March 7.pdf - St Joseph's Tobruk

St Joseph’s Tobruk
Memorial School
53 Kokoda Street Beenleigh QLD 4207
PO Box 719 Beenleigh QLD 4207
Ph: 3287 2798 F:3807 4532
St Patrick’s Parish Office: 3287 2282
Trinity College: 3442 5222
St Patrick’s OSHC: 3807 1364
Monday 11 March
Assembly 5F
Last day for placing Book Club orders
Tuesday 12 March
8-8.30am: Homework help
Tuckshop orders final day
7pm: P&F Meeting
Wednesday 13 March
7.30am: Band
8-8.30am: Homework help
2.05pm: Choir
Thursday 14 March
Mass Readings: 7L
Tuckshop Day
Friday 15 March
8.40: Sr Jenny Cuppa. Back of hall
Banking
Yr 2: Logan History in class
Yr 3: Brisbane Market in class
Monday 18 March
Assembly 5C
Parent/teacher interviews week
Tuesday 19 March
St Joseph’s Day
Wednesday 20 March
2.05pm: Choir
7.30am: Band
Thursday 21 March
Liturgy: 2L
Friday 22 March
8.40am: Sr Jenny Cuppa. Back of hall
Banking
Yr 6-7: First of five Gala Days
School Disco
RECEPTION
Mon: 8.30-3.45
Tues-Thurs: 8.15-3.45
Fri: 8.30-3.15
UNIFORM SHOP
8:15-9:15am Tuesday
2:15-3:15pm Thursday
Kerry Fenner mob 0432828467
or 32872798 in uniform shop hours.
UNIFORM DAYS
Formal: Mon, Tues
Sport:
Wed & Fri-Yr 1, 2, 5, 3C, 6C, 7L
Thur & Fri-3F, 4C, 4F, 7C, 7F
Dear Parents
7 March, 2013
YR 2-7 SWIMMING CARNIVAL TOMORROW
TUCKSHOP DAY – CHANGE OF DATE
Due to calendar commitments the tuckshop day will now
be held on THURSDAY 14 TH MARCH. All other details
remain unchanged and the existing order forms
should still be used by families. We apologise for any
confusion this may cause.
YEAR 7 CAMP
We were so fortunate to have wonderful weather at Lake Ainsworth for the
Year 7 Camp, particularly after the saturation we have received in recent
weeks. I appreciate the sacrifice that many families have made so that their
children could attend the camp this year and know that the children are very
thankful as well. Sincere thanks to the teachers who attended the camp
(Peter Lovegrove, Rory McBride, Bec Fletcher, Joshua O’Keeffe and Sharon
Follett), giving up their own family time to make sure that the children enjoyed
themselves and were safe. I also appreciate the amount of effort it
takes to organise a camp and this involves office staff as well, so thank you to
all involved.
LENTEN REFLECTION/PRAYER
Lent offers us all a very special opportunity to grow in our relationship with
God and to deepen our commitment to a way of life, grounded in our baptism.
In our busy lives, Lent provides us with an opportunity to reflect upon our life
patterns, to pray more deeply, experience sorrow for what we have done and
failed to do, and to be generous to those in need. Let us pray for ourselves
and our community that, open to the Spirit, we may learn the art of discerning
God’s word, leading and guiding us in our daily lives. We pray for the
courage to embrace wholeheartedly our Lenten journey. We pray for the
openness to recognise the Spirit’s guiding presence in the desert experiences
of our lives. We pray for the wisdom to acknowledge our failure to love and
the courage to begin again. We pray for the humility to recognise our need
for God.
P&F MEETING NEXT TUESDAY 12 March 7pm

DID YOU KNOW?
Our team houses – MacKillop (Green), O’Shea (Blue), and Steele (Red) are named after important founders of our
school.
St Mary MacKillop was the co-founder of the Sisters of St Joseph who were commissioned to administer our
school which was officially opened and blessed on 25 October 1953, and ready for students in January 1954. Mary
is Australia’s first saint.
