1. Principal News Week 5, Term 1 2016

Lent
We are now in our fourth week of Lent, a time for prayer and reflection as we lead up to Easter. Check out Mrs Dooley's ideas in the Special Catholic Character section of our newsblog below for suggestions of what you can do.

Goal Setting

Thanks to everyone who attended the meetings to set learning and self-management goals with our learners across the school. It's important to have conversations around learning and achievement for your children. Thanks to the staff who spent the long days at school ensuring they could meet with you all.

Book Character Day

Here is a video of the winners from each section for Book Character Day. Special thanks to Miss Day and Miss Gray for organising and coordinating our Book Week events. Thanks to all of the helpers with the Book Fair during the week.

Linewize officially operational

At our Family learning Hui, Mr Cartlidge spoke about the new safety programme we have set up. Linewize enables teachers to gain visibility and control over Internet use in the classroom. Live visibility over student Internet use allows teachers to identify those students focused on the lesson and those whose attention has wandered. Linewize even identifies students who have chosen to take their device off-network to pursue their own activities. Educating digital citizenship. Student Internet access is a privilege. Linewize makes it easy for teachers to ensure that students are respecting this privilege by aligning their behaviour with the schools’ acceptable use agreement. 

Food Fair
We are all looking forward to supporting our school at the Food Fair on Sunday. Thanks to our Home & School and all helpers in our community who are contributing to this special fundraising event.

Leadership Meetings
Our school council and Yr 8 leaders met yesterday. If you would like an insight into our meetings, you can find it on the Student as Leaders tab on the principal blog by going to this link.  We look forward to actioning leadership plans around the school as we reach for the stars as lifelong learners in the Catholic Faith for 2016.

School Council members

Our deputies and head students

2. Special Character Week 5 Term 1 2016

Compliment people - kind words can change lives and people rarely forget. 
(Bear Grylls)

We are now in our 4th Week of Lent. Lent is a time for Prayer/Karikia, Almsgiving and Fasting. Here are some suggestions how we can all get ready for Easter.

Prayer/Karikia

Personal Prayer

Prayer for others in need

Pray for help with a problem

Thanksgiving prayers

Say a quiet prayer to yourself

Almsgiving

Give some extra time to your family tonight

Write to/email/text your parents/grandparents

Give to Caritas Lenten Appeal

Help with Garden clean up at weekends

Give heaps of smiles away

Fasting

Fast from impatience today

Fast from unkindness today

Fast from laziness today

Fast from snacks between meals today

Cherish your memories. Recall those that make you smile.

Ann Dooley/Co. Director of Religious Studies

3. School Notices - Week 5, Term 1 2016

Altar Servers
Saturday 5th March -  Joseph &  Sebastian Spillane, Max Fatafehi, Elenoa & Halalova Asi
Sunday 6th March -  Cameron Mather, Antonia Black and Sebastian Whiston

Birthday Greetings to:
Max Fatafehi, Jack Hayman, Sebastian Spillane, Hannah Burke, Riley Tuffley, James Jackson and Ruby Macaulay

Book Fair
A big thank you to everyone who has helped make Book Week a great success by either dressing up on Book Character Dress Up day, parents either coming in and reading to classes or helping out at the book fair. The book fair is open tomorrow morning only and will close at lunch time.

Cupcake Competition

CUPCAKE COMPETITION

AT THE

FOOD FAIR

Bring along your decorated CUPCAKES 
         on Sunday 6^th March 2016.

Prizes for the best decorated.

($20, $15, & $10 Warehouse gift cards)

After the judging CUPCAKES will be sold for $1 each

(Can be dropped off on Sunday or Saturday between 4 – 5pm)

Found
A black Huawei phone has been handed into the office.  If you have lost a phone, come and check if it is yours.

Home and School
Only 3 more sleeps to go till the Food Fair.  They are nearly all sorted but would like the loan of 2 waffle makers and 2 rice cookers.    If anyone has one of these items, can they please contact Rachel Fowler on 027 237 8234 asap.

The cakes for the cake wheel and cupcakes can be dropped off at school on Saturday (to the hall) between 4.00 - 5.30 pm or Sunday morning before 10.30 am.
Each class has been assigned a job or activity to do on the day.
NE/Yr 1 - selling drinks
Yr 2/3 - rubbish collection
Yr 4 - cupcake competition
Yr 5 - Tug of War
Yr 6 - Cake Wheel
Yr 7 - Face Painting
Yr 8 - Activities on the field like gumboot throwing, sack races, bouncy castle (gold coin donation)

ICAS Exams - Yr 3-8
Today the children in Yr 3-8 will have a letter in their bags regarding the 2016 ICAS examinations. If your child is interested in sitting this exam, please return the notice back to the school office by Wednesday 30th March.

