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Dear Parents,
It’s great to return to the beautiful south-west slopes and to be back at school with the children and staff at St Joseph’s! David and I had a fantastic time catching up with family and friends, but it is always good to be home again.
The last few weeks at school have been busy and productive, and I trust you have been enjoying reading of school happenings in the weekly newsletters. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Katrina McGrath for all her contributions during her time at St Joseph’s, including keeping you all up to date via the weekly newsletters. I know that Katrina very much enjoyed her time at St Joseph’s, interacting with the children and the staff and the chance to meet many of you.
Weddin Landcare Wild at Art Initiative
The Year 2 – 6 children have thoroughly enjoyed participating in the Weddin Landcare Wild at Art Initiative and the artwork the children have produced is truly stunning!
The children’s entries will be on display at the Community Hub from Thursday 7th September for the weekend and families are encouraged to make a trip to take a look. A short list of 14 artworks will then be selected by renowned artists and will be on display at the Visitor’s Centre. The short-listed artworks will also be developed into a calendar.
Wild at Art is a national competition and who knows, one of the St Joseph’s contributions may make it to the final stage. We will of course keep you posted.
On behalf of our school community, I would like to sincerely thank Melanie Cooper and Claire Diprose from Weddin Landcare and Kathleen McCue from the Patina Gallery for giving the St Joseph’s children this outstanding opportunity to express their creativity and develop their visual arts skills.
Grenfell Show
Congratulations to the children and the staff for the outstanding exhibition representing St Joseph’s at the Grenfell Show! We hope that our families had the chance to visit and to see the wonderful work the children created for the display.
Special thanks to all the staff for supporting the St Joseph’s display and especially to Mrs Harveyson and Mrs Green for setting the display up. Thanks also to Mr Riccardo Barone for preparing the children and giving up his time to support their singing on the day of the Show.
Thank you to all members of our community, parents, and staff for giving so generously of their time to ‘man’ our exhibition. Your contributions are truly greatly appreciated!
Year 5 and 6 Visit to MPS
As you know, St Joseph’s has commenced monthly visits to the residents at MPS and on Monday, Year 5 and 6 enjoyed their visit and the chance to get to know a new buddy. The children came prepared with information about themselves to share with their buddy about and some conversations starters to help learn about their buddy. The residents enjoyed the opportunity to learn about the children and to share about their own lives and the children were fascinated to have a window into lives well lived.
Kindergarten Enrolment 2024
A reminder that enrolment forms are now overdue for children commencing in Kindergarten 2024. Please do finalise your application as soon as possible. Please do encourage friends and extended family members to pay us a visit if they would like to learn more about the school.
The Open Evening for prospective Kindergarten families is scheduled for Thursday 21st September.
Grandparents’ Day – Monday 11th September
This coming Monday 11th September brings a very important and favourite event on our calendar – Grandparents’ Day. We hope to welcome lots of the children’s grandparents to St Joseph’s and the children are very excited at the prospect of their visit to school. Festivities commence at 10.00am in the Library and conclude with morning tea with the children at 11.05-11.35. Parents are asked to please provide a plate for morning tea which can be left at the canteen on Monday morning.
Borambola Bound!
There is much excitement in Mr Martens and Ms Harveyson’s classes as in just a week on Wednesday 13th September, the children will be on their way to Camp at Borambola. This much anticipated event promises to be an amazing adventure for the children (and the teachers!). There is a fun and action-packed programme awaiting the children. The learning is real and intensive, and they will be challenged while just outside their comfort zone. These experiences are pivotal in the children’s development and when they return from this adventure, they will walk just a little bit taller, and have made life-long memories.
Unfortunately, due to a meeting in Canberra, I will be unable to be at school to see the campers off next Wednesday morning but look forward to visiting Borombala on Thursday. Please watch this space for a full report on the Camp next week.
In Conclusion…
It has been a pleasure to welcome two new families to St Joseph’s this past week. It is great to see our community growing and we trust that our new children will soon be feeling happy, settled and very much a part of the St Joseph’s community.
Looking forward to seeing you soon!
With best wishes,
Louise Grant
Acting Principal
Season of Spring
As we enter this season of Spring, it is wonderful to enjoy the glorious weather and picturesque scenery in and around our local area. I hope that over weekend you had the opportunity to enjoy the sunshine with your loved ones. The following is a reflective prayer:
Dear God,
Spring is a metaphor for change.
Some changes we eagerly await,
and some we abhor.
Some changes we plan
and others arrive uninvited.
To all these changes
we ask the gift of Your perspective
beckoning us to expectation, hope, and rebirth.
May the sunlight and the rain be reminders
that You are at work renewing the earth.
As a God of renewal,
You are ever at work in our lives, too.
Open our eyes and lives
to the needed changes in our lives this Spring.
Awaken us to new life and perspective,
for we pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Source: https://www.chausa.org/prayers/cha-prayer-library/prayer/spring-prayer
World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation
September 1 is recognised annually as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.
“The annual World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation offers to individual believers and to the community a precious opportunity to renew our personal participation in this vocation as custodians of creation, raising to God our thanks for the marvelous works that He has entrusted to our care, invoking his help for the protection of creation and his mercy for the sins committed against the world in which we live.” — Pope Francis
Source: https://www.crs.org/stories/world-day-prayer-care-creation
Sunday Gospel Reflection (September 3)
Gospel Matthew 16:21-27
What are the ‘profits’ of leadership? Surely included in the ‘profit’ is an enhanced sense of self-importance. In leadership, have you ever noticed how some act and speak differently in your presence, seem more interested in what you have to say, laugh harder at your jokes? Yours is more than just another opinion, it’s the basis of decisions that affect the work and learning, the lives and wellbeing of a whole community. In a real sense, a leader ‘makes’ ‘worlds’ and ‘cultures’ that others inhabit and in which they have a privileged place of power and influence.
Leaders can indeed ‘gain the whole world’ but can also lose themselves in the exercise of such power; they become the role, spending far too much time at work, increasingly estranged from family and friends, health declining. In a real sense we can witness them ‘losing’ or ‘forfeiting’ their life. Jesus’ invitation may be to ‘deny’ yourself and put down this false cross, in favour of a life-giving cross, a cross of true service borne with others, for others. Take up instead the cross, the ‘yoke’, that brings with it the joy of the Gospel and the promise of a life lived to the full.
Lord,
Help me follow in your footsteps, covered in your dust.
Help me discern your will, ego set aside.
Help me deny myself, give myself for others.
Help me take up my cross, with the joy of the Gospel.
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.
Borambola Excursion
Year 2-6 students are starting to get very excited about our excursion to Borambola on the 13th, 14th and 15th of September. We are travelling to Borambola by bus and three staff will accompany the students - Mrs Harveyson, Mr Martens and Miss Washbrook.
Thank you for registering your child, all your information is now collected and will be kept at school.
The buses will depart the Weddin Street gates at 8am on the 13th of September and aim to return to school at around 3.30pm on the 15th of September. We will keep parents updated via Compass to confirm times.
A list of activities and what to pack have been emailed to parents throughout the week.
If you have any questions, please contact the school and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
Grenfell Show Success
Indi competed at the Grenfell Show over the weekend representing the local pony club and competing in classes outside of pony club.
She was awarded Champion Pony Club Rider and Reserve Champion Pony Club Best Presented.There were lots of other ribbons including Reserve Champion Open Rider 9yrs and under 12yrs.
Well done, Indi!
Congratulations to all our students who represented in their respective events at the Grenfell show. It has been exciting to hear about such a wonderful weekend.
Chelsea Harveyson (Anderson)
Classroom Teacher and Sports Coordinator
