Week 5 Term 1 2023

Good Habits = Success

Here’s a question: How do you define success? Ask a few people and you will no doubt be provided with different definitions. Ask your child/ren what they think.

Whatever your beliefs and definition of success, I believe that success comes about through the good habits which we create. As you read the brief extract below, reflect how this can apply to you and for your child/ren.

In the book ‘Atomic Habits’, author, James Clear points out that as we make tweaks, improvements, or whole scale modifications to our habits, slowly things begin to tilt in our favour. Eventually, if you stick with it, you hit a tipping point – and suddenly, it feels easier to stick with good habits. 

The weight of the system is working for you rather than against you. Whilst the circumstances, and goals will be different for everyone, ultimately progress will happen if there is a commitment to tiny, sustainable, and unrelenting improvements. 

Success is not a goal to reach or a finish line to cross. It is a system to improve, an endless process to refine. Bad habits repeat themselves – not because of ‘a lack of endeavour to change’, but rather, there is the wrong system for change in place. 

The secret to attaining results that last is to never stop making improvements. Consider the following:

It's remarkable what you can build if you don't stop making. It's remarkable the business you can build if you don't stop working. It's remarkable the body you can build if you don't stop training. It's remarkable the knowledge you can build if you don't stop learning. It's remarkable the wealth you can build if you don't stop saving. It's remarkable the friendships you can build if you don't stop caring.

Small habits don't add up – they compound. That's the power of atomic habits = tiny changes, remarkable results.

St Joseph’s Picnic, Friday 31 March

As highlighted in recent communication, the St Joseph’s Day Picnic will now take place on Friday 31 March at Payneham Oval. Further details will be communicated closer to the date. A Reception to Year 6 St Joseph’s Feast Day Mass will occur on Monday 20 March at 9:15am.

School Uniform News

As indicated, from 2024 St Joseph’s Payneham will be endorsing a new school uniform. The Uniform Committee, together with the School Board have been working through this process. There will of course be a transition period from the current uniform to the new. Further details will be released in due course.

No dogs on the school grounds

A reminder that dogs are not allowed on the school grounds, except for ‘assistance dogs’ i.e., helping visually impaired people; or if it has been arranged with your child’s classroom teacher for ‘show and tell’. 

Student Free Day, Friday 10 March 

Please take note there is a Student Free Day scheduled for Friday 10 March. Staff will be involved in professional learning on this day. OSHC will be available – please use the usual processes for booking if your child/ren require care.

Wishing you well!
Simon Mechis

Lent 

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit out into the wilderness…He fasted for forty days and forty nights…” (Matthew 4: 1-2) 

The season of Lent is now upon us. This is the most important season on our Catholic Liturgical Calendar. It is a time for us to fully accept our brokenness and our weaknesses and ask God to guide and strengthen us for the journey God has planned for each one of us. It is a solemn time of reflection, renewal and change. 

Above is a short passage from a Gospel reading which is read during Lent. It reminds us of Jesus’ time ‘in the wilderness’- the origins of the forty days of Lent before Easter. Jesus often went away alone because it is only through prayer and contemplation that we can build our relationship with God. But notice who led Jesus into the wilderness…. ‘the Spirit.’ Yes, it was God’s Spirit who led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted. God knows how important this ‘time-out’ is for our soul. And even more, God knows, the importance of the difficult times that we must endure, in strengthening us for things to come. 

“Aspire not to have more, but to be more.” (Archbishop Romero- El Salvador) 

So how will you reflect, be renewed and be restored this Lent? 

Make a commitment for positive change in your life which will bring you and your family closer to God. The 3 aspects of Lent, Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving, can be a good guide to change. Some ideas include: 

Prayer: Prayer is the only way to communicate with the God that loves us as we are.  Spend time in silence for individual prayer or mediation, take turns to say a prayer before the family meal or make a commitment to go to Mass each Sunday during Lent and experience the build-up to the Easter season. Someone once said, “God gives us 168 hours of life in a week, can we use just 1 to say thanks?” 

