Dear Parents and Carers, 

Welcome back to 2021 or as I have been calling it with the students 2020+1 as much of the processes and procedures around the COVID situation have not changed. We are still cleaning and there are ever changing restrictions that come and go.

Year 7 had a great start last week with two days as well as Year 12. It was nice to see the fresh faces and crisp new uniforms. They are a very capable group and have taken to high school very well. 

Year 12 was aghast when I said how many school days there are left! The look on their faces was priceless. It is now about making the most of the time remaining both academically and socially. Retreat this week will be a real bonding experience for them. It will push them out of their comfort zone and to think of things that are greater than themselves. Thank you to the staff who have given up their personal time for the running of the retreat and especially to Ms Biddle, Ms Madashchi, the PALS team  and the office staff for all the organisation that goes on behind the scenes. Hopefully it will give them life long memories. 

The theme this year is to continue ‘Walking With’ as we journey together through the educational journey and the COVID crisis we are all facing. 

Our expectations of students in 2021 are unchanged - students are expected to respect self, others, learning and the environment. This is an action not just a thought. Throughout the year we will unpack what this means, the Joey's way. 

I would ask that all parents and caregivers encourage students to make the most of the opportunities that they have at school . To be involved in the extracurricular activities as much as possible and make the most of the learning time. It has been a lovely week seeing all the students back. I am sure that they are going to be tired and need a restful weekend. 

Ms Amanda Wilson

Principal

Dear Parents and Carers, 

SCHOOL ANZAC DAY CEREMONY

This was held on Monday, 26th April. Thank you to those students who read or wore their cadet uniforms and marched with exemplary respect at this ceremony.

Students were reminded that ANZAC day is a day for all Australians, regardless of religion, racial background or even place of birth. It is a day to commemorate the bravery and self-sacrifice of past and present generations. It is a day to acknowledge the selflessness of all those who have been prepared to lay down their lives for Australia so that it can be a place of freedom for all. As a school community, we thanked and recognised those who served in the first and second world wars, Korea, Malaya, Vietnam and more recently, Cambodia, Somalia, Rwanda and the Persian Gulf, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Thank you to Ms Sarah-Jane Janson for organising this very meaningful event.

ANZAC DAY DAWN SERVICE

Thank you to the students who attended the Albion Park RSL Sub Branch ANZAC Day Dawn Service held on 25th April. Isabelle Plattner (Year 9) sang the New Zealand National Anthem and all students respectfully represented St. Joseph's Catholic High School by remembering with thanksgiving, those who made the supreme sacrifice for us in times of war.

The names of students in the group photo from left to right are: Jimmy Windle (Vice Captain), Noah Lepre (School Captain), Cooper Hili (Year 7), Sophie Heath (Year 12) and Paris Abela (School Captain).  The student on her own in the second photo is Isabelle Plattner (Year 9).

SCHOOL UNIFORM REGULATIONS

All students were reminded this week that it is an expectation that all students wear their blazers to and from school.

The school tracksuit top is only to be worn with the school sports uniform. Consistent with the requirement that all students wear the school uniform correctly every day, students have been warned tracksuit tops will be confiscated if these are worn with the winter uniform. The Uniform Policy also requires all students to wear white socks and non-fluro coloured sports joggers with the sports uniform. If parents and carers could please assist by having your child present themselves accordingly. 

Mrs Jenny Bell 

Assistant Principal

A warm welcome back to our students and their families, especially those who are new to our school community. So far it has been a smooth start to the year with students stepping straight into their classes. Yr 7 have had 2 days of orientation and other activities and have settled in well. Year 12 are starting the 2nd term of their HSC studies. Year 11 are taking the first steps along their Stage 6 coursework. Years 9 and 10 starts the year with new electives added to their timetables while Year 8 have settled into their new class structures.

This year will be an exciting year as there are a number of changes happening around curriculum and the teaching and learning structures at St Joseph’s. From a Curriculum perspective the goals we are focussing on for 2021 are:

• Reviewing and implementing clear guidelines and expectations for students around expectations for learning.
• Adopting a greater focus on differentiation of learning strategies in our classrooms.
• Collection and use of data to develop a greater understanding of our students and their learning potential.
• Greater collaboration amongst staff to support individual and class learning.

One change to be aware of this year is the introduction of our Leaders of Learning. These positions replace what were formally known as KLA Coordinators. The reason for the change is to align with a change in approach to the leadership and management requirements for these positions. There is one associated Leader of Learning, or LoL for each Key Learning Area. 

