NEWSLETTER Week 3 Term 2 18 th May 2016 P.O. Box 86 Peterborough SA 5422 T: (08) 8651 2449 E: info@stjopet.catholic.edu.au IMPORTANT DATES WEEK 3 CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK THURSDAY 19TH MAY Pt Pirie Switches Off Crazy Sock/Crazy Hair Day FROM THE PRINCIPAL CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK Happy Catholic Education Week! Beginning last Friday all the Catholic schools in South Australia started a week-long celebration of who we are, what we do and what we hope to achieve. It is a special celebration of what makes us unique. I believe what makes us unique is that we see each child as a perfect individual who is made in the image of God. Catholic Education s motto is where every child matters. I feel blessed to be involved in a school and a system that is deeply committed to every child. So this week is indeed a celebration of Catholic education and all the people who are part of it especially the children! FRIDAY 20TH MAY Mary MacKillop Performance @ Gladstone WEEK 4 MONDAY 23 rd MAY P&F Meeting 7pm WEDNESDAY 25 th MAY School Board Meeting 7pm WEEK 5 National Reconciliation Week FRIDAY 3 rd JUNE Environmental Day @ PPS WEEK 6 THURSDAY 9 th JUNE Diocesan Leaders Conference FRIDAY 10 th JUNE Diocesan Leaders Conference WEEK 7 MONDAY 13 th JUNE Queen s Birthday Public Holiday THURSDAY 16 th JUNE Walker Learning Parent Workshop WHAT S HAPPENING FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK? THURSDAY On Thursday students are invited to wear crazy socks and or crazy hair and give a gold coin donation to go towards Catholic Mission. This is an important charity that supports many people all over the world in a variety of ways. We will also be switching off all non-essential power on Thursday as we remind ourselves of the importance of ecological awareness and looking after this awesome world of ours! FRIDAY On Friday the students will be travelling to Gladstone for a day with neighbouring Catholic schools to watch a performance about Mary MacKillop and to participate in some group activities. We will be leaving and returning within normal school hours. JUBILARIAN CELEBRATIONS Last Friday night Shirley Crossley and Colleen Adriaanse were acknowledged for having contributed to Catholic Education in our Diocese for 25 years or more. In total there were 23 people from across the Pt Pirie Diocese who were acknowledged at the Jubilarian Celebration. We are very proud of the achievements and contributions Colleen and Shirley have made and continue to make in our school community.
PRINCIPAL S LEAVE I M BACK! I was delighted to return to school this week after 8 weeks away. It occurred to me soon after arriving back at school how much I had missed all the students, parents and staff. It s great to be back. While I was on leave I completed some further study at Australian Catholic University and travelled to China for a study tour. I learnt lots and am looking forward to sharing my experiences with the students, staff and school community. I also enjoyed some special time with my wife and 3 children. I would like to thank Bec Fahey for taking on the Acting Principal role while I was away. Thanks also to Kylie Wells who increased her time which ensured continuity in the 5/6/7 class. I would also extend my appreciation to the rest of the staff who supported Bec and contributed to the smooth running of the school. WEBSITE Have you checked out our website? It is a useful tool for parents/caregivers with lots of information including newsletters, school fees, uniform policy, upcoming events and more. Please check it out at. SUN SMART POLICY Please be aware that according to our school s Sun Smart Policy students are not required to wear a hat during Term 2 & 3. Families may use their own discretion in the wearing of hat & sunscreen during this period. However, as we are on an excursion to Gladstone on Friday and may be spending more time than usual outside all students will need to bring a hat. Thanks for ensuring that this happens. Please contact the school if you have any questions. DID YOU KNOW? - Damian Smith
FROM THE APRIM PENTECOST Last Sunday we celebrated Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost symbolises the end of the Easter season and commemorates the birth of the Church. The previous Sunday we celebrated the ascension of Jesus to Heaven and now we reflect on the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples. The Coming of the Holy Spirit Acts 2:1-11 When the day of Pentecost came, all the believers were gathered together in one place. Suddenly there was a noise from the sky, which sounded like a strong wind blowing, and filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then they saw what looked like tongues of fire, which spread out and touched person there. