29 June 2023

A Message from the Principal

National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year (Sunday to Sunday), to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth. This week the community of St Joseph’s were privileged to be able to participate in a NADIOC Assembly prepared by Indigenous Staff and Students.

The image presented here was designed by Bobbi Lockyer, a proud Ngarluma, Kariyarra, Nyulnyul and Yawuru artist, born and based on Kariyarra Country in Port Hedland, and is the winner of the prestigious National NAIDOC Week Poster Competition for 2023 with her entry, For Our Elders.

The NADIOC Committee chose the theme ‘For our Elders’ because in their words – “They are cultural knowledge holders, trailblazers, nurturers, advocates, teachers, survivors, leaders, hard workers and our loved ones. 
 
Our loved ones who pick us up in our low moments and celebrate us in our high ones. Who cook us a feed to comfort us and pull us into line, when we need them too.  
 
They guide our generations and pave the way for us to take the paths we can take today. Guidance, not only through generations of advocacy and activism, but in everyday life and how to place ourselves in the world.  

We draw strength from their knowledge and experience, in everything from land management, cultural knowledge to justice and human rights. Across multiple sectors like health, education, the arts, politics and everything in between, they have set the many courses we follow. 
 
The struggles of our Elders help to move us forward today. The equality we continue to fight for is found in their fight. Their tenacity and strength has carried the survival of our people. 

It is their influence and through their learnings that we must ensure that when it comes to future decision making for our people, there is nothing about us - without us.”

As part of our Assembly, it was a great privilege to welcome local elders and former student Finn Johnson who shared with the community aspects of his life including his school experience as an Indigenous student at St Joseph’s and his career as a singer / songwriter.

Mrs Patricia Hales
College Principal

Principal’s Jottings

Staffing 2023

Welcome to Mrs Eryn Townley who has been appointed to the College as School Officer – Administration. Eryn will mainly be working in reception so when you call the call or attend reception no doubt you will meet / speak with her. Eryn has worked for Cessnock City Council since 2001 in a variety of roles and brings a broad set of skills to St Joseph’s, notably in the areas of Customer Relations, Database usage, Business Support, Event Support and Governance & Compliance. Eryn is excited about joining the community of St Joseph’s and exploring new opportunities.

2024 Commencement & Term Dates

Conscious that some families are planning well ahead for 2024, please be advised of the following commence dates for Term 1 2024:

                  Wednesday 31^st January – Years 7, 11 and 12

                  Thursday 1^st February – Years 7,11 and 12

                  Friday 2^nd February – Years 7-12

Term 1 2024 is an 11 week term that incorporates Easter. The last day of Term 1 is Friday 12^th April – Good Friday is Friday 29^th March (Week 8) and Easter Monday is 1^st April (Week 9)

Term 2 2024 commences on Monday 29^th April and concludes on Friday 5^th July

Term 3 2024 commences on Monday 20^th July and concludes on Friday 27^th September

Term 4 2024 commences on Monday 14^th October and concludes on Friday 20^th December

2023 Important Dates

Note that Staff Development – Pupil Free Days are also highlighted

Pupil Free Dates 2023

Term 3 – Monday 17^th July
Term 4 – Friday 15^th December – Parent/Teacher Interviews – students attend interviews with parents – no scheduled classes.
Term 4 – Monday 18^th & Tuesday 19^th December

IMPORTANT - 2023 Calendar Dates 

Ministry Musings

Last Monday, 29^th June, Year 11 journeyed to Tocal Agricultural College to partake in their annual Formation Day. Our focus for the day was based on the Year 11 theme of “Faith” inspired from the Book of Isaiah “Do not be afraid I am with you; I have called you by name, you are mine” (Isaiah 43). Isaiah emphasises that as followers of God, we must trust in his providence, and let all our burdens rest on him. This was central to the day, as the formation experiences aimed to provide students with an opportunity to move away from the burdens of routines and inner fears, to step into an environment where they could be openly present to God and one another.

