Dear Lord,

We ask you to bless St Joseph's School Community.

We pray that you guide us to be just and to see,

listen, speak and act like St Joseph.

May we always keep Jesus at the centre of all we do.

St Emilie          Pray for us

St Marcellin      Pray for us

St Joseph         Pray for us 

And may we always remember to pray for one another.

AMEN

Dear Members of St Joseph's Family,

Welcome back to Term 3 and a very special welcome to our new families who have joined us across the School.  We are hoping that this term is not nearly as crazy as last term was.  Term 3 is traditionally a very busy term with lots of carnivals and other events.  The P&F have also got lots planned this term so stay tuned to their advertising for the Primary discos and the Outdoor movie night.

We had a last-minute staffing change in Year 1 over the holidays and Ms Hayley Read had to leave us.  We have been truly blessed by managing to recruit a super star new teacher - Ms Hannah Hobbs has joined our team and has hit the ground running.  We welcome her to our community.

Thank you to those who attended the Parent Teacher Student interviews on both campuses over the last two weeks.  If you were unable to attend but would like to contact a teacher, please either ring the Administration to make an appointment or email the teacher directly.

Primary Build

There has been some pleasing progress on the build taking place amongst the Primary classrooms and it is exciting to see the works taking shape!

Parish Sacramental Program

The Parish Sacramental Program Coordinator, Mrs Kathy Pollard, wishes to advise families that the Parish is considering holding the Commitment Ceremony for each Sacrament prior to or at the first parent/student workshop.  If you have any queries regarding the Sacramental Program, please contact Kathy on 0429 685 632.

Class in Focus:  Year 3 Blue

Oh my!  It’s hard to believe that Term 3 is already here and in full swing.

In Literacy, the Year 3s have been working hard on their spelling words.  Our class novel is "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and we can’t wait to integrate this with our Design Technology project.  During Talk for Writing the children have been busy learning about strategies to include suspense in narratives.  Students have progressed well in their Lexile reading goals so far, however we have new goals set for this term.

In Technologies, the children have been learning about the design process, safety and suitability considerations.  Once these skills are learnt, we will apply our Art knowledge when we create a diorama of a wardrobe from "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe".

In Mathematics, the Year 3s have been loving playing with their new Bond Blocks.  Their confidence is growing as they learn new play-based addition strategies.  In mathematic rotations, students are learning about modelling and representing fractions, arrays and doubling numbers.

In Religion, we have been learning about Baptism and listening to our vocational calling from God.  Students are beginning to wonder about their purpose in life and discovering their gifts and talents.

In Science, we have had a ball learning about the solar system, so much so that we have created our very own nature solar system model.  We look forward to learning more about the features of each planet.        

Well done, Year 3 Blue, on starting the term with a positive and hardworking attitude.  I can’t wait to see your growth this term!

Lauren D'Silva
Year 3 Blue Teacher

Class in Focus:  Year 4 Blue

Us in Year 4 Blue cannot believe it is already Term 3 after what seemed like a busy first half of the year with the effects of COVID looming over the classroom.  We are all excited about the construction around the school and are looking forward to seeing what it all looks like once it is finished.                                         

The children have been busy practicing and rehearsing for their performance at the Spirit of the Arts Festival where they will perform a choral speech of “Tomorrow I will be Brave” by Jessica Hische.  They have all memorised the actions and words brilliantly and cannot wait to perform in front of everyone at the festival.

Some of the children are starting their preparation to receive their First Holy Eucharist; it is an exciting time for them, and they are enthusiastic to grow their relationship with God.

Within the classroom, we are learning about various different Explorers and their contributions to world discovery with a focus on Christopher Columbus.  Students have begun working on their project where they will be tasked with researching a chosen early explorer and creating a poster describing their explorer.

We are also learning about writing portal stories with a focus on describing the change of setting and, in Science, learning about Biological Sciences specifically learning about ecosystems and relationships between different living things.

In Maths, students are learning about equivalent fractions and have begun building their number fluency through our new maths program, Bond Blocks.

Year 4 Blue says “bring on the rest of the year!”

Edward Ewing
Year 4 Blue Teacher

I would like to start by thanking all our families and friends who attended last week’s Award’s Assembly and the Parent / Student / Teacher interviews.  We did trial having the Assembly in the afternoon but realise that time constraints and the ability for parents to pick up younger students from the Primary Campus is too hard, so will return to morning assemblies from now on.

