Messages from Don:

S J St Joseph’s School Renmark

Term 2 Week 6 ~ 8th June 2018

RESPECT ~ SAFETY ~ LEARNING ~ TRUST

Opening Our Hearts and Minds S R

Dear families and friends,

Ordination of Deacon Hau:

Deacon Hau Le spent three months as a deacon working in our parish and school last term

and visited our classes on many occasions. The students found him to be very easy to

relate to and he was welcomed by many in our community. He is now our newest

ordained priest in the Port Pirie Diocese, which is a significant sign of light in our Catholic

Church. Recently, he was ordained in St Mark’s Cathedral, Port Pirie, with over 40 priests from the Port

Pirie Diocese, some from Adelaide and others from NSW, where Hau attended his six years of study. The

ceremony was also attended by a large number of people from our Riverland Parish community.

In his homily, Bishop Greg O’Kelly spoke about the importance of service. He spoke of service from those

who have come before us, especially the Saints and what we are called to do today in service to God and

to others. He praised Hau as a young man committing himself to ministry and the service of others in our

community. We here at St Joseph’s Renmark, extend our congratulations and best wishes to Fr Hau on

this wonderful occasion.

Occasions like this call us to reflect on our service and what we can do to promote and uphold the

Catholic faith as the cornerstone of our lives, beliefs and morals. At St. Joseph’s we try to instil in our

students and families the Gospel values and care for one another that we as a Catholic school show.

Catholic Education Week:

Last week we celebrated Catholic Education Week along with every Catholic School in the state. The aim

was to promote the distinctive mission of Catholic schools throughout our Diocese. The week was

celebrated through a range of activities, liturgies and events which all provided fantastic learning

experiences. The theme this year was “Opening Our Hearts and Minds”. As a Catholic School, we believe

that education is not only about academics but also about life and the formation of the whole person.

We actively engage with our whole community to be proactive in living life to its fullness based on our

values and morals. Our students are the centre of all our endeavours as we strive to help them become

the best they can. Catholic Education Week is a special opportunity for our schools to celebrate and

share the excellent things we are doing with school, parish and wider communities. We highlight and

celebrate the efforts students make with their studies, the assistance they give to those in need, the

simple joy they bring to one another, and the generosity and energy they bring to fundraising for

charitable causes and supporting those less fortunate.

Deacon Hau’s Ordination Our whole school celebrated Catholic Education Week at Berri

Amongst all the liturgies, events and activities I was filled with

much pride as I reflected on the respect, reverence and positive

behaviour displayed by all our students. I must personally

applaud and thank our whole staff for their outstanding effort

and professionalism in preparing for this whole week. Their time,

dedication and commitment was testament for the great people

we have here at St Joseph’s School, Renmark. I also thank all

Parents/Carers who participated and helped in any way. I

certainly value the willingness of our whole community to become

involved in all we do at St Joseph’s.

Grandparents & Volunteers Day / Carnevale / National Families

Week:

These were very special days which highlighted the importance of

community where families, teachers, students and community

unite together. We value the support and willingness of helpers

who contribute in many different ways, including helping with

reading, supervising with walking, donating items, busy bees,

canteen, sports days, excursions, helping in classrooms,

participation and attendance at Masses and Assemblies and

general support with learning experiences.

We live in a busy society but are reminded that life is short and

time will pass us by very quickly. Embrace the opportunities we

have with our children. The children always enjoy and respond

well to this positive involvement. We thank all our parents and

carers as members of the P&F community for helping in any way.

What is Catholic Education?

At St Joseph’s we embrace the opportunities that make us

uniquely Catholic and think about how this creates the

community that we are all part of. The rich learning experiences

allow all of us, whether we are Catholic or not, an opportunity to

touch base with Catholic values and how we can live them out in

our daily lives. We believe that being a Catholic School means

that we have excellent education and student well-being programs

- that goes without saying. We build community. We have high

expectations of students but other good schools can do this too.

This is even more prevalent in my mind as we commence the 2019

Reception enrolment process.

So what makes us distinctly different and the reason why families

choose to come to our school?

