St Joseph’s Primary School - O'Connor
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Boronia Drive
O'Connor ACT 2602
Subscribe: https://sjo.act.edu.au/subscribe

Email: office.sjo@cg.catholic.edu.au
Phone: 02 6248 9818
Fax: 02 6247 1792

Week 2 Term 3 2021 Newsletter

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Week 2 Term 3 2021 Newsletter

Dear Parents, Carers and the St Joseph’s Community,

 

Lord,
In the midst of Winter, when the days are cold and wind can pierce,

remind us of the warmth of your love.
In the midst of winter, when days are short, dawn comes late,

and dusk arrives early to remind us that in the darkness your light still shines.
In the midst of Winter, when the flowers of spring still lie hidden in the earth,

when leaves are off the trees, and the world can seem bleak
remind us that Spring, the season of renewal is but a short time away.
And when in our lives we feel as if we are experiencing a season of winter,

reach out to us with the power of your resurrection so that we may feel the warmth of your love and see your light that alone can take away the darkness of our soul.

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Compass Parent Portal

As you are aware the Compass Parent Portal is now up and running. Thank you for your patience and adaptability during the transition period from Schoolzine. Compass is now our only platform for sending notifications and alerts to parents. The functionality of the Compass Parent Portal will continue to grow but at present, it is used for:

  • receiving school/class alerts and notifications (including the School Newsletter)
  • entering absences for your child/ren
  • accessing school reports
  • contacting teachers
  • providing consent for school excursions and events.

Please note that NO PAYMENTS are to be made through Compass, we will continue to use Qkr! for all monetary payments until further notice.

2022 Enrolments

If you have received an email from Jenny in the Front Office regarding your Parent Commitment Agreement, can you please ensure that it is signed by BOTH parents before it is returned by Friday 23 July.

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ICAS Assessments

ICAS Assessments are designed to recognise academic excellence in Years 2 – 6. Students are assessed on their ability to apply classroom learning to new contexts, using higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills. If you would like your child to take part in the upcoming ICAS Assessments, please click here for more information.

Rostrum

Congratulations to Kennedy W in 6 Silver, the St Joseph’s winner of the Rostrum ACT Public Speaking Competition. Last Tuesday, Kennedy went on to compete against eight other primary school students in the Quarter Final of the competition held at St Vincent’s Primary School. Kennedy was the first to present and gave a passionate and well-structured speech on the topic of ‘A Better Way’. She took a sustainability stance, talking about the impact of palm oil plantation, how plastic bags are causing harm to our marine life and challenged the audience to find a better way to combat these current crises. I spoke with Kennedy and asked her what the most enjoyable aspect of her Rostrum Journey was, “I liked listening to the other contestants and hearing how they put a different spin on the different topics”. Great job Kennedy!

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Social and Emotional Learning

For the next few weeks, I will be exploring ‘Character’ as a way for students to explore their own unique qualities. Exploring character helps us to develop an awareness of who we want to be (values) and how we want to act (strengths). Values are enduring beliefs and attitudes that guide everyday behaviours both big and small. Exploring values is an important source of self-knowledge and awareness. Knowing our values and living according to them is a pathway towards a fulfilling and meaningful life. Character strengths are defined as positive traits that influence thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Character strengths are exemplified by our actions and behaviours that contribute to others’ lives and the community.   

If you have not yet, I would be grateful if you could take a couple of minutes to answer 4 quick questions in this survey  to help with future planning for SEL,

Photo Competition

Do you need some incentive for your child to head outside? Why not encourage them to take part in a photo competition run by Mrs McGee for Schools Tree Day. The guidelines are simple, take a photo of a tree! Winners will be selected in three age groups, Foundation -Year 2, Year 3 – 4 and Year 5 - 6. The winning photographs will be published in the School Newsletter and the winning photographers will each receive a prize.

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P&F Fundraising

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I hope you have an enjoyable end to the week!

Amy Doszpot

Assistant Principal 

amy.doszpot@cg.catholic.edu.au 

The Feast of Saint Mary MacKillop

At St Joseph’s, we will be immersed in the charism of Saint Mary MacKillop this term, focusing on her important words and what they mean for us now. In Week 2 and 3, we will be focusing on the quote: “We are all in His hands”. Mary inspires us to be courageous and hopeful and to have a deep faith in our God who provides.

