Dear Parents,

Hoping you and the children have enjoyed a lovely holiday and are returning relaxed, refreshed and ready for the busy weeks ahead of Term 4. t

It was great to welcome the children back to school this week and especially to welcome our 5 new students. A big, warm St Jospeh’s welcome to the new families who have recently joined the school! It is wonderful to see our school growing with current enrolment 50 students.

Welcome back to school to Mrs Leslie King too! Do chat with Mrs King about her amazing adventures when you get the chance.

Mrs Hunter also returned to school this week and it is also great to have her back at school too. With Sheridan’s return, the weekly Newsletter will revert to distribution on Thursdays. Thanks to Mrs Baker for looking after the newsletter in Sheridan’s absence.

NAIDOC and Teachers Day

Term 3 finished with a bang with both NAIDOC and Teacher’s Day celebrations occurring on the last day of the term. The children and teachers thoroughly enjoyed getting together with the Grenfell community for the NAIDOC celebrations. On behalf of the St Jospeh’s community, congratulations and thank you to the event organisers. And well done to the St Jospeh’s children for their excellent singing of the Kookaburra song in language.

Teacher’s Day was an unexpected surprise for us teachers and we felt thoroughly appreciated and celebrated thanks to the students and especially the Minnie Vinnies group who arranged the festivities. What made the day so special was that this event was completely child initiated and child lead. It is vey encouraging to know that the St Joseph’s children are so thoughtful, generous and effective in organisation to bring their vision to reality. Perhaps Teacher’s Day will become a St Jospeh’s tradition?

Welcome to Book Week!

The theme of Book Week for 2023 is Read, Grow, Inspire and the celebrations have been happening throughout the week. Tuesday saw the children free to find a cosy corner anywhere in the school and immerse themselves in a favourite book. There was time for sharing about their favourite books with their class mates too and we hope this sharing and the further activities we have planed for this week will serve to inspire the children to experience new books, genres and authors.

As always the Book Character Dress Up Parade was a highlight of the week so far. Well done parents to for your help in  supporting the children to choose a favourite book character and dress up . We were impressed with how the children immersed themselves in their characters by bringing props and being able to discuss their character and the book.

With two days remaining of Book Week, we look forward to the following activities:

Thursday 12^th October – Mystery Reader Each class will be visited by a Mystery Reader from the staff who will share a favourite story.

Friday 13^th October – Partner Reading Parents will be invited to join us first thing in the morning after drop off for partner reading. If you are able to join us, that would be great!

Book Fair – Throughout the week, the children will visit the Ashton Scholastic Book Fair. This will also be available for parents to visit on Friday afternoon from 1.15 instead of the usual assembly.

Colour Run – Tuesday 17^th October - It's almost here!!!

Hoping we have all been in training for the inaugural St Joseph’s Colour Run to be held next Tuesday 17^th October. A fantastic day is assured!

The children have been busy finding sponsors for this event which the SRC is running to fund playground improvements. Thank you parents and family members for your terrific support! Everyone is welcome to join us on the oval after lunch, to witness the fun and frivolity on the day.

On Tuesday the students will wear mufti and should ensure they have a hat, water bottle and that they are wearing sunscreen. Students are encouraged wear a white/light as possible Tshirt/top, for the colour to have most impact. Tuesday is sports day so all children should be wearing appropriate footwear for running the obstacle course.

A spare set of clothing will need to brought to school for changing into for the trip home and a plastic bag for the clothes used during the run. We are hoping for a warm day so some water activities can be added into the mix.

Come along and witness this exciting event. There is the added bonus of watching some of our staff members being slimed at the end, in recognition of the brilliant fundraising efforts of the St Joseph's community.

Kindergarten Open Evening – Thursday 21^st October

It’s always a special event when the Kindy families come together for the first time and the last Thursday of term 3 was no exception.

Big Thanks to Rob McClelland for looking after the bar-be-que and to the Parents and Friends for making all the catering arrangements work so seamlessly.

Thank you to the current St Jospeh’s families for being there to welcome the new Kindy families. Lastly and most importantly, thank you to the new Kindy families for choosing St Jospeh’s! We are delighted to have you join our community!

Calling ALL Kindy’s - Kindergarten Enrolment 2024

A final 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.

Kindy Transition Dates

The Jump into Joey’s program gives the children transitioning to school such a great foundation for their commencement and we have received very positive feedback throughout the year on how much the children have enjoyed their experiences at St Joseph’s and how this is helping them to feel confident about starting school.

In term 4, there will be additional transition days for the new starters as follows:

Tuesday 17^th Oct 9.05- 11.35 

Tuesday 31^st Oct 9.05 -11.35 

Tuesday 14^h Nov 9.05 - 2.00pm Parents are invited at 1.15pm for Q and A 

Looking forward to welcoming our new Kindy’s!

