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Dear Families
Welcome to Term 2! We started the term with a fantastic excursion on Tuesday to Sale. It was especially exciting travelling on the buses. We visited the Art Gallery for a tour of Annemieke Mein's exhibiton and we participated in a workshop with Meg, who is an artist who works at the Gallery. We also visited St Mary's Cathedral and Jeff from Catholic College Sale, gave us a tour of the Cathedral. We all learnt so much. It really was a great day of learning and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it. If you haven't ever been to the Art Gallery in Sale, I thoroughly recommend a visit. Meg tells me that each school holidays they run free workshops in the second week. This would be a great family free activity for the holidays.
The Easter Story
On the last day of term 1 we gathered in our church to remember The Easter Story. The senior students lead us in prayer in a meaningful and reflective way. We were all so proud of their presentation, they truly are great leaders. Thank you Mr P. and Gr 5 & 6. Here are some photos from their presentation...
ANZAC Day March and holiday
Next week on Thursday April 25th we celebrate ANZAC Day. It is a public holiday and we warmly invite families to join us in the local Trafalgar March. We meet at the pub at 10.45am to walk down Contingent Street towards the cenotaph. There will be a short service there where we will lay a wreath on behalf of our community. We ask that the students wear their school uniform to the March to represent us. We hope your family can join us.
St Joseph's School community welcomes Miss Kate to work in our school on Wednesdays each week.
CYBERSAFETY SERIES
Many of today’s parents grew up in a world devoid of technologies and often have little knowledge on how best to assist and guide their children. In today’s digital world, 90 percent of a child’s socialisation occurs online. As the range of social media platforms grows, so too does the opportunity for bullying and stalking. Often parents have no idea their child is a victim and kids are unlikely to report it for fear of losing access to their technology, which to them, is the equivalent of "social death”.
During Term 2 we are going to include a number of issues on Cybersafety. 1. Online Gaming 2. Managing Screen Time 3. Internet Addiction 4. Cyberbullying and 5. Sexting. Being informed helps us to make better parent decisions.
In this edition of SchoolTV - ONLINE GAMING
Games are an integral part of human behaviour. It is normal and healthy for young people to engage in play as a part of their daily lives, including playing games online. And like most activities, online gaming can have both positive and negative outcomes. It can be intimidating and confusing for carers trying to understand a young person’s online experiences with many considering that staring at a screen is an unhealthy habit. However, the World Health Organisation does believe that as well as the risks, there are also many positive benefits associated with online gaming and these could be key in nurturing bonds with others.
During the pandemic, there was an explosive growth of gaming as people sought much needed connection during isolation. In the media, gaming often gets bad publicity because most coverage tends to concentrate on the minority of gamers who play to such an extent that it compromises all other areas of their life. However, online gaming can teach young people many skills including teamwork, concentration, communication and problem-solving. It requires a level of interaction and skill from the player; unlike watching television, which is more passive.
Online communities provide opportunities for young people to feel socially connected and have a sense of belonging. At healthy levels, gaming can increase their self-esteem and social acceptance. However, any behaviour, when taken to extreme, can also have a negative impact on a young person’s everyday life. Understanding what your young person experiences online and knowing the warning signs if they are at risk, will help nurture a more positive relationship with online gaming and help your family find the right balance.
If you are concerned about your young person’s online gaming habits, it’s important to consider a number of factors. This edition will provide strategies in how to deal with any issues you may be experiencing.
We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV and we always welcome your feedback. If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.
Here is the link to the Online Gaming edition of SchoolTV
https://trafalgar.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/online-gaming
Weekly Lunch Orders
Parentzone offer a number of great short courses. Stay up to date by viewing this term's newsletter at
https://www.anglicarevic.org.au/about-us/newsletters/gippsland-parentzone-term-2-2024/
Lions Club Public Speaking Competition
During this term we are promoting the Lions Club Public Speaking Competition. Students from grades 3,4,5 & 6 are encouraged to write a speech on a particular topic and present this speech to the school at the start of term 3. The topic for Gr 3 & 4 is ‘My Favourite Book Character or Fairytale Character’, this will be a 3-minute speech. Students from grades 5 and 6, have the topic ‘Who is the most influential person in my life?’, this requires the students to choose someone they know who they can interview and present their speech based on these interviews, this will be a 4-minute speech. This is a wonderful opportunity for the students if they would like to participate, however it is not compulsory. The students will write their speeches at home with assistance from parents, and school staff will check in regularly with the students who are participating.
April
Wed 24 School Advisory Committe 5pm
Thurs 25 & Fri 26 ANZAC day break
Mon 29 Rubbish Warrior Competition Week 1
May
Thurs 2 Gr 4/5 teaching Mass
Mon 6 Rubbish Warrior Competition Week 2
Fri 10 National Walk Safe to School Day
Do It For Dolly Day Everyone encouraged to wear blue
Fri 17 Assembly 3pm Catholic Education Week
Mon 20 to 24 Catholic Education Week
Mon 20 Open Day 3pm to 5.30pm
Wed 22 Marist Winter Sports Day for Gr 4/5/6
Thurs 23 Gr 3/4 Teaching Mass 10am
Mon 27 to Fri 31 National Reconciliation Week
Tues 28 1. Interest Based Learning
June
Tues 4 2. Interest Based Learning
Tues 18 3. Interest Based Learning
Tues 25 4. Interest Based Learning