St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Wandal Newsletter

Wonder

Sometimes something comes along that opens your mind and challenges your thinking.  I am reading a book that has done just that for me.  It is on Fungi*.  As the daughter of a mushroom farmer, I knew that amazing things had been discovered about, and even more amazing things were being done with fungi, but nowhere near what is actually happening.  Types of fungi are being used to mop up oil spills in Dutch harbours, to clean up radioactive waste in the damaged Chernobyl reactors, to turn industrial waste into building materials, packaging, and even a form of leather that can be used in shoes.  I had been taught that plants captured carbon.  It seems it is not so.  It is soil fungi that capture carbon and pass it onto plant roots.  What a shift this might make in serious discussion on Climate Change.

As you can see, I am in a state of wonder.  And what a wonderful thing that is.  Wonder opens our minds and hearts not only to God but also to each other and to our world.  Wonder is a positive energy in making us grow as human beings.  Wonder teaches us to love, teaches us to care.

We don’t often have experiences or books that can change us as much as this book has done for me.  But we can open ourselves to wonder regularly in positive ways.  Watch a movie that you wouldn’t normally bother with.  Go into a newsagency and buy a magazine in an area in which you have no interest.  Imagine if I read a magazine on BMX biking.  I would step into a world of young active people, see their joys and recognise their needs.  Maybe even support their call for more tracks. 

Wonder is a powerful means to transform your life.

Loving God, this world amazes me, its people astound me at times. Let them open me to the wonder of myself, the wonder of you. As I wonder, draw me even deeper into your love.  I ask this in Jesus’ name confident that you will hear me.

Sr Kym Harris osb

*Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake. 

 If you wish to volunteer in any capacity in our school, you must first attend a brief Volunteer Induction Session each year. Thank you to those who have attended already this week.

The following sessions are yet to occur:

Thursday 4 February 9.00am

Monday 8 February 2.40pm

Parents do not need Blue Cards, however all other volunteers (including grandparents) must present their Blue Cards to office staff before assisting in our school. If you do not have a Blue Card and would like to apply for one, please see the school office staff or download forms from https://www.bluecard.qld.gov.au/applications/need-to-apply-for-card.html

‘Parent Reading Tips’ sessions are also being offered by our Learning Support Teacher, Mrs Christine Gawne on:

• Today 2.30pm, and
• Wednesday 10 February at 9am

Last week, every teacher distributed a Term One letter, outlining key dates, events and learning experiences for your children. Included in this letter was the day on which your children will participate in Physical Education each week, and therefore must wear their sports uniform (excluding our Preps). Please read and take note of this information (you can find the letter under ‘Groups’ on your Skoolbag App). 

Each Catholic school in Queensland has a Parents and Friends Association.  The parents or carers of all children enrolled in the school are members of the P&F Association. The association acts for the school community in all matters of a local nature. 

Please feel free to join us for our first P and F Meeting of the year, Thursday, 18 February at 5.15pm in the Staffroom. All parents/carers are welcome to attend. This is a great way to meet people, offer suggestions and hear first hand about the goings-on of our busy school.

The P and F Executive Members for 2021 are:

President: Emma Singleton

Vice President: Nathan Crossland

Secretary: Carla McDonald

Treasurer: Tanya Johnson

Cluster Representative: Ryan Scott

Instruments for our Year 4 musicians are being delivered this week and lessons will commence next week. Communications regarding instrumental lessons are distributed by the music staff at The Cathedral College; please ensure you are receiving the necessary emails from them and that your contact details are up to date. We are most appreciative of the college assisting us to provide this wonderful opportunity for our learners. 

An agreement is in place that three Catholic, Southside primary schools do not  offer instrumental lessons to students under Year Four, during the school day. Year Four teachers modify their teaching schedules to ensure no student misses work due to instrumental music lessons. Teachers in lower grades are not able to do this, and therefore students in these classes are potentially missing ‘chunks’ of learning time each week. Of course, parents are more than free to source music lessons for their children outside of school if they wish to take up an instrument before Year Four. We are all huge supporters of children learning music and understand its many and varied benefits. 