She was a compassionate leader with a deep concern for those in need. Her vision was to teach children from
poor families who otherwise wouldn’t get an education. Mary saw a need and tried to do something about it. Mary
believed and trusted in God. She faced life’s challenges with courage knowing that God was always there to help
her.
It is from Fr Owen Steele that the school gained its title, Tobruk Memorial. In the North African campaign during
World War II, Fr Owen Steele became one of the famous ‘Rats of Tobruk’. Upon his return to Australia in 1943, he
was appointed to the role of Parish Priest of Beaudesert. Fr Steele commissioned the Sisters of St Joseph to establish
St Joseph’s Tobruk Memorial School at Beenleigh.
Before they became too frail to do so, several surviving Rats of Tobruk visited the school each year to tell their
story of perseverance, courage, sacrifice and mateship.
We will always remember the Rats of Tobruk and try to be courageous like them when challenges come our way.
Fr. Bill O’Shea was appointed Parish Priest of Beenleigh in June 1979 and remained at St Patrick’s for 8 ½ years.
The 1980s were a time of rapid growth in the large area that constituted the Beenleigh parish. During Fr Bill’s
term the present Beenleigh Church was built, Trinity College opened its doors and there were several extensions
to St Joseph’s School. As well as this, St Matthew’s School at Loganholme opened, and St. Matthew’s Church was
erected. Loganholme was then created as a separate parish in its own right.
After his years in Beenleigh, Fr Bill spent 13 years as Parish Priest of Wilston, one of Brisbane’s inner northern
suburbs. In the early 2000s he also filled the role of Director of the Formation Programme for Deacons in the
Brisbane Archdiocese.
Now retired, he lives privately in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. He continues to help when and where needed in
parishes at weekends, and to give talks on different topics to parish groups and church organisations.
His published writings include:
Questions Catholics Ask (2 volumes), a compilation of questions and answers from his Question Box column in
The Catholic Leader, which ran for 15 years;
Journey to Easter and At Home with God’s People, presentations of the Catholic faith that were widely used as
RCIA resources; and Vatican II Made Simple, a popular survey of the Second Vatican Council and its effects.
SWIMMING CARNIVAL
The School’s annual swimming carnival will be tomorrow Friday 08 March at Aqualogan Pool in City Road, Beenleigh.
The carnival is for children in Years 2-7. Prep and Year 1 children do not swim in the carnival nor do they
attend for the duration of the event. Teachers of Prep and Year 1 classes may bring their class to the pool to give
the children a taste of what the carnival is like if they believe their class is ready and able to walk responsibly to
and from the carnival.
There will be no admission cost on the day to families coming to watch their children swim. The hire of the pool is
paid by the swimming levy ($4 is non-refundable even if your child does not attend the carnival). Children are
to bring their morning tea and lunch as they would for any normal school day – there is no P & F BBQ.
Please do not give money to children to buy things from the canteen. There simply isn’t time for children to go to
the canteen. We also promote healthy living choices at St Joseph’s. Children need to be in their team area at all
times unless they are going to the toilet with staff permission. Please ensure that children have sun screen on
and that they have sunscreen with them to reapply during the day.
Children come to school on Friday dressed in their sports uniform with their house T Shirt. Teachers walk the
children to the pool after taking the roll at the classroom at 8.30am. Togs should be worn underneath the sports
uniform, thongs on the feet and hat on the head. Please make sure that children have their shoes and socks in
their bag for when they return to the school after the carnival. Children will also need underwear in their bags.
Between races children must wear their hats and shirt. With the recent rain, the grounds could still be wet so a
garbage bag or extra towel for children to sit on would be advisable.
Parents will have a designated area in which to sit. Please do not go to the children’s area. There is a Child Protection
reason for not allowing parents into the children’s area.
