Dear Parents and Caregivers
Welcome back, I trust that the summer holiday break allowed you to spend valuable time with family and loved ones. I have thoroughly enjoyed the excitement the students have shown on their return to school and their holiday recounts. It is one of the best moments in the school year, where there is so much excitement in the anticipation to catch up with friends and share holiday stories.
Over the break I enjoyed a wonderful holiday to Alice Springs, Kings Canyon and Uluru, where my family and I had the pleasure of seeing some of Australia’s best countryside. While in Alice Springs we experienced their hottest day on record. Normally I am one for new experiences and breaking records, however this was a new level. The holiday made my children realise how big Australia is.
I would like to extend a warm welcome to the 28 new families that have joined our St Joseph’s Memorial community this year. We are blessed with an additional 38 students who join us across the school. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly each child’s nerves and anxiety dissipate at the start of a new year, how within a few weeks their confidence blossoms. I was so pleased to hear that our new students had all enjoyed their first weeks and have made friends. This year I also rode the emotional rollercoaster as my baby changed schools to begin high school and was faced with the challenge of making new friends.
During the week prior to school commencing, all staff in Catholic Schools across South Australia gathered as one for the first time since Catholic Education commenced at the time of colonisation in Australia. It was amazing to be part of the 5500 strong gathering, collectively listening and learning with the Director of Catholic Education, Adelaide and Port Pirie, Vicar General Philip Marshall and Dr Kent Hoffman to realise the importance of acknowledging everyone’s worth in order to live, learn and lead together to create a world that God desires.
Also in the week prior to school commencing, we continued to focus on delivering the best educational and academic outcomes for our students from the time they start at St Joseph’s Memorial, to the day they leave, ensuring there is a consistency and continuity of learning throughout a student’s time at St Joseph’s Memorial School.
This year we focus on several key agendas:
Learning Extension Acceleration Program (LEAP)
All students will have access to and benefit from the program. LEAP engages with qualified Speech Pathologists and Occupational Therapists in Preschool to Year 1, to identify and maximise appropriate early interventions as needed. Educators will use the data gained to ensure learning is modified and individualised for every child on a daily basis. While at William Street, there will be a range of activities that offer all students the opportunity to be challenged and extended beyond the classroom; this will include Chess, Debating, Tournament of the Minds, SHIP (Students of High Intellectual Potential) Days, ICAS Testing, Speech Pathology screening if required amongst many other offerings.
Parent Learning Conversations
This week our ‘Individual Learning Conversations’ began and will continue into Week 3.
These meetings are designed to be a conversation about your child, a two-way process that enhances our crucial partnership; a process that allows us to share our hopes and expectations; a process that allows us to celebrate success and identify goals for the year; a process that is in the spirit of open, frank and continuous dialogue. As a school we have put these meetings at the centre of our partnership, 100% attendance will ensure that it stays firmly at the centre.
At the start of the term and the school year it is always beneficial to refresh our memories about a few simple but important things
Uniform: A copy of the St Joseph’s Memorial Uniform Policy is available here to assist parents in ensuring that their children are dressed correctly. I especially draw your attention to footwear, jewellery and hair styling, which at times in some cases appear to be open to interpretation. Families are asked to show their support for the standards set at the school by fully adhering to this policy. Should your child inform you that something contrary to the policy is permitted, please check with us! This will avoid ‘incorrect uniform’ notifications being sent home.
Food in School: We have a number of children in our school that are allergic to nuts. The severity of the allergy varies and in some cases it is quite severe; therefore we operate a ‘Nut Free’ policy at our school. You are asked to support this by being ‘Nut Aware’ and not sending nuts or nut products to school. This includes products such as peanut butter and Nutella/hazelnut spread, sesame seed, whole soy as well as the ‘hidden’ nut traces in products such as muesli bars, fruit bars, honey crackles made with crunchy nut cornflakes, sesame nut bars and muffins. Contact with, or ingestion of these products can have serious consequences for some of our students. I want to assure you that all procedures to assist these children at school are in place. Please do not hesitate to talk with class teachers or myself if you have any questions. Thank you for your support and cooperation.
Wrapper Free: Much of the rubbish that we generate and send to landfill comes from the packaging on the food we buy, and lunch foods are no exception. In fact, it has been estimated that on average a school-age child using a disposable lunch generates three pieces of litter per day, which equates to 30 kg of waste per year. This works out to be almost 10 tonnes of waste produced by a school of 300 students each year from lunch boxes alone! Based around the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) - litter free lunches are lunches that contain food items with no disposable packaging or single use items, such as pre-packaged foods, plastic bags, juice poppers, bottled water, disposable utensils, plastic straws or food wrapped in cling wrap or foil. Instead, all food is provided in reusable food and drink containers, so that there is no packaging to place into the bin and the majority of the waste produced is organic (i.e. food scraps) which can be recycled via school compost bins and worm farms.
Animals in School: We have a few children in our school that are highly allergic to animal fur/hair. We ask, due to the severity of the allergies, that animals do not enter the school grounds (excluding service dogs which are allowed on site).
Punctuality & Attendance: Research and my experience show that if children are to maximise the benefits of school they need to be in school and on time. Our School gates open from 8:30am (Bridge Street) and 8:20am (William Street) and our school day begins at 8:45am (William Street) and 8:55am (Bridge Street). Therefore, punctuality needs to continue to be a priority. This simple principle is more than a legal compliance on your behalf; it is providing your child with a work ethic that they will carry into their adult life. I am very proud of our attendance and punctuality rates but there is always room for improvement. Naturally, there are of course times when absence or lateness are unavoidable and we accept this however, as a school we also have a legal obligation to report cases of repeated or extended absences. In line with our colleagues in the government and independent sectors we have adopted a common template called an ED 175. This simple to complete form, available online or from the office, needs to be submitted and signed by the Principal to evidence that the non-attendance is legitimate and that we comply fully with our Child Protection Practices. This form is only applicable for absences of more than one week. Current guidelines recommend that any student whose non-attendance is greater than 10 days in any term be referred to the local Attendance and Welfare Officer for further monitoring.
Communication to students during a school day: We are aware that arrangements for collection of children can change during the day. School Office staff are happy to pass on these messages; I would ask though that you contact the school by telephone to speak directly with a staff member to make these arrangements. Personal contact with the School Office is encouraged to ensure a prompt response to any enquiries.
Parking: I ask that we continue to drive safely around St Joseph’s Memorial and obey the road and parking rules for everyone’s safety. Please remember that you are unable to leave cars unattended in the Kiss and Drop zones on both Bridge and William Streets. Always refer to the parking signs along Bridge and William Street.
Thanks for your ongoing support, I am looking forward to an excellent 2019.
God bless
Brady Stallard