The focus of this quote teaches us that no matter what happens in our life, God will always look after us and protect us. We need to have continual faith and talk to God through prayer. Mary MacKillop placed her continual trust in God as she overcame many obstacles while trying to found schools and educate all children, no matter their status or how much money they had.

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St Joseph’s Sacramental Program

Sacrament of the Eucharist

Thank you to all the parents who have enrolled their child in this Sacrament. We have begun the preparation lessons at school on Holy Communion. Booklets have been sent home this week for you to work through with your child to support them as they prepare to make this Sacrament.

Date of Sacrament: Sunday 15 August

Time: 12:00pm

Sacrament Retreat Day: Tuesday 10 August (for all Year 4 students)

Sacrament of Confirmation

The Sacrament of Confirmation will be held on Wednesday 28 October. Enrolment for this Sacrament is offered to students in Year 6, who have made their Reconciliation and Holy Communion. Further information regarding enrolments and preparation for this Sacrament will be provided in Term 3.

Date of Sacrament: Thursday 28 October

Time: 5:30pm

Registrations: Opening online at the end of Term 3 on the Parish website:

https://www.stjosephsoconnor.org.au 

Sacrament Retreat Day: TBA

All enrolments and payments must be done via the St Joseph’s Parish Website (not the school Qkr! account). Workbooks will be provided to each student enrolled and are to be completed at home, with their parents.

Important Term 3 Dates:

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For further information any questions regarding Religious Education and events, please feel free to contact me via email: michelle.vuli@cg.catholic.edu.au .

Michelle Vuli

Religious Education Coordinator

michelle.vuli@cg.catholic.edu.au

Sustainability in Action

Did you know Canberran households waste thousands of dollars every year by throwing away food that could have been eaten?

After Years 5-6 completed a term focused on food waste and cooking, this is something we can look to reducing as a school community.

Sign up to the three-week ACT Food Waste Challenge for a step-by-step recipe to reduce food waste in your household.

Plus, the first 1500 ACT residents that complete the challenge, including the final survey, will be eligible for a $30 IKEA voucher.

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act.gov.au/foodwaste

Waste isn’t waste until we waste it"- Will.I.Am

Ryan McGee

Sustainability Coordinator

 ryan.mcgee@cg.catholic.edu.au

Sport News 

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Please remember to check for any overdue library books due back to the library.

Please contact me at georgina.jaram@cg.catholic.edu.au if you think you have returned your book or if you have lost it.

Have fun reading this week.

Georgina Jaram

Teacher Librarian

Defence School Mentor News

Welcome back to all the students returning this term. We are thrilled to be welcoming another Defence family back to St Joseph’s Primary school. Thanks to all the students who have helped to make this transition easier for them. Defence Kids club will continue to run every Thursday at first break.

 

Community news

Solider On has provided the following resources for Defence families.

Soldier On provides HELP across Australia.  For information on upcoming events and activities near you, email act@soldieron.org.au or call 1300 620 380.

COVID-19 can cause us to feel isolated and worried. Adapting to a new way of life can also bring many mental challenges. The Soldier On psychology team has compiled a list of great online resources which can help you navigate these difficult times.

Sally Adams

Defence School Mentor

Without the support of the volunteers, the canteen would not be able to function. I would love to see some new faces. If anyone is free, even for a hour or two please don’t hesitate to pop in or email stjosephcanteen@gmail.com

Regards Katie Jenkin

Canteen Manager

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Congratulations to this week's award recipients. 

Students receive their award at Friday morning assembly at 8.50am. Parents are again welcome to attend this assembly, but photos will continue to be taken each week and shared via SZapp. 

Foundation Red

Kyan S

Jack S

Foundation White

Jackson M

Wallace B

1 Purple

Christian D

Gwendolyn V F

1 Teal

Charlie G

Beatrice J

2 Magenta

Marial W

Karma L

2 Yellow

Phoebe G

Evie McG

3 Black

Luke d

Makur W

3 Navy

Zach B

Maddison D

4 Gold

Olivia D

Faith Y

4 Green

Kobe P

Lawrence C

5 Blue

Odette S

Sienna S

5 Orange

Lucy P

Kinley T

6 Lime

Juliana L

Daniel McK

6 Silver

Ashera D

Josie S

Happy birthday to these students celebrating their birthdays this week:

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Donald McK
Sophie P
Jack D
Mason I



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See the St Joseph's Entertainment Guide link here

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