Dear Parents

We have come to an end of an extremely busy term here at St. Joseph's. This week has been a reflective one leading up to the scared time of Easter. The students have participated in Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday (The Last Supper), and the Stations of the Cross (Good Friday) Liturgies. It is a reflective time of the year knowing that this was Jesus' last week on earth and the events of this week would change the history of the world forever. It is always wonderful watching our students being actively involved in our school Liturgies. Times for the Parish's Holy Week and Easter Masses are in this newsletter and I know that Father Terry and the parishioners would love to see some of students at these Masses.

Yesterday we also finished our Lenten Project Compassion Appeal. This culminated in a Big Water Walk. Students were place in teams to see how many litres of water they could carry on their heads over a distance of 1km. 

This week saw a huge change for our hall with the installation of a massive 160 inch panel screen display tv. This is amazing piece of technology that has been installed at our school. We are only one of 4 schools in our Diocese to have these installed.

This afternoon we finished off our term with a wonderful Easter Hat Parade and Easter Egg Hunt.

On behalf of the teachers and staff, I would like to wish all families a safe and Holy Easter break.

Yours Sincerley 

Adam McCann

Holy Week

This week we reflected on the events of Holy Week with a Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday and Good Friday Liturgy. It was fantastic to see the students participate in a respectful and reverent manner during these Liturgies. The students are very inquisitve about the events that took place and they demonstrated great knowledge of the events leading up to Easter.

Palm Sunday

We burnt the palm leaves from our liturgy to create our own ashes for Ash Wednesday next year.

Holy Thursday 

2/3 did a wonderful freeze enactmnet of the Last Supper. The students reflected on the painting of Leonardo da Vinci, talking about the story within the painting.

Good Friday

4/5/6 performed the Stations of the Cross through a series of still frame movements to a song called 'We Remember'.

Project Compassion

Yesterday the students partcipated in a Big Water Walk activity. Students were placed into groups and were required to walk the boundary of the school as a team with a quantity of water in their bucket on their heads. Each team member was required to walk part of the track with the support of their team mates. The activity was designed to show how difficult it is to carry water long distances for people in the world where they are required to cart water back to their homes. 

Thank you to all the students that returned their Project Compassion boxes with a total of $162 raised this year.

Happy Holidays everyone.

Term 1 has again been busy with lots of activities happening and a terrific sense of "family" and "caring" amongst our school community.

The Mini Vinnies held a recent fundraising event for Brain Cancer research. The Op Shop was highly successful (thanks everyone for your donations of used/ pre-loved goods) and the grand Auction was great entertainment with lots of enthusiastic bidding by students (and some staff). The organising group of Remi, Georgia, Thomas and Hamish were great fundraisers and managed a grand total of $269.50. 

Canteen has now changed over to ordering via the Spriggy Schools App. After two weeks trial this term, we are receiving positive feedback from parents and students and the Spriggy App will be continued next term. A reminder that if you are not ordering and food items or drinks, Icy Cups can purchased over the counter for 50c in cash. (if ordering food and drinks via the App, you may wish to add the icy cup to the order there.) Your feedback is always welcome.

We also held a very successful Harmony Day celebration during this term with students really getting on board with the theme of "We all belong".

Next term the Mini Vinnies will hold their annual Winter Appeal ifor the month of June... so start knitting and crotcheting ...

Thank You everyone for your support during Term 1.

Have a great holiday with your children and family and we look forward to another great term after the school vacation.

School Cross Country Carnival

Last Friday we travelled to Gloucester Park for our School Cross Country Carnival. We were so proud of all the students that ran on the day and gave their best effort. The following are the results for the carnival. We also congratulate the highlighted students who made the cut off qulaifying times to make it to the Diocesan Cross Country at Maitland in May.

Times for Holy Week and Easter Sunday:

Holy Thursday 17 Apr.: 5.30 pm Mass in Gloucester.

