Term 1 Week 3 - 2023

It was wonderful to see so many parents/carers at the Parent Education Session about the new K - 2 Syllabus and Class Parent Information Nights. We would like to thank all the staff for the time and energy they spent organising and hosting these sessions and all the parents/carers for continuing to support them. We would also like to say a huge thank you to Emma Hockham for coordinating the BBQ on the night and to all the staff who assisted with the babysitting in the library.

As a school, we are always looking for ways to improve these sessions to increase school partnerships with our families. For those who attended the Parent Information Night, we would love to hear your feedback on what was valuable and what we could include next time or follow up with more information. Please click on the link to share your feedback ideas.

Today we held our Opening School Mass. Thank you to all the families who were able to attend. Father Michael welcomed everyone, especially the Kindergarten students who got to stand on the seats to say "hello". We also commissioned our Year 6 students into their leadership roles and Father Michael talked to the students about "servant leadership". Well done to all our helpers and our choir who have worked hard to learn 5 songs this week.

Next week, we have another busy week in the term calendar. The season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, our parent-to-teacher interviews commence, and we have a Family School Partnership night in the library on Wednesday evening. 

Lent is the season of reflection and preparation before Easter, and its observance culminates in the solemn celebrations of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil, which lie at the heart of the Catholic year. In Catholic tradition, Lent is marked by fasting, reflection, giving to others and deepening our sacramental living, especially in Reconciliation. In schools, children are reminded to 'give up something' or 'think of others' in building an understanding of the inner life needed by a maturing Christian. 

As communicated by our class teachers during the Parent Information Night, you are invited to come along and meet with or have a phone chat with your child’s class teacher. This is an opportunity to pass on any relevant information about how your child learns best, any adjustments you feel they need in the classroom, wellbeing concerns, questions or clarification you need or anything else that may be relevant to supporting your child at school. Interview times may be booked online. If you would like this to be over the phone, please make sure you communicate this to the class teacher via email with your best contact number for the time to call. Parent to Teacher Interviews

As last week's newsletter mentioned, we will be holding a Family School Partnership night on Wednesday in the library. All interested families, past P & F members and class parents are welcome to come along. On this night, we will continue our discussions about a new P&F model that the Diocese proposed in 2022 that focuses less on fundraising and more on friend-raising to strengthen our strong, connected, and supportive community here at St Joseph's Laurieton. The night will be led by our Family School Partnership officers from the CSO, Janita Thomson and Hilary Shultz. Nibbles and babysitting will be provided on the night. To help with planning, please RSVP here. 

Best wishes from the leadership team 

Welcome, Club!

Each morning (except Tuesdays), we offer a welcome club area on the playground side of the hall from 8:30. This is in place of our Early Bird Reading just for Term 1. We have books laid out on a comfy mat, along with colouring and drawing materials. Anyone is invited to come along and read, chat, draw, and hang out with other students or as a family. If your child is a little hesitant transitioning into school or would like something a bit more structured to do in the mornings before the bell rings, come along and join in.

NAPLAN

This year the National Assessment Program for students in years 3 and 5 will be scheduled much earlier. The key dates will be during week 7 this term with testing on three days from Wednesday 15th March. The assessments are all online (except writing in year 3) and our students have already begun practice tests and preparation in class. For further information, please read the additional information in this link or contact your child’s class teacher for any questions.

Family Connections and Support