As this is a normal school day, please do not take your child from the carnival until the carnival is completely
finished. This will be after the war cries and the presentation to the winning team at approximately
2.30pm. After the presentation, children may go home with their parents. You will need to tell the class teacher
St Joseph’s Beenleigh Newsletter 7 March 2013

Newsletter Deadline: 9am Wednesday. Items received after this time may not be included.
if you are taking your child home. All other children will then return to school with the class teacher ready for buses
or the usual pick-up arrangements.
If your child doesn’t have a house/team T-shirt, these are available from the school uniform shop.
A list of things to bring:
Hat Swimming Cap (BCE regulation) House T Shirt Sports uniform (shorts, socks & shoes)
Towel Togs (worn under clothes) Underwear Thongs (to be worn to & from the pool)
Sunscreen Garbage bag (to sit on) Morning tea & lunch Water, water and more water!!!!
NO PARKING AT TRINITY COLLEGE TRADE TRAINING CENTRE
It must look inviting to parents dropping children off or picking children up after school…several empty car-spaces
right over the road from Joey’s….BUT!!!! This is a work space all day contracted out to private companies who
work with Trinity College to provide training for students in hair-dressing and car mechanics. Authorised vehicles
only are allowed to enter the area. Deliveries are constantly coming into the College to service the businesses
there. The businesses are entitled to this space as they have paid the College for its use. Please do not park
there.
An added issue is that parents are waiting there for their children who then run across Tobruk Street putting their
lives at risk.
PREP 2014 ENROLMENT APPLICATIONS
I will begin the enrolment interview process for Prep 2014 in coming weeks. Families must submit an enrolment
application for their prep-aged children even if they have siblings at St Joseph’s already. A number of families
were ‘caught out’ during last year’s process as they had not submitted an enrolment application. The numbers
are always fairly tight for next year’s intake so if you haven’t put in an application, please do so immediately. Applications
are available at the office or online at our school website www.stjosephsbeenleigh.qld.edu.au
PARENT / TEACHER TERM 1 INTERVIEW
Interviews will take place over the last two weeks of Term 1 (Weeks 8 & 9). Your child’s class teacher will work
out an appointment time with you in the weeks preceding. The Term 1 Interview allows both parents and teachers
to communicate early in the year about any issues or concerns and to affirm good student work. The purpose
of this ‘interview/report’ is to summarise trends in student academic achievement, effort and application, social
skills and behaviour during the first term from both the teacher’s and parent’s perspectives. Teachers and parents
meet together to discuss what is going well and where there might be room for improvement. It is not
meant to be a comprehensive or detailed report. Rather, the occasion of the interview is an opportunity for purposeful
discussion and to develop the partnership between home and school by providing an early, formal point of
contact. Students also complete a self-reflection which contributes further to the discussion.
Please note that for 4C (Cath Schloman and Sarah Taylor), interviews will be held early next term as Cath is overseas
on Long Service Leave for the rest of this term.
DANGER! CROSS ROADS AT PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS
If you are leaving the school grounds on foot, please use the pedestrian crossings. Both Kokoda and Tobruk
Streets are very busy and children’s lives are put in danger when they are encouraged by parents to cross the
road to get to cars without using pedestrian crossings.
SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY
Our school cross country will be held on Tuesday 26 March. Training to help prepare children for this event will
take place before school on Wednesdays and Fridays. Children wishing to take part in the training need to come
to school dressed in their training gear and running shoes. They therefore need to bring with them their school
uniform and regular black joggers to change into when training finishes.
STUDENT INFORMATION FORMS
Student Information Forms have been sent home to Prep-Year 6 students. Year 7 students will receive theirs next
week. Please amend incorrect information, sign and return the forms as soon as possible to the school office.
