St Joseph's Catholic School The Strand eNewsletter

Monday 4th May - Labour Day Public Holiday

Dear Parents and Carers

As we come to the end of the second week of online learning, I hope you will have noticed a change in the content on the Joeysathome portal. The teachers have been working very hard to ensure there is engaging content and clear messaging provided for families. We have received some great feedback around the work and the platform. Teachers are reporting lots of interaction with students and families. It is important that this continues to ensure that we are staying connected and meeting the needs of our students.

With so much speculation and information circulating regarding schools and restrictions lifting, I wanted to provide some points for clarification.

Essential Workers

The definition of essential workers continues to be discussed and debated in the media causing no end of confusion. To clarify for our school community, the definition has not changed since the beginning of Term 2.

Our school is open for the first five weeks of Term 2 for children of essential workers where home supervision is not possible and for all vulnerable children in our community. Essential worker means any worker who must continue to attend their workplace for essential business during this time. We have also extended this definition to include parents who are considered essential workers and are working fulltime from home or shift workers who may need to sleep during the day.

We are very pleased to be able to support parents and carers of essential workers. We understand the pressures that the restrictions are having on families. In order for us to continue to provide supervision for students of essential workers, it is important that we work together. Students should be working from home unless supervision cannot be provided due to parents and carers being essential workers.

With restrictions in Queensland being relaxed slightly this weekend, it is possible that there may be changes for families over the coming weeks. It is a wait and see situation at the moment and as more information comes to hand, we will adjust to meet the needs of our community.

Google Hangouts

We are currently working to create some time in the coming week for each teacher to host a Google hangout with students working at home. This will be an opportunity for students to say hello and interact with their teacher. Details regarding the time and necessary arrangements will be forwarded to parents and carers once they are finalised

Return to School

There is a great deal of discussion regarding students returning to school and each state has announced its own individual plan. In Queensland, the government has indicated they will review the current school situation on May 15th. At this stage there is no information to suggest an earlier review date however, as this situation has taught us, things can change rapidly.

There has been some press lately from teacher unions and other agencies presenting various arguments and points of view around teachers, their responsibilities, their performance, the demands placed on them and what they should be doing more or less of during this time. While everyone is entitled to an opinion, I will only speak on behalf of the staff at St. Joseph's.

I have said many times how grateful I am to our staff for the dedication they have shown and the work they have produced to keep our students engaged. This situation is not ideal for anyone, including schools, and of course, our staff would welcome the time when schools are fully reopened. In the interim, in the space that we all find ourselves in, the staff at St Joseph's continue to work diligently to create and refine work for online learning to support our students and families.

We appreciate your patience in these difficult times, and the messages of support and thanks are greatly appreciated by all our staff.

Learning at Home Expectations

After speaking with some parents recently I wanted to reassure those families learning at home that the school is here to support you. We have sent home some guidelines around what learning at home could look like for each year level. These are only a guide for families. Every experience of learning at home is unique. Some days will be better than others and it is important to remember that teachers are not here to judge or set expectations around what you must do at home. We understand that every day is different, some days will work others won't and that is ok. Don't compare your days or situation to anyone else's because each circumstance is unique. Be kind to yourself and to each other. Do what works for you as a family. If you need support then please reach out to your teachers.

Social Media

On a lighter note, you may have seen our shout outs to our students learning from home on our FB page. I know other schools have their staff singing, lip-syncing and even principals dancing on social media. That isn't going to happen here. I think we have all suffered enough without subjecting people to that!! Our Yr 3 teachers set the bar very high, very early and you know what they say, you can't improve on perfection!

Just a reminder that Week 3 Joeys@Home site will be updated on Monday evening, May 4th.

I hope you all enjoy a slightly less restricted long weekend.

Kind Regards

Tim

RE Across the School

In Religion the Year 6’s have been exploring the question “How is the Holy Spirit alive today?” Students at home and at school were required to create a collage that demonstrated their understanding of what the Holy Spirit is. They used Google Draw to create their collage. Check out some of their wonderful work below.

Meanwhile, Year 5 have been sharing some of the prayers that they have written. They have used the You, Who, Do, Through structure to create their prayers.

If you have any learning at home photos please send them through to ajones13@sjnwtsv.catholic.edu.au.

Feast of St Joseph the Worker

We celebrate two feast days for Joseph: March 19 for Joseph the Husband of Mary and May 1 for Joseph the Worker. March 19 has been the most commonly celebrated feast day for Joseph, and it wasn't until 1955 that Pope Pius XII established the Feast of "St. Joseph the Worker" to be celebrated on May 1. This is also May Day (International Workers' Day) and believed to reflect Joseph's status as the patron of workers.

Who Will Walk With Us on May 9?

On Saturday, May 9, Gary Pinto will be hosting a free online concert for Project Compassion, bringing Australian and International music stars directly from their lounge room to yours.

We are overjoyed to announce some of the musicians who will be bringing their big talents (and big hearts) to the show:

Gary Pinto
Diesel
Carmen Smith
Bobbie Lee Stamper
Matt Gresham

More artists are confirming by the day, so we will be sending updates to let you know who to expect in your lounge room!
Walk With Me: Loungeroom Sessions
When: Saturday, May 9, 2020, at 4 p.m
Where: Pre-register HERE

I hope that everyone is keeping well and is being kind to themselves. Please remember to reach out if you need anything.

Take care and God Bless

Amanda

Townsville 2 Cairns Challenge

Our annual 'Townsville 2 Cairns Challenge' will continue to operate daily, whether students are learning from home or at school. Students are able to record their distance (in km's) using the form on the student intranet, under Student Notices (see image below). Students are asked if running/walking at home, to be safe and advise parents of their activity. Distances at home can be estimated. For students at school, their laps will be calculated and recorded each day in class.

Great news, we have arrived in Cairns! Due to the overwhelming response from our Joeys@ home and students at school, we are now going to turn around and run back to Townsville.

Term 2 Fees

Could all families that have a Health Care or Pensioner Concession Card please present the card to the office as soon as possible. If you are waiting to receive a card from Centrelink, documentation to substantiate this will be accepted. The card must be current until at least the end of Term 2.

Any families that have siblings at another of the Catholic Schools in our Diocese may be entitled to a discount. Please email the office; enquiries@sjnwtsv.catholic.edu.au if you think you are eligible or if you have any other questions regarding the fee process.

Most information regarding fees can also be found on our website.

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St Joseph's Catholic School The Strand

Arlene Curley

0413843574

arlskitty@hotmail.com