Year 11 engaged in various activities, immersing themselves in spirituality, deep thinking, group activities and conversations to draw upon their faith Students explored:

• The concept of faith from a Catholic view and their own perspective and evaluated how faith (religious or non-religious) frames their life and the way they see the world.
• The relationship between faith and action, recognising that faith should lead to action which respects the dignity of each person and builds solidarity in communities.
• Living out one’s faith within the world. We delved into the importance of faith in relationships with God and with others, that faith is central to all healthy and positive relationships.

Throughout the formation experience, students deepened their friendships, built connections, created everlasting memories, and most importantly experienced a positive change within themselves through the workings of the Holy Spirit

Lastly, I would like to express my thanks and gratitude to the staff who attended the formation and contributed to the success f the program through small group facilitation. Thank you, Mr Hickling, Mrs Marston, Ms Burke, Mr Jones, Ms Allen, Mrs Bennett and Mrs Rebecca Piefke Co-ordinator of Youth Ministry at St Joseph’s East Maitland, who kindly volunteered her time to join us.

Pillar of Focus – Hope

For this newsletter we are focusing on the pillar of Hope. Hope is trusting in what God has promised us in creation and the prophets. But most importantly in Jesus Christ and what he has promised humanity, eternal peace and love, absent of all suffering, in heaven. God has placed hope in the hearts of all of humanity, to respond the adversities and obstacles people face daily. It is through hope that people are inspired to do good works and thus draw closer to God’s love. At St Joseph’s College hope is given to our students through the gift of a Catholic education, an education that prepares our students for the realities of our world. It is through their Catholic education students can find comfort and assurance of their future, as they journey toward adulthood.

God Bless,
Mr Taylor Zahra
Leader of College Ministry

From the Assistant Principals....

Bus Travel

A number of our students travel to and from the college in the morning and afternoon via bus. Thankfully, the issues around buses not turning up or over crowding seems to be subsiding. We still encourage students to tap on with their Opal cards as this gives the bus companies accurate numbers of students who use their services. please contact the bus company directly if you have concerns relating to the service they provide.

In addition, once students have exited their bus, they must move to the traffic lights in front of the college in order to cross the road. Please do not run across the road. This process is in place to ensure student safety. 

Years 7-11 Semester One Reports

On Monday 26^th June, Semester One reports were published to families via the Compass App. We encourage all families to download a copy of their child’s report.

Reports are gathered twice annually and provide feedback on your child’s progress, show student progress relative to the performance of the student’s peer group, and use the common grade scale to outline learning students.

In 2023, Year 7 and 8 students will receive specific task feedback related to student achievement within the Learning Task component of Compass. This will provide more relevant learning feedback related to individual students.

To assist parents in accessing this feedback you can utilise this via Compass desktop version or via your phone.  Details are attached to help parents access feedback via Compass.

Year 12 HSC Trial Examinations

Year 12 students have been provided with a copy of their HSC Trial Timetable. A copy of this is also available attached to the newsletter and has also been emailed to all families. Please note that students are only required to be onsite during their actual trial examinations.  A list of trials will also be available on Compass to assist in planning. It is particularly important that students understand the process of illness / misadventure in the event they are unwell and unable to make their examination.

Year 8 Subject Selections – Save the Date

On Monday 24^th July, Year 8 parents and students are invited to attend a course selection evening which will assist students in choosing their electives for 2024 and 2025.  Students will be provided with a copy of their handbook in Week 1, Term 3. Students are encouraged to talk to their current teachers about some options and gather some information.

Parent Teacher Student Conferences

Thank you to all families who have booked meetings with teachers for Parent Teacher Student Conferences to be held on Thursday 29^th and Friday 30^th June. This is a valuable opportunity to meet your child’s teacher and obtain further progress on their learning. Interviews will be held in Mackillop Place and the Bertrand Centre.