We use our prayer time to think of others in need. This

builds empathy and feelings for others.

We use the messages from the Bible to guide us to be good

people and help us work through the highs and lows of life.

We come together as a community for celebrations that

acknowledge our major life moments eg. School events,

births, deaths, marriages, Eucharist, forgiveness.

We follow the values and rules for life that the person of

Jesus showed us – respecting and welcoming others.

ST. THERESE’S RENMARK

Fr Paul Bourke 8582 1894

Fr Cletus 8588 2452

MASS TIMES

10 June Sun 9.00am

16 June Sat 6.30pm

24 June Sun 9.00am

30 June Sat 6.30pm

UPCOMING EVENTS

June

11 Public Holiday

12 9.00am Assembly by 7SS

12 P&F Meeting

14 Aged Care Visit by 3/4LO

19 Board Meeting

24 9.00am First Communion

29 Cardboard Box Sleep Out

July

6 12.30pm End of Term 2

23 Student Free Day

24 Commence Term 3

Bishop O’Kelly has recently

launched a Strategic Directions

Initiative concerning various

matters of importance.

The future direction of our diocese

brings with it many challenges but

we face these with an optimism

which has sustained us for over a

century. For more information visit

the Port Pirie Diocese website

www.pp.catholic.org.au

Diocese of Port Pirie

Some of our Grandparents and Volunteers at the morning tea.

We stand up for those on the fringes of

society – the poor, those who struggle to live

well.

We educate young people to make a positive

impact on the world.

Families often comment how these religious values

and practices give their children a reference point

as they grow up, so that they will live with these

values. Some families may think it is the job of the

leaders in the school and the staff to grow and

develop these values, and it is. However, the staff

and students cannot do this on their own. As

members of the St Joseph’s Community, who are

working together as one in unity, parents too have

a responsibility for supporting and promoting high

academic and personal expectations.

Ask yourself, as the staff always do:-

Do I nurture the Catholic values of St Joseph’s

Catholic Community?

Do I speak with respect about others?

Do I teach my children to speak with respect

about others – teachers, other parents and

friends?

Do I spread gossip about other people’s

children because my child has had a

disagreement with that child?

How do I contribute to the prayer life and

outreach of St Joseph’s?

As the African proverb says, “it takes a village to

raise a child”. We are the village together. The staff

of St Joseph’s are one part of the village. Parents

and families are another very important part of the

village.

Students’ thoughts on Catholic Education Week:

My favourite thing was going to Berri for Mass

because I liked the Mass and I liked doing the

gymnastics. Jaxon A

I liked Carnevale day because we dressed up. I

liked my mask. Jada

My favourite thing was Carnevale because I

enjoyed the parade. I also liked the pasta and

orange juice we had for lunch. Maddy R

I liked Carnevale because I was dressed up as

Mario. EJ

I loved the no electronics day because it was

different and Carnevale day when all the teachers

were dressed up funny. Charlize

Sending home student work:

Recently families would have seen a work sample

from your child/children. I appreciate the

feedback provided by families and hope this

process guided meaningful conversation with

your child/children. We send students work home

to:

Showcase the learning they have done at

school

Share and discuss their learning, thinking,

interests, proposals and processes of

learning

Engage parents in the learning process

because research shows that when there is a

strong relationship between ‘home’ and

‘school’ students perform better

I trust you found this helpful and informative in

the lead up to reports being sent home at the end

of this term.

Partnership Meeting:

I am very grateful to again be involved in the

Renmark Partnership Group that involves other

local DECD Principals, Kindy Directors, Local

Health Services representatives and Council

Representatives (Emma Warner). At our recent

meeting, many items were raised including

student wellbeing and possible local community

initiatives. I certainly value the networking

opportunity that this group is providing our

school.

High School Partnership:

As part of successfully transitioning our Year 7s

into High School next year, Mr Sampson and Mrs.

Sciancalepore have joined teachers from the other

primary schools in the Renmark area to form a

transition team. They have also met recently with

Kirralee Baldock from Renmark High School to

plan experiences for the Year 7 students

throughout Terms 2-4 that will expose students to

High School curriculum and culture. We are also

working hard in our Year 7 class on developing

positive learning habits, resilience and a growth

mindset, in preparation for Year 8 next year.