STUDENT OF THE WEEK
PC: David Byron, Loren Zajac, Harry Sykes, Jake Moody
PF: Ashton Loiselle, Isaiah Talge, Hayley Parker, Camryn Hinds, Rhylee Jackson
1C: Charlotte Nash, Chelsea Golinski 1F: Ryan Wey, Riley Scullion
2C: HayleyFanning, Madeline McErlean, Jesh Curley 2F: Cruz Toeava, Jacynta McCormack
3C: Sasha Whitby 3F: Kyle Harrison, Kymberly James
4C: April Smith, Jack Harrison 4F: Rielly Chambers, Ellie Lahrs
5C: Katarina Shala, Cooper Barnes 5F: Isabella McMillan, Luke Herbst
6C: Heidi LeMasurier Golden Gnome: 1st– 2C, 2F. 2nd– 6C. 3rd– 3C
St Joseph’s Beenleigh Newsletter 7 March 2013

FROM THE APRE-PETER LOVEGROVE
WHAT IS LENT GOOD FOR?
God has given us a great and comforting gift. ... But it's easy to forget what God has done for us. We forget that it
was for our sake (and because of our wrongs) that Jesus suffered. We can add to our wrongs when we try to make
ourselves comfortable without God: when we try to make ourselves feel better with sweet things to eat, a new toy,
always playing games, or watching videos. We fill up with all sorts of things, always hoping that they will make us
happy. We may be happy in the moment—and there are times when such things are a comfort, or even a great way
to celebrate—but the kind of happiness they provide doesn't last very long. We just end up wanting more; they cannot
really satisfy.
We can ask our kids to think about the materialistic nature of the world around them and see what they can really do
without. During the recent blackouts associated with the big storm it became evident that my son struggled with no
iPod, video games and TV. We played board games and card games and returned to a simpler life and times. I
cooked what was still safe to eat on the BBQ and we had long “deep and meaningfuls” about all sorts of things. It
was great to be able to connect like that.
It reminded me of a story I heard about a lady who removed all electrical devices from her house for twelve months.
What made this story more impressive was the fact that she had three teenage children who had to go along with her.
What we need to do is to be able to show our kids the difference between “needing something” and “wanting something”.
This is something we should challenge at every opportunity.
You can listen to Susan Maushart’s story by going to the following link. It is a great story!
http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2010/11/08/3060538.htm
GOTCHA
The Gotcha Program will kick off next week and the students doing the right thing at school
and helping the school to be a better and brighter place will get a card to acknowledge their efforts.
The card will go into a weekly prize draw and someone will win a prize. If you have
something you could donate to the prize collection you can do so it by dropping it off at the
office.
JOEY’S RUNNING CLUB
Cross country training starts next week and at this stage the Joey’s Running
Club will be operating on Wednesday and Friday morning from 7:45am.
Students who wish to participate will need to collect a note from their teacher
and return it before training.
This is not compulsory but any student who wishes to participate in representative
teams should be aware that regular training is one of the criteria
used to select athletes for the school team.
A MUSICAL NOTE– RENUKA HARAN
BAND
It was wonderful to see our regular and some new band members arrive early for our first band practice this morning.
Thank you to the mums and dads for bringing them in. We look forward to a full sound when year 7’s join us
next week.
DRUM AND GUITAR LESSONS
There will be no drum or guitar lessons next Friday 8 March due to the swimming carnival. Makeup lessons will be
held on Monday 11 March at the same lesson times.
APP of the WEEK by ST J’s APPSTARS
School A -Z (free)
Description: A practical guide for parents to help them help their children with homework. It
features 6 areas of help:
* English/Maths/Technology – has around 300 easy to understand definitions of commonlyused
terms that are being used in your child’s classroom. All based on the current curriculum,
with images and help sheets.
* Spelling Bee – (Game) Provides hours of spelling fun. The words used in the spelling game
are all from the Macquarie Dictionary. 3 levels of difficulty, with a leader board for tracking
progress and improvement. Create your own spelling list from your homework words.
* Maths Monkey – (Game) Practise you times tables with a fun game. Choose the number you want to practise or
just have random.
