Dear Parents and carers,

Catholic Leader’s Day was held at the end of last week and it was great to have the opportunity to pray, work and socialise with the other Catholic Education Archdiocese of Canberra Goulburn Principals and Leaders. The focus of this event was on Catalyst and how schools will be moving forward to continue to build on the firm foundations for learning that have been established across the Archdiocese. We have much to look forward to!

Back here at school, the children and staff enjoyed a busy end to the week with the following events:

Year 6 Walking with Jesus

Thank you to Mrs Harveyson and the parents who helped to transport the Year 6 children to Hennessy Catholic College in Young on Friday for this special event. The children thoroughly enjoyed this immersive and prayerful experience and the chance to interact with other Primary students from the Western Region of our Archdiocese.

Day for Daniel Morcombe

Held annually on the last Friday of October, Day for Daniel honours the memory of Daniel Morcombe and is Australia’s largest child safety and awareness day.

We hope that parents and carers have had the opportunity since last Friday to have a conversation about personal safety. If you have not yet seen the ‘chatterboxes’ the children made, they serve as an excellent starting point.

Thank you Mrs Leslie King for coordinating St Joseph's efforts to mark this special and important event.

Socktober – Tuesday 31st October

A myriad of socks were on display on Tuesday as St Joseph’s as we participated in the Socktober Mission Day initiative. In 2023, Socktober is raising funds for children in need in Timor-Leste. One of Australia's closest neighbours, Timor-Leste is a small island republic just under 700kms from Darwin, which shares its western border with Indonesia. The country secured its independence from Indonesia in 2001, after an oppressive and violent occupation. Today, the scars still linger as the people grapple with the effects of poverty, low quality healthcare and infrastructure, corruption and inequality. 

Thank you to Mrs McFarlane and the children for arranging a Liturgy for us to unite together and pray for the people of Timor Leste. After the Liturgy the children enjoyed  group game rotations all related to….you guessed it….socks!

Thank you parents, carers and children for your kind donations to this worthy cause! As part of the Mission Day, the children created coin trails in the colour houses. We would like to congratulate and thank all the children and their families for the donations towards the coin trails. Thank you for making a difference in the lives of the people of Timor Leste!

Kindy Transition Day

Time is really flying by and on Tuesday we welcomed the Kindy’s commencing on 2024 for their second transition day. The children had another great morning at ‘big school’ and it is really encouraging to see them looking so at home at St Joseph’s..

The next and final transition day is:

Tuesday 14th Nov 9.15 - 2.00pm Parents are invited at 1.15pm for Q and A 

Welcome to the Inclusion Team from Catholic Education

Being part of the Archdiocese means that as a school we have access to a range of experts in their fields to help us to ensure that we are maximising every child’s learning and experience at school. On Tuesday we were delighted to welcome 5 colleagues including Inclusion Officer Carmel  Blake, AChild Psychologist Ashley Dale, , KSpeech Pathologist katie Kerr and teaching and Learning Officer for Aboriginal Education Katrina cambridge., 

School Board and Parents and Friends Association

This week, both the School Board and the Parents and Friends Association for St Joseph’s met and had excellent discussion's on past and future efforts to support St Joseph’s. We are very fortunate to have such dedicated parents who enthusiastically support the life of the school, our events and initiatives. 

You may recall that a review of School Boards, Community Councils and P&Fs across the Archdiocese has been undertaken over the past 18 months. The review has now concluded and in line with the recommendations made, our School Board and P&F will be transitioning to a new School Community Council over the next few months. Our Board and P&F is working with the Catholic Education Office on aspects of the change, and we will provide you with more information in the weeks ahead.

There are many ways parents and carers can be involved and contribute to the school and we are extremely blessed at St Joseph’s that so many contribute in so many ways. As we make this transition, please take some time to think about whether you could give some time to be part of this group. The commitment is not too onerous with meetings twice each term. Please watch this space for further details and opportunities.

My Body, My Life – November is here!

Year 5 and 6 parents will by now have received a letter with regards to the My Body, My Life program. On Tuesday 14th November 2023 the Archdiocesan Healthy Relationships Team will be here at St Joseph’s working with the Year 5 and 6 students to run the My Body, My Life puberty and personal development program. 

As a Catholic school, we are keen to ensure that parents and carers are fully engaged in this very important aspect of their child’s development. Research also shows that despite any awkwardness you and your child might feel, children prefer to hear this information first from their own parents or carers. To that end Yr 5 and 6 families are invited to view 60 minutes of online video content and participate in some activities together at home with your child prior to the 14th November. 

Student School Leadership 2024

All students in primary school need to be given the opportunity to demonstrate and develop leadership skills. Positive students' leadership opportunities and experiences will facilitate the transition to high school and the world beyond. 

At St Joseph’s the students experience leadership all the way from Kindy through the school. Through these experiences they learn about responsibility, cooperation and flexibility. Once the children reach the end of Year 5, there are opportunities for the children to put themselves forward in more formal, ongoing leadership roles such as School Captains and House Captains.

Next week, the Year 5 children will learn about roles available and the essential criteria for fulfilling those roles. They will have the opportunity to nominate for the role of House Captain, School Captain or both. Nominations will be due by Friday 10th November. 

Please watch this space for continued updates on this process.

In Conclusion…

Excitement is mounting in the K/1 classroom as the children and teachers look forward to Friday’s trip to Wagga to see Possum Magic. This promises to be a fun and most memorable opportunity for the children and we wish them a happy day and safe travels!

This week we received confirmation of a couple of important dates from our calendars. Yes! Christmas is just around the corner so please do reserve the following:

Christmas Fair - Friday 15th December 5.30pm at  Vaughan Park 

Christmas Carols - Sunday 17th December 5.30 for 6.00pm Start at Taylor Park

Our St Joseph’s Parent and Friends Association has been kindly invited to host the BBQ for the above events. This is potentially an excellent fundraising opportunity for the school and more importantly, a great way for St Joseph’s to contribute to the wider community. We will need lots of helpers for these events so please do keep these dates free and we will keep you posted on how you can volunteer.

With best wishes,

Louise Grant

Acting Principal