The Phys Ed Department have recently had Volleyball courts erected on the new grassed area.  These have quickly become very popular across the year levels.  Watching students enjoy impromptu games this week has been lovely.  Especially with the beautiful sunshine on Wednesday.                                  

Marcellin House Day will be held on Wednesday so students are able to wear BLUE for the day.  Please remember that Secondary students must wear covered shoes for the day.  This is an occupational health and safety issue as they come in and out of the Food Room, Science Labs and The Shed.  Please remind students to bring some change to buy a drink, jelly or hotdog on the day.

A representation of Years 5 to 10 students will take part in The da Vinci Decathlon in Week 3 at Winthrop Hall at UWA.  Good luck to all our students competing.

Lastly, we ask parents not to drop off bags of take-away food and soft drinks from fast food outlets in town.  These options do not meet our Healthy Food Guidelines and are not conducive to productive learning behaviour.

Sharon Cusack
Head of Secondary

Learning Area in Focus:  Science

In Year 7, the students are looking at Space.  We have been exploring the size of the universe, our planet and other planets.  The students have enjoyed making plasticine planets and paper solar systems, as well as discovering our place in our galaxy.  Over the next few weeks, the students will explore the phases of the Moon using Oreo’s and discuss the technologies that help us understand the universe.  Later in the term, the focus will switch to resources found on planet Earth and how we can best ensure availability of these into the future.                                                                         

Our Year 10 Science classes began their Biology topic this term.  The students looked into the microscopic world of cells, protein and DNA.  Did you know that if you uncoiled the DNA from all the cells in your body, it would be about 90 billion metres long – enough for around 150,000 round trips to the Moon!

During class, our Year 10 students conducted an experiment to extract out the DNA from strawberries.  Check out our surprising results in the images.  DNA looks nothing like what you think it might!

In a range of classes, the students have been covering a wide variety of topics, including building earthquake proof houses in Year 9, 3D cell models in Year 8, environmental studies in Year 11 and genetics, adaptations and homeostasis in Year 12.  The effort put into all these activities was exceptional, some of the cakes for the cell models were amazing.

Year 9 students were very excited about trying to destroy their buildings on a vibrating platform, most survived although some were highly entertaining in their failure.  Year 11 students enjoyed the river survey on the Avon and the Year 12 students successfully carried out some DNA fingerprinting, but of all the activities probably the favourite, especially with the staff (who outnumbered the students) was the visit to Karakamia Wildlife Sanctuary to look at native animals.

Our Year 11 Human Biology class has kicked off this semester with Reproduction and Inheritance.  What makes you, you?  Can you roll your tongue?  Do you have curly hair?  What hand do you write with?  Genetics has a big part to play in that – just ask our Year 11 Human Biology students.  Our class learnt all about how DNA replicates and its role in the cell cycle.

There is never an exciting moment to do Chemistry ATAR than now.  The Year 12 Chemistry ATAR students are investigating how effective and efficient different solvents can remove different stains on cotton fabrics.  Why is this important?  Well, there are different intermolecular forces between the stain and the solvents.  These forces are very important in how quickly the stain can be removed from the cotton fabrics.  Could the results of such investigations be commercialised?  Well, the future appears to be bright for these students.  So, we begin from little processes and move to bigger processes.                              

Additional areas included looking at velocity and acceleration, including that of gravity, reviewing the work of Galileo and Newton and how their mathematical interpretations influence our understandings today.  The students are going to delve further into advanced motion to examine a range of contexts where analysing additional factors like displacement and time provide a greater knowledge of the forces involved and related energy transfer.

The Year 12 Physics class have been looking at the nature of light, the photoelectric effect and the quantum world with some discussions relating to thought experiments, including ‘Schrodinger’s cat’ scenario, with issues in the Physics world of how to be able to take accurate and authentic measurements.

On Thursday this week, all Year 9 Course A and Year 10 Course A students sat the International Chemistry Quiz, run by the Royal Australian Chemical Institute.  This quiz involved 30 multiple choice questions to be completed in one hour, which relied on sound background knowledge of chemical principles and then taking this understanding further by using what they have learnt by selecting the correct response to apply to new and diverse situations.  A somewhat tricky proposal, that tests real scientific comprehension.  We look forward to receiving these results early next term.

