St Joseph’s Day - March 19th

This Sunday is the feast day of Saint Joseph- the namesake of our school.

Saint Joseph was the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. Joseph was a just and compassionate man and protected Mary from shame when he discovered that she was pregnant, even though he did not understand that her unborn child was the Son of God. We see evidence of Joseph's deep faith when he changed his plans in response to messages from God. (Saint Mary’s Press)

St Joseph’s The Strand was founded by the Sisters of St Joseph whose faith and traditions were formed by Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop. Mary MacKillop and the Sisters of St Joseph responded to the needs and challenges of their time in ways that respected the human dignity of all by being deeply compassionate, reaching out to others and fostering resilience. 

On Wednesday, 22nd March, we will celebrate the Feast of Saint Joseph with a whole-school Mass in the hall at 8:45am. All are welcome to join us.

Project Compassion is Caritas Australia’s annual fundraising appeal which is held during the six weeks of Lent each year.  The theme of Project Compassion 2023 is ‘For All Future Generations’. 

Over the past few weeks, our students have participated in fundraising activities to support Caritas - purchasing icy cups, wearing Cowboy gear and busking on the handball courts. 

Our Year 6 Arts Group will be busking again this coming Wednesday, 22nd March and Wednesday, 29th March from 8am. Icy cups will continue to be sold each Thursday until the end of Term Two.

Any Project Compassion donation boxes are to be returned to school by Friday, 31st March (the last day of Term Two). 

Sacraments of Initiation

On Monday evening, a number of Joey's students began their sacraments of Initiation with their first Reconciliation. We thank Fr Jan, Fr Rod, Fr Clement and Fr John who were able to join us for the night. 

These students will now begin their preparation for their First Eucharist. 

Holy Week

This year, Holy Week liturgies will be held on Friday, 31st March. All are welcome to attend. 

8:45am- Palm Sunday - led by Year 6 Faith and Service Group

11am - Last Supper and Good Friday - led by Year 6 Faith and Service Group

1:45pm - Easter Sunday - led by Year 2

ANZAC Day

Our St Joseph's community will come together on Monday, 24th April to commemorate ANZAC Day with a whole school liturgy. If you or a member of your family are a past or active defence member and would like to be part of our liturgy, please email me; tneilson6@sjnw.tsv.catholic.edu.au

As is our tradition, St Joseph's will be marching in the Townsville City Council ANZAC Day march. More details will be shared over the coming weeks. 

Hope all have a wonderful few weeks,

Trina

NAPLAN 2023

Two down, two to go! Congratulations to Year 3 and Year 5 students who have been working hard and trying their best during NAPLAN testing.

Forty minutes is provided for students to use a stimulus image to create an idea, plan, write/type about their idea and edit their work. Consider the last time you, as an adult, wrote an entire piece of work to provide to someone (with editing). Now add a forty-minute time limit. Quite impressive for our seven and eight-year-olds who have only been in Year 3 for thirty-six days.

The Naplan Reading Test involves students reading various materials on a computer and answering questions for approximately 45 minutes. Yesterday there were some very exhausted children.

Next week students will participate in the Conventions of Language Test (spelling/grammar/punctuation) and Numeracy Tests. 

7 News Superstars

Cameron, Isla and Mrs Neilson were interviewed by Channel 7 on Wednesday regarding NAPLAN testing. Isla commented, "It was pretty nerve-racking at the start, but as it went on, I thought, actually, I'm doing pretty well."  Joey's Kids CAN STEP IT up in all areas.

The Amazing Race

To celebrate the conclusion of NAPLAN, students in Years 3 and 5 will participate in Joey's Amazing Race. The race involves students reading a map, devising a plan to obtain as many points as possible, completing physical challenges, working as a team, and solving mathematical problems, riddles and puzzles.

Parents of Year 3 and Year 5 students are welcome to form a team to race against students. (Get ready to run!)

Date: Thursday 30th March

Time: Year 3 - from 8:30 am-10:00 am

          Year 5 - from 11:00 am-12:30 pm

          Winners will be announced at 2:30 pm

Have a great weekend.

Julie Wallace

Learning and Teaching Advisor

Enrolment applications for Prep 2024 are now open for new and existing families. 

Application forms can be collected from the front office or found on our school website. 

At the moment there is a significant amount of lost property. Please encourage your child to collect their belongings before the end of the term. 

Any items left at school will be donated to the secondhand uniform shop or Vinnies. 

Townsville To Penola Challenge’ – 2023.

(Begins Monday 20 March - Week 9)

In our 150th Year, a ‘Townsville To Penola Challenge’ will operate daily, to celebrate our founder Mary MacKillop. Penola was the town where Mary opened her first St. Joseph's school. Instead of class against class this year, we work together as a school to reach our destination in South Australia.

Teachers will keep a record of daily distances to add to our school total on an interactive map of the journey. We are hoping to arrive at our destination before our Cross Country & Fun Run in Week 3 - Term 2.

Interschool Swimming Carnival 2023

Congratulations on another outstanding performance by our St Joseph’s Putney Interschool Swimming Team who competed in the A Schools Carnival at Long Tan Pool on Wednesday 8th March. We managed to continue our outstanding performances in recent years, by winning the Second Aggregate and Average Trophies. Townsville Grammar won the Aggregate Trophy by the finest of margins, 1 point. The Cathedral School was in third place, behind our mighty team. Our staff representatives Miss O’Connor, Mr Meekin, Miss Lisa and Miss Olivia were delighted with the team spirit and behaviour of our squad. Our Year 6 students did an outstanding job in leading the war cries. The effort demonstrated by the Putney team was amazing. A sincere thanks to parents who managed to get their children to the pool for the early starts and our dedicated staff for their support with training. A special thanks to Miss O’Connor for all of her efforts in preparing the team. Children who placed in Division 1 events will receive their Townsville Primary School certificates next week. Bring on 2024!

St. Joseph's Townsville Representatives

Congratulations to Quade Smith and Ivy Ryan on their selection in the Townsville Under 12 Schools Touch team. We wish them well at the North Queensland Trials in Ayr.

Meah Ronke, Willem Warburton and Lucas Kepper were selected in the Townsville Under 12 Schools Basketball team. They progress to the North Queensland Trials in Townsville and we wish them the best of luck.

NQ Representative

In breaking news, we are pleased to advise that Quaid Smith has been selected in the North Queensland Schools Under 12 Touch Football team. Quaid will now participate in the Queensland Touch Football championships held in Cairns between 18 - 21 May. We wish him all the very best at this prestigious event.