Spelling Bee and Maths Bee

Spelling & Maths Bee competitions continue this year at St Joseph’s. In Weeks 1 and 2 students have competed across both a grade and stage level. The students below will represent St Joseph’s at the regional Maths Bee competition at St Patrick’s, Wallsend in the morning on Thursday, 15 May.

Stage 1: Rik M (2G)

Stage 2: Lawson K (3B)

Stage 3: Evan T (6B)

Our school will be hosting the regional Spelling Bee competition in the afternoon also on Thursday, 15 May.  

Stage 1: Sienna S (2G)

Stage 2: Harriet H (3G)

Stage 3: Juliette S (6G)

Congratulations to all students for participating and well wishes to those above going through to the next round!

Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT)

In Term 2 – Week 3, students in years 2 and 4 will participate in the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT). This test evaluates students' reasoning abilities in three key areas essential for success in school:

1. Verbal Battery: Assesses students' ability to reason with words and concepts, crucial for reading comprehension, critical thinking, writing, and verbal learning tasks.
2. Quantitative Battery: Measures students' ability to reason with quantitative symbols and concepts, which are vital for problem-solving in mathematics and other disciplines.
3. Nonverbal Battery: Evaluates students' ability to reason with geometric shapes and figures, requiring them to implement strategies for solving novel problems.

These batteries provide a comprehensive view of each student's learned reasoning abilities, identifying both strengths and areas for improvement. CogAT aims to support differentiated practice in education by helping teachers adapt instruction to meet the unique needs and abilities of each student.

It's important to note that CogAT scores are not integrated into report grades or other conventional measures of school achievement. The focus is on tailoring instruction and fostering a supportive, inclusive learning environment based on each child's ability.

If you have any concerns or questions about your child's academic progress or specific educational needs, please schedule a meeting with your child's teacher. They will discuss your child's strengths and areas for growth based on various assessments. Additionally, you can contact our school Gifted Education Project Officer, Bek Henshaw (bek.henshaw@mn.catholic.edu.au) (GEM) for further assistance.

Thank you for your continued support in ensuring the best educational outcomes for our students.

Positive Behaviours for Learning (PB4L) – Weeks 3 and 4

Be Respectful: Use kind words and actions  

In class and on the playground, our PBL focus for this fortnight is to use kind words and actions. Students are reflecting on the impact, on others and ourselves, when we use kind/unkind words. They will be identifying what these actions look like, sound like and feel like.

Students are enjoying taking their class tokens to the colour house boxes and watching the numbers rise. Special thanks to our dedicated Sports Captains for counting our tokens. The end of Week 5 will mark the next time we announce who the mid-term winning colour house will be. 

Walk Safely to School Day

Walk Safely to School Day will be held on Friday 16 May 2025.

This day is a great opportunity for families to walk to school together and have conversations about being a safe road user.

Here are some tips to help make walking to school a regular part of your routine:

Plan your route: Take some time to plan the safest and most convenient route to walk to school. Consider pedestrian crossings, footpaths, and traffic lights.

Set a schedule: Decide on the days and times you'll walk to school each week. Consistency is key to forming a new habit. Try to stick to your schedule as much as possible.

Safety first:

ALWAYS hold your child’s hand until they are at least 8 years old. Closely supervise them until they are at least 10 years old.

ALWAYS hold your child's hand:

• when on the footpath
• when crossing the road or
• when in a car park

Teach your child about being a safe pedestrian: This includes watching out for driveways, walking facing traffic when there are no footpaths and always Stop, Look, Listen, Think, every time you cross the road.

Avoid distractions: Set a good example by putting your phone away. Focus on your surroundings. If you need to use your phone, stop in a safe place.

Make it fun: Keep the walks enjoyable by talking about what you see and about your day. This can help make the time go quickly and make walking to school something your child looks forward to.

Join forces: Coordinate with other families in your neighbourhood to walk to school together. Not only does this make it more fun for the kids, but it also provides additional safety in numbers.

Celebrate achievements: Celebrate achievements along the way to keep motivation high. Whether it's reaching a certain number of walks or noticing improvements in fitness, acknowledging progress can help reinforce the habit.

Practise, Practise, Practise: The more supervised pedestrian experiences your child can get the better, so they will be ready to safely travel by themselves when they are older.

Walk Safely to School Day can be the start of a new routine!

The Student Council has shared with all students an art competition titled, ‘I art my way to school’. This competition is organised by the Newcastle City Council and is open for students from Kinder to Year 6. Entries do not close until Friday, 16 May. There are some great prizes to be won! For more information please see the poster below.

Renata Rozenfeld
Assistant Principal