All Science students will be doing a few different activities during National Science Week, which for us is during Weeks 5 and 6.  These activities will get the students to plan and conduct experiments around the United Nations International Year of Glass.  At first glance, people may question, an International Year of Glass, but if all goes well, the students will be able to share their knowledge at home about how and why glass and glass related research is important scientifically and culturally.

Jada Yengkopiong, Syona Fernandez, Mark Bundock, Gerhard Vogel, Kylie Wallis, Amanda McLaughlin, Nita Budas & Mark Gargano
Science Learning Area Staff

Secondary Sporting News

Sports Achievement Award Week 1
Congratulations to Rosie Ferguson.  Over the holidays, Rosie played for Avon Hockey Club at the Country week Championships, playing 3 times a week.  She scored two goals for her team and was singled out for her great sportsmanship.  She was asked to play for Upper Greater Southern Hockey Association at the Narrogin Hockey Carnival and performed very well.                                                      

Sports Achievement Award Week 2
Congratulations to Mason Barr.  Mason was a strong figure in helping his WABL team win vs Joondalup on the weekend.  Down 2 points Mason got a steal and on a fast break received an unsportsmanlike foul and made both free throws to tie the game up.  Next possession, Mason made a floater to give his team a 2 point lead in a game they would win by 2 points.

ACC All Stars Basketball Opportunity
An opportunity exists for interested boys and girls to nominate for the ACC All Stars Basketball teams.  Nominations are now open to all ACC school students (please see flyer attached).  To nominate, students are to complete the online player nomination form at:
Girls - https://www.accsport.asn.au/interschool-sport/representative-teams/basketball/player-nominations/girls
Boys - https://www.accsport.asn.au/interschool-sport/representative-teams/basketball/player-nominations/boys

Positions are open to male and female basketball players from Years 9 – 12.  **Nominations are to be of a representative level (Championship level WABL or higher) and close Friday 12 August.

Competition Date – all games will be played on Sunday 23 October at Bendat Stadium, time TBC.  **NB: Qualifying players will receive an All Stars Pin to acknowledge their selection in the team.  Should a player be selected in the All Stars AFL team 3 times, they will qualify for ACC Letters**

The commitment required by the players is low.  Trial dates/venue will be announced once scheduled.  Any other commitments are at the discretion of the coaching staff.  The cost of nomination is $19.00 per person, payable to the School Sports Coordinator.  Students must have the approval of their School Sports Coordinator before they nominate to trial.  Please note, players who are of BWA state or national team level or have qualified for the All Stars Basketball team in 2021, will progress straight to the trial match.  This condition may change depending on the needs of the coach and squad.  Check out the flyer for all details.

Adrienne Suckling
Secondary Sports Coordinator

School Calendar

We advise the school community that the 2022 School Calendar on the website is still a work in progress.  In the meantime, a PDF version of the 2022 Term by Term calendar is available from the Class Information page and also attached to the newsletter. https://sjsnortham.schoolzineplus.com/calendar

There have been several events updated since Term 3 commenced, and you are encouraged to check this for upcoming events that may involve your family.

Andrea Woodgate

Opening Times:                             Mondays -   3.15pm to 4.45pm       
                                                      Thursdays - 2.45pm to 4.15pm    

Families wishing to access the Uniform Shop are advised that the online shop is the preferred method of ordering uniforms.  If items are required to be tried on, then an appointment should be made by contacting the Primary Admin on 9621 3500.  We are continuing to limit numbers in the Uniform Shop so an appointment is preferred.  Please note we can not accept email or telephone orders.

Please also keep in mind when ordering, that your items will go home Tuesday and Friday of each week, as Monday and Thursday are the days the Shop is open.  When placing an order via the Online Shop, it will appear on a report the following day.  For example; if you place your order on Monday, the report issues on Tuesday which means it will not be organised until Thursday, and will go home on Friday.

Michelle James 
Primary - 9621 3524

Term 3 Activities

At our recent Meeting, a range of exciting events were discussed and we are now looking for volunteers to assist with these. 

The P&F are catering for the Interhouse Athletics Carnival on Friday 12 August and we are looking for volunteers to assist with the preparation of food in the week leading to the Carnival and also to assist on the day.

The Years 6, 9 and 10 Camino treks are on and at least one volunteer parent with a support vehicle will be needed to drive ahead of the trekkers with water and snacks available at their nominated stops.

