Dear parents and carers,

Parent and Community Farewell for Ms Clancy

Thank you to all that were able to attend the farewell to Ms Clancy. It was a lovely tribute with speeches by Rob McLelland, Chair of the School Advisory Committee, Vanessa Gibson, previous P&F President and Chair of the School Advisory Committee and Mrs Leslie King, Religious Education Co-ordinator who spoke on behalf of the school staff. Ms Clancy spoke in reply noting some of the humorous incidents that had occurred in her time and also acknowledging the support of the School Advisory Committee and the P&F Association.

Thank you to the Parents and Friends Committee, especially President Bec Knight for the effort that went into preparing for the event.

The evening was much appreciated by Ms Clancy. 

Class Visits by Fr Joe

Thank you to Fr Joe who visited classes yesterday. Fr contributed to the work in the Religion classes by talking about his experience growing up as a Catholic in Indonesia.  

Photo shot last Friday 4 June

The students presented very well for the photo shot last Friday. Thank you to parents for ensuring the students were well “decked out”.

Enrolments for 2022

Any parent considering enrolling children at St Joseph’s in 2022 is asked to contact me at your convenience.

P&F Cakes stall at Saturday’s Markets

The P&F is holding a Cakes and Slice stall at the Markets behind the Criterion Hotel on Saturday between 11:00am and 4:00pm. Parents are invited to supply cakes and slices. Cakes can be left at the school on Friday or at the Stall on Saturday morning.

If you are can assist with working on the Stall on Saturday, please contact Bec Knight on 0427 432 578 or Jaclyn Hughes on 0407 465 292.

Western Region Athletics Carnival Tumut

The Western Region Athletics carnival has been postponed due to the cold and wet weather. It will be held on Wednesday the 14th of July (Term 3 Week 1).

Grenfell Dramatic Society Play event

The Grenfell Dramatic Society has invited St Joseph’s to present student plays on June 17 at the Grenfell Public School. The exact timing for the performances has yet to be released by the organisers early next week. I hope you might be able to attend.  

Parent-Teacher-Student Interviews

Parent interviews will be conducted from Monday 21 June to Thursday 24 June.

Parents are encouraged to have their child present for the interviews. 

Annual Parent Satisfaction Survey - Tell Them From Me.

The annual parent survey Tell Them From Me will be available until tomorrow.

The survey takes about 15-20 minutes to complete.  

To access the survey please use the following link:-

http://tellthemfromme.com/43qh3 

Kind regards

Peter Hamill

Acting Principal

On Wednesday, Father Joe visited the classrooms and talked about where he comes from in Indonesia and his personal journey to the priesthood. The students in K/1/2 were amazed to learn that when he arrived in Canberra from Indonesia many years ago, the only words he knew in English were ‘yes’ and ‘no’. He said he learned to fill in the gaps with a lot of smiles and songs. He shared one of his favourite songs, Trading my Sorrows, with both classes and I am certain that it will become part of our repertoire for future masses and prayer celebrations.

In the 3 to 6 classroom, the students asked about the conflict between East Timor and Indonesia and Father Joe said that was a part of their history but that things are much more peaceful now. He talked about his seven siblings and the fact that of the 8 children, 3 of the boys became priests and 1 girl became a nun. He certainly has a very faith-filled family!

It was wonderful to have the chance to get to know Father Joe on a more personal level. It helps the children to understand that priests are regular people with families, hobbies and favourite things. Clearly, Father Joe loves singing and bringing happiness to people through his love of music. As he said, “Some songs can be shared with Kindergarten students right up to the residents in aged care because they bring joy”. We look forward to Father Joe’s next visit so that we can experience some more of the joy and happiness that he brings.