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Principal's Message

Dear Parents

This week marks the beginning of the season of Lent, the 40 days leading up to Easter. Lent like Advent is a time of preparation. During Lent, Christian people often do a few things to help them prepare for Easter. Traditionally, it was seen as a time when people ‘give up’ a particular treat or indulgence. However, it is now seen more as a time of reflection. People are encouraged to take time to think about themselves and their lives. They might ask questions like, "How can I be a better person?" or "What can I do to help others more?"

The number 40 is important during Lent. It represents the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert before he began his ministry. So, Lent is a bit like a mini-adventure where we try to be more like Jesus and ready ourselves to celebrate his amazing story at Easter. Even if you're not part of a Christian tradition, Lent can still be a good time to think about how you can make the world a better place and challenge yourself to be the best person you can be.

As we enter this very special time in our Catholic year, we also look inwards to ways we can connect more deeply with God, through prayer and reflection. We also invite families to attend Saturday evening and Sunday morning Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Church during this Lenten period.

School Annual Improvement Plan - 2024

Each year our staff articulates a 'School Annual Improvement Plan' or SAIP. This is derived from a range of data, our 'Tell them from Me Surveys', The School Improvement Tool and our progress from last year's School Improvement Plan actioned in 2023.

This year our school will be reviewed by an ACER reviewer and a Review Team from the Catholic Schools Lismore Diocese. This will take place late in Term 2. We will be informing our parent body of the process for feedback and the assistance we would like from you in helping us improve our school further.

The review ends up asssiting us to formalise a 3 year School Improvement Plan. I will be making constant reference to this years SAIP, in order to draw your attention to the goals we have set and are working on, as a school, in 2024.

The two SMART goals that we are working on come from Mission and the Learning and Teaching areas.

School Improvement Plan - Mission Goal

Improve student Religious Education success through the implementation of evidence based pedagogy.

Learning

Embed REnew & Project-Based Learning into Stage 3
Develop Staff knowledge in Religious Education content and how to apply the ‘Emmaus’ and PBL models in the RE Curriculum
Embed - storytelling, scripture, Christian meditation, retreats, and how to plan for authentic experiences.
How to create quality differentiated Religious Education assessments (Backward Design PL)

We want to build upon the work of the Learning Collaborative and implement the Assessment Waterfall framework (LI, SC, Learning Walks and Talks peer and self-assessment).

We want teachers to create Learning Experiences that provide opportunities for students to engage deeply with the Catholic faith that allow them to connect real-life experiences with the gospel teaching (Emmaus).

School Improvement Plan - Learning & Teaching Goal

Improve student Mathematical growth through the implementation of evidence based pedagogy.

Learning

Embedding the Assessment Waterfall framework (LWT, CASW, CMM, Data Walls)
How to create quality differentiated Mathematics assessments (Backward Design PL)
Visible Learning in the Collaborative Work
Create quality differentiated Mathematics assessments
Use MAI data and assessment data to inform instruction

Our Future learning will be focused on Mathematics based on data collated from the Maths Assessment Interviews (MAIs) conducted at the start of the term.

Stay Connected

Stay informed about all things St Joseph’s by reading our fortnightly Newsletter and COMPASS reminders as well as following us on social media - Facebook page. These platforms will keep you updated on important announcements, achievements, and the latest happenings within our school community.

Parent/Teacher Communication

The best outcomes occur for our children when school and home, work together. We look forward to continuing to build the strong links between families and school this year. Your child’s teacher is obviously an integral part and there may be times during the year, aside from our scheduled Meet and Greet in Term 1, when you need to contact your child’s teacher. If so, contact can be made via the Office 6585 1745 or through the classroom's chosen platform.

We request that our teacher's time outside working hours be respected and if a message was to be outside working times it will be attended to during their hours of work or immediately following school hours when time is available. You can also contact your child’s teacher via our Office, by leaving a message. Teachers return your call as soon as possible. As you can appreciate, teachers are very busy during the school day. Any ‘urgent’ day to day messages for your child regarding travel arrangements, medications, lunches etc... must be made by calling the Office. 6585 1745

Change of Routine

Please remember to inform the Office by phone if there is going to be a change in pick up routine. If a parent is running late, please contact the school Office 6585 1745. If you have organised for someone else to collect your child, please inform the Office of this as soon as possible, on the day. Ideally your child should be informed of going home arrangements prior to leaving home.

Collecting Children for appointments

If you need to collect your children throughout the day, please keep in mind that it is very hard to locate your children during Lunch 1 and Lunch 2 break times. If you need to collect your child during these times, it would be appreciated if you ring/email the school in the morning and we can organise to have your child in the Office at that time.

Lunch 1- 10.50 am to 11.30 am

Lunch 2 - 1.15 pm to 1.45 pm

Uniform Expectations

At St Joseph’s Primary School, we are dedicated to ensuring our students take pride in wearing their school uniforms. Students are expected to wear their complete uniform neatly, including their sports uniform each Wednesday and Friday. It is important that students adhere to the correct uniform requirements at all times.

Regarding hair - we expect that long hair, regardless of gender, is tied back neatly. Extreme hairstyles such as mullets, steps, undercuts, cut-in designs, and extreme haircuts are not permitted. School-coloured ribbons of blue and gold are acceptable hair accessories. Jewellery, except for small gold or silver studs or sleepers in both ears, is not permitted. Makeup or nail polish should not be worn during school hours. As a SunSmart school, our broad-brimmed hat must be worn for all outdoor activities. Correct black polishable school shoes and complete black joggers for Sport with our SJW socks. Please ensure all clothing is labelled with your child’s name.

Commencing next week, if your child is found wearing the incorrect school uniform, you will receive a notification via COMPASS from the Office. It is necessary for parents to acknowledge this message and rectify the uniform issue promptly. Failure to comply with uniform expectations, despite reminders and Office notifications, will result in the implementation of the School's Behaviour Procedures. This could include your child being sent home or requiring parents to bring in the correct uniform. In severe cases, it may lead to termination of enrolment.

We appreciate your cooperation in maintaining the high standards for uniform wearing at St Joseph’s School, Wauchope.

As we embark on this academic year, let's embrace the challenges and triumphs that come our way. Together, we will create a supportive and engaging environment for our students to thrive. Thank you for being an integral part of the St Joseph’s School community.

Peace be with You

Brendan Kiely

Term 1 – Last school day

Thursday 11 April 2024

PUPIL FREE DAY - Staff Development

Friday 12 April 2024