Dear Parents and Carers,

Thank you for the terrific support for the St Josephs Swimming Carnival on Friday! We were blessed with perfect weather and the day ran very efficiently thanks to the staff, parent helpers and the cheers from supporters. Congratulations to all the children for their enthusiastic participation, cooperation and for giving their best to their races and to supporting their team mates.

Thanks also to the St Joseph’s staff who as usual, excelled themselves in their roles at the Carnival. Congratulations to Cindy Washbrook Sport Coordinator for such a fun and successful day!

Thank you also to the staff at the pool for their great support too!

And finally, congratulations to Dominic House for winning this first event of the year!

The school gathered together with members of the Church community on Wednesday morning for the Ash Wednesday Liturgy. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent - a time of prayer, fasting and giving to others. Through prayer, we come closer to God, fasting joins us in solidarity with people experiencing poverty, and sharing what we have is a sign of our commitment to justice.

Thank you!

Next time you pop by the Canteen, I am sure you will notice how clean, tidy and organised it is. On behalf of all of us, our gratitude is extended to Amanda Mason and Rochelle Cawthorne for giving up their time to organise the Canteen, with excellence! Thank you!

Upcoming Events

Project Compassion Mufti Day and Sausage Sizzle

The first Mufti Day of the year is scheduled for the last Friday of the month, 23rd February. The children are invited to bring a gold coin which will be donated to our Lenten Project Compassion collection.

We have also scheduled the first Sausage Sizzle of the year. Please see below for details. 

Parent and Teacher Conferences - Tuesday 27th February

Gentle reminder to please keep the afternoon of 27th Feb free to meet with your child’s class teacher. Parents and carers will receive an email next week with instructions for how to book your appointment.

In Conclusion…

During the recent staff development professional development days, the Emergency Management Plan and Emergency Procedures were reviewed to ensure staff are all aware of our various roles to ensure the safety of the children. This week the children have experienced the first Fire Drill of the year and they responded with self-discipline and cooperation. We will practice emergency responses throughout the year with the children to ensure our readiness for any eventuality.

Please can parents ensure that they have updated the Office with any changes to the children’s going home routine for this term. In the event of last minute changes, please inform the office as soon as possible to ensure the message is received by all those concerned.

Wishing St Joseph’s families a Lenten period filled with love and care at home and at school.

With best wishes,

Louise Grant

Acting Principal

Shrove Tuesday Reflection:

Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday, is the traditional feast day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday.

Hence, on Tuesday, students had the pleasure of enjoying some delicious pancakes from breakfast club.

We would like to say a BIG thank you to our parent and student helpers. What a lovely treat!

Ash Wednesday Liturgy - Gospel Reflection:

There is a time for everything: times to be loud; times to be quiet; times to be happy; times to be sad; times to let things go; times to gather things up; times to celebrate and times to reflect. Towards the end of Lent, the Church celebrates Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday is a loud time of celebration. That day, we remember the part of Jesus’s story when he was greeted by a large crowd on his way into Jerusalem. The people were so excited that they “spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.” In celebration, they shouted, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”2 But Ash Wednesday leads us into a quieter time. Today, ashes made from branches once used in praise and celebration remind us how, after Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, another crowd gathered and called for his death on a cross. Ashes on our foreheads mark the beginning of our journey through Lent. This quieter time is a time to reflect on Jesus’s life and suffering and the ways he continually showed compassion to those around him. It’s also a time to reflect on our own lives and the lives of all in our human family and the rest of creation. Today, we pause to reflect on it all: life’s good bits and life’s quiet, difficult, challenging bits. We can ask: what experience or situation makes me want to celebrate? What makes me want to cry? What moves me to compassion? What actions will I take to make a difference – in my own life? in the lives of other people? in the living creation? Fasting, almsgiving and prayer can help us to reflect. When you receive ashes on your forehead today, let them be an encouragement to share compassion with others. Let the ashes remind you especially of the experiences of those who do not have access to the basic needs of human life. And, as you ask, ‘What can I do to care for them?’, remember that when we stand together as a global family, challenging ourselves to live and act with love and hope, we make a difference, just as Christ does, now and for all future generations.

Caritas – Project Compassion

Project Compassion is Caritas Australia's main annual fundraising campaign. It mobilises Australians to raise much-needed funds to help alleviate poverty, promote justice, and uphold dignity in the most vulnerable and marginalised communities in the world.

Prayer:

God of all hope, we pray for our world with all its beauty and need.  We thank you for the love in our lives that is a mirror of your unending love.