A School Community Movie Night is planned for Friday 16 September - anyone interested in joining our sub-committee to help with the organisation is welcome to contact us.  

Please contact the Primary Admin or message us on our Facebook page leaving your name and contact details and the event/s you are happy to assist with.  We will be in touch with you to provide more information on what is required.

Canteen Assistance

A reminder about Canteen assistance - if parents have an hour to spare after dropping off their kids, or between 11.30am and 12.50pm, Angela would appreciate any help you can offer her.  The number of lunch orders coming in is the highest it's ever been, which means more food to get ready.  You can also have these volunteer hours marked off on your Parent Participation Card, which deducts $100.00 from your school fees.  Your kids will also love seeing their parents at School!

See our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/1764507137145087/?ref=share for more updates.

Lauren Holten
President

Parish Priest - Fr George James

Assistant Priest - Fr Konrad Gagatek

Mass Times ~ Saturday Vigil @ 5.30pm

                   ~ Sunday Mass @ 8.00am  

Presbytery Phone: 08 9622 5411
Email: northamcatholicchurch@iinet.net.au
Website:  www.northamchurch.com

Parish News ~ Children's Liturgy 
Children’s Liturgy sessions are held during the 8.00am Sunday Mass.

Northam Dental Therapy Centre

The Northam Dental Therapy Centre advise that they are closed from Wednesday 27 July 2022 until Tuesday 2 August 2022.  In case of emergency, please contact Edney Dental Therapy Centre on 9454 4034 for advice.

WANSLEA Parent Workshop ~ BIG STEPS for LITTLE PEOPLE

A free parenting program for parents and carers of children in Day-care, Early Learning, Kindy, School will be held on Tuesday 9 August at Bridgeley Community Centre, Northam.  Time: 6.30-8.30pm.

This program will be presented by Julie Holschier, OAM from Wiring Kids and covers:
Let’s talk about helping children to be confident and prepared for transitions without tears.
Let’s talk about life skills for kindy and school, including toileting, separation and more.
Help your child become confident, capable and positive about going to new places.
Help your child learn self-help skills that support their emotional growth

Places are limited so please book early!  BOOKING ONLINE: Through the Parenting Connection WA website https://parentingconnectionwa.com.au  BOOKING: call or email Janine: 0447 622 736/ jwallis@wanslea.org.au

Positive Partners ~ 1 day Autism Workshop

Parents and carers are invited to attend a free one-day Autism Workshop on 18 August 2022, 9.15am to 3.00pm, at the Northam Town Hall.  Join other local families to learn more about autism and ways to strengthen the home-school partnership.  Learn about the diversity of autism; understanding behaviour and working together with your child's school. 

Morning tea and a light lunch will be provided.  For more information, and to register, please visit:  positivepartnerships.com.au or contact Rebecca Wahlsten on rwahlsten@positivepartnerships.com.au.  For help, call 1300 881 971 - intrepreters are available.

Astrotourism WA ~ Spectacular Night Skies

We are smack bang in the middle of “Milky Way Season”.  That’s because, during this time of year, we look towards the centre or core of our Milky Way Galaxy.  It’s dense with stars and stretches across the dark night sky in country WA.  Astrophotographers love it!

The Milky Way is best seen when there’s no moonlight and you’re away from bright city lights.  What you’re looking for is a band of cloudy or dusty looking light that stretches in an arc from the southeast to the south west.  It looks like a cloud, but it’s actually billions of stars that make up the Milky Way Galaxy, our home in the Universe.  Throughout August and September, the core or heart of the Milky Way is high in the southern sky.  Saturn returns to our evening skies and on 12 August will be right by the Moon with both shining brilliantly.

And to add to this cosmic spectacular, we have another meteor shower to enjoy.  The Perseids meteor shower is generated from comet Swift-Tutle and renowned for producing bright meteors.  The shower peaks on the nights of the 12 and 13 August but can be viewed several days either side of the peak.  The best views will be under dark skies, after midnight.  The further north you are in WA, the better you will see this meteor shower.

To See Saturn & the Moon: All night on the 12th, from the early evening, looking towards the eastern horizon.  Find more stargazing tips and country events at www.astrotourismwa.com.au.  If you’re a budding “astro-enthusiast”, check out… Stargazers Club WA’s telescope classes & astronomy events for beginners at: www.stargazersclubwa.com.au.