Polar Fleeces
A limited number of our new polar fleeces are now in stock in the uniform shop at school.  If you have pre-ordered a polar fleece, please see Mr Rzepecky in the office.  The price for sizes 4-12 is $46.00 and the price for sizes xs - 2XL is $52.00

Summer Sports Draw
Cricket - Saturday 5th March
4th Grade - St Joseph's v Valley Gold at SKC 1
5th Grade - St Joseph's v Albion Green at SKC Artificial 2

Swimming
Senior Swimming Sports - we only have 4 time keepers for our swimming sports on Wednesday.  If we do not get our quota of time keepers, we will have to postpone our sports because all races have to be timed as we are required to send timed results away for the North Otago swimming sports. Any prospective time keepers will be shown what to do on the day.  Please let Mrs Souness know if you can help. A copy of the swimming letter is included on another page in the blog.

Junior Swimming - Yr 1-3
These are the dates for swimming for term 2.  We are doing the swim for life programme which covers 10 lessons.  The dates are:
May - Monday 9th, Wednesday 11th, Friday 13th, Tuesday 17th, Wednesday 18th, Friday 20th,
           Monday 23rd, Wednesday 25th and Friday 27th
June - Wednesday 1st

Winter Sports 
We still require some more coaches for all codes for our winter sports.  Please see Mrs Souness if you are interested in coaching.  The Sports Committee will be meeting in 2 weeks time to look at numbers and coaches for our teams.

Community Notices 

• Galleon Family Complex Easter Egg Hunt - Saturday 26th March at the Galleon Family complex at 9.00 am.  Special prize eggs to be found.

4. Senior Swimming Sports Notice for next Wednesday

Wednesday 9^th March at the Waitaki Aquatic Centre

Dear Parents

Our first race will be at 9:30 am and will be finished by 12.00 pm. Children need to be at school in their full PE uniform before 8.50 am as we will be walking the children down in classes as close to 9.00 am as possible.  Please ensure that your child has plenty of food and a water bottle as they get quite hungry at the pool.

This year we hope to have at least three timekeepers per swimming lane, for our six lanes.  If you are interested in timekeeping, please see me at school or email tsouness@stjoseph.school.nz.  You will be shown how to time keep beforehand at the pool

The children are encouraged to wear their house colours once they arrive at the pool.  Face paint and vivid markers are not allowed.

The order of events is: 4 lengths Medley and then the non-competitive and competitive events. There will be no finals run, only heats as they will be timed.

We have entered the children in races they are confident in and the swimming instructors and teachers have both been looking at them. If you want to ensure that your children are in the races you feel they should be, please contact your child’s teacher.

Ages are taken as at 16^th of March for the age groups for the swimming sports.

Places will be determined on times recorded. Each swimmer will earn a house point for entering, 3^rd place will earn two, 2^nd place will earn 3 and 1^st place will earn 4. There will be no width events.

The starting procedure is, a whistle for quiet, ‘on your marks’, followed by a bang. Please be quiet when the swimmers are under starter’s orders.

The various swimming events will be put on a whiteboard, which will go past.  Each teacher will have a copy of the order of events as well. Please listen carefully for the marshalling calls.

We will have house relays to end the sports with time permitting.

Please do not approach the recorders for results, as they will be extremely busy making sure the times are recorded correctly.

Parents please sit either at the deep end of the pool or on the diving board side.  Children will be required to stay in the stands as we won’t have time to find them if they miss their races.

North Otago and Otago Swimming Sports

The swimmers qualifying for the North Otago championship will be required to perform the stroke correctly. We will have someone checking on technique at the sports and the children will be disqualified if they are using an incorrect technique.

Entry for North Otago swimming sports is taken on times not places, hence our recording of times on the day.  The North Otago swimming sports are on Wednesday 16^th of March. The children who qualify for the North Otago swimming sports will be notified.

Otago Primary School’s swimming takes place on Saturday 9^th April at Moana Pool in Dunedin.  The first race is at 9.00 am and the entry fee is $5.00 per race entered.  If you wish for your child to take part in this, you MUST contact me before our swimming sports as their entries close on Thursday 24^th March.

