Dear Parents/ Carers

With only one week in this term remaining it is hard to believe it has gone so quickly. It has been an amazing term for our school and our students.  There have been so many wonderful events and achievements, and with another week of Eisteddfod performances to come I am confident that these achievements will only increase.

This week schools received more informed feedback from our NAPLAN results.  While NAPLAN is a snapshot at a point in time for student achievement, it was pleasing to receive such positive results.  Overall St. Joseph’s achieved very well.  With nearly 1200 schools in Queensland our Year 3 results were in the top 100 schools and our Year 5 students in the top 200 schools.  While the day to day work completed by our students provides us with a more detailed picture of their talents and abilities, it has been pleasing to receive this positive feedback via NAPLAN.

It has been wonderful to receive so much positive feedback around the Joey’s at Sunset event last Saturday.  A huge crowd gathered for a relaxed social night to enjoy some amazing entertainment.  Thank you to Jason Bennett and our Parents and Friends Association for their time and efforts in bringing together such a terrific event. It certainly looks like this will become a regular event on our school calendar.  I would also like to thank members of our Parish who assisted on the night.  It has been great to have both their support and involvement in a number of events this year.  Again, an enormous thank you to all involved.

Have a great week

Tim

Sunday’s Gospel

Mark 7:31-37 - Jesus restores a man’s hearing and speech.

Sunday’s Gospel invited us to consider how we witness the healing presence of Christ in our care for and ministry to those who are sick. We notice that the deaf man is brought to Jesus for healing by his friends. These people beg Jesus to lay his hands on this deaf man so that he might be healed. Jesus’ healing power is shown in his opening of the man’s ears and the restoring of his speech. When family members care for one another when they are sick, they bring Christ’s healing presence. When we pray for those who are ill, we ask God to show his healing power. When health is restored, we share that good news with others.

As you gather as a family, recall a time when a family member was ill. What steps were taken to help restore this family member to health? Talk about what it feels like to care for a person who is ill, and about how it feels to be the sick person being cared for. In Sunday’s Gospel, we heard about a time when Jesus healed a man who was deaf. In the Gospel we notice how the man who was cured and his friends could not honor Jesus’ request to keep quiet about Jesus’ power to heal. We continue to celebrate Jesus’ healing presence in our lives by giving thanks to God for the gift of healing and health.

https://www.loyolapress.com/our-catholic-faith/liturgical-year/sunday-connection/23rd-sunday-in-ordinary-time-b-sunday-connection

International Day of Peace The International Day of Peace, or simply, “Peace Day" is observed around the world each year on 21 September. Established in 1981 by a unanimous United Nations resolution, Peace Day provides a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to peace above all differences, and to contribute to the ongoing efforts of building up a culture of peace in our society. Peace Day in 2018 celebrates the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document which has been adopted by more than 500 languages as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations.

Sign of Peace

The Sign of Peace is not about asking that we be at peace with other. It is not a sign of reconciliation. The Sign of Peace is about sharing in the peace that only the Risen Christ can bring.

In the Sign of Peace, we invite the other, in unity and solidarity, to bring Christ’s peace into their hearts as together we live out of that peace that only the Risen Christ brings.

A Prayer for Peace

Creator God,

Yours is a peace which is unfailing and knows no end.

Help us to continue to acknowledge you

when we see your peace in the hearts and minds of one another,

and inspire us by your great love

as we continue to serve you in faith and love.

We make this prayer through Jesus, your Son.

Amen.

Have a wonderful week.

God Bless

Amanda

Naplan 2018

NAPLAN results have arrived in our school and all students in Years 3 and 5 who participated have had their individual report posted today.  An information sheet explaining how to interpret your child’s results can he found here.

While  NAPLAN continues to attract some controversy across Australia, it provides us with useful data on the literacy and numeracy growth of our students as they progress through their learning.  We are very proud of the achievements of our students this year in the wide range of academic activities they have participated in - Maths Games. Speechmaker Competition, Optiminds, Readers Cup to name a few and we also want them to perform in more structured and formal settings.

We are very pleased to say that our SJS results are impressive in both the Year 3 and Year 5 classes. Being recognised as one of the top performing schools in Townsville and to achieve results that place us in the top 10% in Queensland is something our students and staff should be proud of. Our focus as part of our school improvement plan over the last couple of years has been to formalise and implement structures and strategies that continue to build a culture where high expectations of students and teachers help each child reach their potential and where we personalise and differentiate the learning for our students.

On Tuesday, Dr Judy Smeed, an expert in data analysis from QUT’s Education Faculty visited and reinforced the healthy gains that our Year 3 and 5 students have made in all test domaines- Reading, Writing, Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation and Numeracy.

Our staff will now take the opportunity to analyse the results further  and look at whole school growth and any potential areas for improvement. Congratulations and well done all Year 3 and 5 students who participated in NAPLAN testing- your results reflect your dedication to learning and your ability to respond to this kind of formal national assessment. Special thanks to our staff who work conscientiously  and collaboratively to help develop strong knowledge and skills in literacy and numeracy for all students at ST Joseph’s.

Eisteddfod

Next week all our classes will be involved in choral speaking at The Townsville Eisteddfod. It is a joy to hear the sound of children’s voices in unison as they practise across the school. This is a wonderful performance opportunity for all of our students and builds skills and confidence in formal oral language. Thank you to our teachers for incorporating this experience into learning programs and  who have worked with classes, as I’m sure there are few schools in Townsville where every student in the school participates. A special thank you to Ms Heslop for co-ordinating this activity.  Good luck to all classes and enjoy the experience!

Year 5H - looking impressive practising their poem  “Electric Energy” by Ian Souter

Jan Oram

Townsville Eisteddfod commences week 9 of this term.  The timetable for the year level Choral Speaking Unison Groups can be found here.  Good Luck!

Congratulations to our Choir at Eisteddfod this week, receiving a "Highly Commended"