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to talk in other languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak. There were Jews living in Jerusalem, religious people who had come from every country on the world. When they heard this noise, a large crowd gathered. They were all excited, because all of them heard the believers talking in their own languages. In amazement and wonder they exclaimed, These people who are talking are Galileans! How is it, then, that all of us hear them speaking in our own native languages? We are from Parthia, Media and Elam; from Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia; from Pontus and Asia, from Phrygia and Pamphylia, from Egypt and the regions of Libya near Cyrene. Some of us are from Rome, both Jews and Gentiles converted to Judaism, and some of us are from Crete and Arabia yet all of us hear them speaking in our own languages about the great things that God has done! Did you know? Pentecost is often called the birthday of the Church. Up until this time, the disciples had been a small group of Jewish men and women. But from the day of Pentecost onward, when they received the Holy Spirit, the Church was born and they began spreading rapidly to other nations. CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK So far we have had an eventful week. Last Friday we celebrated with our opening Liturgy, thank you to the parents and family that came along and joined us in this celebration. Monday saw the release of our latest video promoting our school with students sharing the things that they like best about St Joseph s. This can be found on our Facebook page. Tuesday morning the staff cooked and served a yummy breakfast of bacon and eggs. We hope those that joined us had a nice full belly to start their day! This morning we have seen many students walking and riding to school and this afternoon we have welcomed parents and friends into our elective groups for an afternoon of students teaching adults. I look forward to seeing everyone in their crazy socks and crazy hair styles tomorrow. Don t forget your gold coin donation for Catholic Mission! - Bec Fahey
SCHOOL NEWS PHOTOS FROM CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK SO FAR MR SMITH S TRIP TO CHINA In the school holidays I travelled to China as part of my Study Leave. The purpose of the trip was to gain some insight into the Chinese education system and to explore possible partnerships with schools in China. It was a great experience and I was amazed by the hospitatlity shown to our group. The Chinese culture is incredible and I m now interested to learn more. I was impressed by many things that they do particularly well in their schools. We can learn lots from our friends in China. Likewise, they were very eager to learn about how we educate our children. One of my highlights of the trip was visiting the schools. There are lots of similarities between our schools. Both countries are committed to literacy and numeracy. Furthermore, I was aware of the need for a sense of global citizenship amongst our schools. What I mean by this, is that when we educate children, whether it be in China or Australia, we need to give them the knowledge and skills to be successful in the world and to make the whole world a better place. Seeing how the Chinese do this was a hope-filled moment for me because I believe that we are working towards the same hopes and dreams even though our schools are on the opposite side of the globe. I am happy to share more of my wonderful experiences from China, so please just ask! - Damian Smith
PARENTS & FRIENDS NEWS KIDS CAFÉ Please fill out the below table if you are able to help cook and serve for the Kid s Café and return to the front office. We need two volunteers from approximately 12pm to 1:30pm each Friday. Thanks for your support. WEEK KIDS CAFÉ VOLUNTEERS VOLUNTEERS NAME Week 3 20 th May MARY MACKILLOP PERFORMANCE @ GLADSTONE Week 4 27 th May Help Needed Week 5 3 rd June Help Needed PLEASE COMPLETE AND RETURN TO THE FRONT OFFICE THANKS! COMMUNITY NEWS SCHOOL FACEBOOK PAGE Don t forget that you can also keep up to date with what is happening in our school by liking us on Facebook. Our Facebook page is regularly updated with useful information, photos, videos, etc. Simply click on the following link or type it into your web browser https://www.facebook.com/stjosephsschoolpeterborough SCHOOL BANK - TUESDAYS Kids (12 and under) who open a new Little Saver Incentive Saver Account by 30/6/16 could receive a $10 Port Adelaide Football club voucher and $10 deposited into their account. Bank books collected from the front office every Tuesday morning. Further enquiries to Bank SA Peterborough 86513387 Students over 12 who open a new Complete Freedom Student account and activate their linked ATM card by 30/06/16 could receive a $20 Port Adelaide Football Club voucher plus $20 deposited into their new account. Further enquiries to Bank SA Peterborough 86513387