Thanking you

Tina Souness

Sports Coordinator

5. What has been happening during Week 5?

Self-Defence 
Last week the Yr 7 & 8 girls were shown self-defence moves by Imogen Coxhead from Dunedin.
Here is an extract from 2 girls that attended the class.
Last week the Yr 8 girls had one and a half days of self-defence with Imogen who is a lady from Dunedin and who travels around schools and teaches girls self-defence. She teaches things like using your voice, instincts and the best stance to kick, punch and run away.  She didn't just show us the physical side but how to keep us safe online and how to be careful and aware of all the people out there that want a victim for abuse mentally, physically or emotionally.  We all agree that we learnt so much and we had the best time.  Tegan Souness and Antonia Black

Book Character Dress Up Day

On Monday the school chose to dress up as a book character as part of the Book Fair Week.  Well done to all the children and staff who dressed up as a book character and looked amazing. We had princesses, wizards, witches, animals, pirates, fancy nancy's, thingies 1 & 2, fairy tale characters and lots of other interesting characters.  There were 2 children out of each hub who were selected for their character.  The children chosen were: Luke Edwards, Annelise Johnston, Lewis Gough, James Bremner, Bronson Bartlett, John Orillo, Jack Paton, Zyanya Pe, Cameron Mather and Molly Whittaker.

Made with Slideshow Embed Tool

Hockey Skills

This week Marie McBride has come in to teach the junior school some hockey skills like how to stop and pass a ball to one another and how to safely hold a hockey stick. Each class has had 4 lessons and a big improvement was seen at the end of their lessons.

Made with Slideshow Embed Tool

Jump Jam

Twice a week Miss Lind and some Yr 8 girls lead the whole school in a 10 minute session of Jump Jam which increases their confidence,fitness and coordination and it is something all ages can do.  It is being done during Kotuitui time as it is a chance to everyone to be active and it is something that can be done outside.

<

Made with Slideshow Embed Tool/div>

6. Diary Dates - Week 5, Term 1 2016

MARCH

Friday 4                    -  Book Fair

                                    -  Walking n Wheeling Week

                                    -  Technology for Yr 7 & 8 at St Kevin’s College

                                    -  Celebration Kotuitui at 2.30 pm

                                    -  Scholastic Book Club orders due in

Sunday 6                  -  Food Fair held in the school grounds  from 10.30 am to 2.30 pm *

Monday 7                 -  Chinese Cultural Consultation from 7.00 to 8.00 pm *

Wednesday 9          -  Senior School swimming sports for Yr 4-8

Thursday 10            -  School Mass with Yr 4

                                     -  Yr 8 Young Vinnies

                                     -  Terrific Thursday starts

Friday 11                  -  Celebration Kotuitui at 2.30 pm *

Tuesday 15               -  Rippa Rugby starts for whole school

                                     -  Home & School AGM at 7.30 in Ruma Koru

Wednesday 16         -  North Otago Swimming Sports    

                                     -  Rippa Rugby skills for whole school      

Thursday 17            -  School Mass at 9.15 am with Yr 3

Friday 18                  -  Celebration Kotuitui at 2.30 pm

Monday 21               -  Otago Anniversary Day holiday

Thursday 24            -  Yr 8 Young Vinnies

Friday 25                  -  Good Friday holiday

Monday 28               -  Easter Monday holiday

Tuesday 29              -  Easter Tuesday holiday
Wednesday 30        -  ICAS examinations due back *

APRIL

Tuesday 5                -  Baptism & Catholic meeting from 6.30 to 7.30 pm

Thursday 7              -  School Mass with Junior Hub 1 *

                                    -  Yr 8 Young Vinnies *

Monday 11               -  Footsteps Dance Sessions *

Tuesday 12              -  Footsteps Dance Sessions *

Wednesday 13        -  Footsteps Dance Sessions *

Thursday 14            -  Footsteps Dance Sessions *

Friday 15                  -  Footsteps Dance Sessions *

                                    -  Celebration Kotuitui at 2.30 pm *

                                    -   School finishes for term 1

MAY

Monday 2                  -  School resumes for term 2 in winter uniform

Friday 6                     -  Chopper Mufti Day *

Monday 9                  -  Junior School swimming starts *

Tuesday 10               -  Film makers group session 1 *

Wednesday 11         -  Junior School swimming *

Friday 13                  -  Junior School swimming *

Monday 16               -  Junior School swimming *

                                     -  National Catholic Day *