at our school regarding the safe use of technology.  A form needs to be completed by each student and returned to the office by Monday, 12 February.

PUPIL FREE DAY - Monday, 19 February

Monday, 19 February (Week 4) will be a Pupil Free Day.  During this day, staff will attend professional development training in Dubbo, presented by Dr Michael McDowell.  Dr McDowell will support classroom teachers to embed the new syllabuses, develop expert learners and create high levels of learning for all.

MORE BACK TO SCHOOL ROAD SAFETY TIPS

Please keep in mind that illegal school zone parking causes dangerous situations and also brings with it some heavy fines.  Please be mindful of the following:

• No Stopping in a school zone – means you cannot stop in this area unless there is a medical or other emergency - $514 fine plus 2 demerit points.
• No parking (school zone) – means you can stop here for a maximum of two minutes to drop off or pick up passengers and you must stay within three metres of your car at all times - $215 fine plus 2 demerit points.
• Bus Zone (school days) – means you must not stop or park your vehicle in a designated school bus zone between 8:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. or between 2:30 p.m and 4:00 p.m - $387 fine plus 2 demerit points. 
• Stop on / across driveway in school zone – means you must not stop on or across a driveway –  $387 fine plus 2 demerit points.
• Double parking in a school zone – means you must not stop on a road between the centre of the road and another vehicle parked at the side of the road - $387 fine plus 2 demerit points.

Also remember that lights flash on buses to warn motorists that buses are picking up and dropping off children.  You must slow down to 40km/hr when overtaking or passing a bus displaying flashing lights unless a lower speed limit applies.

Never drop off or meet your child on the opposite side of the road to the bus stop or call them across the road. Always drop them off or meet them on the same side of the road as the bus stop.

Remind your children to always wait until the bus has gone before choosing a safe place to cross the road and talk to your children about 'Stop! Look! Listen! Think! every time they cross the road.

Visit the below link to view more school road safety facts.

EXPRESSION OF INTEREST - MEMBERSHIP OF DIOCESAN FINANCE COUNCIL

Please click on the below link to view information relating to nominations that the Bishop is seeking for consideration for membership of the Diocesan Finance Council.

FLEXISCHOOLS ONLINE CANTEEN ORDERS

Our school utlilises the Flexischools online ordering system.  We encourage everyone to use Flexischools to place their child's morning tea and lunch orders. If you have not set up an account with Flexischools, please click on the links below which will show you how to register and place an online order. Cash can still be used at the canteen for children to purchase their morning tea and any chips, ice blocks etc at lunch time.

HOW TO VIEW THE SCHOOL CALENDAR

When viewing our school newsletters from a desktop computer, our 'What's On', now called the 'School Calendar', is on the left hand side as you scroll through the newsletter.

Unfortunately this is not the case when viewing the newsletter from a mobile phone.  To view the school calendar from an iPhone, you need to click on the menu button, being the 3 bars in the top left corner.  This should be similar on an Android.  If you have any queries, please speak with Heather or Toni in the office.

CANTEEN ROSTER

CLASSROOM NEWS

Kindergarten

A big welcome to all our fabulous Kinders and their families. It has been a very busy week celebrating our Year 6 Investiture Mass on Monday where our buddies received their badges followed by our fantastic swimming carnival yesterday. Congratulations Kurras! In our classroom we have been busy learning about the sound 'a' and brainstorming words that begin with this sound. Each week we read a nursery rhyme and complete lots of fun activities. This week we read "Jack and Jill" and sequenced the events in the story, while in Maths we practised counting to 10 forward and backward and recognising numerals. In Religion we are learning how to make the sign of the cross and discussing how much God loves us. We will send home the books again on Friday to be covered in clear contact and ask that the books be returned to school on Monday . Have a great weekend!  Mrs Alison Newstead & Miss Lisa  Harvey

