Dear Parents and Carers,

It has come the end of another term and the school year is again flying by. It has been another very busy term and I congratulate all the students once again for the outstanding behaviour and effort they put into their schooling each and every day. We are truly blessed to all be a part of a supportive and friendly environment.

Well done to our Mini Vinnies for again putting on a fundraiser this week to support the MS Foundation. Our students always give generously to these causes which given them the opportunity to think about the lives of others and the challenges that many people have to face in their own lives.

Thanks to Mrs Maslen and Miss Jordan for taking our Year 5 and 6 students to Sydney last week. It was a wonderful opportunity for all our students but in particular students that had never been to Sydney before. Well done to all the students who went along and especially to the students who were put out of their own comfort zone by being away from their families for the three days. It is also can be a challenge for the staff members that also need to be away from families for three days so I would like to thank Mrs Maslen, Miss Jordan and the other staff members from Bulahdelah who all generously gave up their own take to provide this experience for our students.

Term 4 will no doubt be a busy one once again. In the newsletter are some dates for the first part of the term which will include a Pupil Free Day on Friday 20th October (Week 2) as well as the commencement of swimming for sport on Tuesday's from Week 4. We also have our new Kindergarten kids coming in for Early Birds starting in Week 5.

Finally I would like to thank our wonderful volunteers that come in each Monday for shared table. They all do a fabulous job for the students and we all appreciate them for giving up their time each Monday. We are still looking for some extra support for shared table if anyone can offer some time.

I hope that you all have a safe and enjoyable holiday. We look forward to all the students coming back on Monday 9th October for Term 4.

Yours sincerely,

Adam McCann

(Acting Principal)

Please note that Friday 20th October will be a Pupil Free Day. Staff will be engaged in a Professional Development Day. Please make arrangements for your children on this day. OOSH is intending to be open on this day if you need supervision for your child.

On the pupil free day in Term 4 all the staff in our school will work with one of the Religious Education Officers from the CSO in reviewing our current Vision and Mission Statement. For Vision and Mission statements to be truly ‘living and lived’ in the life of the school, they must be carefully crafted and reflective of the school as they are now, as well as the school they seek to become. Vision and Mission statements should never live on the office shelf but should animate all community life and work of the school. Schools can be ‘transformed’ and ‘transforming’ when the statements are not just known and stated, but they are the lived and felt reality in the life of the school. 

So, this day is more than just writing some words about our school. It is finding what our community values in our school and what they would like our school to be in the present and the future. 

As a part of this process we would like to get some thoughts not only from our staff but also parents, students and the parish community on what they see as essential values in the Vision and Mission of this wonderful school. Our current Vision and Mission Statement reads as follows:

"At St. Joseph's Gloucester, we provide our students with a faith-based education that promotes inclusion, shared responsibility, and a nurturing environment with an expectation that all students can reach their potential in becoming lifelong learners."

If you have time, we would appreciate your feedback by completing this two question survey on what you consider to be an important aspect of our school's Vision and Mission. The response will help the staff in their understanding of what the vision of the school is for their children.

Thanks for taking the time to complete the survey.

Year 5/6 Camp

Last week, Year 5 and 6 students attended camp in Sydney with Miss. Jordan, Mrs. Maslen and students and teachers from St. Joseph's Bulahdelah. We were lucky enough to attend many amazing places such as, Cockatoo Island, Sydney Opera House, Mary Mackilliop Place, Australian Muesem, Botanic Gardens and Pieces of the Past Dig at YHA. One of our favourite places to visit was Cockatoo Island as we were able to see and experience what life was like for people living on the Island 'Then, Now and Tomorrow'. On Thursday evening we celebrated a successful camp with a Chinese Banquet and a trip to Stike Bowling. 
We were absolutely exhausted but had the most amazing time!

The Mini Vinnies have continued their work to help others and support charities.

On Monday, we held a successful fundraiser for MS Australia. (Multiple Sclerosis) and raised $50.

We held a number of activities and the winners of the “Guessing Competitions” were Myla and Stephenie from K/1, Aubrey from Yr. 2/3 and Ella from Yr. 4/5/6.

Special thanks for your donations and to the Mini Vinnies team of Lola, Ewan, Harry, Lillie and Bella who led the Mini Vinnies activity.

Looking ahead to next term, the Mini Vinnies will be arranging another fundraiser. This day will support Cancer research.

We will also be holding our annual Christmas Appeal during November, to support local Gloucester families in need.

Thank You for your continued support of the work of our Mini Vinnies.

Thanks so much to our volunteers again for shared table during this term. Our parents do an amazing job every Monday and we are all grateful for time that they give.

We are currently looking for any parents that maybe able to do one or two weeks of shared table during Term 4. If you are able to help can you please contact the office.

At this stage, this will be our interim shared table for Term 4. Our volunteer parents are also look to add some variety to the menu. We always endeavour to keep the menu as listed but appreciate your understanding if we need to change it due to unforseen circumstances.

The warm weather has certainly arrived in time for swimming season! Next term, all students from Kindergarten to Year Six will be participating in swimming for Sport. Sport will be on Tuesday next term, with swimming beginning in Week 4 on October 31st. Our swimming program will run for seven weeks with the last day of swimming being on December 12th. Sessions will run from 12:30 - 2:30. 

Guudji Yiigu.

This term we have been focusing on the heritage of our local Worimi and Biripi land and the language that is spoken. To understand the Gathung language we have been breaking it down and learning greetings and numbers. We have also been learning about Aboriginal symbols then incorporating them into our artwork of an afternoon.

The children have been very passionate about understanding their culture and we look forward to continuing the lessons into Term Four with visits from our local community members to discuss stories and experiences.  

With the extreme hot weather this week, it is a timely reminder that there is an expectation that all students will have a hat at school each day. Unfortunately there have been a number of students who constantly forget to bring their hat to school each day.

Before the commencement of Term 4, could you please make sure that your child has a St. Joseph's School hat and that it is clearly marked with their name on the labelling inside.

School hats are avaible for purchase in the office for $10 (cap) or $12 (slouch).

St Joseph’s Primary School endeavours to provide a safe environment for students, including students with severe nut allergies. The number of children with food allergies in Australia is increasing and it is estimated that 1 in 20 have a food allergy and 1 in 50 have a peanut allergy. The most common food allergies are peanuts, tree nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews etc) cow’s milk, soy, seafood and eggs. The health and wellbeing of students at this school is carefully considered in all activities. Parents are requested not to send food to school that contain nuts, especially peanuts. This includes products such as peanut paste, most nuts, peanut cooking oil and other foods that may contain nuts.