Stay warm and healthy over the long weekend.

Good luck to those participating in sporting

carnivals. Hope you all get some rest as well!

Regards

Don DePalma

Jaxon A, Jada, Maddy R, EJ & Charlize commented on Catholic Education Week Matthew D with his grandparents

rising sea levels are threatening to swamp some

islands, and make agricultural land vulnerable to

salination, thus making it harder to grow foods

for the people. The Port Pirie Diocese has a

Kiribati Commitment Partnership and all schools

raised money for this cause. As a school we raised

$500 which we thank you for.

First Communion:

On Sunday the 24th June we have six students

who will be celebrating their Sacrament of First

Communion. In the coming weeks they will

learning more about this Sacrament. The students

are Chloe Burn, Henry Dring, Brodie Hunt, Eva

McConchie, Emily Singleton and Blake Siviour.

Please keep these students in your thoughts and

prayers over the coming weeks as they prepare

for this wonderful event.

Mini Vinnies:

Our Year 7 Mini Vinnies group has begun visiting

the Vinnies shed to help with clothes sorting and

food parcel making. This is a part of what we do

as we are called to live by our Gospel values. The

students learn that it is not a difficult thing to

help for half an hour here or there, but it makes a

big difference to those that the St Vincent De Paul

society helps. One of the things we have talked

about with the Mini Vinnies groups is Catholic

Social Teaching. CST is where we look at what we

are called to do to by God to care for each other

and the environment. Caritas has a great website

which explains more about this that I encourage

you to visit: https://www.caritas.org.au/learn/

catholic-social-teaching

In Week 9 the Mini Vinnies students will again be

taking part in the Cardboard Box Sleepout,

raising money for Vinnies. Please support them

with donations as they learn more about

homelessness in Australia and what it is like to go

without for one night. Any large cardboard boxes

(from fridges, couches etc) are also welcomed as

they start getting ready.

Michael Slagter

Acting REC

Religious Identity & Mission:

Catholic Education Week:

Last week we had a very successful celebration of

Catholic Education Week. We had a number of

activities and events which highlighted the

importance of Catholic Education and helped us

remember the Catholic identity and focus of our

school.

On Monday we had our Grandparents and

Volunteers Liturgy and Morning Tea. We thank

all of those who attended and hope that they

enjoyed their time with us. It was fantastic to see

all of the smiling faces and special moments

shared between grandparents and their

grandchildren. Many commented how things had

changed a lot since they were at school. But we

hope that the Catholic values that they grew up

with at school are still the same things that we

hold dear today.

Our Riverland schools combined Mass on

Wednesday was a wonderful celebration of our

four schools and the theme of “Opening Our

Hearts and Minds”. We were asked think about

those who we love as well as open our hearts to

those who need our love. The Berri gymnasium

and basketball centre was a great place to

celebrate this event and was well used afterwards

for all of the fun activities we had. It was a fun

day.

On Thursday we had our “Switches Off” day,

where we were reminded that we are all

caretakers of God’s creation and we need to do

our part to ensure that we look after all of it.

Students learnt to work without electricity or

electronic devices and learnt about the impact

that we are having on our environment through

our modern way of living. We also raised money

by bringing in our loose change for those in

Kiribati, a country made up of a group of islands

in the Pacific Ocean which is threatened by

climate change. We added coins to complete our

‘heart’ to highlight that we need to open our

hearts to the people of Kiribati. Miss Cole visited

Kiribati in the holidays and saw the increasing

need of the people of Kiribati for fresh water, as

Catholic Education Week celebrations “Switches Off” day Year 7s assisting the Vinnies group

Parents & Friends News:

There has been so much happening at St. Joseph's over the past few weeks!

It was great to see so many students and families involved in Walk to School

Day. The R-2 students all had a fantastic day at Monarto Zoo and the

children loved having their Grandparents visit the school on Grandparents

and Volunteers Day. It was all topped off with Catholic Education Week and

Carnevale last week!

