Dear parents,

We were delighted to welcome the new Kindergarten 2024 children for their final day of orientation on Tuesday. The children had a great day and were happy to stay until 2.00pm – it seems they are well and truly ready for big school!

The children explored St Joseph's during the school tour and participated in class and outdoor activities, experiencing the usual school timetable including recess and lunch. It is great to see the children growing in confidence and looking forward to joining us in January.

The Kindy 2024 parents joined us during the afternoon for an information and discussion session covering the transition to school arrangements for the beginning of the year. To conclude, we enjoyed a presentation by the children’s year 5 buddies highlighting the children’s visits over the past months. Thank you Mrs Harveyson and Year 5!

Introducing Ms Natalie Caruana

Children, parents and staff all enjoyed meeting Natalie Caruana who will be joining the St Joseph's Team as one of our Kindy teachers in January. It is my pleasure to introduce Natalie to you all:

Natalie’s teaching career commenced in 1995 and she has specialised in both the younger years and in schools called St Joseph’s! Natalie brings a great depth of experience to our school through her professional roles in a range of fields such as Managing Director of a product innovation company, Co Founder of a rural products promotion and distribution group, Head of Business Innovations and Leasing for a property group, and Education and Care Coordinator for MND NSW. Natalie is a great contributor to the communities to which she belongs, and she is our neighbour with her home in nearby Bumbaldry. Natalie has two daughters both studying in Sydney and a large assortment of farmyard animals. I am sure you all join me in giving Natalie a warm welcome to St Joseph's!

Mrs Caruana and Mrs Best will co-teach the Kindergarten class in 2024. 

Please watch this space for further staffing updates.

School Leadership

One of the more powerful learning experiences for children and adults is to learn from an expert and we are grateful to Belinda Mawhinney for giving her time and expertise to address the Year 5 and 6 students on Monday. Belinda inspired the children to reflect on what makes a good leader and how they might develop their own leadership skills

The Year 5 students have now put forward their nominations for the roles of House Captains and School Captains. The next step in the process is to meet with Mrs McFarlane and I, sharing their vision for the role and the reasons why they believe that would make a good school leader.

My Body, My Life

On Tuesday, the Archdiocesan Healthy Relationships Team worked with the Year 5 and 6 students on the My Body, My Life puberty and personal development program. The students really enjoyed this session and the opportunity to learn, reflect and think about themselves and their lives both now and in the future.

Thank you to the Archdiocesan Healthy Relationships Team, Chelsea Harveyson and, of course, the Year 5 and 6 parents for all their contributions to this important programme.

Remembrance Day

It was good to join the Grenfell Remembrance Day Memorial Service on Saturday and experience the strong community and reflect upon those who have served our country. 

Special thanks to Indie Edwards for representing St Joseph's and being part of the service by reading the poem, “One Thousand Men are Walking”. Thank you to the students and families who attended the service.

In Conclusion…

By now, St Joseph's families will have received a letter outlining the school fee increase for 2024. Please do let us know if you have not received this letter or if you have any questions. Thanks!

Please remember these important dates for 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 BBQs 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 Grenfell community. We will need lots of helpers for these events so please do keep these dates free and do volunteer to support our school and the local community.

With best wishes,

Louise Grant

Acting Principal