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It was great to welcome Father Jiss to the school on Wednesday and to have the opportunity to spend time in each of the classes. Thank you, Father Jiss, for the visit!
Fr Jiss is looking forward to the upcoming Father’s Day celebration at school on Wednesday 30th August. ALL St Joseph’s fathers and/or significant adult and grandfathers are invited to join us from 8.30am for a sausage sizzle and some fun on the playground. Then at 9.30 if you can, please join us for a special Father’s Day Mass. The whole school, will attend this mass and we hope families and parishioners will be able to join us in celebrating the special role our father’s play in our lives.
Police Visit to St Joseph’s
We had some unexpected visitors through the week, and we were all delighted to meet Renee and Cameron from the Grenfell and Greenthorpe Police Stations, respectively. The children had a great time chatting informally with the guests and asked very thoughtful questions. It seems a new career path may have opened for some of the children.
National Tree Planting Day
As mentioned in last week’s newsletter, today we celebrated National Tree Planting Day by planting 4 new natives to beautify the area around the play equipment. Pat Livingstone represented the Weddin Community Native Nursery who kindly donated the trees. Pat not only taught us how to plant and to care for the trees but also brought along some samples and educated us all about plant identification. Thank you Pat and thank you to everyone at the Weddin Community Native Nursery.
Grandparents Day – Monday 11th September
Please do let the children’s grandparents know that this special day is just around the corner. It means so much to the children to share their lives at school and we hope lots of the children’s grandparents will be able to join us from 10.00 for a Prayer Service time in classrooms with the children followed by a morning tea.
Prior to my appointment as Acting Principal, my husband and I had plans in place for a long-awaited visit to Europe to visit family. I will be absent from school from Thursday 10th August and return on Monday 4th September. During this period, Katrina McGrath will step in as Acting Principal. Katrina has a wealth of experience both as a school principal and as a member of the team at Catholic Education Head Office. Please pop by and say ‘Hi’ to Katrina when you get the chance; she is looking forward to meeting the St Joseph’s Grenfell Community.
The Grenfell Show is just around the corner on 2nd September, and we plan for St Joseph’s to be well represented as usual. The teachers and children are creating displays for our school of which I am sure we will all be very proud. As with previous years, parents will be asked to sign up for a session manning our stall to help promote our school. As they say, “many hands make light work” so please do give us a little of your time and we can share the load. You will receive an invitation to sign up next week. Thank you in anticipation!
Choir members and parents, please watch this space as we do expect that there will be the chance for you to perform at the show.
With best wishes,
Louise Grant
Acting Principal
Mini Vinnies Donation
Earlier in the week, our Mini Vinnies group met with local Salvation Army representatives to give them part of the donations from their recent 'Winter Clothing Drive'. The Salvation Army were very appreciative of the support. St Vincent de Paul in Young were equally as appreciative to receive the remaining donations the week prior. Well done, Mini Vinnies, and thank you again to everyone who donated and/or assisted us to make this a successful day!
Homelessness Prevention Week – 7-13 Aug
Part of our Mini Vinnies Winter Clothing drive was an increased awareness of homeless people and, in particular, the elderly women who, for whatever reason, do not have their own roof over their head. Homelessness is a serious world-wide issue.
Homelessness Australia hosts Homelessness Week annually to raise awareness of the impact of homelessness, and the solutions needed to end homelessness.
What is Homelessness Week?
In Australia, there are over 122,494 people experiencing homelessness on any given night. Homelessness Week aims to raise awareness of the causes and impacts of homelessness. This includes providing information on the importance of housing as a solution and educating communities on how they can make a difference. Homelessness Week also provides an opportunity to bring the issue of homelessness onto the agendas of local, state and national governments.
What is the theme for Homelessness Week 2023?
The theme for this year's Homelessness Week is its time to end homelessness!
In 2023, the Federal Government will begin developing a 10-year National Housing and Homelessness Plan. Our aim is for the plan to be ambitious and include the reforms needed outside the homelessness service system that are critical to ending homelessness, like people having adequate incomes, access to affordable housing, freedom from violence, and the support they need.
Facts about homelessness
Who is homeless?
- On any given night, 122,494 people in Australia are experiencing homelessness (ABS Census 2021).
- One in seven people experiencing homelessness are children under 12 (ABS Census 2021).
- 23 per cent of people experiencing homelessness (almost one in 4) are children and young people between 12 and 24 (ABS Census 2021).
- One in five people experiencing homelessness are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people (ABS Census 2021).
- Homelessness is not "rooflessness". Only 6.2 per cent of people without a home are sleeping rough. The majority of homelessness is hidden - people in crisis accommodation, rooming houses, insecure housing, overcrowded dwellings or couch surfing.
Homelessness services
- In 2021-22, 272,700 people were supported by homelessness services (AIHW, Specialist Homelessness Services Annual Report 2021-22).