Sacramental Programme – Sunday 22^nd September

Mrs McFarlane and Sr Mary and the candidates have been busy preparing for the sacrament of Confirmation which they will receive during Mass on Sunday 22^nd October. The St Jospeh’s community is warmly invited to attend this Mass and show their support for the candidates.

In Conclusion…

There is so much to look forward to in term 4 and we look forward to your participation and support.

It’s a busy term for learning too and the classes have ‘hit the ground running’ this week to ensure that we squeeze the very best out of the last 10 weeks of this academic year.

Please do take some time together with your child this week to enjoy time enjoying books. Perhaps you could share some old favourites and explore some new titles too. There will be notifications regarding the activities throughout the week to help you help your child to make the most of Book Week 2024.

With best wishes,

Louise Grant

Acting Principal

Welcome Back

We made it to Term 4! It has been wonderful to welcome back all our students this week looking refreshed and ready for another big term of learning. We have several important RE events planned this term, so please keep a close eye on further details about these events.

World Mission Month - Socktober

Meet Jose this Socktober! 

“Hi, I'm Jose! I am a 12-year-old who loves soccer! My favourite things are scoring goals and juggling the ball. I'm pretty good at school too! Though I am only young, I have already faced many challenges in life. Growing up, I suffered from severe malnutrition because I was unable to eat the food I needed. Fortunately, the Salesian Sisters were there, and gave me the necessary nutrition and vitamins, allowing me to grow. Now, my grandma often takes me to the clinic for regular check-ups. Thanks to the Sisters, I can pursue my dream, and maybe become a professional soccer player like Messi someday.”

https://www.socktober.org.au/

This World Mission Month, we can make a difference and kick goals for good with Socktober. Together, we can support young Timorese children like Jose to access a brighter future. Our school Socktober Day will be held on Tuesday the 31^st of October. All students are encouraged to wear ‘crazy’ socks on this day. We will also participate in a prayer service and take part in other activities for all students to enjoy. This year, on Socktober Day, the students are also asked to bring to school donations of gold and silver coins (the more the better), to see which Sports House can create the longest coin trail. All proceeds will go to Mission Australia. We look forward to this day and thank you in advance for your support.

Please Note:

We are also asking for lots of donations of socks to be used for activities on the day!

Class Mass Dates

Please note in your diaries the following Mass dates:

• Year 5/6 Class Mass – 25^th of October
• Year 2/3/4 Class Mass – 20^th November
• Year 6 Graduation Mass – 13^th December

We welcome everyone to attend these very special events.

Sunday Gospel Reflection (October 15)

Gospel             Matthew 22:1-14

Feasting is a common image used by Jesus in describing the coming Kingdom of God. Indeed in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus and his disciples are condemned by the pharisees and scribes as gluttons. Jesus is often criticised for welcoming and eating with sinners. Together with his disciples he seems to have been not only a walking, talking but an eating, drinking parable of the Kingdom, the feast at which sinners, the poor, the outcast, the sick, the grieving and the persecuted have pride of place.

We are the servants sent to the crossroads to find anyone we can, “bad and good

alike”, to invite to God’s festive table, indeed our table. There is an urgency to this mission for “... all is prepared... everything is ready.” There can be no excuses! As Pope Francis urges us, “Here is the message for us: we do not have to wait until we are perfect and have come a long way following Jesus to witness to him; no, our proclamation begins today, there where we live.”

God our King

We hear your call, your invitation to the wedding feast, the feast of life lived to the full.

Send your Holy Spirit to renew in us the gifts of of Baptism and Confirmation.

Through our celebration of the Eucharist, may we be renewed and strengthened

in our ministry of leadership, teaching and service to everyone we can find, “bad and good alike”.

We ask this through Christ, your Son our Lord.

Amen.

Source: Formed in Prayer, CSYMI

Student Prayer of the Week

Sacramental Program

The Sacrament of Confirmation meetings have commenced.

There are six candidates. Please keep them in your prayers.

The remaining key dates for the Confirmation candidates are:

• Wednesday 18^th October – Preparation Meeting at 6pm
• Sunday 22^nd October – Confirmation Mass at 8am

Yours in Faith,

Danielle McFarlane

Religious Education Coordinator

Parish News

Sunday 8 am

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!

If you wish to visit St Joseph’s Church, it is open daily from 10.00am – 4.00pm and following Mass on Sundays.

Annual Leave for Fr Jiss

Fr Jiss is on Annual Leave until the 27th of October. He has gone home to India to see his Mum and Dad for a well-earned holiday. Please keep him in your prayers for safe travels.

Parish Street Stall

St Joseph’s Parish will be holding a street stall on Friday, 27th and Saturday, 28th of October. Donations of cakes, slices, produce and any saleable goods welcome as well as volunteers to assist on the stall. Please contact Deidre Carroll on 0403 480 729 if you have any enquiries.