Dear Parents and Carers,

Again this week, the main focus of the Newsletter is to help parents and carers to prepare for the busy final 2 weeks of term. Please do call us if you have any questions or clarifications; we are looking forward very much to your presence and participation.

Fairy Bread Day

The festive spirit is alive and well at St Joseph’s! As many of you may already have been told by your children, last Friday was Fairy Bread Day. The children not only enjoyed a sweet treat at recess, but they also learned a little about the history of this children’s birthday party treat. Fairy bread dates all the way back to the 1920s in Australia where the recipe was first mentioned in The Hobart Mercury newspaper. The article describes children enjoying fairy bread at a party. Since that time fairy bread has been particular to children's birthday parties in both Australia and New Zealand.

Thank you Mrs Metcalfe, Mrs Harveyson and Year 5 and 6 for organising the fairy Bread for us to enjoy!

Swimming Programme – Monday 4th Dec – Friday 15th

Students will participate in daily swimming lessons, commencing on Monday the 4th December (Weeks 9-10), run by the Grenfell Aquatic Centre and their qualified instructors. Lessons will run until the end of term or will be stopped if there is risk of poor weather conditions.

Students are to come to school in their school uniform and their swimmers ready to go underneath. It is important that students are at school on time and prepared as we will be swimming first up, in the morning session. Students will change back into their uniform to return to school.
Please ensure that students have a rashie or t-shirt to swim in, their goggles (if required), sunscreen, towel, underwear, and that all items are clearly labelled.

Please ensure to provide us with your Season Ticket number to avoid pool entry fees. If your child/ren are not season ticket holders, a daily entry cost will be incurred, amounting to $20 for the entirety of the lessons. This can be paid in full when providing consent. 

Year 5/6 children will walk to and from the pool each day and K – 4 children will travel by bus. Thank you to the SRC for sponsoring the bus from funds raised at the Colour Run!

For any further questions or concerns, please contact the front office. 

Award Presentation Evening – Thursday 7th December at 7.00pm

We look forward to welcoming all our St Joseph’s families to this very special end of year event held here at school. 

Families are asked to arrive anytime from 6.45pm and to be seated ready to commence at 7.00pm. The children are to wear school uniform please.

We are excited to have special guests joining our school community to celebrate all the successes of 2023 and look forward to all the children and parents too participating.

End of Year and Year 6 Graduation Mass – Wednesday 13th December

Please join us to give thanks to God for all the blessings of 2023 and especially our Year 6 graduating students. Our community will come together in unity at 6.00pm at St Joseph’s Church and again, we hope that every member of the community will join this event.

Christmas Fair – Friday 15th December at Vaughan Park 

From 5.30pm, please join the fun at this community event.

Christmas Carols - Sunday 17th December 5.30 for 6.00pm Start at Taylor Park

All the children K-6 have been preparing for this event and we look forward to the St Joseph’s children presenting the carols they have been working on during this community event.

Please Support St Joseph’s Fund Raising…

Our St Joseph’s Parent and Friends Association has been kindly invited to host the BBQs for the above two 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.

Semester 2 Reports

We are pleased to share with you your child’s Semester 2 Report on next Wednesday 6th December. If parents have any questions or anything specific that they would like to discuss with their child’s teacher/s, please email the teacher directly to arrange a phone call or face to face discussion on Monday 12th December.

Student School Leadership at St Joseph’s

It has been a pleasure for Mrs McFarlane and I to meet with the year 5 nominees over the last two weeks and discuss with them their vision for the roles of House Captain and/or School, Captain. School Captain speeches will take place on Friday afternoon. We look forward to announcing the Captains and to all that they will contribute in their leadership roles.

In Conclusion…

Hoping that the above information will be helpful in preparing for the busy weeks ahead. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to give us a call.

The Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT (CCSP) has published its latest newsletter. The Parent Talk newsletter provides parents and carers with information about developments in education, wellbeing, CCSP advocacy work and other relevant news and events. Here is the link: https://www.ccsp.catholic.edu.au/parenttalk?nid=32

Very much looking forward to seeing you next week at the Awards Presentation Evening - Thursday 7th at 7.00pm here at school. The children are to wear school uniform please. Thanks!

With best wishes,

Louise Grant

Principal (Acting)

School Christmas Food Drive - Grenfell Food Hall

Below is a list of the categories/ items we will be collecting during our final focus week to donate to the Grenfell Food Hall. Please check all item expiry dates extend into 2024.

If you have any questions, please let us know. We thank you in advance for your support!

Year 2/3/4 Class Liturgy

A beautiful class liturgy was prepared and led by Mrs King and the students of Year 2/3/4 on Wednesday. Their chosen theme was ‘forgiveness’ which was linked to their classroom learning this term. The students were well prepared and it was wonderful to see so many parents in attendance. Thank you to everyone who could join us for this very special liturgy.

Year Six Graduation Mass

Advent Prayer

Advent God,

Show us the way to be a light to all in need.

Help us to live and be God’s Dream of hope, peace, joy and love for all people.

As we wait and anticipate the birth of Jesus, come to us and fill our hearts with hope.

This we ask through Jesus Christ the light of the world.

Amen.

Sunday Gospel Reflection (December 3)

Gospel Matthew 13:33-37

Every year provides wake-up calls for those of us on the journey of faith. The people and things we previously may have taken for granted and the ways in which we may have “fallen asleep” to the important things in life, all can come to light at different times of the year.

In the Sunday Gospel, the first for the season of Advent, there is a call to “wake up!” Jesus knows that in our human fragility and forgetfulness, and our tendency towards complacency, we are in constant need of remembering. The central words of the consecration we hear every Sunday at Mass are testament to this - “Do this in memory of me”. Heading into Advent, we must not be found to be asleep”.

As we enter this beautiful season, we can ask ourselves: Are we preparing our hearts to receive Jesus in a deeper way? Will he find us “asleep” caught up in the temporal, material, cultural or will he find us ready, waiting with open hearts to receive yet again the gifts he wishes to lavish upon us, his beloved children?

God our Father,

May we be blessed as we come to know Christ

in our own and others’ hunger and thirst, nakedness, illness or homelessness.

We ask this through the Son of Man, who comes in glory.

Amen.

Source: Formed in Prayer, CSYMI

Student Prayer of the Week

Thank You

We would like to extend a very special “thanks” to our parent volunteers who generously donated their time to assist with preparations for the upcoming Year Six Graduation Mass.

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 Sunday of each month. There is a Celebration of the Word with Holy Communion, not a Mass, on the first and third (and any fifth) Sunday 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.

Christmas Timetable Mass Times

Saturday 23rd Dec: - Young Vigil  - 6.00pm

(Weekend Masses)     - Boorowa Vigil - 6.00pm

                                - Grenfell Vigil - 6.00pm

Sunday 24th Dec:    - Young Mass - 10.00am