Fasting: Fasting is ‘giving-up’ something. Take some time to examine your own life, are there habits that get in the way of strengthening your relationships with others and with God? Fasting is all about sacrifice- for the good of others. It is about becoming more aware of the needs of others rather than our own wants. 

Almsgiving: Almsgiving is about sharing the earth’s resources more equally with others. Consider how you can give something of yourself- time, money, talent, to others. Giving to, and assisting in events for Caritas’ Project Compassion is one way of making this commitment. There may also be ways we can live more sustainably to care for the environment and others. 

Second Week of Lent 

(Week beginning Monday 6th March)

This week through Project Compassion we learn about Tereesa, a Gamilaroi woman from Western Sydney who struggled with homelessness while raising her four children. At just 16 years old, she had to leave school after falling pregnant with her first child. A single mother struggling with homelessness, Tereesa’s only concern was finding stability for her children.  

Seeking a better future for her family, Tereesa joined Baabayn Aboriginal Corporation’s Young Mums and Bubs Group, supported by Caritas Australia. Baabayn helped Tereesa access housing and psychological support. Through Baabayn, Tereesa was also able to hear stories from Indigenous Elders and reconnect with her culture. 

Today, Tereesa is studying a certificate in Community Services so that she can strengthen her skills and give back to her community. Tereesa now works at Baabayn, providing support to young mothers and mentoring the next generation of young people. 

Watch a short film about Tereesa’s story here.

Please support Project Compassion: www.caritas.org.au/project-compassion

Sacramental Program

The Sacramental Program will resume for 2023 with a growing group of students from the school and parish. We welcome all  our families and look forward to undertaking the preparations for the upcoming Confirmation, Communion (Year 4) and Reconciliation(Year 3).

The workshop for the Sacrament of Confirmation will be on Tuesday, 11 April 2023 from 6.30pm-8pm. The workshop for First Holy Communion will be on Tuesday, 8 August 2023 from 6.30pm-8pm. Parents and candidates are asked to attend each of the workshops. If you wish to make your Confirmation, Communion, and Reconciliation this year please contact Ingrid on 8206 5100.

SEQTA

SEQTA is a student management system which has primarily been used in many High Schools. If you have a child at St Ignatius, Mary Mackillop  or Loreto College, you may be familiar with some of the features and benefits of using this platform.  Catholic Primary Schools in SA have now begun using SEQTA and will begin to use this platform to report student progress to parents.  Here at St Joseph’s, we have been using parts of SEQTA for several years and at the start of this year our teachers have begun exploring how to use SEQTA to plan and program lessons and units of work.  

This year, all end of semester reports will be generated via SEQTA.  This means our reporting format and process will look different to how it has been in the past.  We are currently working with CESA on this process and hopefully we will have more information on how our reports will look as the semester progresses.

Five Critical Questions for Parents

St Joseph’s has been focusing on contemporary learning and the effective use of data in our schools. Catholic Education South Australia (CESA) has engaged Dr Lyn Sharratt, an educationalist from Canada, to work with all Catholic schools in South Australia. 

Her research has informed the book, Clarity which has moulded the basis our professional learning. In her book, Dr Sharratt emphasises fourteen parameters that are needed to improve teaching and learning in a school. One of these is the appointment of a Leader of Learning, who will become the mentor for our teachers. We are fortunate to have the expertise of Sonia Vernillo and Vanessa Saccardo (starting in Term Two), appointed as Leaders of Learning for our school. In alignment with our 2023 School Improvement Plan they will focus on improving teaching and learning in Literacy and Numeracy. 

As well as having Leaders of Learning, Dr Sharratt’s research has identified the important role that parents play in their child’s education as another key parameter. 

To support family involvement in your child’s learning and promote meaningful conversations, each teacher has shared their Term One Overview, which identifies the LEARNING INTENTIONS in all key learning areas. At the top of the overview, you will also see five critical questions parents can ask about their child’s learning:

1. What did you learn today? 
2. How did you do? 
3. What did you do when you didn’t understand?
4. How can you improve on your learning? 
5. What are you most proud of?

Regards

Ingrid Douventzidis