May all creation know your compassion this Lent, and may we take courage to share it, especially with those who don’t have what they need.

In our time, we hear the same words you spoke to Moses: ‘I will be with you,’ when you ask us to do courageous things.

Through your prayer, fasting and almsgiving, move us to act in the company of your Spirit, showing compassion and acting for justice to renew the face of the Earth, now and for all future generations.

We as this in the name of Christ. Amen

Grenfell Parish

MASS TIMES:

SUNDAY: 8.00am Mass (2nd & 4th Sun) 8.00am Communion Service (1st & 3rd and any 5th Sunday)

RECONCILIATION: Sunday (7.30am - 7.45am)

WEEKEND MASS TIMES AT YOUNG AND BOOROWA

YOUNG: 6.00pm (SAT) & 10.00am (SUN)

BOOROWA: 5.00pm (SUN)

2024 Swimming Carnival was a great way to start off the sporting year at St Joseph’s!

It was fantastic to see all the students having a go at races, even if it wasn’t their strongest event. The cheering and excitement were contagious, and it was awesome to see students encouraging team members.

Many ribbons were presented and the overall team winner on the day was Dominic. Well done to all teams.

Well done to the following age champions:

Junior Girl: Emily P

11 Year Boy: Charlie K

11 Year Girl: Arabella B

Senior Boy: Jack R

Senior Girl: Saskia M

Congratulations to the following students who have been selected to represent our school at the Western Region Swimming Carnival in Cootamundra on Thursday 22nd February:

Zayneb A, Ariahana B, Arabella B, Felicity C, Callum C, Lorelei F, Charlie K, Trinity M, Saskia M, Jed M, Emily P, Heidi R and Jack R.

Information packs have been sent home or you can find the information on Compass.

A big thank you to staff, parents, careers and most importantly, the students for a great event.

Many thanks,

Cindy Washbrook

Sports Coordinator

Mary moved to Grenfell 5 years ago and immediately immersed herself in community life, engaging with many organisations where she could actively support a range of people providing astonishing physical, educational, cultural and spiritual guidance both formally and informally in and around Grenfell.

Mary is deeply involved in St Joseph’s parish and school community. She chooses to willingly share her expertise, building connections, and providing deep pastoral care.

Mary has been actively involved in the local parish of St Joseph’s. As part of a team, she organises a monthly church service at the MPS where she also does a lot of visitation work. Mary is chairperson of the parish council and organises the liturgical feasts and celebrations. She guides parents through baptismal preparation. She instigated “coffee club” after mass for a group of elderly parishioners. She was spiritual advisor for a women’s Cursillo for the archdiocese last year. She also runs a discussion group for anyone interested in spiritual growth.

Mary is an integral part of the St. Joseph’s school community. She visits regularly, catching up with students and staff, continuing her pastoral work. Working with a teacher colleague, she helped coordinate the sacramental programs for first reconciliation and communion and confirmation. Mary supports school activities, attending Mass with the students.

On Mary’s return from the Catherine McAuley pilgrimage to Ireland, she shared this knowledge of Catherine McAuley and the Mercy foundation with both staff and students, and as a result a new award was started: the Catherine McAuley medal which Mary presents at the monthly school assembly.

Sr Mary is also committed to and highly instrumental in the Men’s Shed, Palliative Care Service, Grenfell Ukestra, Grenfell Probus, CEF of Grenfell, in fact, Sr Mary makes sure she is present wherever a helping hand is needed.

Sr Mary has made a significant contribution to the wellbeing of the residents in the Grenfell community; Mary has an empathetic and caring nature. Everything she does is 100% plus. She puts others needs before her own constantly. She is a wonderful friend, citizen and example of how to “love your neighbour as yourself”.  There is a belief locally that the world is a better place because of Sister Mary’s presence, direction, support and hard work.

Thanks to Margaret Carey for the original write-up.

Library News

The K/1 students enjoyed their first visit to the library last week and are keen to browse through all of the available books. Their lesson was about how to look after their library books and that included colouring a bookmark for them to use with their library books.

As students in Years 2 to 6 spend a lot of time at school and at home on technology, their lessons for the next few weeks will be focused on keeping themselves safe when online. They will be bringing home discussion questions to share with you. Please take a moment of your time to share their learning.

Library Days for 2024

K/1- Wednesday

2/3/4 and 5/6 – Thursday

Please provide a library bag for your child and have them bring it to school every library day.

Happy reading,