Dear Community Members
Thank you to those families who attended the recent combined Parents and Friends and School Board Annual General Meeting. I hope those that attended found the content of the evening useful in understanding the vision for the school and how the school has been working towards this.
Again, in 2019 our school has expanded a platform that we will be able to leverage off well into the future to create a strong sustainable school. As a community we continue to develop our school ensuring that it is a place for everyone, a place that is centred on equity where we live out our motto “in omnibus caritas - in all things love”, enabling ‘the social teachings of the Catholic Church’ and the recontextualised mission of Mary MacKillop to live within our community. 2020 will mark the building of the new proposed Performing Arts Centre. Below are some images of what this space will look like. In the coming months I will share with you some more detailed plans that are currently being developed.
On Wednesday 18 March we will also hold our first School Board meeting for the year. The St Joseph’s Memorial School Board members are; Megan Nehmy, Nick McCabe, Janelle Harris, Brett Thompson, Roman Kluba, Nick Watson, Grace Vassallo-Wakefield, Paula Wesley and Fr Paul Mullins. This year we continue to work on our capital development and how we can strengthen our partnerships with the other 8 Catholic schools in the Eastern Region; St Joseph‘s Hectorville, St Joseph’s Tranmere, St Joseph’s School Payneham, Saint Francis of a Assisi, Rostrevor College, Loreto College, Mary MacKillop College and St Ignatius College.
This year we are also looking for more members to join our Parents and Friends Committee. This committee is an integral part of the St Joseph’s Memorial School community, where parents can be part of their child’s education and actively participate in the organisation of a range of social, fundraising activities that build our wonderful sense of community. They work to provide support to the school in various ways, including promoting the school’s Vision Statement through action within the school community. Please see Mrs Vassallo-Wakefield or myself if you would like to join us.
Parent Involvement, Learning Goals and Reading
The majority of you have already met with your child’s teacher/s, and your support and contribution are highly valued. The genuine conversations about your children are a testimony to the authentic partnership that exists within, across and through our community. We are not simply going through the motions, we are working together to establish goals and create the conditions for your child to have a successful 2020 in all aspects of their schooling. I thank you all for your ongoing support and commitment.
“Parental involvement in children’s education from an early age has a significant effect on educational achievement, and continues to do so into adolescence and adulthood.” The Impact of Parental Involvement on Children’s Education (2011).
As Catholic Educators the recognition as, understanding of and belief in parents as the first educators of their children is ‘hard-wired’ into our DNA. For many of you when we first met this was articulated as a relationship between the expert (parent) and professional (teacher) with the child at the centre of every conversation. This is something we continually seek to honour through our continued partnership.
Reading
Research and studies of how children learn to read show that parents reading regularly with their child has the greatest positive effect in a child becoming a reader, with many of these children being able to read before they enter school or, at least having the attributes to be able to learn to read once starting school.
Children and parents reading together for just 10-15 minutes per day will significantly improve your child’s reading skills and, in turn, improve their life prospects and expectations.
Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday
Next week, are two significant days in the church calendar; Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday. This year we focus on Shrove Tuesday, rather than Carnevale. Shrove Tuesday is a day of observance where Christians prepare for Lent. Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent. We know that Lent is a very special time of the year where we as Christians prepare for Easter by reflecting on our lives. It is a time where we focus more fully on making good and better choices. On Wednesday, our foreheads are marked with ashes to humble our hearts and remind us that life passes away on Earth. Ashes are a symbol of penance made sacramental by the blessing of the Church, and they help us develop a spirit of humility and sacrifice. The ashes are made from the blessed palms used in the Palm Sunday celebration of the previous year. The ashes are then blessed with Holy Water.
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning in many respects; we begin our journeys to become more like Jesus. Wherever we are going on any journey, we have to begin where we actually are, the here and now.
In Class Support
Parents and caregivers (who have a current Catholic Schools Police Clearance) are welcome in classrooms to listen to the students read or get involved with excursions and class activities. Please see your classroom teacher if this is something that interests you, it would be greatly appreciated.
God Bless
Brady Stallard
Photo: Preschool students measuring the length of objects using unifix cubes
|