The School App remains our preferred method of distributing information from school. Whilst our website also has the newsletter available, the school app also pushes out information, letters, reminders and last-minute communications which may need to occur outside of the weekly newsletter. You will need to ensure that you have updated your Skoolbag app for the 2021 year (open the App, click on the school logo, click on 'Groups' and add/remove your children's current classes).

It is VITAL for parents to read the weekly newsletter (distributed each Wednesday) in order to keep up to date with school events and information. If at any time you are having difficulty accessing school communications, please see the office staff. 

School Fees will be issued 5 February and will be due 19 February. This statement is defaulted to your email address. We are no longer able to offer a ‘split’ billing service. Your fees can be managed by direct debit, BPay, Eftpos, cash, cheque or via Parent Lounge. School fees brought forward from 2020 are now OVERDUE. If you need assistance, please make an appointment to meet with me.

A reminder that a diocesan concession scheme is in effect, and if you hold an approved pension or health card, you may be eligible for a 70% reduction in your tuition fees once we sight your card. To check your eligibility, please do not hesitate to contact Kathy Fishburn (finance secretary) in the office.

Tuckshop days are on Wednesdays and Fridays and we are always looking for volunteers to assist in our tuckshop. Please contact the school office if you wish to offer your services. Tuckshop orders can be placed via ‘Flexischools’. http://www.flexischools.com.au/

 Friday 19 February is a Pupil Free Day.  All Catholic Education staff in the Rockhampton Diocese participate in a day of professional development, supported by our Bishop, on an annual basis. Our Outside School Hours Care Service will operate between the hours of 7am-6pm on this day. For bookings or queries, please call the OSHC staff on 0429316543.

Homework Club will recommence next Tuesday (Week 3) and is available to all children in Years 3-6. Homework Club, supervised by senior students from The Cathedral College, commences at 3.20pm and finishes at 4.20pm. Students wait under the supervision of staff on afternoon duty until Homework Club commences and they  must be collected from the 'Be-Hive' at 4.20pm by a parent or guardian. Children staying for Homework Club must be ‘booked in’ by midday each Tuesday – please email the office staff if you wish to secure your child’s place. Students are welcome to pack an extra snack to enjoy before they commence their homework. 

If your child is participating in the Parish Sacramental program please add the dates below to your diary. Workshops for families preparing their children to celebrate the Sacrament of Penance and the completion of Christian Initiation will be held as follows:

Tuesday 9 or Wednesday 10 February, Workshop 1, commencing 5.30pm at the Kevin Castles Centre in West Street.

Tuesday 23 or Wednesday 24 February Workshop 2, commencing 5.30pm at the Kevin Castles Centre in West Street.

It is wonderful news to share that Children’s Liturgy of the word will recommence on Sunday 6th February at St Joseph’s Cathedral at 9.30am.  Children’s Liturgy of the word is held most Sundays. All students (particularly those preparing for sacraments) are encouraged to attend. 

Thank you to those parents who have attended our parent information sessions.  We look forward to welcoming our Prep and Year One Parents today, and Years Two and Six parents tomorrow.

This year's information sessions will be held in St Vincent's Hall.  Places will be limited due to Covid - 19 restrictions and we would ask that one parent /caregiver attends.  As this event is outside of school hours, students will be unable to attend due to restricted numbers.  A reminder that OHSC will be in operation. Parents/caregivers will need to sign in by scanning the QR code (which will be displayed in various locations througout the school).

If you have not been able to attend, please make contact with your class teachers and they will be able to share some of the information with you.

The chromebook parent session for year five parents is available as a video this year - click here for the link.

Once this video has been viewed, either email your class teacher or complete the eform on the skoolbag app.