Year 1

Welcome back everyone! It has been fantastic to hear about the exciting things that you have been doing over the holidays. We had a wonderful day yesterday at the swimming carnival. It was great to see everyone participating in the fun activities in the little pool! In English this week we looked at the book, “Our Island” written by the children of Gununa. We discussed what an island is and shared experiences we have had visiting islands. We also learnt about nouns and verbs and explored prepositional phrases. In Maths we have been representing whole numbers, using a variety of strategies to count to 100 and identifying the number before and after a 2-digit number. In Religion we commenced our 'Baptism' unit and have been talking about how we can welcome each other into our class family. The children may like to bring a photo of their baptism or a baby photo to show the class. In Personal Development and Health we met Mr Snail who helped us remember the listening rules so we can learn. Have a wonderful weekend!  Mrs Julia Jeffery

Year 2

It has been a busy week in Year 2 and everyone has settled into the routine well. We kicked off the week with the Investiture Mass.  Congratulations Year 6, we know we are in safe hands. We all enjoyed the swimming carnival yesterday where we "Gave Of Our Best" in the races. During class time we have been learning many new things including how to set out Problem A Day and Operations. Thank you to those parents who began the task of covering our work books, more will be sent home tomorrow. Please let me know if there is a time that is more convenient for covering. Have a wonderful weekend!  Mrs Nikkola Thomas

Year 3

We’ve had a busy second week at school. We celebrated with Year 6 at their Investiture Mass on Monday and swam our best at the swimming carnival yesterday. During Spelling we’ve learnt about contractions and various letter combinations that make the ‘m’ sound. Year 3 has completed their Literacy Pro Lexile test and are borrowing books from the library to read at school and at home that suit their reading level. We also planned and wrote recounts of our holidays to share with the class during news. Thanks to everyone who found time to cover their books last weekend. More will be sent home tomorrow for covering. Don’t forget to return them Monday, covered or uncovered. Homework starts next week. It includes reading, Maths and an English worksheet. Have the best weekend.   Mrs Phillipa Haling & Mrs Swade Wilson

Year 4

We have had a wonderful start to the year in Year 4. It was a chilly day for the carnival yesterday but we still had a great day. Congratulations to the Kurras. In class we have started reading our class novel, "The Thing About Oliver". We are all thoroughly enjoying the story so far and are looking forward to learning more about Tilly and her brother, Oliver. In Maths we completed a magic triangle puzzle which proved a little tricky and made everyone ‘think outside the box’. Thank you to those who have covered their child's books. I will send any uncovered books home this weekend. Have a wonderful weekend!  Mrs Melinda Morris

Year 5

What a great start to Term 1! I hope you have all settled back into the school routine well.  Congratulations to Year 6 who celebrated a beautiful Investiture Mass on Monday. We can’t wait to see you all thrive as our 2024 school leaders. We had the best time at the swimming carnival yesterday. Everyone swam their hardest and "Gave Of Their Best". In Religion we have started a new unit by discussing values and the different values people have. In History our unit has us exploring ‘Australia as a Nation’ and what it means to be Australian. We have started a new novel this term, "The Wild Robot" and will continue to explore the themes and what a narrative is in the weeks to come. Thank you to those parents who have covered and returned their child's books. I will continue to send a few home at a time to ensure you aren't doing them all night!   Miss Abigail Dobson

Year 6

We would like to officially welcome all students and families back for 2024! We are excited to embark on our Year 6 journey this year and have certainly hit the ground running. We celebrated our beautiful Investiture Mass on Monday and would like to thank all of our families and friends for joining us. We would also like to congratulate the students on becoming our official 2024 leaders. They did a wonderful job accepting their badges and duty statements and delivering the leaders' pledge. Yesterday was a day filled with fun and friendships as we attended the swimming carnival. Well done to all of those who participated with enthusiasm and positivity! Congratulations to the mighty Kurras on their win at the carnival!  In the classroom we have been just as busy. This week in Religion we have focussed on our new Religion unit, ‘The Reign of God' and learning about the Beatitudes. In Maths we have been revising familiar concepts such as addition, subtractions, multiplication and division as well as undertaking our Essential Assessment tasks. Art saw us creating some awesome self-portraits which we will display around our rooms as a little ‘get to know you’ activity. Have a wonderful year!  Mrs Meichelle Schier, Mrs Jess Morrissey & Mrs Donna Colwell