Moran Art Foundation Photography Workshop Our school has been successful in obtaining a Moran Free School Photographic Workshop in 2016. This whole day workshop will be held on Friday 19th February 2016. We are offering this to Year 5 and 6 students as part of the schools enrichment program. The professional award winning photographer Louise Whelan is our workshop photographer for this day she was a finalist in both the 2014 and 2015 Moran Contemporary Photographic Prizes, and her always fascinating work provides insights into how Australians live today. The Moran Arts Foundation is a philanthropic, not for-profit organisation whose objective is to support the Arts in Australia through the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, the Moran Contemporary Photographic Prizes, and the FREE Moran School Photographic Workshops. Established by Doug and Greta Moran and Family in 1988 in celebration of Australia’s bicentennial, the Moran Arts Foundation fosters portraiture skills and excellence in photography. Beginning School Mass Our beginning School Mass for 2016 was held last Friday at St Mary’s Catholic Church Maclean. Leaders for 2016 received their badges and Kindergarten were formally welcomed into the school community and received a blessing. Sport News – Swimming Carnival Results Congratulations, Bundjalung House…winners of  the swimming carnival! The house captains are presented with the shield and display it proudly.Thomas and Jack also congratulated all the students and teachers on a great day of sportsmanship at the pool. Congratulations to our Swimming Champions for 2016. They were presented with their medallions at this week’s assembly. Senior Boy – Thomas Gallagher, Senior Girl – Layla Black, Junior Boy – Nash Crofton, Junior Girl – Anna McCarthy, Well done! Our Zone team was announced yesterday for the coming Zone Swimming Carnival which will be held at Maclean Pool on Thursday 18th February 2016. Go… team St Joseph’s Maclean…please come along and cheer us on if you can. African Drumming Workshops African drumming workshops by Austin King are designed to capture and motivate students and participants to undertake left and right brain development training through energetic African tribal drumming, singing and dance. African Drumming is held on Wednesday afternoons. Little Joeys begins for 2016  Our ‘Little Joeys’ Pre-Kinder Transition began today with Ms Juana Mead & Mrs Sophie Bultitude having a wonderful time with the students involved . This is a full-day program beginning on Friday 5th February and be held every week on Friday 9 am—3 pm. If interested please see the front office for more an enrollment form & more details. Year 1 and 2 News – by Taj Angelo I have been working on reading my books. I need to concentrate on words and I have to think about the pictures and the story. I have to check and make sure it makes sense, sounds right and looks right. I have to practise books I have read before so I can get even better Year 5 and 6 News This week in Year 5 and 6 we have celebrated Shrove Tuesday by making pancakes with Mrs Tierney which were a great treat. The following day we began the Season of Lent with a very special, prayerful liturgy in our classroom and the receiving of ashes. Jackson Kelly was keen to share his whip cracking skills with us and we all thought he was amazing.  His explanation of the skill and his demonstration were both really excellent. Kindergarten News Kindergarten have been working hard since starting school. They love going to the library to borrow a book to take home for mum or dad to read to them. In PD and Art with Mrs Barrington they will be thinking about how to look after their healthy bodies and all the things that make them the special little people they are. We made Pancakes for Shrove Tuesday. They were yummy. We used drawings and labels to write about pancakes. We are learning about reading strategies and we know that pictures are clues for the words in reading. We also know that we go from LEFT to RIGHT when we read and write.