Good Friday 18 Apr.: 2.30 pm in Gloucester - Stations of the Cross. 3 pm Passion, Adoration of the Cross, Holy Communion. Also, 11 am in Stroud – Stations & Adoration of the Cross.

Saturday 19 Apr.: 6.30 pm (after sunset) in Krambach – Mass preceded by the Service of Light.

Easter Sunday 20 Apr.: 9 am Mass in Gloucester. Also, 11 am Mass in Stroud.

In Term 2, students in years 2 and 4 will participate in the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT). This test evaluates students' reasoning abilities in three key areas essential for success in school:

1. Verbal Battery: Assesses students' ability to reason with words and concepts, crucial for reading comprehension, critical thinking, writing, and verbal learning tasks.
2. Quantitative Battery: Measures students' ability to reason with quantitative symbols and concepts, which are vital for problem-solving in mathematics and other disciplines.
3. Nonverbal Battery: Evaluates students' ability to reason with geometric shapes and figures, requiring them to implement strategies for solving novel problems.

These batteries provide a comprehensive view of each student's learned reasoning abilities, identifying both strengths and areas for improvement. CogAT aims to support differentiated practice in education by helping teachers adapt instruction to meet the unique needs and abilities of each student.

It's important to note that CogAT scores are not integrated into report grades or other conventional measures of school achievement. The focus is on tailoring instruction and fostering a supportive, inclusive learning environment based on each child's ability.

If you have any concerns or questions about your child's academic progress or specific educational needs, please schedule a meeting with your child's teacher. They will discuss your child's strengths and areas for growth based on various assessments. Additionally, you can contact our Gifted Education Mentor Terri Cornish-Allen (terri.cornish-allen@mn.catholic.edu.au), or Leader of High Potential and Gifted Education, Maree Karaka (maree.karaka@mn.catholic.edu.au), for further assistance.

Thank you for your continued support in ensuring the best educational outcomes for our students.

Students are able to wear their winter uniform on commencement back in Term 2.  Please call the office for any uniform orders or pick ups.

Hello Parents/Carers,

We are seeking Volunteers to assist with Shared Table on Monday's for Term 2.  If you can spare a couple of hours on an occasional Monday please contact office to discuss further.  We are hoping our Shared Table program will continue.  

In Term 2, Sport Day will be Wednesday and Library Day will be on Thursday. 

All students are invited to attend the Anzac Day March on Friday 25th April. Students participating in the march should assemble at 10.15am outside Club Gloucester in Denison Street. The march will proceed along Church Street, up Hume Street to the Memorial Clock Park for the ceremony which begins at 11am.
Students should wear full summer uniform. It would be great to have a good representation from students at our St Joseph's. 

https://gloucester.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/cybersafety-au

Monday 28th April will be a Pupil Free Day. Staff will be participating in professional development. Please make other arrangements for your child on this date.

We’re inviting residents to be part of an new initiative to support the next generation of teachers and strengthen our schools.

Our Student Teacher Accommodation Program aims to connect university student teachers with free or low-cost housing in Gloucester if they come here; therefore, helping them complete their teaching placements in our community.

By offering a spare room, you’ll provide invaluable support to aspiring educators while showcasing the benefits of living and working in our beautiful region.

The goal? To encourage these teachers to stay on and begin their careers here after graduating. Hosting is flexible, and we’ll work with you to match student teachers to suitable homes. Whether you can offer a short-term stay or longer-term accommodation, every bit helps in shaping the future of education in Gloucester.

Interested in becoming a host? Fill out the form below, and we’ll be in touch with more details! For more information, please contact the Gloucester High School P&C rep for this initiative, Nige at nigel@provocatus.com.au.

Please note NO information provided will be shared with any party. Once a possible connection is identified necessary information ONLY (such as name a number) will only be passed once details/agreement has/is confirmed.

Nige McIntosh

Co Vice-President

Gloucester High P&C

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=BrTIvVqM4kWYKbeFcjl7LR-_MPtxfRhIoFHJisISsYRUOEFHTThHR0MyQjkzQ05IMkFBMDM0Wk9YMS4u