Week 4, Term 4 2024

Congratulations to the wonderful artists at St Joseph’s School who exhibited their stunning works of art at our biannual Arts Show last Wednesday evening.  Every student from Preschool to Year 6 displayed at least one piece and our MacKillop Centre of Learning Art Gallery definitely rivelled any world famous gallery!  Our evening was beautifully enhanced by musical performances from many of our resident musicians and congratulations to students who performed to the appreciative crowds as they meandered through our performance galleries. These events do not happen by accident and a grateful thank you to all our teaching staff and our team of music tutors for supporting students to showcase their artistic talents.  Thank you also to Andrea Boseley once again who coordinated refreshments for the evening and to volunteers who assisted.  

As Term 4 progresses, teachers are hard at work finalising and assessing student learning.  Over the coming weeks they will also be organising class placements for 2025.   

Forming class groups is a careful process whereby the teachers consider several factors to plan for the best learning environment for each student.  Students are asked to name several friends they believe they learn well with, and teachers take this into consideration to ensure at least one preference. Other factors around learning needs, year level, gender balance and student numbers all need to be balanced with friendship preferences. Please be aware that class placements are the school’s domain, and whilst parents may prefer a certain teacher or a particular combination of students in their child’s class, such requests cannot be considered.  

Resilience, and an ability to work with a variety of peers, are important skills for children to build. Over the coming weeks teachers will focus on helping students prepare positively for the upcoming changes.  

If you have a significant issue that may affect class placement decisions, for example, a sibling or cousin in the same year level combination, please make a time to speak with me before the end of next week. Class placements, when completed, will be final.  

 Thank you for your trust with this process. 

Due to enrolment numbers, our class structures will change for 2025. In addition to our Preschool groups, we will begin in R – 6 with ten classes and this will grow to eleven classes with the mid-year Reception intake. Teacher placement is still in progress and hopefully can be shared soon. Our class structure in 2025 will be:

Preschool x 2 groups 

Reception x 2 classes with a 3rd Reception class beginning in Term 3 

Year 1 /2 x 3 classes 

Year 3 x 1 class 

Year 4/5 x 3 classes 

Year 6 x 1 class 

Recently, we have been considering the need and viability of changing our OSHC opening time from 7:30am to 7am.  19 families who currently use OSHC in the mornings have responded favourably. Should this change go ahead the fee will increase by $3.00 for the morning session as we will need to pay staffing and on costs for this extra time each day.  

We are now seeking feedback from the wider school community as I imagine there are currently families who may not be using our OSHC service because the current opening time does not suit them. 

If you believe your family would utilise the Before School Care OSHC service if it opened at 7am and have not replied to Maria Cronin’s survey in OSHC, please reply via this link by Wednesday 13 November. 

Several positions will become available on our School Board at the end of 2024. If you are interested finding out more about being a school board member, feel free to reach out to a current board member (Craig Costello, Ben Hall, Romina Cirilo, Rebekah Walton, Laura Morris) or myself.  Nominations will be called for in the coming weeks. 

Wishing you a wonderful week, 

Marianne Farrugia

Principal 

We are excited to announce that Zoe Loveder has been invited to participate in the upcoming video clip for Andrew Chinn's "Pilgrim's of Hope," for the Jubilee Year 2025! Zoe’s enthusiasm and commitment to this project truly reflect her talent and hard work.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to Vince for his exceptional work in video and audio production, and to Reanna for her vocal training and support. Your efforts have made this collaboration possible!

We look forward to sharing the completed video clip and invite you to celebrate Zoe’s exciting journey, along with the incredible teamwork behind this project!

Last term, all Year 4 students participated in an assessment developed by the Catholic Education Office, aligned with the learning outcomes of the Crossways Religious Education Framework. Known as ReLAT, this assessment evaluates the foundational knowledge covered in Religious Education lessons. It's important to note that ReLAT is not a measure of a child’s faith or their involvement in the broader Catholic community.