Change of Assessment Dates

Mr Paul Dart  & Mrs Elizabeth Stokes
Assistant Principals

From the Counsellor’s Desk

Coach 2 Cope Event

Ms Caitlin French & Ms Julia Preistley
St Joseph’s Professional Officers

eSafety

Social media is a large aspect of our teenagers lives and it is important for parents and families to know how to support their children through navigating it.

The eSafety Commissioner website has an eSafety resource bank for parents and carers.  

The downloadable information sheets may be particularly helpful for families needing guidance on specific issues. Topics covered include:

• Managing devices and apps (including using parental controls)
• Basics for managing safety
• Managing mental wellbeing
• Sexual harassment and image-based abuse
• Parent guide to online gaming
• Parent guide to cyberbullying and online drama.

Mrs Brittany Hirst
Beyond the Gates - Case Worker

Wellbeing

GREAT TERM

As we approach the end of another successful term, we would like to take a moment on the achievements and growth of our wonderful students. It is with great pride that we congratulate each and every on of them for their dedication, hard work, and positive attitude throughout the term. Your commitment to learning and personal development has been truly inspiring.

Amidst the academic accomplishments, we also want to emphasise the important of looking after friends and family. As we navigate through these challenging times, it is crucial to prioritise the well-being of our loved ones. A simple act of kindness, a friendly smile, or lending a listening ear can make a significant difference in someone’s day. Let us continue to foster a supportive and inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and cared for.

As we head into the upcoming break, we encourage all families to stay safe take some time to recharge and reconnect with loved ones. Whether it’s exploring the beautiful natural wonders of our community or enjoying quality time at home.

St Joseph’s Push Up Challenge

The St Joseph’s Community have been building our physical and mental resilience as we head towards 50,000 push ups and counting.
Each morning students and staff have been coming together to ‘Push for Better Health’.
The statistics and number of push ups are posted each day on Compass.


This year we St Joseph’s participated in the challenge in house groups with points going towards the spirit cup.

Congratulations to Wundurra for the most push ups as a group.

Ms Alison Lynch, Ms Abbie Marston, Mr Geoffrey and Mr Bain.
Leaders of Learning-Wellbeing

Curriculum News (KLA’s)

Mathematics News

Solutions Puzzle 7

1. Each sheet has four pages. The middle sheet will have four consecutive numbers. The sheet next closest to the middle will have a five number gap in page numbers, and then 9, 13, …; Even numbers are always on the left (verso), so there are 3 sheets inside the found sheet and three more sheets outside for a total of 7 sheets.  pages
2. 12 (the sum of the digits)
3. Pages 1-9 use 1 digit each for a total of 9 digits. Pages 10-99 use two digits each for a total of 180 digits. Pages 100-999 use three digits each for a total of 2700 digits. So a 999 page book uses 2889 digits, leaving 40 digits left, and each page now using four digits, so the book must have 1009 pages.

Puzzle 8

1. In cricket there are a few different ways to measure a bowler’s performance, but the most common is their bowling average. This is the average number of runs conceded for every wicket taken, with a smaller average being better.

Pat and Jimmy are bowlers for different teams. In his first innings Pat takes 8 wickets for 50 runs and Jimmy takes 4 for 8. In his second innings Pat takes 2 for 50 and Jimmy takes 6 for 120.

Who had the better average?

2. Which fits better: a square peg in a round hole, or a round peg in a square hole?

3. I caught up with an old friend, who told me she now has three children.

“How old are they?” I asked.

“Well,” she said, “the product of their ages is 72, and the sum of their ages is my old street number.”

“I remember your street number, but I’ll need some more information,” I replied.

“Of course! Well, the eldest child has a cat called Maurice.”

How old are the children?