* Assignments – Some prepared ‘assignment starters’ for common classroom topics and themes.
Suitable for: Every parent with a school-aged student.
Compatible with: both iPhone and iPad
Look at www.applepieces.com for more educational apps.

The Seasons for Growth Program is an Australian based program for children who are experiencing grief and loss in
their lives. These losses can include the loss of a parent or significant other (e.g. grandparents, siblings, etc) through
death or separation. It also includes the loss of a parent or significant other through separation or divorce. This program
aims to educate children who are experiencing grief to assist them to understand that the reactions associated
with their losses are normal. It also helps children to develop skills for coping, problem solving and decision-making
and for building peer support networks thus aiding the restoration of self-confidence and self-esteem. The Seasons for
Growth Program is a whole school program catering for children who are experiencing grief in Years 2-7.
Sr Jenny will offer this program starting the week beginning 11 th March. Which year levels it will be offered to will
be determined by parent response to the permission form below.
I will contact parents/caregivers to let them know which year level will be involved. Please sign the signed permission
form in an envelope marked for Sr Jenny’s attention and return it to the school office.
Sr Jenny can be contacted at the school should you wish to know about this program.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________
PLEASE RETURN TO THE OFFICE: Attention SR JENNY
PERMISSION FORM FOR THE SEASONS FOR GROWTH PROGRAM
Child’s Name ______________________________________ Year Level _____________Class _____________
Grief Situation (e.g. Divorce, death) _____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
I give permission for my child to attend this program. Parent Signature _____________________________________
BOOK CLUB ORDERS
Placing orders for book club closes on Monday 11th March so the return of books will be before the Easter holidays.
EASTER RAFFLE
SEASONS FOR GROWTH-SR JENNY
P&F NEWS-DOMINIC BARNES
The P & F are again holding their annual Easter Raffle. Donations of Easter Goodies (not only eggs) are now being
accepted at the office or can be sent to class with your child. Each class will hold their own raffle and depending on
donations we try to offer 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd prizes. Ticket books have now been sent home (additional books available at
the office). Could you please return the tickets at your earliest convenience. We are greatly appreciative of the generous
support given to this event each year and look forward to a successful raffle again this year. Thankyou.
YEAR 7 CAMP

JOIN “G.I.JOEYS’ for TOUGH MUDDER!
Here at St Joseph’s we are putting a team together for TOUGH MUDDER on the Sunshine Coast in August!!! We
have 7 people signed up including Mr O’Keefe and Mr Lovegrove and we have two Joey’s Mum’s on the team! Our
team is for both WOMEN and MEN (minimum age 18). Our team’s plan is for everyone to stick together and help
each other finish. Tough Mudder is not a race, it’s about finishing and helping your team mates. You just need a bit
of fitness under your belt, and you want to take on a challenge too big to chew! Most of all we are doing it for “fun”.
So what is TOUGH MUDDER? It’s a 20km obstacle course (with 25 obstacles in total). For more info or to join
our team go to toughmudder.com. Be quick as the price increases each month!
When: Sunday August 18 starting at 9am
Logon Details: Team Name: “G.I. Joeys” Team Password “Joeys”
Where: TBA, somewhere on the Sunshine Coast.
For more info please contact
Dominic Barnes 0447 710 730.
PARISH NEWS
St Patrick’s Day
Come celebrate with us! On Sunday, March 17 th come down to the
Shelter Shed from 10am till 2pm for a day of family fun hosted by
St Patrick’s Youth.
The main event happens at 11am, when Paddy’s Saints are taking part
in the World’s Greatest Shave to support the Leukaemia Foundation.
There will also be a barbecue, games, stalls, raffles, trivia quiz and
a good old Irish Sing-along.
All the proceeds of the day are going to charity.
If you would like to ‘shave or colour for a cure’, please contact
Cathy Korzeniewski on 0400 494 943.