We are pleased to report that our Year 4 students tried their best, showing continuous improvement in their learning. These results provide a valuable snapshot of our students' knowledge within the Religious Education curriculum and will help inform our teaching and learning practices moving forward.

Parents can expect to receive their child’s ReLAT report by next week. Congratulations to our Year 4 students for their outstanding efforts. A special thank you to our dedicated teachers for their preparation and support.

I am pleased to announce our Sacramental Candidates: Amelie, Mattia, Spencer, Caterina, Sonila, Bellarosa, Evie, Nathan. I have been working with these children to prepare for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Last week, we held our Parent Information Session, and we look forward to the Family Workshop on Tuesday, November 19.

We warmly invite our school community to our Presentation Mass this Sunday, November 10, at 9 a.m. at Sacred Heart Church, where our Sacramental Candidates will be presented to the Parish Community.

We pray for our students and their families as they journey in faith.

Today, we were fortunate to have Sandra from St Vincent de Paul (SVdP) visit our Mini Vinnies group to discuss options for our upcoming Christmas Appeal. More details will follow as we seek your support for this important time of year.

Sandra also presented a certificate of participation in recognition of the generous support our school community has shown throughout 2024, under the leadership of our Mini Vinnies leaders.

We are privileged to support our Hindmarsh Conference and are deeply grateful for the kindness and generosity you have shown through the various initiatives supported this year. We are proud to live out our Mary MacKillop motto, "Never see a need without doing something about it," as we continue to support those in need with compassion and dedication.

Next week, on November 11th, we observe Remembrance Day, a time to honour the bravery of those who served in the military and to reflect on the sacrifices made for our freedom. Established to mark the end of World War I in 1918, this day highlights the importance of peace.

Thank You to Our Talented Musicians and Tutors

A heartfelt thank you to the incredible students and their dedicated tutors who delivered outstanding performances at our recent Arts Evening. Your dedication, skill, and passion for music truly shone, making the night unforgettable for everyone in attendance. Each performance was a testament to the countless hours of practice and the guidance of our wonderful tutors, who have nurtured and inspired our young musicians every step of the way.

Thank you all for sharing your talents with us and making this event a memorable celebration of the arts! We are proud to have such talented individuals representing our school.

Mrs Arthur

Performing Arts Teacher

On the 5th of November St Joseph's Hindmarsh School competed at the 2024 SACPSSA Athletics Carnival. 44 students travelled by bus to the South Australian Athletics Centre and competed against eight other schools. Through the weather was humid and stormy, our students competed to a really high level with many stand out performances.

Kinaaz was awarded the stand out performer for the Year 4 girls category and our Year 4 girls won their year level pennant, an outstanding effort.

Our overall standing for both the male and female categories was amazing. Our girls finished second overall only four points shy of first position, and our boys won the shield for the second year straight.

Overall an amazing achievement for the school and it really highlights all of the effort the students have put into our recent Sports Day preperation as well as learning athletics in PE lessons in Term 3. A huge congratulations to all involved on the day!

The Year 3/4 teaching team has recently begun exploring relationships as part of our Visible Wellbeing Program. In our initial session, we focused on understanding the powerful impact of giving and receiving positive affirmations. We discussed the psychological benefits, such as boosting self-esteem, strengthening connections, and fostering a supportive atmosphere among both students and teachers. To put this into practice, we engaged in a practical task: offering genuine compliments to one another. This exercise not only highlighted the importance of recognising and appreciating each other’s strengths but also created a positive and uplifting environment within our cohort.

At St Joseph’s Hindmarsh, learning is co-constructed and dynamic.  Learners are encouraged to IMAGINE, DISCOVER and CREATE and to make meaningful connections with their world.  

As capable learners they are given opportunities to develop capabilities that build their confidence and skills to engage with the curriculum and ACHIEVE excellence.

56 Albemarle Street, West Hindmarsh SA, Australia
8424 6400
info@sjsh.catholic.edu.au