The chromebooks for year five students are here and are being distributed to students this week.  For students to be given a device, the following must be completed:

• Chromebook Agreement (sent out in 2020)  The outstanding forms will be sent home with students today
• $40 deposit payable at the office
• ICT Code of Conduct (Parent)
• ICT Code of Conduct (Student)
• Parent Chromebook training video - eform on the skoolbag app

Please find below the ICT Codes of Conduct.  Parents/caregivers of students in Prep - Year 2 will need to read the code below and then complete the eform on the SkoolBag app.

Parents/caregivers of students in Years 3 - 6 will need to read the code with their child and complete two eforms, one for the student and one for the parent/caregiver.

Term Dates for 2021

Term 1 27 January - 1 April 10 weeks

Term 2 19 April - 25 June 10 weeks

Term 3 12 July - 17 September 10 weeks

Term 4 5 October - 3 December   9 weeks

Term 1 2021

February

3            Prep Parent Information Session 3:30pm

3            Year 1 Parent Information Session 

4            Volunteer Induction Zoom 9:00am

4           Year 2 Parent Information Session

4            Year 6 Parent Information Session  

5            Year 4 E Prayer Assembly

8            Volunteer Induction Session 2:40pm

9            Homework Club Commences Years 3-6

12          Year 6 Leadership Building Day Capricorn Caves

12        Year 4 B Prayer Assembly

16          Shrove Tuesday - Pancake Bake Off & Pancake lunch orders (via                 Flexischools)

17         Ash Wednesday - Mass in hall at 9am

19         Bishop’s Inservice Day - Pupil Free Day

26        Year 6 Leadership Badge Presentation

March

5            Year 2R Prayer Assembly

12         Year 5 M Prayer Assembly

14        Chamber Music Concert 1:00pm The Cathedral

19         Feast Day of St Joseph - Mass in Hall at 10am

19        Year 3J Prayer Assembly

21        Harmony Day

28         Palm Sunday

29         Parent Teacher Interviews

30         Parent Teacher Interviews

Piano teacher, Mrs Lyn Anstey offers piano lessons on Tuesday mornings here at school.  Lyn currently has one vacancy left. If you wish to enrol your student,  please contact Lyn on 0419358485.

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School Wandal is excited to offer the Commonwealth Bank School Banking program to all students.

School Banking is a fun, interactive and engaging way to help teach your child the importance of saving. Children who deposit money into their Youthsaver account through School Banking earn Dollarmites tokens, which they can save up and redeem for exciting rewards.

School Banking is also a great fundraiser for our school P&F. Our school receives a Regular Savers Contribution of $5 for every 10 deposits processed per student as well as an Annual Contribution which is based on the number of students who made at least one School Banking deposit in the prior year.

Getting involved in School Banking is easy!

All you need to get involved in the School Banking program is a Commonwealth Bank Youthsaver account. You can open an account for your child in one of two ways:  

1. Online

Visit commbank.com.au/schoolbanking and click on the link to open a Youthsaver account. 

2. In branch

Visit a Commonwealth Bank branch with identification for yourself and your child, like a driver’s licence and birth certificate.

If your child has an existing Commonwealth Bank Youthsaver account they can start banking straight away. They just need to bring their deposit in every week on School Banking day using their Dollarmites deposit wallet. 

School Banking day is Thursday. Each week you need to deliver your deposit wallet to the office on Thursday morning. It will be processed on Thursday afternoon and your deposit wallet will be available for collection from the office on Friday.

At St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School Wandal, our School Banking Co-ordinators are Tanya Johnson and Kate Lipke of the P&F. 

If you would like to know more about School Banking, please ask for a 2021 School Banking program parent guide from the school office or visit www.commbank.com.au/schoolbanking.

We have had a report of headlice in the school. Please check your child /ren and treat if necessary, as per  Queensland Health Guidelines.

Congratulations to our students on their outstanding achievement.  Please click on the link for details.