Flexi Learning

ESport

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the Esport test trial/competition. Everyone was welcoming but it was slightly out of order when it was time to start. One team from the other school kept tossing diamonds at me and my team (don’t ask why because I certainly don’t know! 😊). Anyway, we knew the event was random, but we weren’t going to let that quench our confidence! So, when we heard we were doing a national landmark, we were in a slight disarray. At first, we thought maybe Uluru or the Eiffel Tower, but Uluru would be WAAYYY too easy! And the Eiffel Tower’s structure would be way too complex for builders like us! So, we settled on the Statue of Liberty. We started with deciding what blocks we were going to use to build, design and recreate Lady Liberty with.

We chose dark and regular prismarine blocks and began building. The torch was a definite problem because they had fire disabled due to the fact, they didn’t want other teams sabotaging any builds. I could understand their concern due to the fact that they didn’t want stressed players. So, we had to use glowstone and stained glass for the torch. In the end we finished. And we were the winners! We were over the moon! All that preparing, practising and research had been worth it. Admittedly, we did do the gritty which was probably a little bit bad mannered for the other school but hey, a gamer’s gotta do what a gamer’s gotta do.

Mr Hattam, the teacher who held the event, was really nice and somehow direct to both schools. He thinks that we could definitely do it again. Later we meant him when he visited our school and gave us a talk and look over our Minecraft world we had been working over since the end of 2022. He talked to Mrs Stokes and said if we emailed the world file to her, we could maybe make into a Minecraft Server for the school! How cool would that be?! Anyway, he was super welcoming, and I hope we have him further in the future. He was super open to any type of suggestion we had and excited for any future expansions in our world. I’d say I am excited as a gamer and a student at this school to see the future of eSport at the St Jospeh’s and look forward to how it progresses.

Written by Luca Heibel

Art for The Soul

On Wednesday (21/6), the Art for The Soul flexi group went to Maitland Regional Art Gallery to have a look around at the current exhibition that is being shown.

This month's exhibition (10^th June - 20^th August) include the 'Upriver Downriver' collection that celebrates the expansive range of art and ideas resonating throughout our region. Particularly the locals living alongside or near the Hunter River.

The Hunter River has shaped one of the most important regions in Australia and with it, a community of local artists connected geographically and spiritually to the river.

Around 50 local artists have expressed their spiritual, cultural, and emotional interpretation of how the river has shaped their lives, heritage, and artistic influences.

There were an expansive range of different mediums and materials that were used in each individual artwork, no two artworks looked alike, and it was incredibly inspiring to see the emotional expression of each artist within their artpieces.

The MRAG has always been my favourite gallery as it showcases local artists no matter the skill, but how motivating and emotional the piece persuades the audience. MRAG also consistently fluctuates artworks to keep the public coming and constantly gives every aspiring artist a chance to express themselves.

Written by Ivy Corning

Mr Chris Johns
Leader of Learning-FLEXI

VET Business Services

Year 11 are on placement! 
Our VET Business Services course have conducted placement across Maitland where they have been getting some valuable experience learning from professional industry leaders. 

A very big thank you to PRD Nationwide Real Estate, IGA Loveys Gillieston Heights, PCYC Cessnock and Hunter Events Group for opening your businesses to our school. 

Mr Samuel Reilly
Teacher Human Society and its Environment

Careers – Opportunities & Notices

Apprenticeship & Traineeship Pathways

ADFA Open Day

Seniors Newsletter

Mrs Kylie Peattie
Careers Advisor
kylie.peattie@mn.catholic.edu.au

Yalawa Yarnings

Anikanya (Hello)!

Deadly Achievements

Congratulations to Gabrielle Richardson and Sarah Wymarra for being a part of the DioSounds team. Gabrielle and Sarah put in a lot of time and effort practising their parts of the performance which involved practice during flexi and lunch times leading up to DioSounds.

Well Done to Emmie McGregor, Heath Connell, and Kohan Hayden for representing the school at the Regional Oztag Gala Day a few weeks ago.

We are so proud of our students who work hard and put up their hand to be involved in a wide range of activities that include cultural events, sporting, academics, and music/drama.

We look forward to reporting on lots more deadly achievements next term!

