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 1 Term 1 2022 Newsletter

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Week 1 Term 1 2022 Newsletter

    Dear parents and carers,

    Welcome back to school for 2022!

    Today I have finalised my official welcome letter for the start of the new year, and sent a copy home to each family. Please also see the linked copy.

    2022 School Welcome Letter

    Parent Information Night

    Next Tuesday 8 February at 6.00pm we will host a Parent Information Session via Teams. A link will be created and shared via Compass. The purpose of this information session is to discuss whole school plans and to welcome everyone to the new school year.

    An opportunity to 'meet' your child's teacher and to find out more about their classes, will be finalised in the coming week. Stay tuned!

    Sports Days

    In the past, we have attempted to have sport on the same days across the school. However, in order to spread the use of equipment and the students / classes across the week, please be aware of the following sports days:

    Year Group Sports Days
    Foundation  Tuesday / Thursday
    Year 1 Tuesday / Thursday
    Year 2 Tuesday / Thursday
    Year 3 Monday / Friday
    Year 4 Wednesday / Friday
    Year 5 Tuesday / Thursday
    Year 6 Tuesday / Thursday

    P&F Meeting

    The first P&F Meeting for 2022 is next Wednesday 9 February at 7.00pm. This meeting will be via Teams and all parents are welcome to attend. The P&F provides an important opportunity for parents to engage within the school , to support community building, fundraising, the running of the Uniform Shop and Canteen, as well as just a good social connection. A link to the meeting will be shared prior to the day.

    2022 is also a Fete Year!

    Compass
    A reminder to all parents that the Compass app is the main communication platform used for whole school information. It is also possible to set email notifications via Compasss too. Please ensure that you have access to this app and have set your desired notifications to receive alerts as they are sent out. As we send many messages and alerts via Compass our Newsletter will now be distributed fornightly

    Qkr!

    Parents are also reminded to download the Qkr! app which is used for purchasing and ordering for the canteen and the Uniform Shop. Parents must update their child's profile each year to ensure they are aligned with the correct class. This can not be done from the school end, so an alert has been set up on Qkr! when you first log in for the year.

    A Message from our Student and Family Counsellor

    Hi everyone. My name is Kerry and I'm excited to be back at St Joseph's this year as your Student and Family Counsellor for 2022. 

    It has been a tough start to the year for many families, and I want to reassure you that it's normal if you're feeling a bit anxious at the beginning of this school year. As part of the pastoral care program for students, St Joseph's has access to an onsite Student and Family Counselling service provided by CatholicCare Canberra & Goulburn. There is no fee to access this service and I am available to talk to you about any concerns you have about your child on Thursdays and Fridays during school term.

    The role of the counsellor is to focus on the emotional, social and educational well-being of students. Counsellors welcome contact with students having difficulty with some part of their life, whether or not it affects their school work. Some typical concerns that Student and Family Counsellors work with include: anger, anxiety, behavioural problems, depression, eating problems, family breakdown and family conflict, grief and loss, learning and educational challenges, parenting challenges, peer and other social relationships, school avoidance, stress and study skills. As well as individual sessions with students, counsellors can run groups, do family work, consult with parents and teachers and make referrals to other services and supports.

    Student and Family Counsellors subscribe to a set of professional ethics that include duty of care and respect for individual rights to privacy and confidentiality. The counsellors’ obligation is to ensure the safety, wellbeing and confidentiality of the student they are working with. All counsellors are mandated to report any disclosure or sign of abuse or neglect to Child and Youth Protection Services.

    Parental consent for counselling is required for all students under 14 years of age, and a new referral is needed each year. If you would like to make a referral to counselling for your child, please complete the online referral form at https://catholiccare.force.com/housing/s/school-referral-form

    If you would like to talk to me before making a referral, you are very welcome to contact me on Thursdays and Fridays. You can either call me on 0488 468 056 or contact me via email at kerry.marshall@catholiccare.cg.org.au.

    I'm really looking forward to working with you and your children this year

    Kerry Marshall

    Student and Family Counsellor

    Have a great end to the week.

    Yours in Christ,

    Cameron Tarrant

    Cameron.tarrant@cg.catholic.edu.au

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    Religious Life of St Joseph’s

    Welcome back to 2022. It is so good to be back in our Christ-Centred Community after my year on parental leave.

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    This year our Christ-Centred Community focus is ‘We are Called’. This week we have introduced our focus to our students in our classrooms.

    Our theme comes from the writings of Pope Francis in his book, ‘Let us Dream: A Pathway to a Better Future’. In his book, Pope Francis discusses the present challenges people are facing in our world. In light of these challenges he proposes the notion that we are being sifted (to go through especially to sort out what is useful or valuable) and that through this process of being sifted we have the opportunity to prioritise what is really important and let go of things that we do not need. How has your experience with Covid 19 changed your priorities?

    Pope Francis also discusses the importance of spiritual discernment (to judge well). Our staff formation this year is focussed on supporting staff in this process of discernment; to judge how God is calling us to be Catholic leaders and with the help of the Holy Spirit bring forth our personal gifts to empower our Christ-Centred Community. During our professional learning, staff participated in The Called and Gifted program facilitated by Clara Geoghegan from the Siena Institute. I am looking forward to seeing the fruit that this process brings in our school.

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    Our focus Gospel for 2022 is Luke 5:1-11

    5 Once while Jesus[a] was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, 2 he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6 When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. 7 So they signalled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” 11 When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

     ‌

    Melanie‌ ‌Stratford‌ ‌

    Religious‌ ‌Education‌ ‌Coordinator‌ ‌

    melanie.stratford@cg.catholic.edu.au‌ ‌

     

    Hello Parents and Carers,

    I would like to welcome you all to the 2022 year.

    This year the canteen will be open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, for both first and second break.  Please note the cut off for lunch orders on Qkr! will be 8:30am.

    There are some new items on the lunch order menu, please see the menu below. 

    We will also be doing burgers for Wednesday lunch orders only. 

    Thank you to the canteen volunteer's who have offered to help in the canteen.  New volunteers are always welcome, please don’t hesitate to email me on stjosephscanteen@gmail.com or pop in and say hi.

    Regards

    Katie Jenkin

    Canteen Manager

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    Welcome back everyone.
    The Uniform Shop is open for orders via Qkr! only.  This will remain in place until COVID restrictions ease.
    Orders can be placed by 3:00pm Monday for Tuesday delivery to the classroom and by 3:00pm Wednesday for Thursday delivery to the classroom.
    Second hand items are available for purchase.  They are located on the racks outside the canteen.  Payment for these items is via Qkr!

    Happy birthday to these students who celebrated their birthday this week:

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    Hamish E
    Alice Z
    Kobe P
    Poppy Z
    Ashley F
    Mae T

    Congratulations to the Week 1 award recipients. 

    1 Purple

    Mason I

    Hannah P

    1 Teal

    Lachlan L

    Charlie L

    Diya H

    Dion B

    Shenuka D

    2 Magenta

    Bhavin S

    Andy S

    2 Yellow

    Amelia S

    Christian D

    3 Black

    Leo W

    Leilani T

    3 Navy

    Annabelle F

    Levi I

    4 Gold

    Verity L

    Zach B

    4 Green

    Oliver L

    Evie P

    5 Blue

    Eleanor C

    Tejas G

    Josie M

    5 Orange

    Molly M

    Ashley F

    6 Lime

    Lekzeen G

    Samuel S

    6 Silver

    Dexta W

    S