Our Parents and Friends Association was involved in almost all of these

activities - from helping with the cost of the Monarto Zoo trip to providing

morning tea on Grandparents and Volunteers Day. The P&F is a great way

to be involved in your child's school. We meet on Monday nights in Weeks 2

and 7 each term - come along, have a coffee and find out what we do.

It has been a topsy turvy few weeks in the AFL tipping competition with the

leader board constantly changing and upsets still hard to get. James (Jack

and Jimmy) leads the way on 71, with Jonathan (J Sutton), Darcy (You

Betts ya) and Derek (Power Surge) all tied on 69 points. With another 10

tippers within 5 points, as well as the bonus points a bit easier to come by in

the next few bye rounds, it makes for an interesting second half of the

season. Good luck everyone!

Make sure you have Saturday August 4th marked off in your calendar to

come and play Bogan Bingo. It will be a really fun night out with lots of

great prizes to be won!

Jo Lloyd

Secretary - St. Joseph's P&F

Our students have remained very involved in various School

Sport as we have moved into Term 2. In Week 5, Millie

Koumbarakos, Breea Martinson, Mijanou Newman and Zoe

Siviour represented the Riverland SAPSASA Netball teams in

Adelaide, with all girls performing very well throughout the

week. Reece Curtis and Toby Johnson were also in Adelaide

for SAPSASA Football, where the boys enjoyed some mixed

results throughout the week.

Today, Cooper Neef, Mijanou Newman and Ryan Prokopec

are competing in the Riverland SAPSASA Cross Country team

in Adelaide. We wish them all the best and hope they break

some personal best times! Finally, Millie Koumbarakos,

Lachlan Schuetze and Murphy Strachan have been selected in

the Riverland SAPSASA Soccer teams. They will travel to

Adelaide in Week 9 to compete in the Division 2 competition.

It is great to hear and see so many of our students and staff

involved in various sports at the moment, showing teamwork

and resilience as they represent St. Joseph’s School Renmark.

Our recent Challenge Cup event was students displaying

“Attitude of Gratitude”. The results were 1st St Joseph Gold

with 29.5 points, 2nd St Mary MacKillop Blue with 26.5

points, 3rd St Patrick Green with 23 points and 4th was St

Therese Red with 21 points. St Joseph Gold Captain, Breea,

accepted the Challenge Cup trophy with other Gold members,

Luke, Ryan, Imogen, Ruby, Harper and Anja.

Regards,

Fraser Sampson

SAPSASA Coordinator

Sports News:

Student Wellbeing:

As our focus this term is on resilience, here

are a few tips for parents to identify what

this may look like in their child…

What does resilience look like?

There’s probably not one way to describe

what resilience looks like and, of course,

no-one is resilient all of the time. There are

some characteristics that we might expect

to see in a child who is coping well or is

resilient.

For instance, they might:

use positive self-talk for encourage-

ment

capably express their feelings and

thoughts

not hide away from strong feelings

have helpful, age-appropriate strate-

gies to manage their emotions if

they are upset

rearrange their plans to work around

an unexpected situation

use a trial-and-error approach in

their

daily life

remain hopeful and keep on trying if

something doesn’t work out

know when to stop trying if they de-

cide the effort is not worthwhile

actively ask for help if they need it.

Regards,

Anna Strachan

Carnevale:

It was awesome seeing

all the wonderful cos-

tumes and everyone

that participated on the

day. Luke Yr 7

Carnevale was amazing,

the day went well and

the food was delicious.

Jayden Yr 7

I liked the pasta and orange juice that

we had for lunch. Louisa 1/2EO

I liked the parade and the games.

Aleisha 1/2EO

I enjoyed eating the crostoli. Zeke

1/2EO

I really enjoyed playing soccer. Ethan

3/4GR

I liked everything about Carnevale

day. Tate 3/4GR

Rec - Year 2 Monarto Zoo Excursion:

We had so much fun

at Monarto. Thank

you to all of our

teachers and support

staff that came with

us. Rec - Year 2 kids!