If you have any questions regarding the learning needs of your child then your first point of call will generally be an email or phone call to the relevant classroom teacher. You can also contact the appropriate LoL or the Curriculum office at any time to discuss other matters should the need arise.

Changes to Assessment Procedures 
This year there has been a range of changes to the assessment procedures across all year groups. These changes largely consist of processes to follow when students do not submit hand in assessment tasks or miss in-class assessments such as exams. These changes were made to better reflect NESA guidelines on assessment for each stage and to encourage students to seek and implement feedback from teachers to improve their assessment grades. These updated procedures will be reflected in the assessment manuals that will be distributed to students over the next two weeks. ALL students and parents are strongly encouraged to read these procedures to ensure they understand the processes and individual requirements regarding assessment.

Year Group Updates 
Year 12

Timetables - Once again this year most Year 12 students do not have scheduled classes on Pds 5/6 Friday - Week A or periods 1-6 Friday Week B. There are a number of reasons for this with the main one being the potential ongoing threat of a Covid-19 breakout impacting the school year. Structuring the timetable in this manner allows for greater opportunity for students undertaking courses with large major projects such as in TAS, CAPA and HSIE the opportunity to complete their major works to the best of their ability by using the time available as much as possible. It also provides students with greater opportunity to work on their formal at school assessments which make up 50% of their HSC mark as well as time to catch up on work they may miss due to illness or other absences.

Whilst no classes are scheduled, the days are not automatically free days to stay at home. Students will be required to attend on these days to:

• Complete in-class assessment tasks as required
• Attend class study/revision sessions planned by their teacher
• Engage in any other activities organised by the school

Students not attending as required will be marked absent and may jeopardise their capacity to meet HSC course requirements. Students are also free to come to school during these times (in school uniform) to make use of the school facilities such as the library and other areas in consultation with the appropriate teachers/ LoL.

Flexible Attendance - Year 12 students do have flexible attendance provisions available. The arrangements for flexible attendance are:

• Students with study periods period 1 may choose to arrive at school before the start of period 2 (students must sign in at the office at least 10 mins before the start of recess or they will be marked as late).
• Students with study periods period 1 and 2 may choose to arrive at school  before the start of recess (students must be on the school grounds and sign in at the office before the start of recess or they will be marked as late).
• Students with study periods in periods 3 or 4 must stay at school and go to the classroom allocated on their timetable.
• Students with study periods 5 and 6 may sign out at the front office at the start of lunch.
• Students with study periods 6 may sign out at the front office at the end of period 5.

It is important that students sign in and out as requested so as our attendance records are accurate and also to ensure we have an accurate record of who is and is not on-site in the event of an emergency (lockdown/evacuation etc).

Please note Year 11 students undertaking Year 12 Pathways courses do not have flexible attendance privileges, usual school attendance policies still apply.

Stage 4 (Years 7 and 8) Mathematics 
Big changes are currently taking place in regards to our delivery of Mathematics in Stage 4. This year we have introduced a new program, Maths Pathways, to make differentiation of the curriculum more effective in support of the explicit teaching of content and skills. 

Some students can find maths difficult, or on the other hand, not challenging enough. Our Maths faculty is working very hard to address that and Maths Pathways is designed to meet each student at his/her level. We will be building on students fundamentals as learners and how they approach discovering and exploring new mathematical concepts. These are some of the things that will happen in the classroom: 

• Classwide rich learning tasks that aim to get your child engaged in problem-solving. 
• Tailored mini-lessons for smaller groups of students. Teachers can focus on specific mathematical topics with students who will benefit most from that lesson.
• Each student will work with their teacher and have their own maths program tailored to what they’re ready to work on. 
• Regular check-in tests and goal setting. 
• Explicit teacher instruction and demonstrations. 
• Access to an online portal – parents will be able to see their child’s progression and work ethic.

At the moment students are engaged in a range of diagnostic activities to determine their level of knowledge and understanding. The results of these activities will be used to determine each students starting point in the program. From week 3 students will be introduced to the online component of the program which can be accessed both at school and at home allowing students to work at their pace and do extra work to catch up or move ahead if they wish. Parents are strongly encouraged to take time to explore this program with their children and encourage them to use the platform as much as possible to enhance their understanding and application of Mathematics.

Again any issues or questions surrounding this initiative can be directed to your child’s teacher or our Leader of Learning Mathematics Mrs Davis. Also a reminder that maths tutoring is available for ALL students every Tuesday and Thursday morning from 8:20 – 9:00 in Room A2.