- In 2021-22, a further 105,000 people sought help but were unable to be assisted because of shortages of staff, or accommodation or other services (AIHW 2022).
- That's 300 people a day turned away because services are overstretched (AIHW 2022).
Religious Education Leaders Network Meeting
Last Wednesday, I had the privilege of attending the Term 3 RE Leaders Network Meeting. REC staff joined together to commence the day with prayer through Christian Meditation. Helen Bramanathan facilitated the prayer and will also visit us at St Joseph’s next week to explore Christian Meditation with our students and staff.
Participants then heard about the call to Mission and Justice as a Lived Action in Catholic Schools given by Patrick McArdle (Vicar for Education). This primarily focused on developing an understanding of why Catholic Schools are called to Mission and Justice and how this call can be/ is lived out and enacted, as well as to explore the implications of the Call to Mission and Justice as a lived action.
We then explored the Mission and Justice sub strand in the Religious Education Curriculum, including core themes and content knowledge, scriptural foundations for the content knowledge and connections between the Mission and Justice sub strand in the Religion curriculum and the Social Action and Justice strand in the Religious life of the School.
Participants then touched on pedagogy and the need to identify key vocabulary as a strategy for review and checking for understanding. This focused on describing the importance of vocabulary and how to use vocabulary in review and checking for understanding.
To conclude the day we then listened to leaders from the St Vincent de Paul Mission and Justice organisation to find out more about the important services they provide.
Overall, it was a fruitful day of learning and networking with other RECs from the Canberra-Goulburn Catholic Education system.
Sunday Gospel Reflection (August 6)
Gospel Mt 17:1-9
In the Sunday Gospel Jesus is transfigured in the presence of Peter, James and John. In the First Reading, St Peter testifies “...we had seen his majesty for ourselves. He was honoured and glorified by God the Father, when the Sublime Glory itself spoke to him.” What Peter forgets to mention is that it was a terrifying experience for him, James and John.
Reflecting years later on the Transfiguration and revelation of Jesus as the Beloved Son of God, Peter assures us that we can depend on the word of God the Father, “and take it as a lamp for lighting a way through the dark until the dawn comes and the morning star rises in your minds.”
In believing and proclaiming the risen Christ, we too can be transfigured, filled with the light of Christ to become a lamp for others, a light of truth and love for those we lead and teach.
God our Father
Open our eyes to truly know Jesus as your Beloved Son.
Open our ears to hear your words of love for us as your sons and daughters.
Help us to stand and to not be afraid of proclaiming the Good News.
And may the morning star rise in our minds as truth and love lighting our way.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, risen from the dead.
Amen.
Source: Formed in Prayer, CSYMI
Student Prayer of the Week
Sacramental Program
St Joseph’s Parish will be offering the Sacrament of Confirmation to eligible candidates. To be eligible to prepare for the Sacrament of Confirmation, candidates must be in Year 5 or above and must have already received the Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Holy Communion.
The meetings for the Confirmation candidates will take place during Terms 3 and 4. The dates are as follows:
- Wednesday 6th September – Preparation Meeting at 6pm
- Wednesday 20th September – Preparation Meeting at 6pm
- Wednesday 18th October – Preparation Meeting at 6pm
- Sunday 22nd October – Confirmation Mass at 8am
The preparation meetings will be held on each of the above dates in the St Joseph’s School Library. A Catholic parent (or caregiver) of each candidate must attend each of the meetings.
If you are interested in enrolling your child/ren please contact me (if you have not already done so) at the school on 6343 1514 or via email: danielle.mcfarlane@cg.catholic.edu.au
Furthermore, if you know of anyone else interested in further information, who may not have access to this newsletter or the Parish bulletin, please encourage them to contact me also.
Yours in Faith,
Danielle McFarlane
Religious Education Coordinator
Parish News
Sunday 8 am Mass
St Joseph’s Church, Grenfell
Please note that a Mass will be held on the second and fourth Sundays each month. There is a Celebration of the Word with Holy Communion, not a Mass, on the first and third Sundays of each month. Everyone is welcome to attend!
The Parish would love to welcome more children to be involved in Mass on weekends. There are many opportunities for involvement, including doing the readings. If your child can participate in any way, please let me know.
If you wish to visit St Joseph’s Church, it is open daily from 10.00am – 4.00pm and following Mass on Sundays.
Reminder: The Year 2-6 school excursion is coming up in week 9. The 13th - 15th September, at Borambola Sport and Recreation Camp.
A note has been sent out on Compass and in addition to payment and consent, Parents must register students on the following link which has also been sent out with a reminder.
Online Registration Links - must be completed by 23/08/23 in order for the camp to go ahead.
https://officeofsport.ungerboeck.com/prod/emc00/register.aspx?eid=KzQ5OGJPQ3FpN0h6Ykg2ZDl5WGwyZz090
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Mrs Baker or Mrs Harveyson.
Chelsea Harveyson (Anderson)
Classroom Teacher and Sports Coordinator