Community Events

Please see the following cultural events happening in July which are being run by the Catholic Schools Office;

• NAIDOC Week Prayer Service:  Sacred Heart Cathedral, Sunday 2 July from 1pm for a 2pm start – the event is in collaboration with the Newcastle Anglican Diocese and other local faith communities and commences the start of NAIDOC Week.

                  Register here: https://NAIDOCprayerservice.eventbrite.com.au

• NAIDOC Week Community Festival: Monday 3 July. Commencing at 9am with a flag-raising in Civic Park and procession to Foreshore Park, Newcastle where a community Festival, hosted by Awabakal Ltd will take place from 10am-3pm. The Diocese and CatholicCare Social Services have taken out a sponsorship tent at the festival. There are opportunities for staff to volunteer at this event by filling in the following form:  https://forms.office.com/r/xVUrq64nqH

• An Evening with Noel Pearson: The Toohey Room on Sunday 16 July from 5pm - 8pm. Listen to Noel’s connection to Aboriginal Spirituality, his work on the Uluru Statement from the Heart and The Voice to Parliament. Concluding with a Q&A panel session that will include Noel, Louise Campbell (Catholic Schools Office) and Aunty Di Langham (Anglican Diocese). Register here: https://NP2023.eventbrite.com.au

• Common Grace, Listen to the Heart, Training Workshop– The Victor Peters Suite, Tuesday 18 July, 10am – 12:30pm. An event to educate the importance of voting and spark conversations so you can make an informed decision when voting later in the year.  Register here: https://listentotheheart.eventbrite.com.au

Student Support

If there are any issues that we can support students with or that you think that we need to be aware of please do not hesitate to contact one of us. The earlier that we can intervene with matters, the better the chance of a successful outcome. Below is a table of when our Aboriginal Education Teachers are on site and relevant contact details.

If your student is also doing amazing things in the community, please let us know so we can give them a shout out in the ‘Yalawa Yarnings.’

Ms Zara Francisco, Mrs Hannah Allen and Mr Frank Hales
Aboriginal Education Teachers

Message from the Finance Office

Thank you to families who have settled 2023 School Fees, regular weekly, fortnightly or monthly payments are required with fees to be finalised by

30^th November 2023. 

Statements were emailed on Friday, 2^nd June, please review your balance.   

If you haven’t received your statement or have any concerns in regard to your account please contact Finance Office on 0249 307 291 or  email finance@lochinvarsj.catholic.edu.au

Bpay is our preferred method of payment, however payment can also be made via Credit Card, Cash, Cheque and Centrepay.

Health Care Card and Pension Card Holders

Catholic schools in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle offer a lower tuition fee to ‘means tested’ low income families such as Health Care and Pension Card holders. This rate is 50% of the Diocesan Tuition Fee full rate for each child. 

If you are a current holder of an Australian Government Health Care Card or Pension card you may be intitled to a discount on your school fees.  Please complete the attached forms and email to finance@lochinvarsj.catholic.edu.au along with a copy of your current health care card or pension card.

Mrs Cathy Duff
Finance Officer

General News

ASPIRE Concert Band

Canteen News

Lunch Orders

Lunch Orders are still available through the QKR app. Orders made via QKR need to be placed by 8.15am.

Canteen Menu

Qkr! – Getting Started

Mrs Tania Cullity
Food Operations Manager

Contact us (Email addresses)

In order to keep our records up to date:

FOR STUDENT SERVICES – Please email studentservices@lochinvarsj.catholic.edu.au 

FOR FINANCE – Please email finance@lochinvarsj.catholic.edu.au

ALL OTHER MATTERS (other than Finance) - please use the email admin@lochinvarsj.catholic.edu.au

Alinta Uniform Shop

Shop Opening Hours

Our opening hours have changed, please see new hours below:

Blazers

Due to the lead time associated with the delivery of blazers for our senior students we are asking if parents/carers could place their orders as soon as possible. This will alleviate any delays as the weather gets cooler.

Community Announcements