Mr Brett Moran
Leader of Learning Curriculum

Sports News

Term 1 is a busy term with many opportunities for students to represent St Joseph’s at various sports events. We kick off the Diocesan Secondary Schools Sports Calendar with Boys Touch Football and Open Boys and Girls Tennis in Week 4. Girls Touch Football is in Week 6 and Swimming in Week 7. 

Swiming carnival

To select our St Joseph’s Swim Team for the Diocesan Carnival, we will be holding a competitor’s only school swimming carnival at Albion Park Pool on Wednesday 24th February.  The carnival is for students who can swim 50m competently. A consent form will be sent to parents and carers electronically via Compass this week. Students will be required to nomionate for the events that they would like to compete in on the electronic consent form. 

Due to current Covid Safety Guidelines, no spectators are allowed (except for parents who are timekeeping). Year 11 SLR students are attending as officials. 

All swimmers will be required to attend homeroom at school on the day and walk under teacher supervision to the pool in year groups. Students are reminded to follow social distancing measures, use the hand sanitiser provided and avoid mixing with students across year groups in between events. Students are not permitted to attend the carnival if they are feeling unwell. 

Soccer Gala days

To prepare our teams for the Soccer Gala Days at the end of this term, Chipper’s Finishing School is running a Development Program for U14’s at St Joseph’s on Thursdays from Lunchtime to the end of Period 5.  

Sports Calendars

Please see below for the 2021 Secondary Schools and NSWCCC Sports Calendars. 

Key Dates for Term 1 Representative Sport:

2021 NSWCCC Sport Registrations

There are opportunities for students to progress through NSW Catholic School pathways to represent in their chosen sport. The diagrams below explain the pathways available to students:

Nominations opened on Feb 1 2021 for individual students with a strong representative history to register for the following sports: 

• Boys 19 yrs Cricket (closing date 15th Feb)
• Girls Cricket (closing date 10th Feb)
• Softball (closing date 12 Feb)
• Boys 15 yrs Cricket (closing date 18th Feb)
• Rugby League (closing date 19th Feb)
• Tennis (closing date 22nd Feb)
• Golf (closing date 25th Feb)
• Baseball (closing date 26th Feb)
• Volleyball (closing date 5th March)
• Waterpolo (closing date 11th March)
• Triathlon (closing date 15th March). 

Unfortunately the NSW All Schools Triathlon Teams Championships set down for March 31 has been cancelled. 

Please note that it is the responsibility of parents to register their child for these selection trials. This needs to be done on the Catholic Schools NSW Sport website: www.csnsw.sport

Here is an information sheet to guide parents/carers through this process.  

CSNSW_Sport_Student_Registrations_2021.pdf

CSNSW_Sport_Student_Registrations_2021 _pdf 60.98 KB

Best of luck to our students as they represent St Joseph’s with pride in the sporting arena this year. Thank you in advance to all of our dedicated coaches, school administration staff and team officials who work tirelessly behind the scenes and on competition days to make these events a success.

Please email me if you have a good news sports story that you would like published in future newsletters. We have many talented athletes at St Joseph’s and we love celebrating sporting success. My email address is: garbuttm01@dow.catholic.edu.au

Mrs Garbutt

Representative Sports Coordinator

CONSENT FOR FORM USE OF STUDENT IMAGES AND/OR WORK

AND

STUDENT RESPONSIBLE USE OF TECHNOLOGY AGREEMENT

It is an annual requirement that we have parents/carers and students complete the following forms.

1. Consent form for use of image and work

2. Student responsible use of Technology Agreement.

Please find both forms attached below.

If you could please arrange to have these signed and returned to the school office as soon as possible.

Thank you for your assistance with this requirement.

SCHOOL FEES

CANTEEN ONLINE ORDERS

The canteen will be opened as usual for recess but only opening first half of lunch for drinks and snacks.  Online orders are still necessary. 

Thank you.

Donna Niceforo - Canteen Manager

An information flyer is attached to order your lunch online.

If you do not have an account, please click here to access an online form.

If you are able to volunteer your time, please find attached a volunteers form to complete and return to the school office. Thank you.

UNIFORM SHOP 

Please collect your uniform orders from the school office.

Thank you.

Monday 12pm-4pm

Thursday 8.30-1.30pm

New Uniform Shop phone number is: 0413 441 892