Introducing our two wonderful “Lost property monitors” - Sienna and Kayla. 

Kayla and Sienna have done an amazing job at going through our lost property box from 2024. 

Items that were labelled have been returned to their owners and this is what is left over…..

Amazing job girls - they are both taking their job very seriously! 

If you see anything that may be yours please come and get it as it will be relocated by the end of next week. 

Anything that gets lost but is labeled clearly with your child’s name should  make it’s way back to your child. 

SO PLEASE LABEL YOUR CHILD”S UNIFORM. 

Thanks 

Irene 

Welcome to our 2025 Students

Thanks to parents who have responded to the many Operoo eForms that are emailed to families at the start of the school year. One eForm in particular is photo permission. We love putting our students faces in the Newsletter.

How much fun are these Foundation students having?

Meet and Greet (Parent / Teacher) sessions

The Meet and Greet (Parent / Teacher) sessions scheduled for Tuesday February 18 and Wednesday February 19 provide an opportunity for parents to share further information about their child/ren with teachers. 

An Operoo with instructions on how to make an appointment via  www.schoolinterviews.com.au has been sent to families. 

Buddies at St Joachim’s. 

Each child in the school has a buddy from another class.  

The older buddies provide friendship, guidance and support to their younger buddies, spending some time with them on the playground and in the classroom.

This partnership has proven to be a wonderful experience for all our students. 

2025 Buddy classes: 

• FRF & SHJ

• FRZ & SWD

• JMR & SLN

• JSE & MNG

• JTA &  MLR

• JDB & MYK

• MSM & STC

School Uniform 

We begin Term 1 wearing our summer uniform only including a school hat. If a student does not have a school hat they will be required to play in a shaded area until they bring their hat.
Reminders: 

• Hair below the shoulder must be put up (both boys and girls). 

• Only clear nail polish is acceptable at school.

• Sleepers or small studs only please. 

Specialist Timetable:

 Please see below the specialist timetable for Term 1.

Operoo

At the beginning of the year is the perfect time to update your phone and email details on Operoo. These are the go to details when we need to contact you.

Thank you to families who keep their Operoo profiles up to date such as when they change their address, phone number, parents work contact details etc. If you could also email the office@sjcarrumdowns.catholic.edu.au and let us know, so that we can adjust on our system as well.

Parents of Foundation students will have received an invitation via email to set up your child's Operoo account. These emails sometimes end up in spam 

Audiri App

Our school uses the Audiri App to help us communicate more effectively with our Parent community. This type of notification does not usually require a response from parents (as Operoo does).

We ask parents to install our Audiri School App which is easily obtainable from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

Once installed, just search for our school name “St Joachim's Primary School”. 

Absence Notifications on Audiri

Absence notifications are sent to the school via the Audiri App. These notifications are seen by the classroom teacher, and the office staff who manage the daily roll. 

Parents and carers have an obligation to notify the school of their child’s absence as soon as possible on the day of absence - preferably before 8:30am.

Other messages such as early pick up, can also sent using the Absence notifications form of the Audiri App.

Here’s a video on how to send absence notifications.

If you're having trouble with your Audiri App on your phone, it may need to be deleted and the latest version installed. Families and staff are telling us that this has fixed any Audiri issues that they have been having. 

Beginning of the School Year Mass.

Beginning of Year Mass will be celebrated on Friday 14th February at 11:15am in the school hall.  

Staff and students will receive a special blessing for the 2025 school year. It is a special time for us to gather as a whole school and pray for a wonderful year ahead. We invite all families and friends to this special celebration.

2025 Liturgy Leaders

We are Georgia and Onyx, the Liturgy Leaders for 2025.

When we found out that we were taking on this role, we were filled with excitement and joy.

We are committed to working our hardest and giving our best in everything we do, whether it’s helping to organise assemblies, Liturgies & Masses, special events, or assisting Ms. Andrew.

We promise to always be faithful, forgiving, following in Jesus’s footsteps  and spreading love, peace and hope.

Georgia and Onyx (2025 Liturgy Leaders) 

 'Learning to Learn' unit to explore Catholic Identity.

Our students have been using our 'Learning to Learn' unit to explore Catholic Identity through icons, traditions and reverent spaces. It has been wonderful to see our students creating prayer spaces in their classrooms. Our prayer mats are a great way of developing connection to prayer and reflecting on scripture. 

Students from MSM decorating their Class Prayer Mats.

Welcome back to St Joachim’s. 

With the start of a new year it is important to establish good reading habits at home from Term 1. This short article from Kaye Lowe, below tells us about the benefits of reading with our children.

The proven benefits of reading with your child 

Kaye Lowe 

Parents and carers who read aloud with children in a secure, safe and comfortable context motivate their children to read.

Parents’ perceptions, values, attitudes, and expectations play an important role in influencing their children’s attitudes toward reading, and subsequent literacy development. When children share a book with someone who makes them feel special, the attitude that reading is pleasurable is transferred to other reading encounters.

Relationship building. At the core of reading is a relationship and it is the bond between children and parents that is enhanced through reading together. It only takes ten minutes a day to build this relationship.

Children’s reading improves. The research is conclusive: When parents successfully support their children’s literacy learning from an early age, everyone benefits. When teachers and parents work together to support children’s reading and academic success, learning outcomes for all children improve.

Children read more. Students who read with their parents are better prepared for school. They begin school with knowledge of book language and familiarity with concepts of print. They understand how books work and have many more exposures to text types and vocabulary.

Children’s self-esteem improves. Knowing someone cares enough to take time out of a busy schedule to give you undivided attention around a book makes a significant difference to how students perceive themselves as learners and readers. When parents show an interest in their children’s learning, children respond positively.

Reading unites families through shared stories. When a family reads together, stories from a common ground for communicating. Stories bind families and help students make sense of where they fit in the world. Not only does parent involvement have a specific and profound impact on children’s reading, but also on children’s language and literacy learning in general. It is through interactions with parents and carers that children learn new vocabulary, seek clarification of new understandings, and learn to comprehend their expanding worlds. Talk is the key to reading and writing success. Talking with children (walking to school, at the table, in the car, bedtime) has a significant effect on literacy learning in general.

Dr. Kaye Lowe is Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Canberra and Director of ‘Read4Success’. She has had a life-long passion for literacy learning and supporting struggling readers.

The Middle classes had such a fun time starting their gymnastics sessions today. These will be held Fridays for the month of February. 

Everyone Welcome!

All  parents and friends of the school are encouraged to come to the P & F meetings and all are welcome. If you are unable to attend meetings but would like to be involved please send an email to pandfpresident@sjcarrumdowns.catholic.edu.au